#otp: youre better than waffles

[katapotato55]

a closed waffle house is such an omen

there is this thing called "the waffle house index". look it up on Wikipedia, but basically waffle houses are tough as nails. The more worse a hurricane is, the more closed down a waffle house is. If a waffle house is completely shut down: doom. but i wonder: which is more liminal space-ey ? a closed waffle house or an open waffle house.

i mean an open waffle house already has that "i have been transported to a pocket dimension where time doesn't exist" vibe that the closed waffle house doesn't have and yet the closed waffle house just gives me the creeps, as if something has been horribly wrong. and i have tested this with other diner images too!

here is a Denny's at night. Its still very liminal space-ey, but it looks so warm and inviting. could it be the infrastructure and the lighting ? or could it be that i am biased because Denny's is my senpai. Katapotato X Denny's OTP.

now here is a closed Denny's i found. Denny's is also a 24/7 restaurant, and yet this isn't very creepy to me a little more creepy than an open Denny's, yet i don't get the vibe that something is wrong. its like its SUPPOSED to be closed, the windows are shut, the lights are only on to scare off potential robbers, the sign still has a warm glow. there could be many reasons as to why it is closed. could be staffing issues, or the restaurant is going through maintenance and the workers had to go home for the night, etc.

actually scratch that. Denny's looks way more liminal space-ey at daytime. my theory is that you are not supposed to go to dennys during daylight hours, the authentic intended experience is to eat at 3 in the morning. Denny's was not designed for normal people.

but for that i ask again, hypothetically, what in the FUCK is so horrifying that would close a waffle house down other than a hurricane? If a hurricane didn't cause it, what on earth could possibly end a titan like this ? the waffle house is so powerful i bet when the sun implodes the only thing left of earth will be a waffle house among the ruins of civilization, still running with miserable workers not being allowed to leave even though the rest of humanity has long died. i bet once the universe explodes all that will be left is a fucking waffle house still running and god will be powerless to destroy it because its the fucking waffle house. I am pretty sure I like Denny's better because I am no scared of Denny's, unlike the waffle house when you stare at a dead waffle house, you stare right into the abyss. the abyss has won and your night will swiftly be ruined. basically what i am saying is that a closed waffle house is worse than the backrooms for the simple fact that when I go to the backrooms, I EXPECT horrors beyond my imagining when I am at the backrooms, there is comfort in hopelessness and understanding. I know I can't escape the backrooms. I know there is no hope of escape. There is comfort in no options because you can live or die knowing it isn't your fault But waffle house ? there is always hope, and that is the cruelty at the state you are in being at a closed waffle house. The cruel hope of possibly leaving, only to subconsciously blame yourself for not changing things or leaving. the waffle house is cruel in a way that there is hope in it, and I can't imagine anything more horrifying than a 68 year old southern diner.

[danpuff-ao3]

Embroidery Commission

I was going to do a longer introduction but really I can't tease the people like that. That would be quite rude of me!

This, my friends, is the gorgeous embroidery hoop I commissioned from @onbeinganangel!!!!

Okay you have the goods now, read ahead if you're ready for Danni babbling.

Yesterday morning, I got an email from our apartment's Amazon hub that I had a package ready for pickup. And since I knew exactly what it was, I was annoyed (cuz it's early and I'm at work and I have to wait) and excited (cuz MY HOOP!!!!!)

After work, I rushed home, ran to the hub, grabbed my treasure, and pranced back to my apartment. You know, carefully. I wasn't sure how delicate I needed to be and I was risking this hoop for nothing!

Above pictures is what I found inside the box. My hoop carefully and beautifully wrapped in tissue, and a sweet note!

And if you know me at all, you'll know I was too excited to rip right into it. I don't know if anyone else deals with this, but my excitement levels get so high I just don't know what to do with myself! Have to smile and shriek and dance a bit. Shake out all those nerves! Breathe a bit (because oxygen is important.) (That's what I'm told anyway.)

Once I had my wits about me, I very carefully peeled back the tissue and beheld my beautiful hoop!

And started crying, of course.

(If you know me at all, that won't surprise you, either.) (Overactive tear ducts, I swear to Merlin.) (Or maybe that's just me being overemotional...either way 🤷‍♀️)

It was in early November that I reached out to Mari. She had posted about making sure she could get commissions done in time for Christmas, and while I didn't need anything by Christmas, it did prompt me to think "hey...maybe I could commission something!"

If you've not seen Mari's embroidery, you should definitely check it all out! (Conveniently: click here.) Her work is gorgeous, and it's extra special to have another craft used for fandom purposes! Fan writing? Great! Fan art? Great! Fic binding? Oh cool! Fan embroidery???? Oh god I'm in love. (Also Mari writes, so here's her AO3.) (We have to stan a multi-talented queen.)

I was a wee bit nervous, because I've always been hesitant to ask about commissions from people who I don't know are okay with Snarry. My OTP is so controversial to others, but so beloved to me, and so I rarely reach out, but...I don't know. I couldn't help it! It seemed like too cool an opportunity to not try for, and Mari seemed so sweet so I figured if she let me down, she'd do so gently!

...because obviously I'm going to commission Snarry things. Much as I love other ships, if I'm spending my hard earned money, it's going to be Snarry. 😍

As you can see: it was not a problem!

What I most wanted was a piece for my pride and joy, Contempt. I wiffle-waffled a bit. I thought Orange Blossoms might have better imagery for embroidery, but I already had a fanart done for Orange Blossoms, and while more is more...I really, really in my heart needed a physical representation of my beloved Contempt.

I felt a bit bad about the timing and assured her I didn't need it by Christmas and to prioritize Christmas projects (even though I was quite eager for this!) Like: "I saw your post about Christmas commissions but...this is not for Christmas!" Anyway between the Snarry worries and timing guilt and my anxiety...that should tell you how much I wanted this piece! And let me tell you, it was worth fighting anxiety for!!

The other tricky part of commissions is me trying to give creators an idea to work with, while also stressing that I value their creative input more than my own vision. Everyone is different; more details are useful for some while others enjoy the creative freedom more. (So of course I fretted about that, too.) But generally I am drawn to creators for their own skill and creativity and want as much of themselves in there as possible! I have so much respect and admiration for other creators!! And why I want so dearly to support them however I can! (And to also selfishly benefit from it, not gonna lie.) (Look at this thing!)

What I gave Mari to work with were primarily the quotes. Both are spoken by Harry in the work, though in separate portions of the fic. I wasn't sure how weird that would be, but I don't know...they go so well together and really sort of sum the whole story up! My ultimate love/hate endeavor!

As for the imagery, I had suggestions for that, too: the door to Snape's quarters have "serpents entwined with ivy and dahlias" and there are moments in the story where other flowers are given, those being white gardenias and forget-me-nots. Between my personal love of flowers and animals, as well as my great love for symbolism, and the role they all play in the story...well, I'm glad they all fit in! (Also, Mari is a champ for listening to all my rambling about symbolism and vibes haha!)

From one of our email exchanges, I mentioned: "It's a very stark, intense story. A bit brutal. Lots of shame. Riding that line between love and hate. That's another part of why I like nature imagery; all of the beauty and brutality of the world around us." And I feel like it came through! It feels very simple and natural. It looks a bit like fallen, fragile flowers and a snake slithering along, a sort of unsuspecting seduction. (Sorry, I sure love to read into things!)

Honestly, Mari was such a joy to work with. She has such a good eye for design and color! And such clear skill. She was easy to talk to, happy to communicate, and best of all so kind and patient and sweet! And in the end, she crafted something truly priceless.

Contempt is truly the story of my soul. (If you follow me, you're probably tired of hearing about it LOL.) The concept has lived with me for so long. Writing it was a true labor of love. Having this piece of it to hang on my wall is genuinely so meaningful. I cried when I first saw the finished product (via email) and cried again when I had it in hand. And again when I hung it on my wall.

It's not in its final spot just yet. A few inches to the right (not pictured) is a Hogwarts plaque that I plan to move to another wall this weekend, so I can move the hoop a bit to the right. But I was much too eager to share this to wait until the weekend! But this should still give you an idea of what my Snarry wall looks like, and will more or less look like after the shift. (The art beside the hoop is the Orange Blossoms art mentioned earlier, by LuEndland!)

