#seeing everybody's art and writing every day makes me so happy that people have not let this show down

[slumbergoblin]

:)

[themorningsunshine]

Be My Muse

Pairing - Aritst!Bucky Barnes x Reader (Childhood best friends to lovers)

Summary - Muse - A person or spirit that gives an artist the desire to create things

Bucky has been in love with you for years, but just can't get himself to say it. So, instead, he decides to show you.

Warnings - None, just fluffy fluff 

Word Count - 2.4k 

a/n - This is for @buckybarnesevents ‘s Connect 4: June-iverse event. Card Number - C4037 for the prompt C1 - Aritst. Thank you to the lovely @bluehourbucky​ for motivating me to actually finish writing this. 

"Come on, Buck. Just tell me."

You watched as the man you called your best friend shook his head, once again refusing to let out anything about his upcoming art exhibition.

"Oh, come on. Don't be this way." You didn't want to pressurize him, but he was acting weird about this exhibition for the past 2 months.

Every single time when he had an art exhibition coming up, he would ramble about it for weeks to you and you loved it. The way he was excited about what he had made and also the way his nervous ticks showed up always a week before the actual event, you loved every bit of it.  But this time, he hadn't spoken a word remotely related to it.

To top it all off, he had said that this was the most important exhibition of his life.

You were bound to be scared.

"Okay, what about this, you give me a hint, about anything, it doesn't even have to be the centerpiece, literally anything, and I will stop bugging you." You were practically begging now.

"Come on, doll. You are going to come to the main event. You can look at it then." He said putting your cup of coffee in front of you, is pretty much one of the only ways to distract your mind.

"See it then? With everybody else? Is that what I am to you, now, Buck? Just a person in the audience? I knew this day would come." You picked up your cup and with a dramatic turn walked out of the room.

Had you stood there for a moment longer, you would have seen the way Bucky scratched his thumb and bit his lips, two of his most prominent nervous ticks.

Only if he could tell you that you weren't just a person in the crowd. No, you were much more than that. You were everything .

He just had to wait.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

The day of the exhibition came sooner than he would have liked, but to you, it couldn't have been further away.

Bucky had been a little distant with you for the past week and you hated it. You hated it more than anything else in the world.

Usually, he would take you with him to carry out the errands related to the exhibition, 'cause he always got super nervous and you would be there to ground him. Like anchoring him back to the shore.

But this time, you had absolutely no idea what even was the theme of this exhibition. Every single time you offered to go with him for anything, he would always make excuses, and you were confident that they were lies 'cause when did Bucky start to go grocery shopping in the middle of the week?

In the almost 2 decades you had known him, ever since you were a kid, he had never hidden something this important from you.

To say that you were scared would be an understatement.

When you finally entered the exhibition, you were proud to see how many people had shown up. You had always known that Bucky would do exceptionally well as an artist and you had taken every chance you got to tell him exactly that.

As you were about to turn the corner and look at the first painting, you almost collided with a wall of muscle.

You looked up only to be met by the gaze of one of your closest friends.

"Steve, hey!!"

You saw as Steve tried extremely hard to hide the huge grin that threatened to spread across his face and you could swear you saw happy tears brimming in the corner of his eyes.

You squinted as you took a step to the side to let a man walk in, realizing you were blocking the way.

"Y/n, you need to come with me."

"Not now, Steve. It's Bucky's exhibition. I need to stay here."

"He has asked you to come with me."

You narrowed your eyes as you asked, "Are you sure?"

Steve nodded as he took your hand to try and take you away from the paintings.

Dread filled your chest. Did Bucky really not want you in here so much?

You follow Steve as he leads you toward an isolated door of the arena.

You turn to look at him and he signals you to get inside.

"Okay, if you are kidnapping me, I might as well let you know that no one is going to pay a single penny as ransom to you." You joke. You have been friends with Steve almost for as long as you have been with Bucky and you trusted them with everything.

Steve chuckles before replying, "Just go in, y/n."

You open the door and take a step in, only to realize that it's pitch dark. Before you can turn back to look at Steve, the door closes behind you.

You take a deep breath and call out, "Bucky? I swear to god if it's one of your stupid pranks, I'll kill you."

Suddenly, a small light gets switched on beside you and you turn to realize that it beautifully illuminates a painting.

You take a step forward towards it, only to realize that it is a sketch of an eye and it's beautiful .

You can see the way it shines with a glint even though it's just a sketch and you bring your hand forward to run it across it.

It is then that you notice the little note sitting at the bottom right corner of the sketch.

All the city lights combined couldn't shine brighter than your eyes.

Your lips turned upwards into a smile as you read the words. Even though you had absolutely no idea what was happening, it was a huge comfort to know that it was all Bucky's doing. You could recognize that handwriting anywhere.

You looked around hoping to figure out at least something, but all that the little illumination below the sketch showed you was that it was more probable than not a huge hall.

Not even a moment later, another small light was switched on just beside the first one.

It was a painting this time. A very old painting.

It was a small girl sitting on a swing hanging from the tree. A blissful smile on her face, carefree and oblivious to the troubles of the world.

When you noticed the bracelet that she was wearing, you took a step forward, squinting to focus on the painting.

It was you.

And then the memory of that day placed itself at the forefront of your brain.

"Come on, Buck." The little 11-year-old girl called out to the brown-haired boy.

He just shakes his head and refuses to move away from under the tree he is sitting, a sketchbook in hand.

"Why do you even like painting so much?" She had asked, crossing her arms across her chest, puffing in annoyance at his lack of response before walking away towards the swing herself.

A smile finds its way to your lips at the memory. It was about a couple of years after the both of you had met, and yet, it was as clear as day in your mind. Even after all the memories you and Bucky created together over the years, small - innocent ones like these from all those years ago never left your heart.

You look at it intensely for a long time. A couple of tears brimming at the corner of your eyes.

It's been so long. You couldn't help but think. The both of you had grown up but never grew apart. There was always a connection, an instant pull that always brought the both of you back to each other, almost like how no matter how far any of you went, you never forgot your way back home.

After some time, you finally noticed the little note written in the bottom left corner of the painting, just like in the first one. But this one was different. This sentence was the one that would change your whole life for you. In the best way possible. It read :

The day that 12-year-old fell in love, without even knowing what love meant. All he knew was that he was going to love that girl with everything he had, till his last days and beyond.

Your breath hitched in your throat. He loved you.

Bucky Barnes was in love with you.

That's when it hit you.

Everything you have ever wanted. The only thing your heart has ever yearned for, was right in front of you all along.

The love that you had read about in books, the kind of love that swallowed you whole until there was no part left untouched, the love that you have looked for your entire life, has been right there. Right beside you. In the form of the oceanic blue eyes that had enamored you for the last 20 years.

You were in love with your best friend.

The realization doesn't hit you like a truck, or leave you gasping in surprise, it brings with it a sense of peace, a sense of everything falling into place.

You look around frantically searching for the man that you had loved all along without ever knowing it.

You loved him when he fought those bullies to protect Steve and got hurt in the process.

You had loved him when he had brought you cookies when you had gotten sick during Christmas, not being able to move.

You had loved him when you had supported him in his decision to do what his heart desired, in his journey of becoming an artist.

You had loved him when the both of you had said your goodbyes while leaving for college in distant cities when the tears had fallen from your eyes and on the ground and he had comforted you that your friendship won't fall apart.

You had loved him in the nights that were spent staring at the stars together, in the afternoons that had been spent watching movies, curled up beside each other, just the two of you.

You had loved him then, and you love him now and you were pretty sure you were going to love him till the world was nothing but dust.

A light suddenly gets switched on just beside the old painting, and this time too, it's you.

Painted years after the last one, it's you staring at the night sky, a soft, content look on your face.

This time, your eyes frantically search for the note, and sure enough, it's right there, at the bottom.

'Cause, darling without you,

All the shine of a thousand spotlights

All the stars we steal from the night sky

Will never be enough

Never be enough

You can now feel tears rolling down your cheeks, as your lips turn into the widest grin possible.

You turn around and as you do so, all the lights in the room begin to turn on, each revealing a painting of you. Taken in the simplest moments.

There is one with you in the kitchen, covered in flour, a pout evident on your face as you had tried to bake a cake for the first time.

There was one where you were sitting at the beach, staring into the ocean.

The one that you liked the most was the one in which you were sleeping contently, a blanket loosely draped over you, that you could swear hadn't been there before.

Before you can look at the rest of them, a voice comes from the corner of the hall and you turn just in time to look at Bucky Barnes himself.

