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taivansupremacy · 2 years

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Lunchtime Confessions

Summary: Robin seeks advice from her favorite teacher when she realizes she has a crush on you.

Pairing: Robin Buckley x reader

A/N: I got the idea for this fic from the robin podcast, but if you haven't listened to it, you should still be able to read this and understand it. I hope you enjoy! as usual, feedback, likes, and reblogs are appreciated!

CW: swearing (if i missed anything let me know!)

“Do you have y/n y/l/n in class this year?” Robin asked as she took a bite of her sandwich.

She had been eating lunch in her favorite teacher’s classroom for years now, both because she enjoyed his company and because she didn’t have any friends to spend her lunch periods with. Their lunches were spent in a mixture of silence, as Robin read or listened to her language tapes and Mr. Hauser graded essays, and conversation, either discussing their literary thoughts or personal lives as they ate. Robin loved having an adult she could confide in at school and Mr. Hauser loved knowing that he had an impact on at least one of his students, their lunches were a highlight for both of them.

“Yes, she’s in my class for the period after your class. Why?” Mr. Hauser questioned, raising an eyebrow and looking up from the essays he was grading.

“Oh, n-no reason,” The blonde tried to sound nonchalant but failed miserably, “I just think that she may be a good travel companion for operation croissant, you know?”

“Miss y/l/n is a nice girl, but what happened to Tammy Thompson? I thought you wanted her to go with you to Europe?”

“Not anymore,” The blonde shrugged, “y/n is funny, curious, and passionate and Tammy doesn’t really care about anything but herself..”

Hauser nods, giving her a knowing smile, “Robin, do you think-“

“y/n sits beside me in biology and she always makes me laugh. I couldn’t get through that class without her leaning over and making fun of Mr. Reed’s southern accent or cracking a joke about one of our classmates. But she pays attention! And she’s genuinely interested in our experiments and she wants to know more about the world around us. She’s always asking brilliant questions; ones that I never would have thought of. She also told me that she wants to get out of Hawkins when she graduates and it took everything in me not to reveal operation croissant on the spot.” Robin rambled, her hands flying animatedly.

“Robin,” Mr. Hauser started again, “Do you think that you may have a small crush on y/n?”

Mr. Hauser was the only person that knew that she was a lesbian, other than Steve. She didn’t exactly come out to him, but he caught on based on how she spoke about Tammy Thompson sophomore year. It was an unspoken understanding. This was the first time that he ever directly spoken about it though, and it caught her off guard.

“What? No! I just think she’s cool and would like to be her friend outside of class, that’s all.”

Hauser nodded with a small chuckle as he got back to grading essays. He soon looked up at Robin again and broke the brief silence that fell over them.

“Then hang out with her.” He suggests, twirling his red pen around his fingers.

“What?”

Suddenly, Robin regretted bringing the topic up at all. Her teacher was always talking about how although he would always be here for her and his door would always be open for lunches, she needed friends her own age. She tried to tell him that she had Steve and occasionally hung out with Nancy Wheeler outside of school, but he insisted that she try and meet people that she could hang out with during the school day. She should have known that he would push her to try and hangout with you.

“Ask y/n to see a movie or to come over and do whatever it is that girls your age do these days. Get to know her.” He shrugged, dropping his pen on the stack of papers on his desk, “Who knows? Maybe you’ll find a new best friend.”

“I can’t do that,” Robin stated plainly as she twisted one of her rings around her middle finger.

“Why not?”

“I mean you said it yourself,” She threw her hands up and leaned back in her desk chair, “I’m the weirdest girl in school. I can’t just ask her to hang out with me!”

“I think you’re selling yourself and y/n short here,” He pointed out, “She doesn’t strike me as someone who cares about appearances. And you’re different from most of the students here, but that’s what makes you interesting. You just need to find the right people, and y/n seems like she might be one of them.”

Robin stewed on that for a minute, but she doesnt get a chance to respond as the end of lunch bell rang out, interrupting her thoughts. She silently gathered her trash and stood up, throwing her backpack over her shoulder and offered her teacher a small wave as she headed for the classroom door.

“Robin,” he called out to her, catching her attention as she paused in the doorway, “Promise me you’ll try.”

She nodded and walked out the door.

****

The next day Robin bursted through Mr. Hauser’s classroom door, just as the lunch bell rang. She quickly set her backpack and lunch down on her usual desk, the closest one to Mr. Hauser’s desk, and started pacing the floor.

“I’m going to y/n’s house tonight and I’m a nervous wreck.”

He perked up, abandoning the novel he was reading to look at her, “So you asked her to hang out! I’m so proud-“

“No, no actually she asked me…” She trailed off, but quickly started again, “She and I were talking after class yesterday and she brought up this movie that she wanted to see. I mentioned that we had it at the video store and I’ve been meaning to watch it, then she just… asked if I wanted to come over and watch it and like a dumbass, I said yes.” Hauser shot her a warning look for her language and she gave him an apologetic smile before continuing, “What do I wear? What if I talk to much and she decides she hates me? I have to be her lab partner for the rest of the year! How will I get through biology with a lab partner that hates me?”

Hauser couldn’t help but chuckle at her ability to stress over something that hadn’t even happened yet, “First of all, sit down before you pace a hole in the floor.”

Robin obliged, taking a seat in her normal desk.

“Second of all, you know she doesn’t hate you, Robin. You told me that she cracks jokes with you and talks to you after class.” he reasoned, “Not to mention, she wouldn’t have asked you to hang out outside of school if she hated you.”

Robin nodded and started to eat her lunch, “I just don’t want to mess it up. You know I have no filter sometimes and I can’t stop talking. Not to mention my lack of social skills in general.”

“Well, from what you’ve told me, it seems you’ve done well so far. Just be yourself. That’s what you do in biology, right?”

“Yeah, but biology is a low pressure environment!” She argued, breaking her cookie in half and taking a bite with a slight pout.

“Tonight doesn’t need to be made into a high pressure environment either. You’re just two friends watching a movie together.”

When he put it that way, Robin had to admit that she was overreacting. It’s not like it was a date or anything… why was she treating it like one? Before she could give it much more thought, the bell rang and she collected her things. She gave the other half of her cookie to Mr. Hauser on her way out the door.

“Thanks for the advice,” She said sincerely, “I feel much better about tonight… for now, at least.”

“I’m glad I could be of service,” He chuckled, waving at her as she headed for the door, “See you tomorrow!”

****

The lunch bell sounded and right on cue, Robin walked through the door of Mr. Hauser’s classroom with her backpack on her shoulders and her lunch tray in her hands.

“So…” She started, setting her lunch tray down on her usual desk, “I may have a slight problem.”

“And what might that be?” Hauser asked, once again setting his grading aside in favor of listening to her.

“Well remember that first day when I brought up y/n and told you about how she sits next to me in biology and you asked if I had a crush on her?”

He nodded.

“Yeah, well I said no and I lied because I had a tiny crush on her, but after last night, it has grown to massive crush. I’m doomed.”

“So it went well then? She doesn’t hate you?” He joked with a knowing smile.

“No. She actually asked me to hang out again today… she’s taking me home after school and we’re going to go roller skating.”

“That sounds like fun!”

He really was proud of her for putting herself out there and meeting someone new.

“Yeah, except for the fact that I am a total klutz and will end up falling on my face in front of a pretty girl!”

Mr. Hauser chuckled, “Why didn’t you suggest something else if you were uncomfortable with skating?”

“Because she was so excited about roller skating and her smile was so pretty. I didn’t want to ruin it!” She huffed as she split her cookie in half and handed one half to Mr. Hauser. She shared her cookie with him every day and considered it payment for having to listen to her ramble, especially these last couple of days. She’s sure shes been insufferable.

“You’ll be fine, Robin.” He reassured her, taking a bite of his cookie, “I’m sure that it wasn’t skating that she was excited about, anyway.”

“You think so?”

“You didn’t hear it from me, but before my class started yesterday, I heard y/n talking about how excited she was to hang out with you.”

“What?” She practically jumped out of her seat, “You’re serious?”

He nodded, smiling at her excitement. Suddenly she was much more confident about hanging out with you, the roller skating of it all amost completely forgotten as she imagined your excitement to see her. Hauser let her get lost in her daydream for the rest of lunch and picked up his stack of papers to grade. When the end of lunch bell rang, Robin collected her things and looked at her teacher.

“You really think Ill do okay tonight?” She asked with furrowed brows as she slung her backpack over her shoulder.

“I do.” He dropped his grading pen on the stack of paper, “Go get ‘em.”

Robin laughed, rolling her eyes at the corniness of her English teacher.

“See you tomorrow, Mr. Hauser!” She threw a wave over her shoulder as she headed out the door.

****

“Are you sure this is allowed?” You asked nervously as you stood outside of Mr. Hauser’s door during your lunch period.

Robin nodded, squeezing your hand reassuringly, “I eat in here with Hauser every day,” She paused, “That makes me sound like a dork, doesn’t it?”

You giggled, bringing your joined hands up so you can kiss the back of her hand, “Not at all. Hauser’s cool. You’re cool.”

Robin felt her cheeks heat up at your words. You thought she was cool!

“Shall we?” The blonde asked with a soft smile.

You nodded in response as Robin pushed the classroom door open. This caught the attention of Mr. Hauser, who looked up from his novel to find you and Robin walking into his classroom hand in hand. His heart warmed at the sight. The blonde took her normal seat and you took the one next to her.

“Robin, y/n,” Mr. Hauser greeted with a warm smile, “How are you girls doing today?”

“We’re good!” Robin perked up, “I just wanted to introduce you to my girlfriend.”

You waved at him with a sheepish smile, “Hey, Mr. Hauser.”

He beamed proudly at Robin, “Congratulations to the both of you. When did this happen?”

“Last night at the roller rink,” You flashed a lovestruck smile at the blonde beside you.

“Turns out I’m not quite as awkward as we thought,” Robin jokes, nudging your side with her elbow and shooting Hauser a knowing smile.

#robin buckley x reader #robin buckley x y/n #robin buckley x you #robin buckley #robin buckley imagine #robin buckley x female!reader #robin buckley fanfic #robin buckley x female reader #stranger things x you #stranger things x reader #stranger things fanfic #stranger things #robin stranger things #stranger things robin #reader insert fanfiction #female reader #wlw fanfic #maya hawke

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cloudcountry · 1 year

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HAVE U EVER THOUGHT ABT KNIGHT DEUCE

I HAVE I HAVE i love putting deuce in royalty au positions because he is just so PERFECT for any role. im gonna go on a rant that reads like a quick fic so like uhhhh HEAR ME OUT

THIS IS TOTALLY UNEDITED SO IF THERE'S ANY WEIRD SENTENCES IGNORE THEM I WAS EXCITED

Deuce wasn't always a knight.

He started from a humble beginning, just him and his mom on their farm that his father left a long time ago. He sells stuff at the market for his mom because she can’t make the journey alone now. She’s getting older and Deuce knows he’s going to have to step up and take care of her now, just like she did for him.

You, the heir to the throne, sneak out because you enjoy the market so much. You find his stall and the two of you talk, realizing how similar you are.

There’s more in this world that you want to experience.

You’re both stuck.

And so he vows to come back again and you two keep talking. He takes you to a clearing where he likes to think and wrestle with the other village boys. You ask him if he thinks he can beat you, and he gets this wicked smirk on his face before rolling up his sleeves.

He’s in love.

He starts training harder, fully aware that he needs to be able to protect you if you two were ever attacked while you were out.

A few years later, the annual festival has a sword-fighting event. You beg Deuce to join since the prize money would be enough to sustain him and his mother for a year. He takes your advice and joins, and you proudly step up to be his sponsor. At this point, the king and queen themselves are wondering what has you so interested in this farm boy, but you simply tell them to sit back and see.

Deuce exceeds your expectations. He wipes the floor with everyone and gives you such a radiant smile after the final opponent is down.

Your heart is fluttering.

Word spreads fast throughout the kingdom and people eventually start questioning whether someone with that considerable talent will be hired.

He should, right?

In fact, the king should have him be the heir’s personal guard since he’s that good.

And so the king calls him back to the castle, where he’ll have to face off with the king’s own forces. You’re a bit nervous but hold your head high as you sit next to your father.

Deuce does remarkably well until-

Until-

Until he loses against one of the higher-ranked guards, who hits him in the chest with the end of his dummy sword.

You gasp, heart plummeting. There’s no way your father would allow him to be your guard now that he failed and-

“You’re good.” the king says, and he’s smiling and suddenly your heart is soaring again because that means-!

“Not good enough to be the heir’s guard.”

No-

“But I will train you. Getting this far on your own is impressive. Well done, Sir Spade.”

You can’t help but tackle him when the two of you are alone, nearly crushing his spine with the force of your hug. The boy you adore is going to be your protector. You’ll be closer than ever.

He seems a bit down, though. You ask him about his mom. He says he’ll be sending her money, but this new career will be so demanding that he’ll have to give up on seeing her.

“No you won’t.” you say stubbornly, “I will convince my father to let us travel down a route that will allow you to see your mother when we go out. I will also extend a helping hand to your farm with donations and labor. I know the two of you do not want to abandon your home. Just because you work for me now doesn’t mean you have to give up who you are.”

He thanks you profusely and thinks about kissing you for the rest of the night.

Eventually, there’s a ball for you to find a suitable husband. It’s a masquerade one, that being the tradition in your kingdom. You know you’re supposed to be unbiased and judge based on character, but when you see the familiar sea-blue eyes and dark blue hair peeking out from under his ridiculous hat, you can’t help but let Deuce occupy all of your time.

Once the ball ends, you name Deuce your husband.

He finally gets to kiss you.

“Everything I did, my beloved, was for you,” Deuce states, like it was the most obvious thing in the universe, “And I would do it over a hundred times without hestiation.”

