#not Necessarily ship art but you can totally read it that way if you want to

[valentronic]

SAVE AS I SAVE! JUDGE AS I JUDGE!

Saw X? Never heard of her can I interest you in fanart that is somehow simultaneously for Saw IV and Saw VI? How I managed to forget about my all time favorite murder man I have no idea

[antimony-medusa]

Hi! To preface: I don't think there's any one right or wrong answer to my question necessarily, but I value your opinion as a level-headed adult in this fandom who can probably provide sensible input on the issue I'm having, so I thought I'd ask.

If a CC asks for their character not to be drawn (specifically referring to fanart, which they likely saw on Twitter) in a sexualised way, what does that mean for written fanwork content? Is it "wrong" (putting this in quotation marks since that's a loaded word, to say the least) to write nsfw content about said character and post it on Ao3, considering the differences in visibility/CC knowledge of those platforms, as well as the general consensus/expectation that CCs don't generally read fanfic anyway? Where is the line between "you should respect the CC's wishes" (avoiding the word "boundaries" since that's also very loaded in mcyt spaces) and "you can do whatever you want forever; fanworks are created by and for fans, not for the creators" drawn? Does "just don't put it where they can see unless they go looking" (i.e. correctly tagged on Ao3, not on a CC-frequented site like Twitter) apply? Would it be better not to do it at all, or only create and share said content in private spaces like Discord? Or is this all a "there is no single 'morally correct' answer, make your own personal judgement" thing?

(Sorry for the long-winded question but this is genuinely something I'm struggling with right now, lol. As I said I value and respect your opinion and views about these kinds of things in fandom, so if you have anything to say on the matter I'd appreciate your input!)

Alright so, obligatory warning for discourse on this one right at the top, and possibly also long post. These tend to be me rambling.

This is a situation that I think it's fair that a lot of people disagree. Your personal comfort level with making NSFW content in general is not where my comfort level is, we can come to totally different equilibriums. And then you add in creators expressing that they don't like seeing NSFW content of their characters, and people end up in a whole lot of different places, whether that's a complete no on shipping or NSFW, or people feeling fine to consume it but not create it, or only if it's archive locked, or only specific ships or smps, or whatever. I think it's fine that we don't all agree on this, creation is a fickle beast and we are in a weird place as a fandom of being not rpf but kinda cousins, and we can get *really* close to the creators with twitch and twitter, so people's comfort level in meshing all the parasociality and roleplay and real life of it all can end up in a lot of different places.

I just think that the most important thing for the fandom being a healthy place to spend time on the internet is that we don't go aroud sending hate/abuse to those we disagree with. a) i don't agree with internet mobs or suicide baiting or anon hate in general, b) the number of times I have seen internet games of telephone happen when it comes to this subject is unreal. To use an example from literally today, I saw someone saying that Pac of qsmp pacmike was uncomfortable with shipping art and fic and we all should stop shipping immediately, and once I tracked it back to its source, it turns out that what had happened was the creator said that he wasn't a fan that all the art was of him in the jumpsuit that used to be his skin, he has a new skin now, which turned into sexy jumpsuit art was the problem, which turned into pac hates all sexy fan art, which turned into "pac is being bombarded with nsfw art and shipping and he hates it". Now he might actually also not like NSFW art, but that's not actually what he was adressing, but it was certainly what was being circulated! So like, people warning me off of certain subjects— how do I know that they're actually accurate or if twitter just went twitter on a passing mention of something someone said on a twitch stream?

So I think it's way way way healthier for us as a fandom to sometimes disagree on the subject of "what we're drawing/writing about" and when that happens we implement Don't Like; Don't Read, and we just ignore that, or block if necessary. Don't Want To See it? Simply Don't See It. It's a bad idea to start hate campaigns for sinners, and half the time it's based on bad information anyways.

But in cases that you do know that the creator doesn't want to see that, you found an accurate clip? So this is a case where I think that there's no single moral answer to this that everyone is gonna agree on. We're all coming at it from too many different cultural backgrounds and different streamers in mind and comfort levels with NSFW in general. I don't think there is a firm answer that is gonna make you morally safe. But my personal feelings is that in cases where we know the creators doesn't want to see that, I think the important part there is that the creator never sees that, not that we stamp it off the internet entirely.

I do think, personally, ymmv, that you are not necessarily doing anything morally wrong with drawing or writing NSFW of someone's character, even if they think it's weird. There's a long history of creators saying "you can't do [this] with my characters," and it happens to be you can't [make them gay] enough to make me uncomfortable in general principle with saying creator of the character gets to call the shots in all settings forever. This happened with Anne Rice and with the supernatural fandom and like— it's the internet, we get to make the characters be gay together. This is the making sex jokes about fictional characters website, and Ao3 is the making porn about fictional characters website. I think it's fine if it exists on the internet, the question comes down to one of what we're forcing the creator to see, or what we're putting where they'll stumble upon it. Like, examples from real life— if you have a friend who's vegan, it's polite to not spend time rhapsodizing about how good meat is around them, and if you know that meat makes them sick, it's polite to do a meatless meal around them. That's a human person you want to be okay around you. But that's their boundary for their life, not yours, so even when you're being polite you have no obligation to go vegan when they're not around. And they have a politeness obligation to not walk into a steakhouse and freak out because there's meat there. They have a boundary for their life, and I'm going to respect it, but my life is a different story, and they need to take reasonable steps to protect their boundaries and not just expect everyone else to conform to them.

Or walking by someone on the street and waiting till they're out of earshot and then going "jesus christ that guy was hot" to your friends— that's fine. That's normal human behaviour. What becomes rude is when you make it hot guy's problem and yell at him. Being attracted to someone in your own space is not a problem. I'm aroace, I am not going to be in a relationship with anyone. I'm not going to ban having crushes on me, as long as you don't make it my business. Talking about an attractive person in your own space is not a problem. Being sexual in your own space— and again we are talking about fictional characters, the way I see it, these are lies we're telling about folks that are not real, who live in little minecraft worlds— that's fine. The problem is if we start catcalling people about it.

When you walk into fandom spaces you are walking into a space where we all like taking fictional guys and telling stories about them and a good portion of those stories are going to include kissing. That is not necessarily baseline normal for like, all of humanity, but people talk about tv shows they watch as one of the classic work small talk techniques. Fandom takes the "I hope ted gets together with jessica" "no he needs to work on himself first" discussion and writes stories, is all, to share with each other. Privately. On our special private website where there's a button you can click to hide your work from search engines and another one to hide it from logged-out users. If you log into the website and search things up, no tags blocked, what you find is on you for saying "I will see literally anything that exists on this subject in a space meant for literally anything". You will find gore. You will find kissing. You literally just opted in to seeing it. That's on you.

So like, there's my little defense of nsfw work existing in general, I think it existing is not a problem. I do think that we should keep it FAR AWAY from streamers. They get to set the rules for their spaces, and if someone doesn't want to see sexualized fan art, I do think we should make sure that in a reasonable way, they never have to see sexualized fan art/fic.

So like me personally, I'm going to hit that Ao3 button to hide my work from search engines, and anything NSFW (or shippy, depending on the person) is not going to go into the main tags on tumblr or twitter or anywhere I'm aware that the creators ever check that tag, and I'd probably archive lock it if the creator had publically mentioned being uncomfortable with it, and if I was regularly posting NSFW I'd block the creators on social media with any account I discuss NSFW with. I want to make sure that I am talking to my friends about the cubitos, not catcalling someone.

And I would probably err on the side of caution when it comes to social media sites that creators are on? Okay so the fandom has a habit of saying that NSFW and Shipping is BAD and can't exist, on the one hand, but on the other hand it says that anything that isn't Bad Wrong Shipping/Explicit NSFW is fine, which leads to like— extremely sexy thirst trap art being drawn and then the creators are tagged. People putting family dynamic fics that really pushes that envelope in the main tag. Gahhhhhh????? No? Don't do that?

