#this is more so me ranting and giving information to any other writers

[ratsbanes]

I love it when bsd crossover fanfiction say "and abilities are only in Yokohama" or something. When... most of the cast is not from Yokohama?

The decay of angels (including fukuchi, I don't think we know where he's from)? Not from yokohama

The guild? Not from yokohama

Mimic? Not from yokohama

The order of the clock tower? Not from yokohama

Even some of the agency and port mafia.

Dazai? There's implications that, just like the author, he's from northern more rural Japan. Probably not from yokohama.

Kenji? He *is* from northern more rural Japan. Not from yokohama.

Ranpo? We don't know where he's from, but he mentions traveling away from his home city, so not from yokohama.

Atsushi? Similar to Ranpo, we don't really know where he's from but it's, say it with me, probably not from yokohama.

Chuuya? Has an entire arc about how he's not from yokohama.

Most of the cast is not from yokohama, so it's just such a weird story choice? But my god is it funny.

[durn3h]

Why is the average person so bad at translating? I get it if you aren't a native in the target language, but if you are translating something into your own language it should sound like something a native speaker would actually say. Like, you speak and write in that language every day, you know how it works and it's clear from your poor attempt at translating that you know the meaning of the text in it's original language, so where's the problem that's causing your translation to be so awkward?

[eldritch-spouse]

HI AGAIN. Ever since I found your blog and also sent a totally normal ramble abt cannibalism I've been just. Gently tossing your guys back and forth in my head. You're a wonderful writer and I'm always excited to see you on my dash!!

Gonna throw my hat in as asking an actual question- How would your guys fare if their obsession had a particularly weird or morbid interest? I get the vibes that some of them would most certainly encourage it but I also feel like Vinnel would hit me with a hammer if I panic infodumped about ebola-

[Hellow, glad to see you again! Also, I know you probably just forgot, but "your guys" encompasses way too many characters to talk about at once, so I'll assume you were going for TCE staff.]

Morell especially likes hearing about your cannibalism infodumps. They're actually useful to him, since he's going to be living with you, and he needs to know what he can and can't feed you, as well as a possible child between you. It's actually interesting stuff, he'd like it if you talked about it to his family too, you're a smart piggy. Any other topics are usually met with less enthusiasm (unless kitchen/food related), and he'll ask you to quit it if you start talking too much about mushrooms. Overall, it's nice background noise to work to.

Patches is all about infodumping. In fact, you're subjected to it often too, even if he doesn't always stop to explain basic concepts you'd need to understand his rambling. He'll give you a recorder he has, so he can keep the sound of that boundless enthusiasm in your voice forever. He's much more participative than the others, asking various questions and tossing random scenarios at you that'll prompt you to learn even more. There's a potential he'll get distracted and stop working to just research this with you the whole day.

Gallon loves a weirdo -No offense- Feel free to dump all that morbidity on him, he soaks it up like a sponge (so does Martin, be careful). Although he prefers to let you speak unhindered, only egging you on when it seems you're getting passionately angry about things, there's a chance Gallon may begin his own little tidbit sharing regarding a variety of poisons and toxins. He's selective with what he lets slip, but figures it could interest you.

Santi likes listening to you. Doesn't matter what it's about. There's only one thing he doesn't want you to morbidly talk to him about, anything featuring kids. Other than that, you think a rant about the intricacies of cannibalism's effects will kill his mood? Hah, nice try. He usually doesn't have anything smart to say, but may actually pitch in with some first hand details if you mention something sexual and morbid.

Let's face it, this is going in one of Grimbly's eardrums and out the other. Unless, you can talk like you're in a true crime podcast, then he's all ears. Grimbly typically responds to these interests by bragging to others about how his Mommy's "so smart" and "cultured" and he learns so much with you! You should start a YouTube channel!

Nebul likes to hear what you think is morbid. He'll let you ramble when you've been good enough to earn his attention, or if it allows you to keep obeying him. He has his own morbidities to share with you, as a wraith who has seen the darkest parts of many a mind. Surely, you of all people would be fascinated to know how the brain reacts to very invasive types of trauma only some monsters can inflict...

Vinnel will use this to his advantage during shows. You're placed in dangerous games where the whole goal is for you to explain said morbid concepts to the audience while Vinnel or Jingles try to destabilize you so you'll fall into painful contraptions or get cut/bruised/undressed. Sometimes Vinnel pays attention to your infodumps, other times he openly doesn't, it's a coin toss.

Belo sincerely discourages you from seeking such dark information in your brain. A lesser's mind is like a canvas, and it shouldn't be furnished with such desolate knowledge... If your morbid interests somehow can shine a glimmer of positivity or utility, the angel will be a little more inclined to letting you keep pursuing these topics. Otherwise, Belo actively attempts to distract you.

Sybastian doesn't understand about 80% of what you're about to tell him, but he has all the time in the world to sit and listen to his favorite person spit words. He's not verbally communicative during these episodes, but he may clap depending on how impressive the information is, and he remembers things you say enough to sometimes present you with paraphernalia vaguely related to the topics of your morbid interests.

Fank-e is a good bet because he can add onto your information in real time, or correct small detail you may get them wrong. He's generally happy to give you links to more information sources and try to match your level of knowledge, uncaring of how dark the subject theme may be.

If there's one thing you can infodump to Krulu about, it would be diseases. Plagues and ailments of several types are his specialty, the chances of him imparting bits of knowledge you absolutely should not possess on this matter are high. Another thing you may infodump to him about is corvids. It gets him in very favorable moods, surprisingly.

[tallyica]

hihi!!!

i got this idea awhile ago and sent it as a req to a few writers but none did it (which is fine lmao I'm not bitter) so I decided to write it myself!

i think it turned out pretty decent for my third smut, especially since I don't do it a lot.

(yes ik the pic isn't from 81 but he in the story is pre megadeth, but idk this era is more fitting in my opinion)

again!! my reqs are OPEN!!! they will close again on Wednesday and idk when they will be opened again. pls send some!!!

ok, sorry for the rant, here's the fic!

word count: 2,874

warnings: smut, kinda obsessed reader, semi public sex, fingering, hand job, uhh just smut in general I'm not typing any more out

MECHANIX (1981)

I was on my way to the grocery store, needing to pick up some meal prep for the next week and other various items, though it wasn't long into my drive when my car began to malfunction.

I groaned in annoyance when I heard the engine muttering, the car struggling to drive as I pulled over to the side of the road, looking at the gas meter to see I was practically empty on gas. I could probably only drive for another three minutes without the car just giving out. I sighed, looking around at road signs for any possible gas stations, spotting a glowing sign in the near distance.

I got back in my car, driving slow enough to not burn all the gas, but fast enough to get there in time. It was going smoothly, until I hit a red light, just next to the station. I didn't know how long the light would be, and I didn't know how long my car could last, so I floored it, running the light and managing to not get in an accident, though getting a lot of angry honks in response from fellow drivers. Somehow, I was able to get into the parking lot and roll up into a gas stand, right before my car ran out of gas.

It was odd, the parking lot was mostly empty, with only 4 other cars there as well. The shop was dimly lit, a buzzing yellow fluorescent light in the center of the ceiling and some more in corners. It was basically a convenience store. I was looking for something to drink when I got home to rest and relax, I had a long day today anyways. I found a four-pack of beers, grabbing them, and beginning to head to the cashier stand.

That's when I saw him. Possibly the most gorgeous man I've ever laid eyes on.

He had long, slightly curly ginger hair, dark brown eyes, and a strong, manly figure, unlike the others I'd seen in magazines or on TV. 

He must've caught my staring, waving for me to come over with a dumb smirk on his face. I felt embarrassed to be caught eyeing a man like he was candy, but I quickly scurried towards the counter, placing the back of beers on the surface.

“Just this and seven on pump four,” I muttered, reaching for my wallet that was in my pocket.

“Alright, that'll be $10.43,” The larger man informed me, and I began to search for the total required in my wallet, digging up two five-dollar bills and two quarters before he spoke again.

“A pretty face like yours got a name?” He questioned me, and I looked up at him, my cheeks tinted pink as I handed him the money.

“Oh, I'm ___,” I responded shyly, a small smile on my face as my eyes searched for a nametag on his shirt. “And thank you, Dave,”

Dave nodded with a smirk, “Course, pretty,” He answered, handing back my due change as I grabbed my beers.

“Am I gonna see you again?” He asked me as I began to walk out the door.

I smiled slightly giving a shrug, “Maybe,” I answered simply with a small giggle, exiting the station and walking back to my car.

That's the night of how it all began.

After that night, I could never shake the image of Dave out of my head. He was like a magnet, like a parasite. Something about him was so electrifying and attractive. I caught myself driving the extra mile just to go to his gas station, and he definitely took notice. I took notice of his shifts, only going when I knew he'd be working. Why drive further if I don't get to see him?

He was everywhere, anytime I saw a ginger, I thought of him. I denim vest? Him. Metal band? Him. Everything traced back to him. It was impossible to be this crushy on a man I only met in a gas station, who I buy my gas from, right?