Your smile grew wider if it was even possible and you almost ran off to embrace him when he started speaking.

"One day, you asked me why I drew. Why I felt the need to express whatever it was I felt through a canvas. I didn't tell you, then, but now I want to, doll.

It's you. It's always been you. You have been my muse, my pillar of support, my motivation to get up every morning, my need to paint because there was no other way I could express to the girl I was in love with that she was all I ever dreamt about. That she was everything I could ever want.

I love you, doll. I love you with everything I am and everything I'll ever be. There are a hundred ways this could fall apart, and trust me, I have thought about each one of them more than I should have. But if there is one chance that this could work, that I could be yours, not just in movie nights or weekly trips to the grocery market, but in every way possible, I want to take that chance. In slow mornings and in intimate nights, in tough days and in the celebratory evenings, I want you, I need you to be a part of all of them, doll because life just doesn't feel like life without you."

As if your feet had gained a mind of their own you ran towards him, circling your arms around his neck and pressing his lips to yours.

The kiss was gentle, soft, full of need and unspoken feelings, of time lost, it was everything .

He pulled you impossibly closer to him, not wanting to ever let go.

Finally, when the both of you pulled away, still staying close with the widest possible grins on your faces, you whispered, "I love you too, Buck. So damn much." You say it so slowly, it feels like a dream to him.

You would one day shout out to the world how much you loved him, but for now, it was going to be your little moment. When the city of Brooklyn went about its day just like it did every day, two people who were irresistibly, irrevocably in love with each other stood there, holding each other, in the gentlest of embraces, embers of their love while keeping them warm, strong enough to burn the whole world down.

You stay there for what feels like forever before Bucky whispers. "Doll, be my muse?"

You look up at him, drowning in his oceanic blue eyes, only to reach home, before you whisper, "Forever."  

[casualpersonapersonpeach]

Bonding moments with the Slashers; the silent love

To explain a little: spending time with slashers and it makes them think to themselves how deeply they love you. Sorry I have been a bit inactive in terms of writing lmao 💓 please enjoy babes

[includes: Asa Emory, Vincent Sinclair, Bo Sinclair, Jason Voorhees]

Asa Emory (the collector)

You and Asa were spending the evening together at his house. It was a very stormy evening so you two were sitting by the fire together. His hand tracing soft circles on your back. " I'm just going to get some water if that's okay". Asa nods. You walk up to the sink when you spot a spider had fallen in, struggling to not drown in some of the remaining water sitting in the sink. You in a hurry, put your glass down and carefully scoop the spider in your hands. Asa had gotten up to check if you were okay, when he stumbled on the sight.

Asa stood observing you gently reassure the creature, feeling the need to comfort the sweet spider as it clearly would have been panicking. " You're okay pretty one, you're safe now " you gently coo. You raise your hand closer to your face and softly gaze at the spider. You didn't know much about bugs, but you guessed it may have been a wolf spider. You open the window sill and set it free.

Asa is looking at you so softly. You had no idea that he was even watching you. But he admires how you treat insects with so much tenderness and love- how most would either cower or be disgusted. He saw his love for insects in you. His heart was warm, and full of love. " I love you " he muttered under his breath. You had no idea, you were just peering out the window to see if the spider got back to it's nest safely. You're the most beautiful person to Asa, how you see through his eyes. He'd love you ever so strongly his entire life. To him, you were set apart from everybody else. His special butterfly.

Vincent Sinclair:

Vincent had spent yet another night down in his basement, he had been working on a project. To his surprise you had crept slowly into the room, you were silently hoping to yourself he'd ask you if you'd like him to teach you. Somehow, maybe from some kind of intuitive feeling, he bravely asked.

Vincent had offered you one of his old sweaters to wear, he didn't want any wax getting on your own clothing. " Vincent, I'd like to sculpt you. Sit down for me please" he loved how excited you looked. You looked so beautiful, the way your face gleams with happiness and true curiosity.

Though you had no idea what you were doing and you hadn't sculpt before, it's fair to say you took a genuine shot at it and took your time with it. You put all of your love into every motion of your hands. You knew it probably wouldn't turn out the best, but you certainly wanted to try emulate the way he made you feel every time he created art resembling you.

You wanted to try at his craft, to mould such soft wax the way he did. You had finally finished, and throughout the entire time, he looked so softly at you. Sure, you weren't an expert by any means, but as soon as you show Vincent, his eye swells with tears. He had people apprieciate his art, but he had never seen somebody yearn so deeply to be taught. Especially by him. You were eager and determined, and it was all because of how much you loved Vincent. He held his trembling hands up, held you close and felt his love for you grow a thousand times more.

Bo Sinclair:

It seemed obvious to you that Bo was having a bit of a rough day. Some days his self loathing got pretty bad, you knew he struggled to ask for help for anything. So you had decided to take it upon yourself, and take initiative to help him. Bo had grown tired the past few days, he was constantly frustrated and angry with himself. He was quieter than usual. His truck needed to be fixed and, while he usually was quick to tend to these things, he didn't have the strength to see to it.

Without Bo's knowledge, you would read mechanic books. It was a way for you to feel closer to Bo by taking upon his interests. You decided to walk down to the shop while Bo had been laying on the couch, you assumed he was asleep. You rolled under the car to examine the chassis. You needed to replace oil filter. " What're ya doin' down ther' darl'?" Bo softly asked. " Oh hi baby! I just thought to replace your oil filter. I've just finished" you wiped your hands as you sat up.

" ya' didn't need ta do that for me . I coulda done it". You were worried he might be upset about it, but you did it because you thought it might help him, even just a little. " I just thought you needed.. some rest. I'm sorry". Bo sits next to you, quickly wrapping his arms around you. " Naw naw darl'. I apprieciate it. I'm sorry I hadn't talked to ya much. Just foggy in the head baby. " he kisses your temple, and he cries silently to himself. He loves you so dearly. Even if he struggles to tell you, he always would love you.

Jason Voorhees

Jason had been very downcast lately. Jason had been missing his mother understandably. He knew another anniversary for her was coming up. How he missed her so dearly. Sometimes he still had bad dreams about his dear Pamela. Sometimes you'd instinctively wake up in the night, to Jason awake from a bad dream.

During the morning, you decided you'd visit the site she was buried, you wanted to offer your respects to her and Jason, especially because you knew how much he loved her. " I know we never met, and I know I don't really know you. But I just want to promise you that I will always love and protect Jason. You'd be so proud of him. He's so strong, loving, attentive. I'm so grateful for him, thank you for being his mom." You'd brought her some wildflowers. You really wanted to make the effort for Jason.

When you walked back home to find Jason gone, you knew he had probably gone to visit her and wanted alone time with her. It's okay, you'd wait for him until he was ready to come confide in you. When Jason came home, he had gone to sleep. He felt like he couldn't cope, and you understood that.

You crawled into bed, and fell asleep with him. Sadly enough he had another sad dream about his mother, and he cried to himself. You had woken up. "Jason?". He could only find the strength to mutter " mama ". You wrapped your arms around him as he wept. " I'm sorry baby" you gently whisper. He'd open up to you about it more in the morning, but for now he let himself feel. Jason thought to himself how much he loved you. He realised it was you who awoke early to put flowers by his mother's grave, and how you were laying with him to comfort him. You have eternally won over his pure heart. You are a heaven send.

[donnerpartyofone]

I'm trying to picture the logical outcome of that rhetoric going around about how we should all reblog people's art and fan content out of the goodness of our hearts--like just to satisfy everybody's cravings for attention, as opposed to reblogging if and when we actually like something enough to want it on our own blogs. I mean there's no other reason NOT to reblog something than that you just don't enjoy it enough, so the only reason to press people about reblogs is to override that basic lack of desire and pleasure. With that said:

Let's say person X is earnestly writing and recording really shitty music. You don't like it, but you feel duty-bound to make them happy by acting like you think it's good so you reblog it, all of it, every time. And let's also say your supposedly heroic urge to promote things you don't believe in, to make your blog represent stuff you don't actually care for just to create a feeling of artificial popularity for someone else, catches on, and we all start doing it. Now everyone is playing music they don't like, or are even indifferent to, and we're putting it on all of our blogs, like you're covering your room in posters for something totally uninspiring, that you're only involved with out of pity. And then one day we all find ourselves middle-aged and tired without that much money or energy to go around, and we're still dragging our asses to shows that start too late and go too late, trudging from the bar to the bathroom as the only way of breaking up the monotony of politely sticking it out until your friend goes on--who actually isn't even your friend, they're just some rando on social media who everyone collectively decided to boost out of the misguided notion that we are all owed zillions of notes and followers just because we want them, and now this person gets to go about their days imagining that they're deservedly famous and never learning things like, for instance, you should make art for your own personal satisfaction and not to get everyone else's approval, or that being loved by a few people who really understand you is better than being popular with masses of strangers, or that there are forms of success that aren't just doing numbers on some cretinous website.

