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juana-the-iguana · 10 months

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Sometimes I just think of fan interpretations of the cut-away between Zuko telling Katara that he knows where the man who killed her mother is and her packing things and getting ready to leave, and Aang and Katara having their last in-person interactions on screen (when they are lone together in EIP and when they are in a group in the finale) be fights to them kissing at the end.

People who support Kat-aang and do not like Zutara (and specifically comment in the Zutara tag about this) often say that Zuko had to convince Katara to go after her mother's killer. A lot of those people also assume that Aang must have apologized to Katara off-screen for the EIP kiss.

I have had a lot of people who share these interpretations accuse me and other people of not having "media literacy" because we can't clearly understand he must have apologized off screen. The irony is that is the exact opposite of the truth.

The cut away between Zuko telling Katara he knew how to find her mother's killer and her getting ready to leave signifies swiftness. Her response to this knowledge is so clear that showing her reaction would actually take away from conveying it. Things are moving fast, her mind was made up right away and she kept moving so the scene did too. And because she is moving so quickly, the audience can fill in the fact that any conversation she may have had with Zuko about this (How do you know this? When did you find out? etc.) did not play a role in her decision to find her mother's killer.

We know from both her past actions (being haunted by her mother's death, her righteous fury) and her future ones (trying to take Appa without talking to Aang or anyone else, telling Sokka that he didn't love their mother like she did, bloodbending) there is nothing Zuko could have said in a period of time that would have been a few hours, tops, that could have made her that angry or driven if those emotions were not already there. Zuko telling Katara he knows where her mother is isn't actually the completion of that narrative moment: her affirming that she needs to confront said killer when her actions are questions is. (I should note that part of the cut away could have been to leave room for a commercial break - I can't remember if that was the case when this aired on television - which would break up the viewing, but does not take away from the fact that Katara's shown response to this knowledge is to leave as quickly as possible).

Now compare that with the EIP kiss. We see the full moment play out, from Aang meeting Katara on the balcony to pressuring her to commit to him to kissing her when her eyes are close to her getting upset to her running away to him reflecting on what happened... Set up, action, response, reflection. This is an emotional scene, Katara is clearly distressed and this is one of the few times we actually see her mad at Aang. Their kiss at the end is another emotional moment, as it marks the culmination of Aang's journey as an Avatar. There needs to be a bridge between these intense scenes for them to make sense. Kat-aangers will argue that the EIP kiss is A and the ending kiss is C, so B must be the implied apology. But if A and C both matter a lot, and there needs to be a connection between the two things, then B should matter a lot too. C is the last scene in the show! This bridge should be shown, or at the very least referenced!

Unlike the TSR scenes, there is so much time between EIP and the finale that there is no clear flow between these moments. To the contrary, there are moments that break up this romantic sub-subplot, from them playing at the beach together again to them fighting again over how to deal with the Fire Lord and Aang running away (something worth noting is that Katara is the last person who is talking when he runs away - he literally left her - and she lets him go after a light touch on the shoulder from Zuko). Fight, friends, fight, love.

Since that B scene, the thing that bridges together Katara and Aang's relationship, is not there, then it either isn't important or did not happen.

Now let's get into media literacy. Media literacy isn't filling in gaps to make things make sense. Media literacy is understanding the messages that a piece of media is sending, intentionally or unintentionally. Even, in theory, if Zuko did have some conversation with Katara convincing her to seek out Yon Ra, it isn't shown and it isn't alluded to, so it doesn't matter. What we are supposed to take away from that episode is that Katara was ready to hunt down Yon Ra, she needed closure and got it, and that Zuko helped her. The same can be said for an apology after EIP. It doesn't matter if one happened off-screen, if it wasn't shown or referenced to, so it isn't important to the narrative. And if Aang making amends for hurting Katara isn't important to the narrative, but her kissing him after he fulfills his duty as the Avatar is, that is a huge statement about their relationship. Katara only rejected Aang because he wasn't an Avatar yet, so the only thing that matters in their relationship is him being the Avatar.

But the thing about media literacy is it isn't just about what is shown on the screen itself. It is about the bigger picture, what this is trying to convey as a message to the viewers.

So what does the gap in time in TSR tell us? Katara is this caring, nurturing friend who, in her brother's words, doesn't hate anyone except the people who took her mother. If she doesn't hate anyone except for the people who took her mother away from her, and she was immediately able to act on that hate when she got the chance to seek closure, then that hurt must have been closer to the surface than anyone thought. She acted fine, but her trauma was still there.

So what does this mean? She was able to address the anger conveyed in the scene in the episode and by the end of it, even though she was still conflicted about Yon Ra, she made peace with Zuko. Zuko whose mere presence caused her distress for weeks, not only because of his betrayal, but because he reminded her of her mother's death. Zuko who became her good friend and saved her life later on. Confronting her demons not only brought her peace, it improved her life tremendously.

So what is the "media literate" message from the lack of apology? The absence conveys is that the most important thing needed for Katara to like Aang was for him to fulfill his role as the Avatar, because that is the only thing that changed in between those two scenes. He didn't treat her any differently, he didn't apologize for hurting her, in fact its vague that he even acknowledged that what he did was wrong because it hurt her (the "I'm so stupid!" could easily mean he blew his chance, not that he cared). And Katara never went through the process of forgiving him or making peace with him wronging her. She never even acknowledged that he underwent a significant change as a person in the last episode either (Aang, who ran away from his duties at the start of the series, faces them head on in the last episode. YMMV on how good that was developed) - if it's not shown, it doesn't matter.

So what does this mean? It doesn't matter when Katara is hurt, conflict resolution doesn't matter, and apparently Aang's personality doesn't matter either. Their interpersonal relationship and emotional connection mean very little. Men do great things and women love them for it, how they act or are treated does not matter.

And before anyone comments "they're kids, it's not a big deal," this is a direct response to accusations about media literacy which, by definition, is a big deal - it's about the messages being made to viewers and its commentary on how society works and how things should be.

#zutara #anti kataang #the discourse

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adobe-outdesign · 3 months

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Kung Fu Panda 4 Thoughts/Liveblog Thing

Just caught this at the theater for a grand total of five whole dollars, so I thought I'd do some quick opinions while it's fresh.

Non-spoiler opinion: It was Okay(TM), but the movies were considerably stronger as a trilogy. It's worth seeing one (1) time if you're a KFP fan (and really, who isn't), but I wouldn't bother paying full price for it or anything

SPOILERS FOR ALL 4 MOVIES UNDER THE CUT:

A list of things that slap:

The animation is stunning and fast-paced. Really loved the use of Chinese-style paint brush strokes to accentuate the action

Also I'll talk about the 5 later but I also really liked the animation change when describing where they are—all KFP movies have at least one animation shift and I'm glad this one kept up with it

Some of the fight scenes were super good, I liked the one that uses the tilting bar on a cliff in particular

(side note: the Missing Link did something similar, just on a ship. Go watch the Missing Link)

The Chameleon served straight cunt the entire time she was on screen and I kind of loved (almost) everything about her. Character design was incredible, voice was perfect, palace design was amazing, abilities were sick

Also the way she rides up chilling in a golden tree branch of all things? Fellas, we have no choice but to stan

Also I just appreciate the choice to both do a female villain for a change and to get a reptile in here after having only mammals and one (1) bird as villains previously

Speaking of character design there were a few really good ones in there, like a pangolin that moves Sonic the Hedgehog-style, a cool looking female boar, and a bunch of Komodo dragon henchmen. Good stuff

The jokes were a very mixed bag for me, some hit and some didn't. I will say that Zhen just going "that's great for you" in response to Shifu stating he's a red panda got me for some reason

If anyone hurts Po's gay dads I'm killing everyone in this room and then myself

Jack Black's cover of Baby One (1) More Time is unironically better than the original

A list of things that Do Not Slap:

Pacing/Plot:

This movie lacked a color scheme? KFP 1 was blue (also some gold), KFP 2 was red, KFP 3 was green. These colors weren't subtle either, there are entire scenes in each movie drenched in these colors and it was really obviously missing here

The whole first half the movie feels really breathless and too fast-paced. Apparently it was a studio mandate to have it not go over an hour and a half which is A) stupid and B) hurts the pacing

As much as I love Po's two gay dads we REALLY should not have been wasting time on their journey when the runtime is so tight

Also them tagging along felt off? Mr. Ping was worried sick about Po in KFP 2 but he doesn't tag alone because obviously he needs to let his son have his space. It's more in-character with Li Shan but it doesn't come across like he's talking Mr. Ping into it or something

In general there are so many plot points in this movie that feel under-developed. You could've made an entire movie out of the previous villains returning, Zhen and the Chameleon's relationship (see below), etc.

Po's Character:

People not knowing Po is the dragon warrior is weird, I'm pretty sure he would've been more well known than that

The entire thing with Po needing to give up his role as the Dragon Warrior doesn't really make sense? The Dragon Warrior is literally a made-up title. There's no need to have a Dragon Warrior because there is no such thing technically, it's why Oogway denied Tai Lung the title and then waited years and years to give it to Po. Like it's not a role that needs to be passed down, that's missing the entire point of the Everything

Also Po's only been like Dragon Warrior for a few years? I don't think we're ever given a time scale but it wasn't that long

The jokes about Shifu and Po having trouble with inner peace/mediating feels off given that was the entire plot of the second movie

It felt like Po regressed a bit character wise. He acts like he has no idea how to be a teacher in this movie but he already was a teacher by the end of the third, that was the entire point??

Also he seemed like he was more gullible in this movie but I could be wrong

Why is Po so impressed with Juniper city. He literally spent most of KFP 2 in Gongmen hello?? I think(?) Juniper is bigger but he shouldn't be acting like he has no idea what a city is

Zhen/Chameleon:

Zhen's character design doesn't match anything else, which is weird because most of the new characters in this film keep the distinct style in some form or another

Her wanted poster shows her with the bold markings KFP is known for and it looks SO much better

The plot twist with Zhen working for the villain was so obvious I did not realize it was supposed to be a twist at first

Also, the entire thing with Zhen was entirely unneeded? The Chameleon could've just just stood up and announced her plan to take over and Po would've shown up on her doorstep with the staff

I guess the idea is that Po needed to hand over the staff willingly for it to work? But if that's the case the Chameleon could've just impersonated Tigress or something and gotten it that way in like 1/3 of the time

Originally she was supposed to have kidnapped Shifu which would've been a much better plot point as it would've given Po extra motivation

The other problem with treating Zhen as a plot twist is that it hampers the relationship she has with the Chameleon effectively being her mom, which is FASCINATING. They had some really interesting chemistry together (the whole "stand up straight" thing as one example) and I could've seen it as a Mother Gospel from Tangled kind of deal, but we barely get any interaction between the two and it's like AAAAAAA

Fanfic writers fix this shit. I believe in you

I'll have to chew on it more but my pacing thought would actually be to start with Po finding out about the Chameleon's "take over everything" plan very early due to Shifu's kidnapping. He breaks into the lair like at the 1/3 mark or earlier and he meets Zhen inside which then leads into why she's doing what she's doing and the mother angle, etc etc blah blah

The Chameleon needed to just straight-up murder someone, comically shoving them down the stairs isn't good enough. I know stairs are Po's greatest enemy but I don't think that applies to everyone

Shen was allowed to stab someone on-screen so I think the Chameleon should be a allowed to strangle someone or something. as a treat

If violence was the concern just keep it off-screen like Master Rhino's death in KFP 2

The shapeshifter turning into a giant monster trope is overrated and I'm glad it was just used briefly here and not even for her defeat

Also the Chameleon's thing with her being rejected from Kung Fu because she's too small makes no sense b/c Mantis, which I'm pretty sure everyone's pointed out already. She does say "lowly" I think but was she ever poor? Could make a very interested parallel to Zhen if that was the case but it was never brought up again

I've heard some argue body image parallels w/ Po in KFP 1 but if that was the intent it's not explored, like, at all, which is a shame because it could've been an interesting angle

Also If they wanted a better excuse related to body image just say she was too frail instead of too small. I haven't owned chameleons but I've heard from people who have that they are very frail and very hard to keep alive, which would be a much better reason to turn her away

Cameos:

Yes I'm devoting an entire section to five second cameos don't judge me

I have mixed feelings on the Five not being present (save for the end cameos). On the one hand they are sorely missed but on the other hand they would've just made the plot bloat even worse

Lack of speaking was also bothersome. Part of me is glad they weren't recast with cheaper VAs because it's disrespectful to interchange them, but on the other hand that might've been better than just not having them speak and not paying anyone anyway

Tai Lung had all the best lines and was also the best used out of all the cameos, even if it would've been nice to have him on screen for longer. Also if they stuck with Shifu being kidnapped those two could've had some much-needed dialogue

Side note, while I don't think it contradicts anything from KFP 3 the spirit world having only kung fu masters in it feels off? It makes it seem so small and limited

Kai being there is weird. He's like. dead dead. Deader than dead. I guess you could argue that you can't kill something that's already dead but there's nothing even acknowledging this

Trying to take Shen's kung fu is really weird because the entire point of the fight with Master Rhino in KFP 2 is that he is not? a master?? like he's GOOD but he's not amazing, like if a master is like a 10/10 he's like an 8/10.

"The Chameleon has the powers of all my old nemesises!" WHAT'S SHEN'S POWER EXACTLY. HIS ONLY POWERS ARE GUN AND MOMMY/DADDY ISSUES

She does summon him way later than Tai Lung and Kai so maybe she was just camp spawning every single person she could think of regardless of skill level? she also uses his wings at one point so maybe she just wanted those, I don't think(?) there were other birds summoned

Though speaking of which she claimed she was using his wings but very clearly wasn't? not only were they black but they were raggedy and lacked the five longer feathers on the tips

Also Shen's model was super off, it looked way too fluffy and like an entire row of eyespots were missing from the edge of the train (which might have been a clipping error? unsure) it's been said the new models were made out of glue and popsical sticks and I believe it

Tai Lung has a habit of just like Grabbing anyone that's smaller than him and it amuses me

It's honestly really weird that everyone would just agree to go back into the spirit world willingly?

