#project for awesome 2021

[tophyx]

Here is Ivan Wrake (his name never have changed). His surname "Wrake" is like that because he was supposed to be 20 year old mechanic in space ""artificial planet" and "shipwreck" in Polish is "Wrak statku" and i mixed english word with polish and that's how i get "Wrake" Surname. The girls name i don't remember. It was i think Mel or Alina.

Here story was so much different from what we have now. It was supposed to be "Oh she is the chosen one" but it changes in the middle of the story and "it was her friend who was trying to keep her from madness a chosen one" because i hated the way they made Rey in Star wars. But it changed. Also she was adopted by royal family after royals killed her whole species and she was left because she befriended King's son. YEAH It was weird and not logical story. At this point Mel/Alina becomes Aelin and i forgot name of her brother - the crown prince, but Ivan is still Ivan Yay! Also they was older teens very close to 20.

I really liked their design from 2022 but it wasn't much what people had worn in 80s-90s (but i still love idea that they have dragon spirit in their team or at least as a pet. Like a cooler lizard). Also they stopped being aliens and stopped having alien friends. Here Aelin got split into three different characters. Tajana (first on left), Troy (first on right) and Princess Elizabeth (this one was influenced because of Tommyinnit's jokes). They were also changed to be more in early teens than around 20.

(From left: Tajana, Ivan and Troy)

And here is my final version from last year (2024). They finally look like teenagers and the art style is very close to style of cartoons that i used to watch as a kid. They finally got birth dates!

Troy is born around 5th September 1974, Tajana is born at 1st January 1975 and Ivan is at 28 February 1977.

So their ages isn't the same that make them having their own friend groups and add more characters (they have different school mates. Only in a moment where Tajana gets to Troy's class because she is at Troy's level of knowledge and learning, so they moved her to a higher class, they share class mates and friends). They got more sibling energy than before and to be honest they are perfect to me.

So this is my main project characters!

[pinkyjulien]

━ The RVC00N Dumpster 🦝

⚡ Cyberfan Pack

Rework of an old community project, now as standalone items! Custom "Team Pawel" Jacket One plain "Cyberpunk" shirt One "Cyberpunk" cropped top for both Masc V and Fem V

🎒 Compatible with Equipment EX 🧡 Thanks to SmallSandayu, Vos-Videmus and Wolfie for allowing me to re-use our old little photoset for the previews!

[bandoseka-cards]

Kitani Haruka (MORE MORE JUMP!) An Idol's Duty ★★★ (Untrained) (Set: My Color!)

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Sex witch I need your help. After seeing the books by black women discourse post I came to the decision that for every prompt that I filled in my bingo with a book by a white author, I’m going to redo with a book by a nonwhite author. Problem is that I was going to read revolting prostitutes for the social justice and activism prompt except as far as I know neither of the authors are racialised. As the resident pro sex nonfic reading person I know of, do you have any books about sex work activism written by non white people? Im doing my own research as well but thought I might ask you as well. Cheers and godspeed

hi anon,

I LOVE a fun little research challenge, and I especially enjoyed this one. it's awesome that you're so dedicated to seeing through the book bingo with authors of color, and that you're so passionate in this particular topic! I found a lot of books that I'm definitely adding to my own-to read list.

an anthology that I've had on my own list for a while is the anthology Working It: Sex Workers on the Work of Sex, which features contributions from sex workers with a wide array of racial identities, nationalities, and cultural backgrounds and has at least one Black editor, peech breshears (who I've seen referred to with both she/her and they/them pronouns, preferred identity unknown).

it also may not be exactly the type of nonfiction you're after if you're looking for something similar to Revolting Prostitutes, but there are also some very cool memoirs in this area. Maya Angelou's Gathering Together In My Name recounts her own time in sex work as a young mother, both as a pimp and as a sex worker herself, and for a more contemporary account of working in the porn industry there's Asa Akira's Insatiable.

some other very cool-sounding titles that I've amassed, listed chronologically:

I've Got to Make My Livin': Black Women's Sex Work in Turn-of-the-Century Chicago (Cynthia M. Blair)

To Live Freely in this World: Sex Worker Activism in Africa (Chi Adanna Mgbako, 2010)

Dealing in Desire: Asian Ascendancy, Western Decline, and the Hidden Currencies of Global Sex Work (Kimberly Kay Hoang, 2015)

Camming: Money, Pleasure, and Power in the Sex Work Industry (Angela Jones, 2020)

We Too: Essays on Sex Work and Survival (edited by Natalie West and Tina Horn, contains contributions by several writers of color, 2021)

But I Am Here: Speeches, Writing and Art from the Sex Worker Movement in New York City (edited by Kate Zen, 2021)

Not Your Rescue Project: Migrant Sex Workers Fighting for Justice (Chanelle Gallant and Elene Lam, 2024)

and as always if anyone else has a cool title they'd like to drop, I'd love to hear about it and I'm sure this anon would as well :3

[blincheeky]

full pics on bsky ! 🔞

inspired by @/hexhomos's awesome fucking fic please read if you somehow haven't already... really goood fucking incredible top tier stuff in there...

[starryinkart]

Hey everyone! Its the final 50 minutes of the moments before the premiere so I wanted to post this in tribute to an awesome show that has completely started to change my life!

Back in 2021-2022, I had gotten the Pilot of the show on my FYP SOOOOO many times I can't even count it anymore, and I was SO busy with the Dream SMP, and the stress of trying to completely put art behind me as a potential career due to family abuse that I felt so numb in life. I had been forced into things for money by my caretakers and they only saw my art as a way they could leach off of me and make money, so I was in a state of depression and freeze mode!

Then at the beginning of 2023 I finally caved in and watched pilot, and I was in love with the show the characters, the world! Then I watched Episode 2 and 3 and fell even more in love! I started to draw again and I started to get out of that depression! I started to make friends, join projects, become creative again and be genuinely happier! I moved away from toxic family, and harnessed my creativity instead of them crapping on it and trying to keep me trapped. I made Murder Drones Absolutely, Murder Drones Totality and now Absolutely is getting a series (all which Im still going to to be working on)! I've learned and improved on my art so much and became better and happier as a person!

