#if it is that much of an issue for me i should rly open myself up to concrit and so forth but y'know

[drewsaturday]

it is always kind of funny, albeit frustrating, to spend years of my life rotating particular characters and ships in my head and still worry that i'm exploring them in ooc ways. lol.

#txt #part of it is reasonable because i do worry projection gets in the way (while at the same time it can also add dimension) #and so i feel like... other people just Get those characters/ships better bc they can look at it more clearly #i also just generally don't know how people work on account of barely interacting with anyone irl and being so inexperienced at life #the other part is just... that it is such a fucking crime to write ooc these days that it's really annoying to have to worry about #obviously i want my faves to feel in-character i want my creations to be enjoyable but also... i don't think it should matter #as much as people make it matter sometimes #and so then all of the above all wrapped together then creates another issue of: people know me as a person who is #obsessed with this character/ship #how embarrassing is it to be known as that person but still write them that badly jl;sldjfklskd #AGAIN IT SHOULDN'T MATTER I SHOULD BE ABLE TO JUST HAVE FUN WITH IT but ough i really... #hate that piece regarding writing #with drawing i can visibly see when a character doesn't look like themselves #but with writing it's so mental and hard to put myself outside of i feel like i'm just reaching around in the dark at all times #and i kinda hate that :| #if it is that much of an issue for me i should rly open myself up to concrit and so forth but y'know #two wolves inside you: wanting to be good at this thing i do for fun vs. also... doing it for fun.... #i guess fandom being so social is what underlines it all as so dire for me #maybe if it were just a piece of writing i flung out into the void rather than attaching it to myself and my personality and fandom presence #it wouldn't feel so life or death lol #oh to be the kind of person that is never active bc they put all their time into creating #they drop one creation a month and say nothing until they drop the next one

[emeritus-fuckers]

hello i was wondering if i could participate in the match up event?

I am afab and nb, I use any pronouns :) I'm cool with being any gender or being with any gender neither matters much to me

I lov the ghouls and their silly little shenanigans :)

I'm pretty feminine looking, I'm 5'1 and I'm built like a comic book male superhero like broad chest and shoulders but a straight line from the ribs down like a upside down dorito w legs

I'm asian so my eyes and hair are dark, my hair's like a shoulder-length wolf cut ish thing... idk I just hack at it. sometimes I wear glasses, but sometimes I just feel like being blind. When I get dressed I pretend like im dressing up in a fun little costume so my day is more whimsical and silly my go-to is like sailor uranus prince-type girl crush but a wizard or a wizard who is going on an epic expedition to recover lost artifacts but no matter the outfit the key is that I look like I'm secretly a merlin-style cartoonishly evil wizard. So i guess maybe like goth grunge academia something something pinterest buzzword Oh and I have major rbf, and it makes ppl scared of me

I'm an introverted person and I tend to be very logical but. I think different from a lot of ppl apparently. I've been described, to paraphrase, as "sort of ominous and mysterious but actually funny", "uncanny and unsettling in a good way", and "awkward and weird but its endearing" which just sound like insults. I like to live in my head and make silly stories and things to play with. Like every tumblr user I've got fucked up mental health and bad parents so I am kind of like one of those freaky ass chihuahuas that is always scared and shakes and bites people and has digestive issues. I tend to be hard to read or sort of deadpan so I like fucking w people since they can't tell if I'm joking bc i love mischeif and japes. I want to be a silly not-quite-supervillain like Dr doofinshmirtz or like a trickster archetype sort yk

I was a pretty intense synchronized swimmer for like 9 years I competed at like opens and nationals and all that when I was in school but my university doesn't have :( I'm on the rowing team now but I would rather do synchro esp since being my main thing was being flexible and it has no advantages in rowing lmaooo I've been a huge vocaloid fan since elementary school so I've been around in that community for a while (I am so well-adjusted). I like to make vocal synth covers and draw, especially when I'm able to work with producers to provide art for their vids it's so cool hehehehhe I mostly listen to vocaloid music but I like a lot of metal stuff as well that's how I found out abt gonst. I also like 2 play video gamez, I'm so fucking bad at them but I think it's rly funny so I just spend hours giggling and watching myself get mauled over and over.

I love horror a lot but I'm less a slasher girlie and more of a supernatural psychological tormet girlie esp if its got mythology or religions shit involved. Im majoring in history bc all good history ppl like silly metal and I wrote this instead of my abstract that's due in like an hour bc I have no idea what to do for the topic 🥲🥲

- the fuckin wizard

This post is part of the 1000 followers match up event. Entries for the event are now closed.

Your match is... Zephyr

They like listening to you talk about your major and interests. He's a very good listener.

While they might not be the best swimmer, they enjoy the activity and if you want to show off, they'll absolutely let you and be super proud.

He doesn't mind how unique your style is. He probably wouldn't really try to match clothes with you, but they'd try their best to buy you stuff you'd enjoy.

Since he doesn't really walk much, they picked up drawing and started doing it with you. They're surprisingly good at it for someone who just randomly said "I'm bored, maybe I should start drawing".

Also, horror movie date nights! They're also much more of a psychological horror person, but his favorite is of course the paranormal (he finds it hilarious) so you two take turns picking the movies.

Video game dates included, too. He's got a PS3 and the first three Uncharted games, as well as some others. Their favorite is Uncharted 3.

He'll insist you wear your glasses. He knows the consequences of ignoring his health. It's not fun.

~

Written by Nosferatu with the help of the wonderful and of @ask-zephyr-ghoul (ilysm pookie).

#ghost band #ghost bc #ghost #ask #anon #ghost band x reader #ghost bc x reader #ghost x reader #nameless ghouls x reader #nameless ghoul x reader #nameless ghoul #nameless ghouls #zephyr ghoul #zephyr #match up event #match up

[rollercoasterwords]

hey rae, i’m experiencing a bit of a moral dilemma (ish) bc like… i’ve always more or less had this view that its wrong on some level to like “police” people on the kind of media they are creating, even mainstream tbh and now… well… let’s just say a little bee flew in rather aggressively into my eardrums and it won’t stop buzzing about the moral implications and suddenly the pretty stable ground that i was standing on is slowing crumbling beneath my feet but like… that’s okay??? i’m accepting the fall bc i’m actually always thrilled to free fall. that is to say, i love the way things around me can make me question my own ideas of what i believe to be true sometimes like i love love love it. i love looking at smth ekth a new lens and more information and then yk, rebuilding thag ground with more stable material. anyways, sry i’m rambling, but you see, everything this bee was buzzing abt started to increasingly make more sense and like, i started to rly think about it in the way of like… evaluating the consequences right? like if a specific media trope has very real contributions to a stigma abt a certain group and manifests in the society in multiple ways, then rly, why can’t i condemn it? bc the way i used to look at it was like “well yes, the media is harmful, but like, i also don’t think we have the right to dictate other people’s liberties when it come to art”. but now… especially considering that this “art” is mainstream and like reaches millions of people, why tf not? bc when you rly put it on the scale, what has more weight, ppl being mad/annoyed that engaging with this is “bad” and they shouldn’t/ being limited in creating it or ppl suffering the real life implications of this. and to make myself a little clearer, the specific thing thag kinda made me realize this more was how media a lot of the times portrays certain mental illness in an overly negative and harmful way, and how in thrn, society discriminates against those individuals in part bc of the skewed perception thag media has portrayed about them. and i feel like this kinda of made me like… think more about this view that i used to defend strongly, and kinda of go, wait, hold up… and i’m still a little like… conflicted bc as much as like i say this, i don’t think there are any viable means of like combatting this issue bc at the end of the day, what creators for mainstream media want is money and these things get them money and so it’s never rly gonna stop, and i still am a little iffy on the idea thag it’s essentially like… an objective moral no no, but like i can see the other side more clearly and it’s just… man it’s so frustrating in a way. and like as much as some ppl may engage with their media critically and liek recognize these stereotypes and shit, a majority of ppl don’t and it’s so frustrating to see itttt. but yeah, idk im still like… gathering materials before fully building this floor, but like, what are your thoughts on this if any? (i’m literally going to everyone with this i an truly a menace, i need to talkkkk abt it like the way this brings me so much joy) (unfortunately i don’t have many ppl in my life that care or are willing to talk to me abt these things) (enter: rae)

hello!! interesting questions!! love that u are embracing the freefall of having a core belief challenged + opening urself to new ways of thinking rather than growing defensive + closing urself off!!

so, what i wanna start off by saying here is this: there is a very broad middle ground between "this art is bad and shouldn't exist/shouldn't be interacted with at all" versus "everyone should just create whatever they want with disregard for the consequences."

because different forms of art are going to be doing different things, reaching different audiences, and sending different messages. and there are plenty of ways that art/literature/media/etc can be harmful. for example, this recent open letter to the new york times is a great example of a critique on the way in which the nytimes' coverage of trans "issues" causes real-life harm to trans people. in this sort of instance, it's not okay for the nytimes to just continue writing as they have, however they want, because they have certain journalistic responsibilites which include not promoting/perpetuating harm against marginalized groups (not that they have an especially great track record in that regard, but i digress). part of critically evaluating media is evaluating whether that media has harmful real-life implications, and, if it does, figuring out whether/how to engage with that media in a way that does not perpetuate that harm.

so like--with the example you're talking about, portrayals of mental illness that contribute to stigma. part of evaluating those portrayals is going to start with asking what kind of media you're looking at, who it's reaching, and what it's trying to do. for example--a movie made by a large hollywood studio that's profiting off a stigmatizing portrayal of mental illness, reaching a broad audience, and contributing to widespread misconceptions is tangibly harmful, and it makes sense to vocally critique that portrayal or perhaps even encourage people not to engage with the movie at all, as it is profiting off something harmful. additionally, hollywood movies are invested in perpetuating a capitalist system such that they will often have an underlying goal of spreading messages/ideas that support that capitalist system, so there is much more to be wary of there in the intent of the media.

a fanfiction on the internet written by an individual that contains a stigmatizing portrayal of mental illness is something that is not accruing profit, not reaching a broad audience, and not harmful in the same way. an individual writing fanfiction on the internet is also not invested in perpetuating broader systems of capitalistic power in the same way a hollywood movie studio is, so the intent of their art is likely different. a better route here is probably to reach out to the individual, who probably wrote this portrayal out of ignorance and would most likely be open to educating themself and avoiding such portrayals in the future. this is a better response than trying to "cancel" the person completely, because it works to build community and has a much more direct impact in breaking the stigma around mental illness by educating an individual who previously internalized those stigmatized views.

when you're trying to critically evaluate a piece of media that contains something you view as potentially harmful, here are some important questions to ask:

who is making this? why are they making it? what is the stated goal of the creator(s) in creating this specific piece of media? are there any other goals that the creator is leaving unsaid?

who is the intended audience of this media? how large is that audience? in what ways is this media catered to appeal to that audience? what responsibilities does the creator hold towards that audience? will the audience response be monolithic, or is there room for varied impact amongst members of the same audience?

is this media a lecture or a conversation? is this media presenting a moral truth that i am expected to accept? or is it presenting moral questions and encouraging me to draw my own conclusions?

what role does profit play in the creation + distribution of this media? what systems of power is this media invested in upholding, if any? what institutions is this media invested in upholding, if any?

these are all questions which, depending on the answers, are going to change your evaluation on the media. this post kind of sums up what i mean, and i talk more here about when art becomes truly harmful. but also, i want to emphasize--engaging with media critically and coming to the conclusion that something is harmful is not the same thing as policing media, at least in my opinion. policing implies reinforcing set rules for how someone can or cannot create/engage with media, which doesn't allow for the necessary flexibility needed for actual critical thought. i think it's also important to note that policing typically says "if this media is Bad, you must destroy it/ignore it completely." but critically engaging with media means acknowledging harmful media when it exists, and analyzing why it exists + what it's trying to do. it also means acknowledging that not all media is going to fit cleanly into the harmful/harmless dichotomy. sometimes media will contain harmful stereotypes or stigmatizing portrayals in one sense, and really important representation or progressive ideas in another sense. other times, a portrayal that feels stigmatizing to one person will feel like representation to another. part of engaging critically with media means evaluating what it's doing as a whole and accounting for both the good and the bad. at the end of the day, we can't solve problems by refusing to engage with them at all, y'know?

#ask #ranting and raving

[cliffburton]

1 & 8 :3

hiiii <3 i will get rly talkative w these lol so . some might get under the cut but i think this one's short also scroll faster etc

1) 3 things you wish for

1) no 1 is stuff on my walls !!!!! ik i probably give the impression of some1 w a lot of posters on the walls but sadly that's not the case, i can't even hang shit bc the last time the room was (awfully btw) painted they took off the sticks and hooks which is ??????? anyways i don't think id get ppl, or maybe i would, but id have to feel Fine w that stare/them not really staring if that makes sense ex. my header i would 100% get that, or art in general but rn im particularly thinking of ana mendieta's silueta series esp this one and this one. i just don't like the emptiness of my room nsnsns

2) more lesbianism in my life a biiiiiit more clothes like ik materialism or something but i'm also probably poor-ish to american standards (monthly income ... reserved!) so a few more shirts n bells and etc won't hurt. ohhhhhh mygodddddddddd specifically thinking of those 70s star shirts now. light blue/red stars and red/black stars are both suuuuuuuuuch a combo i'm planning to do them myself

3) while answering this ask i realized tumblr should have like a color picker option for text i personally like adding color to text sometimes and ik how to do it with HTML on desktop but yeah! like not sorry [tumblr] dot com dot org yr color choices are ugly id go for a pinker purple

8) tv shows that you never get bored of

well i dnt rly watch tv but

1) la rosa de guadalupe in an ironical way. explained this to barbi zigmentality (🫀) but like basically it's just rly funny the way everything is like set up n ik ppl earnestly watch it bc it's on open tv but i blame that on televisa they have ties to the mx gvt etc. the issues they Ideate are like. my husband has a sugar baby. my daughter is an emo and ppl hate emos (well the way ppl hated emos here was actually kinda violent yes that punks vs. emos thing is was much real)

2) the simpsons, esp earlier simpsons. listen ik some bits are problematic or whatever but consider that the latam translations are better than the original to me and idk i sorta "grew up on it" so like it's not that i'm not ~critical~ w what i watch but like. ykwim

3) hhhhhhhhh what a moment to not rly watch tv,,,,,, does rewatching madoka magica count?

