Dendrite Blues Fanfics

Introducing the Frostiron Prompt Archive

2019-01-30T21:03:05Z

So over on the Frostiron Discord server the users have been hanging out and tossing ideas back and forth for some time. Some of them funny, some sad, or zany, or downright kinky. But then the downside of chat format emerged. As ideas stacked up, it became harder and harder to find all those old ideas after they'd been washed away by newer ones.

Enter frostiron_prompts This community is a complete database of our community's prompts. You don't need to be part of the discord to add prompts or fill them, they are here as an open resource for everyone. Multiple fills are allowed, and you aren't obligated to share them if you don't want to.

After some intense transcribing we finally have all the prompts organized in a masterlist and separated into SFW and NSFW and so we're happy to offer it up to anyone who may have interest in the ship. Some of them are as simple as "I want a thing!" while others are damn near fully written ficlets for you to read and appropriate as you wish.

Some sample prompts, just to give you an idea:

Quote Prompts: “I’m only here for the free food and entertainment, don’t mind me.”
Rivalmance - The Great British Bake Off AU
Gladiators, "You have won your freedom, why not take it?"
Tony Finds Out About "Get Help" and Does it to Thor in the Next Battle
Tony Doesn't Cope Well With Immortality, Breakup/Pining!Loki

Aaaaaand some NSFW:

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So if you are feeling the creative itch and don't know what to write, maybe check it out. :)

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This Week in Wank

2019-01-28T08:41:31Z

So I ran into thisweekmeta's Weekly Newsletter and I was pretty put out to find that my well meaning but foolish reblog guide spawned an entire wank debate that I have been gloriously ignorant of until now. And I really just want to wash my hands of it, but at the same time I have been told about a hundred times that this is a platform for speaking your mind. And I acknowledge that my opinion is heavily influenced by the fact that I don't like talking about myself. I don't post about my daily life or vent about real world stuff because it doesn't make me feel better, it just makes me ruminate on my negative feelings. So for me, social media is strictly a fandom/creative space.

So with that said here goes. (I am positive I'm going to regret this...)

To be honest, this whole debate about linking has just...killed my desire to engage with fandom meta on this site. Generally I really like to be involved. I love to remix ideas started by others and have them remix mine, and I do that very enthusiastically on other places. But I feel like the culture here is very much against that. As far as I have seen, DW users see fandom as a space where creators run their personal domains and allow others to peek in through the glass. If you riff on an idea without permission or link to someone's post in a way they don't like then you are now stuck in a cultural gaff for which there is no reasonable defense.

For me this is a problem because I have never been possessive of my contributions to fandom. I want to be a part of it, I want you all to feel free to snag my stuff and do your own take. I want to be inspired by others and hopefully provide some inspiration in return. I trade my personal control in exchange for enhanced collaboration and creativity, and I feel it's a very worthy trade. I do this knowing that my past mistakes and rants and missteps will be public and publicly accessible, and although it's uncomfortable I think it's only fair. If "your blog is yours and you can do what you want with it", then that has to go both ways. If I let you remix my ideas, then I expect to be able to remix yours and together we make a fandom meta. This is the part where the philosophies clash. Because if some of us are here in our open air bazaar cherry picking ideas and trying to get you to touch our wares and you are creating a lovely museum full of art for looking but not touching, and the doors to both exhibits are identical, then at some point I'm gonna wander through the wrong door and touch your Monet.

The backlash I've seen across all these linking/reblog posts is impassioned. It's personal, and so I think it goes deeper than just the terminology of "reblog/link/signalboost/ball of thread" and the ethics of various HTML codes. I think we are dealing with two completely different ways of engaging with fandom. Ways which don't mix well because one philosophy is predicated on share-and-share-alike while the other is based on personal control. Other differences could be ignored, but these two are in direct conflict.

Obviously, we are on DW so DW culture belongs here. The DW people deserve to have the site stay way they made it. But that puts share-and-share-alike people like me in an awkward position. It means that for us to engage in fandom in our way, we have to take on the liability of wank. The museum curators can walk into my bazaar and never violate my comfort zone, but if I take one wrong step in the museum then you better believe the police will come running. (Which that newsletter has done, although I assume they did not expect to do so. By the third issue they had run into the same trouble my post did, but unlike me they chose to compromise instead of slinking away soothing their killed fandom boner. They are a better person than I, best of luck to them.)

