#thank you so much for your honesty

[aheathen-conceivably]

The Darlington story is quite different in the 1920s in comparison to the 1800s and early 1900s. I feel like if Zelda had not been the protagonist, we would still be focused exclusively on the life of rural English farmers. This made me wonder - did you ever feel fear or second-guess the concept of having Zelda move to America? Did you feel like it would alienate an audience who may have just wanted to the evolution of Henford or Windenberg over decades?

Oh HELLO, new friend! What a wonderful question, especially coming from you (who I know just went through that shift in the story). Because there is a shift, isn’t there? Not just in location, but in tone too. I’m going to give you an honest answer: absolutely, and I still do. Not so much because of the change in location, which I think is a relatively integral part of decades challenges, but in a more existential way.

I wouldn’t say that the change happened solely when Zelda moved to New Orleans, but it is probably the largest contributor. Before, we had been functioning in the relatively comfortable confines of a Sims Decades Challenge. That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy writing it, or don’t still enjoy reading them, just that there’s usually a limit to how much of the “real” world is included there. This includes the level of tragedy and hardship the characters face, and quite often, the level of pain and sadness we can expect to feel as readers. Because of the format of a decades challenge too, we usually move on quite quickly, from one gen onto the next so that the sadness doesn’t quite linger the same way.

So I absolutely feared that once we began on a sort of “modified” decades challenge journey (read: one less about gameplay and more about superimposing the sims onto real life and the story I wanted to tell with it), I would lose readers. I was scared people had signed up or got invested in something only to realize that it’s not what they thought it was, or that I had “ruined” a story they had once enjoyed my making it too “serious” or “real.” I honestly still worry about that, and then I go back to check in on our English Darlingtons and think “man, people would be happier if we were still focused on them, wouldn’t they?”

But all this to say, ya’ll have been amazing and have helped me overcome those fears. I’m sure there’s people who have jumped ship (sorry sorry Rosella stans I couldn’t resist) and that’s okay! It’s okay for readers and it’s okay for writers. I think the beauty of this space (and all creative spaces) is that we can find eachother and the things we want to read and enjoy (or suffer through).

Still, and especially to anyone else out there writing, the answer is fuck yes. I fear and second-guess alot of plot points past, present, and future. There’s alot of mental background noise going on asking yourself things like…who are you doing this for? What’s the plotline you want to write? How does that intersect with where you want to go or what an audience wants to see? What if they hate it? What if they hate you? But frankly, I think that if I had given into that fear and stayed in Henford/Windenburg and that sort of bubble that was the 1900s, I would never have continued writing, because I wouldn’t have been following my inspiration and my gut any longer.

[canine-teethed-sheets]

hey everyone, i got some very important news, specifically on what's to happen to this blog soon!

please take your small time to read, as it is kinda important to me ^^

hello, hello!! it's me, tumblr user its-paperd, coming to you live with an important announcement!!

to put it very very simply, my entire blog will be on a VERY long hiatus, much longer than my usual 5 to 7 days kind

reason behind this is kind of personal, but it does kind of relating to school and grades. to put it simply, my grades haven't been going well and i admit, i have been getting addicted to this app a bit. too much hahah ^^"

now here's the thing, while i say it'll be a hiatus here, there would be a possibility of my blogs... getting deleted.

now don't panic!! i'm not exactly sure if it would happen but it might be a possiblity, so while my blog is still here, if there's anything you want to archive from my blog, it's best to take action and reblog some as soon as you can

get some of my spices, as you will kekek /silly

' oh, but paperd, you're taking this so well, don't you care about us? '

i do!! from the bottom of my heart, i do. it's just that it has been a long time coming, and it was inevitable that it would happen so i mentally prepared myself before i can give a proper goodbye ^^

with all of this happening, i can only think of parting words before i go radio silent

now things are gonna get sappy for me, kekeke <x'D

( moots i'm so sorry you have to learn about this this way <x| )

