#also tbh this is not the best written excerpt

[wearethewitches]

Could you maybe gives us a bit of a peak, or insight about the fics you put up to vote? At least maybe the top 3? No pressure, just very curious!

oh i can DEFINITELY do that!!!!!!

Shadowheart, time travelling cleric of Selune; Shadowheart/Aylin/Isobel

disclaimer: i don't have stuff written for this, so i'm copy-pasting a paragraph or two of my vast, vast selection of notes for this fic. i generally write a synopsis of every chapter for my planned fics.

Shadowheart wakes the moment her tadpole is given, protected from Shar's influence and marked for all to see. White hair. Sees everything from a new perspective, shocked at how loyal Lae'zel is to Vlaakith and how genuinely sad everyone else is. Whole thing about being a cleric of Selune instead of Shar, and getting rid of her armour. Gives the relic to Lae'zel and doesn't believe the Emperor when he tries to convince her he's a friend; only Selune's mark protects her divine knowledge of the future and she advises the Emperor not to touch her thoughts unless he has to. Ends up being the party leader for the most part, though abstains from speaking to strangers; adopts their pets without pause and asks Mol if she knows how to find Nine-Fingers, etc., gaining her trust after refusing to steal the idol.

2. Jaheira/Karlach; "Hero Worship"

i do actually have fic written for this, as it's only a one-shot, but i got distracted and forgot to finish it, so when i'm in the mood, i will be finishing + posting this in full - so watch out!

‘Tired?’ came the teasing voice of her best and worst nightmare, Jaheira reaching over to flick a clump of sweaty hair off her eye. The druid laughed at her suffering, ‘Feeling lonely, Karlach?’ Say my name again, the tiefling thought. At Jaheira’s attention she straightened, knee knocking against the table leg, cursing as the abrupt movement nearly spilt hers and someone else’s tankards everywhere. The other tankard, she realised as Jaheira reached to catch them, sliding into the other seat, was Jaheira’s. Shit, she’s sitting across from me. Shit, shit, shit-

Mwahahahaha......and finally-

3. the next chapter of (Selûne, thou) with softest starglow.

oh boy, but have i got a treat for y'all with this one. i've currently got 9k of what i think will be around 40k for the next "chapter" (genuinely wondering if i should split it at some point, tbh. might make it easier, but also ruins my three chapters for the acts, and interlude and epilogue game i've got going) - and i have a new spotify playlist, dedicated exclusively to selune thou.

because i'm nice, i'll put some of the new chapter under a cut for you. how much of it, you ask? oh....only about 350 words. should be enough to make you go "wtffffffffffff!!!" and that's the kind of reaction i love. again, you should expect the new chapter to come out in late february, at the earliest.

enjoy!

excerpt from chapter 4 of selune thou

Smoke billowed from the centre of town, a tower of blackened soot and ash as the house burned, despite the veritable sheets of rain.

‘Fireworks,’ Jaheira rasped, eyes distant as Halsin scrubbed lathered fingers through Shadowheart’s ruined hair. The few other adventurers—Jaheira and Shadowheart having been joined by Lae’zel, Valeria and Astarion that morn—were bitter as they explained the conspiracy to harm refugee children. Exploding toys, Isobel found, were not even the extent of the problem.

Her daughter, mumbling through a bread cauldron of soup, said, ‘There was a house, with a basement full of fireworks. We’re going to track the bastard who lived there down—Astarion was suspicious about what he might have had stashed there, and he was right. We put two and two together. Then I set off a trap. The new family barely made it out faster than we did.’

‘It was like something out of a play,’ Shadowheart hissed, batting her purpling hand against Halsin’s convenient thigh. ‘Oh, you aren’t Loviator! Stop it!’

Isobel watched as the gentle druid halted Shadowheart’s flagellation, quiet words in her ear calming her in seconds. Halsin, she’d discovered, was quite the specimen—and although she was immune to his particular charms, he’d clearly set his sights on more than one of Valeria’s friends.

‘Why does her hand hurt?’ Yenna whispered rather loudly from the other side of the barn. Halsin’s oddity, Minthara had called her, before giving her—and her cat—a tour of the camp herself. Isobel refused to forget what she had told them.

I have known the pain of losing a child to violence.

‘She is cursed by the goddess, Shar,’ the drow explained to Yenna, voice grave, ‘who kidnapped and converted her to Shar’s, quite honestly, ridiculous tenets of loss. Shadowheart rediscovered that she was a Selûnite acolyte quite recently, and so the curse is doing its very best to remind her who took advantage of her for nigh on forty years.’

The young girl’s eyes—her skin pink underneath, a sign that Isobel had best give her a look over sooner rather than later—went wide, before she looked to Isobel and Aylin, asking Minthara, ‘How many Selûne followers are here?’

‘Counting Valeria-’ judged Minthara, grimacing. ‘Four.’

#selune thou #tumblr poll results #bg3 poll #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #fic #fanfiction #my writing #jaheira x karlach #jaheira #karlach #shadowheart #aylin #dame aylin #isobel #aylin x isobel #shadowheart x aylin x isobel #link #spotify link #asks #asks from the void

[tamelee]

What do you think of Kishimoto as a writer?

Oh. Well.. allow me.

I'm not a writer myself so I feel like I am in no position to say anything regarding him as a writer specifically. But I'm studying to become a storyteller partly because of Kishimoto. As a writer your tools are limited no matter the amount of creativity you have. Imagine a blank page and a pencil. How do you get from an idea to the story that is 'Naruto'? A Manga where he for the most part had to be his own director, storyteller, storyboard-artist, artist, plotter, scriptwriter, character designer, researcher, special effects artist, tone worker- you name it.

But of course, that's not to discredit Kazisa, Takahashi, Yahagi and Ikemoto who assisted him. Or the editors at Weekly Shonen Jump who helped Kishimoto outline his story to what it is today.

Outlines often get rejected and many of Kishimoto's ideas/original plans did too.

I'm glad as well because some of them I don't think were as strong. Neither were some ideas for example a sketch of Sasuke's original introduction compared to what we have in Chapter 3 now. This fits his character way better and even though I'm often complaining about Naruto's ending (as we all should tbh,) the editors of SJ know their target audience best. That doesn't mean that every story or decision succeeds.. but it does mean there is a structure that generally works. A golden way for Shonen Manga. (Ki-Sho-Ten-Ketsu). One that Kishimoto often struggled with not just 'Naruto' but in general I think because he explained that no matter how many ideas he had for an adventurous story, he never got any green lights. He decided to go for a sports theme and sketched out a baseball Manga.

And it's very apparent in many excerpts when he says that the editors were pushing him a lot towards entertainment, that Kishimoto himself embraced elements of realism and more serious topics himself that weren't necessarily suited for Shonen.

(Side-note: Shonen is not really a 'genre'. Also, the difference between Shonen en Seinen depends on the way it's written. Rating or themes does not classify a story as either one by itself although Shonen is targeted at a younger audience and therefore its plot should generally be more easy to understand within a wider audience group. Often the stories are focussed on external conflicts while Seinen expands a lot on psychological struggles. Even if you were to tell the same story separately it can still be the same story- just executed differently, therefore it's not really a "genre" but a demographic. That's what I mean when I say "I wish 'Naruto' would've gotten a Seinen sequel." It's not about the story being more "mature" as some believe.)

