#maybe these feelings come from me being an artist myself but idk

[swollenbabyfat]

How did you come to draw and paint the way you do? What inspirations do you pull from? All of your art oozes with some strange, almost ethereal emotion I've not quite seen anywhere else, something similar to what I'd like to capture with my own works.

I’ve always had a bit of a hard time answering this bc like…I honestly think aesthetic/inspirational/taste stuff is a library you build up over your whole life, or maybe a closet that you try things on to see what does and doesn’t work for you. My biggest advice to this kinda stuff is to experiment a lot and take in a lot of media in a purposeful way, and try to actively apply things you like about said medias to your work. And don’t just consume stuff within your field, I take inspiration from a ton of stuff that isn’t art. I also recommend having somewhere to keep a kind of reserve of inspo, wether it be on tumblr or Pinterest or what have you.

So with that being said I’ll try to sum up what I can about myself.

I’m a horror lover, have been since I was (too) young. I’ve consumed a ton of horror movies, read a lot of books, and certainly have digested a lot of art about it. I am a bit of a haunted person haha, and I’ve always really attached myself to horror, and with some exception to just purely cute stuff I truly am always thinking about it with my work. I am not really aiming to make people feel comfortable with my stuff, in fact often the opposite, but many feel understood anyways which feels nice. I don’t think horror for horrors sake is always as fufilling to me, it always pulls from something internal that I’ve been wrestling with or are afraid of myself.

I am classically trained in fine art due to the kind of art program my highschool had (magnet program if that means anything to anyone), it was incredibly good and I always feel so lucky I got to go there. Bc of this I learned a lot of techniques in painting as well as the fundamental of art. I don’t think my art would be the way it is without this training, but I also think with how the internet is now you can probably do the same thing at your own pace, just have to be dedicating a decent amount of time and mental energy into it.

Bc of my highschool training I also learned about art history, which had a big impact on me, particularly renaissance, baroque, and rococo. Religious imagery as well had a huge impact on me, particularly catholic (probs cause we learned about it it the most). I would say doing master studies with these would be a huge help.

I would say it’s important to me that each “full” illustration tells a story of sorts, I can’t really help it, I’m a story teller at heart. I use a lot of symbolic imagery, I pull a lot from religious imagery but also within fruit, flowers, personal objects… I think “what am I trying to say with this work” and kind of go from there with what I choose. Make your own personal symbolism language.

There’s like this certainty digital painting aesthetic I really enjoy by niche furry artist lol, many of them really nsfw so I don’t feel comfortable linking to them. It’s like…highly detailed well rendered pieces that they make with literally one brush that is often without any kind of pen pressure, just layering things with opacity. It’s crazy and yeah idk they’re definitely up there in inspo for me.

I really really care about fashion. Lolita was my first love in terms of clothing, and I pull a ton of inspiration from it, but also a lot of other street styles and runways stuff. I like drama and frills.

I play with my art and stories in a way that I don’t know how to describe other than childlike. It’s important for me to do so in my process, but basically, I let my imagination run wild, I talk to my characters, I listen to music and think about them. A lot of my bigger pieces take a lot of time of me thinking about them ahead a time, I draw in my head a lot. Sketchbooks are a huge help in this.

I thiiiiiink that’s all I have to say for now…I could probably list a million things but this feels like a good core to start with. I hope it’s not too vague, but I’m always good to keep answering stuff like this if you wanna know about one part in depth.

[getitoncamera]

i’m going to be quiet honest, i really do not care whatsoever about what ttpd track is about who or theories related to what point in taylor’s life x track is about.

to quote the chairman “the story isn’t [her’s] anymore.” once an artist releases a song or an album or whatever, it no longer matters what personal experience that song was originally about* because the song is the world’s now. the only thing that matters once a song is released is what it means to the listener. what event the track was originally about or what person it’s referring to couldn’t be more arbitrary because the song’s story doesn’t belong to her (or any artist) anymore after it’s released. it belongs to each individual listener & once a listener chooses to relate the song to their experiences/life, that is the only thing that matters in regards to what the song is about.

*the only exception when it matters what specific personal experience the song was/is about originally is when the artist is performing the song and even then, that doesn’t concern anyone but the musician themselves.

[inkykeiji]

hi clari! first off, ur hair looks so cute!! i think it suits u really well! second, i think u said a while back that u limit ur social media intake and i was just curious to know what apps do u refrain from using and what apps do u have…

hi anon bb!! (´∀｀)♡ thank you so much!!!!! i rly love it hehe i feel like myself again (*/ω＼*)

ah yes!!! so i actually only use tumblr on a daily basis, believe it or not! tumblr is the only social media site that i check every day and that i regularly post to. i technically have a twitter account and have an instagram account, but i don’t post to either of them at all and only check them once or twice a week on average (usually to look for something specific ie leaks).

omg i ran out of tags LMAO it’s been a while since that happened but anyway my thoughts are down there!!! i hope you have a lovely friday sweetpea <3 stay safe and stay healthy!!! ♡(˃͈ દ ˂͈ ༶ )

[g3l3mb]

how to generate creative ideas:

(i need to get this out of my brain)

Make moodboards, playlists, keep a list of people who inspire you. Before starting a project think about the general vibe you want it to embody. Ask questions like “What would this concept sound like if it was a song?” ,“What would this concept be like if it was a person?”. Create a shirt that looks like a building you like, literally anything can be combined.

Take unrelated things or concepts and mix them together. Let’s take Addams Family as an example. “What if it was a story about a typical suburban family…but GOTH!”. It basically flips everything upside down. Or “What outfit would someone wear, who’s personality is the mix of the vibes of these two songs?” Random word generators are amazing for this if you don’t know where to start from.

Try making something truly BAD and then add a twist to it. It’s a great way for your brain to let go of expectations and then think outside of the box. But you can also use this to find out what you do not wanna do under any circumstances.

Think without worrying about the limits of what you can do and when it’s time for excecution, find a way around what’s impossible. It births more creativity and adds uniqueness.

Consider what your idea is NOT before considering what it is. Limits are the best way to avoid getting overwhelmed and giving up. Don’t ALWAYS do this though (unless you wanna…), it’s just something to try out when you feel like you’re seeing too many possibilities to the point that they’re contradicting each other. Unless your goal is to make something full of contradictions, you’re a Free Man, do whatever you want.

Keep a list of random ideas you have throughout the day in your notes app or something and then at some point actually review them. Keep what you think is worth exploring and then act on it.

Find out how something works very throughoutly so you know which aspect can be changed to create something new.

Take a concept and break it down into smaller concepts, ideas, questions, key elements and then also break those ideas down etc. This will naturally lead to associations, unique ideas you wouldn’t think of without doing this. I found that this is a great way of coming up with metaphors.

This one is similar to the last two: take a piece of art you really love and try to find out the thought process behind. What’s the story, where did the artist get inspiration from, how did they incorporate those ideas in their work. How did an artist combine their personal interests and knowledge into one big thing. For example: Tolkien was an erudite linguist, so much so that he created entire functional languages in his work, such as Elvish in Lord of the Rings. Hirohiko Araki loves 80’s music so much he named characters in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure after music references. This is why no knowledge is useless knowledge.

Think about the times you’ve been the most creative before. What were the specific circumstances? For me my best ideas always come when I have a strict deadline for something unrelated, like school (which I’m way too willing to sacrifice), or when I’m doing something mindless like walking and listening to music, or playing a game that requires no thinking. Most of the time after 10p.m. This doesn’t mean I can’t “force” myself to be creative (tips above), it just means these are the times ideas come most naturally. For some people this might be being out in nature or experiencing high emotions, maybe having their life on the line idk, to each their own.

You can’t just create. You also need to consume. The more information you absorb, the more possibilities you have with your ideas. So if you’re not feeling that creative, that’s fine, it’s the perfect opportunity to learn something new.

If you don’t already do these things and you’re looking to get more creative my advice is to ACTUALLY TRY THESE OUT. You’ll best understand them in action.

[atalienart]

Every social media is so dead for me. I go to insta, it's just shorts and reels of random things and tons of posts from people I don't even follow. I don't want to watch videos, I want photos. I go to twitter and omg what even is this site anymore. It's just junk. I follow artists but I don't ever see anything from them, just tons of angry people being angry about everything all the time. Like... I get it, I am too, but sometimes it's too much. And even when I go to "people I follow" on both of those sites it shows me the same few posts. On tumblr... it's just idk, there's nothing that interests me anymore. And of course everywhere there's just tons of bots I don't want to read or interact with. And I know I don't post that much these days but also, I don't feel much joy in posting my art because it always feels like I throw things into a huge black hole from which nothing comes back. Besides I don't think I can offer anything engaging since I'm not into drawing fanart anymore. Anyway, I wish I didn't suck at human interaction. Maybe if I did more myself I'd make it work but I have so little energy it lasts only to fuel my excitement for writing a few words of my stories every other day. It seems I can't find more to make other people excited about my stuff too. Sometimes I really miss the hp and sherlock days. Even my ghost story appeared to be more fun for people. :) Now it feels like I'm alone in my ball pit.

[randomyuu]

the way it follows you home, the stories i never told

My guy Vox once again graced us with lovely Goyuu fanfics, and the way it follows you home, the stories i never told, made me go FERAL.

Time travel? Two Gojou Satorus? Double affection for our sunshine Yuuji? Yuuji sandwich? What feels like possible continuation of (you'll whisper, serpent tongue) what you fear you have become???

FUCK.

I need to stop indulging my imagination too much. I should’ve been content with writing long-ass comments but noooooo, my brain goes “you gotta draw it”. DAMMIT VOX, YOU AND YOUR DELICIOUS WRITINGS HHHHHH

So… usually I should’ve picked a favourite scene that is within my drawing capability, but I just… love all three chapters??? So I made a questionable time investment? I can’t stop??? Help???