Like I think it works for Tai Lung because he's a noble person who just goes into a disassociative state and commits atrocities. Like I think he'd be willing to accept his death

Also it checks out for Shen because he killed himself and given his "dead belong in the past" mentality I can't imagine him wanting to stick around, he'd probably think it was unnatural

But Kai?? Kai was FURIOUS at being dragged back into the spirit world at the end of 3, like hell he'd just go quietly

Also I can see Tai Lung maybe respecting Po enough to bow to him but everyone else is pushing it unless they have therapists in the spirit world. Po offered Shen some nice advice at the end of KFP 2 and his response was to kill himself on the spot, I don't think him or Kai would be bowing

All of them were definitely in the middle of a mahjong match and were experiencing the equivalent of being woken up in the middle of a nap so they were just going along with things

Chameleon: I'm going to steal your kung fu

Everyone:

Misc:

I did like some of the more subtle callbacks. Stuff like Po seeing his reflection in the blade the way Shifu did or the "I can't even beat you to the stairs" scene were nice and not overly overt or in-your-face

If Po actively refers to himself as the "Kung Fu Panda" one more time I'm going to end it all

anyway that was not supposed to be a 12 page essay but it's too late now, goodbye

#kung fu panda #kfp #kung fu panda 4 #kfp 4 #liveblog #outdesign posts things #don't get me started on kfp or I won't shut up about it

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she-posts-nerdy-stuff · 7 months

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Can you tell us what the answers to the six of crows color experiment is?

Yep! ☺️

I realised too late that I really should’ve organised it as a poll somehow, because I’ve had loads of responses (thank you all very much) and whilst a lot of them agreed with me there were a few I wasn’t expecting. My associations in the order than I wrote them in the original post:

Red - Nina

Green - Jesper

Black - Kaz

Blue - Matthias

Purple - Inej

Orange - Wylan

So generally speaking a lot of people either agreed with exactly what I’d said or swapped Wylan and Jesper, which makes a lot of sense. A few people also moved Jesper and Inej around, which I understand and I wanted to add on that point I always connect Inej to purple with the idea of her reclaiming the colour and its power in the same way that she referred to her knives as her “proper claws” to reclaim the image of the lynx. Purple is the colour that was used against her and the colour that represents Ketterdam (Stadwatch uniforms, colour of Kruge notes, and the Geldrenner Ketterdam suite being the main examples); with a part of what separates Inej’s journey and her ship from Kaz’s style of vengeance is the acknowledgement that the city itself is the monster she’s facing, she’s been forced to come to terms with the idea that what happened to her wasn't the result of one terrible person or group of terrible people, but a dangerous environment and society that was never going to see her as an equal go matter what she did in life (this realisation is particularly linked to the “Rare Spices” billboard, which I wrote a post on a while back so if anyone wants to read that let me know and I’ll tag you) so by reclaiming the colour she is not only reclaiming the power Heleen took from her but the city as a whole. I hope I worded that all okay I worry that my point doesn’t come across properly it feels unclear please let me know and I’ll try to explain it differently. However I also understand the perspective a few people raised in their responses of wanting to separate her from that colour because she should always be seen as more than who she was forced to be, it’s just my personal interpretation that part of her pathway to healing is reclaiming the symbols used against her as a symbol of power to use against the system and people that put her in her position.

With Jesper and Wylan, I can definitely see it going both ways and I guess it also depends on what shades of the colours you’re imagining for each of them. For me, Wylan is orange because it can be a quiet, beautiful sunrise but it can also be fire and rage, it can be dark and deeply lonely but it can also be bright and blazing, it can be the first light of home in the dark but it can also be the flames of righteousness. “You were angry. I needed you righteous” “well, you’ve got me”. I realise all/most colours have a natural dual nature but I think orange does particularly and I think that it compliments him wonderfully. I connect Jesper to green for brightness, fun, the “lime green” clothes and vibrant plaid, but also for the farm and the card tables and the painful difference between them - the way his life split in two like a log cut down the middle (I don’t have my book with me so not quoting, but he says something along those lines in Crooked Kingdom when talking about how he ended up moving from the university to the Barrel).

I think the one’s who were always connected the same way were Nina to red and Kaz to black, and I wanted to add a couple of reasons I didn’t see anyone mention yet and that would be Nina being the “little red bird” and Kaz wearing black, mercher suits to mock them and to look, by Ketterdam’s colour-represented social hierarchy that I could talk about forever, like he fits in with them in the upper echelon of society.

And most people also maintained Matthias with blue, connections to water, ice, storms, but I think also it’s worth emphasising his blue eyes that Nina finds so beautiful

I will go through later and tag everyone who has responded so far in this post so everyone can see the results if they want to, thanks to everyone who responded ❤️

#grishaverse #six of crows #crooked kingdom #leigh bardugo #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #nina zenik #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #matthias helvar #kanej #Wesper #helnik #save shadow and bone #save six of crows

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seelestia · 1 year

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◇ A Blessed Imperfection ◇

─ ⊹ ⊱ ・・・・・・☆・・・・・・・⊰ ⊹ ─

LIA'S NOTE: aaaaa, thank you sm for submitting and writing this masterpiece, ☆ starlight anon! i'm so sorry that i wasn't able to post this asap but now, i'm sobbing as i read this. (/pos) do give this a read if you have the time and show ☆ starlight anon (@/hermosacolibri) some support for their godly writing 💐 this work does not belong to me, all credits go to ☆ starlight anon!

+ tagging @zhongrin — ehe! rin jie, you gotta take a look at this <3

CW: fem!reader, mentions of pregnancy and childbirth (in zhongli's part), reader has a vision (geo for zhongli and electro for ayato).

─ ⊹ ⊱ ・・・・・・☆・・・・・・・⊰ ⊹ ─

SYNOPSIS: Many consider your disability as a burden, but he finds a way to make it a blessing in disguise. What makes us flawed is what makes us unique, and that is what he considers the most beautiful thing about you—an imperfection he dearly adores. Nevertheless, he knows of your lingering sorrows and thus seeks a way to support you in the best way he could.

CHARACTERS: Zhongli, Kamisato Ayato

NOTE: I have decided to just submit the excerpts for these two and dedicated them to Rin and you respectively lol. I kept getting ideas and suddenly there were more characters to write, which made the entry too long. If you or the others wish to read more, I have an account on Quotev (a writing platform) that compiled all these sorts of literary works. People can also request there. I will provide the link if anyone is interested once I get everything cleaned up :)

•

ZHONGLI is a god whom has lived for eons, and has yet to begin his life at the same time. After his six millennia of existence, he has been known by many names and bestowed countless titles. Some are hearsay, and some are legitimate—all are bonded through his contracts. As the Prime Adeptus, he is the warrior god named Morax who subdued the rage of oceans and monsters by rain of spears. To all of Liyue, he is the mighty Rex Lapis whom stood as the overseer of contracts, history, and commerce. By the word of Celestia, he is the Geo Archon whom holds dominion over the Gnosis; and in the eyes of Teyvat, that made him god amongst gods even if he felt otherwise under the divine gaze.

Alas, when he finally stepped down from the lonely throne, his words to the Traveler omitted a particular truth from him—

—that is, his reason of retirement.

Zhongli spoke of erosion, and even the merchant whom made him realize that his job was done.

However, he did not speak of you.

Of course, with two Harbingers present, his secrecy is understandably sound judgment. Nevertheless, even when he attained privacy to speak personally, he finds it hard to disclose about you. Perhaps, it is a draconic instinct to hoard and protect what he has claimed to be his.

The only other individual just as protective over any knowledge of your existence is Ningguang.

After all, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing is also known as your dear older sister.

Ningguang raised you since the beginning, even if she had been a mere child herself. Your parents are never spoken, and you never asked. Even when you find yourself in comparison to other children with mothers and fathers, your older sister was always all you needed and wanted. Tirelessly, she carried you on her back while her arms were occupied by a basket of wares to be sold. Barefoot, she journeyed from the sands of Yaoguang Shoal to the main capital of Liyue Harbor to make ends meet. Every weekend, you will both scavenge anything that can be sold.

The first gift she ever bought you was an intricate erhu of the best craftsmanship.

It had been your smiles that told her everything will be worth the effort. It had been your songs that soothed the ache of muscles and the weariness of mind. It had been your words that invigorated her ambition to become something more.

“I love you, jiejie!”

“…I love you too, meimei.”

Nothing would stop Ningguang from rising to the top and giving you the life you deserve.

Time is cruel to mortals and always issues a test of faith to see them thrive. In one such incident, it has been proven that you and Ningguang are true sisters in every sense of the word. Her determination can only be rivalled by yours, and the resolve which shine like stars in your eyes is unconquerable.

Your older sister had once fallen to sickness. She refused to tell you where she kept the money, not wanting to waste it to buy medicine. You furiously argued with her about it but nothing could change her mind. Thus, at the dark of night, you treaded the path towards Jueyun Karst. The entire map of Liyue has been engraved in your mind since you could walk. Even when nothing but black greets your blank eyes, it would have been child’s play to travel into the abode of adepti.

That is, of course, if not for the adepti’s indignant anger at your trespassing.

Fortunately, you stole a Sigil of Permission.

“My sister is ill,” you told them, “and I require your aid to concoct a medicine.”

You will never know that what eventually convinced them is how gold illuminated your form. It channels your soul, and then solidifies into a circlet. At its center, a Geo Vision proudly sparkled.

Mountain Shaper thus led you to collect herbs that you would need. Moon Carver carried you on his back while Cloud Retainer flew towards Yaoguang Shoal with Ganyu on hers to check on your sister. In the distance, the Conqueror of Demons obliterated all other threats that may come your way.

By morning, Ningguang was on a road to recovery and you thanked the adepti by playing your erhu for them every day.

Amongst these private performances, you ended up in Guili Plains alone.

A melody has been haunting your dreams. It is very melancholic yet profoundly moving, like a promise between lovers. The composition began to write itself in the abyssal void of your sight. Then, it played smoothly by your delicate hands on the strings. Your voice echoed across the plains, bequeathing a sense of serenity that mortals rarely have talent to supply.

Once again, the Lord of Geo has been enchanted as he listened to your lullaby.

“Milord, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

Your inquiry was met with silence, but you can still feel his piercing eyes on you. Thankfully, you are patient as you are resilient.

The sound of footsteps made your ears perk up. You could not stop yourself from tilting your head to the direction of its origin. The omnipotence of adeptal energy dominated the air, making you dazed for a few seconds. However, there was a charming scent that you recognize. It belongs to a wild glaze lily, one especially helped to bloom by music.

Morax paused before where you sat, staring into your curious gaze looking up at him. The blindness clouded them yet your earnest intrigue made them shimmer glamorously. Autumn ginkgo leaves rain upon you whom sat beneath the shade of its tree, and he whom loomed over your mortal form. He lifts the glaze lily in his hand to bless its petals with a chaste kiss. Then, he slowly presents it to you.

A steady hand tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, planting the flower as an ornament. Your sensitive skin felt the callouses that must be from a lifetime of battle and slaughter. Alas, your cheeks only flush brightly at their tender caress. His fingertips glide through your tresses very subtly, giving you agency to pull away from his touch.

Morax pulls a lock of hair towards his lips, giving it the same attention as he did the glaze lily.

Then, with a promising smile, he lets go—

—and then vanishes in a blink.

That encounter was the first of many secrets you kept from your older sister.

A week later, a gentleman named Zhongli introduces himself to you. You narrow your eyes in suspicion and confusion. His presence, the aura of Rex Lapis, is unmistakable to you. Nevertheless, you respond with quiet acceptance while listening to his pulse settle down in relief.

It was not your place to question an archon anyway, nor is it your responsibility.

Aside from music, you always held fascination for botany. After refusing your sister’s offer to live with her in the Jade Chamber, she built you an estate with a large garden and a quaint greenhouse. From here, you have invented a unique art known as Geo Crystalline Preservation. You use the flowers in your garden to crystallize them with your Vision, but retain their scent like a real flower. By this method, you manage to pluck wild glaze lilies and preserve their natural fragrance after cultivation.

Your first specimen was the glaze lily gifted by your archon, now a part of your circlet.

Suddenly, wild glaze lilies were being revived to its former vast numbers in your garden.

Your artform can be applied to anything too. It can become a stained glass decor, a clothing design, an unwilting bouquet, and even a way to preserve food ingredients. For this reason, your fresh business had immediately made connections with all sorts of exchange across Liyue Harbor. In turn, you have developed a very reliable information network that answers to nobody but yourself. Twice, a visit from Yelan made your heart swell with pride to know you have information that eludes her.

Zhongli was more of a consultant or an advisor who directs you to the most beneficial proposals. It can be most helpful whenever you felt lost in making critical decisions that require more tact. He even made it possible for you to create a strong alliance with the Feiyun Commerce Guild. A part of you is still uncertain if that was worth the hassle that the esteemed Young Master Xingqiu tends to bring to your doorstep.

By the words of Rex Lapis, the core foundation of contracts is fairness. Thus, you asked Zhongli what he wants in exchange for his hard work.

“I only wish for your company,” Zhongli replied, “and—if you would allow it—a chance to court you.”

A gentle kiss lands upon your forehead. It brought back flashes of your first meeting under the ginkgo tree, when he was a god rather than a mortal. You used names to keep them separate, yet this moment has proven that Zhongli is Rex Lapis and Morax.

A cor lapis by any other name would nonetheless be as resplendent.

Then, two years later, he proposed and you said yes.

That resulted to an interesting private discussion between Zhongli and Ningguang. Neither of them disclosed any details other than the fact your sister gave her sincere blessings for the marriage. The wedding was reserved yet was also nothing short of extravagant. The collaboration of your sister and husband had you expecting nothing less, if you were being honest.

Another year later, the final Rite of Descension turns into a Rite of Parting.

You knew of Zhongli’s plan. He had to confide the details to you, excluding the Tsaritsa’s contract. It was the only way to persuade you into staying in Wangshu Inn for a few weeks, to make sure you do not get caught in the crossfire. He promises his intervention if all goes awry, if it endangers your sister as well as the rest of Liyue Harbor.

Then, it was all over.

Zhongli came home to kiss you with fervor you have never felt from him since your wedding night.

Later, the geo lines on his arms pulse with luminous glow in your marital bedroom. It reflected upon his amber eyes, pupils alternating between slits and dilation as his instincts purred. He closed his eyes with an inaudible sigh before projecting himself into your dreamscape.

As a blind person, you have an odd way of dreaming.

You only hear amidst the abyss and a composition always reverberates. When visited by him, everything gets reconstructed to a meadow of glaze lilies. At its heart is a Statue of the Seven. He had learnt that the imagery of stars twinkling above your heads is a sign that his own dreamscape had begun to merge with yours. A golden aurora borealis emanated pure geo energy, representing elemental resonance.