One of the more important parts of the above is, person X is not your friend, they're just some guy. In real life, there is a good probability that you will sometimes have a friend who makes bad art or bad music or writes bad poetry etc, and you will feel obligated to go to their show/reading/etc and act supportive and come up with nice things to say until you're exhausted to the point of death. And you sacrifice your time and comfort like this because X is someone in your life who you care about, even if it doesn't feel completely honest to be this positive about everything they do, it's worth it because you're invested in how they feel (this is providing you don't have more of a tough love relationship, which is maybe ideal, but not everybody does so well with that, so ANYWAY). And if you're part of an actual community of artists, everybody winds up buying each other's zines and being the only people at each other's shows and basically just passing the same $10 bill around in a circle forever and man is THAT exhausting, but at least you all know the score, even if no one is saying it.

But what I'm saying is, this is the burden of relationships, the result of not being able to necessarily choose who you love. The most common type of relationship on Tumblr is between strangers; I will never know anything about the vast majority of people whose posts I see, even that I like. I will make some friends and acquaintances, but for the most part I'm here to have my own experience, to follow people because I like what they do, to interact with their stuff for no reason other than that I enjoy it. So for me, the Tumblr pitch is basically "Come to this site, people post all kinds of cool shit and you can amuse yourself for hours!" The pitch should not be "Come to this site where people will conspire to make a charity case out of you by making you think they like your stuff when they really don't," nor should it be "Come to this site where you have a moral obligation to help promote all kinds of random crap you might think is lame or boring, but you're forced to because you feel sorry for strangers who make bad art and you don't think they should have to learn that no one owes them a successful artistic career and popularity isn't everything!" I mean that is a nightmare. If you're lucky you'll have enough of that going on in your real life that you definitely won't want to join a website where you have to do it for people you don't even know. If you're extra lucky, you'll never have to do anything like this at all!

PS If half your likes and reblogs are inspired by charity and not informed by your actual taste, then your approval becomes totally meaningless and nobody should care what you have to say. Same goes for always agreeing with whoever is talking to you and always saying you're sorry even if no one asked for an apology. It's a way of being a liar. You turn your own word into mud.

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

I’m kinda glad you got that ask cause that is SUCH a good way of wording it. My views on the whole pro/anti have relaxed since I got older but never to the point of full on pro-shipping and I couldn’t explain why it just doesn’t sit right with me to fit myself into either category. It’s like anti-shipping is so “nothing can be negative or even morally ambiguous ever” but I’ve seen pro-shippers call people puritans and compare them to actual dangerous right wing conservatives for being uncomfortable with things that are very normal to be disgusted by (like incest and/or graphic porn of young children).

Like why does it have to be one or the other when none of these people are making any sense half the time. It’s such a chronically online argument too. I cannot be bothered anymore

Pro-Ship/Anti-Ship talk: you can see my stance here.

[I denounce the entire conversation to begin and I existing exactly why.]

Exactly like - if we really care about these topics then let's not boil them all down into one question and then fight - without discussing the topics.

Case in Point:

I know why I got this ask. It's very easy to guess - the only person I really write about is Hobie. It's very easy for me to make the connection between Hobie - age - proshipping - 'ew'.

And I think the Hobie conversation in particular, like more than other cases - is ridiculous! I can't scream it enough.

Arguing about Hobie's age is an endless argument.

Every time this argument comes up people on both sides point to the Art Book and like - "Look it says-"

It doesn't say shit.

Literally one the EXACT same page in the EXACT same paragraph they describe him as

'SLIGHTLY older' and 'MUCH older' than Miles. In the same breath. Even the book doesn't know. So if someone is genuinely out here arguing for either side and you believe that you are unquestionably right - I see it as waste of time.

At the end of the day the Hobie in my head is an adult. If the Hobie in your head acts like a teen and you think he's a teen, okay cool. That's how you characterize him. But if you think that YOUR Hobie is MY Hobie - nah. They're both still Hobie, but we're not seeing the character the same

AND THAT'S FINE.

Honestly I'm just happy we got him to begin with.

And because I wanna end it positive

[him and diane smiling at each other AHHHHH]

But like regardles of age- Isn't Hobie such a good role model?!

Like, Miles' dad insists that Spider-man should be a role model, and Hobie thinks the opposite - he's not and he shouldn't be. (I should write about how his violent self-endangering ways may lead to him feeling this way)

But even so, he's a great role model to everybody, without even trying. To Gwen, To Miles, To me, and all the people watching he got into punk. All the young black kids with natural hair. All the alt black people. I can go on and on.

Like, EVERYONE feels safe with Hobie. Because he cares about people - and because of that, he's a role model.

Spider-punk may not be a role model, but Hobie Brown is. To everyone.

[tumbleweedtech]

twenty questions for fic writers

Thanks @losersimonriley <3

how many works do you have on ao3? 69 (heh)

what's your total ao3 word count? 397,040

what fandoms do you write for? Right now? CoD. Previously? Critical Role and the Witcher (mostly Games)

top five fics by kudos Standing on the Precipice - Lambert/Jaskier, unfinished. (Sorry. I'll get back to it sometime.) The Viscount - Lambert/Jaskier (my first published fanfic omg be nice to it) Treasure - Jaskier, hints of Lambert/Jaskier. Lettenhove - Eskel/Jaskier and Lambert/Aiden Epilogue fic Bones - Ugh, Eskel/Jaskier ish, I don't even really like this one.

do you respond to comments? I... try to? I do respond to many of them. My inbox is very, very full because the nicest comments I leave in there to cheer me up on bad days. I appreciate all of them.

what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? You were Spring , probably. I'm not sure. I do tend to love a good deep ache. The pain makes the softness feel deserved.

what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? The Viscount , probably. Happy ending, everybody lives.

do you get hate on fics? Nah. Every now and then there's someone who borders on rude on my witcher fics, but I just delete them. So far I've been lucky and my CoD and CR fics have met with kindness.

do you write smut? Sometimes, largely when goaded or doing so to harass a friend.

craziest crossover: I don't know if it counts as a crossover, but I did There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury from the point of view of Kaer Morhen.

have you ever had a fic stolen? No?

have you ever had a fic translated? Yes, Three.

have you ever co-written a fic before? Yep. And while they aren't usually listed as authors, largely because they argued with me about it, @hungarianbee and @piranhaincaps are often major, massive, absolutely essential to some of the fics I've written because they somehow manage to poke the braincells into trundling along in the correct direction. There's a few lovelies in my discord server who are excellent at coaxing my ridiculously skittish muse back to the page.

all time favorite ship? Truly, no idea. There's so many ships (romantic and platonic) that just fill me with joy. I love, love stories and I love to break apart a character and see how they'd react under different circumstances, with different motivations. It's fun. I will say the only ship art I have on my walls (so far) is pacrimau!ghoap, and johnlock.

what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? There was a Scheherazade fic I had wanted to write but it ... well. Sometimes when you spin stories with other people, the story ends up reminding you too much of that person and you don't wanna write it anymore.

what are your writing strengths? I have no idea. I think I'm most pleased with when I succeed in showing you the emotion in a moment without saying "He was sad." Oh! I am also quite proud of how practiced I have become in writing characters without using any pronouns (or epithets, thank you) for them. I have two characters (one OC, one ... rare char that's basically an OC) that prefer their name, and it's given me a lot of practice. It makes me happy. I prefer my name, too.

what are your writing weaknesses? Tenses.

thoughts on dialogue in another language? Get over it, nearly every browser has translate abilities, no matter how remedial they may be. If it makes sense, if the character does and would switch, do it. Especially if that language is important to the story or the character itself. However - uerhg. Sometimes it's really, really jarring when people use the language in ways that bilingual people just don't.

first fandom you wrote in? Witcher. My first fic was this one: The Viscount . I've considered going back to fix it up but.... tbh? Nah. Let it live as it was birthed. I wrote that 70k monster in ... 12? days. There's bound to be errors.

favorite fic you've written? Essea Eate, probably.