I have a feeling this show changed the trajectory of my life in so many ways that I can't even understand yet, and I know it sounds cheesy, but thankyou for being that change to I needed Murder Drones, and thankyou to Liam Vickers and Glitch Productions for making this awesome show!

To the future of indie animation everybody! <3

~ Starry

[calder]

In every mainline Fallout game except for New Vegas, players can earn the loyalty of a dog known as “Dogmeat.” As part of the main quest of Fallout 4, Dogmeat assists in tracking down the antagonist, even if the player has never encountered him before. When you leave Kellogg’s home, Nick simply starts talking about Dogmeat as if he’s a known quantity.

Perhaps related to this quirk of the world, Dogmeat is first named in this game when the clairvoyant Mama Murphy recognizes him and addresses him by name. The game’s UI calls him “DOG” until he is recognized by Valentine or Murphy. It seems clear that this german shepherd is somehow an independent agent with a good reputation, or something.

Dogmeat does not have a loyalty quest associated with him, which is how the player would earn the other companions’ perks. However, upon finding Astoundingly Awesome Tales #9 within the Institute, Dogmeat becomes more resistant to damage. While this isn’t coherent or conclusive evidence of Dogmeat being a synth, it’s plainly prompting the audience to consider that idea. In light of these factors, his origins have been fiercely debated among the community.

The skeptics and “hard sci-fi” fans out there would have you believe that he’s merely a famous stray dog who solves crimes. But I believe there's something more remarkable at work.

There's a section in the Fallout 2 instruction book called the Vault Dweller's Memoirs, where the player character of the first game recounts what canonically happened. Due to Fallout’s famously terrible companion AI, if you travelled to Mariposa with Dogmeat, he would consistently run into the force fields and get vaporized. So, in the Memoirs, we learn that this is exactly what became of Dogmeat Prime, in canon. He loyally sprinted into a wall of solid light, and disappeared. What if our buddy simply awoke in a new, confusing place?

In Fallout 2, Dogmeat must be found at the Cafe of Broken Dreams, which is explicitly a liminal space. It appears randomly to travellers in the desert. The NPCs within are frozen in time, such as a young version of President Tandi, who mentions that Ian went to “the Abbey,” an area cut from the game. To gain Dogmeat’s trust, the Chosen One must equip the Vault Dweller’s V-13 jumpsuit, which Dogmeat recognizes as belonging to his dead master. You can also attack him to spawn Mad Max, who claims ownership of the dog. Max fits the description of Dogmeat's original owner given in Fallout.

There’s also the “puppies” perk in Fallout 3, which enables you to restore Dogmeat, in the event of his death. “Dogmeat’s puppy” inherits his base and ref ids. In other words, they ARE the same NPC, just renamed. So, the way this actually articulates is that whenever Dogmeat dies in combat, you can find him waiting for you back at Vault 101. In practice, it’s almost Bombadilian.

Lastly, please consider the following developer context.

In June of 2021, the dog who performed Dogmeat’s motion capture and voice for Fallout 4 passed away. A statue of her was placed outside of every Vault in the China-exclusive sequel to Fallout Shelter. She still watches over each player.

River's owner, developer Joel Burgess, honored her in a brief thread about her involvement in the game, and shared much about his thought process and design goals while leading the character’s development. The Dogmeat project changed course early on, after Mr. Joel saw a new member of the art team gathering references of snarling German Shepherds. This motivated him to bring River into the studio, so the artists and developers could spend time with her.

He wanted to steer the team away from viewing Dogmeat as a weapon, and towards viewing him as a friend. Everything special about Dogmeat was inspired by River. For example, whenever you travel with Dogmeat, he’s constantly running ahead of you to scout for danger, then turning to wait for you. This was inspired by River’s consistent behavior on long walks. The only way they were able to motivate River to bark for recordings was by separating her from Joel while he waited in the next room. Reading the thread, it’s very clear that he hoped Dogmeat would make players feel safe, encouraging them to explore, and to wonder. In his closing thoughts, he said the following:

-Joel Burgess

Mr. Joel felt it was important to express that the ambiguity of Dogmeat’s origin in Fallout 4 was deliberately built into his presentation. He also felt it was important that you know Dogmeat loves you. Dogmeat was designed, on every level, to reflect the audience’s inspirations, and to empower their curiosity.

The true lore of Dogmeat is a rorschach test. The only “right” answer is to pursue whatever captures your imagination.

[april-is]

April 20, 2025: Poem in the Shape of the Poet Beating Henry Kissinger to Death with Their Bare Hands, Felix Lecocq

Poem in the Shape of the Poet Beating Henry Kissinger to Death with Their Bare Hands Felix Lecocq

--

(Today's poem is shared as an image, and includes a transcription of the poem as alt text. If you're unable to see it, you can also find it transcribed below.)

US-funded projects addressing the ongoing impact of Agent Orange in Viet Nam (toxin cleanup, support for those with congenital disorders like the poet's) were disrupted by the abrupt dismantling of US foreign aid programming this year. Along with many others.

