#love my internet corner where i post to exactly one person

[pickledandjarred]

book recs for aapi heritage month 🕺🕺

a bit late, but happy aapi heritage month! i’ve been getting back into reading this past year after my pandemic slump, so here’s some books that i really enjoyed by aapi authors 

the poppy war trilogy by rf kuang - this series is a fantasy based on 19th-20th century china. it’s hilariously written with some of my favorite characters of all time, and deals with some really heavy topics like colonialism, the effects of warfare, and classism in a brutally honest fashion. i have so much to say about it but that’s for a much longer post-

babel: an arcane history by rf kuang - at this point i will read this woman’s grocery list, she is such a skilled writer and genius storyteller. babel is set in an alternate 1800s oxford university, in a world which the british empire’s power is built upon magic silver. babel unpacks the intrinsic ties between academia and empire from the perspective of someone on the inside and the concept of resistance. it also really hits home to the feeling of disconnect from your native language as a bilingual/third culture kid- overall just brilliant book imo. the magic system is also really interesting (as is that of rf kuang’s other work)- she builds upon the real world to create a fantasy that is engaging, but also very representative of the motifs of her work?? idk how to explain it but 🙏rebecca🙏

you’re the only one i’ve told: the stories behind abortion by meera shah - you’re the only one i’ve told is a collection of stories about abortion entrusted to shah, a medical practitioner who works as an abortion provider. the book humanizes these people and their experiences from a variety of different backgrounds and circumstances, and is a really compelling read. 

we have always been here: a queer muslim memoir by samra habib - we have always been here is a memoir about  habib’s experience growing up as an ahmadi muslim in pakistan, coming to canada as refugees in their teenage years, and grappling with queer identity within an environment where their body and personhood was thought to have been needed to be controlled. habib discusses faith, sexuality, and love through a lens of self discovery and finding community that you didn’t know existed. 

the henna wars by adiba jaigirdar - this book is set in dublin, and follows a young bangladeshi girl named nishat. nishat has fallen for an estranged childhood friend, flávia, who just so happens to be her rival in an upcoming school business competition. and by some luck, they both have chosen to create the same business; henna tattoos. i’m a sucker for fluff so this book got me, but it also deals with appropriation and queer romance (particularly from a 3rd culture experience) quite delicately. nishat’s relationship with her sister was also so well written, and i think was one of the most compelling bonds in this book!

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar - okay i’m still in the process of finishing this book, but it has been so good so far! this is a story about two rival agents moving through a war that stretches across time, fighting tooth and nail for their own victory in a vaguely apocalyptic world. they begin a correspondence that spills into something that could change the course of time extremely literally. the writing style and descriptions are gorgeous, and the fragmented format of letters jumping across thousands of years is a really interesting reading experience. very cool book!

on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong - god this man is such a talent- everything good you’ve heard about his work is true and you should go read it rn. on earth we’re briefly gorgeous is written in the form of a letter from a son to his illiterate mother, and tells a story that crosses over 3 generations with it’s epicenter rooted in vietnam. the narrator unpacks how the effects of warfare, immigration and generational trauma have shaped his relationship with his mother and his own life. i’m not doing it justice (not for any of these rlly i cannot elevator pitch books), but vuong’s writing is so beautiful and intimate yet quiet? 💃💃🙏🫶👍🙏👌💃

that’s all i have for now, if you have any recs pls do tell!! to my fellow asian/pacific islander americans, your voices and stories deserve to be uplifted and celebrated without being fetishized, appropriated or pigeonholed. have a great may! 

[adventuringblind]

Sunrise

Oscar Piastri x Autistic!Reader

Genre: Angst

Summary: The fans and media get to Oscar’s girlfriend in a way he’ll never forgive

Warnings: SUICIDE AND SH depictions, toxic media, death threats, lack of communication, anxiety, Oscar is a mess.

Notes: …. We’re not talking about my patterns alright. I swear I’m in therapy.

Masterlist

Oscar is not normally an irrational person. He prides himself on his calm and collected state. Something that his neurodivergent counterpart loves because it makes him easy to read. Everything is clear to her with him.

He adores his girlfriend. Plans to eventually marry her one day. He doesn’t care that her body isn’t the ‘standard’ for beauty because he finds her stunning. He doesn’t care that she has deep passions for her interests and could talk for hours about it because he loves listening.

So why is it his fans don’t get that same thing? Why do the vultures have to attack her for doing nothing wrong?

He ponders these questions as he sits in the hospital waiting room. Fingers crossed he got to her in time.

~

She’d turned off all her notifications on social media. She had to. For some reason now that Oscar and McLaren are on track and fighting again, people are seeming to notice her more often.

Gone are the days of sneaking off into the quiet corners. Numbered are the days she’ll be able to spend with him at this rate.

The death threats started a month ago. To many things she’d rather not think about. The name calling is flat out unnecessary and something she doesn’t understand.

She knows logically nothing can come if it. But the nagging at her brain won’t stop for some reason. She hates it, being empathetic. She just feels so extremely that she can’t decipher if the words hurt her or if she’s angry and why she feels this way. It’s to much for her mind to process.

So she turns everything off. No social media for her.

She’d simply told Oscar the hate was to much and she needs a break from the internet. Which isn’t a lie, but she didn’t want him to worry about her and start doing poorly because of it.

Instead curled up underneath her blankets with music and switched off the world.

~

Oscar is feeling alright with fifth in Hungary. Not exactly where he wants to be, but it’s still considerably better then where he was previously.

As is routine, he gets into the garage as quickly as he can. The one thing he managed to negotiate for with his PR team: the he gets to check in on his girlfriend before he does media duties.

He peers inside. It’s mostly empty due to the incoming podium celebration. But there is no sign of her. Nothing is the garage or his driver room or Lando’s room, or the bathroom.

His heart thuds in his chest. This is routine, and she always sticks to her routine. If she’s not here then something must be terribly wrong. Oscar pulls out his phone to see he has a text from her and the weight on him lessens just a tad.

‘Sorry I won’t be there for the end of the race! I was feeling incredibly sick so I went back to the hotel room! I love you so much! 🧡🖤’

And suddenly that weight is back. If she left then something is clearly wrong. She’s stayed through blurry vision from migraines, endured hours of overstimulation for him, even dealt with his fans pushing her around. Yet she always stayed. If something caused her to leave then it’s definitely something to worry about.

He ended up missing the podium celebration. His PR manager is looking for him. But he could care less and heads straight for Zak.

He gives a brief summary of what’s going on and defines is as an emergency. That word was what made Zak let him go as long as he promised to keep everyone posted.

Then he ran.

~

Race weekends have come to be one of her favorite things. The consistent hum of car engines stimulates her brain in a way that she loves.

What she doesn’t love is the fans. She wonders for a moment if all the WAG’s have this kind of hate. So she sets off to go find Lily and ask. She’s become close with her over the course of this year. She’s also passionate about things and it’s fun to listen to her get excited over her interests. Something the female can relate to well.

When she neared the Williams hospitality, she saw Lily and waved her over only to be stopped in her tracks by a few fans in McLaren gear. She instantly took notices of the very blatant disregard for personal space and the negative energy they carried with them.

Then they out in some fake smiles and handed her an envelope, walking away without a word.

She was left confused and stunned. But also curious. The envelope in her hands had some weight to it and she can’t help but wonder what’s inside.

She doesn’t hesitate to open it. Her eyes scanning over the contents. Every second she looks at it makes her feel sick to her stomach.

Someone had been stalking them. Not just her and Oscar, but Lando as well. Addresses, pictures, personal information, even images from intimate moments where they are very clearly without clothes.

She could see the possibility of her and maybe Oscar being stalked if these are the same fans who have been harassing her for a couple months now. But Lando as well makes her feel dirty and upset in a way.

It’s to much. She feels to much. It’s overwhelming.

She stuffs everything back inside and finally gets to Lily. A brief excuse leaves her lips that she’s going back to the hotel cause she’s feeling sick. She takes note of Lily’s instant concern and the female does her best to fight back every emotion. It’s utterly draining. She has no energy to sort out her feelings and other peoples feelings when she can’t understand any of them anyway.

Lily lets her go on the condition she texts her when she gets back to the hotel.

She agrees. She'll be messaging everyone when she gets there.

~

Oscar gets into his car and fumbles around for the keys.

He left them with his stuff. His stuff that he doesn't have. Now he's going to have to run all the way back.

He gets out and heads straight to the McLaren garage. Ignoring the strange looks.

He even tries pulling his phone out to call her. Straight to voicemail. Twenty times.