Now for tagging... @jayofolympus-writes, @major-trouble, @frenchkey, @on-a-lucky-tide, and my beloved @hungarianbee. (Only tagging 5 to give the rest of you people to tag lololol

[rillils]

*me pushes you aggresively!!!*

RILS LISTEN. LISTEN RILSS i can't believe you just wrote a story based on my f1 steve. i was completely mesmerized by it that i accidentally squealed so loud at work and had to quickly cover my mouth. one of my coworkers looked at me and said "you okay?" and i said yeah, but truth is NO! I WANT TO ROLL ON THE GROUND AND SCREAM WHILE HOLDING MY PHONE🤣haha oh dear, i'm gonna think about your delicious writing piece for the next few months (especially the one where steve was in the sunset, the kissing scene and bucky's cigarette drop💖 THATS JUST SO MMMWAHH MWAH MWAH). ashdjfdk i love you rils. i love how you react so gleefully towards others' people work including mine (even though i'm still learning how to draw🥺), you always make me swoon with your words and your support is the reason why so many ops continue to pursue their arts hehe. thank you so much my precious. now pls take this little feisty steve💓

AYA MY SWEETS 💖💕🌷💛💫💞✨💖💕💖 AKDHSUHSJSK I LOVE YOU

This is one of sweetest messages I have ever received in my entire life, and I'm still smiling like a complete dumbass BECAUSE I LOVE YOU SO MUCH FJDHKSLSK💕💕💕 I wish I had the skills to write a whole fic based on your art, rather than just a silly little headcanon screamed in the tags, but!!!!! Your art is so inspiring, sometimes I just can't help myself!! IT'S TOO GOOD AHGDUSHSH 💕💖✨💞✨ I'm not kidding here darling, your art tag is an actual treasure from start to finish and I want everybody to know that 💖💖💖 And yes, I will absolutely confess that I have a soft spot for your Steve art, and every time I see a new post, a new AU by you, all I can do is SQUEAL SQUEAL SQUEAL AND SQUEAL SOME MORE

You might still be learning, but your art has such a beautiful, delicate, soft quality that I can't even describe, it's like- like if strawberry milk and peach flavoured yogurt had a baby, you know?? That sweetness! That delicious velvety creaminess!! Aya my love, your art isn't just art, it's a whole mood, it's its own brand of aesthetic, it's a feeling! an emotion!! And it's gorgeous and I love it!!!! with my entire heart!!!! and I'm gonna tell everyone willing to listen!!! And I believe that art always shows a little bit of the artist who created it, and your art radiates pure beauty, pure sweetness, pure love coming straight from your beautiful beautiful heart, 'cause you're gorgeous inside and out, my dear 💖💖💖💖💖

You, and all the amazing talented artists in this fandom, bring me so much joy every day, making all this wonderful art about these two boys that I love so dearly, and when I get silly in the tags (aka all the time, let's be real xD), that's just me trying to convey how happy you guys make me, and how grateful I am for every single work of art I get to enjoy thanks to you all 💕💕💕

I love love love love you sweet Aya, and also I'm 100% stealing that little feisty Steve because *SCREECH* HE'S PERFECT!!!! 💞✨💕💖💫💓💞

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!! MWWUUUUAH

[yukidragon]

Happy Sunnyversary Sunny Day Jack!

It’s hard to believe it’s been a full year since the demo first came out, isn’t it? I know that I’ve only been a part of the fandom since April, but the past 8 months for me have been such a treat that I feel a little sad I wasn’t part of it on day one.

Thanks @channydraws for posting about this sun shiny clown and getting me curious enough to give the demo a try despite my wariness towards yandere stories and games.

It’s been quite a ride. I started off like I normally do in fandoms, just being a quiet lurker, occasionally posting bits of my own content. I’ve struggled for a long time to be more social and talkative.

Then I saw all the posts made by the creator of Sunny Day Jack, Sauce. They were so active and friendly with the fandom, leaving such passionate comments that made me think of how grateful and happy it made me whenever someone did fan art based off my work. They gave me the courage to start leaving my own comments to others in the fandom.

The more comments I made, the easier it got to make them. I found it was fun to just say how I felt about all the lovely art, writing, and just general creativity in this fandom, as well as all the lovely people in it. It allowed me to make so many wonderful friends, and made my love of this fandom grow.

It also helped inspire me to draw and write more. I did my first art trades in years, four of them in a row. I was so proud I was able to be so active with creating things in a way that I hadn’t in, well... I’m not sure ever, really. I’ve always been so slow creating things, and somehow this fandom and all its kind and lovely people and creativity just sparked something in me.

When I started struggling with art again because of my health, and my writing on Sunshine in Hell slowed down, I was frustrated. It always frustrates me when I dip into my lower points when it comes to my creative works, especially when I was doing so well for such a long time. Yet, it didn’t sting so bad this time because the community was just so kind. I still felt welcome even when my ability to create stalled because everyone is just so friendly and are always happy to hear from me.

Then I started making headcanon posts. I’ve seen people do them sometimes and they intrigued me. It always excited me to see people so invested in a creator’s stories that they asked questions and wanted to know more about the worlds they create. The fact that people were asking about my story, AUs, and characters on twitter made me feel so happy, and after I started making posts here on tumblr, the flood gates opened.

Suddenly I was writing again, most every day. Sure, most of it was rough and unpolished, so many what if scenarios and analyzing, but it was so fun to play around with these ideas. It was so encouraging that all of you like them so much. You like my ideas, my writing, my art, and my characters. I’ve spent most of my life struggling to talk with others, being left to feel like no one wants to hear me talk so much, but you all proved that wrong. It all makes me so happy, and I’ll be forever grateful to you all for letting me know that you enjoy what I create and for being such kind and patient people.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for being a part of such a wonderful fandom. Thank you for encouraging me to keep creating in it. Thank you, Sauce, for creating such a wonderful story. Thank you for encouraging me to open up and grow in a way I thought I was too old to. Thank you to the entire SnaccPop Studios team for all the hard work you put into this game that I’ve fallen in love with. Thank you, everybody. I love you all so much. Happy sunnyversary! ❤️💛💙  

[bullet-prooflove]

Donna’s Wednesday Radio Show Prompt List #16

It's that time again! The Wednesday Radio prompt list!

There are some really good ones on there this week!

Please check the updated character list on my pinned post to see who I am writing for before submitting a prompt!

Also do not forget to put the entire prompt into your ask!

I know the sound, of your heart

Your lipstick stain is a work of art

On the doorstep like we've never been apart

I'm in the phone booth, it's the one across the hall

We don't communicate Can you not say what's on your mind

It's not about reciprocation

I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart

Is it all in my head Or was it something I said?

I know he's there, but I just had to call

I said, are you gonna be my girl?

I've got your ripped skinny jeans lying on the floor

It's good to hear your voice, you know it's been so long

You ignite all the colors inside my heart

But if you close your eyes Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?

 a shiny diamond ring with your name on it

I been up against the wall so long, And the bonds that hold me here are strong, Yeah it hurts 

Talk to me Can't you see? I'm on your side

I'd like to talk when I can show you my affection Oh, I can't control myself

Would you wanna run away too? 'Cause all I really want is you

I still remember the day we met, I was hanging on your every word, I didn't think I would ever let, Somebody see into my world

Because I'm trying to forgive And now I'm trying to forget

I see it everyday You hide the truth behind your eyes

So you're with her, and not with me,

You look so perfect standing there In my American Apparel underwear

Say what it is you're trying to say But if you lie to me again I'll be the one that walks away

Oh if you lost your way And it drove you crazy, You would still have me, We work together you'll see, Blood sweat and tears

I can't believe I forgot your name

I was just a tumble went a little too far

I made a mix-tape straight out of '94

But it's enough to make a grown man cry

Everybody told me you were leaving Funny I should be the last to know

But baby in my head I'm nailing you instead

Oh with an aching feeling inside Cutting me up, deeper and deeper Fills me with a sadness that I can't hide

I could see the danger made it more intriguing

When she lays in your warm arms, Don't think of me

She's so sweet With her get back stare

My tell-tale heart's a hammer in my chest

And there's so much skin to see

Looking back over my shoulder I can see that look in your eye

I was bound for trouble when I let myself go

And if you close your eyes Does it almost feel like you've been here before?

I wish that we were starting over

I never dreamed it could be over I never wanted to say goodbye

Hope you know that I'm happy to see you

I know sometimes it will hurt And you wanna hate me

Oh baby won't you come again?