Today in: 2024: blessing the boats, Lucille Clifton 2023: Wound is the Origin of Wonder, Maya C. Popa 2022: When the Fox Comes to the City, Patricia Fargnoli 2021: aubade for the whole hood, Nate Marshall 2020: Keeping Things Whole, Mark Strand 2019: New Year’s Day, Kim Addonizio 2018: I Know You Think I’ve Forgotten, Jane Hirshfield 2017: The Writer, Richard Wilbur 2016: from Seven Skins, Adrienne Rich 2015: I Ask Percy How I Should Live My Life, Mary Oliver 2014: In the Park, Maxine Kumin 2013: To A Sad Daughter, Michael Ondaatje 2012: My Dead Friends, Marie Howe 2011: Staying After, Linda Gregg 2010: Dream Song 14, John Berryman 2009: What We Kept, Megan Alpert 2008: Please Take Back the Sparrows, Suzanne Buffam 2007: It Happens Like This, James Tate 2006: Tantalus in May, Reginald Shepherd 2005: September Song, Geoffrey Hill

A transcript of the poem text follows:

Text is in the shape of a standing person raising a fist in order to punch someone who is lying on the ground holding up their hands in defense. It reads:

hooking up with strange men on edibles is fucking awesome until you’re lying in his bed afterward and you can’t shut up about how much you want to hit henry kissinger over and over until he stops breathing. like, did you know that agent orange is apparently 100,000 times more potent than thalidomide at causing birth defects and to this day vietnamese infants have an elevated incidence of congenital disorders, including heart abnormalities, and like you’re not saying that henry kissinger is the reason you were born with a broken heart but wouldn’t it be so fucked up if he was and wouldn’t you then have every right to press your thumbs into his windpipe until he chokes to death and your hookup is like yeah you’re right that would be fucked up i’m sorry but what did you want to get i’m placing the order now and you say two spicy potato soft tacos please and you let him pay for it because he’s white and you’re too stoned to navigate venmo right now and it’s only like $2 but by the time the food arrives you’ve fallen asleep anyway, hand over your heart monitor, dreaming of kissinger’s blood dribbling out his mouth like hot sauce

[luluxa]

“How are you real, Sil?” Vander marvels, staring at him in the mirror, his hands traveling greedily down the lines of his body. “So beautiful—and all mine .”

an illustration for this awesome zaundads fic:

[eddieisashifter]

𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐄𝐘'𝐒 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘 ♫⋆ ​🇸​​🇮​​🇳​​🇬​​🇪​​🇷​ ​🇩​​🇷​

♫⋆ 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐘 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄

"Having grown up on punk rock, Eddie Larkin-Crowley has taken the alternative genre by storm. Combining the fiery energy and heavy riffs of classic rock and punk with the lyricism and dreamy vocals of folkpunk and R&B, Crowley's music is completely unique to the scene whilst staying true to both genre's roots. Usually making music about embracing aromantism and fighting amatonormativity or inspired by classic gothic literature, Crowley's albums always have a story to tell from the beginning to the very last track."

♫⋆ 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌𝐒 & 𝐄𝐏𝐒

THROWING UP IN THE BATHROOM AT THE VALENTINE'S PARTY・2021

# TITLE

1 crush culture 2 life's a bit 3 aromantic moodboard 4 eighteen 5 sweet tooth 6 arms tonite 7 kissaphobic 8 against the kitchen floor 9 scared of my guitar 10 that's enough, let's get you home 11 better than me 12 no children 13 awesome party, dude! 14 dead boy in the pool. 15 sex, drugs, rock 'n roll

​🇼​​🇭​​🇦​​🇹​❜​🇸​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇦​​🇷​​🇹​​🇮​​🇸​​🇹​ ​🇭​​🇦​​🇻​​🇪​ ​🇹​​🇴​ ​🇸​​🇦​​🇾​?

"This was the album concept that really first connected to me on a deep level. it's about longing and yearning for something that you think you need, but knowing you can't have. I spent a long time thinking I needed to be in a relationship and forced myself to date so many people waiting for "the one". But, the one never came. From the angry, punk rock energy of "life's a bit", to the more acoustic reflection of "scared of my guitar", all the way to the piano ballad of "sex, drugs, rock 'n roll", valentine's party, as a whole, is the story of someone desperate to find their soulmate, hoping it will complete them, but in the end realizing they hated even being with this person they were so desperate to prove themself to. aromantic desperation, basically."

LOVESICK BALLADS・2022

# TITLE

1 feel better 2 I don't want to be in love 3 i am not a robot 4 never been in love

​🇼​​🇭​​🇦​​🇹​❜​🇸​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇦​​🇷​​🇹​​🇮​​🇸​​🇹​ ​🇭​​🇦​​🇻​​🇪​ ​🇹​​🇴​ ​🇸​​🇦​​🇾​?

"honestly, this EP is just songs that didn't make the valentine's party album. So, in a way, this is the continuation of that album's story. The story of the main character recognizing who they are and their identity, and then...accepting it. Accepting themself as they are. The good ending. I honestly didn't except "never been in love" to go as viral as it did, but I'm glad it did. There was never anybody like me in music when I was growing up. Everything was about romance and finding your perfect match, and it made me feel like I needed it. I'm glad the next generation is getting songs for those of us who don't want that. I'm glad I can be the person I needed in music when I was growing up."

NEVERMORE・2023

# TITLE

1 a tell-tale heart 2 black cat 3 portrait of an idiot 4 kingdom by the sea 5 from eden 6 pits and pendulum 7 outliars and hyppocrates 8 metaphor 9 fall of the house of usher 10 masque of red death 11 amontillado 12 lenore 13 memento mori 14 quoth the raven: 15 "nevermore."

​🇼​​🇭​​🇦​​🇹​❜​🇸​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇦​​🇷​​🇹​​🇮​​🇸​​🇹​ ​🇭​​🇦​​🇻​​🇪​ ​🇹​​🇴​ ​🇸​​🇦​​🇾​?

"Nevermore is a passion project, I admit. I've always loved gothic literature and especially Edgar Allen Poe, so I knew I wanted to write something inspired by it. Nevermore started as a collection of poems following someone descending into madness, like in so many of Poe's short stories. From the haunting melody of "a tell-tale heart", to the rapid lyricism of "outliars and hyppocrates" all the way to the full punk rock release of "nevermore.", this album is a story about a fall from grace and sanity. A lot of it has been inspired by my own battles with mental health and intrusive thoughts, though not all of it is autobiographical, obviously."

