#I had to rewrite the majority of this because the draft didn't save BUT I'm no sucker.

[aprismaticodyssey]

Big Announcement: Major Development!

Okay- yeah. This is LONG overdue. I know. So allow me to give a wee bit of context!

The demo that is currently available is from the very first draft. At the time, it was the one to beat. However, following the upload of the third chapter, as I continued writing, I liked it less... and less. I got as far as 7 chapters before I decided to rewrite. Then came Draft 2. I had someone message me on the forums asking me about the WIP and where it was, if there was any updates that I didn't provide or if I even changed platforms (choice to itchio). I told them, as it was, I had finished Draft Two. I had even begun typing and editing.

However... I soon became deeply unhappy. While I was proud I finished, a major accomplishment for myself, I absolutely hated how everything flowed. Draft Two was very similar to the Demo. As I was editing, I kept telling myself to trust the process. But I feared "the process" couldn't fix what I had written. And ultimately, if I'm not satisfied with it, then it isn't fair for me to put it out to you guys. To ask you to find the errors and bugs. To support me on Patreon or wait for updates, etc.

Thus came Draft Three. This one is finished from beginning to end and I can't tell you how OVERJOYED I am with this one.

Now that we're caught up... What happens now?

The Demo will still remain. Even though it's short and completely different, I think it's more fun to leave it available. As of today, I officially started typing and editing. I technically started earlier only because chapter one starts the same, but heavily deviates. I don't know how long this will take but I will go as fast as I can! My mother will be my first reader and editor, including for all the branching scenes and dialogue. When that is all said and done, I will put it all into ChoiceScript and then... boom! Upload for a brand new demo.

What about Patreon?

This is where it gets tricky. Because I have one partially completed draft and one completed draft, I have a ton of unused things. I have a separated filing for scrapped content. I thought about taking the chapters from the previous drafts as Patreon content but there's so much of it that I don't think it'd necessarily be feasible. If you guys have any suggestions for this, please let me know! Otherwise, I have things I can post without worrying about the previous drafts.

Okay... so... What about the hella weird posts without context?

Yeah that was me having fun. I saved a fair few pictures to help me capture and invision the aesthetic for this final draft. I amused me to post! Though why 👀 got more of a response than :) has me curious.

SO. Now that all of that is said, please ask anything you have like you did in the past. Be it about the WIP, the characters, silly stuff, etc. I can't wait to see how you guys react to this version.

#Nike Monroe Posts #Agents of lucifer #writing #interactive fiction #hosted games #Old AoL Posts #wip #if wip

[robthegoodfellow]

summer retrospective time because i'm feeling down about term starting up and not writing as much as i wanted to but I KNOW this is ridiculous and my goals were unreasonable.

so totally unasked for and unprompted here's what i got:

Chapters 8 and 9 of Upside-Down - 32k (total wip 118k) - E - Harringrove - Crazy long March chapter wherein an ominous phone rings and rings, Billy experiences some firsts (first time playing D&D against his will! first time fucking Steve! first time enduring a birthday party!), and Eddie drags Billy to a thrash metal concert. In Flayedville, the kids rally the troops to save Billy, he and Steve share body heat, and plans don't go as planned.

Two fics written for upcoming @strangerthingscharityzine totaling 4k words in their original state, trimmed down to 1.5k words each for the zine edition. Idk if I'm allowed to summarize but one of them made Remy cry!

That Bartender Sure is Something - 1k - G - Harringrove - Sideways scene rewrite from alt character's POV wherein I try to lay groundwork for why Steve's parents are out of town so often (aside from my need to give boys safe space to fuck and be super freaking domestic).

Chapters 11 and 12 of Only One Bed - 13k (total wip 59k) - E - Harringrovesoningham or whatever Steve/Billy/Eddie/Chrissy is called - Chrissy POV and Eddie POV chapters wherein Chrissy and Billy bond and then Billy/Eddie/Chrissy navigate their dynamic as asymmetrical polyamorous triad. Mostly cute!! Minimal angst!!

¿Por qué no los dos? - 18k - E - Harringroveson/Metalsandwich - What was supposed to be an excuse to make Steve and Eddie thirst over Billy in space buns becomes unexpectedly harrowing exploration of aromantic experience for me and apparently others, some of whom may be entitled to compensation. But there's smut... at the end?

