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prismarts · 3 years

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2020 Creator’s Self-Love Extravaganza!!

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 8 favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Thank you @roninreverie for the tag!

Let’s see... 2020... what am I most proud of from this year???

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1. A Bond That Lasts Centuries

My Douxilly au fanfic inspired by @alovesongshewrote ‘s Almost A Thousand Years, it’s pretty much my first continuous fanfic that I am still working on for the next part (sorry, if I kept any of you waiting for it xD).

I was super inspired by AATY but was incredibly nervous about turning the au ramblings I came up with while reading the fic that I shared with friends into a fanfic, mostly from the fact that I might be accused of copying. But Lovesong and everyone in the Discord server as well as just my friends have been super sweet and supportive and I couldn’t be happier!

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/636032522517626880/a-bond-that-lasts-centuries-prologue

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/636033273346359296/a-bond-that-lasts-centuries-chapter-1

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/636036602881359873/a-bond-that-lasts-centuries-chapter-2

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/636037062453231616/a-bond-that-lasts-centuries-chapter-3

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/636465861108056064/a-bond-that-lasts-centuries-chapter-4

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2. Douxilly Ship Art

Self explanatory, Douxilly has been my comfort ship from the start and has been my way of getting cute ship art and practicing drawing Douxie. I am extremely proud of the progress and improvement I made in said art and absolutely adore my wizard dorks, I’m also happy that so many of you seem to like them as well and enjoyed the warm reception!

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/638253722848378880/i-was-cutting-it-close-but-here-is-my-christmas

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/635634426419822592/just-two-wizard-dorks-being-in-love-and-happy

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/635211321534758912/his-girlfriend-cat-dragon-familiar-and-demigod

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634646165441445888/is-it-way-past-halloween-and-just-weird-timing

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634729723188133889/soooo-i-was-writing-a-one-shot-but-then-i-lost

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634913728891174912/soooo-justhave-my-first-ever-time-drawing-douxie

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3. Shadowmancy (Pre Wizards Douxilly Oneshot)

Ah, my second ever oneshot posted for not only Tumblr but for the ToA fandom in general.

I am super proud of this oneshot because it was my first time delving into trying to write more magic stuff, trying to describe magical and tense scenes, writing Merlin.

But it also gave me a chance to try delving more into writing a frustrated moppet Douxie, who is just determined and impatient, writing a more timid Illy who is....honestly naive when it comes to her affection and loyalty to Douxie. It also let me explore a line from Wizards that always peeked my interest when it came to Douxie’s past, “I never had the gift for Shadowmancy”,

Overall, I’m just really proud of this one.

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634812267056283648/shadowmancy-camelot-era

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4. Selena Lucia Rica

Granted, I only made one post about her but I am really proud about how she came out design wise and am working on developing her backstory right at this moment as well as making Zolena art!

I think what I loved most was how many of my friends from the Douxie server were so excited in helping me design our werewolf bab, it was honestly a group effort and it makes her all the more special! Expect more of this bab soon! Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/638556968441790464/i-almost-forgot-to-post-her-and-that-is-a-crime

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5. Birthday Surprise (Pre Wizards Douxilly Oneshot)

The first oneshot I ever posted here and for the ToA fandom!

In all honesty, I just enjoyed how fluffy it is xD.

This was my first time attempting to write moppet Douxie and also trying to write his and past Illy’s friendship as well as her one sided affection for him. It was also my first time writing Archie, if I am not mistaken and I really wanted to give him and Illy a sibling like relationship.

I’m just proud of how fluffy this came out!

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634741321060564992/birthday-surprise-camelot-era

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6. Douxie Discord Server Art

OOOoooOOHHH BOY!!!

Joining the Douxie server on Discord has definitely helped me expand in my art, and by that, I mean, I started drawing cool concepts, cute concepts and just cursed......

Just cursed art.

That being said, it was absolutely fun and has been quite the adventure, you guys are a riot and I love you all xD

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/635914679486709760/just-something-dumb-and-fun-after-the-stuff-we

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/636493996173197312/i-im-honestly-not-sure-how-to-feel-about-this

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/638004381489496064/did-this-purely-spawn-from-the-fact-that

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/638345362691719168/discord-shenanigans-that-resulted-in-imagining

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/638578308266721280/this-is-what-happens-when-i-get-nostalgic-and

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7. Happy Birthday Douxie! (Art and Oneshot)

Haha, I enjoyed making these,

Now, I won’t say they are my best work but I did immensely enjoy doing special things for my comfort wizard’s birthday! It was also just fun to work on birthday themed stuff so closely to my own birthday.

For the art, I would say it was great to get more practice drawing Nari and Archie, I really loved how they turned out and I can’t wait to draw them more. Oh! also the lighting, I’m still practicing but I was proud of how it turned out!

The oneshot, again, not my best but I loved getting to delve into Illy’s dynamic with Archie and Nari and giving them some special family bonding, trying to make Douxie a birthday cake. Plus, the chaos of it all was super fun!

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/635211321534758912/his-girlfriend-cat-dragon-familiar-and-demigod

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/635397253786402816/happy-birthday-douxie

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8. Illyria Calypso

And last but certainly not least, Illy!

The very oc that began my journey on Tumblr and into joining this wonderful fandom!

I’d like to give a special thanks to my friend, @legendling for convincing me to create the lovable dork in the first place! Everyone, you can thank Leg! She is just a special oc to me, like many of my ocs, I enjoyed creating her and inserting her into the world of Tales of Arcadia and exploring her place in this world and in the lives of not only my comfort character, Douxie but also the other characters I adored so much from this series.

And the fact that so many of you loved her and instantly welcomed her existence makes me extremely happy, you guys are amazing and made me and Illy feel so welcomed in this space and I love you all!

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634626258919178240/soooooo-this-is-my-bab-xd-illyria-calypso-former

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634638299911356416/illyria-calypso-backstory-camelot

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634641323053465600/i-did-say-i-have-a-few-things-i-came-up-with-that

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634644004924964864/more-character-relationship-stuff-cause-yes-so

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634649103598534656/illy-in-wizards-episode-1-spellbound

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634654231157227520/illy-in-wizards-episode-2-history-in-the-making

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Seriously, all of you guys, my friends and followers are what made this year amazing! I love you guys! Tags: @yagirlcheesely , @prezzole , @tales-of-hisirdoux , @alovesongshewrote , @legendling , @blixeon , @soni-dragon , @generalfandomsofthefreak , @bernie-the-nugget , @furblrwurblr , @krelitobxby , @wizardalienhunter , @moppetwithamanbun , @valentimmy , @roninreverie , @pinkflash4627 , @angeliatheturkishdelight

#toa wizards #toa douxie #douxie #hisirdoux #douxie casperan #hisirdoux casperan #douxilly #douxie x oc #toa archie #toa merlin #toa nari #toa zoe #zolena #proudest work in 2020 #2020 creator's self love

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hanniiesuckle17 · 4 years

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Little Stars

A/n: THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR 1.5K!!! THISMEANS SO MUCH TO ME SO HERES A LITTLE IMAGINES I WROTE OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD THAN K YUO GUYS AGain

(this is way longer than I thought it would be! also not edited lol sorry)

Word Count: 3.4k

Warnings: maybe like one or two curse words, sexual tension??

Summary: Y/n is an up and coming artist. The problem is her collection deadline is one past up and coming. Lacking motivation since the job was assigned she is stuck the day before her deadline with no paintings or photos and thoroughly depressed. That is until shes see inspiration outside her window. Inspiration by the name of Lee Felix.

Genre: Fluff, strangers to ‘lovers’,

✧

Empty. My brain was empty. I had two months. Two months to come up with a small exhibit for a local gallery I was signed to. Two months. For five paintings. Or photos. Or both. TOO MANY DECISIONS. Decisions...granted I should have made...two months ago.

I sat near the biggest window in my apartment. Sunlight streamed through the glass, casting a natural glow on the stark white canvas. I just needed a theme. A subject. I know! I could do a five-part exhibition on tea kettles!

“Oh for pete’s sake, I’m going crazy,” I said head in my hands.

I can’t paint teapots. Flowers are overdone. What the hell am I supposed to paint? This exhibition was a huge deal. I had nothing and my deadline was tomorrow night.

That’s it. I’m done. My short career is finished. I should just throw away all my paints and pencils and chalk and coal and trash all the canvases that littered my apartment. I glanced at my phone which sat a few feet away from me on a small wooden table littered with tubes of paint and jars filled with brushes and blades covered in paint.

An hour had passed and I still had yet to touch my brush to the canvas. Groaning, I rested my forehead against the linen canvas. “Come on, Y/n. Search your artsy soul for inspiration.” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I tried to imagine the canvas being filled by something beautiful. Something worthy of love and legacy. Something that could burn a hole in my life and set it on fire. Something to ignite my passion again.

When I opened them, of course, the canvas was still empty and my brain was too.

With the thousandth aggravated sigh of the hour, I sat up and looked out the huge window near me. My eyes caught on a flash of blonde hair. Down on the street, a boy with light hair and bright eyes was bouncing along with two other boys. They were joking around and laughing, as people who’s entire job wasn’t on the line would do. For some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

All of a sudden I could see the brush strokes of his hair on my canvas. The delicate lines of his eyes. I needed to paint him.

I launched myself out of the chair and rushed to the door. My feet took the stairs two at a time and I jumped the last three before sprinting out onto the street. My head turned in all directions trying to find the boy I saw from my window. Once again, I found his blonde mop bouncing and laughing down the street, away from my apartment.

“Hey!” I called out, running to catch up.

Good grief boys walk fast. “Hey! You! With the blonde hair!” At my words, the three boys turned around, astonished someone was running at them. After a few words, the boys started running away. “No! Wait! I need to talk to the Blonde Guy!” I yelled out of breath. Desperate, I ran after them. Thankfully they turned down an alley only a few feet away that I knew was a dead end.

I put my hands on my knees catching my breath. The three boys stared at me a little fearful. “Look, I just need to talk to Goldilocks. I saw him from my window and there was just something about you. It inspired me.”

“Well... yeah. We’re kind of famous. We get that a lot.” The boy with doe-like eyes and dark, almost black hair said like it was obvious. The boy with blonde hair elbowed him in the stomach making the other laugh.

“You’re famous?” I asked, finally standing upright. They looked between each other surprised.

“You don’t know who we are?” The youngest looking asked. He reminded me of a fox I painted once. “Sorry. We thought you were a crazy fan.” To be honest I hadn’t really been keeping up with the news or popular things lately. I had been holed up in my apartment trying to paint. “We’re from a group called Stray Kids. I’m Jeongin. The rude guy is Jisung, and that’s Felix.”

My eye immediately darted to the boy now known to me as Felix. “Felix...” I said looking him over. He was even more entrancing up close. He had soft sun spots dancing across his cheeks and nose that brightened up his face. Freckles. How cute. How different.

“Yeah...what’s your name?”

“Uh- I’m Y/n, Y/n L/n.”

Jeongin’s eyes widened. “Hyung! Isn’t she that painter that Hyunijn likes? He dragged us to that gallery last year to see her stuff.” Jisung nodded and looked from me back to Felix. “Our friend loves your stuff. He made us take a bunch of pictures of him in front of it.”

“Oh, that’s awesome.” I couldn’t take my eyes off Felix, and he noticed.

“Do you think we could like buy a painting off you? That would shut him up for like a solid six months.” Jisung said pulling out his wallet. “How much are we talking?”

“For something I have with me? Not in a gallery? Probably like....Fifteen.” I said, still quite distracted. My imagination was spiraling out of control with how I wanted to paint the boy in front of me. How I wanted to capture his image. Photograph him.

“Fifteen bucks? Great! That’s awes-”

“Fifteen hundred.”

Felix burst into laughter as the look on Jisung’s face fell. His hand was frozen, extended out in front of him, already prepared to give me fifteen dollars. My heart skipped a beat watching Felix’s bright grin. He practically glowed.

“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll let you choose any painting you want from my apartment and I’ll sign it for...Hyunjin, was it?” The boys nodded. “I’ll give it to you if Felix will help me finish my new exhibition. It shouldn’t take long. I’ll even-”

“Sure.”

Felix shrugged with a small smile, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He looked me over with a soft and happy gaze. It seemed I intrigued him as much as he intrigued me.

“My apartment is just around the corner.”

“Cool. Just a heads up, I’ve never modeled except for like album jackets and stuff.”

“Don’t worry about it.” The closer he got, the harder it was not to smile. Jisung and Jeongin were joking behind us, something about Felix finally getting into a pretty girl’s apartment, but it all kind of faded away as I walked back with Felix. I felt the passion to paint again burning in my stomach.

✧

Felix patiently waited as I opened the door to my apartment. When we entered I hastily cleaned up some random junk cluttering the counters as he looked around. There was nothing I could do about the multiple canvases lying in stacks all around the living room.

“Wow. You are really good.” He said looking at a large canvas painted with bright and happy colors near my kitchen. Why did the compliment feel different coming from him?

“Thank you very much. I’ve had a bit of a dry spell recently.”

“For how long?”

“Give or take three months.”

Felix chuckled and looked at the other paintings near him. While he explored my art-filled apartment, I set up my camera on a tripod near the window and adjusted the position of my easel. “So, how is this gonna work?”

“Um...I’m not entirely sure. I’ve never been inspired like this before. I really have no idea what medium I’ll end up using...so I’m sort of using...all of them.” Felix laughed again watching me frantically prepping everything I could possibly need. I didn’t miss the lingering stares he cast my way.

“We’re doing photos? Should I like put on a base or something?”

“NO!” He was a little shocked at my outburst. He probably wasn’t used to being photographed without makeup. “Sorry. I just- I don’t want you covered up. I want to paint everything. Everything about you.” I looked to see a shy blush on Felix’s face as he came to stand near me by the window.

“So, I sit here?” He motioned to the windowsill, overlooking the street on which I discovered him. The light hit him perfectly, bouncing of his cheekbones and practically giving him a halo.

I nodded quietly and adjusted a few settings on my camera before returning to my easel. Felix looked at me with a smile. I laughed seeing he was trying to pose and stay very still.

“You don’t have to do that. I’ll ask you to be still if I need to.”

The sound of the camera clicking filled the apartment as Felix watched me paint him. The lines came easy to me as if I had painted him many times before. He watched as I painted the lines of his face and his eyes quickly appeared on the canvas, staring back at me just like he was.

“Do you want some music? This will take a while. I’ve got five pieces to do.” Felix chuckled, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down and his eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

“Music would be wonderful.” With a smile, I shoved my wet paintbrush behind my ear, streaking my cheek and possibly my hair, and shuffled over to turn on my stereo. Felix let a curious grin slip onto his lips. “Classical?”

“Do you like it? It helps me focus.” He nodded and looked out the window. His eyes closed as the sound of soft violins floated through the apartment. “So, Felix, what’s your favorite book.” He was a little shocked at the random question, but that happy smile returned.

“Ummm...let’s see,” While he thought I continued painting, the basics of his face and form already done. I quickly painted the window and background so I could go back to focusing on the shadows and details of Felix’s face. My hands worked quickly, shading in the dark patches behind the cushions and curtains.

“Peter Rabbit.”

“Like the kid’s book?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing! It’s just different. I knew there was something special about you.” I said with a laugh, grabbing a smaller brush and looking at the shadows behind Felix. He tilted his head, resting it on the window.

“Why did you pick me?”

The movement of my brush stopped. My eyes met the dark brown stare Felix held. He smirked noticing the heat rushing to my cheeks. “I thought you looked like a shooting star.” His eyebrows rose and he tried not to laugh.

“That’s quite the artist's answer.”

“Well, I am an artist.”

He chuckled and started playing with the edge of his sleeve. “So, a shooting star?” Again, I blushed. The painting was almost finished I just needed to finish the details of his eyes and cheeks. “Yeah. I don’t know. You just seemed so full of life. Something fleeting. Something...ephemeral.”