DIRT FALLING OVER MY HEAD・2025

# TITLE

1 bugabear 2 boys will be bugs 3 curses 4 hand me my shovel, I’m going in! 5 the hand the feeds 6 family happiness 7 fuck you i'm going underground 8 maggot 9 on drowning - live 10 bury a friend 11 the foundations of decay 12 eat your young 13 a burning hill 14 the ramblings of a lunatic 15 little dark age 16 meet me in the woods

​🇼​​🇭​​🇦​​🇹​❜​🇸​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇦​​🇷​​🇹​​🇮​​🇸​​🇹​ ​🇭​​🇦​​🇻​​🇪​ ​🇹​​🇴​ ​🇸​​🇦​​🇾​?

"This album, honest to god, blossomed from my random impulsive thought on day; "what if I just ran away and went feral in the woods?" I entertained the thought and wrote "bugabear" and it all went downhill from there. dirt falling over my head, from the bootstamping "the hand that feeds", to the haunting "maggot" all the way to the eerie "little dark age" and "meet me in the woods", is about the idea of running away from civilation and becoming one with the woods. however, what happens when you become one with the woods? you don't just become part of the woods, they become a part of you too. moss grows up in your lungs and your skin cracks like bark. you're something more than human now, and how will you repay the woods for it?"

PHILIA (AND OTHER GREEK WORDS FOR LOVE)・2027

# TITLE

1 ludus 2 eros 3 agape 4 storge feat. joan jett and the blackhearts 5 xenia 6 mania 7 pragma 8 philia 9 philautia

​🇼​​🇭​​🇦​​🇹​❜​🇸​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇦​​🇷​​🇹​​🇮​​🇸​​🇹​ ​🇭​​🇦​​🇻​​🇪​ ​🇹​​🇴​ ​🇸​​🇦​​🇾​?

"This album is all about exploring the different concepts of love. I wanted to highlight this ever since I learned about the greek concepts of love. As an aromantic person, I wanted to make an album about love without it being inherently romantic, and this was the perfect way to do it. Philia follows different relationships that embody each of the greek concepts of love that their song is named for. It's a bit of an anthology as an album, standalone stories connected by a common theme."

inspired by this post by @viennaswcrld <33

[gwinaesfer]

Shameless Selfpromotion Saturday -SSS

Listen guys (gn)! We need to proudly yap about our creativity more. Of course it's great, when awesome kind souls mention us in a rec-list or reblog our blurbs and blobs. But, let's be real, to most of us, more likely will happen... right... NOTHING! So that's what we do from now on, every damn Maker-given Saturday:

We make a post and show off, what cool stuff we created over the past week. Art, Screenshots, writing (anything from a questionnaire about your OC to the 100K epos...) anything we do is worth to be seen and to be promoted. And by tagging people, commenting, and reblogging, we share the love and boost ourselve's and other's confidence. No matter what form you choose, whether you reblog your initial post, or create a new one with teasers, you decide!

I was tagged by the incredible @pixiedurango and there's a shit ton of people I admire that I want to tag but I'm shy JFSAHOIFSAJODSA so the moots @fanfiction-artist-prototype @thewardenisonthecase @rookinthecrownest and anyone who wants to participate!

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

First, and I'm really proud of it, I FINALLY set my website up! I'm coming back from a very numb period of my life so I don't have much to show yet, but I'm happy I managed to make this and have the proper place to show my stuff and make it easier for people to contact me for work!

(haven't made a post yet but commissions are open if anyone wants to check it out).

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Second and another new project, I started setting up a youtube channel to make art content, because I love it and I don't have close friends/a community to share my interests so I'm making my own. There's nothing in it but it exists now and I'm happy about it. (posting it here in case anyone wants a head start XD).

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

As for art I haven't drawn much this week because I was tablet-less DFISOADOSIAKDSAKOIDA my drawing tablet came in a few days ago so I'm just getting used to it. I did draw this from the Spots to Kiss prompt list (that I would also love it if you guys sent more because this was so fun, I have one more in the works but it's a wip XD).

Calmer week but still a good one <3

[kaylynn-langerak]

Since I'm seeing the original Steve Buscemi sun post going around again, and this has been sitting in my drafts for over a year, it seems like a good time to actually post it. This project started (in 2021, apparently) because SimNostalgia's sun inspired me to make a Paul Reubens moon, then made my own Steve sun to match. This was originally intended for personal use, and was almost shared last year but got left in drafts and later shared with some Discord friends, but I think the time has come to release these handsome celestial gentlemen into the wild.

Credits:

@simnostalgia for the idea, 100%! ♥

@lowedeus for the default package files I edited to create these.

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (S01E03) for the Paul Reubens moon (I literally just cropped and resized a screenshot from the show).

Unfortunately it seems I didn't save the source for the sun image I used, and when I reverse search it now I get mostly various fandom wiki links in lower res, but I'm pretty certain I originally saved it from some "download free pngs" type of site. I put the original unedited image on Imgur, if anyone wants it for anything.

Steve Buscemi and Paul Reubens for their striking visages. ♥

Download @ SFS

[bluebellofbakerstreet]

❤️ Valentine Fic Recs ❤️

Happy Valentine's Day! Lots of fic recs - mostly short, mostly Johnlock, mostly fluffy, all with happy endings under the cut:

(edited because I found some more)

Works without a word count are either Tumblr ficlets or single chapter ficlets in compilation fics - bite-sized, like chocolates. Those works are not rated, but I have marked those that are explicit. All are Johnlock unless otherwise marked. Fluff levels vary, but all have happy endings. :)

❤️ Unconventional Gifts ❤️

Fingers by arwamachine. Sherlock is a hard man to find a gift for.

The Love Song of Dr. John H. Watson by TakePen and Ink. John takes Sherlock out for the evening on Valentine's Day. 11,160 words. Explicit.

Home-made Valentine's Day Present by Golfechoromeo Sherlock enlists Mrs Hudson's help in making a gift for John.