But... even though that all is true for 'Naruto' and its world focusses a lot on external struggles of being a Ninja in it's incredibly adventurous Shinobi-world, Kishimoto didn't shy away from making it a very character-driven story as well. A story where partly, Naruto and Sasuke as our main-act, with their internal conflicts till this day, are somewhat hidden away from that very same demographic even though their feelings are in plain sight. Why? Because it isn't suited for them and certainly not that easy to understand. If you've come across posts here that say "omigod how can you not understand this simple thing? 🙄" regarding something in the story then I'm here to tell you that they probably also didn't the first time they read it, unless they have some media/literacy-experience or something similar. In which case I admire them, but also, don't worry- you're not alone and it's pretty normal.

There's a reason Kishimoto had to fight his own staff so hard to get certain scenes through. (For example his reverse Harem no Jutsu.) And seeing him say that he felt pressured a lot makes me sad but it's understandable because I think what mattered to him at some points through storytelling would've become too complicated for SJ's audience. I can't imagine his own internal battle having fought solitude and rejection himself but then hunching over a desk for 15+ years, immersed in doing what he loves only for him to most likely not be satisfied with the ending. In fact, I'm pretty sure as that last Chapter felt painful. Like a bucket of icy water slapped in your face on your way out.

Hehe. Well, he did.

As him being a Mangaka and creator of stories, I genuinely respect Kishimoto so much. There's a reason why people in the industry call him Kishimoto-sensei. A teacher and master of his craft. It shows in his work and most of all his art.

I mean.. how can you not respect that?? Honestly I could go on and on but I'd be writing entire essays. The writing process itself is complicated, people are involved, editors, but I think he was able to show very well why 'Naruto' at least meant a lot to him and why he wanted to create it. I'm glad he was able to push his ideas through.. despite SJ's demographics in his own way and I can only hope that one day he would have it in him to create a satisfying resolution regardless of anything else. He and the fandom deserve it. But I can only hope. Oh! I love his other stories too actually but, I'm not sure if you're asking about that.

#asktamelee #kishimoto #I'd be writing loveletters

[adhd-merlin]

2023 WRITING REVIEW

I really don't write much but it's the second time @eeverlark tags me in a writing meme (I think) soooo alright lys I'll do it. for you 🫶🏻

1. number of stories posted to ao3: 4, and yes I'm counting the fic I updated in early January because 7 out of 8 chapters were written in 2023

2. number of words posted last year: 49k

3. fandoms i wrote for: only Merlin I'm monogamous 💛

4. pairings: Merwenthur; Merwaine; background Arwen in an Arthur & Merlin fic if that counts

5. stories with the most:

KUDOS || BOOKMARKS: Call It Anything We Want (281 | 48)

COMMENT THREADS: my merwenthur vignettes have 31 threads (excluding the chapter posted in January 2024). makes sense given every chapter is basically a self-contained ficlet

6. work i'm most proud of (and why): every fic I write is simultaneously the best and the worst I've ever written and it remains so until I post a new one.

Honestly though every fic(let) has some things I like and some I think I could've done better.

Having said that, Call It Anything We Want is the first fic I posted on ao3 after a long writing hiatus so. I'm proud of that and of the amount of time I've put into this story as a whole.

7. work i'm least proud of (and why): hmmm see previous answer.

there's a ficlet called The Hunting Trip that I think I could have done better – mainly the conversation Arthur and Merlin have about Uther – but I just wanted to get it done tbh. I do like how it starts though. And Cavall the dog :)

8. share or describe a favorite review you received: I absolutely love any time someone says they liked my characterisation. for example:

your characterization is insane i am so obsessed. its so so good. like. idk how to describe it you just write relationships meshing so well together and not in like. an unrealistically flawless way but in a warm and familiar way. im in awe.

or

I love this story, your writing, this relationship, this dynamic, your details, your characterization, your everything and I’ve been meaning to tell you for a very long time. I’m sorry for not expressing this earlier. Your continuation of the original story was incredibly, believably, wondrously fantastic.

Comments like these give me life 🥺

9. a time when writing was really, really hard: 99% of the time if I'm being honest

10. a scene or character you wrote that surprised you: I wrote a ficlet that was supposed to be magically genderbent!Merlin x Arthur smut but it ended up being fem!Merlin x Gwen instead because Arthur wasn't cooperating

11. a favorite excerpt of your writing:

“Ah, the court sorcerer himself!” Gwaine exclaims, spreading his arms wide, and some wine sloshes out of his goblet and spills on the floor. He claps one hand on Merlin's shoulder. “Congratulations, Master Merlin.” “I told you to stop calling me that.” Gwaine just looks at him. Head to toe, with a grin that does nothing to hide what he's thinking, and must therefore come across as incredibly lewd. “You look good in green,” is all he says. Merlin raises an eyebrow. “You think I look good in anything.” Gwaine leans closer; close enough to purr in Merlin’s ear: “And even better in nothing at all.” Mainly for the pleasure of watching the tips of Merlin’s ears flush pink. — UNWAVERING

12. how did you grow as a writer last year: well I actually wrote something which is a good starting point

13. how do you hope to grow this year: I'd love to write a multi-chapter fic with an actual plot someday. also get better at titling things

14. who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer, beta, cheerleader, etc.): I think all the lovely people that left me some feedback made me push myself a tiny bit harder to keep writing and posting. a special shout-out to @castelled-away for writing whole essays about my merwenthur ficlets, I've loved every single comment 💛

15. anything from your real life show up in your writing last year: nothing apart from my desire to kiss Colin Morgan on the mouth

16. any new wisdom you can share with other writers: sometimes done is better than perfect. just get it done and move on it's fine if it's not a masterpiece. at least that's what I often have to tell myself but also I suspect I have adhd

17. any projects you're looking to starting (or finishing) this year: I would like to finish my Sefa-centric WIP, I wrote like 8k words but I'm not sure where it's going

#eeverlark #userlys #tag game #I wrote most of this last night at 2 am I hope it makes sense #*

[rockyroadkylers]

Weekend WIP game

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more).

Thank you @happiness-of-the-pursuit for tagging me! (technically you tagged my main, @mainstreamelectricalparade, but this is my RWRB blog, so I'm responding here, LOL)

1. WIP List:

(bolding stuff I'm actively working on, since now that I've finished my current project, most of these are still in the very early stages 😂)

It's Nice to Have a Friend sequel (canon-divergent childhood friends-to-lovers AU)

INTHAF tabloid/social media companion fic

Actor AU enemies-to-friends-to-lovers (child actor Alex, non-actor Henry, technically)

the Bond AU (actually also an actor AU where Henry has the opportunity to follow in his father's footsteps and be the next generation's James Bond... but so does Alex 👀)

Tangled AU (Henry is Rapunzel, Alex is Flynn, you can guess where that's going)

I technically have other WIPs, but they're from a different fandom and thinking about them doesn't really spark joy right now, so I'm not going to include them here 😅

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

Um... I think the child actor Alex outline is currently longer than any of the others, and I have the opening scene written for it, so I'll say that one 😂

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

Ooh... at this stage, it's so hard to tell! It could honestly be any of them, I haven't even started working on some of them properly, yet, so I have no idea if they'll be oneshots or fully-fledged longfics. Currently, my best guess would be the sequel for the childhood friends AU, but... that could change.