Always, the Geo Archon finds himself replacing his own self on the statue when he visits. He opens his eyes to the perspective of the statue. The illusionary Memory of Dust remains afloat beside him with a few geo crystalflies. He shall always find you fast asleep, wearing a hanfu composed of his colors. At times, your head is only resting on the armrest or his lap; and other times you are already in his arms.

Then, he cradles you closely while he listens to the tunes you dream. He has grown familiar with most of them through your erhu. A few would puzzle him, and he would then realize they are your unfinished compositions.

There was also one other reason he strictly kept you far from the events in the harbor.

You are with child.

Zhongli recalls the time you discussed the concept of illumination with him. It is the method of possibly enlightening a mortal to become an adeptus. The topic of you becoming immortal was only broached once and never again. Your own perspective in the matter was irrelevant, mostly because you were incompatible for the procedure. Although far from being an invalid, your constitution is far from ideal for such arduous illumination.

The Lord of Geo was overjoyed when you relayed the news of your pregnancy the first time. Alas, when the celebratory mood had gone, the slap of reality finally registered.

This will be a difficult ordeal for you, carrying a child that is half-adeptus.

Yanfei was conceived and born by a human mother, delivered through a complicated pregnancy. The health concerns never seemed to end, and her mother’s miraculous survival was only thanks to her tenacity according to her father. Even then, she is a mortal woman in perfectly good health.

If you were not capable of undergoing illumination, can you even survive this pregnancy?

No matter the answer though, Zhongli knows you are determined to persevere. For the sake of the life within your womb, you will endure all the hardships that will be thrown your way.

That fact is why he fell in love with you.

Perhaps, there was one thing he could do to help you even if it was not a full illumination.

As he once did for Azhdaha, the Lord of Geo can bless you the gift of sight.

You can see your child when they are born.

Zhongli lifts his head from where it rested on your crown. He tilts your chin up to gaze upon your visage and feel your breath against his skin. His fingertips grazed your eyelids, and the golden light of his geo energy engulfs the dreamscape. As everything fades into white, he leans down so his lips meet yours…

…and then, you both awaken.

However, for the first time, the haunting darkness that usually welcomed you has been replaced with color.

You saw a man hovering over you, lips millimeters apart from yours. Dark brown hair is embellished with honey gold, long strands gliding over his toned shoulders. Sharp amber eyes glared into yours, an unreadable sheen making them glow. Your hand reaches up to touch his pale cheek, thumb tracing the red outlining his gaze.

You realize. This is your husband.

“Zhongli…!” You gasped, tears in your eyes.

He smiles like a breathtaking work of art, a godly beauty that blessed you to be his wife.

“Hello, tian xin.”

Your arms wrapped around his neck to pull him into an ecstatic embrace and blissful kiss. He obliges, taking all you have and giving you all that is his.

Someday, you will no longer stay by his side.

Nevertheless, the proof of your existence will live through your child—and so will the love, the miracle that conceived them, which you shared with him. As such, you will continue to shine like gold in his memories forevermore.

This is not a mere contract, but a solemn promise that even Celestia can never break—

“My memories of you are treasures not even erosion can steal away.”

•~•~•

KAMISATO AYATO is a man whose heart seeks an equally capable partner. The idea of one day having to choose another half is something to consider as part of his duty. After all, the head of a noble clan is responsible for ensuring that its bloodline continues to prosper. To sire an heir, he must someday select a bride. His choice will lead to the rise of a matriarch within the Kamisato Clan. It must be a woman with the caliber to lead as the gentle hand of the Yashiro Commission to his iron fist. A fierce yet kind soul is necessary to command the Shuumatsuban in his place should the need ever arise. Furthermore, if he must eventually settle for a loveless marriage, his desire is to at least gain a lifelong friend. They must have the same depth of loyalty to his family, and the same steadfast resolve to uphold their principles.

Otherwise, he is very certain any other whom wishes to stand by his side will only break. With how he acts and carries himself, the people of Inazuma are more inclined to agree. Indeed, a wife less than up to par would be nothing short of disappointing.

Be that as it may, the Yashiro Commissioner can be a complicated man to love.

Ayato is a man who lives his life wearing a thousand masks, with little to no distinction between his true self and facades. At the early deaths of his parents, he was a young boy that had been forced into the lethal grind of political battles. To protect his little sister, he took up the blade to eliminate those who threaten them amidst the power struggle.

Just like that, his heart became a closely guarded vault privy to a trusted few.

Loving Ayato is likened to water, the same element he wields as weapon and shield. In calm days, he is transparent and clear to see. In chaotic nights, his own motives are harder to understand. There are times he can be as volatile as rapids, and others be as nurturing as a cool spring.

The most dangerous thing about loving Ayato is if you allow yourself to drown in him.

Alas, all of Inazuma is left dumbfounded when he abruptly announces his marriage to you.

The Yashiro Commissioner had gone missing for a week. A note with his penmanship claims he has a personal errand to run. Then, he returns to the estate—holding your hand while another clenches a scroll, sealed by the wax insignia of the Narukami Shrine and the Raiden Shogun. A glance at your respective hands reveal the glint of silver wedding bands, with camellia flower engravement filled by white jade.

Kamisato Ayato eloped with you.

“From here onwards,” Ayato declared, “[Name] shall be living in the Kamisato Estate as my wife. Please treat her with the same respect you do for me.”

The idea seems to intimidate you, a frown tugging your lips. Your husband, however, squeezed your hand in reassurance. Pacified, you end up snuggling your cheek onto his arm. The action is successful in grounding your senses, focusing on Ayato’s scent and body heat. He obliges this by gently pulling you closer, practically trapping your own arm to his side.

Ayaka hid a smile of amusement behind her fan, as her eyes softened in endearment.

“Of course, brother.” She replied.

Thoma nodded, beaming in welcome as you peeked at him and the young miss. Despite their slightest reservation upon this rushed turn of events, they trust Ayato.

Although, the Shirasagi Himegimi cannot help but feel you looked somewhat familiar.

You are a very peculiar woman, especially in a nation as conservative and traditional as Inazuma. In fact, some believe you seem more like an antithesis to your husband. Whereas he is always poised and very composed, there is always an untamed ferocity in you that refuses to comply to social norms. You can nevertheless dress as elegantly as any other noble aristocrat, speak as eloquently as any well-educated lady. If not for your infamous eccentricities, nobody would have doubted why Ayato chose you. It is quite renowned that you shamelessly stroll Inazuma’s main city in a commoner’s yukata—a messy bun for a hairstyle, and sometimes going barefoot. You despise social events and acted more elusive than your mysterious husband.

The servants were initially wary yet none of them can deny your positive influence. The household has never been so efficient and organized until you took on managing its affairs. Thoma was astonished to realize that he ended up with more free time under your authority. The meticulous way you stick to a form of schedule and your quick wit to adapt have enabled the Kamisato Estate to operate smoothly, with or without the siblings present. In fact, some unique tasks you assign to Thoma aided him into securing businesses in Ritou. As equal exchange for your patronage, you have flawlessly expanded the Shuumatsuban’s spy network.

Ayaka also found respite in her endeavors as face of the clan. She initially had a difficult time with being your mentor of sorts in the life of nobility. However, your creativity in problem solving and quick wit has been such help in balancing her own matters.

Thoma began to understand your ways when he has become in charge of all your meals. There is a set routine for every day of the week, and then a specific assortment of snacks with tea expected at certain hours. Each ingredient is meticulously picked and every dish is carefully prepared. If even one thing is out of place, you will notice with a single bite/sip and you would refuse to eat—which results to a very moody mistress for the rest of the estate.

It was only thanks to how well Ayato knew you that everyone else was able to keep up. He is aware of all factors to your behavior and how to aptly respond to them. His stern yet precise instructions left no room for mistakes if it meant taking care of you properly in his absence. It was as if he grew up with you due to the sheer amount of experience he has in how to deal with your odd patterns.

As months passed, Ayaka finally realized.

That is because her brother did grow up with you.

Ayato met you long ago when he was a mere lonely boy, burdened with the title of clan heir. He found you digging around the beach near his estate, an Electro Vision on your waist. A line of seashells were set on a flat rock beside you, all arranged by type as rows and by size as columns.

You glanced up at him. Your Vision flickers, making him tense—

—and then lightning struck the sands.

As a boy, Ayato watched in awe as the grains turned into glass. You manipulated the temperature of the element, heating the sand in quick seconds to create multiple pieces. He ended up getting closer, and it was enough to spook you. After you were finished, you hastily stood up and collected your things before sprinting away.

“Wait…!” Ayato exclaimed.

You did not listen.

The young master pouted, thinking he would never see you again. It was a shame since he found you so fascinating. He looked down and saw some strange hollow tubes in the shores, resembling coral.

That day, he went home a little despondent.

Ayato was pleasantly surprised to see you again the next day—same place, same hour. You are polishing the shells this time, and occasionally refining them to the shape you want. Small pots of paint surround you, and the Electro Vision is pulsing to be used at any given notice.

This time, you did not run when he got close.

“Fulgurite.”

He flinches as you suddenly spoke. Your eyes were focused on the glass tubes he picked up. They hung from the string of his obi now, which got odd looks from his parents a while ago.

“These…?”

You nodded, “They are fulgurites. You can use them to make jewelry. Want to see?”

That was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Ayato figures out your schedule and how you like sticking to it, so he never misses out when to visit you. It was something you never minded as long as he remained consistent. The times when he did not get the memo, you got annoyed and told him harshly to stop showing up. At first, he felt hurt since he misunderstood. Thankfully, he was mature enough to clarify it with you. Since then, he promised his arrival only on particular days wherein he can assure his free time. At his words, you acted less bothered by his presence and worked on your craft.

The two of you grew up together in those constant stolen moments. He finds out you have a younger brother, and he tells you he has a younger sister. On weekends, you are not on the beach. That is the only time your brother is able to spend time with you instead of honing his swordsmanship.

In stormy days, he had to struggle pulling you into the estate. Every time, he braced himself for your ire but patiently coaxes you over it. The most effective method is to occupy your mind with something else, and let your hands be busy crafting. Once you are fixated, Ayato can be allowed into your safe space again and he is able to take care of you. Henceforth, rainy days are spent in his estate and that became the new norm for your daily routine. Ayato adapts into creating amendments for your unhealthy habits.

You still persistently argue that storms are perfect for making petrified lightning glass.

Nevertheless, you express gratitude for his sincere care and affection. No one has ever been so doting on you aside from your brother. In turn, Ayato felt touched that you treat him as one of the only two people you explicitly trust. You even adjust yourself to be considerate of his own needs, despite the clear discomfort it sometimes caused you.

When his parents died, you were his greatest pillar of support.

Ayato has always known to never underestimate you in any way. What made you different did not make you dumb. In fact, it is revealed in that dark period that you were more brilliant than your peers. It was only thanks to your guidance that he found direction how to proceed. It was due to your judgment that he knew who to trust, which ties needed to be severed for safety. Every critical decision was consulted by you, and he was awed when the results you predict come to fruition. When his demons made him lose sleep, you provided relief by playing with his hair.

When he finally triumphed in the succession, you gave him a precious gift.

You smiled. Of utmost sincerity, you smiled ever so sweetly and so warmly.

That is the day Ayato knew you were the one.

Unfortunately, he had taken too long to confess that to you. Too many years slipped past his fingers due to his obligations.

Then, the Vision Hunt Decree happened—

—and you went missing.

A young man named Kaedehara Kazuha barged into his estate, panicked and distressed. He called for Ayato, kneeling as he pleaded for help in finding his older sister—you. The wind has gone silent regarding your whereabouts, and he feared the worst due to the recent decree.

Of course, the Yashiro Commissioner wasted no time in utilizing his power to be of aid.

It was for naught.

Soon, he could not even protect your brother when the young man was branded as a wanted criminal.

Kazuha witnessed the love Ayato holds for you—a passion he deems worthy of his kin. He knew of the bond you shared with him, which is why he came to the man for help. Meeting the man personally, the winds crooned in approval—to which the ronin only smiled, a little resigned yet mostly relieved.

Someone else can take care of you now.

“Aneue spoke of you fondly.” He said, “If anyone can find her, it’s you.”

The younger male presents him a box.

“She called it a tassel chime,” Kazuha explained, “and referred to that piece as Rainmaker.”

It contains a small windchime in the size and design of a tassel, thus the name. A single clamshell ties the knot for the top noose. Camellias on rippling waters is carved onto the blue glass, painted with glittering golden lacquer. Rather than a striker, a ball of glowing white jade is inside the spherical glass with a cowrie shell at its base. The tail is a familiar indigo satin ribbon, his gift to you on the last Irodori Festival. His name is embroidered in your favorite fulgurite threads, and yours on the other side:

Kaedehara [Name].

Ayato knew this is the equivalent of a blessing. He ties it to his sword, aware by use of elemental sight that the energy within it will prevent the glass from breaking even in a skirmish. He makes a promise to your brother that he will stop at nothing to find you, and then ask for your hand.

Eventually, he did.

You stood in an abandoned temple amidst the call of summer. The crystalflies illuminated your form, and the water shimmered like liquid diamonds. The tinkling sounds echoed in Chinju Forest, as the sails of windchimes blew with the nightly breeze.

“[Name]…”

At the call of your name, you turned to face him and Ayato embraces you immediately.

“I want to go home.” You murmur.

The broken tone of your voice devastated him, and he nods while tightening his arms. You hugged him back, hiding your face on his chest while his nuzzled your shoulder.

“Yes, let’s go home now.” He whispered.

The Yashiro Commissioner spared nothing at your expense. He used the name of Kamisato to protect you. As his wife, you are an integral part of the Tri-Commission and one with the Raiden Shogun’s faction. You cannot be touched by the decree like your brother feared. Although you desire no riches, Ayato sought to provide something that will soothe your unease at the drastic changes in your life.

Thus, in an isolated wing of the estate, there was your personal workshop.

A safe haven. All for you.

Ayato leaned back with you in his arms, cuddling by the veranda. You were sorting through your brother’s letters, worried, and missing him dearly. Looking up at your husband, he smiles and kisses you fervently.

“I’m here.” He reassures.