❤️ Something Red ❤️

Valentine's Magic by ChrisCalledMeSweetie. Greg has a trick up his sleeve this Valentine's Day. Mystrade. 578 words. Gen.

❤️ Dinner at Angelo’s ❤️

No Date On Valentine's Day by Avath. Dinner at Angelo's - and a little clearing of the air.

❤️ Candy ❤️

Bloody Valentine by Johnlockedness. Sherlock has made hand engraved candy hearts for John for Valentine's day. Has he found the way to John's heart? 3,223 words. Explicit.

❤️ Craft Projects ❤️

Shape of My Heart by MissDavis. February, 2021: John (finally) moves back to Baker Street. 4,680 words. Teen.

Watson's Anatomy by Calais_Reno. John and Sherlock's first Valentine's Day as a couple. 1,507 words. Teen

❤️ Love Notes ❤️

Obligatory Romantic Gesture Day by 13para_dox. John knows Sherlock doesn't believe in Valentine's Day, but after three years of expecting nothing he gets a surprise. 3,589 words. Mature.

Valentine Hopes by BookGirlWithLove. A box of Valentine cards for Rosie’s class sparks ideas in Sherlock and John - but who will have the courage to act upon them? 1,605 words. Gen.

❤️ Chocolate ❤️

This very short and charming ficlet by 221b-carefulwhatyouwishfor. John brings chocolates for Sherlock.

❤️ Established Relationship ❤️

Vital Organs by midrashic. John wants, and agonizes, and argues with himself. Meanwhile, Sherlock Holmes falls in love. 8,128 words. Mature.

Home-Made Valentine's Day Present by Anne. Blanket Fort.

The Box - Golfechoromeo. Sherlock is smug about always guessing John's gifts. Can John surprise him?

❤️ Elaborate Preparations ❤️

How To Give Your Boyfriend Who Doesn't Know He's Your Boyfriend the Best Valentine's Day Ever by Unicorn Poe. Sherlock is pretty sure that John Watson is his boyfriend. He's also pretty sure that John doesn't know it. But with a little help from a magazine, some friends, three crepes, five dates, one awesome CD, and a stalker van, John is bound to realize just in time for Valentine's Day. 9,832 words. Teen.

❤️ Flowers❤️

Something in his Jeans by moonblossom. It's probably a good thing Sherlock doesn't wear jeans more often - they'd never get anything done outside the flat if he did. 1,980 words. Explicit.

Rose Petals by  Golfechoromeo. "No, it has to be rose petals," Sherlock complained to the man behind the counter. 

❤️ Dressed for the Occassion❤️

Hope is Sweet by Lock_John_Silver. Sherlock wants to be more than John’s best friend. Has wanted it for ages, truth be told. So, when Molly comes up with an idea, that to some extent involves three year old Rosie, Sherlock doesn’t hesitate. 2,977 words. Teen.

Midnight Becomes You by ChrisCalledMeSweetie. Cindersherlock longs to dance with Prince John at the Valentine’s Ball. But what will happen when Mrs. Hudson’s magic wears off at midnight? 1,564 words. Get.

No Date On Valentine's Day by Anne. It was February 14th and Sherlock and John were alone together.  

❤️ Meet Cute ❤️

Check, Please! by prettysailorsoldier. Sherlock and John first meet on Valentine's Day, surrounded by flowers and candlelight in a fine Italian restaurant. It's the picture perfect romantic setting, with just one small hitch: Sherlock already has a date, and John is their waiter. 7,387 words. Gen.

Paris by Avath. Med student John manages to pull an attractive stranger in Paris. Explicit.

Paris by Anne. Student Sherlock and soldier John meet by chance in Paris.

Speed Dating by Golfechoromeo. "Welcome, everyone, to 'Looking for Love,' a special speed dating event to find that special someone for this coming Valentine's Day!" 

Speed Love by Hotaru_Tomoe. John has a celebrity crush on Sherlock, a consulting detective who solves cold cases. He collects photos and fanarts, and write fanfictions about him. One year later, he meets Sherlock in the most improbable place, a speed date evening. 4,182 words. Mature.

❤️ Free Space ❤️

Speed Date With Destiny prettysailorsoldier. When Molly's friend cancels on her at the last minute on Valentine's Day, John is called in from the bisexual reserves to be her wingman at the LGBT society's speed dating event. 10,409 words. Teen.

Enter and Sign In, Please by Mad_Lori. John appears on the Valentine's Day episode of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" while Sherlock is overseas on a press junket. In the Performance in a Leading Role verse. 2,553 words. Gen.

Paris - Golfechoromeo. The twinkling lights of Paris were spectacular.

Speed Dating by Avath. Joh nWatson doesn't expect much from this speed dating event.

Undersense by Silvergirl. John seems to have written Sherlock off completely, and Sherlock's best shot at fixing it lies well outside of his usual toolbox.

❤️ First Kiss ❤️

Conversation Hearts by rsong912. Will U B Mine? 1,382 words. Mature.

Men don't get flowers on Valentine's Day by HoneyPiePuzzle. A story in which Sherlock gets an anonymous Valentine’s present and John gets weird. Miscommunication ensued. 20,814 words. Mature.

❤️ Matchmaking ❤️

February 15th prettysailorsoldier. After a difficult breakup years earlier, Sherlock has decided that romance is something he can do without, but a blind date with the handsome, charming, funny (did we mention handsome?) John Watson might just prove him wrong--if he's willing to take the risk again. 8,148 words. Teen.

Valentine Ambush by Mice. There's a dinner and some romance. Neither of them had quite expected it. Anthea, as always, is to blame. Mystrade. 3,169 words. Mature.

❤️ Champagne ❤️

Home-made Valentine's Day Present by Avath. The boys both ask Mrs Hudson for some Valentine's Day assistance.

❤️ Texting ❤️

Undersea-Rainbows by agirlsname. If John ever saw a picture of how Sherlock gazes at him when he isn't looking, things would turn around very quickly for them. 11,239 words. Explicit.