Halfway there, he runs into Lando. The Brit is winded and carrying Oscar's things.

"I'm driving."

~

She can't believe she's actually going to do this. It's not that she's never thought about it before. Feeling alien on your own planet will do that to you. But she feels like she has no other choice.

It's too much. The fans want her dead, and they are willing to do horrible things to get it.

She can't handle it. The feelings of all of it are overwhelming. She can't tell where her emotions end and someone else's start. The letter written to her only points out further.

The last few months have been beyond her limit. She doesn't feel safe in her own skin. Everyone is telling her she'll never be enough. That she is not meant for this life.

She'd thought about her friends as she wrote those damn notes. The blank looks when she says something lnnapropriat for the conversation. The times she's had meltdowns and they had to deal with her.

She thinks about Oscar, too. His note is three pages long. It's intimate, and she hopes he can understand it. Words she's written countless times the last months to make sure he understands her decision.

She lays it out where she knows he'll see it and then locks herself in the bathroom. The bathtub is filled with ice-cold water and not filled all the way to the top. Just enough to make things easy.

Is she really doing this because those damn fans are going to leak everything about their lives tonight if she doesn't? Certainly a factor in her decision. It seems the logical solution if she's to fix the problem. She hates herself for this; that she can't just be what everyone wants.

That thought brings the first cut.

She didn't bother taking off her clothes. She hates the feeling. They cling to her skin and it makes her want to peel her skin off.

The second cut is for her clothing.

Then the third.

And a fourth.

The fifth makes her dizzy.

The sixth causes her vision to dance.

The seventh and eighth she can't even register.

Everything is numb by nine and ten.

Then nothing.

~

Oscar and Lando take three steps at a time.

Apparently, Lando had run into Lily and found out what had happened. The Brit also felt his stomach drop with the feeling something is wrong.

Oscar sprints down the hall when they make it to the right floor. Fumbles around with his key card. Then, finally, he gets the door open.

He scans the room. There is paper stacked neatly on the table. An envelop almost thrown to the side.

He looks at the note addressed to him, and he chokes. Lando is searching for any sign of life but the Aussie can't see past the fact that there are fans asking her to kill herself. And that she felt the need to say yes because now they have stalkers.

He'll think about it later. Right now, Lando is screaming for him.

He barrels to where the voice comes from. Again, he chokes. This time on frantic tears.

Lando is looking like he might pass out, but the Brit is staying strong for his teammate and friend. He tries to get Oscar to help him.

She may be passed out, but the Aussie registers Lando saying she has a pulse. That she's still breathing even if it's shallow.

They work together to drag her out of the water. Her make it so that when they set her down, she immediately is sliding on the tile. They wrap her arm in wash rags. The only thing they can find to slow the bleeding. But the cuts are too deep. It doesn't slow.

So they call an ambulance.

Oscar doesn't register much after that. Listening to Lando instruct him on what to do, including breathing. Riding with her to the hospital. Watching her be taken away. Meeting Lando in the waiting room.

Now he has nothing to do but wait and look through everything he missed.

Her socials are where she's being threatened, sure. But it's the contents of the envelope that got Oscar angry. Way past the point of livid.

"Lan, I- what the hell." He shows everything to his teammate, and terror stretches across his face.

And then she was left with a ticking clock and an ultimatum. Disappear or have all this and more released to the public. What better way to disappear than to do it permanently.

It breaks him. He can't breathe past the thought of not having her around. He can't live knowing she left because the world is suck a cruel place. And he feels utterly selfish for wishing her to stay with him through it.

Somehow, he ended up on the floor, sobbing dramatically into Lando's sweatshirt.

But then others start to appear. It's not just the two of them because there are so many people that care for her.

Max shows up first with a certain Monegasque in tow, followed by Alex and Lily, the latter of which looks about as broken as him. Then George and Lewis appear, followed by Logan.

They explain what happened. Everyone is shocked, and there are no words between them for a few minutes as everyone processes.

"I don't understand why someone would do this." Pipes Max. He knows about death threats fairly well, but this is a new level of extreme.

"We could say something. Make a statement about it and start a suicide awareness campaign." Lewis suggests.

Oscar knows a campaign probably won't do much against whoever sent this, but a statement might. He wants to say everything on his mind.

And that's exactly what he did. His PR team be damned because this takes precedence.

~

She wasn't expecting to wake up. She wasn't supposed to wake up. So how is she awake?

She cracks her eyes open just a tad to assess her surroundings. Her arm is bandaged and she's underneath some of the worst textures to come in contact with.

The thing that catches her eye is the brown locks of a specific Australian. She moves her hand to them and runs her fingers gently along his scalp.

he shifts around a bit before relaxing into the feeling. At least she could give him this before she ruins his and Lando's life.

She's not sure how long they go on like this until Oscar sits up and yawns. He blinks a few times and adjusts himself to the florescent lights.

She's not sure she's ever seen Oscar cry before. Once at a really sad movie, but even that was just slight. Now he's crying tears for her. The sound makes her tear ducts spring into action as well.

"Please, don't ever do that again." He rasps. His voice crackles with the sound of sobs.

She doesn't say anything. She can't say anything. So instead, Oscar crawls into the bed with her. He just cradles her body into his.

"I'm sorry." Is all she manages to say. And after a few more breathes she continues. "I didn't want to be the reason you and Lando lose your jobs. Or be the cause of your stress. And then everything felt like it was too much, and I just wanted it to stop." She feels pathetic.

"I promise that I will never be upset with you for something like this. The fans pushed and pushed and then drove you into a corner. But in the future, you have to come to me. I can't help if you don't communicate with me."

"What about racing? And Lando? And all your personal information?" The weight she'd had before has made a sudden return.

"Should be taken care of. We beat them to the punch and made a statement about how someone close to McLaren had been threatened and the person responsible would be posting personal information." Oscar explains. She feels better knowing they didn't say it was her name. "I also said I would be taking a break from socials for personal reasons... and also said something about how much I love you."

~

The news came out eventually. It's not every day that F1 driver's campaign for mental health. But they've all been incredibly helpful. She is on the road to recovery and Oscar intends on being with her through every step of the way.

[waitingforthesunrise]

Hello, lovely human! I'm glad to see you at this little corner of the internet :))

I'm Arianna (she/her) -- writer, poet, queer Christian, feminist, ENFJ, and constant fangirl. I've wanted to live in a library since I entered the world; if you wanted to describe me in book characters....think Nina Zenik crossed with Elizabeth Bennet, Wylan Van Sunshine, Holly Munro, and Samwise Gamgee. I'm always dreaming of other worlds while learning to love this one.

What can you expect to see here? well, a lot of excited ramblings; book quotes, moodboards, random thoughts, and original poetry. I'm deeply passionate about mental health ( sideblog link at the bottom) and much of my poetry reflects that. I battle anxiety, depression, and OCD; literature and art has become my greatest coping mechanism and teacher. the only thing I love more than sunsets are sunrises; I fall in love with the little things everyday. the stars are the greatest comfort :) at this given moment, I'm probably working on my novel; listening to Taylor Swift/ Hozier/ Boygenius/ Noah Kahan while sketching or painting; putting even more books on my library hold list, cuddling my cats, or fangirling over old poetry.

(Doodle from the amazing @twanettee)

here are some flowers for you!

have a beautiful day :))

NOTE: I have three side blogs you can check out! @sunrisethoughts02 — self care, mental health positive energy — and @portlandrowismyhome where I can talk (and write!) about my comfort series, Lockwood and Co, as well as @sunrisestudyblr (a study blog) 💗

NOTE: if you’re following me for the sole purpose of poetry and don’t necessarily want all of the 2am thoughts/song recs/fanart/randomness, I totally understand! Please let me know if you’d like me to tag you in poetry posts so you don’t miss it :)

Tags below the cut:

#adventures of lovergirl — personal

#lovergirl on main — being wondrously sappy about the nature of love

#ari rambles — exactly what it sounds like

#ari paints/ari draws — original art

#original poetry — yes

#chronicles of a local earth goddess — nature pics

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Brief history of this request! 🤡 I originally wrote this as a response to it; the original interaction went up a little while before the book 7 part 3 update was released… and that update happened to give us a lot more information about the Shroud family dynamics. It was unfortunately bad timing!

This post is a rewrite which incorporates the new Shroud family canon from the update.

***Contains major plot spoilers for book 6 of the main story!***

Family means Nobody is Left Behind or Forgotten.