You're so conceited

With an aching deep in my heart

And I'm on the rooftop with curious strangers

You think that you're my shadow But you're glittering like gold

On my mind I can't wait anymore

Could it be that we belong together

I heard he spent last night with her

Every day it's a losing battle

Well I could see You home with me, But you were with another man

And I'm sipping bourbon The future's uncertain

It takes two imperfect people To dance a sweet ballet

We got no games to play So we got no rules

Hallucinations only mean that your brain is on fire

Does it bother you now when I'm not there

Torture - my hads are tied it's, Torture - I'll survive but, It hurts so bad

What does it matter if I lie to you?

Don't think you're perfect either But I love you anyway

The world doesn't matter no when I'm with you

I said that I love you

And when I take my mask off It's you I want to hold

I don't regret it but I'm glad that we're through

Them girls put on a show But they will never know What makes you beautiful I watch them come and go

We'll bicker and battle and drown in our own sorrow

And we left things to protect my mental health

Can't hear what I'm dancing to Just wanna be with you

What kind of fool would keep hangin' around While you treat me this way

But you call me when you're bored

I'll hold you up when you fall down Even if you say I'm rude

Them boys got all the talk But they don't know a lot, You know my every thought That's why I make them walk

you're playing with yourself

chest tight, and I'm ready to go

And the walls kept tumbling down In the city that we love

[a-sterling-rose]

My Valentine’s Day Danny Phantom Ship Rating - I was gonna rate every single ship, but there's too many 🤣

Happy Valentine’s everybody! For this special holiday, I thought it would be fun to rank every ship that is prevalent in the Phandom. To add a personal twist, I’m going to add the rankings for how the couples are by canon and fanon. Do keep in mind that this is my personal opinions and I’m going off of what I’ve seen from these ships. If you have a differing opinion and have fanfictions/fanart that could sway my opinion on a ship, I encourage you to share them with me. This is gonna be a long one, and I’m only going to cover official characters from the show(No crossovers or fan created characters- this includes Wes). Let’s begin!

Amethyst Ocean, Fakeout Makeout, Violet Haze(Danny and Sam)

Canon: 3/10

Fanon: 5.5/10

I’m just gonna rip off this bandage right off. Even as a kid, I didn’t particularly care for this ship. In the show, it just felt like they got together just because they were the main guy and girl characters(sorry Tucker!). From how I saw them, their dynamic is supposed to be Sam is the brain while Danny is the heart: the two being together is what makes each of them complete. However, the show didn’t really capitalize on this, Danny never really challenging Sam whenever she instigated unnecessary conflicts or was just being judgmental. Sam was always right no matter the situation, this being the main reason so many people have conflicting opinions of her(she suffers the most from the show's writing flaws). 

Danny isn’t a saint himself, he has abandoned her and Tucker with ease whenever it gave him the chance for social validation. Canon Danny can be quite sexist actually. He even took advantage of every girl at school when he was the judge for the beauty pageant(Season 2, Episode 14).

They both know they like each other, but neither wants to potentially ruin their friendship. Some say it adds to the drama, I say it adds to my migraine. My AroAce ass can’t put up with this annoyance! Overall, I truly felt nothing when the two got together in the final episode. Beyond everyone around them telling them they like each other and them blushing around each other, do these two have actual chemistry? 

The fanon makes this couple much more tolerable, especially because we actually add nuance to Sam beyond her ‘Goth Vegan Nag’ status. There are some really cute art of the two together that I have saved. However, I think the canon ship has just ruined it for me. I can see why people find them adorable together, but it just isn’t more me.

Brains Over Brawn, Popular Psychology, Strong Smarts(Dash/Jazz)

Canon: 1/10

Fanon: 2/10

In the show, Dash is shown to have a crush on Jazz, something she capitalizes on for Danny to potentially get more social approval(season 1, episode 4). I believe this is the only time Dash’s crush is ever addressed towards Jazz, and I’m glad for it. Jazz is smart enough not to put up with Dash’s bullshit. I’m surprised she didn’t confront Dash more throughout the show about his treatment towards Danny, but Dash is too easy of an antagonist to not use. What would the two even talk about if they did go on a date? Jazz would be so bored being with Dash, he either talking about football or awkwardly trying to reenact a scene in a romance show he totally doesn’t watch. I don’t see it.

For fanon, it’s a bit better since Dash is more nuanced, but the same issue is still present. Dash is just so hostile towards Danny for easy conflict. A well written Jazz would never tolerate that and make it known to the blond. He either changes his attitude, or he can piss off back to Singles Town. From what I’ve seen, people mainly ship them because of how they like the two look together- not compatibility. I feel nothing when I see art of the two together. I haven’t found any fiction that has made me root for them to get together. It just isn’t for me.

Pink Astronaut, Shallow Sapphire, Ghostly Prep(Danny/Paulina)

Canon: 1/10

Fanon: 8/10

Canon Paulina is obsessed with Danny Phantom. Danny Fenton is nothing to her. Paulina has only ever shown Danny interest whenever it suits her and will throw him away once she is done. Canon Paulina is shallow, and there’s nothing else to her. Danny is only attracted to Paulina’s looks, he doesn't care how she acts and how she treats his friends. If these two got together, it would be purely transactional. Funnily enough, it would be Danny to end their relationship once he realizes how obsessive Paulina is towards his ghost half. That or he sees what she really looks like without makeup. Remember, Canon Danny is quite shallow himself. Danny used his judge status to score a date with Paulina(Season 2, Episode 14). He wasn't as much of a simp towards Paulina in season 3, so at least canon knows he wouldn’t tolerate her bratty attitude after everything he’s been through.

When it comes to fanon, now we have something we can work with! The nuances people have added to Paulina in the phandom has made her one of my favorite characters. Some have added so much to Paulina that she is a completely new character. Other’s have addressed her shallowness and gave her a redemption arc. There’s a fanfic that has made me see how these two could work together. Some have her retain a dragon form after the dance event(Season 1, Episode 2). Even when it’s just stories of the two becoming friends, they’re just so cute together. 

Gray Ghost(Danny/Valerie)

Canon: 6/10

Fanon: 9/10

Now this is a drama I can become invested in. Valerie may have been a brat, but she didn’t deserve to have her entire life ripped from underneath her just because of a ghost incident. Seriously, was there really no reason why Danny couldn’t have helped to set things right(like scaring Damon’s Boss, thus making him believe in ghosts)? Nevertheless, the two went on an actual date together(Season 2, Episode 12) and had a good chemistry. The fact Valerie didn’t continue a relationship with Danny for his own safety is beautiful irony at its best. Valerie got an actual character arc and has a hero persona as well. Valerie hates Danny Phantom, but cares for Danny Fenton. A simple conversation could possibly clear things up, but where’s the fun in that? The only thing that keeps me from raising my vote higher is how much Valerie does hate Danny Phantom. The two kinda find a middle ground(Season 1, Episode 18), but of course season 3 makes her forget this and makes her a basic antagonist. They don’t even let her have a conversation with Danny when his identity is revealed in the finale. 

The fanon plays on what the show has given us, but doesn’t fail Valerie like season three did. The fact that fanon just expands on this dynamic instead of having to create things to make these two work shows how beautifully crafted this ship is. 

Dark Gray(Dan/Valerie)

Canon: 0/10

Fanon:1/10

Dan committed mass genocide against humanity and is trying to complete the job. Valerie is doing her best to save what’s left of humanity. There’s nothing here but hate.

Fanon tries to redeem Dan, but it just doesn’t work for me. Genocide is genocide. That shit ain’t cute. The only thing that gives fanon an actual point is that I read a fanfic where Dan sacrifices his very existence to restore his timeline back to normal.

Hunter Silly(Tucker/Valerie)

Canon: 3/10

Fanon: 5/10

Tucker is the one who informed Valerie that the Dog and Kid that destroyed her Dad’s work were ghosts, hence causing her to become a Ghost Hunter. He was shown to have a crush on her before the Cujo incident(Season 1, Episode 11), but Tucker had a crush on anyone who was a girl his age. Anytime Valerie has shown interest in Tucker was to get something out of him: She letting him take her to the dance when Kwan dumped her(Season 1, Episode 2), when Tucker told her about Danny’s parents being ghost hunters(Season 1, Episode 11). It seemed the show tried to set them both together just because they were both black, which I’m glad they stopped once Danny and Valerie were set up as a possible ship. Despite her constant usage of him, Tucker does see the good side of her, hence why he said he wouldn’t give up on her(which was just kinda dropped).