#asks <3 #moots <3 #deuce spade fluff #deuce spade #deuce x reader #deuce spade x reader #deuce fluff #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #twisted wonderland #disney twst x reader #auburn's fics <3 #technically #disney twisted wonderland #twst #disney twst

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beautifulchris · 1 month

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trainwreck

pairing: choi lia x gn!reader

summary: sometimes, relationships are meant to end

genres: angst, lovers to exes!au, good ending?

wc: 1,1k

tw: lia is a bad girlfriend, swearing

notes: hello everyone! this fic is part of my collection of fics! indented are the lyrics (ignore the mentions of a dress and 'boy'), banner made by me on canva. also!! idk if you'll notice, but this one is also based on two other songs from anne-marie c: happy reading!

listen to the song for a more immersive experience: spotify link | youtube link

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @kwritersworld @whipped-kpop-creators

permanent tag list: @soobin-chois @exfolitae @linos-catnip @prettymiye0n (tell me if you want to be added/removed)

“I can’t do this anymore.”

You meant to say this for a while now, and today was the day you finally gathered the courage to verbalize the thought.

“What do you mean?”

The words that flew past her lips were nonchalant, like she was completely relaxed. Sitting up, she had her arms and legs crossed and a seemingly emotionless face. At least, that was the face you knew she made when unimpressed.

“I mean… that I want to break up with you.”

In contrast, you were so nervous you could feel your heart hammer in your chest, and sweat was running down the sides of your face. Her reaction didn’t ease you either.

“Okay.”

Was it all you meant to her? After everything, it looked like it didn’t faze her at all. Saying you weren’t hurt would be a lie.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“What? Did you think I’d get on my knees begging you to stay? If you want to leave, go, the door’s wide open” she stated as she gestured towards the front door of her apartment. “I’ll wait for you to come back. Cause I know you will eventually. You know what? I give you two weeks at most.”

You couldn’t believe your ears. Did those hostile yet detached words really left her lips effortlessly?

You grabbed your bag and left her place without delay, whispering to yourself: “I won’t.”

Choi Lia has been an important person in your life, yes.

You loved her intensely and sincerely for many months, but soon, mostly thanks to your friends, you started to acknowledge the little details. Minimal at first, but, over time, they grew bigger until you couldn’t ignore them anymore.

She’d look into your phone whenever you’d leave the room without it, subtly mock you in front of her friends, cancel numerous dates to go to parties instead, order take-away when she was aware you cooked for her…

You always put up with it because you loved her, but letting her go, albeit painful, was the best thing you could’ve done for your own health.

Called up my friends, took their advice Put on a dress, I'm out tonight I can't believe I said goodbye Oh yeah, this time you know, I finally let you go, yeah

It had been three days since you put an end to the relationship. Of course your friends would take you out on a Friday night.

The party was chill. There were around twenty people, refreshing cocktails, good background music and board games.

Lia didn’t come to mind once, much to the delight of your dear friends.

You actually made some new acquaintances, which was nice.

Spending more time with your friends, they saw the difference in your behavior.

“You look happier, Y/N,” one of them informed you.

“You smile and laugh more, you seem more alive,” another one added.

You felt it, too. You felt free from her. Her claws. Her grip on you.

I don't know why you thought that I'd be sheddin' a tear When I'm chillin' at the party, and I'm glad you're not here And I don't know what to say, but the pain disappeared And I'm sorry Bet you think I'm a trainwreck, upset Friday night, layin' lonely in my bed Truth is, boy, I'm so fuckin' happy Without you

Life went on.

A month later, Lia was on her couch, a drink in hand. It was dark in her apartment.

“Why haven't they come back already?”

She was fidgeting, her lips pressed together and her brows furrowed.

“They should’ve been back by now.”

Her phone rang in the deafening silence, making her flinch. Her eyes widened and she laughed. “Of course, Y/N would call instead of coming unannounced.”

She answered the phone with a confident smirk, ready to hear your begging.

“I put all your stuff in a bag. Do you have a moment this week so we could trade?”

Lia’s smile disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

“Also, don’t forget to give me back the keys to my place. I feel uneasy knowing you still have them. Not like you came often, anyway.”

It was her turn to be too stunned to speak. How could you be so apathetic? It wasn’t like you to use this tone when talking to her. She stared at the wall with an open mouth.

“I’ll wait for your message, then. Hanging up.”

Before Lia could protest, the call was over. She sat there, not moving for a while, thoughts twirling in her mind.

So pour yourself another drink Sit on your couch and overthink In all your lies and arrogance, I've been alright, you know So glad you let me go, yeah

Your ex-girlfriend finally gave you a time and place to meet. Without much surprise, it was at her place. Seeing her again after so long was not as painful as you thought it would be—not as painful as Lia hoped it would be.

She had to face the fact you changed. You weren’t the easily manipulated, sweetly naive and blindly in love person anymore. Much to her dismay.

“Here,” you handed her the bag, expecting another one in return.

Instead, she took a step back and offered for you to come in. “Want something to drink?”

“No?” With furrowed brows, you crossed your arms. “Give me back my stuff, please.”

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

You tilted your head, tapping your chin with your free index finger. “As a matter-of-fact, no, I don’t. I just want my stuff and leave this place forever.”

“Well… I…” Not finding anything concrete to say, she sighed loudly.

Reluctantly, she grabbed the bag from the ground behind her and put the handle on your outstretched hand, before taking hers out of your other hand.

“You don’t mind me checking, right?”

She slowly shook her head, eyes unfocused, even if you didn’t wait for her approval. The key was there, that was all you cared about. Wait, no, there was a cute outfit you forgot about, too.

You thanked her and left. She called out for you, but you didn’t turn around. “Erase my number!”

It wasn’t said with a negative tone, but Lia took it like a stab in the back. Which was really audacious coming from her.

She just couldn’t believe you left her without a second thought and didn’t come back like she was convinced you would.

And now we're at the final stop And I'm the one that's gettin' off I know you hope I'm cryin', but I'm doin' just fine

She was now part of your past. Unerasable, of course, but peaceful.

thanks for reading! feedback is always appreciated :) masterlist

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emberfrostlovesloki · 4 months

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Spider-Man(?) [Hotch x Reader]

Photo credits: Left (@rebecca--barnes) Center (google) Right (@hotchs-big-hands)

Prompt: Aaron hires the reader to come and be Spider-Man at Jack’s fifth birthday party and ends up offering the reader some comfort and advice at the same time.

Pairing: Aaron x fem!non-BAU!reader. The reader uses she/her pronouns

Category: fluff/comfort

Word Count: 6.1K

Content Warnings: drinking [light], some sadness / depression, tension [slight (Haley and Hotch)], mention of breakups [Haley and Hotch], if I missed any, please let me know.

A/N: Hi loves! Here is another fic based on the amazing @imagining-in-the-margins January/February Writing Challenge. The prompt this was based on was “Characters change career paths with a very different job.” I wrote this because sometimes I feel stuck in my life (even though I love my job), but sometimes I wonder if things could be different. So I wanted a bit of encouragement from Aaron. So this goes out to anyone who just feels a bit mheh right now. I wrote this as a platonic fic but read it how you like. If you enjoy this fic, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated! I hope you’re having a great start to your week and thanks for reading. Love Levi - ❤️

List with all stories

_y/n_= your name

_y/l/n_ = your last name

_y/f/d/p_ = your favorite Disney Princess

_a/t/y/k_ = any tricks you know

Aaron was doubtful as he called the final number on his list. The name already wasn’t promising, and he was trying to find any way to make sure Jack had what he wanted for this fifth birthday party. Hotch had never really been someone who had been interested in superheroes. The most exposure he had to them was the Batman comic strip that ran in the Sunday paper when he was a kid, and even then, the story always took too long to unfold to keep his attention for more than a few weeks in a row. Then when he was older, and the Marvle boom had hit, the movies that were coming out had no real appeal to him. However, Aaron had become a fan of superheroes for Jack’s sake. Jack loved to watch the Amazing Spiderman cartoons on Saturday morning with a bowl of cereal in his little hands. Aaron would often watch along with his son for some quality time before he got picked up by Haley. Aaron had come to love those moments of quiet, watching his boy’s eyes light up as Peter Parker fought off one villain or another. Jack wasn’t old enough yet to get the romantic problems Spider-man had, but Hotch knew that one day, they’d have that conversation, and he’d feel old giving it out. Aaron already could see Jack growing into his own person with his own opinions and friend groups. It was because of this, the fact that childhood was so fleeting, that Aaron wanted to give his son the perfect birthday party.

Hotch had been searching for a Spider-Man to make an appearance at the party for an hour or so. He’d coordinated with Haley, and she’d gotten a superhero-themed cake and she agreed to let someone come and cosplay for Jack and his friends. But the search so far had been unsuccessful. He heaved a sigh and dialed the last number. If Party Princesses Inc. didn’t have someone who could do it, he wasn’t sure what he would do. Aaron made a fine Santa at Christmas time, but he was no Spider-man. The phone rang three times before someone picked up. The woman on the other line sounded tired as she said, “Party Princessess Inc. How can we help make your party magical?” Hotch let out a breath and replied, “Hi, I was wondering if you had someone who could be Spider-Man for a party three weeks from this Saturday?” There was a brief pause before the lady said, “Let me check the schedule for that Saturday, Sir.” Aaron nodded and waited for a few minutes. When the woman came back on the line, she said, “Sir, none of our guys are scheduled for that weekend, but we have a girl that can pull off Spider-Man pretty well. She does crossplay or whatever that is.” Hotch hesitated for a moment, He wasn’t sure about this, but at least there was an option, even if it wasn’t a great one. As if the woman could sense his hesitation, she said, “I know it might not be ideal, but _y/n_ is convincing. There are pictures of her on our website as Spider-Man so you can see them. I wish he had more guys on the team, but we don’t get that many requests for male characters at boys' parties. This is a party for a boy, right?” Aaron replied, “Yes, it’s for my son. If I did want to book the person you’re talking about would that be through the webpage or somewhere else? I don’t see a form online.” The woman clicked on a keyboard for a second before saying, “We’re currently updating our website, so the form is temporarily down for the public, but what I can do is give you _y/n_’s number and if you decide you want to book her, she can fill out the form from her end and email it over for your records.” Hotch replied, “Alright. Could you give me _y/n_’s last name and number, please?” The tired assistant relayed the information and Hotch hung up shortly after that. He then opened his laptop and looked up _y/n_’s profile on the Party Princesses website. As unconvinced as Aaron had been, the photos of the young woman were pretty convincing. She made a good _y/f/d/p_ but also passed off as a Spider-Man, Captain America, and Luke Skywalker. She was so convincing that Aaron might have believed _y/n_ was a guy if it wasn’t for the softer curves of her hips and shoulders. Jack wouldn’t notice, and even if he did, it would be a good learning opportunity for his son to realize that not everyone felt like just a boy or girl, and people could look however they liked if if made them comfortable. Hotch felt relieved that he had persisted because it looked like he was going to be able to give Jack a big surprise at his party. He quickly dialed the number the woman had given him because he didn’t want to risk having his only option get booked for another party.

A bright and chipper voice answered saying, “Hey this is _y/n_ with Party Princesses Inc. How can I make your party magical?” There was a large contrast from the woman at the agency. Hotch cleared his throat and said, “Hello. My name is Aaron Hotchner. I was told to give you a call if I was interested in booking you for a party in three weeks.” There was a shuffling on the other end of the line and _y/n_ said, “You are correct, Mr. Hotchner. Please give me one second and let me pull up my calendar and the form I need to fill out for you.” Aaron waited patiently for _y/n_ to come back. When she did, she started by asking, “Alright, sorry for that wait. What day and time would you like me?” Aaron provided those details, and then _y/n_ asked, “Alright, and how long were you wanting me and in which character?” Aaron replied, “Could you tell me about your rates before I decide a time? I didn’t see them on the website. And I was looking for Spider-Man if can do that.” There was a soft chuckle before _y/n_ replied, “I can somehow still manage to pull off Spider-Man, shockingly. And about the prices. I charge a flat rate of $25 for thirty minutes or $45 for an hour. If you want me longer than that it’s an additional $25 for each thirty minutes after that.” Hotch was surprised by the rate. He thought it was low for the type of service being offered. He wondered for a second who set the prices. He didn’t elaborate on that question though as he said, “Could I book you for two hours from 1:00 to 3:00?” _y/n_ responded quickly, “Absolutely. If you could give me an email address I will send over this form and ask you a few questions like the address you’re holding the party at and parking and such. Also if I could get your cell number as well, just in case I run into traffic or there’s an emergency or something.” Aaron nodded and said, “Right. A good email is [email protected] and a good number is 215-359-0075.” Hotch heard as _y/n_ typed in the information and said, “Perfect. I just want to let you know that because I’m not a guy I won’t be able to take off the mask in front of the party guests, and that the company requires you to pay me in either cash or check at the end of the allotted time. Does that work for you, Mr. Hotchner?” Aaron nodded. For the first time, a small note of discomfort could be detected in _y/n_’s voice. Again, Aaron didn’t question this as he said, “That checks out with me. Thanks so much for taking this, I was getting a bit desperate.” That soft chuckle from _y/n_ came back and Hotch couldn’t help but smile slightly. From _y/n_’s tone and energy, he wondered how old _y/n_ was. _y/n_ replied, “Well I’m happy to help Mr. Hotchner. I’ll send over that email in a few minutes and then I’ll see you in three weeks.” With that, both parties hung up. Aaron couldn't help but smile himself for being able to do this for Jack, and he couldn’t wait to see the look on his son's face when Spider-man showed up at his party.