Mari, thank you so much again for working with me and creating this truly precious hoop! Also: feel free to make your own post if you like, one with less word vomit haha! You are a true angel, I hope you know!!

To everyone else: if you've been thinking of commissioning an embroidery hoop...for sure do it!!!! 10/10 do recommend.

Also please expect more photo dumps once my work space is all set up!!

[lilisouless]

I know i said to another people that making people choose it´s a cruelty...but turns out i am cruel (also would like to see this site´s general consensus but mostly for the evulz)

-Like for Kanej

-Rebblog for Wesper

-Comment for Helnik

[boasamishipper]

1, 4, 6, 13, 19, 21, 24, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 46, and 50 for Robisanya, if that’s not too much to ask! (Honestly I’d go for your thoughts on all of them but that might be a little excessive 😂)

hi @greetings-and-defiance! i accidentally deleted your ask halfway through answering it - sorry about that. here it is again!

1. Who wakes up first?

They’re both on the same sleep schedule as they have to wake up at the same time for practice. In the off-season and his free mornings, Sam likes to get up earlier to go on runs, and Dani sleeps in, though he’s usually awake by the time Sam gets back.

4. When they can’t sleep, what do they do?

Talk, cuddle. Sometimes they’ll migrate to the couch and fall asleep to one of the Harry Potter movies or a romcom they’ve both seen a hundred times. Other times they will find Other Ways to keep themselves occupied ;) ;) ;)

6. Who falls asleep last, watching the other with a small affectionate smile?

It’s a tossup, but probably Sam. Dani, as most Energizer Bunny Human Beings Do, tends to crash hard, and he saves his small affectionate smiles for when Sam can see them.

13. Who points out a dog when they see one?

Both of them. Dani once jumped off his motorcycle before it was fully parked just to pet a cute dog (though he Does keep a fair distance from greyhounds ever since The Incident); Sam will roll his eyes at Dani’s antics but will be right by Dani’s side at the sight of a cute dog.

19. Who puts their cold hands/feet on the other?

Sam, to wake up Dani on cold mornings after he returns from his morning runs. Dani, after team snowball fights.

21. Who’s clumsier?

They’re both pretty steady on their feet, though Dani has clumsier days sometimes because of his knee. (When he trips and Sam catches him there are Many jokes made about Dani ‘falling’ for Sam.)

24. Who’s the better cook?

Depends on what they’re making! Sam is better at Nigerian dishes, Dani is better at Mexican dishes. On everything else they’re pretty evenly matched, though Dani will claim Sam makes better tea than him and Sam in turn will claim that Dani makes better tea than him.

27. Who cooks at 2 in the morning?

Neither, as they’re usually asleep, and if they’re both up at 2am, they’d rather have sex than get out of bed and go to the kitchen.

29. Who licks the spoon when they’re baking brownies?

Sam. He steals the spoon out of Dani’s hand.

31. Who has bigger cravings? What are they?

They’re about even in this regard, though Sam will never say no to chin chin and Dani will never say no to Sal de Mar Takis.

33. How do they eat ice cream? What’s their favorite flavors?

Sam always orders a waffle cone because when he was growing up, he and his sister used to race against the clock to eat their ice cream before it dripped onto their hands. Dani always orders his ice cream in a dish - the tiny spoon makes it easier to dramatically gesture and the risk of him dropping his ice cream in a moment of excitement is lessened. Sam has three or four main flavors he alternates between, and Dani always orders what looks the most colorful and exciting (and if nothing like that is offered, he orders strawberry).

35. What do they smell when they smell amortentia?

For Sam, amortentia smells like freshly cut grass, and the ocean, and suya spice, and Dani’s aftershave. For Dani, amortentia smells like the lavender-scented towels in the locker room, and petrichor, and vanilla, and the product Sam uses in his hair.

36. Which one is the secret snuggler?

Neither of them are secretive about enjoying snuggling - though maybe each of them are surprised by how much the other enjoys it.

37. Which one offers their jacket to the other when they complain they feel cold?

Dani. Sam never complains, but Dani pays close attention; the second Sam looks uncomfortable by the cold, Sam finds himself the wearer of Dani’s hat, scarf, and coat.

38. Who reaches for the other one’s hand while driving?

Sam doesn’t own a car, and Dani drives a motorcycle, but if one of them has to drive, it’ll be Sam, and Dani will reach for his free hand (and kiss it) while he’s driving.

40. Who is the most affectionate?

They’re both very affectionate, but I will say Sam is more affectionate when it comes to words and gestures, and Dani is the more affectionate when it comes to touch.

41. Who is the big spoon/little spoon?

It’s fifty-fifty, but it tips just the tiniest bit in favor of Big Spoon Dani / Little Spoon Sam.

46. Who initiates kisses?

Depends on the type of kiss! Dani initiates hand kisses, cheek kisses, and shoulder kisses more often, whereas Sam initiates forehead kisses and nose kisses more often. Re: regular lip kisses, it’s pretty even.

50. Who gets overwhelmed by small acts of kindness?

Sam does, though not as much the longer they’re together. (Every day he looks over at Dani and wonders how he got this lucky. Little does he know Dani looks at Sam every day and thinks the same.)

send me a number and an otp!

[haikyuu-bf-scenarios]

Nishinoya Yuu: First Meeting

I’ve have been bad at keeping promises and for that I am so sorry, but I’ll keep this apology short so you guys who have been waiting for this can get to reading. 

*edited*

because you’re a student officer you are required to come in early on certain days of the week for official student business meetings

totally not your idea of a good morning especially having to walk past the practicing boys volleyball team

the pounding noise of the balls slamming into the floor and yelling teenager were not doing any wonders for your headache

it also didnt help that one such teenage boy had pulled you into their argument in a desperate attempt to win

allow me to elaborate

one such teenage boy (you guessed it, twas nishinoya) had hung himself out of the gyms doors and yelled at you with what felt like his highest volume

“hey, you!” lol puns

you stare at him confused

“which is better pancakes or waffles!”

youre so confused but youre also so tired so you dont really give a shit

“fucking pancakes, duh”

“HA, suck it, tanaka!”

you assume that’s who he’s arguing with

another boy, taller and with less hair, comes and joins him

new guy seems shocked and less than impressed

“what? waffles are so much better.”

before the short boy has a chance to add anything you pipe up

“bullshit, waffles suck”

“no they do not!” another boy with blondish hair interjects

“they offer more food in a single stack, they can hold syrup so it doesn’t go everywhere, and they taste better”

“oh that’s a load of shit, that’s clearly biased. pancakes taste so much better and arent hard as rock so youre not scratching your mouth every time you take a bite”

“the syrup softens them!”

“not everyone likes syrup, though! you can’t base your argument on personal preference, thats weak. if you cant eat a waffles without syrup and say it tastes good and doesn’t make your mouth dry then you cant say anything”

you didnt even let him rebuttle “besides, pancakes are naturally soft and sweet. if you aren’t salivating while eating it, its not a pancake and therefore not good.”

“it may just be a waffle” the short boy adds

“damn fucking straight” you give him a sick high five, 

your face has showed no emotion this entire time,but you do give the other two boys a victorious smirk “i think we’re done here. you two have been thoroughly educated and i have a meeting to get to”

and with that you walk away with your thanks from the the clearly smarter boy and grumbles of discontent from tanaka and the blond

hopefully your not too late for this meeting,  you doubt the president will except 'impromptu debate about American breakfast items' as a valid excuse

oh great, your headache just got worse

(Prompt: “You pulled me into an argument of waffles vs. pancakes and even though I don’t know anyone I’m yelling at we’ve been arguing for at least 30 minutes” - creds to @otp-prompts-for-you)

masterlist

[lyndibs]

OTP/Shipping positivity post! 💖

It’s been such a late night that the sun is starting to rise, and your OTP(s) are starving. Where do they hit up for breakfast?

Hmm good question and which of my many OTP's do I choose for this question? Lol I will go with Birkinfield as I've been really into them again lately.

****

After a long night full of reading files, searching for answers they needed for a mission they were currently working on, Chris finally looks at his watch, it was already hitting 6AM and they both hadn't had dinner.

Sherry's stomach growls and it's very audible. Her face slightly reddens in embarrassment. Yet she didn't dare look over at her partner afterward.

Chris puts down the document he has in his hands and looks over at her, the young woman that he's grown so close to, the woman he has fallen in love with. A smile grows on his face as he can tell her embarrassment as plain as day.

