#which is why sebastian does it all so overkill

[usareiis]

Lost my original post of this from the other day but I genuinely don't understand how Black Butler discourse ever shifted into the does Sebastian ~really~ like Ciel or is Ciel just dinner line of conversation that is pervasive as it is because Sebastian is the one that has absorbed his whole existence into Ciel's. Sebastian's face is what Ciel wants Sebastian's whole purpose is doing things for Ciel Sebastian's every hell of a butler yes my lord speech is about how he's Ciel's and Ciel is the one going around saying shit like whatever Sebastian is just my pawn 💅

[littleandroidwrites]

a self para in shade claude dawoud

ft. hattie michaelson, because! imagine if i answered memes instead of doing flashback self paras. ugh i’d be too powerful.

It was dark, because it was late, but Claude wasn’t tired because when was he? Constant beast mode, twenty-four seven, three sixty fucking five.

Except, he was sitting down now, because Jesus Christ had he been lifting Hattie on and off for three hours.

“You’re not stretching.” Hattie said. Claude looked at her across from him on the mats, her legs out either side of her in a perfect split that Claude found both impressive and unnecessary. “If you don’t stretch, your muscles are going to –”

“Don’t lecture me about the body, Harriet.” Claude said, although notably he was now straightening from his slumped positioin, legs stretching out in front of himself. “I know all about the body.” 

Hattie didn’t respond to that, which he figured meant she was tired too. On top of their usual sessions, Aunt Alena had the both of them coming along to junior classes to do mini recitals for them, because some of the six year olds needed a little inspiration. I never needed inspiration, Hattie had said, but somehow it was still her and not Sloane who’d ended up getting roped into it. And Claude, because, well, he liked doing shit. Whether it was ballet or track or getting his loved ones in headlocks, Claude was only really fully himself when he was one hundred and ten percent something. Not one hundred and ten percent in something, but really it. When Claude danced, he was swift moving fluid that could snap into graceful lines at will. When Claude ran, he was a system made to pump adrenaline and move muscle to propel itself forward as quickly as possible. 

When Claude got people into headlocks – well actually in those moments, he was just being himself. But he was one hundred and ten percent himself, which was what mattered.

See, Hattie was like him in as much a way as someone who was entirely unlike him could be. Claude understood himself better through understanding his pseudo-cousin. Where he did things to expand, Hattie did things to contain. But they they still both felt an overwhelming desire to do, to keeping doing, to lose themselves inside of it. It was pure fucking chaos to Claude that when he jumped high into the air to do a sissonne, he had to make his body do exactly the opposite of what it wanted, to bend it into a beautiful shape, to make it land on one foot even though every instinct in his body was screaming you’re gonna break your fuckin’ leg. Hattie said she liked it because it meant she was in control. Claude knew that meant she thought sometimes she was gonna break a fucking leg, too. 

So anyway, here they were at eleven at night in the ballet studio that Aunt Alena had left them a key to. It was the third storey of a victorian-imitation building, which mostly just meant the rooms were big and echo-y and the floors were made of cherry wood. Mirrors lined one wall floor to ceiling, paned windows the other, and barres lined pretty much whatever free wall space was left. Street lights were a blur in the sky outside, dwarfed by the bright white light coming from a gentle hum above their heads. 

It seemed like kinda overkill to have the whole studio lit up like this just for the two of them, but a handful of hours ago there’d been a whole class of little kids, and then they’d kinda accidentally burned a few more hours practicing. Which wasn’t really that surprising to either of them. Claude was pretty sure Hattie didn’t spend a single second of her day doing nothing, which, samesies. That was why they always got along in a funny way. The difference was Claude still managed to have a life inside of his doing things. 

“Is Sloane still hanging around Paisley?” 

He bowed forward when he asked it, arms reaching for his toes. A familiar burn washed over the muscles of his lower back, and Claude went further, leaning into the sensation. 

“Hanging around.” He heard Hattie mumble. “Her girlfriend, you mean.” 

“Duh.” He sat back up, tucked his arm behind his head. 

“Yes. I think they’re fairly compatible, actually.” Hattie’s head angled to the left, followed by her torso, and she breathed into a side-stretch. “Sloane’s talking about moving in with her. I think they’re pretty serious.” 

Maybe, maybe not. Truth be told, Claude didn’t really care how serious Sloane was about her relationship. It was just that this was a good way to turn the topic around to that one time when Claude had been at Aunt Alena’s, and Paisley and her brother were there. 

And her sister.

“S’cute.” He said, because it was, right? Young love. And then, in a very casual way, “Does that mean River and Celeste are at yours all the time?” 

Now Hattie curled herself upright to frown at him. “Why would they be?” 

Claude shrugged. “Dunno. Aren’t your moms real close anyway? I thought maybe since a couple of their kids are together –”

“Not true.” Now Hattie listed forward slowly, hair falling in waves around her face before she fluidly came back up again. “I can’t be bothered to have a fake conversation with you. Say what you mean or be quiet.” 