You wrap your arms around his neck in response, snuggling his chest to nap. He adjusts you on his lap and rewraps the blanket around you. His long fingers comb through your hair, humming contently.

Heartbound lullabies in hiraeth, ever so mellifluous—

“You are my clarity amidst sullied waters, a wish to forever keep.”

#submission #not written by me but this never fails to impress!#genshin x reader #genshin x female reader #genshin x fem!reader #ayato x reader #zhongli x reader

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thatonebirdwrites · 2 months

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Fandom creators tag game

1. What sort of content do you create, and what is the thing you’ve made that you’re most proud of?

I write stories. Usually original science fiction, but in the past two years, I've branched into fanfiction. I also create art and music.

I'm damn proud of my rewrite of Book 2 of Legend of Korra in my Shared Moments series.

I wish I could find a publisher for my original fiction; then I could share what I'm most proud of but alas. The publishing market is incredibly hard to get into and I don't have the health to self-publish, so we'll go with the Korrasami tales for now. For art, I'm damn proud of this piece I did of Lena.

2. What fandom(s) do you create for?

Korrasami from Legend of Korra.

Supercorp from CW's Supergirl

Rojarias from CW's Supergirl.

3. What is your current favourite ship (or brotp if you prefer), and how controversial is it?

Korrasami. Not controversial much at all. (As a side note, Supercorp feels like an angstier Korrasami. Might be why I like that ship equally well. Supercorp doesn't seem controversial?)

4. For your answer to question 3, are they canon?

Yes, Korrasami is canon. (Supercorp isn't necessarily canon, but there's so much evidence of it in the show that it might as well be.)

5. What was your first fandom, and how old were you?

First fandom I created something for? Or first fandom where I dived into and read everything I could? Because if it's read everything I could, then it's Star Wars before Disney threw out the old Canon (still salty about that). I'd have been pretty young -- still a kid when I was devouring all the Star Wars books. I didn't have any favorite ship though while I did this.

For something I created, Korrasami was the first one I wanted to create art and writing for to be honest. That was three years ago when I started writing Korrasami.

6. What is your most unhinged fandom creation to date?

Oh, that's a Supercorp one. I was inspired by a weird camera glitch, and wrote an unhinged horror set after season 6. The first part of it is in tumblr. I have yet to publish to AO3 mostly because I want to finish more of it before I do. Sort of loosely based on Lovecraft's Color out of Space.

7. Do you remember what started you off creating fandom content, and if so, what was it?

Three years ago I first started drawing and writing Korrasami. Then I branched out into Supercorp.

8. Do you let people you know in real life see your fandom creations?

Only my trusted friends and siblings.

9. How do you feel about fanworks of fanworks? Has anyone ever made something based on a thing you made?

If anyone did, they have never shared it with me. I would love to see it, and I'd treasure it always!

Though if I'm being honest. I doubt I'll ever get fanworks. Why would anyone go to that much trouble for something I wrote? I doubt anything I write is worth that much.

10. What feeling do you most often try to evoke with your creations?

I want to show possible healing journeys that aren't the most painful angstfest known to humanity. I want people to feel the journey too, to capture the world within the character's senses so that their tale feels real.

Whether I achieve this, I have no idea. Some people have written very kind comments stating that I have, and I am delighted by those comments.

11. Has someone ever paid your work a compliment (in any form) that has stuck with you, and what was it?

Two people have said I made a place feel alive through the storytelling and worldbuilding I did. That compliment haunts me in all the best ways, and I have done my best to try to keep that tradition going.

12. What’s your favourite thing someone else has made that you’ve seen in the last 24 hours (and link it if you can find it again!)

It was a Supercorp art piece, but after searching, I can't seem to find it again. It was Lena leaning backwards into Kara's arms, while Kara gently holds her. Colored piece, digitally drawn I think. They look almost like they were swaying back and forth.

13. Give a small sneak preview of something you’re working on right now (eg a couple of sentences of fic from a WIP, a gif set theme, a small piece of a larger picture, whatever you feel happy to share)

Korrasami:

Korra looked at their entangled hands. “Yeah, yeah, it’s just some stitching.”

“And yet, that ‘some stitching’ made something wonderful.” Asami was determined to remind Korra of what she could do. It’d been her mantra for the past six months. She wanted Korra to regain her confidence, but it'd been difficult. Thanks to Asami's foolishness they'd both backslid.

Korra had called it Asami’s paranoia.

Maybe they were both right.

Supercorp:

Lena rises before dawn, prepares her corporate armor, and heads to her full-time job as CEO of L-Corp. Today’s agenda includes four meetings, one of them with the board, an hour of lab time, a brief lunch, and a visit to Florence in late afternoon.

It’s the visit with Florence that troubles her the most. The exposure to the strange artifact gave her unsettling dreams, and she woke in a cold sweat after a particularly gruesome one. In that one, she’d had no control over her body, only watched in horror as another person used her abilities to harm all she loved.

Kara had woken too, and her gentle reassurances had helped Lena fall back asleep, this time with no dreams.

Diving into work to escape the nightmares is how she copes. Perhaps not the healthiest, but undoing all her bad coping mechanisms will take far longer than just admitting they exist.

Rojarias:

Tomorrow morning? Sam reeled from the news. That gave her very little time to pack and prepare Ruby for Sam being gone a week or two.

Yet here she was again, unable to say no. Especially not when two beautiful women were looking at her expectantly.

Damn, Sam was too gay for this. “All right. Tomorrow it is.”

14. Have you ever seen/read anything made by the person who tagged you? If so, what was it and what was your favourite thing about it? (pick a favourite if there are several)

Yes, I have. I'm not entirely sure what exactly they published on AO3 however. I found the tiny Kara piece absolutely hilarious.

15. Do you leave comments on fandom works, and if so how would you describe your comment style?

I do leave comments, yes. I share my enjoyment of the piece, sections that really stood out to me, and/or an overall feeling I got from the piece. I'm trying to be more consistent about it since I know how much comments mean to me as a writer, and I know other writers enjoy them too!

16. How many works in progress do you currently have? Will you finish them all?

Original fiction: (on hiatus but I do plan on finishing) 3

Korrasami: 2 (plan on finishing them, yes).

Supercorp: 3 (yes, plan on finishing them.)

Rojarias: 1 (yes, I need to get on this as it's due next month actually).

Art for Supercorp: 1 (I also need to work on finishing this before the due date next month. I got the rough sketch and need to run it by the author to make sure it's what they want, before I go to town inking it).

17. what’s the longest it’s ever taken you to finish a fandom project?

Shared Moments: Books 1 through 3 (the finished ones) took me a year. A million words no less. Whew. I'm working on Book 3.5 now. I tend toward longer works, which takes a few months to complete.

My shorter fiction (the ficlets) take less than an hour usually.

For art, it takes me one to three weeks.

18. Describe the thing you made most recently in a way that is technically true, but also completely misleading. Link the thing if it’s published!

These paralleled kisses shake their world. (A chapter for Unraveling Realities)

19. Do you ever engage with fanworks for a fandom you’re not in? Which one(s) and how did you get into it?

I'm not really sure what counts as being "in" a fandom or not. If I enjoy something, I'll engage with it, but does the engagement mean I'm "in" the fandom now? Or do I have to create something and talk with others in the fandom to be considered "in?" How does this work?

20. Recommend a fan work from your fandom to your followers

I absolutely adore Make this your home by pcrtifacts so much I even made fanart for it. It's not finished, but it's regularly updated and so, so good.

Suggested tag list, but there are no rules here, follow your heart.

A mutual you have never actually spoken to but think seems cool -- All my mutuals are really cool! And I'd love to read more of their stuff. Thanks all of you for sharing your stuff!!

The most recent person whose content you engaged with (eg read a fic, reblogged art, whatever form you feel best fits) -- I'm not sure? Maybe the person I reblogged this from?

Someone whose content you saw via tags/reblogs and you followed them because of it @luthordamnvers (I honestly love the indepth knowledge of the show nic has, how willing to share that knowledge, nic's kindness, the fics they write. Honestly, all around wonderful person.)

Someone in your fandom that you think makes cool things @ekingston (Shape of Soup being my favorite plus the art is amazing.)

Someone in a different fandom that you think makes cool things (this is hard. I really only seem to follow or find Korrasami, Supercorp, and on rarer occasions Rojarias or Dansen. There's some Star Wars folks that do fun things, but I can't remember their usernames tho.)

Someone you always tag on things like this @nottawriter

Someone you have never tagged before (I can't remember who I tagged before, so I guess whoever wants to play this game?)

Someone you would like to get to know better @pcrtifacts (love, love their make this place your home fic. And chatting in comments with pcrtifacts has been lovely.)

Someone who makes art you like -- @snazzy-korra (honestly, she's an all around amazing person, and Iove all her art and chatting with her. So grateful for our chats too.)

Someone who writes fics you like: @fazedlight (I seriously love everything mel writes. It's all so damn good. I even wrote a fanfic continuation of a piece I really liked of mel's ficlets. First and only time I've ever done that.)

I suspect some of these people have been tagged multiple times. My apologies if so. But I did want y'all to know how you're appreciated and how much I enjoy your content too. :)

#korrasami #supercorp #writing #writer #fandom questions #just for fun

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thewillofdeez · 11 months

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50/50: A Shanks/OC (and Beckman/OC) Romance - Chapter 1: Meetings and Propositions

Summary: A twenty year journey of friendship, love, and heartache between Shanks and the woman he loves.

Chapter 1 word count: 4240

Notes: This fic is currently incomplete but it's pretty close to being done. Smut will definitely be in later chapters, they will be tagged appropriately. Also, Hongo does not exist, the OC is the doctor of the Red Hair Pirates. No hate to Hongo or my Hongo stans.

Cannons and gunshots fired in the distance. Riley continued what she was doing in her office, paying the noise little mind. She’d have to check for survivors later, certainly, but until the blasts died down there wasn’t much she could do.

Pirate battles were pretty commonplace in this area of the South Blue. Compared to other islands in the area, Isha Island wasn’t the biggest or the wealthiest and was quite isolated, being a journey of at least five days to its nearest neighbor. But it did have ample resources and a strong sense of community. This combined with its pleasantly warm weather almost year round made it a perfect place for pirates to make port.

For the most part, this worked out quite well for the island’s residents - most weren’t wealthy enough to have anything worth taking, and the business the pirates provided to the bars and markets kept the economy flowing. Of course, it wasn’t always a great deal - pirates were rowdy, violent, and varying levels of cruel. Any week that went by where there wasn’t a battle in the streets, a trashed storefront, or a mindless death was generally considered to be a good one. On Isha Island, that was pretty much all they could ask for.

Riley dragged the tip of the pencil down the sketchbook paper before her, defining the outside line of a metatarsal bone. She shaded along one end, adding definition. When she was satisfied with her diagram of the bones in the human foot, she took a ruler and drew lines straight out from the key points, labeling them in a neat script. It had been a few minutes since the last blast of gun fire. Perhaps the battle was over. Time to see if anyone was left alive.

Riley made her way through the village street and down to the dock. Putting a hand over her brow to shield her eyes from the late afternoon sun, Riley could see a ship sailing off into the distance, clearly the victor, and the remnants of what appeared to be a much smaller ship sinking into the sea, just a few chunks of broken wood, a mast, and a torn, unmarked sail slipping slowly into the water. Looks like these guys bit off more than they could chew, she thought.

Riley walked towards a small craft bearing a red cross on its single sail, untying it from the dock and making her way out to the site of the battle. This was pretty standard practice for her - wait for the battle to end, head out to sea at most a mile (she wasn’t exactly a sailor - that was about as far as she could bring herself to go), and see if there was anyone to rescue. Sometimes there was, sometimes there wasn’t. If there was, she’d haul them aboard and bring them back to her office, where she would mend their wounds and send them on their way. Such was the life of a doctor in a village like this one. It didn’t pay well, or sometimes at all, but it was what she felt she was meant to do.

“Hey!” a voice called out to her. Looking around, she spotted a head of wet, black hair in the water, attached to an equally soaking body. The man was waving out to her with one hand, his other seemingly holding someone. Riley waved back, acknowledging the two men, then made her way over.

When she got close enough, the black-haired man spoke. “Please…my friend got shot. He needs a doctor.”

“Well lucky for your friend, that’s what I am. Here, let me help him up.” The man in the water passed the unmoving body of his friend to Riley, who grabbed him underneath the arms and hauled him aboard, plopping him onto the deck. The injured man let out a cry - she probably got him where he was hurt. “Sorry!” she said. It wasn’t easy being a relatively normal-sized person and hauling men who were sometimes two or more times her size on board the small craft, but it had to be done.

When the injured man was on board, she finally took a good look at him. A blood stain bloomed through the white shirt covering his right bicep, and was much the same color as the man’s hair and the red ribbon that circled a straw hat which hung around his neck. Another seeped through his pants near his right glute. The man grimaced in pain. “Sorry,” she said again. The man didn’t respond, his head lolling to the side. His skin was pale - he’d probably lost a fair amount of blood so far.

Riley then turned her attention to the other man and helped him aboard.

“How many were with you? Do you know if they’re alive?”

“It’s just us,” the black haired man replied. “Is there anything we can do to stop the bleeding?”

Riley pulled the injured man’s shirt aside to examine the first wound. “Not much until we get back to my place, unfortunately,” she replied. She retreated briefly into the boat’s small cabin and came back with two towels. “Here, take these and apply pressure to the wounds. We’ll get him taken care of.” The man obeyed without a word.

Riley turned the boat and began sailing the two castaways back to shore. When they arrived, she looped the boat to the dock and jumped off. “Let’s get him out of there, quick.” Working together she and the black-haired man brought the wounded red-head off the small craft and onto the dock. For the first time she got a good look at the red-head’s uninjured companion. He was tall, his long black hair hung in a wet ponytail down his back, and his soaking clothes hung to a lithe, muscular body. He lifted his injured friend from the dock and carried him in his arms.

“Lead the way,” he said.

Riley nodded and turned on her heel, leading him quickly through the streets. “Right here,” she called behind her, gesturing to the small building that bore the same red cross as her boat. Opening the door, the wet man walked inside, his friend in his arms. “Lay him out on that table, right side up,” Riley said. The man obeyed wordlessly.

“What’s his blood type?” she asked, glancing his way.

“Ummm, XF I think? I’m not positive though.”

Riley sighed. “We’ll have to test him quickly, just to be sure.”