I didn't write this to bitch aimlessly. I have a point. And my point is this: The two systems are not compatible, and they are not equal in their likelihood to court wank. I'm sure there are sensitive and savvy users who could navigate this quandary without slipping up, but I'm not either of those things and we can't expect the internet at large to be either. We are all flawed humans. So I'm changing my policy. I'm not going to link after this post. It's not worth the risk. If I like something I will comment, but that's it. I'm not allowed to expand, or excerpt, or add my take. Other user's stuff doesn't get to go on my page, no matter how badly I want to put it there. I'm here to connect with other fans in a positive way that enriches my life, not to worry that I'm upsetting or violating friends privacy. I know I don't have the social grace to consistently determine whether something is kosher or not, so I'm just banning myself from that kind of share-and-share-alike blogging all together.

And I think it's a good idea for other ex-Tumblr users to practice the same caution. Despite the popular sentiment of "it's your blog, do what you want with it" there are things which are too controversial to be worth it. You can choose not to do things on DW. It's allowed. If you are like me and you don't enjoy spending your down time arguing with strangers on the internet, then I think this approach is disappointing but logical.

I've discovered a discord for my ship, and that's where I'm spending the majority of my time now because it's a very open place that encourages all forms of sharing. It's not any better or worse of a platform, it just meshes with my philosophy. I'm sad that DW isn't that place, because threaded discussions are amazing for groupthink and I genuinely like all the people I subscribe to. But the culture doesn't jive and I don't want to disturb other people who were already here and just want to carry on doing what they've always done.

For this reason I have been posting less since December. I've only been posting my own stuff and I will continue to do that. I'm grateful to those of you who have been so responsive and supportive, I really appreciate you! I just wanted to explain my stance and my policy, since apparently the debate did not end when I left it. As the person that unintentionally started this, I think I have a responsibility to explain why it happened and to give what perspective I can. I hope I did a good enough job. *shrug*

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WIP: Love Lies Bleeding Part 2

2019-01-24T22:45:51Z

Series: Reparations
Fandom: MCU
Pairing: Loki/Steven Strange, past Loki/Tony Stark
Warnings: Self Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Referenced Major Character Death

Summary: When Loki fails to save Tony in the battle with Ultron he loses control of his magic and his life. At a loss for how to help, Thor entrusts his care to the only other wizard he knows, Dr. Strange. In their first meeting Loki realizes that Dr. Strange possesses the time stone and resolves to steal it and undo Tony's death. By any means necessary.

[PART 1]

( Read more... )

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dendriteblues @ 2019-01-24T11:39:00

2019-01-24T17:42:35Z

(what the hell am I doing. i'm writing a long fic for characters i don't ship in a pairing that has 137 fics total on AO3.. Nobody is gonna read this shit. i don't even know if i will read this shit. o_____o i'm a writer that needs validation to finish a story what the hell am i doing.)

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WIP: Love Lies Bleeding

2019-01-24T06:55:06Z

( Read more... )

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Fic: The Dragon Prince, Viren/Harrow: Diminishing Relationship

2019-01-24T02:58:10Z

Fandom: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Rating: Teen And Up Audience
Warnings: None
Relationships: King Harrow/Lord Viren (The Dragon Prince)
Additional Tags: Friends to Lovers, Secret Relationship, Kneeling, First Love, Pre-Canon, Politics, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Young Love, Light Angst, Viren got that power bottom energy like woah, Like he gon do all the work and carry your ass to the top, And never let you forget who put you there

Summary: Harrow itched for Viren's attention—preferably undivided, but he wouldn’t begrudge even a distracted glance.

( Read more... )

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Nagas

2019-01-22T06:35:15Z

I can't believe I'm on Cryptid wiki looking at physiology diagrams of snake people for fic purposes. The FrostIron discord is a bad influence.

( cute sleepy monster boys under the cut )

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about me, for what it's worth

2019-01-21T20:08:35Z

mmouse15's post made me realize that I actually haven't put anything about myself up here. Which is the norm, don't get me wrong. I don't talk about myself much as a general rule, I just don't really feel the urge. My life's depressing, and not in a productive way like people with diabetes who write cooking blogs. My problems don't transfer to most other people, so talking about them just broadcasts negativity. But at the same time I don't mind sharing and since you all have opened yourselves up I suppose I ought to offer the same courtesy. So here's me, a comprehensive report. *shrug*
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Vent: Someone please convince me not to write a goddamn sequel

2019-01-19T23:42:14Z

I have an awesome novel idea that I really want to write but I keep having this nagging urge to continue my longfic. I just finished the story with what I think is a very good and satisfying epilogue, and although I would love to sit around writing directionless mpreg fluff that's not where I want my writing to go.