“Dickhead. Can’t I just want to have a conversa–”

“Stop talking, Claude.” 

Fucks sake. He should’ve tried Sloane. “Fine. Fuck.” 

And they were quiet for a couple minutes. Eventually Claude got bored of stretching, leaned back on his elbows and settled for rolling his ankles. He noted that his leotard was too fucking close to his skin colour. Either he had to get a tan or he was buying green leggings. Maybe both. 

Except, now Hattie was looking at him.

“What?” 

“Nothing.”

“Liar! What?” 

“Well, obviously you want to know something about River or Celeste.” Hattie pursed her lips. “I’m just trying to figure out what.”

“I thought you were done with the conversation.”

“Done with you wasting my time, not caring what you had to say.” 

Aw. Claude smiled. “You fucking love me.” 

“I grew up with you. We see a lot of each other.” Hattie said it in the way that she said some things, like they were dismissals rather than just explanations. But Claude wasn’t gonna educate her on the spectrum of human emotion today. He was busy getting what he wanted. “Be honest. You’re interested in Celeste, aren’t you?” 

Celeste. It was such a pretty name. It fit her so well. Like celestial, like heavenly, like stars, like her eyes. 

He said, “Nah.” 

“Then River.”

“What? No.” 

Hattie’s expression turned smug. “So you do like Celeste.” 

“Didn’t I just say no to both?”

“Yes, but you were more incredulous when I asked you about River. Which either means on some level you were already comfortable with the idea of liking Celeste and therefore your reaction was more muted to that suggestion, or you’re a homophobe.” 

“Fuck off! I’m not a homophobe.” Claude sat up, scowling. “My dad’s gay. Both of my dads are gay! And I tell my guy friends I love them all the time!”

Hattie nodded. “So you like Celeste.”

“No!” Claude insisted. Hattie raised her eyebrows. “No.” She raised them higher. “Okay, so?!” 

Hattie sighed. “If you’d just trusted me to begin with, I wouldn’t have had to manipulate you like that. And for the record, saying you don’t like a man doesn’t make you a homophobe.” 

Claude grumbled, “I know that.” 

She shrugged. “Just so we’re on the same page.” 

Fucking Hattie. If she were so smart she would’ve known Claude had been obsessed with Celeste since they were sophmores, anyway. But then again she wasn’t great at those kinds of things, people things. She could tell you the square root of one thousand and forty eight (did all numbers have a square root or just special ones? Fuck if Claude had ever paid attention in, what was it, geometry?) in under five seconds, but put her in the middle of a crowded room with no structure or expectation to deliver a presentation on the solar system, and she was lost. 

He guessed he should give her a break. This was probably a big revelation to her. Maybe he was proud she knew people even liked other people at all. 

“What was it you wanted to know about her, then?” She asked, folding her legs criss-cross applesauce. 

Claude shrugged, easing back onto his palms. He was being coy, of course. He knew what he wanted to hear about. “I don’t know. Just wondered what she was up to. Hey, is she still seeing –”

“She’s still with Sebastian.” 

“Fucks sake.” 

“Yes. I think it’s been,” Hattie paused briefly to frown at the ceiling. “Four and a half years.” 

“They gotta be stale by now.” Claude muttered, which Hattie rolled her eyes at. “Seriously. Who dates someone when they’re fifteen and keeps the magic alive?” 

Hattie pursed her lips. “Sebastian’s nice. Some people like that.”

He scowled. “What would you know about Bash?” 

“Well, he was on the row team all through high school, and he still does it in college, which takes a lot of discipline –”

“Like I haven’t been doing ballet since I was a fucking baby.” 

“— and when I was sick for a week in junior year, he brought me the homework and gave me his notes.” Hattie smiled. “Which was very courteous.” 

He said flatly, “And you somehow stopped yourself from jumping his bones.” 

“I think what I’m communicating to you, Claude,” Oh, she sounded stern. She didn’t like his joke. “Is that there’s very little crossover between you and Sebastian. And even if there was, Celeste seems very happy with him, so I doubt you’d have a chance regardless.” 

Shit news. The same shitty news he’d been getting for years now. 

But Claude could fucking rally. “I have a class with her this year, though. Maybe they’ll be broken up by then.” 

Hattie was getting to her feet. “Unlikely.” 

“Look, science-fucker, isn’t that the whole point of the old man’s cat? Until you see the situation, it has an equal chance of being and not fucking being. Ergo,” Now he was speaking her language, “Celeste has equally dumped and not dumped Bash. I just gotta get in there on the dumped side of things.” 

The look Hatte was giving him was one of – you know what? Claude was gonna call it admiration. 

“Schrodinger’s cat, and that’s not really how it works, no. It’s about the observed electron –”

Claude started getting to his feet, too. “Sparknotes, Harriet.”

“Well, we’ve all observed that they’re together, so as long as you’re causing pandemonium in this timeline? I think you’re out of luck.” 