Drafted aaalmost first half (7k) of @bigbangharringrove fic wherein Steve flirts with necromancy and necrophilia and NO STOP where are you going it's all gonna be fine!!! See, Billy died in this contemporary fantasy version of Hawkins where magic and supernatural creatures are just kinda there and so Steve tries to revive him but he imports the wrong file. The wrong Billy. Because there happens to be a lust demon that goes by the same name as Steve's dearly departed husband and let me tell ya he is NOT jazzed to be here. Working with @LucaDoodleDoo who is awesome AND so far has not run away!

Drafted 1.5k of fic for upcoming @harringrovezine. Still on track to be way too long but I WILL trim it down. Not sure what else I'm free to say but I'm excited how it's shaping up?

what follows is me convincing myself i did a good job

And that's... that's it. About 76.5k in all. Which is more than I realized (and also according to haphazard math is more than last summer by maybe 10k?)

I'm not usually fixated on word count much (aside from like laugh-crying when a fic just balloons way bigger than anticipated), and more words does not equal better words by ANY means, but I think this gives me a reality check about getting down on myself. I didn't finish the major things I originally set out to finish but... yeah, such is life when you have more than one WIP in which you are painfully invested 😅

And it's not like I won't EVER finish them which is prob my biggest fear because i had a rep growing up for all my grand plans and projects just losing steam and going nowhere. But I am capable of finishing fics because look ma, there's 3 whole multi-chap fics with the little green check mark (please actually DON'T look, ma).

I'm just babbling now. When work starts I'll be back to writing in random libraries after last bell and my output will slow, and I'm sad about it. But wow you know what I did shit out a bunch of words in like 2.5 months so at least there's that.

(Hesitant to post this because I'm sure it looks like flexing or fishing or something? Or like I'm implying that unless you too are shitting out words you suck? Which uhh I am not! The intent is more for Present Me to flex on Past Me, maybe? And fish some reassurance out of cold hard numbers to more easily put things in perspective.)

Mostly this did work, though! I feel better about the summer. If you need a boost, look over what you've done across a certain span of time using whatever measurement suits you and talk yourself into a pat on the back.

Pat, pat.

#rob rambles #a summary of quarterly whatevers #billy hargrove #my beloved #harringrove #mungrove #harringroveson #harringrovesoningham #that name won't even fit on the side of the ship what are we doing #strangerthingscharityzine #harringrovezine #spin me right round #only one bed

[unbindingkerberos]

Recovery (A Sequel to Exeunt)

Words: 903

Warnings: None

Author's Note: Slight ooc?? I'm not sure. Had to rewrite this fic a couple of times since I wasn't satisfied with earlier versions/ drafts. Fic takes place before the new Siege comic. Either way, I hope you enjoy. <3

Tags: @poisonedtruth @unpetitoiseau @children-of-epiales @shegetsburned @linoleum-ice

Foot tapping restlessly, sweaty palms clasping each other, form leaning back and forth and head aimed at the floor, Marius waits anxiously outside the infirmary. His stomach twists knots into knots, and a tension rises in his Adam's apple. Guilt bubbles in his throat and his tapping increased to a fast pace. Why was this taking so long? Did something happen? Is he--

No. Marius buries his face in his palms, feeling tears stinging his eyes. This can't be happening. It's all his fault. He should've done something-- noticed something was off beforehand. But now it's too late and Henry's hurt. Hurt because he saved him. 

It really is my fault.

The door to the infirmary opens and Gustave exits the room. Marius springs up from his seat. "Is he-- is Henry okay?" The Frenchman sighs. "We successfully removed the rest of the shrapnel from his back. Thankfully, none of it seems to reach his spinal cord." Marius releases a sigh he's been holding on. "Gott sei Dank." His voice trembles with a shakiness. Gustave puts a comforting hand on Marius's shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. "He's still resting but I'll give you some time to see him." 

"Danke, Gustave." Marius murmurs.

The door opens with a click and he sees the laying form of one Henry Adler-- a calm look ever present on his face. Marius drags a stool and sits right next to him. He takes Henry's hand and holds it near his chest. "Please wake up soon."

--

"Marius, aren't you supposed to be preparing for your mission?" The man in question gives off a smile as he replaces the worn, withered irises with fresh ones-- evident by their flourishing indigo palette. "Ja, but I finished preparing some time ago." Henry quirks a brow. "Is that so?" He playfully hums, eyes narrowing as his lips spread into a faint smile. "Alright, I believe you. A bit." 

Marius finishes with the arrangement and discards the withered ones in the bin. A new weight is added to the mattress as Marius joins Henry in bed. "I hope the flowers keep you company, liebling. I don't want you to be alone here as you recover." A heat makes its way to Henry's cheeks. It had been a few days since he confessed his feelings towards him. He still could remember the memory like it was yesterday.