I personally haven’t seen much of the phandom ship these two together that much. I’ve seen some cute art work of the two, but not much fan fiction. I know it’s out there, but I’m not that drawn to the ship that I actively seek it out. Overall just kinda ‘meh’.

Techno Smarts(Tucker/Jazz)

Canon: 3/10

Fanon: 3/10

This is an instance where the Canon and Fanon are tied with this possible ship. Any interest Tucker shows in Jazz in the show is just because she’s a girl. And the Fanon fiction works I’ve seen of the two only have the two together as a means to keep the Phantom Team close together. I don’t feel inclined to seek out works of the ship, but I’m not offended by it either. 

Veggie Burger, Ghost’s Absence(Sam/Tucker)

Canon: 6/10

Fanon: 8/10

This is an instance where the subtext of the canon shows how Tucker may have a crush on Sam. I link you all to this post by @dreamwraith that expands on this more as it made me remember how I shipped these two when I originally watched the show(hence explain why I’m probably not a fan of Danny/Sam even more). They remind me so much of an old married couple already. 

https://at.tumblr.com/a-sam-manson-screencap-a-day/hear-me-out-as-its-something-the-show-worked/axwylxwmv1id

I rank this ship a six simply because of how toxic canon Tucker is, but Sam can be just as toxic back in canon- this is why they work so well together!

Beyond fanart, I personally haven’t read any fanfics for the two, but the art I’ve seen is cute enough to boost the rating up one. 

Jock Goth, Gothic Sports(Kwan/Sam)

Canon: 3/10

Fanon: 4/10

Now this is a ship I personally never made the connection on in canon. Kwan was one of the nice jocks, only really acting up when socially pressured to, but nice when he’s alone. It was out of pity, but Sam hanging out with Kwan was nice of her to do(Season 1, Episode 16), but quickly wanted to get rid of him once he ruined her standing in the goth community. Kwan was having fun with her, but quickly took the chance to be with Star since it meant he could regain some of his popularity status. So in canon, they weren’t the best couple- but not the worst.

I specifically remember reading a fanfic that I really liked about how Kwan realized he developed a crush on Sam, but was too much of a coward to really follow up on his feelings. Sam ended up with Danny in the story, hence making Kwan wallow in his own self-pity for valuing social acceptance more than her. I also remember a fic where Kwan wanted to become legit friends with Sam and the story follows how the two make their friendship work. Not the most popular ship in the Phandom, but one I personally like for friendship. But we aren’t here for friendship, are we?

Twinkle Techno(Tucker/Star)

Canon: 3/10

Fanon: 3/10

Yet another instance of Tucker liking a girl because she is a girl. Star went out with Tucker when ‘Paulina’ was focusing all her attention on Danny(Season 1, Episode 16). She treated Tucker like an errand boy/servant, a fact that he hated enough to be relieved about when Star left him for Kwan. Despite knowing this, Tucker still has a crush on her enough to have dreams about her(Season 3, Episode 9). They would get sick of each other quickly in canon, Star possibly only staying if Tucker had enough money. This relationship would be purely transactional if taken seriously.

I haven’t really seen any fanart or fanfic of this ship, so I’m just going to give it the same ranking as canon.

Sports Satellite(Kwan/Star)

Canon: 7/10

Fanon: 9/10

Once they ditch Sam and Tucker for each other(Season 1, Episode 16), the two remain together for the rest of the show from what I remember. From what we’ve seen, Star is very demanding, wanting basically a man servant as a boyfriend, and I guess Kwan is into it.

I read fanfics adding nuance to their relationship, realizing how toxic their friend group is and just finding solace in each other. Truly they are a cute couple. Shame I haven’t seen any fanart of the two.

Makeup Honor(Dash/Paulina)

Canon: 5/10

Fanon: 6/10

Dash and Paulina seem to only date out of obligation, he being the quarterback while she is cheer captain. They’re with their arms around each other when Danny resets reality(Season 2, Episode 19), but they aren’t really lovey-dovey as you’d expect. They honestly seem more like friends.

Fanon seems to agree with the friendship view like me with their nuance takes on the characters. Whenever they are together, it’s when they are used as antagonists in fanfics. I don’t see this romantic relationship lasting past high school, but they’re fine enough as friends.

Moronic Genius, Brain Cookies, Blue and Orange(Jack/Maddie)

Canon: 9/10

Fanon: 9/10

What is there to say about the Fenton’s? They’re happily married in canon. Maddie has shown she does the occasional romantic gesture, wanting Jack to at least remember their wedding anniversary(Season 1, Episode 8). Despite this mishap, the two seem perfectly happy together. From what I’ve gathered from the subtext, Jack is the one who comes up with the ideas for the inventions while Maddie is who makes them possible. Jack is creative while Maddie is practical. Despite being clueless, the two make a deadly combination.

I honestly believe Fanon overestimates Maddie intelligence. Maddie’s just as oblivious as Jack, she’s just not as loud about it compared to him. You’d think she would have noticed they put the on and off button inside the portal while they were building it. She only read over the prototype portal formulas just as they were about to activate it(Season 2, Episode 16). The Fenton’s are adorable dipshits. That’s what makes them so good together. 

Spurned Affection(Vlad/Maddie)

Canon: 2/10

Fanon: 1/10

Gotta love how canon shows that Vlad would have been awful even if he didn’t get in the portal accident(Season 2, Episode 16). Despite him being against her ghost hunting, Maddie does so in her own secret lab(how did she build it underneath Vlad’s secret lab?). Vlad is very controlling and just uses his accident as an excuse why he’s such an awful person. No, Vlad is an awful person because he chooses to be an awful person.

This is another case of where canon has ruined me ever really liking any rendition of this ship. There are some fics that I read that try to counteract Vlad’s personality by making Jack abusive. Like that’s supposed to make things better somehow? I’m sure there are some works out there that make this ship work, but I have no interest in looking for them myself. 

Family Breakfast, College Triangle(Vlad/Jack/Maddie)

Canon: 4/10

Fanon: 9/10

If canon had the balls to make this a possibility. Well, at least Jack would totally be into the idea. Perhaps Maddie was more upset with Vlad about the log cabin incident(Season 1, Episode 17) because he wanted her to drop Jack, not necessarily because he liked her. The only one holding this ship back is canon Vlad. He’s just too awful.

Fanon has made this ship possible, and it’s the cutest thing imaginable- mainly the bromance of Vlad and Jack. 

Phantom Satellite, Star Gazers(Danny/Star)

Canon: 2/10

Fanon: 5/10

Another shallow canon couple. The two were only really seen romantically together, Star was trying to win favor with Danny for the beauty pageant(Season 2, Episode 14). Any other time Star is seen interacting with Danny is when she’s being mean to him, so there isn’t much else to say about canon.

Another instance of fanon adding nuance to a character, thus making them actually interesting dynamic. The only reason I don’t rank it higher is because Phandom doesn’t seem as interested in this ship, thus being less works to compare to each other unlike Pink Astronaut(Danny/Paulina). I’m not that drawn to it myself to be honest, but what I’ve seen is pretty good.

[vintage-bentley]

If David were giving "wait and see" style answers I'd have a bit more hope but he was talking to the Radio Times which is a reputable publication in the UK so I don't feel like he'd outright lie to them about the nature of Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship.

To be honest, both he and Michael have been pretty clear on this being a ~secret background story~ or whatever, and have repeatedly said it's up for interpretation, and I'm worried everybody's doing another Johnlock where they ignore what the people involved are saying and have convinced themselves they're getting confirmation that will never come. The difference is this would be even WORSE because of the marketing campaign for season 2 and Neil's baity comments.

I honestly don't think Neil would be affected by this either because the second anybody expresses disappointment the asexuals in fandom are going to make it all about them and about how society ignores and invalidates their kind of love etc. I think he'll be successfully shielded. There will be pissed off people (especially olds like me who were book fans first and have lived through this shit a billion times) and I'm sure a huge part of the fandom will be quietly seething but we simply won't be allowed to call it bait because "Neil has always said it's a love story and therefore canon uwu" (even if it's plausibly deniable to homophobes and eludes the casual viewer 🙄).

I also think it's very telling that Neil only drew attention to the fake spoilers circulating when a post appeared saying the season was "500% gay" and that Az and Crowley had many romantic scenes. He has also said that while the marketing dept at Amazon clearly love the show he would've advised them to do things differently were he not on strike.

I know we've all been interpreting David and Michael's tight-lipped squirming when asked about a romantic subplot as an attempt not the give EVERYthing away, but it could also be that they know they're not going to deliver what the audience wants (including, apparently, every single interviewer on press day lol) so have been ordered not to say anything that sets themselves up.