Riley got to work, stripping the man of his wet clothes and hat and instructing his friend to keep the pressure on the wounds until she was ready. He watched as she moved quickly around the room, pulling bottles and metal instruments from the cabinets, and laying them on a rolling cart. She then pulled on a pair of gloves and settled down on a stool next to her patient, gently pushing away the man with the black hair to take his spot.

He watched as the young woman worked on his friend, testing his blood and beginning a transfusion, extracting the bullets, cleaning the wounds, and sewing up the holes they left behind. She worked quickly and didn’t even look like she knew he was there - her focus was entirely on the man with the red hair. Eventually, with her work complete for now, Riley straightened her back from her position leaning over the red-haired man and pulled off her gloves. She turned to the black-haired man. “What’s your name?” she asked.

“Beckman. Benn Beckman,” he said. “And that’s my captain, Shanks.”

“Well Beckman, Shanks will be fine. His wounds will need some care, but he’ll be back to full health in a few days, maybe a week at most. Since your ship was destroyed, you can stay here until then.”

“Thank you, ummm…”

“I’m Dr. Juniyoshi, but you can call me Riley. Come on, let’s get him to a recovery room. Beckman lifted Shanks up again and followed Riley down the hall to a room with a 1 on the door. He laid his friend down in the sheets, being careful not to accidentally hit his wounds, then plopped himself in a wooden chair by the head of the bed.

“Can I get you anything?” a gentle voice said. He looked up to see Riley standing in the doorway.

Beckman thought for a moment. In all the rush to get Shanks to safety, he hadn’t been very present to his own feelings. He felt the wet fabric sticking to his skin, becoming uncomfortable. “Dry clothes, if you have any?”

Riley smiled softly. “Let me see what I can do.” She left the room and returned a few minutes later with a bundle of clothes in hand. “I hope these will work, we sort of have a mishmash of things people leave here. I’ll come back in a minute to get your stuff and his in the wash.”

Beckman peeled off his wet shirt and pants and slipped into the sweats and t-shirt Riley provided. She returned to take their items to the washroom, gathering the wet bundle in her arms. “I’ll be down the hall. Let me know when he wakes up, okay?” she said before turning around and leaving him alone with his thoughts.

What a day it had been for the two of them, Beckman thought. What Shanks had sworn would be a pretty standard treasure grab turned into a bloodbath - mostly for them, sure, but he and Shanks had gotten some good shots in on the other guys. The other guys who were greater in number, stronger, and who Beckman had fucking told Shanks they didn’t have a chance infiltrating and stealing from, but no, Shanks swore they could handle it, that they just needed a single bag of gold to get by, and they’d be in and out easily. And now here they were - no treasure, no ship, and even their weapons were at the bottom of the sea.

Between the two of them, Beckman had always been the voice of reason. He was a good bit older than the man he considered his captain and his friend, and in the short time they’d been traveling together, he realized it was on him to keep Shanks from losing his head in the clouds. But it was a trade-off - Beckman was the angel on Shanks’ shoulder, but Shanks was the devil on his. He helped the older man lighten up a little, and Beckman couldn’t deny that the two had a lot of fun.

Beckman didn’t know how much time had passed when he heard a soft groan from the man in the bed. “Shanks?” he said. Shanks grimaced a little before opening his eyes to see his friend leaning over him.

“Oh hey, Beck.” Shanks took a minute to allow himself to feel the pain in his wounds and the cotton sheets on his naked body. He looked around the small room as his eyes adjusted. “Where are we?”

Beckman rose from his seat and habitually patted his pocket, seeking out his pack of cigarettes before remembering that they were with his pants and destroyed by sea water. He sighed. “After those pirates kicked our asses,” he began with a pointed look at Shanks, “the village doctor came out and rescued us. We’re at her place. You got a bullet in the arm and one in your ass. Also we have no ship and no money. So, hope it was worth it.” He wanted a cigarette so badly.

Shanks could only let out a gentle laugh. “Welp, we tried!” He shrugged his shoulders, wincing with pain at the movement.

“We tried and now we’re stranded on some island.” Beckman could feel himself getting heated. “We’ve got nothing, Shanks, what are we gonna do?”

Shanks laid his head back against the feather pillow, a smile on his face. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

Beckman could feel a headache coming on, and Shanks had only been conscious for a few minutes. He couldn’t imagine how his captain could be so blasé about such a serious situation. But that’s just how Shanks was sometimes. Beckman took the opportunity to step out of the room, taking a breath to calm down before going to seek out Riley.

“Riley?” he called softly. Her head stuck out from behind a door at the end of the hall.

“He awake?” she asked.

“Yup.” Without a word, Riley made her way to Shanks’s room. Beckman resumed his place in the chair.

“Shanks, I’m Riley. How are you feeling?” she asked, one hand resting on the door jamb. He looked up and saw the woman who saved him for the first time. She was on the taller side with dark hair and brown eyes. Shanks was taken aback - he’d seen a lot of pretty women in his day, but to him, she was particularly beautiful. And she had saved his life. Remembering the bullet hole in his ass, he realized she’d probably also seen him naked. He blushed a little at the thought.

“I’m doing okay, all things considered,” he said with a crooked smile. A pretty woman in the vicinity meant Shanks reflexively turned on the charm.

“Are you in pain?” she asked.

“A little, but I’ve had worse.” His ass really, really hurt. Arm too, but especially the ass. He could not let the pretty woman know.

Riley giggled - she saw straight through him. She excused herself to the main office and came back a minute later with a syringe full of clear liquid.

“This will sting at first, but I promise it’ll help.” Shanks inhaled through his teeth as the cold liquid entered his muscles around the bullet hole in his arm, but the cold and the pain subsided in seconds.

“Roll over so I can get the other one,” Riley ordered. Oh boy, she was gonna see his ass again. Shanks wasn’t sure why he was feeling so self-conscious. It’s not like she was the first woman to see him naked. Shanks obeyed regardless.

“So what led to this whole situation?” Riley asked, as she discarded the syringe and took a spot on the edge of the bed. Beckman recounted the tale, emphasizing the fact that it was a stupid plan - it was for some reason very important to him that she knew that he knew that it was stupid, and that he was not the mastermind behind it.

Riley spoke when Beckman finished, shaking her head. “Another day, another bunch of pirates doing stupid pirate things. So you guys are shit outta luck then, huh?”

Shanks and Beckman looked at each other. “Yeah, basically,” Shanks replied. “I take it you get a lot of people like us around here?”

“Oh yeah, pretty much constantly. Pirates love this island. This island tolerates pirates.” Riley rose from her spot on the bed. “Like I said, you’re welcome to stay until you’re healthy, but after that you’re on your own. I’m going to go make dinner, be back in a bit.” With that, she left the room.

“So what’s the plan now, Captain?” Beckman said pointedly. Shanks chose to ignore the attitude from his second in command.

“Well first we get me healthy. Then we figure it out. We’ll ask Riley what’s around here, maybe she can help us.”

Beckman said nothing, he just turned to the window and watched as the last rays of sunlight faded from the sky.

“I want her to join our crew,” Shanks said. Beckman turned around and stared at him incredulously.

“You want her to join our crew? First of all, why her? Second of all, what crew? It’s just us and we don’t even have a ship to sail on anymore. We’re barely a crew, Shanks, we’re…we’re just two assholes trying and failing at being pirates. She’s not gonna leave her home to come fuck around the oceans with us.”

“Come on, every pirate crew starts somewhere! We got a captain, a vice captain, and soon we’ll have a doctor. I was hoping we’d get a cook or a navigator first, but hey. I bet we can convince her to do it.”

“How, exactly?” Beckman replied. He really, really, wanted a cigarette.

“Dunno!” Shanks said, placing his uninjured arm behind his head in a relaxed manner. “We’ll figure it out.”

Beckman groaned. “You keep saying that. I’ll believe it when I see it. Also, you didn’t answer my first question.”

“What question?” Shanks asked innocently. Beckman couldn’t tell if he was playing stupid or genuinely didn’t remember.

“Why her?”

Shanks grinned. “Dunno. Just have a feeling.”

Not long later, Riley returned carrying a tray laden with three steaming bowls of stew, bread, a bottle of sake, and a carafe of water. Beckman rose to take it from her hands, placing it on a side table and handing a bowl to Shanks. Meanwhile, Riley poured the sake.

“This smells amazing, doc,” Shanks said. “Thank you for saving me. And for the food.” Riley shrugged. “No need to thank me. Not gonna let you starve under my watch.” She smiled slyly at him.

The three made light conversation over dinner. Shanks and Beckman told her about how they met and their adventures together so far, while Riley told them about life in the village as a doctor. The conversation flowed easily between them and was full of laughter. Riley had met a number of pirates in her time as a doctor on Isha Island, and many interactions she’d had weren’t quite this pleasant. With pirates, it truly was a crapshoot what kind of person she’d end up meeting.

“So what made you two become pirates? Like, what are you after?” Riley asked, taking a sip of her sake.

“Short term,” Beckman began, “Freedom, adventure. Money, but out of necessity more than anything. I’m sure you get a lot of asshole pirates here, but we don’t start trouble unless we need to.”

“We’re not afraid to finish it though, if it happens to come our way,” added Shanks.

“And long term?” asked Riley. The two men looked at each other.

“Long term,” said Shanks, “Have the strength to protect people. Maybe be an Emperor. Find the One Piece.”

Riley stopped with her drink halfway to her mouth, then burst into laughter.

“Oh you’re those kind of pirates!” she guffawed.

“She doesn’t believe us, Beck,” Shanks said to his first mate, his voice full of mirth.

“Can you blame her?”

“You laugh, doc, but the One Piece is real. I know that for a fact.” Shanks’s tone became more serious, though the crooked smile remained on his face.

“Oh?” Riley replied. “And how do you know that?”

“Because I grew up on Gold Roger's ship.” Riley met his gaze. The look in his brown eyes told her he was completely serious. She looked to Beckman for confirmation, who only nodded.

Riley cleared her throat. “So you know what the One Piece is, then? And where?”

“Eh, sorta. It’s complicated,” Shanks said. “I unfortunately wasn’t there when they found it. A friend of mine was sick and I stayed behind with him. In theory, though, I have most of the information that I need.”

“So what’s stopping you then? Why not just go for it?”

Shanks shrugged his uninjured shoulder. “It’s not time yet. Not sure when it will be either. But it’ll happen. I might be 40, but it’ll happen.”

Riley could only look to Beckman. “And you believe him?”

“I do,” Beckman replied. “I haven’t known Shanks for long but I know him well enough to know he’s not bullshitting me. And I do believe he’ll get there one day. I wouldn’t be on his crew if I didn’t.”

“So now that you know what we’re all about,” Shanks said to Riley. “Wanna join us?”

Riley’s eyes grew wide. “You want me to join you? You’re serious?”

“Deadly,” said Shanks. Beckman only looked at her and nodded in assertion. When his captain’s mind was made up, there was no changing it.

“We just met,” Riley said.

“So?” replied Shanks, “Beck and I had only known each other a few days before he joined me.”

“I’m not a pirate.”

“Most people don’t start out as pirates. I’m a rare exception.” Shanks said with a wink.

“I can’t sail very well, I’ve never even been more than a mile out to sea.”

“We’ll teach you what you need to know,” he responded.

“I can’t fight.”

“You don’t have to.”

Riley was getting frustrated. Couldn’t this guy take a hint? She rose from her seat, crossing her arms as she began pacing the room.

“You don’t even know me!”

“I know that you’re kind,” Shanks said softly. “And that’s the type of person I want on my crew.”

“Since when do pirates care about kindness?” Riley scoffed. “You don’t even know me,” she reiterated.

“Riley, you went out to sea after that battle, of your own volition, pulled our soggy asses out of the water, and saved my life. Not only that, you also washed our clothes and made us dinner, and are letting us, who have absolutely no money to our names, stay here until I’ve recovered. People who aren’t kind don’t do that.”

“I’m a doctor, Shanks, I have an ethical obligation to care for anyone who needs help.”

“And you know what type of people hold themselves to ethical standards? Kind people. Boom. Beckman, hit me.” Shanks held his closed fist out to his vice captain, awaiting a bump. Beckman rolled his eyes, but obliged. Riley couldn’t help but laugh before a silence settled between the three, letting her mind mull over the proposition. “You don’t have to decide now,” Shanks said. “But just…think about it, okay? I promise, it’ll be worth your while. Just give me a chance.” She looked up and met his eyes, which sparkled with something she couldn’t quite place. Riley couldn’t explain why - it went against all logic - but for some reason, she really, truly trusted this guy. This strangely charming idiot who she just met who wants to find the legendary One Piece.

“Okay, I’ll think about it,” Riley replied. “But for now, you both should get some rest.” She gathered up their bowls and cups and stacked them on the tray. “The bathroom is at the end of the hall. Beckman, I’ve set up a bed for you in the room across from this one. Oh! Which reminds me, I almost forgot.” Riley ran out of the room and came back with some loose cigarettes and a lighter, which she handed to Beckman. “As a doctor I can’t condone smoking, but I also know nicotine withdrawal is a bitch. Just smoke out the window, ‘kay?”

“Holy shit…thank you.” Beckman replied, in awe of the kind gesture. Shanks sure did have a way of reading people, and Beckman knew his captain’s analysis of her was spot on.

“I sleep upstairs, just come get me if either of you need anything.” Riley made her way across the small room, stopping and turning at the door. “Goodnight, boys.”

“Goodnight,” they echoed back.

Riley climbed the stairs to her room and prepared herself for bed. As she brushed her teeth, the conversation with Shanks and Beckman replayed in her head. They wanted her to join them? And become a pirate? Holy shit, were they crazy?

The largely rational side of Riley’s brain gave an outright No. But the less logical, more fantastical side reared its ugly head for the first time in a while. You should do it! It’ll be fun! it insisted. Riley didn’t love that part of her brain, and tried to keep it suppressed whenever possible, as it had a tendency to cause trouble. It occurred to her that Beckman seemed like the kind of person to be much the same way.

Climbing into bed, Riley started a list of pros and cons in her head. Pros:,she thought, It would be fun. I feel like I can trust them. I’d get to see the world. My life could be over at any point, I should take some risks while I can.

Riley rolled onto her side, struggling to get comfortable. Cons: They have no ship. No money. No crew except the two of them. The red head might be crazy, going after the One Piece. They could be human traffickers for all I know. They could be murderers. They could cut me up and use me for fishing bait. I mean I don’t think they will, but still. My life could be over at any point, it’s silly to take a risk like this when I have a good, stable life here.