This is probably the most ambitious fanart project I’ve ever done so far. Fair enough, considering I might combust if I keep these welled-up emotions inside from reading Vox’s Goyuu fics. Fuck.

Fic info:

Title: the way it follows you home, the stories i never told

Author: @voxofthevoid

Pairing: YuuGoGo. Future!Yuuji, Future!Gojou, Teen!Gojou

(idk why I laugh writing YuuGoGo. I’m beyond help)

Currently, it is 3 chapters out of 8. And it’s gonna be NSFW chapter 4 onwards, so don’t forget to read the tags first, folks!

The drawings are under Read More, because I have lots of thoughts surrounding each chapter and drawings. It’ll be hella long if I didn’t hide it here. It was a mess down there. A combination of hours before, during, and after I read said fic. I’d say good luck finding the art among the sea of jumbled words but… you’ll find them easily. Don’t worry about it haha

SPOILERS FOR ALL 3 CHAPTERS! I highly recommend reading those first before diving into these drawings!

Also for the comics, read from right to left please!

From here on, I will be referring to the Future!Gojou as Gojou and the teenage one as Satoru.

Overall, drawing all these is fun! Really fun! This project pushed me quite hard, forcing me to test my limit (because I rarely draw this much back to back). Since this is a combination of drawings and comics, the coloring style will not be consistent. In a way, I want to try some brushes I never get to use, as well as try out my new graphic tablet. Drawing these got me giggling because I was finally able to let loose during line art. It's much easier to do so, and sometimes I just get to reread the fic and giggle to myself for the nth time.

CHAPTER 1:

Whooo. Whooooooooo—

Ok, ok, the premise is just that good. It intrigued me, fascinated me, and I just… oomph. I cannot refuse a Time Travel Yuuji Sandwich. Sign me up.

Honestly, there are two scenes that are just… a bit too clear in my mind when reading this chapter. That would be the one I drew above, and the other is when Yaga called Gojou to come outside of the class. I love, loooove how Vox wrote Satoru’s POV. And when Yuuji fucking giggles?

I lost it.

Can you imagine, drawing Yuuji grins, with shiny stuff, maybe some sunlight, just purely happy and indulging Gojou?

Help me, for I am drowning in my love and adoration for Yuuji.

Page 2 is an experiment on using harsh black as shading (kind of?). I really enjoyed colouring Yuuji, and drawing those buffalo skulls! I wish I can grasp the concept of contrast a bit better tho :v

CHAPTER 2:

This is probably the only chapter where I picture still images instead of comic panels. A bit like those cool chapter covers in mangas. The one I really, really want to draw is the scene with Satoru on the table. Can’t pass the opportunity to highlight Satoru being a brat, albeit a really cool brat.

Cool idea drawing always proves to be a challenge, because of course my artistic skill just so happens to be below the requirement. Thank you, Sketchfab, for the chair and desk’s perspective otherwise I’m screwed lmao

The second scene that I want to draw the most is this:

Gojou is one step away from climbing Yuuji. Also, I have a bit of a problem picturing a man pouting that makes him look crazy instead, so please have Gojou pouting adorably instead. Because, as Yuuji said (with love), Gojou is (also) a brat.

This is possibly my favorite art in this project, after Yuuji's in Chapter 1 page 2. It's clean because I don't have to draw background, and I was having a fun time drawing Yuuji. And Gojou's squishy cheek as well.

Oh, actually, there is a “manga” scene in this chapter. It’s when Yuuji said, “I love Satoru.”

I just—

AAAAAHHHHH YUUJIIIIIII YOU AND VOX ARE GONNA BE THE DEATH OF ME. That secure relationship between Yuuji and Gojou? Satoru’s description of how Yuuji’s smile could blot out the sun??? Not me screaming 💀 I also see bits of hints of possible co-dependency, though I could be reading those wrong, but either way I’m good. Secure and possessive relationships are fun to consume hhhhhh

But yeah. There are too many wholesome Yuuji smiles in this fic, and I… I am not confident enough to draw genuine happiness. It’s too much for me ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

For this chapter, another reason why I chose these two scenes is just because I want to try and draw cover-worthy pictures of Yuuji and Satoru, and Yuuji and Gojou (cough)

CHAPTER 3:

We start the chapter with Nanamin. Ah, Nanamin. I forgot what his teen self looked like and was surprised to see his design again lmao

I want to draw Yuuji and Nanami scene because… I just want to, I guess. I have never drawn him before (Yaga as well) so that's an interesting challenge. I got two ideas on how I want to draw it. One is a bit painting-esque, and the other one is like another chapter cover. In the end, I chose the cover one because I want to emphasise the difference between teen!Nanami and the Nanami from Yuuji’s original timeline, and how the watch feels like a connection between the same (yet not) person. It’s a bittersweet feeling? In a way?

I’m not really good at explaining my intention ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

I love Yuuji’s answer to Nanami's question.

AND FINALLY.

A Yuuji SandwichTM scene.

And oh B O I do I love it. Have I told you I like every chapter? I probably have. But this one? Satoru’s curiosity, Yuuji’s on-brand self-deprecation, and Gojou come strolling down to show more of Yuuji to his mini-self. I want to draw this whole scene, from Gojou finding them, feeding Yuuji snacks, bitch-slapping Satoru into the backroom, to Yuuji growling. Them trying to hide a boner from Yuuji’s growl got me cackling so hard I LOVE IT 😭

I love it all. Please love Yuuji in my stead, Satoru and Satonyan :3

Oh! Also! 40-finger Yuuji sounds really, really cool! I’ll be happy with whatever Vox will give us in future chapters, but 40-finger Yuuji… possible scene with this timeline’s Sukuna… my god. The action! The drama! The bloodshed! One can only hope.

However, as much as I love that whole scene, it’s still too much for me :”) I’m still not yet confident in delivering the humour and action. Also my already-long drawing plan had my brain groaning in protest so I can’t push my luck :'D

When Gojou said "He looks sweet, but he's a bit of a beast", I kept picturing Yuuji staring innocently, but there was an edge to his look. As if the moment Satoru looks away, he will pounce. But in the end I just stick with innocent-looking Yuuji because I accidentally drew his eyes that way and I want to keep it in lol

Since Satoru points out how soft and cuddly Yuuji is, I also want to draw soft Yuuji :v

And the last one… is the last scene. For some reason, I read that both Gojou and Satoru share Yuuji’s lap and was having a frustrating yet fun time figuring out how it’s… physically possible, without having their butts on the ground because they both are not small at all. As I lined the art, I reread it again and… perhaps I read it wrong? Satoru is beside Yuuji, and not on his lap? So yeah, this one might be the least accurate, but hey, at least you can view it as a crack drawing or something :v

AAAANNNDDD I HAVE EXCEEDED TODAY’S BRAIN CAPACITY OF FORMING WORDS

Have I told you I love this fic?

…I probably have.

Have an amazing week (❁´▽`❁)*✲ﾟ*

[couch-house]

2023 baybeeeee. havent done an art summary in a while since i basically stopped drawing early 2020 and didn't get back on the horse until mid-2022 (i wonder... what could have caused that!) i dont feel like my art has really changed this year, only in the ways that I draw specific sonic characters (looking through my archive is fun bc i can see the progression of the diseases known as Giving Them Big Eyebrows and Drawing The Monoeye) and--more exciting 4 me--my practice with paneling comics! :)

i think the progression is much more noticeably when you line it up with last year's sonic art... i can see all the Milestones.. more talking abt that under the cut

May: couch gets into sonic. June: Yucky Sonic 1.0. this was also the month when i Heard Of fleetway super. July: couch comes back from brazil, having read stc. this is also when i start dong actual short comics. compare may -> june -> july. (also please forgive whatever tf i was doing with skintones. i needed some practice)

august: merger au takes shape. dog invented. also i just really like that speed racer sonic mspaint picture. its fun :) september: deep in the fleet mines. october: i lose a lot of steam and mostly just doodle. another comic comparison for those three months:

november: frontiers comes out. i go crazy mode and make that sonic + knuckles comic with the pretty backgrounds and LOTS OF TINY TEXT. december: winter break AND im tired. january 2023 i come back insane crazy mode and write some fanfiction?? still havent finished that LOL. made some nice cover art :) february: i shift into knuckles mode fora month. make another comic. this one is much better i think :) november -> february

march: i shift into transfem metal sonic mode. also just stick to a lot of doodling. also write more fanfiction. crazy. april: transitory period as i shift back into stc/exit: sonic mode. may: more fanfiction. more comics. i really like how both of these turned out :) while the last two were definitely taking a lot more notes from stc, i think around here i start paying attention to and trying to learn from more creative panelling from artists i admire. like @/superemeralds THOAM and @/starrjoy's pandora au.

june: i play sa2 and it's good. july: i play unleashed and it is both miserable and good. i get in kind of an artistic frustration zone and wiggle my way out. august: idk i think im just chillin. super react dot jpeg happens. it's not even named that, it's named after the other image on the canvas, which was maria holding baby shadow. more comics.

september: i burn out for a bit. get real tired. eventually get back up and make more comics. the goal here and last month has become "try to make more interesting panel shapes. I've noticed other artists don't just use rectangles--try playing with irregular polygons and see where it gets you." well it gets you mixed results as you learn :) also i think after that pause i accept the monoeye into my life. sigh...

october: oc showdown starts and @/neurotypical-sonic asks me to make some halloweeny art :) feels like i dont do much this month bc i focus on those. november: A LOT OF ART?? INSANE. more oc showdown stuff. i play shadow the hedgehog (2005). it's good and i love it. i draw a ton of shit on one canvas for it. Fucking Dember: i have shifted back into stc/EXIT mode. motivation's a little weird bc work's a little weird. doing commissions also makes it weird. well im having fun and being myself :) a final handful of comics from this month:

idk maybe ill do something sicko crazy b4 the end of the year. mayb i'll follow exit sonic's example and #GetWorse. who knows :) well this is fun i love looking at my art and seeing and noticing things. thank u all for your support and I hope we all have a great 2024!