(Henry clasps his hands with Marius's, fingers interlocking with one another. He had just awakened a few hours ago. "Thank you." Marius's lips twitch at the comment-- still taken aback by the suddenness of the situation. "What do you mean?" Henry smiles and he takes the other's hand and moves it to cup his cheek earning a shudder from the German. "You make me feel feelings that I have not felt for so long." A lock of hair falls to Henry's face. "And that scared me."

Marius's face deflates and Henry quickly realizes. "It wasn't your fault but mine. I was so blinded by my… confusion that I didn't realize it at first."

"Realize what?"

"That I love you."

The look on Marius's face was indescribable and for a moment Henry thought he had made a mistake. But that fear was quickly gone when the German leaned closer, a growing reddening in his cheeks. 

"Henry."

Being bold, Henry closes the distance between their faces. "Marius, it's about time I gave you the proper send-off you deserved that night.")

Both of them, still new to the concept of romantic relationships, did some research beforehand and asked for the guidance of other operators (even if the majority disapprove of the pairing). They've just set up some boundaries and ground rules with one another so that both parties can feel comfortable. It has been some time and so far all was well. But then again, this was the early stages of their relationship.

Henry rests his head on Marius's chest, feeling the thrum of the other's heartbeat. "Hmmm, how thoughtful of you." He lets out a long sigh, relaxed. Marius quirks a brow. "But I'm always thoughtful." Henry chuckles at the straightforward yet innocent reply. "I know." They stayed like this for a while until Marius brought up a proposal. "Want to sneak into the workshop again?" Henry flashes him a mischievous look. "Why not?" 

Their little moment was interrupted when Nayara entered the scene. For a while she had a shocked and flustered look on her face but she quickly composed herself. "We'll be leaving in a couple of minutes now. Get your gear and meet us at the carrier." Marius and Henry exchanged some looks with each other. "Don't be late, Streicher." Marius was the first to leave, waving Henry goodbye. Nayara was soon to follow but was stopped when Henry called out to her.

"Bring him back alive." Was all he said in a commanding tone.

The woman freezes for a while before nodding. "I will."

And now Henry was left alone with his thoughts. Thoughts that shifted back to Deimos and the warehouse. When he makes a full recovery, Henry promises to himself, he'll have a talk with the man behind that mask. Was he starting to doubt Henry? Unless of course this was his irritating way of testing his loyalty. Henry lets out a frustrated sigh and his hands curl into balls of tight fists. 

Oh well, guess he'll have to deal with it then. 

#rainbow six oc #henry adler #rainbow six siege #r6 oc #henry babel adler #r6 oc babel #r6 jager #r6 doc (brief appearance) #r6 brava (brief appearance)

[crtalley]

how extensive of an outline do you use? do you like plan every scene in advance or just major events or what?

outlines are the bane of my existence </3

Okay, okay, really though. Melodrama over, one of my things is that -- and this might give me messier first drafts, but that's my gamble to make -- I do not outline on a first draft.

Note the qualifier: on a first draft. I do outline for later drafts/rewrites, usually, to varying degrees.

A first draft is my place to fuck it up. It's my place to put words down on the page and see where they take me. Now: I do have ideas as to where the story's going, and I'll write up ~500-word plot sketches -- which are not outlines, bear with my pedantry please -- that more or less encompass "here's how Character gets from Point A to Point Oh Fuck" but don't often touch on specific scenes, more or less painting arcs and conflict in broad strokes.

One exception was the first draft of Bearskin. In that case, I didn't have an "outline", but I did have about a dozen scenes that I'd sketched up from various points in the narrative, so I put those in order and filled in the blanks in-between. I had a lot of fun doing that, but it doesn't work for every project. My brain's weird about it.

On later drafts and rewrites, I do try to outline, but it's not something I'm used to yet. I don't know the best way to go about it for me -- if I get too detailed, I feel burnt out and bored; if I go too broad, I find myself flailing and again feel burnt out and bored. There's a sweet spot somewhere in the middle where I know exactly what has to change and what has to happen, and I haven't quite found that yet.

A lot of people like things like the Snowflake Method or Save the Cat, which are imo really useful tools if they work for you! They don't work for me (for various reasons, including artistic philosophy shit that I won't get into here). I recommend checking those out, though, if you're looking for a kind of outlining method to try.

Anyway, point being, there's merit to outlining obviously but it's not something that I go out of my way to fit into my planning process. In later drafts it works its way in eventually. (Right now I'm working on outlining Bearskin draft 3 in Notion, where I keep my info on what characters are present and what the moon phase is because SOME dumbass (me) has two thumbs and decided to make that relevant to the plot.)

thanks for the ask!!