The students of Night Raven College had become accustomed to rather odd sightings—so when young Ortho Shroud sailed by them with two floating tablets in tow, no one batted an eye at it. That shut-in brother of his, the rumor was, maybe he multiplied. In a sense, there was truth to that theory.

“It’s so nice to have the whole family together!” gushed a woman’s squeaky voice from one device. “Isn’t it, Papa? Everyone’s so busy, we hardly get to do these kinds of things anymore.”

Beside her, her husband cleared his throat. He replied with a blunt, somewhat stiff, “Mmm, quite. It is… certainly a different environment than the laboratory.”

Idia didn’t know which was worse—his mother’s smothering cuteness, or his father’s calculating aloofness. The love and the logic. In anime and manga, they were amusing enough archetypes. But in reality? Cringe with a capital C, especially when they were acting as a unit in public.

He could feel the heat of his peers’ gazes directed at him as they passed like phantoms trailing over a graveyard. The curiosity, the whispers, the stares. The only thing that was keeping Idia sane was the safety offered by his tablet’s screen.

Hunkered down in his Ignihyde bedroom, he was safe from direct judgment—but not free of the embarrassment his parents provided. No, that was always eternal.

“Wh-Why did you guys even bothering showing up on the NRC Family Day banner…” Idia grumbled under his breath. Man, the one time I didn’t want to pull the SSRs… and they came home anyway!

There was an appalled gasp from the end of the line. “Of course Mama and Papa came! It’s Family Day. It’s a time us parents to see what mischief our genius little boys have gotten up to while they’re away!”

Idia couldn’t see his mother’s image on her screen, but he could only imagine she was winking in a conspiring manner to Mr. Shroud. He would give an awkward smile beneath his helmet and probably say something in agreement with her.

“Ideally, we’ve have liked to come in person,” his mother continued.

Mr. Shroud cleared his voice and neatly cut in. “However, with the recent incident… well, let’s just say we’ve had to lay low and wait for the dust to settle. My staff are working overtime moderating the metrics of this situation.”

“Quite right, dear! We can’t exactly waltz into Night Raven College! It would put us at risk of being scrutinized, especially with all the viral internet rumors swirling around.”

“Shadowy secret organization puppeteers Twisted Wonderland,” Mr. Shroud recited, shaking his head in disapproval, “Lizard people real, global warming is a hoax, tap water turning the frogs gay… Where do the youths come up with such preposterous claims?”

They’re covering their bases, Idia told himself. After that incident… We never wiped the subjects’ memories with the River Lethe. It exposes a chink in our armor—they could talk, spread what they know.

Then… Th-There’s no way people wouldn’t be curious. Internet sleuths with nothing better to do will dig up dirt from the most obscure corners of the web and tout it as truth!! That’s why even STYX has been having such a hard time containing it.

“What are you gonna do? Haters gonna hate.” Idia shrugged. “… I get it. You don’t have to go explaining yourselves to us. It’s a waste of breath.”

Cynicism slipped in at the last second. A habit, hard to squash.

Ortho chimed in, clearing the air with his cheer. “Nii-san’s right! What’s important is that we get to spend time together, bonding like any other family does.”

He extended his arms to them, as if reaching for hands to hold. Bur though there was nothing for the android to grasp, there was no hiding his effervescent smile. “I’m really happy that we can do this!”

Idia’s heart, so familiar with the ice that encased the Phantoms and the chill of Tartarus, melted. “Ortho…”

An ear-splitting squeal came from one of the tablets. “Kyaaaah! You’re so cute, Or-kun!! Mama wishes she was right there on Sage’s Island to squish your little face!! You too, Idia-kun! Don’t think you can escape from your mother!”

Mr. Shroud’s voice dragged into a patient sigh. “We discussed keeping a low profile.”

“Aww, but papa!” (Idia could practically hear the pout in her tone.) “It’s a parent’s instinct to want to hug and shower her children with love~”

“Y-You’re going to attract unwanted attention though…” Idia nervously pointed out—one thing he could see eye-to-eye with his father on. They were split down the middle.

Through his camera, he could already spot passerbys slowing and staring. Sweat collected on his palms, on his forehead.

“What’s going on over there…?”

“There’s a boy with blue flames for hair.”

“Is he a Shroud?”

“He has weird things floating around him.”

Unperturbed, Ortho waved at the curious gawkers. “Hello!! I’m spending time with my family today!” he announced with his full chest out.

“Aw, what an adorable kid.”

“Are they phoning in? Gosh, they must be busy—but they still care enough to attend. That’s great!”

“Have fun with your family, champ!!”

Eh? Ehhhhh?! What’s what this after-school special I’m seeing play out?! Everyone’s so upbeat and sparkling… a-almost like one of Cater-shi’s impossible Magicam filters was just applied to the whole campus!!

Something in Idia wanted to scoff at the sight, to dismiss it outright. For as long as he could remember, the Shrouds had been shunned by the sunlight. A bloodline cursed by the gods. Never to be heroes, never normal.

But if Ortho is happy, then… this was all worth it, wasn’t it?

Yet something else, too, called out. Some small, almost forgotten, fragmented part of him. A small flower growing in the darkest pits of the Underworld.

Hope.

A zero that had suddenly turned into 0.001%. Connected again, heart to heart—even if only for a single fleeting moment.

“… Dad, mom, Ortho,” Idia said slowly, “we can’t stand around like NPCs waiting to be talked to. We’ll miss out on the limited time event. Let’s go, the whole party.”

“Nii-san…!!”

Ortho’s whole face lit up, his joy turning absolutely electric. He nearly tackled Idia’s device as he seized it and spun in a giddy circle. There was laughter from the younger Shroud, and confused sputtering from the elder one.

“Would you look at that, Papa?” Mrs. Shroud giggled softly to herself. “It looks like our boys have become such good friends.”

“… That’s good,” her husband replied. “I was concerned that Idia was still beside himself with grief—but thankfully, he’s made tremendous progress.”

“Ehehehe. It’s all thanks to Or-kun coming into our lives. He ended up being the password to unlocking Idia’s almost impenetrable fire walls.”

“Indeed. Our children have come a long way.” The corners of Mr. Shroud’s lips threatened to pull up and back. “No longer boys, but young men.”

[princessfbi]

Tumblr Fandom: A Year in Review 2023

Tagged by @mistmarauder and @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels which is both thrilling and terrifying...

Top Five Blorbos: Evan Buckley, Eddie Diaz, Maddie Buckley, Clint Barton, and Carter Bennett

Top Five Fandoms: 9-1-1, RWRB, A Discovery of Witches, does hockey count? idk it's been a strike year, and Green Creek Series

Top Five OTPs: Buddie, WinterHawk, Matthew/Diana, Grantaire/Enjolras, FirstPrince

Shoutout to Some New Friends: @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels sorry you're stuck with me now. I'm going to shower you in so much love and support and affection and there's nothing you can do to stop me BROHAHAHAHAHA. @skyhighrollins911 you're so talented it's ridiculous. @mistmarauder I feel like we've past the new friends stage but I also feel like we've gotten so much closer this year and I'm forever grateful for it. You're brighten my day every time I hear from you even when you're bullying me. Also I hate to break it to you but you do so much for this fandom it's insane.

Shoutout to Some Old Friends: @homerforsure and @mellaithwen you guys have picked me up so many times. I don't know where I'd be without you. @buddie-buddie you are my ride or die. I'm sorry to say this but not even a divorce attorney could get rid of me now. @lovebuck you were one of my first friends in this whole crazy internet world I found and look at us! @bigfootsmom you are a beacon of joy every message I get from you. Thanks for letting me talk kinky with you 😜 @like-the-rest-of-la I'm obsessed with you. I'm sorry I don't make the rules. @djdangerlove you are the light of my life you ridiculous person. You bring so much joy and laughter to every corner you grace with your presence and I'm gonna move into your apartment one day when you're at work and you won't be able to get rid of me. Sorry not sorry.

Favorite Creation You Posted This Year: Ohhhhhh maybe my fic I wrote for @buddie-buddie's birthday. Also Kink Club AU because it's one of my most nuanced pieces and Traded for being a new type of fic for me with the multimedia parts.

Favorite Creation Posted by Someone Else This Year: @like-the-rest-of-la amazes me every day as does @mistmarauder and while I have your attention have you gotten a chance to see/listen to the podfic they collaborated together to bring you [Podfic] If I Risk It All (Could You Break My Fall?) because not a day goes by that I don't listen to it/look at the cover. Also @skyhighrollins911 destroys me with all their new edits. we will find a way (through the dark) by @buddie-buddie nearly drove me insane and had me running out to the yard to scream like a banshee.