[anbroids]

as homestuck gets older and becomes more and more of a period piece i think it’s really interesting to see how continuations and fanworks take different approaches to maintaining that or not.

and i don’t want to outright say one is superior to the other. i think if you can find ways to introduce aspects of more contemporary pop culture or politics or technology into homestuck as a framework and still make it an interesting intentional choice then that’s a big achievement and not something to be scoffed at just by virtue of it being divergent from homestuck proper.

i think in a lot of ways it can keep it fresh and add a layer of relatability to the fans that grew up on it. after all, i think hussie was intending to make (or perhaps just coincidentally happened to make) homestuck relatable to his particular demographic of young adults on the internet in the late 2000s / early 2010s. i think rereading homestuck in my 20s really solidified this to me that homestuck was not intended to be a story about kids for kids but rather a story for adults about childhood and growing up. it’s funny that it wasn’t more obvious to me back then, or maybe i did pick up on it but i just didn’t really think about it all that much? because it’s so obvious. there’s so much 80s and 90s kid nostalgia in it and the tropes that the characters portray were already outdated or at least didn’t even really exist like they used to by 2009. and in many ways the characters themselves outgrow their own tropes and then later acknowledge it in the work itself both as time progresses and the narrative develops into something more complex and the characters become increasingly multi-dimensional.

i guess it’s just an interesting question to me. is having content in a story that will indefinitely age the work a “good” or “bad” choice? and several years down the line, will we be able to tell what choices were intentionally made so that it would one day be reflective of the state of technology / political landscape / pop culture at the time?

artists who set out to make their work as timeless as possible do kind of miss out on the opportunity to be a time capsule later on. or just generally representative of the climate it was created in, which is something that i think a lot of us can both appreciate but also find pretty unsavory about homestuck proper (cough dancestors cough) but then can i really say i wish those unsavory parts of homestuck didn’t exist? idk. they aren’t fun to read but i like that they make me think critically about the flaws of that particular part of internet history.

politics aside i think the fact that there’s a homestuck panel that incorporates vine is so cool. because it sort of inadvertently swallowed up a piece of internet history that would come to disappear into its already massive time capsule of media and pop culture and hussie didn’t even know. it’s just cool to me idk.

at the same time i think younger artists and writers that really prioritize keeping homestuck grounded in its era of internet and even going so far as to honor the nostalgia of an older generation is something i really admire and appreciate. and this is something that is becoming more common as homestuck ages (and becomes more of a period piece etc etc). i often find myself at a crossroads between exploring contemporary elements in my work and trying to emulate homestuck’s original tone and time period for the sake of preserving that integrity. like man. i could go on about this for such a long time because i feel like it’s just a really interesting discussion to see what we weigh as a meaningful divergence and refreshing change from homestuck proper vs what compromises the (for lack of better phrasing lol) “feels like homestuck” factor.

i think the discussions about sexuality and gender identity towards the end of comic and then further in the epilogues is an obvious example of this. hussie didn’t necessarily shy away from nuances of gender and sexuality but he didn’t really address them outright with labels either for the majority of homestuck proper until the end when other writers got involved. in early act 6 dirk is explicitly stated as gay (insert disney diversity win meme blah blah blah) but the character himself, which i feel like is an interesting reflection of hussie and homestuck’s general feelings about the topic of identity and labels (if i may speculate lmao), considers the act of labeling his sexuality as sort of this out of date, irrelevant thing in the grand scheme of things. whether that be in reference to who he is or what’s going on in the comic or a more metanarrative choice of hussie’s. some people interpret this to be a kind of admission of shame or maybe dirk just being pretentious but i personally interpret this as hussie kind of just being like. i don’t really want to spend too much time Talking about characters being gay i just want them to exist in the story and Be Gay. similarly to how the trolls don’t have a concept of sexuality in the same way the human characters do. it gives hussie an opportunity to have characters do Objectively gay things, from the reader’s perspective, without having to spell out their relationships to their own sexualities by real societal standards in the work itself when he was clearly more interested and comfortable talking about the trolls’ relationships to their fictional societal ones. and i think as a writer i find that pretty fair. (and yeah yeah i know another aspect of dirk’s whole deal is that he’s from the future so of course he would say that / the trolls are from another planet and all of this is in comedic foil to john i am not a homosexual egbert as the protagonist but i digress. idk i’m really only speculating here and maybe projecting lol)

bc tbh i also kind of shudder at the thought of writing gay characters who are always expected to spell out their identities to the audience when i’d rather just have them Do Actual Gay Things. (using gay as an umbrella term for lgbt+ yada yada). personally i’d rather have a scene where a character binds their chest to reveal an aspect of their gender presentation rather than feel obligated to spell out their relationship to their identity in words and explicit labels and also describe exactly how they Feel About All That. not because i want to cop out on representation and have their identities be totally open to interpretation necessarily, but more-so because i think it becomes exhausting sometimes as a gay person myself to have to keep acknowledging a character’s State of Differentness as obviously as possible every time i put a gay person in a piece of art.

not that i don’t find narratives that exclusively or heavily talk about and center themselves around identity and being in a State of Differentness in very outright ways important. to me that’s something very different and meaningful in completely different ways that can’t be accurately compared here. there are plenty of homestuck fanworks that make discussions of gender and identity a large priority that i think are extremely meaningful and one of the biggest reasons why i came back to homestuck after all these years and still really love the community of artists and writers that engage with it in this way. i think it’s an extremely wonderful thing, especially because with the homestuck community so niche, it really feels like a group of people spreading art that is, by a large majority, by gay people and for gay people. but in narratives that are not specifically centered around that, or has not centered themselves about that previously (like homestuck several acts into the comic) i can totally see how it comes across as off-putting. i think sometimes there’s a slippery slope with bigger projects with a large audience where the existence of gay characters in the work start to read as teaching tools for non-[insert identity here] or virtue signaling. i.e. it stops feeling like media that the reader can identity with as a gay person and more like media that is trying to represent gayness “accurately and positively” for a straight reader (or perhaps a gay reader who is completely new to their identity and appreciate this kind of easy-to-swallow and comfortable introduction). i find that in cases like this, the “representation” more often than not falls into the pitfall of being extremely generalized and sterilized or even stereotypical. which is a whole conversation in itself. bc when an identity is always easy to digest and understand, it risks reducing this character to the identity itself. water is wet i guess lol. idk it’s just a tricky balance. but definitely something i think about a lot when i’m engaging with contemporary homestuck fanwork.

long aside but. all of this to say. i just find it interesting to see how homestuck, as a kind of specific multimedia form of art and storytelling online that seemed to set a new precedent for the webcomic format at large, has taken on a genre of its own like any piece of art does that is unique and off the beaten path in its execution. idk it just makes me think of art history in general. like it’s fascinating to me to see something like homestuck which was once very new and fresh to me become a piece of art that has aged enough to open discussion about approaching the framework of homestuck in either a traditional or contemporary way. as a continuation or a fanwork or an homage. i guess the only point i’m trying to make here is that i don’t think one is better than the other and there’s something i appreciate about both.

i feel like i’m kind of avoiding the elephant in the room here which is that there’s a lot of discussion going on right now about maintaining consistency with homestuck proper in the current continuation with homestuck2 and that’s sort of a whole other can of worms i don’t really want to get into. but i would like to acknowledge how interesting it is that these discussions really obviously highlight how fast memes get “stale” nowadays in the current state of social media and everything seems to exist in a perpetual state of blink-and-you-miss-it virality. i really sympathize with the homestuck2 team who i’m sure are feeling a huge amount of pressure to strike a balance between making something refreshing / relatable to the current homestuck audience and also maintaining the “feels like homestuck” factor. all the while attempting to fulfill as many reader wishes as possible within reason. (not to mention the standard of “reason” being extremely subjective) it’s not an easy thing to do and definitely a hugely different creative process than the one hussie went through during early homestuck days. each with their own complicated hoops to jump through in terms of Making Art People Will Engage With.

[unifox]

Deer In The Headlights

~Pairing: Joshua x fem!reader

~Genre: fluff/ crack/ light very light horror/thrill?

~Warnings: idk how to word it, but the reader feels really unsafe and feels the need to pepper spray her offender. Light Panic attack (Let me know if there's more!) Not proof read (yet!)

~Words: 1,7k 

~Summary: What do you mean the creep you pepper sprayed was your neighbor's best friend?! In which Joshua wants to walk you home but you mistake him for a creep and spray him.

a/n: My first Seventeen fanfic! This was kind of fun to write since I was inspired by the song of my favorite artist! Deer In The Headlights by Owl City. Since where I live is not the safest place my dad made me walk around with a mini pepper spray can (just in case, we never know right?) and it matched the lyrics perfectly. I also made a fem!reader bc as a girl I don't feel totally safe walking alone at night so I did something more relatable to myself, hope yall don't mind. Anyway, I hope you guys like it! ~Foxy🦊

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"Police report another case of young women being followed by perverted men around the neighborhood. It is recommended that women avoid walking alone at night."

Nice, just nice.

You had to run out of cat food and only realize it at night. Coming home from work after a really long day you decided to nap, which was not a good idea. Shadow, your 1-year-old cat meowed really loudly at your sleepy face once again. Great, it's time to gather your pepper spray and courage and walk to the closest convenience store.