He grabbed his bag and then Hattie’s, mostly because he knew how much she hated it when he tried to carry her shit for her. He threw them both over his shoulder, even as she tried to grab at hers. 

“So if it’s about being observed,” He said, walking to the door at a very casual pace as Hattie tugged him backward by the straps of their bags, “Then something else can happen unobserved.” 

“You don’t understand Shrodinger’s cat, Claude, stop acting like you d –”

“So maybe she can be with him and not be with him. When no one’s looking. You know?” That was a window.

He’d take that.

[todokori-kun]

The fix was quicker than I expected! Dad’s bringing it (the computer) home today :D

someone needs to photoshop smiling cherubs and flowers around them

OH whoops, sorry about the misunderstanding ^^;; Idk what I even want to happen to the Touken baby, I just don’t want it to die in the womb.

Uta/Touka child might also be pretty attractive, now that I think about it ;)

(Uta/Rize or Uta/Itori child would look even better though)

I was in a nice, fluffy mood when I wrote that. Unfortunately, as I’m going to get my computer back and will be able to start working on the Heathers AU again tonight, this will probably be the last you’ll see of Cinnamon Roll Evans for a while :) 

YES I read the new Kuro chapter! Honestly I disliked the 2CT for various reasons  but now that it’s actually become canon I think I feel a little better about it (also, is it just me or does ‘real’ Ciel look a bit different from 'our’ Ciel on the last page? His face looks too…perfect, if that makes sense). I’m excited to see what this means for Lizzy’s relationship with both Ciels and Undertaker’s connection to the Phantomhives!

Oh, actually I agree with you there? What I meant by 'op’ is more of a really strong character, not an overpowered one ^^;; sorry, I’ll try to explain myself better:

Super strong characters like Levi, Mikasa, the Titan Trio, Kaneki, Eto, Arima, Sebastian…they are all technically 'op’ (especially Sebastian, dude has literally no weaknesses so far). However, they work because they also have traits that interest us beyond just their strength. Kaneki is a lonely child, a selfish person with a fear of being left behind, drifting and unable to find a reason to live. Levi is an orphan who was raised by a serial killer- he clawed his way up to where he is now. Annie is a sixteen-year-old trained into a killing machine from childhood, she went through life believing that the only person she could trust was her father, and she was desperate to return to him.

(It’s also difficult because everyone seems to have a different definition of 'op’; I personally just use it to jokingly refer to powerful characters or when I talk about strong characters whose power levels are inconsistent with canon to the point where it gets ridiculous (example: we know titan shifters take some time to heal, so if a titan shifter came along who could be behaded then have their head instantly stick back onto their neck like some sort of AoT version of Noro, I’d consider them OP).)

I guess what I was trying to say was that it’s fine to have strong characters, just make sure that they have an actual personality (readers need a reason to care about the characters, after all!) and that their powers make sense? ^^;;

(Also, I think I might have sounded a bit passive-aggressive or rude during this convo about op characters, I'm really sorry if I did OTL I didn’t mean to, but when I reread my comments I realized they could come off that way)

I agree with you about the AoT OCs though. Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of good ones…actually, most OCs I see for popular fandoms aren’t very interesting. Other than the powers or character designs the thing that bothers me is the lack of proper personality (why do so many people think 'happy’ is a personality trait???).

And definitely agree 100% on the angsty backstory. Like, that’s just overkill. There’s a difference between tragedy and being edgy. (It also sort of depends on how good the writer is at conveying emotion and handling the angst, but for the most part stuff like that is

That’s a great way to do things! :D I’m really, really disorganized when it comes to making characters…usually a concept pops into my head and I run with it, adding in details along the way. Tatsuo was created when I wanted to make a male TG OC and suddenly this image of a smug-looking guy with a long black ponytail popped into my head, Naomi started from the idea of making a character with the themes of 'self-discovery’ 'identity’ and 'lies’ woven into their arc. Louisa was literally born from an outfit- I randomly thought of an outfit that looked really pretty and traditionally feminine, yet was actually very practical when you looked closer. Then I tried to imagine what kind of person would wear these clothes and that was Louisa…

idk, I’m bad at explaining stuff haha

(also: Tatsuo was also inspired by various vampire characters I saw in anime/manga, books and TV shows. He’d be so offended if he knew LOL in fact, he just might serve me for dinner at the restaurant or something ;-;)

TYSM! I’m really glad you’ve liked all three of my OCs so far, thank you for listening to me ramble about my babies (actually only Naomi is my baby, Tatsuo and I disowned each other and Louisa moved out) <33333

As for Lou, I’ll send you some more info about her after I develop her a bit more if you like? :) For now, a few random things:

-rarely shows emotions like anger or sorrow

-not because she’s bottling them up, but because she’s learned how to handle them in a healthy way