The weeks that led up to Jack's big day went quickly. There was one long case that took the team away for seven days, but that didn’t stop Aaron, and especially Jack from getting excited for the party. Jack had invited all of his preschool class as well as a few friends from soccer. Aaron spent some time getting some last-minute gifts for Jack and making the final arrangements for food and balloons. They were holding the party at Rossi’s because neither Aaron nor Haley had the indoor and outdoor space to hold eighteen kids and their parents. Hotch was incredibly grateful for his friend and his team, as they all loved Jack so much. The BAU was going to be there on Saturday. He was grateful for this because it would be the first time he met Haley’s new boyfriend since the separation. He was happy for Haley, of course. He wanted her to be content and find someone to love, but that didn’t take away the sting that he still felt at how things had ended. He prayed that it wouldn’t be an awkward situation when he met her new boyfriend. For his part, he was going to make it as easy as possible, and that was going to be aided by having his support system behind him. After all the day was about Jack, not him and Haley’s relationship. On Friday that week, he left the office at five. He stopped off at Rossi’s office to hand off his gifts for tomorrow. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he took them in the car with Jack tomorrow. After Dave had the presents on his desk, Aaron said, “ Thanks for everything, Dave. I really appreciate you.” Rossi laughed and said, “Well don’t thank me yet, we still have a party to get through tomorrow. Now if it goes well, then you can thank me with a bottle of that whiskey I like.” That got Aaron laughing. Hotch straightened up and Rossi asked, “Did you tell Spider-Man about the parking and the surprise entrance?” Hotch nodded and said, “We got it all cleared. Now let’s just pray for a clear day.” Dave smiled and replied, “Don’t worry, Hotch. It’s gonna be perfect. Now go and get Jack. You don’t want him waiting at school the day before his birthday.” With that statement of encouragement, Aaron left the office and waved bye to Emily and Spencer who were still in the bullpen. Both agents told him that they’d see him tomorrow.

Aaron drove to Jack’s preschool and parked. On Fridays, when Hotch had Jack for the weekends, his son stayed after school at a reading program. The extra half-hour gave him time to get from the office and to the school. Aaron hopped out of the car and moved inside. He signed Jack out and the coordinator of the program sent Jack out to his dad. Jack’s face lit up, as he ran on small legs to hug his dad. Hotch accepted the gesture happily and said, “Hey bud! You’re looking sharp today in your button-up. Is that new?” Jack nodded happily and said, “Mhm. Garret got to for me as an early present.” Aaron smiled and replied, “Well it looks great son. How about we go home, maybe stop at the park on the way there?” Jack nodded giddily and started toward the door excitedly. At the park, Hotch played with his son on the playground and ended up pushing him on the swings higher and higher into the air. Aaron didn’t make any more comments about the fact that Haley’s new partner was getting his son clothes. It was a nice gesture, but it made Hotch wonder if the man was trying to buy his son’s affection. He didn’t want to read into it too much, but he couldn’t help do it a little. After the separation from Haley, things felt different. Of course, they did. But Aaron hadn’t expected it to be so difficult. Sometimes he felt like he was walking on eggshells around Haley, and now Garret. He didn’t want there to be any tension, especially for his son’s sake. It made Aaron feel like a normal human having to deal with these kinds of situations. Not that he thought he was extraordinary or anything, just that profiling usually allowed him to read situations better. In the case of his personal life, he wasn’t succeeding in it well. When the park became boring to Jack, and Aaron made sure his son had gotten some of his extra post-school energy out, they headed for home. In the car, Jack asked, “Daddy, can we get pizza tonight?” Hotch smiled in the front seat, looked at Jack in the rearview, and said, “Not tonight. Remember that we’re having pizza at your party tomorrow and I don’t want you to get tired of it before your big day.” Jack sulked in the back. However, he quickly turned around and asked, “What are we having then?” Aaron smiled and said, “It thought maybe some chicken nuggets and Mac and Cheese?” Hearing this, Jack smiled, but it fell when Aaron added, “And some peas and carrots.” Jack made a gagging face at the mention of vegetables and he replied, “You know we gotta eat those veggies to have the good stuff kiddo.” Jack continued to sulk but knew that this was a rule for both Dad and Mom’s house and as much as he fought it, it was what they’d set up.

The rest of the night went by quickly. Jack ate his dinner with little fuss, and after a bedtime story, he went to sleep excited for his birthday tomorrow. Once Jack’s night light was on and he was tucked in, Aaron moved into the kitchen on soft feet. He poured himself a glass of white to relax for the rest of the evening. He moved to the couch and grabbed the novel he was currently reading. He was trying to relax more for himself and Jack’s sake. He knew being stressed all the time was bad for his health and given how his father had died young, he wasn’t planning on repeating that for Jack. Of course in Aaron’s case, he was happy for his father to be gone. It was a blessing more than anything else. The relief he felt at his father’s passing was something he still hadn’t processed, but for now, he was fine. He had to be fine for Jack and the team's sake. Aaron pushed the thought aside and dove into his book and let the night slip away like sand in an hourglass.

In the morning, Hotch took his normal long Saturday run at 5:00 a.m. The pounding of his feet on the pavement was a great way to get the stress out for the day ahead. Running had become therapeutic for him as it gave him something to do in the early hours of the morning when he naturally woke up and had nothing to do to fill the space before Jack woke up for the day. They had been even longer runs before he and Haley had set up the visiting schedule with his son. But now that it was sorted out, and they were doing their best to co-parent, things had finally slipped into place a bit more. When Aaron got home, he started some coffee on the machine and moved to his room. He stripped off his sweaty shirt and pants along with his briefs. He threw them all in the laundry basket in his closet. Once the shower was suitably warm, he stepped under the flow of the water and let his muscles relax. He played through what the day might look like and remembered that he’d have to text _y/n_ about where the gate to Rossi’s backyard was for her surprise entrance. This thought came to him as he was rinsing the suds out of his short hair. He tipped his head back a little more so no soap got in his eyes. He was at the age in his life where a warm shower could just make the morning and this one was doing just that. Even after he was clean, he stood under the water for a few minutes more. When he was content, he stepped out and dried off.

When he had his clothes on and teeth brushed, Hotch moved to Jack’s room and woke him gently. Jack turned on his side and opened his eyes slowly. He smiled up at this dad and said, “Hey,” in a sleepy voice. Aaron knelt near his bed and said, “Morning Buddy. Happy Birthday.” It was like Jack had forgotten it was his birthday and sat up and said, “It’s my birthday!” in an excited voice. Hotch gave a little laugh and said, “Yup. It’s a big day for a big boy. Now how about you pick out an outfit for the day and then come into the kitchen? We can grab some breakfast and watch cartoons until we need to head to Uncle Rossi’s?” Jack nodded excitedly as he scrambled out of bed. Aaron watched with a smile as Jack got some clothes from his small dresser. Hotch moved back to the kitchen and got his first cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal for his son. By the time Jack was out of his room, Spider-Man was on the TV and they settled on the couch near the screen and ate their breakfast. Jack was wearing jeans and his Spider-Man t-shirt that Aaron had gotten him last month. At around eleven, Hotch looked down at Jack and said, “Alright bud, I think it’s time that we head over to your party. How about that?” Jack nodded and moved off the couch for his shoes. Aaron turned off the TV and grabbed his jacket, keys, and wallet. The drive over to Rossi’s was filled with some music and Jack’s excited feet kicking up and down in his seat. It didn’t take long to get to the site of the party and Hotch recognized Derek and JJ’s cars on the street already. He smiled as he and Jack moved down the sidewalk and to Rossi’s large glass door. Dave opened the door for the birthday boy, and he gave Jack a big hug which was then increased as Derek, Spencer, Penelope, and JJ, came into the entryway. There were greetings on all sides, and the guests started to arrive. As the party picked up, the kids started playing some games inside. Haley, who had shown up with a big pack of guests was mingling with the other parents and making them feel welcome. Aaron was telling the parents where to put the gifts while Haley was telling the adults where the grown-up drinks were and where the kid’s drinks were. Once all the parents had been greeted, Hotch walked over to Haley and gave her a light hug asking how she was doing. She replied, “Oh I’m doing good. Work is a pain like always, but when isn’t it? How about you? Any pressing cases right now?” Hotch nodded no and replied, “Thankfully not, but now you’ve said something about it Strauss will probably call me right now.” Haley let out a laugh and said “Well if that happens I’ll be happy to throw your cell out the window for you.” Now Aaron laughed. As worried as he had been, now that he was here, everything felt okay for now. He was glad that he and Haley could still have a relationship, a friendly one, after everything they had been through. He cleared his throat and said, “We’d better go and talk to some of the parents. Dave loves mingling, but not that much.” Haley smiled and nodded, and they both moved to the kitchen and living areas to talk and watch the party.

After a few minutes of party games and Aaron circling around and saying special thank you’s to the team for coming. The pizza arrived and Aaron, Haley, and the rest of the parents made sure that the kids stayed at the kid’s tables set up in the kitchen to stop any mess from spreading into Rossi’s living room and white couches. After everyone had had a slice or two of some good old-fashioned pepperoni or cheese, Hotch suggested that the kids go out and play a round of soccer on the lawn. He’d made sure to bring along a soccer ball for this exact occasion. He also made sure to text _y/n_ that the birthday boy would be outside in a moment. _y/n_ responded that she was ready whenever the kids came outside. Initiating the plan, Aaron tossed Jack the soccer ball and opened the door for his son and his friends. A few of the parents moved out with their kids. Jack ran around marking the goalposts and while he was very interested in setting a stick down for the middle of the backyard to mark the middle of their make-believe field, _y/n_ slipped in the back gate. Hotch and a few of the other kids noticed and cried out in excitement with little screams of happiness. However, Jack was too obsessed with his game to notice. Aaron let out a little laugh and approached his son. He tapped Jack on the shoulder and said, “Hey, buddy, I think someone’s here to see you.” Jack looked up at his dad who was kneeling on the grass. The little boy looked over to where Aaron was looking. Hotch watched as Jack’s eyes went wide and he whispered, “Spider-Man?” And then more enthusiastically, “Spider-Man!” Jack ran over and gave _y/n_ a tight hug around her legs. Aaron was surprised how convincing _y/n_ looked in the costume. He chalked it up to youth, and again, he was incredibly grateful he didn’t have to don the costume himself because heaven knew he wouldn’t look like that.

_y/n_ smiled as the little boy sprinted over as quickly as he could. She knew it was the birthday boy because his dad, Mr. Hotchner, had described him and told her his name was Jack. Before the little boy had noticed her, _y/n_ watched as, who she assumed was Jack’s dad, kneeled near him. The man was strikingly attractive. Mr. Hotchner had sounded nice on the phone. He had a deep, rich voice that carried well over the line, but _y/n_ hadn’t expected him to look as nice as he sounded. It was a rarity for the dads to set up this kind of thing. It made _y/n_ respect the man who clearly understood what his kid enjoyed. _y/n_ snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Hotch when Jack made contact with her legs. _y/n_ knelt and gave Jack a hug. The little boy asked in awe, “Spider-Man, what are you doing here?” _y/n_ smiled under her mask and said, “Well I was swinging around the neighborhood and someone spilled that it was your Birthday, so I thought I’d have to come by and say Happy Birthday!” Jack’s eyes stayed wide and he said, “Who told you?” _y/n_ looked over to Aaron who was standing now and was looking at the pair with a stunning smile. Jack followed her gaze to his dad. Jack’s jaw dropped and he said, “Daddy knows Spider-Man!” _y/n_ put her finger to her lips and made a “shhh-ing” sound before saying, “He does, but we can’t let anyone else know. You know how those villains get when that kind of information gets out.” Jack closed his mouth and nodded solemnly. _y/n_ didn’t want to keep Jack away from his friends for too long and noticed the soccer ball and said, “Hey how about we play some soccer with your friends?” Jack nodded enthusiastically and moved toward his friends excitedly to tell them that Spider-Man was going to play with them. The kids and _y/n_ spent about twenty-five minutes playing. _y/n_ made sure the ball stayed almost entirely with the kids and Jack and cheered when anyone made a “goal.” _y/n_ looked over at Aaron for a second and noted that he was now talking to a woman and another man. _y/n_ wasn’t close enough to hear what was being said, but even with the mask on, Mr. Hotchner didn’t look too comfortable. _y/n_ didn’t have a chance to question it too much as one of Jack’s friends approached them and said, “Can you show us some of your moves!” _y/n_ let out a laugh and said, “Well I can try, but I’m a bit sore from fighting Doc Ock a few blocks over, so let’s see what I’ve got.” The boy called out that Spider-Man was going to do some tricks and that got the attention of most of the kids and some of the parents, including the trio, that included Hotch. _y/n_ moved to the open part of the yard and did a cartwheel into a superhero pose and all the kids cheered, _y/n_ kept doing _a/t/y/k_ for a few minutes. When _y/n_ was all out of stunts, she asked, “Now how about y’all? Do any of you have any superhero moves?” A hoard of hands went up and _y/n_ organized an informal competition for all the kids to show off there summersaults and jumps and kicks, all of which were ten-out-of-tens! After a few minutes of judging, the woman that Aaron was talking to came up to her and said, “Sweetheart, why don’t you take a quick break inside? You must be baking in that costume. Jack will keep you here all night if you let him.” _y/n_ smiled and nodded saying, “Thanks, that would be nice. I can be back out in a few minutes.” Haley nodded and said, “Take your time. I can handle them for a few minutes.” _y/n_ nodded again and moved into the fancy house for the first time.