I learned a lot from my first attempt at a novel length story. I'm proud just for finishing it, and I think it has some high points. But it also has some incredible flaws. And I don't want to invest another three months into a follow up that only people who finished the first 160k word slog can read. I have an idea for a sci-fi fantasy that I really believe is great, one of a kind even.

But everytime I try to write it my brain is like "but you have readers that would be really happy and you have so many ideas (none of which are really plots they're just fluff nonsense) why can't you just keep writing that story?"

Any advice on making the plot bunnies shut up so I can focus on my goals??? I'm going nuts here.

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Relationship Cycles: Bonding and Exploring

2019-01-16T06:47:43Z

Q: Is there such thing as seeing your boyfriend/girlfriend too much? Me and mine don't live together yet but we have been at each others places for two weeks and we love it. Our friends have suggested we are spending too much time together.
(asked by a friend, posted with permission)

All relationships operate in cycles of bonding and exploration. Right now you two are in sync, you're having fun and for that reason you probably are growing more similar. This is normal, and a good sign. It's probably why your friends are reacting the way they are, because it's always unnerving to have a friend start talking in sync with someone and spending all their time away from the friend group.

If you were like this for the rest of your lives it would probably be bad. If you spent all your time with them to the exclusion of all other stuff forever that's not healthy. But it won't be forever.

Right now your brains are bonding. You're gelling and all you want to do is know each other more and more. But people aren't endless depths of mystery. Eventually you know all their stories, even the one about their science fair project in third grade that exploded all over the principal. You've seen them happy and sad and neutral and picking at their face in the mirror, and its not fascinating anymore its just them existing.

This is where some people have a crisis. Oh no, what's happening? Why don't I want to be with them all the time anymore?? Am I falling out of love? They seem bored all of a sudden and since when do they want to learn martial arts? Do they not want to spend time with me? Am I boring?

This is exploration. Your connection is now part of your lives and both of you are secure in each others loyalty, so your minds naturally turn back to the outside world. You start to itch for something new. Also totally natural. In a way, this is the real benefit of relationships. The time together is essential and healing, but sharing your journey through the world is also important. You can't go to school or work without spending some time apart right? And you certainly can't achieve your goals without putting some time and effort in. Time they probably can't be a part of.

As you and your partner get more and more focused on external achievement you also get some distance between you. Its natural, you're busy! You're doing stuff! And one day you wake up and think "gosh I miss our quality time. I feel like we haven't had a good date in years."

And voila, you are back into bonding. You look at them and now they're so different! They're so grown up, when did that happen? They have all this knowledge from their new experiences and stories that you were too tired to hear properly when they happened. They have new aspirations or fears that they desperately want your opinion/support with. You feel close close close again and its magical.

Until eventually you know everything and you feel better about your life's direction, and then off you go back to exploring...and around and round you go. (in a healthy long lasting relationship anyway.)

So don't worry too much about being together constantly. Its normal, it's healthy, this too shall pass. And if it doesn't in 2-3 years? If neither of you can stand to be apart for more than a day or two without having a mental breakdown? Then you might have a problem. ;)

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Day 14 &15: The Present and the Future

2019-01-15T16:07:33Z

Day 14: In your own space, talk about what you think the future holds for fandom.

Well this is a precarious time to think about the future of fandom isn't it? A lot of people are feeling displaced by the Tumblr purge, and there isn't any one site the seems to fully serve fan needs. I include DW in that, although I do think it's a special place and I've come to love it over the past month.

But it's also hard to use. It expects users to educate themselves, to know how to write proper HTML or face the wrath of the coding gods, to be active in finding their interests and their people, and to put real effort into generating content. You can't just mindlessly scroll DW, you have to read and think and use the right words so you don't accidentally kill someone's vibe. Yes likes and reblogs are hollow, and yes they do decreasing meaningful interaction, but they also give you permission to passively enjoy something. Here, if you see something you like you feel a residual guilt if you don't comment since there's no other way to let the creator know they're doing good. Which means it's not relaxing to participate here, it's work.

So what do I think the future holds for fandom? I can't possibly say, but probably more of the same. We're the cockroaches of the internet, you can't get rid of us. The internet is made of three indomitable forces: fandom, frauders, and fap.

Day 15: Talk about why you participated in Snowflake &/or what you got out of it.

Well since I just joined, I was eager to try out all DW has to offer. I wanted to meet people and get connected to their interests. I think we all achieved that. I also was feeling very burnt out from finishing my longfic, and I felt paralyzed whenever I opened my word doc. For one of the early days in the challenge I filled a kink meme prompt, and that turned out to be really fun and fulfilling. So I kept doing that and now I feel like I've gotten back on the horse. I'm back to putting out my usual word count, and I'm enjoying new and novel pairs that I wouldn't have tried otherwise.

