#also i never do fan art so this is a little nerve wracking to post ngl lol

[alsoanyways]

I designed some wings for Eugene from season two of Drawtectives!!

(Eugene is 5′10″ and his wingspan would be about 17′0″)

I wanted to make something that was big and flashy to tie back to his performance days, but I didn’t want it to be too bold given that his character kinda centers around death. I also wanted his wings to be a replacement for his cloak without loosing that imagery completely.

Vultures may have been the obvious choice to draw inspiration from, but that doesn’t mean it was the wrong choice. I also used ravens, parrots, and green herons.

[ Grenda / Jancy / Rosé / York ]

#drawfee #drawtectives #fan art #eugene finch #anyway i am very pleased with these i like them so much #also i never do fan art so this is a little nerve wracking to post ngl lol #al:an own #al:an EDIT

[unioncolours]

A 2nd Majsasaurus Year!

Today, 22nd of September 2021, it’s been two years since I officially joined the magical world of fandom. 22.9.2019 I uploaded the first chapter to my fic Shadows and Sand, and the rest is history.

I did a deep dive into my first year as a fic writer and active member of fandom last year, when it was my first anniversary. You can read it here!

In that meta discussion about my membership of fandom, I presented it as if walking on clouds. I was so, so happy and talked during all the discussion about my happiness in fandom.

Since that post was written, my life and also my perception of the fandom I am part of has changed. Change isn’t always bad, as I really had a honeymoon phase with fandom over a year ago, and the low after hit hard.

But let’s see what I’ve been up to and what I’ve been writing! The following year provided much change and fun things! Please keep reading 💜⬇

The first fic I wrote since 22.9.2020 was a Sakura x Ino fic. I had for a longer while been interested in writing a woman-loves-woman ship, which I had never done before, and as a wlw-person myself the urge to explore that part led to Promise me this is just a kiss. The pairing itself was chosen on rather random, it had to be two women and I like Ino, so I chose the most popular Ino-wlw ship for this for convenience.

I really liked writing the fic and it was well-received! It was the first time I had written a fic that was entirely centred around exploring feelings and having sex.

After this I jumped directly onto the next idea that had been boiling inside me for a longer while. Up to this point, all I had written, except the wlw-fic, had been set in the Naruto canonverse and I was itching to try to work with a multi-chaptered modern au! The pairing was of course my beloved Shikadai x Inojin.

It was during the creation of this fic I began to struggle. This was a new genre, as this was romance only and all my other works had been action and fantasy based, except the sex fic of course. I was maybe over critical and stressed, which resulted in me having a hard time writing it. But I made it. Was the sky always this beautiful? ended up being 35k long, and in hindsight, I freaking love, love, love how it turned out in the end and what it represented. I am very proud of this fic.

I “upgraded” as a fan by the end of October when I bought myself a digital drawing tablet. I began drawing fanart of Shikadai and Inojin and preferably them two together, haha! I still draw a few days a month and find it extremely fun as a side hobby beside the writing.

We are now in November 2020. By this time, I had completely finished my zine fic, Under the Scorching Sun, which I had written during September and October, for the Shikatema zine I was kindly accepted to. I was proud of what I had created and was eager for the rest of the contributors to wrap up theirs, so we’d have a wonderful zine for sale in 2021. It was lovely to write ShikaTema again. As the zine fic was about to be released in months from when I had at first finished it, I wanted of course to write something fans and friends could immediately take part of on the internet. I had hyped myself up to a state where I wanted to write a third and final story in my series To love and never let go, my epic series about Shikadai and Inojin.

Now, I should maybe have waited another month, but I was worried the readers would give up on me if I didn’t write it right away. In December, I began writing To find hope in the Universe, with my usual speed and love for the art.

What I by then didn’t realise or even recognise was that I was very slowly turning burned out. I ignored all the signs.

In December I wrote simultaneously as Hope in the Universe a fic that was part of the Shikatema server’s Secret Santa event. The fic’s name was The Ghost Stories of our Hearts, and it was ShikaTema, as the event’s name suggests. It was fun to write and despite the final big fic, Hope in the Universe, pressing down on me, I finished The Ghost Stories of our Hearts and was very happy with the result. Sadly, at this point the burnout began taking control over me, and I never managed to reply to the comments.

The 15th of January, I began uploading To find hope in the Universe. It was a lovely experience, even if it was tainted by negative feelings coming from my decreasing happiness and the fact that it didn’t do as well as To dance above the Stars, the second fic in the series. To deal with two very contradiction emotions, loving my work, the characters, how I have painted an entire world around the characters and how I knew some people honestly loved my hard work, and then the negative feelings coming from not feeling good enough and depressed, was a difficult thing to navigate and still is when I think back to that time. It didn’t help that during the process of uploading the fic I went through grief, and I chose distraction as my coping method. I kept writing and working, the only thing I ever knew.

Our pre-order of the Shikatema zine was in full motion by this time and it was a nerve-wracking time! Mostly because of excitement but also worry. I’m super happy for my friends who were part of the zine, with whom I could share all the excitement and nervousness with. The zine ended up making good sales, which made me happy among the uploading of the long fic.

To find hope in the Universe was completed 31st of March 2021. When I uploaded the final chapter, I felt nothing. It was so weird, so spooky, to have finished a long fic and a series on top of that and not feel anything. But deep down, beneath the layer of depression, I felt great pride.

That was the emotion that broke free once the burnout left me. Pride.

I had created this empire of Shikajin, a whole alternative timeline, an alternative canon from my own head and to this day, that is my internet legacy. I love Trial of the Heart, which I wrote in 2020, but if I have to choose between ToH and this series, I will choose To love and never let go in a heartbeat.

So, even if it felt depressing and hopeless in the moment, I look now back with pride and happiness. Never forget that. Never forget that I made that.

April was a curious time. I swore to not write anything, because I had by now recognised that I was burned out and needed to rest, yet managed to scrape together three smaller fics.

The first one was another wlw-smut fic, TemaSaku this time called Another Light. I wanted to explore that part once again. I wrote it in canonverse and honestly think the fic ended up extremely nice. Perfect amount of feels and sex. It didn’t feel hard to write at all, because the setting, characters and emotions were so different from the fics I had written the last five months.

Now more interesting things lay on the horizon! A new zine, the Ino-Shika-Cho zine called Beyond a Bond had an interest check during the spring, and later the contributor application. I urged in the interest check to please give us the next gen kids, Shikadai, Inojin and Chocho – my kids and babies, and when it turned out they were going to feature, I had to apply as a writer. For this application I wrote a one shot, called It’s just hair, and I loved this spunky little story featuring the best babies that I created.

I also edited one of my tumblr fics, And then I kissed him, into a longer, better version that I later in May uploaded onto AO3. It was once again a Shikajin, a sequel of Trial of the Heart, and it was a fun little project.

Now May came and I sent in the application for the zine early, which I now am relieved I did. I am happy that I did the work for the application in April instead of May, because in May I had a few breakdowns and another grieving period, which lead to complete creative paralysis. I didn’t write a single word during May, only uploaded the two one shots I had prepared in April.

What I did do in May was to read through the Shikatema zine I had contributed to! It arrived in the mail! I was so nervous; my whole body was shaking when I opened the package right outside the post office. The zine now resides on the parade place in my little zine shrine in the bookshelf. Thank you to the mods who made this a reality!

To my great happiness my zine adventures continued as I was accepted to the Ino-Shika-Cho zine as a writer and was assigned to write my favourite characters. I felt so relieved and overjoyed, mind blown by the sheer talent among the contributors.

On the other fandom front, June didn’t continue any brighter, with stress and mental pain still having a strong grip around me, despite the very happy news that I am still so grateful for. I wrote a Yamanaka family fic which to this day hasn’t seen the light of AO3, because of negative emotions surrounding it. I turned into a complete wreck compared to me in June 2020. In June 2020 I was flourishing, I loved what I did, I loved fandom and I loved the friends I had made through Discord servers. Now I could find myself crying my eyes out over a wip not going the way I wished it would. What had happened to Bex 2021?

I was so incredibly frustrated with myself, groaning in defeat when my hands just couldn’t write. I managed to push through 6k of what I called my “emo au” – more of that later – and finish the Yamanaka fic which is still buried, and on top of that I had the zine and another fandom event, The Naruto Photo Album, to create content for. Why couldn’t I do it? Why couldn’t I find happiness in something that once was my reason for happiness?

In the end, I managed to write 15k in June. My former monthly word count used to be 30k. One could think this would turn into the end of my fic writing career, or the beginning of a longer hiatus, but I am stubborn and want to meet the expectations of the people who love my content, so I didn’t want to give up. I wanted to try. I wanted to be whoever I was before.

Funnily enough, the healing came in the shape of the most self-indulgent fic I have ever, ever written, a fic I like possessed began writing July the 1st 2021. It was nothing less than a freaking fairy tale AU, namely a Shikadai x Inojin Peter Pan AU. I can hear you laugh at the silliness of it, but this whimsical AU gave me back my love for writing. I hyper-fixated on this story quite a bit and stopped writing on everything else, something I almost never do.

Only happy boys fly ended up being 21 000 words long! I knew it was a niched story, and true to my guesses, the story has to this day very low stats. Today, two months after it was published, it has just above 100 hits and 10 kudos, so for all I know, only ten people read and liked it. I try to not care too much, since I love the story and in some way, that story saved me from going batshit insane over my emotions about writing.

At this point I had begun writing my fic from the Ino-Shika-Cho zine, finding joy in silly scenes with my favourite characters and trying to heal. The writing process was frustratingly slow, but one word at a time I got forward and as of today, the draft is done. The pre-orders are in December. At the side of the zine fic I wrote a short fluffy Shikajin story, CLEAR, a story with almost no plot, because I knew how much self-indulgence could help me.

And then, I finally began writing for real on my emo au, A gang of fallen stars, which has the first few chapters up right now! I have for the first time in six months a longer fic (if we don’t count the Peter Pan story) and it feels… good. This fic is once again a modern au, but in darker tones than my other modern au from November 2020. I honestly like what I have so far, even if I during June and July almost planned to never finish it. I am so relieved I managed to begin the upload. In September the Photo Album was released and I could show my two fics I wrote for it.

It sounds like this year has been nothing but misery, and at times it felt like it. However, there are a few fandom friends who brought light to my life when I couldn’t see it. The first ones to mention are of course my partners in crime, @notquitejiraiya and @thespookymoth. Together we created a server dedicated to Ino-Shika-Cho during the spring and it has been tons of fun with the members there! Thank you two for listening to me and for being my friends during 2021.

I also have to mention Soverel, who carefully begun taking contact through comments and likes on my twitter, and later through direct messages, and it has been a fun ride ever since. We’ve had lovely discussions which are very dear to me and your support means a lot to me. Thank you for being you and for drawing so many wonderful artworks you’ve shared with me. Haha, and for making me play Genshin Impact, even though I do it like twice a month!

Another person who has made my days so much brighter is @sugarriene. Thank you for sending me that one dm that made us chat regularly, thank you for popping up and sharing panels and your wonderful drawings with me, and for vibing head canons with me. You are a lovely person, and you make me happy.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to @yoboseyokyu for listening to me when I had to yell into the void and for making me happy with your cute posts on both twitter and tumblr.

Since September 2020, I’ve written around 195 000 words and drawn close to 35 illustrations, most of them of Shikadai and Inojin. Almost 200 000 words of Majsasaurus. I’ve created a Discord server and I’ve been part of two zines as a writer, plus a free PDF-project.

It has been a wild year. A year filled with passion for my favourite characters and ship, with the excitement that came with being part of projects and hyping them. It was a year where I learned to draw digitally, and heck what fun it was.

This also a year where I learned people can be mean to me because of what I ship and that fandom friends won’t necessarily always stay to be your friend anymore and how much it can hurt. I also learned what my limits are, and what punishment I get if I don’t listen to my own mind and rest when I have to.

It was a year, guys.

Now, onto the third Majsasaurus Year. Cheers!

And those of you, who supported me when I needed it – thank you and I love you.