'She's so cute.'

"I don't think there is anything left to read here. But either way, we both needed a break and I don't know about you. But I'm starving." Chris said with a smile.

A smile he finds himself wearing a lot more because of the blonde across the table from him. Sherry looked up from the document she was half way through, already knowing Chris was right and that the documents were pretty worthless and gently chucked hers on top of the pile of other files she had already when through.

"You're right." She replied as she started to stretch in her seat.

"Where were you thinking?"

"Not sure. It's early... So not many places will be open yet. But I will let you choose." He said as he stood up, feeling the great need to stand after hours of sitting.

"Hmm.... Oh! iHop!" Sherry replied and turned her spinning chair toward him with a big smile on her face. The image of chocolate chip waffles filled her mind.

The complete look of happiness written on her face when straight to his heart. He would deny it, but a redness very lightly grazed his cheeks. If it would keep her smiling like that, he would take her anywhere she wanted to go.

"It's a date." He replied.

He started collecting his belongings. Afterward he looked back up at his partner who was just staring at him, her face clearly red. He wasn't sure why, until it dawned on him that he just called their plans a date. He resisted the strong urge to smack himself over his choice of words. He didn't know if he should correct himself or just let it go. Her reaction was very intriguing to him though. She didn't seem to be weirded out by the idea of them going on a date. Did he dare allow himself to think maybe she felt the same as he did?

"Sherry?"

'He said date! Calm down! He probably didn't mean it the way you wanted him too....'

She shook her head, snapping herself out of her thoughts, realizing she was basically gawking at the man like a school girl.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" She quickly replied and hurriedly began collecting her stuff as well.

"Are you alright?"

"Oh yeah! Of course." she grabbed her phone. "I am all ready if you are."

Looking back up, Chris was no longer standing across from her. Instead Chris had walked over to her side of the table and now stood beside her, rather closely. Due to their height difference, she had to look up to see his face.

Chris reached his hand out toward her shoulder, gently grasping it.

"Are you sure everything is all right?" He asked one more time, trying and hoping to get a better understanding on her reactions.

"Yes I am sur-" Sherry wasn't even able to finish her sentence when she took notice of the intense look in Chris's eyes. A gaze that made Sherry feel all warm and tingly.

Their eyes met and locked in on each one another, it got very quite in the office, besides Sherry's rapidly beating heart, that was hammering against her chest. She hoped he couldn't hear it.

Chris's gaze went down to her lips, he hadn't meant to look, but his feelings for her were getting harder and harder to push down and hide. He wanted so badly to kiss her. Without even realizing he was doing it, his hand went from her shoulder to her soft cheek, ever so gently cupping it; his face began inching closer to hers. Sherry barely moved or breathed, worried that any movement she did would stop him from what he was doing. Their lips were so close to claiming each other that they could feel one another's breath upon their lips.

Before their lips could touch, Chris's phone began to ringing, filling the once deafening silence. The abrupt sound making them both jump back.

Disappointment ran through them both as Chris forced himself to remove his hand from her cheek and to back away from her, from the insanely intimate moment they had been having. They stood there for a few seconds looking at one another before Sherry broke the silence between.

"You should take that.... I'll wait for you outside."

"Sherry...."

"It could be important." She said and gave a understanding smile to him.

Upset that the moment they had shared ended, Chris reluctantly took the work call as Sherry made her way out the office double doors.

Moments later,

Chris made his way out front, opening the automatic doors to the outside. The night sky was slowly becoming bright as the sun started making it's appearance.

It was summer and the weather felt just right at this time of day. It was one of the only good reasons to be awake at this time in the morning.

Chris eyes landed on Sherry, whom was sitting on one of the mental benches, looking lost in thought. Maybe their was two good reasons to be awake.

As he got closer to her, their eyes meet again that night. Neither one of them knew if they should bring up the intense moment they shared only minutes ago or to act casual and go from there.

As much as she wanted to talk about what happened between them and what almost happened back there, she decided maybe for now she should go for acting casual.

"Anything urgent?" She asked genuinely concerned considering their line of work, him being a BSAA captain and her being a DSO agent. Their jobs were tough, but worth it.

"Not really. They were checking up on our research process." He replied with a touch of noticeable disappointment in his

Disappointment that was weighing heavily on Chris's mind, over two very different things. Being unable to find anything worth something in those files and missing out on the chance of kissing the gorgeous, kind and caring woman sitting in from of him.

"I gotcha. Don't worry Chris, we will figure it out together." Sherry said, mainly referring to their mission. Although as soon as the words left her lips, she knew it had also sounded like she could be suggesting they could figure out what was clearly happening between them. She choose to leave what said alone, because she did in fact want desperately to future that out as well.

The corner of Chris's month perked upward. Sherry always seemed to know just what to say to make him feel hopeful.

"Aye, aye Ma'am."

He extended his hand out to her,

"Are you ready to go?"

Sherry instantly took hold of his hand, "Absolutely!" She happily replied with a bright cheerful smile plastered on her face.

Their hands didn't let go as they made their way to Chris's hummer. He opened the passenger side door for her like the gentlemen he was and then made his way around the hummer to join her.

Wordlessly, their hands found one another again, fingers entwining this time.

When the time was just right, Chris would tell Sherry how he truly felt about her. After the start of this wonderful morning, he had a feeling it would be sooner than later that he would confess. But for now, he would have to settle for taking her out for breakfast.

If he were to be perfectly honest, he was content with that. Because when he was with her, everything felt whole and right.

And off they were to iHop, with a new found hope in their hearts for a potential romance in their future.

That future was just beyond the horizon

****

Thank you for the ask! I really never expected one! So I went out for it and made a short one shot! 💓💓💓💓

EDITED: I wanted to make it better. I feel better about it now. Lol

[yossariandawn]

Of course 002 Sethkate!! (if no one has beaten me to it yet :P) Also 002 Kastle!! & 004 Firefly/TWD!!

Thank you for all the asks, @alwaysupatnight! 💖💖💖 I will get to your last two tomorrow. 

SethKate Ship:

when of if I started shipping it: This is a hard one, because I fell more in love with them as the show went on, but the first time it went beyond “this would be great to see explored, but I doubt the show is going to ACTUALLY go there” to “OH THIS IS A REAL THING, ISN’T IT?” was probably Season 3. Seth was fundamentally changed by her death, and then watching him struggle with the hope he could get her back?! I WAS ALL IN AT THE POINT. The table scene aka “Fuller Family’s Least Favorite Drinking Game” (credit to @fortysevenswrites​ for the name) was probably the first time I went, OH THIS IS NEAT, YES PLEASE though.

my thoughts: see my whole blog

What makes me happy about them: EVERYTHING. The messiness, the comfort they are uniquely able to give each other, the way they actually SEE each other (looking past the surface, they both hide and use behind the snap judgements other people make about who they are) the values they share, the way they challenge those values in each other and how that makes them both stronger and better people.

What makes me sad about them: tragic backstories are tragic, and they both have that in spades. All that trauma does bring them closer together, but honestly, I think they would strongly connect with each other even if they both had significantly less bad happen too.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: I back out of a fic with a daddy kink, it’s just not for me! Um, sometimes Kate is too naïve or passive, and Seth is too soft and well adjusted. LOOK, he clearly enjoys being a jerk at times? It’s a hobby of his, to push buttons, even with people he loves. I’m not saying he’s not all heart, because that boy is a mess of emotions at the best of times, but let him keep his edge too please.

things I look for in fanfic: PARTNERS, Kate healing after Season 3, their different experiences in life and love being explored, uncomfortable honesty bringing them closer together, and TOUCHING are the big ones that come to mind right now.

My kinks: PARTNERS IN CRIME, SAVING THE WORLD, bringing different skills to the table in a way that compliments each other, bickering and standing too close to together, Seth teasing Kate, Kate giving as good as she gets, Seth being so damn impressed by her, Kate seeing the good and bad in Seth and loving him anyway, touching, Being Married AF before they even knew they loved each other.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: After season 3, no one else.