I had been going to that gas station exclusively for 3 weeks now. Even if I didn't need gas, I'd buy a drink or snack from the mini-mart inside. Tonight was one of the nights, when my car was a bit low on gas, and there was a noticeable issue with the brakes or something, an odd noise, like a screech whenever I used them. It wasn't a huge issue, the breaks worked fine other than that, but maybe I could get Dave to take a look at it.

I drove up to the gas station as usual, parking my car in a darker corner of the lot as I got out, heading inside the minimart with the hope of seeing Dave. I walked in, glancing over at the cashier's stand to, of course, see him. We had made a good amount of small talk now that I've come in so often, and I could consider him a close acquaintance. He gave me a wave with his usual smirk, watching me as I waved back and began to look at the various snacks and drinks.

It was odd, normally when the store was empty, besides the two of us, he'd strike up a small conversation, just how my day had been, what I'd been up to, anything really, and I'd ask him the same. He had probably just had a long day and didn't want to deal with me. I walked in the two, small and short isles before opening up a display fridge and grabbing yet another four-pack of beers, hoping I could maybe give one to him if he wanted it. I walked back towards the counter, setting them down as he rang it up.

“$4.39,” He informed me, and I once again dug in my pocket for my wallet, handing him a five-dollar bill.

“I was wondering if maybe you could take a look at my car, the brake has been acting up and screeching, I just assumed maybe you knew a bit more about cars than me,” I almost mumbled out as he took my money, our fingers grazing each other.

“Sure, I can take a look for ya,” He answered with a nod, handing me back sixty-one cents, “Here's your change by the way, show me to your car,” He instructed, and I guided him out to my old, sort of beat up black car.

“Here she is,” I mumbled again, hoping he wouldn't judge me for having a lower-quality car than most.

“Not bad, not bad.. But, now that we're out here, why don't you tell me the real reason you came out here today,” Dave teased, and I knew he was right.

I played it off, trying to act confused, “For the beer and my car, nothing else,” I answered him, though it was clear a lie burned through me.

Dave just gave a snicker, “You don't think I notice the frequent staring? I talked to my coworker, you are never here the three days I have off. And the guy who does morning shifts? Never seen you. Tell me why you actually come here so much,” His words made a flutter in my stomach, and he was gradually moving closer to me, whispering in my ear now.

“Be honest with me, pretty.. I know the shit here isn't that good to where you'd come here four nights a week,” He whispered into my ear, and I could feel my face heating up.

I shook my head, trying to ignore the truth that really lay beneath the surface, “No, I just…” I couldn't come up with a valid excuse, and now he knew he was right.

Dave just laughed again, “You just what? Hm? You just come here to see me? Is that it?” He teased me further, his breath against my neck.

I couldn't lie any longer, there was no other lie for me to use. “Maybe, but-” I was cut off by him.

“If I'm what you want, that's all you had to say, baby..” He said, giving me a kiss on my ear before pulling away, “It is what you want, right?” Dave had to make sure I was okay with this if it were to go further.

I nodded quickly before turning to face him and kissing him deeply, letting out a soft moan as he began to walk me backwards and have me unlock my car so we could get in. 

We got in the backseat with me laying down, Dave on top of me as we continued to ravish each other's mouths, soft sounds escaping the both of us as he began to work on getting his own shirt off, tossing it to the front seat of the car as his hands snaked under my shirt, already reaching up and teasing at my breasts, causing me to let out a soft whine.

We finally broke away, removing my shirt, and tossed messily on the floor of the car. Dave took a moment, admiring the sight of me in just my bra.

“Fuck, you're gorgeous..” He muttered, reaching out to unclasp my bra, sliding it off my shoulders, and leaving my chest bare. 

He wasted no time, beginning to kiss my neck, sucking softly at the skin as he moved his mouth down my body. His hands kneaded my breasts as he kissed down the valley between them, eliciting soft whines from me as he continued his trail of affection down my stomach, reaching the hem of my pants. Dave's eyes met mine for a second in a question, and I nodded as he began to slowly unbutton them and shimmy them down my legs.

He admired the sight of me left only in my lacey panties, his eyes drinking me in.

“God, you should've said something weeks ago,” He muttered before beginning to slowly pull them down, revealing my sopping cunt.

Dave just stared for a moment before he began to work on his own pants, unbuckling his belt and undoing his jeans, tossing them to the floor of the car as I eyed his erection that strained against his boxers. 

He ran his finger down my slit, making me whine and attempt to grind against his singular finger, searching for more friction. He let out a breathy snicker “You're soaked, baby..” He mumbled, slowly pushing one finger inside of me, making me moan softly as he began to build a leisureful pace as he slid a second digit in, stretching me slowly.

He began to kiss me again, our tongues sliding against each other as we sealed more pleasure, his thumb finding my clit as he pumped his fingers faster, slowly building my high as I moaned into his mouth. I could feel myself clenching down around his fingers as he moved them faster, beginning to build a brutal pace as my moans grew more frequent and louder.

He pulled away from the kiss as I panted for air, “Fuck.. I.. I gon-” I was cut off by a whine as Dave pulled his fingers out of me abruptly, just as I was about to release, he stopped.

Dave gave me a devilish grin, taking his fingers into his mouth and sucking them clean of my juices, “Mmm, you can wait a bit more, yeah?” He teased me, stripping himself of his boxers as his large cock sprang free, precum already leaking from the tip. My mouth practically watered at the sight, and he took notice of my staring.

“See somethin’ you like, pretty?” He teased me again with a smirk. I nodded slowly, my hand reaching forward as I took his length in my hand, gently and slowly pumping him, causing him to groan softly and lose his eyes as I gradually increased the pace, jerking him off as he reveled in the pleasure before I stopped suddenly, similar to how he did to me, making him whimper in annoyance.

“Why’d you stop?” He groaned out, now slightly frustrated.

“Same reason you did,” I mumbled, looking up at him.

“You gonna play that game with me?” Dave questioned me, moving so he was now hovering his full body over mine.

I opened my mouth to speak, to answer his question, but before I could he thrusted fully into me, bottoming out as I let out a loud moan, trying to adjust to the aching yet pleasing stretch. I felt him shiver slightly as he put it in, holding it in place for a moment, allowing me to try and adjust. I didn't get much of an adjustment as he began to build a rapid pace without warning, each hard and fast thrust hitting that spot inside me, causing me to moan loudly with every thrust he poured into me, the pain and pleasure mixing splendidly, the sensations combined bringing me to true, pure ecstasy.

I could feel the knot of heat begin to form in my stomach again, his groans and whines being like music to my ears as my own moans joined their melody. He placed his hands on my hips, his fingers digging deep into the fluffy flesh, making me wince ut, knowing his hard grip would leave bruises in the morning. Dave leaned down again, our lips meeting in quick, sloppy kisses as he mumbled words in between each.

“You're tight… feels perfect, just for me, huh doll?” He mumbled, his lips seeking mine as his groans grew louder and louder. I couldn't answer him, my moans taking over my vocal cords as he continued his relentless pursuit into me.

Dave wasn't pleased with me ignoring his words, digging his nails deep into my skin, causing me to whimper in pain and pleasure. “Answer me,” He demanded hoarsely, his thrusts growing harder if they even could.

I moaned out, trying to get myself to form proper words, “Mmm… Mhmm, all.. fuck.. All for you..” I whined out, and he was pleased with my response, having that stupid smug smirk on his face.

Dave continued to hammer into me, his pace brutal to where it felt like he was bruising my insides. I could feel every ridge, vein, and piece of skin inside me as he twitched, indicating his release growing closer, if his louder and more frequent noises of pleasure weren't obvious enough indicators.

The car's windows were glazed with steam, the outside unclear as our sweat-covered bodies moved against each other as he kept thrusting, my moans growing louder as my eyes rolled back in pleasure.

“Feels good, hm?” Dave asked, his finger reaching down to toy with my clit, doubling the pleasure as I began to convulse around his throbbing length in much louder moans, my arms reaching out to claw at his back, his head lowerings with his breath on my neck, scattering brief, lazy kisses across my skin.

“Fuck! Im gonna.. Oh god..!” I moaned out, tightening around his pulsing member as he kept ramming into me. Dave applied more pressure to my clit as he groaned out, sensing his own near as well.

“Come for me, baby, all over my cock..” He groaned out with a whine, his lips resuming a messy trail on my neck, licking at biting at the skin as I let out a freakishly loud moan, my walls clenching down hard on his cock with my release.

My back arched, putting our chests together as my eyes rolled back hearing him groan and grumble to himself as he too came undone.

“Fuck yeah.. Gonna paint your pretty pussy white, baby..” He whined against my neck, feeling the thick ropes of his seeds spray all over my insides, coating my own as I let out a pleased and exhausted whimper, and his hips slowly soothed, allowing us to both ride out our orgasms before he collapsed fully on top of me, though not crushing me.