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

I wouldn't say I have a favorite, yet... I've done the most outlining for the child actor Alex AU, just because we had a full-on conversation about it in the server, so a lot of the hard work was done for me 😂 I'm joking, obviously, I still have a lot of work to do, but the server gave me some great ideas, so I'm very excited about that fic. A close second is the childhood friends sequel, though, because that AU is my baby <3

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

Hmm... A little nervous about the Tangled AU, maybe? I'm not sure why, I just find fics based on movies to be difficult, because I want to stay true to the story, but also make put my own spin on it and make it just different enough that it's not, like, an exact replica. I also have to find ways to work around the scenes with singing and dancing in them 😂 but that will be the easy part, tbh.

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

Maybe the childhood friends AU tabloid/social media fic? I've never really done anything like it before. I have to come up with a whole bunch of headlines, write excerpts of news articles, make social media posts, and tie them all together neatly in a cohesive timeline that ties into the original fic. I've maybe bitten off more than I can chew, but there's no pressure to get anything posted before I'm ready! I think people are more excited for the sequel, anyway 🤭

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

Umm... I might not get a full-on beta, but the sequel for the childhood friends AU isn't just going to be about Alex and Henry's budding romantic relationship, it's also going to be continuing to deal with topics such as the aftermath of Arthur's death, Bea's experience with rehab, Henry starting therapy, and so on, so I'll probably ask some friends from the server to check some stuff over if there's anything I'm not sure about.

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?

Technically, no, because I've barely gotten started on any of them 😂

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?

None of my WIPs have OCs, yet (though I imagine that will change once I really get into the actual writing), but my fully-posted fic, It's Nice to Have a Friend, has two: Robert, Catherine's equerry, and Judy, the head cook at Kensington Palace. I love them both, tbh, a mother could never choose a favorite child 😊

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

lmao, I don't write sexy stuff 😂 The sexiest thing I've ever written is a brief moment in the epilogue of It's Nice to Have a Friend, where I blink-and-you-miss-it implied that Alex and Henry had sex after getting engaged 😂

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

That's probably gonna be the sequel 😅 I'm gonna make it as fluffy as I can, but it's gonna be an immediate continuation following chapter 10 of It's Nice to Have a Friend, which means long distance. Plus, like I said in question 7, Henry's still got his grief and Bea's recovery to work through, so it's not going to be the smoothest ride.

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)?

There's no way not to make this sound like a humble brag but I've gotten a lot of comments on It's Nice to Have a Friend that have told me my characterizations are really good, so assuming I'm consistent in the sequel, that will probably remain true there, as well. Although, the two enemies to lovers AUs I have... I don't have any interactions between the boys written down for either of those fics, yet, but that's pretty on-brand for them 😂

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

Uhhh... not entirely sure what this means 😅 Like, overall universe setting, or like a specific scene? I think either way I'm gonna have to go with the childhood friends AU, because I'm just completely in love with it. I can't help it, that AU is my baby 😂 Although I am getting super into the child actor Alex AU, as well!!!

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

DEFINITELY the childhood friends AU! I spent five weeks writing the original fic, and I've been thinking about a sequel for at least two. I only started actually outlining it after I finished writing the first one, but there's no way I can say I've worked harder on anything else, even though the original fic and the sequel are technically two separate fics.

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

The sequel 😂 I can't help it, It's Nice to Have a Friend is the fic that made me fall back in love with writing, and I'm positive that the sequel will continue that legacy. Although I'm feeling really good about the way the child actor Alex AU is turning out, as well!

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

Uh... maybe? Except, I couldn't really tell if it was just a vague, generic Alex and Henry dream, or if I was actually dreaming about them in the childhood friends 'verse.....

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't?

Well, yeah, I mean, before I started writing for RWRB, I was almost exclusively a platonic fluff writer in the Iron Dad fandom (just check my Ao3 page 😂), so almost everything more complex than a toddler with an ear infection adds a new challenge for me, but I'm loving it, so far.

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?

Uh... I'll get back to you on that when I actually have stuff written for any of them 😂 the Tangled AU will probably be pretty funny, though.

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

Yeah! The child actor Alex AU will actually have a lot of Arthur's POV, because in that fic he kind of takes Alex under his wing, both as an acting mentor and as a sort of father figure when Alex needs someone to turn to in the wake of his parents' divorce, so you'll get to see a lot of Arthur's thoughts and feelings as Alex and Henry get to know each other.

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

Um... one of the boys is gonna be a Bond Girl, and I'm not telling you which one.

A tag per WIP - I'm still relatively new to this fandom, so I don't know a ton of people's URLs yet, but I'll do my best!

@affectionatelyrs, @inexplicablymine, @read-and-write-, and um... I genuinely don't know anyone's URLs, so I'll just leave it open 😂 if you see this somehow and you're like, "hey, Ky, why didn't you tag ME?" I tagged you in my heart, I just don't know where to find you 😭

#weekend wip game #tag game #my writing #my wips #rwrb #firstprince

[rxin3akamallory]

That Night

I keep pumping out art like it’s no tomorrow good god!

Ok so y’all need context for this one, this is based on a short story I wrote I wanna say a year or two ago focusing around the day Barley and Maria became a couple. Maria’s mother passed away when she was young, and today was the anniversary of her death. It’s unfortunate that that day happened to also be her mom’s birthday. The whole day Maria was going through different emotions, but was determined to keep them bottled to herself. At least until she got home. Barley unintentionally makes her crack and in the drawing, he arrives inside Maria’s home. He’s come to apologize for not being sensitive towards her feelings and not giving her enough space.

An excerpt from the short I wrote is provided below. It’s ehhh tbh but still probably one of my best written work within the last year or two.

Barley: Is it ok if I come in, or?

Maria: Oh! Right, I’m sorry.

Maria led him inside. Barley sat on her bed while Maria went back to work on her broomstick.

Barley: Hey, you’re making a new broomstick.

Maria: Yeah I finally got the motivation to work on a new one.

Barley: I remember what happened to the first one. You were so devastated. You acted almost Iike how you were today.

Maria: Yeah, I almost didn’t want to replace it. That broomstick meant so much to me.

Barley: I saw a name carved onto the broomstick. Elizabeth Morven. Are they a family member of your’s?

Maria: That’s uh.. my mother’s name.

Barley: Oh. Did she give it to you?

Maria: Mhm. She made that broomstick for me so I could have it when I’d set off for witch training.

Barley: That’s right. It’s what witches used to do when they were the age of 13. They’d set off on a year’s training to strengthen their magic. You were able to actually go into training?

Maria: Yes, I know other witches stopped doing that decades ago, but my family believed in keeping older traditions alive so they insisted I’d go train. My mom especially wanted to see me go. But.. she passed away before she could see that happen.

Barely: I’m so sorry, Maria.

Maria: I was trying to hold back my emotions because tonight’s the night she passed away.

Barley’s eyes widened. He knew she lost her mother when she was young, like how Barley lost his father, but he never knew how she passed away. She never really talks about it to anyone. He wanted to know what happened but at the same time, he didn’t want to press on in case he’d hurt her again.

Barley: Oh. You don’t have to talk about it, but I know what that feels like. You feel like you have to keep strong for the one you lost. You want them to be proud of the person you’ve become, you know? So you try to bottle in your emotions.

Maria: Mhm. You see this bracelet?

Maria held up her wrist so Barley could see the purple bracelet she was wearing.

Maria: The night my mother passed away, was also her birthday. My father gave mom a new bracelet as a present. As she took off her old bracelet, she handed it to me.

Maria held up her left wrist and showed the exact bracelet her mom gave her.

