merlinsbbeard

[merlinsbbeard]

Euphemia: Minerva! Welcome in. James: Minerva? Uhh, her first name is 'Professor'.

#source: the avengers #james potter #euphemia potter #minerva mcgonagall #professor mcgonagall #incorrect marauders quote #marauders era #harry potter #marauders funny

[merlinsbbeard]

Of Figs and Fib Trees

Summer, 1977.

Lily’s parents are out of town, Petunia lives to flaunt her newly acquired relationship with Vernon Dursley, and Lily wants nothing more than to give her a taste of her own medicine. Thanks to some cruel trick from the universe, or perhaps fate, the perfect opportunity to do so arrives on her doorstep in the body of one James Potter.

Check out Chapter I: James on AO3!

#cheeky rebrand #jily fic #fake dating #james potter #lily evans #OFFT

[merlinsbbeard]

A Homage to Immortality @jilymicrofics, Words: 376, Rated: T

“Be careful this time,” Lily said, undergirding the chinstrap of James’s Brobdingnagian leather-hide helmet.

“Yes Ma’am.” He grinned toothily, two incisors missing on one side (it would take another week for them to grow back fully).

Lily huffed and levelled him seriously with her celadon gaze. “Potter.”

“Evans,” he smirked.

“I mean it.”

“I know. I will be.”

Celadon narrowed. “Promise me.”

He promised and planted a kiss on the top of her head for good measure. “I love you,” he murmured into her warm titian hair, and swallowed her shoulders in his strong embrace; hers gripped his middle tightly.

“I love you too,” she echoed, though it was muffled by his cinnabar Quidditch robes.

“I should probably go—” His grip around her slacked and he started to pull away.

She gripped him tighter. “No, you shouldn’t.”

“—the game will be starting soon.” He tried half-heartedly to step back once more, sighed, then scattered half a dozen kisses across her head and more on her cheeks until she unburied her face to kiss him back. He drank her in, sipping at the edges of her lips—the head of Butterbeer—then downing her all in one. She kissed him just as deeply, hands climbing up to his shoulders to drag herself infinitely higher—closer—to him.

He was Eros and she was Psyche, and here—the long-emptied changing rooms—was their castle in the ether, hidden away from that infestus envy that lurked on the land, poised to strike. Yes, even as their lips parted, and then their bodies, Lily felt the immortality soaking through her soul. She licked the ambrosia—his saliva—from her lips and locked her gaze with his bronze one.

“I gotta go,” he finally said, eyebrows knit together; he still hungered for her.

“I know,” she relented, but as she retreated towards the exit, he caught her by the hip and drew her back in for one final kiss.

“I’ll see you soon.”

Lily nodded. “See you soon.”

At last, he made his way to the entrance to the pitch, trailing his eyes on her Gryffindor-proud form until the very last moment, where he couldn’t help but disappear behind the canvas curtains—not before blowing her a kiss and a wink, of course.

Read on AO3

#jily #microfic #lily evans #james potter #merlinsbbeard #oneshot #jilymicrofics #marauders era #hogwarts

[merlinsbbeard]

*boops your nose* send this to ten blogs you think are lovely and deserve a boop on the nose <3 (psst, I’m reading When We Became I, and 😭 the pain with the last line!)

Omg thank you queen!! Right back atcha 🥰

And 🥺😭 I’m so happy to hear that you liked it 🫶 It’s not my usual type of fic (usual being Jily) so it’s always nice hearing feedback. Thank you!!

#ask merlin #merlin answers

[merlinsbbeard]

A little Romione microfic for Valentine’s Day ( a longer version will be up tomorrow. Also a Tedromeda, Remadora and possibly Jily 😉)

Painted Scars <- ao3 link

“Hermione, it’s fucking cold,” Ron groaned, as he felt the bristles of the paint brush trace his scarred arms. He had to bite to inside of his cheek in order to keep himself from picking her up and ravishing her. It should be a crime with how devilish her fingers felt as they lightly traced the tent of his briefs.

The little minx knew exactly what she was doing, with each stroke of the paintbrush on his chest, the gentle kiss of her lips followed.

“Don’t worry, it’ll warm up,” Hermione whispered into his ear before gently biting his earlobe.

#fic rec #romione

[merlinsbbeard]

Hey

I’m trying to dive into more Jily, do you have a favorite fic that you’ve made or a favorite that you recommend?