Okay, the cons were in the lead. But that little part of her mind didn’t want to let it go. As she felt her eyelids get heavy, she allowed the gears to turn in her brain. What if I could get rid of some of those cons? What if I could help them out? As Riley drifted off, she thought of stepping onto a real pirate ship and going out to sea for the first time.

The next morning, Riley awoke when the sun from the window reached her sleeping form. She stretched, and couldn’t help but smile. She knew how to make the logical choice into the one she wanted to make.

Next - Coming Soon

#akagami no shanks x reader #red haired shanks x reader #red hair pirates #red haired shanks #benn beckman #benn beckman x reader

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goodbysunball · 9 months

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Parched & parcel

Things are getting noticeably heavier and weirder, and we're the better for it. Some metal, finally, paired with some fine Aussie experimental noise and a band that'll make you believe in the dream of NYC again. It's the best season for this kind of stuff, so dive in.

dprk, Shitville Tourist LP (Studio Fabrik)

May I introduce to you Shitville Tourist (title of the year) by dprk, apparently a duo of Nick Dan (xNoBBQx) and Richard Fielding (Severed Heads) with support from a few mates. It feels like a journey in time back to where Twisted Village and Kye once roamed, where the journey largely justified the end product and the listener could take it or end up spending big later. While there is no question this record took me a few listens to unravel, what didn't take much to pique my interest was the gentle loop on "Crazy Little Corkscrew," something that sounds like a lullaby played with a steel drum, being poked and prodded by various electronics over its seven minutes. The track, like all four tracks on here, doesn't really go anywhere over its duration, but floats, writhes, twists and soaks in the sounds being made: pure joy in the noise made by machines. The title track and "Blumen Schmerz" are darker, more cavernous, where synths bleep and blot and drum machines whirr and exhale steam, creating the illusion of life where there is none. The latter has some creepy guitar parts splayed out on the pulsing synth backbone, but the investigation leads to no further conclusions; there is no categorization here. The finale, "Gulag In Space," provides not only another great title but a track nearly worthy of dancing, especially after the mind-fuck of the first three tracks. The beat bounces off all surfaces, as slippery as the rest of the record, but there is a sparkle on "Gulag" that winks at the listener as Shitville Tourist winds down. Something magnetic, or just plain alien, about the whole affair, but whatever it is, the sheer number of times I've played this have more than justified the hefty price tag. Great debut; let's hope for more from these true underground freaks.

Excarnated Entity, Mass Grave Horizon LP (Nuclear Winter)

Greece's Nuclear Winter puts out a ton of releases, so much that I've seemingly looked them over in the last few years. But taking stock, they've been responsible for the physical releases of a number of near-and-dear U.S.-based death metal acts like Blasphematory, the mighty Anhedonist, and now, Excarnated Entity. Excarnated Entity features a former member of Anhedonist, and there's definitely a similar approach to death metal with the two acts: mournful, grandiose but without the heavy-handed use of keyboards or Gregorian chant-like vocals. Excarnated Entity is also singularly focused on the horrors of war - not to be confused with the glorification of such in war metal - and provides ample heft to the incalculable loss of life. The band's demo, also reissued by Nuclear Winter in 2020, was a good primer for their debut LP, but the LP is devastating. The instrumental opener "Abjection" runs an elegant Mournful Congregation-style guitar line into the ground, simultaneously distraught and triumphant, and sets the stage for the rest. For anyone paying attention to the recent death-doom resurgence, Mass Grave Horizon fits right in and sets itself up near the top of that heap. While I think that there's a bit of momentum wasted in the middle section of "Corridor of Flame," that's really the only complaint I can level at the record. Everything else is properly filthy: gurgling vocals over blastbeats slam headfirst into downtuned chugging riffs, and a elegiac solo rises from the cracks in the pointlessly blood-stained soil. It's between "Irradiated Shadows" (the part before the solo, yeesh) and the punishing title track for my favorites here, but there's not a dud in the bunch. It's worth noting that the band does four-minute sprints as well as they can stretch tracks out to twice that length - a versatility that elevates Excarnated Entity above the one-note lifers rehashing the same formula on every track. Bleak, miserable and, given the state of the world, timely death-doom is what you get on Mass Grave Horizon, and if you think you've heard it before, it's worth hearing again in this singularly focused and dimming light.

VoidCeremony, Threads of Unknowing LP (20 Buck Spin)

I've got to give Nic at Repressed Records credit for pushing this one, as anything combining descriptors like "jazz" and "prog" with "metal" usually makes me run for the hills. But, this new VoidCeremony LP is checking all the boxes while flirting with all of the above, while (as Nic notes) throwing in a fretless bass solo on nearly every song to boot. The band plays death metal, firstly, and while there are some space-y outros and instrumentals, everything feels of a piece rather than forcing together disparate parts. The label press mentions that the band plays "with the gliding, controlled chaos and smooth fluidity of a jazz quartet," and that checks out, but I don't smell anything particularly jazzy about the record. Rather, I get a big whiff of Gorguts when listening to this record, another band that seamlessly combined progressive, thrash and death metal with grooves, resulting in something impressively complex without making it feel like a homework assignment. "Writhing in the Facade of Time" probably best displays all of these aspects, from the fading-in tech-death opener, to the sky-scraping guitar solos, to the crushing close of the track before the group's whisked away on a mystical Moog coda. The band shifts from strength to strength without any bloat, and just as importantly, without any clean vocals. Threads of Unknowing is my go-to workout record this year, the fluidity of the drumming providing blastbeat stress and necessary space in equal measure. Strap in, take a trip; whether you buy into the lyrics or overarching theme is up to you, but either way it's one of the most thrilling death metal records of the year.

Weak Signal, War&War LP (12XU)

Cool "reissue" of an album digitally released in 2022, hopefully given a wider reach with the push of 12XU. War&War is Weak Signal's third LP, and it sounds like a band comfortable with themselves, their capabilities and their sound: they can rip off a garage-punk track like "Don't Think About It" and slow things to a simmer on "Consolation" with ease. That the band sounds so self-assured did make this record feel a little too easy the first few times; but, like label mates Lewsberg, the complexity of the tracks shines through on iterative spins. Seemingly small choices like the backing vocal melody on "Names" or the sparkling Cass McCombs guitar on "Spooky Feeling" begin to feel like bold, powerful moves amidst the background of resignation/resilience across the album. The mostly spoken, barely sung vocals paired with the often bluesy guitar lines give the record a rough, workingman feel - which, for me, means that things ain't going your way but what are you gonna do about it - but there's no glory in it, just a general disdain for how things are. It's definitely a bit of a downer, though I think the band would prefer "realist," and two lyrics from the middle of the record seem illustrative of the this approach: "I'm no weirdo/I'm no freak/but things keep happening to me" from "Songworld," and "If you think I care/that's where you're wrong" from "Yr Deal." I don't find that the lyrics convey apathy, rather an infinite patience or aplomb in the face of everything spinning uncontrollably off-axis. War&War feels similar in spirit to what True Widow was doing on the heavy sigh of As High as the Highest Heavens..., though without the depressive bent of that record. A bit of despair creeps in on the cover of Johnny Thunders' "It's Not Enough," which bleeds into the gray, abstract noise of the title track, but the band puts their dukes up again on closer "Who the Hell Are U?," a fitting end to the record to reinforce the group's street savvy instincts. Weak Signal's delivered a doozy, and one of my favorite new-to-me discoveries of the year so far.

#dprk #Excarnated Entity #Nuclear Winter #VoidCeremony #20 Buck Spin #Weak Signal #12XU Records

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liz-allyn · 1 year

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how can I get my fics to get attention like yours do? working your ass off and then getting 20 notes sucks. and I’m trying to become a better writer and honestly crave the validation like you get from your followers. hopefully you’ll see this! Obsessed with S&V

Hi my fellow 🖋️!

Thank you so much for your comment, and thank you for thinking so highly of me!

answers for fic writers after the cut

So honestly? I don't know how to get followers. This blog has been running since 2021, and I only started writing fic < 1 year ago. I've become so much more well known (ha) in the TASM fandom because I've hung out here a long time. I don't have a secret to engagement or understand how tumblr 'works' that well (ie the algorithm that social media sites use to decide what to put in front of you). There are still people I freakin' worship on this site who don't interact with my fics at all, haha. AND flip side, some of the best writers I've ever seen are on here and their fics have less than 100 notes. I have learned that persistently I'll look over into other peoples' yards and be like "fuck. how did they get 4K followers?" or like "wow, she just posted this yesterday and it has over 1k notes."

as for working your ass off and getting 20 notes—CAN CONFIRM: that sucks. some fics I wrote for fun. some fics I wrote for the creative challenge. but pretty much on all of them I've left a little piece of me, of my soul and the lessons i've learned in my meandering partial journey. blood on the keyboard. and those fics? the really great ones (or ones just as good as sugar and vice)? they still don't have many notes.

But I will acknowledge that my following dramatically increased when I started posting S&V. I think I had ~900 and that blew up to 1.5k. There are a few factors in this:

Always post fics with fic art (with gifs! if possible) - This is the number one thing that draws me to read fic. I like art that looks cool. I also have been playing around with Canva Pro for 3-4 years (it's my fav) and I'm animation-adjacent as a day job, so pushing myself to think about graphic design has been really good for me. I find it fun to come up with a whole aesthetic for your story, whether it's a mood board or a color scheme (I usually have 'branding' on the brain). If you don't want to play with fic art, at least find an appropriate gif. Use the actor's face. I also think the gif search on Tumblr sucks balls but it's really worth it to have the right gif.

Pay attention to the hashtags of other popular fics in your fandom - when I started paying attention to notes, this was the best advice. I was using all kinds of tags that made sense to me, but weren't effective. In the web version of Tumblr, I can search for a tag and see how many followers it has. It's significant if #peter parker x reader has way more followers than #tasm!peter x reader. Also trends come and go, tumblr has their hotboy of the month and it rotates. there have been months were TASM Peter was non-existent in the last year, and months where we're getting *fed*. Pro tip with tags: I have a separate Google Doc with a list of hashtags that I copy and paste to save time. After a while, you should try reblogging with different hashtags

Use a spelling or grammar checker - I'm not a grammar fac*st but if I open a fic and everything is misspelled, almost no punctuation is used, and I have to work really hard to understand your story, then it's not going to go far. (With respect to writers who post work in English, and it's their second language). I never pay much attention to the occasional misspelling or grammar mistake, but when it looks like you sent your fic via text message or tinder chat, I just can't. I personally use Grammarly, but I also hate it and think it's buggy and overpriced. If anyone else has a better option that works with Google Docs, let me know!

Never write your fics in Tumblr's post editor. That has nothing to do with engagement but that shit is buggy as hell.

Avoid putting too much text up front before the fic. I put author's notes at the end. I try to keep summaries short. I try to focus on what someone absolutely needs to know to understand this fic, and I *mostly* try to avoid apologizing to the reader ahead of time for what they're about to read, for it being too long, for it being weird, bleh bleh bleh

If you're writing a series, make people reblog to be tagged. I've seen lots of people do taglists and then they give up because it's a pain to manage (and it is), plus you have a bunch of people that go "add me to the taglist!" or "next part, when?" and they didn't even reblog what you've already written. I think that's been one of the really big factors behind S&V's success

Make navigation as easy as possible - this is web design 101 (which I flunked repeatedly), but a masterlist is good to have. If you're in a series, a link back to the previous chapter + next chapter is good to have, I've also recently started putting a link back to the masterlist. people that know more things about stuff than me told me that you want to make things as simple as possible for viewers to get from one page to another. (that's why youtube links are shit on tumblr, even videos are meh, but GIFs work so well and attract so much attention). this is a visual site, so big images or headings or links with color help to draw the eye's attention.

Write what you want to write. Because you really need to gain enjoyment from writing, and it should never feel like you're a content factory. Do this 9 out of 10 times. The 10th time, write what people want to read. My first mob fic was These Violet Delights which I thought was so smart, and I was so proud of, and I planned this whole series out for. But also I tag things accurately, and some people (even my moots) are uncomfortable reading about those topics. Then when I started S&V I was extremely self-critical because I didn't want to write something filled with tropes and cliches. And then I sort of got off my soapbox and let S&V be its own thing, full of tropes and cliches, because they're popular for a reason, and they're fun to read, and it's okay to have candy for dinner every once in a while. And I've been able to pivot my plans and create something I'm pretty proud of.

It does help to stay consistent in the fandom you're writing for. Either by writing or reblogging other writers. Just don't make yourself feel like you're a slave to Tumblr and you must stay active at all times f o r e n g a g e m e n t. Everyone should take breaks when they need to.

Don't listen to my advice because no one knows how to hack tumblr. There are some posts that have sooooo many notes and I'm like 'why?' Meanwhile, my heart's been ripped open in LED pixels on screen and sometimes it passes by.

I hope that this was useful! And if not, I'm sorry for the long post. I look forward to reading your fic (whoever you are), and feel free to tag me when you write your next thing!

💜

#on writing #writing advice #fanfiction #fanfic advice #peter parker fanfiction #tasm fanfiction #writing #writers on tumblr

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corvusissotired · 1 year

Note

Trans and jewish ppl also said they still support and love the franchise. It was an integral part to their journey. Guess what. They have been told to stfu because they don't speak for their community. You see how fucked up it is? BOTH povs are valid. You can't dismiss one voice over the other to fit your agenda. The world is not black or white. Ppl are entitled to their opinion and telling trans and jewish ppl that support the game and franchise to fuck off is wrong. Period.

Lol buddy cmon. First, like I'm gonna believe an anon. It's so easy to link evidence of these Jewish and trans people saying they needed to buy the game because HP--an antisemitic, racist series made by a fomenting, raging mistake of a human being who has literally implied ALL trans women are, TRIGGER WARNING, rapists in a wig and skirt--was integral to their journey. Not saying it's not true, just saying it's hard to believe. Put up or shut up.