People Who Brightened Your Year: @buddie-buddie and @homerforsure know exactly how to make me smile when I need it. I still fangirl about @mistmarauder but the fact that she picked my fic to podfic? With @like-the-rest-of-la who I still cannot believe just casually drew Spiderman!Eddie kissing Hawkeye!Buck? Fainted. I fainted. @djdangerlove you are ridiculous and I love you. @mandzuking17 and @thebestbooksaround and @fleurdebeton thank you for sending me so many wonderful asks. @firemedicdiaz thank you for getting me through that rough patch I had this spring and constantly being so supportive! @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels thank you for putting up with me being such a goof. @barbiediaz Thank you for agreeing with me that we have the most correct opinions.

Anyone Else You'd Like to Mention: Thank you to everyone who comes to my inbox with their love and enthusiasm! Thank you to all my readers! Thank you everyone who has welcomed me and embraced me and supported me as I work myself into knots while trying to do something I love (write).

Five of Your Favorite Authors This Year: @buddie-buddie @homerforsure @devirnis @bigfootsmom @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels @mellaithwen @barbiediaz

Five of Your Favorite Artists/Gifmakers/Podficcers/Etc. This Year: @mistmarauder @like-the-rest-of-la @bucksketch @djdangerlove @skyhighrollins911 @ronordmann @bilosan @housewifebuck @captain-hen @baneme-art @kaciart @iinryer @paxdracona @bigfootsmom @starbuckley @mellaithwen

Three Things You're Looking Forward to in 2024: Season 7 of 911!!!!! Jean's book from AFTG! Anddddd.... getting back in the querying trenches.

I'm going to tag everyone I've mentioned above who hasn't done it yet!

[endlessdreamerxoxo]

"Stop this War"

I will try to be nice with this post, but I really dislike people telling Hellcheer shippers to stop this war with st*ddies in the name of peace and harmony. Although, I do like the sentiment. I really do. I just can't be quiet about the bold harassment and the unnecessary toxicity against something I like and people I admire for their creativity. And I really do question whether those people truly understand the fundamental problem that Hellcheer shippers have with toxic st*ddies and the scope of the situation in general.

I'm checking the A03 tags as I write this post up and currently

we (Hellcheer) have 956 works on the website.

Steddie have 7,013 works on the website.

And Harringrove (a ship that has been around since 2017) has 8,415 works on the website.

For a better comparison, that means that Steddie has exactly 1,402 fics to go to meet the cumulative effort of 5 years hard work in a less than 3 months since the official creation of the ship. That's utterly insane. And if we did that math again, Steddie has 6,057 more fics than Hellcheer. That's the fucking scope that we are dealing with.

Their ship is the Lusitania, while our ship is a rowboat.

Many of us have always say this over and over, we were minding our business for a good solid week or two (I came around June 9th into the tumblr fandom) before claims were being made about Chrissy's age. Personally I didn't even know that people were shipping Steve x Eddie (cause they have no chemistry in my eyes) because no one was talking about them in the 'edssy' tags and I don't have twitter. People were just making fanart and other things to celebrate our cute ship. So I literally discovered Steddie's existence as we got called out for  p*dophilia (which is not the correct term, but go off) and homophobia. From my viewpoint, we got dragged into a shipping war against our will as we kicked and screamed at the the top of our lungs that we didn't want a war. I know for my "Joe Quinn was Right" posts, I danced around my actual feelings to preserve peace and minimize hate. I know a lot of my mutuals did that and continue to do that with those who are stalking their accounts and sending them threats. We have been vocal about not caring whether someone ships St*ddie or Hellcheer. Nevertheless, we are also been very clear to point the obvious flaws in shipping Steddie and or their sketchy behavior, while acting as holy than thou than the rest of the fandom:

The misogynistic harassment of Grace (and Amybeth).

The biphobia and bi erasure.

The fetishization of attractive white gay men.

The constant whining for some or better wIw rep in Ronance, but than ignoring the canonical lesbian ship of Rockie in the show or failing to give Ronance the same amount of love as your mIm ship.

Only making Chrissy a lesbian because they want her away from Eddie under the guise of allyship.

The stealing of lines from other scenes or characters in order to make their ship more cute and fluffy.

The mass reporting of Hellcheer artwork.

The invalidation of people's queer identities/sexualities because they ship a heterosexual ship (or a straight passing if they see it that way).

The obsessive nature that people have formed a parasocial bond with Joe Quinn to the point where they are assuming his sexuality, stalking his family's social media for pics where he was a minor for some twisted reason, and harassing him on his family vacation.

Like we can't bring up those facts because we don't want a shipping war? We didn't even bring up those fact until recently because we have been poked for a entire two months straight. Grace literally thought her safety was in danger, going to an con because her friend was attending the same event. Are you really telling us not to say anything? Are you telling them to mind their own business and go to their corner of their internet with their 7,013 fics and their shit ton of fanart? Because the reality is this extremely tiny Hellcheer squad can't stop this war. Even if we decided not to call people out and did our own thing, people would still be harassed and made to feel like crap about themselves for liking this ship. Even if Joe came out tomorrow and say stop this war, toxic St*ddies would think that Grace is holding him hostage at knife point. St*ddies are the only one who can stop this war, but they wouldn't until they get Steve x Eddie as canon (which they will never have). We are truly just trying to defend ourselves and just want to be left alone.

[salemssimblr]

Hello there! I'm Eden :D I LOVE your renders! I've been rendering for well over a year at this point, however I only stuck to the super basic stuff since it took me a year before that to even know how to do it at all. I've wanted to up my game and get to where you are now. I'm SO SORRY if this question was asked already (I haven't gotten too far in your posts yet), but;

How do you personally edit your renders? I understand you use photoshop, but how do you do it exactly? Your renders have that kind of digital art style, like you drew them yourself. Feel free to be as descriptive or brief as you'd like!

Hi Eden!!! Thank you so much! 🥹😍♥️

I've followed you back and glad we're moots! I'd love to see some of your work!

I'm not sure if I've answered this before but I'm happy to answer it again! Also I haven't advertised it in a while (and I really need to try to get up a new tut, maybe soon), but my alt account is a Render School where I post tutorials, with plans to post editing tutorials in the future!

But honestly as far as my editing, I really don't do much.

Actions are my secret weapon, and I have a few favorites/go-tos I'll link! A few are by simmers and a few are just action sets. I'm in a family of photographers, so I have access to a wealth of resources for my editing.

Sonder set by @intramoon

Cold Water set by @intramoon

Retro Prime photoshop actions

Indie camera photoshop actions

But my "secret weapon," as it were, and the set of actions that I think most helps me accomplish that digital art style is a set of actions that are sadly expensive and hard to find now.

My favorite set is by Totally Rad! and I think in recent years it's been folded in to this Pixel Sugar product on their website. I know that's a steep price point but it's possible you can find it around the corners of the Internet for less, or if you can't, you might be able to find "dupes" of the better ones, which imo are:

Technicolor dream world

Super Fun Happy

Bullet Tooth

Grandma's Tap Shoes

As for my method, I know a lot of simmers paint over their renders, and I've done that a few times but find I'm too impatient tbh. My goal is always to have to do only minor touchups over my renders and some color/vibe adjustments before the finished product. My "raw" files are always exactly what blender spits out for me, unaltered in any way except to resize them for Tumblr.

To get that digital art style, I'd recommend rendering with alpha details if you don't already. If your computer can't handle alpha cc in the game, DM me and I can give you some pointers (sneak peek info for a future tut lmao) on how to accomplish it without bogging down your game.

When I go into photoshop I adjust the brightness and contrast, as I tend to personally prefer high contrast pieces that contain dark subject matter but you can still see the details. Then I'll paint/blur/clone/adjust anything that needs it, then I'll "stack" and adjust a handful of actions before applying edge blur and vignette and any other color adjustments (levels, curves, etc).

That's a very oversimplified rundown of what I do, but really overall my editing process is simple. The bulk of my work happens in blender itself. I find that the more time I take to perfect the lighting and shadows and angles in blender, the less frustrating the editing process and the happier I am with the end result. So, that said, be sure you're spending a lot of time in blender getting the light and shadows to be exactly where you need/want them to be before running it.

I know this is a bit long I'm sorry! If any of it is super confusing or you'd like a more in-depth look at any of it please let me know! I do plan to do editing tutorials for my side blog, but the latter half of this year has kind of run over me like a train, and for now I'm just trying to get by day by day. But I'm happy to help if you have more specific questions!