It's ok, you just have to walk for about 10 minutes

Seeing the convenience store you walked faster and got inside. 2 packs of wet cat food for now will do. Get some sweets and maybe a soft drink to go with your dinner. Opening the refrigerator to get your drink you saw from the corner of your eye a man pass by on the other side of the ice cream fridge. 

As he passed by, you caught Joshua's eye. He didn't believe in love at first sight before you. 

Tell me again, was it love at first sight?

He needed to get your name and hopefully your number too. He went to the register to pay for his stuff before waiting to meet you outside. Maybe he could offer to walk you home since the news kept on reporting perverts around that neighborhood.

Food acquired, you grabbed the little pepper spray can and put it in your pocket after paying. looking around from the door of the store you decided it was safe to step outside. Walking fast to of there you didn't notice the pretty boy waiting for you. 

Feeling a presence behind you, the hand in your pocket gripped the can inside it with more strength 

"Hello-"

Turning around to see a (might you add, very pretty) man, you let out a high-pitched scream, spraying your offender with the pepper spray and then running away. The 10-minute walk to the store turned into a 5-minute run to your apartment. With the adrenaline still running through your veins you didn't even notice your neighbor getting his mail, running straight into him. 

"Oh god y/n, are you ok?" Mingyu asked grabbing your arms before you hit the floor. 

"Mingyu? I- I- I think? I don't know I-" You panicked

"Ok breathe" he did a little breathing exercise with you until you stopped breathing heavily

"I went to the convenience store and a guy started following me so when he got too close I sprayed him with this" You raised the little can on your hand so he could see it. 

"Woah, that must have been so scary. You can call me or my roommate Wonwoo to accompany you to the store next time. If we're not home I can check if my friends can go with you, some of them live nearby so it's no problem. Let's get you home yeah?"

While Mingyu gently took you home, Joshua somehow managed to drag himself home, knocking on the door so that someone could help him. 

"What the fuc-" Jeonghan opened the door and as soon as he did, he began to cough

"Please just help me to the nearest sink"

"What the hell happened to you? Weren't you supposed to just go to the store to get us snacks for our movie night?" Jeonghan guided Joshua into the bathroom

"Yeah, but I got paper sprayed by this really pretty girl so help me, I don't know what I should do"

"Ok, so according to Google you have to not panic and stay calm" If Joshua could see normally he would have rolled his eyes at his friend's words

 "Also wash your eyes with water and soap"

"Took you long enough"

----------

"Yo Mingyu, let's cancel movie night. Joshua is... Not feeling well" Seungcheol said through the phone while looking at his friend, who asked to not disclose what really happened to him "No no no he's fine, you don't need to bring anything... Ok thanks, I'll let him know. Bye" As he hung up Josh groaned

"It feels like I'm dying. Please open the window I'm still breathing funny." 

"What did you even do to get her to spray you?" Sungcheol scolded

Jeonghan laughed not even looking up from his phone "he said hi"

"You're kidding me"

"I'm not! I was going to ask her if she wanted me to walk her home since it's dangerous and she attacked me!" Josh responded trying to sit up on the couch and almost falling out

"She probably thought YOU were attacking her you idiot. Now lay down, let me get you some water"

"Thanks bro"

----------

A week passed and nothing eventful happened. Once a week you'd go to the supermarket with Mingyu (or his shy roommate Wonwoo), which made the three of you become closer. 

Now, you're currently sitting on your sofa playing Mario Kart against Wonwoo, who's sitting very still because Shadow is sleeping on his lap. Mingyu is in your kitchen making popcorn when his phone starts buzzing on the sofa to your left. Wonwoo is winning this round (again) so you don't bother trying to beat him and look at Mingyu's phone.

"Gyu! Someone called Joshua is calling you"

"Ask Wonwoo to pick it up! I don't want to burn the popcorn!!"

"Put it on speaker y/n, can't let you win this time" Wonwoo responds with a grin. He knew you wouldn't beat him anyway...

"Hey Shua~" He responds when you accept the call and move the phone to sit between you two

"Oh, Wonwoo hii. Where are you guys? I just came by to drop off the books Jeonghan borrowed last week."

"yessss~" Wonwoo quietly celebrates his victory while you roll your eyes "Oh yeah, we're at a friend's place..."

"Sorry man. I'll drop by tomorrow then..." he starts to say when you interrupt

"Hi! We're two floors down in apartment 21 if you want to drop by."

"Hi, didn't know you were neighbors. Thank you, I'll be down in a minute" He said in the nicest tone then hung up

2 minutes later Joshua was at your doorstep and as soon as you opened the door and looked at his face he froze

But when beauty met the beast he froze

With quick instincts, you closed the door on his face.

Mingyu came out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn and looked confused.

"It wasn't Joshua?"

"Gyu, it's the guy!" You whisper yelled at him kinda panicked "The guy that followed me from the convenience store!" 

With that, Mingyu got alert and quickly left the popcorn on your table and rushed to the door. Opening the door it was just Joshua frozen in place. What...?

"Josh?"

"Oh god Mingyu"

Mingyu closed the door behind him and started questioning Joshua

"Do you guys know each other?"

"Oh well... Long story short... I think I scared her in a convenience store and she pepper sprayed me"

Oh, that makes sense

"So last week you weren't sick... you were pepper sprayed?" Gyu started to giggle at the thought of Joshua all messed up

"Dude stop! That's embarrassing! I only wanted to ask if she wanted company to walk home since, you know, the neighborhood is kinda... not safe?" Josh stated turning red when Mingyu left a genuine laugh

Oh no...

You thought while listening to their conversation though the door. Wonwoo and Shadow found their way next yo you sitting on the floor near the entrance. Wonwoo thought the situation was hilarious while you were panicking. You attacked their friend with pepper spray... poor guy. You felt sorry. All lost in their own thoughts, you didn't realize mingyu opening the door.

The four of you just stared at each other. Mingyu with a goofy face, Joshua blushing in embarrassment, wonwoo holding back giggle sitting on the floor and your panicked face while leaning on the doorframe. Shadow sensed the shift in the situation meowing at you.

This was embarrassing

"can we come in...?" Mingyu asked as you got Shadow in your arms answering a quick yes and moving out of the way

"Yay, let's clear things up." Mingyu answered as Joshua hesitantly followed him inside.

You all sat in the living room. You and Wonwoo on your mini sofa as Mingyu sat opposite you on te floor, ushering Joshua to sit next to him, the books forgotten near the door. 

Joshua started explaining to you and apologizing about his... creep-like approach. With you quickly apologizing as well for spraying him. He couldn't help but stare at you. 

Up close you were even prettier

After introductions and explanations, you invited him for your movie night. He was Mingyu and Wonwoo's friend after all, which he gladly accepted. Anything to spend more time with the girl he was sure he fell at first sight.

After that, you started seeing more of Joshua. Sometimes you saw him in your neighbour's home and sometimes you crossed paths in the nearby market and the convenience store. On your fourth meeting, at Gyu's apartment, he asked if you wanted to hang out at his apartment. You met mischievous Joenghan and caring Seungcheol.

On your eighth meeting, he asked you out and two months later you were a couple.

On your one-year anniversary, you both lay on your bed, staring at the ceiling where the galaxy projection moves slowly while a soft Lofi playlist plays in the background. You lay on your side, clinging to Joshua's left arm, while his right one carcasses the black cat sleeping on his stomach. 

"Remember when we first met? And you almost blinded me with your beauty?" He says amused

"More like my pepper spray" you comment feeling embarrassed

"It's okay sweetie. At least I know you're self-sufficient... And that the paper spray works! You know, I feel like when I saw you it was love at first sight, you caught my eye immediately. I couldn't think straight when I saw you leave, I had to talk to you." He says in that love-filled tone you grew to love so much

"I know baby, I think it would be an ok situation but you got your timing really wrong. You got me fearing for my life that day" You chuckled "You got paper prayed, but hey! Now you have a girlfriend because of it!"

"I don't think that's how it works..."

"Shhh, just be happy that we're dating" You shut him up with a kiss on the cheek

"Happy one year together Shua"

"Happy one year together y/n"

When you met, Shua is the doe-eyed one. But you were the deer in the headlights.

[joesalw]

Story time! My cousin is six and wants to become a fashion designer. She saw an ad for the TS movie on TV and liked the sparkly costumes, so I pirated the thing and we watched it together so she could draw the clothes. Two big things I noticed are: 1) the vocals are... not that good? I mean, the quality of the audio has been improved a lot, but the vocals themselves are painfully mid even for Taylor. In one of the very first songs, I got the ick from a note she missed badly, and I'm no musical genius. Considering she chose this performance to be recorded in a movie to broadcast worldwide, you'd expect her to be top of her game, or at least to use some good old autotune to fix her mistakes. (I'll leave out the massive use of background vocals because I don't abitually listen to pop, so I don't know if that's a thing other artists do too or not. Tbh, if I paid hundreds for a tour ticket and all I heard was a recorded track and background vocalists, I'd be pissed to say the least, but maybe that's me, idk. 2) Her stage presence, dance skills, talking, it's all bad and completely unnatural. Her dance moves look like poorly done tik tok dances, her comments between songs are so fake it hurts, there is not a single thing she does on stage that comes off as genuine. I get no performer is ever truly themselves on stage, but damn, at least others are better at faking it. Her expressions and gestures are exaggerated for no reason, which ruins the whole experience, at least for me. Mind you, I like a goofy moment on stage, I like jokes, hell, Corey Taylor performing the Spongebob soundtrack mid concert may be one of my favourite concert moments ever. But if it's clear the person is acting, I can't have fun, I only feel like I'm being treated as an idiot. Luckily, my cousin didn't like the concert either, so I won't have to deal with a swiftie in the future ahah. Though I fear I might have to get through the Beyoncé movie as well once she sees her costumes (hoping that one's a little bit better).