The open doors lead to a nice open kitchen with marble countertops and brass barstools. Once _y/n_ was sure none of the kids were watching, she stripped off the mask covering her face. _y/n_ took a deep breath. Not that the mask was hard to breathe in, just a bit claustrophobic. The woman who had offered her a reprieve had been right, _y/n_ was very hot in the form-fitting costume. _y/n_ assumed the blonde-haired woman was Jack’s mom. For some reason _y/n_ started to wonder if she and Mr. Hotchner were still married. From the way Mr. Hotchner had been standing uncomfortably, it seemed that perhaps there was some tension there. _y/n_ cursed her brain that saw things that weren’t probably there and found anyone older than her attractive. This wasn’t why she was here. This was the furthest reason she was here. Thankfully _y/n_ was pulled from these thoughts when someone said, “You’re really good at this; you know that, right?” _y/n_ turned around and saw a pretty brunette woman who was moving toward the bar with an empty wineglass in hand. _y/n_ smiled and said, “Thank you. I’m still kind of new to this, so I’m happy to hear I don’t look like a complete fool out there.” The woman smiled and said, “Far from it! You’re doing awesome. I know you’ve made Jack’s day.” _y/n_ smiled and said, “Thanks. He seems like a great kid.” The woman smiled and stepped forward with a hand extended. _y/n_ took it and the woman said, “Emily, Prentiss.” _y/n_ smiled and said, “_y/n_ _y/l/n_. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Emily smiled and said, “Same here.” _y/n_was very happy she’d taken this job now. She was rarely acknowledged by anyone at parties, and at this one, she’d been offered a break and someone had noticed her existence. It was a nice reprieve as _y/n_ had been questioning her life choices recently.

Someone else came into the room and looked at Emily and _y/n_. The bearded man looked at _y/n_ and asked, “You want a drink, kid? I’d say you’ve earned one with how happy you’ve made Jack. We’ve got wine and beer in a cooler if that’s more your thing.” _y/n_ smiled and replied, “Thank you for the offer, but it’s company policy that we don’t drink on the job. I think one or two Elsa’s had one too many and caused some problems, thus the policy.” _y/n_’s candidness had Emily almost snorting out her wine while she laughed hard. The man also chuckled and said, “You sure, we have plenty.” Prentiss composed herself and said, “Oh come on Rossi, we don’t want to get her fired.” _y/n_ smiled and said, “I appreciate it, but I really shouldn’t. I have another party after this one. If I didn’t, I’d be tempted. You’re a very kind host.” Dave gave _y/n_ a soft smile. Shortly after, Aaron entered the room and said, “I think the kids are going to come in to do cakes and presents, so you might need to put the mask back on?” _y/n_ nodded and adjusted her wig cap, holding all her hair at bay before slipping the mask back on and zipping it up the back. _y/n_ joked and said, “Ready for duty Mr. Hotchner.” Aaron nodded and said, “Please, just call me Aaron. Now let me see if I can wrangle Jack and his friends in here.” The next half hour was spent with cake, singing, and presents. Jack tried very hard to offer _y/n_ some cake, but _y/n_ adeptly replied, “Well, I’d love some, but if I take off my mask, well everyone would know who I am, and you know that can’t happen.” Jack nodded again like he was fully in the know of his favorite superhero’s life and problems. After the presents, _y/n_ took pictures with Jack and anyone else who wanted some, which was almost all of the kids. The two hours went by more quickly than usual and as some guests started to leave the party, wishing Jack the happiest of birthdays, Aaron pulled _y/n_ into the entryway and wrote out a check to _y/n_. He added a nice tip and said, “Jack had had a blast to have Spider-man at his party.” _y/n_ had taken off her mask and gloves again and when Hotch handed her the check she said, “Thanks for asking for me. I had a lot of fun with Jack and his friends today. He’s really lucky to have a dad like you.” Hotch’s cheeks took on a tinge of color at the compliment. Half of the time he felt like he was doing the parenting thing all wrong, so it was nice to come from such an unbiased source. He cleared his throat and said, “Thank you. You really made Jack’s day special.” _y/n_ smiled and said, “Tell him I said happy birthday again, please.” Hotch nodded and _y/n_ moved out the door because if she didn’t, she felt like she could stand there in her costume forever just looking at Aaron.

Outside, _y/n_ felt a wave of disappointment at herself. The sadness wasn’t from the party, perhaps it was leaving a party was where it was coming from. It was so clear that the person being celebrated was loved and cared for. Someone who had a community around them. This job was great, but _y/n_ saw a lot of sad kids and it made her sad too. It didn’t help that working for a knockoff princess company was never on her life goals list. _y/n_ swallowed back emotions she had not been expecting when that soothing warm voice called out behind her. _y/n_ turned around and wiped her eyes before saying, “Hey Aaron, did I forget something in there.” Hotch tipped his head to the side, slightly confused why _y/n_ seemed to almost be in tears. He nodded his head no and said, “No, um, Jack insisted that I bring you out a piece of cake.” He held up a plate covered in plastic wrap. _y/n_ could see the vanilla cake with red and blue frosting beneath the plastic, and _y/n_ gave a small laugh. She looked over at Aaron as she reached for the plate and said, “That was nice of him, and you. Thank you.” _y/n_ turned and put it in the passenger seat of her car, but Hotch continued to stand there.

Finally, Aaron asked, “Are you okay, _y/n_? You seem upset. Has something happened.” _y/n_ didn’t know why, but talking to Hotch felt safe, and she sniffled and said, “Did you ever feel like you took a wrong turn in your life somewhere? Like it’s going in the wrong direction or nowhere at all?” Hotch furrowed his brow at the existential question. He slowly said, “I have. Are you feeling that, _y/n_?” He was concerned for _y/n_ now. She was young and had so much life left to live. Questions like these could weigh heavy on someone. _y/n_ sighed, leaning against her car, replying, “I guess so. I just feel kind of lost. I never saw anything like this in the cards for me.” Aaron nodded and wanted to reassure _y/n_ that life could get better. He said, “I’ve felt that way before. I’ve seen dreams of mine fade away, or realize that my dreams weren’t dreams at all. I’ve felt the same thing with a job. I had to be forgiving of myself. But it got better with time. I promise you things can get better with time, _y/n_.” _y/n_ was crying now and said, “You say that. You’re an actual hero, I heard Emily and Derek talk about the fact that you’re all in the FBI. Look at me, I just play at one. I thought I had my whole life planned out. The job I did before this was nothing like this. I feel embarrassed for being so wrong. So naive.” Hotch moved forward and put a hand on _y/n_’s shoulder like a father might. He looked into _y/n_’s eyes and said, “Listen to me. Today you were a hero to my son. You were his idol and he was so happy to have met you. And so am I. Just because I do a hard job doesn’t make yours any less worthy. Even if it’s just temporary.” _y/n_ wanted to believe him and nodded softly, still sniffling. Hotch moved closer and gave _y/n_ a hug. Something to reassure her. _y/n_ leaned into the embrace and listened to Aaron repeat himself, “It gets better if you can give yourself time.” _y/n_ nodded into his chest which was like a shield against the rest of the world and her own thoughts. _y/n_ pulled away eventually and she said, “Thank you for talking to me, Sorry to pull you away from the party.” Aaron gave her a gentle smile and said, “I think you needed to let some things out. I’m happy to listen. If you’re ever feeling terrible, you could call me. I might not pick up right away, but you can call.” _y/n_ nodded, and suddenly felt like she was part of Aaron and Jack’s community too.

After saying thank you again, _y/n_ got in her car, and Aaron moved back to the house. As _y/n_ drove toward the next party, the fact that her life hadn’t panned out the way she planned suddenly didn’t feel so shameful. Maybe if she tried to give herself time she could figure out what her real passions were and how to take the next step forward. For now, she could be someone’s hero, even for just a few hours. And if she couldn’t, she had one very loving father in her corner. At least there was that.

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alaskashigh · 6 months

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If I wasn't so distracted by New York (I redid his face 7 times 😭😭), I would so rant about NY/CALI/NJ with you

Let me finish drawing him and I would send you a message in discord if you're okay with that!

are you joking Tumblr- WHY DID I MISS THIS???

this isn't late totally uh. you had to redo his face? 7 times?? damn- 😭. he does have a face that is so specific that if it's done wrong it doesn't look like him at all lol (that could just be me)

anyways, i'm always fine with getting messages on discord! i'm not active much on any messaging app, really, since I don't talk to many people- but I would gladly talk to you! (just ignore how late or fast my responses are. i'm a busy not busy person, 🥲)

I was going through my long list of fic wips (I have like, 100+ atp) and came to the realization that my NY/CA/NJ brain rot is in fact not something recent, but a months old ship i've had simmering in my brain. so that's cool lol (I really need to talk to someone about my memory problems-). I have so many headcanons and thoughts of them, and recently finally came up with a base of what I want their relationship to look like (basically their personality shit and how they piece together like a puzzle) since i've been running with a small amount of ideas on them for a while now. anyways, i'm rambling LMFAO. NY/CA/NJ is something I breathe, eat, sleep, and drink and I think I would physically combust if I didn't have the like, two-three fics of their ship on ao3 and my own little ideas.

the day I have someone to ramble about them is the day I will die peacefully lol

(below is my random NY/CA/NJ thing so I can tag this with the appropriate character tags and not make this a random post clogging up tags)

New York wasn't too fond of California in the beginning, and had a hate "relationship" type thing with New Jersey. The two of them (NY & NJ) would frequently hook up to let out frustration and anger, usually leaving before the other woke up and not speaking about what had happened the night before.

Well during this time New York started getting pulled towards California because of little things that he had started to notice. (The way he was not afraid to stand up for what he believed in, how he was such a hypocrite at times yet could be endearing in a weird way. Even started realizing that California was interested in having some sort of relationship with him after the countless times California had came up to him and "talked" ((New York wasn't really responding. Also that relationship is called friends, New York.)) to him about random things.) It really made him think about his relationships with New Jersey and now, California, and made things complicated in his mind.

New Jersey could tell that something was off about New York and even started trying to confront him about it (after learning about the "friendship" New York had with California now. he ignored the jealousy he felt when New York rambled about it for the first time ((also when they had started to actually talk more than they used to.))) He tried his best to give him some advice and help, but it's the Northeast and the relationship he has with New York is already confusing and messy, so he didn't do much. (New York thought his advice was helpful, although he'd never admit that.)

New York later started to come to find out that his platonic thoughts for the two weren't so platonic (dude you're literally hooking up with New Jersey- how in any way is that platonic??), which made life even harder for him. How the hell is he supposed to ignore his feelings when he has a (friends? enemies? he doesn't know anymore) with benefits with NJ and frequently hooking up with him, while practically spending all of his time with California? (you could say they're teetering on this weird line of best friends and acquaintances.)

anyways there's my two cents of my NY/CA/NJ lore that I have been meaning to write for so long now.

#wttt new york #wttt new jersey #wttt california #wttsh new york #wttsh new jersey #wttsh california #wttt #welcome to the table #welcome to the statehouse #wttsh #ben brainard #alaskashigh wttt worldbuilding

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skyfallscotland · 3 months

Note

So I’m looking for some advice. My therapist has suggested I find a hobby to help keep me productive instead of sitting in my depression. So, I decided to start writing again. This has led me to start my own fic for Fourth Wing. It has definitely brought me more joy than I was expecting, however I’m also having a lot of doubts on my own talent.

I’m afraid I’m getting too stuck in the details! I’m getting frustrated trying to keep to the original story while expanding my own character within it. Then there’s the whole other issue of being grammatically correct surrounding dialogue and details and I guess just general sentence structure (anyone else can relate?).

Do you have any advice or suggestions on writing? Anything to keep me from hitting a wall? I admire your writing and honestly feel that you’d understand the mental struggle I’m having, soley based on how you fleshed out Remi’s mental health in your brilliant fic.

Thank you if you decide to answer!!

🖤🖤

That's so good that you're getting enjoyment out of it though! It really helped me too. What kind of fic are you writing? Is it with an original character? I find that a lot easier because you're not confined to the characterisation of the canon characters.

In what way do you feel stuck? With the plot? Because you can always change aspects of it if you're not feeling it, it's still fun to read and that's what fanfiction is all about.

For me personally, some of this is why I don't post as I write, because I need the time to go back over things. I also write non-linearly sometimes. So what that looks like for me is that I write what I feel like writing - if I feel like writing the first kiss scene even though it's five chapters in the future, I write that and put it aside to come back to, then go back and fill in the blanks. Things like that tend to help keep me from hitting a wall.

If you're not feeling it right now too, try and write something else! I'm stuck at a section of Truth & Talon right now, for no particular reason, my brain is just finding it boring and doesn't want to initiate, so I'm writing something else today to give it a break and then I'll come back to it.

I also tend to just write how I want to write and then I'll come back and edit things over and over. For Truth & Talon I wrote like twelve chapters and I was happy with the story but then I felt like Xaden was too out of character, so I went back and edited again and again. It kind of helps me to do that rather than worry about getting things like that 'right' the first time.

When I go back and edit like that I often change a lot of thing for grammar and structure as well. I always find it best to just write when you're feeling it, pour your soul (and grievances lol) out onto the page and then come back and do the finishing touches later. I google a lot of grammatical questions.

Also, remember the characters and plot in the original text are a certain way, yes, but whoever you're writing can be a catalyst for change. They influence the people and events around them, so don't be afraid to change what 'should' happen or how people 'should' be. Canon-Xaden would never open up to Violet the way he does to Remi, but that's because she's taught him how to.

Lastly, if there's something you want to write and you're stuck, read a little and see how other people handle it. For smut for example there's heaps of smut thesaurus' out there that I use, but if I'm stuck with a specific type of scene, I'll search out one-shots with that theme and see how other people do it, that can make it easier for your brain to come up with 'your way' of it, if that makes sense?

Try not to feel too hard on yourself, it really is just a 'practice makes perfect' situation.