-always smells like mint for some reason

-maybe because she’s addicted to mint tea

-her bodyguard suspects she doesn’t drink water at all and lives on the stuff

-she also likes strong flavors

-has the kind of bright, pretty smile that makes you want to trust her

-so you do

-and you (probably) get killed

-had a girlfriend named Iris once, a nice, sensible girl who managed to keep her from getting too buried in her work and various plans for her family and took care of her in ways that her bodyguard couldn’t (AKA somehow got her to realize that mint tea does not equal a proper meal)

-unfortunately Iris did not know that Lou can be a bit terrible

-she walked in on Lou casually wiping the blood off of her knife with the dead body of a certain businessman on the floor in front of her

-“Oh, Iris. What are you doing here, darling? I thought I asked the servants to keep you upstairs, my private meetings can be a bit messy… Iris? Love, are you quite alright? You look a little pale…”

-Well, that was the end of that relationship

XD the titan designs are one of the best things about AoT, in my opinion. You could make a gallery out of all the pictures of them that that have appeared in the anime and the manga so far lol

Oh, really? Hope you enjoy/ed the list then :D was it ok??? (Part 2 was intended to smash feels)

Sweet! That wasn’t so long ^^

I know you meant Voldy and Draco by the flower statement but...

I’m this close to finding a physical copy of the manga and throwing it in the fire while yelling ‘Lighten the fuck up’.

Gimme the Uta/Itori love child now, pretty please. Damn, that would be one attractive baby. 

And now I fear for my life. Great. Well, more for my hear than for my life, but whatever.

Well, I never really had a formed opinion on the 2CT theory, but I did read a few things about it. I didn’t expect it to be true, though. Welp, now we can assume it is true, and I am SHOOK Here’s an accurate description of me during the chapter.

I think that might be since he’s a tiny bit more similar to Vincent, while Our Ciel is more similar to Rachel. I mean, we know that there are physical differences between the two (if we assume that Real Ciel is the one who was previously Lizzy’s fiancé), because Real Ciel is taller than Our Ciel.

Yep, I definitely can’t wait to see where it’ll go from now. I remember seeing a post that said ‘This is the biggest shock to the fandom since we found out Undertaker was fuckable’

Also: Our!Ciel: three years ago I lost my dear twin brother to some cultists and a demon. Real!Ciel: Quit telling everyone I'm dead! Our!Ciel: Sometimes I can still hear his voice...

Oh, I see! I always think of OP as OverPowered, that’s why I got a bit defensive ^^;;;;;

Well, like you said, everyone has their own definition of OP.  Sometimes, I’ll even think of OCs who have trait that’s already specific to another character as OP, like Titan-Shifter OCs, or OCs with a plot basically the same to a canon character (not OP but very irritating) And don’t get me started on Demon-Contracted OCs in the Kuro fandom. Those make me want to defenestrate myself.

Yup, I have no problems with strong characters as long as they’re not ridiculously strong and aren’t there purely because of that power, but they also have personality.

Don’t worry, I reread my original statement about OP characters and was like ‘man this sounds so bitchy and high and might hnnnngh’ but couldn’t find a way to rephrase it properly ^^;; So, no worries, I know how you feel ^^

Well, for some reason, it seems that the people who make believable OCs are either lazy or scared to post theirs. Or they simply don’t care. The ones with Mary Sues like to holler at people with ‘LOOK AT MY BAE CHARACTER AREN’T THEY PERFECT???’

There’s this blog I follow (it’s gone inactive, unfortunately) that takes Mary Sues and breaks them down (well, the correct term would be make fun of, but they do offer some advice on how to improve them), and you wouldn’t believe the shit I found there.  Here’s the link if you want.

For some reason, people seem to think that the edgier the backstory, the ‘more original’ the character, which (of course) isn’t true, because that means everyone will have a super tragic backstory that no longer makes sense.  Another thing I’ve noticed is that they sometimes avoid some pretty important details like ‘Character was born into a healthy, happy family. One thing led to another and the family was killed, while character was molested (a very common backstory theme) and taken in by a cult’ and I’m like ???

My character usually start out like this: *luna is watching a show*  OK BUT WHAT IF THERE WAS A CHARACTER WHO-

And so a new character is born. 

But your ways of starting a character are also quite interesting ^^ Especially by looking at an outfit!  I ALWAYS WANNA LISTEN TO YOU RAMBLE ABOUT CHARACTERS! 

Titans make me laugh, honestly. Like, these are supposed to be the main bad creatures? Steampunk zombies (kabaneri) look scarier than that.

It was the hulk smash of feels :-))))

[swissmissficrecs]

Underrated Fics, Part 7

In honor of hitting the 900 follower milestone (thank you!), here is the most recent installment of my Underrated Fics series: excellent fics with fewer than 200 kudos on AO3 at the time the list was compiled.