I would say snowflake is great for expanding your horizons and seeing what's out there. Especially on DW I think it would be easy to get comfy in your space and never look outside it. Snowflake is the periscope. I'm glad I did it, and I'm very grateful to the moderators for all their work. :)

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Friendly Reminder for People Who Sit to Pee

2019-01-12T21:59:39Z

Nothing dispels the illusion of a clean house like flipping up the toilet seat and seeing a portal to the underworld. As a fellow sitter myself I totally understand how easy it is to forget! When you never see it, you don't think to clean it right?

But believe me, your standing friends will notice and they won't tell you if yours is disgusting. Next time you clean, remember to clean both sides!

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80+ Kudos in 24 Hours??

2019-01-12T19:11:51Z

Apparently I need to write more Clint/Bucky. 0-0

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Snowflake Challenge: Creative Process

2019-01-11T20:17:32Z

Day 11

In your own space, talk about your creative process(es) — anything from the initial inspiration to how you feel after something’s done. Do you struggle with motivation or is it a smooth process? Do you have any tricks up your sleeve to pull out when a fanwork isn’t cooperating? What is your level of planning to pantsing/winging it? Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Well first off, I'm a grade A pantser. The moment all the questions about a story are answered my interest disappears. The fun is the discovery for me, so the second half of the story is drastically more difficult than the first. My motivation dips as more and more questions are answered, but then my desire to finish takes over and propels me at about the same rate. My biggest grief is when there are any interruptions between the moment of inspiration and starting to write. My memory is bad and so if I don't get that first flash of clarity and inspiration on the page then it becomes fuzzy and hard to put to words. Getting momentum back when I've been interrupted by adult things is really hard. Comments usually are what pulls me out, both on this blog and on AO3. Without those I think I would have abandoned Reparations around Chapter 11 haha. The second half was where shit got real. I had to push myself really hard as I got tired and plot lines started tying up. One week I didn't get a single comment and I was depressed for days. Pathetic, huh?

When something isn't working out it's just a matter of discipline for me. Half the battle is sitting at the computer and keeping off of YouTube. When I'm really stuck and I don't know what's wrong I put the draft in a text-to-speech app and listen to it. I don't let myself stop or make changes, I just listen as if I were a reader who doesn't know where the story's headed and doesn't know what I was aiming for. Usually by the end I have a very clear idea of the problem. It's much more obvious out loud than on the page for me. Usually I find that a whole chapter that seemed flat is really just one scene not working and making the rest feel off due to lack of context. In writing everything is relative, so when one thing isn't doing it's job the whole thing can seem bad. Hell, recently I had a story that transformed after I changed one line. One line of dialogue and suddenly everything else made sense.

So once I've isolated the problem I generally throw out the scene that isn't working and start over. I find that if I try to do a soft rewrite, saving bits and pieces of the original, that it just turns out choppy and full of inconsistencies. I've had a lot of people comment on my willingness to throw out thousands of words at a time, and I can see what they mean. It is wasteful, isn't it? But I just feel so much better looking at a blank page and knowing that the weaknesses of the first draft won't infect the new one. Now that I know what not to do, the second tries are always better by big margins. It would be better to get things right the first time, sure, but I don't feel too bad about the process. It is what it is.

The one exception was the second to last chapter of Reparations. There was so much build up to that final intimate moment that I really struggled to get everything I wanted into that scene. In the end I wrote four different versions ranging from really hard kink to the softest, schmoopiest fluff, to a schizophrenic combination of the two that didn't work at all.

Probably the worst was attempt #2 which was 8000 words of playful roleplaying that I genuinely loved. I really wanted to keep that one, but I just didn't believe that the characters would do that at that point in their lives. They'd been through the ringer and the cops were coming for Tony, it felt wrong to waste their last night together horsing around in fantasy land. I'm still trying to find a way to publish that scene, but it would need a lot of revision and set up and I feel like I really should move on and start a new series. Sigh...maybe I'll work on that tonight. :/

Anyway, that's my process. Flash of inspiration, mad dash to get it down before it's gone, redo bad parts as many times as it takes, hope for comments so that I don't get in a rut. I think that's probably pretty standard, but maybe not I dunno. Guess I'll have to read all of your posts and see. :D

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I'm not even a Cumberbatch fan, but this is hysterical

2019-01-09T20:19:34Z

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Allow me to convince you (Tony/Loki bicker-mance recs)

2019-01-09T05:41:43Z

I was asked for Frostiron recs, and one of the great things about this pairing is how versatile it is. This ship goes way beyond who's on top and who's the barista in the coffeehouse AU. There are so many versions that I can't possibly sum it all up in one post. I think the only way to handle this is to do a themed rec series.