I think it would be healthier in the fandom if we did a lot more going "this is for the fandom, not the creator" and we don't tag creators on twitter, and we took our little kissing fics, or gore, or kidfic, or neurodiverse headcanons, or anything else it might be not for the creator to see, and we kept it in fandom spaces and away from creators. But Ao3 is that fandom space that you have to opt into, it's literally archive of our Own, for fans, in that space as long as you tag it you're good.

So the TL;DR of this all is that my opinion is that if you tag it correctly on Ao3 you're fine. Maybe archive lock it. Keep it off twitter. Don't make it the streamer's problem, and you're good.

[writing-for-life]

“M/M Ships Smash The Patriarchy”—But Do They?

Little disclaimer first: I don’t have a problem with m/m fics or art, quite the opposite. I’m a bisexual woman, I can find the idea of m/f, f/f and m/m interesting and yes, sexually arousing (each for different reasons though). And I’m saying this so explicitly because the idea that women need to engage in mental gymnastics to justify m/m ships is relevant to this post.

So please don’t take this personally if you like m/m, especially not if what I write very obviously doesn’t apply to you. This also has nothing to do with shipping m/m as a queer person, because the context invariably changes in most cases. This post is exclusively about the “justification” of m/m ships as something that “smashes the patriarchy”.

With that out of the road:

I’ve seen so many posts stating that m/m ships are removing “the whiff of patriarchy from fandom”. That the same dynamics would be problematic in a m/f or f/f ship, but they’re less “harmful” in a m/m ship.

And yes, of course women have been bearing the brunt of these objectifying dynamics since the beginning of time, totally true. But here’s the thing:

a) Problematic dynamics are okay to explore (not necessarily to condone, they are two different things) in fanfiction; it’s happened for as long as fanfiction (no, fiction) exists. We could go off on a whole tangent about what’s “problematic” (or not) in fiction now, and I’m not overly keen on that term, but it’d lead too far because we’d need to talk about a lot of stuff that’s not really the topic of this post.

b) Problematic dynamics don’t magically change because you apply them to a m/m ship, especially if you’re a (straight) woman heavily projecting onto characters. If there’s an age gap, it stays an age gap. If there are power imbalances, they stay power imbalances. If there’s violence/objectification/whatever else going on IT STAYS THAT. The mental leap from, “Men in m/f relationships are often, either consciously or subconsciously through what society condones, the perpetrator in that particular dynamic,” to “that’s why it’s not a problem in m/m relationships,” honesty baffles me.

So my question is:

If you want to remove the “problematic whiff of patriarchy from fandom”, but you are ONLY and EXCLUSIVELY centering two MEN in your fics, art and what you consume, are you really doing that? Where are the protagonist WOMEN that are written or portrayed in a way that isn’t patriarchal?

Too much of a stretch?

Why bring in “the patriarchy” (or whatever other justification) instead of just saying you like the idea of two men getting it on, and that you project on at least one, if not both of them? And I know many women are honest about this, so this is obviously not aimed at them.

And I’m not writing this in a vacuum—there are endless posts about exactly this, and quite frankly:

It is actually patriarchal and misogynistic to deny women the right to just feel horny when they read about/look at two guys fucking. Without justifying it in any way, or making it about something that feels performative (“We like the m/m ship because we’re queer-positive feminists”. Please…). That, right there, is internalised misogyny:

Women don’t need to morally justify their horniness. They don’t need to justify whatever they’re into and turn it into a performative event. They’re just allowed to like it as is. The end.

Why not just like what we like while still critically engaging with the question whether some of what we read and create is potentially fetishising gay/queer men instead of calling it “feminist and queer-positive”?

Because let’s face it: Straight women who ship m/m don’t like gay men because they’re gay. They like them because they project a straight woman on a gay persona that has nothing to do with actually being gay (just like most lesbian porn never had anything to do with being created for lesbians, or f/f relationships in books written by men were always serving the male gaze, but it’s easier to holler about that, right?):

At least one of them is the guy you fancy (sometimes both of them are), and sometimes one of them is (at least partly) you. It has always worked like that and always will.

But back to the main topic of “smashing the patriarchy”: We are talking about fanfiction and fanart here. YOU create it. It’s not the adult entertainment industry making billions that throws it at you. You are the CREATORS and CONSUMERS. You get to CHOOSE. And yes, that choice can absolutely be a m/m ship if that’s what you want. Again, there’s no problem with that.

But if your main argument is that you want content without the stench of patriarchy, how about actually centering women in it, at least from time to time?

[oh-stars]

20 questions for fic writers

@lady-lostmind thanks for the tag 💜

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

44, but 7 pieces are art or collabs I did art for! 

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,464,862

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently only Stranger Things, but I still have Marvel WIPs and a few Spider-Man stories I want to write but haven’t had the time for. 

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Man That I Could Be

No One is Perfect, Not Even a Superhero

The Harrington Brood

you carved the space for my sadness to be seen for once (hold on to me)

Double Feature Disaster

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Sometimes! I get really overwhelmed and can’t respond. I made a point to respond to all of the comments on Brood and it was a lot, so I’ve made a conscious decision not to. I also have a really hard time not spoiling things or teasing something too hard, so it's best for me not to respond. But I read each one at least twice and I like to take a beat to read them again when I’m blocked. They make my day :) 

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Our Future (and really its the end for the whole The 'Til the End of the Line series) 

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Either The Man That I Could Be or The Harrington Brood I think. 

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Normally, no. My latest fic has gotten the most negativity out of everything I’ve written, but even then it’s not necessarily hate either. I delete the especially negative ones, but even those I think could be interpreted differently depending on tone.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Have I written smut? Yes. Do I like writing smut? No. I try not to, honestly. I do fade to black scenes or reference it, but I feel like all my smut is clunky and meh so I try to avoid it when possible. The few in The Man That I Could Be felt necessary and even then I didn’t fully explore those storylines the way I wanted to because I’m not great with smut. 

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nope! 

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, a few times! 

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, I love co-writing fics! It’s a great way to collaborate and push yourself. @sparkstarthetrashcan and I have a few fics we co-wrote for the @spiderversebigbang way back when and it was such a delight! 

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Stucky, I think they’re timeless. Steddie is getting pretty close to that, though. 

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

In Case You Don’t Live Forever, it's the only WIP I have that’s fully drafted out and plotted that I actively want to come back to. I just lost the headspace of the characters so I haven’t had a chance to dive back in. 

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I can capture characters really well, especially when they’re my own. I think Brood really showed that.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Smut for one, and maybe action scenes. 

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I think its tricky. Younger me has definitely dabbled, especially with Marvel fics, but I wouldn’t do it now. 

19. First fandom you wrote for?

One Direction (and I think I have scrubbed all of them off my wattpad thank youuu) 

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? There’s something special about all my fics, I think. But right now, I would say its a tie between you carved the space for my sadness to be seen for once (hold on to me) and All it Takes is Faith, Trust, and a Dream (with The Man That I Could Be as an honorable mention). Each of these served a purpose and fulfilled something different, but hold is probably the fic I’ve always wanted to write and my Disney fic is just something I look back on fondly.

If anyone wants to do this, I invite you to! Otherwise, I'm tagging the following with absolutely zero pressure to do this: @sparkstar-trash @medusapelagia @englishpaperpieced @skjachukson @cranberrymoons @graham-cracker-guillotine @slavicviking

[acourtofthought]

okay pls read till the end I'm literally pro-elucien & gwynriel lol

But you can totally be considered as a pro-elriel... like think about it, what you say is literally based on Canon and not some fanon or delusional base but actually what happened in the books! These ppl who call themselves pro-elriel they're in fact not bc if they were they wouldn't have changed Elain's AND Azriel's character this much!!

I remember someone put a pro-elriel on their bio and they literally didn't ship them but they talked truth about their dynamic. And they would share elriel arts as long as it fits the characters. Like without shadows and Elain not wearing black or have blades or blood on her hands etc.