“Ephemeral? As in not lasting? What am I supposed to turn into dust after you’ve finished with me?” He laughed, his eyes crinkling. My eyes trailed down his cheeks to look at the stars dancing across his skin. The freckles scattered about his cheeks. Delicately, I began placing each and every spot as Felix told me about his life.

“It’s finished.”

“Can I see?” He said jumping up from the window sill. I shook my head and grabbed the still wet canvas. “Come on, Y/n! Let me see!” He chased me around the living room trying to carefully grab the painting. I laughed when his arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me to him.

“You can see it when the collection is complete! We have more art to make!” He laughed and let me place the painting away to dry. Together we walked over back to the window and he sat back down, watching me expectantly.

I scanned through the photos the camera captured. They were fantastic. They were the perfect candids. I could edit these into black and white and it would be gorgeous. Felix came to look over my shoulder. He gasped at the pictures.

“How the hell did you do that?” Felix gently took the camera and scrolled through the pictures. “Seriously. You were busy painting. How did you do this?” I shrugged and cleaned some of my brushes while he looked through the photos.

“Sometimes it is not about the angle or the position. It’s just what the subject is doing or feeling.” I took the camera and scrolled to a certain picture. “Like this one.” Felix looked at the picture. It was him leaning against the window, his eyes crescents and aimed somewhere off frame. “Do you know when this was?” He shook his head and looked to me.

“When I called you a shooting star.” Felix looked at the photo again, seeing it in a new light.

“So, what’s next?”

I felt so close to Felix. Like I had known him for years. Had it really only been a few hours? My eyes traced the lines of his shoulders and back. The perfect canvas.

“Can I...paint on you?”

His eyes widened for a millisecond and he let out a breathy laugh. “Have you done it before?” I shrugged and wiped my paint stained hands on my jeans. When I looked up he had moved a little closer.

“I’ve never really wanted to. Like I said, I don’t want to capture your image...covered up. It should be seen naturally.”

Felix smiled. “So, where are we doing this?” He said softly. My heart thumped against my chest. I pointed to an open space on the wood floor and he nodded. I grabbed some body paints I had lying around in a cabinet and brought them over to Felix.

“Let me know if anything gets uncomfortable and I’ll stop.” He nodded and slipped his shirt over his head. I motioned for him to lie on his stomach and he followed my instruction. Felix shivered when his tan skin touched the cool wood floor.

“What got you into painting?” Felix asked, resting his head on his arms. I picked out the brush I wanted to start with. My palm rested on his shoulder as the brush hovered over his back.

“I’m not really sure. You see...I really sucked at math.”

Felix let out the largest laugh, one that shook his whole chest. I took the opportunity to start painting. Soon his lower back was filled with swirling colors of blues and purples. “Is everything okay?” Felix asked, interrupting his own story.

“Yeah, just an awkward angle.”

“You can adjust if you want to. I don’t mind.” My skin started to crawl when Felix turned to me in the eye. Like he was inviting me to come even closer to him. He smiled at the blush on my cheeks before turning his head away. Hesitantly, I situated myself above Felix, slowly resting some of my weight on the lowest part of his back possible. I saw him smile when he felt my knees on either side of his hips.

Felix continued his story about something one of his friends named Chan did the other night. The sound of his low voice mixed with the music still playing guided my brush like it had a mind of its own. When I looked at my work, a nebula with hundreds of little stars was born onto his skin.

“I think it’s done.”

Carefully, I got off of Felix and helped him up. I set the camera up again and it started taking pictures. Taking Felix’s hand I pulled him in front of the lens and positioned him with his back towards the camera. He watched me as I positioned his body, my hands unintentionally lingering on his shoulders.

Felix turned to me as I began to pull away. “I didn’t know art could be so intimate.” I looked down to see his hand on my arm, his body was slightly turned at the waist towards me and his eyes bore into mine. Never had I felt this passionate about something other than art. I liked Felix. A lot. More than I should admit after just meeting the man. “Is it supposed to be like this?”

I shook my head, hoping he wouldn't notice I stepped closer. “No,” His hand slid around the base of my back. “Maybe you are a shooting star. I couldn’t have wished for something this incredible.” He smiled and looked down at me.

“Can I kiss you? Sorry...I just-”

“You really didn’t have to ask.” Felix, let out a small laugh, almost a giggle, making me smile. My fingers traveled up his neck and into the edge of his blonde hair. “Well, are you gonna do it or are you gonna chicken out, Felix?”

“Oh shh.”

His lips tasted like strawberries. He was gentle and slow, like he was savoring every moment. When he pulled away I rested my forehead against his. “I do not regret putting off my work until the last minute.” He laughed, his eyes brightening and lighting up the whole room.

✧

Standing in the gallery felt like a second home. My exhibition hung on the wall .It was one of my greatest yet. The gallery had given me an extension after seeing the semi-finished product. A group of rowdy boys walked towards me, a familiar and handsome face leading them.

“Y/n!” He called, running up and greeting me with a kiss. The other seven boys followed after him. One of the taller ones hung towards the back clearly nervous.

“You must be Hyunjin?” I asked reaching for his hand. His eyes widened and he shook my hand vigorously. His sharp features lifted into a grin and he laughed. “You might want to let go of my hand eventually.”

“Oh. Sorry. I’m just such a big fan.”

“I know. Felix has told me all about you. I’ve got a painting signed for you in my car.” Hyunjin’s jaw dropped and I swear he almost fell backwards had Jisung not been there to catch him.

“So, what is your collection called?” The boy Felix pointed out to me as Chan asked. Felix proudly wrapped an arm around my waist as I guided the group to the first piece.

“It’s called Little Stars.” Felix, blushed when I lightly pinched his cheek. The boys marveled at the first painting. It was one of Felix sitting in my window. It was the only piece in color. We moved on to the second piece. The photo I had shown Felix of him smiling.

The next photo was a frame I had cropped to show just his eyes. Even in black and white Felix still managed to bring color and life with just a single look. “Wow, Felix! I had no idea you were this cool looking!” Minho said, marveling at the photograph. Felix kicked him as we moved forward.

The second to last photo showed the painting I did on Felix’s back. He was completely turned away from the camera, but you could see my hands on his shoulder and waist. I had edited the photo so just my hands and arms were seen. Felix smiled and kissed the top of my head before the both of us led the group to the exhibit finale.

“DAMN FELIX!” Jisung yelled.

“Jisung. We are in an art gallery. Don’t yell.” Chan scolded.

“Sorry, but Felix got game.”

I laughed and looked at the photo; it was my favorite. Felix was half turned towards me but you could still see the nebula and stars on his back, his hand was gripping my waist tightly and he smiled down at me, our foreheads pressed together. You could see my fingers pulling away from the base of his hair, giving movement to the photo.

“This is incredible, Y/n.”

“Well, it’s all you so I should say so.” He kissed my cheek with that bright smile of his. “You really are my shooting star. I’m getting everything I could ever wish for.”

✧

Requests are open, my lovelies!

Masterlist

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myriadimagines · 3 years

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End Of The Year Faves 2020!

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 8 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome work!

i was tagged by the lovely @lxncelot & @musicallisto !!!

i’ve only written 10 one shots this year since i stopped taking requests rip. i only ended up picking 5 of them bc i didnt like the rest. also i love talking about the behind the scenes of writing like its just so fun. i literally went through my revision history in my google docs to see how i wrote these akjsdhasjd so literally........... if anyone wants to talk to me about a piece........... just shoot me an ask bc i will gladly tell u all about it

1. Lifetimes (Sebastien le Livre)

this might be my number one bc it’s the most recent and i havent decided i hate it yet but wrote this as an alternative to therapy lmfaooooooo and it’s been a month but um. it still hurts. but anyway, i started off with the below paragraph:

And Booker has centuries of pain under his belt. Endless years of trauma that he cannot even begin to unpack. But you don’t have centuries. You don’t have lifetimes to reconcile with all the cruelty in the world — you just have one, and Booker knows he of all people should know just how much hurt one lifetime can contain.

and just worked around it, bc i was just really obsessed with the concept of having multiple lifetimes and all that, and just the fact that life has so much pain and hurt and it just sucks. i edited the first sentence for the final but otherwise it’s the same. i think i came up with some pretty good lines in this if i do say so myself, and i mentioned it in the a/n, but i intended for it to be longer but didn’t want to push it after i feel like i had written all i wanted to. i just wanted someone to hold me and comfort me clearly.

2. Cursed Blood (Renfri)

i am obsessed with renfri as a character and her whole story, and the whole concept of her being cursed just felt like something that i really wanted to explore and write about. these were the first lines i wrote for the piece:

But every time you kiss her, you swear that it’s impossible her lips could be poison. Or perhaps you grew so used it, that the poison tasted sweet.

i ended up editing this a lot for the final version, but a trend in my writing seems to be i always come up with how to end a piece and just work around it. i really enjoyed going into depth into renfri’s character and it kinda felt more like a character study than a reader insert? but eventually i found a way to work the reader in there and i liked where the story went, bc renfri deserves happiness and someone to be there for her.

3. Roadside (Robin Buckley)

still in shock at how many notes this one got and i am forever grateful to everyone who reblogged/left comments!!! this was for lacey’s ( @moonlit-imagines ) writing challenge, and idk why when i saw the prompt i immediately decided to use robin. for this one, i actually started with the beginning, which was the prompt, “Let’s take a walk. Just you and me.”

i mentioned this in the a/n, but i planned it to be a lot more angsty and wasn’t even planning on ending it on a happy note askjdhaksd the original plot i had in mind was that robin and the reader were into each other but were dancing around each other’s feelings. so one night, the reader drunkenly kisses steve at a party to try and make robin jealous, but it ends up just causing a rift between robin and the reader even after they confess their feelings. here is a part i wrote for the original plot before i decided to scrap it and go with the final plot.

“Look, I don’t even care if you and Steve get together.” Robin waves her hand, and you’re not used to seeing such disappointment on your best friend’s face as she lets out a shaky breath. She looks as if she’s struggling to collect herself before she asks, “I just… why did you lie to me?”

“I didn’t.” you desperately blurt, and Robin’s eyebrows furrow. Shaking your head, you take a step towards her as you explain, “I didn’t lie, Robin, I swear. I don’t like Steve. What happened at the party meant nothing—”

Robin scoffs. “Then why—”

“—because I wanted you to see.” you finally confess, and Robin stares at you. You’re shaking, tears welling in your eyes as you continue, “Because I thought I could make you jealous, because I was just too afraid to make a move and wanted you too. And I know that’s silly of me, and I never meant to hurt your feelings—”

i changed the plot because i didn’t think i could pull it off, and i didn’t know how to fully end it. i liked where it ended up going anyway after the change of direction so all good!!

4. Games (Michael Gray)

so this was inspired by a gif imagine request that @fangirlsarah16 sent me, which you can find here!! you can literally see me already plotting for the piece in the tags aksjdha i just loved how angsty the situation was, and i love michael, so i decided to just run with it. i put what i had already written into a document and just pieced everything in around it. this is definitely one of my more dramatic pieces, but i just loved how the story came together and how all the other characters were included.

i already planned to write a part 2 while i was still writing this piece, but obviously that hasnt happened yet. also i got discouraged bc i thought it would do better in terms of notes but oh well. i wrote around 300 words of where i wanted part 2 to go, and i still have it saved, but i dont want to share it in case i end up writing it. also, i have 2 plots in mind for where i want part 2 to go, and haven’t decided which one i want to go with. we’ll have to wait and see i guess >:)

5. Off Limits (Cassian Andor)

ah yes, the first in my rewrite project that is going along very slowly. basically, im planning on rewriting my super old one shots in hopes that i’ll like them. i swear i’ve got the next one shot in my drafts but i just havent had the time to finish it yet. anyway, the original piece, which i wrote 4 years ago (!!!!), was the piece that really got my blog started and helped me get activity/attention, and it has around 500 notes, which kinda makes the new version look depressing bc it only has 97 and it’s definitely a lot better in my opinion.

i don’t really have a detailed process for this one, seeing as i was just improving upon an old piece, but one of the main things i did want to change was cassian’s characterisation. i felt like i just made him too mean in my old piece, and i wanted to loosen him up a bit. i managed to bang this one in one day and i just think it’s some cute content and i miss the rogue one squad!!

i’m tagging @moonlit-imagines @emcon-imagines @lotsoffandomimagines @dannyboy-writes @murswrites @randomfandomimagine @sonsofeorl @spxder-mxns & all other content creators that see this!! i’m definitely missing a lot but everyone should share their favorite pieces from this year :’)

#s talks #tag game

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Demon Slayer: Mugen Train’s Success And Why Anime Will Never Be the Same

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When Mugen Train rolled into U.S. theatres on April 23, a world of new and exciting possibilities opened up for the anime industry. Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer): Mugen Train broke box office records after dethroning long-standing record holder, Spirited Away, to become the highest-grossing anime film worldwide with $440.15 million.

Needless to say, the anime world has been shaken to its very core. With a surge of people picking up Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba as their first-ever anime after hearing of its global success, anime veterans may be wondering just how the industry will continue to grow from here on out. Let’s take a look at how a touching story about a boy and his sister rose to such critical acclaim and managed to break every record imaginable.

What is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba?

Demon Slayer (sometimes referred to by its Japanese title Kimetsu no Yaiba) follows the life of a young teenager—Tanjiro—as he tries to free his sister—Nezuko—from a demon’s curse. Wanting to return her to a human, as well as seek revenge against the mystery assailant who murdered his family, Tanjiro sets out on an adventure across the globe in search of answers. The series ran for 26 episodes in the Spring of 2019 on several Japanese networks (including; Tokyo MX, GTV, GYT, BS11) and later aired on US networks (including Adult Swim and Toonami) and also streaming sites such as Funimation. The show was well-received and quickly amassed a following of loyal fans.

However, after Mugen Train was released in cinemas, it gained traction from several atypical news outlets (the LA Times for example) due to the sheer amount of money it was generating. It seemed like people who weren’t fans of the original series, nor fans of anime in general were lining up for the chance to watch Mugen Train. It begs the question; just why is Mugen Train so popular?

The Simple But Effective Plot

One of the leading reasons linked to the success of Mugen Train is the franchise’s accessibility. The premise is fairly easy to understand (a tale of unconditional sibling love) and while the fantasy elements of demons and magic remain prevalent, they are not bogged down in reams of exposition.

This allows anyone to pick up the show with relative ease.

However, for those that stick around, the deceptively simple premise explodes into a wonderfully rich and layered world with thoroughly interesting characters each fleshed out with their own backstories and surprising plot developments that keep the simple premise engaging for so many episodes. All in all, Kimetsu no Yaiba’s plot is simple at first glance but those who look a little closer will see a gripping narrative that has clearly been meticulously cared for.

Awesome Animation

The animation quality is of the highest standard in both Demon Slayer and Mugen Train. Even those who are not particularly interested in the plot will find themselves captivated by the stunning visuals. Even smaller details like the artistically styled water that flows from Tanjiro’s sword whenever he completes an attack, are just breathtaking to see play out.

Demon Slayer does not blow its entire budget on animating great fight scenes, however. The slower-paced moments are animated beautifully and the varied facial expressions lent to each character make for some hilarious interactions. Zenitsu (one of Tanjiro’s friends) in particular has an expressive face (not to mention the stellar voice acting quality of both him and his ensemble cast) which makes each episode’s action lulls a delight.

The Excellent Source Material

A lot of anime are not created from the ground up. While several original shows are produced and sent straight to TV screens, a lot of anime emerge from their respective manga sources. Demon Slayer is no exception here, as the manga continues to release issues periodically, with a story that has long since moved past the events in Mugen Train.

Koyoharu Gotouge—the mangaka mastermind behind the Kimetsu no Yaiba series—has created a stunning piece of art in the form of his manga. Due to this, the animation will always have the inspiration to draw from (granted that it leaves enough space between its most recent episode and the most recently released chapter of the manga). Of course, several scenes will need to be created to fill in the gaps between manga panels, but the base storyline is there for the taking and will continue to be so as long as Koyoharu doesn’t get bored!