#majsasaurus

[layton-fanfic-library]

how much do i have to pay you to rec some feel good PLATONIC luke and hershel friendship fics to erase my mind of what ive seen in the tag recently

This list only contains fics from FFnet. I decided to start there as FFnet seems to contain a lot of older fics. I’ll get to AO3 and other platforms soon! Please bear in mind that some of these fics were written prior to the later games’ releases, so they may contain fan theories. Also, while all of these fics come under the friendship/family genre, I haven’t marked them with warnings. Unlike AO3, FFnet doesn’t really offer much in the way of tags. Please tread carefully, and be kind to the fanfic authors if you leave reviews. 

I’m only including fics that are “complete”, though I’m sure there are plenty of other great Luke & Layton fics that are sadly incomplete. 

Please feel free to add to this list or send fanfic recs! 

List of Layton & Luke Friendship Fics

How to Become a Gentleman in Just 100 Days – A chapter every day, join Professor Layton and Luke as they go about living their ever-curious London life in a series of quaint yet topical conundrums, and maybe even pick up a tip or two about proper etiquette while you're at it. Tip NO. 101 - Art: Déjà vu. (I didn’t have to look far for this one. It’s the most reviewed fic on the PL FFnet.)

Luke Triton and the Illusionary Misgivings - When Luke wakes alone in a strange village with no memory of how he got there, he must uncover the truth behind the village of Validilene. Every aspect of his relationship with Professor Layton will be tested, and Luke must find the truth behind the lies in his faltering memory. But how can he uncover the truth without the professor's guiding hand? [COMPLETE] (This multi-chaptered fic is on the TV Tropes Fanfic Rec page for a reason!)

It's No Good - The Professor has a bad habit of neglecting sleep in favor of research. Rosa the cleaning lady has noticed this on too many occasions, and wishes there was something that could be done. Luckily for her, children can be quite influential. (A cute one shot. Also strongly recommend What He Has for baby Luke and Layton.)

Good Impression - 'The windows almost glowed and there was a hint of lemon hanging in the air' Luke wanted to make the best impression he could on his new mentor and guardian, but the Professor knew that Luke would always be welcome to stay with him. Now he just has to reassure Luke of that fact. Set just after Spectre's Call, friendship fluff. (Another adorable one shot!)

His Birthday - The Professor's birthday brings sad memories and surprises. One-shot. 

The Reunion - After not seeing Luke for over five years, Professor Layton has an unexpected reunion with a former apprentice. No romance. (Oneshot)

Sliding Across - Have you ever tried your hand at a sliding puzzle? Sliding left, right, top, bottom, repeat. Those nerve-wracking things, they're, they're.. easy enough for a 5-year-old to solve? Well, Luke Triton isn't just your everyday 5-year-old after all. (Oneshot)

In Memory - After many years, the professor realizes it's best to move on and love the people that are still with him. (Oneshot - Layton GIVES LUKE HIS TOP HAT. THIS MADE ME SO EMOTIONAL)

Platonic - Luke and Layton are platonic soulmates, that across the worlds, universes, and time, always manage to find each other in the end. Sometimes human, sometimes magical- one can never tell in this ever weaving world of mystery. (Oneshot)

Dreamcatcher - Following the terrible events of Unwound Future, Luke has only one question: How do you forgive someone who's done something unforgivable? Spoilers for games 1 and 3. No pairings. Post Unwound Future. (Oneshot)

One Last Question - Let's be honest here-the professor's life hasn't exactly been a basket of roses. Luke decides to seize upon this chance to ask Professor Layton one last question about the person he's become...in spite of the tragedies he's faced. No pairings. Spoilers for games 3, 4, and 5. (Oneshot)

The Ametur Violinist - Luke decides to pull his violin out, but his music is heard but more than one pair of ears... [Not my picture, credit to artist.] (Short oneshot)

No less of a man - Luke awakens to a familiar problem that leaves him feeling less confident about himself. Maybe a heart to heart with those he loves can help him back on track. Rated T. Involves a transgender character. (Oneshot)

The perfect cake - The professor invites Luke to buy cake, but finding the right one is difficult. (Oneshot - This fic was written in 2012 but it reminds me so much of little Kat and Layton visiting the bakery during the anime...)

Scenes From A Hat - Professor of archaeology, puzzle hobbyist, proper gentleman, surrogate father, close friend, and more: a collection of the many roles improvised by the man known as Hershel Layton. /Drabble collection. No (overt) pairings. Beware spoilers if reviewing; I have not yet played Miracle Mask. (Collection of one shots.)

Luke Triton and the Terrible Night - Luke faces his first night sleeping alone in the professor's house. (Oneshot)

A rainy day - It's a cloudy day in London, but a glum day can't stop the dynamic duo from their investigation... or can it? (Drabble Luke/Layton father son relationship) (Cover art by GraniteFire on deviantart) (Oneshot - father-son relationship)

One Shelf Does Plenty - The Professor tries DIY. Suffice to say...it does not go well.Purple thumbs and a confused apprentice ensue. Don't forget to R&R! (A oneshot with an extra chapter)

#professor layton #friendship #family #Luke Triton #Hershel Layton #Luke & Layton #Fanfic recs #Rec list #Prequel series #OG trilogy #Thanks anon! #oneshot #oneshot collection #multiple chapters #mystery #fluff #father-son relationship

[jingyismom]

got tagged by the wonderful @mylastbraincql to post 10 Things About Myself, which, are there even 10 things other than cql and writing fanfiction??? let’s find out

1. i don’t want to be one of those people who are like ~i love languages~ but...i do. oops. i’m only fluent in english and french (my college degree), but i’ve put work into at least the basics of...well. this is under a cut so let’s just go: latin (a whole minor’s worth), greek (classical and modern), mandarin, american sign language, spanish, german, sanskrit, and arabic. i particularly love medieval french. i kind of wanted to be a linguist but academia is a hellscape, so i’m just a hobbyist language learner and that’s pretty fun. i need to really work on my spanish and start korean next, but right now my brain is deep in mandarin mode (thanks c-dramas).

2. i wish i had the tenacity and drive to be a musician. i love playing music, my mom started teaching me when i was 4 so i should be super good right? wrong. i still play piano like a 4yo. string bass is my ~instrument but it’s been years since i played it seriously. i am mediocre at guitar and an enthusiastic but unstudied singer. maybe some day i’ll put real work in again but for now that executive dysfunction’s a real bitch, so even thought i am a Music Person, singing in the car is about as wild as i get.

3. i was a substitute teacher for 4...5? years. 4 years of regular substituting here after 1 year of working as a language assistant/substitute english teacher in france. teaching is excellent fun and i love it dearly but the field of education is currently pretty soul-crushing in the US, so i have been trying to figure out what...to do.

4. the town where i lived in france was where jeanne d’arc was captured (i was already a huge fan, and getting to kneel where she prayed her last free prayer was...something. i’m not even religious), and one town over from pierrefonds, the castle where they shot bbc’s merlin. alas, they had just finished shooting the final season when i got there. but it really does Look Like That. once, when i was bringing some friends to see it, we missed our stop and got off the bus at a countryside cemetery (i am a goth, this is my jam), and walked back to pierrefonds, since it was a sunny day. until it started hailing. we took refuge in a spooky, empty church from the 1100s and got to explore some of its catacombs and reliquary. it was an absolutely perfect day.

5. i have never not been a Big Fan of something. i have an entire shelf of Tolkien volumes that has lived in my room since the 6th grade. i used to go to warped tour and san diego comic con every year. i have slept on the sidewalk in line for things...many, many times. but this is somehow the first time i’m...trying to participate in the fan community? trying to contribute and talk to people? it’s wildly nerve-wracking but also SO rewarding because everyone? is so? nice??? i love you all

6. i’m a distant cousin of George Gordon, Lord Byron, and EXCEEDINGLY proud of this fact. he was so ridiculous, and stupid, and marvelous, and queer. sometimes i’m like, it couldn’t have been wilde? or shakespeare? but i do love my horrible cousin. it was shocking studying in athens where they have actual monuments and museum exhibits dedicated to him...i was like...this guy? this drug-addled sex addict? okay...okay, good for you, cuz.

7. really all i want is to make people laugh. i feel like i come across weirdly stiff on the internet, and i have apparently horribly intimidating vibes with new people, but really...i am basically just jack black. i don’t mean that positively or negatively it is just neutrally true. i am a clown.

8. i wish i had cool physical skills like martial arts or dance or even a sport but...my body is...uncooperative. i am not necessarily clumsy or uncoordinated i am just Too Tired. oh, and also i have a funky little arm birth defect which is mostly unnoticeable, just makes me a bit awkward and painful. instead i do grandma things like knitting and sewing, which are cool in their own way. it’s very satisfying to make something with your hands. i’ve made an entire (simple) ren faire costume and edwardian ballgown, as well as lots of various odds and ends. oh and i’m pretty good at makeup! i did wedding makeup for a friend, and not in a “wedding of questionable taste” kind of way. i did lots of research and several practice runs and it was all a very classy vintage affair.

9. if you ask me to pick between books and movies i Cannot. i just...love stories. i love seeing them and hearing them and reading them and telling them. there’s nothing better or more important than stories. whether it’s pacific rim or hamlet, philadelphia story or dogsbody, i cannot live without it.

10. i used to work as a street character at a renaissance faire. please do not hold this against me. if you want some ABSOLUTELY WILD stories (”baaa means no”), just ask

this was wildly difficult and i feel like it swings wildly from depressing and self-effacing to ridiculous bragging but i would like to see my mutuals do it anyway! i’m just gonna randomly tag @valarinde @milkcrates @universesvisiting @cendiar @habibinasir @fapamir if you want a fun little distraction but seriously if you see this and want to do it, i tagged you! you’re tagged!

#tag game #this extremely hard. i do not know if any of this is at all interesting or meaningful #i should have just told funny embarrassing stories probably. oh well #i did not get into family stuff because family is Messy and Not Fun For Parties but i'm by no means opposed to talking about it #if you have any questions about anything #OR if you would like help with learning anything i have mentioned that i have some knowledge of #OR if you would like me to tell fun stories about crazy adventures at faerie festivals or comic cons #or about wild celebrity sightings #or about historical/literary figures and events #JUST ASK! #you want book/movie recs? i'm here #please make use of my largely useless knowledge #sorry i'm such a shakespeare simp....ok not really sorry #i simply find him hilarious #not cql-related #but i feel like many of these things contribute to my enjoyment of cql

[annecumberbatch]

Author Interview Tag

Thank you for the tag @simplyclockwork! I also saw @silentauroriamthereal‘s last night and meant to go off of that, so thank you to you both. (: 

Name: AnneCumberbatch (just call me Anne! She/Her)

Fandoms: BBC Sherlock. I enjoy a smattering of content for other fandoms, but my blog and my writing focuses on Sherlock, specifically johnlock and mystrade.

Where do you post: Ao3, sometimes ficlets on Tumblr and now, apparently, little thread ficlets on Twitter (I newly joined as @theogannecbatch and it’s quite the adventure.)

Most popular multi-chapter fic: For John With Love is my most popular multi-chapter fic. It took me four years to complete and is most representative of my style, perhaps? I personally enjoy seeing myself transition into a more expressive writer throughout the story. It’s a dark johnlock with serial killer Sherlock and johnstrade.

Favorite story you’ve written so far: Hm.. I love my shorter little abstracted angst pieces. So, in my top faves are Pulse, a depressed!Sherlock feat. estranged John and caring Mycroft, Promise, a late night chat turned morning love confession post S4, and To Sleep, Perchance to Dream, a little Sherlock angst bomb. I think those, particularly Pulse, are the ones I think about the most. 

Fic you were nervous to post: I think a fic I was nervous about posting... was probably both All we do is hide away back in January and A Sherlock-Shaped Hole this September. All we do was nerve-wracking because it’s a diary POV fic and I’d never done anything like that and I was posting a chapter a day for 38 days. It was quite the journey, but it turned out well, I think. SSH made me nervous because it had been a while since I’d posted a fic of substance. “substance”. So, that made me nervous, to “put to the test” if I was still decent at writing fics. But that also turned out alright, so, that was nice. 

How you choose your titles: My titles are either songs that the fic was based on or a reflection of the story. So, my fluff series it’s pretty much based on a phrase or feeling uttered in the series, otherwise it’s just... whatever I think it should be called. Do I regret some of my titles? Yes. Do I regret naming For John, with love that? Hecking yes. But, it is what it is and now I try to name more wisely. Do I also regret A Sherlock-Shaped Hole? Yes. Is it an accurate title? Also yes. So, it’s tricky. - I also love titles. I love having a title for a piece. It feels grounding and reminds me of the focus of the piece. Sometimes, I have to think really hard about it, but other times, they just come to me.

