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“One word after another. That’s the only way that novels get written.” — Neil Gaiman

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Really excited for mediocre polyam genre movies to become a thing someday. Like the bad romcoms and Christmas specials

3 people trying to get their partner a new partner for her birthday and panel interviewing potential dates and/or hosting tryouts with competitions including "cooking her favorite dish", "best cuddles", "don't laugh at these embarrassing photos of her" and "obstacle course dog walking (they own 2 mastiffs and a great dane)"

Person in a triad who knows the other two members' names but can't remember which is which and its too late to ask now so they decide to try to bring in new members so they have to introduce themselves but Hijinx Keep Ensuing

Polycule spies the hottest person they've ever seen and each independently vie for that person's affections which ends in the person admitting that they're polyam and dating 4 other people already and OG polycule goes you mean there's more of you?? and everyone gets a mansion together and lives happily ever after until they all meet the new incredibly hot mail carrier

Polycule isn't out to their families and has to meticulously plan who is going to who's family Christmas dinner, but at the last moment the lynchpin character can't make it and now Megan has to pretend to be Emma because Steve already told his family that's whose coming and they WON'T take "she's sick" for an answer, but that means Megan can't make it to Amelia's dinner and--

Literally all off the top of my head. All of these are free for the taking, Hollywood, as soon as the writer's strike is over and their demands are met.

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My only real and valid writing tip is that you google every word you make up for your fantasy stories. That's It

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It’s fine because I’m actually using a secret technique called writing it in my head and nowhere else.

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i think of this ProZD video constantly its always so fucking funny

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1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15 for "He Lives For Me, Says He Lives For Me"

Sorry for sending yet another ask lol, I'm just so curious about the creation of this fic. It's so good and is such an interesting concept/version of events that I want to know what went on in your yalls brains while making this!

hihihi!

EEK! i'm SO excited you asked about this one! this one is one of the fics i'm proudest of (+ some of my favourite charlotte art!), but it didn't get as much traction as my other fics. so i am so excited to yap about it now!!!

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

one of my favourite samdean AUs is normallife!AU because yeah!! they are really weird like that! "weird about each other" means weird about each other in EVERY TIMELINE BABEY! it's also fun to see their dysfunction in an average environment, and how people react to two brothers who are Just Like That.

5: What part was hardest to write?

the hardest part to write was definitely the resolution post-meltdown. for sam and dean normally, they take incest pretty hard, lol. so to get these two brothers that have not lived at the fringes of "normative" society and resolve their emotions in a satisfying way was difficult. the blow-up (post-blowjob, haha) was pretty easy to write, but i had a hard time making the resolution of the story feel emotionally satisfying. because they had to dust themselves off and walk home after something completely life-shattering.

they deal with most things with a kind of bitter humour in the show, so i chose a dash of that with more emotional transparency, because they haven't been raised as rough/life-or-death as show sam and dean.

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

i think the AU is the most different part about it! and while they're both teenagers, it's also my only underage fic (as of this moment) so i knew that would automatically disqualify it for a lot of folks, which i can understand. it operates pretty differently from my other samdean fics, because they aren't supposed to behave 1:1 like they would in the show, as their entire environment is different.

7: Where did the title come from?

the title came from "semi-charmed life" by third eye blind, which was released earlier in the year that the party takes place (February vs October '97). so conceivably, and given the subject matter of the song (a drug bender), it would be played at a high school party that year! i did a STUPID amount of song research for this fic, and i will revisit all of that in #13!

i chose it specifically because it talks about being obsessed with someone when you're young--in a predominantly physical, but also emotional, way. this lyric was VERY much codependent and obsessed, which i thought was pretty spot-on for sam and dean. i thought it was fitting!

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

no, actually! this didn't change much from the conception to the finished product. for the october challenge, i actually plotted this one first because i was so excited about it. (i even wrote the blowjob scene first in my notes app bc a few lines of dialogue stuck in my head and i wanted to write them down before i could forget.) it was intended to be a little more light-hearted than it ended up being, but there's not really a way to write two brothers in a completely normal social situation deciding to commit incest and deal with it normally afterwards, lmao.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

i was most happy with their dynamic in this fic. it was challenging to write an AU!sam&dean and keep their obsession with each other in a way that felt natural, but i thought their background was fun! i think dean would develop sam-centric if he had even an ounce of the hero worship/responsibility that he gets in the show. i liked their family dynamic/history and their own dynamic/history in this fic! i enjoyed writing that the most, as well as the lead-up to the kiss. it's frantic and it's devoted and it's messy! overall: the emotion of this fic. i think i did a good job!

i also think it has a pretty decent blowjob scene? i LOVE either boy in lingerie, so i hope i did them justice!