Maria: I wear it everyday ever since. So I can always keep her close…

Maria started to tear up, Barley instinctively gripping her hand.

Barley: I’m so sorry for your loss, Maria.

Maria: She made me feel safe and secure as a kid, and to lose her so suddenly terrified me. I lost that secure feeling. I worry everyday the same thing could happen to someone else, to my friends, to you, to grandma, to dad.. To me..

Barley hugged Maria as tight as he could.

Barley: Shh, Maria no. Don’t think like that.

He let her cry into his shoulder for a few moments until her sobs turned into small breaths.

Barley: What did you get her?

Maria: Hm?

Barley: Your mom’s birthday. Did you give her anything?

Maria: Hold on.

Maria lets go of Barley and opens a drawer on her desk. She takes out two large rings meant to be wrapped around the end of a broomstick.

Maria: I wanted to give her one to put on her broomstick and one to put on my future one when I got older. I might put mine on my new broomstick, but I don’t know where to put my mother’s.

Barley thought about it for a moment until he got an idea.

Barley: You got any string on you?

Maria: Yeah why?

Barley: You’ll see. Here, hand me the ring.

Maria hands the ring along with some rope. Barley carefully puts the string in the ring and ties the ends together, making it into a necklace. He motioned Maria to turn around and when she did he slipped the necklace around her neck.

Barley: There, now your mother’s right where she always was.

Barley points to her heart where the ring was.

Maria: It’s perfect. Thank you, Bar.

Barley: And you shouldn’t feel unsafe, Maria. You still got your father and grandma, your friends, and you got me. You shouldn’t worry about what’ll probably happen to us, you should be more focused on right now. And right now, from this day forward, I want to make sure you feel safe so I promise to protect you like your mother did. With your permission that is.

Maria smiled, new tears falling down her cheeks.

Maria: Of course. I can’t think of anyone better to fill that role.

#onward #onward pixar #art #fanart #self insert #self insert oc #oc x canon #maria rose morven #maria onward #barley lightfoot #barley onward #maria morven x barley lightfoot #maria x barley #hurt/comfort #short story

[alwaysxlarrie]

you know it’s an alwaysxlarrie fic when ... + 2022 writing self evaluation 

ok so i’m a tiiiiiny bit late to the game, so i’m just combining the two tags lol. thank you to @hellolovers13, @larrysballetslippers, @zannithinks, @lunarheslwt, @brightgolden & @momrryrights for tagging me in the moodboard challenge (that’s what i’m calling it lol). hope everyone enjoys my chaotic moodboard hehe & thank you to @neondiamond, @onlythebravest, @lunarheslwt, @greenblueish, @thedevilinmybrain & @loveislarryislove for tagging me in the self evaluation tag !! here we goooo

for the moodboard we’ve got 2013 larry bc that’s my fav era & how i always imagine them in my fics, football player louis, santa’s sleigh, office space, cute notes on a white board, a clothing rack, new york city & gentle touches. i don’t think i need to say there’s not any specific mood theme going on here for anyone to figure that out LMAO but i did try my best regardless :)

1. Number of stories posted to AO3: 9!

2. Word count posted for the year: if i’m counting correctly ..... 93,735 ????

3. Fandoms I wrote for: one direction. i have a fic for the 5sos fandom that i’ve written a few chapters for & was editing it in an ao3 draft but then the page refreshed for some reason & i lost everything & kinda lost steam, so .... maybe it’ll see the light of day next year

4. Pairings: louis/harry, zayn/liam (side pairing), shawn/niall (side pairing)

5. Story with the most…

Kudos: i swear i could give you everything

Bookmarks: also i swear i could give you everything lol

Comments: it’s i swear i could give you everything again LMAO 

Hits: gimme everything you got 

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): i think i’d say either gimme everything you got or i need something, so tell me something new. gimme everything you got bc i put a lot of my personal experience (give or take) into it & it got such a positive response & that made me super happy. i need something, so tell me something new bc it’s my first ever published fic in general & fic in this fandom.

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why): oooof. prob my sub harry fic. i enjoyed being apart of the fest & i enjoyed the experience, but writing it was so much harder than i’d anticipated & it felt like my writing got very redundant after a few scenes. i’m glad i stuck it out & that i published it, but yeah i def don’t think i did it the justice i’d wanted to.

8. Share or describe a favorite review you received: i’m really enjoying all the reviews/comments i’ve been getting on my cinderella au! it’s my first chaptered fic that i’m posting chapter by chapter, so that’s been really encouraging. but in general, i appreciate all the comments i get. as a small/new writer, i don’t expect to get any comments at all really, so whenever i do, i get excited. there was a comment on my christmas fic santa, won’t you bring me the one i really need? where someone said it was the best christmas fic they’ve ever read :)

9. A time when writing was really, really hard: the sub harry fic lmao. i love service kink harry fics so i was like alright sweet this will be a no brainer & basically, i fucked around & found out. i literally went through like 5 drafts until i finally found a premise that went w the prompt i was using that i felt i could build off of without turning the fic super predictable & dead end. i think if i’d waited to do that type of fic next year & done more research than i’d done for this one, it would’ve gone much better.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: the beginning of my cinderella au -- i’ve been very vocal about the fact that i write only fluff fics to balance out all the angst in our fandom & then i go & write a cinderella fic & make the first two chapters packed w angst LMAO. it’ll turn around soon, but that’s def the biggest one as of yet for me, i think.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing: i’m not sure if i have a favorite tbh, but i like this one from i swear i could give you everything: --------------

“So what have you got for us today, Haz?” Louis asked, knocking on the table with his fists, excitement and anticipation both thrumming through his body.

“Well, I was just messing around in the kitchen last night, really,” Harry began, messing with the hem of his shirt and seemingly determined to continue looking at the floor as he made his way towards the fridge a few feet away from the table Louis was now sitting at. “And then I realized I had the ingredients. So. I just figured. Why not, you know?”

Louis furrowed his eyebrows, trying to piece together what Harry was talking about. All he’d done was ask Harry what he’d made. He guessed the ingredients were relevant to the conversation and he did enjoy listening to Harry talk - even if he really was talking some shit - so he decided to humor him. 

“Oh yeah, sweetheart?” Louis prompted as he placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on one of his hands.

Harry was apparently too busy rummaging around the fridge to even glance back at him when he responded. Which wasn’t rude, really. Louis just. Wanted to see his eyes, was all.

“Yeah, so like. I thought you might enjoy it. You talk about it a lot, anyway. So I figured, I might as well, if I have the ingredients, you know?” 

“Sure, sure. Absolutely. No point in having all the ingredients if you’re not gonna make a good meal out of it.” Louis had completely lost the plot at this point but was still determined to try for Harry.

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

12. How did you grow as a writer this year: well let’s start w the fact that i began the year convinced i’d remain a reader & beta forever. so the fact that i’ve published one fic, let alone nine, is pretty big in itself lol. aside from that, i’ve gotten more comfortable writing smut & dialogue. before i wrote fics, i only wrote original stories & never included dialogue, so those were my biggest weaknesses when i first started writing fic & they’re still not my strengths yet, but i’ve definitely gotten better, i’d like to think.