#in which ve talks way too much #in which ve talks about vis writing #listen outlines are the kind of thing where if they work for you #they're utter magic #but if they don't work for you #you're kinda stuck staring at the people they DO work for #going ''how the fuck did you make THAT happen'' #one of these days i'll find one that works for me #until then??? y'all get this mess on the regular

[fcxyviixen]

UPDATE ON STORIES

i live!!

ok, my computer had a stroke (i fried the hard drive in my computer) and it was in the shop for a while because it took me a while to get a job and to get the money to pay for the repairs, but i have it back now.

also, i was rereading void and redamancy from a while ago and saw that people still liked them and wanted an update, so here's the situation with both of those stories:

i lost both of my drafts.

because i fried my hard drive, i cannot get my old drafts back because they were saved into the computer and i didn't have the chance to transfer them onto a flash drive yet, so yeah..

but, i've come up with a solution!!

i'm going to redo both of them, because i know the plot i have for the stories however, without my drafts i cannot remember which way the stories were going to continue and all the tiny areas of the plot, i remember everything major, but not everything minor. so, i figured the best thing to do is rewrite the stories.

i will still keep the main plot and keep the former chapters up, however i will be rewriting them and reposting them on this account. however once again,,, really slow because i have school and work, and i'm already behind on school because i lost my computer.

so, sorry about just dipping out and i'll hope to have some updates coming soon.

#vixies foxy friday #i'm back #update on redamacy and void #rewriting stories

[krys-loves-otome]

For the fanfic askmeme: 7, 14, 16, 18, 29, 31

Yet Another Writing Ask

Your favorite ao3 tag

To Write in: Fluff

To Read: Also Fluff.

Don't know what I expected. It's the most used tag (with some variants like domestic fluff, family fluff, etc) I have, and what's in most of my bookmarks.

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Write and share the first sentence of a new fic. Just that.

(like, a sentence for a fic that I plan to follow through with writing to completion, or can I just fire off a random sentence with no commitment of seeing it written about further? Because I can do both and not label which is which, like an evil person)

-She really had changed him, Nokto thought with a defeated smile, sliding the champagne glass from Clara's reach.

-Miri stopped breathing, her blood turning to ice as she stared, helpless, as Lucifer's eyes, dark and fuming, turned to her.

-----

Are one-shots really underrated?

Considering the vast majority of what I read and write are one-shots, not really? It probably has more to do with me and my short attention and energy span and the fact that the fandoms I'm in now are much smaller and much more niche, but one-shots are usually the norm from what I've seen. You don't really see many long-form fics often, which I think makes them more underrated than the one-shots. At least from my view of my current fandoms.

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First, second, or third person?

Second person if I'm writing a Reader POV, Third Person if I'm doing an OC or a canon character. 1st Person feels a little too close for comfort for me and describing your actions as you're doing them/have done them feels weird to me.  I've backed out of fics before that were 1st person pov and the pov person was narrating their every single minute action because it bugged the hell out of me. Not saying at all that 1st Person POV is bad overall, it's just not for me.

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What's the hardest thing about writing?

Everything, with a few things being harder than others. For me, it's fighting with the anxiety of if my ideas are 'good' enough that someone else would want to read them, not helped by the fact that I write quite a bit of OC-related stuff and fandom at large (at best, from my experience) usually ignores OCs.  Plus, I'm bad about checking stats and notes for interactions (hit counts, likes, retweets, etc) in the way that I stare at the stat page/activity page/what have you until something happens, willing the counters to change, even a little bit. I have gotten better about it in later years (like putting my phone and laptop down and walking downstairs and doing something there, even just walking around to get rid of the restlessness), but I can only distract myself for so long before giving into temptation and having a peek at the engagement.

If we need something writing-specific, I'm bad about stopping myself from editing as I'm writing? Like, I've scratched out full paragraphs while still writing because I didn't like where the scene was going and tried to stop myself from continuing further. Sometimes it doesn't work and I end up rewriting what I scratched out, just with slightly different words, only to scratch it out again, rinse and repeat.

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What was the most difficult fic for you to write (but in the end you made it)?

I'm gonna split this question up because I think a fic being difficult to write can be difficult in different ways. Love at First Sight was rough because of all the technical problems surrounding its creation. At the time, my laptop was dying and it didn't save the original draft, so I had to rewrite what I could remember on my phone (html included) and send it in late, as it was originally for an appreciation week, and I think my writing suffered for that week because of that loss. Went back later and fixed what I could of those fics, but still. That one was the technicality most difficult fic.