 Do you outline: Yes and no. The only pieces I posted that I actually outlined were Bee Socks, For John with love, and A Sherlock-Shaped Hole. Everything else I spit out pretty much as it is. I am a large fan of outlining though. I have pages and pages of WIPs that are outlined, just percolating and waiting for the right moment to emerge as a fic in my brain. 

Complete: I’m not sure what this means, but I have around 35 completed fics on A03. Two WIPs posted on there and a cover art. I’m pleased with that so far. Not putting any pressure on myself. 

In Progress: I have a hell of a lot of WIPs. I’m currently working on.... my first Mystrade fic that’s very WIP that I’m calling Gorgeous, Beautiful, a little ficlet for a headcanon for another writer who allowed me to write it (untitled), the sequel to All we do is hide away (An End to the Bitter Frosts), a Halloween spooky fic for next year, This Much I Know, and a royal/fantasy?/dark fic called The Son of the King. But honestly, there are probably around 30 WIP projects that I bounce back and forth on. I’m not a steady writer. The one that probably haunts me the most is Bee Socks, but it just spiraled into too big a project (i.e. the pandemic) and so I had to drop it temporarily for mental health reasons. I may pick it back up, or I may just write a chapter summarising what my plans had been. We’ll see. 

Coming Soon: Hopefully, Gorgeous, Beautiful will work itself out. And then the headcanon ficlet, of course. Other then that, I have no idea. 

Do you accept prompts: I’ve never gotten any prompts, really. I’m not sure. It would have to be within the areas I write in: realism, dark/fluff, no smut, etc. I love writing angst, so if you have a prompt, hit me up and we can chat about it!

Upcoming story you are most excited to write: I’m really excited to write the spooky fic, This Much I Know. I tried to write it in time for Halloween this year but it got away from me and really blossomed into something else. So I’m excited to see what will happen there. 

Upcoming story you are most excited about: Story that I’m writing or story that someone else is writing? There are so many wonderful stories coming out every day by fantastic writers in this fandom that I couldn’t possibly name one. I feel blessed to have such a wonderful hobby shared and enjoyed by so many. 

Tagging: If you see this and you write and want to share you works - please, do! And tag me so I can see your answers and read your fics. :) 

xx Anne

#Author tag #A03 #Sherlock Fandom #BBC Sherlock #Annecumberbatch

[scribblemetae]

Idk about you, but every single time when I commented on a fic with "aww I love this fic so much and I especially like the scene where xy... " I never get a replay and it honestly makes me anxious...commenting something in public is already nerve wracking and rebloging is something i don't do anymore since I've spent 2 days regreting it...i was too nervous and I nearly threw up because people can see immediatelly what I read or liked... so commenting is kinda easier since other people have to look into the comment section to find it...idk I'm dumb lmao. I started sending fanart for the authors too, because I want them to see that I appreciate what they do...I still feel bad tho since I'm not THAT great at it and they deserve more and oof...idk I feel like I'm not doing enough...

sorry if there are mistakes in that whole ass text and my little ramble 😶 What are your thoughts on all this? 🥺

sorry for the bother too omg ~ ❄️

Hello!!

Okay so, I love every single comment I get like, I get so excited when somebody leaves me one and it doesn't matter how long, small or nonsensical the comment may be I get butterflies <3 So never, ever feel anxious or worried about leaving any kind of comment.

I find replying to comments a lot harder than asks or reblogs simply because sometimes they get lost, a lot of the time I post before I go to sleep and when I wake up I can have anywhere between 10-50 comments on the post making it really really hard to reply to all of them. I also hate picking and choosing who to reply to because I don’t want people to feel i’m ignoring them and not another. If i’m on when when the comment is there I will always try to reply but I know I don’t always manage to reply no matter how hard I try, but, i’m STILL extremely grateful for the comment like, I promise every comment I’ve had has made me smile so please never question if you should comment, if I didn’t get comments I could promise you I wouldn’t post in all honestly.

The not wanting to reblog does make complete sense. Reblogs are really good for Authors but don’t feel bad if you’re unable to do so you don’t owe us anything, but if you can’t reblog or aren’t comfortable then I do think you should try and comment, but again, not always possible, I know I don’t reblog and/or comment on EVERY fic I read, but I try my best to support. Maybe if you’re not having any luck with them you could try asks on anon? You don’t every have to do that but nothing makes my heart race more than an excited anon.

Its strange for me to say because honestly I don’t tend to get people going into my fics and sending me detailed stuff on what they love about it (I have had a few here and there and they stick out in my mind but they are far in between) and thats 100% fine but I would honestly be so grateful if somebody did that for me <3

Ive also never had anybody ever send me fan art but I would DIE If somebody did that for me, no matter how good or bad the love and effort or somebody actually thinking about me and/or my fics wanting to do something like that honestly my heart would double in size so never ever feel that way baby <3

In short, you don’t have to go to far out to support writers, comments are all you have to do to make us feel good about that work and even if you dont get a reply that doesn’t mean they aren’t appreciated but the fact that you attempt to do fan art and more is actually incredible and you’re already doing a lot more for us than other people.

TL:DR, You don’t actually owe us anything, just like we don’t owe our readers anything, but the more love you give the more you will get out of writers, when people talk about TYB It makes me wanna write more. If you’re doing everything you can and everything you’re comfortable with that’s all I will ever ask out of my readers. 

I’m not really good at expressing myself so I really hope this made sense and makde you feel a little bit better, never think you’re a bother and know I adore asks like this, its awsome to be able to talk to you guys slightly deeper. 

Ily, and thank you for your support <3

[pan-de-queer]

 CREATOR TAG MEME

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I was tagged by: @anastasia-93-daybidaylove and i was so close to saying i haven’t written anything worthwhile this year but then realized that was the point of this meme so 🙃

so this year’s been really tough on me, and i literally only had one (1) productive month of writing, so a majority of my stuff will probs come from that. also note that one of these fics is not bechloe alkjsdlkajsdkls

i say “you” cause you feel like home - this fic was actually a concept i’d been playing with for months ever since i first heard the song and microwavedicecream’s prompt seemed to fit in perfectly with what i had been thinking of doing in the first place. it was the longest bechloe fic i’d written all year and i was just really thankful for both the opportunity to help something i believe in so much and to write anything more than 2k words (i understand that the number of words are less important than the quality but i am competitive okay. esp with myself asjkldjaklsd)

extra cozy in your love - i’d actually seen like a quarter of this fic in my drafts, and as i was prepping for my fic of the day, i realized that this one had so much potential and just needed to be finished. it’s a little different from my usual meet-cutes and ending-up-together fics but i really enjoyed the way i managed to bring out their dynamic in this one (also, beca stealing chloe’s hoodies when she’s stressed is my new hc)

quiet love humming - i don’t write from chloe’s perspective much but god do i love it when i do. there’s just something incredibly soft about writing chloe being all soft with beca, and that definitely made this little drabble a joy to write!

hell was the journey but it brought me heaven - i love taylor swift. like that’s it. that’s the only explanation for why i love this fic so much hahahaha also because i’d been rewriting it to fit all the parts i actually love about the film series but like don’t expect that from me any time this year (i haven’t even reached the halfway point for the first pitch perfect movie alksjdklajds)

‘cause you know all of my secrets - this is a supercorp fic. this is my very first supercorp fic. so i’m really proud of it for a number of reasons. aside from being my first dip into a completely new fandom (like “new” as in i’ve only been a reader and fan for so long. i never expected to write anything for the fandom), it’s also my longest fic this year. i don’t know what possessed me to rip out 8k words, but i’m so proud of this fic for being coherent enough that people actually enjoyed those 8k words. on my first fic in a new fandom nonetheless. it was definitely nerve-wracking just to post in an unfamiliar fandom, but everyone’s been nice so far and i can’t say i’m not enjoying myself!

Anywaysss those are my 5 for the year! kinda makes me realize that maybe i wasn’t as unproductive as i first thought i was hahahahaha

Anywho, tagging (without any pressure whatsoever): @thehorriblyslowmurderer, @aubreyposenesquire, @scylla-ramshorn, @green-eyed-weirdo, and any other creator who’s interested 💕

#me #tag game #my writing #bechloe #supercorp #pitch perfect #the rat pack #fave nerds #ana stop tagging me i'm insecure #cw supergirl

[ibijau]

Worst engagement AU // on AO3

Nie Huaisang finds it's nice to have people who enjoy his company

(Part of this chapter had already been posted a while back for an ask about how the Jiang boys views nhs’s engagement. I’ve added to it and touched it up to fit the rest)

warning for canon typical underage drinking

It was so nerve wracking to stand up to Lan Xichen that as soon as he is out of view of his fiancé’s house, Nie Huaisang breaks into tears. He can’t decide if he regrets speaking so bluntly or not. He half wants to run back and go tell Lan Xichen he’s sorry, that he shouldn’t have said this, that he’ll be good again, that he’ll do his best.

He doesn’t.

He  can’t . As he’s said, he’s tried that already and it was miserable. Everything good he’s gotten in life, he got by being bold and not caring for consequences. Everything from his dear nightingale, to Lan Wangji’s good opinion, and now the company of Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian he got by doing what he wasn’t supposed to do.

He can’t grovel in front of Lan Xichen. Not now, and not ever again. Even if he’s crying now, even if he cries after every time they meet, as long as he stands strong in front of Lan Xichen then everything is fine. Besides, even if he’s sure that his behaviour will be reported to Lan Qiren and he will get a scolding for it, it was all worth it for the shock on Lan Xichen’s face. Just thinking back on it is enough to make Nie Huaisang chuckle through his tears.

Once he manages to calm down, Nie Huaisang dries the traces of his crying with his sleeves, puts on a smile, and returns to his cabin.

It’s a bit of a shock to find that Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian really stayed there and waited for him. Nie Huaisang assumed they would just return to their own cabin. Instead Wei Wuxian grins at him as if he’s truly happy to see him and waves his hand at him.

“We were starting to wonder if we should go rescue you!”

Nie Huaisang snorts as he closes the door behind him, but feels his heart beat a little faster. This is… nice. It might be selfish, but he likes the idea of his company being wanted.

“Wei gongzi, it was just a talk with my fiancé,” Nie Huaisang protests with a smile. “I was quite fine. We’ve decided that we should meet every so often, now that things are getting more concrete. He’ll be of age in just two years after all, and we might marry soon after.”

“Were you really fine?” Jiang Cheng asks, scowling at him. It seems that just his normal expression most of the time, so Nie Huaisang tries not to take it personally. At the same time, his eyes are probably a little red still from crying, so maybe Jiang Cheng is worried.

Nie Huaisang decides to laugh it off.

“Why wouldn’t I be? It really was just a small chat. But let’s talk about something more fun now, right?”

They don’t insist, but as they start discussing again an expedition to nearby Gusu to buy forbidden contraband to make their stay in the Cloud Recesses more fun, Nie Huaisang feels that everyone looks at him a little too much. He tells himself it’s just because he’s the only one who has really visited Gusu before while the others just passed through it on their way here (though Wei Wuxian did still manage to spot several interesting shops) but it might also be that he failed to hide how upset that chat with lan Xichen made him. He’ll have to hide it better in the future. 

There’s no way of being sure that they’ll all leave him behind if they realise he’s not naturally as daring and bold as them, but it’s not a risk he wants to take.

  After dinner that evening (boring, disgusting, bitter… Nie Huaisang is going to starve when he comes to live here permanently) and as they start heading back toward their cabins, Wei Wuxian grabs Nie Huaisang by the elbow and pulls him away from the other guest disciples. He’s grinning in a way that, in only a few days, Nie Huaisang has learned means he has a very awful idea to share.

“Nie gongzi, let’s trade tonight,” Wei Wuxian offers in a whisper. “We send our disciples to your cabin, and you come to ours for a bit of fun with me and Jiang Cheng.”

That breaks a number of rules, of course, and Nie Huaisang is already waiting for the fallout of his chat with lan Xichen.

“I’m not sure…”

“I am. Come on, it’ll be fun! Just bring some of those prints you’ve mentioned, alright?”