#em answers #tysm appreciated femmetual 🫶🏽

[silvertonguespoon]

Ok so content warning for some helluva boss crit or neg or whatever I'm just gonna rant rq and then go to bed

It should kinda be obvious from the preface but I didn't rly like the new episode. I wouldn't say it was bad but rather it was boring. I really enjoyed helluva boss in the first season it was funny and pushed the limit and had cute moment in the subtext but that's where I find the issue with E1S2. I didn't find myself laughing or crying at any of it it was just painfully predictable and it felt like every joke was an after thought to the honestly overused plot. I mean every dirty joke felt so out of place in the episode which is so strange for helluva boss. Everything was just put out into the open with really no set up or pay off it felt like an unearned reward that I didn't actually want in the first place. Maybe I remember incorrectly but wow stella is such a bitch all of a sudden like she was a shitty mother and wife but the first season implied that the issues with her a stolas' marriage were at least partially mutual and she seemed actually upset with him cheating then but now I see no reason why she hates him. It felt like too much for me she too one dimensional now and honestly stolas' is a lot more boring now too. Everything wrong with stolas in season one is suddenly stellas fault and were meant to now coddle him like a poor little baby. It's just I've seen this done a thousand times and in a much better way. I remember hearing some stuff abt ppl being upset abt the stolitz ship but I liked it in season one where it was fucking weird and a bit toxic and hinted towards some real feeling at least for stolas. That's a personal opinion though I wanted to see a complex love story play out even if it crashed and burned for the best. I'm clearly very tired as I write this I'm not touching everything I want to and not in a very tactful way and at the end of the day it's personal preference. I think the writing this episode was pretty weak and it rly wasnt for me. I can see the direction vivzie want to take this and if this is where it will continue to go I'll prolly drop the show it's just a bit too predictable for me.

(editing this now I wrote Octavia like a dumbass I meant Stella so apologies if u saw the first version I would never abt my emo girl)

#helluva boss neg #helluva boss crit #hopefully thats a good enough filter #and honestly if its not the disclaimer should be enough #bro i cant believe i brainfarted on stellas name that hard #it rly is 3am #a bitch gotta slepp

[narwhalandchill]

anyway uhh jokes and the mayhem aside i am. not looking forward to the eminent discourse and the hsr vs genshin situation flaring up again thanks to W + ratio incident.

(ensuing ramble dont mind me)

and like. for me im kinda like? idk not distraught enough to call myself torn or anything but it sure is a bit of a Huh moment to look at the way hsr operates w the community and all compared to genshin.

btw i have no like great morsels of wisdom here im just word vomiting some thoughts lmao

but like. logically (or should i say. rational- *GUNSHOT*) and purely from i guess the "hoyo" slash business pov. its 2 different games from different teams that belong to different genres and operate in vastly distinct environments in terms of like. competition and player retention. a turn based game like hsr isnt the kind of like. groundbreaking juggernaut that genshin was and is to this day (like. the famous "genshin killers" wya lmao). so to a certain extent at least its like. i can see how it affects this stuff i guess. genshin to this day hasnt felt the true pressure and need to care abt the community the way hsr is clearly angling more for.

but also imagine genuinely whiteknighting the genshin side of things to just settle for that excuse alone WDJWJKJWDKWD no fucking way 💀 like. that is Not the point im making at all. bc there comes a certain point where its just. yeah theres arguments to be made abt how the games differ and how hsr incentivizes pulling for and makes more new 5* charas and has no open world so needing to distribute f2p pulls thru other means is a must etc etc etc. but theres a point where that just falls flat.

and while i do agree the genshin community can strike up shitstorms that are more about outrage than anything substantial like. first anniversary with google classroom and all of that being a good example. but having Been there. while it was taken too far at points the reality of that saga always was about the cumulative community feeling hitting its breaking point. it was a lot of things accumulating and piling up in terms of frustration that led up to that 2.1 meltdown and honestly hoyo can only blame themselves. no need to relive that one too much my point just is that while for me (at least for now) im not feeling any of that like. deep hollow disappointment at realizing genshin will never truly beat (and arguably, i dont rly think its ever wanted to) the allegation of. the hsr team just being allowed much more freedom in terms of fostering goodwill w the community and stuff. i can still genuinely understand if this ratio thing for hsr ends up becoming another final straw for that feeling to rise up again for some genshin players. bc just like 2.1 this too is a cumulative thing. hsr is getting new gamemodes. constant massive QoL. freebies and limited-time events with permanent story and gameplay content. responding to and addressing tons of player complaints. genshin is... attempting some QoL? a tiny bit? like its just a whole situation.

and that feeling genuinely sucks. obviously dont attack random people like the cast or minor devs with no executive power or google classroom. or fuel this whole hsr vs genshin tribalism thats apparently athing. thats so stupid. fuck off. if i see another assassination attempt on dawei bc of hsr getting free fucking ratio i dont even know what to say 💀

but still its easy to be all "wow entitled terminally online gacha players" and yeah that can be true but i also dont like reducing all of that long term resentment from unaddressed complaints and issues and tiny disappointments accumulating over time for people who very much love genshin and want to be able to love it even more. to just like. haha greedy people want freebies. ofc hoyo doesnt owe us shit its a company and even with hsr this generosity shouldnt be turned into some parasocial "oh theyre on our side" thing. its just two games that want to make money. genshin and hsr both.

but it still sucks that theres such a discrepancy. and as long as ur not being toxic about how and when u express it i think that feeling is completely fair and valid. its not nice being passionate about a game and its potential while investing time and possibly money into it and still getting treated like shit year after year just bc genshin is still too successful to be forced into caring about us peasants lmao. venting and memeing and even sending appropriate complaints to hoyo are all fair game to me lmao. go wild

tho i will have to say that i do think the ultimate antidote to that feeling of disapppointment in particular imo still consists of touching grass like. its not good to be overtly attached to this stuff on an emotional level. i get why people would end up in that position esp given how genshin literally started during quarantine and was a massive source of comfort and joy in incredibly tough times for so many (myself included). but still. hoyo is simply not ur friend and ultimately its still just a couple of gacha games. finding other sources of happiness and comfort is v important. but being affected by this baseline isnt an individual failure or something wildly unreasonable at all.

for me im not too emotionally affected or anything but i cant deny this thing does have me thinking a good bit. as someone who naturally gravitates more towards genshins open world and its style of worldbuilding and aesthetic and its characters so even if i do enjoy hsr overall its just. a bit of a bitter taste u get in the mouth from all of this.

im not interested in discoursing on this or even like. protesting against hoyo particularly bc its clear that the genshin team has chosen its stance on the matter and i doubt another incident will really sway them much. the push will need to come from elsewhere if things are to ever change. im happy to get these freebies in hsr and i hope the game continues evolving and getting better bc it sure does have its flaws too. and the same for genshin. in a way a lot of the good in hsr is due to the hindsight 20/20 from genshins pitfalls and problems too (as well as arguably the literal sink or swim hsr faced from the poor reception to aspects of 1.0-1.3). unfortunately i doubt genshin would have the guts or be given the resources to retroactively address and fix those very same things in their own game. which is a shame.

anyway i dont have any particular point im going for with this i suppose i just wanted to get these silly thoughts off my chest. L + ratio to W + ratio was hilariously iconic and im still incredibly hype for all these things hsr has given us to look forward to even if the discrepancy with genshin does cast a shadow over this a bit. and i still love genshin and will keep playing it and keep hoping it can improve over time and get better. ultimately i care less about free ayaka at AR 42 becoming reality because "ratio hsr!!!1!1" than the devs genuinely investing the time and effort needed to make this game all the things it has the potential to be going forward. but im not holding my breath.

so yeah. if u stuck all the way with this whole situation u get a sticker. many thoughts in the head and you people following me are stuck with them im afraid JKJKDWJKWDJKDW

#whew this got long and more serious than expected lmao. trust me its not rly that deep for me JKSKJWDJKDJK im mostly just ambivalent rn #im glad im not on twitter i dont even want to know what kinda situation is ensuing in the genshin side rn #rambles #hsr #genshin

[wooahaes]

hiiii! i absolutely adore enouement & lhc and i was wondering if you were planning on making it a whole series? with each of the boys? i honestly really enjoy the universe you made and the whole dynamic between each of the character. i also really enjoyed a chubby reader that is about other insecurites rather than their weight. it was refreshing!! i'm not trying to pressure you or anything i am just really curious. i do really enjoy your writting :D <3

so im kissing u on da mouth rn for this ask /j

first of all i wanna say it: ur so sweet!!!! thank u for enjoying my writing!! it means a lot <3

aaa okay so fun fact.... i had like... two more fics kind of planned for tht universe? one was another chubby reader w vernon (i think i've talked abt it before maybe?) and another was a gn!reader with dino where they were fake dating. vn fic has more planned for it as of rn (it kinda deals w some fatphobia n body image issues that arent exclusive to reader!!) and genuinely feels like a slightly heavier read? but its still something i'd enjoy writing lol

like at one point in lhc i mention seungkwan having to give up movie tickets and chan immediately snatches them up bc the other two ppl were vernon and a friend? that friend was gonna be the reader of dino fic!! they're friends lol the entire premise was "ppl gettin fuckin NOSY abt chan not dating anyone so he pitches the idea to his friend with a plan to stage a breakup later and whoops idiots fell for each other" bc im a cliche bitch!! which tbh could work as a later fic if i decided to write more members before then bc i could hit maybe on the pressure of dating someone when ur friends all start getting together w ppl. theres less planned for this one (i wanted to finish planning vn fic since chronologically it happens after lhc but before dino fic) but i did have like. a long convo planned out of chan dumping reader bc he caught feelings and his friends confronting him over it.

im not sure if i'm 100% down to write a fic for each member but like... i do genuinely rly like this universe? i'd have to keep track of how much time has passed between fics tho since LHC takes place a few months after enouement and untitled vernon fic takes place like... the following fall? im using western school year shit sue me lmao

but i'd at least be interested in doing it!! idk if i'd do multi-part fics for ever member or if i'd go back to a longfic like enouement for a few of them. i feel like there's def potential for more set in the universe! esp considering the number of members still in school lmao

like im open to a fem!reader in general. im open to more fem!chubby readers bc i rarely find those fics myself and im happy to help other ppl in my boat like... find representation written specifically for them yknow? but im also open to more gn!readers for the saga? i think i'd def want a balance in there ykno if im gonna write more fem!reader fics. i wouldnt want every fic to be fem!reader bc i feel like thats unfair to ppl who dont identify that way yknow?

also idk just know it like... genuinely means a lot to hear feedback on lhc and ppl who are glad i wrote a chubby reader whos insecurities arent fully abt her weight? lhc didnt really net that much attention which is fine lmao i really don't write for the attention i'm getting otherwise i'd write for a bigger group too. its just nice to know that other people also were kinda bothered by the way chubby reader fics default to the "im insecure bc im not hot :(" mentality since imo being chubby is like... way more than that. it just weirdly reinforces the idea that we should hate ourselves and our bodies for just existing.

like. vernon fic would have a chubby reader who deals with body insecurities but its more so "people are harassing me now bc of my body and its making me self conscious after i finally thought i grew past hating myself" than just the generic "i think i am ugly :(" feelings if that makes sense? also theres a reason for that harassment (this fic was Also once a smau like lhc was). like i said, kind of a heavier fic compared to lhc.

anyway ill stop rambling but to answer ur question for good: im interested! nothings really on the table outside of vernon + dino fics, but im def interested >:3

#wooahaes.ask #asks.anon

[meruz]

once again i am answering asks in a big compilation post. included is... gotham, patrick stump, tips about drawing backgrounds, tips about drawing in general, links to my faq, and infinity train

like.... the tv series? No... I’ve drawn dc comics fanart before, though. But it’s been years since I’ve been really into it. I like jumped ship like 10 years ago when the New 52 happened LOL.

AFJHDSLKGH I’m sorry I (probably) won’t do it again??

Actually full disclosure I have a truly cringe amount of p stump drawings/photo studies in my sketchbook right now LOL. He’s just fun to draw... hats, glasses, guitar, a good shape... but I don’t think I’ll rly post those until I can hide them in another big sketchbook pdf.. probably Jan 2022. Stay tuned........ (ominous) 

(ominous preview)

These are all sort of related to backgrounds/painting so I grouped them together even though they’re pretty much entirely separate questions.... ANYWAYS

a) How is it working as a BG artist? Is it hard? What show are you drawing for?