For emotionally difficult fic, tho it technically doesn't count (since it really isn't a fic as much as a list with paragraphs), that would be my Warlord and Ace Reader headcanons. I've toyed with writing ace characters in different fandoms before (this wip Wednesday from Seduce Me, and one that I haven't released from the MysMe fandom) but I was always worried I wouldn't do the ace characters/reader justice or represented fairly like I have with allosexual characters.

If we're going by strictly fic-only standards, tho it's still unfinished, that would be Second Glance. It's the first time in a super long time that I've taken on a multi-chaptered work (haven't really done that since high school, so you know it's been a long time). It's challenging me with story consistency, believable relationship building, conflict and resolution, problem-solving, character consistency and motivations, all that fun stuff that happens in long-form writing. And coupled with that 'this is a bad idea/no one wants to read this' anxiety mentioned earlier, it's been an emotional rollercoaster, even with as far as I've gotten with it.

#meme thingys #thanks for the questions Scummy! #anyone else is welcome to bring in more questions #it might take me a bit to finish them #but I love getting asks #my answer to everything is fluff #and joke's on all y'all #I don't know which sentence could be turned into a fic as they both have a lot of potential for expansion #or more like the joke's on me for writing two lead ins that could be made into something later #we shall see

[amethystpath-writes]

So What If It’s Manipulation?

“They tell you you’re the broken one but you’re the only one that hasn’t caved in.”

"I hope this isn't some coy to make me 'join the dark side,'" Protagonist muttered. She tried to keep their voice even, unafraid, but nothing could stop the fear sliding down her throat and coiling in her stomach.

This wasn’t  just anyone talking to Protag; this was Villain, the very kind of person Protag would have been training to fight against had she been accepted into the program, onto the team. Instead, they told her she was too broken- too damaged. Was it upsetting? Of course. But Protag couldn’t prove them right; having a meltdown in front of the team would only guarantee the act she’d never be considered in the future.

“So what if it is?”

Protag heard the slow footsteps approaching the closet door. Why did she ever think it was a good hiding place? Villain had guessed it nearly as soon as he stepped inside. Surely, it would have been more intelligent of Protag to continue with a hidden silence, but she felt that hiding for longer would only make possible consequences worse. She didn’t want to upset Villain, right?

The footsteps stopped on the other side of the door. Protag’s nose and eyes stung with fearful tears unshed. “Then- then you should leave now, because I won’t join you.” With a staggering stubbornness, she declared, “I won’t.”

“Do you have a valid reason for not doing so? I mean, when I can offer you more than anyone else ever could.”

“You can’t offer me anything.” Protag’s voice was just barely above a whisper. As soon as she was done speaking, she brought her shaking hands to her mouth, and began gnawing at her nails.

“I can offer you care and comfort. I can make you feel useful and needed.” Villain continued, listing one thing after another, but Protag only picked up on one word.

Used. That’s all Protag would be if she decided to side with Villain. If she decided to, but she wouldn’t. Protag was supposed to fend off the bad guys, not become one. How could she? Protag. Was. Good- even if she was too pathetic to be a part of the team. She was good.

Then again...being told she wasn’t broken, being told she could be someone, that she was independent and didn’t need a whole team in order to be protected...it was...it was a blissful thought, wasn’t it? To be admired and seen as whole?

But no.

No, this was Villain.

This was manipulation.

So what if this is manipulation?

It felt good, didn’t it?

Even if the words were fake, Protag could put it behind her- she could forget the fact that it was all a lie, if only it meant she felt useful and whole again. It had been so long since she felt any pride in her abilities, or even trusted her own personality. Protag didn’t know who she was in this age of darkness and discomfort, but if someone- even Villain- could show her that she meant something...maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all. He clearly saw something the heroes didn’t see.

Protag opened the closet door.

#NOT A PROMPT #'They tell you you’re the broken one but you’re the only one that hasn’t caved in.' #courtesy of kactus-loves-writing #I had to rewrite the majority of this because the draft didn't save BUT I'm no sucker. #I have come to deliver. #Next up is taking my anger out on a poor Hero who is well acquainted with juniper trees :) #normal tags :p #heroes and villains #hero villain drabble #ish #it's still in the hero villain concept so it checks out #evil villain #manipulation #I considered cracking a 'coming out of the closet' joke by villain #but that wasn't a part of his personality so ahaha- just insert the joke here #kactus- thank you for that lovely sentence #it was very whumpish #having said that *cough cough* more tags-> #whump #villain whumper #hero whumpee #not technically technically a hero but you get the gist #alright #DeeDee is out