My happily ever after for them: Well, I feel strongly about their twelve daughters now thanks to @alwaysupatnight​, but as long as they have each other’s backs and are together, I’d be happy with whatever comes next for them.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: I think Seth is more clingy in bed, so I’m going with Seth being the big spoon. Kate doesn’t mind it at all, just to be clear.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: I doubt I can top @fortysevenswrites​ straight to the point “crime” but I do think they would also just enjoy hanging out together, one on one . And since their family get togethers will always be a bit hectic, they deserve some solo together time. Take some vacations or road trips please.

Kastle and Firefly/TWD Crossover under the cut!

Kastle Ship:

when of if I started shipping it: I thought the had a ton of potential hospital scene where Frank says he would talk to “her” (they both sold that instant connection in way I don’t think I’ve ever so quickly believed before or since) but what pushed me into really shipping them was the diner scene, when Frank was using Karen as bait. The way they just clicked, and the fact that the longer they talked the more you could see they actually LIKED each other, and were realizing that themselves.. And the fact that it was very inconvenient on the timing for both of them just made it even more interesting for me.

my thoughts: Show was real interested and invested in their relationship, even if we didn’t get a lot of it. Clearly meant to be endgame.

What makes me happy about them: That spark of hope they light up in each other is just so neat. Though they are both extremely practical people when it comes to weighing the odds of things going well (and seeing that those odds are stacked against them) but it just makes that hope all the more special.

What makes me sad about them: What little I’ve seen of the Karen/Matt stuff makes me kind of sad on her behalf, and Frank and all his baggage is obviously pretty heartbreaking.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: I don’t read enough Punisher fanfic! I would hate for them to read as OOC just for the sake of a romance, but that’s true of all ships I ship. If they had kids, if Frank doesn’t have a ton of mixed emotions about it, I wouldn’t buy it I guess.

things I look for in fanfic: I enjoy reading a Frank who’s all in on the relationship! No waffling or messing around, he’s made his choice (if not his peace) on this. Karen being central to plot stuff is always fun, too. Get her out there investigating stuff!

My kinks: specific to them? I really like when they have to actually talk and address stuff, what’s happening between them, and what they want to happen. I think the show does a great job with them both being very aware of the situation they find themselves in with unspoken communication, but if they are going to go for it, give me some talk before things get to far along, please. ALSO, Frank being impressed by Karen, Karen not pulling any punches feelings wise, kindness to each other.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I don’t know, I guess theoretically either of them could be happy with someone else, but I don’t really think it would be anyone we’ve met in the show. And this is assuming Frank continues to make progress towards a more balanced life, obviously. I don’t think he would date anyone while actively being so consumed with being the Punisher.

My happily ever after for them: Up until the very last episode of Season 2 Punisher, I actually didn’t think a happy ending was possible for them? I was fine with it, there was always a bittersweet and practical quality to their connection that I actually enjoyed, But then we got to see Frank finally being proactive in rejoining the living instead of just flirting with the idea of an after, and now I think it could work, the two of them, figuring out how to be together, and what happens next.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: I’m going to say Karen is big spoon, cause I think Frank is in need of some serious cuddling.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Lazy Sunday mornings reading the paper over coffee, and hanging out with the dog/dogs they’ve adopted.

Firefly/TWD Crossover OTP:

A tough one! I am not good a creating couples, I just judge want I see normally  🤣. BUT, I could see Kaylee/Shane working for me, honestly. She would definitely give him a much needed dressing down when he needed one, and he would benefit A LOT from someone actually caring about him, and Kaylee is really great at caring for people. I think he would do better in her world than she would in his. Shane would fit right in with the morally ambiguous crew, and TWD world is just too damn bleak to deserve Kaylee.

[talesfromthenorsesmouth]

riddler?

I assume this is for the character ask and not just a general enquiry as to the Riddler, but if it is, my answer is usually yes. It’s pretty much always yes if I’m honest, i am a deeply simple creature 

Otherwise here’s some thoughts about my scruffy little PI Riddler

Send me a character

And I’ll tell you

A morning or a night person

If it’s possible to be a neither, he’s a neither, in the sense that he doesn’t really pay attention to time if he’s busy. This is deeply annoying if you have the misfortune to be on his contacts list, you get calls at stupid o-clock in the morning because he ‘just had a thought’  he wanted to share and he doesn’t care if you were sleeping I don’t think he’s very good at sleep, actually, he just blacks out occasionally and calls it good

A waffle or pancake person

waffles are considered inherently superior because you can make crossword grids in the little squares

Coffee or tea person

mainly drinks tea, particularly builder’s tea, made straight in the mug, usually to be drunk while maintaining eye contact with Jervis, who gave him a perfectly good tea set Edward never uses because he’s an awkward sod

Cake or ice cream person

Prefers cake, but would never turn down ice cream

Paper or e-book person

still stuck on paper books and just paper in general- may be one of the few remaining people buying a physical copy of newspapers in Gotham because he absolutely refuses to do the crossword online; if he’s not starting the day with newsprint all over his fingers, is he even really living?

And yes, he’s Completely Insufferable about it

Beach or mountain person

Both of these seem rather exposed, he prefers the dark alleys and narrow streets of a city, wide open spaces make him twitchy

Pen or pencil person

Either really, but he always does the crossword in pen, pointedly, so people can see how smart he is

Video games or board games

As a small departure from normal Riddler canon, he doesn’t really go for video games, growing up in the 60s/70s with little money they weren’t a thing for him; the closest he gets now is the occasional round of Words with Friends with Oswald, except it usually turns into Expletives with People on the Brink of Throwing This Entire Relationship in the Bin

Type or handwrite

As you might imagine, he handwrites, and does a nifty line in forgeries too

Rather be too cold or too hot

He would always rather be too cold, Gotham summers are a deep trial for him since he refuses to be seen in anything other than a three piece suit 

(’just take off one layer, Edward, what do you think is going to happen’ Vicki tells him, ‘absolutely not, die,’ Edward replies, lying on the sofa and fanning himself with the paper. She has no sympathy for him and neither should anyone else)

Sing or dance

He sings- he’s not a bad singer, actually- not a great singer, but he can carry a tune. sadly he dances like David Bowie circa 1978 and that style only really worked for Bowie, so the less said about that the better

An OTP I have including them:

For my version of the Riddler? hm. undecided. As a friendship, Vicki Vale and Edward would be the main one. Could it be more? I’ll see how it develops. Does it need a ship name? only if I can think of a Really Daft One.

A NOTP I have including them:

Again, I don’t have any I’d say were a definite no

A hidden talent they have:

difficult to think of hidden talents Edward has, I mean, if he’s got a talent, he normally doesn’t shut up about it; but i don’t think many people know that he can knit, thanks to a short lived occupational therapy trial during one of his Arkham stints. 

(yes it probably was a bad idea to introduce sharp implements to the inmates, but some of us were actually enjoying it and were looking forward to next week when they were going to go over how you turn a heel on a sock, except that won’t be happening now, will it, Joker? thanks a lot i hope you drop all your stitches)

[redthreadoffate]

breakfast [p.p. x ofc]

summary: for eva skye, staying over for breakfast isn’t bad at all

day: 4, fluff - light kisses

pairing: peter pevensie x ofc

rating: g

warnings: mistakes here and there.

type: self | requested by: | gift for: | made for: @otp-promptly‘s otptober

requests: open | closed

tagging: @angel-cap, @vanillabullets​

notes: so yeah....

High King Peter woke up to the sound of birds chirping. He checked the clock and wondered why no one had woken him up; it was already nine in the morning.

That’s when it hit him. He smiled at the thought and immediately turned to his side. On the bed with him was none other than Princess Eva Skye. It was her first time sleeping over in Cair Paravel. Although initially hesitant, he was able to convince her with the promise of the best breakfast she would ever have tasted.

She was still fast asleep, her breathing even. Peter shifted for their head to be at the same level as each other. He watched her as he thought how lucky he was to have someone like her.

Without being able to control himself, he brought his hand to her cheek, stroking it ever so lightly, and leaned forward, kissing her forehead, nose, and lips. They were soft and gentle, he wanted to touch her some more but didn’t want to wake her up from her slumber. 

He sighed and closed his eyes for a second, his hand trailing down to her shoulder then to her waist.

When he woke up again, he was surprised to see his lover staring at him, a soft expression turned to shock and he could see the red on her cheeks. “Good morning,” he murmured. He shifted his head into a more comfortable position.

“Good morning,” she echoed. “I didn’t mean to—was it the feeling of being watched that woke you up?”