Hope you have a great day/night 😊

Hi Nena! Thanks for the Ask 💗

My favourite fic I’ve written is Forget-Me-Not (which is what the snippet you saw is from) but PLEASE don’t read it yet. I’m basically rewriting the whole thing rn 😅

Some of my favourites from other authors are (in no particular order):

• Jingle—Holy Fuck by theesteemedladydebourgh

• Between the Desire and the Spasm by uncertainwallflower

• The Last Enemy (series) by chdarling (I’m not even up-to-date with TLE but I love the writing style so much already).

There are plenty other great ones out there but these are just three that come to mind first. ALSO I limited myself to macro fics (as opposed to micro) because if I got started I think we’d be here forever. (Always willing to rec some micros if that’s what you’re after though.)

Hope this was of some help and have a great day/night too ☺️

#ask merlin #jily fic rec

[merlinsbbeard]

QUESTIONNAIRE TAG GAME Thanks for the tag @uncertainwallflower

Last Song

Lonesome and Mad by Under the Rug, Ariel Posen

Currently Watching

Shadow and Bone (Season Two) and LOVING IT

Currently Reading

Sex and Rage by Eve Babitz

I need to read more fanfics so please recommend me your favourites! (Or ones you wrote yourself.) 🙏

Current Favourites

I finished my first knitting project ever and now I'm obsessed! Gosh, I just love creating.

Also super into growing chillies lately 🌶️

Tags @startanewdream @practicecourts @blitheringmcgonagall @annasghosts @jamesunderwater

#tag game

[merlinsbbeard]

As she watched that little owl eat, her mind wandered to separate things. Things of tanned skin, cedar, and orange peel. Of the shell sitting pretty on her windowsill, pink and perfect. The bottom of a teacup. And a dull ache grew in her belly—not one of hunger but of guilt. It sprouted. Up to her throat, the height of her soft palette, until it had no more room to grow and so it pushed with all its might. It pushed and pushed until stubborn tears were finally evicted, dumped onto her barren cheeks. Dorcas would know what to do, Lily thought; her friend had had her share of love affair whims and woes.

#snippet #lily evans #coming soon

[merlinsbbeard]

The Consumerist Dystopia of Harry Potter

If you're looking for a good YouTube video to watch today, consider this one:

A good reminder to be aware of how much you consume and where it comes from, how it came to be.

#consumerism #harry potter #jk rowling #video essay #YouTube

[merlinsbbeard]

14 and 15 🫡

14. How do you write smut scenes? Do you get very visual or detailed? How important is it to be realistic?

From my limited experience with writing smut scenes, I can tell you that I prefer describing the sensations as opposed to the visuals. As for realism, I guess?? I'm not sure how one would write an unrealistic smut scene tbh 😅

15. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

Girl, you don't even wanna know (it's nine). BUT I'm forcing myself to finish Forget-Me-Not once and for all before working on any other macros. Having too many WIPs is a disease and I am infected with it.

#ask merlin

[merlinsbbeard]

6, 8, 24, 25!

6. Do you have your work beta'd? How important is this to your process?

I do! Bella (@uncertainwallflower) betas for me (and vice versa) and she is so so helpful. I find we have different ways of approaching writing so we pick up on things the other has glazed over all the time. Where oh where would I be without her?

8. Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or end of a story?

Okay, this is a tough one. I think I like the ends of stories the most because I like seeing how every little detail throughout has culminated in that ending, especially if it's a tragic one.

24. Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

Not starting sentences with and or but. Simple as that.

25. What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

Some of my favourite micros didn't garner much response. At first, I wished that they had, but now it just inspires me to improve my writing.

#ask merlin

[merlinsbbeard]

Get to know your fic writer!

Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

Do you plan each chapter ahead or write as you go?

Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

Do you like constructive criticism?

Do you have your work beta'd? How important is this to your process?

How do you choose which POV to write from?

Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or end of a story?

Do you comment on stories you read?

Cltr+f "blinks" on your WIP & copy paste the first sentence/paragraph that comes up

Link your three favorite fics right now

how does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

what’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

how do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?

How do you write smut scenes? Do you get very visual or detailed? How important is it to be realistic?

How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

What do you do when writing becomes difficult? (maybe a lack of inspiration or writers block)

Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

What is the most-used tag on your ao3?

Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

Would you ever collaborate with another writer for a story?

Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc)

Best writing advice for other writers?

Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

On average, how much writing do you get done in a day?

What’s your revision or editing process like?

Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished?

Do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?

Name three of your favorite fanfic writers.

Do you want to be published some day?

Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

What is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain? 

How do you write kissing scenes?

How do you choose where to end a chapter?

Would you ever write commissions?

Share a snippet from a WIP

If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

Do you take a sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more the "If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself" kind of person?

What mistakes do you keep making no matter how many times your beta corrects you?

Do you want to break your readers‘ heart or make them laugh?

How would you describe your style? (Character/emotion/action-driven, etc)

How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

What do you look for in a beta?

Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?

How long is your longest fic?

What’s your total AO3 word count?

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

How do you spend your time when it comes to fanfiction? Are you primarily a fic reader, writer, or a perfect 50/50 split of both?

What’s your favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

Do you prefer editing as you write, or waiting until it’s finished? 

What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most? (Brainstorming, outlining, writing, editing, etc) 

Does anyone in your personal life know you write fic? if not, would you tell anyone?

Have you had a writer you admire comment on your fic? What was that like?

Why do you continue writing fics?

Thoughts on cliffhangers?

Something you hate to see in smut.

Something you love to see in smut.

Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

How do you deal with writing pressure (ie. pressure to update, negative comments, deadlines, etc.)?

Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

What work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

What order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

You’ve posted a fic anonymously. How would someone be able to guess that you’d written it?

What scene in [Fanfic Name] took the longest to write? What was difficult about it? 

Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of [Fanfic Name]? 

Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written from [Fanfic Name] story/chapter? 

#ask game #ask merlin

[merlinsbbeard]

PICREW CHARACTER DESIGN GAME

Thank you @uncertainwallflower for tagging me in this WIP game.

Rules Make a couple characters (or just one! as many as you want/have time for) from your WIP. Use whatever Picrew suits the vibe best—just make sure to link it. Tag a couple people to do the same. I used this picrew to design my characters from Forget-Me-Not.

1–6: Lily, James, Vernon, Petunia, Dorcas, Cindy (OC).

Tagging @itsjamespotter @annasghosts @blitheringmcgonagall @practicecourts @startanewdream

#tag game #picrew #wip game #FMN

[merlinsbbeard]

*cough* 6 please 👀

Anything for you, Kelsey dearest. 6. shh. there’s people in the other room.

It started out as innocent fun. A day spent under the blistering sun ending in half a dozen lumpy mattresses transfigured from couch cushions and crammed into the library on the bottom floor of Potter Manor. Innocent fun. They had had to share a mattress. Innocent fun. James always slept with his shirt off. Innocent fun.

They hadn't meant to stay up so late, whispering and giggling in each other's ears. Everyone else had fallen asleep hours before, and James's arm had at some point wound its way under her head, and she had twisted onto her side, and his thigh had slotted perfectly between her legs, and her fingers had tried not to trace his torso. Tried.

His eyes had flicked to her lips. Ever so quickly. Ever so innocently. Mindlessly, really. And she had seen the motion. Wet her lips instinctively. Innocently. And he had taken a clipped breath in as his eyes flicked down again and she had leant forward infinitesimally and he covered the rest of the distance. Chaste at first. Quick and burning. He pulled away to see his flush mirrored in her face. Then came the scramble. Arms reaching, fingers fisting, lips parting, tongues sliding, lungs stopping, legs locking. Gods, it was teeth and saliva and beating hearts and breathless apologies and wandering hands. Frantic hands. Hands planting flags on swathes of sunburnt skin hitherto forbidden. Within reach yet unreachable. Now thoroughly fumbled.

They only pulled away when a choked sort of moan ripped from one of their chests and they froze, lips millimetres apart, eyes wide, dear caught in headlights, etc. etc. She wet her lips again and he tested his voice—it felt like years since he had last used it—with a soft broken ‘Lily.’

She melted into him like butter in the sun and he almost lost his head again before he tore his lips away, pressing his forehead to hers and urging, "Lily."

"What?" A whisper. A tiny thing filled with all the stubbornness in the world. Stubbornness and white hot want.

"Come with me."