All I'm saying is we literally can enjoy anything in the fandom without hating others for it but I also draw the line were they're not canon base and when they're called out for it they start being rude and literally ruin other ppl experience in the fandom...

This also applies to other uncanon shippers I'm not just talking about elriel but they're the most rude in the fandom.

I agree! What's the point of saying you ship a ship when you are turning the characters into different versions of themselves? Then you're clearly not shipping those two people as the author has written them. Shipping E/riel while turning Elain into a bloodthirsty dagger wielding FMC who wants to stick it to Cassian by rocking a black dress while making those in the Hewn City bow down to her......that's not actually shipping E/riel because that Elain literally does not exist. Could SJM turn her into those things? Sure but there's no hints that's the route she's taking her character. Elain standing up for herself and being willing to do more is not the same thing as Elain sacrificing her morals, like cruelty bothering her but she'd be fine with what Az does and she'd join him in his work. Now E/riel as they are as individuals and their current setup is absolutely a trope in romance books so yes, it's super easy to ship them if that specific trope is your thing. I even like the E/riel trope by certain authors, it's not necessarily my favorite but I can enjoy any kind of romance. If SJM preferred the E/riel trope, I'd ship it in this series too if that's the direction I thought she was heading but it doesn't seem she does. How can she be when she had Az tell us he's never thought of Elain beyond the fantasies he's pleasured himself too? When she had Az completely go against Elain saying she'd be willing to search for the trove (something we know she finds to be problematic as she did the same with Feyre and Tamlin)? When SJM made Lucien look like the good guy in this situation, never threatening Az while Az looks like the bad guy for being willing to kill Lucien? If SJM was behind E/riel, I'd think she'd have gone out of her way to make Az look a little more mature when it comes to Elain so he looks like a worthy male to be the one to come between a sacred bond.

[little-box-of-wonders]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for the tag @grexigone! n.n

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

33 as of Nov. 15, 2023

2. What's your total A03 word count?

135,824 words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Only Horizon (Zero Dawn/Forbidden West) for now.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

To Know Peace: 103 kudos (Rated T) - First longfic

Live for the Night: 88 kudos (Rated E) - First smut fic

Bonding Moments: 83 kudos (Rated G) - Companion vignettes fic for To Know Peace

Devotion: 79 kudos (Rated E) - Kinktober 2023 drabbles collection

Visual Delights: 77 kudos (Rated E) - Fun, smutty 5+1 oneshot

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! Comments mean that someone took the time to read my fic and something stuck with them enough to tell me about it. It makes me feel appreciated, and I want my readers to feel appreciated in turn. :3

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oof, probably Shadowed Heart, which is my first rare pair fic (Fashav/Ritakka). I promise to give them a happier ending in my series.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I'd say To Know Peace has the happiest ending so far.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I got a couple of comments on Bonding Moments about some choices I'd made that rubbed me the wrong way, but I haven't gotten hate publicly or privately. I think it helps that Horizon is still relatively small in the fanfic/fanart space and I don't share my ship-specific fics on the subreddit for the games.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do and I have no shame, hehe. It's mostly M/F and very light on kinks. Other than my Kinktober drabbles, the raunchiest fic I've written is Early Exit.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

No crossovers. They're kinda tricky to get right.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

To my knowledge, no, but I haven't checked FF.net or Wattpad to confirm.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope. Spanish is my native language, but I have no plans to translate my fics from English to Spanish.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

@jadefyre and I have a smut fic in the works that we started earlier this year. Also, not co-written but @murmart made a beautiful art of Fashav/Ritakka for my fic Heavy in Your Arms. :3

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Definitely Aloy/Kotallo. Not only did seeing their dynamic and conjuring up ship possibilities get me to write again after a long hiatus, but it's also allowed me to become part of a community of amazing creators both in the Kotaloy Elysium Discord server and beyond. n.n

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I don't necessarily think I'll leave any of my WIPs unfinished, but some are a little more complicated than others in terms of getting them to meet my own standards (yeah, I'm my harshest critic).

With longfics, I've since learned to write until completion and then start posting, only because I don't enjoy the self-imposed pressure to update something that's already out there since life can be really uncertain at times.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue! It takes me such a long time, but I love nailing the voices of the characters correctly and having readers comment on that and their characterization. However, I do find speeches a bit cumbersome to write because every word has so much weight to them, even though I do enjoy the end result.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I struggle with describing environments/settings, because I never know if I'm being descriptive enough to paint a full picture for the reader.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think if it's a few sentences here and there is fine, but anything else might make it inaccessible to part of the readership unless it's stated in the author's note that the fic will feature two or more different languages.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Horizon, though I wrote a (thankfully never published) fic for Final Fantasy VII when I was around 13 years-old; trust me, it wasn't good and I still cringe thinking about the plot. HOWEVER, I miss that feeling of writing without caring about the end result, of just having a deluge of words on paper with a somewhat coherent narrative thread.

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

It's hard to pick only one because all of my fics are special in their own way, but I'll go with Hurricane Drunk because I had so much fun describing Kotallo being drunk and struggling with confessing his feelings for Aloy in a humorous way.

Tagging @setavvo, @fogsblue, @hannahmationstudios, @destinysembrace-oblivion and @mwasaw. (No pressure! Only if you want to).

[chill-vibes-but-rainbow-panic]

7, 8, and 11 from the thingy that you rb earlier

:))

OG List

(I apologize in advance for the long answers, I just love answering stuff like that and I have a lot to say :] )

7. Your favourite tropes to read/write/draw

(I love them all the same, but it is slightly different for each, so I'm making a destinction)

Read: Honestly, kidnapping. I love characters getting kidnapped, and their loved ones worrying/rescuing them. This also includes more-or-less any type of 'going missing'-plot (incl. Char A just running away themselves). Just the feeling of "I have no idea where or how they are, and if they're even still alive", and then the relief when they meet again. Hmmm

Write: 'The world has been cruel and hard to you - therefore I won't be. I want to show you the beauty it has to offer, too <3' This is the best way I can describe it. Characters who've just had a rough time/life being unconditionally cared for and supported. Getting everything their heart has desired for so long. Short: Hurt/Comfort

Draw: While I have yet to draw this myself, actually (because humanoids are hard), any drawing of one character being hurt or scared, while another stands over them caringly and protectively - obviously willing to kick some ass if needed - has me go wild.

8. You hope more people will come to appreciate ___ (a ship, a trope, an episode, etc)

I understand that some people find the market oversaturated by now - that's valid - but still: Redemption

I love redemption so much. I want the story to gently cup a character's face and say "You are broken, but not beyond repair. You can get better, and be happy, and be surrounded by people you love and that love you back." They don't even necessarily need trauma or have gone down a super dark path, I also enjoy: "Character is a massive jerk, and we follow them down the road of being less of a jerk". These are honestly the main reasons both the 'Good Uncle Sly' and 'Apple Cousins' AUs exist.

There are few exceptions I can think of, of villains I'm personally obsessed with, and have not made a version of, where they are redeemed. I look at Reginald Bushroot, and Camille Chameleon, and the Dark Curse - and while for some more than others - there will usually be something at the back of my mind asking: "What if you didn't have to? What if you found love? What if you got to live a quiet, gentle life? What if one day you realized you live in a reality you would never have imagined come true? In a good way? What if everyone could be okay?"

Just

Redemption

11. If you're a writer or artist, what fic or piece of art are you proud of making?

Fic: Family Discount

I was honestly surprised how many people liked that fic. Between 11 fics in total, this one definitely has some of my favourite comments (and it also has a surprsing amount of comments, I didn't expect that tbh). I was a little worried about posting a fanfic chapter-by-chapter, because the last time I tried that I basically (though not officially yet) stopped after one, because I can't write slice of life, it seems.

But so many people got emotionally invested in my writing, and I honestly didn't expect that? But even though I'm forced to take a semi-long break (for exam reasons), it is extremely motivating, and makes me feel that (as vague as it sounds), my stories do do something. How much joy the stuff you make can bring other people, is honestly so cool. Even if it's just a little fanart, or an ask, or a slightly-self-indulgent fanfic :)

I'm proud of having actually got this far, and also having written something me and other people love to read

Art:

I'm actually a little embarassed of this drawing, which I know sounds counter-intuitive to the prompt, but I swear, there is a reason it's here!