Nie Huaisang grins and gives in. Apparently, Sect Leader Jiang’s wife is a very strict woman, so it is nearly impossible for Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng to get their hands on that sort of pictures, and they get badly punished if any are found in their things. Finding release outside of dual cultivation is supposedly bad for the flow of spiritual energy, and madam Yu takes these things very seriously, especially with her son.

It makes Nie Huaisang very glad that he has so little spiritual energy himself. He can waste it if he likes, it won’t make much difference. 

With this plan agreed on, they go to their separate cabins to prepare for the night. Nie Huaisang companions don’t seem too upset that the Jiang disciples are being dumped on them. If anything, they seem as excited by the perspective of an evening without their young master as Nie Huaisang is. It’s likely that both cabins will end up doing the same sort of things, drinking and looking at forbidden pictures, but at least this way young masters and disciples can all pretend that nothing inappropriate happened. As soon as he has everything he needs, Nie Huaisang leaves the cabin and heads for the Jiangs’ one.

It is impossibly thrilling to sit down with Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, past curfew (forbidden), ready to spend the night in their cabin (forbidden), with some wine and those artful prints (both  extremely forbidden). They’re all three sitting on blankets that they threw on the floor. Well, Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng are sitting, still clinging to some vague illusion of propriety, while Wei Wuxian is lounging without a care in the world, refilling everyone’s cup with wine as often as necessary.

Giving up on being good is the best idea that Nie Huaisang has ever had in his life, and he’s so glad he’s found people ready to encourage him on the path to fun. Getting to meet these two makes it almost worth the annoyance of another year in the proximity of Lan Xichen. If not for the weekly meetings ordered by Lan Qiren, then Nie Huaisang would be quite happy with this situation.

When Wei Wuxian reveals that along with the wine, he managed to smuggle in some candies, Nie Huaisang decides that this is worth putting up with Lan Xichen. This is going to be the very best year of his life.

That sentiment lasts until the second cup of wine.

“So, you and Lan Xichen really don’t get along, uh?” Wei Wuxian asks.

Instantly, Nie Huaisang tenses. Well, he should have guessed. It’s never about him. And they were there when Lan Xichen came to pick him up for that stupid meeting they’re supposed to have, and Nie Huaisang didn’t think to hide his annoyance, and it must have been obvious that he cried, and now Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian will realise they can’t reach Lan Xichen through him, and…

“You can never trust the nice ones,” Jiang Cheng grumbles. “The better the reputation, the worst they act in private. It’s the same with Jin Zixuan honestly. He acts all high and mighty around adults, but when there’s nobody to see he’s a pest.”

Nie Huaisang chuckles nervously and reaches for his fan, although he doesn’t open it yet. “Right. Your sister too is engaged, uh? To Jin Zixuan… I mean, at least he’s not too ugly, and he has good cultivation.”

Both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian groan in annoyance.

“Shijie says the same!” Wei Wuxian complains, nearly spilling his wine. “She’s always trying to defend him, even though he made her cry last time he came to visit. He said she needed to improve her cultivation before they got married or it’d be embarrassing him. Can you believe that?”

“Peacock,” Jiang Cheng hisses. “Like he deserves her anyway.”

Nie Huaisang nods, and feels himself relax a little though he still fidgets with his fan.

“It’s not like she can help it,” he says carefully. “I’ve not met her, but Mingjue says whenever he came to Lotus Piers, she gave him the impression of a very nice girl, very polite. And he’s not the sort to just say something nice without meaning it.”

That, it turns out, is the best thing Nie Huaisang could ever have said. The instant they hear their sister praised, the other two beam at him as if he’s just told them they’ve reached immortality.

“Your brother is a man of great tastes,” Wei Wuxian proclaims, downing another cup of wine. “You know what? We should work on breaking the engagement between Shijie and that peacock, and see if she can’t marry your brother instead. That way she’ll get a good husband, and your sect gets a good alliance, and so you don’t need to marry some stuffy old Lan kid!”

“Wei gongzi, don’t go tempting me,” Nie Huaisang sighs. “I can’t start dreaming like that!”

Wei Wuxian laughs, and pour some more wine for all of them while Jiang Cheng, by far the one who’s had the least to drink, watches Nie Huaisang like a hawk.

“So it’s not just an impression, you don’t get along with Lan Xichen,” he says. “We’d heard some of the disciples who came here last year say it, but I figured maybe they just misunderstood.”

Nie Huaisang hesitates. This alliance between Qinghe Nie and Gusu Lan is important, and while Yunmeng Jiang is friendly now, they have their own alliance with Lanling Jin, who in turn everyone knows would never have the guts to turn against Qishan Wen. It’s important to make it look like Qinghe and Gusu have strong links, it’s important to make it seem like his future marriage is as certain as the rising sun and the winter snows.

If it ever reaches Nie Mingjue’s ears, Nie Huaisang will blame the wine. But he’s decided already that he was done pretending, and for this too he can take a leap of faith, show a little courage. Politics are politics but he likes Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, who seem to like him back and… and it’d be nice to be pitied a little.

“Your sister isn’t the only one whose cultivation is deemed unsatisfactory,” he admits. “And of course, Lan gongzi isn’t wrong about me. I don’t have a great cultivation level.”

“But you have great porn,” Wei Wuxian retorts, as if somehow, that compensates the rest. “And you’re pretty fun to have around.”

“We wouldn’t have invited someone like Lan Xichen to come here,” Jiang Cheng agrees with a huff, as if it annoys him to admit that some people don’t, well, annoy him. “He’s got a good reputation for sure, and everyone admires him, but he doesn’t sound like someone you’d want to be friends with.”

Nie Huaisang grins, and sips on his wine to hide how giddy he is.

He’s really going to enjoy becoming friends with those two over the months to come.

#xisang #nie huaisang #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #mo dao zu shi #worst engagement au #jau writes #next installements might take a little more time as I need to decide on stuff + I want to write on Burn it Down again

[sabraeal]

2020 Creator’s Self-Love Extravaganza

Boy howdy, but it has been a year. So much so that I felt the need to dig up this meme so I can lavish myself with a little TLC, ‘cause you know what? I deserve it! And so do you. This year has been tough, and even in the best of times it can be a real struggle to remember that, instead of being your own worst enemy, you should strive to be your best cheerleader. Remember to be kind instead of cruel, to forgive rather than condemn yourself. Creativity is hard, and it is always a journey, never a final destination, so let’s take a moment and sight-see where we’ve been this year, yeah???

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 favorite works (fics, art, edits, etc.) you’ve created this year and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world in 2020. If you don’t have five published works, that’s fine! Include ideas/drafts/whatever you like that you’ve worked on/thought about, and talk a little about them instead! Remember, this is all about self-love and positive enthusiasm, so fuck the rules if you need to. Have fun, and tag as many fellow creators as you like so they can share the love! <3

I was tagged by @bubblesthemonsterartist!

1.) With Ribs Laid Open - As many of you know, way, WAY back in 2018, when I was heavily pregnant with my second child, I hit 500 followers and decided to make a raffle for requesting fics which were supposed to be posted during my February-May hiatus after giving birth. This was a great idea pretty much right up until after the raffle winners was announced, since only a week or two later, my grandfather got massively ill, I got EVEN MORE heavily pregnant, and the great complex of shitty 2019/2020 occurred. I’d managed to finish Tender Concessions right at the turn of the new year due to Winter Challenge, which handled two of the promised fics, and this one ended up being the very first raffle fic I promised without a challenge helping me along. I’d been working on it off and on since the request was made, never quite getting it to sit right up until I started working on it at the end of 2019. It was not only a great personal accomplishment, but the daemon AU is really one of my favorite ones I’ve done, and getting to write Obi and Od Ana’s backstory was something I’d been dying to do since I posted Creatures of a Brief Season.

2) Sic Semper Monstrum - I started this fic in 2018, and it’d actually been an idea I’d had way back in 2016 when I first watched Pac Rim. It’s an AU I’ve always really enjoyed, and I really love how it’s turned into this ensemble piece, rather than strictly a ship fic (and I’m sure anyone who has read Seven Suitors knows how much I really love getting to do ensemble elements). But this year it had sort of an added meaning to me-- I’d promised vfordii I’d write this fic for her birthday at the end of December, but December is my MOST PACKED month, so she’s used to getting her present late...and then it got later. And later. And suddenly I was in the hospital because OH YEAH, I’d just been actively dying for about a year. It was actually when I was in the hospital recuperating that I realized my issue with the chapter I was working on-- I’d been trying to make it Zen POV, when it was very, very obviously meant to be Kiki’s. And when I got out, this ended up being the first fic I posted post-recovery. And then I added another chapter to it only a few weeks later! And it’ll be one of the first fics posted in 2021 (sorry, v). So this one really holds a big place in my heart right now, if only because it really came with me on my whole medical journey.

3) Seven Swipes for Shirayuki - As I’m sure plenty of you are aware, Seven Suitors was the fic I was known for for about...forever. It’s actually only within the last year or two that people have read something else of mine first, and the sequel tends to be the first thing most people ask about. But it was also my first posted fic EVER, and the first long form story I’ve completed in years, and so it holds a very special place in my heart. So trying to tell the modern version of it was utterly nerve-wracking. After all, a lot of Zen’s shenanigans wear a lot better on a prince than an American billionaire. It’s been slow to start, but I have to say...I’ve impressed myself with how the adaptation is going. I have a LOT of funs plan for it, but the biggest hump was really getting through the break up scene since it was always going to be...intense. And then I did it, in a way I really liked! And going forward, I’ll get to do a lot more tinder shenanigans, and a lot less heartbreak (mostly >:3c).

4) The Daisy Chain - I have...an embarrassing amount of fics that are sitting, untouched, with only one chapter left to go. Or at least, I pretend they do. But it was ACTUALLY true for Daisy Chain, so getting the opportunity to wrap up one fic I’d been working on since 2017 was...amazing. It was a lot of blood sweat and tears to get this finished, but I’m so happy to have completed something I started so long ago.

5) The Lone Wolf Survives - This is the fic I did not want to write. I’m not a fan of A/B/O; in fact I’m generally annoyed by it because it uses WRONG WOLF DYNAMICS and like, BAD SCIENCE, and though when it’s done good it’s GREAT, it’s usually done terrible and UGHHHH. So when I realized I needed to do it for bingo I...complained. A lot. The most. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. But I eventually settled on the plot of this fic, letting it be canon-but-not, and it just...worked. And I’m ultimately proud that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and now may torture you with the smut that has not yet happened, ah ha ha ha >:3c

For tagging, I choose... @claudeng80, @infinitelystrangemachinex, @aeroplaneblues, and @k-itsmaywriting

#meme #writing meme #Man it was hard to cut down this list #i had so much fun stuff I wrote this year #Documented for Posterity and Knock Three Times #The Sword Between... #so many fun WFB pieces #SIGH

[geminiblackout]

{Random HPCs} All the icons cause i'm too lazy to add them all!

||  RANDOM HC MEMES (Finished!) || This is a long, long post. So everything will be under read more!

🥳 -How do they spend their birthdays? Jackson: He loves a small outing with his friends. Bowling, dinner out, video game cafes, he really does not need a lot. However, he’s not a very social person, and would prefer to keep these outings to close friends only. Even the idea of people coming up to him to wish him a happy birthday is a little nerve wracking, he doesn’t like all the attention. Holt: Holt doesn’t really understand what a birthday party is supposed to be since he didn’t have a lot growing up (He was only able to be out at night, when most of the other kids would be asleep depending on the time of year). Now, he would prefer to throw his own party or event and invite anyone who wants to come. 