More of an offer than an order but she followed as such. She might have saluted. He might have rolled his eyes. Either way, they were tiptoeing around the snoring corpses of their friends and she was eyeing him up like a piece of meat and he was—let's admit it—straining against his shorts, almost painfully so.

As it turns out, he didn't have much of a plan beyond against the wall just beyond the door. The hallway was too exposed, penchant for house elves tottering about dusting, buffing, polishing, you get the gist. But seventeen years in a house apparently weren't enough when faced with the whimpers Lily Evans would make when James's calloused fingers found their way under her clothes, few though there were.

"Where can we...?" Her voice was an octave higher than usual and it set his brain on a slant. Set his world on a slant.

No matter how hard he tried to think he could only push her further into the wall which would send her fingernails digging into his scalp and coax a whine from her throat and set his blood alight. “Lily.” He was struck dumb. A scratched record stuck on a loop. Lily, Lily, Lily. Honestly, it didn’t sound too bad.

But it had her scoffing and pushing him from her and her from the wall. “Come on.”

The dread that had temporarily plunged him neck-deep in icy waters drained instantly away and he was grinning—a wanton lopsided thing—and hurrying after her. The door squeaked terribly. They winced. But the room—the drawing room, how had he not thought of that?—was empty and the moon through the high mullioned windows was bright and blue and she was smiling at him and backing away and had he less control over himself he would have chased her down and torn the clothes from her body. But he didn’t. He trotted dotingly, achingly, like a love-sick puppy, after her while she giggled and by the time he reached her, she was all but chortling and he had to quiet her with a press of lips and whisper: “Shh. There are people in the other room.”

She smacked his shoulder then wrapped her arms around his neck, elbow to elbow, and pulled him in and he didn’t get another word in for a good long while.

Also going to tag @jilymicrofics because it is jily and it is a microfic. 'Nough said.

#OMFG #this is too cute #jily #microfic

[merlinsbbeard]

Word Search Tag Game

Thank youu @uncertainwallflower and @annasghosts for tagging me and sorry I took so long to get around to this. Anyways, here goes:

FAMILY

They dropped Cindy off first. She hugged Petunia through the passenger window and waved and blew kisses as they pulled out of her paved drive. James remained in the middle seat, knees less compressed, but shoulder still firmly pressed against Lily’s. By the time they reached All Saints Street, the sun was setting, settling an orange hue all about the front garden. Vernon didn’t come in, he was to attend a family dinner celebrating Marge’s bulldog’s birthday. Petunia waved him off the whole way down the street and finally dropping her hand, spun on her heel and declared, “I need a smoke.” Forget-Me-Not—A Jily summer love story

MISTAKE

“It was a mistake. We were on holiday and I hadn’t seen you in ages. I—” All's Well That Ends Well—Teenage angst eventual-Jily

BROKEN

Lily smiled, lifting her goblet a little closer to her painted lips, eyeing the crowd in front.  Swig.  “Happy birthday, by the way.” She broke the stalemate.  James had felt like a broken record stuck in a loop all day. Thank you, thank you, thank you. His furry mind couldn’t think of anything better to say. “Thank you.”  “Yooou’re welcome.” Ain't No Rest for the Sloshed—Prongs Party 2023 microfic

SIGH

His eyes flicked down to her lips then back to her eyes. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. “May I?” She nodded. His head dipped swiftly down to meet her once more. She heard the handset clack on the cradle, then his hands found her cheeks, her jaw, the soft skin beneath her ear, tilting her up into him. She went willingly, rising up onto her tiptoes. His lips were warm on hers; slow and forgiving. He sighed into her, then took a minuscule step forward, backing her against the wall and deepening the kiss. Forget-Me-Not (again)

And now, for Bella's words:

BACK

Lily and James's eyes met often. His brow would be knit and he would look away quickly. Hers would furrow and she would keep looking. Perhaps if he had looked back once, she would have worked up the courage to go over to him and apologise. What did she even need to apologise for? For asking him not to sit with her after he had spent the early hours of the morning comforting her? A bit. For caring more about what other people thought than what he did? Yeah, a bit of that too. But he never did. So, she never did. All's Well That Ends Well (unpublished snippet)