We laid like this for a few moments, panting heavily as our sweat-doused bodies clung together, my one clean leather seat in the back of my car now ruined with our sweat and pleasure.

My hand reached to gently caress some of his long fiery hair, one thing I had wanted to do for a while, ever since I had seen it.

Dave began to relax against me, allowing us to lay in the afterglow of the rough session, our true feelings finally appearing.

After about a minute or two of silence beside our breaths, “You.. you think anyone saw? Or heard..?” Dave asked, not really worried, probably hoping someone did.

I shrugged with a breathy chuckle, “Not sure, but we gave them a show..” I responded, my hand tangled in his hair.

“Mhm.. and you're welcome,”

“For what?”

“I'm just giving you my room service.. You know it more than enough,”

I laughed at his comment, “Room service?”

“Mhm, new thing were doin’. Except the only person doing it is me, and the only one receiving it, is you,”

I felt my cheeks heat a bit at the comment, “Really?” I teased him.

Dave nodded, lifting his head to look at me, “Yeah, and I can offer you it again sometime, hm?”

[maxisanangrywell]

Review & Rant Concerning MW3 Reboot

**This has Spoilers for MW3. If you have not played the full game and care about spoilers, please do not read.**

To preface this, hi!! I'm Max is a Well, and I am a writer. I have not published any novels, but I do have one in the works. I have written for plenty of people, including some pretty big fanfiction authors [past tense] (not as impressive as most, but I quite enjoyed it), and I have written my fair share of fan artworks, and then a few half published WIPs are floating around the internet somewhere. I've been writing since I was like, 12 years old. I've done it for the better part of my life now, and I've turned some heads with my writing. If circumstances were better where I could pursue this passion for full-time, I'd probably be really well off by now. All this to say, I'm very much someone who knows a lot about writing, story pacing, emotions dramatics and the whole 9 yards.

I love playing games and immersing myself within what's happening in game, and I got that feeling from MW1 & 2, but 3 was just, a little rough feeling. I can't quite explain it, but it just didn't have the same vibe as the first or second. I enjoyed the narrative although, again really rough story telling. (You're gonna get that in games like this that are essentially propaganda for a certain cause or organization, so I disregard most of it. It's the "look this is cool guys! You wanna do this," kind of thing.)

Then, Price didn't let Soap kill Makarov. Standing from a narrative point of view, we were told this guy 1, is extremely dangerous extremist, and threatening to bring WW3 onto humanity. 2, Brass is worried about this, and if they're worried about it, than we need to be too. (This solidifies that the man is a genuine threat, and that he needs to be treated as such. Often this means, a straight up get rid of this guy.) 3, Price and the 141 have some history with Makarov. Then, to build off this, in the previous game, MW2, we literally were on a to-kill mission for Hassan. So if Makarov is an even bigger threat than Hassan, (and Hassan had MISSILES), then, shouldn't we have killed Makarov when given the chance?

Also to build off this, they are all within the SAS, or have passed SAS selection. They are, narratively speaking, the best of the best within their specific branch. They are more than well trained and specialists when it comes to Counter-Terrorism, which with that would come with knowing things like how to properly debilitate your enemy, knock them out, etc. They would have had done interrogations to get specific information and you can't just bring someone awake to a location to be interrogated. You would have to knock them out or debilitate them prior before moving. Yet, they didn't do any of that. Just, knocked his ass to the ground after a stab to the shoulder.

None of it past a certain point makes any sense narratively, and me as a writer is so fucking pissed. They made Makarov a fucking badass and BBEG for the century, yet they kill off arguably one of the best liked characters? Especially after Neil did so much advertising for the fans and even doing the corny Christmas thing that was all over COD TikTok for a few good weeks afterwards. People were going WILD over the Scot, and Ghost.

One thing you learn pretty quickly when creating content, whether it be games, art, comics, novels, etc... is that you got to feed your fanbase from time to time. You give them an inch, and you'll get a mile. No one needed to die within the third game, especially when it felt so rushed. If they really needed the suspense, then they could have easily injured Soap, and kept us wondering if he was alive, and then revealed him okay within the fourth installment. That would have made people buy the game just to see if their favorite was still around, and who knows, maybe they'd actually enjoy the story and decide to play the rest of the game.

What really pissed me off other than the weird pacing of the stretch of the game is the way they reacted to Soap's death. Now, they didn't have to be horribly torn up at it like Price in the original series, in fact, that would be horribly unrealistic. My mother is a hospice nurse, so she's gotten close to a lot of patients that have passed. Some being really traumatic and saddening ways. She can't cry anymore, but she does grieve, and she grieves hard when it's a patient she's had for a while and gotten close to. You can't look me in the eyes, and tell me these three men who have just spent a year and some change chasing down Hassan, and now Makarov, wouldn't show no emotion when it came to one of their own dying?

Soldiers are friends but more. There's a whole reason there's the saying "brothers in arms" exists. They go through hell and back together, they definitely did in Las Almas, and during Chicago in the second game. So to have barely 2 minutes worth of a cutscene to pay homage to a character that they all bonded so deeply with? I genuinely thought people were seriously joking about it, and then I saw it with my own two eyes and I'm appalled on how they thought that was a good send off both emotionally and narratively. It did nothing. It didn't comfort you, it didn't sound like they were grieving too terribly, it was just, flat. Monotonous. There was hardly any emotion in the lines, and the guys didn't have to be crying, but at least put some emotion in it.

Ghost and Gaz arguably in the reboot are the closest to Soap, so some sort of emotion, like Ghost being just a little choked up on his "Rest in Peace, Johnny" would have been just top tier. You would have been able to gauge so much off of that, and it would have fed the Ghost and Soap fangirls so much. (I know some COD players don't like to hear that, but the fandom shifting is a normal thing to happen, and the new people within the fandom are buying the games to play them just to understand the story and that is absolutely helping the studio and the games preform better. To put it simply, they are now also apart of the integral part of keeping COD alive and well.) Or, Gaz instead of just saying the most generic army farewell thing in the world, instead make a personal promise to bring Makarov to his knees himself. Again, it would gauge so much with his character, how he's feeling, what this death is doing to him, and what his personal goals are moving forwards.

They absolutely, from a narrative position could have done so much better. There are always going to be bugs and glitches in games, especially shooters, but the thing that draws people in and keeps them coming back, is the story and the characters. At the end of the day, this was not only a horrible story decision, but also is probably going to hurt them a lot when concerning the next game release. The newer crowd hardly has a reason to come back to see the new game. If Soap, a beloved character was treated this way, how are they going to treat Price, Gaz or Ghost if they die? I'm incredibly disappointed, they had an amazing story, amazing VA's, amazing graphics and design. The COD fandom was seriously getting a much needed breath of fresh air, new life was coming in, and they just tossed everything out the window.

TL;DR:: As a writer, the decision to kill off Soap was extremely horrible from both a monetary and narrative standpoint. It didn't move the story forwards, create any friction, and he didn't even have a decent send off. This is probably going to kill the new growth the COD fandom was experiencing, which in turn is definitely going to hit the studio's pockets. How much is yet to be seen, but I've seen a lot of new-blood say they weren't satisfied and aren't looking at purchasing the next game. Me included.

[fujoshawty]

Hello! I know I've posted about art commissions here before. However, my true skill set is writing. I'm a professional writer with years of experience writing articles and branded content, but I've spent my entire life in collaborative communities for roleplay and group writing. I'm extraordinarily well-acquainted with a wide variety of genres, especially as a proud otaku and essayist. I am currently a freelance writer and am at risk of losing my one source of income (it's with Game Rant, so I'm already barely making enough to pay for gas as is), it would be great to sustain myself with my skillset and continue to explore my passion for writing outside of work.

My minimum rate is $0.05 per word with a minimum of 200 words, and a flat rate of $45 every 1,000 words. If a piece exceeds 10,000 words, I would be more than happy to negotiate prices. I am comfortable with most topics from any genre, but I will not write scat, incest, anything involving minors, vore, vomit, fart, or urine. I also reserve the right to turn down anything I've forgotten to list. I specialize in OC x Canon, monsters, whump, fluff, and horror, but I can do almost anything! My greatest strength is my penchant for visceral language and imagery. NSFW with or without plot are fine, as well as canon characters and spinoff stories of existing franchises (i.e. Genshin, JJBA, JJK, Osomatsu-san, etc). Don't be shy about asking for any fandom-oriented works! I'll let you know if I'm able to give you a strong piece, but if anything, I will research on my own to provide an unparalleled fic tailored to your preferences.

My writing rate will also apply for roleplay and can be done through Discord, Telegram, Tumblr, or other venues. Please leave a comment or DM me for more information! We can communicate via DMs and move to email or other private platforms to discuss payment and any ideas you may have. Thank you for reading!

[jennelikejennay]

I'm writing another AOS fic (WHY?!) and that means it's time for another

✨ plot hole rant ✨

To me, the part of the first movie that makes the least sense is Pike going over to the Narada. For so many reasons.