Other entries will be:
-"I see the real you, and I love it." Sweet and restorative.
-"You idiot, I just dragged your soul back from Hel and I'm never going to forgive you for it." Epic length heartbreakers
-"Are you really pregnant or just trolling me?" Cracky Humor Smut
-"So you're saying on Asgard slavery is....legal???" Kinky (and believe me, this is a diverse category)

But for today I'm going to start with the original flavor of Loki/Tony, which I call "bicker-mance."

This is the version of the ship where both characters are completely incapable of naming their emotions. They fight, they flirt, they bend the rules of hero and villain like silly straws. This subgenre tends to feature morally grey Tony, comic style villain Loki, and lots of shenanigans that force them together. It's a tale of two outsiders unfamiliar with love. It's a tale of wanting to bang the person you know is absolutely off the table. It's a tale of every single Avenger telling Tony "Hoe, don't do it." and Tony reaching for the bourbon and thinking "Fuck it, I'm doing it."

In other lists I will dig deeper into the archive and get some hidden gems, but for now I'm going to get the obvious ones out there for the uninitiated. Blanket warning, this version of the pairing often doesn't portray Thor in a flattering light.

Extremely Hot And Currently Female (19447 words) by copperbadge
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Steve Rogers
Characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Darcy Lewis, Loki (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Pepper Potts, Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov, Tommy Shepherd, Odin (Marvel), Phil Coulson
Additional Tags: Alcohol, Drinking, Mildly Dubious Consent, Genderfuck, unprotected sex, Kid Fic, Time Travel

Summary: Tony knows he shouldn't sleep with Loki, it's just sometimes he's drunk and she's female and he forgets why.

( Read more... )
So that's it. This is far from a comprehensive list, mind you, just what I consider the best of the best. What do you think? Did I miss any?

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Reblog: First Nations People Having Lands Seized

2019-01-08T05:13:48Z

Signal boosting this post by auresse about a Canadian government action against native people.

The Federal Police of Canada (RCMP) have been deployed against Wet’suwet’en First Nations People- On Their Own Land.
ON behalf of a an Oil Company.

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Day 6 & 7: Things I Want More of, Things I Haven't Done Before

2019-01-07T16:53:01Z

Day 6: In your own space, create a list of at least three fannish things you'd love to receive, something you've wanted but were afraid to ask for - a fannish wish-list of sorts.

Well I think most fic author's would probably like to receive long comments/fanart and I'm certainly no different. But beyond the obvious...

1. Gentle critique. I'm a new writer and when I started I was really, really insecure. The AO3 positivity culture was a great balm at the time, and I think I would have crumbled if I got critique then. But now that I have a few works under my belt and a base level of confidence, I feel like I have reached an improvement plateau. There are undoubtedly things that need improvement but I don't know what they are and I really want help finding out. Many times I have considered author's notes that ask for constructive criticism, but I always back down. What if some ass comes along and just rips my stories apart? *shudder*

So, yeah...a thoughtfully worded critique would be welcome at this stage in my fannish journey. I'm sure it will be hard to hear, but I really do want to improve and it drives me crazy that I can't identify a specific weakness to work on.

2. Podfic. I LOVE podfic, but I go through it so fast compared to how long it takes to create. As far as I'm concerned the world will never have enough podfic. So if you have the capability to make it, I would ask you to DO IT!!

3. Community Activity. I know it's really hard, but if you all are part of communities then post to them! My face lights up every time I get a notification from tonyxloki. Even if it's just a comment or a self-promotion. I really want to see more people engaging with communities and working together to build fandom spaces, because I find it so much easier to get motivated to write when I know other people are going to get excited about it. Also, META DISCUSSIONS! Don't be shy, post your headcanons, your memes, your random shower thoughts. These may seem silly when you're typing them up, but those are the posts the spawn the best community dialogue.

Day 7: Do something you've never done before

Well, I just asked for more podfic, and after reading analise010's post about Transformative Work Statements I think I ought to walk the walk. Again, I don't know why anyone would really want to make transformative works off of my stuff, but that's no reason not to make my stance clear. So today, I'm going to make a transformative works statement and put it on my pages. Woohoo!