Charting the Show’s Success

Demon Slayer’s rise in popularity was remarkable. The show was fairly unknown in its manga form (at least compared to the audience it reaches today). However, this is par for the course for most manga. Without the aid of television advertisements, promotions, and other ways for the story to be advertised, manga sales will rarely result in such a worldwide phenomenon. All of this changes, however, when a manga receives its anime adaptation.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Breaking Down Every Sword Color

By Daniel Kurland

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 2 – What to Expect from Entertainment District Arc

By Daniel Kurland

The manga was first published in Japan in 2016 but when the anime released in 2019, it steadily grew in popularity and, as such, entered into sponsored collaborations with various companies throughout Japan. Being a Shounen manga (an easy-to-digest, light-hearted, usually battle-oriented, anime aimed towards young boys) only added to its accessibility, and with Tanjiro’s face being plastered wherever you go in Japan, there was more incentive than ever to join the bandwagon! All of this then culminated in the release of Mugen Train. Having been bombarded with Demon Slayer since its anime release of course the many fans that had been created through its wide coverage would check out the movie.

Make the World Take Notice

All of these positive qualities helped Mugen Train stand out from the crowd of its animated competitors, making it a great watch for the whole family. It goes without saying that parents will be much more inclined to take their children to see a movie that they themselves can find some form of enjoyment out of. Mugen Train, with its perfectly blended cocktail of an animated movie, capitalized on this perfectly. It provided not only stylistic and bombastic action to keep the kids entertained, but also a beautifully crafted and surprisingly deep story that teenagers and even adults can enjoy.

The impact Mugen Train has left on the anime industry is gigantic and, hopefully, we see more care and consideration being given to animated works. Long has a stigma engulfed the world of cartoons. “Cartoons are for children”, “Anime is childish” or “They’re not real movies”, have always been popular arguments of the naysayers. Mugen Train crushes this ideology and proves that anyone, of any age, can find enjoyment in watching anime. Similar to how the Korean Oscar winner Parasite opened the door for foreign films to make their stand at international film festivals, Mugen Train has made it clear that anime is a commercial force to be reckoned with.

The Future of Anime

The popularity of anime is ever-rising and Mugen Train has played a huge role in this. Lesser discussed shows may be picked up by Western television or streaming platforms due to their niche demand. There already exist several ways to stream anime in the Western world. Sites like Crunchyroll and Netflix offer a wide variety to choose from. Hopefully they will be expanding their libraries even further in the near future

In the future, we may find ourselves witnessing more and more anime theatrical releases from studios wanting to capitalize on Mugen Train’s success (post-pandemic, of course). It is evident that animated works can create just as much money as big blockbuster action flicks. Perhaps, we may also see an animated feature film win not only the best-animated picture award but the best picture award in general at the Oscars.

We may also see a rise in the popularity of manga. For one month, in fact, Kimetsu no Yaiba’s manga managed to surpass One Piece in overall sales (something absolutely unheard of since the advent of the unstoppable freight train that is the One Piece manga). Many people became so enthralled by the adventures of Tanjiro and his peers, that they could not help but pick up the manga to check out what happens next. Perhaps, thanks to Mugen Train and Kimetsu no Yaiba’s influence, we will see the birth of a new generation of manga fanatics who will, without a shadow of a doubt, preach to anime viewers that the manga version is “InFiNiTeLy SuPeRioR”.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Eager fans can watch Mugen Train at select theaters across North America, with the rest of the world hopefully being able to watch sometime this year. Let us know what you think of Mugen Train! What anime are you watching to fill the long and grueling wait for Kimetsu no Yaiba season two? Comment down below!

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is available on VOD in North America now.

The post Demon Slayer: Mugen Train’s Success And Why Anime Will Never Be the Same appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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lavendergrace13 · 4 years

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riptide - a TS8 album concept

So... I saw a lot of album concepts going around online and I got inspired to create my own. Here’s ‘’riptide’’, an album that is like Lover and reputation’s love child with RED lyrics and Speak Now vibes. It’s pop country with a lot of other influences.

The idea behind this album would obviously be the riptide and how it can confront you with good and bad stuff as well as wash away both the good and the bad. It’s a representation of how Taylor has grown and how much she has learned over the course of her life and her career, and there’s a lot of different styles on it. It’s very reflective, maybe a little darker, but with a lot of love and light as well. Promo for it would start in early summer, with a September release. - because in September everything is brand new and as a nod to ‘’you’ll have new Septembers.’’ She’d announce it with a special video of her standing at the beach, what we will later learn is the location for the album photoshoot, telling us that this is a continuation of Lover’s vulnerability and reputation’s power. The era will have a lot of photoshoots, interviews for magazines and a lot of performances and singles, and she will bring back the polaroids. However, tis will also be a closer look into what her life is like now and it will help us understand more of why she has gotten so private. It really is all about where Taylor has come from and where she is now.

1. golden linings

the lead single and basically a continuation of Daylight with the use of the word ‘’golden.’’ It’s about how she’s happy now, how she has found a way to grow and evolve from everything that happens and how she has found that this is the best way to defeat the negative. Key lyric is something along the lines of ‘’baby, why settle for a silver lining when you can make it golden’’ and there’s a spoken word piece in it about turning her lessons into legacy (because this album is the very definition of that). It’s uptempo and the music video offers Easter eggs that are clear references to her earlier eras, with a lot of colors, pretty dresses and her doing a really pretty dance in the daylight.

2. welcome to court

a killer track in the same style as Cruel Summer, I Did Something Bad etc. It’s a call-out to the music industry and how that is like a corut full of intrigues and dirty games. It’s the fourth single - the first post-release - and Taylor goes all out with it by shooting the music video at a lavish castle and wearing the most awesome dresses, and it has scenes of her swordfighting, horseriding, dancing at a masquerade and being a queen. There’s also a small storyline in the lyrics about how she found ‘’a prince nor a king’’ who helped her flee. There’s Love Story references and this is heavily promoted as a diss to Scooter/Scott. It also resembles Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.

3. riptide

the title track that is like a mix of This Love and Clean and uses metaphors of the riptide. The song wins two Grammys because of the gorgeous poetic lyrics and is completely self-written and played by her on acoustic guitar (first part) and piano (second part). It’s very personal as Taylor describes the things that have been her ebb and flow. It doesn’t have a music video, but Taylor promotes it in the same kind of way as she did with her journals, but this time by releasing a poetry collection to go along with the album called riptide, which also features drawings and bonus polaroids.

4. heavenly

a mix between Holy Ground and Long Live and dedicated to her fans and how she feels when she’s performing, also dedicated to the newfound happiness she experienced during the reputation tour.

5. caged butterfly

the ‘’track 5 syndrome’’ and the track we’ve all secretly been waiting for: it’s about how she sometimes felt held captive by her record label and about what Big Machine did to her, about how she was never artistically free, but also about the things about her career that damaged her, such as body image, the fact that she couldn’t go to college or have a normal life, the mockign and all that. It’s very emotional, like a continuation of The Archer as one of her most personal songs. It’s also the longest.

6. heartstrings & headlines

a very sweet acoustic song and the second single. it’s intimate along the lines of Call It What You Want and Cornelia Street. It’s about her private relationship with Joe, and in the lyrics - it’s self-written - she uses a lot of picture details about what their life is like. It’s also about their decision to keep things private and have their own little bubble hidden away from the public eye. Key lyric: ‘’our heartstrings don’t make headlines, because they’re only yours and mine.’’ a fan favorite. the music video shows Taylor and an actor in a very cozy home, with cameos for the cats.

7. catching fireflies (ft. Kelsea Ballerini)

a classic country song and the third and final single before the release. It’s super catchy and the music video has butterfly wings, glitter, birds, sidewalk chalk, pink champagne and all those things. It’s basically It’s Nice To Have A Friend meets 22 and is about how even when things are rough and dark, there’s always fireflies, AKA bright spots AKA good things.

8. crumbled fairytale

a song that turns out to be entirely different than people initially think based on the track list: they suspect it’s sad and vulnerable, but it’s actually a feminist anthem about how girls aren’t princesses and they should shatter their glass ceilings and glass slippers and toss away their fairytales. It references the Women’s March and The Man and in the bridge she also talks about Time’s Up and #MeToo and her sexual assault trial and women in the music industry. It’s the fifth single and the music video has a variety of female-identifying fans in stunning power outfits breaking stereotypes: they each start in a princess dress and then tear it off with a sword to reveal butterfly wings.

9. one million midnights

a self-written, vulnerable song about the darker times of her life. It references a lot of ‘’2am’’-parts from previous songs when she lay awake with a broken heart or a mind wandering about insecurities or scars from what people did to her, and it’s a lot like The Archer. a song she never performs live because it’s too painful for her to think back of those times.

10. reins of fate

another song that is a deep cut and hits hard, about ow her image controlled what she did for a long time, like invisible reins in her spine from the life she chose, but not the choices se chose. It’s about how for a long time she wasn’t free to curse or drink or dress in a certain way and it’s also about her system of doing what people wanted from her or said she couldn’t do. the bridge is about cutting those reins and is very powerful.

11. rewrite the stars

a continuation of track 10, but in a more empowering way with a very alluring beat and an encouragement to take control over your story, to adjust and rewrite the stars and determine your own direction. Kind of like New Romantics.

12. picture book (ft. Selena Gomez)

the sixth single and the long awaited collab! It’s about nostalgia and growing up, referencing The Best Day and Never Grow Up, with a lot of memories and a really cute music video that resembles the Everything Has Changed one, but this time with two girls becoming best friends. There’s also some emotional parts about monsters under your bed that turn out to be nothing like the real life monsters, a nod to Out of the Woods and Soon You’ll Get Better.

13. thirteen years

a hugely emotional, acoustic, very long, self-written song about the thirteen years of her career, the significance of the number 13 and the reflection on who she was and has become. the most anticipated track. she performs it with a 13 on her hand.

14. when push comes to shore

an acoustic ballad about letting go parts of yourself, parts of your life and realizing that you also sometimes need to let people go. it’s the continuation of riptide and it’s about how when push comes to shore, you will know who you really are and what you hold close to your heart and what you can let go of. the most underrated song off of the album. it’s the seventh and final single and the music video is very serene, switching between Taylor sitting at a campfire on the beach with her guitar singing the song and her standing in the riptide.

15. slumber

a very sexy song much like Dress and False God, but on the next level, about temptation and experimenting and discovering your sex life and those slumbering moments right before or right after sex, moments when you can really feel close to someone and the whole world and everything fades.

16. olive branch (ft. Katy Perry)

the biggest surprise of the album: a song that is both upbeat and slow. it’s about forgiving people when the time is right and when you’re both better people, but also about how you sometimes don’t have to forgive, and also about how you should sometimes forgive yourself. Taylor’s quote ‘’you don’t have to forgive and you don’t have to forget, you can just move on’’ is a big part of the song’s philosophy.

17. tightrope dancer

a slow, subtle, but powerful song about a relationship when you’re so trusting of each other that you know you’ll fall together, but that you’ll also be able to do the most complicated dances and catch each other. it’s about how you can sometimes tumble off the tightrope, but how that will be okay because the other person will catch you and you’ll climb back up together, through it all, and that the tightrope will never brack. it’s a lot like Delicate and people make expressive dance videos for it.

18. love letters only

a self-written, acoustic song that is basically a letter from Taylor to herself, about everything she has learned and how she has grown. it’s about the things she’d like to say to her past self and her future self and to her current self, and there’s a lot of gorgeous self-empowerment lyrics. it becomes an instagram trend to post love letters only to yourself.

In December, Taylor surprises us with a deluxe version of the album that features five bonus tracks, all acoustic collaborations. There’s no singles or music videos, but she does release an intimate video for each song of her and the other artist in the studio performing it, much like Ed Sheeran’s Abbey Road videos. She brings those other artists out on tour frequently.

1. night dreamer (ft. Ellie Goulding)

a song about sometimes wanting to escape, run away, and laying awake at night imagining that you’d leave and build another life for yourself somewhere else, to just drop off the face of the earth to start over.

2. kaleidoscope (ft. Ed Sheeran)

much like Everything Has Changed and a fan-favorite, it’s about how each person is a kaleidoscope of so many colors and shades and that it’s always hard to figure out what someone’s true colors are, referencing the backlash Ed got for not publicly supporting Taylor while they never got any less close.

3. you never had the right (ft. Halsey)

a smash song that is very powerful, addressing everything people think they’re entitled to when you’re famous. it strongly references Taylor’s sexual assault case and her stalkers and the ‘’I want the old Taylor back’’ people.

4. heartstrong (ft. Ariana Grande)

a power ballad about being confident and strong when people give you a hard time, about standing your ground and fighting back instead of shaking it off. very strong lyrics and a lot of power notes from Ariana.

5. karma (ft. Lorde)

a ‘’welcome to court/Cruel Summer’’-esque song about fighting fire with fire and being a snake or a dragon when you are wronged, but also abotu throwing off your armor because you know fate will pull at the strings to get them what they deserve. a song, in short, about knowing when to enter and exit the battlefield.

So... what do you guys think?

#taylor swift #riptide #album concept

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teal-skull · 5 years

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My answers on Powerwolf asks

Original post here by @emmalovesfandoms

No one asked me to do this, but I wanted to do this so badly so here we go:

1. How long have you been a fan?

I’m a freaking newbie in the fandom and the answer will be embarasing: about two months.

2. Favourite Powerwolf-related picture? (post it)

This is a though one. It’s either this cute huggie picture:

Or this because of the beautiful asthetic:

3. Who is your favourite band member? Why?

It’s propably Attila or Falk. Attila’s voice is something marvelous and they both have charming personalities!

4. Do you write fanfiction? Who do you ship?

I don’t really writie fanfiction or ship (in this fandom). I have writen heavily PW inspired short story that is in the middle of a translation progess from finnish to english and hopefully it will be on the internet one day. But that’s probably conna be it. Fanart is more for me than fanfiction.

5. Which is your favourite song?

There’s a big list of those. But I’m gonna name Army of the night.

6. Which is your favourite album?

Bless & Possessed.

7. Have you seen them live? When? What was it like?

As for now, unfortunely no. In the future, yes! They write their songs with the idea of “would we want to play this live?” and otherwise simbly love playing live and want to make an amazing show, so it would be a waste not to go!

8. Favourite inside joke?

Most likely Falk and doors.

9. Favourite headcanon?

Matthew and sugar.

10. Favourite song off Return In Bloodred?

Son of the morning star

11. Favourite song off Lupus Dei?

We take it from the living

12. Favourite song off Bible Of The Beast?

Raise your fist, Evangelist

13. Favourite song off Blood Of The Saints?

Sanctified with Dynamite

14. Favourite song off Preachers Of The Night?

Preachers of the night is hard one, because all the songs equally good and the whole album is very solid. But let’s say....Extatum Et Oratum

15. Favourite song off Blessed And Possessed?

I already said Army of the night so: Higher than Heaven.

16. Favourite song off The Sacrament Of Sin?

Killers with the cross

17. Favourite bonus track? (Orchestral versions, bonus tracks off History Of Heresy II, etc)

Orchestral version of Raise your fist, Evangelist. I literaly cried when I heard that for the first time.

18. Favourite Communio Lupatum cover?

Nata Vimpi Cvrmid / IRA Sancti cover by Eluveitie. That song has such a strong goth and folk asthetic and Eluveite really knew how to make the song their own. It’s fantastic.

19. Favourite makeup era?

I pay more attention to costumes than make up tbh so based on that I would say that I really like the look of their costumes around Bless & Possessed.

20. Favourite song performed live?

Raise your fist, Evangelist

21. Do you have any merch? Show meeee!

I have a hoodie with PW sing in right sleeve and two wolfheads like Ying and Yang on the back. And of course powerwolf logo on the front.