🎃 -What’s their favorite holiday? Reasons? Jackson: Jackson has always been a fan of horror movies, so he really enjoys Halloween. He is definately the type to not get scared because ““he knows exactly what is going to happen next”“, and his personal connections to monsters allows him to pick fact from fiction. He still enjoys the genre, and doesn’t mind dressing up for the holiday either. Ironically, he really enjoys taking on a character outside of himself. Holt: Holt used to really enjoy Halloween, but after certain events he feels somewhat melancholy about the Holiday. He likes the party scene and the energy the holiday brings, but there’s still a part of him that’s a little iffy about it all. But, compared to the other holidays in the year, this is one of the best ones.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 -What’s their relationship with their family like? Oh dear. Their family is where they are canon-divergent kind of. They only have one parent, Sydney, just like in the books. However, like in the webisodes, Sydney is the Jekyll and Hyde monster and their father is an unknown fire elemental who left when they were extremely young. Technically, Jackson and Holt are the sons of Sydney’s Hyde and their father. They only have a connection to Heath’s family because of Sydney’s research and her desperation to get help once Holt appeared around age four. Emma, their grandmother, was completely clueless on how to raise a half monster child, and when Sydney became a mother, she was even more clueless on how to raise a half Hyde half Fire Elemental child. Heath’s family was extremely helpful in this, even if Jackson spent far more time with Heath than Holt ever did (Queue: Heath didn’t even recognize Holt when they were reuinited). Jackson: Jackson had an extremely close relationship with his mother. She was extremely protective of him and he trusted her, even looking up to her as a scientist (or, in her case, science teacher). He never got into much trouble growing up and shared a lot of information with his mother. However, after discovering Holt, this relationship was damaged. Sydney gave him very little information on his grandfathers and on who Holt was, leaving him to have to do research for himself. Though he still loves his mother, there is a little bit of resentment there. Sydney generally lives her life as a normie and her Hyde does not come out very often, so Jackson has no relationship with her Hyde side. Holt: Holt has an extremely poor relationship with his mother. She projected a lot of her hatred towards her own Hyde onto him, and was scared of what Holt would mean for Jackson. Sydney did realize he was still apart of her son, and so still loved and treated him like her own, but the favoritism was very apparent. Holt was always getting into trouble as a kid, and he didn’t care much for school. He wasn’t too surprised that she had kept the secret from him, but there was a lot of frustration there. Unlike Jackson, Holt really didn’t care to know about his past, and from what little he does know, the idea of being related to Edward makes him uncomfortable. He aims to make the Hyde name his own and something unrelated to the man and the two Jekylls he lives with.   🚿 - What are their bathroom habits like? (How long do they shower, what do they do in the shower, what’s their bathroom routine, etc.) Jackson: Jackson is very clean, he’s a casual athlete and spends a lot of his time around chemicals, so he really can’t afford not to care for himself. Being part fire elemental, he really enjoys hot showers, so hot they would burn any normal human. His mother specifically got a shower to fit his needs, which much confusion from the plummer. Henry typically isn’t depicted with facial hair, so it is very likely Jackson cannot grow any. Beyond redying his hair and other basic hygiene, he doesn’t do much to care for himself further. Holt: Holt hates showers, but luckily for him Jackson usually handles that aspect of self care. Fire elementals and water don’t mix well, and the bathroom usually just ends up as a mess of steam and smoke. Water doesn’t hurt him, but it’s not a comfortable sensation. He is a bit more concerned with his appearance compared to Jackson, and will take more time to fix up his hair in the mirror and take care of his piercing. Holt occationally does wear eyeliner for outtings, but it is not part of a daily routine, and he wears very little of it. The mark on his face is a birthmark and does not need to be redrawn. 

🧼 -What’s their hygiene like, what do they smell like? Jackson: Jackson has to be more careful with fragrances since he works with so many chemicals and around lab mice. If he is working in a lab around animals, he tends to skip the cologne. But, when he’s not, he usually smells like spice and woody scent. Holt: He just looks like he wears axe, and Holt is absolutely the type to go hard on the cologne. It’s very sharp and distinguishable. Sometimes, their two colognes clash with one another and creates a scent unique to them.

🛌 -How do they sleep, how much do they sleep? Jackson and Holt, as a single monster, need less sleep than the average normie or monster would. When one side of the brain is activated, the other gets to rest. When one of the boys is out, the other personality is essentially in a semi-conscious dream state. This means that they only need to sleep enough to allow their body to rest since all the muscles are shared between them, so they really only need a few hours of true sleep a night. Jackson tends to take on true sleep more than Holt, and being part fire elemental he loves to sleep in warmth and will cacoon himself under blankets to make a little oven. Holt on the other hand really can’t sleep that well with the music blasting in his ears, though occationally he will take small naps. Both of them do sleep in very similar ways, and with the muscles in their face relaxed, the simularity between them is striking.

🧸 - Do they have any collections? If so, what? Jackson: Jackson is a huge nerd, and in my HC, really enjoys collecting Magic the Gathering Cards, D&D Dice and Books, and console videogames. He used to collect Pokemon Cards as a kid (And maybe, absolutely used to play with Heath), but he stopped collecting them when he started focusing on MTG. Holt: Holt really isn’t a material person, but he does collect records that he guards with his life, especially now that the trigger switched and he doesn’t have to hide himself from Jackson. He’s not a huge fan of old music so he doesn’t have a lot of vintage records, they are mostly new alblums.

💲 -Do they have a lot of money? What do they usually spend their money on? Jackson: Jackson doesn’t have a lot of money. It mostly comes from his family for birthdays and holidays, and since in my headcanon, he only has his mother and Heath’s immediate family, that isn’t much. Even though he’s fairly confident in getting scholarships, he tries to save most of his money for college (or, in older verses, grad school), but will occationally splurge to buy himself cards or games. Holt: Holt makes a good amount of money DJing. A single night can get him hundreds of USD. It’s certainly more than any monster his age should have. However, like I said before, he is not very materialistic, and he mostly spends it on equipment or nights out, but he does end up saving most of what he makes.

🎼 -Do they play any musical instruments? How good are they if so? Jackson: The last instrument Jackson played was the recorder in third grade. He doesn’t have much interest in the arts, not that he can learn any instruments at the moment anyways. Holt: Holt taught himself to play the guitar and can play both accoustic and electric very well. Not so much an instrument, but he is also fairly skilled in remixing music over a computer. He’s not that tech savy, but he knows how to use the application.

🍔 -Favorite foods and drinks? Jackson: Just in like canon, Jackson really enjoys mac and cheese. He doesn’t really have a favorite drink, but with his mother being British and the weird timeline skipping that went on, he does drink tea. Holt: Hot wings, the hotter the better. He doesn’t really have a favorite drink, but he does enjoy anything spicy. 

🕒 - What’s their morning routine like? Jackson: Jackson is usually the one to handle the mornings, because he is the only one allowed to drive. He usually showers to get out all of Holt’s product from the night before and combs out his hair to a messy mop before getting dressed and going, minimal effort required. Generally he doesn’t eat the meals given to him by the school just because it can be a little hard for normies to digest (or, even stomach) monster food, so he does try to grab some kind of breakfast before he leaves. Holt: Holt is usually not out in the morning, but in the rare occation that he is, he usually fixes up his hair, throws on a shirt and his jacket, and packs on the cologne.

#13xwishes #ask answered #//adfs thank u for this heres my life essay #//abuse mention #//animal testing mention #jj #hh #headcanon

[lovemesomesurveys]

[created by: vyvyan86]

What is something small/insignificant that makes you irrationally angry? I don’t get angry easily, but I do get irritated and frustrated very easily. Somedays it can really be any little thing.

Do you collect anything out of the ordinary? I don’t think any of my collections are like weird or anything.

Have you ever eaten at a fancy restaurant? Yes.

If so, what did you have and was it delicious? I probably had something chicken-related, because I don’t like fancy foods. I didn’t die, so it was delicious enough. Not too memorable, though. <<< Literally same. I’m so picky and fancy food is not my thing. I’m so basic lol.

What is the best foreign film you’ve seen? I don’t have a favorite; I haven’t seen too many.

Who is your favorite director? I honestly don’t usually pay much attention to who the director is of a movie. There’s many times I have no idea, I just know I like the movie. I pay more attention to who the actors are. I notice the production company more than who directed the movie.

If you could spend a month anywhere in the whole world, where would you go? Oh, man. It’d be another country for sure, but I’d have to think about where exactly I’d want to go. There’s so many places.

What’s the weirdest nickname anyone has given you? My family and I call each other “Boob” and “Boobala” haha.

What would a person have to do to make you stop wanting to be friends with? Like if they were just being a shitty friend.

Are you good at reading people’s facial expressions? I think so.

What sort of a competition do you think you could win? *shrug* I’m not especially great at anything to where I’d feel confident enough to compete. I’m also just not a competitive person.

Have you ever upcycled trash into useful items? I probably have when I was a kid for arts and crafts type stuff.

If so, what did you make and out of what? ^^^

What’s the longest distance you’ve walked in one go? A former friend and I did quite a bit of walking around San Francisco during a trip there. We went all over the place and if you’ve never been, it’s a lot of steep sidewalks so it’s a real workout.

Is there a person, who passes your house the same time every day? I wouldn’t know if there was. We don’t have a window to see out the front, I don’t leave the house very much, and I don’t sit outside ever so I really have no idea.

Which color Skittle do you like best? I wasn’t a big Skittles fan, but I liked the red ones. I couldn’t even tell you the last time I had Skittles. It’s been quite a long time.

What kind of reflectors do you wear on your jacket when it gets dark? I’ve never had any reflectors. I’m also not out and about at night.

What’s your favorite element? Water is pretty great.

What is the weirdest fact you know? Of course I can’t think of one on the spot. 

What kinds of stuff do you post to your social media? Relatable stuff, stuff relating to things I like, funny stuff/memes, interesting stuff...

Which country’s cuisine have you never tried but would like to? I can’t think of any. I’m so picky and boring.

What is a concept you don’t really understand? When people say they don’t like coffee. Like how? Haha. Lazy, lame answer I know, but I don’t feel like thinking too much about this or getting deep.

If you had your own radio show, what would it be like? So, my last year of UC I was able to take a few random, fun classes cause I just needed a few more credits, and I took this entertainment class where one of our assignments for the duration of the semester was pairing up with a couple others in class and doing our own radio show for the campus’ radio station. My group called our show, ADG-After Dinner Gossip, an evening radio show that played the top current hits and talked about trending topics. We also took calls and requests. Each group did the show completely on their own, like when we did ours we were the only ones there in the studio at our allotted time, no teacher or anything. It was nerve wracking at first, but we got the hang of it. It was a neat experience. 

What has been the biggest surprise you’ve ever gotten? Hmm. That’s tough.

Is there a holiday you can’t stand at all? There aren’t any I can’t stand, just ones I’m not into.

Who is your favorite person in the whole world? My family. 

What tastes the best when wrapped in bacon? Ew, nothing. There’s a concept I don’t understand, the obsession with bacon. 

Are you good at giving directions? I’m actually the worst. Has there ever been an activity you became obsessed with? I go through phases where I’m really into something and do it all the time and then I don’t for awhile. 

What has been the strangest place you ran into someone from your past? I don’t think I have anywhere strange.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

[multimetaverse]

We've been fed so much lately!! What do you think of Luke's interview with Lisa and Terri's with pastemagazine? And are you happy Josh told us what he meant by the endgame changing?

Indeed we have anon. I loved Luke’s interview with Shine on Media, Lisa has been a fan of the show from the start and her questions are always good ones. I’m very glad we got confirmation that TJ is gay and that’s canon so there should be no more TJ sexuality discourse. Also nice to know that Luke knew TJ was gay from before the muffin scene and that he and Josh were trying to play things as gay as possible the entire time. We really lucked out getting Josh and Luke to play the first two openly gay characters on Disney Channel; that they were so happy and supportive of these roles and always did their best to come through for the audience. And nice to know that they both wanted the Tyrus story line to go faster, as did we all. 

Another anon asked me why Terri wouldn’t have done a chemistry test with Josh and Luke when they were casting TJ which is a good question. Certainly the casting directors would have had that in mind since they cast someone Josh’s age and they obviously didn’t cast Luke for his basketball skills or skills at playing a villain. They did luck out that Josh and Luke ended up being such close friends and having such great on screen chemistry. I don’t think it’s a surprise that Luke’s acting got much better after 2x05 as TJ had an actual purpose and motivation. Terri really should have told him from the start but she would have had to if not by 2x08 then 2x11 for sure, as there’s no way to do the swingset scene if the actors and director and editors don’t all know that it’s a romantic scene. 

 It’s wild that Terri never took steps to make sure either Luke or his family weren’t homophobic or at least unwilling to play a gay character before bringing him on. That would have been a dark timeline, TJ either being written out early on and maybe some new character brought in to take his place or TJ still be used for the dyscalculia story line but then being dropped after S2 and likely no one replacing him as Cyrus’ love interest in S3 given how much more censored the gay story line was in S3.