This is my first, and currently only drawing of the Flim-Flam-Brothers

I had basically no idea what I was going to do with their designs, and I also only had 60min, with limited tools (because Colormari)

But the thing about this drawing, was that our prompt was basically just "New Years Resolutions". And mine was that I wanted to create more art, without getting bossed around by my inner sense of cringe. Because, while I have absolutely no problem with ranting and rambling and talking about my favourite characters all over the place; as soon as I want to put them into any form of art, my organs feel like they'll turn me inside out. It's the reason this blog has dozens of rambles about how much I love Darkwing Duck, and yet zero art of any of its characters (made by me).

But I made this - and kept it around - even though I knew the characters wouldn't look the best.

So this is the drawing I'm most proud of, because it actually exists :)

[lesbiansanemi]

Caught up on jjk. opened the jjk tag. saw the first post was a straight x reader post. IMMEDIATELY closed it and opened your blog instead. o7.

I'm so glad to be a safe haven from the hellscape that is tags. I hope you enjoyed your scrolling o7

Nah, x reader shit is a literal fucking inescapable plague and it's so fucking infuriating, I can't lie

Like, I truly have no issue with x reader stuff in general. Like the actual fics and art, of course. I have no interest in it, but other people like making and reading it, so good for them! Like, glad you're having fun

The broad community around it is fucking insufferable though and they make me kinda fucking hate anything associated with x reader stuff in general, to the point that I literally block anyone who posts/reblogs it on sight.

They are so fucking inconsiderate of everyone other than themselves in fandom spaces and ignore so many of the social niceties pretty much all other communities use to make fandom a habitable space for everyone en masse. The way they flood and abuse tagging systems is so fucking infuriating. Like, using the jjk fandom as an example (as its x reader community is one of the worst I've seen in this regard, though kny isn't much better), you shouldn't be fucking tagging your x reader smut shots with every goddamn character in the series. You want to write something of getting dicked down by Gojo? Sure, put it in the general jjk tag as well as Gojo's tag. That's valid and fair. Why tf are you tagging Maki? Or Yuuji? Or literally every other character in the series? Why are you tagging unrelated ships? It's so unnecessary and rude and self centered.

I also hate that the vast majority of them won't tag their stuff with a general x reader tag that's easy to blacklist. If I want to avoid their posts in totality, I'd have to blacklist "gojo x reader" "satoru gojo x reader" "gojo x fem reader" "gojo x gender neutral reader" "gojo x you" etc etc you get the point.... but for every fucking character in the series. Why not just add literally one general "x reader" tag that would mean people like me could easily avoid your stuff and we can both blissfully enjoy our lives? Tagging isn't just for getting exposure, it's for allowing people to avoid your work as well. That's more than half the courtesy of it

But no.... they want to shove their shit into as many people's faces as possible because they think that will get them more exposure, not just piss people off and make tags uninhabitable for literally anyone who isn't interested in it

They also have a tendency to not put their graphic, explicit porn under read mores, which is also just basic decency. Never mind that I then have to scroll through all 4K words of your OOC daddy kink nanami porn, but I had to see it when I didn't consent to it, potentially in public. Thanks for that! Also especially dumb when you put MDNI on it and then... just post it openly without even a single click to keep it off the screen. Great job! Not that MDNI always keeps minors out (obviously) but it's a useless shiny sticker when you then post the porn just out in the fucking open, not even offering one fucking click for people to consent to seeing it

I've also noticed they tend to use uncredited art in their stuff super fucking often? And no "art not mine" doesn't fucking count as credit.

Idk, I just truly have no fucking respect for the x reader community at this point considering their blatant lack of respect and courtesy for literally every other fandom subculture.

Sure, they get some hate for being "cringe" or whatever (which I admit isn't fair. I def don't get the appeal, but I don't think anyone should be getting meanly ridiculed for it, you know?) but I wish they would realize that the fucking disdain they get from the rest of the fandom is for these reasons.... Not necessarily the self shipping or even the blatant mischaracterization for wish fulfillment purposes

Idk, sorry for the rant, but the x reader crowd fucking infuriates me. Like I said, I block them all on sight (probably have upwards of 1-2K blogs blocked at this point because of it), and have blacklisted as many tags for it as I can.... and while how often I see it has definitely gone down and makes tags slightly more bearable... it's still, fucking somehow, like 50 fucking percent of them

But anyways, back to the main point! I'm glad I could curate a jjk tag that is more enjoyable and to your tastes! I know I very much like having one I can scroll through that's art and meta, rather than.... that

[1waveshortofashipwreck]

hi!!! 🩷 i've been a lurker for a little while but i LOVEEE your writing and when i saw you were doing ship requests i just had to send in an ask. if ship requests are closed though, totally feel free to ignore this hehe

i'm a female (she/her), my charm point is probably my thicker eyebrows and my personal/dress style is androgynous but leaning a little towards masculine. my myers-briggs is ISTP, i'm a bit of a realist but i love making people laugh and i'm quite laidback. for weaknesses, i can be stubborn at times and get a little too defensive. but in terms of personal strengths, i'm crafty, loyal, the dad friend, and a tough egg to crack. i like living slow, so a few of my hobbies include art, lounging around, and visiting new places :)

my love language is probably physical touch first and words of affirmation second. i'm not picky about looks, but i'd like someone reliable, someone who would be there through thick and thin. they'd probably also be as laid back as i am...i wouldn't mind someone who puts me on a pedestal gomez addams style hehehe. i'm fine with any of the boys, but a few of my faves from bob include bull, toye, luz, and malarkey!

thank you so much for opening up ur requests and i cant wait to read what you write next!!! 🩷🩷🩷

AAAAAA thank you so much for the kind words anon!! I’m sorry this took so long lmao 😅 Thank you for requesting and hope you're having a great day!!

I ship you with…

George Luz! What would we do without George Luz!

A song from my liked songs that reminds me of y’all - A Kind of Magic by Queen

How you met

Ok so I picture you being an NCO in Luz’s platoon

Very much have the respect of your men and they would follow you off a cliff if that’s where you were going

In Taccoa with Luz first saw you he was just

In absolute awe

The way you handled Sobel’s bullshit while keeping up the morale of your men just… He was in love with you from day 1 but he never acknowledges it, he just thinks he really admires you

Also he loved having someone else to joke with and banter, he’d never admit it but in places like Eindhoven and Bastogne Luz felt a weight lifted off his shoulders, like, he wasn’t the only one trying to make the others laugh to help them through it

So y’all get to the Eagle’s Nest and you and George are sharing a bottle of wine on a couch just vibing and having a lovely time

And then quietly Luz asks “what do you think you’ll do when we get home?”

Then you realize that you and George aren’t gonna be together every day forever

“I’m honestly not sure George, what about you?”

“Well I’m probably gonna go back to Rhode Island, but I’d love to bring a certain someone back with me…”

“...you mean that?”

“Of course I do.”

This whole time your voices are getting quieter and y’all are leaning closer to each other until finally your lips touch and holy moly both of y’all are on tOP OF THE WORLD

How he knew he loves you

Ok so I know he said he’s in love with you from day 1 but goofy boy Has No Idea

Sure he realizes he has a crush on you at the Eagle’s Nest but he still has a ways to go lol

So you two are in your apartment on a lazy saturday just relaxing and doing your own things

You’re doing some drawing on the couch and you don’t see Luz just PLOP and glue himself to you

The two of you start laughing and you try (not really) to push him off but you both wind up laying on the couch him spooning you close and tight and you both just feel so happy and safe

And Luz just realizes… this is where he wants to be

Not necessarily on the couch (even though y’all’s couch is mega comfy) but just goofing around with you and snuggling you and talking about everything under the sun

So he turns you around in his arms and looks into your eyes and

“You’re my best friend, I’m in love with you”

And in that moment everything is just Perfect

A conflict and how y’all resolve it

So both of y’all have had hard times at work recently

Nothing too awful, just a bunch of little things and they’ve been piling up for both of y’all

So Luz just got home and went to the kitchen to get you and him a couple glasses of water

And you just hear a glass break followed by a “shit!”