I think you’re the first person to ever ask me about my job! Being a background artist is great. It’s definitely labor intensive but I think that could describe pretty much any art job (If something were rote or easy to automate, you wouldn’t hire an artist to do it) and I hesitate to say whether its harder or easier than any other role in the animation pipeline. Plus, so much of what truly makes a job difficult varies from one production to the next, schedule, working environment, co-workers etc. But I will say that I think while BGs are generally a lot of work on the upfront, I think they’re subject to less scrutiny/revisions than something like character/props/effects design and you don’t have to pitch them to a room like boards. So I guess it’s good if you don’t like to talk to people? LOL

A lot of my previous projects + the show I’ve worked on the longest aren’t public yet so I can’t talk about em (but I assure you if/when the news does break I won’t shut up about it). But I’m currently working on Archer Season 12 LOL. I’m like 90% sure I’m allowed to say that.

b) ~~~THANK YOU!! ~~~

c) What exactly do you like to draw most [in a background]?

@kaitomiury​ Lots of stuff! I really like to draw clutter! Because it’s a great opportunity for environmental storytelling and also you can be kind of messy with it because the sheer mass will supersede any details LOL. 

I like to draw clouds... I like to draw grass but not trees lol,,, I like to draw anything that sells perspective really easily like tiled floors and ceilings, shelves, lamp posts on a street etc.

d) Do you have any tips on how to paint (observational)?

god there’s so much to say. painting is really a whole ass discipline like someone can paint their whole life and still discover new things about it. I guess if you’re really just starting out my best advice is that habit is more important than product. especially with traditional plein air painting, I find that the procedure of going outside and setting up your paints is almost harder than the actual painting. There’s a lot of artists who say “I want to do plein air sometime!!” and then never actually get around to doing it. A lot of people just end up working from google streetview or photos on their computer.

But going outside to paint is a really good challenge because it forces you to make and commit to lighting and composition decisions really quickly. And to work through your mistakes instead of against them via undo button.

My last tip is to check out James Gurney’s youtube channel because hes probably the best and most consistent resource on observational painting out there rn. There’s lots other artists doing the same thing (off the top of my head I know a lot of the Warrior Painters group has people regularly posting plein air stuff and lightbox expo had a Jesse Schmidt lecture abt it last year) but Gurney’s probably the most prolific poster and one of the best at explaining the more technical stuff - his books are great too.

e) Do you have tips for drawing cleanly on heavypaint?

@marigoldfool​ UMM LOL I LIKE ONLY USE THE FILL TOOL so maybe use the fill tool? Fill and rectangle are good for edge control as opposed to the rest of the heavy paint tools which can get sort of muddles. And also I use a stylus so maybe if you’re using your finger, find a stylus that works with your device instead. That’s all I’ve got, frankly I don’t think my drawings are particularly clean lol.

f) Tips on improving backgrounds/scenes making them more dynamic practicing etc?

Ive given some tips about backgrounds/scenes before so I’m not gonna re-tread those but here’s another thing that might be helpful...

I think a good way to approach backgrounds is to think of the specific story or even mood you want to convey with the background first. Thinking “I just need to put something behind this character” is going to lead you to drawing like... a green screen tourist photo backdrop. But if you think “I need this bg to make the characters feel small” or “I need this bg to make the world feel colorful” then it gives you requirements and cues to work off of.

If I know a character needs to feel overwhelmed and small, then I know I need to create environment elements that will cage them in and corner them. If a character needs to feel triumphant/on top of the world then I know I need to let the environment open up around them. etc. If I know my focal point/ where I want to draw attention, I can build the background around that.

Also, backgrounds like figure compositions will have focal points of their own and you can draw attention to it/ the relationship the characters have with the bg element via scale or directionality or color, any number of cues. I think of it almost as a second/third character in a scene.

Not every composition is gonna have something so obvious like this but it helps me to think about these because then the characters feel connected and integrated with the environment.

Some more general art questions

a) Do you have any process/tips to start drawing character/bodies/heads?

I tried to kind of draw something to answer this but honestly this is difficult for me to answer because I don’t think I’m that great at drawing characters LOL. Ok, I think I have two tips.

1) flip your canvas often. A lot about what makes human bodies look correct and believable is symmetry and balance. Even if someone has asymmetrical features, the body will often pull and push in a way to counterbalance it. we often have inherent biases to one side or another like dominant hands dominant eyes etc. you know how right-handed artists will often favor drawing characters facing 45 degrees facing (the artist’s) left? that’s part of it. so viewing your drawing flipped even just to evaluate it helps compensate for that bias and makes you more aware of balance.

2) draw the whole figure often. I feel like a lot of beginner artists (myself included for a long time) defer to just drawing headshots or busts because it’s easier, you dont have to think about posing limbs etc. But drawing a full body allows you to better gauge proportion, perspective, body language, everything that makes a character look believable and grounded.

Like if you (me) have that issue where you draw the head too big and then have to resize it to fit the proportions of the rest of the body, it’s probably because you (I) drew the head first and are treating the body as an afterthought/attachment. Sketching out the whole figure first or even just quick drawing guides for it will help you think of it more holistically. I learned this figure drawing in charcoal at art school LOL.

oh. third mini tip - try to draw people from life often! its the best study. if you can get into a figure drawing/nude drawing class EVEN BETTER and if you have a local college/art space/museum that hosts those for free TREASURE IT AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT, that’s a huge boon that a lot of artists (me again) wish they had. though if youre not so lucky and youre sitting in a park trying to creeper draw people and they keep moving.. don’t let that stop you! that’s good practice because it’s forcing you to work fast to get the important stuff down LOL. its a challenge!

b) I’ve been pretty out of energy and have had no inspiration to draw but I have the desire to. Any advice?

Dude, take a walk or something.... Or a nap? Low energy is going to effect everything else so you gotta hit that problem at its source.

If you’re looking for inspiration though, I’d recommend stuff like watching a movie, reading a book, playing video games etc. Fill up your idea bank with content and then give yourself time/space to gestate it into new concepts. Sometimes looking at other art works but sometimes it can work against you because it’s too close. 

Also something that helps me is remembering that art doesn’t always have to be groundbreaking... like it’s okay to make something shitty and stupid that you don’t post online and only show to your friend. That’s all part of the process imo. If you want to hit a home run you gotta warm up first, right? Sports.

I should probably compile everytime i give tips on stuff like this but that’s getting dangerously close to being a social media artist who makes stupid boiled down art tutorials for clout which is the last thing i want to be... the thing I want to stress is that art is a whole visual language and there are widely agreed upon rules and customs but they exist in large part to be broken. Like there's an infinite number of ways to reach an infinite number of solutions and that’s actually what makes it really cool and personal for both the artist and the viewer. So when you make work you like or you find someone else’s work you like, take a step back and ask yourself what about it speaks for you, what about it works for you, what makes it effective, how to recreate that effect and how to break that effect completely, etc. And have a good time with it or else what’s the point.

for the first 2, I direct you to my FAQ

For the last one, I don’t actually believe I’ve ever addressed artwork as insp for stories/rp but I’ll say here and now yeah go ahead! As long as you’re not making profit or taking credit for my work then I’m normally ok with it. Especially anything thats private and purely recreational, that’s generally 100% green light go. I only ask that if you post it anywhere public that you please credit me.

(and I reserve the right to ask you to take it down if I see it and don’t approve of it’s use but I think that case is pretty rare.)

a) @lemuelzero101 Thank you!!! I haven’t played Life is Strange but actually  that series’ vis dev artist Edouard Caplain is one of my bigger art inspirations lately so that’s a really high compliment lol. And yeah I hope we get 5-8 too...!

b) Thank you for sticking around! I’ve been thinking about Digimon and Infinity Train in tandem lately, actually. They’re a little similar? Enter a dangerous alternate world and have wacky adventures with monsters/inanimate objects that have weird powers... there’s like weird engineers and mechanisms behind the scenes... also frontier literally starts with them getting on a train. Anyways if anyone else followed me for digimon... maybe you’d like Infinity Train? LOL

c) @king-wens-king I’M GLAD MY ART JUST HAS PINOY VIBES LOL I hope you are having a good day too :^)

a, b, c, d) yessss my Watch Infinity Train agenda is working....

e) aw thank you!! i think you should watch infinity train :)

#ask #trying this new thing where i tag people in the body of the post instead

[peppdream]

Just a Dream QnA [Finale]

The final answers all of us are looking forward to :)

This is the finale to my dnf fic “Just a Dream.” Please read that before seeing what’s below, because there will be many spoilers.

Thank you to all the readers that participated! Also a quick warning that this is very long, lol. Anyways, enjoy~

Let’s start off with what everyone’s wondering about… (I swear I never had any intention on making it this long, but I couldn’t help myself okay-)

Sweater Troubles: PLEASE. QnA. COME ON, YOU GOTTA TELL ME WHAT IMP GEORGE THOUGHT OF CLAY. LIKE, COME ON, MAN. I GOTTA KNOW HOW THEY’RE DOING OVER THERE AND HOW THAT MEETING WENT.

urs_mmarie: imp's first impression with clay and vice versa. how did clay react to suddenly meeting imp?

multifandom_psycho: clay and imp’s reaction to waking up after the switch?

chia_aa: How did Clay and Imp react to switching back? and are they happy together? (I really hope they are oh gosh-)

ryuuisnothere: what's imp first impression of clay and vice versa? when did imp and clay realize that the switch happened? how did they react to it?

George quietly watches as the other Dream sleeps, brushing away a blonde strand of curly hair on his forehead. “The other Dream.” Just saying the words brings him such a strange feeling of awe. It was just as he expected: the other George had found the other Dream for him, and they were currently in some sort of hotel room. George’s heart still aches a little, realizing he’ll never see Dream again. All he can hope for now is that, with their successful swap, Dream will do as he promised and confess.

George’s movement, though only a gentle touch, appeared to be enough to wake the other Dream. He slowly opens his eyes, asks in his sleepy voice, “George…?” and George is hit with a full wave of adoration. His voice is just like Dream’s, but more timid. More reserved. It’s the cutest fucking thing ever.

“You are so cute,” George says as much, grinning as he props his head up on one of his arms. The other Dream gives a shy huff at George’s comment, and George feels himself melt a little at how much… quieter he is, compared to Dream. “By the way, we uh… we switched.”

It seems to take a second for his words to register, but when they do, the other Dream’s eyes snap wide open. He sits straight up, blinking with a shocked expression. “O-OH.” A beat of silence. “You’re…?”

“I’m the original,” George confirms.

Clay visibles swallows, then he’s quickly moving away from George, a pained expression on his face. “I-I, sorry, I just—” his words come out in a jumble, sounding panicked and disappointed all at once. “George and I were, I mean, the other George and I were— we were…” he holds his tongue, looking torn. “We…”

George tilts his head curiously. “Are we dating?”

A bright flush crawls up the other Dream’s cheeks, and George nearly has a heart-attack, because wow. Okay.

Apparently this Dream blushes??

“I– yes. No. Well, the other George, I guess… we were? But,” Other-Dream only blushes harder as he tries to explain, “Y-you’re him, I guess, so… yeah? Sorry, I know this sounds confusing. It’s, uh, kind of hard to explain…”

George stops him before he can move any further away from him, placing a hand on the other Dream’s waist. “Does that mean I’m allowed to do this?” he asks innocently, and raising himself so that they’re at the same height, he places a single peck on the side of Blushy-Dream’s cheek.

“Uhhhh….” Other-Dream blinks at him, his entire face a bright tomato red as he tries to compute George’s actions. “UHH???”

George giggles at his reaction. “Sorry,” he grins, “Is that not what people in a relationship do?” 

But because Shy-Dream still appears to have short-circuited from George’s kiss, George figures he’ll cut him a break and stop messing around. “I kind of got into a relationship with your other self,” George gets straight to the point. “And you’re basically him, so…” a shrug, “Go out with me?”

It takes a while, but slowly, the smallest of smiles appears on Other-Dream’s face. He rubs his eyes, still looking disbelieving. “Is this just a dream? Am I… am I dreaming?”

George takes that as a yes, and he cracks a smile. “I’m assuming your name isn’t Dream, is it?”

“I… I’m Clay,” he responds, still looking frazzled and in awe. “My name’s Clay.”

“Nice to meet you, Clay,” George greets, holding their hands together. But he doesn’t let go. “I’m George.”

“I know,” Clay replies, eyes wide, “You’re my IDOL.”

And George laughs, because he didn’t expect this. He didn’t expect Clay to be so shy and awkward and mesmerized by everything, and George was just enamoured. There was no other way to put it. Whether it be Dream or Clay, they both fascinated George equally. 

It looked like everything was going to turn okay.

Sweater Troubles:  AND HOW GEORGE IS GOING TO HANDLE TALKING TO SAP AND BAD ABOUT ALL THIS. PLEASE, I NEED THOSE ANSWERS.

multifandom_psycho: How do bad and sap react?