I’m glad Josh came clean. That they were unsure that Tyrus would ever canon was my best guess and I’m working on another ask about it and laying out how the Tyrus story line in S3 has no real direction and with the exception of the gun plot is just fluffy or angsty filler. It’s sad to know that Tyrus came so close to never canoning and I can’t imagine how depressing it must have been for Josh and Luke to film the entire season not knowing if the Tyrus story line would ever have any pay off. I’m glad though that Terri was at least upfront with them that she wasn’t sure if she’d get canon Tyrus approved in the finale. A lot of Josh’s comments and actions come off much sadder now, like when he was so happy that Asher said Tyrus was real in their October press tour or when he commented on tumblr that the press tour was the first time Disney had let him speak openly about Tyrus. He must have been desperately seeking validation and any kind of hints he could that Disney would actually allow canon Tyrus. 

That being said, the cast should never have been allowed to talk about Tyrus so openly and so often when they had no guarantee it would ever happen. All those cast interviews they did back in October almost ended up being massive queerbait. I don’t blame the cast as they’re all teens but the adults in their lives should have stepped in and reined things in. 

Terri’s paste magazine interview comes off as extremely disingenuous especially in regards to the Tyrus kiss. I’m surprised so many people bought her spin but if she couldn’t even get permission for canon Tyrus until the very end of production which was well after the show had been cancelled then how on earth was she ever going to get a kiss or anything else approved? I could claim that I choose not to live in a mansion because it doesn’t fit my lifestyle but it’s not a real choice because I could never afford to buy a mansion just like Terri would never have been able to get a kiss approved or Cyrus saying aloud that he had a crush on TJ or Tyrus slow dancing or Cyrus founding a GSA club at school, or anything else she wants to pretend she could have done if only there had been one more season. And her ‘’queerbaiting and Disney censorship’’ instagram post back in November was wildly inappropriate when the gay story line was being obviously censored and when the entire Tyrus story line almost ended up being nothing more than queerbait. And for her to attempt an internalized homophobia story line in what she knew were the final eps of the series with a character she had no idea if she could ever confirm is gay is incredibly stupid. 

Still I do feel sorry for Terri as I truly don’t think she knew when she brought TJ in that it would take this long to get so little pay off. The Tyrus story line began in the 20th ep of the series and didn’t canon until the 57th aired ep, two-thirds of the entire series went by before their feelings were explicitly confirmed. The look back was a huge mistake and built up expectations too high even with it being edited but logically if Disney approved TJ looking back at Cyrus in 2x25 it would have been a positive sign that they were open to exploring Tyrus at the time as the unedited look back would have let the audience know TJ was gay which would have given Terri reason to hope she could get them together before 3x20. I think it’s interesting that Josh compared canon Tyrus in S3 to Cyrus coming out in what was originally 1x13 when he’s talked before about how Cyrus was always slated to come out to Andi in 2x13. It really does suggest that Disney more or less let Terri write what she wanted for Cyrus’ arc in S2 which also fits with the Tyrus story line flowing very well before cracking down hard in S3.

Personally, I think the most interesting thing we learned from Terri’s interview is that they learned they would be cancelled when they were going to write 3x10. Looking back, 3x10 does seem like a rough dividing line for a lot of stories. Jonah’s panic attacks are addressed in 3x11 then dropped, Jamber is resurrected in 3x12 along with the wish and Amber suddenly becomes much more prominent in the final half of the season, Walker and Wuffy are disposed of, Marty is brought back and Muffy quickly set up to be endgame. Now that we know that Terri didn’t want endgame Jandi and didn’t know if she would ever get endgame Tyrus we can see why it was so important for the show to bring back Marty so Buffy could get her originally planned endgame. Interestingly, Andi’s art isn’t brought up again until 3x16 which is also when the S1 party was brought back up again which suggests that they didn’t settle on the finale party until then. 

There’s one other big moment that happens right after 3x10 which is Cyrus using the word gay and coming out to Jonah in 3x11. I wrote this back in February after the Salt Lake Tribune spoiled that Cyrus would come out to Jonah:

‘’It’s nice that now all of Cyrus’ closest friends know about his sexuality but this does also read as a potential wrap up of Cyrus’ sexuality arc; Cyrus has come out to Buffy, Andi, and Jonah and is proud and confident in his identity and to label himself as gay, quite a far cry from the scared sad Cyrus we saw when he came out to Buffy. With Jonah now in on his secret there’s no more mystery left among his friend group and no need to talk about it again if that’s the path Disney chooses. I do think Terri got some stuff approved in the finale but this ep could very easily provide enough rep that Disney feels fine with having a quiet Korrasami style endgame instead. ‘’

It turns out that my sense of foreboding was correct as 3x11 was written as a potential series finale for the gay story line as they had no clue if Cyrus would ever be able to get together with TJ and indeed Cyrus never did discuss his sexuality ever again. 

I’m glad we have a lot of the missing pieces filled in now. I’m also glad I wasn’t a cast or crew member as it seems like S3 would have been an anxious nerve wracking experience, waiting to see if the story line that had been planned from the beginning of S2 would have any pay off. I’m eternally grateful to Terri and Josh and Luke for what they managed to do and the history they made. And thank god Gary Marsh, for whatever reason, decided at the last minute to let those final 40 seconds of the bench scene to make it to air.

#Andi Mack #Tyrus #Cyrus Goodman #TJ Kippen #Luke Mullen #Joshua Rush #Terri Minsky #Andi Mack Asks #Asks #Answered #Andi Mack Season 3 #Andi Mack Production

[shadowofthelamp]

Fandom Trades: Tips and Tricks

I’ve been running a secret santa for five years now, and a few people expressed interest in a sort of ‘guide’. It does take some elbow grease to get things up and running, but it’s very rewarding and gets easier as you go. Click the ‘read more’ for some stuff I’ve picked up over the years! It’s a bit general to try and cover anything, but if you have any questions, you can ask! (And if you’ve run one yourself, feel free to add on!)

FAQ: Something that’s a really good idea to have. Here’s the most important stuff on it that would probably be applicable to most trades:

-Basic summary of what the trade will be- some could be fic-only or art-only, or even specific-ship-only. Mine’s general to ‘all sonic sfw content’, but setting guidelines so people know what they’re getting into is a good idea so you won’t have to answer the same question over and over.

-Deadlines. Make them clear. Mine’s easy (Christmas Eve) but depending on what size the gift is expected to be, the time frame can be adjusted. 

-Related, set up rules for if people need to drop out. It happens, so be prepared. (This is why I ask now if people are alright giving a second gift.)

-Any particular rules for your trade- is it sfw or is nsfw acceptable? (In that case, set age limits.) Are there ships that will or won’t be allowed? Is there a punishment for violating the rules or turning things in late, like not being allowed to participate in the trade again?

PROMOTION:

A promo image is a good idea! I’ve been using the same one for a few years that was put together by a friend no longer on tumblr, but images catch people’s eyes faster than a text dump. Make something that’s easy to understand but gets the point across, and the text below should have enough information without overwhelming the casual scroller. 

Space paragraphs often to make it less intimidating. Include links to the FAQ, the sample entry, and the submit box right in the post, as well as a way to contact you- you want things to be as easy as possible for anyone interested. Here’s my promo post.

You also want to start promotion early- I start posting and reblogging my promo a full month before the entry deadline, to give as many people the chance to see it as possible. Any earlier, and they might not care- (who wants to see a Christmas trade post in October when you’re hyped for Halloween?) and any later and you might not get as many participants as you could have. A month-ish is a good time frame. (I also have a tag for the promo post, so people can blacklist it if they aren’t interested and don’t want to see it 15 times.)

SAMPLE ENTRIES:

Also something that’s good to have. Having a template for what you want entries to look like will make sorting easier for you. Here’s mine. It’s a good idea to scout around for other trades to find out what would work for you.

MAKING ASSIGNMENTS:

Next, setting up how to arrange who gets assigned to who. I personally use google spreadsheets. These are the categories I use, feel free to steal them: Username, medium (art, writing, amvs, ect), whether they’ll work with fan characters, what they’d like to receive, what they won’t do (one year I even added ‘if there’s anyone you won’t work with’ so if it’s a fandom with drama, that one might be good), who they’re gifting to, who they’re receiving from, if they’ve submitted their piece yet, if their piece is in the queue, and if they’re alright with doing backup.

I also had a category for if they’ve confirmed they’re still in once assignments were sent out. (Boy, was that one nerve-wracking during the whole tumblr purge debacle of last year- I didn’t know if anybody had just quit tumblr mid-month.)

You will run into people who only want two or three things nobody else wrote on their sheet. If you can’t find even one match, then just put them with someone who had a wide variety on theirs, or who doesn’t have anything on their ‘won’t do’ list. Trying to match with multiple likes is a better bet, though, so encouraging longer lists of what people want makes things easier for you in the long run!

I personally just went in a line- I picked one person, found who they would give a gift to, and then found who THAT person would give a gift to. Rinse and repeat down the list, and it’ll end with everyone paired. I ended up making a closed loop and then sorting the last 8 or so, which was fine. An easy way to check that you didn’t double-classify anyone is control-f and searching names. If their name pops up 3 times, you did it right.

SENDING OUT ASSIGNMENTS:

Just copy-pasting the part of the entry that includes the person’s name and their likes makes this way easier for you over trying to type them out individually. Ask for confirmation that people got their assignments so you don’t have to worry if they missed it.

HOW TO KEEP THINGS ORGANIZED:

My system is this: I’ve mentioned it before, but I utilize a combination of my spreadsheet and the queue function. Let’s say Sally’s making a gift for Jake, Jake’s making a gift for Taylor, and Taylor’s making a gift for Sally. Sally submits her piece of art for Jake. I mark that off on the sheet, so when Taylor submits the gift for Sally, that gift will go in the queue to be posted whenever the deadline is up because she turned hers in already.

This keeps people motivated to complete their parts of the trade, since they won’t get their gifts until they do. If someone drops out, tell the person making the gift for them- if you’re lucky, they can rework what they have for the person that the drop-out was supposed to make something for, but if not, bring in someone who didn’t mind making a second gift. Person making the gift for the dropout can choose if they want to continue making it or not- if it’s mostly done and not a fan-character, they can just post it on their own blog unrelated to the trade. 

It’s also a good idea to have a ‘hub’ where things are posted. If it’s a fic trade, ao3 has a function specifically for this, but I’ve found having things submitted directly to you makes it a million times easier to keep track of who’s finished their pieces, as well as keeping things ‘secret’ until the big day. (People have gotten confused or excited and posted early before.)

If people want to post elsewhere after it’s posted on the main hub, set your own rules- I say it’s fine as long as it links back to the blog and links the giftee, particularly if it involves fancharacters. You make your own judgement.  

BE PATIENT:

This is one that’s very important. Some people don’t check the FAQ, and some people are going to be new, asking questions that you swear you’ve answered before or thought would be obvious. They generally just want to know, so take a deep breath. They don’t know they’re the fifth person to ask that question. Answer politely, or steer them towards the FAQ. (Running the same event year after year, you run into this a lot- they’re just new, be nice!)

Don’t start an event that you expect to have plenty of people participating if you aren’t prepared to hear the same questions a couple of times. Things might get a little annoying- take a step back for a few minutes, cool off, but try to remain professional. You signed up for this. For me, it’s always worth it to see how happy people are about their gifts, but know yourself and your limits- running a themed week where people post art at their own pace is less hassle, so you could try that if you don’t feel up to organizing a full trade! 

If you can have a friend to bounce things off of, that can help too, but don’t use them as just a dumping ground. Tumblr allows multiple ‘mods’ on a blogs, so splitting work can make things easier, particularly if it’s your first run doing something like this. I had a friend who helped me the first few years before leaving tumblr. Be sure you trust the person, though! They’ll be able to edit posts and delete submissions, so if any drama happens, beware. (This never happened to me, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.)

TAGGING:

Add tags to the submission box. I don’t know why this took me four years to think of, but it saved me a lot of time last year. If it’s a trade that covers an entire fandom and dozens of ships, you can add the shipping tags as they come in, but adding the ten or so most popular character tags helps a lot. If it’s going to involve potentially triggering content, common trigger tags are a good idea too. (A Halloween trade might need this, for example, or one that involves nsfw content.)