1. If Nero wanted a random Starfleet captain in order to get information on Earth's defenses, he wouldn't have shot up every ship that showed up in Vulcan's orbit. He'd have destroyed all but one, and then demanded or just captured the captain of that ship. He didn't know the Enterprise was going to be warping in five minutes later! He would naturally think that was the whole fleet.

2. If he did, Pike would have no reason to agree. First, he wrote his dissertation on this, he knows that's what Robau did and that Robau got killed and it didn't save the Kelvin. Just a general rule of thumb, if your enemy really wants something, don't give it to them. It was the ONE thing they could have denied Nero, and he gives it up.

3. Okay, so let's say it was absolutely necessary to provide cover for Kirk and Sulu's space jump. That still doesn't mean he actually has to give himself up when he gets there. He could have rammed, self destructed, come out shooting, anything else.

4. It's also incredibly stupid to have single factor authentication on your entire planetary defense grid, and then go ahead and store the password inside the head of EVERY captain. Some captains are chumps! They get captured sometimes! This is not a secure place to keep the data which ten billion lives rely on! It would make more sense to require human confirmation at the very least. A dude who can look out the window and go "yeah I see that you look like the Enterprise, as well as having the right 1000-digit transponder codes for today" before taking the shields down.

5. If you DID have a system like that, it would become that more vital not to give up your captain to anyone, for any reason. Captains are taught to resist torture, but nothing's perfect. This is cyanide-pill-in-your-cheek level hot information. For Pike to give himself up, knowing he's got the key to Earth's defenses in his mind, is incredibly irresponsible. Especially given he can SEE this guy is actively drilling holes in a different planet.

6. Also it does really make you wonder what Vulcan's planetary defenses are like. Even if they were dumb enough to have it all running on a single password, Vulcans can resist the mind sifter so I'd bet on them over a Ceti eel or whatever. Plus if there were an encounter like that, that would have given them time to send a subspace message like DON'T WARP OVER HERE WITH YOUR SHIELDS DOWN or something, just a thought. But really I don't think it occurred to the writers that planets other than Earth have defenses, because the movie does not treat Vulcan like a real planet. Vulcans are pacifists who carry a big stick, they'd have defenses.

This has been my rant for the day. I just can't believe the Earth defenses have less robust security than I need to log into zoom. Really, a freaking miracle nobody blew it up before.

[fire-but-ashes-too]

(Writerblr) intro post!

Hi! welcome to my blog! this is my (very late) writerblr/general/artblr intro, or just somewhere with all my general informations :)

please, go on and read *bows*

☆ Ash is my name on here and i go by she/her

★ Im a teen writer and artist, but i dream of acting

☆ im from italy

★ pan ace and quoiromantic (or wtfromantic its the same) (im still kinda questioning tho??? probs demiromantic??? idk?? feelings r weird atm)

☆ entp and introvert

★ im always up for tag games or stuff like that :)

☆ recently added tags! #ash writes- my writing ofc #ash and her rants- just me talking abt random stuff could be anything serious or not #ash on fire- probs me fangirling over something lol i may get overexcited beware

★ i relate to a spiritual and psychological level to black cats and all their other forms (aka regulus black, tori spring, aristotle mendoza etc etc etc)

i mostly write fantasy or fanfiction, but sometimes i engage in various genres as mystery, dystopian or surrealism :)

★ So I've been scheming like a criminal ever since

genre: fanfiction

audience: general/ teen and up

tropes: rivals to lovers, college AU, slow burn, a lot of fencing, paris✨

cw/tw: past rape/non con, ptsd, homophobia, wounds/blood

progress: i try to update every week but nothing's promised 🥲

snippet here:

Years ago he’d learned to mask his handwriting, so now he could easily forge any handwriting he wanted, if he was given a good example of it being used. There was something extremely interesting in how each person connected two letters to each other. How they wrote an “ar” was different from how they would write an “or”, how much the words were apart from each other and how much pressure they put in the paper told a lot about someone, to him it was like zodiac signs. He didn’t always have to copy other handwritings, not unless he wanted to throw the blame on that person. He just had to invent a brand new writing style, and be careful to not slip his between the cracks. And that’s exctly what he did in the letter. Before Jesper could finish his monologue about how much he had missed out in the past few months holed up in his office, a blackmail threat was ready to be closed inside the paper envelope, just the signature was missing, but he didn’t bother to add it. A proper threat always had to be anonymous, it was always better to give as little information you could. Everything could be used against you. The maroon wax sealed the opening with a satisfying fizzling and a single wisp of smoke. The clock chimed on the wall, it was already 6 pm, he had to go finish some assignments.

(previously titled: questionable decisions)

☆ The Rogue

genre: fantasy, dystopian

audience: teen and up

setting: a fantasy world im currently busy (trying) building

progress: just vibes really, two mainc characters, a couple sides and an outline plus one of the first chapters, not much really but im working on it

characters:

anne: the rogue from where i took the title.

shes a 17 y/o girl who lives in a bunker in a forest, on the run from the government as she's a "high traitor and liar who must be destroyed".

she has the ability to modify her face and appereance for a while and she has a prosthetic arm connected to her virtual friend Indigo.

thanks to it she's able to teleport and keep track of various things.

alexander: the son of the dictator, he's lived his life in a bubble until 2 years ago, when he finally managed to get more social contacts with people and (slightly) catch up on what he's missed, behind his father's back of course.

he meets anne when she's captured and figures she's his best shot at escaping his father domain.

snippet:

This time, she materialised in the shadows behind a bulding, which gave her enough cove for her to shift her facial features. Her nose a little bigger, her hair some shades brighter, her eyes more elongated and greener than the grass growing outside her doorstep and a splash of freckles to top it all off. It was way harder to do it without a mirror, and way more dangerous. For all she knew, she could’ve been looking like a girl with a fish head, and she didn’t know if that would be better or worse than looking like herself. Anne took out a hat and a silk scarf, she wrapped it around her neck and jumped in a group of tourists gazing at the city. In no time she was in the square, vendor’s stands circling her, colourful flags waving in the wind. She could’ve stayed like that for ever, stuck in the memories of her old life, but she knew it couldn’t last forever.

★ Flowers and Homicide

genre: mystery

audience: general

cw/tw: blood, dead bodies, autopsies

main character: Giada

she's a forensics student who one day stumbles (metaphorically) over a dead body in her neighbour's lawn and starts investigating.

progress: actually finished but in italian sadly so in the translation process

☆ Confessions of a timeless man

genre: short story, surrealistic

audience: teen and up

content warning: suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts, depression

plot summary: a man is stuck living the same day over and over, after almost 10 years there, he tries to escape his curse by killing himself

progress: completed XD

(here's my ao3 btw)

you want to know more about me! why than you, here you go!

★ my favourite artists are Taylor Swift, Conan Gray, Arctic Monkeys, Chase Atlantic, Marina, Lana del Rey, Sabrina Carpenter, Mother Mother and Billie Eilish (theres more but i cant remember whoops)

☆ synesthetic bitch

★ other than writing, art-ing and reading i love baking/cooking and crocheting

☆ theatre kid over here, always up for screaming my lungs out

★ uhhh im a vegetarian

☆ i know a scary amount about death and murder (especially poisons)

★ i dont have a specific vibe, it usually changes every few months or so

☆ i probably have anxiety but ive never been to therapy so idk 💀

★ always up for fangirling :3 (im in too many fandoms *cries* buuut im most active on pjo, marauders, grishaverse and osemanverse, musicals and some books that i have boards for on my pinterest :D)

☆ i am terribly scared of insects, needles and dogs

★ my (quite unusual) sport is aerial dance, a circus speciality that looks really cool but is acctually really painful

☆ my pinterest, spotify and goodreads if by some reason you're really interested in the chaotic human being that i am :)

thank you for reading this farrr🥹🥹

have a great day/night/life :D

[chairteeth]

“Nemu Hiiragi: The Shadow”

The promised Magius Nemu essay arrives. I have given up on proper essay formatting and will simply leave my analyses in semi-rant form because my brain is too chaotic and goes on too many tangents. It cannot be tamed. Informal essay under the cut!

So. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has heard others refer to Nemu as a shadow, Touka 2.0, or some other frankly reductive term. Most of the time, unless her creations come up, she’s not discussed at all, and even then… barely. That’s not exactly surprising. Given Nemu’s normally calm demeanor, and the fact that she and Touka are joined at the hip, it’s only natural that Touka would be the one to get the most attention, the one who stands out. Where Touka is the boisterous sun, Nemu is the humble moon. Today, we turn our eyes to the moon.

There is so much to talk about when it comes to Magius Nemu and pretty much all of it is going to make you really sad. Much like Touka and all other magical girls, she led a double life the entire time, but in her case, when she “traded one terminal illness for another” she got the short end of the stick. Imagine being a writer and discovering that your magic allows you to give physical form to your stories, to breathe life into your creations—literally. Now picture finding out later down the line that each time you use it, it consumes so much magic that it shaves off pieces of your very life force. That’s one slap in the face. But, it gets worse.