IF all of this does turn out to be bait I am going to become a fic writer just to spite Neil lol. Trust I will be writing the smuttiest fic and finding the nastiest NSFW Ineffable Husbands art imaginable and it will be gay, gay, GAY 😂

I still HOPE we're getting what we want because I'm an optimistic fool. I'm just not sure it's guaranteed in the way the fandom thinks it is.

(btw if this doesn't go through anonymously please message me rather than publishing? Unfortunately I have co-workers and real life friends following me on my main 😬)

Sorry anon I couldn’t help but publish these together, it’s very funny to me 😂

Now, I know you’ve done a complete turnaround, but I do see where you were coming from with your first ask. It’s fun to imagine that the squirmy tight-lipped attitude is them doing their best not to spoil…but it’s sadly true that it could also be them feeling like they’re walking in a minefield, knowing that fans are anticipating something they didn’t deliver.

And I agree with you about fan reception to Neil. Like I’ve said before, spicy straights thinking they can call themselves “queer” has been absolutely disastrous to our ability to talk about queerbaiting. Because that term is really supposed to mean gaybaiting. It refers to the specific trend of shows teasing a gay relationship to get viewers hooked, but never taking it anywhere to ensure they don’t loose the viewership of homophobes. But now since everyone and their mother calls themselves “queer”, they seem to think the term queerbaiting applies to them, too. Which has led us to the point where people say “actually this show isn’t queerbaiting, because they don’t show physical affection which is aro/ace representation! Not everything has to be gay!” (In other words, “this show is gaybaiting but I’m happy about that so you can’t get upset about it”).

So, even if the show ends up being perfect textbook queerbait…we can’t say that, because of how the term has been appropriated. And we’ll have to deal with spicy straights whining about how they’re oppressed by gays wanting representation.

But as I’ve said before, I’m very optimistic about it not being bait! Let’s hope we’re right!

[yardsards]

i gotta say, i really don't agree with the whole "likes are meaningless!" idea that gets passed around here.

i love when people like my stuff! it absolutely delights me to know that people saw what i made and enjoyed it!

of course reblogs are even better cuz then more people can see (and therefore like and reblog) what i made but. the end result of that is still just... Number Go Up. and liking a post still makes number go up even if it's only by 1.

everyone has different standards for what they'll reblog. for some, a like without a reblog means "i liked this, but i only reblog things i love", for others it's "i loved this, but i only reblog things i'm absolutely enamored with", for others it's "i liked/loved/was enamored with this, but i have a theme that i stick to on my blog and this doesn't fit". either way, someone enjoyed your post even if it didn't fit their reblog criteria

like, each blog has different levels of activity. some blogs are super active (are on this site very frequently and/or have a very high 'posts reblogged'/'posts viewed' ratio) and they're on your dash all the time. other blogs are super inactive (are on this site very infrequently and/or have very low 'posts reblogged'/'posts viewed' ratio). this is how tumblr works. this is a feature, not a bug.

if everybody followed those "likes mean nothing!!! you MUST reblog more" posts and changed their habits enough to start reblogging 2x as many posts, than everyone's dashboards would have twice as many posts on their dashboard. let's say a tumblr user's dashboard normally has 1,000 posts on it every day, and they spend enough time on here to see 500 of those posts; they see about half of the posts on their dash. now everyone starts reblogging twice as much, so there's 2000 posts on their dash every day, but they're still only seeing 500 of those posts (unless they start spending more time on this hellsite, which is generally not a good idea lmao)

now this is, of course, not accounting for the TYPE of posts that people reblog

cuz it *is* true that low-effort joke posts tend to get more notes than high-effort art/writing posts do.

which, in some ways, that makes sense. jokes have a wider audience, whereas taste in art is very personal. (and sometimes this effect can be amplified by people reblogging stuff based off of what they think their followers will enjoy. they subconsciously think "ha, my followers will get a good laugh out of this, i'll reblog it" when they see a joke they enjoy but "hm, i like this but i don't know if any of my followers will" when they enjoy a piece of art/writing/etc.. which, i advise everyone to try to stop doing this. not out of any Moral Obligation but bc you're gonna have more fun on this hellsite if you treat your blog as a little bin for shiny trinkets you enjoy, rather than as a performance)

and a lot of times, reblogging high-effort posts means much more to the op than reblogging low-effort posts does. like, i enjoy when my silly little jokes get notes but i LOVE when my art or long meta-analysis posts get notes.

so i DO wholeheartedly encourage people to reblog more art and writing and whatnot, rather than just jokes all the time. but do that cuz you WANT TO, not out of some weird sense of guilt

i've seen people say they've stopped liking posts at all if they're not gonna reblog it, cuz they're afraid the op will be offended. and that makes me really sad. please continue to like my posts, even if you don't quite want them on your blog! don't feel bad! it makes me so so happy when i know people saw and enjoyed what i made, even if they don't share it with anyone.

(i am saying this as someone with a fairly active blog, both in terms of original posts and reblogs, and who consciously makes an effort to reblog more art/writing instead of just jokes, and who makes both joke posts and art/writing posts of my own)

[freebooter4ever]

i actually have another story related to this that kind of...i dont know...shows the difference between what im used to and now. while i was working in computer science education i was an art director - and had to defer to the professors in programming and curriculum -  for the most part i had final say on anything art quality related.

so nick shows up in pittsburgh - ski season was over with and he decided to lend his carpentry skills to theater tech work. and somehow through the theater he was employed at, he got talked into being set director for a local high school play on the side. and then, because i was madly in love with him and wanted to spend every second together like a total idiot, i got roped into helping him paint everything.

so while i was writing a textbook by day - creating the models/joint systems AND planning how they can illustrate introductory programming concepts -  i was also spending my nights from like midnight to 4am painting the sets nick was building. for like two weeks or something. i was dying, but i was very happy about it.

anyway one night instead of us being there alone the actual Art Director of the show was there doing whatever it is she did. and she was watching me paint some stone walls. and she was like ‘thats too much color stones are grey’. and i just looked at her with my two hours of sleep death stare and informed her that this was the underpainting. and nick was sitting over there smirking at us like the smug asshole he is because he already knew me too well by then and he knew exactly who was going to win this battle. At that point he’d also spent enough time making out hanging out with me in my office that he'd seen me do this base layer / top layer painting on digital sets.

because a few things: this is for stage so if you’re going to have colored lights you want to give even gray objects some color to catch it. two, if the lights are going to be bright you’re going to have to compensate a little - you can see this in every dsnylnd ride ever. three - i told her the truth that the initial underpainting was literally an underpainting and the teal tinted gray wash going on top was going to blend all the colors together. This is how you get the illusion of flat objects being three deminsional. Those of us who have worked on low poly games know this ALL TOO WELL. PLEASE lady i do this everyday on 3D computer models its the same fucking concept. i didnt say all this. i just fucking did it. cause i was a volunteer working till 4am what could she do. Kick me out? Haha.

so yeah i won that argument and when the play opened everybody commented on how great the sets looked.

BUT WHAT IM SAYING is that the people who aren’t actually doing the work and are only judging the finished project really REALLY shouldnt be able to have any say at certain stages. they should just trust that the person who has already previously demonstrated the ability to do this shit can do it again. and thats why we have concept art. to determine the direction that the working artist can then formulate a way to reach. and then the person who directed the concept can look at the finished product and be happy. but thats not how it works because they like to be in control \o/

Sometimes i wonder if i actually would have survived working at the studios during the golden age of ani*ma*tion (Besides my being female). Cause like walt was known to be a very micro managing boss - its why the whole place fell apart after his death for a while there. The artists used to ask if walt was in his ‘bear suit’ that day so they'd know in advance if he was going to rip their heads off in critique. And one artist looking for a job actually walked in and told walt that ‘[walts] job is the only job worth having around here’. Who knows. I feel too young to be so disillusioned by this town already.