*on voice-call* Bad: GEORGE! Did Clay manage to change your mind…? Imp George: Nah, I don’t really feel like switching. Sapnap: Oh my god… this is so dumb. Alter, you need to stop being ridiculous and actually think about this. Bad: *hears giggles in the background* George? Is Clay with you right now? Imp George: *ignores the question* Hey look, if I can beat you two in a manhunt, you have to let me keep Clay. Bad: ...what? Sapnap: *snorts* Yeah, okay Alter, you couldn’t even defeat me 1v1. How do you expect yourself to win against both of us? Imp George: Then let’s do it, if you’re so positive you’ll win. Sapnap: Fine, whatever. You have to keep your word, okay? Imp George: I could say the same for you. Sapnap and Bad: *gets totally obliterated in a game of manhunt* Sapnap: What. GEORGE! When did you get so…? Bad: *frowning* ...George? Is that you? Imp and Clay: *breaking out into laughter*

urs_mmarie: how did twitter react to the kiss in the other universe? did imp george release a statement the day he arrived at his universe? how did ppl react?

multifandom_psycho: How did twitter react to the kiss?

AnIntrovertedDumbass: i have one question for alt george: how mad is he with other george for the huge fcking mess LMAO

Brooklynhunter: Bastard man Imposter George, what was your first reaction to the Twitter Drama?

ryuuisnothere: how did imp fix up the whole alter being caught kissing clay thing

Clay: I’m sorry, there was, uh, this picture that’s spreading around on twitter right now…  Imp George: *typing on his phone* Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it. Clay: What are you writing? Imp George: *shows new tweet* 

>guys, pls stop harassing him. sure, I haven't uploaded or streamed in a while, but calm the fuck down. Yes, we are in a relationship, and you can't change that. Yes, I came to america to visit him, yes the picture is real. Stop asking. Would you rly make both of us uncomfortable over such a small issue? Please stop. Thanks.

Long story short: Imp George is anything but mad about the drama going around LOL. If anything, Alter did him a favor by pre-establishing the relationship thing. He’ll take these rumors with pride :) (credit: stole most of this from tomaye, it’s rly fitting!)

ryuuisnothere: how did sapnap explain the weird tweet that he did and how did people react to it

Sapnap: *typing a follow-up tweet* >Dream, I swear it was Bad that burned down your house, you have to believe me and george Bad: >WHAT.

Lyrealith_writes: how do clay and impy get along?

multifandom_psycho: Are imp and clay going strong? Did imp and clay have a hard time adjusting or was it natural? 

Imp George: Why are you so cute? Clay: *blushes* Wha— G-George. Imp George: *links their hands* See? So cute. Clay: *mumbles as a beet-red tomato* ...thanks. Y-you’re cute too? Imp George: *melts like icecream*

Opposites attract, what can I say.

urs_mmarie: how did imp george react to alt george using a lot(?) of his money? HAHAHA

Imp George: *checks his bank account* wHA- WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL MY MONEY?! Sapnap: oh yeah, he spent like tons of cash to go find Clay.  Imp George: *slowly drags a hand down his face, remembering how he had also spent a shitload of the other George’s money* Fuck it, you know what? I deserve this. This is karma.

ryuuisnothere: what does imp think of alter and vice versa (I bet imp is pissed at him lmao)

Alt George: He’s like, the better version of me. Dream: George… Alt George: What? It’s true, isn’t it? Dream: Better at minecraft, maybe. But he’s a shit driver. *pauses* And he doesn’t like coffee milk. Alt George: Wow. You’re right, I AM the better George.

Thal_Chandra: how did OG Bad react to his alternate self swearing?

Brooklynhunter: How did Alt universe Bad react when finding out his other version swore?

ryuuisnothere: what does the prime dream team think of goodboyhalo and him cursing lmao

Bad: Wait. I did WHAT now???! Alt George: *laughs* Yeah, your other self swears, Bad. Sapnap: NO WAYYY! AHAHAHAHAHA Bad: WHAT. You’re kidding me? Why would the other me swear? Dream: Oh my GOD, for real?! What did he say? Alt George: Well, on the first say the swap happened, he asked me “who the fu—” Bad: GEORGE, NO, L-LANGUAGE! Sapnap: *snickering* Should we start calling you Goodboyhalo now? Since you don’t even swear… Bad: nO, oh my goodness… >n<

urs_mmarie: will the bbh that curses use muffin now or smth? LMAO

Bad: Oh my god, you’re such a potato. Imp George: *snorts* WhaT. Clay: *frowning* Potato? Bad: Yeah! That’s what I said! Sapnap: I preferred muffin over this.

Lyrealith_writes: DNF relationship reveal in the prime universe????

multifandom_psycho: do dream and alt come out?

Dream: Do you want to tell everyone about us…? Alt George: I… I dunno. I mean, we don’t have to say anything, do we? Dream: *nods* It’s up to you, George. I’m fine with whatever.  Alt George: But, what if we slip up on-stream? Or something? Dream: *shrugs* People will just believe what they’ve always believed. Alt George: *hesitating* But… I think I’m okay. With telling everyone about us. Dream: ...okay. How do you want to do it? Alt George: *uncertainly* ...tiktok.

(Yes, I’m looking at you Orientali. Now this is canon in my head too, thank you. Ref to this fic)

Lyrealith_writes: are they ever going to try and switch again or will they just remember each other fondly?

*on video-call* Alt George: Do you ever think about him? Dream: Who? Alt George: You know… the other me. Dream: *hums, eyes averted* Yeah, of… of course I do. *looks at George* Don’t you still think about the other me, too? Alt George: Yeah. *pause* I miss having a nice Dream to talk to. Dream: *wheezes in laughter* Geoooorge… Alt George: *smiles* I’m just kidding. Dream: *still wheezing* Yeah, I miss having a rude George to talk to too. Alt George: uhm… thanks?? I think?

multifandom_psycho: does clay start playing minecraft with imp?

chia_aa: Does Clay now play Minecraft with Imp?

ryuuisnothere: is clay as good as dream at Minecraft or does he suck (no offense bro) 

Sapnap: How are you actually BETTER at minecraft than Alter?! Clay: *embarrassed giggling* Am I really? Imp George: *nodding* Tons better. Be our fourth hunter, Clay. Clay: * silent gasp* What? Are you… are you sure??? Bad: Oh my potato, YES! You should join us Clay!!  If you call out to George during the manhunt, he might actually stop for you! Imp George: *blinks, stumbling* N-no, I wouldn’t... Sapnap: He HESITATED!!

multifandom_psycho: where were the first dates?

Dream: Our first date has to be in minecraft. Imp George: Yes, our first date has to be a minecraft date. Alter and Clay be looking at each other like: *what is wrong with these two*

esomettin: well i seriously want to know what imp george thought when he came out to dream about his feelings? i personally think that he was being kinda selfish and he shoulve been thinking before acting. idk if he did, but if he did plsss explain what was going tru his mind.

Imp George: I was just being honest. He asked, and I gave him an answer. Dream: I was JOKING. Imp George: ...so? Would you have preferred it if I lied? Dream: *scrunches up his eyebrows* Imp George: *grins back* Look, I wasn’t expecting anything back from you. I know you’re into the other George, okay? I just didn’t see any point in pretending you weren’t attractive. Because you are. Dream: Oh my god. Imp George: *shrugs* And it all ended up alright, didn’t it? That’s the moral of the story, guys. You should always confess your feelings, even if you know you’ll get flat-out rejected. Dream: ...you’re gonna cause broken hearts everywhere, George. Imp George: Honesty is the best policy.

esomettin: i would like to ask sapnap will he marry me pls thank u<3 this is a really important question btw please add this in i really need to know like literally

Prime Sapnap: yES. Other Sapnap: What? NO. They asked ME. And my answer is yes— Prime Sapnap: Um, exCUSE ME. They were clearly referring to the original. Which is ME. Other Sapnap: Uhm, and how can you be so sure? They didn’t even specify. Prime Sapnap: Well… it was implied. Other Sapnap: Uh-huh. Real smart of you, oRigINaL Sapnap. Prime Sapnap: Look, I’m tired of seeing Dream and George be all sappy with each other, okay? I NEED to get into a relationship ASAP before I vomit out my guts— Other Sapnap: Uh, have you even SEEN my world’s George and Clay? They are so ughckk— ALL. The TIME. Prime Sapnap: … Other Sapnap: … Prime Sapnap: Sorry esomettin, I think I just found my soulmate— Other Sapnap: Other me, let’s get married now.

TheLapisWolf200: What was the reason of the swap? [A/N: I’m assuming the question is directed to the reason for the initial swap]

Alt George: I still dunno for sure. But… it helped me recognize my feelings, I guess? Dream: *intertwining their hands* It was the same for me. Imp George: *smirks fondly* I got to meet Dream. And because of him… *elbows* I met this cutie too. Clay: *blushing* G-George… Imp George: And with the extra addition, the George Gang is now better than ever. *smiles, turning to his friends* I’d say we’ve become a better team after all this, haven’t we?

A more coherent answer: Because of Imp’s status, he separated himself from his friends and became a lonely person (which is why he acts the way he does). The reason for the swap as dictated by the universe (or the fanfic gods?? lol) was actually for his sake, and it was Alt’s job to find Clay so that he and Imp could meet when they swapped back.

[And in case the question was directed to the reason for the final swap-back] The criteria was for both parties to “be prepared” for the swap-back. This not only meant both parties had to be willing to return, but that they both had to accomplish their respective goals. For Alt it was finding Clay, for Imp it was to look and learn from the Dream Team’s teamwork and realize he needed to apply it to his own world when he returned.

So basically… romance was never the goal of the swap LOL. Neither was kissing. The characters chose that path for themselves. Hope this helped explain some things!

Brooklynhunter: Clay, what did/do you think of the personality change of Imp George?

ryuuisnothere: what would clay say the main difference between alt and imp is

Clay: Hm, he’s… *pauses to think* He’s exactly how he’s like in videos. Imp George: And how am I like in videos? Clay: *scrunches eyebrows* ...Cocky and confident. Imp George: *smirks* You got it. Clay: ...and brave, and thoughtful, and caring— Imp George: *shushes, face turning pink* No. Stop it.

Brooklynhunter: Alt universe Sapnap and Bad, you didn't have as much interaction with Imp George but what were your impressions of him?

Bad: I think he was kind of shy at first, but he opened up more after we did that first manhunt together— Sapnap: He is so goddamn COCKY.  Bad: Wah- LANguage! Sapnap: We only let him win one manhunt, and he was rubbing it into our faces for the rest of the entire week! Bad: ...you’re just mad that there’s a George out there who’s better than you at minecraft? Sapnap: ...no. Dream: *snickering* He totally is.

Brooklynhunter: And finally, Clay’s mom. What was your initial reaction to finding out Random Old Friend Of Clay turned out to be Pretty Famous and also find that out from the hundreds of pictures of him and your son Kissing on social media?

Clay’s Mom: welcome to the family :)

chia_aa: Oh! and what is everyone's clothing choice? I'm curious on what style of clothing each character has, like would Alt and Imp have similar tastes in clothing? That also applies to Clay and Dream!

Dream: Hoodie and jeans. Alter George: *rolls eyes* So basic. Dream: You just wear t-shirts all the time! Alter George: A-and sweaters! Clay: *shyly raises hand* Jackets…? Sometimes hoodies. No green ones though. Imp George: *steps onto the stage, ears-pierced, hands in pockets* Gaze and be amazed, plebs.

Okay but like, for real now. I like to differentiate Dream and Clay by green vs yellow hoodie. For the Georges, I initially did not have any sort of way to separate them BUT. This amazing fanart has now become my new canon (for imp George, at least), so you can refer to that for an idea of what I’m thinking of :) (It’s a shame I’m only thinking about this now, since I absolutely would’ve inserted a passage about Imp roasting George’s closet if I could LOL)

k3yb0aRdSMaCK: I have questions..... SAPNAPS YES BOTH OF YOU!!! HOW CHEZZY AND CUTE ARE THE DREAMS AND GEORGES?!?!

Other Sapnap: *gags* Prime Sapnap: They’re so gross. Other Sapnap: Yeah, agreed. Other Bad: Their PDA can be a bit much at times. Prime Bad: But, I think they’re kind of cute…? Other Bad: You’re a potato. Prime Bad: Wha- H-HEY! exCUSE YOU.

And that’s everything! That was a lot of fun, haha xD Thank you again for all the love and support you guys gave this story, I’m know I’m gonna miss writing it a ton <3 Have a wonderful day, and happy dreams!

-

Additional questions after the deadline:

Georges interactions with one another / Dreams interacting with one another

#just a dream #dreamnotfound #dreamwastaken #georgenotfound #fanfiction #fanfic #mcyt

[0pretty-setters-squad0]

Hugs (F) Kakashi x Iruka

Woot, time for my favorite Naruto ship of all time.  I ship Kakashi and Iruka so fucking hard, it makes my heart happy.  Now let's get on with the story. Also, I'm pretty sure that Iruka rly would give the best hugs tbh.

Kakashi POV    "Are we almost homeeeee?" Naruto complains, walking next to me.    "Yes, for the fourth time in the past three minutes, we are almost home," I sighed.

   Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and I were all headed home from our mission to take Tazuna home.  The mission was a success, in a way, but it was more stressful than expected.  I just wanted to be home already.    A few minutes passed as we walked toward the village.  Sakura was always either watching Sasuke, or asking me a question about chakra.  Naruto was pretty loud, rambling about what a great ninja he would be.  Sasuke was silent the whole time, just walking with his hands in his pockets.      I was reading as we walked, but my mind wasn't focused on the words in front of me.  I was thinking about Iruka waiting for me back at home.  Now, we weren't together or anything.  I'm not even sure if his door swings that way.  I wish we were together, though. He probably gives the best hugs after a long day. Or a long mission, like this one.    I was pulled from my thoughts by Naruto yelling.    "LOOK IT'S THE VILLAGE GATE! WE'RE HOME!"    "Thank god," I whispered under my breath.    After what seemed like forever to me, we made it to the gate, splitting up and each going our own ways.  The first thing I had to do was to go to the hokage's office and give a mission report.  That hopefully wouldn't take too long.  After that, I could go and find Iruka.    As expected, the mission report with the hokage didn't take too long.  I was just walking out the door of the hokage's office when I felt someone run right into me.    I looked down as I closed the door behind me to see who had run into me.    When I saw who it was, my heart skipped a beat.  Jesus, keep it cool, Kakashi, you idiot.  I tried, but I couldn't help it, he always gave me butterflies.    "Oh, hey Iruka, what are you doing here?" I asked smoothly.    "I was actually looking for you," he rubbed the back of his neck, regaining his balance from when he stumbled.    "Well, you found me," I gave him a kind smile, "What did you need?"    "I was gonna ask how Naruto did on the mission, I was worried about him."    "He did fine. He did overwork himself a little bit, but he was alright otherwise. No major injuries or anything like that.  I'm not sure how he feels emotionally, he seemed a little shaken when two other ninja died."    "Oh, I didn't realize the mission was such a high rank that someone would die," Iruka looked nervous.    "Well, it wasn't supposed to be, but it ended up escalating pretty quickly.  We ended up having to face Zabuza and a young boy he was working with, Haku. Both Zabuza and Haku died during our mission."    Iruka seemed shocked when I mentioned Zabuza.    "I'm sorry to hear that, Kakashi," Iruka looked kinda sad if I was being honest.    I shrugged.    "It's not your fault, no need to be sorry. Although, you could still make it up to me."    "H-How?" Iruka seemed flustered.  He always seemed flustered around me.  I hated that. I wanted him to be comfortable enough around me to relax.    "Come with me to get some ramen, I'm hungry from walking so far to get home."    "Okay, sounds good," Iruka accepted my offer.    The two of us walked to the ramen shop, Iruka telling me about the academy and what happened while I was away on the mission.    We sat at the ramen place, and of course I used my speedy eating technique, so I finished a while before Iruka. Even though I was done eating, I obviously sat with Iruka, just pleasantly chatting as he ate his own food.    As we finished, I pulled out my money to pay.    "I got it," I told the brunette, paying for his food.    "Kakashi, you didn't have to, let me pay you back," Iruka looked at me with those kind eyes.    "No worries, I already paid for it, and I'm not letting you pay me back."    We then walked out onto the street, beginning to stroll to the park. It was a beautiful day, and it was nice to be outside, but I was tired of the mission.    "Iruka, I'm getting a little tired from the mission-" Iruka cut me off.    "Oh of course, sorry to keep you so long," Iruka rubbed his neck sheepishly.    "Let me finish," I spoke with a gentle smile and a chuckle, "I was going to say that I was gonna head home and ask if you wanted to come with and hang out there."    Iruka seemed surprised by my offer. His cheeks grew a little pinker than normal. I have to admit, the thought of being alone with Iruka made my cheeks heat up to, but thank god for my mask covering it up.    "Oh, well I don't want to be a bother."    "You're never a bother, Iruka, it may be more of a bother if I had to just sit alone."    "In that case, I'd like that."    The walk to my home passed fairly quickly.    As we arrived, I unlocked the door and held it open for Iruka to step in. Once we were both inside, we slipped off our shoes. After, we walked to my couch and sat down with a fair amount of space between us.  My house wasn't decorated much, but it was alright. I had a black couch and a small matching chair, with a coffee table in the center of the room. The walls were bare, aside from the heather grey paint that covered them. As for the rest of the house, I had an island in the kitchen, with four stools that sat at it. My bedroom was probably the most furnished in the house, having my bed, a stand next to the bed, a small chair and a lamp that sat next to it.    "You want a drink?" I questioned Iruka, moving from the couch and to the kitchen.    "Sure. Water?"    I grabbed two glasses and filled them with water, pulling out one of the island stools and sitting down on it. I slid one glass across the island to Iruka, who stayed standing, but leaned forward and supported himself on his elbows.    "How's everything going at the academy?"    "Good, but I have another energetic one this year."    "Yeah? Which one is it now?" I chuckled.    "Konohamaru," Iruka sighed, "You ever met him?"    "I've definitely seen how energetic he is, if that's what you're asking. He looks up to Naruto, and they sure do make a pair, don't they?"    "Yeah, they definitely do," Iruka let out a laugh.    "Well, I'm glad things are going smoothly at the academy," I spoke, "What about with you? How are things?"    "Same as always I guess," the shorter man shrugged. Iruka POV    Why was he asking about me? I'm not that important.    "How about you?" I asked the silver-haired ninja.    "I guess everything is the same with me too," he breathed out a humorless laugh.    "That good huh?"    "I don't know, I guess I'm just a little down."    "Care to share?" I asked him, concern evident on my face.    "You don't wanna hear about my issues, Iruka."    "Well, I asked didn't I?" I shot him a reassuring smile as I moved around the table to sit next to Kakashi.    "It's stupid, makes me feel like a damn school girl."    School girl? What in the world is he talking about?    "I have a crush, of all things. I think it's more than a crush, too, and I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure if he even likes guys."    HE? KAKASHI LIKES GUYS. Calm down, Iruka, just because he likes guys does not mean he likes you.    "Well, I'm sure he likes you too. The only thing you could do is tell him, you know."    "So you think I should tell him? What if he thinks it's weird?"    "I'm sure if he's a good guy, he'll be fine if you have a crush. I mean, how many girls have had crushes on you over the years? Crushes are normal, Kakashi."    "I told you I think it's more than that," Kakashi took a breath, "You know what? Fuck it, I'm just gonna tell him."    Well, I hope he likes you as much as I do. I hope he treats you well.    "I like you."    "What?" I was taken aback by what Kakashi had said.    "It's you, Iruka. You're the guy I like."    "Me?" I couldn't believe it. A guy like Kakashi.... liked me.    "Yes, you. God, I knew I shouldn't have said anything. You can go if you'd like, I don't want you to feel like you have to stay."    He turned to stare at the glass of water in front of him, avoiding looking at me. He slowly stood, moving the glass to the sink and dumping it out. His hands were bracing against the edge of the counter as he let his head hang down, eyes locked on the faucet.    "Kakashi," I spoke gently, gaining his attention. He was now facing me.    I stood and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him into a hug. I felt his arms lay on my shoulders, holding me even closer. Kakashi POV    I was right. He does give the best hugs. They're warm and soft and he smells so good.    "Does this mean you like me too? Or do you just feel bad?" My chin rested on the top of his head.    "Of course it means I like you. You're a likeable guy," Iruka giggled shyly.    "You're too nice to me, Iruka."    As Iruka pulled away, I let my hand fall to his, intertwining our fingers. I began walking towards the couch again, letting myself fall onto it. Iruka came down with me, landing next to me.    In one bold move, Iruka let himself scoot to sit on my lap, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, his head cuddling into my neck.    "You comfy, there, Iruka?" I laughed.    "Yes very much so," he giggled back.    I reached up and grabbed one of his hands, bringing his fingers to the top of my mask. I guess I've wanted him to really see me since I liked him, I was just never sure how to tell him that.    "Really?" he asked, his fingers slowly hooking into the fabric.    "Really."    I pulled his hand down, letting the mask go with it.    "You're very handsome, Kakashi." Iruka complimented me.    I blushed at the compliment, but I didn't have the mask to cover it this time.    "Thank you, but you aren't bad yourself."    "And I know you would never admit it, but you're very cute when you blush," he brought his hand up to the side of my face.    "Iruka, can I say something that may sound stupid?"    "Sure," he laughed.    "I really want you to kiss me right now."    Without another word, he leaned forward and allowed our lips to meet. Iruka's lips were even better than I could've imagined. They were soft and smooth. And the way they moved against my own was absolutely perfect.    When he pulled away, I noticed his own blush had made an appearance.    "I really wanted you to kiss me too," Iruka said quietly.    "I'm glad, because I'm gonna want to do that a lot more now."    He giggled.    "Me too."    He cuddled back into my neck and I let my arms wrap around him, holding him close. Despite the fact that we were still sitting up, the exhaustion from the mission made me fade into sleep, Iruka's gentle breathing lulling me there. I could get used to this when I come home from missions. Being in his arms made it all okay.

~fin~

My heart rly went UWU on this one didn't it? I don't even care, these two are the cutest ship and you guys can't convince me otherwise. Don't forget to do all the normal jazz. Like comment, blah blah blah. Well, love you guys! Until next chapter!! -Smutty-Chan

#kakairu #fluff #kakashi hatake #iruka umino #naruto #Kakairu fluff #fluffy

[gentle-traditionalism]

Opinion on shows like Game of thrones or generally just with a. Lot of gross or disturbing things involved??? Sorry for the random ask aha but I honestly feel like I realised things like that rly started to have an affect on my mind a lot and nicer things were much more peaceful and brought happiness 🤷🏻‍♀️

After scrolling through my blog’s activity for some time, I see that you asked this 68 days ago! I’m dreadfully sorry that you had to wait so long for a response; this ask didn’t appear in my inbox until today!

First, let me assure you that you have no need to apologize for the “random” ask. I enjoy getting them, and if I didn’t want asks I wouldn’t have my inbox open!

In answer to your question, I am very much against shows like GOT. Psychological studies have shown many times that the things we view absolutely have an affect on us. You seem to have discovered this firsthand. I cannot understand how shows and movies with so much inc*st, r*pe, gratuitous violence, and general immorality have managed to become so mainstream. We’re unwillingly exposed to enough terrible things in life as it is without choosing to watch it on a screen for entertainment.

I’m also a Christian, so I of course view the issue from a Christian perspective.

It makes me particularly upset as a Christian when I see other Christians condoning those kinds of shows or movies. The argument that I often see is that their faith is strong enough to not be weakened by viewing such things, and while I will not accuse them of not having faith, I will ask how it is that they can view such things without being so repulsed that they stop watching the show, regardless of how interesting the actual plot of the story might be.

In my own experience, while I’ve never been a fan of shows like GOT, I was for a time pretty obsessed with the game Skyrim. I still think that as far as plot, gameplay, and world-building go, it’s one of the best games ever made. However, there was a lot of content in it that I felt uncomfortable with. Though I tried to ignore that uncomfortable feeling for some time so I could enjoy the unproblematic aspects of the game, eventually I had to admit to myself that, as a Christian, I shouldn’t be playing it. So I stopped, and I’m glad I did. I’m much happier these days.

(Please note that this isn’t me claiming to be morally superior in any way. I am not better than anybody else. I still played the game to begin with, despite the fact that I knew it contained immoral content, and did so for some time. I believe that the uncomfortable feeling was the Holy Spirit convicting me.)

As Christians, we are to “Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good” (Romans 12:9b KJV). We wouldn’t condone a Christian watching p*rnography because “their faith is strong enough not to be swayed”, so why do we condone watching shows like GOT? Especially when they have been known to include scenes that could be classified as p*rnography. The bible says in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Watching shows like GOT also adds on to the show’s popularity, making it more likely that more shows with similar content will be made.

TL;DR: Shows like GOT are not good for our mental or spiritual health, and we should instead consume content that is beneficial to us.

(Note, some words are censored so this post doesn’t get flagged)

#long post #ask #anon

[nagichi-boop]

If you're applying for PIP also ask your work coach about being assessed for LCWRA. It's difficult to get approved first time for either but if you don't then ask for a mandatory reconsideration of your assessment.

Get letters from your doctors/any medical professional who provides treatment detailing what impact your condition has as this will hugely increase your chance of getting PIP and LCWRA. If they say you must pay explain you are in no financial position to do so and they should do it for free.

I think that my work coach said something about a Work Capability Assessment - not sure if that ties into LCWRA since I’ve not heard of it until now? The problem is my work coach seems to change like…every month lol. I had a dude who had his own mental health issues but then I never saw him again. Then I had a lady who understood my situation and was like “it’s okay, I understand, next appointment we can just chat about whatever”. And I was supposed to have a call with her, but now it says I have a call with someone I’ve never heard of? It’s rly annoying cuz it feels like I’m having to explain myself every time and it rly doesn’t help with my anxiety. ://

With regards to doctors…a similar situation. I don’t think I really ever see one doctor, it’s just “you get who you’re given” for an appointment. Plus it’s still currently over the phone, so it’s only ever brief appointments. I suppose I can try say “is it possible to write a letter for my UC work coach to be assessed for LCWRA” or something? That’s probably all I can do rn cuz I don’t have anything else to fall back on, so idk how easy getting a letter about me would be since their diagnosis was based on a agree/disagree quiz.

I did just find out the autism clinic is open for assessments again, but ofc there’s still a waiting list for it (idk how long). If I had that, it would probably be a much easier conversation, but until then, I’m relying on my depression and anxiety diagnosis, which can only get me so far cuz I’m guessing it’s not seen as “serious”.

Thank you for the tip though - I’ll do some additional research and see if I can ask about it.