Let me lay out everything we know about how Magius Nemu’s sacrifices affected her physically, and how each of the people around her responded to her worsening condition. First, we know it causes pain severe enough to temporarily affect her vision and speech, and severe enough to make her fall to the ground, though she doesn’t always faint from it. We know it inflicts exhaustion and that even something like releasing an uwasa for the first time can make her pass out on the spot, so presumably it’s a lengthy process that takes a toll on her at every stage (well not sure about conceptualization, but creation and release definitely do). A voiced example of one of these episodes is in Arc 1 Chapter 8, 4:02:36 - 4:03:43 if you're watching the video.

Now, as for the people around Nemu, starting from more distant to closest. Her family? Oblivious, responsible for her state of emotional deprivation and for several other issues. Alina? Ehh she seems to either not care or care very little, which is properly Alina-esque of her. Mifuyu? Oh let me talk about MIFUYU for a second. Disclaimer, despite her many sins committed against my favorite characters, I do love the sheep, she’s too much of a failure, I cannot hate her. But Mifuyu “I want to be a nurse” Azusa is insensitive beyond belief, and I was honestly surprised when they appointed her to be some sort of… ethics teacher for Touka? Bruh. You see, an MGS is supposed to put us in the shoes of whatever character it’s about. That’s what it does. However my brain is broken and perceives the world from a TouNemu perspective by default. Which means I had a completely different reading of Mifuyu’s MGS. I am going to illustrate my point with screenshots this time because I happen to have them on hand.

Mifuyu says this about Touka and Nemu getting worked up over Alina wanting to prioritize witches above rumors. But. Here’s the thing. The thing that Mifuyu seems to be missing completely. Rumors are created by Nemu, through a sacrifice of her own life force that worsens her pain and makes her suffer more with each subsequent use. Evidently, the girls reply that no, they don’t think they were getting too emotional.

YOU THINK? Have you given any thought to why that could possibly be the case, Mifuyu? But, okay, fine, we can look past this. Alright. Next scene, it’s Touka and Nemu being upset that Yachiyo just destroyed the Divorce Stairs (I call them that, but for clarification, it’s the Friendship-Ending Staircase). I’m going to bring something up that I don’t believe is exactly contradicted by canon, though not confirmed either, but I’d be willing to believe by the fact that Nemu knows of Iroha (by name and I assume appearance) that there’s a psychic link of some kind between the uwasa and their creator. That would make sense, considering they are made of her magic and have pieces of her life force. If this is true, then that massacre Iroha and Yachiyo go on during Arc 1 Chapter 7 is far, far worse.

But alright, back to the scene. Touka is standing up for Nemu here, and Mifuyu proceeds to go and dismiss their feelings because, as she says in her thoughts, “they’re just children”. Okay, Mifuyu, hear me out. They’re 11-12. They’re not toddlers. Just because they’re children doesn’t make their emotions invalid, unimportant, or not worth considering. Particularly in this case, where they have a good reason to be upset. Nemu even mentions the life force she’s using up and Mifuyu’s first and only thought is “Yacchan…” (this is a repeating pattern).

The next relevant scene is one where Mifuyu does something Alina has also done and Touka hasn't: ask Nemu to make a rumor for her.

Nemu reminds her that it comes at a cost, and that she’s using up her life for this. Nemu gives in, of course. I will talk about this imminently. First though, the final scene of Mifuyu’s MGS. Where Mifuyu repeats the previous pattern but worse. How exactly is it worse? I’ll let the screenshots speak for themselves here. Nemu and Mifuyu meet at the shrine where the uwasa is going to be released, Nemu does the deed, and faints, then Mifuyu reacts like this:

These screenshots are less than a second apart. It is the immediate follow-up. Absolutely zero concern for one of the people she’s supposed to be responsible for who just did her a pretty big favor (as if you needed someone’s blood to open a door, they stabbed themselves to get you the blood, and then you left them on the ground in pain). So yes Mifuyu is insensitive and she is not helping Nemu’s view of adults. Relatedly, before I move to talking about Touka, since I’d like to actually end this on a non-depressing note, I’m going to circle back a little to Nemu’s family.

I am infamous for not liking Nemu’s family. Her parents, mainly. Her brother, for as much of a snotty brat as he is to her, is presumably still very tiny and has had scarce interactions with his sister, therefore leading to the way Nemu describes their relationship (“strangers”). As a slight aside, Nemu does try very hard to have a relationship with her brother, not only in her MGS, but in her solo Christmas quotes where she’s lost on what to get as a gift for a kid that likes soccer and asks Homescreen-chan for advice. And you see, Nemu has this thing where once you get past a certain point with her, she becomes a people pleaser. Unlike when Ui’s parents have visited before (seen in TouNemu’s Christmas MGS), Nemu was shocked to hear that her mother and brother had come to see her. This leads me to believe the visits are an extremely rare occurrence and that there is no other contact besides them. Ui’s parents at least video call her, from what the quotes say.

And now we have reached the point where it’s unavoidable and I have to talk about Nemu’s emotional trauma. Her family does not seem to know about her writing, which was a good call because it shielded her from much of the gifted kid trauma. However, that doesn’t mean her parents’ actions (or lack thereof) were without consequence. A lot of these might be subconscious, so bear with me a second. At this point in the timeline, Nemu struggles to believe that others will meet her needs or care for her. She seeks affirmation, acceptance, approval, and fortunately seems to get it in the form of her website and Touka during this era.

Let me give you some examples of Nemu’s people-pleasing tendencies, as any kid would learn that catering to the needs and desires of others can sometimes lead to a sense of belonging or validation—she explicitly wants that, she is aware that she wants to feel loved. This is immensely obvious with her family’s visits, where her first reaction isn’t good but then she plays along and puts up a happier face (which drops literally as soon as her mother and brother are out of the room), even apologizing for the slightest inconvenience regardless of whether or not the reaction to that inconvenience was bad (the book that was hard to find, the general Presence™ of her family in the room, apologizes again for talking about her feelings, etc). So that she doesn’t have to burden them with her feelings. So that her mother can feel like she’s fulfilled her duty by walking into the room, giving Nemu a rundown of what the family has been up to, and leaving without really actually spending any real quality time with her or bothering to really ask about her. Touka gets (righteously) angry in Nemu’s stead once her mother and brother have left precisely because of this. Nemu proceeds to, like many children in her position, defend her parents completely and then chastise herself for “looking down on them”. Touka and Ui both understand at least the heart of the issues at play here, and express as much. My point here isn’t exactly “Nemu’s parents are equivalent to Sana’s” or anything, it’s more that they’re extremely oblivious and their actions (and lack thereof) have hurt Nemu deeply.

That habit Nemu’s parents have of never truly showing interest in their daughter’s life seems to remain after the hospital, and then they’re focused on her brother’s comfort. Not Nemu’s. Never Nemu’s. Then, later on, in the Wings of the Magius, every time someone asks her to make a rumor (read: sacrifice a piece of her life force and make herself feel physically worse presumably forever), she agrees. Mifuyu asks her to, yeah sure. Alina wants a rumor? Of course. I won’t count when everyone asked her for stuff to add to Fendt Hope solely because I’m not sure Fendt Hope works like normal rumors do. Something, something, difficulty setting and maintaining healthy boundaries, struggling to distinguish her own needs from the needs of others…

A child who learned that her voice and desires were not prioritized in such critical stages of her life naturally struggles to articulate her own needs and wants. Prime example, Fendt Hope’s creation. She listens to the others give their ideas for it, never suggesting anything herself after reminding them of her usefulness. Until. Touka asks. When she does, Nemu seems almost taken aback. She apologizes. Nothing comes to mind. That very same day, she gets home, tries again to have some sort of positive interaction or time with her brother, gets rejected. As soon as an alternative form of service (doing the dishes for her exhausted mother so that she may help her brother with homework) presents itself, she practically jumps at the opportunity. The scene after that one, with the way she views Touka, Alina, and Mifuyu, vs the way she views her mother and brother, only makes this more obvious. How is Nemu supposed to feel any sense of value at home? At least as a magical girl, she’s useful. At least as a Magius, she has people who know her. The feelings of low self-worth aren’t as obvious on Nemu as they are on many of the other girls who have them, though.

The next time there’s a Magius meeting, this time to decide on a name for their base, Touka is again the one who asks Nemu for her opinion. It’s important to note that Touka is never once hostile, aggressive, or even annoyed when she does this. She considers Nemu’s thoughts and feelings more than anyone. Heck, Nemu would have no way to doubt Touka’s care for her considering their history and the way she acts.