22. Do you have a Powerwolf-related lockscreen/homescreen/desktop wallpaper? If yes, what is it?

I have B&P album cover on my computer backround.

23. Favourite lyrics?

“Born to set the world on fire”

“Hollow the damned in the art of salvation Fallen and banned and the angels die first Servant in life and elated in Eden cursed Slaves in the light from beyond Bury the night in imperial hunger Do or die in this fortress of fear Cannot deny all the wonders are sacred burst Under the weight of this world”

“Would you die for Heavy Metal? Then hear our call Raise your horns for master Satan Till the heavens fall”

“ Stand and scream for all the world today “

24. Favourite melody/instrumental?

The instumental part in Night of the werewolfs.

25. Are you in the FB meme group? Which is your favourite meme?

Nope, I don’t have FB, otherwise would be there and spam the hell out of it with my shitty PW memes.

PW memes are just Quality™

As for favorite, it’s this, because of the effort used in this needs to be appreciated:

26. Favourite Wolfsnächte 2018 recap video?

Wien, because I love that elevator scene.

27. Favourite interview?

This one with Roel.

28. Favourite A Day With Powerwolf video?

Ghäääh, propably part 2 where they are recording the drums because Attilla Blessing the studio was great.

29. Have you seen the documentary? Did you like it?

Not yet, but I plan to buy it this summer.

30. Favourite fanart?

Everything.

31. Best song to rage to?

I don’t actually see PW as a band I can really rage to. Their music is dark and epic but not as aggressive as some other artists I listen. But to name one, I would say Kreuzfeuer

32. Best song for walking fast/running after the bus?

I have a funny story for this:

I was actually late for bus and I see how it goes to the stop. I image how I turn to a wolf and hop on a roof of a house next to me and run to the buss, hop on the roof and dick my long nails on to the metal while enjoying the wind blowing though my fur. Obiously that isn’t possible but that was because I was listening to PW. I can’t remember the song though.

But I would say that Higher than Heaven is a good pick for running because of the fast tempo it has.

33. Have you ever cried over a song? Which one?

YES! Here’s a list:

Raise your fist, Evangelist (Orchestral version)

Where the wild wolfs have come

Stossgebet

IRA Sancti (Orchestral version)

34. Which was the first song you’ve heard?

The universe decided to give me Raise your fist, Evangelist on spotify. First I was like: “Hey, this is a coll intro” Then slowly I started liking the whole song. Then I listened rest of Bibble of the Beast and grew to like them. And then I went to youtube list “popular songs” and the game was lost after that point.

35. Which song made you fall in love with them?

Army of the night was the final nail to be hit as I was crusified as a PW fan.

36. Which song would you like to see them cover?

Phantom of the Opera. Simbly because Attilas opera backround and because they have Phantom of the funeral in Boold of the Saints. And because metal covers of musical songs are awesome.

37. Do you want a Powerwolf christmas album in your life?

I’m not sure. We have Raskasta Joulua thing here in Finland where metal artist make metal covers of chrismass songs and you kinda grow tired of it since it’s every year. Though it would be Powerwolf...

38. Do you have a Powerwolf tattoo? Post a pic???

Nope.

39. Have you ever DIY-ed something? A t-shirt, necklace, etc?

I don’t know it it counts that I made a necklace for Falk in art class, since we were tasked to make a accecory for a popular person...

It can’t be worn because the paint doesn’t stick in it and it has already broken. It’s also rather heavy. So it was more like 3D fanart than necklace...

I have plans for making a black stola with PW sing in it because it would be cool.

40. Which season goes best with Powerwolf’s music?

Autum or Summer, because summer is consert season.

and now my own add:

41. Favorite album cover?

Bless & Possessed

#Powerwolf #pw #long post

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obsidianarchives · 5 years

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Black Wizard History Month 2019 Round Table

Every February at Black Girls Create we celebrate Black Wizard History Month, a celebration of the Black characters of Harry Potter, Black Potterheads in fandom, and magical Black folks everywhere. This year our month-long turn up included live tweets, a live show of our #WizardTeam podcast, and fanfiction hosted through our Hogwarts BSU project.

Fanfiction is a large part of fandom, and in many cases can be a place for marginalized fans to see and write themselves into the stories they love. Hogwarts BSU is a project specifically for Black writers and artists to write stories centered around Black characters, history, and magic in the wizarding world. As a way to wrap up a jam-packed month, we decided to host a round table with a few of the writers of the pieces that came out during this year’s Black Wizard History Month.

How did you get into Harry Potter?

Bianca Ramos: When I was in 7th grade, my younger cousin was assigned books 1-3 in school. It was during the conservative Christian outrage and my family asked me to pre-read them for him since I was a "reader." I knocked them out quickly and was hooked.

Delia Gallegos: Growing up, the books always peaked my interest in the library, even though I was only 5 or 6 years old. Our household was pretty religious, so my mom was wary about letting me read them. One summer, my cousin lent me Sorcerer’s Stone while we were at my grandma’s. I only got a chapter in but I knew I HAD to read it. After a lot of begging on my part, my mom relented and agreed to let me read it under the condition that she could read the first one out loud to me. The rest was history!

Constance Gibbs: I started reading Harry Potter when I was in sixth grade and someone was reading Chamber of Secrets. I can’t remember if I read that one first or if I went to Sorcerer’s Stone, but I read all three that were out at the time and had my grandma take me to pre-order Goblet of Fire, which was about to come out. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Porshèa Patterson: In 6th grade, my then-bestie told me about the series but had already lent the first book out. That summer I picked up the books from the library after learning I'd never see this bestie again due to me changing schools. Thus, Harry Potter became my new best friend.

Have you read fanfiction before? What draws you to it? Or what kept you away from it?

Bianca: I didn't read fanfiction before getting into everything going on here at Black Girls Create. I don't know why. I guess I just never found myself on that side of the internet. Now I think I’m more open to it.

Delia: I’m a long-time fanfiction reader. I first started after the 5th book came out. At the time, it was just a matter of Harry Potter sparking my imagination and there being no material to satisfy it. So, I turned to the internet. Now, engaging with Harry Potter and the fandom in a creative way is almost second nature to me.

Connie: I didn’t start reading Harry Potter fanfiction until sometime after the series was over because I didn’t want to spoil the series as it was coming out. I think I tried in 2007, when the series first ended, but it didn’t stick. But a few years later, I read a few post-series stories. Usually shippery ones involving Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione, but I went through a big Lily/James Marauders Era phase and I occasionally read Remus/Tonks. For the romantic stories, as we discuss on #WizardTeam often, there wasn’t a lot in the text, so it’s nice to see others’ varying but often similar interpretations on how the canon relationships could have gone with more effort put into developing them. Plus I’m a fuzzy Hufflepuff.

Porshèa: I'd started reading fanfic during the lapse between books 4 and 5, began integrating them into canon thanks to some very vivid dreams, then promptly stopped reading because there were too many books to go for me to have those problems.

What made you want to start writing fanfiction?

Bianca: I was inspired by revisiting Harry Potter through #Wizard Team, by the short stories on the site, and the complete gas up I received when I shared my ideas in the Slack. The team is a wonderful place to bounce around ideas and everyone is really supportive.

Delia: I was really young (probably too young, admittedly) when I started reading fanfiction. I started writing it on a whim. It was very much, “Hey I want to do that, too!” so I did. Being that young, you really don’t care that you don’t know how to plot a story or that you haven’t even really finished learning about grammar. You just do it because it seems fun.

Connie: I’d never written fanfiction before Hogwarts BSU/#Wizard Team. I was content to lurk in whatever fandoms I was reading fic for. I think wanted to give it a try because of something Robyn and Bayana said on #WizardTeam, and that’s where my first fic, Do Black Wizards Nod, came from. The idea of whether the Black students give each other the nod and how they would deal with that. Then I kept getting prompts or fic bunnies and it feels so much easier than when I try to write original works.

Porshèa: I've recently taken to writing fanfic because I want to fill in the holes within the fandoms I love. I'm empowered to do so because of the community that BGC has curated, the validation of headcanons, and understanding that we're the best at crafting stories from our individual lenses.

What was your inspiration for your piece?

Bianca: The complete ball drop that was History of Magic in North America and J.K. Rowling ignoring valid criticism. Like most American fans, I was excited to see the wizarding world expand to include us. However, the fact that racism — RACISM — something that plays a major part in the development of the three largest countries here, isn't even recognized on a small scale is insulting to readers. You can't tell me that a country with a history as bloody and messed up as the U.S. has wizards of every racial background being besties. It's not realistic. I also understand that maybe J.K. Rowling felt unqualified to talk about it, but I believe it can be done in a way that is both careful and makes sense.

Delia: I’ve been preaching the good word of Deanmione since February 2018. Since coming aboard the ship, I’ve been surprised to find that I am pretty much the only person sailing on it. The existing fanfic of the pairing is sparse. So when To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before came out on Netflix, I fell in love again with the story (I had read the book) and the gears in my head started turning. Then, when #WizardTeam started on Half-Blood Prince, I realized that was the perfect fit.

Connie: I’ve written a few things now, but I like thinking about the Black students forming a group and watching out for each other. I was never part of a BSU, but in high school and college I went to predominantly white schools and found myself most comfortable around my peers of color. In high school it was just natural, gravity, but I think in college I sought it out more deliberately. So I could relate to Blaise’s desire to find/start a group to help him feel less alone on campus. I remember that feeling, though I can’t say I consciously channeled it when I wrote Umoja. Other inspiration included the idea of honoring Kwanzaa in a way that helped me connect with the holiday more than I do in real life, and finding a creative way to use each principal to tell a story. And further inspiration comes from Delia and the rest of the team being instigators.

"...if you want something written about Black wizards learning within the wizarding world to be done well, you've gotta roll up your sleeves and do it yourself." -- Porshèa Patterson

Porshèa: The inspiration for my piece comes from the wandless magic conversations throughout the books — specifically when it comes to powerful wizards and house-elves — the disappointment that is Magic in North America, and Uagadou. All of the missing elements in these spurred me into writing, because obviously if you want something written about Black wizards learning within the wizarding world to be done well, you've gotta roll up your sleeves and do it yourself.

What are some things in Harry Potter canon that you would like to explore or fix?

Bianca: As mentioned before, we can fix History of Magic in North America. I think that exploring the wizarding world here could be pretty awesome. I'd love to see stories of Indigenous wizards, Mexican wizards, or a story of Japanese American wizards and wizard immigrants (especially if they are written by someone in that community). Why did they decide to come here and what have they experienced and endured since? Also, we need to get rid of that "Cursed" play and Dumbledore and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day prequels.

Delia: I started as a Harmony shipper, believe it or not. I read others, but that was my OTP. I was just so underwhelmed by the romance in the books. Since the series finished, my biggest sore spot has been the Epilogue. They went through so much trauma. How did they work through it to get to that happy ending? How on EARTH did Hermione end up with emotionally stunted Ron (sorry Ronmione shippers, it’s all love)? Why is Harry not the DADA professor? I'd also love to fix Leta's story. I wish she could have a fully fledged story that isn’t based in tragedy. A story where she lives and is happy. She deserved better.

Connie: Like Bianca said, the global wizarding community is one thing I wish we could fix in canon. Jo did such a poor job of thinking of anywhere outside of Europe and it really hinders the story when considering how global both the fans and the Muggle world, even in Britain, are. I also wish we could remove Fantastic Beasts and Cursed Child from existence. I wish Fantastic Beasts starred an actor of color for Newt and that it was romps in the jungle searching for beasts and perhaps treasure. I wish they were adventure stories set in the ‘20s a la Indiana Jones or the Mummy franchise and not…what it is.

Porshèa: While there's a lot that needs to be fixed — see everyone else's answers — I think I only have the patience to 'fix' the ways in which Black American communities practice magic, the integration of magic and modern tech — because there are too many Muggle-borns for this to NOT be a thing — and wizarding higher education.

Are there Black characters in other media you would want to write fanfiction for?

Bianca: As of right now, no.

Delia: I don’t really see myself writing outside of my own original work and Harry Potter fanfiction. Potter is the only world besides those of my own creation that I know well enough to write in. But who knows!

Connie: There have been so few Black characters that I relate to, and I find myself not reading fanfic leading them very often. I’ve read only a few characters that were Black in other fandoms, Abigail Mills from Sleepy Hollow and Chidi from The Good Place more recently. I think I also read some fic starring Tucker from Danny Phantom (throwback!) who the fans thought had good chemistry with Danny’s sister Jazz. But there are few characters in other properties I feel drawn to enough to write, which really makes me sad. Hopefully I get more characters to want to play with and can expand my fic reading beyond shiny white people problems (or anime characters, as was my fanfiction beginnings). Perhaps some day I’ll be drawn to Doctor Who fic for those Black characters, but it hasn’t quite happened yet.

Porshèa: There is a character from the A Song of Ice and Fire series that I relate to heavily, though we know very little about her. My goal is to start on a fanfic for her after completing the Founding Home series.

Do you think Black characters get enough love in fan spaces? Why or why not?

Bianca: It depends on who the story was written for. In predominantly white stories with white main characters, Black characters are usually thrown in as an afterthought, and it shows. The same goes with color blind casting and not adjusting the story to make sense for a person of color. On the other hand, you get stories written for Black characters and characters of color like in Scandal or Pose and there is this level of care that is woven into it that changes how the characters are viewed. Fans can't help but fall in love with a fully fleshed out character.

Delia: You can read Mel’s Critical Companion piece from this month for the long answer. The short answer is, no. At best, in fandom, Black characters are often overlooked, save for when they serve a headcanon for a white character. At worst, they are overly harshly scrutinized or rejected, even though they are often one character of color out of dozens of white ones.

"At best, in fandom, Black characters are often overlooked, save for when they serve a headcanon for a white character." -- Delia Gallegos

Connie: Definitely not. I get sad when I think about how I perhaps perpetuate this lack of love by not talking about those characters enough or, more to the point here, not reading fic starring them. But also, those characters only have a few stories on the fanfic websites or don’t get as much screen time or development to work with. Or perhaps they’re not put in situations I want to think on too often, leading me to not even go looking for “fix-it” fic where writers fix whatever bad thing happens to them. And I think the stories I like with predominantly Black characters are in recurring works where I’m waiting to see where the actual author takes them. There may be something to the idea of me just being happy they exist and not wanting to mess with them too much. Two book series I think of are the Shadowshaper Cypher by Daniel José Older and Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. The worlds are so new and I’m just so happy to get these great characters that I’m not looking for anyone else’s take on them just yet, but maybe that will come down the line. In more established franchises, I definitely think Black characters don’t get enough love in the fandom nor by the writers/producers.

Porshèa: What they said. I do love that the actors who portray the token Black faces call out the Black fan appreciation they get, especially when Luke Youngblood and Alfie Enoch pointed out that they'd realized that the Black fans made a point to seek them out within the films during BGC-led panels at LeakyCon.

What is a character or theme in Harry Potter that you want to write about or explore in the future?

Bianca: I have a list of things that I would like to write about in Harry Potter, and it seems to grow everyday. New schools, founders, and histories. I'd also like to flesh out some characters like Mrs. Zabini.

Delia: I think even after To All the Wizards I’ve Considered Before is finished, there will still be more to be told of Dean and Hermione.

Connie: I’m interested in exploring more Blaise/Desiree as a flourishing Black couple in the wizarding world and what challenges in their relationship they may have to overcome. Also just showing Black love cuteness. I think beyond the BSUverse, Robyn and I keep trying to come up with some post-First War detective story, perhaps involving an original character or Kingsley.

Porshèa: After Founding Home, I'm going to (someday) flesh out my Parvati, Lavender, and others boss witch writers story, and my Dumbledore and Prince ‘90s fashion-off story. More after that, maybe?