I am the least concise person ever, so if any other writers can chime in, feel free! 🖤

#writer things

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chitinleg · 5 months

Note

so if someone was theoretically going to write a fic based off of the tags on that one very excellent garashir artwork you did... what would be a suitable villain role and/or scheme for garak to play? i know basically nothing about spy media and even less about james bond. i googled "most homoerotic james bond villain" and that was interesting but not helpful for this scenario... idk i want to really do this justice so i figured i could ask, since you came up with the idea in the first place and i guess that means this is a gift for you? and everyone else who liked that piece? thank you for your time :)

this is SUCH a charming question to receive!!! it's an honor that my art might inspire others to create! that said, here is my advice: i think you should follow your heart, mainly! i say this to everyone about everything but its very true, with writing especially, i think, you might want to write things that are especially interesting to you so that its exciting to keep going with them

personally, i don't watch a lot of spy media, i disliked james bond as a kid and i still dislike him now, so the character archetypes and plots from that wouldn't interest me enough to write a fanfic off of—i could read ds9 fic based off of them easily bc i love the ds9 characters!!! but. i couldn't write like that. therefore, i can't give you useful answers from that canon. i can give you this, but i don't know if it will be helpful: i think i would first start with the question—what about garak excites you? what puts you on the edge of your seat with him? what about julian—what actions do you like to see him take? what decisions of his make you giddy? how do you like to dig into his character? how do you like to dig into garak's? if you write down the answers to your question, it becomes the puzzle of how you can get everything you want out of the fic. the beautiful thing about the holosuite is that anything can happen at all, and while you're telling a spy story, it doesn't have to all be spy tropes. you could, if you wanted, play out a shakespeare play (your favorite shakespeare play, assuming you don't hate them all) as if it were a spy thriller! Sure, what's Twelfth Night as a spy thriller? We already have many characters playing with the fluidity of identity, going by different names, taking on different roles, gaining trust and acting on their own best interests. Just raise the stakes a little. is this insane? i feel insane. is it worth anything? i hope so. my ending point is: i am not so good at writing advice! i'm a much better drawer than a worder, but it's a gift already that you've said my art has motivated your desire to create!!!!!!!!! from there on—don't worry about what i want at all, don't worry about doing my work justice!!! take what excites you about the idea, take what excites you from your own ideas, and build it into something that makes you giddy to work on!!! i believe in you, and you have the world at your fingertips!!!!!!

#communications #midnightcommittee #it's a big beautiful world and it is gift enough that my artwork makes you want to create!#a small connection of beauty and meaning through the vastness of life!#follow your heart and create something that makes you even more excited than my art! get self indulgent! thats the best gift you could give #what draws me about garak and bashirs relationship i think is that bashir likes to solve puzzles. and garak likes to give him puzzles #he delights in bashirs quickness and bashir delights in showing off his quickness—being challenged and measuring up #and then. and then—once they reach that point. bashir takes even better delight in flipping the tables—he doesn't give garak a puzzle #but he likes to get garak off his footing. he likes. (i think) to be the puzzle that garak is now trying to solve.#theyre very playful. they love games. they love to play them together.#you don't have to use any of that in your fic but in case you needed some more thoughts to springboard off of—i hope they help!#i hope anything that ive said has been useful honestly #REGARDLESS: good luck! thank you for telling me my artwork inspired you! i wish u good luck and easy writing!#and i hope to read ur fic one day :D

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bonesbuckleup · 2 years

Note

can I ask a question? I'm new to writing fic and I'm really bad at summaries. do you have any advice?

Hell yeah I can have some advice for that!

In general, you want to keep summaries brief, to the point, and focused on the fic itself and not necessarily you the writer. The stuff about you the writer can usually go in a note at the start or end. Summaries are just about getting people to click into your fic. With that in mind~~~

DON'T INCLUDE:

This is my first fic in this fandom. This is fine to say, and great for a note at the start or end of the fic, but is unnecessary for a summary. It doesn't do anything to make me want to click into your story.

Summary's bad but the fic is good/lol I am bad at summaries/sorry for the summary/variations thereupon. Self-explanatory! If you're telling me your summary is bad, why would I think your fic might be good? Even if you think the summary is bad, you don't need to tell readers that. You already did the hard part in putting some writing out there into the world, so don't sell yourself short in the last fifty feet of publishing it.

DO INCLUDE:

An Actual Summary. I think this is the one that wigs people out the most, because summaries look easy but are really hard to write. The thing to keep in mind is that a fic summary doesn't have to encompass the whole fic. You generally want to include the set up, inciting incident, and launch into the story (ie, to make up a fic on the fly, Two weeks after Tim goes missing, Bruce receives a strange phone call from an unknown number. If he wants to see his son again, he better play by the rules.) The main thing to keep in mind with doing a classic summary is that less is more! 1-3 lines is ideal, with not more than a short paragraph. Think of this like a blurb on a website trying to get you to read more about a book or movie--not the actual synopsis, which encompasses the whole thing, but a tidbit that tempts readers to click. Show them what the story is, but don't give away everything.

A Thematic Summary. Similar to the above, but aiming more for the feels of the thing and generally for more vibes-based fics than plot-based. Dumb example: Spock is tired of being alone, but he doesn't know how to ask for help. Jim is tired of waiting for people to ask for help, but he doesn't know how to reach out to people sick of being alone. You're just providing more the mood of the story than the events, which is fun.

Lines from the story. Bad at summaries? Cool, me too! If you don't like writing summaries, find a line or two or three from your fic that you really like or that you feel like encompass the spirit of your fic and have those be your summary! This is especially useful for fics with lots of shit going on. After all, the more complicated the story, the harder it is to boil down into a sound bite. Find a bit of fancy writing or a couple lines that convey what's happening and use those in place of a summary.

Brass tacks info. The good news is that fic is a safe space for short hand. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using the summary space to outline the nuts and bolts of your fic. For example, making a fic up off the top of my head, it's entirely acceptable to say A high school AU where Arthur's the quarterback, Morgana rules student council with an iron fist, and Merlin's the new kid who is straight up not having a good time. Or The one where Bucky pushes Steve into a pool. Stucky future fic where no one died and Ultron never happened. Like. It doesn't have to be fancy. You can just say it like it is.

Some combination of the above three. Personally, I'm a big fan of a one-two punch. Including lines gives people an idea of what the Vibe of the fic is, and then a summary or some brass tacks.

NOW. This list is not exhaustive. I am 100% sure there are other ways to successfully provide a fic summary. I am 100% sure there are probably other things you don't want to include. These just tend to be the most common, at least that I see/use.

Hope this is helpful, and happy fic writing!

#mail #anon #fic stuff #writing

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overlydramaticinephile · 2 years

Text

just one kiss.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem! Reader (no physical descriptions)

Summary: Y/N happens to be falling for Steve but does he feel the same way? (pt. 2)

Word count: 3.9k

Warnings: Friends to lovers trope, based in the aftermath of season 4 but without the sad parts (the ending if y'know what i mean didn't happen like that), douche behaviour, mostly fluff though. Pretty much another teen movie vibes fic. some cursing. shy!reader but also kind of a mess!reader (English is NOT my first language)

A/N: Hi! Thank you so so much for reading Part 1 of Just one kiss. This is still inspired by The Oc season 4 (ryan x taylor) bc i love teen dramas and stevie needs more love in his life. THEREFORE, reader is like an OFC but not really, i say that bc there are a few mentions of her family. ALSO bc this is based on taylor townsend reader has some interesting characteristics but i love that character so much and idk i think it would be pretty cool to see a different kind of reader :)) so anyway if you made it this far...HOPE YOU ENJOY ILY

READ PART 1 HERE

It's been 3 days. 3 days since Steve last saw Y/N and he was feeling confused, to say the least. After that kiss, it's pretty much like what Y/N described. Arriving at Oz and everything popped into technicolor. It's a little cliche for his liking but even he had to admit it was pretty fucking weird that a simple kiss could make you question absolutely everything about a person. Because the truth is, 3 days ago Y/N was just the original not as cool babysitter, now…she was still that, but little things Steve noticed about her before started to be more present. He basically started to remember her existence and just the whole situation was killing him, he didn't know exactly what to do, so of course, he went to Robin. But since Robin wasn't home as in home in Hawkins due to some high school band trip, he was now faced to deal with the impossible task by himself.

Until…Dustin Henderson knocked on his door.

“Hey man,” said Steve not even fully acknowledging his presence, he had bigger things on his mind if you know what I mean...

“Well, well I couldn't help but notice you wanted to talk to Robin,” Dustin mentioned mocking offense.

“Uh-huh so?” Steve of course didn't realize he was kidding, he just started to think about Y/N and--

“Well, since she's out of town and she's probably gonna be moving out the next semester you're gonna need a new Robin. So, I thought I would audition for the job.”

“Oh, uh, yeah that's uh very thoughtful.” Steve didn't fully know if he was joking so he didn't try to say much about it.

“So, how does it work? do I ask you what's on your mind?”

“Uh, usually you just listen to me talk, and then I solve my problems on my own.” Steve deadpanned. That really is how it worked.

“Huh. Well, I couldn't help but noticed that you've been spending time with Y/N.”

Dustin of course loved her. She was the older sister he never had and if Steve and she ended up dating? Are you kidding me? That would be a dream come true for the kid.

“Really? Have I?” It started to feel like the universe was against Steve and the fact that he wanted to stop that growing pull towards Y/N.

“If we're gonna talk about girls, I am a far more knowledgeable resource than Robin. You know…because I have Suzie? I should pretty much give you advice all the time.”

“Okay. But you can't repeat this. Because if the real Robin found out I was telling the substitute Robin, a real secret…”

“It's in the vault.”

“Okay. I kissed Y/N. Or she kissed me. Anyway, there was a kiss and…”

“And now you can't stop thinking about her.”

“That is so cute.” Dustin couldn't help but laugh which caught Steve by surprise. What the hell?

“Pretty much.” Steve was waiting for Dustin to mock him. For some reason, he just seemed to find it hilarious whenever he talked about girls and tried to score them.

Steve narrowed his eyes trying to make sense of what was so funny. “Okay, Robin never does that.”

“Sorry, but it is. And so is she.” Why lie?

“Yeah, I know, just…me and Y/N?”

“After everything you've been through over the last few months, if something good happens, shouldn't you embrace it or at least be open to the possibility?” Hell, Dusty had some advice alright.

Steve couldn't believe he would be taking advice from a 15-year-old that spends most of his time playing D&D, not that there's anything wrong with that but you know…

“Yeah, yeah. I guess. Thanks.”

-----------------------------

It's been 5 days since Steve and Y/N last saw each other. Y/N was still on Steve's mind most of the time, but he decided to push the thoughts behind. He could name a million reasons on why this was a bad idea. But again, the universe seemed to not care about Steve and his reasons when he went to pick up coffee after his shift in the next-door establishment that had a bunch of little shops.

Pulling him out of his thoughts Steve heard her voice. The voice he so badly wanted to hear yet tried to forget about.

“Hi Steve.” said Y/N like nothing happened between them, like two regular friends saying hi to one another.

“I'm-I'm not here to see you. I'm just covering for Robin while she's gone.”

Steve's eyes widen, not here, not now, not anywhere to be perfectly honest. He didn't want to face her, so he did the most jerk thing to do in this situation and ran away, but not before answering her. He had that much decency.

“I gotta go. Can't talk.” he said putting his hand over the side of his face like trying not to see into those beautiful Y/E/C eyes of hers. Fearing that if he did, he wouldn't be able to leave.

“That's nice.” said Steve still walking away, hoping Y/N would give up the conversation.

“Sorry that I kissed you.” after those words came out of her mouth it's like that was all that Steve could now hear. All the background noise disappeared in a matter of seconds leaving him to face her once and for all.

“What? No, it's cool.” he said not even convincing himself.

“It's obviously not okay. You're totally uncomfortable around me now.”

“No, no. It's-- The kiss is not a problem.” At least that was true.

That seemed to relieved Y/N, like even though she was acting as if nothing happened, there was still something spinning at the back of her mind.

“Really? Good, because usually when I kiss a guy, it ends in tears. His, not mine. Because I'm a bit of a lip-biter. And, you know, sometimes I draw blood and...” and she started to ramble again.

“Y/N?”

“Yeah?” she cringed at herself for not learning when to stop talking or when it's too much information for that matter.

“What are you doing tonight?” said Steve in a moment of weakness and sincerity.

Y/N didn't seem to notice what his last statement truly meant.

“Oh, I'm updating my journal. It's kind of a collage really but with these--”

“Y/N, tonight. Are you busy?” Even though he liked to see her excited about these random things he was in kind of a you are making me nervous trance.

“ls that a yes?” Steve asked confused.

Holy shit thought Y/N. Was this actually happening?

“Oh.”

And with that it was like she finally completely reacted to what was happening. Not that was a good thing per se.

“Yes! it is a yes squared...in all caps with an exclamation mark and a smiley-face.” She said way too excited.

“A simple yes will do.” Steve smiled at her. How did he not notice before how cute she was when she got excited?

“Yes.” she answered more calmed now yet giving him one of the most bright and warm smiles he had ever seen. He wanted to capture that look on her face. Truth is she looked gorgeous and he wonder why she didn't smile more often and if he could make her smile more...

“Great, I'll see you tonight.”

“Do you just wanna come up to the comic bookstore?” said Y/N before Steve got to walk away. “There's a big TV, surround-sound, and many VHS.”

Steve thought that sounded perfect. A low-key night. The two of them. That should clear his mind. “All right. See you then.”

----------------------------------------

It had been 5 days since Steve and Y/N saw each other and, on this day, day 5, they were going on a kind of date, Steve's idea by the way.