13. How do you hope to grow next year: i def want to get more comfortable writing smut & building sexual tension. i want to write longer fics. i want to finish at least 5-10 of the 20 wips i have lol. i’d love to finish all of them, but 5-10 is a good goal. i want to write some different genres like historical, slow burns, etc.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): i have a few! @loveislarryislove is a big one -- if i need help w a metaphor, making sure a sentence sounds right, incorporating tension building touches, brainstorming, honest feedback, etc, annika is my pea in a pod. also @panye, steph is so lovely & helpful when it comes to brainstorming, talking out what phrasing sounds better, she tells me what needs fixing & how to fix it; basically, she’s the better half of our shared brain cell. @zanniscaramouche is pretty much the reason i feel as comfortable as i do writing smut. she’s patient, she gives examples, she’s kind, she knows just how to change wording around to make a description or dialogue top tier. @justanothershadeofblue, is my sprinting buddy (along with zanni when our schedules align!). having a daily sprinting buddy who cheers you on is delightful, especially when they’re as supportive & willing to get sidetracked in off topic convos w me as zjo!

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: gimme everything you got is based on personal experience in terms of the stigmas that come w female masturbation / women being shamed for exploring their bodies. i work in retail, so while that didn’t inspire it’s like i’m powerful with a little bit of tender, it def helped me know bts info lol. lastly, i’ve recently switched my major from psychology to interior design & my minor from interior design to psychology, so i guess my (new) major showed up in you are my destiny (you are the reason that i still believe). hostile work environment was also inspired by my retail job as well LMAO. there’s more in my wips tbh, but as for my currently published fics, that’s it, i think!

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: just remember that how ‘popular’ or ‘unpopular’ your fic may be / may get isn’t an indicator of your talent. write something bc you want to write it, not bc you think it’ll appeal to people. take breaks -- if you’re stuck on a scene or sentence, get up & do something else for a bit. if you keep rereading the same sentence over & over, it’s only going to keep sounding more & more scrambled. you’ll work much better with a clear head & will be able to see where the mistakes -- if any -- actually are.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: my cinderella au for sure! i started a fic inspired by one of my fav fics staring across the room by the lovely @allwaswell16 & it’s been put to the side for much longer than i’ve wanted. i initially put it to the side to get more practice writing tension building, but def want to finish it next year. i also finally started the sequel to my girl direction fic, so that as well. & the sequel to my christmas fic lmao. i have lots of things i need to finish 😭😭

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read: i honestly don’t know anyone who hasn’t done or been tagged in either of these yet, but i’ll tag a few anyway lol @lululawrence @thebreadvansstuff @panye @kingsofeverything @voulezloux @infinitelymint @londonfoginacup @twopoppies @littleroverlouis @tommokat @crinkle-eyed-boo @disgruntledkittenface @kingonafiftymetreroad @daggerandrose @homosociallyyours @ireallysawanangel & anyone else who wants to do these!

#tags and challenges #my fics #my writing #fic q&a #finally did it with one day in the year to spare #not counting tomorrow at least lmao #wooooo

[igarbagecannoteven]

2022 Writing Evaluation

thanks so much @clumsyclifford , @allsassnoclass , & @jbhmalumm for tagging me in this! i'm gonna talk about my fics in all fandoms even tho this is my music blog bc i don't have anything separated into pseuds (i strive for chaos on my ao3 account) putting it under the cut bc i'm sure it's gonna be long lol

number of stories posted on ao3: 25! 18 in 5sos, 4 in hp, and 3 miscellaneous fandoms

word count posted for this year: 40,705

fandoms i wrote for: 5sos, hp, discworld, doctor who, & dungeons and daddies

pairings: lashton (4), cashton (3), muke (2.5) (bc they're background in one), malum (2), cake (2), mashton (1), penelope/percy (1)

story with the most kudos/bookmarks/comments: burnt eggs & broken promises has the most kudos, do you wanna touch (yeah) and permanent jet lag are tied for most bookmarks, and fear the fever has the most comments

work i’m most proud of and why: i'm proud of almost all of the work i put out this year, and there are a couple ones that immediately spring to mind, but i'm going to really come out of left field here and say Being Hannah Abbott! "but megs," you might say, "why on earth would you pick the only fic that has zero kudos? it's definitely not your best written work of the year." to which i say, true! however, i have been trying to get this fic right since 10th grade! i'm now a senior in college! "but megs it's significantly less than 1k how did it take you that long" listen! listen. sometimes. you have to wait until you're good enough to finish a fic. this has more than 5 docs of different drafts saved to my laptop. also you're forgetting the fact that i'm insane

work i’m least proud of and why: okay listen. i know it's my most kudos'd work. i know that. however i am not happy with burnt eggs and broken promises. bella left me a lovely long comment on it recently that made me rethink my feelings towards it but i still think it isn't as good as it could have been so sorry folks

share or describe a favorite review you’ve received: i love it when people tell me i made them cry it's my favorite thing in the whole world best compliment to receive imo

a time when writing was really, really hard: you're assuming i remember what i was experiencing earlier in 2022 which is where you've made your mistake slkdjflskdjf ummmm i remember have a really hard time this fall semester, especially in september/october, i just couldn't get any motivation whatsoever (which tends to be my biggest problem tbh)

a scene or character you wrote who surprised you: goood question,,, you know, i really wasn't expecting to ever write a mcu au and yet pining is a strange sort of mcu au. i originally was going to write it so one half of the pairing got lost at sea and their bf was waiting on shore not sure if they were dead or alive, but the characters did not want to be like that at all which is how i ended up with poor post-snap calum (who may be getting a happy sequel someday shhh)

a favorite excerpt of your writing: i love the transformation scene in fear the fever. i just love writing body horror for some reason and i've always had strong opinions about what i think vampires & their transformations are like physically and it was a blast to get to explore that in this fic :))

how did you grow as a writer this year? i think a lot of my growth happens slowly over time and therefore is hard to pinpoint, but i took a creative writing class in the spring on opening a novel and that helped me rethink the way i start fics now. also i learned to think more about what i want out of my fic! thinking about why i write and why i post fic really helped me realize what fic writing advice to take and what to ignore (if you're like me and the goal of a fic is to write the concept the best you can, than posts talking about how it's okay to post random, unedited snippets are not actually helpful and can actually be counter-intuitive)

how do you hope to grow next year? i really want to write more often and be more disciplined about writing. as always i want to learn how to be better in the craft aspect in general (which is a goal i expect to always have, since i'll never be perfect at it) and i'd also like to be better with subtext & symbolism & ~themes~ bc i always forget to those last two and my subtext is, in my opinion, rather lacking at the moment

who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc)? bella is the best live-in cheerleader/rubber duck a writer could ask for, and i would be royally screwed without her 💙 hazel is always an incredible virtual cheerleader/ideas bouncer and i am dearly in her debt, and meghna is wonderful for fueling my wacky ideas-mobile; i am incredibly lucky that they're just a discord dm away 🥰 also she's 100% not going to see this but my mom finished her mfa program this year and has been working on finishing her novel, and writing with her and talking shop together has been very helpful in keeping me at the keyboard and with more thematically technical details (little does she know it's for my rfp fanfic lol)

anything from real life show up in your writing this year? yep! lots! keep you safe (safe as i can), an hp fic, reflects some of my worries about my little bro growing up; Questions Involving Vampires & Skirts, while not reflective of my own gender, does reflect some of my weird gender-y fuckery; just dance (gonna be okay)'s michael shares my feelings regarding dancing in empty elevators; do you wanna touch (yeah) is inspired by me visiting a craft store with my fam and touching basically everything in the store; permanent jet lag is based off of flying international with my baby bro who is Very Tall; & glasses is based off of my truly awful eyesight and how i still feel like if i have my glasses off people can't perceive me lol (yes you heard it here first folks, megs has the object permanence of a toddler)

any new wisdom you can share with other writers? write! have fun with it! go to irl critique groups if possible! don't expect things to be perfect on the first draft, because most people's first drafts are shit and that's okay! challenge yourself! don't be afraid to embrace the cringe! it's okay to settle unless it's gonna make you miserable! eat your writing frogs! don't be afraid to ask for help! get a rubber duck!