No Date On Valentine's Day by Golfechoromeo. Sherlock was sulking. It was Valentine's Day. And he, as anyone would have guessed, was alone and dateless. But not John Watson.

He told me by Salambo06. It's Valentine's day, Sherlock and John are at Baker Street. Sherlock's phone buzzes with Irene's text alert and John goes all TLD again and says that for god's sake, it's Valentine's day and he should just reply. 2,941 words. Explicit.

❤️ Candlelight ❤️

No Sex, No Kissing, and Absolutely No Romance by kedgeree. It's Valentine's Day, which is just another day, right? There is absolutely no need for sex or kissing or romance on this particular day. In fact, John and Sherlock have a bet on. John can resist Sherlock for the day. And Sherlock can resist John. Neither one needs sex or kissing or romance. Neither one will give in first. 3,830 words. Explicit.

❤️ Secret Admirer ❤️

The Heart of the Matter by prettysailorsoldier. It's the annual Valentine's Week fundraiser, carnations, conversation hearts, and singing telegrams (oh my!) making their way around the school corridors, and Sherlock Holmes has quite happily never received any of them. So, when he gets a box of conversation hearts containing a message from a secret admirer, his first instinct is that it's an elaborate practical joke, but, as he and his mystery suitor begin texting, he starts to wonder if there might be something to this Valentine's Day lark after all. There is, however, the entirely unrelated problem of one John Watson to contend with before he can be sure. 13,427 words. Teen.

Quo Fata Vocant by prettysailorsoldier. Sherlock is enamored with one of the employees at the university library, wiling away hours of his days just to catch a glimpse of the dynamic John Watson: captain of the rugby team, event manager for the LGBT society, and third-year medical student. Of course, being only a first-year, it's unlikely John will ever notice him. At least, until fate (and a little well-intentioned meddling) intervenes. 18,115 words. Explicit.

Secret Admirer by Avath. Sherlock had been getting letters stuffed in his backpack for weeks. Kidlock.

Secret Admirer by Golfechoromeo. John's secret admirer is helping him to pass his organic chemistry class.

Secret Admirer - Anne. Uni rugby player John asks Sherlock to help him figure out who is sending him anonymous notes.

Love, In Five Acts by unicornpoe. Somebody is wooing Sherlock Holmes—only he doesn't think it's the person he wants it to be. 4,443 words. Teen.

❤️ Confectionary ❤️

A Whole Latte Love by prettysailorsoldier. Sherlock's a regular at a coffee shop near his lab, always coming in at the same time and ordering the same thing. That is, until they get a new barista: a fellow student with a penchant for latte art who will throw a not-entirely-unwelcome wrench into his routine. Latte art totally counts as confectionary, right? No? Well, there are scones, too. 8,277 words. Teen.

Arrest the Man in the Towel by trillian_jdc. Greg met Sherlock during a case at a sauna. What if Mycroft was also there? In a towel? And they end up telling John and Rosie Watson this story of their first meeting on Valentine's Day? While Mycroft bakes? It's a lot of holiday silliness, is what this is. Mystrade. 4,009 words. Teen.

❤️ Cooking with Love ❤️

All Hearts' Day by agirlsname. This time, John has to see the clues. 446 words. Gen.

❤️ Only One of them Knows they’re on a date ❤️

The Importance of February 14th by cypress_tree. Sherlock was born on Valentine's Day. John doesn't know this and invites him out on a date. Sherlock assumes it's a birthday celebration and believes so right up until the moment John kisses him. 3,156 words. Teen.

❤️ Kids’ Party ❤️

Puppy Love prettysailorsoldier. Sherlock hates the class Valentine's Day parties, everything from the sweets to the decorations giving him a headache, and that's not even mentioning the valentine exchange, only one from Mrs. Hudson ever making it into his envelope. That is, until today... 3,775 words. Teen.

❤️ Love Song ❤️

My Funny Valentine by NoLessLuminous. In retrospect, John supposed that it hadn't been the wisest move to cut out early from his date on the 13th of February. To be fair, it hadn't been one of Sherlock's fake emergencies. No, instead it had been a rapid stream of unanswered phone calls from Mrs. Hudson, culminating in an almost indecipherably frantic voicemail, the only distinguishable words of which were "Sherlock," "fire," and (puzzlingly) "bring home some bicarbonate of soda." 5,938 words. Explicit.

❤️ Subtle as a Ton of Bricks ❤️

Before You Know It by Calais_Reno. Sherlock seeks relationship advice. 736 words. Teen.

[duckprintspress]

A Big Gay Market: Sunday, April 27th in Albany!

This coming Sunday, April 27th 2025, Duck Prints Press will be joining over 100 other awesome vendors, a handful of food trucks, a bunch of community organizations, and some wellness groups at A Big Gay Market in Washington Park, Albany, New York. The market will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. along the Knox St. Mall, and the current forecast suggests we’re in for a lovely day. So if you’re in the area, come on down, take in the tulips, and come hang out at the queerest market in town. Learn more, and I hope to see you there!

Also, in March, I did an interview with Cyren, who runs the market! As far as I know, Cyren’s report on the interview hasn’t posted yet, but I thought it’d be fun to post my pre-interview notes. I ended up saying way more during the actual interview, but this covered the basics…

Name: my actual name is Claire, my pen name is Nina Waters, and my most common online name is unforth. Pronouns: any, but I prefer strangers use they/them for me Age: 42 Location: Schenectady, NY Business Name: Duck Prints Press Social Media Handles: most places, duckprintspress, though on Mastodon I’m dppunforth, and my personal account on Tumblr is unforth.

1: When Did You First Start Your Business? What’s The Origin Story?

Okay, so in the early twenty-teens, my friend Burdock was considering going into publishing, and so they took on editing a couple anthologies to which they invited me to contribute as a writer. As they considered where to go in publishing from there, we started talking about maybe doing something together, the two of us, and during the summer of 2015, I started doing a lot of research and formulating a plan to do an indie micro press with them.