& thank you again!! ♥️

[sin-djarin]

Becca's Brunch

Welcome! Consider this my new Sunday Rundown. It's Saturday, though? Yup, it is. But I have a busy weekend ahead and needed to tell myself I'm somewhat prepared. Anyways, consider it a WIP for now that I'll probably add more things to next week.

While you brunch, try to take a few moments for yourself. Take a deep breath, unclench your jaw, grab a sweet treat and a coffee and lets go!

Or, stuff that I got around to reading. A quick reminder that what I may like, you may not and that's okay! Most, if not all of the below are 18+. Please heed individual warnings on fics!

My TBR is piling high once again but here's what I did get around to.

Marcus Pike:

can you ever really know? by @undercoverpena

Headshots & Salty & Sweet by @secretelephanttattoo

Joel Miller:

Cornfields by @trulybetty from her autumnal offerings

Javier Pena:

A Paranoid Heart by @goodwithcheese (new chapter)

AKA, things that caught my eye and any other shenanigans that happened round here this week.

WELL. The poll, right? The one I posted for a little bit of fun has now snowballed into something much larger but you know what? Sometimes the unexpected is exactly what you need and the universe will find a way. And let us thank @for-a-longlongtime for starting the fic as a result.

This incredible art by @stealyourblorbos

AKA, the personal stuff and some NSFAQs (Not So Frequently Asked Questions because I don't think I ever properly introduced myself).

Did you ever have one of those weeks where you bit off more than you could chew? I did that. I booked myself in to do something after work every night last week and boy do I feel it. But it's okay, I get to go for brunch today and chill tomorrow.

Why are you here?

The Mandalorian. The voice got me and well, the rest ishistory. Now I'm here, amongst some of the sweetest, most encouraging people on a little corner of the internet. I love you all, very, very much and thank you for having me!

What do you do when you're not here?

I'm a 9-5er. Or an 8-4er on somedays, depending. I work a lot with archives and stuff. I read a lot in work.

Have you been involved in fandom before?

Hmm. From a distance maybe. But not like this.

Who's the first FBI Agent you fell in love with?

Ah, easy. Fox Mulder. The Bubble was a fuckin' delight for me, I have no shame in saying that.

How'd you come up with your user name?

I wanted a play on words and it came to me when I was deep cleaning the fridge. Wild, I know! I was very surprised it wasn't taken already.

That milestone you reached last week, what are you doing for it?

I want to. But I'm undecided as of yet! If you have any ideas, please let me know.

Will you ever take requests?

Tough one. I'm not a quick writer. I'd hate to rush an idea then have after thoughts y'know?

You have your anons turned off. What's up with that?

Ugh. Man. As much as I try not to, I can still take things very personally. I'm sure all the anons are lovely.

Can I ask you anything, though?

HELL YEAH. That makes day! Send me a message, come get crazy about a character with me, I love nothing more.

What's your coffee order?

An oat flat white.

What's your sweet treat of choice?

A vegan mixed Berry croissant. Not vegan, just can't handle dairy!

Can you swim?

No I cannot. Which is dangerous consider I'm near a Pike Puddle, a Catfish Pond and a Rockford Rockpool at any given time!

What's on repeat right now?

What's happening with your fics, Becca?

Glad you asked. I've been blessed/cursed with ADHD. Which means, for me, I'll hyperfocus on something for HOURS or procrastinate like you wouldn't believe. I just gotta get on a decent schedule, this just wasn't the week for it unfortunately. So, please bear with because I do have ideas! Will I get sidetracked? Yes. If my brain feels like it wants to create something then and there, I cannot stop it. But it's a really nice stress reliever for me in a way, I get to think and focus on one thing and not about what has happened or what will happen.

Also, I got some divine inspiration yesterday for Video Nasty III when I saw this:

Becca 🤍

If you made it this far, I love you very much. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. Please be good to yourself and others, you deserve it!

[sunsafewriting]

AU.

Ava starts a dumb YouTube channel where she makes complicated recipes badly. Maybe people show up for that, but they kind of stay for her conversations with her roommate — who stays off-screen. Mostly.

-

chapter 1 excerpt:

“I’m going to be a YouTuber,” Ava announces, as soon as she’s through the door. “Like you.”

This is enough to get Beatrice to put down her book. She’s curled up in the corner of the couch, looking soft and warm and as about as relaxed as Beatrice ever gets, and Ava just wants to flop down beside her, put her head in Beatrice’s lap, and steal as much closeness as she can. 

But Beatrice is already standing, already crossing the room to help Ava with the grocery bags: the couch snuggles — devastatingly — are not to be. 

“I’m not a YouTuber, ” Beatrice says, affronted. 

Will it ever not be fun to see the little crinkle she gets between her eyebrows? No. Every day, it delights Ava more. “You post videos on YouTube.”

“They’re supplemental materials for my freshman class. And less than half of them watch it.”

It’s so tempting to take this opportunity to tell Beatrice that the fact she’s a TA now is super sexy, just to watch her blush and stutter, but Ava’s got a point to make. They can double back later. It’s not like Beatrice will blush any less. 

“Exactly. A YouTuber.”

“I’m not even in the videos, Ava.”

This is untrue. Beatrice’s face is not in the video, but her hands are. She steps through the equations on paper, carefully writing out each of the digits, each of the symbols — Ava doesn’t even know what most of them are, but it’s hot that Beatrice is confident enough to do it all in pen. Ava was always a pencil girl when it came to maths. Pencil and eraser. 

“Okay, fine, so you’re not a YouTuber in the traditional vloggy sense. And I’m not going to be one, either. Obviously. But my New Year’s resolution was to keep a journal, and that has not been going swimmingly.” It’s February, and she hasn’t got so much as a dot point. “So, I figured I should stop trying to write stuff, and I should film stuff! And then maybe someone will watch it and I’ll get to make friends with an internet stranger. And I haven’t even told you the best part.” 

Beatrice’s eyebrow goes up. “It gets better than internet strangers?”

Ava loves random people online; they’re funny and weird and only sometimes too weird. But Beatrice still believes the internet is for finding information and not for socialising. Which is something that Ava discovered shortly after they first met, years ago, when she tried to find Beatrice on Instagram and Facebook to absolutely no success, and had to actually ask for her number. Insane, but worth it. 

“I’m going to film myself learning to cook all the random shit I put on my food bucket list. That’s three birds with one stone, Bea.” 

“Very efficient of you.” 

“I knew you’d be impressed.”

Perhaps impressed isn’t quite the word. Slightly bemused is probably accurate. But Ava lives to dazzle Beatrice with amazing feats like actually completing chores she says she’s going to do, and figuring out how to climb onto the roof of the STEM library on campus. 

Admittedly, the library one went over better with Lilith than Beatrice. Ava likes to believe that her sick parkour skills that day won her back a little of the dignity she lost after Lilith found out she watches Beatrice’s lecture recap videos. 

“If you want, I’ll teach you how to use my video editing software,” Beatrice offers. “It’s not very fancy, so if you want to do anything particularly technical, we’ll have to find you a better one.” 

“You’re the best,” Ava grins. 

Then remembers that there’s ice cream in one of her bags and she can’t get distracted by Beatrice for too long, or it’ll melt. That’s not a mistake a person can make twice without having to ask themselves some hard questions, like whether their crush on their roommate is getting out of hand, and is in fact a whole fallen in love type thing. 

Which it definitely, definitely is, but Ava’s put off having to deal with that for quite a while, and will continue to do so, until —

Until —

She hasn’t got that far. 

Ava grabs the ice cream and quickly shoves it into the freezer. Take that, introspection. Not today. 

“I like when you get a new project,” Beatrice says quietly, when Ava turns back to face her. She’s so earnest that Ava thrums with it. “You get a very specific — energetic quality.” 

Everything Ava can think of to reply with is too much. So she winks instead. “That’s me. Full of energy. I can go all night. ”

“You need three Red Bulls to go all night.”

“With studying . I am obviously trying to make a sex joke, Bea.”  

[tvmigraine]

FORGOTTEN LIVES: Graeme Harper

Before we begin! Remember to get a copy of the Forgotten Lives Omnibus at this link! We're six Doctors in now, if you're interested, then preorder at the link before the end of August - that's only a few more days!

One Doctor is down for the day, we're onto the Doctor I shamelessly admit to find the most fascinating. By this point we've started in a supernatural world and taken a walk back into stories like we'd expect from Doctor Who, returning to sci-fi. Aditya Bidikar takes us back to the fantasy genre that the Barry Doctor started us in through more than just the setting, but through a Doctor that walks in the realm of fables and grandiose concepts... and comic books.