Y/N couldn't help but tell her sister all about it and with that she decided to help her with her outfit. Sure, it was a casual date thing, but she still wanted to look presentable yet this time in her own style, not unconsciously copying Nancy Wheeler's outfits. No, this time around she would stay true to herself in every way possible. So, with that in mind she decided to wear this brown turtleneck with her washed denim levis that fitted her like a glove. She put on her favorite pair of snickers and did her hair in a casual style. As for makeup, a little blush and mascara never hurt anybody.

Steve showed up at the comic bookstore Y/N told him about earlier without knowing what to think, was this a date? was he trying something out? it was all just too confusing.

Meanwhile, Y/N was putting the VHS on after Steve told her she could choose the movie. He was hoping for something fun, something that would make his thoughts slow down, but it would probably be a chick flick if he was being honest.

At least that's what he thought. Because it was much worse.

“I mean, did you ever think that time travelling could be so beautiful?” said Y/N after Marty McFly got in the famous DeLorean.

Yeah, Y/N didn't know Steve had already seen this movie. Kind of at least. July 4th, 1985. One of the many days he almost died but this time around mainly because of the Russians and that trip him and Robin were in. What a day... anyway. Steve didn't want to mention it because that's not really something you bring up at a date. Or is it a hang out? Either way he wasn't really paying attention. Too many thoughts on his mind, he did have to seem present though.

“How many times have you seen this?” Steve asked trying to make small talk.

“I watch it every night. Helps me relax.” she said way too quick to be perfectly honest. Her eyes were glued to the TV and had one hand in and out of the popcorn bowl.

“Right.”

Steve was slowly losing his mind, he was not only watching the movie that was ironically playing on one of the most traumatic days of his life but aside from that, he couldn't stop thinking on his next move. Should he grab her hand? Put his arm around her shoulders? He went with the latter. And even though he couldn't really tell, Y/N was watching his every move from her side view. They finally locked eyes and started leaning towards each other to share one more kiss.

It was going great. Y/N closed her eyes feeling Steve's hot and minty breath until she didn't anymore. While she was waiting for the kiss, Steve was analyzing her and mentally thinking along the lines of what the hell am I doing? Kissing Y/N again? She’s cute and all but-

“Is everything okay?” Y/N spoke up after realizing that nothing was happening, and that Steve was still looking at her lips. She was feeling pretty self-conscious by now.

“I'm sorry.” Steve left his trance and got up from the couch feeling like he needed some space between the two of them right now.

“So that's a no.” Y/N was confused but mostly hurt. Now it was her turn to overthink, what had she done wrong? Was this a game to him? Or-

“I can't do this.” Steve started feeling overwhelmed. He basically wanted to run out of there, but he knew that he had hurt her bad enough already.

The sadness in Y/N face suddenly washed off and changed to confusion after a little thinking. “Okay. I've done my fair share of misreading signs in my life. But you asked me to hang out. You sat next to me. You leaned in with a slight tilt of your head.”

“I know, I know, and I'm sorry. You're a great girl. It's just, this is too weird.” Jeez Steve. Kill her with kindness?

“That makes me feel so much better.” Y/N stood up, ready to leave the place and avoid the guy as much as she could.

Steve eyes widen at the realization of what he just said and how wrong it sounded. “Me! Not you, me. I'm....weird.”

But by then Y/N was one foot out the door and probably pissed off so that went out great.

----------------------------------------

Day 6. Steve's fail date aftermath. He was hanging in his room going through does books Y/N had given him last week trying to get some work done when someone knocked on his door. Again.

He was expecting Dustin begging him for a ride when in reality it was one Eddie Munson. Now that, he wouldn't expect.

“Hey man. So, Dustin told me he came in yesterday and applied for the job of substitute Robin.”

“He may have.” Steve knew where he was going with this. It was no secret Steve and Eddie became friends after the Vecna situation, but he never expected him to actually care.

“Well, you know…if anyone's qualified, I think we all know it's me. I'm thinking the reason you didn't ask is because no interview was necessary.”

“It turns out. I may not have to fill the position. I handled the whole Y/N thing. Although it may be a little awkward for a while.”

“What happened?” Eddie's voice became a little defensive. He liked Y/N, she has always been nice to him, and she had killer music taste so, even though Steve and himself might be friends now, he might need to smack some sense into the boy if he hurts her in any way.

“Nothing happened.”

“Which was the problem for her.” Eddie could also read Y/N like the back of his hand so, of course it would be a problem for her, he knew about the little crush she had on Harrington.

“Yeah. But now I don't know. At first, I thought I was caught up in the whole Nance thing. Then I thought the problem might have been Y/N because she can be a little weird.”

That made Eddie laughs a little. He wasn't completely wrong but who wouldn't love a chick like that? “She's a touch eccentric.”

“But now I think the problems me. Maybe it's too soon.”

“So, keep it casual. You know, just tell her you need to be friends for now.”

“Yeah, that's a line every girl loves to hear.” Steve's mind went back to that fancy party they went to last week where he said he liked her as a friend. Beautiful words really.

“Well, if it's the truth, she'll understand.”

Steve let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. “Well, I don't have any other choice. So, I'll give it a shot.”

----------------------------------------

It was day 7. Officially one week after the kiss that started this whole mess. Steve went to visit Y/N at the gift shop where she worked part time. Hoping he would find her, give her the best explanation possible and maybe go and get some coffee if he was lucky that is.

“Y/N.” Steve entered the store all hopeful. One could almost see hearts in his eyes.

“Steve.” Y/N said dryly. Steve hated not hearing the honey-like voice that would come out of her mouth whenever she said his name before. But he gets it. He would be pissed too.

“Boo!” said Y/N mimicking a scary pose.

Steve was confused but gave her a warm smile remembering what Eddie said about her been eccentric.

“Didn't run away that time, so you must not be that scared of me.”

“Brad, Steve. Steve, Brad.” Of course, his name was Brad.

Oh. “Alright, look, I just wanted to come by and apologize about last night, and... And I didn't know you had company.”

This whole time Steve was focusing on the sound of her voice or how cute she looked in that outfit that he didn't notice the blonde standing next to her who was probably a jock.

“Brad.”

“Steve.”

Well, it definitely was awkward.

“I've been helping Brad track down this Michael J. Fox biography. It turns out that he watches Back to the Future every night before he goes to bed too.” said Y/N with a proud grin.

“Wow, that's--” again with Back to the Future, awesome.

“Kismet? I know. Maybe it's too soon to talk about fate, but...” Y/N was using all the dramatic romance tactics that she has seen on TV. The talk about destiny and soulmates. But that was all it was, talk. Not that Steve realized that.

“Yeah, anyway, I just wanted to see if you needed a ride home or anything.”

“Oh, I got my bike, thanks.” said Brad. How cute.

“Not you.”

“Well, that is very friendly of you, Steve. Since I'm assuming that's what you want us to be, just friends.” she's always one step ahead of him he had to give her that.

“Well, if you're cool with that.” mumbled Steve. He didn't know if he was jealous or nervous, but neither were a good option.

“All right, well, you know, I'll see you, then.”

“Steve Harrington, mon ami. Sounds terrif.” Y/N gave her hand to Steve to shake and get this over with. She wanted to seem like what he did, didn't affect her. That she had moved on.

“But Brad and I were just gonna hang out and order some takeout...so if you don't mind…” she was basically kicking him out. Not that he could blame her.

“Bye, friend.” said Y/N in that dry tone again. A tone that Steve got to hate.

“Bye, Steve. Nice to meet you, man.”

“Bye, Brad...”

----------------------------------------

It's been an entire week and Steve still couldn't get Y/N out of his mind. Which sucked for him, but the good news was that Robin arrived that day too, so at least he was excited to discuss different things with her again.

“So, the good news is, I think she likes me. Bad news is, I'm not sure if she still has a boyfriend.”

She must mean Vickie.

“What?” Steve had spaced out again.

“Vickie was at the trip. Stuff happened. I'm about to head over to her house.”

Then it clicked. Vickie and Y/N were neighbors.

“Can I come?” said Steve with this tone of anxiety all over him.

“I appreciate your interest, but I think this is a conversation just for the two of us.”

“ls Y/N gonna be there?”

“I assume so...”

“I like her.” Steve didn't hesitate this time. He had no excuses either.

“Say what now? Why would you even think that?” Robin was surprised. She was gone a week and suddenly he liked her back?

“Because I keep imagining her on roller skates…and washing windows with a big bucket of soapy water.”

“Dude, your fantasies are so pedestrian. A sudsy girl? That's so average.”

“Doesn't mean it's not hot.”

“I guess they call them classics for a reason.”

“Do you wanna drive or should l?”

---------------------------------

Steve entered Y/N's house which was full of teenagers. Was Y/N L/N having a party? Nope. Soon he realized it was her sister's birthday party. Still, that meant she must be in the house somewhere.

“Y/N? You here?” Steve decided to check the rooms, maybe she was hiding in there or watching Back to the Future again. He wouldn't be surprised but as soon as he opened the door to the next room, he heard a familiar voice under the covers of the bed next to some laughter.

“Steve?” Brad's head popped out of the duvet to take a better look at him.

What the fuck? “Brad, hey. Keep doing what you're doing. I was looking for Y/N, but clearly, she's--”

“Who's Y/N? Is this your boyfriend?” that's when another guy showed his face under the covers.

Steve was just confused by now but the larger issue at hand was, “Y/N isn't in there with you guys, is she?”

“Nope.”

“I barely even know her. She told me if I pretended to like her, she'd give me her employees discount at the shop. It's extremely rare.”

With that Steve felt the biggest relief. He wasn't too late.

“Okay. Um, what are you doing, man? I mean, I think Y/N really likes you. And your kind of leading her on.”

“Wait, she paid you to pretend to like her? Huh. That sounds like Y/N. All right, well, carry on.”

--------------------------------------------

Finally, after what felt like hours, he found Y/N in the kitchen, and he cursed himself for not checking there sooner.

“Y/N.”

“Steve.” That dry tone again.

“What are you doing?”

“Someone wrote I love poop on this poor guy's face. That kind of thing can scar you for life.” she said as she rubbed his forehead with a sponge hoping the sharpie would come off.

“No, what are you doing paying your gay friend Brad to pretend he's in love with you?”

“It's a little strange.” he couldn't help but say.

Oh, that.

“Well, what if I did hmm? What if I did rent a homosexual for the evening? And pay him with rare gifts from my employee discount? What difference does it make to you?” Y/N was now standing at his eye level making a serious face because she in fact was genuinely curious.

Y/N tossed her hands to her sides with desperation. “Well, so am l. Which is why you ran away from me last night.”

“No, it wasn't because you're strange.”

“You don't find me strange?” Y/N narrowed her eyes. That would be a first.

“No, I do, but it's not why I took off.” Well, never mind.

Might as well rip off the band-aid. “Look, I'm not really ready for a relationship right now. Or a girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? Cart, horse. Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself there?” Y/N scoffed.

“Well, I mean, just because I wanna spend time with you...doesn't mean that we have to get married.”

“I see.” Steve couldn't help but smile, it was like she was reading his mind.

“Look, you're a sweet, smart, great guy, Steve Harrington. And hot. Did I mention hot?”

Okay so now she got him fully blushing, his cheeks were turning red and he had that little smirk that could melt the hearts of a thousand people.

“So, whatever happens, happens.” look at her being all smooth.

“Y/N, that's--”

“Normal? Yeah. I have my moments.”

And with that they were going for the next kiss, the first kiss since last week. Their faces were so close together--

“You know, this is my first college bash. Have you ever played Seven Minutes in Heaven?” Poor Y/N didn't realize those weren't the games they played at a university party but Steve found it so adorable that he didn't want to burst her bubble of the world.

---------------------------------------

She drew him toward her with her eyes, he inclined his face toward hers when suddenly but surely their lips touched, this kiss felt more eager but passionate at the same time. They were fully making out by now and Steve was filled with the warm and fuzzy feeling he had the other day that he saw her smile. He thought—

“Okay, seven minutes are up. Said you wanted to take it slow.” said Y/N in a mocking but sweet tone.

“Yeah, well, I don't think eight minutes would be rushing it. Nine seems like a good pace. And- and ten is a nice, round number.”

Steve started to realize about the power she was slowly having over him, she could lure him back anytime she wanted he just had to be honest about it.

There will be a part 3 bc I want relationship progress! 😊 love you guys thank you so much for reading. Should I start a tag list? Comment if you would be interested! Okay bye! Have an amazing weekend and see you next week

FEEDBACK IS GREATLY APPRECIATED <3

#steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve stranger things #steve harrington x reader #joe keery #joe keery x reader #joe keery imagine #stranger things #stranger things x reader

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snailmail444 · 5 months

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i can feel it in my nuggets, it's the year of the snail! that ask about characterization was prob the cutest thing i've seen all day. so i was wondering, if you could give 3 tips to new fic writers, what would they be? 😉

Ahhhh you’re so sweet to me 😭🥰💕

Also I know most zodiacs are animal based but it Could be the year of the beet. Like. I think maybe. Through sheer iconic moves from one particular beet the stars and zodiacs could shift and change from animals to…roots? Tubers? Vegetables?

As for TIPS though I have a few that I really love!

1. Don’t try to please everybody! You’re never going to accomplish that anyway, so just focus on pleasing yourself. If you’re always happy with what you’re doing and enjoying your writing, you’ll sustain it, improve, and write more as a by-product. If you’re always trying to make some mythical other person happy, you’ll find yourself burnt out and exhausted. At the end of the day I firmly believe that fic writing should be for you first and for everyone else second.

2. Don’t edit while you write. This can be so difficult to curb, but I promise you it’s better to not do it. It slows your progress and takes you out of the flow of plot if you’re always going back a sentence or two and re-writing it. You can fix it later, and it’ll be more cohesive if you edit all at once as opposed to in stages as you write.