any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year? i really want to finish tis the damn fic. i'd love for it to be ready to post by december. i'm kneeling at my prefrontal cortex begging it to get its shit together enough to finish it. i'd also love to finally finish my another place songfic bc that will mean my writing's reached the level where i can actually figure out how to write the dang thing which is the dream

tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read: idk who all's done it/been tagged so if you've already done it just ignore me! and if you don't want to do it you can also ignore me lol but i'll tag @werewolfashton , @reveriesofawriter , @userbadomens , @calumthoodshands , @pixiegrl , @valiantnerdtm , & anyone else who wants to! (if you've been mainly writing for another fandom you can talk about that one as well/instead, all up to you!)

#tagged #the trash talks #tag game #hope this is both interesting and humorous 😌 #or not! hope you hate it. i hope we both hate it hand in unlovable hand ksjdflksjdfkjsdlfjsdlkj

[farfromstrange]

I just finished writing the new Foreigner’s God chapter (idk the number don’t ask me, i also don’t have a title yet it’s all written in the stars) and that shit went down an extremely dark road real fast, and my mind has conjured up even more angst that I will continue to write now… Yeah, I have a lot of regrets but also zero regrets so there’s that. Be prepared to hate my OC with a passion because she’s annoying me too, but so am I so maybe I’ve been getting a bit too self-indulgent lately. Oh well, makes for better writing I guess.

BUT ALSO! I have started writing the fic to the Matt Murdock x vampire!reader excerpt I dropped because it has been getting a lot of likes and reblogs and I see you guys want more of that so I have started working on that too. Be prepared for some good content in the next couple of days/weeks.

ESPECIALLY since I will be at Comic Con on Saturday. I don’t have tickets to meet Charlie or Joe or Jamie but a girl can dream okay. I’m like Cinderella ‘cause she broke homie! That’s me, I felt that. The 50 euros I had to pay for the tickets was enough to make my wallet hurt. Maybe I’ll run into them in my Nelson & Murdock sweater that I will surely wear and I don’t even have to pay for it. That’s basically how I go about in life, just hoping for the best but never getting it. (I just want a hug tbh)

#matt murdock #foreigner's god #matt murdock x female!oc #matt murdock x fem!reader #matt murdock angst #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock imagines #daredevil fic #daredevil #matt murdock fluff #comic con #charlie cox

[asummersday]

22, 26 and 30

22. Share an excerpt from your favorite scene

This scene from chapter 6 of ataimw is so very near and dear to my heart <3

The kitchen is dark and the lair is quiet. Leo doesn't really want to let Donnie return to his lab just yet.

"Sit down," he says, snapping the first aid kit shut. "I'll make us hot cocoa."

Donnie doesn't protest. He cradles his burned hand to his chest and shuffles over to the kitchen table. Leo messes around the kitchen, picking out a pot and two mugs, cocoa from the tea cupboard and milk from the fridge.

It's the peaceful sort of quiet that only exists this early in the morning, when everything is pale blue and the sun hasn't risen yet. Donnie says nothing, and neither does Leo.

He barely bothers to make anything fancy, he just tries to be quick. When he's done, he makes his way to the kitchen table, mugs in tow.

“I don’t know how to make it as good as Mikey’s or Raph’s, but—” he slides the warm mug over to Donnie.

It’s a very nice mug— ceramic and plain white with dozens of flowers of varying sorts and sizes printed all over it. Leo’s mug is a dusty blue with ‘world’s best grandma’ written across it in neat print letters. Not nearly as nice as Donnie’s, but it’s taller and wider, so Leo’s not complaining.

“It’s fine,” Donnie replies, picking up the mug and taking a hesitant sip. “Thanks,” he adds as an afterthought.

Leo hums in reply, sliding into a vacant chair at the table. Neither of them bothered to turn on any other light in the kitchen, so they’re mostly sitting in the dark, drinking hot chocolate in silence.

Leo feels tired. It’s five in the morning, and he feels it weighing on him. His eyes sting a little and he misses how comfortably asleep he was back in Donnie’s lab.

Across from him, Donnie leans back in his chair, head tilted up toward the ceiling, eyes closed. He’s not sleeping, but Leo wishes he was. Donnie is never this careless with his tools, he’s never careless enough to use the more dangerous ones when he’s sleep deprived. He wonders, briefly, if Donnie would’ve gone knocking on his door after the fact had Leo not shown up in his lab, demanding his twin’s attention.

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

Ohhh. I think I'd have to say when I decided to add Big Mama into the plot of ataimw. I know I've complained about it a bit but I just love to complain, I think its actually a pretty good direction I've taken the plot in.

YEAH cuz I was stumped for WEEKS trying to figure out the plot of this fic, because I suck at plots and I wasn't expecting this fic to require one. I have the angsty stuff going on alongside the plot (finding the cursed amulet) and I was like "well. Its kind of boring making Leo just like chase the foot clan around for 10 straight chapters especially considering that in canon theyre really not that good at what they do, plus its more fun to add something new to spice things up" and along came Big Mama. She's SUCH a fun character (but so difficult to write 😩) and having her in my story definitely makes my plot work better (bc bow Leo ACTUALLY has to work to get the amulet back instead of just chasing the foot clan around NYC. I got sick of that pretty quickly)

(Tbh a lot of people in my comments want leos brothers to find out what's going on but I HAVE A PLAN. and that plan involves no one finding out for at least a couple more chapters sorry.)

30. What’s something that you want to write in 2024?

Ive got a handful of projects for 2024, but at the top, id say finishing all the ashes in my wake. I have two Rise oneshots i really want to write also, both angst and hurt/comfort of course, and that's all I'll say about it :3

Theres also a DC fic that's been sitting in my drafts since September last year that I really hope to get to, though since my hyperfixation's fully shifted into rise idk when ill get to it

Thank you for the ask!!!!

#ask game

[rriotzine]

Q: Hi hi! I can’t stop thinking about this zine and how excited I am to apply when the time comes! tbh I have also been feeling a little stressed as I’ve never submitted to a zine before and have been battling with feelings of not being “good enough” to get chosen (esp as there are SO MANY super talented people hyped for this zine too!) I was wondering if you have any advice on putting together a writers portfolio? If I don’t get chosen, that’s super okay and I will have tried my best <3 but I’m wondering how I can put together the best portfolio I can! Also whilst I’m here please can I pet Kirishima? He’s so handsome in his lil glasses

A: Very sorry, this will be long! <3 First things first, you have to start with determining what project (and more importantly, what TYPE of project) you are applying to. If it’s a sweet project, pick fluffy fics to showcase, an angsty project, angsty pieces, and so on and so forth. For zines such as this one, it’s about the character! We want to see how you write Kirishima. This is your chance to show what you can bring to the table, so the focus should be on showing off your writing style as much as possible. If you can write Kirishima (or anyone really!) in multiple ways, show us them all! Use your samples to diversify your writing from others, by showing us you’re able to write various different pieces. As a zine, we want to be able to show off as much variety as we can, so seeing how our writers can contribute to that is important. Lastly, I recommend using samples you are either incredibly proud of or have written somewhat recently. As you continue to write, your style will have undoubtedly evolved, so your most recent/most proud works are the best way to see your current strengths. All that being said, I wish you the best of luck in applications! And Kiri does look rather fetching in those glasses! He’d take more than pets, he’d give you a great big hug!