Only one time I used to find Taylor's mid performance speeches genuine was during reputation tour. she used to be very relaxed and confident with who she was and exactly knew what she was saying, before that she would always seem fake and insecure to me, and this eras tour is her fakest version ever, she's just straight up acting. I myself would never spend my money on such mid shows ever.

[rinadragomir]

Ok, I want to start off by saying that I am a fan of all arts and am so appreciative of the time, passion, and work that goes into any kind of content creation.

I am also very particular about when it comes to art. There are mangas, comics, animated works that I have difficulty reading/watching or will not read/watch if I'm not a fan of the art style.

And as an artist I understand that art is subjective and not everyone likes it. Just as I recognize that not everyone likes my particular art style and that's ok. (Not trying to have people come for me like I’m trashing Charlie’s art cuz I am 10000% not.)

Charlie does amazing work and I like it, but it's clear that her style has changed (as most content creators do) since the TLH portraits she did and the pieces that are going in the journal for CC's new kickstarter. I'm a self- taught artist so terminology isn't my best, but her style now is giving semi cartoon realism, but airing on the side of the cartoon more now.

I feel that my unpopular opinion is that I'm not a huge fan of it. I really like the TLH portraits she did of Matthew, James, Christopher, Thomas, ect, but idk there is something about these new portraits in her style that I'm just not liking. Her lines are much sharper now, darker, more profound and it feels like all of the face shapes/ jaw lines are basically the same (and I know I have no room to talk since I draw in an anime style so one could argue all my lines look the same).

and I'm NOT saying that they are carbon copies. Jem clearly looks different from Will down to his eye shape which is amazing and looks great. But idk...maybe part of my disliking is also the inconsistencies? and I'm using that term lightly...but like

Clary's hair looking straight when it's very canonly curly. Alec and Magnus having basically the same haircut... (I’m not the best person to speak on Dru…but CJ’s flower card is different and feels more like how she’s described on the book). The lack of and absence of runes... and I know all of that can be personal preference/stylistic choice. After all, art is subjective and based off of the artist's interpretation (for the most part anyway) but I'm a stickler for details so it bugs me…

And I just liked the softness/ more realism style of the previous portraits Charlie has done for TSC than these newer ones. These new ones are nice and I do like them…just not as much…and there are some that I don’t like at all.

Thanks for reading my ramble 😂 I hope it made sense

Summary: I like Charlie’s work, but am not a huge fan of these new TSC portraits.

BESTIE I'M ABOUT TO CRY😭THE WAY I ASKED YOU MYSELF TO EXPRESS YOUR FEELING IN MY ASKBOX AND THEN FORGOT ABOUT IT

Okay okay, SO! You're so brave for saying this, LIKE YES WE'RE BEING FED, thank you for the content for our dying fandom, but damn...

Allow me to also start with: WE LOVE YOU CHARLIE, WE JUST LOVE TO COMPLAIN🥺

I can understand Clary's hair, she could have styled them, I understand few runes on James, maybe Cassie didn't clarify that BUT WHAT ABOUT THESE😫the first one looks like a dream and the second one... I'm not sure, it feels like sth is wrong about it but I'm not an artist and I can't say what exactly is off

BUT SOMETHING IS OFF RIGHT?

One time she nails the character completely and the next time BOOM JUMPSCARE

Is it Cristina? Is it... who's it😳 it can't be Dru

But also I can't blame Charlie, I mean I also prefer her old style, but I'm mostly confused by Cassie. Like...you paid for the work and had a chance to correct the artist or clarify some details about the characters but...you saw this and went YEAH THAT'S WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR, NO, NO NEED TO FIX ANYTHING IT'S ALREADY PERFECT

Girl—

[melodygatesauthor]

Okay guys, I can't believe it's been a full year since I published the first chapter of my first fanfiction story and I'm still going strong today. - (Side note...it was actually yesterday but I wanted to get all my fics posted to AO3 so I could get an accurate word count and tell you all what I've done so...it took me an extra day)

This is going to be a really long post, and I thank everyone in advance for reading all the way through if you make it. I'm taking a moment to allow myself to talk about my accomplishments over the last year, my goals for this next year, and gas myself up just a bit. As an artist, it's really hard to talk about myself in a positive light without being critical, but I'm going to do it anyway. No one asked, but this is one of the ways I wanna celebrate my ficversary so...I'm gonna do it lol.

My First Fanfic Ever

I'd like to start by sharing my beginnings with writing. If I really think back to the very first fanfiction I wrote, I thought it was a Gorillaz fic (which I still have a handwritten copy of in my closet lol), but it wasn't. I think the very first fanfic I wrote technically was a Pirates of the Caribbean fic when I was 11. I didn't even realize that's what it was, I just knew that I was SO into POTC that I wanted to write about it. It had just come out by the way, so I'm really dating myself. This was...2003.

We had this thing we had to do for school, it was like a writing assignment or something, one of those big ones that they gave you, a standardized whatever. I managed to find a way to spin it into a POTC related thing and I went OFF writing this story. It had its own twists and turns unrelated to POTC, but it was a fanfic through and through.

The Beginning of My Fan Art

When I was 12 I started listening to Good Charlotte, to a point that it was my entire personality. Everyone who knew me, knew I loved them. Every fucking art project I had in middle school (7th and 8th grade) was revolved around this band, particularly Joel Madden.

My love for them has come and gone, but I still remember how I felt at the time (not unlike how I feel toward Oscar Isaac now lol). I mean my art teacher literally had to be like "I want you to branch out, you can't make everything about them." And as an adult, I'm wondering -why the fuck not but- ...I digress.

The First Fanfic I Ever "Published"

When I was 12 (or maybe closer to 13), I became OBSESSED with the Gorillaz. When I say obsessed I mean...I listened to the album Demon Days on repeat until it fucking broke. I changed my G's when I would write by hand to match the G in their logo. I made tons of fan art and it was a damn vibe. This was the first time I really discovered fanfiction and learned what it was.

I remember reading one fanfic from some girl on this website (I'm really dating myself here, some of you will know what site this is...) Quizilla. Quizilla was THE site at the time (other than LiveJournal I think, but I never used LiveJournal and didn't know it existed at the time) for fanfiction and what you would now call "buzzfeed quizzes". This girl's writing inspired me to write my own fanfic, which I handwrote and kept in a green folder which, as I said, I still have to this day sitting in my closet.

My very first fic, and yes at 13, included some romance, some non-con (don't fucking ask me why idk even how I knew about that at 13. I was never exposed to this type of thing as a child fortunately) and other nonsense. I published it on this site, and it made me really happy. I don't remember if anyone ever read it or not tbh, but it will forever hold a place in my heart <3

My Best Friend/Emo Era

I met my best friend in high school when I was about 14. She and I are still close to this day. Not as close, but I can still tell her my most unhinged thoughts and she loves me regardless. We met because we both wrote fanfiction and lost our minds over the fact that we did. Thus started my emo era.

She was into My Chemical Romance, and I was into The Used. 2005 was a time lol. The two of us had either a binder or a composition notebook where we'd handwrite our fics and pass them back and forth between classes. I still have the ones I wrote tucked away in my house. When we'd read them she and I would leave little notes in the margins like we all leave comments today.

Most of these fics never got published, they were just for us to enjoy. I did, however, publish a fic when I was about 15, that I wrote to completion. Quizilla ended up going down, and most of us moved to Mibba.com instead, which is still a website.

Edit: I looked at Mibba, and it looks like the website is still there, but you can't search for anything, so Mibba is gone too. Not gonna lie, broke my nostalgic heart just a bit to see...Some fics I wrote on there will be gone forever. Maybe for the best, but it's still kinda sad.

The Avenged Sevenfold Era

When I tell you that Avenged Sevenfold has been my favorite band since I was 15, I'm dead ass. Are they the best band ever? Not by a long shot, but damn the way I still lose my shit over them is unhinged. Anyone who was around during this time fucking knows...they were fucking HOT. Matt Shadows really had the bulky but not shredded body type going on, they all kinda did, and I'm so here for it.

Why I'll never post any of the fics I wrote during this time, even if I get my hands on them...

I wrote them when I was 15, and I was writing about things 15 year olds shouldn't write about.

You don't know cringe until you've read those fics.

It's about real people and I'm not a fan of rpf anymore. I'm all for writing whatever you want and fiction being fiction but there's something that gives me the ick about real people fiction. No offense to anyone who writes it, that's just my feelings.

The way these guys had a hold on me for the next 5 years was ridiculous. I wrote about them a lot, by hand, on my laptop, however I could. I had so many unhinged ideas and stories it's insane. I loved every minute of it, and I always look back on this as my true start into fanfiction.

The End of an Era

All good things come to an end. After graduation, my best friend and I stayed in touch, but grew apart. I went to college and continued writing fanfic. I was pursuing a major in graphic design with a minor in creative writing. I was convinced that even though I was writing fanfiction, I was going to write a book too and it would be a bestseller.

As time went on, probably when I was about 20 or 21, I kinda stopped writing fanfiction all together. My friend wasn't really writing it anymore, and the community around Avenged Sevenfold was slowing down. I was also in the middle of a breakup and it was a whole thing, so I kinda stopped writing around this time.

I'd also, unfortunately, felt like fanfiction was for kids/teens, so didn't feel the need to continue writing anymore. I didn't want to seem like a loser writing fanfiction in my twenties...so I didn't.