You go into the kitchen and see George trying to sweep up all the glass with a hand broom and dust pan

You crouch down to help him but inadvertently let an aggravated sigh slip past your lips

“I didn’t do this on purpose y’know…” George mutters to you

“I never said you did?”

The two of you start bickering and it grows into something that has you both yelling at each other over you don’t even know what

You go to grumpily put the broken glass in the trash but accidentally get a small cut on your hand in the process

Of course now it’s your turn to shout “shit!” and you make your way over to the sink

George just grows quiet and follows you

He gently takes your hand away from the cut and wordlessly starts cleaning and bandaging the cut for you

“I’m really sorry about all that, work has just been shit this week, every day it feels like there’s something new going on,” his voice is almost a whisper, but you can still detect the sadness and regret

“I’m sorry too… work hasn’t been great for me either…”

You both just quietly vent what’s been going on at your jobs and it ends with Luz engulfing you in one of his trademark Hugs

“I love you so much doll,” he says before placing a gentle kiss on your forehead

The two of you spend the rest of the night just holding each other and watching a funny movie in peace

Your Happily Ever After

Y’all are just the epitome of being with your best friend

You’re always doing things together and it becomes so silly and SO CUTE

It could be anything from being on a fancy dinner date and starting a food fight to playing pranks on each other at home

Like even grocery shopping y’all will just… turn it into this hilarious, wholesome chaos that only comes from being soulmates with someone on your wavelength

Also you two ALWAYS go out together, like, all your friends know they’re getting both of you or neither of you and it’s adorable

Like, everything y’all do with each other is just so easy (heheheheh)

Even when you have the worst days you’re able to fall into each other’s arms and it’s just a breath of fresh air

A silly headcanon about your relationship

Ok so

Y’all talk on the phone to your Easy Boys all the time

But on more than one occasion they’ve mixed up y’all’s voices

Like you’ll pick up the phone and Malarkey will just “Hey George!” without missing a beat

So now y’all have made it into a game

Whenever one of you picks up the phone and it’s an old Easy Buddy you both purposefully try to imitate each other and both of you just get an absolute kick out of it

Perconte has been the only one so far to see through it but everyone else is totally clueless

It backfired a little when you were on the phone and Guarnere went “so how’s engagement ring shopping going?” but that’s another topic for another day

Aaaaa I hope you like it Anon!! Please don't be afraid to message me telling me you saw this lol, I know the feeling of submitting an anon ask and then forgetting about it 🤣 Thank you again for requesting love!! ✨

[floralcrematorium]

It's your turn to do Framano!

Also DenNor and one other Norway ship of your choosing 8)

Framano

I swear to god, I started shipping them on accident and now I literally think about them every day. I honestly still have mixed feelings about it because of Early France Characterization™️, which if you frequent my blog you know I don’t particularly care for. HOWEVER. What specifically got me into this ship was that Framano RP I mention literally every other day — They both need something emotionally from the other and they get it. I love the idea that these two can be vulnerable together. As much as I lean into the fluffy comfort side of the ship, there’s also so much potential for nasty codependency that can be totally twisted for narrative purposes that would be really interesting to write. They’re not like a watered down FrUK to me and I’m not sure how to exactly describe them. On one hand they can be normal people working through their issues together and on the other hand they are a disaster and insufferable to be around.

Or maybe Framano is just an unhealthy way for me to cope with my wanting a supportive partner like Francis and putting myself in Lovino’s shoes 🤔

Anyway I could literally go on forever about them. Don’t let me talk to you about them, it’ll just be me sobbing and pointing and slamming my fists on the table. I have deeply connected myself emotionally to this ship for better or for worse.

DenNor

I feel like every Nordic centric blog I’m following has differing opinions on how/if Nor, Den, and Swe are related. My opinion? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Man, I genuinely don’t know. It depends on the narrative of a fic I’m reading entirely and they’re one of those groups that every creator has a different adaptation of them so there are so many different Norways and different Denmarks running around in my head.

DenNor is one of those ships I still have a soft spot for after all these years. Den isn’t necessarily obnoxious, but he’s a bright guy who lights up a room. I like the idea of Nor being a little nature freak who can only handle being around other people for too long before he needs to go Do Something Outside or alone. They’re opposites attract to me. Sun and moon symbolism once again.

They’re definitely complicated, though.

Nor?

I see a lot of different content where Nor is shipped with others! Truly, I can’t decide which to talk about.

I love seeing NorScot art on my feed (hi, Ifindus), even though I’m very unfamiliar with Scotland’s character. I think when considering actual history, this ship’s pretty interesting as well (I say, knowing very little). I should hunt for fics for this one.

I like the idea of NorFin. Couldn’t???? Tell you why? They click to me and I haven’t explored it whatsoever. I have no basis for this.

I like the idea of RomNor as well? More so just because of Magic Trio purposes.

I’ve also seen SuNor floating around, which I think is cool!

This is the official “Sell Me On Your Norway Ships” inquiry post. I love that man deeply (I swear for more reasons than his looks) and really do like seeing all of the different ships he ends up in. TELL ME ALL ABOUT YOUR NORWAY SHIPS!!!

Ship Bingo

[ofsavior]

😊 Would my muse ever ask someone on a date?

👍 Does my muse prefer to be asked on a date, or would they rather do the asking?

😉 What are my muse’s fetishes/kinks?

💯 What is my muse’s ideal date?

🍬 Is my muse a sub, dom, or switch?

👮 Has my muse ever had sex in public?

💑 What are my muse’s requirements for a potential partner?

🎀 Who would my muse sleep with if nobody ever had to know?

💘 What are the ways my muse says ‘I love you’ without actually saying it?

(For Chifuyu! Also not for research purposes for Ryu, totally not 🤣)

intimacy & romance. || @protectivemuses

'not for research purposes.' yes, I'm very convinced.

😊 Would my muse ever ask someone on a date?

Yes. He might be a little roundabout though. The sort of thing that he won't necessarily call it a date and leaves it vague.

👍 Does my muse prefer to be asked on a date, or would they rather do the asking?

He doesn't have much of a preference necessarily. Chifuyu's a little dense to read signals though, and he doesn't have the most easily read signals himself. From a practical standpoint, the other person asking might make it a little clearer.

😉 What are my muse’s fetishes/kinks?

I wrote a whole headcanon post about this 😂😂

For Ryusei, I think Chifuyu views them on equal levels. I think Chifuyu would be more assertive in this ship (or take more ownership over his actions) because Ryusei has a tendency to drive him up a wall sometimes. It's a challenge/competition; a lot of back and forth exchange.

They're opposites. They communicate differently, but they communicate well. I think they'd be a lot more teasing, and Chifuyu would be receptive to that. Of the two, I suspect Chifuyu's more easily flustered. Although, I imagine they both make one another flustered rather consistently. It becomes a sort of game.

That blindfold art probably becomes a Thing with them. You can't tell me otherwise.

💯 What is my muse’s ideal date?

Answered here for his younger years.

As an adult, he appreciates going for drives or walks together. Nice dinner dates are always a go-to for him. Scheduling with a fulltime job can be hard.

🍬 Is my muse a sub, dom, or switch?

Sub-leaning switch.

👮 Has my muse ever had sex in public?

Not... yet. 😎

💑 What are my muse’s requirements for a potential partner?

Chifuyu's not needy, but he does have some important markers. He likes to play games. By that, I mean he has a lot of silly ideas that he wants to live out. Like, child-like wonderment? He reads a lot of manga and sees things he wants to enact sometimes. For instance, kiss him in the rain or teeter on the seesaw. Little romantics. He needs someone who's receptive to those ideas or he'll feel unsatisfied and somewhat insecure.