-Mod Fay

--------

My advice for putting together a portfolio is to choose your best works, they don’t have to be published, but you should be proud of them. As we’ll be paying special attention to characterisation (especially Kiri), plot, grammar and spelling, it might be helpful to have another person look over it. (Beta reader) Excerpts of larger pieces are also fine but we encourage you to put stand-alone pieces in, as this best shows us that you can work with a limited word count. Kiri would, of course, love your head pats, he might give the glasses back eventually. -Mod Aki

⚙️Do you have a question for us? Fill out our ask form at https://rriotzine.carrd.co/#ask ! We'll post a response as soon as we are able.

#Q&A Kiri #rriotzine #Kirishima zine #Kiri zine

[permets-2]

we’re gonna pretend this isn’t a good couple weeks late but you know that’s very on brand for me so

Here’s my preview for the ExR fic i wrote for the Hands Clasped Tight Zine! This fic features unsubtle fruit metaphors, a made up art history lesson, emojis, and a lot of unspoken gay thoughts (not necessarily in that order). 

I was SO lucky to get to work with the ICONIC @thepiecesofcait​ who brought my vague word-clutter into a truly STUNNING illustration that I stared at for so long when I was writers blocked (so really, she’s the one to thank for anything I did here). You can see a preview of that illustration (and more!) right here!

This zine has been such a communal labor of love and we’re all so proud to share it with you! It includes 130 gorgeous pages of fic and art (more previews available on @lesmiszine​!) and a purchase would mean supporting the independent creators who regularly provide the free content you come to Les Mis!Tumblr to enjoy. Additionally, half the proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders, an incredible non-profit currently doing essential work around the world to mitigate the effects of COVID-19. 

So really there’s no reason for u NOT to grab a copy over at our shop! 

(Also, send me an ask with which bundle u got and i’ll write u ~100 words based on ur prompt 👀👀) 

#les mis zine #les miserables zine #theatre zine #classics zine #enjoltaire #barricade boys #exr #uhg seriously yall #this zine was a little bit of a bumpy ride but it has been SO lovely #even the bumpy bits :) #seriously i cannot stress how absolutely vital it is you go look at Cait's art rn #like the piece she drew for my fic (!!!!!!!) and also like everything shes ever drawn #i just got something from her redbubble store bc i have poor self control but its ok bc its just so damn gorgeous #also tbh this is not the best written excerpt #i do not like some of the lines here #looking at you enjolras smiled thats the best kind of theory #👀 plz go home #i can write i promise #oh speaking of which im legit #lemme know if u order in my askbox and i'll make u a thing #your options include: #a drabble #a limerick #an interpretive dance by my dog and i #i am open to alternatives #technically no proof of purchase is required #but plz dont be a shithead :( #anYWAY #hands clasped tight #sol.epub

[scriptlgbt]

What would pregnancy symptoms be in an trans guy who is on T? How can my character find out he's pregnant because the main sign of missed periods doesn't exist? Might other signs differ? I can only find info on trans guy pregnancies when they want to get pregnant and they stop T and go for fertility treatments.

I've had to do some research myself on this. We've been asked a number of questions about this before, so I'm going to give general information as well as do my best to answer your questions.

I've found this quote from this survey-based study, in reference to the experiences of their sample size (which was relatively small tbh). Please note their survey only interviewed trans men who came into their identity prior to pregnancy. And in general, I highly recommend reading the full report (it's all free at the link) because it provides a lot of really useful information on this. Including terminology, which we're asked about all the time. For example, some trans men referred to pregnancy as "heavy time" or referred to themselves as "gestational parents" or "carriers" along with "dad" and others. There were also some questions about the general experience of pregnancy for trans men.

Nearly half of the transgender men who had not used testosterone had an unplanned pregnancy, a proportion comparable to that of the U.S. population. Comparatively, one fourth of those previously on testosterone had unplanned pregnancies. By design this study cannot speak to incidence or prevalence of unplanned pregnancies among transgender men. However, given the financial burden and risk of increased morbidity from unintended pregnancy as well as the contraindication of testosterone use during pregnancy, these findings suggest a potential unmet need for contraceptive services for transgender men.

I also want to mention that as a general thing, people on hormones long-term are recommended to get bloodwork done around once a year to check a variety of things. I have other issues so I usually test more broadly, but my iron and B12 levels get checked, cholesterol, my kidney function. Often, a part of this experience, for me anyway, is pee tests. I believe the last few times I did it they were testing for something else besides pregnancy, but there were a few times when getting it re-prescribed (switching from patches to injections) where it was for pregnancy. I think it's possible someone could just tack it on to their requisition.

Here's also a thing from Planned Parenthood's Tumblr about pee stick tests:

Pregnancy tests only test for the presence of a specific hormone in the body: Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). HCG is a hormone that’s produced after a fertilized egg has implanted into the wall of the uterus. So taking “T” will not interfere with pregnancy tests.

If a trans man gets a positive pregnancy test, he should talk to his health care provider about his options, as testosterone could have an effect on the pregnancy.

As for your question, here is an article written by a trans man who became pregnant while on testosterone, (BIG TW: framing abortion as "killing" a baby, by the author) and here's an excerpt that's relevant to your question specifically.

Line breaks added for accessibility.

Despite being on testosterone, and taking a testosterone safe form of birth control, I was/am in fact, pregnant. It was a complete shock to me. And not only am I pregnant, but I am also already (now) 5 months along, and hadn't even realized it.

The morning sickness was very brief and masked by food poisoning and the fact that it wasn't unusual even before this for me to get nauseous now and then for different reasons. I never had the strongest stomach.

And as far as other common symptoms, I did have some of them but they were spread out and random, and most were things I also dealt with normally just because my body is the way it is, and having never really looked up symptoms of pregnancy, I had no idea that the symptoms were in any way connected either.

Being on testosterone meant that I had no monthly cycle to keep track of, at least not that I had physical signs of, so I had no way of knowing I had "missed" anything. It was only when I started getting later symptoms of pregnancy as I got further along, that made me wonder enough to take a test. And lo and behold, positive.

I want to mention that later on in the article he mentioned the pregnancy was totally healthy and fine despite having taken testosterone up until then.

That isn't the case for everyone though, and it's not always due to testosterone. I'm not going to quote it, because the specifics and descriptions could be triggering for some. But this is an article which describes an instance where a stillbirth occurred after a trans man's labour symptoms were not taken as urgently as a woman's would have been. (It was evident from the article that the lack of urgent enough care is what caused it.)

I also know, in one of the articles I read (I can't remember which, maybe the first one?) that trans people who carry a pregnancy are much more likely to opt for non-traditional birthing situations (ie outside of a hospital, like with a doula or something) in order to avoid discrimination.