For the record, you're not a loser for writing fanfiction. It's a very valid artform and it's fun. We only live for so long, so enjoy it doing what makes you happy, period. I'll probably be writing in my 50s I fucking hope lol.

Anyway, at that time, that's how I felt. I now know it's bullshit to think that way. So fanfiction fizzled out for me, and I kinda moved on to other things.

My Not-fanfiction Era

What was I doing instead of writing? Going through an emotionally and mentally abusive relationship, working on trying to build what I thought was the 'dream' (marriage, kids, a house, e.t.c.), working and playing video games.

Fortunately that relationship ended. After years of therapy (which he told me I needed because he gaslit me into thinking I was crazy lol), I grew the balls to finally tell him to fuck off and leave. It was the best decision I ever made, especially considering this was JUST before COVID hit. I shudder to this day thinking about the fact that I was almost stuck in a house with that freak during lockdown.

When that relationship ended I moved back to Maine to be with my family. I missed them and had spent basically my entire 20s in another state with some loser.

Back to Fanfiction - Kylo Ren Era

So how did I get back here? How did I get back into writing and creating fan art? The truth is, a switch literally flipped in my brain over this guy right here...

I mean...

The funny thing is, I wasn't SUPER into Star Wars before this. I liked it, I'd seen the sequel trilogy in theaters, but to me it was just a movie series. I was literally watching a Sam Collins video on YouTube where he made fun of a Kylo Ren cosplayer's thirst trap on TikTok and was like...oh that's actually kinda hot.

Thought nothing of it though, just moved on with my day...until I dreamt about him too. And then I felt this spark inside me that I couldn't shake. I literally was like...👀 something is happening here.

So I remembered this feeling from when I was a teen and recognized the impending obsession immediately. I actually googled "is fanfiction still relevant" and "is it ok to write fanfiction as an adult?"

The short answers are - yes - and - of course it is -. This was how I discovered the VERY popular Kylo Ren fic Fix Your Attitude by Kassanovella. I read it in a matter of a week, and in that time I started writing my own fic. I also rewatched ALL the Star Wars movies, and then continued rewatching the sequel trilogy on repeat just so I could get Kylo Ren's character down. I wanted to make sure I captured his voice and personality perfectly. - When I say I watched the sequel trilogy 20 times, it's not an exaggeration, I had it on constantly.-

The fic I wrote was called, Yes, Master

The first chapter of that fic was published on 09/05/2022 (one year ago today), and the last chapter was published on 10/14/2022 with a word count of 100,701. Not only is it the longest fic I've written of all the fics I've done, but it's the one I wrote the fastest. I was posting a chapter a day every day until it was finished. I mean...I literally went OFF on this story. I was so proud of it that I went to lulu.com and made myself a physical copy of it that I intend to read as part of this celebration I'm doing lol.

Wondering if anyone would be interested in me revamping this story (rewriting and updating it) and posting here? I would definitely do it if there was enough interest.

I then wrote a sequel called By Your Side which taught me SO MUCH. Here's what I learned when creating this sequel...

Not everything needs a sequel.

Writing a chapter a day isn't realistic.

I should've planned a full outline before diving into this fic.

I'm not into pregnancy fics/domestic fics all that much as far as longfics go.

It's okay to genuinely dislike something you've written and you should try to learn from that.

By Your Side is still to this day one of my least favorite fics (if not my LEAST favorite). I am still proud of myself for finishing it, (it sits at a hefty 85,599 words). I don't have to love it though. I'm just grateful for what I learned in the process of writing it and proud of myself for finishing it despite being sick of it by chapter 8 and still writing 20 chapters after that.

I also wrote my very first Yandere fic, Just You. It's a bit darker, in my opinion, than The Fractured Moon. This fic was a blast to write, and it felt very freeing to write something so disturbing. It was fun to just let myself get into a dark headspace without holding back and not feeling bad about it. It was more

The Rainbow Six Siege Era

During my time writing for Kylo, I went back to a video game I used to play a lot, Rainbow Six Siege. My Oscar Era bleeds into the Kylo and R6S era a little but I'll talk about that soon.

The Siege fandom was an interesting one...one that I'll probably not go back to much, though I may still write a little fic for it here and there as I feel inspired to. I won't dive too much into this as I know most of you are Oscar fans, but I'll mention my accomplishments here and the things I learned.

I wrote another novel-length fic for this fandom called The Recruit and the Hunter which has another 83,888 words. I actually LOVE this story, and still look back on it fondly. It was a fun one to write, and I really challenged myself to write less smut for it, and I succeeded. It focused heavily on the relationship that built between the main pairing and in my opinion it's one of my better slow-burns I've done.

Why did I leave this fandom?

Well, I'm not going to throw shade, I don't like doing that unless I have to, so I'll keep it brief. The long and the short of it is this...

The readers were getting EXTREMELY demanding. I have comments on RATH of people saying things like "I'm going to be upset if you don't give us a happy ending" and "there better be smut or I swear...". It can get really discouraging as a writer when people seem to say "I love your fic but I'll only continue to love it if you do xyz." It puts us in a dilemma, and makes it hard for us to find a balance between providing fan service, and doing what's fun for us to write. It definitely changed the outcome of RATH and I'm not happy that I gave in like that.

The requests I got were confusing and downright weird. I didn't do some of the really weird ones, and I'm not meaning to kink shame, but it was just very niche things that I couldn't get myself into. I think part of why I felt obligated to provide fan service like I mentioned in the point above, and why I caved and wrote some fanfics for these more unique requests, is because this fandom is very small, and I felt an obligation to provide.

Some of the other writers in the fandom are fucking rude. I'm not going to mention names, like I said, but I had very poor experiences with several writers in the fandom, and since I was also integrating into the Oscar fandom at the time, I could see a stark difference in the way I was being accepted in one, versus the way I was being pushed away in the other. There aren't a lot of x reader writers in the R6S fandom, and I was one of them, and there seems to be some animosity between the people who ship characters, versus the people who write x reader and that's where this mistreatment came from. I don't know, I tried making friends over there, and felt like I was getting pushed out.

So anyway, it's not for me anymore, but I still think back to certain parts of it fondly, and I may write a little more here and there as I see fit.

The Oscar Isaac Era

This really is THE era, isn't it?

As I was working on the last 10 or so chapters of Yes, Master, and after my 12th time rewatching the sequel trilogy movies, I started to fall for Poe Dameron, naturally. How could I not? I mean look at him...

So I decided that I would give Poe a prequel to my Yes, Master story called One Hell of a Pilot. This fic was so fun to write, and it's how I became involved with the Oscar Isaac community in the first place. Immediately I started following Dee, and through her I found Mona, and it was just snowballing from there. Whitney and Romana were some of the first to follow me and my shenanigans.

In December, which is when I started writing One Hell of a Pilot, another novel-length fic that ended with 80,517 words, is when I started reading Dee's fics, along with Mona's and many others. I saw their interactions and felt excited by the prospect of making new friends who were just as into some of this stuff as I was. A place that I could be myself and lose my shit over this idiot and not be judged.

I had no idea what the hell I was getting myself into.

It all started with a fic that Dee had written, I can't remember which one, probably a dbf!Santi fic, and I asked the innocent question of...

What movie is this from?

Oh shit...I didn't realize what the fuck I was getting myself into. After she told me it was Triple Frontier and I should watch it, my brother and I watched it right away. I told him a friend of mine suggested it. The way we spent the entire 1.5 hours laughing at how bad it was is still a memory I hold dear to my heart. I still didn't know at the time that this loser (Oscar my beloved) would hold a place in my heart from that day on.

My first Santi fic was a headcanon about Santi w/ a plussize reader that I called Preciously Plump. A headcanon that later got a full fic, appropriately named Preciously Plump the One-shot.

So then I read something about Moon Knight, and between Dee and Mona shoving me into it (peer pressure ftw) I caved and watched the show.

Phew...

That gave way to the first Moon Knight fic I ever wrote, How Unexpected which came out on January 3rd, 2023 of this year. I was sure that between Steven's adorable nerdy behavior, and Marc's tough exterior, I'd be head over heels for those two. I was nervous to even TOUCH Jake, because I didn't know shit about his character, and the last thing I wanted to do was write a character without it sounding like them.

I was also afraid at the time of writing the Moon Boys with DID because I didn't know anything about it, and I didn't want to misrepresent something like that. After some time went by, I got my bearings, and started working on A Bit Dodgy.

ABD is definitely one of the fics I'm most proud of. I had learned a lot from my past fics I'd written, Yes, Master, e.t.c., and figured out what it was that works best when I'm writing to not only keep myself interested, but to create a good balance between smut for smut's sake, and pushing the story forward.

When I first started writing ABD, I was sure it was going to be a 30-40 chapter fic, but as I started writing it more, I realized quickly that a lot of the chapters were just porn. Is there anything wrong with that? No...but as someone who's written nearly a million words in this past year, I don't feel the need to draw my chaptered fics out with smut just to say I wrote something x chapters or x words wrong.

That's why ABD ended up getting cut down SO MUCH from my original plan. I just made some decisions that I felt maximized the story more and used the smut as a major plot device, rather than the fic revolving around smut as the plot...if that makes any sense lol. I'm happy to say, that as of today, A Bit Dodgy has concluded, though it's the only fic I've ever finished with such a heavy heart.

I was an Oscar stan HARD after that, diving into Sucker Punch and other silly little movies filled with that silly little man whom I love so so much.

Statistics

Numbers aren't important when it comes to kudos (AO3) and likes (Tumblr) so I'm not focusing on those. What I am going to focus on...is my personal accomplishments. Like I said, I don't normally toot my own horn, but I fucking wrote A LOT this year, and I'm going to take a minute to pat myself on the back.

