#feeling proud

[teddybarebones]

Pumpkin carving that I did: Commander Cody

[merlinmellark]

s5 ep7 - A Lesson in Vengeance

aka the episode where Gaius realised Merlin was in love with Arthur

[awaywegofg]

I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what an absolutely phenomenal performance Max put on this season.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a single fan who wouldn’t agree that he was easily the best driver of the year (even if some would perhaps not admit as much). While the performance of the car itself has frustratingly varied over the different tracks, Max himself has once again been so consistent in getting the absolute best out of it wherever he could.

There are so many moments to choose from as highlights that I can’t begin to pick just one. Japan qualifying out of seemingly nowhere and then defending for the entire race, Imola’s L1T1 overtake and then keeping the lead even when the safety car came out at an inopportune time, the absolutely flawless Austin weekend, pitlane to the podium in Brazil, pole in Silverstone, the sprint in Spa, perfect races in Vegas and Baku, fastest in the world at Monza, winning a race in an entirely different motorsport competition in between the insanity of the F1 calendar, the Jeddah pole… all while working so, so hard with his team to try to improve their circumstances with the car, even during the not-so-good times.

It has been a fantastic year to be a Max fan. Last year I had to deliberately step away from social media a handful of times because whenever they would get an excuse to do so, Max haters would come crawling out of the woodwork like cockroaches and their toxicity was sometimes too much. Even with phenomenal performances like Brazil, people were still trying to downplay his success. This season, it feels like a lot of fans have finally accepted that he actually is that good. It’s been nice to see him getting more of the acknowledgement that he deserves, not just from a driving point of view but also for him as a person as well. (I’m not even going to attempt to list all of the off-track highlights from this season, there have been just as many if not more than there have been on track!)

That’s why, regardless of the outcome, I am very happy to be a Max fan right now. He is head and shoulders above the rest, and considering just how talented the rest are that is saying a lot. Max has cemented his legacy this year. I am so excited to watch what happens in the race, and even more excited to watch how he further extends his legacy in seasons to come.

Time to bring it home, Max.

[limmysky]

Zelda fanart cause why not

[else-creates]

My original Superhero story "Nobody Can Help You" has hit 5,000 views on Ao3.

I released some new music today.

And I also started work on another writing project

So I'm feeling great about myself, I also wanted to thank everyone who's supporting what I'm doing.

[ineffablepretzel]

first thing i finished in over 5 months!

show this beauty some love

couldn't have done this without all your support @queer-reader-07 @destructokitty34 @2gay2funtion @ineffably-queer-book-lover @hyperfocusthusly

[missfortunetherogue]

Six-Month anniversary of The Embrace of Love and Death

I started publishing The Embrace of Love and Death six months ago today! It's hard to believe. The first thing I want to say, in case anyone isn't up for reading my emotional rambling below the cut (and I couldn't blame you) is THANK YOU. For everyone who has engaged with me on AO3 and Tumblr, your interactions have been huge motivators to keep writing and sharing. Your kindness and support helped me pull myself out of a dark place :) I'm excited to keep sharing my work and hope you all will continue to enjoy.

Astarion’s story was the catalyst for it all, and starting this fanfic has helped me restore the spark of creativity I thought I’d lost forever. I went from not writing at all for 10+ years beyond anything non-fiction for work to writing every day! Since I began drafting TEOLAD in January, here's what I accomplished:

Total published words (including short rests): 194,669 Total published chapters (including short rests): 47 Total words written (since January): 260,073 Times I've made my rather stoic spouse LOL beta reading my work: at least 50? Number of unhinged, laughter-filled phone conversations I've had with my bestie over my fanfic: at least 35

Rambling under the cut! CW: Depression, past traumas

I started writing this series in mid-January because (as I think I've mentioned before) the conclusion of Astarion's spawn questline unearthed a lot of dark feelings I'd been repressing for too long and I was having a mental health crisis that was beginning to spiral into dangerous territory.

TEOLAD initially began as a therapeutic exercise to work through my issues (as a supplement to therapy 😅) and have the characters comfort each other in ways I would want to be comforted. (Those first chapters took place after Cazador's defeat and while some foundations may remain when I get to that part again, they will largely be rewritten.) The story quickly took on a life of its own and I started from the beginning, as it was hard to appreciate the bittersweet healing without writing the journey it took them to get there.

Writing Miss Fortune (and Astarion's) story has been healing. As a queer person with gender dysphoria and a survivor of SA, DV, emotional abuse, and other generational traumas there are some parallels between my story and Miss Fortune's underneath layers of metaphor and fiction, but they are also very different from me in many ways. So there's enough separation between us that I can write their story without spiraling myself but still take comfort from writing their path to a better headspace.

I wasn't going to publish this at first. I hadn't written creatively in 10+ years, had never shared my works, and didn't think anyone would be interested in this story. Some of the traits I share with Miss Fortune are traits that make me feel unlikable, so I assumed nobody would want to read about a sad, traumatized person with anxiety and depression. And it's probably true in some ways; my audience will likely always be smaller than stories featuring happy, confident heroes.

(I realize now that's okay. I don't have to be everyone's cup of tea and neither does Miss Fortune. I'll never be a sweet and fruity bubble tea, I'm more of a dark and toasty hojicha but yaknow what? Both of those options are delicious. And maybe for some people my story can become a comforting chamomile or English breakfast tea if it resonates with them, which would be pretty cool too. But enough tea talk or I’ll never get back on topic 😆)

But my spouse and best friend urged me to share. They argued that others might be similarly inspired by Miss Fortune and Astarion's journey, and that if my words could help even one person feel better or less alone then it was worth it. I'm glad I listened to them ;)

This was quite the ramble, anyone make it this far?! I won't judge you if you didn't hehe. Anyway, I'm still very much enjoying the process of writing this story, it's breathed life back into my soul and given me a source of joy even on the darkest nights when my mind is howling ugly things at me and telling me to give up. Thanks again for being on this journey with me, I'm excited to see where it goes.