[ —-—-—-—-— ]

to my two bestest friends, @psycho-chair and @unknownarmageddon , the two members of the kross trio!! thank you both so much for being my friends, the moments we had in pony town will never be forgotten, and the memories we shared too. i appreciate you two being my besties, and i'm very sad to see myself go but to whatever that may come through, just remember guys!! keep being swag for me >:] live laugh kross forever ‼️‼️

to @jun1per-t33th !! my silly friend and amazing artist!! i always appreciate all the memes you sent to me, and your art is a banger every time!! ily so much, juni mwah mwah /p

to @justanidiotartist , my homie friend bud!! thank you for being my mutual, and all the art you made i have always been amazed, you keep being your fun, spectacular self, and take care!! :D

( honourable mentions, ily all so much <3 <3 /p : @the-arcade-doctor, @skelle404 , @corrupted-icarus , @karineverse , @captain-kretsnik , @sunnemona , @cherrio-krispz , @glitchysquidd , @socksandbuttons , @yuriyuruandyuraart , toka!! i see you >:] , other mutuals i've interacted!! you all are the best!! )

[ —-—-—-—-— ]

and with all that, my play of the show is done, but never over!! i will try harder for you all and hopefully, i can come back with pride and joy to you all!! thank you for your support, and i shall see you all again, whenever it may be!!

[whywoulditho]

ough... sorry for jumping in when you said you're still reading stuff, i hope this doesn't come off annoying or anything! but that thing the prev anon said about timkon is... a WILD take.

tim wasn't trying to "replace" kon, he was having a grief-induced mental health spiral and was doing anything and everything to get a chance of getting his best friend back. (the "resurrection of ra's al ghul" event goes over this too - tim and dick have a short fight that ends in tim crying in dick's arms because tim was tempted to use a lazarus pit to try and bring back his dad, steph brown, and/or kon.) it's an unhealthy coping mechanism he exhibits during a period of his life where he's experienced several catastrophic losses back to back, and he's coping poorly. moreover he literally apologized to kon for trying to clone him in adventure comics (2009) #3.

also saying that kon is created as a replacement for superman is true, but acting like he never has an established character outside of "replacement for superman" or that other characters treat him as just a replacement superman, is not. in world's finest three (tim and kon's first meeting) we literally see tim initially turn to kon for backup with metallo, a superman villain, and at first he's dismayed that kon doesn't have all of superman's abilities, but over the course of the two issues, he admires kon's use of his ttk and they establish a mutual respect with each other (they both save each other's lives at the end).

and generally, kon & clark have a very positive relationship in postcrisis comics (aka the continuity that the cloning stuff with tim happens in) - if you want to see more of it, i'd rec "adventures of superman" #506 and superboy (1994) #59 and #70. kon definitely has plenty of issues, but his identity and relationship to superman aren't really the ones in question. (although i'll admit there is the caveat that kon's [lack of] superman-related identity issues is kind of soft retconned in teen titans (2003), which is where the lex luthor retcon is introduced - fun fact, luthor has nothing to do with kon initially!)

this got long i'm SO sorry - it just gets my goat when people tell straight up lies about comics to people who are just getting into reading comics 😭😭 i hope i didn't come off aggressive bc thats def not my intention but i'm sorry if i did!! and i hope you enjoy your comic journey and have fun with it overall!!!

do NOT apologize! i really appreciate this!!

i have a couple more people on my inbox yelling things like "how dare you even entertain the thought of them together!!!" i wasnt expecting to see so much passion on this subject when i first talked about it but it seems like DC comics fans have very strong opinions about that pairing hahaa

as i said in my previous reply to that anon, i really need to do my own reading before i form an opinion on the ship but your reflections seem very fair and i really appreciate the comic recommendations! and honestly, the whole reason i was interested in timkon was that their relationship seemed very complicated, and therefore very angsty, which is what i live for. so i do really understand why some people like it and some hate the idea of it. from what i've seen so far.... i like it. but i can't really speak on whether or not it is compatible with the canon dynamic of the characters. does that make sense?