An exciting adventure in the vein of an Agatha Christie mystery (if Agatha Christie had written gay smut). Note that this is really a BBC fic even though it is set in the Victorian age and bears no relation to the TAB episode. The Seafarer; or, A Question of Time (40573 words) by DoubleNegative Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: “Put two ships in the open sea, without wind or tide, and, at last, they will come together. Throw two planets into space, and they will fall one on the other. Place two enemies in the midst of a crowd, and they will inevitably meet; it is a fatality, a question of time, that is all.” - Jules Verne The Indian Ocean, 1880: John H. Watson, MD, meets Sherlock Holmes and is deduced. ===== A beautiful hurt/comfort piece with John taking the investigative lead, this is a fascinating foray into esoteric psychology and a neat twist on the undercover-as-boyfriends trope. Lucifer's Gardens (32679 words) by ampersand_ch Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Other Male Character Summary: John goes undercover for an investigation as a favour to Lestrade in a village in Suffolk. The events surrounding the case awaken deep-seated fears in Sherlock. While John begins to come to a realisation of what he needs in Lucifer's Gardens, Sherlock tries to find a way to reach John – in more ways than one. ====== This is an involved and complex casefic that ties in all the threads of Moriarty, Magnussen, and Mary, along with new threats and allies. Spider tattoos, spies, secret siblings, and shocking deaths make this a carousel of adrenaline, adventure, angst, and ardor, with Sherlock and John in the midst of it all. Really a fantastic piece. When the East Wind Falls Silent (32346 words) by ampersand_ch Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson Summary: Sherlock is called back from exile by his brother in order to catch Moriarty, who has resurfaced in a televised message. The task which awaits Sherlock goes far beyond anything he feared. Starts at the end of HLV. ====== A marvelous piece of mindfuckery, this is definitely one you'll want to read twice! Ford (31744 words) by theshopislocal Rating: Mature Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson, John Watson/Original Male Character(s) Summary: He turns back round then and looks down at me, eyes curious. “Your name, W.S.S. Holmes.” That’s not my name. “Is it Walter? Or Wilbur? Maybe something really awful like, er,” he smiles wryly, “Willoughby? Winchester?” I feel my face go blank as my body numbs over. “Scott,” I say, voice devoid of emotion. “My name is Scott.” ====== This is a genfic with preslash overtones; the Mature rating being for mental, physical, and sexual torture as we descend into the dark, depraved recesses of Moriarty’s psyche and his obsessions with Sherlock, fairy tales, games and power. A disturbing yet compelling read with Major Sherlock!whump, not for the faint of heart, but with a tender, optimistic ending that should heal at least some of the wounds inflicted. The Blue Light (31381 words) by Lorelei_Lee Rating: Mature Relationships: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson, Sherlock Holmes & Jim Moriarty, Sebastian Moran & Jim Moriarty Summary: Moriarty abducts Sherlock several times in a row, bringing him to a secret location where his victim is at his mercy. Thanks to a special drug cocktail, Sherlock has no memory of the abductions. But he begins acting strangely back home. So strangely that John finally notices... ====== This is a very atmospheric piece, set largely in Siberia, with some of the worst angst short of major character death. But don't be put off, it's deeply Johnlock with some stunning character choices. And retirement in Sussex beckoning. Building Jerusalem (26426 words) by ampersand_ch Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: John finds out that Sherlock has more secrets from him than he ever imagined. The discovery threatens to destroy their relationship. ====== This is a slightly older fic (published in 2013) and should really have more kudos and hits. I thought at first from the summary and tags that it would be similar to a Pirate!lock adventure, but it’s not that at all. It’s set in modern times but with a touch of magic, lots of romance and yummy insecure!Sherlock and BAMF!John. A really terrific story with an underlying mystery and a surprise reveal. The Case of the Fleeing Frenchman (26035 words) by PenelopeWaits Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: Captain James Watson and his son John have been protecting each other and their beloved Harriet for years. Where will true safety reside when a handsome sailing ship and her haunted captain arrive and he makes a shadowy proposal? This is a crossover with the myth of the Flying Dutchman. John is Senta. ====== Set within the Victorian world of The Abominable Bride but with no direct connection to the episode, this is really a very well presented and written story that I would encourage readers to give a chance even if it’s not your usual pairing. I especially liked the exploration of Molly’s character with the duality of her presentation, along with Lestrade’s personal story that shed light on the problems even someone who would otherwise be happy adhering to societal norms might be faced with. The Case of Doctor Hooper and Inspector Lestrade (16917 words) by Sapphire_Princess Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Molly Hooper/Greg Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson/Mary Morstan (background) Summary: Inspector Gregory Lestrade liked Doctor Hooper and found that the more he spent time with him, the more he wanted to do so. But he wasn’t naive - not in the way Sherlock Holmes thought he was, and he was unfailingly honest with himself. His growing attachment to Doctor Hooper shouldn’t go any further than it had already. Equality for the sexes was one thing, this was quite another. ====== The summary doesn't say much, but this is a really cleverly done piece, angsty and sweet. Preliminary Experience With A Specific Remedy In A Specific Syndrome Of Human Insanity (15193 words) by mydogwatson Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: A study of Sherlock Holmes's nature. ====== This is a terrific author and a good old-fashioned, high-tension casefic, an exciting plot with juicy Johnlock emotional entanglements. The real mystery is why it doesn't have more kudos. The Last Case of Dr. John Watson (14468 words) by Susan Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: If he really had less than twenty-four hours to live, was it too much to ask that it be sunny? Being poisoned and soaked to the skin on the same day seemed to John a bit of cosmic overkill. Sherlock's only hope of saving John is finding the antidote before it's too late. But where does he start? ====== This was an interesting intellectual exercise, along with being exciting, poetic, fun, and deeply satisfying. With an alternate take on ASiP that makes everything even more right than in canon. Balance (13939 words) by Laur Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: Each universe was like an intricate game of cat’s cradle, or a complicated blanket of crochet, billions of threads interweaving and crossing and tangling. Some threads never touched, never even came close, but when one thread was plucked the entire fabric quivered in reaction. Each stuck in a universe where the other does not exist, a distortion of space allows Sherlock and John to meet each other through touch alone. ====== Basically, John smokes a cigar. In the hottest, most erotic, filthiest, most creative and deviant way possible. Light me up! Thank You for Smoking (13242 words) by Lorelei_Lee Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: Sherlock encourages a suspect to smoke inside Scotland Yard... so that he can (secretly) inhale the smoke too. Too bad John took Sherlock's promise seriously that he had quit smoking. John decides to teach Sherlock a lesson he won't soon forget ... ====== Another Victorian TAB fic, this story posits a Sherlock and John who are able to openly communicate their feelings, and a Mary who is completely okay with the results. An awkward/sweet first time that doesn’t quite go to plan, but that’s what second times are for! Your bed should be a refuge (11744 words) by TooManyChoices Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson Summary: Sherlock and John finally face their mutual attraction, but is it too late? John's married (and happily so). Is there any way that John can have it all? ====== Super angsty, this shows us what is and what might have been in all its painful glory. Beautifully written, hurts so good. the knife I turn inside myself (11308 words) by polyommatusblues Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan Summary: There are a million parallel universes out there in which Sherlock and John are happy—universes in which Sherlock never jumped, John never married, and things never went to hell. Sherlock knows that this is not one of universes. It could have been, he imagines, but it’s not. They make do.