[drowsyr]

tumlr user drowysr actually you are so right about stobin stuff not being about stobin nowadays. like. seriously do they not have best friends??

my best friend i love her so so much. she was the first person i came out to as transmasc, she was there for my entire journey from 9th grade to now. genuinelt i have never loved anyone more. i have kept living because of her and she has kept living because of me. she doesn't have any favourite colours, but she's partial to light, "nice" brown. we have more inside jokes together than anyone else. we're both ace besties. i know she's only liked one guy her entire life and she knows i fall for a different girl every few months and we've both been wingmanning each other ever since we met.

we've written stories and songs and poems together and i make her art and she writes me letters for my birthday. i'd die for her and even though she never says it i know she'd die for me too. we went as each other for halloween one year and nobody got it because we were already so alike. we're both steve-and-robin besties, lifetime partners, and i genuinely think i've found a soulmate in her. platonically, but i don't think that needed to be said. everything i see has to be told to her first and all the gossip she finds out and all her jokes she tells me first.

i don't think i'll ever find anyone like her. sorry for making this ask a love letter for someone who'll never see it, i started out wanting to talk about stobin. i hope people realise soon that it's about stobin not everybody else. (/half joking).

thanks. have a great day!

!!! ack this makes me so happy to read! i’m so happy you have this <3 i love to love my friends!! :)

i’m aro and i think it’s so real that so many stobin fans are aro/ace… like not to be dramatic (again) but i think it really gives you a whole new perspective on relationships! the stobin relationship just means so much to me and i’m so happy that it makes people think of their own friendships :)

[thepixelelf]

I posted 4,880 times in 2022

1,280 posts created (26%)

3,600 posts reblogged (74%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@jminwook

@woozi

@bisexualgyu

@ only-aroha-would-know

@xuseokgyu

I tagged 4,119 of my posts in 2022

Only 16% of my posts had no tags

#stickynotes.tpe - 756 posts

#seventeen - 678 posts

#golden child - 377 posts

#asks - 291 posts

#astro - 272 posts

#major ursa moment - 169 posts

#woozi - 168 posts

#anonymous - 158 posts

#kpop scenarios - 148 posts

#kpop imagines - 148 posts

rise of the major ursa moment tag 😎 I switched to being ursa halfway through the year so it's fun to see that up there. also omg uji being the only individual person on the top 10... truly I am weak for him

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#and the way seokmins death was explained in 1251 so efficiently and yet made the audience 'figure it out' in the simplest sense— wonderful

@97-liners jackie got my longest tag and it was worth every letter 💕

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

and the universe said,

When soulmates are suddenly thrust upon the world, you are one in a million who wishes they weren't -- and that's before you meet the person (people?!) making your life much harder than it needs to be. And before someone asks you to sign an NDA.

genres: comedy disguised as romance and romance disguised as comedy, soulmate au, technically an alternate universe but they're still idols, fluff, angst?, short chapters

relationship(s): SVT ot13 x reader

warnings: 18+ (there will be no smut but perhaps suggestive parts and multiple references to/jokes about sex and I honestly just don't feel comfy with minors reading my writing of that stuff sorry). coarse language. everybody's a little bit very stupid. individual chapters will have their own warnings

See the full post

593 notes - Posted September 23, 2022

#4

First to Fall - SVT 95 line (Completed!)

What happens when two friends who are ‘bad at love’ want to prove each other wrong?

Genres: romance, comedy, idiots-to-lovers, university au

Pairing: Reader & S.Coups (feat. Jeonghan & Joshua)

Warnings: language, absolute dumbassery

Note: this is a recast of an smau I have posted before

•••

Profiles

1. Taemin from SHINee

2. Scout’s Honour

3. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

4. Boom

5. First Date Types

6. As if

7. Wait What Happened

8. Awkward Silence

9. You Have No Idea

10. Emergency

11. No, Maybe

12. I Need To Tell You Something

13. Should’ve Gone First

14. I Don’t Know

15. Priorities

16. Missed

17. Standby for Backup

18. Starstruck

19. I’m Gonna Do Something

20. Because

21. A to B

22. Let’s Talk

See the full post

651 notes - Posted January 11, 2022

#3

powerpoints I think seventeen would bring to a ppt sleepover

scoups: Exactly How Many Minutes After Midnight Each of You Texted Me on My Birthday

jeonghan: Cheating at Everything: Is it Really a Crime?

joshua: When To Quit a Bit (I Wish I Knew)

jun: Good Soup :]

hoshi: I *AM* a Tiger (NOT CLICKBAIT)

wonwoo: Why Cats Are Better Than People

woozi: Top 300 Best Animes Of All Time

dk: My Friends as Pizza Toppings and Combinations

mingyu: Receipts of Every Time You Guys Have Cyberbullied Me (Mostly Instagram)

the8: The Art of Shutting the Fuck Up Sometimes

seungkwan: 12 Slides of Secrets Y'all Have Confided to Me And I Will Only Skip Over Yours if You Admit I'm Your Favourite

vernon: cat videos 🐈‍⬛🐈

dino: I Am Underappreciated in This Household

832 notes - Posted December 1, 2022

#2

Or, Would You Rather it be Me?

Genres: romance, soulmate au, university au, (no angst isn’t that crazy?!) Pairing: Reader & Vernon (Seventeen) Words: 7.9k (00:31) Warnings: language. (spoiler: the characters make out and shirts are taken off but it doesn’t get described past that) Notes: well well well well well… what’s this? a soulmate fic by casey thepixelelf with no angst in sight? it must be christmas! oh wait, it is (was)! happy (EXTREMELY LATE I’M SO SORRY) holidays mia @ memesolvernonchwe​ !! hope you like it :)

set in the Words that Bind Us universe

A detested soulmark, a friendship over a decade in the making, and an unexpected proposal from one friend to another... what could possibly go wrong?

See the full post

840 notes - Posted March 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Bouquets for a Friend (From a Friend)

Genres: romance, ceo au, secretary/personal assistant au Pairing: Reader & S.Coups (Seventeen) Words: 1.6k Warnings: cheol gets drunk off-screen Notes: another recasted fic because ceo cheol has me in a metaphoric literal chokehold sorry

Your boss gets flowers quite often. This time, when he does, he wants to get rid of them, and who are you to turn down free flowers?

See the full post

wow that svt powerpoint post really climbed up last minute 😭 really happy to see or would you rather it be me here, though, because I feel like that's the post I worked the hardest on in this list. not surprised about #1.... it was a repost but I should've expected carats' weakness to ceo cheol lmao

852 notes - Posted July 3, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[jerseyclown]

hey!!! anon that asked for mcr recommendations and advice on getting past the “missing out” feeling, back again!! first of all i wanted to say thank you sm for writing such a big response and giving me so many helpful recommendations!!!! all of this really means a lot to me and is extremely reassuring, so thank you <33 and i 100% agree that despite my regret of not getting into the band earlier this is definitely the best time to be an mcr fan based off of everything that’s been going on!!!! it is unbelievably heart-warming to see how happy and healthy everybody in the band is right now!! and seeing mcr tumblr go completely off the walls over cheergate recently was such a fun time and god did it make me Feel. i just remember going through an abundance of posts that night from trans/nonbinary people talking abt how much it meant to them and how happy they were for gerard, and for the same reasons it meant a lot to me as well. ALSO omg three cheers for revenge enjoyer hello!!!!! i literally found a three cheers shirt the other day and immediately impulse-bought it bc i knew i’d be dedicating myself to mcr’s discography very soon and that album cover is one of my favourites ever!!!! the album cover of all time (real). not to mention three cheers has the ghost of you on there my babygirl my sweet cheese my rotten soldier <33 oh and i listened to sleep for the first time recently as well????? mass casualties. i think sleep, mama and the ghost of you are my current faves pre-full-discography dive!! and on that note i’m so curious to know what ur fav mcr songs are!!!! AND ur fav three cheers song!!

ANON IM SO HAPPY UR BACK AND GETTING INTO THEM … peace and love on planet earth. its always a good time to be an mcr fan but we are thriving right now. theres a certain contagious joy in their happiness that spreads to us i think and its so beautiful to witness .also im so glad that u are a sleep enjoyer because shes my special girl <3333 love of my life ….

also ur so right abt three cheers album art truly iconic and we will always love . Always

ALSOENEURIUUUGFH okay i feel like my faves shift a lot because my taste changes and also because i truly do not believe they have a single bad song . BUT i do have like a loose top ten, with my top two being boy division & prison (sorry for being gay) and then everything falling into a nonspecific order after that : sharpest lives / jetset life / ftwww / vampire money / honey, this mirror / sleep / our lady of sorrows & either bury me in black or hang em high. i think. i dont know i have brain damage and i could write individual theses about every song they’ve ever made. im dying here . its so hard to be a bulletsrevengeblackparadedangerdaysconventionalweapons girl in this economy

and prison stands as my fav three cheers song but i usually stick jetset life as ALMOST tied with it but also its such a good album like truly no skips. every single song makes me go batshit fucking crazy everytime.