also like on another note. HOW do you guys give such specific references when talking about these things?? 😭 DC universe seems HUGE and i have no clue where to start and then i see people giving like the exact issue number of events and stuff and i'm like.....HOW?? and also like. teach me. guide me. i'm lost 😭 HQJSKFKCJDJ

[peaches2217]

I enjoy your mareach fics and you seem like a nice enough person! If I can be honest thiugh you come across sort of sheltered and even a little prudish so following you is sort of a mixed bag. (in response to the “why are you following me” thing)

Admittedly I’ve been sitting on this one for a while, and it’s what triggered my unblocking/higher filtering spree today. So to you anon, I wanna say 1.) sorry to keep you waiting and 2.) I’m so sorry that I’ve sent that sort of vibe to you. I’m going to work hard to improve! So please do stick around, and I promise I’ll do my best to overcome my prudishness. 💗

[good-beanswrites]

Could I request "cooking is an art form" with mahiru and presumbly orekoto? I read your Night drabble of those 2 and now the idea of a potential friendship has been stuck in my mind for days, that was probably the sweetest interpretation of him I've seen! Mahiru can't cook in the current state she's in though so I guess orekoto could act as her hands...?

Ah thank you so much!! I was so worried about doing Orekoto justice, that's so exciting you enjoyed 😭 We still don't have a ton of characterization for him, so bear with me, but I absolutely loved writing this. Thank you so much for the request -- with food playing such an important role in Mahiru's story/symbolism, and the pair's unique relationship, this made me so crazy to think about !!!

The knife twirled through Mikoto’s hands. He brought it down with a grunt. Emotion pulsed through his veins. He went back for another swipe, much harder than necessary. He wiped spatter from his face.

“You’re making a mess.” Mahiru observed from behind. 

He glanced back to find her scowling at the tomato he was taking out his frustration on. “Who gives a shit? We’re not on cleanup duty.” 

He wasn’t supposed to be on cooking duty, either. It was Mahiru’s night according to their usual rotation, but she was in no shape to do any physical activity. Mikoto must have volunteered, and also gotten into some fight about it, because now there he stood: angry at an unknown source, full of adrenaline, and worst of all, in charge of tonight’s curry.

“I suppose…” Mahiru said. “I think that’s Muu tonight, I’ll apologize to her later.”

It was unsettling, how she remained positively cheery as she walked him through each step of the recipe, despite her current condition and his bad attitude. Not that he’d ever turn his anger on her. Mikoto approved of her, and that was enough for him. She’d been going through so much at the hands of their common enemy, he wouldn’t say a single thing against her. Even as she tested his temper with her cooking instructions.

“No, no!” With her good hand, she tugged on the side of his uniform. “You have to turn the carrot as you cut it. Like -- yes, like that!”

Mikoto rolled his eyes as he did what he was told. “It’s all going to get cooked together anyways, it’s not a big deal.”

“It is! You have to take your time with things like this.” She placed her hand over her heart. “It’s about the process, not just the final product. Cooking is an art form!”

“It’s about the final product to me. I’m fucking starving.” 

She was briefly distracted with the next set of instructions, telling him how to combine everything over how much heat. When she returned to the topic, her lighthearted voice was laced with a bit of desperation. “I mean it, there’s something magical about pouring your heart into something for someone else. Putting in your time. A little finesse here and there.”

“I know what it’s like to do something for someone else -- and there is absolutely no finesse involved. Or potatoes.” He gestured to the cut pieces before dumping everything into the pot over the stove.

“One of the most universal love languages is food, you know? People make meals and treats for their loved ones in every culture, in every time.” 

“They do a lot of other things, too.”

“You went to art school, you understand. This is an expression of yourself!”

“It’s a waste of time.”

“It’s the surest way to help someone!”

“That’s a load of bullshit.”

There was a pause. Then a nervous laugh. Then, “yeah.” As she dropped into more uncharacteristic silence, he stole a glance at her. 