[nostuntmanneeded]

I just finished writing a five-paged, back-to-back and I am in such a mood to blabber, so forgive me for the essay 😬

Phew! I thought I was the only one who thought the argument about them being famous and that they 'signed up' for it was overkill. I get this feeling that some people have this false sense of (probably unconscious) belief that they can do whatever they want and say whatever they want and at the end of the day they can still be considered as respectful and reasonable human beings because they have this notion that their actions can be justified by the fact that they did something wrong. No person should ever be excused from being called out if they do something wrong, no one and that includes us.

"hE's a HypOCriTe" "ShE's RaCisT"

You're using other people's fuck ups --and even minor character flaws at times-- to conceal your obsessive behavior. What does her CA have anything to do with her fashion preferences (not including the kimonos and native american 'costumes because those aren't fashion statements despite what she and her problematic friends thinks) and her seemingly photoshopped pictures ? Listen, I fucking loathe that child, she disgusts and irritated the hell out of me and there is nothing and no one in this world that could make me like her and I have a lot to say about her but I know which are the things I should keep to myself because I can be rational and mature about it. You're also using the fact that he's almost 40 and should not be babied as an excuse to be shitty.

If you really want to call someone out for their mistakes, you would do it in a firm but educating manner, that way you'd be able to establish some assurance that they will no longer do it and hurt people again and if you feel like what this person had done is just far too unforgivable for you or you feel like this person is hopeless, then by all means, you are free to turn your back on them and people would not judge you for it, you have the liberty to choose which person you want to 'stan' or not. What you're doing right now is basically a dragging and less straightforward version of cancelling.

I don't get why on Earth are these people still feasting their eyes on every little thing he or the people around him (like Lizzie from the Variety interview) say or does and trying to dictate him if they're so done with him and point out every damn thing, even the ones that are no longer relevant. If you think that's innocuous and that you're merely calling them out and holding them accountable for their mistakes, I have news for you. You're not being "concerned and responsible" members of society, you're just bullies and you won't accept that because you think it's not essentialy bullying if the person is problematic, but it is and Steve Rogers would not be happy about that.

No need to apologize for the long tip! I enjoyed reading every word and I completely agree.

There's a right and a wrong way to call someone out for their actions.

Respectfully bringing up the matter, explaining why the actions or behavior is offensive, is the right way to reach out to someone who may not know about the subject. But hating on someone, sending threats or constantly and harshly demanding an apology is the wrong way to go about things.

I don't agree with everything Sebastian has done, and I'm not even going to get into how I feel about Alejandra's controversies, but I also know they are human beings and what is being said affects them.

[thecreativeseries]

Legendary Surf, Lifestyle and Adventure Photographer Ted Grambeau

Interview with Ted Grambeau @tedgrambeau

Firstly, can you start with a little bit about yourself and your photography career.