3. Don’t be afraid of posting! This is something that was HUGE for me I was way too nervous to post at first. I’d probably written four months worth of my fic before I actually started putting it up, only because I was scared of sharing it. Looking back now I can’t even say what was so terrifying, and since I’ve started sharing I’ve met cool new people and learned so much! It can be scary but the experience (at least for me) is invaluable. So share it! It’s fun!

I hope these tips help somebody out! :0 and please remember my opinions are not the end all be all of writing advice and tips! I have no credentials other than I write a lot so take everything with a grain of salt! 💕💕💕

#stardew valley #writing #ao3 #asks

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unquietspiritao3 · 8 months

Text

Interrupting Your Irregularly-Scheduled Fic-Related Content with An Extremely Long Note on The Situation in British Comedy

Hi there. If you don’t want to read about my thoughts on everything happening in the British comedy scene at the moment, feel free to give this a skip. I totally understand needing to take a step away from such things. But I felt it was important to address, given some of the characters in my stories are based on the people involved/being criticized. I’m also going to link this post in the author’s note of my next chapter update, but feel free to share it before then with those who might not be on Tumblr.

CW: non-detailed mentions of transphobia, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse

Okay. I think to start, I need to explain a few of things about me.

First, as I alluded to in the opening author’s note for Should’ve been obvious, I am just an American with a moderate obsession with British panel shows and not enough time to keep up with the entire British comedy world. I jumped into writing in this fandom with huge gaps in my knowledge, which was possibly not wise.

Second, as a way to protect my own mental health and under the advice of my therapist, I’m what you might call ‘terminally offline.’ Before I reactivated this blog for the purpose of sharing fic inspo, I had not been on social media for over a year. I still don’t use it outside of Tumblr, where I follow a very narrow selection of blogs that mostly post Taskmaster gifs (love you all, btw). I don’t watch or read the news. I have systems in place with my friends and family to keep me informed when something really big happens, but outside of that, I am purposefully oblivious. The consequence of this is that I did not know about the two situations I’ll be discussing until I saw some stray posts this past weekend, and that’s why I didn’t address it before.

Third, I always (to a fault, my friends would say) give absolutely everyone the benefit of the doubt and see the best in people until they prove otherwise—and even then, even while holding them accountable and removing them from my life if need be, I try to be compassionate. That’s not going to change; it’s just who I am.

Now for the two situations, my thoughts on them, and their impact on my writing.

The Richard Ayoade Thing

I’ve said before that I’m genderqueer (she/they, equally happy with both, btw). I’m not down with transphobia. But I’ve read that Richard is a separate-the-art-from-the-artist kind of guy, so his personal views aren’t entirely clear to me. That said, the blurb he gave makes me uncomfortable because to me it seems to imply he does agree with the views in the book. I don’t know much about Richard and haven’t consumed much content with him other than Big Fat Quiz and some random clips of various shows, so please point me to anything that would confirm or refute this. For now, I’ll leave it there. In terms of my writing, this isn’t as big of a deal, since the Richard character isn’t central to anything and could be easily retconned out if I wanted to, but I’ll talk more about the writing at the end.

The Noel Fielding Thing re: Russell Brand

Like most Americans, I was introduced to Noel through GBBO. (Well, to be fully honest, I watched the Buzzcocks spanking clips long before then, because those get passed around in spanko circles, but I didn’t know, or care, who the guy in both of them was at the time. It took awhile for my crush on him to develop.) I’ve actually never seen The Mighty Boosh or much of Noel’s standup; he’s just a bit too surreal and nonsensical for me to enjoy when he’s in complete creative control. I’ve watched interviews going back to the time he was promoting Luxury Comedy, all his episodes of Big Fat Quiz, and some episodes of Buzzcocks, in addition to GBBO. I knew he and Russell Brand and had good on-screen chemistry, but I had no idea they were off-screen friends to some degree (at least, they were in the past; more on that below) until this weekend. I also didn’t know that Noel was ever accused of being in a relationship with a 16-year-old when he was in his 30s. I experienced sexual abuse throughout my childhood. Obviously, if that accusation is true, it’s completely unacceptable regardless of the legality in the UK and I will no longer be a fan of Noel.

But rather than try to break down all my complicated feelings on this situation regarding Noel, I’m just going to link to this post, which I agree with 100%, including the part about respecting people who feel differently. The two follow-up posts on the same blog give some good additional info/thoughts. I’m working on doing my own digging, trying to find anything relevant, including the source of the claim that the then-girl in the supposed relationship denied it too. No luck there so far, [EDIT: shared what I found here and it’s in Noel’s favor!] though I have discovered that she (now a woman in her 30s) and Noel currently follow each other on Instagram, and that Noel doesn’t follow Russell Brand (nor can I find a time Noel mentioned him after 2020, right about when it seems like Brand’s right-wing conspiracy-theory crap started). Make of that what you will. Personally, it makes me give Noel the benefit of the doubt unless and until further info is revealed.

Somewhat of a side note: It seems like people are most upset about the lack of a public statement from Noel, specifically. However, what I find odd overall is how there hasn’t been a real statement from any big-name British comic. Lou Sanders was basically strong-armed into saying some stuff in an interview that was supposed to be about her book. Katherine Ryan is very clear she doesn’t want to speak about it despite being the one that called him a predator on Roast Battle years ago. There’s this article about the problem in comedy more generally which several female comics are quoted in, and this one from 2020 including Fern Brady (highly recommend you read both if you can stomach it) but no specific quotes on Brand from names I recognize even there. Radio silence. UK people, can you tell me, is this normal because of the libel laws you all have? From what I understand, it’s much, much easier to be sued for defamation against a public figure and lose over there than over here. Should we expect to wait for an arrest or conviction (if that happens) before people feel safe commenting? Or what is going on?

Impact on My Writing and Final Thoughts

I’ve been having a hard time mental-health-wise, these past few days, reconciling the human need to connect to art with the fact that all art is created by imperfect humans and you simply cannot know what is in someone else’s head or past. That includes my own art. I want it to be an escape for you all, for you to feel safe reading it, but like everyone else, I’m imperfect, and part of that imperfection is not knowing what to do.

At least for now, I’m going to be focused on More than that, and Noel and Richard have never been in the plan to appear in this fic. As for the future, I’m undecided. I feel like I need more info, but I also recognize that we might not ever get real answers.

The sad truth is that writing fanfic always comes with the risk that the thing you’ve been inspired by is later revealed to be problematic. Even if not with these two, something could come to light at any time about any of these people we base our characters on. That last Guardian article I linked should give everyone chills.

I think the best I can do with the info I have today is to say I’m writing about a fictional universe populated with fictional characters, and my use of real people to inspire those characters does not mean I endorse their actions or beliefs; past, present, or future; known or unknown to me at this time. I also want to say, though, that I respect anyone who feels they can’t engage with certain fandoms or fics. Trust me, I do understand.

Take care of yourselves. I care about you so much, internet strangers. 💜

edit: linked the wrong article quoting fern, so added that

#meta #to a degree i guess?

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chikaras-garden · 6 months

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any advice you would give to someone who wants to start a writing blog? Any tips? Thank you 🙏

I have some more writing advice here, so I’m going to talk a little about Tumblr and being a content creator with this one. Just like with the last post about this, I’m really touched that you guys are coming to me for advice, and I’m going to do my best to do you justice.

This is not be-all, end-all, fail-proof advice, but just how I think about managing my own blog. Writer friends: feel free to chime in if you like!

Do it for yourself. Lame? Yes. Super important? Also yes. If you write things you’re not passionate about, even things you feel “meh” about, you’re going to burn yourself out fast. Your passion is infectious. What you love is obvious. That’s a good thing. Write what you want to read, and the audience will follow. The audience might be small—at first, it will be small—but your own joy in what you’re writing will sustain you as you grow. Happiness that lasts comes from within you.

Set smart goals. Not SMART like the concept a lot of us learned in school, but smart like logical. Do not, do not, set notes-based goals. If I ever hear any of you angels say something like “I want 1,000 notes on this post” I will find you and swaddle you in a blanket as punishment because that is not a goal conducive to your own happiness. A smart, logical, attainable goal is one that you are in control of. You can’t force readers to hit like or reblog with comments, right? So set goals that are focused on you: “I want to write 500 words today,” or “I want to make one post every other week,” or “I want to write a fic about this trope” are examples of goals that you can achieve on your own.

Take breaks. You know yourself and you know your limits; be honest with yourself about how much you can do, how much you want to do, and don’t force yourself to write more or post more just because you feel like you should. This is a hobby. Tumblr fame is not paying your bills or passing your classes; while having a hobby you enjoy will make real life more bearable, having a hobby that drains you is not worth it. It’s okay to post sparingly. It’s okay to step away from the blog for a little while. It’s okay to rebrand and change what you write about. It’s okay to leave Tumblr altogether.

Support other creators. Follow blogs like your own, reblog their work, participate in their events and ask games, and just pop over to other blogs to chat with the creators. Tumblr is a community more than most other social media, and it’s so important for the ecosystem for creators to interact with one another. Build each other up. Don’t participate in drama. The writers in this community are all genuinely such wonderful humans that would be happy to welcome you.

Now for some shorter tips and ideas:

Do tag research to maximize your visibility. On desktop, type a tag in “search tumblr” and compare the number of followers on the “related tags’ sidebar.

If you take requests, don’t feel guilty about deleting things that make you uncomfortable or don’t inspire you. No response required. It’s your blog, your happiness, your creative labor.

You might, however, want to try writing a little of whatever’s trendy when you’re just starting to grow your audience. Write a cute winter fic in December. Participate in kinktober or no nut November. Write about Jason Todd any day of the year.

If you like making your blog cute and aesthetic, do that. If you don’t, don’t feel like you have to. Your energy is best spent doing the things that you actually enjoy.

Post some things other than writing. Reblog some fanart or aesthetic things. Ramble about whatever’s happening in your head. Thirst. Your non-writing posts will develop a blog persona that helps readers connect to you as a person.

Let me know what your URL is if you decide to start a writing blog so I can support you 💋

#💌— letters for the gardener.#💋— anon.#✏️— petal's advice corner.#🌹— from petal.

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crackedpumpkin · 10 months

Note

Ohmygod bro good job getting your coffee cause I would’ve barely survived that too!!! Good looking people in general really just be paralyzing people for some reason 😭

Cafe hopping really is fun tho, now that I think about it I have a similar story too with fumbling words. I went to this craft store for the first time and was tryna look for string cause I wanted to make those necklace bottle things, I asked the two people working in English, and since they had a hard time communicating with me they literally ran to another working person then running back to find me in the small shop! I didn’t get string in the end but I got the bottle! Could’ve avoided that if I just spoke my native language- but I didn’t cause adults (the older ones in my family) usually made fun of me for it 😭

The little moments really make the big things!! Both of you, amazing writers, no lie. I’ve been thinking of writing too so is it okay if I ask what the advice was? /nf

Michael gets arc’d! No more chip docking! But genuinely based of you to put that much care into your characters and stories 💖

Yes please I didn’t even know fruit-ade is an actual word- I was just making things up-

i aspire to one day be that pretty.

Please the way I wheezed- fr though, never be afraid to speak your own native language! My second language is Chinese and I am horrible at speaking it under pressure. I even got laughed at by my boss - that's how bad it was lmaooo, but honestly i don't really care. I'm just happy it makes people smile and laugh at it alongside me^^

As for the advice given by blake, it was focusing about the small things that led up to the big moment! This is purely my own interpretation though, but essentially always justify their actions. For example, if i make babes fall for miles outta nowhere then it's a little sudden, right? There's gotta be some form of catalyst that caused it in the first place.

Especially in the situation theyre currently in. Neither are entirely sure what they are yet, besides employer and employee. Before even progressing to being lovers and stuff they gotta form some kinda bond first, right? So the main thing for me was how to justify each step in their relationship.

Aka, is it reasonable for them to warm up to each other by this stage?? Or are they still on rocky terms with each other? It's honestly a fun challenge for me to write, because it gives me a chance to put myself in their shoes more thoroughly.

Even irl, there's gotta be a catalyst to make you fall for someone in the first place, right? Maybe one day you notice their eyes are really nice, or maybe you like the way their laugh sounds. Even before that, it's the little things that they do to make you feel safe in the first place :) relationships dont form overnight, after all~

"i would need to read the full thing through but a good rule of thumb for progression is either feeling it out and reasoning through if their reactions make sense or making it clear that time has passed between chapters and giving it a little suspension of disbelief" - @buthowboutno-spamming

bro, when you start writing please tag me in it!! I would love to read your work, and i know you can do it!! Honestly take it from me - dont take things too seriously. Writing is meant to be fun, not stressful. Like, when blank canvas started out it was just for shits and giggles and goofy and fun. thats what i was aiming for the whole time, and i wanted people who read my fic to hopefully smile or even do the lil nose huff thing we all do when we find something on the internet funny ^^

I'll add on a little advice of my own - feel free to ignore it lolol, but essentially:

I find it really helpful to have some form of plan or outline for your fic. Mine s constantly being adjusted, but it helps so much when you write your chapter and maybe realize oh wait iwanna do this here and do that there, and you know where everything should go like a puzzle piece! Something else I'd say is that there doesnt always have to be drama lmao, sometimes a sweet heartwarming fic is enough. You're enough.

Again, the little moments matter, right? That's why in chapter five i just kinda did a little hangout session :)

And omg when i say i am thrilled to write michael's character arc fr. an eureka moment hit me outta nowhere and immediately i RAN to tell @theblindhag because she has been honestly nothig but supportive and an absolutely lovely human bean. Which also kinda reminds me: having a good friend listen to all the crazy ideas in your head is so amazing fr, and i hope you have/will find that friend. Honestly, feel free to send in asks whenever - id be more than happy to have a chat or chill out!