Tears poured from her eyes. 

“Mahiru?” Fuck, he didn’t mean to make her cry.

“It is.” she hiccuped. “I thought… I thought it could save him. I made this big meal… I thought… But I was so stupid…”

She buried her face in her hands, offering weak apologies for the sudden outburst. He threw the lid over the pot before stepping back to her.

“Hey, hey. Come on. Don’t cry.” It was a command rather than a comfort. 

She didn’t listen. She just continued sobbing and blubbering on. “It was all stupid, worthless… I should have known…”

He crouched by the wheelchair. There didn’t even seem to be anything wrong, they’d just been talking about food. Why was she such a mess? He gave an impatient sigh. No reaction. What was Mikoto’s nickname for her again? “Listen, Mappi --”

She snapped her head up to look at him. 

Her teary eyes flicked all over his face, making him scowl. “What?”

“Oh.” Her shoulders relaxed, though her breath still hitched. “Sorry. You said… and well… I thought you’d gone away. I want you to stay.” She took his hand. “You.”

His eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Because you understand me.” 

He did not. Like, at all. But he kept his mouth shut.

Thankfully, she was too talkative not to explain herself. “You love someone very much. That love turned out to be dangerous -- deadly. And you weren’t forgiven for it.” She pressed her lips together, suppressing the wave of emotion that almost overcame her. “And now we’re both getting what we deserve for it.”

“Like hell we are.” He felt the spark of rage again. “Neither of us deserve any of this shit, okay?”

“But --”

“No.” He glared at her. That familiar fire rose up inside him. “I’m tired of all your speeches and optimistic crap. You’re always falling over yourself for others. You’re pathetic. This place is hell, so you need to get your shit together and act like it. You might be willing to forgive the others, you might be able to treat them with that stupid sweetness all the time, but no one’s going to do the same for you. Stop letting them fuck with you.”

She gaped at him. He realized he’d leaned in very close. He prepared himself for more tears, or maybe some cowering away from him. Good. Mikoto didn’t need people like her who would convince him this verdict was deserved. He didn’t need any of these people. It was fine to push them all away.

Mahiru surprised him by leaning over. Her head rested on his chest. “It’s hard. It’s so hard, Mikoto. But… I’ll try.”

His attention was quickly ripped away by a hissing behind him. He yanked himself away from her to run to the curry, which was bubbling and burning and spilling out of the pan all over the stovetop. 

With an outpouring of profanities and clattering of dishes, he cleaned the sad remains of dinner off the burner. When he looked back at Mahiru, she had dabbed at her eyes and composed herself slightly. 

“It’s okay,” she said, “I’ll pick something easier you can make instead.”

“Nah, I’ll make more curry. Tell me how much of everything again.” 

“A-alright.” 

His agitation slowly faded as she began her gentle instructions again. Though he had just tore her apart for it, he was grateful for her patience with everyone around her. He probably could have left, then, seeing how calm the kitchen became. But he wasn’t risking ruining the meal a second time with an unexpected switch. 

And maybe Mahiru’s words still played through his mind.

The food was back on the stove in no time. He stood diligently next to it. They’d lapsed into a content silence. He still didn’t know what had set her off earlier, but wasn’t about to ask questions.

Mahiru had regained her usual bright smile. “Hey, when I get better, I’ll cook something for you, okay? I think you don’t appreciate cooking because no one’s made something special for you before. I want to do that.”

He sneered. “Heh, sure. And I’ll let you in on my preferred art form.” His words were layered with sarcasm. By now, she could guess that included destroying things by putting all of one’s might behind a powerful swing. 

But she giggled, completely unfazed. “Well, friendship is about give and take, right? I’d love to try.”

[thewatercolours]

Podfic: "A Bitter Cup of Tea" by GerbilofTriumph

With permission of the author, a shabby but hopefully cheering narration of one of her ficlets! First time using Audacity, one take, no edits - being carried along by nothing but good will. Complete with terrible faux English accents (on purpose! that's the way the girls talk in the game!)