Make sure to read our guests and other writers’ pieces on our Hogwarts BSU page. If you have fic you would like published, or if you would like to participate in Black Wizard History Month in the future, feel free to check out our submission guidelines or hit us up at [email protected]. Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you next February and all the months in between!

#Black Wizard History Month #Hogwarts BSU #Harry Potter #fandom

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beyarmamo · 6 years

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BeyArMaMo 2018 - Event Info

- Beyblade Art Making Month -

A B O U T

BeyArMaMo is an annual art event that encourages fans of Bakuten Shoot Beyblade to get creative throughout October.

The Beyblade Art Making Month came about in 2008 after it occured to me that I loved art and I loved Beyblade but I hadn’t been combing the two together enough. I decided to rectify this by setting myself the challenge to create a piece of Beyblade art every day for an entire month. There were plenty of scribbles and hastily drawn nonsense (and a inexplicable drawing of Daichi sitting on a cow) but somehow I managed to complete the challenge. And I felt awesome.

The following year, I decided to take up the challenge again but this time I was joined by a handful of friends from DeviantArt. It was received positively and that was pretty much that. The event has since been held each October, growing year on year, and with fans participating from all around the world. This year we will be celebrating BeyArMaMo’s 10th Anniversary.

T H E C H A L L E N G E

The BeyArMaMo concept is pretty simple. Participants are challenged to create Bakuten Shoot Beyblade art throughout October - that’s it. It doesn’t even have to be good art. Or finished. The focus is on creation so there’s no problem if you can only manage a scribble or something comes out a bit wonky. It’s simply about creating something when we otherwise might not have done. It’s all good.

It sounds pretty easy but when you’re crawling in from a long shift from work the last thing you’ll probably want to think about doing is, well, anything. Or maybe you’ve got the school run, and the shopping to do and you need a tidy round and before you know it it’s bedtime and you haven’t had chance to pick up a pencil. Perhaps you just can’t think of anything to draw or you might simply be lacking any measure of motivation. This is where the challenge aspect comes in. Some days you’ll be throwing out art left, right and centre and others will leave you cursing all your life choices. But that’s part of what makes it exciting. It’s sort of stressful in a good way.

If you’re not loving the idea of stress then don’t worry - help is at hand. There are three challenge types for you to choose from. Each is akin to a different difficulty so if you want a nice gentle time, have at it. But if you want an all encompassing Beyblade art extravaganza then you can have that too.

Simply pick the challenge type that appeals to you most and rock on.

01 - BeyArMaMo

This is the original, and most difficult, challenge. Your aim is to create at least one piece of artwork every day throughout October. By the end of the month you should have created at least 31 pieces of art.

02 - Mini-BeyArMaMo

This is a gentle challenge to motivate you while keeping the stress at a minimum. Your aim here is to create at least one piece of art every week throughout October. By the end of the month you should have created at least 4 pieces of art.

03 - Super-Mini-BeyArMaMo

This is, in theory, the least challenging of the three options. Just a 1 piece of art, that’s all you need to do. Perfect for those of us with hectic lives. And procrastinators.

T H E M E D A Y S

Theme days are an optional extra to help inspire or challenge you. Each day, a new theme will be posted for you base your work on. It might be a colour or an object, a feeling or a place. You can choose to use all the themes, some of the themes or none at all. Participants in the Mini-BeyArMaMo challenge may pick any of the themes posted in each particular week.

The full theme list will be posted one week before the start of BeyArMaMo to help you plan your artwork.

R U L E S

BeyArMaMo was designed to be a challenge but it’s also extremely casual. Like, whatever. Above all else it’s meant to be fun so please don’t worry about the rules, even though there are technically rules. You can actually get away with a lot. But if you do wish to be mindful of the rules, here they are.

1) This event is solely for Bakuten Shoot Beyblade fan art. ‘Beyblade’ is not used as a blanket term for the entire franchise. Only art based on Bakuten Shoot Beyblade, Bakuten Shoot Beyblade 2002 (V Force), Bakuten Shoot Beyblade G Revolution, Bakuten Shoot Beyblade The Movie: Gekitou!! Takao vs Daichi (Fierce Battle) and the manga (including Rising) is permitted.

2) All art must contain Bakuten Shoot Beyblade characters. They can cosplay, reference other series or even dive into a world of crossovers, but the main focus must be Beyblade. OCs, however, are not permitted.

3) Your art shouldn’t be created in advance. Art for day one should be created on the 1st of October, day two on the 2nd of October, and so on. For the weekly challenge, art for week three should be created during the third week,etc. Creating your art in advance sort of lessens the joy.

4) Your art can be in any form. Digital illustrations, traditional illustrations, comics, literature, photography, crafts, cosplay - baking even! If you want to knit Kai’s scarf, you go for it.

5) Enjoy. It’s not technically a rule as such but… Please just roll with it and try not to stress yourself out. If you don’t finish or you miss a day, don’t worry. You’re still awesome because you’re embracing your Beyblade love. And that’s all that matters.

H O W T O P A R T I C I P A T E

You will be able to sign up for the event from the 1st of September until the 30th of September. A list of registered participants will be made available so you can share links to your artwork and find other artists so follow.

If you prefer not to sign up officially then that’s fine too. You can participate in your own way.

Exclusive BeyArMaMo goodies will be available for registered members to purchase during the event.

The sign up form will be posted at the beginning of September.

S C H E D U L E

BeyArMaMo runs from the 1st of October to the 31st of October but there are a few other noteworthy dates too.

1st September 2018 - BeyArMaMo sign-up period begins.

24th September 2018 - Daily themes announced.

30th September 2018 - BeyArMaMo sign-up period ends.

1st October 2018 - BeyArMaMo 2018 begins.

31st October 2018 - BeyArMaMo 2018 ends.

1 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y

BeyArMaMo is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and to commemorate this momentous occasion I am planning a souvenir art book. I’ll be sharing more details about this shortly and I hope some of you might like to take part in it too!

A N D F I N A L L Y

I think I’ve covered everything here that needs to be covered but if there’s something you’re not sure about then just get in touch. I’ll be sorting out a few extra things over the next few weeks before sign ups start so expect one or two more updates before then. In the meantime, keep being awesome and if you feel like sharing news about the event then that would be lovely. Hopefully we’ll have an absolute bunch of us raring to go by October!

Take it easy, guys!

Laura (Gasara)

#beyblade #bakuten shoot beyblade #beyarmamo #beyarmamo2018

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mammamialetmegooo · 5 years

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My Thomas Sanders Post (or Why I Think Thomas Sanders Is An Incredible Human)

I often get asked the following question by my friends: “Mia, why do you like Thomas Sanders so much?” My reply is usually something like, “I could write a thesis paper on why I love him so much. There are just too many reasons,” which is my way of using a bit of hyperbole to say “that’s too complex of a subject for me to just casually talk about right now.”

However, in this current moment I’m doing nothing except listening to music so I figured this would be the perfect time for me to get into this complex and beautiful subject matter and provide an answer for anybody who may have been curious.

Disclaimer: I’ve never actually met Thomas (sadly). Every thing I’m going to say here is based simply on what I’ve observed through his presence online (his videos, tweets, instagram posts etc.)

Now let’s begin...

Reason #1: He is incredibly selfless. He seldom lets the spotlight be solely on him. In regards to content, every video or project he comes out with he makes sure his audience is aware of all the other people who worked on it besides himself. He constantly praises the hard work of those around him who have worked hard to help him in creating content because he knows they deserve just as much, if not more praise than him for the work that was done. Go to his instagram and twitter and look at the countless kind things he’s said about the people who work with him. When he’s not busy giving credit where credit is due, he is saying kind things to his followers online. If you do follow him on twitter, then you know how frequently he spends time thanking his followers for any messages of praise or artwork/tributes people have spent time on for him. I will touch on this more in the next reason, but I wanted to bring it up here because of one twitter exchange I noticed at the end of Decemeber (Dec. 28, 2018). In short, twitter user @/abigaylexxxdawn sent a video to Thomas asking if he could contribute a video message to a gift they were making for their friend. The video was for their friend to watch when they feel like “nobody cares.” Thomas not only obliged to do this, but the message he sent was incredibly moving. Instead of saying something like “Hey friend, I’m here to tell you things are okay because I say so and I love you (you get what I mean,)” he chose to instead focus on how kind the twitter user was for going to all the effort they went to making this video gift for them. To quote Thomas in the video: “There are plenty of people in your life who care about you and what you want to do for the future. I hope that you care about you and what you do in the future because that’s just as important, but at the very least, just think back to that your friend went out of her way to create these videos for you in order to make you feel better when you needed it.” He didn’t have to do this at all, but he did and he never once makes the video about him or his own struggles when he very easily could have. It’s easy for any person of notoriety to record a video saying “Hey, you’ll be okay. Life get’s better because I say so and I’m super popular so it must be true,” (again, you know what trying to say) but that’s not what Thomas is doing here at all. He took time out of his night when he was already tired to think of something thoughtful and important that this girl could give to her friend and that act alone says so much about the kind of person he is.

Reason #2: He’s grateful for the position he is in. Let’s go back to what I was saying earlier about thanking his followers online. About once every day (often times more than that), Thomas takes some time to look through his various online platforms (twitter, tumblr, instagram etc) and talk to people who send him messages. He thanks people who write him kind words or do cosplays based on the many characters he’s created online. He does Fan Art Friday (Super Art Saturday/Sunday if he’s busy or forgets) to showcase tons of the awesome fan art he gets tagged in every single week. Even when he’s not shouting out anyone specific, he will often tweet about his gratitude for all the people who have supported his online journey over the years. He makes it clear that he knows none of this would be possible without all the online support he’s gotten and says thank you for it at any given opportunity.

Reason #3: How much he loves his friends. This kind of hits on some of the stuff I talked about in reason one, but I think it’s important to give this it’s own point because it’s a very important reason for me. So as I said earlier, Thomas is not afraid to give his friends credit for all the hard work they do in helping him with content. He is also not shy in talking about how TALENTED his friends are, and he has a valid point! Whether they’re actors, singers, dancers, artists, costume makers etc...Thomas is surrounded by some INSANELY talented people and he wants the world to know it! The reason this is so important for me to bring up is that for most of my young life (so far anyway, I’m only 21) I never had anyone like this in my life. I didn’t know what a true friend was until I got to college a few years ago, so when I see Thomas constantly supporting his friends and singing their praises, it really warms my heart. It makes me wish there were more people like him in the world, so that no kid ever has to be lonely like I was for so long.

Reason #4: He keeps his content accessible and inclusive for all. If you watch his content, then you’ll know Thomas seldom ever curses or talks about troubling topics. He has said time and time again that the goal with his content is to make people smile and by keeping his channel open for all kinds of audiences, he has certainly been able to do that. Besides his language, he also uses his platform to talk about important issues. He has made videos about Black History (2), Women’s History, Asian Pacific American Heritage, the LGBTQ+, community and Autism Awareness (each videos features people of their respective minority/group). A cis white male like Thomas using his platform to spread awareness about minority groups is SO IMPORTANT, especially in today’s society where everything can often seem so oppressing and negative. Thomas also combats this on his channel with his “Reasons to Smile” video series. These videos are a compilation of random and wonderful facts about the world, dad jokes and messages of inspiration for those who may be feeling down. The goal with this series is to provide some light for those who may be experiencing some mental health troubles. Thomas has also used his popular “Sanders Sides” series to tackle different mental health issues as well, “Accepting Anxiety” (two parts) and “Learning New Things About Ourselves” being some of the most notable videos in the series that tackle this issue. This representation and accessibility are inspiring not only to people who can identify with any of these issues, but to people who can’t identify with them as well. I, a cis white female have learned so much from the videos about Black & APA Heritage and even Women’s history too! As someone who questions their sexual identity constantly, the Pride video was really helpful to me when I was wondering what I was supposed to label myself as (I’ve since learned I don’t have to give myself a label at all and neither does anyone else!) AND as somebody who struggles with anxiety/panic attacks and just a general bad state of mental health (though I’ve been a lot better recently) I’ve found A LOT of relief in Thomas’ content, especially the Sanders Sides videos. If I, just one person, can be affected by ALL of that incredible content, then I’m sure others have been as well.

Reason #5: Miscellaneous. There are SO MANY OTHER reasons to love Thomas Sanders, but this post is already pretty long and if I were to keep going in so much depth you’d be reading this forever, so let me speed things up....He has the voice of an angel. He creates genuinely funny content that doesn’t make fun of anyone (except maybe himself, but that’s rarely ever). His selfie game is S T R O N G. Actually, he’s very photogenic no matter what kind of photo he’s taking. According to many reports online, he gives really really great hugs. His smile could warm the coldest of hearts. Speaking of hearts, his is really good...I just know it.

So there you go. It might not be a thesis paper, but I think I proved my point. Again, I don’t know him personally all of this is based on what I’ve observed online, but I think anyone who displays so much positivity and goodness online has to be even better in person, right?

In conclusion, thank you @thatsthat24 for being a wonderful person. Keep spreading your light and keep being you. I promise, it’s paying off. ❤️❤️❤️

#thomas sanders #my neck hurts from sitting at my computer for so long typing this #worth it #sanders sides #virgil sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #deceit sanders #reasons to smile

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whirlwindflux · 6 years

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Undersea Adventure: TrotCon 2018

TrotCon is a little special to me - it’s my local Brony Convention. When I say my local Brony convention, I say it with a little bit of sarcasm. At 6 hours away by car from my home in Ontario, most people wouldn't classify it as local, but it is the closest one in operation to where I live! I like a good road-trip and navigating to Columbus is fairly simple and straightforward.

I know it has been more than a month since the convention, but here is how my weekend went! Continue below for a large wall of text!

Last year was my first visit to TrotCon and if you read my weekend review of TrotCon 2017, you’d know I had a fantastic weekend! I was worried that maybe my expectations were set too high and 2018 wouldn't be as awesome as TrotCon of past, but I am proud to report, the weekend was as great as I had hoped it to be! Good news, even with BronyCon and GalaCon occurring the next weekend, attendance stayed level, with new and old faces alike at about 800. For those of you wondering if you saw me during the weekend, I was the guy carrying around either the life-size Blackjack or Little Pip plushie.

Before talking about the convention, I want to talk about the weather we had during the weekend - to say it was wet would be an understatement. It almost felt as if the weather knew the convention theme and wanted to play along. Heavy rain, high humidity, and the sound of cell phone emergency alerts for flood warnings could be heard throughout the weekend. Not sure if anyone else had this problem, but humidity levels in my guest room at the Crowne Plaza were so high that any paper based merch I purchased ended up curling something fierce. No doubt, it was the perfect weekend to be inside, at a convention being held in a hotel with attached convention space.

With good weather while on the road Thursday and no rivers to drive through this year, I arrived in Columbus at 3pm and was able to check in and make my way up to my room. I've always been a fan of the little touches, and the room keys were customized again this year, with a cool play on the con theme and the movie Jaws. The Thursday afternoon/evening LobbyCon experience this year felt a little muted (possibly due to other events going on in the hotel) in comparison to last year, but overall it was easy to find your friends and wait for pre-registration pickup to start.

I learned last year that it was a good idea to get in line early - so I did, and it payed off! I was able to collect my sponsor loot chest and make my way back to my room for the night. Of all the cons I have attended, TrotCon gets top marks for sponsor perks and presentation. This year, the sponsor perks were presented in beautiful hand-stained, customized and packed wooden chests. With all prepaid perks inside and some surprises, this presentation is one of my favourite things about being a sponsor for TrotCon! Also, love the design of the cool tie-dye shirt, it’s unique and stands out in a crowd! I couldn’t believe how many I saw the weekend after at BronyCon! Can’t wait to see what awesome ideas are in the works for next year!