“So you do admit to watching me as I sleep.”

She shut her mouth.

He chuckled and shook his head. “Perhaps it was. But then again, you didn’t wake up while I was watching you. I stroked your cheek and kissed a few parts of your face.” He could see her getting redder. “I couldn’t help myself, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she squeaked.

Peter smiled and leaned forward again, giving her another gentle kiss. She returned it with the same amount of force, and they stayed that way until Eva Skye let go, a smile on her face.

“Was that okay?” he asked.

“Definitely better than okay.”

Peter chuckled. “Could I have another?”

Eva Skye squinted her eye. “What do I get out of it?”

“A kiss from a very handsome king?” he replied with a laugh.

She scoffed and shook her head. “Fine, I suppose that’s—oh!”

He had his hand on her chin and he tilted her head before kissing her once again. It was a sweet one, and she could feel his love and affection for her in it. She melted into the kiss and sighed in content.

When they gasped for air, she had turned red as Peter watched her intently.

“Was it bad?” he asked.

“Oh please,” she squeaked. “No wonder you’re such a heartbreaker.” She didn’t dare look at his smug face. “Now where is my breakfast?”

Kissing her forehead, he murmured, “I’ve been told that I make the best waffles.”

[moonlightoverthehorizon]

compilation of my favorite otp prompts 7

tag

imagine your otp [x]

Picking strawberries or wild blackberries together during the summer when they’re in season

Relaxing at night on the grass, gazing up at the sky and marveling at, not the stars, but a summer lightning storm

Frolicking in the warm summer rain together after being caught in a storm after realizing playing in it is more fun than fleeing from it

Going to the farmer’s market or flea market together

Attending a local summer carnival and basking in the cliche of the romantic Ferris wheel ride and the cheesy carnival game prizes

Supporting one of their younger siblings by going to one of their little league games and cheering them on

Accidentally (or purposefully) dozing off in a hammock together as the sun sets and the air cools down

Playing with sidewalk chalk like they’re kids again

Imagine Your OTP As Kids [x]

Person A keeps trying to give Person B a pretty flower, but Person B doesn’t understand why.

Person A gives Person B a ring-pop, and when B takes it, A declares that they’re married now.

Person A kisses Person B on the cheek. Person B starts squealing about cooties.

Person A forgot to bring cookies, so Person B shares.

Light Based Prompts [x]

Sunlight: Person A and Person B waking up to see the light shining in the window while they’re cuddled up together.

Moonlight: Person A and Person B sitting outside together late at night and as the temperature begins to drop they snuggle up together.

Starlight: Person A has always lived in big cities so they haven’t been able to see the stars well so Person B drives them out, far away from the city, to show them what the stars really look like.

Streetlight: Person A always wanted to go on late night walks but was to nervous to do so alone, Person B then decides to make a date out of it and they go on a midnight walk holding hands.

Christmas prompts! [x]

Christmas cookies, bonus points for badly building gingerbread houses.

Cuddling together in front of a fire and reading (Better if one person is reading to the other!).

One giving the other their scarf or jacket because they looked cold.

Cooking dinner together.

Flirting while cooking dinner together.

Traveling for Christmas. Home or wherever. Just the chaos and fluff with traveling.

First time spending Christmas living together.

Introducing them to their family.

Old Christmas movie marathons.

School AU Prompts [x]

“I have no one to sit with at lunch so I sat at your table and now your friends are not-so subtly kicking you under the table. Now they’re very loudly whispering that your crush has shown up and oh my god. I have never seen you this red by the way.” AU

“The substitute legit doesn’t care about this class so we’re doing increasingly worse and weirder things to see if he calls us out. And now you’re basically straddling me while a group of kids is singing happy birthday and honestly this is the most romantic thing to ever happen to me.” AU

Aquarium Date Prompts [x]

- “Aww, look at the cute dolphin.” “That’s a manatee.”

- “Are we allowed to touch the fish?” “No.” “What about this one?” “No.” “Ok, what about th-” “No.”

10 AUs [x]

“My dog absolutely adores you, and you absolutely adore my dog. Whenever we see each other, the two of you play for a good half-hour, at least. That’s great and all, but what’s your name?”

“I��m an actor, and part of my costume is a wedding ring, but I totally forgot I was wearing it. Now you’re yelling at me for flirting with you, and I have no clue how to get a word in edgewise to explain.”

OTP AU Ideas [x]

The ice cream truck is giving away free samples to couples; I’m dead broke and single, but you’re just standing there, so, “yes sir, this is my boyfriend of five years; I’ll take the chocolate waffle cone” and “stop asking questions, do you want ice cream or not?”

I got caught robbing McDonald’s on a dare (honestly, it was three quarters and a milkshake, are the handcuffs really necessary, officer?) and now I’m stuck in the back of a police cruiser. The officer picks you up on the way to the station, and you slide in with a smirk and a Wendy’s frosty and say, “You too, huh?”

I go jogging every morning and you’re the asshole who tapes motivational messages on my route, like, Stop running and have a donut at the bakery! and That candy shop sure smells better than running shoes, right? Eventually I get fed up and storm into the coffee shop you work at (A coffee a day keeps exercise away), ready to give you a piece of my mind, and wait…all this time, you were asking me on a date? How the hell does a slogan count as a dating invitation?

OTP AU Ideas: How They Met [x]

Taking refuge from the rain at a gas station

Waiting in line for an amusement park ride/both on the single rider line and get seated together

At a museum, admiring the same artist

Person A has a friend who’s close to one of Person B’s friends, and they set Person A and Person B up on a blind date with each other

Person A goes to the college cafeteria late when there’s an event going on there and it’s packed and there’s literally nowhere to sit, and hey, that kid (Person B) looks lonely, I’ll go sit with them

[lilisouless]

[writing-and-guacamole]

OTP AU Ideas:

1.~The ice cream truck is giving away free samples to couples; I’m dead broke and single, but you’re just standing there, so, “yes sir, this is my boyfriend of five years; I’ll take the chocolate waffle cone” and “stop asking questions, do you want ice cream or not?”

~

2.~I got caught robbing McDonald’s on a dare (honestly, it was three quarters and a milkshake, are the handcuffs really necessary, officer?) and now I’m stuck in the back of a police cruiser. The officer picks you up on the way to the station, and you slide in with a smirk and a Wendy’s frosty and say, “You too, huh?”

~

3.~You’re a street musician and rolling in cash; I forgot my wallet and need money for the bus, so hey, can I join you? Wait...are you saying my plastic kazoo isn’t a musical instrument? You wanna bet, bitch?

~

4.~I snuck a pint of frozen yogurt into lecture-hall, and you’re sitting next to me, silently judging, and I’m this close to shoving my spoon up your nostril if you give me one more superior look, so why don’t you go jump in a—wait, you have ice cream? Hurry up and split with me, no stop being stingy and crap, now you’re covered in ice cream and everyone’s staring.

~

5.~I’m painting my nails in lecture-hall, and some asshole is teasing me about it being useless and girly, and I’m seriously about to cry, but then you’re switching seats and asking if I’ll paint your nails bright pink.

~

(Bonus: you’re the football quarterback, and the rest of your team is lined up at lunch, asking for purple and pink nails, and you’re smirking at me across the cafeteria, and god I think I love you.)

~

6.~ I accidentally wore a glow-in-the-dark shirt to lecture-hall, and the professor turned off the lights for the projector, and hey, you’re glowing too! What do you mean I can’t sit next to you? I have glow sticks and we can make friendship bracelets….of course I carry glow sticks around with me. Doesn’t everyone?

~

7.~ My regular hairdresser is out, so you’ve been assigned to me, and hey, you’re actually really cute, can I have your—WAIT I SAID CUT OFF TWO INCHES NOT TEN!   

~

8.~ I go jogging every morning and you’re the asshole who tapes motivational messages on my route, like, Stop running and have a donut at the bakery! and That candy shop sure smells better than running shoes, right? Eventually I get fed up and storm into the coffee shop you work at (A coffee a day keeps exercise away), ready to give you a piece of my mind, and wait…all this time, you were asking me on a date? How the hell does a slogan count as a dating invitation?   