He also needs to feel like he can talk. Just talk at any point about whatever. Be it his weird ideas or his day or the cat he saw in the park that afternoon. He can't be with someone who asks him to censor himself or finds that annoying.

Calling him annoying would shatter him.

🎀 Who would my muse sleep with if nobody ever had to know?

Sano Emma.

He thinks she's cute but too much for him to handle in a dating way, and well... Draken and Mikey.

💘 What are the ways my muse says ‘I love you’ without actually saying it?

I thought we'd share, or Half's for you.

Alternatively.

I'll still believe in you.

[weenwrites]

Hii, I'd like to request a matchup!

Tfp

Romantic

1 con and 1 autobot

Genderqueer(they/them), asexual

ISFP

Generally, I'm very quiet, nervous, fidgety and don't have much presence. Around people I like I'm basically the same, unless the conversation is about things I like/know about.

My hobbies are drawing, nail art, make-up, drawing, swimming and embroidering

I like: Autumn and Spring, old horror movies(specifically Texas Chain Saw Massacre), One Piece, pride parades, David Bowie

I don't like: Winter, messing up my nails, bad sensory days, seagulls

My love language is doing people's nails and cuddling up to them when I'm tired.

Thanks!😊

I match you with Knockout & Arcee!

Knockout

He's very talkative with his s/o, and he tends to talk about whatever comes to mind, or just talk about how both of your day went. But he of course wants the conversation to be enjoyable for you too, so if there's anything he knows you love talking about that, expect him to bring it up pretty frequently.

He's gotten pretty invested in Earth media, so feel free to show him any shows or movies you've watched because he's most likely sure to enjoy it too. However as he watches he does tend to make comments as the show/movie progresses, which might become annoying to you. During horror movies, you should definitely expect to hear a high-pitched scream out of him once or twice.

He's pretty physically affectionate, and he's really gentle when it comes to cuddling mostly for your sake, but also because he's being mindful of his paint job.

Without a doubt he'd join you at any pride parades. Although it'd probably be a bit difficult for a giant robot to join in and go unnoticed, he could use a holomatter generator to instead join you.

Oh if there was a cybertronian equivalent of doing someone's nails, that's one thing the two of you would definitely do together. But, I imagine that since he's a doctor, he has very steady hands and so despite being a whole lot bigger than you, if you passed him a magnifying glass and a paintbrush, he could do your nails for you.

To help with any sensory issues you may have (depending on what they are), he could steal— get you some sunglasses or some noise-cancelling headphones. While the Nemesis isn't exactly the brightest and shiniest ship in the galaxy, it's certainly pretty loud at times, so if you're sensitive to lots of noise it'd be best to bring some headphones with you.

Arcee

She doesn't mind if you're quiet, sometimes that's just what she needs. Someone quiet to be around, y'know. But that doesn't necessarily mean she wants it to be quiet 24/7, no. She does enjoy talking to you whenever she wants to hang out. Conversations between the two of you are usually just very chill and easy-going.

She's not too invested in earth media, though there are some shows or songs she enjoys watching... But she's pretty open to watching all sorts of media so long as it doesn't have any graphic gore or anything that might trigger her. So if you'd like to share any pieces of media you enjoy, she'll settle down and watch or read it beside you.

She'd find embroidery really pretty, so she'd like to see some stuff you've embroidered if you're willing to share. She'd be willing to give it a try, but she doesn't think there's any bot-sized embroidery needles for sale.

She'd totally join you at a pride parade and support you in any way you'd allow her to. But she probably won't be able to stay the entire duration of the parade, she's able to stay for a good while or so before she has to go.

If you experience any sensory issues, like if you get overwhelmed at times by all that's going on around you or if you suffer from sensory overloads, she'll try to help you the best she can by removing you from the area and bringing you to someplace much quieter if you'll let her.

If you enjoy going out on rides, she could take you to roads beside beautiful meadows of blooming flowers during the spring, or yellowing forests during the fall. She enjoys Earth's seasons too because there's nothing quite like it on Cybertron.

[onewomancitadel]

i genuinely think that that last ask you got showcases PERFECTLY how fandom has gotten too close to the creators of their shows. im not saying its necessarily a bad thing, but like the assumption that whats good for the Story thats being told MUST be what is "good" for the fandom (ie what the fandom wants to see) is so...yeah there are definitely creators who knew that what would be a good ending for their story would be what fans wanted most and purposely spited their fans (sobbing in s/pn fan rn lmao) but like... ultimately a story being told is always at the whims of the storyteller, not the audience.

anyway neo fan 🤝 cinder fan: people want my fave dead for hurting their ship even though narratively it makes no sense and would provide no catharsis/genuine development of the story for them to be violently murdered/redemption via death'd.

love u seraphina i finally got a day off again tomorrow so im gonna read more skimming eye and try to get into my drawing headspace bc i wanna draw cinder cradling jaune for you <3

Yes, the anon ask in question. I just want to clarify for other people reading your ask and my response here, I don't believe that anon intended it in the sense that they agree with the conclusion that fandom catharsis is predicated upon the fandom getting exactly what they want. Obviously what we discussed there and now here is that popular notion. I also think, given that it's a popular notion, people are not at fault for believing it, so I hold no ill will (even if the anon asker in question did mean it in the way they agree with it, or the ask was a gotcha of some sort). It's still worthwhile to talk about.

I should note that it can be really hard to tell the agenda of an anonymous asker, for good or ill. I know myself, having sent anons, there have sometimes been misunderstandings. I usually try to assume the better, though sometimes that is a task and a half and I want a fucking medal for it. On the upside, when you get a really good anon and I get to write something interesting (even if it's someone ticking me off), the experience can overall be very positive. So if someone has an issue with me and sends an anon ask, I'm still usually happy to answer it.

I draw the line at people not reading what I say and wasting my time or me not having personal interest in responding to something. It's otherwise a lot of fun. I love being a full-time diva.

Back to the question at hand: the intimate relationship between fan, work, and author is a bit weird to me overall. It gets weirder when the work acts as personal pleaser or personal insult. I mean, storytellers have outright come and said they've changed story direction based on Redditors figuring out the story, or because they don't want to give an obvious ending, or they don't want to give fans what they want purely on the basis of not wanting to give fans what they want... it is totally bizarre.

Then in the reverse, we get the sense of ownership - rather, entitlement - fans have over the way a story should be told, and that the authors should be directly addressing them. I don't think ownership over a story is necessarily bad... copyright has completely transformed the way we think of our relationship to stories... it's entitlement and personal insult that's more the issue. I love R/WBY. I love the way I interpret R/WBY. I like writing about it. My emotional response to belongs to me. No matter what happens, what I invested was meaningful. But that doesn't mean I control the creators. In fact, I think that in itself is the death of art... isn't art a doorway to other minds and worlds?

To speak frankly, I don't necessarily know what Cinder's redemption in canon is going to be characterised like - I can only draw that from other redemptions and make attempts at guessing the overall tonal feeling.

I have some idea of one storybeat we might hit (confrontation between Jaune and Cinder over the Relic of Choice). That's the last Relic and will be when some of the cast returns to Vale, well after Vacuo. I don't know what subsequent development is going to look like. Volume 8 was essentially the Cinder Volume when Ruby had the Ruby Volume of Volume 6. I expect that means things will be lighter in Volume 9, unless Volume 9 involves Jaune development in respect to Cinder. At the rate the story goes, I think we may not get more Cinder interiority for some time. Then again, I'm basing this off of the V4/V5 -> end of V7/V8 development pattern.

I'm not exactly busting to see Volume 9 in this respect - I want to see how they characterise katabasis for sure, and I really like the show lol - but I know we're still a long way off from when we get a definite answer for her redemption, and I don't know what it's going to look like in the meantime.