LIGHT

My chest has been waxed and my body rubbed down with a cream that makes my skin glint like sunlight on still water. I’m dressed in a satin blue-grey suit, it’s belted at my hips with a silky sash that falls to the floor, brushing my polished leather shoe. Above the sash, the jacket gapes. I have no shirt so my chest is entirely exposed. Sex appeal, I think to myself. Finniad: Striking Hearts (unpublished snippet)—Finnick Odair's origin story

QUIET

Dinner passed relatively quietly with scraping plates and clinking cutlery and eyes flitting across the table. Dessert was another matter. The second time Lily and James’s hands bumped while reaching for the same thing, the custard spoon this time—“Oops, sorry, you first.” “No, you.”—Petunia let out a great big sigh. Two pairs of eyes fell on her and Lily asked, “What?” “Just—would you stop eye-fucking over the crumble? Jesus Christ.” Forget-Me-Not (again, again)

REACH

The people around me are beginning to stare. I duck out of the pen and approach the stage that now seems miles away. My heart is in my throat, my feet are clumsy, and my mind is running a million thoughts at once. I look up as I climb the stairs and my own face stares back at me from the screens. I try to conceal the terror in my eyes but I’m unsure how successful I am because I’ve reached Eyre and Alfonso and now I must face the crowd. Finniad: Striking Hearts

Open tag for the following words:

Hasten

Drive

Feel

Flinch

#word search tag game #tag game #snippets #self rec

[merlinsbbeard]

Last Line Tag Game

I'm soooo late to this game but better late than never I suppose. Thanks @itsjamespotter and @uncertainwallflower for tagging me :)

Rules Make a new post and post your latest line from your WIP and tag as many people as there are words.

She had barely latched the window closed again when there was a knock at her door, and her father’s disembodied voice crept under the painted wood. “Lily?”

Open tag my lovelies

#wip game #tag game #FMN snippet

[merlinsbbeard]

I too practice this ‘inefficient writing’ 😂Honestly though I enjoy the process so if you do too then yay for us!

I do in fact have a tip for editing! This helps more with grammar rather than overall structure or style, etc. So, I like to change the font, the font size, maybe even the colour(!) which helps you see the words in a new way. If you have the resources to print out your writing and edit it with pen, that can be fun too! I find that once my brain starts looking for the words/punctuation rather than expecting them, I start picking up on those typos and grammatical errors that I otherwise would’ve missed. Hope this helps!

And, ooh! Love that for you. Even though I don’t cycle often (I live in a very hilly area) I can definitely see how it would help.

Hello!! 3, 4, and 20 for the Writer Asks please 🙏

hi Merlin, thanks for asking;-) 3. What is your process for going about writing a new chapter? My process is not efficient in any way. I just start to write. Usually half way I discover the POV might work better the other way around, or I can leave a lot out so the chapter/scene starts in the action and not in the build up. I'm a very inefficient writer that way, but I think that goes with working less from outlines (for the last chapters of HOHFY there is a clear outlined itinerary but still I need to just write parts and see if they fit or work of can just be discarded after.

Not sure if this answers the question, but this seems to be part of my writing process. So sometimes (as I am now discovering) this also means that I'm cutting the former single chapter up in to a lot more chapters ;-)

4) Describe your editing process. okay warning long ramble ahead, tldr: i have not found a good process here, my biggest point is that this process needs more time than I currently have (and more patience ;-) I'm only writing seriously for a year now. Editing is not my thing tbh. I'm one of those pple who get extremely enthusiastic about things and just go with the flow (hi HOH James, it's me... I'm the problem etc) so the editing part, where things actually get a lot better (i do believe that editing well is a very important part of writing) and more conscise, is something that I'm still a big beginner at. I feel overwhelmed tbh with it. So apart from reading out loud (or better listening to the phone reading my stuff out loud) and just trying to make myself go over the words to catch the obvious mistakes and typos and repetitive words, i just don't have enough patience for it at the moment. Long answer... sorry. I'm open for all tips or tricks to get better at it, I feel right now that "editing" is too big of a thing for me to oversee, or that I'm too impatient for a new update to wait the time it perhaps could use in order for the real editing to make it that much better. lol.

20. When do you get most of your ideas and inspiration for writing?

Oh, this one is easy; I get the best ideas and whole conversations etc when I'm walking the dog, or cycling a longer distance (shorter too but it interrupts the process.) Cycling seems my best "subconscious' creative brain activity activity.

#writer asks