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

okay! this fic is very song-heavy, and i did a bit of research on songs that came out in the past 1-3 years before '97, because those songs would be the most popular at a high school party. so here are a few that i listened to or are mentioned in the fic:

around the world by daft punk

semi-charmed life by third eye blind

a significant portion of nimrod by green day, specifically worry rock (bc sam is a little alternative, and this song is VERY MUCH canon!samdean) (i even looked up the day of the week the album came out to make sure dean could take him on a school day)

tha crossroads by bone thugs-n-harmony (bc haha)

the monster mash by bobby "boris" pickett and the crypt-kickers & calling all the monsters by china anne mcclain (bc halloween, the latter of course being a more recent song and not in the fic)

wannabe by the spice girls

mmmbop by hanson

pony by genuwine (which was BIG summer '97)

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

besides the billboard top-100 of '96-'97, i learned i need to work on interim action! i found myself really speeding through the party because i wanted dean in his eyeliner and skirt to walk in, and it felt very lop-sided and rushed while i was trying to establish characters/events at this party. i need to get better at pacing! i also learned i was way more into the way noise is muffled under a skirt/how emotionally intimate&vulnerable it is if you're under there than i thought. huh! i also really want to see sam with smeared lipstick. new things all over!

(send me one of my fics and i'll answer some questions!)

thank you for sending this one!!!!!! it's one of my faves for absolute sure. please send as many asks as you'd like! i always smile when i see you in our inbox! :)

-lizzy

#love this so much #this fic made me obsessed with the idea of samdean having a normal life and its hard for me to find similar fics! #i adore the jealousy and crossdressing and football player/cheerleader dynamic(even if its pretend) #ALSO YOU'RE SO SWEET I GET NERVOUS SENDING ASKS SO THAT WAS A NICE MESSAGE AT THE END #ANYWAY #this one was so fun to hear about #and the art that accompanys it is SO GOOD #SEEING DEAN IN THAT OUTFIT? YES #i have half of your fics bookmarked and this was immediately one of them when i read it LOL #aml reblogs

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Caves are weirder and more varied than you think

#references #reference #aml reblogs

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I need more skip x norman content asap and I'm not talented enough to make my own. Somebody please heed my call.

#please one of my favorite things about them is the way skip is truly the only one who understands normans pain #zac played skip learning about his backstory so well #like skip kept being the ONLY ONE to truly humanize and empathize with norman #the idea that in symbiosis hes just able to get him? UGH MY FAVORITE #thats not even getting into the fact that their stories truly parallel each other #being used as nothing more then a pawn? being betrayed by someone you should have been able to trust? being an outcast??? #GIVE ME MORE!!! PLEASE!!! #praying that if they ever make a starstruck odyssey season 2 taht we get more of them #praying to zac and brennan taht they make skip and normans relationship at least a little bit gay #and protective #god i love when they get protective over each other #norman x skip #skip x norman #valdrinorman #skipperskip #norman skipper takamori #norman takamori #skip takamori #prince valdrinor #d20 starstruck #starstruck odyssey #a starstruck odyssey #dimension 20

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So surprised that the anime Red Garden isn't more popular considering the insane homoerotcism going on between like 80% of the girls in that show

#no literally #all 4 of the main girls with lisa? they were all just really good friends with her?? i don't buy it #kate and paula? #literally just the 4 main girls in general??? ultimate polycule #im over here kicking my feet and twirling my hair #like heehee i want what they have #red garden #anime #anime recommendation #underrated anime #underrated #aml speaks #seriously yall #watch red garden #its gay as fuck #sapphic #sapphic anime

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"Tomorrow's your birthday."

"Is it."

"You want to do anything?"

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Text: My roommate lends me two eyeliner pens for our night out, one white, one black. “This one to see ghosts. This one to see curses.”

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Things That May Be Causing Your Writer's Block- and How to Beat Them

I don't like the term 'Writer's Block' - not because it isn't real, but because the term is so vague that it's useless. Hundreds of issues all get lumped together under this one umbrella, making writer's block seem like this all-powerful boogeyman that's impossible to beat. Worse yet, it leaves people giving and receiving advice that is completely ineffective because people often don't realize they're talking about entirely different issues.