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Reblog: Why Millennials Are the Burnout Generation

2019-01-06T08:25:47Z

shy_magpie said:

gamerchick02 a has a great post recommending this Buzzfeed article on burnout in millennials.

dendriteblues said:

Oh my god, this is me so hard. Every word.
"In a marked shift from the generations before, millennials needed to optimize ourselves to be the very best workers possible."

"We didn’t try to break the system, since that’s not how we’d been raised. We tried to win it."

"I never thought the system was equitable. I knew it was winnable for only a small few. I just believed I could continue to optimize myself to become one of them."

"Things that should’ve felt good (leisure, not working) felt bad because I felt guilty for not working; things that should’ve felt “bad” (working all the time) felt good because I was doing what I thought I should and needed to be doing in order to succeed."

These are things I think and feel every day. Particularly the "everything good is bad, everything bad is good" mentality. Hell, all of my hobbies are work. Sewing, writing, even on my tabletop podcast my players bring up starting a Patreon every month or so. And I keep saying "No, I don't want this to be a job. It's supposed to be fun. And then a few weeks later someone brings it up again, because none of us can justify the amount of time we spend making something not-for-profit.

As a kid I had structured extra-curriculars every day of the week. Girl Scouts, Piano, Karate, Academic Bowl, Debate. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Repeat. Then in high school my parents got me into a scholars program, all AP courses plus "cultural enrichment" trips, extra service hours, evening seminars twice a week. All to prepare me to be a National Merit Scholar, to prepare me to be a college student, to prepare me for a job that I was pressured to select at 16 years old without a day of work experience or any idea what I was actually good at because I'd been trained to be good at EVERYTHING.

I didn't know this was unusual until I went to therapy two months ago. I had no idea. Obviously lots of people have this type of experience but mine was extreme. Extremely extreme. Hell, even in the summer I went to various educational camps back to back. Space camp, Jesus camp, engineering camp, camps where high scorers like me did college courses at 14. I'd get home Saturday, do my laundry, and throw my clothes back in the bag. It was madness. No wonder I didn't know how to have fun.

Nowadays I consider myself incredibly lazy, I give myself permission to relax. Or at least I think I do, but really I come home from work every day and immediately start writing.

I rush through walking my dog because I want to reach my word count before my fiance comes home and distracts me. I put my finished chapters on text-to-speech apps so I can edit while cooking dinner. On the weekends I get upset if I take too long to finish my chores because cleaning my house and buying groceries feels like "losing valuable time that I could use improving my writing." When I'm feeling anxious about money I always catch myself wondering if I could maybe make money off one of my passtimes. Not because I want to, but just because it makes me feel better about "wasting" my time on recreation.

And then I wonder why I'm tired all the time. Jesus.

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dendriteblues @ 2019-01-05T19:10:00

2019-01-06T01:11:21Z

Feeeew sometimes you just need a good cry, you know?

I feel great now. 0-0

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RE: rainy182 Question of the Day

2019-01-05T06:19:29Z

rainy182 said in this entry:

questionoftheday asks: What is the most ridiculous thing you have ever seen on the news?

My answer: I read an article about a squirrel being elected into office! School Senate for a college to be exact haha. I thought it was pretty funny so the news clip is now in my art journal. I'll take a photo of it and maybe post it later!

dendriteblues said:

My answer:I was waiting for my appointment at the barber shop the other day and the local news channel did a story about a telephone scam impersonating the local police. Which sounds like a legit story, right? Have to inform the citizens before they fall prey, right?'

They did a good job making it sound really dangerous until they got to this gem: "A local woman reported to police that the fraudulent caller told her, quote: 'Do not hang up, this is an urgent call about an open investigation in Blad-de-Blah County. We need you to tell us your credit card info so that we can close this investigation.' According to police, no credit card numbers have been given to the scammer, and at this time no one else has reported any further attempts."

...There was an actual news report in a town of over a million people about an obvious scam that claimed no victims and stopped after one failed attempt. Guys, my home town spent eight minutes of prime time news coverage talking about a prank caller. This is not a drill.