Now I get to talk about the relationship between Magius Nemu and Magius Touka. If I start gushing incoherently, I apologize in advance. I covered a bit of Magius Touka’s attitude towards Nemu in the essay dedicated to her, and slightly in this one, but now I want to draw attention to how incredibly sweet Touka can be when it comes to Nemu. Nemu desperately needs that reliability and that love Touka provides, the hope she brings. And Touka is the one person who openly shows her care, attention. Over and over again.

Touka considers Nemu an equal. During the main story, as I said in my Magius Touka essay, she shows concern for Nemu’s health and wellbeing when no one else does. This goes beyond her magic-given affliction! I only wish we had more bits and pieces from that era, but as for what we do have… Well, I have to point at Nemu’s swimsuit costume story for the easiest and shortest point of reference. I’d use screenshots, but if I did, I would just end up showing you every single piece of dialogue and expression.

In that costume story, Touka and Nemu are at Fendt Hope, talking about their future trip to the beach (which they made plans for together in Touka’s swimsuit costume story). Nemu has her insecurities, and she’s shy about putting on the swimsuit, but then Touka proceeds to be incredibly supportive by first making her feel comfortable—for some reason she also had her own swimsuit lying around and offered to wear it too because Nemu mentioned it’d be embarrassing if she was the only one wearing a swimsuit and Touka was wearing clothes—then as soon as Nemu expresses self-doubt, she doubles down via genuine compliments (these two compliment each other way more than you think, even in main story Touka praises Nemu for her ideas). This is also a rare occasion where we’re shown that Nemu’s parents, or her mom at least, who seems more present than her dad, mean no harm, since it was Nemu’s mother who helped pick out every element of her swimsuit. After that, Touka goes off to change back into her school uniform, and Nemu is “uncharacteristically giddy” (as she states) looking at herself in the mirror. Touka gets back, and Nemu is startled to have been caught in a vulnerable state, but, critically, Touka is happy to see her happy and doesn’t tease her, although Nemu (jokingly, blushing) laments that letting Touka read her heart is the greatest failure of her life. Nemu asks Touka to listen. And Touka complies. Nemu trusts Touka with her heart, with her honest feelings, and knows Touka will never hurt her. That’s why she’s able to be so sincere with her. This is shown in Nemu’s Tap 8 quote, where she also refers to Touka as trustworthy (Touka has a matching Tap 8 quote, and hers is about how reliable Nemu is for her). This relationship, no matter what it is, is deeply important to both participants.

Finally, to end this glorified rant… I know I used the sun and moon metaphor earlier, but. I would like to borrow the words of Nemu in one of my fics: “It’s silent at night. Touka stays up with her telescope, I stay up reading nearby. We are stardust brought to life. A quiet place, just for us. The gentlest fire in us, like binary stars.” (I’m sorry but the binary stars comparison is too good not to mention). Their connection was there before the Magius, and after everything they went through, their lives became irreversibly bound, intertwined beyond the understanding of quite literally anyone else. They practically always speak in plural, the time they spend together has been on the rise, and at the time of writing? To avoid spoiling Arc 2 Chapter 12, I won’t go into specifics, but the relationship has reached a beautiful point that I will froth at the mouth about eventually.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the Nemu essay, I went slightly more feral this time so apologies for that. I’ll see how soon the hospital era essay can be thrown into the wild. Nishi out!

[ayyeeequality]

Full transparency: this is going to be a negative rant/vent post about house of dragon. I have no beef with people that like the show, I just... I can't

More transparency: my partner wanted to watch hod with me, so I went into it before watching got. However, I don't think my particular issues with the show would change even if I watched got first. I also stopped watching hod 5 episodes into s1, which I suppose could obstruct my view of the show

So, I get it, it's meant to be realistic for it's time period but also have fantasy elements. I know that's why the women are treated poorly. But I gotta be honest. The way they depict women being treated feels more like t0rture p0rn than an honest depiction of the struggles of being a woman.

It doesn't help that as of 5 episodes, the women have no agency. At all. Rhaenyra's mom is dead. Alicent's whole character revolves around producing children. And I don't care how sympathetic Rhaenyra's dad is supposed to be. I don't care how "accurate" it's supposed to be. I don't care if we're supposed to view it as something that's actually good. He saed Alicent. On top of that, Alicent basically says Rhaenyra should be grateful that she gets to choose who she becomes a baby making machine for.

And then there's Rhaenyra. Also no agency and doesn't really do shit. She mentioned wanting to be a dragon rider. She doesn't really talk about that at all past ep1, and she rides a dragon once or twice. She says she doesn't want to get pregnant, but I know she has kids anyway. She says she wants the throne.... but never really says what she plans to do with it?? "I want to prove women can take the throne." Ok, do you like.... have literally any other thoughts on the throne? Any at all???

And then there's Daemon. Look, I love dubious men. My special interests are MCU Loki and MHA Shigaraki. But Daemon crosses a line for me. He's boring, misogynistic, and wants to fuck his niece. Antagonists that want a throne for the sake of power are boring to me.

I don't like any of these characters. They have no appeal to me. And the characters I do start to like are fucking killed.

The crabfeeder is interesting to me. Why is he killing people? How/why did he decide to use crabs? Why is he covered in scars? A dragon right? Why did a dragon burn him? Why does he wear a mask?

None of these questions matter because he's fucking dead before any of them are answered.

Rhea was also interesting. We can see she's confident, a hunter, capable, and doesn't take Daemon's shit. She has agency. So of course the writers just had to give her a humiliating death by having Daemon paralyze her and then smash her skull in with a rock. Because hod women aren't allowed to have agency.

And then there's Joffrey. As soon as I saw him and Laenor, I knew he was going to die, because of course we can't have a gay couple for long. And what do ya know, he's beaten to death by the end of the episode.

Ep5 was my breaking point since Rhea (a nonconforming woman) and Joffrey (a queer guy) were both beaten to death in the same episode. I don't care about "realism/consistency" arguments. I really don't. Because I fully believe they're not trying to depict the horrors of how women and gay men are treated. They just want to show violence for violence sake and get away with killing a nonconforming woman and a gay man like that cause hey! other characters die too! sure, but not like that.

It also doesn't sit right with me that, since Joffrey was killed for information he had, it just plays into the whole "he wasn't killed for being gay" argument. Which is a real thing that gets used to undermine violence against gay men as well as queer folk in general

[musette22]

I just spent the whole evening reading what I thought was a stucky fic (from the tags), but it ended up with Bucky with someone else, and a heartbroken Steve. It was an old fic, and the author had recieved a lot of comments from other readers who felt decieved, but they were dismissed with the argument that fic readers are spoiled with tags and should learn that a story like real life can be unpredictable. The author had originally set out to write stucky but changed their mind half way so the end pairing came out of nowhere and didn’t really make sense with the build up. I didn’t comment, but I’m sitting here asking myself if I’m wrong to be angry. Obviously writers invest a lot more time writing a fic than I do reading it, but it still was my whole evening wasted on the opposite of what I wanted. What was supposed to make me feel good made me feel like shit, and I obviously really wanted to avoid that. I have always trusted tags, but from now on I might have to skip to the end before reading to make sure. Am I entitled?

Oh darling, I am so sorry that happened to you 😔 That is so sad and disheartening, especially if you were looking for something that would make you feel good. I 100% percent understand that it made you feel frustrated and even a little angry, and no, I don't think you're entitled in this case. I do believe that tagging is a courtesy and not a duty, and I also believe everyone is allowed to write and post whatever they want, regardless of what other people may or may not want to read.

Having said that, though, I personally think that making sure that a story is appropriately tagged, at least for major triggers and pairings, is the decent thing to do. The author of this fic could have easily updated the tags to have them reflect the plot twist for any future readers, and in doing that, they could have prevented a lot of people being left disheartened or sad at the end of it. However much I want people to read my stories, I personally would not want someone to read my fic and be triggered or saddened by something it contained. In that case, I'd much rather they just skipped it and read something else.

The idea of almost intentionally disappointing my readers is so counterintuitive to me, because a huge reason why I personally read fic is to feel better, so that's what I hope to offer other people with my own fic too, you know? Of course, I know lots of people love angst and even unhappy endings, because they're cathartic or just because they make them feel things, and that's perfectly fine, too. But in that case, reading those kinds is fics is a choice - and if a fic isn't properly tagged or if it professes to be something that it's not, then a potential reader is not able to make an informed decision, and I think that's misleading and quite disrespectful of the audience. It's not a crime, but it's not very nice, is what I'm trying to say.

This author's argument about how readers should learn that stories, like life, can be unpredictable is mind-boggling to me as well, because hello, surely it can't be news to them that reading (especially fanfiction) serves as a much needed escape from real life for lots and lots of people. I'm sure there are some who read books with the purpose of being surprised or caught off guard, but I think they're a minority tbh. And again, that should be a choice. Long story short: I don't think you're wrong to be frustrated in this case, and while I'm glad to hear you didn't comment and rant at the author like some people would, if I were you, I would personally steer clear of them and their work in the future. Sending you hugs, lovely, and I hope you find something new to read that gives you everything you're looking for soon! ❤️

[castielsfeatheredballs]

I love deep dives into fandom history, so I tried out the podcast @thisweekinfandomhistory; I listened to the episode about the Johnlock conspiracy and it was overall very interesting and informative. However, I don't think I will listen to any more episodes, due to the hosts taking several (imo) unwarranted potshots at the Reylo fandom throughout.