In my experience, the key to beating writer's block is figuring out what the block even is, so I put together a list of Actual Reasons why you may be struggling to write:

(note that any case of writer's block is usually a mix of two or more)

Perfectionism (most common)

What it looks like:

You write one sentence and spend the next hour googling "synonyms for ___"

Write. Erase. Write. Rewrite. Erase.

Should I even start writing this scene when I haven't figured out this one specific detail yet?

I hate everything I write

Cringing while writing

My first draft must be perfect, or else I'm a terrible writer

Things that can help:

Give yourself permission to suck

Keep in mind that nothing you write is going to be perfect, especially your first draft

Think of writing your first/early drafts not as writing, but sketching out a loose foundation to build upon later

People write multiple drafts for a reason: write now, edit later

Stop googling synonyms and save that for editing

Write with a pen to reduce temptation to erase

Embrace leaving blank spaces in your writing when you can't think of the right word, name, or detail

It's okay if your writing sucks. We all suck at some point. Embrace the growth mindset, and focus on getting words on a page

Lack of inspiration (easiest to fix)

What it looks like:

Head empty, no ideas

What do I even write about???

I don't have a plot, I just have an image

Want to write but no story to write

Things that can help:

Google writing prompts

If writing prompts aren't your thing, instead try thinking about what kind of tropes/genres/story elements you would like to try out

Instead of thinking about the story you would like to write, think about the story you would like to read, and write that

It's okay if you don't have a fully fleshed out story idea. Even if it's just an image or a line of dialogue, it's okay to write that. A story may or may not come out of it, but at least you got the creative juices flowing

Stop writing. Step away from your desk and let yourself naturally get inspired. Go for a walk, read a book, travel, play video games, research history, etc. Don't force ideas, but do open up your mind to them

If you're like me, world-building may come more naturally than plotting. Design the world first and let the story come later

Boredom/Understimulation (lost the flow)

What it looks like:

I know I should be writing but uugggghhhh I just can'tttttt

Writing words feels like pulling teeth

I started writing, but then I got bored/distracted

I enjoy the idea of writing, but the actual process makes me want to throw my laptop out the window

Things that can help:

Introduce stimulation: snacks, beverages, gum, music such as lo-fi, blankets, decorate your writing space, get a clickity-clackity keyboard, etc.

Add variety: write in a new location, try a new idea/different story for a day or so, switch up how you write (pen and paper vs. computer) or try voice recording or speech-to-text

Gamify writing: create an arbitrary challenge, such as trying to see how many words you can write in a set time and try to beat your high score

Find a writing buddy or join a writer's group

Give yourself a reward for every writing milestone, even if it's just writing a paragraph

Ask yourself whether this project you're working on is something you really want to be doing, and be honest with your answer

Intimidation/Procrastination (often related to perfectionism, but not always)

What it looks like:

I was feeling really motivated to write, but then I opened my laptop

I don't even know where to start

I love writing, but I can never seem to get started

I'll write tomorrow. I mean next week. Next month? Next month, I swear (doesn't write next month)

Can't find the time or energy

Unreasonable expectations (I should be able to write 10,000 words a day, right????)

Feeling discouraged and wondering why I'm even trying

Things that can help:

Follow the 2 min rule (or the 1 paragraph rule, which works better for me): whenever you sit down to write, tell yourself that you are only going to write for 2 minutes. If you feel like continuing once the 2 mins are up, go for it! Otherwise, stop. Force yourself to start but DO NOT force yourself to continue unless you feel like it. The more often you do this, the easier it will be to get started

Make getting started as easy as possible (i.e. minimize barriers: if getting up to get a notebook is stopping you from getting started, then write in the notes app of your phone)

Commit to a routine that will work for you. Baby steps are important here. Go with something that feels reasonable: every day, every other day, once a week, twice a week, and use cues to help you remember to start. If you chose a set time to write, just make sure that it's a time that feels natural to you- i.e. don't force yourself to writing at 9am every morning if you're not a morning person

Find a friend or a writing buddy you can trust and talk it out or share a piece of work you're proud of. Sometimes we just get a bit bogged down by criticism- either internal or external- and need a few words of encouragement

The Problem's Not You, It's Your Story (or Outline (or Process))

What it looks like:

I have no problems writing other scenes, it's just this scene

I started writing, but now I have no idea where I'm going

I don't think I'm doing this right

What's an outline?