This year, Friday started right on time with Opening Ceremonies. This included the public reveal of the first half of this year’s comic, introductions to our weekend VIP’s and welcoming Guests of Honour. Somehow, I already knew we were in for a great time! Just as the raffle started, I figured it would be a good idea to step out and get my Guest of Honour signatures before the onslaught of long lines later in the weekend. Not only was I able to get right into the autograph lines, they were short, meaning I was able to have a great little chat with everyone present! While TrotCon only invites a few show staff guests, it seems they pick ones that are ready to party and enjoy the weekend to its fullest! Originally I had blocked off a lot of time to get these signatures and ultimately didn't need it. This meant more time for me to browse the Vendor hall, Traveling Pony Museum, Video game room and catch up with friends before my next scheduled event.

As I had a sponsor badge, I was able to attend the sponsor only pool noodle fencing and dueling class. Since the numbers were kept small, it was easy to have a few turns at each to get a feel for it all. Unfortunately, what I learned was I had no aptitude for either, but all in all, had good fun with it. I am glad that more live action events are being tried, explored and added to the weekend - it’s an awesome addition that adds to the TrotCon experience!

Later on, I took some time to stop in at the Canterlot Art Institute panel, getting an easy to understand lesson on expression and pose in drawing. While I have a technique that works for me when drawing, learning from people who have much more experience is always welcome! I find the process of other artists and their techniques very interesting as they always have little tips and tricks that can make a big difference!

The remainder of my Friday night was spent listening to some great live music in the Main Events hall. Although there seemed to be a few issues with sound-check at the beginning which delayed the start of the event, the AV team was determined in getting things sounding right and they did a great job! A shout-out to everyone who performed and everyone behind the scenes that made it possible. Thank you for all that you do!

While Friday was quite chaotic and busy, most of Saturday was quite a bit more laid back and straightforward. Starting my day in the vendor hall, I was able to talk with many wonderful artists and creators. Beyond making purchases, I’ve always found a lot of inspiration in talking with others about their craft and process. Fun fact: It was last year at TrotCon that I was encouraged to try making plushies - it has become one of my favourite hobbies!

The Saturday schedule was perfectly designed with 3 back to back panels I wanted to attend in the Main Events hall. First up was a 2018 variant of one of my favourite events from last year, the panel featuring Heather Breckel. With no particular theme or description, you never know what type of discussion will start! It’s a laid back discussion about comics, art and video games - what more could you ask for? Next up was a voice actors panel featuring Kyle and Lauren. All of our questions were answered by the voice actors of our favourite reformed changeling and student six hippogriff. This discussion was fun and light with Lauren and Kyle playing well off each other! With time flying fast, Elley-Ray and Brenda now took the stage, and while I didn’t know it at the beginning, this would soon be my favourite panel of the weekend! The best way I can describe this panel is that it was food for the soul. A discussion of love, passion, friendship and positivity. By the end of the panel, you felt spiritually recharged! Both Elley-Ray and Brenda had so much knowledge to share with the audience and played off each other perfectly. Before any of us knew it, the panel was over and it was time to find something else to do.

Now was as good a time as any to grab something to eat and take another visit around the vendor hall. After a few more great conversations, and purchases, it was time to attend a few evening panels! From a mythological discussion at the Beasts of Seaquestria panel to a more scientific and mathematical breakdown of the Equestrian Royal Guard, both panels were quite a success! After these panels, it was off to the rave for some great electronic performances! One unique thing about TrotCon is that the convention doesn't sleep - it runs from Noon on Friday to 6pm on Sunday - there is always something to do. Unfortunately, sleep is also important, so most overnight events are lost to me. Maybe one day!

Sunday started with an MLP trivia panel; obscure questions were asked about our favourite cartoon horse show and, for once, I actually knew some of the answers! Uniquely, so called prizes were given to those of us who got the answers wrong - nice twist guys! There was time for a last minute visit to the vendor hall and video game area before the plushie meetup. Piled into a small room with a big table, everyone brought their plushies along to the meetup and after arranging them on the table, we took pictures of the plushie pile. What did you think was going to happen?

With time ticking down to the end, the charity auction began and was full of unique items, all to raise funds for charity. This year, the gimmick was marshmallows. Elley-Ray made a guest appearance to assist the auctioneer and was the life of the party. She kept the crowd lively and bidding all the way through! The end of the charity held quite the surprise; a ritual was performed upon an item to draw away all the negative energy of the weekend and pay it forward, as a gift, to BronyCon. The highest bidder won the item with the stipulation of delivering it to the BronyCon lost and found so it could be located by staff and auctioned off there. Although I wasn't able to make the charity auction at BronyCon, I did hear a rumor that the cursed item made its way. Thanks to the winner for following through and ridding TrotCon of that cursed item! Closing ceremonies brought everyone in and for another year we said thank you and goodbye to our Guests of Honour, VIPs and Con Staff. The TrotCon theme for next year was revealed and I am excited to see what it will bring!

Thank you to everyone who made this weekend possible, and see you again next year!

Want a TL:DR? Here it is, if you haven’t (or have in the past), go to TrotCon, it’s awesome!

#brony #mlp #trotcon

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floraone · 6 years

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Do you have any favorite episodes of Sailor Moon? Original or Crystal!!!

So, I’m sorry this took me so long to answer, love xDThe short answer is: I am very bad at picking favorites xD.

But, so … instead, I decided to do something out of your ask that I’ve been wanting to have but not found a reason to make so far: Make a list of the episodes I value the most. So, I’m not sure which of these are my favorites, but I love them for Reasons, which I’ll be telling you.

(And let me warn you, first. Because I’m a very visual person, and animation style does play a major role in this list, lol.)

Aaalso, this is gonna be a LONG post, so more under the cut.

So, first up: Crystal. This is gonna be short, because it’s THE ENTIRE INFINITY ARC.I mean, it gave us shots like THIS.

I know some people weren’t big fans of the style. But hands down, it’s my favorite. It’s what I try to recreate in most of my fanart, because it’s FRIGGIN GORGEOUS. And also, it gave us Mamoru as part of the team AND family and instead of just Usagi’s boyfriend who nobody really knew outside of that. So there is that xD.

Before that, I would have to say episodes 6 (Tuxedo Mask) and 7 (Mamoru Chiba) - because those are such perfect renditions of the Manga chapters in my books, and the chemistry between Mamoru and Usagi in those represent pretty much the reason those are my OTP.

I love Crystal, totally, but I do also love the 90s anime. It had some crazy giant plot holes, and some really stupid changes that I love to pick apart in fanfic, but I grew up with that shit. I taped that shit every episode as a kid, and re-watched those episodes until the VHS broke and I taped them again when TV circled back to them. As I said, it’s hard to pick favs, and the 90s anime belongs to Sailor Moon in my heart as much as the Manga and Crystal do.

So, here’s a list of the Classic episodes that I appreciate the most:

Episode 28. That’s the one with adorable painter Yumemi Yumeno, who gets visions of the SilMil cause she’s a Rainbow Crystal carrier, and forces Usagi and Mamoru to sit for her. Mamoru is being an obnoxious ass, but you kinda see a little chemistry for the first time in my books, and it’s crazy adorable. Plus, his locket is being casually handed over in this, and this is hella cute. Plus, its animation director here is Kazuko Tadano, who was easily among my favorites in Classic.

Episode 40. This, actually, is a kinda surprising pick for me. Because it’s a Masahiro Ando episode - the animation director I liked the least. An episode by him had to be REALLY good if I liked it despite of that, and this one kinda was. It’s the episode where Usagi is on a family retreat in the mountains, onsen-ing and ryokan-ing and yukata-ing away, and the youma this episode is not a youma, but a legendary star-crossed ghost-y couple, that Evil!Endy decides to wake and then not be very evil about it. In fact, this episode would fall under the category of “MOST UNUSED POTENTIAL” for me, because there is so much in it, and so much feeling, and so much… ugh. It could have been so perfect, this episode. I’ve been meaning to write a fic surrounding it, but I’m still lacking the inspiration for it to get as perfect as it should be in my head.

Episode 44. Short reason: Our first complete glimpse we get of the SilMil, when the girls Sailor Teleport to the moon and Queen Serenity tells us how the SilMil ended. Also, Hisashi Kagawa is an amazing animator.

Episode 46. The last episode of Classic and I bawled when Usagi was left behind, and I bawled when Usagi held that locket out, and I bawled when Mamoru died, and I bawled when Usagi stood there as Serenity and the ghost hands of the girls helped her out. BAWLED.(Also Kazuko Tadano again.)

Episode 49. This has one reason, and one reason alone: It’s the song that played in the german dub in this episode (“Dort im Regen”), instead of “Anata no Sei Janai” (Makoto’s image song) in the original. It’s the same melody, and it’s friggin BEAUTIFUL, and I held my cassette recorder to our TV set when I was 9 to record that song, and listened to it so long and so often that even now, 20 plus years later, my MOTHER still knows the german lyrics by heart.

Episode 51. This was hanami school trip, Umino The Burrito, Usagi’s adorable scene with Luna, and her power up and badass-ness. Also lots and lots of cherry blossoms, and Hisashi Kagawa’s animation was bloody GORGEOUS.

Episode 56. It’s the snow white episode and it was so, so, so very silly, and where do you suppose you suddenly got those “friends” from that you talk about here, Mamoru, but I love it.

Episode 61. The break up episode. And god how I curse that break up arc all the time (or more correctly, its execution, not its existence, because that’s some sweet torture). But, let’s face it. This episodes hurts. And it’s GOOD.

Episode 69. The one other break up arc episode that I really, really like. The Sleeping Beauty. And surprise, surprise, it’s the one other episode where Mamoru shows some emotion about it, and we get to see how much this breaks him apart. (Also it has motorcycle and Unazuki, so yeah.)

Episode 91. The rod of looooove. Also adorable little kitties and a Mamo-chan that thinks the funnest, best date ever is a broken down house and several dozen stray cats.

Episodes 110 and 111. Those are the ones where the Talismans come together, where Uranus and Neptune sacrifice themselves and Pluto comes to save the day, and Usagi transforms into Super Sailor Moon for the first time and it’s animated by Ikuko Ito who’s just a friggin amazing artist. (Also 110 is the episode with that hand HaruMichi hand-dance. so there.)

Episode 125. Ikuko Ito strikes again. I talked about this episode a couple days ago, in the ask that lovely @queenrisa14 asked. It’s when Usagi is literally being purer than the purest heart crystals, and transforms into Super Sailor Moon to save Saturn. And it works. And she comes back with a baby. And it’s wow. And it’s one of the two most emotive scenes that I could name when I was asked about them.

Episode 136. NINJA USAGI. AERIAL BUTT. NINJA USAGI IN NINJA OUTFIT THAT FITS OVER HER ODANGOES.

Episode 141. Because Minako two times two ASSHOLES and then kicks their butt.

Episode 152. This is the most random filler episode. The one with Rei’s little fan, who tries to look like her. BUT IT’S THE MOST GORGEOUS EPISODE OF THEM ALL. Ikuko Ito was always amazing, but to me, never better than here. Randomly.

Episode 159. Because Chibs looks friggin gorgeous in her Serenity dress and her Pegasus wings in that dream sequence. Because Mamoru interogating Chibs on who’s that boyfriend is friggin awesome. Because Mamoru hangs out with the girls and we never get to see that otherwise. And because of Ikuko Ito.

Episode 166. BECAUSE OF IKUKO ITO.

Episode 167. It’s the first episode of the first Stars arc, and it’s GORGEOUS because Katsumi Tamegai has turned into a friggin animation god by the time Stars came around, and it starts with that scene where baby Hotaru sits in between Sakura blossoms and dreams of Eternal Sailor Moon, and end with baby Hotaru being bad-ass, powering the Outers up and skipping toddler-hood altogether.

Episode 172: Last episode of Nehelenia, and Usagi is the Usagi I remember here. Warm and wise and forgiving and redeeming, and she turns into Eternal Sailor Moon for the first time and that transformation is so much prettier than what came after for her.

Episode 173. Let me say something first, here, maybe. Because I FRIGGIN LOVE STARS. Stars is my fav season. I hate that it had no Mamoru, but I loved that shit. And this was bye bye Harvard episode, that at least gave us a promise ring, and a dorky meet cute for Usagi and Seiya.

Episode 174. Three Lights join the girls’ class. It was adorable.

Episode 180. Albert von Garajan. Michiru’s concert with the Three Lights. Usagi being cute. You guys know I love this episode, I referenced it in Yugen so much.

Episode 181. Doki-doki date! C'mon guys, that shit was CUTE. Also Usagi x Takoyaki 4Ever.

Episode 184. Usagi is home alone, Seiya comes to house-sit, and everyone, EVERYONE joins. C'mon guys, even if you may hate Seiya, that episode was comedic gold and I wish the 90s anime would have had more episodes like that, AND WITH MAMORU IN IT. It’s the kinda Sailor Moon comedy that I’m TRYING to aspire to whenever I try to be funny in my fics. (Also Minako Ito is ALSO a friggin perfect animator)

Episode 194. Sailor Tin Nyanko knows Usagi is Sailor Moon, and that fierce protection the girls give her breaks my heart. As does Usagi, missing Mamoru, in the rain, with Seiya breaking down and so many people hating him for it. (I’m not gonna rant about that again, lol. I already defended him for it here.)

Episode 200. There. That’s my Usagi. Saving the world with her love and her hope. Also Serenity with wings. Also Mamoru is finally back. Also Katsumi Tamegai.

AND THEN THERE’S THE R MOVIE AND IT MIGHT BE MY BIGGEST LOVE OF ALL.

So there you go, love. I was thorough ;)

#my mustard #ask answered #FAV MOMENTS #my favorite episodes #sorry really really long post

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theonyxpath · 6 years

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Like I mentioned last week, we’re off this week until the new year, or New Year, so here are a collection from a bunch of our Onyx Path crew thinking back on the year that was.

From Mirthful Mike Chaney, art director and graphic designer and the cursing, cantankerous, combustible, engine that keeps Onyx Path going:

The Goodz:

Pugmire is not only out but being well received. We delivered a beautiful book to the backers and marketplace… and I think we got it out ahead of schedule as well… despite making 60+ corrections at the press proof (again, sorry about that Rich).

We successfully KS’d two non WW related IPs this year… Monarchies of Mau and Cavs of Mars.

Exalted is moving again. We have delivered a dozen critters… some NPCs… a Jumpstart and the first real supplement to fans (although the PoD version will hit in 2018).

We wrapped up a couple of lingering KS’s … namely V20 Dark Ages and Book of the Wyrm.

I survived making Beckett’s Jyhad Diary.

We successfully KS’d our first CofD 2e line… and it did really well. CTL 2e outdid every CofD KS that has come before… and that gives me hope that HtV2 will also do well this year.

The Badz:

Losing Stew. Still having trouble really processing that one.

Artist losses earlier in the year. We ended up losing a chunk of non WoD/CofD artists in Q1 and Q2. None of it was our fault… some artists went onto bigger and better projects (which is a good thing). Then we had those who decided that they wanted double their original rate…

From Monica Valentinelli, our marketing consultant par excellence and an outstanding freelance writer and developer:

2017 was significant for OP because this was the first year we released a creator-owned game, Pugmire, while focusing on delivering what we promised via our Kickstarters. We were also able to strengthen our partnership with White Wolf, and Beckett’s Jyhad Diary is one title that is representative of that collaborative effort. This year we also met a lot of new fans who’d never heard of Onyx Path before, and because we planned for bigger outreach with our expanded catalog this year we were able to quickly get the word out about what we do. That, coupled with new additions to our staff, means we’ve been able to adapt and take advantage new opportunities more quickly than we could have with fewer people. It was definitely a year of both change and growth, and we take the lessons we’ve learned to plan for 2018.

Fast Eddy Webb, Pugmire creator and our “Develop-At-Large”, and the guy that kept White Wolf alive through the CCP years, has some thoughts:

Wow. 2017 has been a rollercoaster ride of emotion, in both the worst and best ways possible. On a personal level, it’s been a chaotic year. Two international moves (one from the US to Ireland, and one back) hammered at my zen like a stubborn nail in a plank of wood. As much as we loved living in the Republic of Ireland, it was clear that now isn’t the right time for us as a family to make that move, which is why we’re now back in the States. Further, we lost our beloved Murray (inspiration for Senechal Murra of Pugmire) to a heart attack in late September. I’m writing this months later, and I still sometimes have nightmares about that night. I still miss him terribly.