#universal credit #long post #nagichi asks

[irwinkitten]

got lucky | c.h

requested by anon: ok so for the bi!reader concept: last year i ended my relationship w this girl the main reason was because she was really insecure and jealous especially about me being bisexual like anytime i would talk to a guy she would just get so upset about it and she would make such gross biphobic comments and at the time i had so much internalised biphobia that i tried to convince myself i was gay n stayed in the relationship longer than i should have because i rly liked her i guess lol anyways (1/4) we ended and a while afterwards i started seeing this guy who i’d known of for ages (friends of friends type situation) but we just never really talked before or hung out but from the first date we clicked and the sex was crazy good like the type of sex were ur ditching ur vibrators cuz he’s that good lmao so one weekend we went to this party together and of course she is also there, i was so surprised and i could see her eyeing us the whole night, so when she came over i was anxious af (2/4) and this guy knew i was bi! it was no secret, i worked really hard to accept myself! so she comes over and she deadass goes “are you straight now? i knew you would end up with a man!” and she’s all smug but also hurt and im standing there like what the fuck and THEN this dumb man goes “ha guess the sex is so good i made her straight again” and i’m literally about to cry over how gross the whole interaction is and im so shocked i can’t even defend myself, i dumped him that night obviously (3/) last messgae: so basically can you pls do a redo of the gross situation where instead of being with that dumb guy its with calum and he is so protective n sweet n NORMAL n encourages u to stand up for urself about bisexuality / your sexuality, because what happened to me happens too often and its disgusting and gross and no one deserves that!! only if u feel comfortable/inspired tho, no pressure!! love u laura, thank u for creating such a safe space for all the queer babies it means a lot 💘 notes: i kinda enjoyed writing this one esp for my sweet anon baby. i love u and i hope this is everything you wanted ♥  warnings: biphobia, implications of emotional abuse

word count: 3.2k

donate to my ko-fi here

-

“Hey what’cha doing sweets?” Calum’s voice pulled you from your musings, your hand idly tracing patterns against the paper but the pen remaining on the desk. You wrenched your thoughts from the spiral you seemed to have fallen down, a smile crossing your lips as you felt your heart flutter at the sight of him.

“Nothin’. Just thinking.” You finally replied as he pulled up one of the spare chairs next to you, the bustling activity of the coffee shop falling into your background noise as his thigh pressed against yours.

“Really? Normally you doodle when you’re just thinking.” He countered with ease and your eyes dropped to the paper, noticing that the pen remained where you’d placed it when you first sat down. Subconsciously you must’ve realised that the route your thoughts had gone were not suitable to put down on paper, your fingers picking up the pen and mind falling blank immediately.

“Oh.” You breathed before placing the pen back down and packing away the pad and pen.

“What’s running through your head, doll?” Calum’s voice was quiet and concerned, you shrugged.

“Just, a lot on my mind is all. You’re not my keeper just because we’ve slept together.” You admitted quietly and he frowned before picking up his bag and for a sinking second you thought he was going to walk off, but instead, he took your bag from your hands and slung it over his shoulder. 

He looked back at you expectantly and you sighed before standing up, leaving the coffee shop with him, your eyes on the floor as you fell into step next to him.

“Your place or mine?”

“E’s gonna be home and I don’t want to hear them rant about me bringing people back.” You muttered and Calum nodded. 

“I think Ash is out. He’ll probably head out to Luke’s if I show up with you.” At his smirk, you rolled your eyes fondly before shoving him towards the bus stop. His indignant “hey!” was only ignored as you two waited for the bus, his arm slung over your shoulders.

Selfishly, you leaned into his touch, trying to ignore the fact that your stomach was doing flips at his touch alone. 

The bus journey was a quiet ten minutes, but Calum seemed to understand that you weren’t willing to talk with so many people around, so he was content to just keep you close, and you were unwilling to pull away until his stop came up.

When you reached his shared house with Ashton, you noted that the car was gone from the driveway and Calum smirked.

“Looks like he’s out. C’mon.” His hand tucked around yours and pulled you inside. And for a second you wondered if you could distract him with sex, but then the guilt appeared and you could feel the tears of frustration appear as your thoughts swirled and you felt dizzy.

Calum had stepped ahead, turning to see you stood leaning against the closed door, head in your hands and he knew something was wrong. Stepping back to you, he dropped your bags and took your hand in his, pulling you upstairs to his room and your stomach twisted uncomfortably.

“Cal I-”

“I’m not suggesting that.” He muttered. You fell silent at that and as he pulled you into his room, you felt unsure, but he gave you no chance to really deny him as he crawled into bed before opening his arms out to you.

“Cal.”

“I know you. You don’t do emotional stuff well but I’m here for a cuddle and an ear if you need it.” You fell into the embrace easily, your head resting on his chest as his arms wrapped around your shoulders, his lips finding your temple as you finally felt something in you snap, the surge of emotions overwhelming and frighteningly vivid. 

“I keep telling myself that I never was a lesbian, that I still found men attractive but Poppy made me feel like having that attraction was stupid since I was dating her and that I was a lesbian and it’s so fucking confusing because I like you, but I can hear her voice screeching that I’m not right, that I’m a lesbian or faking it or a freak.” And for the first time since you left Poppy, you cried.

Calum had been waiting for this. When the split had happened, you’d been ready for it, you’d already left her mentally, but this was what he knew you needed. He knew that the relationship with her had been toxic, but you’d never revealed the extent of her behaviour. 

His heart broke.

“Just because you like both men and women does not mean you should feel so guilty over your sexuality. There’s a B in LGBT for a reason, doll. That’s you. You’re bisexual and you should be proud of that, not ashamed because some bitch with a control issue couldn’t handle the fact that you liked more than women.” 

You found yourself gripping his shirt with your fists as you pressed your face into his chest, trying to stem the tears that seemed relentless. But Calum held his silence whilst you got it out of your system, knowing that you needed to get this off your chest. 

“I’m sorry.” You finally got out, but he simply shushed you. 

“She was a shitty person with an attitude to show. You shouldn’t apologise for the bitch.” His words were simple but it gave you a breath of ease, pulling away as hands rubbed your shoulders gently. 

He was definitely too good to you, but he was there for you regardless and you were certain that you loved him for that.

“There’s gonna be a party on the other side of town in a couple of weeks. Ash took over the old Firefly down on Hartley. He’s revamping before opening the bar to the public. You fancy going?” And you smiled at the gentle distraction he was offering. 

“We get at least a free drink if we show up, right?” And Calum laughed as he kissed your temple. 

“He wouldn’t say no to me. Or you. In fact, I’m almost certain he’s expecting me to do full introductions on that night since Luke and Mike will be there with the others and their girls.” You rolled your eyes. 

“It’s not like I went to school with Luke or anything.” Came your sarcastic retort and Calum laughed as the two of you settled for the evening. 

“Pretty sure Luke last saw you when you started dating Poppy. He’s put two and two together but he won’t say anything unless you mention it. Even then he knows it’s not his place.” Your heart seemed to swell another size in affection for Luke. 

“You’re making it difficult for me to not fall in love with you Cal. Good dick, you know how to use those lips and fingers of yours, you make me feel like I belong and you respect boundaries without me having to ask.” You finally muttered and Calum gave you an almost wistful smile. 

“You may have been with Poppy but that didn’t stop me from being friends with you. You’re someone I’ve genuinely cared about from day one. Not gonna chuck that away because of who you are. Plus growing up with my mom and sister almost made certain I’d be in touch with my feminine side.” He teased but the sincerity and understanding in his tone eased your shoulders. 

Your features softened at the admittance and you pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Then I definitely got lucky to have you in my life at least, falling in love or not.”

—

When the day of the party rolled around, you felt sick with nerves and you couldn’t understand why. 

When Calum rolled up to pick you up—he was driving to Luke’s who lived closest to the bar and you’d both get a ride back to yours before he picked up his car the following morning—he could see the nerves and the grimace on his face spoke volumes. 

“What?” You all but demanded when you were debating outfits. He’d been sitting on the bed watching, but got up and held his hands out to you. 

You took them hesitantly. His thumbs almost immediately started to soothe across the back of your hands to help relax you. 

“Word has gotten around that Poppy is planning to show up. We haven’t exactly been quiet about our relationship, but I didn’t think she’d pull something like this.” And your stomach churned uncomfortably. 

“We’re still going. Ashton promised free drinks and we’ll be in the VIP area right?” You checked and Calum nodded.

“Ashton has already told the bouncers that she’s not allowed near the VIP section. They’re checking and rechecking the lists to make sure she isn’t on one of them.” He explained and you let out a breath of air. 

“Okay. It’ll be fine. It’s being handled and I’ve got you. Now which outfit do you think I should wear?” He studied your face for a second before a smile broke across his lips. 

“The dark purple with the deep plunge. Is it wrong of me to flaunt in her face what she lost?” And you laughed as you kissed him. 

“I mean, yes. But I also know that you want to show me off properly now that we’ve got things really settled.” You murmured and he grinned back unabashedly. 

It was still an uphill battle, but he’d given you a lot to think about. And after gentle convincing, you’d found an LGBT friendly therapist who helped you process your thoughts. It helped you come to terms with accepting the toxic relationship that you’d been in but also it highlighted how beneficial Calum had been as a friend and confidant. 

It also gave you the courage to ask Calum out officially, wanting to be with him entirely and not just in the evenings. 

He took that in his stride and things shifted once more between the two of you. When you opened up to him about some of your sessions, you knew that your trust had been well placed because he never indicated anything to his friends and so you were never subjected to pitying stares or glares. 

You were almost sure that you’d fall in love with him faster than you fell for Poppy. 

The drive to Luke’s was filled with your nerves. You hadn’t seen Luke in years and you were also meeting his two other friends, Ashton and Michael as well as their partners. 

“Ashton’s excited to finally meet you and stop telling me to be careful when I go to yours.” 

Despite Calum living with Ashton, your schedules never seemed to match and more often than not, Calum could be found at your place, a small sanctuary from your hectic lives. 

Ashton never begrudged that time you shared together, but Calum had mentioned a few times about how snappy he was being on the subject. 

“He’ll chill when he realises I’m not out to break your heart or steal something.” You muttered with a chuckle. Calum snorted in return as he pulled into Luke’s driveway. 

Your nerves return full force as he pulls you to the front door and steps in like he lives there. 

“Hey fuckers, anyone about?” He called through and was met with calls of confirmation, another yell following that they were in the dining room. Your fingers squeezed Calum’s tightly and he didn’t hesitate to return it, his thumb soothing across the skin on the back of your hand.

“Look who it is!” A voice crowed loudly as he stepped into the dining room, followed by loud calls of greetings. 

There was a flurry of introductions and you felt like the spotlight was being shone on you, under scrutiny from his best friends gazes once they had greeted their friend and Calum had introduced you. Or re-introduced you in Luke’s case.

“Well c’mon, the last time I saw you we were leaving school. What’s been happening to you?” Luke finally asked, indicating to the seat next to him. A small smile graced your lips as you sat down, Calum falling into the seat next to you as you shrugged. 

“Life I guess? It’s been definitely more interesting with the different jobs and moving about. Building up a social life again.” Luke’s face filled with a frown at that. 

Michael came in next. 

“Building up a social life? Did you not have one?” His words held an innocent curiosity, yet you felt yourself hesitate. 

“My ex was controlling to the point that I couldn’t do anything without their permission. They managed to make me believe that no one really wanted me around and I lost touch with old friends, like Luke.” You glanced to the side and he was frowning. 

The others held varying degrees of stunned shock or disapproval. 

“Well then he was a cunt.” Michael muttered and your eyes refused to meet theirs at the assumptions. Luke stayed quiet but his hand rested on your knee, squeezing it. You shot him a gentle smile in return.

“Well it’ll be good to have you back in our lives. Especially with these two knuckleheads.” He nodded at Ashton and Michael who immediately protested and you laughed. 

It felt like you’d known them for years as you all had a few shots. Ashton, despite being the owner of the bar, wasn’t worried about turning up with his friends. He’d already explained to his staff that he’d be around for the rest of the night once he arrived and he’d told the small groups he’d be here and there. 

After a handful of shots, the group of you made your way to the bar, your arm linked with Calum’s. There were separate conversations happening between you all, their girlfriends including you on their pamper night whilst the boys discussed a possible games night for all of you. 

When you arrived at the club, you saw the queue of people waiting to get in and the subsequent groans from the line as the bouncer let you in, no questions asked. 

Ashton guided the group of you to the VIP section and the music was still loud but you could still hear each other talking. You were chatting away with Luke’s girlfriend, arm still linked with Calum’s as Ashton disappeared to get drinks. 

Calum pulled your attention away briefly, his lips by your ear. 

“I’ve spotted her. She’s not seen us yet so don’t worry.” You barely nodded, acknowledging his words as you listened in, fighting to keep your nerves down. 

The night continued and you were all a few drinks deep. Calum’s arm had barely left your waist all night as you talked and danced and drank. You’d been welcomed into his group of friends with an ease you never realised existed. 

You’d deliberately not tried to seek out Poppy, silently praying that the universe would comply. But as the group of you stood out in the smokers area, huddled together under a heating lamp, your stomach sank as she stepped out, her eyes narrowing on you. 

“Fuckin’ knew it!” You could feel the alarm in your face as you stepped back into Calum, his arm going around you protectively. 

“Poppy, you’re drunk.” You felt curious gazes from your new friends, but you didn’t spare them a glance.