PEOPLE TURNING THINGS IN LAST MINUTE:

It’s going to happen. I think one year I was panicking on the 23rd because I only had half the gifts, and all but one had been turned in by the time I went to bed on the 24th. People procrastinate- if you get in most of the gifts ahead of time, you can thank your lucky stars. Try not to stress over it, but feel free to post reminders in the week before/days leading up to the deadline. My family travels around the holidays a lot, and I managed to get everything queued up properly through airport and hotel wifi more than one year, so you’ll be just fine if you try and stay calm.

OTHER/GENERAL:

It’s absolutely worth it, in my opinion- I’ve been doing this for years for a reason. My favorite thing is knowing I’ve done something that made others happy. Going through all the excited responses Christmas morning is equal or above getting presents from my family, because I know it’s on some level because of me facilitating the trade in the first place. I hear over and over this is something people look forward to, and it genuinely warms my heart. 

It might take a few years to get established, but if you find a niche (there was a blog called sonic secret santa, but it hadn’t been updated in years) you might be surprised how fast you can gather people! I like seeing people show up year after year, it’s how I know I’m doing something right.

It is definitely work, and there is stress involved, (especially if people drop out or don’t send in their gifts on time) but the benefits outweigh the negatives, I say. People are generally understanding if there’s a problem, as long as you make it known you’re working on it.

You have to commit to the responsibility if you do this- people who are making gifts are putting their trust in you that you’ll keep things organized and they’ll get something for the gift they’re giving. You can’t guarantee everything will run exactly as planned, but you can be as transparent as possible when you hit a bump- ‘I’m sorry, but your person said they’ll be late because they were having internet problems/personal life issues and is doing their best’ is going to get a lot better of a response than radio silence. Be sympathetic, but be firm on the rules if need be.

I hope this helped a bit, and thanks for reading!

[bugheadfamily]

Graphic by: Katie ( @betty-cooper )

This week the spotlight is on Sarah ( @onceuponamirror )! Click the read more link below to get to know our member!

Spotlight by Mila, @jughead-jones

SARAH | @onceuponamirror

Name: Sarah  

Age: 25

Location: California

Any other languages aside from English people can contact you in?: alas, nope. 

Favourite Riverdale characters and ships?: I actually enjoy most of the characters, but I know I would like all of them better if the writing actually was focused on characterization, lol. But obviously I quite like Bughead. And then honestly I like all of the Veronica ships. I also like Choni but i think the writing could’ve been a lot better.

Favourite moments from S1 & S2?: Betty repeatedly saying “what’s my name” to Alice was really powerful and one of the moments that sold me on the show early on, especially in the acting from that scene, and then 1x07 was a really wonderful exploration of a broken relationship between father and son that was still fill with a lot of love despite how painful it was. The family/character moments early on were strong. In s2….the acting continued to be pretty good, and the addition of totally campy things like Papa Poutine and his son Small Fry were the wacky kind of delight I seek from riverdale. 

What are your hopes for S3?: consistent characterization, and hopefully some fun weirdo hippie moments. 

Other fandoms you’re into?: I was in the Once Upon a Time fandom for a long time. But that show has ended now. 

What are some of your favourite movies/TV?: The Americans, The Good Place, The Office, Parks And Rec, Glow, Orphan Black, The Bold Type, Queer Eye, Jane The Virgin, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Favourite books?: All About Love by Bell Hooks, A Thousand Eyes: Media Technology, Law, and Aesthetics, Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami, and Just Kids by Patti Smith. I need to find more fiction to read, but don’t really know where to start in terms of what I’m really looking for. 

Favourite bands/musicians?: FLEETWOOD MAC!! I think anyone who has visited my blog even once probably knows this lmao. 

If you could live in any fictional world which one would you choose and why?: uh, Harry Potter universe, no contest. I mean, given that I too would be a witch anyway. 

Favourite food?: mm. Probably tomatoes. Love a good tomato. 

Favourite season?: autumn!!!

Favourite plant?: oh this is hard. I do love a big split leaf monstera! 

Favourite scent?: eucalyptus.

Favourite colour?: blue.

Favourite animal?: also hard. Have you ever heard the sounds a porcupine makes tho? 

Are you a night owl, an early bird, or a vampire?: fun combo of a person who likes to stay up late who also naturally wakes up early. But on my good days, I’m an early bird. 

Place you want to visit?: Japan! Or spend more time in Scotland than I’ve had before. 

Do you have pets? If you do, tell us a little about them: I have a cat. She’s afraid of her own shadow and I love her dearly.

Tell us a little about yourself?: I am a freelancer in a creative field, I’m a big fan of analysis (show or writing or otherwise), and my interests tend to rotate around the arts and plants.

Fun or weird fact about you?: I am a very, very good whistler. Can do all the vibrato stuff. 

Asks for fanfic authors:

How long have you been writing?: since I was like 11-12, honestly. 

Which is your favourite of the fics you’ve written?: Heart Rise Above is very dear to me for many reasons, but beyond just the satisfaction of telling the story in way I’m happy with, it also represents a huge number of goals that I met. I’d never written anything multi-chapter, let alone over 100k. It helped me get over a lot of my insecurities. 

Favourite fic/chapter/plot-point/character you’ve ever written?: HRA is prob my favorite fic, my favorite chapter was probably the “water” chapter (17 i think) in HRA, my favorite plot-point is something from A Deed Without A Name so i shouldn’t say yet, and my favorite character….I mean, I’m fully aware that I basically came up with an original character in JB. She appears in most of my fics because I firmly believe that she better rounds out Jughead and my goals for him, but she’s also become a solidified figure in my mind. And I’m fond of her; or at least, my version, lol.

Which was the hardest to write, and why?: Stealing Home has been a continued challenge, just because it’s such a different universe from canon while still needing to maintain consistent and recognizable characterization. But I like challenges!

How do you come up with the ideas for you fic(s)? (examples: Do you draw inspiration from real life? Listen to music? Get inspired by TV/movies?) Do you have an process to your writing?: I listen to a lot of music while I write in order to tap into the tonal atmosphere I want to build, but a lot of my ideas start with a vague concept, sometimes launched by a single image I saw (HRA was inspired by a set photo) and then I work backwards to a larger theme and intent. My process depends on the story, but often I make a lot of “beginning, middle, and end” notes to myself for where each character has to go and what has to happen, plot wise, at those stages.

Idea that you always wanted to write?: I’d like to one day tackle a long, multi-chapter story that spans only 24 hours. We’ll see!

Favourite character to write?: Jughead, I think. But i also really like writing Veronica, turns out. 

Best comment/review you’ve ever received?: @village-skeptic leaves incredibly detail-oriented reviews, and I eat them up. But then I’ve had some personal messages about the impact some stories have on them and it just — wow. That’s amazing. It means so much to me.

Best and worst parts of being a writer?: It’s incredibly satisfying to escape into someone else’s woes or joys sometimes. Especially when my mental health takes a toll on me, being able to work through some of my own feelings via another character is…cathartic. The worst is that it’s a vulnerable thing, sharing that side! Even if you don’t consciously put those things into your writing, any time you put anything creative out to share with others, it’s nerve wracking. Validation is a tricky thing. 

Do you have any advice to offer?: Ultimately, be passionate about why you want to do something. All other doubts and worries and insecurities will be outweighed if you understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.

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This is the seventh instalment of Bughead Family’s Member Spotlight series. Each week, a member’s url is selected through a randomizer and they will be featured in a spotlight post. In order to participate, please join the Bughead Discord (more information found here). Thank you.

#bughead #riverdale #bughead family discord #member spotlight

[starsandsquids]

A Professional Relationship

I don’t think I’ve posted this story yet, have I? 

I didn’t think this story was going to get workshopped for class but there were extra slots available at the end of the semester so here we go. I know certain people in my class are going to hate this for reasons I really don’t care about, I’m just having it workshopped to find out if I can make the perspective switch more effective.  But since I haven’t posted any writing in a while, have this. 

I should also be getting some accompanying art for this pretty soon! 

The highlight of my morning is getting to see Casey Sorrento.

           He’s always at work before I am, he’s that kind of dedicated. He’s typing away at something, so focused on his work that he doesn’t notice me come in. I wave a paper coffee cup under his nose and he jumps at the sudden distraction.

           “Good morning, Casey.”

           “Renard,” he says.

           “We’ve been working together for five years now,” I say. “At this point you’re allowed to call me by my first name. Nero.” Casey looks down at his shoes and I’m pretty sure he’s blushing.

           “I don’t know how professional that is,” he mumbles. Honestly? Fuck professionalism, it’s not like I’m his boss. Casey and I are equals on this project, and if anyone else that’s not above my paygrade tried to call me by my last name I think I’d tear my hair out. But Casey’s so sweet that on him, the insistence on professionalism is endearing and I let it go.

           “Alright, I’ll play.” I hand him the coffee cup. “Shot of vanilla and more sugar than coffee, right?”

           His face lights up. “You memorized my coffee order?”

           “Of course!”

           Casey has a smile that could light up a room and considering our lab is in the basement, that’s a godsend. I want to tell him that, but he’s easily embarrassed and I don’t want to put him on the spot. Instead I just watch him sip his coffee and scribble down notes.

           “Renard?” he says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

           “Yes?”

           “Do you think you could take a look at this?” He waves me over to squint into the microscope on his desk.

           “Sure can.”

           I realize I’m probably the only person who can find a virus cute. Even Casey calls it “that shit” like we haven’t been studying this genetically engineered super pathogen for the better part of five years. Casey has a…healthy respect for the virus whereas I’ve grown pretty attached to it. It’s my passion project, my baby in a way.

           “It didn’t look like that yesterday?” Casey asks, hopefully as excited as I am. “Did it?”

           “No!” I say, scrambling for a notebook to scribble down a diagram and hoping I can read my piss-poor handwriting later. Casey has penmanship that could be its own font.

           When I look up, he’s across the room and I decide today’s the day I just go for it.

           “Would you like to get dinner sometime?” As soon as I say it I know I must look like an idiot. Of course not, why would someone as perfect as Casey want to go out with his scatterbrained lab partner with terrible handwriting. “Not just the two of us, I mean. Maybe we could invite some of the techs, celebrate this…” I gesture to the microscope.

           “Oh!” Casey says. “That sounds like it could be fun.” Even with a handful of techs there, it’d still be the closest I’ve gotten to an actual date with Casey. I’ve wanted to ask him out before but something always comes up and I lose my nerve, like at the Christmas party. I saw him under the mistletoe with that light up a room smile of his and I wanted to kiss him, just a friendly little peck on the cheek, but I chickened out. At least now I have a foot in the door.

           “How does Thursday sound?” I ask and his face falls.

           “This Thursday?” he says. “I’m sorry, that’s my uncle’s birthday, we’re all going out to dinner. Shame.”

           “Oh.” I can tell he feels bad about it so I wrack my brain for the next day when he’s not working later than me. “Maybe next Tuesday then?”

           “I don’t see why that wouldn’t work?” Casey says. Before the victory dance I’m doing in my head can spill over onto my face, there’s a knock at the door.

           “Come in!” Casey calls. It’s one of the project higher-ups whose name is currently escaping me.

           “How’s it going?” he asks.

           “It’s going,” Casey says, glancing at me.

           “It’s more than going!” I say, gesturing to the shoddy diagram I just scribbled down.

           “Well that certainly sounds promising,” says doctor whatshisface. “Dr. Renard, would you mind bringing your notes upstairs? Quarterly progress check and all that.”

           “I can indeed!” I say, probably giving off the enthusiasm of an overactive puppy. Casey waves as if to say “good luck.”

           I don’t need luck, not this week. I’m sure of it.

###

           Every day I go to work in fear of Nero Renard.

           I have to get up at the asscrack of dawn every day to get to work before he does. It’s the only chance I have of getting anything done without constantly having to look over my shoulder. I can admit that Renard’s a genius, so if he spent his time actually working and not leering at me, I can only imagine how much shit we’d get done.

           I must’ve gotten lost in work because the next thing I know, he’s behind me waving a paper coffee cup under my nose and I jump. I didn’t even hear him come in because the man just doesn’t make noise. I swear, my life would be significantly easier if I could just put a bell on him. Early Renard Warning System.

           “Good morning, Casey,” he says. I bite back the that’s Dr. Sorrento to you.

           “Renard,” I say, hoping he’ll get the memo that he shouldn’t talk to me like we’re friends.