~

9.~Despite wikipedia being banned as a resource for our essay, everyone is using it anyway; and being the asshole I am, I edit the website to state incorrect facts. The next day, you and I are the only ones who don’t have Audrey Hepburn listed as Shakespeare’s third wife, and you’re giving me a knowing look and raising your hand and crap no don’t tell the professor I need this scholarship.

[darkmasterofcupcakes]

What are the food headcanons for your She Ra OTPs? Like who is the better cook? What are their favorite foods and why? Least favorite foods and why? Who has the worst manners? If you legit haven't thought of these, I completely get it, I just wanted to know if you had any ideas.

Hmmm, well, I never really thought about it, but I think I can come up with answers for each of these question, though the “why” parts of the favorite and least favorite probably wouldn’t be discussed, since I don’t really imagine they’d have specific reasons in most cases.

Catradora

Who is the better cook? I don’t think either of them is particular good at cooking, honestly, but while Catra is better at not destroying everything when she cooks, Adora’s stuff usually comes out tasting…slightly better. Either way, neither of them would ever be asked to cook for a group is all I’m saying.

Favorite foods? For Catra, she has a soft spot for pretty much any kind of fish, but she particular likes sushi, with sashimi (or the Etherian equivalent) being her favorite. Adora has a part time picking her favorite, but she does really love what are basically a sort of fancy jelly donuts that they often serve at parties, particularly at Bright Moon.

Least favorite foods? After getting a chance to eat the sort of stuff that’s available in places outside of the Fright Zone, pretty much anything served in the Horde. The stuff was plentiful and fairly nutritional, but it tasted like nothing at best, and like sand at worst.

Glow/Glimbow

Who is the better cook? Actually, I’m gonna steal a bit of a headcanon from my friend @tolstoyevskywrites, and say that Bow is the better cook, but Glimmer is better at baking. They can both technically manage, but if they ever have to be the ones to handle making the food for an event or something, Bow is the one making the actual meals, while Glimmer would be doing most of the work on the desserts.

Favorite foods? They both have a fondness for ice cream, which is a big part of why it’s their typical “after event ‘date’” thing, though they each have a certain flavor they love in particular, and will always order. Bow gets peanut-butter-fudge-swirl, and Glimmer gets black raspberry and vanilla mixed. Bow also likes waffles and Glimmer likes chicken spring rolls. 

Least favorite foods? Bow cannot stand marmalade - he likes oranges and he likes things like jam and other stuff that’s like marmalade, but he will not eat the stuff itself, even if you pay him. Glimmer, meanwhile, can’t stomach any kind of raw fish - so she usually opts out of any situation where Catra is deciding what the group is going to eat. 

Seamista

Who is the better cook? Probably Mermista, though neither of them really cooks very often. Usually either a member of Mermista’s staff makes their meals, or they go out to eat. Mermista has enough to deal with as part of both the Princess Alliance, and just running Salineas in general, that it’s a rarity she has the time to make more than a quick meal for herself, much less something decent for herself and at least one other person.

Favorite foods? Mermista has a strong love of calamari, though she doesn’t often admit to just how much she enjoys eating it. Sea Hawk, on the other hand, honestly just really likes to eat pretty much anything new and exotic. If you ask him to pick something he enjoys to eat normally, probably something super spicy, since he sees that as a sort of “adventure” because of the risk of pain from the heat of the food.

Least favorite foods? In all honesty, Mermista will eat pretty much anything that’s edible that you give her. Though, she’s not particularly fond of deviled eggs, for reasons even she can’t explain. She’ll eat them if she has to, but only if she doesn’t have other options. Sea Hawk just doesn’t like anything “bland” - nothing specific, but he will be quite disappointed if he has to eat anything that he considers “bland”, which basically means anything without some degree of spice. I guess as an example, he’s not a huge fan of plain mashed potatoes.

Pertrapta

Who is the better cook? After years of living with basically nothing but robots, Entrapta sometimes forgets what exactly is considered edible to human beings. So, probably goes without saying that Perfuma is the better cook between the two of them.

Favorite foods? Well, obviously Entrapta loves anything that can be made tiny, but she really loves things like pigs-in-a-blanket, since they tend to be naturally small by design, rather than simply being a normal-sized dish that gets scaled down to tiny size to suit her love for tiny foods. Perfuma really likes banana pudding, actually - it’s been one of her favorite foods and her favorite desert since she was little more than a toddler.

Least favorite foods? Entrapta isn’t a particularly big fan of shrimp, in any form. She has commented at least once on the fact that her dislike for the stuff is almost ironic, considering not only can shrimp be naturally fairly small, but even the name itself is a synonym for “tiny”, meaning that by most logic, she should enjoy it. Meanwhile, Perfuma is not at all fond of quinoa, mostly due to the texture, though she’s not exactly super thrilled with how it tastes, either.

[incognitajones]

11 Questions

@cats-and-metersticks tagged me!

Rules: Answer the 11 questions of the person who tagged you; make up 11 questions; tag 11 people to answer them.

 1. List your current WIPs!!

From oldest to newest:

Disassemble my Despair

First Steps

The Presence of Departed Acts

True and False

untitled "Cassian & Jyn meet when younger" AU

"not a story" (untitled original novel experiment)

second chapter of Filling the Role

Plus a few more bits & scraps that will probably never turn into a complete story.

2. What’s your favorite thing you’ve ever written?

I can't answer this one because I never know whether to decide based on my experience writing a piece, the finished product, or the audience reponse. Should it be the niche pairing I never thought I'd write but managed to pull off, judging by the recipient's comment? Or the fluffy modern AU I had a great time writing, even if it's pedestrian & unimaginative?

3. What are some of your current goals as a writer?

...to finish my WIPs. 😭

At one point, I had loftier goals of trying to stretch myself and develop new skills: write unreliable narrators, slowburn, more complicated plots, suspense! Now I just want to get them done, even if it means resorting to the most tired resolution imaginable.

4. What first inspired you to write fanfiction?

Other writers, specifically some of the BNFs on a mailing list in my corner of LOTR fandom who were incredibly welcoming & supportive. My creativity is always higher when I feel like part of a community, and that was a good one.

5. What’s your favorite thing to cook for dinner vs. what’s your favorite meal to eat out?

cook: something savoury & filling (beef stew, dahl, etc)

eat out: something with seafood (sushi, coconut shrimp, scallops)

6. What would your dream house be like?

On the water, lots of windows, screened deck (see: my dream home and cabin porn tags)

7. How do you like to start a story?

At the latest possible point. Sometimes I still write a lot of extraneous words to feel my way into the beginning of a story, but I think I've gotten better at figuring out where to chop them off and what can be left as backstory.

8. What’s the biggest thing that convinces you to read the second chapter in a multi-chapter fic?

I'd have to say voice. An intriguing premise, an immersive setting, or a solid plot hook helps, but even if none of those are present, a really good sense of character voice will keep me reading.

9. What fic are you currently obsessed with (any fandom, reading or writing), if any?

or the path the walker, @rain-sleet-snow's Abhorsen AU! It feels like it was written especially FOR ME because it combines my OTP with one of my all-time favourite fandoms in a seamless manner. She's been sending me snippets for a while and it's been very hard to contain my excitement.

10. Describe your perfect Saturday!

Sleeeeep in, a good cup of coffee & my spouse's amazing waffles for breakfast, something not too strenuous outdoors (gardening, walk in a park/the woods, swim), read a really good book and/or write on the back porch, white wine or cocktails at some point in the afternoon, maybe go out to a movie or some live music in the evening. Extremely unambitious, but hey, that's me.

11. Metaphors or similes?

Metaphors! Similes are great too, but I love the immediacy and crisp bite of a good metaphor.          

And now, no-pressure tagging: @englishable, @glorious-spoon, @fortysevenswrites, @kotaface, @dryadrobot, @ladytharen, @skitzofreak, @youareiron-andyouarestrong, @linearla, @jlrpuck, @thegiddyowl

(my 11 questions are below)

What was the last book you read, and what did you think of it?

Are you a multishipper or an OTP type of fan?

What’s a song you always sing along to?

If you could be adopted by a Star Wars character, who would it be?

A movie you can’t help but stop and watch when it’s on TV

What city/country would you really like to visit?

If you had to live in a historical era (i.e. more than 50 years in the past), which would you choose?

Would you rather be rich or have amazing talent in your chosen field?

That one little pet peeve you know is irrational but still bugs you

What’s a favourite small indulgence when you want to treat yourself?