I grew up in Victoria in the Gippsland region in Wonthaggi and Foster.

My interest in photography evolved through shooting surf photography and expanded from there.

I studied photography at RMIT, in Melbourne, working briefly as an assistant at Brian Brandt studios in South Yarra. That was a leading Advertising, Commercial and Fashion photographic studio in the day in Melbourne. Brian was a living legend in the industry during this time.

I travelled and worked in New York as an assistant to Burt Glinn, chairman of Magnum at the time. Burt was shooting corporate work. Magnum is considered the most prestigious photo agency with a collection of the world’s greatest photojournalist/artists. It still is today.

I returned to a nomadic lifestyle for some 30 years shooting surf for Surfer magazine and Surfing Life in Australia. I have developed a range of clients in the surf industry Rip Curl, Quiksilver and Billabong. In addition to Red Bull, Apple, Speedo and Patagonia. I also shot swimwear issues for several years.

I specialised in big projects such as Rip Curl’s Search, Quiksilver's Crossing, and Billabong Odyssey.

I also rode a motorbike from LA to Patagonia for BMW and Rip Curl on the Search, eight months and 35,000 km.

I’ve published several books, including ‘Ted Grambeau - Masters of Surf Photography’ by The Surfers Journal, ‘The Surfer and the Mermaid’ with Tim Baker, and ‘Adventures in Light’ with Rip Curl and Tim Baker.

In addition, I have pursued personal fine-art projects, in particular, ‘Sealevel’ a fine-art abstract documentation of the ocean.

This series was unique, and I have developed that for about 8 or 9 years now with numerous exhibitions.

Now I share some of this knowledge through photography workshops.

What equipment do you use to create your images and why did you select it?

I have had the good fortune of working with and owning a diverse range of camera equipment.

From 8x10, 4x5 film cameras, medium format, Hasselblad, Leica, Fuji, Mamaiya, Linhoff, 35mm systems Nikon, Canon and Olympus.

I currently use Nikon cameras and lenses and occasionally other medium format equipment.

I want to be clear that no camera or brand makes will make you a better photographer; it may make the photos you take better! By this, I mean the camera does not make you get out of bed earlier to search for the perfect light or create unusual compositions. It will not create great anticipation or connection with your subject.

Your camera is a tool; you must feel comfortable and confident in what you can achieve. This knowledge will provide you with the opportunity to create images with a minimal effort, in a reliable manner and importantly support that reliability with back up service. It would be a system that extends those opportunities through lens and accessory choices. All this at a suitable resolution that you require for your end-users within your budget.

Currently, the range of high-quality options available for all the above criteria is endless.

If your destination is exhibitions, your requirements may be different from someone whose use is mainly shooting for the web. Determining your requirements for the end usage is essential.

Shooting mega resolution pixels for the web is overkill and expensive.

If you are a high-end advertising photographer shooting with a $60,000 equipment may be justified.

It's a very personal decision, and there is no one best camera, of course, the budget will usually be the determining factor.

I love fast prime lenses, and I like to be able to choose the best camera for the assignment at hand. The medium format experience is higher quality sometimes at the expense of the slightly deliberate (slower) process.

If you have got a 150-megapixel camera and end-use is Instagram you may have spent too much and slowed your workflow down dramatically.

Can you tell me about your book ‘Adventures in Light’?

My book "Adventures in Light" ( my companies’ name ), literally describes my life.

I wanted to create a book that represented all aspects of my photo journey. Quite often, when you do a book, you need a definitive theme. Which, immediately rules out a lot of your favourite images.

My theme is more about my photo journey, much of which was a collaboration with Rip Curl. As the philosophy of The Search closely mirrored my own philosophy, maybe I was looking for light as much as waves.

But my theme was broad enough to sustain images that stand alone. An underwater portrait could sit alongside a wave shot, so turning each page is like a surprise. It is intersected by several little feature trips on extreme travel and surf adventure.

In essence, it is a photo-based book with words by Tim Baker and designed by Alastair Mitchell of "The Potting Shed" in the UK, it is in effect about my photographic journey.

I self-published, a daunting task as creating the images is only about 25% of the work required when creating a book. There is a large financial commitment. Selling the book is the biggest ongoing challenge.

I continue to sell exclusively through my website as well as some Rip Curl stores.

I have been fortunate with the number of industry connections that have assisted me. My partner Selina has been that key to making the book successful. Her knowledge of social media and design have been invaluable.

Which photographers have inspired your journey and why?

Photographers that consistently produce high-quality work, I draw my inspirations form a diverse range of genres.

The great photojournalist's who turn truth into art, my boss Burt Glinn was indeed one of these. Henri Cartier Bresson, I believe, was the greatest photographer ever. Sebastian Selgardo. Frank Hurley, an Australia photographer who was unbelievable, James Nachtwey.

Fashion legends Richard Avedon, Peter Lindenberg, Albert Watson, Mario Testino, Gilles Bensimon.