Her amazing blog full of King's Quest creativity can be found over here: @gerbiloftriumph

Original text here:

[innocence-wont-save-you]

Ok quick question, can you like, confirm you’re genderfluid? I know that I should technically already know this since I’m your overseer and we are connect to you, but I’ve been headcanoning you as a boy this entire time. Have I like, been misgendering you?

You give your overseer a long, bewildered stare. "Yes? I am genderfluid? What do you—why are you asking me to confirm I'm genderfluid?"

[cowardlycowboys]

I confess I don't like the Beatles

that's okay<3 they aren't for everyone!!

[elliotts-personal-property]

Hey y’all!!

For a while now I’ve been thinking about changing my url. Since this account is pretty much a def leppard fan account, unlike when I first started it. I feel like I want a more fitting dl themed url now.

So I need some help picking out a new name. Here’s me spitballing a few ideas, so please let me know what one you like the most!

If you absolutely hate all of these and have any suggestions, I’m open to those too!!❤️

Also please let me know if you like any of my options but would change something about it, ex: replacing any zeros with an o (or vise vera) or taking away/adding hyphens.

Sorry for tagging you all but there is no way I’m waiting a whole week for this poll to end and/or the potential for half of you to not see it if I don’t tag you.

@genxrocker @rickallensbarefeet @i-love-def-leppard @oneluckygirl @queen-defleppardfan1 @alexaelliott @friccinfricks @whitelightningstrikes @steveinscarlet @ilovemycatsoverymuch @duzzy-my-beloved @make-me-your-animal

Anyways thank you, I love y’all!!🫶

[whatsthebird]

i looked at the answers because i clicked the notif and didnt realise what day it was so assumed id already voted on them all :(

that just means that it's now your task to help others get the right answer without saying it. Good luck I believe in you .o7

[crimescrimson]

Are the gifs you post free to use? I'd love to use some for my edits, but I wasn't sure if you'd be okay with it.

As long as you use them in things that wouldn't be uncomfortable for me to see, I've had people use them on like hard-core smut fics before and because tumblr sends me a notification every time someone uses them I have to see that shit 😭 Another thing I wouldn't recommend is using or reblogging my sets to negatively comment ON the set or game I made a set about in the first place. You can easily just scroll or make your own post for that instead of being disrespectful in my tags like I've had recently experienced. Aside from the aforementioned points you're good to go! I don't mind at all and I actually appreciate being asked for once! No-ones actually asked me before lol

[parvuls]

obsessed with that snippet (you're such a good writer!!) and also losing it because i cannot remember what show that scene mirrors but it is so achingly familiar help pls

🙃

[biillys]

undefined

this is how billy and max talk to each other btw

[alwida10]

Hi. I'm not sure what's going on right now, I just saw you had a mean anon lately and it seems you're going through hard times.

I will admit I've definitively made some assumptions about you and not always been the nicest when discussing some posts of yours with friends. But just because I found some things you said offensive doesn't mean I think you are a bad person. Words we say often take a life of their own in other poeple's head. Also anger and hurt makes us all agressive and without a filter. On both sides.

There is a lot of gossip in the Loki fandom, but behind the vitriol, some poeple care about you and are genuinely worried when things seem hard. Whether it's about you or other "antis" recieving hate anons (sadly the whole point of anons is that we'll never know for sure who sent them). We're also not stupid, a lot of poeple who are angry have been through hell in their life and healing will always be far more important than fandom wank.

I just wanted to say you deserve to feel safe and to have a space where you can express yourself, even if it won't make everyone happy. Poeple are free to block you, or ignore your posts if they end up in their recommended section. Nothing has ever been achieve with hate and petty games.

Sending you my best wishes.

A cowardly anon ^^

Thank you! This message made me cry, in a good way. 💚 thank you for your kindness!

And yes, you are right in many ways. We never know who the anons are, and I admit that in my mind I tend to conflate them, assuming most are from one single person, who just never knows when to stop.