Drowning in documents

This. Doesn't. Make. Sense. How do I get from this plot point to this one?!?!?! (this ColeyDoesThings quote lives in my head rent free cause BOY have I been there)

Things That Can Help:

Go back to the drawing board. Really try to get at the root of why a scene or story isn't working

A part of growing as a writer is learning when to kill your darlings. Sometimes you're trying to force an idea or scene that just doesn't work and you need to let it go

If you don't have an outline, write one

If you have an outline and it isn't working, rewrite it, or look up different ways to structure it

You may be trying to write as a pantser when you're really a plotter or vice versa. Experiment with different writing processes and see what feels most natural

Study story structures, starting with the three act structure. Even if you don't use them, you should know them

Check out Ellen Brock on YouTube. She's a professional novel editor who has a lot of advice on writing strategies for different types of writers

Also check out Savage Books on YouTube (another professional story editor) for advice on story structure and dialogue. Seriously, I cannot recommend this guy enough

Executive Dysfunction, Usually From ADHD/Autism

What it looks like:

Everything in boredom/understimulation

Everything in intimidation/procrastination

You have been diagnosed with and/or have symptoms of ADHD/Autism

Things that can help:

If you haven't already, seek a diagnosis or professional treatment

Hire an ADHD coach or other specialist that can help you work with your brain (I use Shimmer; feel free to DM me for a referral)

Seek out neurodiverse communities for advice and support

Try body doubling! There's lot's of free online body doubling websites out there for you to try. If social anxiety is a barrier, start out with writing streams such as katecavanaughwrites on Twitch

Be aware of any sensory barriers that may be getting in the way of you writing (such as an uncomfortable desk chair, harsh lighting, bad sounds)

And Lastly, Burnout, Depression, or Other Mental Illness

What it looks like:

You have symptoms of burnout or depression

Struggling with all things, not just writing

It's more than a lack of inspiration- the spark is just dead

Things that can help:

Forget writing for now. Focus on healing first.

Seek professional help

If you feel like it, use writing as a way to explore your feelings. It can take the form of journaling, poetry, an abstract reflection of your thoughts, narrative essays, or exploring what you're feeling through your fictional characters. The last two helped me rediscover my love of writing after I thought years of depression had killed it for good. Just don't force yourself to do so, and stop if it takes you to a darker place instead of feeling cathartic

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"why does writing take so long" because 60% of it is coming up with a sentence, realizing that sentence doesn't work the way you want it to, and staring at a wall

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All that shit you don't want people to know? Write it.

·:*¨༺𖤐☆✮☆𖤐༻¨*:·

There are a lot of topics people don't like to talk about, right? Whether it's stuff society has taught us to not talk about, like sex, or stuff that's just really personal, that we'd like to keep to ourselves. That's totally fine, but you shouldn't keep that shit bottled up.

A great writing and mental health exercise is to explore that by writing it.

For example, I've never liked to think about or talk about death. So I dove right in and decided to write a very short story about the processes of death in a way that was more palatable to me.

It was a great way to confront the big scary on my own terms, and while I don't feel completely exorcized of the anxiety, it's great to get some of it out.

You could even take this one step further and burn it or rip it to shreds as a physical and philosophical way of destroying all of it.

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Everyone always gives Hannibal hell for refusing to acknowledge that his trauma had any impact on him, especially since he's a skilled psychiatrist, but imagine if he did admit that to himself. Then what? Then, all illusions of being self-made disappear. He won't be the serial killer who chooses to kill out of curiosity and appreciation for the art of death. He'd just be a product of his trauma. Everything that he assumed control of, even the ritual of eating his victims that he'd carefully cultivated, all of that would just be a byproduct of that winter. He would be completely at the mercy of that memory, his whole life dictated and warped by that incident. And he would lose himself. Better to believe this was all his design. Better to dismiss that winter and say that it was determined to happen from the beginning. It would have happened anyway. The teacup would've shattered anyway. He had made it shatter. This was his design.

#yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes #OP YOUR MIND #THIS IS IN FACT EVERYTHING #FOREVER OBSESSED WITH HANNIBAL HAVING TO FACE HIS TRAUMA #YOU GET IT #nbc hannibal #hannibal #hannibal lecter