I hope to be surprised in a positive way. I was seriously shocked they went as far as they did with her (in a good way) in V8. I never would have expected they'd go so far as to make direct cinematic parallel with the Byronic hero painting of Byronic hero paintings with her.

anyway neo fan 🤝 cinder fan: people want my fave dead for hurting their ship even though narratively it makes no sense and would provide no catharsis/genuine development of the story for them to be violently murdered/redemption via death'd.

I laughed aloud, truly. Even if you're arguing from the point of catharsis, I don't think the case is that it is cathartic (in either the tragic or satisfying sense), and then to further that I don't think fans who avidly want her dead would, er, feel satisfied. To do so, we'd need to rewrite the story rather early on.

I didn't get into it in that post or other posts, but I have sort of gestured at the idea that Cinder is more personally offensive as a villain because she killed Pyrrha and not the other characters she has killed, despite the Pyrrha kill arguably being more 'just'. That's interesting! I obviously think Pyrrha is meant to be the symbolic representation of Cinder's misdeeds up to that point (and overall is in the entire story), that's why Jaune's tied to her. So it's doing its job.

It's just that Ironwood is more excusable for point-blank executing an unarmed councillor than the natural result of combat between Huntresses (and the final fight of the Vytal Festival, really). Or like, it was totally out of character or something. That's what I mean about what you're willing to extend towards the character and your perspective. Even seeing that act through Winter and Harriet's eyes doesn't convey the proper perspective conflict to people who are willing to overlook everything Ironwood does altogether. Wasp nest! Wasp nest! I kicked it!

The interesting thing about Cinder's redemption arc is the context it takes place in. Ironwood's corruption arc, chiefly, but we've also got the loaded tragic context of Pyrrha. It's not that I think 'revenge bad' is the ultimate takeaway. The ultimate takeaway is much more complicated than that, and if you validate Cinder's perspective - as I have said over and over - then she was right. She was right to kill Pyrrha. It really is kill or be killed.

The ultimate takeaway involves a much more complex upheaval of the relationship of the characters... and the ideals of the Huntsmen and Huntresses... and everything. That's why it's interesting. Part of the issue with the 'Cinder should die' statement is that the loaded thematic gun in the Maiden power which Cinder carries is waiting to be fired, and when you overhaul/redeem through her, you overhaul/redeem the story by extension. Things mean things!

It's not just coming from a place of, 'Me like Cinder me no want Cinder die', it's coming from a place of serious narrative consideration. Lol

So the more interesting question is how do you answer Pyrrha's tragedy in an interesting way? R/WBY is not a tragedy overall. Pyrrha's sacrifice in the story and the symbolic things her death represents (the death of innocence, the death of childhood) are very interesting. That these are pertinent themes in Cinder's own story is suspicious.

Pyrrha's death means something, Cinder's life could mean something. Come on!!! Life, death, and rebirth!!

Is it 'fair' that Pyrrha doesn't get that? I've seen this opinion expressed. It's not really about fairness because Pyrrha isn't real. It's a story trying to say something. From death comes rebirth, it's why Pyrrha's Fall Maiden candidacy is linked to Cinder. It's not tragedy all the way down forever. The character who believes that and perpetuates that perspective bringing down tragedy on other characters needs to be proven wrong.

love u seraphina i finally got a day off again tomorrow so im gonna read more skimming eye and try to get into my drawing headspace bc i wanna draw cinder cradling jaune for you <3

Love to you as well! I hope you have a lovely day off and my fic is a nice accompaniment to that! That's so kind of you as well, I hope you have fun drawing. I know the scene you're talking about; that's very choice. (o:

Hope you have a good evening and take care! Thanks for your ask. (:

[nancywheeeler]

oooh director’s commentary! yes please! really i should just send you a ⭐️ because i’d love to hear about any details you’re proud of, but if you're so inclined i’ll admit to being especially curious about all the thoughts behind nightswimming, as it’s one of the fics that made my opinions on the steve/eddie ship do at least a 90 degree pivot if not a full 180

oooh nightswimming, my darling nightswimming!

okay so i mentioned this in my author's note, but nightswimming would not existed without there's a clock in my head (is it wrong? is it right?) by cloverspies 10/10 work of art highly recommend. before i read it, i had been poking around the steve/eddie ao3 tag trying to see what all of the fuss was about other than a new hot white boy just dropped and he could be paired with steve without the baggage of him being 1) his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend + someone who has kicked his ass or 2) a raging racist and abuser who has also kicked his ass.

but then i read cloverspies's fic and had my glass shattering moment. eddie and steve have so much potential for a very fun, banter-filled dynamic (i think certain things that drew steve to robin initially are very much there with eddie; unpopular in hs, not gonna worship at king steve's throne, throws him off his game, etc. and in a lot of ways someone like eddie is the natural progression from his misguided crush on robin. i'm not gonna if eddie was girl in canon but....but...) but then ALSO canon set up so many parallels between the two of them (and we'll just ignore that it's because they lowkey wanted the effect of steve's death without killing steve) that they would probably end up finding much more common ground than they initially thought they would, at least in terms of their experience with guilt re. barb and chrissy and their relationship with dustin / the kids. even totally divorced from a shipping lens, they would've made for a great friendship in S5

but anyway! nightswimming!

i’m racking my brain trying to remember how i came up with the (vague) plot. it might be as dumb as i was looking at this note i have in my notes app full of fic titles i want to use one day, saw nightswimming, and went “huh...eddie and steve talking by some pools.......this could be nothing”

i keep answering these with which part i wrote first, but it usually encapsulates the fic as a whole and what i was shooting for, so:

Eddie raised his eyebrows. “Dude? You’re gonna call me dude while some of your spit is still in my mouth?”

Steve ran his tongue along the inside of his teeth, trying to think of a comeback to that and coming up empty. “You’re unbelievable, you know that?”

“Huh, unbelievable, can I get a definition please?” After a brutal clearing of his throat, Eddie adopted the tone of a stuffy spelling bee moderator. “Something unlikely to be real.”

“Again, you failed English.”

Eddie held up his middle, ring, and pinkie fingers and mouthed, three times.

the last line i’m 99.9% sure was the very first thing in the google doc. before even the title. i could imagine joe quinn acting out that exact mannerism and how annoyed but endeared steve would be by it. eddie is very over the top in a way a guy like steve wouldn’t necessarily let himself be but i think that’s where the attraction starts coming in on steve’s side. when you’re with someone who is so open and doesn’t seem to care about looking stupid, it’s easier to let yourself relax and be more open too, you know?

meanwhile on eddie’s side, steve is really hot! lol but also he cares about everyone so damn much, and he’s equal parts surprising and predictable (a common steve harrington theme in my works apparently), and again, he is really hot on a surface level and a much deeper one. still water, baby.

i think ultimately i just love them both as characters and i love what they could bring out in each other and i just vomited all that in a word document (...and then continued doing so...and cannot stop...)

director’s commentary asks!

[captain-grammar]

Tagged by the AMAZING and double-y talented @goldheartedsky to participate in this writer's ask:

1) How many works do you have on AO3? 22. Because I'm excellent at thinking up ideas and then scaring myself out of writing them. 2) What’s your total AO3 word count? 89,347. Again, I'm AMAZING at psyching myself out of projects.

3) What fandoms do you write for? The bulk of my paltry number of fics are The Old Guard focussed, but I have an ANCIENT, unfinished Stargate: Atlantis fic on there and a snippet of a LOTR/LOTRO piece that will never be completed.

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Codeword Blue, For The First Time, The Slowest Burn, Lost in Translation and Close. Which is kind of amazing because the ship-focus for these is, arguably, not necessarily 'mainstream' in the TOG fan space so I massively appreciate that people rate them!

5) Do you respond to comments? I do! Or I used to, back when I posted something new/regularly. I haven't posted anything for a VERY long time now, and so actively avoid reading any new comments because then I'll feel guilty for not writing, or feel like a fraud.

6) What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I don't really go for angsty, because I tend to just want happy endings for all. I have an unsatisfying cliff-hanger ending to what was supposed to be a two-parter fic (Homewrecker) so I supposed in a parallel universe where people are dying for me to finish it, the fact that it's resolutely NOT complete might be causing some angst?