Second, at no point have I said it's ok to tell Jewish and trans people who play HL that they aren't part of their respective communities because they enjoy HP or even HL. It's not. But please note that, while you're 100% still part of the community and deserve rights as much as the rest of us, I will not trust you. A lot of us won't. Because you put a game above our lives, above your own life. And you absolutely are allowed to be upset about that but...something something fuck around and find out? Your actions have consequences. Literally don't know what else to say. It also makes zero sense. You want rights...but you're actively shitting on them by buying this game. Not saying it's ok to gatekeep, just putting it into perspective that if you do want basic fucking rights, maybe don't buy a game thats made by someone who is actively working to take them away? In any case, I have yet to see anyone in the anti HL tag, to streamers, to ANYONE who's playing the game, say any of that. That sounds fake as hell. Again, could be real but it's a bit unbelievable. Put up or shut up.

Anyway, not sure why you're bent about all this in my inbox. I have said none of these things so sounds like you're just another one of those people who, every time a trans person has a negative opinion about HL, you feel guilty and lash out. If you're here from my post, guess what? None of what I said was meant to be taken as a threat to people who play HL. My point with that post was to point out the people who buy it purely to hate trans people even more and that they're proving our ostracization, our being killed, is merely a joke to them. If you don't see the issue with that, or think there's 2 eQuaLLy iMpOrtAnt siDeS, there's seriously no helping you.

Please also note that none of what I said was untrue either. This is how fascism works. It starts slow and small. It's just a game right? But that game takes money. And that money goes into the pockets of an absolute mistake of a human. And then she gives it to politicians and bills and organisations that actively want marginalized people gone, dead. And now those politicians make office and those bills pass and those orgs are funded even more by these people now in power. And now they've seized that power and are actively killing people like me and you and other marginalized groups.

But go a-fucking-head. Have your game. Enjoy your nostalgia. But please ask yourself: was it worth it? Was it worth it to help put people's lives even more in danger than they already are, just so you could have your few months of dopamine and nostalgia from a game that will be forgotten in about a year? And maybe also ask yourself if it was worth it to put YOUR OWN life at risk for a few months of nostalgia and dopamine. Because a LOT of us don't think it is. And it's unfair that you are putting a literal game above our and your own life.

#anti hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy #jkr #jk rowling #what a joke

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kingy7 · 7 months

Text

Let's Talk About Wrestling

I am a Geek. I am totally comfortable with this. In fact the older I get the more comfortable I am. Being a Geek comes with its challenges, particularly in ones youth. Being the 'Star Trek' kid at school isn't fun. However as one grows and those around them do too, it becomes less of a taboo to discuss love of all things geeky. More so now perhaps than ever as franchises like Marvel and Doctor Who become more and more mainstream.

However there is one area of my Geekiness that still baffles people, one passion of mine that many simply cannot understand and one that still carries a stigma. You see, I am a proud Geek but I'm also a wrestling fan.

Let's take a look at the three stages of my wrestling origin story:

There's always a new fad when you're a kid. He-Man, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers. Pop culture phenomena that spring seemingly out of nowhere, become the driving force of playground life then disappear without trace save for a mild embarrassment that we ever enjoyed them in the first place. And so it was in 1991 when suddenly all anyone wanted to talk about was wrestling. Specifically WWF wrestling as that was the only type most could watch in those days. I don't recall exactly what piqued my interest. It was as if one day I knew that wrestling was the next big thing and that I had to be invested in it. The cool action figures may have played a part too. In fact, I owned an Ultimate Warrior figure before I knew who he was or indeed how bad he was. That latter realisation wouldn't come until phase two of my wrestling journey but we're getting ahead of ourselves.

We were lucky enough to have Sky TV as this was the only way to watch WWF in those days. Again I have no memory of how exactly it transpired but somehow I was aware that SummerSlam was showing on Sky Movies (not Sky Sports, that should have been a clue) and as it was broadcast at 1AM my Dad taped it and the next day I watched my first wrestling show.

Incidentally having Sky TV had the knock on effect of making those who had the service the centre of our fledgling wrestling communities. My neighbour would regularly 'call round' to watch the events as would friends from school in the years that followed.

SummerSlam '91 was a curious PPV (Pay Per View, American Audiences had to pay for each event whereas in the UK they were shown for 'free' on Sky) in that it features a 'double main event'! One of these events wasn't even a match at all in the traditional sense, it was a wedding. The pun being that the participants were a 'match made in heaven'. The other featured as a tag team the two biggest stars in wrestling at the time Hulk Hogan and the life size version of my action figure - The Ultimate Warrior.

What struck me immediately was how clearly drawn the characters were. I could tell instantly who I was supposed to cheer and who deserved my boos. Early in the show The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase cut a promo (wrestling speak for yammering on the microphone) and I turned to my Dad and said "I don't want him to win because he thinks having money makes him better than everyone else". Little did I know this was the first time I would be successfully 'worked' by a wrestler.

Later in the show I would find some new favorites. Brett Hart, The Bushwackers and of course our countryman The British Bulldog.

I was taken in by the spectacle of it all. The over the top action, the hysterical commentary and the larger than life characters. I was certain to watch the next show. I was so invested that I felt the need to stand during the 'wedding' section of the show. Something I have never confessed to anyone.

It's worth noting that SummerSlam '91 does not hold up to modern scrutiny displaying as it does homophobia and racism. These are tropes that to this day are not entirely absent from wrestling and will always cause me conflict.

Over the next few years WWF became a way of life. I watched the shows, collected the trading cards and action figures and even attended a live event. Such was its grip on British popular culture that one year on from my introduction SummerSlam '92 was held in Wembley Stadium. Absent from that show was Hulk Hogan.

And with Hulk eventually would go my interest in the 'sport'. He became my hero, and as the whole show was built around him it was hard to accept anyone else as the 'top guy'. I soldiered on for a while before stopping watching at SummerSlam '93 almost exactly two years after I'd started.

And as so many fads do, wrestling in the UK became a forgotten past time. Never spoken of at school and regarded with scorn for the poor souls who still watched it.

The question I was asked most over those years, usually by adults, was "Don't you know it's fake?". Yes I did. Everyone told me frequently enough. But I chose to ignore it. I chose to pretend it was real. This is something that non fans seem unable to grasp. Wrestling is no more fake than films and as a result can be no less real if you choose to allow it to be. Maybe we'll take a closer look at that another time.

The next time I watched wrestling was in 1998. Five years may not seem like a long time but the difference between a 12 year old and a 17 year old is like a lifetime.

Had you asked me at that age if I had any interest in wrestling I may well have laughed. It was a part of my childhood, that I now viewed with an ironic detachment. I looked down on younger me who had been taken in by this fake sport. I had no idea that I was about to become a fan for life.

It started with a video game. WWF Warzone. Myself and my friends has been playing it on the N64 and enjoying the fighting mechanics and the characters. We were surprised to see some old favorites in there, The Undertaker, The Bulldog and Brett Hart. Then as we played more we came up with the idea of maybe watching an event for old times sake. See what it was like now?

That event was Survivor Series '98 and it could not have been a better re-introduction.

What we didn't know at the time was that the WWF title had been vacated (It was this whole thing with The Undertaker and Kane and Stone Cold Steve Austin) and so the whole event would be a tournament to crown the new champion. It's rare that a wrestling show has one story over the whole night and even rarer that it's so accessible for an audience who haven't watched in years. Through the tournament format we got to know most of the main characters and saw how they related to each other. We saw the planting of seeds for future rivalries and the twists and turns that were now central to the narrative. I've often wondered if we'd have chosen the previous month's show or the one after if we'd have been as hooked.

But hooked we were, as Survivor Series introduced us to a new generation of grapplers, the aforementioned Steve Austin, Mankind and The Rock being standouts. The latter of course would become one of the most famous people in the world but here he was just getting into his groove as a bad guy. His betrayal of the fans at the end of the show was what compelled us to watch the next episode. The sudden turn with seemingly no reason left an unresolved cliffhanger that demanded an answer. This was where I really started to think about wrestling from a story telling perspective. As a kid it was all about the superheroic characters, but this was different. It was as if the matches served mainly to drive the story onward and the soap opera like sagas were the real draw. I began to think about the wrestlers as playing pieces and the writer as a chess master whose job it was to position them ready for their next match.

Since that event I have barely missed a monthly PPV. My interest has waxed and waned but even at times when i've been unable to watch the shows, I've maintained an interest and followed the story. There have been major lulls in wrestling over the years since. The Cena years were a struggle and the less said about Roman Reigns before he was a bad guy, the better. However the third turning point in my wrestling journey would come not from the stalwart WWE (they got the F out) but from a new company called AEW.

You see WWE had gotten pretty boring by the 2010's. There were no big stars who captured the imagination and the in-ring style was familiar to the point of tedium. I kept an eye on the developments and watched Wrestlemania every year but there was no passion for it in me anymore.

That would change when I heard that there was a new company opening its doors, one that promised to be an alternative, to deliver exactly the kind of entertainment that WWE was not.

It took me a while to get into it if I'm honest. The style was different and the action spectacular but it was so far removed from what I'd thought of as 'wrestling' that I found myself struggling to follow it.

Then something clicked and everything I'd been missing since the heady days of the 'attitude era' was back. Not just back but better. And through AEW I discovered different styles of wrestling and began learning more about its history.

I still watch AEW weekly, I have attended one of their shows as well as local British shows and I would say that my love of wrestling as an art form is at an all time high.

I know many people will still laugh but wrestling is something I care about. It's a form of storytelling that can't be seen elsewhere and above all I love stories. Whether they're written in a book by a novelist or told in the ring by enormous muscled maniacs.

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morkofday · 1 year

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2022: a summary

Post your favourite or most popular edit from each month this year (it’s okay to skip months!)

tagged by krishna @i-got-the-feels ♥ thank you, thank you, thank you~

January

Popular - my tribute for the ending of bad buddy and my journey with patpran ♥ am happy ppl liked both the typography and the color scheme in this.

Favorite - i started obsessing over lang leav’s poetry + patpran with this one. i love the blues and the middle images with the shattered yous all over. it was a pain to do but worth it.

February

Popular - this one patpran edit that still makes rounds at times. it’s probably one of my most popular edits in general and i am very happy it is bc i adore it myself ♥

Favorite(s) - i am bad at choosing for this month so i have to mention both this bb edit bc i love the violet and the shots i chose, and this seanwhite edit bc the lang leav poem is Perfect and i think this one looks amazing.

March

Popular - this very quickly made ptpran edit with the sun and moon quote from my country i had stuck in my head for ages. i never really thought that anyone would notice this but i guess we all were into the same symbolism?

Favorite - very very tough choice once again but i was very passionate about this danyok edit that i made while hoping praying begging that they would get a happy ending

honorary mentions: not me characters + problems x not me characters as seven deadly sins x

April

Popular - this seanwhite edit for the not me celebration was a pain to make bc i felt like nothing of it worked like i hoped it would but i did love the final result ♥

Favorite - watching dew the movie changed me somehow and making both the edit for that absolute piece of art of a movie was a true joy. i made those edits only for myself bc i had to get some of that feeling off my chest and the first one owns my heart.

May

Popular - more lang leav with patpran. i adored this layout even if it, once again, was a huge pain to make

Favorite - had a field day planning this whole edit bc i haven’t done anything with as much detail and meaning in a while. tried new things and was very satisfied with the outcome. also loved making something darker and more focused on symbolism.

June

Popular - cheering at the fact that ppl felt as insane about the official vice versa trailer as i did! i have never felt that strongly about a starting show. vv really is just so special to me and this first edit feels so dear ♥

Favorite - of course it’s my pride month edit! i still return to this one at times, it was so much fun to make.

July

Popular - we were all hoes for kinnporsche the series and especially vegaspete during the summer so am not at all surprised that my first (and for the longest time only) vegaspete set got a bit more popular heh

Favorite - this vv set for the trailer is my beloved bc the colors were good, the pics worked, th flowers looked good. i love the style of this one and it just makes me so emotional to even look at it.

August

Popular - not blaming ppl for liking the fire yellow episode edit the most bc it is my favorite too (with soft blush and cloudy gray). also ep 6 is my favorite episode in vice versa so even more fitting.

Favorite - i spent a huge amount of time researching the mbti types for this and had so much fun with it plus i loooove the pastel looks for all the pics.

September

Popular - the cloudy gray episode edit is the one with most notes for this month which, once again, i do not blame anyone for! i personally love the b&w + pops of color look.

Favorite - the fah + prince introduction edit i made for asianlgbtnet. i enjoyed making this one a lot even if i knew it wouldn’t get that much attention with sky in your heart never really... taking off... sadness ;;

October

Popular - the last vice versa episode edit! which always reminds me of the struggle with my laptop... noodle accident, you will forever be famous

Favorite(s) - all of my bad buddy week entries! favorite character: pran parakul x favorite episode: episode 11 x favorite dynamic: pranwai x

November

Popular - the impromptu last twilight trailer edit i made bc that trailer really just stole my heart and soul. i still watch it occasonally just to feel something

Favorite - the lang leav + puentalay edit i finally managed to make. i planned this one for a long while and currently it’s one of my personal favorite edits of mine

December

bc of traveling, the holidays, and me mostly just waiting for ppl to drop me prompts throughout this time, i only made two edits during december so mentioning both of them.

vice versa x bad buddy parallels as flipped lives x

puen babygirl x

i adore both and never expected either of them to be famous ♥

this was a cool look at all of the things i made last year. there have been quite many? i think october had the most with me finally surviving my laptop crisis and then just going wild :’D

tagging: @oswlld @wanderlust-in-my-soul @ardentlytess @spicyvampire @liyazaki @dimpledpran @snimeat ♥ link me if you’ve already done this bc i think am kind of late...

#tag game #this feels actually quite insane #also idk i guess i should reblog my own stuff more #if i wanted more popular posts #but well i've never liked advertising myself lol #find my stuff if it so happens #but this was a lot of fun ^^#thanks a lot krishna you're the best #and your edits are so pretty too!!#i will go through your list one of these days when i have a better moment

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holyguardian · 2 years

Text

[ GET TO KNOW YOUR WRITING PARTNER! ]

Knowing your writing partners can potentially make writing together a lot easier. Repost, don’t reblog.

NAME: Muddy.

PRONOUNS: She/her.

PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION: Do not perceive me. In all seriousness though, I am terrible with ongoing conversation unless I am in a group chat setting like Discord with a handful of others typing. Small RP hubs where it’s OOC chat and spitballing ideas, chilling, talking about life stuff, hobbies, desires for writing etc. otherwise I’m a fucking gremlin and ANYONE WHO HAS TRIED TO TALK TO ME knows I disappear into my hovel. I’m not good at one-on-one chat that’s purely character or plot-based.