Graeme Harper (1945) is currently the one and only director for Modern and New Series Doctor Who. With his earliest credits being The Caves of Androzani and Revelation of the Daleks before returning for the RTD era for events like Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel and The Stolen Earth / Journey's End, no doubt we're all familiar with their work in some way.

Aditya Bidikar brings a unique side of the Doctor out, I'd argue one of the more standout incarnations overall. While still noticeably and clearly the Doctor, there is a presence that I haven't seen since Sylvester McCoy's portrayal. The Harper Doctor very well may be the other side of the coin that McCoy portrayed - where one is a dark trickster in an unsuspecting from, the other is a wanderer in the unknown that marvels at every step. The pair are the only Doctors that I could picture being able to talk to higher concepts such as Death, which both incarnations prove to do.

While I've focused a lot on the main authors in these posts, I have to give great credit to Cody Schnell and their story - "Scene to Uncover" steps up to Bidikar's universe flawlessly, showing a moment we don't often get to see in Doctor Who while feeling right at home. They take full opportunity of the themes and fairy-tale like stories to paint their own fascinating glimpse of greater beings at work.

Even the TARDIS, designed as always by Paul Hanley, perfectly captures what this era could be. The darker blues and purples of the interior make it feel relaxed and cosy, while the library at the back could practically sum up this entire Doctor. Their adventures feel exactly like what "Forgotten Lives" should be, stories pulled off of a dusty shelf that haven't been read in so long that it's like you're experiencing them for the first time all over again.

One interesting note of design involves the Doctor's ambiguous gender. There are multiple references throughout their era about how this Doctor must be a man because they've got a beard (which may not be entirely accurate). Apart from just adding some well needed variety to the Morbius lineup and unwittingly making Graeme Harper a gender non-conforming icon for the book, this feels very in line with what could've been done at the time. Considering the disgusting reaction that Jodie Whittaker's debut as the Doctor caused from certain corners of the internet, having a woman debut as the Doctor over sixty years ago could've led to an equally gross reaction. One way that it might've been worked around is by simply implying the Doctor had become a woman while presenting as a man, an implication carrying a hundred words and a dozen queer readings as a result (I personally love how older media would get around harsher reactions by simply implying what they wanted, so this detail grabbed my interest quick).

Graeme Harper was a fun roadbump when it came to the Morbius Doctors as his photos wasn't taken with everybody else, instead being retrieved from elsewhere. What went into designing this Doctor is too much for me to shorten and sum up in a single post - Paul Hanley managed to crack the long standing mystery of where Harper's Morbius photo originally came from and you can find that in his post detailing how he made the outfit. Of course, the outfit of this Doctor would've ended up quite different if they had used the one in the actual photo - an Adjudicator costume. So instead, Paul Hanley had the unique chance to design his own outfit befitting of this Doctor specifically. This, of course, leading to the ultimate addition to an outfit - a psychic beard.

For more insight into the creative process of every author that worked on Forgotten Lives, you can go to @forgottenlivesobverse and find interviews from everyone involved across the books. If you're looking for the incredible journey of finding an obscure photo of Graeme Harper, you can go to Paul Hanley's Patreon and find what went into designing each Doctor.

Prepare to watch the Doctor embrace the birth of the known universe and choose to go against Death itself in the following stories.

VALHALLA MUST FALL! by Aditya Bidikar

IN THE LAND BEYOND THE RIVER by Aditya Bidikar

RETROGENESIS (Part Six) by Philip Purser-Hallard

SCENE TO UNCOVER by Cody Schnell

Our next Doctor will be Robert Holmes, with a series of stories that best shows how cruel the Time Lords can really be when they want to. Enjoy a darker period of the Doctor's life when we dive into this next time!

[justmenoworries]

Did you like my first controversial take? Good. Here's another.

EarthSpark spoilers under the cut!

I think in season 2, Hashtag, Nightshade and Jawbreaker should leave the Malto farm.

My biggest grievance with the Terran cast has always been the lack of individual development. Apart from the episodes where the Malto triplets get their altmodes, we've gotten very little to characterize them further and what we got wasn't nearly enough imo.

And I think this problem is mostly caused by the show's insistence that the Terrans have to be a family unit at all times. They cannot have anything to themselves. Even their minds are constantly linked. If one Terran sets out on an adventure, it's basically law that the others have to follow.

Which, to be honest, reads as extremely co-dependent and unhealthy to me. Yes, family is important, but you shouldn't tell kids that you have to give up your individual identity to be part of one. Even the most close-knit family doesn't and shouldn't have to do absolutely everything together.

Apart from that, for a show that has Cybertronian and human co-existence as one of its major plotlines, the Maltos seem very isolated. They almost never interact with humans that aren't their adopted family. When they do it's one-off characters that we never see again. Heck, the Terrans' interactions with other Cybertronians isn't exactly plentiful either.

And that's a damn shame cause there's a lot of potential there!

Which brings me back to the beginning of my post.

With the defeat of Mandroid in the season one finale and G.H.O.S.T. being officially over now that Croft is dead, there's really no reason for the Terrans to hide away anymore.

What if Nightshade went to search for Tarantulas? What if they followed up on their minor plot-lines from "Missed Connection" and "Home" and became a small town's superhero, looking out for human and Cybertronian citizens alike? Heck, what if they wrote their own book series, inspired by their adventures with their family and friends?

What if Hashtag decided to go see the world, actually visit the places she's only gotten to see through the internet before? Maybe make a vlog of her travels? Make new friends, both human and Cybertronian?

What if Jawbreaker decides to go look for other Cybertronians like Grimlock, who struggle with fitting in, who might need a helping hand to get used to their new life on Earth? Maybe him and Grimlock could recruit other Dinobots to that cause?

A neat side effect of that would also be the reduction of the character bloat that sadly started to set in mid-season 1. The show did a pretty good job juggling focus episodes when Thrash and Twitch were the only Terrans around (though if you wanna be nitpicky here, it seems the writers loved Twitch a little more than Thrash) and the cracks really started to show after "Age of Evolution".

Additionally, it would help flesh out EarthSpark's world more if we weren't tied to Witwicky the whole time. We got a little bit of that in "Home", but overall the world still feels pretty... empty. We've only gotten to know about a handful of characters and they were all stationed in the same town in the same small corner of the globe. If the Malto triplets left the nest, so could we, the viewers.

That's just my personal take though.

Feel free to give your own!

[ollieofthebeholder]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks @fridayyy-13th for the tag!

How many works do you have on Ao3? 64!

What's your total Ao3 word count? Holy...! Uh, 1,700,611. (I should've guessed, I've got some ultra-long fics on there, but Jesus Christ on a cracker.)

What fandoms do you write for? These days, mostly The Magnus Archives. I've also written for Star Trek (primarily the AOS/Kelvin films), the MCU/Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Cut & Run, and RQG. I've got a couple of very, very old Sherlock fics, a couple PJO fics from some ship week challenges I took part in back when the Heroes of Olympus books were still coming out, a couple WTNV fics, a few Star Wars fics that never made it to AO3, and three one-offs.

What are your top five fics by kudos? leaves too high to touch (roots too strong to fall) - 1,758 kudos Had He Known It - 777 kudos Whiskey Lullaby - 395 kudos It Was Just My Imagination Telling Lies - 378 kudos Hurry Up and Slow Me Down - 349 kudos

Do you respond to comments? Every single one! It's half the fun to me.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Ooh...that's a toughie, actually, but I'm going to go with Where the Road Waits to be Taken because it's the only one where the ending focuses on the people left behind.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Also a toughie! But I'm going to go with Love Will Find Out the Way.

Do you get hate on fics? Not so much anymore. I've been around long enough that I definitely used to, but I write for saner fandoms now.

.Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Not these days. I'm asexual and, while I'm personally sex-averse, my tolerance for it in fiction kind of goes in cycles. I think the last time I wrote an explicit sex scene was in 2016 or 2017.

.Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? Heh...I do, on occasion. Most recently the WTNV/TMA crossover (the full extent of which hasn't been published yet), which isn't that crazy. I think the craziest one I wrote was the Sherlock/Star Trek crossover that was also (sigh) a HP AU...which I have deleted, so sorrynotsorry.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not as far as I know, but I don't exactly go looking.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Again, not as far as I know.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Uh...technically? My brother had an idea for a fic, but he wasn't old enough to join any fanfic websites at the time (we were probably the only two kids who never lied about our age on the internet to join websites), so he dictated it to me, I fleshed it out and posted it under my username.