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? They all have happy endings in one form or another but I think the one that might have the most "aaawwh" factor is maybe I Won't Let You Sink. Any excuse for my boy Booker to get a hug, really.

8) Do you get hate on fics? I don't think so? At least none that I'm aware of! Nobody's leaving me comments or hitting up my DMs, put it that way.

9) Do you write smut? I do. With varying degrees of success, admittedly, but still...

10) Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written? Many moons ago, perhaps, on a long-forgotten fanfiction.net account but nothing I can remember!

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen? Darling, I don't want my fics half the time. Why the hell would anyone else?!

12) have you ever had a fic translated? I have not!

13) have you ever cowritten a fic before? I think I've made plans to with a few people but not followed through. I'm scared of not living up to the hype and letting them down!

14) What’s your all time favorite ship? Honestly? The Ongoing LOTRO Fic I'll Never Finish, featuring my OC and Lothrandir. That Ranger needs a hug, a break and therapy in that order and my elf will give him that.

15) What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? BITCH, THROW A DART AT ANY OF THE 40-ODD DRAFTS IN MY FOLDER AND YOU'RE A WINNER.

16) What are your writing strengths? I'm almost annoyingly descriptive. I can't draw for shit so I'll use words to try and conjure up an image that I could never in a million years manage with a paintbrush.

17) what are your writing weaknesses? My lack of self-belief...

18) thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I'm for it! As I'm not fluent in any other language, I'll keep it to short little snippets, italicised, that I'm confident aren't terrible and won't cause an international incident! I think it can be a nice nod to a character's past, who they are and their heritage.

19) First fandom you wrote for? Again, MANY moons ago and long-forgotten, but Stargate: SG-1 when I was maybe 13?

20) Favorite fic you’ve written? Probably Bloom. I just really like the idea that Booker and Joe's relationship is deep and probably has evolved and developed and fluctuated a LOT over the years and had fun exploring that! (And Goldie's art for it was just phenomenal!)

TAGGING: I honestly don't know who else may have been tagged in something like this already so hey, if you write fic and want to participate, by all means fill your boots!

[fleetroot-blog]

How Retailers Compete With Amazon Using Last-Mile Delivery Software

1) The year is 2023: will small retailers be able to keep up with Amazon's growing influence?

E-commerce giant Amazon emerged in the early 1999s and has since quickly become a major power. Not only has it changed the way people shop around the world, but it continues to push boundaries by constantly innovating and testing new concepts. Amazon introduced modern delivery standards, the now famous 24-hour delivery or overnight delivery. Would you have believed it if someone told you in 1990 that your product would arrive in the afternoon of the same morning you ordered it?

Amazon exerts considerable influence on buyer behavior. It also sets and manages customer expectations. Where you buy, what you buy, how you buy, what's your acceptable price point... Well, Amazon controls a lot. Oh, and it makes sure to constantly use his influence in the market!

Amazon's influence on the online consumer is illustrated by its 55% market share of product-related searches. In other words, Amazon is the world's leading e-commerce search engine. nope

Furthermore, consumer needs are always dynamic. Recent studies show trends that 50% of shoppers are not necessarily looking for the “fastest delivery”. They are happy to wait a few more days if offered cheaper shipping costs or more options in delivery locations, especially in urban areas.

As we move into the future, you may be wondering if the ubiquitous small retailers or small delivery companies will ever be able to compete with the total dominance that Amazon has achieved.

Consumer Trends: Slower Delivery With More Pickup Points?

New customer research shows customers prioritize more delivery options than just delivery speeds. Yes, you've read correctly! Consumers may prefer slower delivery if you offer more choices, e.g. more pickup locations.

Importantly, smaller businesses can certainly learn from Amazon on supply chain logistics, emissions reduction, cost reduction, and alignment with customer expectations to gain a distinct advantage.

2) Meeting Customer Expectations: Small businesses should follow Amazon's ever-changing fulfillment strategies

Amazon Day allows subscribers to choose their delivery day. So instead of making numerous trips to the same place each week, Amazon now only makes one trip a week. This serves to reduce logistics costs as well as emissions in the last mile, the most polluting part of the supply chain!

As large as Amazon's logistics network is, it is still only a fraction of the total logistics network for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) worldwide. So if SMEs also adopt such sustainable logistics, it would lead to a significant reduction in their delivery costs as well as CO2 emissions. Remember that a company's sustainable business practices have a significant impact on consumers' decisions about which brands or companies to buy from.

Last Mile Delivery: Importance

Enables faster delivery: The faster you deliver customer orders, the happier they will be. It is that easy!

Centralized Delivery Management: Logistics companies control all last-mile activities from a central dashboard, greatly improving their efficiency

Smooth logistics: The last mile is the most important cog in the logistics chain. Last-mile services are activated as the goods are near the final warehouses and get to the customer's door.

The use of last-mile software is crucial in the fight against Amazon

Given the above scenario, what can retailers, large or small, do to compete against Amazon's state-of-the-art logistics?

Well, we live in an age where software is available to almost everyone. Today's GPS-enabled, automated data analysis and AI-powered last-mile software are no different!

Last Mile Delivery: Challenges

Highest costs: By far the most expensive part of the logistics chain. Mismanagement would increase the fulfillment cost and shipping cost

Customers demand transparency: Today's customers want complete transparency of their products down to the smallest detail at the time of shipment!

Maintaining Efficiency: Modern logistics and distribution is a complex, 24/7 global operation. Understandably, this brings with it numerous challenges.

Dealing with manual routing, which is not only not efficient enough, is not enough. To compete with Amazon, which is empowered at every turn by groundbreaking innovations, you must also adapt quickly to new tools and technologies like last-mile delivery software. 

Whether you use it yourself or outsource the deployment to a third party depends on your business needs. In any case, the use of delivery management software is critical to success!

Let's look at the top 5 benefits:

1)Route Optimization – A key benefit that ultimately benefits your business in many other ways.

This feature alone allows companies to optimize delivery routes in real-time. Multiple variables affecting route optimization (delivery locations, roads, package type, fleet, driver availability, and several stops per route) are weighed to arrive at the optimal solution in seconds. Routes can also be adjusted in real time for contingencies such as bad weather, traffic jams, etc. Drivers, warehouse operators, and end users receive live notifications of progress.

2. Improving shipment visibility and visibility: Today's last-mile delivery solutions offer logistics teams the fantastic tool of real-time shipment visibility.

Whether fleet vehicles are moving on schedule, being rerouted due to emergencies, or spending time idly, logistics teams can now track their movements on their console maps. Theft, spoilage, and theft are also minimized through constant monitoring.

3. Commitment to the customer: Today's customers are becoming increasingly demanding. They want to be informed about the exact status of their packages. Such software gives you consistent insight into the status of your order.

From the time of the order, the shipment, and the estimated time of arrival of the order, everything is available to the customer in real-time. This significantly increases customer confidence.

Last Mile Delivery Software: choose a “smart” system

Last-Mile automates entire ecosystems and their many services

This helps you keep an eye on all activities through a centralized dashboard with robust and useful features.

Perhaps the most important benefit is how it makes delivery services “intelligent and smarter” on the last mile.

Delivery flexibility: The modern customer is always mobile and on the go. This means that there may be changes to the delivery (eg. a changed delivery window). Live communication with the driver allows short-term adjustments to the order delivery (time, place, etc.) and thus offers flexibility.

Reduce Costs and Improve Profitability: As discussed in Pt.1 above, route optimization has several very important cascading benefits.

More deliveries per day per route, reduced fuel consumption, reduced operating costs, improved driver and fleet productivity and ultimately increased customer retention and loyalty - the list is long and beneficial!!

It is therefore imperative that retailers optimize their supply chain and logistics by taking advantage of last-mile delivery software.

Conclusion: For retailers and delivery companies trying to compete with Amazon's power, the use of last-mile delivery software is critical to success.

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