Landscape inspirations Ansel Adams, and Murray Fredricks.

Sports, Walter Boos, and Art Brewer.

This is the tip of the iceberg, but these are the calibre of people I will spend $150 on their book. They produce consistently high quality work. But most importantly, they have developed their look by contributing to the creative process.

How has social media changed the photography world today?

Today Instagram is a constant and immediate source of amazing imagery, much of which the photographers have not gone on their own creative journey but that have seen a look online and gone out and copied that technique.

It becomes quite evident when you look at someone's body of work, whether they have evolved with their own style with a constant evolution of development.

To be considered valid as a good photographer, we must contribute to the creative process.

All the inspiration we feed off should be a starting point, not an endpoint. If it's the endpoint, then you haven't gone anywhere, other than showing you have mastered a technique.

This is a long journey; it is a lifetime journey.

It is a significant point that our inspirations should only be a starting point.

How has surf photography evolved over the years, what do you see in the future for the industry?

Surf photography has had several major disruptions in the last decade.

One was digital; images became unlimited in quantity. Good and bad.

But the instant verification cut out the learning curve. People could get a result without knowing technically about what they are doing.

Previously shooting film, whether that be for surf, wedding, fashion or commercial was daunting. Someone invested thousands of dollars for you to go on assignment. Sometimes I would be away for two weeks on a commercial assignment and bring back 200 rolls of film. You didn't know if you had a single image until they were processed. When shooting slides the margin for error was about ⅓ of a stop for reproduction in a magazine. You had to know what you were doing. Exposure was not a guessing game.

Your workflow had to be impeccable. There was a lot of pressure to get it right; you had to choose what ISO you were going to shoot before you left the country: 50 ISO, 100 ISO or 400 ISO.

You had to meter highlights, shadows, mid-tones, know the nuances of the film, know the lab where you were getting them processed, what colour bias they might have. It was very specialised.

Now you look in the back of the camera you can get a result or change exposure.

Professional photographers solve other people’s photographic problems, so it's essential to know what you are doing. No amount of "likes" makes you solve those problems.

It's raised the bar for sure, and there are a lot more great images as a result, but as I said maybe some people have taken a short cut and do not understand how they achieved that result, so it's less likely they can re-create that result again.

What have been some of your favourite photography trips?

Generally, the most challenging trips stand out for me like the Bike trip through Mexico, Central and South America, looking for the northernmost surfer in the world. Boat trips with Martin Daley and Sonny Miller on the Search, Mozambique, Madagascar, Russia with Tom Curren, Iceland, Norway, Tahiti for perfect surf (hopefully my next trip will be my best!).

In your opinion what makes an image exceptional?

The ability of an image to affect us emotionally, it has to be able to connect with us.

For whatever reason, it has to communicate with us, it might be the subject, the composition, the technique, the tone, the colour, the texture.

It has to be such that it is no longer just an arrangement of pixels but something that impacts us profoundly.

This is essential for all great pieces of art.

It might be historic, horrific, beautiful, but it must have the power to move us.

Images that stand out for example:

The napalm girl from Vietnam or the man in front of the tank in Tiananmen Square.

The tonal master of Ansel Adams and so it goes on.

Cartier Breton was a genius at defining moments, of real life.

It's an excellent exercise when we see an exceptional image to ask ourselves that very question. What makes this image great...

What is the most challenging aspect of being a photographer today?

The most challenging aspect of photography today is standing out in a saturated sea of images.

With clients erring toward-influencers it becomes a popularity poll and less about crafted image-making.

Magazines have died a natural death; other opportunities have flourished; everyone can be an expert. Saturation dominates subtlety.

There are more great photographers than ever before, but it gets somewhat smothered in the sheer volume of visual stimulus.

Do you have any projects planned?

Yes! Always.

Do you have an advice for aspiring photographers, especially in such a saturated market?

For aspiring photographers, it is the most exciting, challenging time.

There is more competition than ever before.

My advice: learn your craft thoroughly, follow your passion relentlessly and enjoy the journey.

Finally, you offer incredible Ocean, Lifestyle and Surf Photography workshops, what can people expect from this experience?

Next year’s Surf, Ocean and Lifestyle Experience in Bali will be pretty exciting. Darren Jew, one of the most gifted ocean photographers on the planet will be joining us as well as Jasmine Carey, who is full of talent and technical knowledge.

This course aims to have practical and relevant exercises. Whilst it has aspects of surf action, it is more about learning and understanding skill sets that can be applied to all aspects of your photography.

Understanding light, colour, working with water housings in the ocean and pools, applying solutions to portraits, swimwear, fashion as well as action and street photography.

Helping you solve photographic problems as you evolve as a photographer.

Creating more professional workflow solutions all while having fun in one of the most amazing working environments. It is about giving you the confidence to take your work to the next level.

Bookings are through Foto Frenzy’s website.

It might be prudent to book as soon as possible as numbers are limited.

Regards,

Ted