What's your all time favorite ship? I love so many, but I have to say, the only ship I love that I genuinely can call an OTP in that I cannot fathom them in a relationship with anyone else (even adding anyone else to the equation) is Cecilos. JonMartin is a close second, but, well, I can see (and frequently enjoy) them also having other people in their relationships. Cecil and Carlos? Nuh-uh.

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Ooh. There are...a couple. But I have a WIP sitting in my Tumblr drafts that was a sequel to Hurry Up and Slow Me Down that I would very much like to finish someday...I just, yeah.

What are your writing strengths? Angst and heartbreak. I've got a gift for descriptions, and I'm really good at conveying emotion in text. And I think I have a knack for putting together a tasty sentence.

What are your writing weaknesses? I do tend to get hung up on irrelevant details, and I frequently think myself into a corner. I also think I tend to obsess sometimes about things being perfect...and if I'm being honest, a big weakness of mine (not just in my writing, but in general) is that I often feel like it's something I need to apologize for, which is not helpful.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Oh, I love doing that! I try to put a translation in hover text, and also in a footnote for benefit of screen readers, but I also try not to burden the actual text with translations. It's one of those "trust the reader to know what you're trying to say, and if they can't figure it out from context, you have failed as a writer" things to me. (This may have something to do with the fact that I used to write Star Trek fanfic, and conlangs are a thing.)

First fandom you wrote for? If you want to get technical, Power Rangers; I used to tell myself stories about the Power Rangers to put myself to sleep at night when I was a little kid, and once I wrote one down and read it out loud for Show and Tell. (The opening line was "One night, when Kimberly and Trini were sleeping, they were stolen," which should tell you everything you need to know about it. In my defense, I was seven.) I didn't know that's what it was at the time, though. If you're talking fandoms that I wrote for knowing it was a fandom and published on the internet...well, I grew up in the '90s and turned thirteen in the early '00s, so it probably shouldn't be that big of a surprise that it was HP.

Favorite fic you've written? It's like asking me to pick a favorite child. I am deeply in love with to find promise of peace (and the solace of rest) even if the next chapter is currently frustrating me a bit, because I am always deeply in love with my current project, because I love the way it showcases how I've grown as an author. That being said, I think my favorite fic that is currently complete might actually be Tomorrow When the World Is Free.

Tagging (absolutely no pressure) @blasphemous-lies-and-deceit, @amberastra, @magnetarmadda, @astudyinfic, @dyscalculated, and anyone else who wants to give this a go!

[teatimewithtana]

☾₊‧ Writerblr Introduction + WIP Links ・*・゜ °。*・

Hey #Writeblr community!✍🏻

I've never actually introduced myself on here. I've had this account for a very long time, but have never really been on here much. I want to change that, as I love how this is the "hide-away corner" of the internet of the social medias. Sorry my username is not exactly a writerly online-handle, but nevertheless—I write!

But anyway, hiya!👋🏻 My Generals:

> My name is Tana! > My Website : home to my blog, The Blue Label, and links to all my finished books. You'll find all things about me here, as well as a hidden surprise you'll have to click around to find! 😉 > My Instagram : full of tea-time aesthetic! Tea parties, finger-food-delights, and books?! And you're invited! > My Pinterest : helpful and aesthetic boards for writers and booklovers alike! Here, you'll find tips, tricks, art, memes, and heavenly inspired, hand-picked-with-you-in-mind aesthetic image pieces 💛 also aesthetic boards for my geeky fandoms and my WIPs. > My TikTok : full of my writerly dilemmas in the silliest, over-the-top, and most irrational of manners in under ten minutes, as well as exclusive content to my research adventures for my WIPs 🤪 Laugh at that quirky, writer drama with me! > My Vintage Shop : a place where elegance and the divine are stuck in time 🫦 one of my many hobbies—and most favorite!—is antique/thrift shopping for those one-of-kind French, vintage pieces to add to a space begging to be adorned with shiny, classy, sassy beauty. Who doesn't want to feel stuck out of time? Even if just for a little bit. > Always up for Ask and Tag Games! 💞

What I’m Writing: (cont. under the read more) 💜

Main WIPs:

> The Afterlife Chronicles (T.A.C.) : is a YA Fantasy series currently in the first draft and research stages about two paranormal-investigating besties with spiritual gifts that stumble upon the same ghost trail as a famous reality-tv paranormal crew. They join forces to take down the unexplainable and impossible supernatural activities going bump in the sleepless nights of an otherwise quiet cattle ranch. As the investigation unfolds, so do the secrets. About the spirits that haunt it, and about some of the investigators themselves.👻 Overall, the series will involve ghosts (spirits), angels and demons. > the girl who walks alone : a new collection of poems following the rise and fall of my twenties / trail-blazing behind my first published poetry book, WALLFLOWERS BURN WILD, a reflection of my past with my ex of five years. It is nothing more than pure rage and slam poetry, sprinkled with optimism and slivers of hope. A lot of my poetry reflects mental health, self-esteem, and personality issues. Plus many more. * My stories all focus on the themes of healthy and unhealthy family relationships, found family/friendship, overly complex socio/political/religious/magical conflicts, betrayal, revenge, second chances, and forgiveness, w/ romance and hopepunk happy endings even if it’s a dark situation.

Smaller projects on the back burner that you might hear me talk about from time to time:

> Tea Time with Tana : a podcast I've been dreaming about for half a decade, but haven't had the means or opportunity. . . until now! I will be starting it soon, as it is tailored to four main topics (but obviously not limited to them): Writing, books, tea, and vintage. Geek-talk will also be a big contributor, as I, myself, am a giant nerd for Scooby-Doo, Powerpuff Girls, anything written by Meg Cabot, and literally so much more! 😂 Once I start it, I'll provide the link in this post! > The Wiccan : a stand-alone novel I've written bits and pieces of that was originally going to be a true witch story. But now will be part of my T.A.C. universe. This will be the origin story of my Chronicles MC's ancestry line, in which so-many-great grandmothers ago, MC of The Wiccan struggles with her spiritual gift in the midst of the 1630s in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, where being even the slightest bit individualistic is lethal. A lot of re-researching and rewrites to be involved, but I'm very excited about this piece as well! 🙈 > Love Games, No One Like Alex, and other possible stories : you may hear me mention these other titles as they are back-burner WIPs that I haven't actually written yet but have toyed with the ideas for years and really want to make happen. Attention is minimal, but I can't help plotting, because that's just my mind. 😅

Other Stuff About Me: 

> Full Sail University BFA undergrad in Creative Writing 👩🏼‍🎓 > As I stated before, I'm a giant Geek! 🤓 But not just in fandoms to do with the fictional world, but also I'm really into art, history, and architecture! Interior and exterior design, just all things beauty. Visually and intellectually. 🥴 > I'm a spiritual Christian! Though I'm new on my walk with Christ, I'm excited for where he will take me throughout the course of my journey in this life and what it is I am to learn before I come home. My current WIP, The Afterlife Chronicles, has helped me find Jesus, which has made writing this series all the more special. 💗 Please feel welcome here, as I love everyone and am open to any and all compassionate conversations! > I'm a Swiftie, loud and proud! 💘 > Mega-lover of grilled-cheese, carbs, cats, and soups! * No politics or current events allowed 🚫 there's enough noise outside Tumblr, let's keep this space safe.

Thank you so much for stopping here! I love you all 🤍

[gnzma]

6, 7, and 8 !!

also 21 and 22

[ gio spills the tea ; ACCEPTING ]

6. dash commentary ; also asked by @battlesfought

[ another dashcomm thing, if i see the height discourse again i think i will blow up fr

also i'm so glad we moved past the soup discourse. i know i'm treating with the devil over here by bringing it up but im SO glad ]

7. excessive ooc

[ okay, i think i have to make a distinction here. like for me "excessive ooc", as in writing ooc posts? that's more than fine, we all need to write things down, vent, or even just write a lot of updates or talking about stuff we enjoy!!

my big problem with excessive ooc comes when someone uses their rp blog exactly as a personal. like of course anyone can use their blogs as they please, but i remember years ago i ended up unfollowing a good friend (we're still friends now btw!!) because they really kept reblogging shitposts, memes and IRL news and posted, like. one thread every 10 posts that have nothing to do with their muse ]

8. DNIs in rules

[ eeeeeeeeh okay uh let's say i have my beef with this because. other than the usual "hey don't interact if you follow idk aku or smth", most of the times i had to deal with DNIs were from people who were like. Really Not Good? at all?