When I first came to tumblr, I found the anon-function weird. I thought “we are on the internet. We are already anonymous!”, but I guess that’s not entirely true. While this sphere is (more or less) separated from our offline life, nobody is free from expectations of their mutuals, followers, and even critics. And since we all get trained to act according to the expectations people have, some things would never get said without the anon function. But being anonymous brings forth how we really are in that moment. And hurt, stress or rage has made me say bad things in the past, too. That said, at most times I DO mourn the split in the fandom, and I am aware that echo chambers make opinions grow more extreme. So, should you come across something I have written which is offensive, please let me know, so I can check if I’m a victim of my own rage once more, worded things badly, or applied faulty reasoning. You can always point me this post if you fear a harsh answer, so I will remember I, too, was gifted with kindness.

I am sure we all just wished the fandom wasn’t so torn apart and everyone could thrive in the community. I admit, the only other fandom I participated in was supernatural, so my expertise isn’t the best, but I would bet any day that the Loki fandom is full of people who take strength from his story for their own healing and growth. So, in a way it’s even more heartbreaking that there is so much fighting about him. Because interpretations of his motives and morality are never just that. They can always be perceived as an invalidation of another person’s suffering or healing or hopes. And while you might be able to cope with an attack of an fictional story, an attack of one’s trauma or hope is much more personal.

So, yeah. It’s always better to take a step back, remember this isn’t about oneself alone, and that beyond the screen other people are humans, too, and deserve the benefit of a doubt. 💚

Also, i kinda think it’s a shame there is so little communication between the “two sides”. The last debate opened a new perspective for me, and helped me to put some things back into context. Sometimes I wish for a friend on “the other side” to discuss things in a appreciative way, where no one tries to convince the other or feels the need to defend their view. Just a comparison of perspectives, to open up new points nobody considered yet. There could be a lot of cool meta buried there. But alas, I guess the topic is too close to the heart for most of us, and I don’t exclude myself there.

[beskad]

.

[elithemiar-blog]

I'm in my black tie, are you all satisfied?

(Black Tie by Jeff Satur)

(This isn't about Jeff or the song, it's a mood with work drama.)

I quit work, stopped being the buffer between my manager and everyone else. One department is falling apart, several other people of the company are finding out about my former manager's true personality and 1) they are angry, 2) respect for this manager has plummeted, 3) she lost all her work "friends".

As is what happens when you talk behind people's backs (hypocrites honestly).

The gossip mill had been used against the company and the situation had reached the executive team and they are pissed at said manager.

I had doned my black leather jacket, dark skinny jeans, combat style black boots, and handed HR a 6 page complaint letter about said manager.

The GM of the company had a talk with her, told via a friend who still works there...for now.

HR has further questions about the letter and I still have to get the End of Employment interview done. Via email, thank God, so I don't need to go back in.

She's creating more enemies which is only fueling the outrage of the people, and giving ammunition against her.

Just because I'm quiet and prefer to keep to myself doesn't mean I'm not paying attention.

Just because I'm on the autistic spectrum doesn't mean I need you to decide what's best for me.

I may be socially challenged, but I have learned to mask for 20 years but still observe people and my environment.

I have noticed a pattern, kept my mouth shut, kept the memories. I've now spoken and karma is coming for you.

😈😈😈

I feel like I'm living this song (thank you Jeff!!)

I'm actually being kept updated by that friend. Chess is happening among the department. Manager asked person 1 to spy on the team, but Manager is screen shotting person 1's messages to the assistant manager (my friend) for clarification. And person 1 is breaking Code of Conduct with her spy mission.

Coming from the same manager who eavesdropped our conversation by lurking around a door on her scheduled "day off".

My concern is to the two students we have who may be conditioned into a larger role like the manager tried to do to me. I've been on an "Acting Supervisor" role when another lead hadn't been present, which I had turned down several promotions.

I left and I'm concerned who is now under her management...which had been stated within said letter.