           “We’ve been working together for five years now. At this point you’re allowed to call me by my first name. Nero.” I look down quickly so he doesn’t see the look on my face that says I’d rather choke than act friendly with Renard. I’ll be civil, sure, but not friendly. I don’t want to do anything that might justify his sick crush on me.

           “I don’t know how professional that is,” I say with careful emphasis that of course goes over his head.

           “Alright, I’ll play,” he says, holding out the coffee up. “Shot of vanilla and more sugar than coffee, right?”

           Fuck. He knows my coffee order. How the fuck does he know my coffee order? I’m one-hundred percent sure that I’ve never ordered coffee in front of Renard.

           I must be making a face that looks vaguely positive because he’s smiling now and I swear, he’s even creepier looking when he smiles.

           “You memorized my coffee order?” I ask, hoping he’ll give me some indication of how he learned it. He doesn’t, he just keeps smiling.

           “Of course!” he says. Fan-fucking-tastic. I take the coffee to be polite and go back to my work.

           Renard reminds me of one of those brightly colored poisonous butterflies. Maybe it’s the orange flower tattoos that sleeve his arms or the dopey, excited persona he puts on, but everything about him feels like a carefully placed warning saying I AM DANGEROUS if you know how to read it. Nobody else does though, they’re swayed by the bright colors and what I guess is a conventionally attractive face and have actually told me “you’re worried about Renard? Nero? But he’s basically an excited puppy!”

           A puppy that won’t stop trying to hump your leg, maybe. I can feel him staring at me while I work until I finally find an excuse to get him to stop.

           “Renard?” I say. He tries to act like he wasn’t ogling me just now.

           “Yes?”

           “Do you think you could take a look at this?” I gesture to the microscope.

           “Sure can!” Of course he jumps at the chance. You wouldn’t know we’ve been studying a supervirus, as excited as Renard gets over that shit. You’d think he was being asked to play with puppies and not a pathogen that could kill him if he were careless with it. I swear I once heard him call it his baby, and if that’s not weird I don’t know what is.

           “It didn’t look like that yesterday, did it?” I say, backing towards the door while he’s distracted. I’m taking my lunchbreak early; I don’t care if it’s not even noon, I can only take so much of Renard acting like that.

           “No!” he says. He’s still distracted looking for a notebook to write down whatever he’s taking this to mean. I’m almost out the door when he looks up and I feel trapped, especially when he asks me out.

           “Would you like to get dinner sometime?”

           Like hell I would. Not after the Christmas party. I got buzzed on daiquiris and Renard tried to kiss me, stone cold sober at the time. He’s not the most intimidating man on the surface but he’s still bigger than me and I don’t trust him. The idea of trying to fight him off while tipsy was a terrifying prospect, but thankfully he lost his nerve when I yelled at him to get the hell off of me. It was loud enough for people to hear and I guess he decided not to risk anything with everyone staring.

           Maybe I look horrified because Renard’s got that expression like a kicked puppy, like he’s the slighted party in this whole exchange.

           “Not just the two of us, I mean!” he adds. “Maybe we could invite some of the techs, celebrate this…” He gestures towards the microscope.

           “Oh,” I tell him. “That sounds like it could be fun.” If he gets sick and doesn’t show up. Even if he did actually invite a couple of other people I wouldn’t put it past him to try to put an arm around me and blame it on too many margaritas.

           “How does Thursday sound?” Renard asks, and reality sets in. I’d actually have to go to dinner with him.

           “This Thursday?” I say. “I’m sorry, that’s my uncle’s birthday, we’re all going out to dinner. Shame.” Bullshit. I have one uncle and he lives in New Hampshire.

           My last boyfriend said I need to face this issue head-on, that since constant excuses and filing reports with HR apparently aren’t enough to give Renard a hint, I need to just tell him I’m not interested in him like that and never will be. My last boyfriend had the pleasure of never meeting Renard though. I’m bad at confrontation and I don’t trust Renard to take rejection gracefully. I don’t want to do anything that would give him an excuse to drop the nice guy act.

           “Oh.” Again with the kicked puppy face. “Maybe next Tuesday then?”

           He knows what day I’m not working late. I change the days I work late weekly to avoid a situation like this and those changes aren’t exactly public. He’s somehow gotten his hand on my schedule, how the fuck did he…

“I don’t see why that wouldn’t work?” I say. That means I have until next Tuesday to find a new excuse. Thankfully there’s a knock at the door before Renard can ask a follow-up question.

“Come in!” I say, maybe a bit too eager to have a neutral party in the room. It’s one of the project bosses, Dr. Bell.

“How’s it going?” he asks.

“It’s going,” I say, looking at Renard in an attempt to get him talking about something that isn’t me.

“It’s more than going!” Renard gestures excitedly to his notes.

“Well that certainly sounds promising,” Bell says. “Dr. Renard, would you mind bringing your notes upstairs? Quarterly progress check and all that.”

           “I can indeed!” says Renard. He’s practically bouncing on the balls of his feet and Bell seems to appreciate his enthusiasm. I’m glad someone finds it endearing instead of just plain freaky.

           I give a small wave as the lab door swings shut behind them. Being alone again, I can finally get some actual work done.

           I swear, some days it feels like this job is trying to kill me.

#Quinn's OCs and Things #Nero Renard #Quinn's Writing #Original Writing #original character

[kpopcorn-requests]

Something Special (LDR/Non-idol au! Kang Chanhee Scenario)

/a little something for my boo bear @buriedindreams because we both talked chanhee needs protecting and Chani is her bias so here i am...appeasing the both our fantasies

ALSO this is a long distance between Chanhee being in Korea and the reader being in an English speaking country, so if you do not live in an English speaking country, I hope you still enjoy!

Young love was a topic most people liked to ignore as it wasn’t very common to find young couples that actually liked one another, especially love one another. But you and Chanhee? You were a special case. 

You met online a couple years ago, the both of you being quite popular on youtube at your young age. He posted dancing covers or his own original choreography while you posted orginal songs or covers you made, and he contacted you to see if he could make choreography to one of your songs. It was in broken English, but you could understand the basics of what he was asking you, and you immediately agreed, blushing furiously at the idea of people wanting to put art to your work.

He thanked you, told you what song he wanted to use and told you to look out for the video. You thanked him in response and told him you couldn’t wait.

The conversation halted there, and you began to check him out, watching in awe at the fluid motions he could do with his body, making the hardest choreography you’ve seen in your life look simple. You cursed yourself for not finding him earlier, but hesitated to press the subscribe button. You felt weird. He just contacted you, wouldn’t it be odd to subscribe to him so soon? You sucked in a deep breath, closed your eyes and pressed the subscribe button. 

“There is no turning back now.” You mumbled to yourself before continuing to look throughout his channel, noticing that most of his covers had friends in them but all of his original choreography was just himself. His channel was in Korean, you assumed, and very few of the comments were in English, but he answered back to all of those he could, and you smiled slightly. He was adorable. 

The choreography video went up about a week later, and he private messaged you as soon as it dropped, and you stopped what you were doing (homework but who needs that?) to go watch the video. 

You almost cried. The song he has chosen was based off a personal experience and how you grew from it, and you could see in his dance that is exactly what he tried and succeeded to portrayed in it. His movements started off choppy and harsh, quite a contrast to his usual smoothness, but throughout the song he steadily became more fluid and loose and you felt goosebumps rise on your arms, because this beautiful dance was put to your song. 

At the end, he was in front of the camera and your breath hitched at how absolutely stunning he looked. Wide doe eyes were almost covered in his dark hair. He had a boyish chub to his face, but yet a prominent jaw, and when he smiled you swore you were going to die. 

And then he credited you, using English subs at the bottom of the video with the help of someone named Inseong, and you cried. You had never been thanked for the work you did, and the idea that you deserved one made you emotional. He told his subscribers that they should subscribe to you and you giggled at how flustered he got over that comment. 

You immediately went back to the private messages to explain to him how grateful you were to have him add such artwork to your music, and how you were happy to work with him, and that his dance was everything you could have ever wanted and more. You felt especially love bit, blushing and hoping he didn't find you annoying at the praise you gave him. 

He didn’t answer for a few days, but you didn’t mind. (read: you were disappointed but understood.) When he messaged you back, you were shocked at how the English was so well said, and you kept reading to see that it was his friend Inseong writing and you smiled at how the man said Chanhee wanted to impress you so he asked Inseong to talk for him. Inseong went on to tell you how happy Chanhee was that you agreed to collaborate with him and that he listened to your music all the time, even if it was in english and he could barely understand a word you were singing.

Inseong went on to describe that Chanhee asked what the song he danced to meant before he choreographed it so he could get exactly what you were trying to show through the lyrics through his dance and you cried for a second time because of Chanhee’s sweetness. You quickly responded and asked if Chanhee would have minded if you followed him on social media. Once you got a positive response, you followed him on instagram and twitter and added him on snapchat. 

You dm’d him on twitter as soon as you followed him, in broken Google translated Korean, and expressed again how much it meant to you that he went through such troubles for the choreography, and from there, a beautiful friendship was born.

The two of you communicated in broken languages, but as he learned to speak and write English in school, you put it on yourself to learn and write Korean for him as well, and soon the language barrier went away, but it wasn’t an issue to begin with. 

After a few months, you then exchanged numbers, and the two of you communicated as much as possible. And you felt yourself fall for the Korean teenager, and it scared you. He loved thousands of miles away, and yet you still had overpowering feelings for him that made you not even think the people in your school you once found cute as even remotely attractive anymore. Yet, you couldn’t find the willpower to stop talking to him to allow yourself to move on. Sure, you were scared, but Chanhee never gave you a reason to be embarrassed of your feelings for him.

So, you did what you do best, and wrote a song about your feelings and recorded it, uploaded it on Youtube without any editing or a second thought, dedicating it to him. You quickly wrote a quick tweet that tagged him in it, and sent it, before turning off your phone and sitting on the couch, nerves endlessly eating at your stomach. You knew he wouldn’t see it for a while as the time difference, but when you checked the clock and saw it was 9:30 pm your time which meant it was around 11:30 am his time and you blanched.

And then you hurriedly turned your phone back on, checking to see if he saw yet, bashing yourself for being so nervous over something so minor like this. And then your phone pinged with a youtube notification, and it was from Chanhee. 

Dedicated to you. 

You immediately clicked on the video and smiled when you realized he was speaking in English, about how much he liked you too. You once didn’t believe one person could make you this outrageously happy, but then you met Chanhee and life seemed to fit perfectly at the seams.

The unbelievably strong friendship the two of you had created became an unbelievably strong relationship. The friendship video chats became video chat dates, and texts became cheesy and gross but you wouldn’t change any part of the relationship because anything with Chanhee was perfect to you.

Fast forward nine months, and here you are, at a meetup made by your boyfriend in Seoul, Inseong on your right and Chanhee’s other friend Seokwoo on your left as you stand in the line to finally meet your boyfriend. 

You were close to the front and as time went on, you were next, and you were freaking out. You were extremely excited to meet him, but the idea of him seeing you for the first time was nerve-wracking. However, time did not allow you to be nervous for long because the fanboy in front of you soon left and you followed quickly, standing in front of the boy who stole your heart.

“Annyeonghaseyo.” He spoke, before looking up at you, his eyes widening and a flush appearing on his cheeks to match the bright smile that was gracing his features. 

“Hi.” you whispered, a similar blush painting your features as well, a shy smile placed on your lips. 

“Oh my god, you’re here, you’re really here!” Chanhee exclaimed quietly, signing the item you brought and then telling his friends to take you back to his apartment so he could spend time with you there after the fan meeting was over. He put his hand up for you to touch it, and when you did, he interlocked his fingers with yours, his smile turning bashful before you were lead away.

Three hours. It took him three hours to come back to his apartment with a couple of his older friends. The door slammed open when you were getting to know his friends and Chanhee ran through the door, his face contorted with worry and anxiety until he made eye contact with you. His face lit up and he quickly trekked over to you, placing both palms on your cheeks and kissing you. 

You gasped in shock before you melted into the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck before you both pulled away, smiling at one another. 

Young love is weird, hard, and sometimes, nonexistent, but what you and Chanhee have? That’s something special. 

#sf9 #sf9 reactions #sf9 fluff #sf9 scenarios #sf9 imagines #sft chani #chani #Kang Chanhee