I do ship Reylo and used to be pretty active in the fandom, so obviously I took it personally, but since I was liking the content I tried to examine whether I was overreacting, and I don't think I was for the following reasons:

The host offhandedly mentioned that their gripes were that the fandom is 'racist and antisemitic'. Okay. Are there racist Reylos? Of course. It is (was?) a big fandom. Every big fandom has all kinds of people, and fans within then form their own groups. I was lucky enough to quickly find my people, the leftist Reylos. Reylos actually put me in touch with some of the most genuinely progressive people I know, in fandom and irl. As far as I saw, the Reylo fandom was also one of the few factions who were vocally pro Rose Tico in the cesspool that is Star Wars fandom.

I'm not trying to claim my experience it reflective of the whole fandom, but I am also not about to take these pretty serious claims at face value, especially since 1. I tried to look for a deep dive into the Reylo fandom in their playlist to see where they were coming from and found zilch (my sincere apologies if there is, I will listen to it) 2. The podcast hosts are seemingly MCU fans?? This perplexed me so much. They seem intelligent and aware of fandom dynamics, are in a big and honestly pretty problematic fandom themselves and can't grasp how ridiculous it is to say that 'x fandom AS A GROUP is...' uh, ok.

I'm a bit sad that I don't be able to listen to more episodes, since the topic is a genuine interest of mine, but I'm not in the mood for one of my passions to be randomly insulted without an actual well-constructed argument. Again, my experience within the Reylo fandom has been largely positive, and I found the self-policing even a bit overzealous whenever a fic or writer was called out due to problematic elements.

I did appreciate the hosts clarifying that they wouldn't go bother reylos--or other fandoms they dislike--by trolling the tag or sending anon hate etc. since sadly, that is never a given on the internet. That's just basic decency though, so I still don't feel, well, not-insulted.

Also, it annoyed me since the episode was on a completely different topic. Again, if it was an actual analysis of the Reylo fandom I would be down to listen to it and reflect on things I might have overlooked or excused. However, throwaway unrelated comments are not giving me any food for thought, they just read as insults.

I am also aware that not everything on the Internet is for me and that I can just stop listening, which I will. Not happily, because it seems like otherwise interesting content and very much in my ballpark. I guess something that annoyed me and prompted this rant instead of just closing the tab was, I personally tried really hard to internalize the thought that, no matter how much bad behaviour I see coming from a particular fraction of a fandom, there is likely a much larger portion of fans that are chill and doing their own thing, and you don't see them specifically because--if you are not in that fandom--the only people you see are the ones acting out of pocket and they're giving you a false impression of the whole fandom. That's the kind of approach I would like to see in any fandom analisys--deep dive, besides the fact that I took it personally this time.

[ja3yun]

Maybe I’m naive or maybe it’s the brain rot… but am I being completely delusional in thinking that tumblr is almost 99.999% a fan site that artists (especially kpop idols) do not engage with and probably don’t even have much regard for? Like this is a space for the chronically online. Most people don’t use any of their own personal information/faces/identifiers bc this is not a real place; it’s a black hole. That’s not to say that your work here is insignificant (it’s helped me a lot to escape from everyday anxiety and stress so thank you 🙏) but it's not like you or any other adult writer are writing these stories and then spamming them on Weverse or any other platform where the members are active.

I guess my point is that we the adults that engage in 18+ enhablr are minding our business and keeping the fantasies in fantasy land and then going to work in the real world. Like we do not know Enha for real. Some people apparently don't have jobs or lives, so they send hate to people online and act like they are personally offended on behalf of adult men they don't know and never will. It's giving desperate fan that thinks going to the airport to get an interaction is more sane than staying at home, kicking your feet, and giggling at imagining meeting and knowing the boys in real life (95% of the time as non-idols anyways which is another degree of separation).

I'm sorry for ranting. I'm just a huge believer that fanfic is a very safe and respectful way of engaging in fandom because we leave the real people out of it. We're not screaming inappropriate things and sexually harassing the boys to their faces, which happens way too often. We're engaging in community fan-to-fan which to me strengthens the fandom. There are things we talk about as Engenes that will never make it back to boys and thats okay. What makes fandom fun is not always the direct connection to the artist, it's the community we build because of them.

I hope you and the other amazing writers on this site know how important you are ❤️ thanks for taking your time to write and engage 💐

anon this is so!! you get it exactly. i think a lot of us post here because why tf would enha know this place exists? and its a safe place really bc if you want smut, you come here or go to ao3.

i think hate to writers is so petty bc it is the one form of media you can easily avoid? like to see smut you need to seek it out yknow? i never write in the general tags or post inappropriately, so for people to find my blog must mean they are looking for smthn 💀

hate comes w any platform, esp to creators of any kind so i kinda knew what i was signing up for. some of it kinda makes me go??? like im not making the boys out to be horrible or bullies like i try and write them as nice as i can so some of the hate saying i 'tarnish' their name is so false lmao

thank you anon, i'm sure every writer here appreciates the kind words and also, just the fact that you understand is enough for us

ilysm <33

[anotherkindofmindpod]

(deep breath in) Thank you so much for this episode. Really outstanding. Also you are going to get me fired because I did this instead of working. :)

So, the dive into the question of Jim’s corporal punishment and how it is framed has really gotten to me. Apologies for the rant.

I think ML acknowledging the corporal punishment in the way he does is actually quite revealing—a little bit about him, but this is also a generational thing.

He knows it’s a topic other writers have brought up and he (however reluctantly) accepts that it has played enough of a part in the Beatles book world that he must at least touch on it. But he chooses to do so in as glancing a way as possible and with a nod to Mike’s comic narrative voice. Yes, there was physical punishment in this house, but it’s the 1940s/50s and that’s the way it was and we (including the kids involved) can all look back on it with rueful humor.

And look, I get it. Mike’s comic candor in the 1960s places his and Paul’s experiences squarely in a long tradition of what I think of as “bragging rights” stories of childhood crime and punishment. My experience of my own older relatives aligns with how Mike narrates what to us are pretty awful events. The stories people in my parents’ and grandparents’ generation would tell—and tell laughing—about what outrageous things they did as kids to get themselves into trouble and how awful the punishments could be, were many and varied. The more ridiculous the hijinks, the worse the punishment, the better the bragging rights.

I’m guessing like most people of their class and generation, Paul and Mike grew up with a kind of affectionate “it sucks when the grownups start hitting, but meh, that’s life, amirite?” attitude they would have picked up from members of their own family and from their peers. 95% of all stories dealing with corporal punishment written or told before 1960 reflect that attitude. Mike narrates their childhood stories in exactly that vein. Paul does too in a limited way: but only about his teachers (who are outside the family circle of loyalty that you rightly point out).

All of which is to say—and you make this point in the episode but I want to emphasize it here as well—that it is doubtful that any concept of abuse or of equating anything that went on in their home with abusive behavior ever entered their heads at the time—which to me is why Mike can talk about it in the way he does and why Paul doesn’t mind him telling those stories. I think it’s less (at least in the 60s/70s) about either Paul or Mike trying to slip information to the rest of the world than it is a genuine belief that these are amusing and typical stories.

The quote you offer about Ringo from 2015 being surprised to discover that his childhood was not as rosy as he remembered it is hugely instructive. Even after experiencing a lifetime of better conditions, it still took an outside perspective to make him reconsider how he’d framed events and circumstances. To apply this to the McCartney family, Jim’s reliance on corporal punishment was standard, so already the kids are going to frame his behavior as normal. If his actions were in any way different or more extreme than other parents, how could they judge that? This was the water everyone was swimming in at the time.

To be clear: I’m not saying that there is an “acceptable” level of corporal punishment and if we can say that Jim stuck to that level, then everything’s cool by 1950s standards and we should leave it there. But I think that’s exactly what Tune In IS saying. I think ML uses Mike’s comic tone as evidence for how not-a-big-deal this aspect of their childhood was which gives him permission to sidestep it. And if earlier Beatles writers spent time detailing Jim’s actions, then they, like Mike, are utilizing the stories for a touch of period charm, not to take a deeper or more nuanced look at Paul’s childhood. And he’s right. It isn’t like previous authors framed this as a Topic, just colorful background.

So, ML chooses to nod to the fact that previous writers have dealt with this, but since we in the 21st century don’t find stories about children being beaten nearly as “cute” as earlier generations did, he eschews going into detail, perhaps thinking that by not including these details he’s being tactful (like it is retroactively embarrassing to Mike and Paul that we know these things), or at least reflecting a more modern sensibility.