“You break up with me and go running to his arms, I knew you weren’t a fuckin lesbian. Pretending to try it out? Just another straight girl seeking attention. Fucking freak.” She snapped and your stomach sank. 

“Get it through your thick head that she’s bisexual.” Calum snapped in your defence, earning a glare from Poppy. But Calum didn’t shrink from the glare, your glance to his face confirmed he was giving her his own. You were mildly impressed that she didn’t back down instantly. 

“She’s a fuckin liar! Years of my life wasted on this bitch.” She spat at your feet and you took in a deep breath. 

“You don’t get to control me anymore, Poppy. I’ve liked both men and women, but you never liked that because it meant that I had more chances of leaving you. And I wished I’d have left you sooner. Calum certainly thought so.” 

“Of course you fucked the first man to pay you any attention.” Your heart sank once more at her declaration and you felt your mind fall into the old trap that you’d fought with for so long. 

“No she never. In fact she slept with a few girls long before she slept with me. But I was her best friend as she tried to deal with the mess you created in her mind.” Calum snapped back. You felt your heart swell for him. 

Poppy stepped forward, her hand raised but then Ashton stepped in front of you. 

“Get out. You’re no longer welcome in this bar.” He made a gesture and security slowly made their way over. 

“She shouldn’t be fucking welcome!” Poppy yelled back, but Ashton held firm. 

“She is my friend. You are not. Get. Out.” When the bouncer rested a hand on her arm, she shrugged it off and stormed away. Your entire body was trembling.

“So that was the ex, huh?” Michael commented and you could feel your hands trembling as you nodded. “Why didn’t you correct me?” Calum spoke up for you as his hands took yours. 

“It’s been a battle for her. Poppy had convinced her she was a lesbian, that she was wrong for having any attraction to men. In Poppy’s world, either your gay, lesbian or straight. Being bisexual isn’t acceptable in her eyes.” Calum’s arms wrapped around you and you stood there, holding onto him for dear life. 

“Well that makes two of us then.” Michael’s casual comment had your knees go weak and you let out a weak laugh. 

“Thank you Ash.” You finally murmured when you pulled away from Calum. Ashton didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around you in a warm hug that was both comforting and reassuring. 

“Hey, you’ve been the best thing for my best mate. And you were friends with Luke once before. I’ve definitely got your back. And I get why you didn’t say anything and don’t hold that against you.” He muttered and you breathed a sigh of relief before returning to Calum’s embrace. 

“More drinks or are we gonna go back to Luke’s?” And you shook your head. 

“Let’s stay. I’m not gonna let her ruin it,” you leaned forwards so your lips were by his ear as the others went inside, “also I want to see if we can christen the bar in one of the toilets.” You breathed. Calum groaned as his grip around you got tighter and he pulled you in for a kiss that promised more. 

“Oh you’re so fucked sweetheart. Especially since I know where the individual lips are and they aren’t attended by anyone.” You held back a moan at that thought before pulling away, your hand in his. 

“Dance first?” And the innocence in your tone made him laugh as he followed behind you willingly. 

“Menace.” The term was laced with affection as he caught up to you, kissing the spot just below your ear. 

You simply grinned in return as you pulled him onto the dance floor, Poppy long forgotten as he danced with you. 

-

@sexgodashton, @goth5sos, @calumsmermaid, @empathycth, @wildflowergrae, @calpops, @rosecolouredash, @cal-puddies, @clockwork124, @loveroflrh, @stellar5sosrecs, @ashtoniwir, @cthla, @liketheydidwithyou, @sc0ttish-wildfl0wer​, @bluehairedtracii, @drummerboy794, @feliznavidaddycal, @i-calumhood, @wokeupinjapanisabop, @converse-luke, @madbomb, @ccnicole02, @youngblood199456, @aulxna, @megz1985, @lukesidentitycrisis, @snapback-irwie, @neonweeknds, @666yourwitchyfriend666, @gamerboymike, @cashtonasfuck, @ashtaway, @conquerwhatliesahead92, @itjustkindahappenedreally, @twoamhood, @kchillout, @damselindistressanu, @colormekaykay, @findingliam-o, @sublimehood, @sugarcoated-pain, @singt0mecalum, @singledadharrington​, @calumspeachy​, @colourfulcalum​, @lostincalum​, @burncrashbromance​, @asht0ns-world​, @a-mnd, @flusteredcliffo​, @loti18​, @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave​, @clumclum-hood​, @fangirl-everythang​, @lashtondaddies​, @calumssunshine​, @ambskiwi​, @abundant-stars​, @caltattoohood, @seedless-vascular, @myescapefromthislife​, @lmao5sosimagines​, @beyoncesdragon​, @jae-writes-fanfiction​, @cxddlyash​, @tresfandom​, @utterly-u-n-p-e-r-f-e-c-t​, @niallisworld​, @lietomevalntyn​, @babylon-corgis​, @monochrome44​, @behind-my-hazeleyes27​, @ghost0fy0u​, @lyllibug​, @bloodmoonashton​, @balsamic-cal, @calumsbaldhead​, @washedout-ky, @calumssunshinee​, @ghostofmashton​, @summerellaz​, @a-little-less-sixteen​, @cashworthy​, @smokeinherlungs​, @longlastingdaydream​, @h0tsos​, @sweetcherrymike​, @5sosnsfw​, @sugar-nico​, @sunnysideblog, @angel-cal​, @samros95​, @maluminspace​, @lukeinblue​, @cakesunflower​, @allamerican-betch​,  @britnicole11​, @gigglyirwin​, @everyscarisahealingplace, @loverofcashton​, @iovehemmings​, @g-l-pierce​, @jannimoeller3​, @wildmichaelflower​, @lukeskisses​, @5sossstan​, @youngbloodchild​, @alloutofcashton​, @tobefalling​, @abb-lan-5sos​, @calumsbub​, @flameraine​, @here-for-the-uproars​, @mateisit-balsamic​, @ilovelukey​, @sarahshepherdblog​

#calum hood blurbs #calum hood blurb #calum hood x bi reader #bi!reader #calum hood fic #calum hood fics #calum hood imagines #calum hood imagine #5sos blurb #5sos blurbs #5sos imagine #5sos imagines #5sos fic #5sos fics #5 seconds of summer blurb #5 seconds of summer blurbs #5 seconds of summer imagine #5 seconds of summer imagines #5 seconds of summer fic #5 seconds of summer fics #my writing

[fckinsupreme]

listen I know this may be too vague, but I've been a little down on myself lately and could rly use a fluffy and smutty, older! sugar daddy duncan.

I made Duncan 40 in this one!

———

Your eyes are scanning over the gifts that you had received, eyes bright and a wide smile on your face. Duncan always knew how to make you feel better, to take your mind off of your current issues and worries, in a way that no one else ever had. Those ways usually entailed gifts—lavish ones, rare ones, beautiful ones—but you certainly weren’t objecting. It put you in a better mood and Duncan thoroughly enjoyed giving them, so who were you to refuse?

“I’m so happy you like them, princess,” Duncan purrs, kissing your neck as his large hands cascade your arms. “The necklace is made of real sapphires and diamonds. It cost a pretty penny, but I knew it would look gorgeous on you. Turns out, I was correct in that assumption.”

Your fingers reach up to brush over the stones, and you turn to the mirror to see it again. It hangs just above your breasts, the light catching the blue and white of the stones and shining brilliantly. The matching earrings dangle from your ears, and a diamond bracelet adorns your wrist. Altogether, you suspected the jewelery had to cost as much as an entire year’s rent at your old apartment complex—and then some.

“Here, open this one,” Duncan says, handing you another small box. This one is the size of a ring, and you furrow your brows as you take it. “I know what you’re going to say, but I love spoiling my baby girl. Only the best and nothing but for her. Go on, open it.”

You flip up the lid, gasping at the sight within. A large diamond ring—a carat, /at least/—sat inside. You take it out and slide it onto your finger, seeing that it fits perfectly. You throw your arms around him in a hug, pulling back to kiss him passionately as he chuckles against your lips.

“Duncan, it’s beautiful!” you say, admiring it on your finger. “Thank you.”

“Beautiful ring for my beautiful baby,” he says, kissing the top of your head. “I have one more thing for you. Don’t worry, this isn’t jewelry. It’s mostly for both of us.”

He leaves the room and returns a moment later with a wide clothing box. You see that it’s from Agent Provocateur, and you immediately know what’s inside. You laugh a little, removing the ribbon as he sets the box on the bed. You open it, seeing two ensembles inside. The first is an all black & lace bra & panty set, leaving very little the imagination with its floral print and soft black bows in the front. A matching garter belt and thigh highs were also present, and you eye the black Jimmy Choo pumps he’d also gotten for you that were still lying on the bed. They would go perfectly with that particular ensemble, and you wonder if he planned it that way. Knowing Duncan, he probably did.

The second ensemble was a mesh pink babydoll with white bows, complete with a matching thong. This one had white thigh highs but no garter belt, and you realize now that Duncan /had/ coordinated the shoes with the lingerie. The black Jimmy Choo’s were lying next to the newly-gifted pink Versace pumps, and it was a lovely match with the babydoll. You smirk at him, holding the babydoll up to your torso and letting him see.

“I think you should put this on first,” Duncan says, brushing some hair behind your ear. “Put that on with your Versace shoes and the new Chanel perfume I got you. Keep all of the jewelry on, too. Be a good girl for Daddy, baby; don’t keep him waiting.”

You wink at him, gathering the Versace pumps, the babydoll, the thong, the thigh highs, and the bottle of Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle. You head into the bathroom attached to the bedroom, brushing your hair before slipping out of your clothes and into the lingerie. The thigh highs and heels come next, and the perfume last. You adjust your breasts in the top of the lingerie, fixing your hair and making sure your makeup is perfectly intact. When you’re completely satisfied, you crack the door open.

“Close your eyes,” you say. “I want you to be surprised when you see me.”

“Okay, closed,” he says. “Come on out.”

You walk out, seeing that he already cleared the bed. You smile a little, seeing him on the bed with his eyes closed. You straddle him, leaning down to kiss him before whispering, “Open your eyes.”

Duncan’s eyes flutter open to look at you, a growl catching in his throat as you sit up. He takes in the sight of you in the babydoll, his hands caressing your thighs as he turns you onto your back. He licks his lips as he scans your body from head to toe, loosening his tie as he climbs on top of you. He kisses you hungrily, allowing you to finish removing his tie before he dips down to kiss your neck. You tip your head back as he trails his lips downward, moaning softly as he buries his face in your breasts. His stubble, coupled with the feeling of his plump lips exploring your cleavage, is a welcome, delicious sensation that you can never get enough of.

“Daddy,” you mewl, back arching when he pulls down one side of the babydoll to suck your nipple. He swirls his tongue around it, tugging it with his teeth as he squeezes the other. He covers it when he’s done, moving to the opposite side to give it equal treatment. “Fuck...mmm...”

“Daddy’s gonna make you feel really good, sweetheart,” he breathes, nuzzling his face between your tits as he squeezes them together. “He’s going to make all of the stress melt away. Just lie back and enjoy.”

He pulls you to the end of the bed, kissing around the tops of the pumps and up the inside of your calves, gently biting the dip of each knee, his eyes on yours the entire time. You’re a mewling, writhing mess by the time he reaches your inner thighs, and he leaves a few hickeys behind on each one. He places his mouth over your pussy through the thong, grinning in satisfaction when he notices how wet you are.

“You’re already soaking through the fabric,” he teases, the tip of his tongue trailing over the outline of your swollen clit. “Mmm...Did all of these gifts help with that? Did it make you a dripping mess for me?”

“Yes,” you admit, taking a fistful of his gray-streaked hair. “It did.”

“I thought so,” he says, his hot breath fanning over the wet gusset of the thong. “I love how you look in this, princess. You look just as sexy as I imagined.”

“Why don’t you show me just how much you appreciate it?” you ask, propping yourself on your elbows and looking down at him. “Show me how much you love it.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice, he says, pulling your thong aside to expose your soaking pussy. “I’m going to take good care of you, baby girl.”

His tongue travels through your folds, causing your breath to hitch as you lie back on the bed. His fingers dig into your soft, supple skin, messy hair falling in his eyes before you push it back. You hook your legs over his shoulders, the heels of the shoes digging into his skin as he begins eating your pussy vigorously. His full lips work your inner labia, his tongue fucking you for a moment before it’s replaced by two of his fingers. He keeps the material of your thong pushed aside, holding it in place with his thumb as his lips wrap around your clit. You moan hotly, his name leaving your lips in a pleasurable sigh.

“You taste so sweet,” he says, nuzzling his face further against your cunt. “I can never get enough.”

“Mmm,” you hum, biting your knuckle as you tug on his hair with your other hand. “And I can never get enough of how addictive you are, Daddy.”

He smiles against you, pulling your thong off and tossing it aside before diving back in. His arms wrap around your thighs, gripping them in his large hands as he kneads the skin. He moves his tongue through your folds, leaving no area untouched before tracing it around your clit. He makes no direct contact to the small bud again, not yet, instead focusing on teasing you. His eyes don’t leave your face, wanting to see your reaction, the sounds you make flooding his ears and sending more blood flowing to his already-throbbing cock. He keeps up his movements for a little while, bringing you to the brink of orgasm before drawing back.