In college (circa 2001), Burdock was my roommate, and they and I engaged in a prank war. The original idea was for one of us to defeat the other using library books, music from the J-rock band Gackt, and ducks. However, when the time came to actually defeat each other, ducks were by far the easiest of the three to find, so we started attacking each other with ducks – for example, a duck tied to the pull-string light in my room, a bucket of ducks propped over the door of theirs, that kind of thing.

So in 2016, when I self-published my first book, I wanted to put an imprint on the spine, and was still thinking Burdock and I would do this together, so of course I came up with an press imprint name that incorporated ducks!

Time passed, and things changed, and when all was said and done, Burdock didn’t end up opening the press with me (though they are involved as a writer!), but Duck Prints Press stuck. I started more formally planning the business in 2019, and with support from my family, getting it formally started based on the previous years’ planning and research became my covid quarantine project; I’ve been running Duck Prints Press as my full-time job since December, 2020, and we’ve been an incorporated LLC since January, 2021.

2: How Does Your Business Intertwine With Your Identity?

While I wouldn’t say that my business ties to my personal identity (I am aroace and agender), it absolutely ties into my overarching identity as a queer person. The founding vision of the press is to publish original work by fancreators, especially fanartists and fanauthor. I was and am a fanauthor, and I always dreamed of publishing my original work, but there were a lot of impediments in the way: having a family, having a mental illness, the types of queer genre-crossing stories I wanted to tell, and more. I wanted to make a business where people like me, the friends I’d made in fandom, could publish their work no matter what their challenges were. The overwhelming majority of the people I’ve known in fandom are queer, and our focus is on telling queer stories. And that’s what Duck Prints Press does: while I don’t require demographic disclosures from our contributors, I only know of exactly one person who isn’t queer who works with the Press, and nearly all our stories and all our artwork incorporate queer elements. I want to bring these stories and artworks to a wider audience; I want us to tell our stories.

3: Where Was Your First A Big Gay Market? What Was That Like?

My first market was in October of 2023. Despite threatening weather, it wasn’t canceled at first; I went with my mother and a local author who has become a friend to set up in the absolutely pouring rain. The market ended up canceled within an hour of opening, but even with the terrible cold wet weather and the low turnout, I made almost $200 in the two hours or so I stuck out being there. I knew right then I’d be back: the lovely people, the cool crowds, the queer vibes, all of it was impeccable even on a yuck day. On a lovely day? It’s like being at a little mini-pride multiple times a year.

4: When Did You First Feel Like An Artist? Or, Alternatively, When Did You Feel Like Your Business Was Starting To Make Sense?

I started feeling like an artist – specifically, in my case, an author – when I started writing fanfiction. Before then, I wrote a lot but it always felt like something I did for me, something I wasn’t very good at and that no one outside my family would ever much care whether I did it or not. But when I started writing fanfic and sharing it online, I discovered that people actually really liked my words, and I was also able to produce a lot, consistently, at a high level, and I started to think: wow, I can really do this.

Then I had kids and got stupid busy and that good-vibes feeling kind of fell off a cliff, but deep down, I still know I can do it.

Of course, as a publisher, most of the work I put out isn’t my own, so to answer the second question as well: when I saw the interest in our first anthology, both from people who wanted to write for it and in people who wanted to purchase it. Our first anthology got over 100 applications, many of which were absolutely phenomenal, for only 20 story slots. That told me there was interest among fancreators for an outlet like my press for their original work. And then when we crowdfunded the anthology, we sold over 700 copies and raised over $25,000. That told me that there was interest among readers for the kinds of stories our creators would tell with their words and art.

The rest has just been the slow build from that initial success. It’s been a long process, but we’re finally breaking even consistently, and the future is bright.

5: How Has Your Work / Business Transitioned Over The Years?

…well, there’s more of it. All the time, there’s more of it. I also have a lot more help now than I used to; we started with a management team of five people, and now there are like twenty who help me make decisions, edit, publish, and more. I wouldn’t say there’s been a firm transition, like, we haven’t gone from one thing to another, but instead it’s been a slow build, like adding new blocks atop the existing foundation. Sometimes, those blocks aren’t stable and they fall; other times, they prove to be far more load-bearing than I’d ever predicted. It’s just a process of expanding on the parts that work and leaving behind those that don’t.

6: What Are Some Of Your Other Passions?

Well, fandom obviously! The initial plans for this came into being while I was a big fan of the show Supernatural, but in late 2019 I watched a Chinese historical drama called The Untamed, which was based on a boy’s love book called Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. Unsurprisingly, considering I run a book publisher, I also love to read, and ever since I watched The Untamed, I’ve tumbled deeper and deeper into reading Chinese BL novels – the genre is called danmei.

I also love fibercrafts, though I’m in a bit of a drought recently – just haven’t been in the mood. I sew, embroider, cross-stitch, quilt, knit, crochet, weave, and spin!

7: Any Closing Thoughts?

If you want to start your own business, you absolutely can. Just make sure you have a really solid plan, and make sure you pay attention to pricing your things in a way that’s fair to yourself. Passion doesn’t put food on the table, as I’ve learned the hard way. If I didn’t have a supportive family, I wouldn’t have been able to tough out waiting for my business to actually make money.

Also, queer spaces are more important now than ever. Let’s be excellent to each other, okay? We’re in this together.

[emperor-kumquat]

Hello there!!! How’s your day going so far emperor?

Old time fan here! I’ve been catching up on Some of my old transformers fandoms ever since I watched transformers one, and I remember about this awesome project you and many other creators made (btw your work is outstanding, Keep it up!!!) and I’m amazed at how much has changed and it makes me feel incredibly happy that my favorite transformers prime fan-storyline is still here! I remembered finding your videos when it was back in 2020 during quarantine. I always played through the beta version of “mercy” when it first came out and I remember feeling so excited for it; and I’d always wanted to best path for starscream be at least a good guy since he was my favorite character (and still is today)

And now seeing that the game is still in the works and seeing so many new bots is so exciting and happy to see the dedication to this!!! I know I have to catch up on the lore and stuff but it’ll be a fun experience for me, though I just wanted to ask a few questions before I end my first ever question that wasn’t anonymous,

Question 1: is there a discord server where I could possibly join? I want to make sure I could keep up with the latest updates for this project!