As a child, did you have a favourite toy or stuffed animal?

[comeondowntosouthparkrpg-blog]

Karen McCormick

out of character info

Name/Alias: Alison Pronouns: she/ they Age: 21 Join Our Discord: Already there b Timezone: mst Activity: 7 Triggers: n/a Password: jimmy can fastpass my ass Character that you’re applying for: Karen McCormick Favourite ships for your character: Karen and a shower is my otp

in character info

Full name: Karen Ashe McCormick Birthday: April 14th Sexuality, gender, pronouns: Bisexual, cis female, she/her Age and grade: 16, sophomore. Faceclaim: Meandra [ig: meandradri]

Appearance:

From afar, Karen looks like a pretty brunette in flowing clothing, like her loose blouses and skirts, and her mom jeans with iron on patches to cover fraying. When you get closer, she has pretty honey brown eyes, freckles, and she’s bony. Her skin often looks pale or even yellow from the years of malnutrition, fine downy hairs cover her arms, shoulders, her back. Lanugo is one of the body’s last efforts to keep her warm. She’s not very tall, standing barefoot, she barely scrapes the 5’3 mark, and wouldn’t tip the scale at 90 pounds sopping wet.

She likes to wear loose clothes, because it hides her wiry frame, her swollen joints, and the lanugo. It’s not something she’s proud of, she’s just been underfed for the majority of her life, and pop tarts and toaster waffles don’t offer much in terms of nutrition. She had to save up money from babysitting to pay for her braces, though she still feels insecure about needing them, it makes her feel better knowing one day her teeth will be straight. Personal hygiene is a big deal to Karen, after growing up a dirty poor stereotype, she got a gym membership so that she could take regular showers, and she makes sure to do her laundry at a laundromat frequently. A lot of her clothing is things she’s gotten at thrift stores or made herself, as buying brand new clothes isn’t something she can afford to do.

In terms of her actual style, she likes to wear things that don’t look out of place on her. Things like knee length dresses and baggy pants are her go to, as they’re just fashionable enough she won’t be made fun of, but just conservative enough her parents won’t be upset, and her poor health won’t be made public knowledge. Just about anything she wore could go with her spring complexion, and her soft youthful face.

Personality:

Despite growing up loved by her brother and friends, the bullying she underwent severely affected her self esteem. That coupled with her body that she thought to be abhorrent, she’s very self conscious. Though she doesn’t like to bring attention to herself, there are times she snaps. She can only handle so much, and with a deteriorating physical state, her mental health only would naturally grow weaker as time passes. For the most part, Karen likes to put on an optimistic facade, because it made everyone worry less.

Due to the fact, a parents job is to care for their kids, a job her parents ultimately failed her in, she has deep trust issues. She often insists she’s fine and everything is as perfect as it could be, because she’s terrified of getting used to things being better just for everything to be taken away from her. Like when she was temporarily put in foster care, and the fear of it happening is still there, even though she’s the only one still living at home.

Karen is as neurotypical as she can be, she isn’t depressed, she only gets anxious is certain situations; this one beacon of health in her life stems from knowing what the root cause of her trauma is. Poverty, instead of feeling sorry for herself and letting the self pity and victimization consume her, it gives her a drive to succeed. She’s dedicated to the work she does, and hopes to one day own a successful restaurant that makes enough to be able to donate meals and goods to others in need. She has a very good heart, good intentions, and a love for the world. The world just doesn’t seem to love her back.

History:

Ever since her birth, Karen was never in charge of her own life, she watched her parents fight since before she could talk, before she could really understand what was going on. The air of fear in her childhood home throughout her crucial developmental stages left a lasting impact. Since she started school, though the first grade, she was treated poorly by her parents and classmates. At first she thought it was her fault, that at 7 she should be doing more, doing better. Without a caring environment and parents she felt safe enough to turn to, she turned to the self help sections of libraries. It made her ultimately feel worse that she was so insecure when no one abused her the ways others had. 

Being raised in a church family, that was her next step. What would Jesus do? He was persecuted, again much worse than she ever had, nonetheless she still tried. The next year or so, she spent with the hope in her heart that the Lord’s salvation was what she needed to stop the bullying. It didn’t work, and she kept it internalized, always turning the other cheek. Jesus wouldn’t retaliate, he’d spread peace and love. Thus her optimistic facade was really cultivated; needless to say, the bullies only upped their game. After all, how dare Karen try to be happy? She was in foster care once, so surely she’s unwanted, unnecessary, etc. Of course the unkind words and the violence hurt her heart as much as her body, but she didn’t feel like a victim.

Stuck in her own mind that her trauma wasn’t bad enough to be abuse and that she couldn’t really be a victim, she made a list of things she was bullied for, and worked out a plan to fix them. She was dirty, so she made a point to at the very least, hose herself off and to make sure to always brush her teeth and wash her hands. As she worked on the list of things, the bullying decreased, and it strengthened her mindset that it wasn’t really that bad. Until eventually the list got to things like never having new or clean clothes. That was the first huge turning point in her life, she offered her to babysit kindergartners and preschoolers for a very low wage at the age of nine. Over the course of the year, making almost fifty dollars biweekly, Karen was able to afford to wash her clothes at a laundromat, and even an old used sewing machine. She started taking up sewing classes, home economics, and for the first time in a long time, she started being happy again. At the age of eleven, as she was starting the sixth grade, she came to the realization that she worked. Not just that she was practically working part time to be able to afford the new clothes and school supplies she needed that her parents were supposed to buy for her; she realized she was never really taken care of. Not the way kids should have been.

It made her start to resent her parents, though she debated on it a lot, she never went back to being vamp. The physical rebellion that was getting a new wardrobe and going though all the steps was more than she could do. They neglected her for a long time, but she still loved them. Rebellion of her choice was to do what she needed to do, for years they practically told her she’d never be anything because she was poor growing up, so she used actions to tell them to fuck off. She started babysitting almost daily, and sure it sucked not having smoothies with Tricia after school as often, but when she did, she felt less guilty about not making more money.

The next two years really just went by the same, until at fourteen she learned about Van Life YouTubers, they taught her things like that she could get a membership to a gym to take showers, so she got one in her mom's name. Then she went on to discover the dumpster diving side of YouTube, it taught her about minimalism, how much waste corporations made, and that at the end of the day, most grocery stores threw out their produce. Now she thought getting berries and stuff from the trash was gross, but that didn’t stop her from getting things like bagged salad, and returns boxes. Taking home her trash treasures on her bike, which helped her develop a love of candles, and over the next year it helped her furnish her room. Rich people threw out perfectly good furniture that she balanced on skateboards and brought home with her to clean up and even repaint.

When she turned 16 in April, she got her first job part time as a cashier at the grocery store she dumpster dived at. Her life isn’t much, but she keeps it stable, and her savings aren’t too bad, but she couldn’t live on her own.

Sample paragraph:

In most cases, Karen liked to think that the moment she clocked out of work, that customer grievances didn’t matter anymore, or well, that’s how it was supposed to go. She had just started to unchain her bike, putting the lock and chain in the basket of her bicycle, starting to walk beside it through the lit parking lot. Her plan was to check the dumpster for a returns box, then go home, but certain external forces prohibited that from happening. A large silver soccer mom car came slowly creeping along beside the brunette. The parking lot was rather large, and it was still well lit, so she wasn’t concerned about anything yet, they could be lost.

Her work uniform could be seen under a loose track jacket, slowly making her way towards the back of the store, by the dumpsters, when the mom van sped up, and making a sharp turn to cut in front of her. Instinctively, Karen swings her leg over the bike, her shoe resting atop of a peddle. She wasn’t one to assume she was in danger, and as the stranger rolled down the window, her panic began to subside. It was a nice enough looking middle aged lady, but her words threw Karen for a loop.

“My son likes that bike, he’s a good kid you should give it to him.” This brought everything to a stand still. What? The only intelligible thought that popped into her head, her fingers tightening on the handle bars. Her heart pounding in her chest, reverberating through her body, the confrontation was nothing like she thought it’d be, and she wasn’t even sure what to say.

“But it’s mine?” The statement came out sounding more like a question, her voice sounded almost uncharacteristically shrill, but that happened sometimes when she was uncomfortable. The woman in the car just rolled her eyes, sending Karen’s stomach plummeting, she just knew this wasn’t going to resolved quickly, and being the bag of bones she was, she had no way of defending herself if the woman exited the car.