It hasn’t been all doom and gloom, however. For one thing, living in Europe for six months was amazing. I got the chance to meet a number of Irish fans and peers while I was here and at conventions like Gaelcon. Further, I reconnected with my English friends at Dragonmeet in Hammersmith, London. I visited some amazing places during my time here, and picked up some idioms that will probably stay lodged in my vocabulary for years. Oh, and I gained an appreciation for Jameson and Smithwick’s.

But most of all, 2017 was the year when Pugmire went from being a thing in my head to a real, serious product line. The RPG came out on time in both PDF and physical copies, and it has already got a lot of positive comments at Gen Con and PAX Unplugged. More people asked for my autograph and my picture at this years Gen Con than in the past five years combined. Plus I got to hear so many great stories about people’s dogs — it’s like hearing about your character, but with dogs, which makes it better.

And we laid the groundwork for a great 2018. Everything from small-but-important strategic projects (like the Pugmire jumpstart) to big-and-exciting releases (like the Canis Minor community content program) will really help take Pugmire to the next step. Plus we’re hard at work on adding to the world of Pugmire, with products such as Monarchies of Mau and Fetch Quest.

Finally, I’ve been laying the groundwork for a new edition of a beloved game next year… but that’s a conversation for another time. (Here’s a hint, though: It’s not a game Onyx Path has ever published before!)

Yes, 2017 was a rollercoaster of emotion. Obviously, the loss of Murray and the stress of two major moves hit me and my family hard. But we know deep down that Murray and all of his friends continue to live on in the kingdom of Pugmire. And knowing that the game he inspired has reached so many hearts besides mine means the world to me. For that, I’ll always remember 2017 as the year when I truly understood what Pugmire could be.

Here’s Mighty Matt McElroy, our Operations Manager as well as an encyclopedia of WoD knowledge, and a maestro of RPG biz insider info:

2017 was my first year full time with Onyx Path, although I’d been a freelancer as a developer, editor, writer, and a few other things ever since OPP started. It has been quite a year. We launched several Kickstarters, continued our efforts to release at least one new product every Wednesday, attended a lot of conventions (more on that later) and have big things planned for next year. Some highlights:

Pugmire and Cavaliers of Mars:

I might be a bit biased as these are new games from Onyx Path, but I’m really excited we released Pugmire and had a great kickstarter for Cavaliers of Mars this year. Great games designed by awesome people.

Conventions:

Onyx Path went to more conventions this year than any year previously. Our year always starts with a great time at Midwinter Gaming Convention in Milwaukee, WI. We had a huge booth with White Wolf at Gen Con 50, and then again we shared space with them at PAX Unplugged last month. We also dropped by GameHoleCon for the first time this year with lots of Scarred Lands, Exalted, and Pugmire demos.

We’re reviewing and revising our convention strategy for the team and likely making some changes based on how this year’s shows went (so be sure to let us know what your favorite conventions are).

And finally, just myself, your fearless leader, RichT:

2017 was very much a transitional year for Onyx Path. We had planned out a five-year plan and 2016 was our sixth year of publishing, so we started adjusting what we were doing and with who. We no longer needed to be the heralds refuting that “White Wolf Is Dead!”, as the newly formed White Wolf was already letting people know that they were around.

We instead were able to start focusing our message on the amazing worlds we’re creating projects for; the WW licensed games of WoD, Chronicles of Darkness, and Exalted, our creator-owned game lines of Pugmire and Cavaliers of Mars, and our own settings of Scion and the Trinity Continuum, as well as our newest game: They Came From Beneath the Sea! All three powered by our new Storypath System.

We adopted the motto of “Many Worlds, One Path“, and it’s true!

We actually went light on Kickstarters in 2017, really just ones that extended the kinds of projects we can do because it was important to stretch that capability, but concentrated on fulfilling as many of the KSs we had already run as possible. We also extended our reach into Amazon with our fiction waves, and into the Apple and Google stores with the Onyx Dice Rolling App.

Pugmire led the way into selling our books in stores for the first time, and we started a relationship with Studio2 to make that happen in a way that makes sense for us, not just to get into stores willy-nilly.

Internally, we saw some developers leave for various reasons, and new devs step up and handle things, while we began to work with Eddy as a full-time freelance developer who could help out any dev that needed a hand. Which he did, in order to get several projects moved forward. Jammin’ James Bell was brought on to run our Kickstarters, and trained up fantastically in 2017 in preparation for a strong raft of KSs in 2018.

Beyond the business strategies, it was a tough year for everyone and a lot of our creative teams struggled with creating excellent projects while being buffeted left and right by the winds of life (and social media). Onyx just tried to stay on course, not get get overwhelmed by, oh, everything going on in the real world and even our unreal world of tabletop gaming, and to avoid getting embroiled in internet conflict.

I’d like to think we did well, and that we’re sailing into 2018 stronger and better set up to create awesome new projects than we were this time last year. There’s some things I would have liked to have done better, but I’ll tackle those items in a post after the New Year.

Thanks everyone for facing front like the true-believers that you all are, because we just can not do what we do without all of you…I’ll talk to you next year!

#Onyx Path Publishing

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thisisheffner · 4 years

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Trace Cyrus confirms Metro Station reunion, new music in 2020

When Metro Station first started, they created a neon-emo music phenomena, gaining massive mainstream attention with their track “Shake It.” The infectious dance anthem made its debut on our iPod shuffle playlists in 2007, and we almost guarantee it’s still a song you revisit.

But Metro Station were more than studded belts, straightened bangs and skinny jeans. Since the band’s official breakup announcement in August 2017 and their final album, “Shake It” has remained a scene staple and a go-to sing-along at every Emo Night.

Read more: My Chemical Romance reveal new symbols alongside return merch

Metro Station are certainly ready to shake things up again. AltPress exclusively chatted with Trace Cyrus on what’s next for the pair and why 2020 is the time for the band to reunite.

Metro Station have really been stirring some stuff up in the scene in the last couple of weeks.

TRACE CYRUS: Yeah, we randomly just got back together [and] started working on the music. That’s the reason I’m in Los Angeles now. I came to work with Mason [Musso] and just restart this Metro Station thing. I think a few years ago, I just got so burnt out on the touring side of music that I just wanted some time off and to get my personal life together. And now it’s just things like TikTok and Spotify and all these new things that didn’t exist before have made “Shake It” and Metro Station take off in a whole new way that we thought would never happen. It’s really, really cool, and it just inspired us to want to get back together and make new songs. Yeah, it’s nothing that we really planned. I just called up Mason one day and told him, “Let’s get the studio,” and now we’re working on it.

It’s no secret that everybody who’s in the music community knows and loves “Shake It.” It was wild because we’ve been noticing a lot of artists are returning or getting back together lately.

You know, I saw a couple of comments of people using that comparison. But we’re not getting back together because we’re seeing other bands trying it like that. We’ve just been inspired by the streams and how much love Metro Station are still getting after all this time. Like, I think “Shake It” got 26 million streams just on Spotify this past year.

youtube

That’s insane. You haven’t toured or released new music in over two years.

No, we have not at all. And we haven’t been promoting it in any way. Like, never pushing Spotify or any of these new apps that came out. It’s just our fanbase is still out there somewhere, and they’re searching for us. So we just want to give them what they want.

Do you think things such as Emo Night continuing to play “Shake It” is helping to keep scene music alive?

I think so. I think that Metro Station got to a point where things like “Shake It” became so popular for us that it almost became uncool that we were the guys that sang “Shake It,” because it became so mainstream. And then enough time has passed that this new generation of SoundCloud rappers have made emo cool again. It’s something that I thought was going to be made fun of forever for being this little emo scene kid and the younger generation has completely come back around and made what I was doing years ago completely relevant and cool again. And they all have respect for me for what I was doing back in 2007, 2008, 2009, because I was ahead of the curve then. So it’s just really cool.

Read more: My Chemical Romance soundcheck hints at potential reunion setlist

Have you ever had any new emo rappers or other artists hit you up to sample any Metro Station tracks?

We’re in the talks, [but] I don’t want to put any names out. We’re in talks [about doing] a rap feature right now for our first single. But I don’t want to say. But I think it’s gonna get people excited.

That’s super exciting to hear. So obviously, Metro Station are getting back together.

Actually, Mason just left. We were in the studio here in Calabasas, and we just finished our third song back together in the past week. So it’s been going really good.

When are you anticipating to start releasing new music?

The goal is for me to come back here after I get to spend the holidays with my family and then shoot our first music video and just put a single out to the world. Most likely be like, “Here’s our first song and video and then album on the way.”

That’s incredible.

It’s awesome because the chemistry me and Mason have in the studio has just always been there from the first day we met. You know, we went in the studio and made a song together when we were 17 years old. And I hadn’t seen or spoke to Mason in over two years. And I just came up to L.A. and, you know, within a few hours we had made a whole new song that we are so excited about that we feel I can make another stamp on the music industry. So when you have a chemistry like that with someone, it’s just awesome. When you get back in a room and you realize nothing changes.

Read more: Frank Iero reveals the MCR reunion clues in front of us all along

That’s awesome. What sound are you going after? Is it going to be what we know from Metro Station, or is it going to be completely new and adapted?

No, we’re trying to go back to our roots. It’s definitely that more upbeat dance vibe. With the last stuff we did when we got back together a few years ago, I feel like we were trying to experiment and do different things. We did a full acoustic project and just different things we typically wouldn’t do. I think we’re to the point where we just want to give the fans exactly what they want to get. It’s not about making songs that we want to hear or we like. I think as artists, we start to do that a lot of times [and] our opinion starts to mean more than what the fanbase or the rest of the world’s opinion is. And right now, we just want to give people what they want and really have those top 40 upbeat dance tracks that, you know, you can rock out to.

I did a little digging on your personal Instagram, and I noticed that over the last six months, you’ve been sharing old photos and talking about old tours and Myspace. Are you planning on changing your look to match that aesthetic?

No, those pictures are just fun to look back [on]. It’s funny, though, because my mom genuinely wants me to grow my hair back out like that, but she’s an ’80s rocker chick, you know? She still wishes that Mötley Crüe and Guns N’ Roses was around. What I did then, it was kind of my own twist on that because that was a lot of stuff I was inspired by growing up. Like, that’s what I feel like the scene kids were. We were taking a version of what was done in the ’80s and adding our own twist to it with a lot more tattoos and a little more crazy piercing stuff.

So yeah, that’s just that’s a part of my past, and I’m blonde now. My hair is short. I’m a completely different person. Like, it’s just funny to go back and post those pictures and look at it because shockingly, it was one of the most successful times of my career. But it’s something that I can’t help but look at and laugh, you know? It was me experimenting and finding myself as a man and getting to know myself. But somehow it just worked at that time in the place in the music industry. It was a fun time, though.

Read more: Top 50 emo songs of the decade that defined the 2010s

It is fun to look back on it. It’s interesting. Metro Station were a massive band who were revolutionizing the emo scene style.

We were just young. You know, we wrote the first record when we were 17 years old. The album came out very shortly after that as soon as we turned 18. And I just think that people, they were also in their awkward phase and learning to be who they were, and they got to grow with us. And it was cool. We came out at a time where most of the bands I was touring with, I was younger than everybody. So I think that we just came out at such a young age, [so] we really connected to the young teenage generation. It was a really good time. And I think it was just cool, too, because it was so different from what anyone in my family was doing and what anyone would have really expected me to do. And I think that shock value of me being a Cyrus and being related to Miley and things like that, I think it surprised people. It really did. And I think just everything together just worked. I don’t know how it did, but it did. Like, I still look at the plaques on my wall of Metro Station and what we did, and it blows my mind at times because we didn’t have a game plan. We didn’t go to my parents for help asking what to do when it came to getting a manager or a record label. We just made songs, put them on Myspace, and because of Myspace, it changed the rest of our lives forever.

Yeah, absolutely. Without Myspace, do you think you’re gonna be able to reach your fanbase in the same way?

I don’t know. I think the blessing and curse about a song like “Shake It” is you always want to do better than that and beating that song or getting more plays or more sales or whatever it is. It’s something that we might not ever do again. And it’s something that I realized I need to stop obsessing over and [something] I’ve already left my mark with. I’m just trying to not obsess as much about always trying to do better than I did at that point in my life and realize that I might never have a hit that big, and that doesn’t matter, you know? I just want to make music, and the true fans that stick around and want to hear it—that’s great. And I truly believe that I can perform and play concerts for the rest of my life, even off the music I’ve already done.

Read more: Can you pass this ridiculous My Chemical Romance trivia quiz?

You said you’ve recorded a couple of songs together. When are you anticipating the first single to be released, and can you tell us anything about it? The title or what it sounds like?

I really don’t want to give it away. I think that this song that we just wrote is going to hit it home so perfectly with everything that’s going on in pop culture right now and what’s going on with the younger artists and stuff. And I think this song we’re about to do is really about to open a lot of ears and get a lot of people’s attention. That’s all I’m gonna say.

Fair enough. I know we’re all really excited to hear it.

We’re really excited. Like I said, the first song Mason and I did, as soon as he left and I got the mix, I played it hundreds of times, and I just got that feeling that I would get with old Metro Station songs and just them being so infectious, so you have to keep it and replay, replay, replay.

Read more: My Chemical Romance reunion began with “jam sessions” in 2017

How have your family and friends reacted to the new music?

I honestly haven’t played anybody anything. I’ve been in L.A. the past week, locked up in the studio, and other than some of our business people we work with, I haven’t played the music for any family or friends yet.

It’s kind of nice because you have a little secret, and it’s all yours right now with Mason.

Yeah, it’s cool. I feel like me and him are at a really good place. Unfortunately, we’re both 30 years old now, which sounds crazy, but wisdom truly does come with age. And when we get back together, we talk about the old days when we were 17, 18, 19 and just the drinking, the drugs, the party life…Our keyboardist Blake [Healy] was older than us at the time. He was like 25. And we met him, and we were like 17. And we were just saying yesterday, like, “If [only] we would have listened to him…” Because he was logical. He had his head on straight, and we were young, we were wild and we didn’t care about anything but having a good time. And, you know, once you grow up, you realize [things] about safety, money, and priorities. You realize being a rock star [and] being on top of the world doesn’t always last forever.

The post Trace Cyrus confirms Metro Station reunion, new music in 2020 appeared first on Alternative Press.

This content was originally published here.

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xxlovendreamsxx · 7 years

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can you do 33. celebrity/fan for Sasusaku with Sakura being a celebrity? :)

33 - celebrity/fan au

His devotion to her work is a silent thing, really. He’s never bought tickets to her concerts, or purchased any of her albums on itunes; never even told anyone of his interest in her music, or much less that she has become somewhat of his muse. And yet, still, Sasuke keeps track of her every content with near religious loyalty, storing every picture of her performances, events and tour dates away on an inconspicuous folder on his laptop, her stack of albums neatly tucked away in his nightstand alongside his vintage walkman cd-player.

But if he is honest with himself, Sasuke prefers it that way, anyway. Sakura Haruno is, after all, not the type of artist most would think him to be into; generally (stupidly, he corrects), he tends to be associated with the louder, grungier bands—those of which coincidentally (not) always seem to comprise an abundance of headbanging.

(it is almost comical considering his aspirations consist of nothing but to become an acoustic musician just like her.)

She is his inspiration, his absolute greatest influential figure, a paragon of true kindness and passion—and on the nights he works on his own pieces, he can never help himself from wishing he may one day meet her; from hoping he might someday bask in her bright, warm presence.

(a funny thought to have, he realizes later, because really, what did he know about the famous twenty year old? maybe she isn’t even like that. maybe it’s all just an act.

but sasuke never accepts this.)