(P.S. DW style reblog came from shy_magpie's post with copy-able code. To put it simply, you just type <dt> </dt>around the user name line and <dd> </dd> around the body of the text. I like to include links to the original entry for clarity and to credit the OP. Copying the post you want to "reblog" works so long as you paste into the Rich Text editor and then move over to HTML to add the tags. )

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(WIP) Dendrite's Meet Ugly Prompts: An Ongoing List for an Upcoming Bingo Card

2019-01-04T21:31:59Z

1. we are sharing an office at WeWork today and i find your calls to your ex-wife disturbing
2. i was late to a job interview so i did not hold the elevator when you shouted 'hold the door.' psyche, turns out you're my interviewer
3. hi, i walk my dog by your house every day and your dog (that you never let inside even on frigid, snowy days) always tries to attack me. today you yelled at me to get off your lawn and i'm not going to miss the opportunity to give you a lecture about responsible pet ownership
4. so we totally fucked in senior year and now you showed up a the ten year reunion with a ten year old kid. pls explain before i have a mental breakdown.
5. i'm a golddigger and you pretended to be wealthy at the club. sorry but if that's your flat, i'm not interested
6. you are the slowest clerk i have ever seen at a grocery store. how have you not been fired? oh shit you're disabled, oh fuck i'm a horrible person
7. you've been driving five under on a one lane road. now we've stopped at the same gas station and i'm feeling passive aggressive
8. what are you doing in my garage?
9. when i sat down my chair made a fart noise and i'm pretty sure you think it was me
10. you are a telemarketer and you would make a great alibi but i'm kind of busy burying this body, please hold
11. you drank all the free water bottles in our entire office, what is wrong with you?
12. i live in the apartment above yours, will you stop blasting taylor swift on repeat?
13. i went for a high five with my friend and hit you instead
14. there's a lot of guys in red suits in this restaurant and we are pretty sure they're a cult. now we have to escape together
15. we showed up to a Halloween party wearing the same costume. it's very revealing
16. dear sir/ma'am, you are not allowed to claim both arm rests at the movie theater that one is mine, and i will fight you in the middle of the movie if i have to
17. you are a monster that lives under my bed, i am convinced you don't exist i'm just mentally ill
18. i posted a sexy photo to get back at my ex and you, a total stranger, just made a very inappropriate comment on it
19. i thought you were my ex who just slashed my tires and yelled at you on a bus, but you're not and this is awkward
20. you were shopping beside me in the grocery store and I asked when's the baby due. you're not pregnant
21. i've made you repeat yourself four times and I still can't understand what you're saying, so i'm nodding along so you don't think i'm an idiot
22. we see each other everyday in the smoking area, and everyday you leave your butts all over the place. now I'm getting blamed for it
23. hey, you waved at someone behind me and I waved back. now i'm committed to pretending I know you
24. you are my tutor in college and today was our first meeting. when i got here you were arguing with your parents, so now i'm just sitting here in your living room listening to your mother/father yell horrible things at you
25. i forgot i had porn open on my phone until i opened it to get your number. the video starts playing at max volume and i can't seem to shut it off
26. we have been chatting online for three years and today i learned you aren't Chantel the French model, your you. A totally average person.
27. i Googled my name and found pictures of you instead
28. i'm breaking up with my girl/boyfriend when you come to drop off some of my mail that was mistakenly delivered to you
29. i checked my hair in a car window not knowing you were inside, now you're making fun of me and i don't even know you
30. you were shopping and mistook me for someone who works in this store. i decide to mess with you instead of telling the truth
31. i am trying to listen to what you're saying but you have food in your teeth and ic an't decide if i should tell you or not
32. we are in the same fitness class and your work out noises sound like a porno
33. i used to hate you in highschool but now you're really hot and successful and that's just unfair
34. I'm just trying to get on this bus, you are running from the police.
35. your pants zipper is down and i tried to tell you, but now you think i'm a pervert
36. i've been stalking your Facebook since high school and i just accidentally liked one of your really, really old photos
37. you catch me shouting obscenities at a soda machine in front of a bunch of kids
38. i went to pet your dog in the park and it bit me
39. i have been stealing money from my place of work for years, you are here to balance the books. one of us is going to jail.
40. you saw me touch a piece of food in a buffet and put it back, what are you going to do about it?

And some 1-2 word prompts:
1. fight
2. sneeze
3. trip
4. loud bragging
5. mistake
6. oversight
7. personal space
8. deception
9. mask
10. scar
11. manager
12. rude
13. car chase
14. rebel
15. secret exposed
16. rich bastard
17. unwanted opinion
18. hospital visit
19. alcohol
20. bored pranks
21. dark alley
22. jewel theif
23. harmless question
24. bystander
25. short temper
26. broke student
27. stingy
28. anxiety
29. jailtime
30. scapegoat
31. long-term consequences
32. childish tantrum
33. vent
34. coward
25. phobia
26. feigned apology
27. accidental insult
28. spill
29. crash
30. test

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RE: Blogs I'm Following

2019-01-04T19:11:34Z

seleneheart said in this entry:
Day 4

Comment to someone you haven't ever interacted with before or introduce yourself to someone you've interacted with and friend/follow them.

teigh_corvus, mossy_bench, alexcat, dreamkist and most of the people you mentioned as well. It's been a great experience, and we've only just begun. If any of you have met cool new peeps, you should totally link them.