“You work here, I can see your uniform, bikes are for kids, and kids can’t get jobs.” The strangers logic, left Karen silent, this bike was something she saved up her hard earned money for, so the thought of just giving it away was painful.

Slowly creeping backwards on her bike, giving herself more space to turn around, and her light wasn’t on, which could potentially be really useful. The woman didn’t seem to notice that she was trying to escape. She just looked stern, and if it weren’t for the fact she needed the bike to get back and forth, she would have handed it over. Instead she mustered up every bit of courage she had, her foot springing into action. “No.” Peddling past the car into the darkness, trying to go as hard and fast as she could, going the direction away from here home. This woman was not finding Karen’s home, not if she could help it. After pedaling through a bike path, she stopped at a small out of the way park, in a place she recognized, it wasn’t the park by her house, but it was well lit, so she felt safe enough being here for half an hour, until she could be sure, it was safe to go home.

Headcanons: 

She's not really into astrology, but likes knowing what her sign for each planet means, it's more or less a curiosity thing. 

Karen's very hardworking, especially in her classes, and has no fear of failure. She'll get right back up again. 

The most useful hobby of hers, in her opinion, is her love for cooking. She's been taking a culinary arts class at the community center, and adores it. Not only does it help her fill out her life skill repertoire, she gets to take home good food. 

Due to her health, which she's aware is piss poor, she's terrified of going to a doctors office. Her root fear in this, is that she might be taken from her parents again, and she'd be stuck back at square one. 

Ever since Kenny and Kevin moved out, naturally the McCormicks' had more money, which results in Stewart being more drunk than per usual. Though her mom fights that the money should be saved, it never is.

The only "useful" tip her mother ever told Karen, was that if she was going to get pregnant, the father better be rich. 

She desperately wants a pet, but she can't afford one, so she visits the dogs and cats at local shelters, because it helps her fulfill her emotional need for an animal in her life.

No doubt about it, Tricia is Karen's best friend. 

Anything else: i love u gays

[saltoftheao3]

Safe Space

(submitted by @veraca)

There’s no safe space on the internet anymore for Original Characters and their stories.

Pretty much every single writing site out there that’s existed, I have attempted to post writing on to see what sort of interest I could gauge. “Is this an interesting couple? Is this an interesting conflict? Does the drama between characters enthrall people?” The hard answer after years is: no.

Why?

Two reasons.

One, internet reading is all or nothing- you either binge read and cry when you realize the story you’ve been enthralled by for the last several hours hasn’t been updated in two or more years, or you read things that are under a specific word count.

Two, internet reading is 99.9% about the sex. And the fanfiction, but that’s a sub-category. If you’re writing does not include sex, or is not a PWP, then no one will read it. Bonus points if it’s fanfiction. Congratulations. Your writing has gone from a potential of 5 reads just because it has sex (in the next week) to 200 reads (because it’s sex and a fanfic).

While this dilemma certainly exists and is out there, it was created by supply and demand of us as writers and us as readers. Twelve years ago the internet did have RPers, but people were more willing to click on stories that had characters they didn’t know if it sounded interesting. Now, most people are looking for stories that support their OTP.

Is this something to be concerned about long-term? Yes, and no. While on the surface, it’s just the internet- it’s a fad, no one cares. Actually, people do care. This fad of supporting and only going in to reading characters you know, in a world you already know, limits the amount of new information entering your brain, and as such, can limit your creativity. I once tried exceedingly hard to write a Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction that including the ancient Egypt arc, and the present day with some original characters thrown in. The result was a chapters long story, that never got finished, and ultimately no one ever read. As I browsed around, I saw people were investing in reading sparser written material with less detail, less world building, less creativity. It wasn’t that no one liked my writing, it was that no one was going to click on it because it was chapters (20+) long and looks dense. The same could be said for current writing on many sites today. People are inclined to scroll down and click the story that has 250 words over the one that’s 5,000 words. The concern I have stems from writer’s I’ve talked to asking about this. Do you post your writing online? Why not? The result is they refuse to write anything of substance unless it’s in a RP, with that one certain person, usually as a fanfic RP.

Moving back to my original point: there’s no safe place on the internet for original characters anymore. There isn’t.

We have artists who’ll draw your characters! We have character designs you can buy! We have RPs you can join with your characters!

But if you want to share your creative story with the internet world, be prepared for the cutthroat life of “read for reads” that never follow through, “beta readers” that vanish after they realize your story is longer than 5,000 words, and constantly being judged by how many “kudos” you have.

Ao3 is a fantastic site (when people use the tags correctly). But it’s also horrible. It shows word count, and it shows comments and kudos. Now, my brand new story is competing against this story over here that has 5,000 words, 8,000 likes, and 200 comments. Odds are, people scrolling by will stop and go “that must be a good story” and click it. It’s the same as walking through a mall and seeing a crowd at the food court’s Chinese cart- that must be good food, let’s go there.

We’ve gone from sharing our characters with the world through writing to getting art work drawn of them, waffling around on the story, maybe attempting a comic (because fads got to fad), and a few RPs with the characters… Now, we hoard characters, don’t develop large stories that can be shared with the world, make tons of notes on research we’ve done, and then look for someone to share that information with. Information, not a story. We want a story, we crave a story, but there’s no reward for taking the time to get good at writing. My writing is better than it was twelve years ago, but the rewards don’t exist. Congratulations, you’ve written a complex in-depth story over 200,000 words long and still going! 1 out of 1,000 will read it til chapter 10, 1 out of 10,000 will read it til chapter 50, and only one person that you know of besides yourself will read to your current updated chapter.

So to you, the writer and reader, I challenge you. Go to the “Original Works” section of Ao3, or any writing site, and browse through the new and the old, filtering out the crossover fanfiction. Go for the entirely original writing that someone has slaved over to write and show the world. Fanfiction is looked over every day, and becomes famous for being terrible/bad, but original writing is largely ignored unless it has a webcomic behind it (“Teahouse” and “Homestuck”). That writing is amateur, calls out to you, and is just as creative as some of those wild fanfiction you’ve read.

(submitted by @veraca )

_________________________________________________

Hm. I’m quite puzzled by this submission, frankly, starting with your use of the term “Safe space”, which I find inadequate. You’re not talking about authors being constrained or bullied, you’re talking about lack of attention and interest, so maybe a more fitting term would be a space of interaction with readers, rather than a “safe space”, which holds a lot of different implications.

Secondly... I mean, I post about writing in general, since all authors share similar struggles, but this blog is very much aimed at fanfic authors. It’s aimed at users, readers and writers, of the AO3, and AO3 is ... not conceived as a platform for original works. It’s not.

Citing the FAQ:

“ Although some users may want a place for all their creative work, our current vision of the Archive is of a place dedicated to fanworks in particular. [...] We presume that, by posting the work to the Archive, the creator is making a statement that they believe it's a fanwork.“

And yes, I’m aware there are currently almost 45,000 works tagged with “Original work” (even if a lot of them are still conceived as part of a bigger fandom). But it’s not the main goal. It’s a space for fannish stuff.

And authors who write original work have my entire admiration and respect, but...when i use AO3, it’s because I want fannish stuff. Not original work. Maybe it is indeed because it’s my comfort zone, because I’m already invested in a certain universe and characters, but then so what? It’s what I search for. I don’t think that’s what you intended, but you come across as if reading 150 stories about the same OTP is somehow less worth than reading original work. And, just...no. It’s for entertainment. If you want the same dish over and over, then who’s to shame you?

Thirldy, I’m not fandom old or anything. I really can’t tell if there was so much more space and interest in OCs etc a decade ago. Maybe there is indeed a trend there, I don’t know. But I see tons of writers with OCs across my dash, so I guess they’re still there, and with followship to boot.

Also, I don’t share your opinion that reading on the internet is 99,9% about sex. I can’t find the statistics post right now, but I think AO3 has only about a quarter of E-rated content, and tons of young readers. It’s really not all about the porn. Same goes for length - so many good, incredibly long fics out there with tons of supportive readers.

So yeah. I don’t really know what your intention was with this post. But there’s already enough shame thrown from all sides at fanfic readers and writers, so there’s no need for authors of original works to rant about how we should read their work rather than fanfic.