“Woah! Awesome! Sasuke-teme, isn’t that Sakura Haruno? The one whose songs have just been selling completely off the charts this past year? Damn, she’s a knockout! Never knew Konoha Cafe had enough money to get her to perform here.”

But the idiot’s words barely register to him; instead, Sasuke can only ask himself, What is she doing here? Isn’t she supposed to be taking some time off due to a family emergency? That’s what she’d said five weeks ago. And how long has she been in Konoha?

A hard nudge reels him back from his thoughts, and when he looks at the man in front of him, Sasuke finds him grinning. That makes him scowl.

“What?”

“What what?”

“What the hell are you smiling about?”

“Oh, nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

But the grin remains, and Sasuke’s eyes narrow.

“I wasn’t staring at her if that’s what you think,” he says, because the last thing he wants is for Naruto to badger him for crushing on a girl.

(which he is not. admiration and high regard are far different from a petty crush, he thinks.)

His best friend casually waves him away at that. “Right, of course not,” he replies, reaching for his drink. “You were probably just staring at that guitar of hers, right? Gauging the quality and whatever.”

“Exactly,” Sasuke says, feeling some relief for an easy out.

But he soon finds out what a terrible mistake he’s made as Naruto snorts a laugh. “Ha! Got you, bastard! She hasn’t even taken it out of her case yet!”

A deep, red flush taking over his face, Sasuke finds himself instinctively kicking his best friend’s shins. And when Naruto laughs again, he thinks to himself that this will only end up being a very, very long night.

He manages to escape to the balcony after the concert is over, much to his relief. Ever since his apparent discovery a few hours past, Naruto had been relentless with his questions and teasing remarks about his alleged celebrity crush. It had only gotten worse as the pretty little musician finalized her performance, with the former pushing him to stand up and urge her for a picture and an autograph; nudging his shoulder relentlessly as he teased and joked about the need to make a declaration of love to this famous musician. Flustered, and more than a little annoyed, Sasuke had sought an out from the mess of it all.

(but, he thinks, the most disappointing part of it all is that he would have likely gone to congratulate her, had it not been for naruto’s exasperating remarks. he likes to believe he would have, anyway.)

But the world must have taken pity on him, as it turns out, because the next thing he knows, Sakura Haruno is walking through the sliding doors with her guitar case in hand, pretty green eyes slightly wide but cheeks flushed with obvious delight.

(possibly from being overwhelmed by her fans, he muses distractedly.)

There is a moment of evident surprise as she notices him there. “Oh! I’m sorry,” she says, “I had no idea anyone else was out here.”

But for the second time that night, Sasuke hardly hears the words spoken to him. He is frozen, his barely-smoked cigarette sitting at his mouth, dark eyes wide and disbelieving. He is, quite simply said, stunned.

It’s only when she begins to look slightly thrown off that he seems to snap out of his daze.

“It’s… fine,” he manages to say, inwardly cursing himself for the awkwardness of his tone. Any more of that would probably make her feel uncomfortable.

“Thanks,” she says, and beams politely at him. His heart all but skips a beat.

Silently, he turns back to the railing and watches from the corner of his eye as she makes her way to a place a few spaces beside him, keeping a respectful (and safe) distance. He takes an almost too-eager puff and shakily exhales from his nose, stealing glances at the woman he still can’t believe is really standing beside him.

She startles him once again as she eventually breaks the silence. “Smoking is bad for you, you know,” she remarks, sounding quite chipper and sweet, like a friend offering thoughtful advice. “Especially for your voice—you’re a musician, right?”

Dumbly, he nods. How did she know that?

“Thought so.“ She smiles again, in that way that makes his heart flutter and his chest warm. He can only hope he’s not blushing. “I’ve got those same callouses.”

Ah, of course, he thinks, and nearly smiles.

But then, she says, “Plus, they give terrible breath… and no one likes to kiss a smoker.”

She winks, here, and Sasuke knows then that he is definitely blushing.

(Is she flirting? She couldn’t possibly, he fleetingly thinks to himself. Why would she flirt with a nobody like him?)

“It’s… a bad habit.”

Sakura hums, and leans her arms against the railing. “Peer pressure?”

The memory of a haunting phone call flutters through his mind. Swallowing, Sasuke takes his cigarette out of his mouth and exhales another puff, eyes closing as he rubs the bridge of his nose in an obvious attempt to force the memory away. “Stress,” he eventually replies, quieter. “When my parents died, it was either that or alcohol.” He shrugs. “Smoking seemed like the better choice.”

Sakura’s mouth parts at this. “I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have asked.”

He simply shrugs again, and takes another drag. “You couldn’t have known.”

A silence takes place between them.

“You know… it’s nice to kind of just spend time with a stranger who doesn’t try to make it a big deal that they’re in my presence,” she says after a while, lovely green eyes staring up at the sky. Then, she turns to him, and smiles kindly. “I know that you know who I am.”

He swallows again, but nods to this, because there’s no use in trying to pretend otherwise. And when she smiles wider, he finds himself swept off with a pounding heart, stomach flipping pleasantly; his mind suddenly struck with the epiphany that he hasn’t been wrong at all in his presumption to what she was like.

She’s even more amazing.

(this complete wonderment, he supposes later, is likely what had brought him to splutter without much grace:)

“I watch you.”

The mood shifts instinctively: warmth and tranquility quickly giving way to crisp unease—and it isn’t long until she looks downright frightened of him.

Sasuke panics, and nearly chokes on the smoke he accidentally inhales.

“Um—”

“I meant—your performances,” he rushes to explain, face flushing entirely once more. “I’ve watched them on YouTube a few times and—you’re really good. You—you really know how to work your crowd.” Gods, he sounds like a mess, he thinks. He reaches to rub his free hand at the back of his burning neck, trying to regain some composure. “And you… you love what you do.”

Much to his luck, Sasuke’s nervous outburst does more than calm her own anxieties—Sakura seems charmed.

“You’re serious about this aren’t you?” she asked him after a long moment, eyes crinkling softly. “About becoming a musician. This is really what you want to do with your life.”

The surprise must be evident on his features then, because she gives the softest little laugh and says, “I can hear it in the way you talk about it. Performing. I use to talk like that, too—still do, really.”

It feels surreal, in the moment, to have such a talented artist relate to him. The thought makes him speechless.

Sakura snaps him out of his muted trance by asking, “How old are you, stranger?”

It takes Sasuke a few blinks to reply. “Eighteen,” he says. He pauses. “And my name is Sasuke,” he decides to add, because he’s not sure he really likes her calling him stranger.

She smiles beautifully at this, eyes crinkling. “Eighteen, huh? Same age I was when I started out. Now, Sasuke-kun…” The suffix makes his heart skip a beat, sends his neck warming again—but the sensations only worsen when Sakura reaches for her guitar case and pulls out her undoubtedly expensive 1936 Martin D-45, extending it to him. “Play me something?”

He wonders if there are any songs he could play Sakura that wouldn’t immediately have her recognize they were about her.

(by the end, her cheeks are flushed, pretty green eyes wide—and that smile, oh, it makes him feel so shy, so flustered. he can’t help but to look away, to run his hand through his hair restlessly. he itches for a cigarette to calm his nerves.

“wow. you really are quite something, aren’t you?” she says.

there is a promise behind her words that makes his heart pound.)

#sasusaku #otp: a once in a lifetime love #mel writes things #Anonymous #asks #ssfanfiction

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marcusssanderson · 5 years

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73 Gratitude Quotes Celebrating Life, Love & Friends

Looking for an awesome list of inspirational gratitude quotes for a greater sense of appreciation and thanks for our life, family, and friends? Below you’ll our collection of gratitude quotes that will bring love in your heart.

We all want to be appreciated, but are we also expressing our appreciation in return?

This is such an important part of our relationships with others, and in both them and ourselves knowing what they mean to us, or how we mean to them.

These gratitude quotes on appreciation will motivate you to either express your appreciation for others or to identify what we have been lacking and need to hear often.

Let them inspire you to be thankful for life, love, family, and friends.

Below is our collection of inspirational, wise, and thoughtful gratitude quotes, gratitude sayings, and gratitude proverbs, collected from a variety of sources over the years.

Gratitude Quotes About Life

Here are some inspirational gratitude quotes about life.

1.) “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

2.) “I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes gain.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

3.) “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough” ― Oprah Winfrey

4.) “The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.” ― Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die

5.) “Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

6.) “Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer.

On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.” ― Hunter S. Thompson

7.) “At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

8.) “To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” ― Mark Twain

9.) “Forget yesterday – it has already forgotten you. Don’t sweat tomorrow – you haven’t even met. Instead, open your eyes and your heart to a truly precious gift – today.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

10.) “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!” ― Mae West

Inspirational Gratitude quotes about friends

11.) “What I’m not sure about, is if our lives have been so different from the lives of the people we save. We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we’ve lived through, or feel we’ve had enough time.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go

12.) “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love — then make that day count!” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being

13.) “Dance. Smile. Giggle. Marvel. TRUST. HOPE. LOVE. WISH. BELIEVE. Most of all, enjoy every moment of the journey, and appreciate where you are at this moment instead of always focusing on how far you have to go.” ― Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass

14.) “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.” ― Alice Walker, The Color Purple

15.) “My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus.” [The Science of Second-Guessing (New York Times Magazine Interview, December 12, 2004)]” ― Stephen Hawking

16.) “Love is made up of three unconditional properties in equal measure:

Acceptance

Understanding

Appreciation

Remove any one of the three and the triangle falls apart. Which, by the way, is something highly inadvisable.

Think about it — do you really want to live in a world of only two dimensions? So, for the love of a triangle, please keep love whole.” ― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

17.) “It’s funny how, in this journey of life, even though we may begin at different times and places, our paths cross with others so that we may share our love, compassion, observations, and hope. This is a design of God that I appreciate and cherish.” ― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

18.) “Some books are undeservedly forgotten; none are undeservedly remembered.” ― W.H. Auden, The Dyer’s Hand

19.) “It’s funny, but have you ever noticed that the more special something is, the more people seem to take it for granted? It’s like they think it won’t ever change.

Just like this house here. All it ever needed was a little attention, and it would never have ended up like this in the first place.” ― Nicholas Sparks, The Wedding

20.) “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

21.) “This place was truly the highest and the lowest of all worlds – the most beautiful senses, the most exquisite emotions…the most malevolent desires, the darkest deeds. Perhaps it was meant to be so. Perhaps without the lows, the highs could not be reached.” ― Stephenie Meyer, The Host

Gratitude Quotes About Appreciating Our Life

22.) “Just an observation: it is impossible to be both grateful and depressed. Those with a grateful mindset tend to see the message in the mess. And even though life may knock them down, the grateful find reasons, if even small ones, to get up.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

23.) “In societies where men are truly confident of their own worth, women are not merely tolerated but valued.”(From a speech read on video on August 31, 1995 before the NGO Forum on Women, Beijing, China)” ― Aung San Suu Kyi

24.) “Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr., Life’s Little Instruction Book: 511 Suggestions, Observations, and Reminders on How to Live a Happy and Rewarding Life

25.) “The problem that we have with a victim mentality is that we forget to see the blessings of the day. Because of this, our spirit is poisoned instead of nourished.” ― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

26.) “Every one of my fans is so special to me” ― Justin Bieber, First Step 2 Forever

27.) “Be happy with who you are and what you do, and you can do anything you want.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

28.) “If we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day. Nothing stimulates our appetite for the simple joys of life more than the starvation caused by sadness or desperation.

In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse.” ― Anthon St. Maarten, Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny

29.) “Those who have the ability to be grateful are the ones who have the ability to achieve greatness.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Gratitude quotes about being thankful

Be inspired by these gratitude quotes about being thankful.

30.) “Ten long trips around the sun since I last saw that smile, but only joy and thankfulness that on a tiny world in the vastness, for a couple of moments in the immensity of time, we were one.” ― Ann Druyan

31.) “You are evidence of your mother’s strength, especially if you are a rebellious knucklehead and regardless she has always maintained her sanity.” ― Criss Jami, Killosophy

32.) “Life is not made up of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years, but of moments. You must experience each one before you can appreciate it.” ― Sarah Ban Breathnach

33.) “We can’t undo a single thing we have ever done, but we can make decisions today that propel us to the life we want and towards the healing we need.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

34.) “I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate.” ― Elbert Hubbard

35.) “A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another day, another time that traumatized them and caused them to spiritually stutter so they miss out on this day.” ― Steve Maraboli

36.) “Admiration for a quality or an art can be so strong that it deters us from striving to possess it.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

37.) “The difference between appreciation and flattery? That is simple. One is sincere and the other insincere. One comes from the heart out; the other from the teeth out.

One is unselfish; the other selfish. One is universally admired; the other universally condemned.” ― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People

38.) “Finding happiness should not be seen as finding a needle in a haystack. Happiness is within. Each day is a blessing that brings an abundance of happiness. Therefore, finding happiness should be like finding a gift in a stack of gifts.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

39.) “A grateful mindset can set you free from the prison of disempowerment and the shackles of misery.” ― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

40.) “The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds his contribution to the creative act.” ― Marcel Duchamp

Motivational Gratitude Quotes For Life and love

41.) “Sometimes we fight who we are, struggling against ourselves and our natures. But we must learn to accept who we are and appreciate who we become. We must love ourselves for what and who we are, and believe in our talents.” ― Harley King

42.) “Connecting with those you know you love, like and appreciate you restore the spirit and give you the energy to keep moving forward in this life.” ― Deborah Day, BE HAPPY NOW!

43.) “Now and then, however, he is horribly thoughtless and seems to take a real delight in giving me pain. Then I feel, Harry, that I have given away my whole soul to someone who treats it as if it were a flower to put in his coat, a bit of decoration to charm his vanity, an ornament for a summer’s day.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

44.) “For the yesterdays and today’s, and the tomorrows I can hardly wait for – Thank you.” ― Cecelia Ahern, The Book of Tomorrow

45.) “The honey doesn’t taste so good once it is being eaten; the goal doesn’t mean so much once it is reached; the reward is no so rewarding once it has been given. If we add up all the rewards in our lives, we won’t have very much.

But if we add up the spaces *between* the rewards, we’ll come up with quite a bit. And if we add up the rewards *and* the spaces, then we’ll have everything – every minute of the time that we spent.” ― Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

46.) “Not having money to spend doesn’t mean we can’t have well-spent moments every day.” ― Sarah Ban Breathnach, Peace and Plenty: Finding Your Path to Financial Serenity

47.) “In prison, I fell in love with my country. I had loved her before then, but like most young people, my affection was little more than a simple appreciation for the comforts and privileges most Americans enjoyed and took for granted.

It wasn’t until I had lost America for a time that I realized how much I loved her. ” ― John McCain, Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir

48.) “Be thankful for your allotment in an imperfect world. Though better circumstances can be imagined, far worse are nearer misses than you probably care to realize.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, and Grumblings for Every Day of the Year

49.) “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley

50.) “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” — Gilbert K. Chesterton

51.) “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” —Zig Ziglar

52.) “ ‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.” —Alice Walker

53.) “Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” — Henri Frederic Amiel

54.) “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” —Robert Brault

55.) “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” – Melody Beattie

56.) Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite food, or the sound of a loved one’s voice. – Joseph B. Wirthlin

57.) “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” — William Arthur Ward

58.) “The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.” — Charles Schwab

Attitude of gratitude quotes

59.) “Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.” ―Doris Day

60.) “Appreciation can make a day—even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” ―Margaret Cousins

61.) “There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.” ―Ralph H. Blum

62.) “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – G.K. Chesterton

63.) “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” ― Marcus Tullius Cicero

64.) “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” ― Voltaire

65.) “Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” – Brian Tracy

Other inspirational gratitude quotes and sayings

Here are some more inspirational gratitude quotes for you.

66.) “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop (c.620-560 BC)

67.) “Since we cannot get what we like, let us like what we can get.” –

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