So NOT including my random blurbs (since I'm not bothering to cross-post those)...

My total word count from 09/05/2022-09/05/2023 is (drumroll please):

791,829 words

OH

EM

GEE

I had thought I would've hit a million by now but I am NOT going to complain. By the grace of the horny demon that runs the smut factory in my brain, I've written more than I ever even thought possible.

In the Moon Knight fandom alone, I've written:

238,950 words

I think the only fandom I've written more for is Star Wars, but I'd have to add it all up and I'm not doing that rn haha.

Just kidding it's:

368,566 words

----

I wrote 6 novel-length fics, a total of 147 works, MK holds the record for most fics I've written at a whopping 82 fics!

----

It's shocking to look back and see what I've accomplished, and to look forward to seeing what else I can do. I know that this next year I won't have the same word count, probably not even close.

I'm focusing a lot on drawing now as well as writing, plus I'm working on my first novel that I'd like to publish so things will definitely be slowing down. I'm going to continue writing, but the speed at which I churn out fics will be slower in the future.

In Conclusion

Thank you all for the support throughout this year. There's no way in HELL I would've had the drive and desire to continue writing if not for the amazing community (most the Oscar Isaac community lol) behind me. It's not just the kudos and the reblogs, it's the people who I've grown to know since joining the world of fandom.

I never had a ton of IRL friends, and I live alone (happily btw) with my dog. Being able to make some friends here that I genuinely call friends, not just people I know online, has meant the world to me. I would list everyone out, but I have a fear of accidentally forgetting to tag someone despite how much they mean to me so I'll leave it at...those people know who they are.

And to my readers (I hesitate to use the word "fans", that makes it sound so conceited), thank you to the moon and back. Without out, I wouldn't have had the drive to keep going. Kudos, Likes and Reblogs aren't everything, I can't stress that enough, but they do help keep the drive alive. (Particularly the comments). Without the little boost of excitement I get when I see that other people are just excited about what I'm doing as I am, I probably would've given up ages ago.

You all are the reason that this was even possible.

With all that being said, I have a small celebration planned that I'll announce later tonight. In the mean time, stay amazing. You keep supporting me, and I'll keep providing the fics that you all love so much

Love, Melly

[evangelineshifts]

Omg I can’t wait to go to my dc dr so I can explore and stuff, like at first I was thinking ‘oh I’m gonna be in the manor(Wayne manor) for the most part cause of my dad(Bruce Wayne)’ but no, I’ll literally be outside going across the country and stuff bc of my jobs. Like I can finally go to ceaser palace in Las Vegas(I’m literally obsessed with that place) and my life is gonna be so much more interesting(?) when I’m there because of the new opportunities. Also I’m like a quadruple threat in my dc dr and I don’t/wont acknowledge it for some reason when I’m there?? like wdym I can’t be an actor, model, singer, animator, vlogger, influencer, artist, and a straight A+ student while looking pretty the whole time when I’m not even 25 yet? Like wdym I can’t release 45 albums all at once? Who said I couldn’t make a whole 14 part animation within a year all by myself? But I digress, I think something I’m most excited for is me hanging out with my family(dad’s side) and doing ‘normal’ stuff. Like I’m staying at a hotel in California somewhere cause I’m getting paid to stay there but obviously neither of my parents are gonna let me stay there alone so my dad, brothers and sisters decide to stay at the hotel with me(I’m def making a scenario for that). But moving on, I feel like you’re the it girl in all your drs. Like even if you don’t script it in I feel like you’d still be the prettiest, coolest person in your dr even if you’re not trying to. Like you just have that vibe?? Idk how to explain it😭-🦭

First off, your dc dr sounds like sm fun omg???? Also I’m a big supporter of being supreme Mary Sue in all DRs like being overpowered is just a must so I salute 🫡

Second, I’m also very excited for normal family stuff in my dr. Especially when you come from a family where you either don’t get along, aren’t that close, or don’t have siblings who are close in age it feels almost more exciting than meeting an s/o.

Third, THANK YOU???? That’s literally so sweet that you think I’m an it girl 😭😭😭 I had to re read it like three times cause I thought you were talking abt you (which I also agree with) but we can ALL be it girls cause like that’s the whole point duh 🤨

I don’t think I necessarily try to be ‘cool’ anyways I just really try to be kind so I hope maybe that’s what you’re picking up?? Cause I think kind girls are the it girls. The prettiest people are always the nicest 🥰

LOVE YOU MIMI MWAH 💋

[wulvercazz]

I feel like you made grimmjow and ichigo an oc at this point, like they are so far from their canon selves. Especially grimmjow, had to unfollow due to him being so ooc.

You're art is pretty though.

🥱 … ok?

Look, idk where you’re coming from, if you wanted me to feel bad for myself or apologize or what?? I think one should think about what our intentions are before making an unsolicited comment, specially behind an anonymous; what were you expecting to get, or achieve, by saying this to me? If you meant to offend me,,, try again, idgaf what anyone’s negative opinions of my art and portrayal of my ships are. And if you honestly meant to be “nice” by saying my art is pretty with all that shit on top… try again, and maybe think better before you try and approach anyone else who’s giving you free content.

Or maybe you didn’t even know what you intended, but for future reference, in case you weren’t aware, your comment is just a backhanded compliment that tbh no artist or writer or anyone cares to hear.

If you don’t like my portrayal of them, fine. Idc, it’s not for you, it’s for me and for anyone else who likes what I do. Many which are so kind to always tell me so and show support on socmed or on my discord.

So,,, kindly get off my lawn💕 My ichigrimm is for me, I just share it here for free because I enjoy it; I could always keep it forever behind a paywall. And if you happened to be an ex-subscriber; you’re in your full right to stop supporting me if you wished so, but not to try and shit on my fandom experience.

So anyway,,, spoilers for all of us who love Grimm being soft and not a copy-paste of canon in every Alternate Universe;

I got a cottagecore au with they/them witch!Grimmjow coming up🥰✨✨✨ I’m sooo excited about it Grimmjow looks so fckn pretty 😩💕 +all the pretty flowers and dresses and with hybrid creature!Ichigo??? 👀👀👀💕💕💕 it won’t be for another bit but HHHHH excitee 👀✨

[runningfrom2am]

on the one screen in my town; two

summary:

mason’s life with drew was absolutely perfect, she was happier than ever; until everything came crashing down all at once.

tags/warnings:

drew starkey x fem!popstar!oc, drug and alcohol use, death, grief, these tags are not exhaustive, idk i'll add to this as it goes on.

wc: 2k

an: okay so in this chapter some shit goes down so mind the tags please!!! anyway love y'all

Mason smiles at her fiancé who's standing just behind the camera and the interviewing team in front of her, originally scheduled to discuss her upcoming album which is meant to accompany the next and final season of Outer Banks. Unsurprisingly to an unimpressed Este at Drew's side, they're mostly asking about the show and the upcoming wedding, which happens to be scheduled three months away to the date.

"I thought they were meant to talk about her album." She mutters to her friend, who just nods slightly in response, looking a little disappointed as well with the next question.

"Rumour has it as well that you'll be reprising your role as Sofia for the final season, is that true?" The interviewer asks her, Mason staring at him intently the whole time. She's known for her kindness by everyone in the industry and of course her fans, in a similar way that Drew is.

"I can't really talk about that, unfortunately, but seeing as she didn't die at the end of the last season and Sofia and Rafe haven't had any kind of falling out, I can't see why she wouldn't be back for the last season. That being said, I'm only really permitted to discuss my upcoming album today, unfortunately." Mason answers gracefully, nodding and crossing her legs.

"Not even the wedding?" The interviewer laughs slightly, tilting his head at her.

Mason glances briefly at Drew, before returning her attention to the interviewer. "Well, that depends on what you want to know." She chuckles awkwardly.

"Everything! It's set to be the wedding of the decade- with all the planning you're doing, could you see that becoming an accurate statement?"

"Oh gosh, well, I doubt that. There's bound to be another royal wedding or something, maybe Taylor Swift or Kylie Jenner will get married in the next four years so I truly doubt it." She laughs, shaking her head.

"Oh come on, you don't have to be modest. There's a lot of people working on putting everything together."

Mason nods at this. "Yes! We have so much support and it has been a life saver for us, we appreciate every minute of time that people are taking out of their own day-to-day lives to help us put everything together. To make our dream come to life, I suppose." Her cheeks are flushed now as she speaks, trying to avoid looking in her fiancé's direction- forbid her turning even more red.

"How do you find the time for music when you're working so hard on wedding planning?"

"It's a passion of mine, of course. It's something that's a vessel for me to relax and reconnect with myself and how I'm feeling, which is really important to me as an artist but it also gives me an important outlet to-" As Mason is answering, Drew and Este share a satisfied smile, pleased that they're finally on topic.

Just then Mason's phone starts vibrating in Drew's pocket, and he pulls it out quickly to dismiss the incoming call from her father. He quickly calls back. Again, and again.

"Hey, so sorry, her dad is really trying to get a hold of her. Can she quickly take a call?" Drew whispers to a member of the crew standing nearby, showing them the phone. They nod quickly, getting the interviewers attention and calling for a cut just before Mason finishes talking about her creative process.

"Here, Love, your dad is calling you. I think you should take it." Drew says, quickly approaching her and passing her the phone. She nods, hitting answer and standing up to step out, holding her phone to her ear.

"Hey, dad. How's it going?" She asks as she steps out into the hall, genuine confusion crossing her tone. He knew she was doing this important press interview today, and usually her parents wouldn't reach out until they knew she was done.

"Mason, honey, I-" Her dad chokes out into the phone after a moment.

"Dad, hey, what's wrong?" She frowns, peeking through the slightly open door to make sure no one was listening before closing it.