I'll make a post on the fruitade soon, its like 1am where i am rn lmao. keep your eyes peeled for it anon!! it's the actual easiest to make, trust.

As a little bonus extra, allow me to share a little moment from upcoming chapters :)

#CPRambles

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fishklok · 1 year

Note

Hey I hope it's okay to ask you this but do you have any advice for writing quickly? You always seem to update your fics fast.

Sorry this has been sitting in my inbox for a while ;0; ironically defeating the purpose of your question lol.

I'll see if I can explain it to the best of my ability.

The most helpful thing to me by far has been incorporating writing into my daily routine. It has gotten to the point where I feel weird if I go to bed without writing. That's just a matter of perseverance. If you use Discord, the bot Sprinto has been incredibly helpful. Even if you're not in a Discord group with a lot of people, it can still help you a lot. I have Sprinto in my personal server and just being able to block out set chunks of time to write can be all I need.

But here's some more advice. Idk how universal this will be, so I'm just going to detail my process.

I used to over-plan as a writer. As in, I would plot out every trivial detail before I ever started writing. This was just a fancy form of procrastination.

This is part of my proto-outlines from 2013 (this would later be expanded into another outline). Not only would i plan out each story beat, but I would color coordinate the scenes based on what the main character was feeling during them. Maybe this method works for someone, but personally I found that it just prevented me from writing. It also tended to push me into a corner. As in "my character has grown and evolved since my outline, but my notes say they feel sad in this scene so...." It can lead to inconsistent characterization.

What has worked for me recently is to keep my plans as rough notes at first, and only write a formal outline once I'm deep in the story and it's too big for me to keep track of without a road map.

Here's my outline for one of my Metalocalypse fanfics.

My columns are "chapter, date chapter takes place during, ages of main characters, key moments". I also use a spreadsheet so I can easily add/delete chapters. I only make spreadsheets like this for fics that are so long that I need to keep track of the story. I also only include the dates if the time frame is relevant. Don't let yourself get bogged down in too much detail. Also you don't need to list everything that happens.

This is literally the only plot point I have in my current fic chapter:

That's it. That's all I have to go off of. But I'm currently 2722 words into this chapter and I'm still not done. Give yourself all the information you need to remember where the story is going, but still give yourself room to play with. Again, I only make these outlines once I feel grounded in the story I'm writing. Basically, treat your outlines like a map -- not a gps. As long as you know where the major roads are and where the destination is, you don't always need to plan out each turn.

That's the biggest piece of advice I have. Plan your stories out, but don't let your plan overpower your writing. Remember why you're actually writing in the first place. Having an end goal is the number one thing that keeps me motivated to keep working on a story.

And here's some general unorganized advice.

Find a reliable place to keep all of the writing ideas that plop into your head. Sometimes I get ideas for dialogue exchanges 20 chapters from now, but I know I won't remember them when I get to that point. Personally, I have a separate channel in my personal discord for out of context writing stuff, but even just a notebook will work.

Go out and experience life, and think about how you'd write it. I'm not just talking about major life events. The mundane details of your life can provide so much ammunition. Even if you're not physically writing, just the act of noticing things can really strengthen that muscle. Practice noticing senses you don't usually incorporate into your writing. What does the food you eat feel like in your mouth? What goes through your mind when you walk down the street? Really dig into everything you feel. Were you bummed that your favorite restaurant closed down? That might feel small, but if you take that feeling and expand on it, you can use it to express your own characters' sadness. Notice the world around you. View every experience as a potential piece of writing. You can easily milk 2 paragraphs out of that.

Your rough draft doesn't have to include every detail. If your first draft simply says "he felt sad", that's fine. "He felt sad" is three more words than you would have had in your wip if you didn't write that day. As time goes on, you can expand that sentence into exploring the nuances of how that character experiences sadness at that specific moment. Boom, 2 more paragraphs.

Think about which projects you want to see to completion. If you're only working on a story because it's popular or because you think you have to, it's going to feel like a slog. Now, I've definitely stuck with some fics even though certain plot points felt slow, but I continued writing because I was excited for what came after.

Reread your stuff. Not only is this useful for continuity, but it can be a great motivator.

If you find yourself struggling with a wip in a way that can't be excused to just writer's block, delete the last few sentences and see how it goes.

If you're feeling especially inspired, stop mid-thought/sentence before you end for the day. That way, if you're not feeling as motivated the next day, you can easily finish the thought and sometimes that's all you need to get the juices flowing again.

I hope I can make my advice more useful and specific than "just practice lol", but that's really the best advice I could give. I have slow writing days too. Lately, I'm lucky if I can get 200 words out of me. I've been really stressed lately so my daily word count has taken a hit. But the amount of words you write doesn't matter as long as you're consistent. It's a muscle. And like working out, doing reps with 5 pound weights is much better than forcing yourself to do 100 pounds and hurting yourself in the process. Just write a sentence. Just write a word. Maybe that's all you need.

I'll probably add more to this, but I hope this is helpful!

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dollsuguru · 3 months

Note

hi hi! you can ignore this but i was really curious about your writing process?? you just write so well and i’m curious to see how your work starts from an idea all the way to the finished product!!!

the way my jaw DROPPED rn like omfg are you talking to ME??? I’M SHOOK PLEASE YOU ARE WAY TOO KIND AND SO GENEROUS 😭 my writing sucks ASS but thank you SO much you’re so sweet <333 i can try & let you know my process but tbh baby i do NOT have one 😭 but i’ll try to think of something 😭 also i’ll try to be as thorough/concise as possible but i’m sorry if i tangent! ALSO this’ll be long bc i’m a yapper so forgive me <3

1) everyone is different but in my case i have a tendency to ALWAYS think of new ideas for writing (at least for geto!) find a character that you can consistently think of ideas for bc they’ll serve as practice! also i JUST started writing a month or two ago so i, myself, am STILL practicing with every fic & i am always willing to learn!

most importantly, i write based off my whim! whatever idea has me in its clutches is the idea i’m writing for, even if that means i’m leaving other fic ideas in the dust at the moment! i recommend creating a list of fic ideas and save it as a draft (can be a wip list or literally just a random list depending on how many ideas you have!) — for those i tend to jot down random dialogue, vibes i wanna express, plot points i really wanna show, the personality of geto or reader, & whatever randomly comes to mind pertaining to that fic! i write it all down!

2) it honestly changes between fic to fic but i recommend asking for requests in the beginning — even writing just ONE thing will give you practice/an idea! so here are some examples of what i’ve written so far:

- the first thing i wrote was a request for suguru being obsessed w satoru’s girlfriend. the way i started that fic was thinking of the feeling that suguru would ultimately feel which was “guilt, shame, & desire.” and then i… personified? each thing! at first i personified guilt as an arachnid crawling in suguru’s throat but it didn’t work as well for me… and then i thought, “how about a serpent?” and it flowed much better -> slithering down his throat, embedding his fangs into his flesh leaving it raw, mangled, & bloody -> roaming across his heart/ribcage. and for that, and this may sound silly but i SWEAR by it, look up SYNONYMS for words on google! “dances along his bones -> pirouetting across his bones” i think little nods like that can help you not sound too similar all the time or like you’re constantly repeating yourself! shame was expressed in alcohol (amber whiskey ties into his amber eyes as well) & desire was expressed within the flicker of a lighter reader gave him which he holds in his hands (he imagines the cold metal as reader’s hands, which he ends up holding in his warm ones at the end)

- second fic “black is the color of my true love’s hair” was my first time writing a fic and that was because i wanted to write something for v-day & i really love this song! music can be a great inspiration — same w song lyrics! but for that one i had a few ideas i KNEW i wanted to use (knuckle kisses, stargazing, depressive suguru who reader gives a bath to/has a heart to heart with, and reader making a scrapbook for suguru!) he may be ooc but also i’m not afraid of making suguru be soft and quirky, i think that makes him fun! have FUN w different facets of your favorite characters personalities! also personally, i hate when readers don’t have personality/are always too shy/can’t banter/are too serious so i try to make my readers have a personality that align w the fic!

now for the knuckle kisses i knew what i wanted to do and i think that part came pretty easy! just a bit of revising as i was writing so i could be more descriptive in certain areas, change my wording around so it’d be less clunky in others! stargazing idea was incredibly hard & so was the scrapbook… so here’s advice i have for you that SAVED my ass. now. if you just wrote random writing in your drafts, whether it was just stream of consciousness that has nothing to do with the fic or was just a random piece of dialogue you jotted down — DO NOT DELETE IT. two parts of my fics were from RANDOM writing i wrote that had NOTHING to do w a romance fic and with a BIT of tweaking it gave so many ideas/serviced my story perfectly!

ex: i had zero idea of how to start the stargazing part so i just wrote the part i knew i wanted, which would’ve been in the middle of the story! aka reader buying the star for suguru and him being Shook To The Core. i was wondering how the hell i think of the events leading up to that, and one day i randomly just wrote “you zig-zag around the counter like a bumbling fawn” bc i was brainstorming ideas for the fic but was like… this has no place in my story BUT i didn’t delete it i just kept the draft. THEN i was like… wait this can work… so i used it as my beginning to the stargazing section and it flowed wonderfully! same w the scrapbook section! i wrote a series of dialogue that i ACTUALLY intended to use in an angst where reader despises suguru in their relationship, but with a bit of tweaking and deleting parts of reader being apathetic and suguru being toxic, it ended up being a great series of showing suguru’s overthinking nature/his genuine love for reader!

also maybe i do this unintentionally but i usually have a focus into suguru’s thought processes more in my fics… maybe bc i’m just curious abt him more than anything LMAO so that can be useful i think! if you’re like wow i have no idea how to write for my reader, write for suguru!

- third story was a request (shoutout bestie rem 🤝🤭) who gave such a cool idea of twisted suguru watching reader grieve him for leaving. now it wasn’t an actual haunting bc reader & geto are both alive, but i still used words of that nature to express them haunting e/o’s thoughts (mourning, ghost, corporeal phantom, living rigor-mortis etc…) the first thing i wrote for this fic was “prostrate yourself” — a tie-in to cult leader geto & also his confusing feelings about/towards reader. i also wanted to show bleakness so i mentioned suguru likening himself to a plague & a calamity. also don’t be afraid to show the ugly parts of a character — suguru is a bit callous in this but he’s still human and has a push & pull w/in himself! this fic i really tried my hardest to do a “show not tell” for certain paragraphs (bc i personally have trouble with that/dialogue/imagery/descriptions/engaging writing) — so i would constantly go into my “writing tips” tag and try and heed the advice they give!

sorry i don’t think i was of much help bc honestly i do NOT have a process 😭 even when writing my current fic about curator!geto — i just outlined OOOOOH WAIT OKAY HOLD ON YUP MIDTHOUGHT AND NOW I’M JUST PROPERLY ANSWERING YOUR QUESTION 😭

BITCHXHXHBXBX I FORGOT. OUTLINE!!!!!!! THAT’S WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR THIS WHOLE TIME AND I WAS JUST YAPPING AWAY FOR NO REASON I’M SOOOOOOOOOO SORRY OMFGGGGGGG OKAY SO 😭

curator!geto is the FIRST time i’m PROPERLY outlining a fic (so actually i didn’t do anything wrong pleek don’t beat my ass for yapping 😪) so basically since this is the first time i’m outlining i made sure to write the premise of the fic, characters & their jobs, their personalities, their place of work/interactions/relationships there and then also how they would meet! so i wrote how i wanted suguru & reader to meet, a few pieces of random dialogue, and then i also wrote about how they would later on be more romantic (in what way). i’m currently trying to think of a conflict and just now thought of an idea that i may or may not use but i wrote it down anyways! and this is the first fic where i’m properly paying attention to “show not tell” and trying to describe words/paragraphs with more imagery! (esp since it’s an artsy/visual fic!) tbh the “writing tips” tag on my blog will help you more than anything i can say 😭

also! i recommend looking up writing tips and also reading a bunch of fics that you like! my mutuals have some of the BEST fics i have EVER read and reading them is honestly a masterclass in itself of amazing writing/prose/how to flow a story wonderfully! i’m just a beginner so i have lots to learn still about fic-writing BUT just think of each fic as a stepping stone to getting better! write, post, but don’t overwhelm yourself/force yourself to finish a fic you have no ideas for. it’s okay if it takes time but also remember that it won’t ever be perfect so don’t let “perfectionism” stop you from posting your fics! someone will always read it — whether they rb, like, comment, or are a silent reader — someone will take the time out of their day to read your fic! and honestly don’t get caught up on numbers! i’m soooooo thankful that people read my fics & leave tags even if i think my writing sucks! it’s all in good fun at the end of the day! enjoy it however you can and i’m sure you yourself are an amazing writer! good luck bestie! <3

#asks #anon #but yeah so BASICALLY. idea -> random tidbits -> outline -> rawdog -> revise -> writing tips -> edit -> post #sorry if this was of no help omfg i hope i didn’t forget anything 😭#tbh i have no process and just rawdog every fic 😭#i listen to music — write suguru all sexily — and then call it a DAY!#tbh making your fic look cute could maybe help you too! have fun w font colors & choosing a fic pic!#lil things like that can help service your story too!#i just like to play w personalities & random prose and HOPE it sticks LMFAOOOOOO #tbh i rec looking up writing tips / i have my own tag & so do other people! look through those they’ll help out WAY more!#i recommend asking seasoned writers tbh 😭 i just started recently but thank you for liking my fics!#and if you like someone’s fic — take note of what you like and why you like it! maybe that can help you too!#if you have any more questions PLEASE feel free to ask! i don’t think i was of any help BUT you were very kind 2 ask me anyways jdndndndnd #anyways. GOOD LUCK! i’m sure you’ll kill it <3

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