like im talking transphobes starting obviously fake shit with my friend group because we called em out for that transphobia, or people who ended up being much worse than the people in their DNIs. of course, if it helps someone feel safer, i see no problem with that!! i just wish said rule had a link to. idk proper sources or something, because all i can think of is "hey remember that one terf who tried to say we were sexist for not shipping with them?" ]

21. violent threads

[ GRABS i love violent threads so much i love blood and gore and. wheres that one tiktok where that guy goes YESSS WE'RE DRAWINGGG TWO MEN AND THEY'RE TRYING TO KILL EACHOTHER AND THE WRATH OF GOD AND THE WIND ARE MAKING THEM BLEED??? bc thats me fr ]

22. your current RPC; also asked by @battlesfought

[ WELL i talked about the pokemon RPC time to be. both positive and negative, i guess? about the SCP one!!!

because the few people who rp para are incredible. we're like, seven, eight at best? and they're hilarious we can manage to go from shenanigans to horror to angst to. fucking. mass panic at a containment breach and even if none of us is super active it's always a delight to see one pop up and quickly followed by literally everyone else

on the other. it unfortunately suffers of the "famous internet fandom" RPC disease where a lot of people play... i wouldn't say "badly", that's rude, but in a way i can't vibe with at all. most of the RP blog are actually IC blog that occasionally (which means. 20% of the time) end up having in character dialogues that fill the dash and 0 respect for rules and general RP etiquette like reblogging from source and whatnot, and once again since i'm here playing the arguably "fandom favorite" researcher i'm!already!!so tired of the people who come to me expecting to immediately play their husband!!!

so idk. i'll be in my corner with my cLiQuE being silly and cry because i just want a 076 to bully is it too much to ASK ]

[sie-rui]

May I request a scene where their s/o kabedons them because they weren't listening to them so they got annoyed and confronts them by a kabedon. For haitani brothers, draken and mikey pls. (sorry for my bad English and it's my first time requesting something on the internet so im quite nervous cause I've never been that active in the internet I just view them.. BTW love your writing hope your doing good this pandemic 😅)

❀ MY KOKORO GO DOKI DOKI | TOKYO REVENGERS

;; their s/o kabedons them

🥛 — haitani ran, haitani rindou, ryuuguji draken ken

🧾 — gender neutral, second pov (you/your), cursing, fluff, humor, au - highschool, au - modern day, established relationship, imagine

✉ — again, i only write for three characters a post especially if it’s an imagine! but, don’t worry about your english ! you did great :)

also we didn't have internet connection since yesterday and maybe until tomorrow so i'm not too sure about updates

; HAITANI RAN

Ran had a bad habit of teasing you.

It wasn’t exactly a bad habit. He likes it so it can’t be a bad habit. That just isn’t allowed. A bad habit is only bad if the person hates it and if it hurts anyone else.

By far, it hasn't hurt you. You hadn’t gotten a heart attack yet from all the cheesy lines he had done and the teasing and the grazing and the staring. So, it isn’t a bad habit.

Sure it almost got you an aneurysm and you almost fell down the stairs from going to shock after he leaned so close to you and licked the back of your neck, but he caught you both times and your pretty little head never touched the cold hard floor.

For today’s agenda, Ran smirks, teasing you is at the top of his list once more.

And for today’s service of love, he looks away from you as you babble on about something about the festival you were participating in. Ran hums, pretending to seem uninterested as he stares blankly at the board at the front of the room. He melts on the wall he was leaning on, eyes half-lidded.

You call his name twice, he continues on pretending as if he was slowly falling asleep from boredom.

He just wants to see your reaction, okay! Ran had always been the one chasing after you, even if he had tried acting as if he didn’t care that much, it was always him barging in your classroom during first year and searching for one strand of your hair in every room.

(Sometimes, he just wants to feel as if you were putting in as much effort as he does. Sometimes, he just wants to see you trying to grab his attention just like how he does to you. Sometimes- well, all the time, he wants to see you pout for him.)

He wasn’t expecting much. Maybe a punch to his arm or a light pull on his braided hair, maybe even saddened eyes as you rest your head on his shoulder.

He did not expect to see you suddenly stand up from your seat on the desk from the corner of his eyes. A growing panic burning inside him, Ran looks up, about to chase after you.

Then, you slam your hands on both sides of his head, staring right to his eyes.

Haitani Ran’s knees weakened, from the position he was in, legs slightly bent, you were almost at the same height. Just a little tip of his head and his lips would be meeting yours as he presses himself tightly to the wall.

He may have mustered a smirk but there was no denying the loud beating of his heart or the way his cheeks had grown hotter.

; HAITANI RINDOU

He grumbles under his breath, mouth full of the onigiri you gave him.

Rindou had skipped breakfast that morning, skipped lunch as well. The two of you sit in class, currently on a five minute break and after finding out that his stomach was empty—setting aside the water and that one carton of milk he got at break—you forced one of your extra onigiris on him.

It wasn’t his fault that he got a little preoccupied during lunch, catching up with the lessons even during break! And that he was in a hurry that morning because Ran turned off his alarm and ran for it.

He continues on munching frustratedly as you talk his ear off from your seat in front of his, scolding him like you always do when he ends up disregarding his own health.

“Rindou! Are you listening?”

He grunts, still pissed at the fact that you took his notebook away from him in the middle of his studying during break.

He just doesn’t understand why you’re not studying when exams are literally tomorrow.

He slumps on his desk, stomach lightly growling even as he finishes his food. Crumpling the water, he reaches out for his bag, planning to just throw it there instead of getting up and walking all over outside. He’d be wasting time that way—time that can be used to do some last minute studying before the drill.

Rindou stops when your hand latches on his wrist. About to complain, he stops, mouth clamping shut when you lean over the table with both of your hands holding down his wrist.

His brain just completely shuts down.

Red colors his face and Rindou attempts to back away but you keep the eye-contact, following his every movement with a serious expression on you. You seemed taller from the position and Rindou had to gaze up at you. Even without looking at everything else, he could tell that everyone was looking at the both of you.

“Back up, Y/n…” He mumbles but with the proximity, you could hear it well. Except, you pretended not to.

You sigh, the serious expression breaking after a few more seconds of staring, Rindou slowly losing both his patience and his control of his own body. “Just… take care of yourself more,” you look away, huffing. “And listen to me will you!”

Rindou mutely nods.

If you would do that again the next time he doesn’t listen, then it isn’t his fault that he pretended to be a little out of it.

; RYUUGUJI KEN

Draken’s brain is rotting from the heat supplied by his own anger.

A few hours prior, he and Mikey got into a fight over a letter. One single character from the katakana alphabet and all hell breaks loose. (Hyperbole.)

Draken was sure that this was the end, not the world’s but rather his friendship with Mikey. (Just like what he always says whenever he gets into a fight with the dark eyed.) He doesn’t want to see that arrogant bastard ever again! (...Takemichi would want you to know that Draken always says that in every fight that is resolved an hour or two later.)

He sits, boiling in anger, he mumbles a few curses under his breath, arms crossed. His eyebrows are deeply furrowed as he taps his foot, leaning back on his seat, tipped backward.

He can’t believe this! Mikey, that idiot, kept on insisting that he was right and Draken was wrong when they both knew that he was absolutely wrong. Mikey with that pride of his, huffing and slamming a hand on the desk a few times to make a point that was never there.

...And Draken who let himself get swayed and let his temper rise as well.

A chair or two had flown along with notebooks and papers, with the occasional smacking with the school bag and or school gakuran.

“Draken! Hey, Ken~” You whine from the seat beside him, all of your earlier attempts of getting his attention ignored.

This time, he gives you a little shrug. “Not now, Y/n…” He murmurs, voice low and not looking at you, still trying to stop himself from marching up to Mikey’s classroom and shaking him by his shoulders in hopes of the action attracting braincells from somewhere.

Draken does actually sit up straighter when he hears your chair scrape across the floor. He glances up, about to start a small conversation to keep you beside him, in fear that you would just head out and make your way to Mikey’s class to find something to do—that would lead both of you to detention.

As much as Draken wants Mikey to learn his lesson, he isn’t about to let you sit on the same boat.

But then you turn around and Draken has to push his chair backward until its back slams onto the wall behind him from how you straightforwardly put your elbow beside his head, leaning forward, on your heels with a blank face.

Draken blinks at you, you blink back.

He keeps a cool expression on his face, unaffected, arms still crossed. The calmness was eerie, even the one that suddenly fell onto the whole classroom after its residents saw the scene, to the point that your face was burning red.

“Wanna go get food?” He helpfully offers.

“...Let’s just go.”

[ ko-fi: sielouu ]

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