"Your mom... I- I'm sorry, you need to come home. She-" He sighs shakily, a pit already forming in the singers stomach. "She's passed, honey."

There's a silence on the line, as Mason shakes her head, bringing a trembling hand up to her mouth. "No.. No that's not- I talked to her this morning." She says, instantly not believing it. Her dad wouldn't lie to her, though, especially not make some kind of sick joke like this.

"I-I know, I know. I just- can you please come home? Please?" He says shakily as Mason's knees give out beneath her and suddenly she's kneeling on the floor, her body wracked with sobs.

Neither of them say a word for what must be a minute, both of them just crying into the phone and wishing this news wasn't true.

"I'll be home tonight- okay?" Mason says, furiously wiping at her eyes. "I'll fly home as soon as I can." She's still shaking, and she can hardly speak above a whisper.

"Okay... yeah. Call me later and I'll see you tonight." Her dad agrees, managing to regain some composure.

Mason just hangs up the phone, leaning against the wall and letting herself process the news for a minute. Her mom has been her best friend and number one fan forever- she couldn't begin to imagine a life without her in it. A wedding without her there, or a moment going by without the comfort of knowing she can call or text her at anytime, even though they are rarely in the same city these days.

It takes a minute, but on shaky hands and with shaky legs, Mason gets herself up. Does she have to finish the interview? She has to go back into the studio and tell someone. Drew? Este? Or keep it professional and tell a crew member that they will have to reschedule? She can't even consider professionalism in this moment. She quickly wipes away the smudged makeup under her eyes and takes a deep breath before opening the door again, stepping back into the studio and squinting at the lights.

"I-" She starts to speak to anyone who will listen, but hardly any sound comes out. Her eyes land on Drew and Este chatting in the middle of the room who both looked over to her at the same time. The second they noticed her the tears start flowing again, and they hardly get to her before her weak knees are hitting the ground again, Drew quickly catching her and kneeling in front of her.

"Hey! Everyone out- give her some privacy." Este is calling out, standing in front of her friends with her arms out, trying to keep people from looking while she frantically looks down at the couple over her shoulder as everyone shuffled out in a panic.

"Love? What's happened?" Drew asks her, arms wrapped firmly around his fiancé as she now hysterically sobs into his chest.

Mason can't even get a word out, practically choking every time she opens her mouth while Este deals with trying to make sure everyone leaves. The remaining few have good intentions, just wanting to help, but the presence of strangers can only make the news of a loved ones death so much worse. "My- my mom..." She stutters out, returning quickly to sobs.

Drew and Este understand immediately, sharing a quick look of shock and upset before Drew hugs her impossibly tighter, rubbing her back. "Oh, oh god..." He says softly, unsure of what to say. His heart is breaking along with her, he loves Catherine. They had become quite close over the last few years, and the pit in his stomach is the only thing reminding him that this is true, not some cruel joke. Somehow in the mess of things ending up with his arms around both Mason and Este as they cling onto each other. "I'm so sorry." He doesn't know what to say. "I'm so sorry, Love, you're okay..."

Completely shocked, Drew let's them go after a minute or two, insisting he'll be right back, he's not going anywhere, as he gets up and pulls out his phone with shaky hands, calling Mason's manager.

"Hey- hi, It's Drew." He says as soon as she answers the phone, not giving her a chance to get a word in before he continues. "We need to get Mason home, like, asap, we need three flights to uh, LA, we have to get there tonight." He explains, wiping his eyes and looking over at where Mason and Este are still curled up on the floor. They've been friends since they were young, he knows this is a hard hit on Este as well.

"Drew, what's happened? I'll have to reschedule some-" She asks and he interrupts her again.

"Reschedule everything. Maybe cancel it, I don't care. Can you get us back to LA tonight? It has to be private. Everything." He insists.

"Yes, yeah. Of course, but tell me what's going on."

"I-" Drew let's out a shaky breath. "Something happened to Catherine, Miles just called." He says quietly, quickly wiping his eyes again before tears even got the chance to fall. He needs to be strong, he needs to be the one to keep it together to get the girls home.

"Oh.. oh dear. Okay. I'll handle everything. I'm so sorry." She says, shocked by this news as well. "Just get to JFK as soon as possible, I'll get a plane for you there."

"Thank you." Drew nods, quickly hanging up and returning to the girls side, crouching down in front of them.

Mason let's go of her friend and reaches out for him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and crying into his shoulder. They've been through highs and lows together, but nothing like this. Never something like this. "Mason, Love..." He's rubbing her back, trying gently to talk to her. "Let's get you home, yeah? Can we walk together?" He asks and she quickly pulls away from him, nodding and wiping her face- makeup be damned. She has to get it together, just enough to get home. Just enough to make it home without the whole world seeing.

She can't speak, she knows that, but as Este gets up, she holds onto her arm and onto Drew as they pull her up. "Here, take this-" He grabs a left behind cardigan off a nearby chair, wrapping it around her shoulders and adjusting it as best as he can. He gently places his hands on her cheeks, sighing as he looks her over. "My Love..." He whispers, trying to comfort her but not knowing what to say. She just shakes her head, wrapping her arms around him again and pulling him close.

"I just- I have to get my kit, then I'll meet you guys downstairs." Este sniffles, standing up straight and wiping off her leather pants, which are now an iconic look for her.

"You'll be okay?" Drew asks her, still holding tight onto his fiancé.

"Yep. Yep, I'm good." Este nods, wiping under her eyes and placing a hand on her best friends back, leaning in to speak to her. "I'm not going anywhere, I'll meet you in the car, okay?"

Mason just nods into Drew's shoulder, focussing on breathing, but it's so hard when the only thing she can think about is her mom, her dad back home, alone, and clinging onto Drew for dear life.

Collectively, they compose themselves enough to make it to their car outside, Drew giving a quick apology to the interviewing team on the way out, most of whom are staring at them with sympathy- others with an eye roll over the inconvenience.

Cameras are flashing at them, but Mason has her head down, hood almost fully covering her face as they step inside. It was out of character for both of them to not stop and talk to fans or answer questions, so Drew already knew rumours would be flying. That's a problem they would deal with later.

Este is quick to join them, settling for throwing her kit over the back seat and into the trunk as they drive away. Mason stares down at her lap, gripping tightly onto the side of Drew's shirt, rubbing the material between her fingers as he squeezes her tight with an arm over her shoulders.

taglist:@veescorneroftheworld, @totalswag, @madelynie, @cecesrings, @slut4drudy, @mutual-mendes, @winterrrnight, @sadfury, @h34rtsformilli, @maybankslover, (lmk if you want to be added!!)

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

feel weird about this post, maybe because i think three films (one of which i liked a lot, one of which i thought was a surprisingly fun toy commercial with script problems, one of which i cannot make myself watch because it’s little fucking women) is kind of not a lot to hang this kind of “always” characterization on especially given that one of them is a toy commercial and the other one is about an eighteen year old and actually has nothing whatsoever to say about marriage, maybe because i cannot take seriously someone being like “this filmmaker conspicuously avoids queer desire and female sexuality entirely” based on a sample set of movies that are (1) about a high school student who brw fucks (2) an adaptation of a 19th century children’s novel which is, i promise you, so much more directly about protestantism than you remember, and (3) a toy commercial. like “over and over and over and over again” feels…. it just feels really strong. and it feels, idk, really weird to me to say that 2-3 movies about being a single woman necessarily have some kind of intentional absence rather than simply making a deliberate choice, like we are, like, just drowning culturally in positive depictions of women whose lives are about something else, lmao. like i don’t, um…. i just don’t think i am ever going to find it particularly feminist to criticize a particular depiction or even a particular body of work for omitting sex 🤷🏻‍♀️ i am saying all of this btw as a person who like, the number one genre of film i am instantly down to watch is “movies by lesbian filmmakers” and that was true when i identified as straight. but also i guess i am saying this as a person who more or less thinks of portrait as a lady on fire as having a happy ending because i see it as a story about a woman artist, which i actually think is the real consistency among gerwig’s three (3) movies even if i think barbie does not actually execute that theme with any success (and even if to be clear i don’t think she is anywhere near sciamma). anyway. maybe i also just think the snide “often, they don’t have sex at all” as “feminist” (lol) “critique” (lol) is, like, extremely 2012.

there was also a reblog OP did of some tags where someone was like “i read it as an aroace narrative” and they were like “that’s great but she wasn’t doing that on purpose!” and OP added this tag:

which like. i mean i did not feel reflected by barbie because i am not 14. but like as a bisexual woman who has been in a relationship for basically my entire adult life, there is a way in which i actually do tend to feel reflected by stories about women who walk away entirely from the domain of romance and sex. who - horrors! - “don’t fuck at all.” i find that narrative, when done well, compelling and personally salient. if gerwig made a movie that wasn’t little women or barbie about it, i would probably find some real value in it! and i find…. off-putting… the idea that one is supposed to prefer reflections in the form of “identity” rather than uh [checks notes] a human person behaving in ways that are resonant to me. that one in fact should desire movies that “purposefully” make narratives to “reflect me.” i think that assumption reveals some weird assumptions about how art gets made and a weird depressing narrow view of how to relate to art.

in conclusion i believe in equality and i think that if christopher nolan can make 11 movies in a row with zero sexual content at all before finally having his streak broken only by the immovable historical object of j robert oppenheimer’s sexual magnetism (i’m not being weird he literally said this) i think greta gerwig who with her toy commercial follow up slated to be a pair of narnia movies i think is pretty clearly angling to be girl christopher nolan should be allowed to keep making movies i think are Fine about ambitious unhorny women for years to come. or whatever the fuck she’s gonna make narnia about, i certainly will not be watching.