But as you point out, this is where we run into trouble. We DO know these things. Can’t un-know them. And we have the advantage of years of research on the adverse effects of corporal punishment that tell us there is no “acceptable” level of violence against children. And yes, while both Mike and Paul make light of this topic in the 60s and 70s in their different ways, we also have the fact that Paul brought it up in a more complex way in discussing his “showdown” with his dad. Whatever they felt at the time, isn’t it worth exploring how either the people in this history or how society at large view this topic NOW? Isn’t the advantage of writing a book about past events that you can explore these experiences in a larger context?

Late WWII / Boomers are a tricky generation on the question of corporal punishment. A lot of them grew up in homes where this was common, silently certain they would not use physical violence as parents themselves but also absolutely not thinking of what they experienced as potentially damaging. And they would be offended on their parents’ behalf if you framed it that way. If I were to guess, I suspect that’s where Paul and Mike live—and perhaps a lot of readers in that generation? I may be being presumptuous here—in that weird headspace where you get to the point where you have enough perspective to know a loved one’s actions were Wrong but to hang a weighty label like “abusive” on that person or on their actions feels equally, perhaps profoundly, Wrong. If nothing else, it exposes that person to a characterization you maybe don’t want them to have. And for outsiders to do so is just going to shut down the conversation.

I think ML is absolutely right in his overall takeway that in the end Paul’s view of his family settles into one of a safe and stable place. It is where he feels loved and known as “Paul MacCartney” instead of “him.” I think overall, the support system they provided (and still do) gave him more emotional resources to draw on than John had when they faced similar tragedies. And Jim is not a villain in this story. One of my favorite early Beatles stories is Jim bringing Paul lunch sometimes at the Cavern Club—it's such a sweet dad thing to do. Jim is good people. Most of the time.

But the idea that it was always that simple, or that getting to that place of security wasn’t a journey with failures and pitfalls and significant effort, is demonstrably a failure to engage with the facts as we know them. And it denies Paul (and Jim for that matter) the “reality” of growth and struggle and change.

(deep breath out)

Thanks for this, Anon! We've already said plenty in the ep, so we've nothing to add to your great commentary here. Thanks for listening! ❤️

[huevokinder24]

Shadow and bone rant

Was shadow and bone S2 a good one? It was enjoyable. It was watchable. That's it.

For those of us who have read the books it was a huge mess.

Let's talk first about the grisha trilogy.

They joined book 2 and 3 (and crooked kingdom for some fucking reason, but I'll get to that later) and just rushed through the plot.

While I'm not the biggest fan of the trilogy and SOC is one of my favorite books ever, I still think the crows had no business being there. They just took too much screentime, something I usually wouldn't complain about but now I am. The sword subplot alone would have been okay. The rest? What the fuck was that??

Due to this, we didn't get to see the actual story of Sab. And don't get me wrong, I wasn't expecting a word by word adaptation, but this felt.... The characters weren't themselves.

Nikolai felt incredibly plain. He was just a nice guy. But where was his wit? His charm? His "my mother was an oyster, I'm the pearl". Where was his personality?

Also, he never loved Alina, and Alina didn't love him. Why would they push this narrative?

Everyone loves the darkling because he is charismatic and a master manipulator. This season he was just a dying guy. He didn't feel threatening. He didn't feel like the villain at all.

Zoya was completely sidelined for Alina. My girl had like 3 scenes and she didn't do much. In the book we saw rare moments of vulnerability, saw her friendship with Alina and genya grow. But she was still the cold bitch everyone loves because that's what makes Zoya Zoya.

They offed David just like that, and again, replaced him with Alina in the triumvirate. And I'm so mad about this. The triumvirate was made up of the three leaders that the orders chose to lead them during the war (except for genya). There are one of each order so the darkling's favoritism wouldn't repeat, so all the orders would stand on equal ground. Again, they were leaders. Political leaders. Now we have 2 summoners and a colporalki. What about the materialki? They lost their place in Nikolai's circle.

Also, the little reunion of Alina, genya and Zoya at the end was more like "uwu besties hanging out" than, "we have the responsibility to lead the orders and rebuild the country"

Mal just left. JUST LIKE THAT. we have a season full of Malina kissing and vowing they'll spend their lives together after they destroy the fold and kill the darkling, and the dude just leaves. Not just leaves, BECOMES STURMHOND. Do the writers know what sturmhond means to Nikolai? He would NEVER let any other person, least of all Mal take over the role.

And the twins left with him. The twins would never leave Nikolai.

Also Tolya, canonically ace, giving inej heart eyes????

And Alina. Where was her internal struggle? She kept her powers and is ready to become queen? And marry Nikolai??? She never wanted the crown. She never loved Nikolai. She only wanted to disappear into the sunset with mal and open an orphanage to help children like her. She literally told Nikolai that Zoya would make a better queen, hinting at zoyalai.

The whole point of Alina's character was that she was just a girl. She was just a girl turned saint, something she didn't want, with an enormous power she never asked for. She was just a girl who wanted a normal life but had to play the hero at 17. By the end of ruin and rising, she is exhausted, weary, drained. She faked her own death so people would leave her alone, so she could retire to the middle of nowhere with Mal and live a quiet life.

Now they're making her Nikolai's betrothed, future queen of Ravka, and... Evil? After she fought so hard to not become a monster like the darkling??

And where's the religion??? A huge part of the grishaverse revolves around religion, especially in the grisha trilogy. The manipulation of information and public image, twisting the narrative so it fits your goals, the zeal of the masses based on that exact narrative that those in power created.... There was none of that. Only inej called Alina "Sankta Alina" but they never showed what becoming Sankta was like for Alina.

This was just... Ugh. It was not BAD, but I'm so disappointed, especially for the crows, so part 2?

[reapkusho]

Hey. Welcome.

You thought you'd get some cool blog? Nah. The whole blog is an organized collection of chaotic thoughts. A better introduction is available under the cut. Enjoy.

chuuya nakahara theme! matching with @still-fatemeh!!

married to the most gorgeous ever @shrii-kk <3333

TW for topics with abuse, ranting, breakdowns, cussing, among other things.

Currently mainly fixated on Blue Lock (back on my rin itoshi brainrot bullshit) <3

I'm Reaper — you may refer to me as reaper, reap, rai, or any other nickname along those lines. Simply put, I am:

MINOR 𝄞 she/they 𝄞 questioning 𝄞 writer! 𝄞 anime enthusiast 𝄞 multifandom 𝄞 Filipino 𝄞

But if you want to know more...

tags here! 𝄞 mutuals here! 𝄞 carrd here!

KUNG KILALA MO KO SA TOTOONG BUHAY HINDI MO KO KILALA!! I am a minor—so, basic DNI. Anything that passes as a bot to me will be blocked.

I'd also like to ask people not to send me stuff about donations. I am unable to help and it stresses me out.

DNI: nsfw accounts, zoo/necro/pedophiles, AI "artists", if you're racist, sexist, overall a shitty person, proshippers, if fatphobic, transphobic, or homophobic, misogynists, ableist, zionists, haters with no reason, people who are rude to any religion, people who can't take opinions, anyone who jokes about rape - respectfully, fuck off.

Most posts will be about rambling, rants, and fandom content. I'll post a lotta updates about myself tho :3

Occasionally, I do fandom matchups (for most fandoms i interact with). I also do kin analysis (are those a thing? whatever.) if you're willing to, then I'd be happy to do any exchange with you :) I don't do requests as of the moment. matchups (or exchanges) i've done are under the tag #reaper's matchups. and kin matchups i've done are under the tag #reaper's kins.

Fandom I interact with: bungou stray dogs, blue lock, jujutsu kaisen, haikyuu, assassination classroom, boku no hero academia, chainsaw man, yu yu hakusho, five nights at freddy's, obey me, black butler, school bus graveyard, horimiya, angels of death, vtubers (NijiEN, etc.), oshi no ko, death note, genshin impact, countryhumans, (yes), hazbin hotel, steven universe, twoset violin + more!

Kins: bsd chuuya nakahara, suehiro tecchou, hajime iwaizumi, kageyama tobio, bsd sigma, michael kaiser, isagi yoichi, shu iura, kakeru sengoku, mahito (yes.), geto suguru. depends what matters more to kinnies honestly. take this information as you will, be chill please.

Hopefully the way I write here and these characters up there ^ will give you an idea of how I am. I'd say I'm a cool person to talk to.

Characters I kin are so precious to me if you refer me as any one of them I will literally explode (please do).

NOW PLAYING: Oh-oh-oh I can't help if thinking about it, only makes me cry, it keeps me wet - you know you keep me wet! 'til I run dry!

Writing blog is @reaper-in-reverie. though it's mostly inactive...

vent blog is @nemesistic-catharsis. tw obviously :)

I also run the @mahito-spotted blog >:)

I now also run the @gods-chosen-emperor kaiser rp blog, and @egoist-jinpachi >:3 meet the others! | and our memories!

Oh, and my asks are open. Please send some, don't be shy. I don't bite (most of the time). <3

userboxes were found on pinterest or here on tumblr.