NAME OF MUSE(S): Aerith Gainsborough (here), Genesis Rhapsodos (@firxga), Ariadne Nihilis OC (@rebelichor), Jason Kolchek / Miller Park OC / Millie Park OC (@returnedtoashes).

EXPERIENCE/HOW LONG: I have been on Tumblr roleplaying since 2015, however my roleplaying journey began when I was 14 years old (teen chat rooms ((A/S/L anyone)) -> IMVU forums -> MSN messenger -> AIM -> Skype -> Tumblr -> Line -> Discord -> back to Tumblr). Before all of this little-Muddy was playing tabletop games and acting out stories.

BEST EXPERIENCE: I found my best friend through Tumblr roleplay. Skit and I never would have met if not for a chance recommendation from a mutual. This was when I didn’t know how the website worked, wasn’t tagging, was on a default theme, used awful big images and was hitting a lot of walls because there isn’t a how-to guide to get into the Tumblr bubble. Skit took me in at my worst (how was I not an embarrassment to type with my god) and deserves the very best for helping me in so many ways.

RP PET PEEVES: Let me preface this with I know everyone has limited spoons, and this has nothing to do with slowness or needing to ease thread load, this is directly related to interest not being communicated. Going hard on my OC’s with liking starters or grabbing opportunities from mutuals in general and getting dropped after 1 reply or no returned interest is more disheartening than a peeve, however it’s worth noting because once that happens I’m more likely to back off with any of my canon characters. Perhaps that is a little petty but I much prefer to be told ‘actually, I don’t think our characters will fit’ outright than having to smack into a wall several times to get the message, whereas my canons can walk in 5 months late with starbucks and a flimsy excuse but be fine. TL;DR: if my OC is on struggle street with a blog, but my canon character is cruising, of course I notice.

MUSE PREFERENCES FOR ANGST / FLUFF / SMUT: ‘All’ for most of my muses. Ariadne is more adventure, horror or occult themed.

PLOTS OR MEMES: Plots. Having a vague idea and running with it, throwing bumps in the road or outright breaking the road.

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES: Nice middle ground. I think 4 paragraphs is a happy spot for me, 2 I feel like I’m not contributing enough and once I’m leaning more into 8 paragraphs I lose motivation and spoons quickly because writing actually takes a lot of focus for me.

BEST TIME TO WRITE: When it is completely quiet. I cannot write or even brainstorm when there is background noise. That tends to fall into night time, but then I also battle with feeling sleepy and not having the energy to.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE: I wish I were so sassy. No, I think I have a dumb sense of humour and am way too gamer-nerd and relaxed to really relate to any of my characters like that.

TAGGED BY: @noblehcart

TAGGING: @ceaselxss @enokvirkow @fraxcxccl @hautevaux @heavensfists @hyperionfated @lightwithinthenightsky @omnilimit @ravusnightblossom @reiivusu @stingslikeabee @talesfantastic @warofthebeasts @wiintereyes @yumetohokori

#prompt #out of flowers

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neptune83 · 2 years

Text

I posted 974 times in 2022

That's 771 more posts than 2021!

68 posts created (7%)

906 posts reblogged (93%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@all-about-that-rec

@crowcoven

@stardragonslayer

@broosepayne

@xiaq

I tagged 64 of my posts in 2022

#fanfiction - 10 posts

#ao3 - 9 posts

#fanfic - 7 posts

#game of thrones - 6 posts

#fanfic recs - 5 posts

#got - 4 posts

#house of the dragon - 4 posts

#donna tartt - 4 posts

#jaime lannister - 4 posts

#fic recs - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 108 characters

#it also only took me 5 minutes to do all three and i heard back from one person in literally two minutes lol

My Top Posts in 2022:

me reading Carmilla weekly:

25 notes - Posted September 25, 2022

OTPs are great but poly ships are where it’s at. Here are some of my favourites. Feel free to add more

If anyone wants fic recommendations, I have some for some ships. Also I would love recommendations for fics with any of these ships as well. Or any “real” books with poly relationships.

Harry Potter/Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley

Inej Ghafa/Jesper Fahey/Kaz Brekker

Jason Grace/Piper McLean/Reyna Ramirez-Arellano

Genya Safin/Zoya Nazyalensky/Alina Starkov

Lily Evans/James Potter/Regulus Black

Honestly all the crows together is great

Lily/James/Sirius/Remus

Dean Thomas/Seamus Finnegan/Ginny Weasley

Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley

Suki/Sokka/Zuko

Ty Lee/Mai/Azula

Geralt/Jaskier/Yennefer

Poe/Finn/Rey

Peter Parker/Ned Leeds/Michelle Jones

Lyanna Mormont/Rickon Stark/Shireen Baratheon

Chel/Tulio/Miguel

You know I could ship most of the avengers together (fanon of course)

Harry/Ginny/Luna has potential

Hermione/Ginny/Fleur (I’ve read a few good fics with them)

25 notes - Posted February 4, 2022

Yooooooo I just finished The Heroine’s Journey by Gail Carriger and it was so good!!! I don’t read a ton of non-fiction, especially not about writing, but I picked this book up because I love Gail Carriger’s writing (I’ve read most of her Parasolverse and I’m planning on reading her other series eventually) and it was definitely worth it! Would highly recommend to “writers, readers, and fans of pop culture” as it says on the cover.

34 notes - Posted July 7, 2022

Can’t believe Mary Shelley used the words “dark orbs” to describe Henry’s eyes in Frankenstein :(((

59 notes - Posted May 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

found family is obviously a very popular trope and it’s in literally so much popular media

here are the ones I’ve read/watched but feel free to add your own

ATLA

Legend of korra

Six of Crows

Avengers

Guardians of the Galaxy

Most marvel stuff really

Harry Potter

Throne of glass

ACOTAR

Crescent city too i guess

She-ra and the princesses of power

Does umbrella academy count? It’s more like they chose to be a real family I guess

The Witcher

Like all Star Wars content ever

Shadow and bone

Probably all of Leigh bardugo‘s stuff but I haven’t read it all

Brooklyn nine nine

Batfam

Pirates of the Caribbean??

Ranger’s Apprentice (how popular is this??)

Raya and the last dragon

All Rick Riordan stuff ever too

The old guard!!!! Can’t believe I almost forgot

Lilo and stitch

I haven’t read too much of it yet but the raven cycle definitely seems like it fits

Lore Olympus

Anything by Eva Ibbotson (is this popular? Idk)

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92 notes - Posted January 27, 2022

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thisselflovecamebacktome · 1 year

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These posts are going to have less/no trigger warnings as time goes on and instead just be tagged ‘Weight Loss’, but as I recognise that I only made the announcement that they will be a thing today, the first couple will: This post will talk about eating habits (including disordered eating), exercise and weight loss. As noted in my announcement post, nothing I say here is recommended for anyone but myself and you should always see a doctor and/or nutritionist before making any large changes to your health regime. As a whole, it is just for myself so that I have it documented somewhere. So with that in mind.

My Health Journey: The Beginning.

I haven’t been one for new year’s resolutions since I was a kid. Even then, I was generally horrible at them (sorry to the vegans/vegetarians who I promised I’d join for 8 years straight just to last a maximum of 10 days before going back to eating meat). But over the last two years or so, there’s been a returning sense of irritation to all aspects of my life to do more and do better for myself. This irritation is getting louder with time. Though I have started (and in some cases unfortunately been stopped by external forces) this journey with many aspects of my life, health is the one aspect that seems to be lagging. So like I guess as a but of accountability towards myself and to have record of it, I’m going to document the process. I’m not sure how often I am going to record this stuff, but I imagine it’ll be as important milestones come up or if anything major changes. For today though, I will simply be noting my thoughts going into it as it’s far too soon to have seen any progress.

Why did I wait so long?

For those who don’t know, I’ve been gaining weight for about 7 1/2 years now. In that time I’ve gone from an Australian size 8 (American size 4) to a size 16 - 18 (American 12 - 14) in that time. Predating that, I had a history of binge eating so a lot of my early teen years had me at about an Australian 14 - 16 (American 10 - 12). Factors in my life led me down a road of needing control, leading to an excessive exercise based eating disorder which got me down to that size 8.

The loss of 99% of my family/declining relationship with the only two members I have any communication with and the additional impacts that that has had also has lead me to a spot where a lot of the last 7 1/2 years has been at a level of chaos where surviving has been the goal rather than thriving. For years it genuinely seemed like a win that I was eating and ‘not afraid’ to eat unhealthy foods unlike in my anorexic/over exercising years. It has only been recently that I’ve realised how much my emotional eating has impacted me. While I realised that I refused to eat when upset, I’m also a boredom eater, meaning that I’ve been eating far too much, even when I’m not hungry. My fear of going back to that place also formulated into a fear of going back to the gym for a lot of those years because there has honestly been a correlation between how skinny I am and how dysfunctional I’m willing to be to maintain that. Additionally, the gym is fucking expensive for adults here (unlike secondary students who get a major discount) and given money has been tight, yeah, that hasn’t really been an option.

And honestly? Dealing with law + psychology degrees, being a carer for my highly suicidal mother, ongoing legal issues and my own mental illness just left me in a place where I was too exhausted... which of course was made worse by mostly eating junk food and barely physically moving outside of that.

But ultimately? I didn’t do it because I didn’t love myself enough to. I have been in a mental place where life has not felt worth living since I was 20 (when I lost my family), and because it hasn’t felt as if it was going to get better, I couldn’t be assed to try. I cared more about being petty towards my fatphobic mother and ate a full pizza or chocolate block every time she made a comment about my weight. I told myself that I’d come around to it when I felt better/when life got better. And I felt too socially awkward to exercise in my house given my brother or mother could walk in at any time, let alone elsewhere where others could see me. Hell, as you’ll see later (and tbh the thing I’m most ashamed of here), I haven’t even cared enough to have a proper/suitable teeth brushing schedule. Simply put, I just reached a place of complacency.

Why now?

As I’ve mentioned, I’ve reached a point where I’ve had this irritation growing within me to do better for myself. Ironically enough, it comes at a time where I love my body... until I look at photos. Like I can genuinely say that I feel skinnier than I am. Just like how my eating disorder had very little to do with the shape/weight of my body, so too does this healthy choice. It is simply that I have reached a point where I no longer feel healthier than I am. Long covid has torn through my body and the mixture of that and my other unhealthy habits has lead to a place where I can barely get out of bed most days. As such, I am no longer in a position where I can wait ‘until it gets better’. It is now essential to change my heath if I want any chance to survive and thrive.

What’s the ultimate goal?

To be consistently healthy, balanced and happy. But if we’re putting numbers on it, getting down to and maintaining an Australian 12 (American 8) would be amazing. Exercise wise, I’d love to be able to scale the mountain right near my place (4.1km/2.6 miles/1.5 hours) without too much if any issue on a consistent basis. Though it’s not a requirement, I would also love to get down to that size 12 by the time Taylor Swift comes to Australia for her eras tour so that I can wear my old I Know Places bomber jacket to the show.

What’s changing?

I haven’t got set plans for most of the changes I plan to make, but the main areas my health team and I are setting goals for are as follows; food intake, exercise, general hygiene and confidence building.

Food intake: I’m actually four days into this, but a lot of this is simply trading out my lunches and reducing other meals + non water drinks. Being still at home, I was already eating relatively healthy dinners because regardless of who cooks, it has to be healthy enough for everyone. But yeah, outside of dinner, my eating habits have been an absolute mess up until the new year. I’d almost never eat breakfast, have frozen pizzas/something just as unhealthy for lunch, have dinner and then a chocolate block or some other dessert all while mostly drinking sweetened iced tea. So as things stand, my health team and I have a 3 stage plan for changing this.

First (and what I’m currently doing), we’re adding in a piece of fruit/bowl of weetbix for breakfast, substituting what I was previously having for lunch with fruit yoghurt and/or more fruit and/or salad, taking out all snack foods/only having “proper” desserts when my family cooks them so that I can keep an eye on proportions and keeping the regular dinners. This will only alter if we are eating out which I mostly do for dinner anyway. I also want to learn to cook more fluently (I currently know the basics for each meat + how to made like salads and stuff but nothing in-depth and I feel like having more knowledge and variety in that way will make me more likely to stick to this).

Secondly, once I feel balanced with my eating, we’re going to substitute my sugary drinks for fruit smoothies. This has the benefit of not feeling like I’m cold turkeying all of it, still getting to have some sugar and having additional fruit intake.

And lastly, we’re eventually going to slowly weed out the smoothies for water. This one will probably be the hardest tbh because I was raised by people who never drunk water so the habit runs deep ngl.

Exercise: We haven’t made a solid plan for this yet because I’m awaiting test results related to my long covid that will impact it. But the hope at the moment is to start with 15 minutes of exercise (most likely walking) and build it up to 20 minutes, then half an hour, then the usual recommended 45 minutes. I’m also hoping to buy a few cheap things like weights to do on rainy days. At this point we are also discussing whether buying a weighing scale would be helpful or triggering given my past, or if I should just see the results in the way I feel/the change of clothes size, but no consensus has been made on that yet.

General hygiene: As mentioned above, the grand majority of this is simply getting in a habit of brushing my teeth as often as I should. However, I would like to get into habits of changing out of my pjs earlier on days where I’m not doing anything (should be easier with the exercise regime + hopefully going back to work soon) and cleaning my space more (read: vacuuming my room + cleaning my car more, the rest is pretty clean).

Confidence: I may not be the ugly duckling of my family that I once thought I was, but god am I still awkward as all hell. And like a lot of it just comes from imposter syndrome and assuming no one likes me. Not all of that is to do with weight, but some of it is and I’m in therapy and working on it (even if the process is not as quick as I’d like). More generally I’m also really hoping to push myself out of comfort boxes this year and go to more events, even (and in same ways especially) if I have to go alone and am trying to be nicer to myself though.

How do I currently feel?

Honestly? Horrible. My body is still adjusting to the lack and difference of food and emotionally it’s rough not to go back to comfort eating. But I will also note that due to influences outside my control, I’ve only had about half an hour’s sleep each night since before new year’s day, so I imagine that is having more of an impact on my body than the actual food situation. So I am grateful that I am at least in a mental position to realise that and keep going.

But yeah, I think that’s all I’ve got to say for now. Hopefully the next time I update on this, it will be with good news.

#about me #weight loss

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