“No, don’t stop,” you beg, watching as he tugs his massive, flushed cock from his dark grey dress pants. “Mmm...you’re so fucking hard, aren’t you?”

“I’m going to fuck you instead, princess,” Duncan purrs, climbing on top of you and rubbing his cock through your soaking cunt. “Is that what you want? To cum around my cock?”

“Yes,” you say, nodding rapidly. “Please, Daddy...”

He smiles at you, shushing you gently before kissing you. He grabs his cock, pushing inside of you as you both groan. Your nails dig into his shoulders, a filthy moan tearing from your chest as he seats fully inside of you. You whimper, meeting his eyes again as his forehead presses to yours while you adjust to his massive length.

“I told you Daddy was going to take care of you,” he murmurs, kissing you sweetly as he pulls you up. You’re on top of him now, his hands massaging your breasts and rubbing the hard nipples through the pink mesh of your babydoll. “I want you to soak my cock and show how grateful you are for all that I’ve given you today. I don’t want you to stop riding my cock until you’re stress free and show your appreciation for all that I do for you. Do you understand?”

You nod, starting to slowly bounce on his cock. “Mmm hmm...How long do you think it will take me, Daddy? How many times do you think I need to cum before that happens?”

He gives your ass a hard smack, hands gripping your hips tightly as he thrusts upward. “I’d say about three times should do the trick nicely.”

——

Baby tags: @littledemondani @wroteclassicaly @angel-of-dior @leatherduncan @lvngdvns @littlegirlsdontplaynice @dark-mei-rose @wickedlangdon @melodylangdon @apocalxpsetime @frenchlangdon @guiltyfiend

#it turned out longer than i planned but!!! #duncan shepherd #duncan shepherd blurb #duncan shepherd imagine #duncan shepherd smut #duncan shepherd x reader

[wholesome-lesbiab]

I can't stop thinking about this one incident at work a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't rly anything, just a funny misunderstandment that left me.... I don't even know

So, long story short, a customer had left about 20 hangers on the floor. I saw them first and called my co worker to come check this out bc man, customers can be assholes. There was a bench right next to the pile but noooo the customer just had to leave them on the floor..

Anyways that's not the point.

While muttering together about the customer, we both proceeded to kneel down on the floor to pick them up. Meanwhile our storage door opens and my other co-worker steps out the door and immediately sees me. It's crucial to know for the sake of the story that she didn't see the other co-worker or the pile of hangers because of a shelf in the way. A shelf. Blocking the view. After this I don't know whether to thank that one shelf or go kick it.

So, all she saw was me on the floor. I turned to look at her, making a face towards her that should have meant "lmao come see this" but because we were wearing mask, she only saw my eyebrows burrowing and eyes squinting. She read my facial expression in a completely different way.

Her initial response to this was pure worry, a bit of panic, because she had thought that I had fallen and hurt myself and signaled to her with my eyes that I needed help. She rushed to me with such worry until she got past the shelf blocking the scene and sighed in relief upon seeing that we were just picking up hangers. She was like "oh my god I thought you had slipped!! You looked hurt!!!" I chuckled and explained that we were just picking up this "lovely gift" left by a "lovely customer". And then we laughed. It was a funny misunderstandment.

But at the same time, from the very moment I saw my co-worker walk out that storage door with the most worrying look I had seen in a god knows how long time, her facial expression had already been permanently taped into my brain and I couldn't brush it off. The entire moment just keeps looping in my brain, fixated on her facial expression. Just how worried she looked like.

And it really shocked me. When people tell me that they care about me and that I'm important to them, my paranoid personality disorder among my other issues just won't believe it. At all. I instantly think that "oh they're just saying it for the sake of saying it.... They don't mean it. I don't mean anything to them." but then a co-worker who has never even told me anything like this, who I have known for a year and see like twice a week, who I don't talk to outside of the job, shows me more care in a single look that I have felt in any of my long-time irl friendships or with my own family. People who have told me that they care about me. People who haven't actually shown me that they care about me.

Seeing someone worry so much about me, someone I barely know, over something that didn't even happen, it just shocked me. I feel like this both gave me so much hope in life but also made me feel like my world had just been flipped upside down and that my mental illnesses are having a complete lockdown.

#Long post #I felt like I had to share this #I can't stop thinking about this #Especially when I'm at work w the same co-worker #I just keep remembering how much she worried about me #vanja.txt

[brokemylegflippingthefirewall]

*This is absolutely a fic promotion, but plz hear me out on the discourse part too

So, self inserts and original characters, the worst fanfic catgeory (fanfiction.net literally says that in one of its fic groupings, and I'm pretty sure the number of views on any fanfic website says the same).

TLDR- Yes, I agree that this stereotype carries truth, but I do think SIs and OCs have more potential to be explored, and the stigma surrounding these labels is blocking that. And oh god I just want to know so badly if this is the deal with the work I'm currently writing or if I genuinely just can't write well.

The longer version- (this was written quite late into the night/ I'm in Singapore/, and might not be so well organized, I apologize for that.)

To what extent is this stigma "justified"? I mostly use AO3 for reading fics, and when I see the OC/SI tag, the thing is....I came to look for fics about canon characters and might not have the wish to invest my time in taking in a new character. I understand that most people who read fanfiction would feel the same. This, I think, is more or less justified. If you came to look for a certain canon character/relationship, and you don't want to get invested in any OCs, then of course the OC/SI tag isn't for you.

But... I think that's about it. Bcs here's the thing,

1. Using the OC/SI format does NOT automatically make the fic worse in quality. Hell, I'm not even sure if the statistical "fact" that these tags generate the worst fics is true. Judging from what I've read in the tma fandom and my other past fandoms, the stuff with OC/SI isn't inherently worse or better than the rest of the fics. There are ones that are pretty normal in writing quality, and the ones where the prose is rly good, others where plot design stands out etc. Of course, there is a lot of wish fulfillment and the like, but... there's also a lot of that in fics that write about canon characters.

2. I can't really say whether a wish fulfillment "I just want to write cool scenes/fluff" fic is better or worse than a more serious fic that explores some characterization or plot point. I think stories (all stories, books, fanfic, myths, everything) exist to entertain us and make us feel things. I am not sure if writing a feel good story is any less meaningful than writing a story that brings people "deeper" thoughts and makes them feel good in some other way. And this isn't even the issue at hand, because fundamentally, writing an OC/SI or not doesn't determine what the content is about. I agree that a larger proportion of OC/SI fics tend to be more on the lighthearted side, but... so is most of the content consumed in the other tags. Readers don't seem to have a problem with feel good stories/fix it fics etc when there is no OC or SI, so I don't see why that type of fic paired with an OC/SI should be considered any less "meaningful".

3. Guys/gals, what is an OC/SI?

Yes, it is very personal, and it is very wish fulfillment, but... isn't that like a common literature thing...like in general? Look at the works that "real writers" publish, from contemporary to the classics, which writer doesn't write about themselves? Like, just off the top of my head, Les Miserables, Marius? Um, Dante's Inferno? (and that guy did not self insert into some random thing he straightup went for the Christian Canon😂 used his real name too, so Jonny I guess if you feel awkward about your MCs name you can think of Dante//Jk). But seriously, self insert and wish fulfillment is a big part of literature itself, and while there are things to be said about these tropes, if people don't have that much of a problem with them in other literature, I don't see why fanfic OC/SIs shouldn't be treated the same.

4. in relation to the last point. More specifically...

I do think that a lot of fanfiction which write about the original characters are also OC/SIs to different extents. I've read fics that depict pairings where the author and readers project heavily onto one (or more) of the characters. I've read stuff where the author uses a minor character to explore the established world building/character dynamics and it's clear that it's an SI but with the appearance of being a canon character (and yes it gets tons more views than one that's written as SI). How do I know this? Because I am one of those readers who project onto those characters, and I know why I read those fics, I know why I like them. It's because I can self insert, and feel like I am part of the story, part of the world. Isn't that something most people want to do? I mean, Universal Studios? Specific franchise themed museums? COSPLAY??? Of course that's not all there is to engaging with a story, but what's the shame in wanting to be a part of an already established world building, or want to love a wonderfully designed character? (slight tangent, but if u feel like it's bcs ur not as interesting/cool as the story's world or other characters appear to be then I can tell you with certainty that's not true. You are very interesting and cool and absolutely deserve to be part of a fantasy world.) Isn't that a big part of why "real literature" is written and read as well? So... what's the problem with being like, okay, I'm just gonna insert myself into the world now, through this original character? Of course, I'm not asking for people who prefer to write strictly in canon characters to change that. What I mean to say is, writing it in the form of an OC/SI, doesn't make it a lot different from other fics, or hell, from classic literature even.

I think a potential problem might be the feeling that you are taking too much creative liberty with something that is established canon, by having your own character directly interact with it. But, um, can't the same thing be said if you take a canon character, and then proceed to project heavily onto them? Like, a big part of why I don't feel comfortable writing just canon characters is that I know I'm clearly projecting and it feels awkward to rewrite an already established character to explore my own thoughts/desires. I would rather just straightup design a new character. (this is all just personal feelings, I haven't thought enough about this to make any kind of argument here. And of course, the main reason is I can't trust myself to write canon characters that don't ooc in some way so having one as my protag might kill me with my own awkwardness. )

5. the potential.

Now this is looking far ahead because I'm not sure how much our current system for distribution of knowledge & copyright can allow it. But damn. The OC/SI thing has a lot of potential. There is one thing that makes it different from writing in canon characters, and that is the way it opens up a clear space for you to add your own experience into the story. When exploring your own world view through the lense of an already established world, or vice versa, so much can be revealed about both, perhaps even bringing to light aspects of the narrative the author hadn't previously seen. We all know this feeling, it's when we ramble on about one of our stories or worlds to a friend, and they point something out, and we're like ooooh that makes a lot of sense but I hadn't thought about it before. Yea, like those moments. Stories are generally made more interesting by their interaction with many different perspectives/experiences. With OC/SI it straightup allows you to be like, okay, I'm going to engage my own experience with this fictional world/character now. I mean, isnt that also a large part of how fanfics work in general? Readers/writers bouncing symbols and experiences off each other in the form of stories? Reading about the various interpretations of canon stuff? Whats the problem with tagging it as it is? I'm just thinking about the fics that could have been written as OC/SI and explored the story in some fascinating way which weren't written at all or were discontinued bcs the number of views discouraged those authors. (I feel that with my current work as well, though I have already written half of it and the remaining half is too juicy to give up so I'll probably be completing it)

6. conclusion, sorta

I guess what I want for OC/SO fics is just the same treatment as everything else. Saw it in the tags you were searching for? Look at the teaser. Do you find it interesting? No, then very well. Yes, then click in and take a look. Do you like the writing style? Are you getting into the narrative?... etc. You know, like, same standards you would have for any other kind of fic. Not feeling like you want to read about a new character? Cool, no problem at all, click away. But I do not think that the current difference in number of views is just based on whether readers are interested in reading about a new character or not. In fact, that's what I want it to be. Show me that "true" difference, the one without the stigma behind it, because, as the same goes for every kind of stigmatized community, you're not receiving the proportionate amount of positive feedback, but what's worse is you can't even trust the criticism you receive. If no one engages, or someone gives a negative feedback, how am I supposed to know if it's because my writing is bad? or my teaser wasn't interesting? or my character was badly written/designed? Or if it was to a certain extent, bcs of the stigma? I do want criticism, of course I do, it's the first step to every improvement, and I would love it if I could get feedback that I can trust. (and this brings us to the truely "oppressed" community of the fanfic world, the people who write very good but cant write interesting teasers//jk)

7. the entirely skippable straw man rant part, also the expression of my love for The Magnus Archives.

some straw man: if you like writing your own characters so much, why not just write your own story entirely? and publish it?

You think I'm not annoyed about that? Here's the thing, I LIKE THIS WORLD I READ FROM THIS BOOK/SOME OTHER FORM OF MEDIA OR WHATEVER, I like it, it's brilliant, I want to write for it, about it, be in it, think about it, read about it, engage in whatever way I can. I CAN'T just "go write my own." And who do you think is more annoyed about not being able to publish the stuff? (According to you) I have written something that is potentially publishable (thank you btw I know you don't exist and is a strawman I invented just now but I've gotta get my compliments where I can//Jk), and I can't publish it in any potentially big way (and rightfully not) because I have no copyright over the characters. I worked hard to design my character, to make the plot meaningful, and to study the original canon plot and characters so that it would all fit together (I mean, partially bcs I can't force myself to sit down and write sth that is any less complex), and I can't actually publish it where more people will read it. And of course, on top of that, even less people will feel like reading once that "original character" tag is up. Does it look like I would be here if I could "just write my own"?

(slight tangent but come on what even is "your own"? how many classic European lit books were just fanfics of each other which were all just fanfics of the Bible or Greek mythology or sth? Stories and symbols have no boundaries it's the economic system that drew those.)

Damn this got way longer than I thought and it's morning now😂 guess I ran out of space to actually promote my fic, might have to do that in a seperate post then. But to anyone who actually read up to here, I'm so sorry for wasting your time no but srsly thanks for reading all of these jumbled thoughts, and good luck with whatever you are working on at the moment, I know you're probably working on something if you're reading through these tags. And of course good luck to the tma folk we're gonna face the end together🙏. good night (I should rly go to sleep now😂)

#the magnus archives #fanfiction #original character #self insert #discourse #literature #tma