DW style reblog came from shy_magpie's post with copy-able code. Copying the post you want to "reblog" works so long as you past into the Rich Text editor, and then move over to HTML to add the dd/dt tags. Thanks to teigh_corvus for suggesting that.

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Fanmix: Twisted (Loki/Tony Stark)

2019-01-03T20:52:51Z

Been working on this for a while, and I think it's finally ready to share.

"Twisted" is a mix for all those dirty bad wrong verses where our boys bicker and fight and make each other crazy...but ultimately have each other's back no matter what.

Alternate title: the most fun mix ever made about self-hatred, toxicity, and betrayal. :D

Listen on Spotify
Download (requires WinRAR or other unzipping software)
Or listen on 8tracks below:

Let me know if you like this kind of thing. I've got loads of mixes that I don't normally share but I thought I would give it a try. It's a new year, right?

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Day 3: Canon Appreciation - The Philosophy of FMA

2019-01-03T17:36:53Z

There are lots of great anime out there that are entertaining, surprising, exciting, and artistic. There are lots of shows with slick animation, lovable characters, and snappy dialogue. Hats off to them. But no show has ever changed my life like FMA did. No other show has ever examined big concepts like truth, justice, and war with such emotion, humanity, and unflinching brutality.

It is a show that challenges viewers to consider our human nature holistically. To examine how our greatest good and most unfathomable evil are both fueled by the same drives. Fear, vulnerability, pride, ambition, envy, doubt. These things make us human, and the only difference between a hero and a villain is how they respond to those universal emotional experiences.

The specific moment in canon that I treasure and admire most directly relates to that concept---that good actions and evil actions have the same basic engine. That good people are only good because they value the well being of others. Edward's final transmutation at the end of the series is such a shocking, profound, perfect ending precisely because it is not only a display of the character's growth and wisdom, but also because the ENTIRE SERIES is predicated on that theme of compassion and humility.

As a character, Ed's fatal flaw is very clearly stated again and again. He's arrogant. He's different than everybody else. Talented, a prodigy. He thinks the rules don't apply to him. Throughout the series he clashes against barriers (social, cultural, personal) that he believes hold him back. He defies his teacher Izumi, resents Colonel Mustang's protection, and even seems to consider Winry's affections something of a burden. (Because she makes him feel guilty for leaving her behind, not because he doesn't love her in return.) And yet all of these people only want to protect Ed. They don't want to hold him back, but they also fear what he might do if he falls victim to his own hubris and desperation.

So when he performs his final transmutation, I cannot fathom a more dynamic and poignant act of humility than for Ed to willingly give up his alchemy. He laughs it off in the scene, tries to make it seem easy, but it's not. Alchemy is EVERYTHING to him, it defines him. So that decision to live for others really is the thematic piece de resistance, a coalescence of all three of the show's major themes--the first law of alchemy, the stone powered by human lives, and Edward's own impossible goal. It all comes together to form a simple, profound message:

All is one, one is all. Our society rules and defines our individual lives. But society is just the collective mass of our individual choices and beliefs. Although we may feel powerless against our governments, our cultural institutions, the forces of nature and economics...they are made (in part) by each of us. Society only changes if we change, if we reach out to others with tolerance, understanding, and compassion. Our flaws lead us astray, they tell us that our own desires supersede the needs others, but that's not true. To create a better world, to eradicate suffering and injustice, we have to be like Edward Elric. We have to turn away from the things we think we want and live our lives in the service and care of others.

I do my best to live by that ideal. I don't always succeed, but I try. And whenever fandom newbies ask me which anime to watch first, I will always and forever say Fullmetal Alchemist. Because it's not just a show, it's a philosophy. One I think our world needs to adopt.

Maybe that can be my goal for 2019. Look weakness, fear, doubt, and selfishness in the face and say no. Although it feels good in the moment, although I naturally want to feel special, talented, influential, successful, ect, I don't need these things. They don't enrich my life or make me whole. This year, I give those things to the gate. Because for something to be obtained, something of equal value must be lost. And I want to see what my weakness is worth. I want to see what I can do if I spend that energy fostering community and encouraging growth in others.

I hope I'm not alone. :)

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