Question 2: I know I’ll need to read the Ao3 storyline for mercy but how does predaking and starscreams relationship grow over time during one of the paths? (I can’t remember but I think it was the one where predaking spears him and just keeps an eye on him— along with the predacons going to live in the wild or something? Can’t remember much lol)

And for my last question;

Question 3: Hows the process of “Mercy” going so far? Seeing all the art being made its absolutely stunning and beautifully done!

And that’s all the questions I have for now; until then I’ll be catching up on all the transformers lore that I’ve missed for so many years! I hope you’re having an amazing day Emperor!

————-J

Thank you so much for being a fan of Mercy! I still work on it almost every day! Editing the stories to improve quality, writing new content, drawing, instructing artists, etc.

Have you seen all the art on the Ko-Fi page? I post the commissions there, so there are hundreds of images to see!

For all the latest updates, here is the Discord server. Just so you know, there is a glitch when you enter that doesn't let you interact right away. Stay in the server until I can fix that for you, then you can write your introduction to unlock the whole server. Please read the rules too.

For the storyline you are referring to, I have fully written the story where the Predacons live in the wild of Cybertron with Starscream as their guide. It is THE Starscream story of Mercy and is a tale of friendship. Your adventure gets dangerous later on, so it turns into a fun survival game too! This is the written version of the choose your own adventure story. It's called "Discovery".

The main paths of Transformers: Mercy are on AO3. There are three full length story games available right now and the fourth is in progress. Check out my complete list of works and you may be surprised just how much has been completed since the beta part 1!

Mercy Part 1 (2020): A collection of the various starts to the game. A bit under construction right now to adapt to new plans. Quality is being improved (and the videos will be redone)

Space Adventure (2021): the choice to work with the Autobots on the landing site/spaceport at the end of Part 1. Travel to other worlds!

Reformed Predator (2022): the choice to eat Starscream in Part 1. Become a carnivorous monster then get therapy.

Discovery (2023): the choice to live in the wilderness at the end of Part 1. Explore beautiful lands and befriend Starscream.

Monstrous Heart (2024): the choice to work with the Autobots in the city at the end of Part 1. Discover the dark secrets of the Autobots and Decepticons, thwart the Vehicon mafia.

Right now I'm trying to do a lot of editing for my older content to improve it. I'm also doing a massive effort to prepare Part 2 videos for the Mercy stories so far. And doing my own Mercy art, annd I really need to write Monstrous Heart to completion this year! One novel-length game every year is the goal.

[vidding]

The Best Vidding Safe Haven?

Forgive the "read bait" meme above but if you are reading these words right now that means it worked. If you are a vidding fan then it was worth it. Vidders.net was born July 19, 2010. It is a Vidder-friendly AO3 Embed Certified Vid hosting & streaming site with over 18K vids. Its growth benefited from You Tube's increased use of content ID and the closing of Imeem. It was mentioned in the "Vidding: A History" book by Francesca Coppa. Its members (most who host some great vids there) include:

Luminosity

Lim

Laura Shapiro

Lithiumdoll

Obsessive24

Clucking Bells

Charmax

Bradcpu

thedothatgirl

kiki miserychic

Milly

Hollywoodgrrl

bop radar

Loki (secretlytodream)

Condsdmlk

newkidfan

NCISMelanie

Shoopdancer

Absolute Destiny

SD Wolfpup

Arefadedaway

camelia1986

adfproductions

Astarte

Such Heights

Mithoborien

mresundance

Just to name a few. You may not recognize these names but if you do you know these vidders literally made a name for themselves with the quality of their work during that time. At least in my opinion. The site is a time capsule of awesome vids even if some of the vidders listed are no longer active. Additionally, it hosts vids no longer available on You Tube like "Boom Boom Ba" by Charmax (a classic Xena vid). And yet it can still host new content without the issues faced on some other vid hosting options.

How much does it cost to host and stream all those vids? Well, that is one of the reasons for this post. The assumption I'm making is that if there is a Vidding "community" it's more likely than not that members of it would see a post like this and/or share it with fellow members of the community. Is it worth it to keep a site like this around? It's mostly been a solo operation for these past 13 years but now I am starting to wonder after such a long time.

I'll spare you the obligation of filling out a poll or survey. I'll make it simple. We have a Patreon account at patreon.com/vidding. If you don't feel it's worth keeping up. Nothing to do. Thank you for reading this far. If you feel there is some value based on what was mentioned earlier, then a minimum level of support at the Patreon is $1 a month. You'll not only be supporting the Vidders.net but other projects like the recent purchase of the Vidding.com domain name and more. The OTW October fundraiser drive begins in October and is on track to raise about 250k. Rasing even 1 percent of that amount would be more than adequate. After all Vids on AO3 make up less than 1 percent of the content on there anyway. I've been told by a fellow fan that I should keep it running but if it's not even supported by a community, it's a personal expense at my expense I am on the hook for. Again, there is no survey or poll to take but if you have questions that may help you determine your willingness to support just contact me. If you find value in preserving the site just visit Patreon.com/vidding or get your questions answered. This form of funding is more sustainable than occasional stop and start donation efforts we've done in the past. If you prefer another form of funding let us know.

I will check in by the end of October to see where things are. I am not going to do anything drastic. It's just that it's been 13 years and I started to wonder especially with my current financial situation but didn't want to do anything without communicating the situation. The site costs about $720 a year to run. At about $60 a month to run so it should be doable.

Boom Boom Ba by Charmax

If you liked this post you might like this:

The YouTube Vid Purge of 2021