- mod nat

#mod nat #writeblr #trans healthcare #trans pregnancy

[astorytotellyourfriends]

annual writing self-evaluation

All answers should be about works published in 2021.

once again i’m posting this bc i wanna not because i was tagged lol

i. Optional if applicable: link to last year’s self-evaluation

1. List of works published this year (in the order that they were posted)

since that list is stupid long here’s a link to my 2021 fic roundup instead.

2. Work you are most proud of (and why):

i’m definitely super proud of Keep Me Up All Night because it was a BEAST and for a while, i wasn’t sure i’d finish it at all. but i did! i’m also very, very proud of the Bobby/Luke fics in the fanboy universe: A Mouth That I Would Kill To Kiss and Stubborn, Selfish, Easily Jealous. both of them were very cathartic to write and it gave me such an incredible chance to explore some darker themes and really dig deep into emotions, and i just really enjoyed that part of the writing process.

3. Work you are least proud of (and why):

honestly idk but what came to mind was Jealousy, Jealousy because i think it’s the most ridiculous thing i wrote this year and it was kind of done on a whim and not planned super well. i might be alone in this but i think it’s the most ooc fic i’ve written for Luke and Reggie so that kind of bothers me as well but i posted it anyway lmfao

4. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

this is a line from the onlyfans au that @romantiquesnouvelles​ commented on when she was beta reading it for me and tbh i think about it a lot.

He keeps his mouth so close to Reggie's neck that Reggie feels every word he says as if Luke's etching it into his skin.

5. Share or describe a favorite comment you received:

this comment single-handedly kept me from deleting A Mouth That I Would Kill To Kiss. i’ll never forget it @where-you-go​ 💛💛

6. A time when writing was really, really hard:

right after that stupid fucking blacklist came out. i almost gave up then, but i’m glad i didn’t. y’all are stuck with me, better deal with it ✌🏻

7. A scene or character that you wrote that surprised you:

it feels like a million years ago now but when i first started writing Can I Call You Mine? it was meant to be endgame Luke/Reggie. but as i kept writing, i realized that i loved Caleb too much to not have Reggie end up with him 🥺 i definitely didn’t see that coming.

8. How did you grow as a writer this year:

i uhh think my word count speaks for itself 😇 also just like, genuinely not giving a fuck what anyone else thinks and writing exactly what i wanted to write.

9. How do you hope to grow next year:

branching out! writing different genres! we’ll see what happens.

10. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

genuinely, everyone who complimented my writing this year. especially after the blacklist backlash bullshit. i really needed to hear that people enjoy what i write, regardless of the rating. thank you 💛

11. Anything in your real life show up in your writing this year:

addiction and grief. it’s hard, but it’s worth it to push through.

12. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

don’t compare yourself to other writers. especially not me. i’ve heard a lot this year about how people wish they could write as much as i do, but you have to understand that this isn’t normal. i have a ridiculous amount of time to write that few other people do. just do your best because that’s all anyone can ask of you.

13. Any new projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

WELL my wip folder is officially empty which is wild! i finished all of the wips i was working on this year, which means starting tomorrow i get to dive into my “eventually” folder and start tossing out new ideas (of which there are many, as you all already know.)

14. Tag three writers/artists whose answers you’d like to read:

i’m tagging all of my fandom friends. if you see this and you want to do it, then consider yourself tagged 💛

#annual self evaluation #about my fic

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

Please tell us more about Seventh Virtue–we need more? Also what was your general thought process for writing this right now?

Hello!! Seventh Virtue is the fantastical version of the Fostered series (which I’ve been writing for many years as you probably already know)! I came up with the initial idea for this project back in the summer of 2019, but knew I’d probably never write it because at the time, I couldn’t see myself writing beyond literary fiction (and also: I know nothing about fantasy :)) in fact I think I’ve only ever read 3 fantasy books from the same series and that was years ago)!

This led to why I’m writing it right now, actually! Earlier this week, my sister and I binge watched Shadow and Bone and it reminded me of this project (which I’d called Fostered But It’s Magic haha). I couldn’t help but delve more and more into the project as the days progressed, and so I decided I’d try to draft it. I actually tried to draft this project once before as a screenplay because I thought it’d translate better to screen, but gave up FAST when I realized I am terrible at screenwriting! With this in mind, I knew I wanted to write this project, but I’m also impatient, and know I want to write more things this summer. TBH, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my vacation writing another Fostered book (I planned to write something outside of this universe but apparently it doesn’t want me to??) so yesterday at 1AM, I came up with a very... stupid idea to write 10k words in one day.

I made this decision strictly for anxiety exposure. I’m exporting the vlog where I chat about this experience so I won’t delve too much into it. TL;DR: I wrote 11k words yesterday, and finished the first chapter (almost done the second).

So what’s the book about?? Honestly, it’s pretty loose right now. This is the pitch I wrote way back in 2019, which is more or less accurate:

After being tormented by nightmares of his ex lover, which result in violent hot flashes and an inability to keep up a job, Harrison seeks a magical intervention. When the clairvoyant he hopes will cure his strange ailment turns out to be a con woman—and his old friend, Reeve—he is thrown back into the past and forced to rekindle relationships he thought he’d left behind.

The main thing that’s surprised me since drafting is how contemporary this world is?? Despite being literally fantasy, this setting is the most contemporary-aligned compared to the rest of the series. Fostered book 1-6 take place in a sort of dystopia (which gets softer and softer as the books continue), whereas Moth Work and Feeding Habits take place in older-contemporary times (2006)! This book on the other hand I could certainly see taking place in some sort of alternate 2019 (because we :) cannot include the pandemic years :)). It’s also magnificently funny?? I feel really blessed to have just decided to write this book. I know about 10% of what is going on at all times, but it’s so fun to draft!

Something I didn’t expect initially was how big a presence Foster would have in this book! I kind of :) forgot about Foster in Moth Work/Feeding Habits (so sorry he is still an icon), and while I knew he’d be Harrison’s roommate, I kind of assumed he’d be a side character?? But no, he said, I am reclaiming my “Main Cast” title and you can do nothing to stop me. For the majority of what I’ve written, Harrison and Foster are living in the past. This is because Foster can ~time travel, but is incredibly ethical and sustainable, so he refuses to actually change the past/do anything that would affect the present/future. After a hex goes wrong and results in Harrison’s mother getting into an accident and eventually disappearing, Harrison’s life is in literal shambles. Tormented by nightmares and hot flashes, he is NOT living his best life. To cope, Foster agrees to take them back to the past where he can relive the last 5 days before his mother’s accident, thinking they will only stay there for that one week. But when they’ve repeated the same week dozens of time, Foster ups the pressure on Harrison to give him the okay to head back to the present. And when these “hot flashes”/nightmares get even worse, Foster tells Harrison about a “healer” who cured his broken wrist (so he could plant his tomatoes lol), Harrison concedes and they finally head back to present day so he too can visit this woman, who is actually their old friend, Reeve.

This book is SO angsty and hilarious! I think my favourite thing about it is that I get to write Lonan and Harrison falling in love again lol, which I didn’t exactly get to experience in the conventional way (the first time around). By the time we meet Lonan (who is introduced in book 2), he and Harrison already have a pretty complex relationship. This relationship gets even more tangled in book 3, and book 5 is where we get to see the first glimpses of a romance. Somewhere in this timeline, between books 3-5, they ~fell in love, but I don’t know when! I think most of that occurred off the page, so even I don’t know. What’s so fun is now I get to glimpse into that a little bit more. Their relationship is my favourite thing and always has been, about this entire series, so I’m so stoked to finally get to dabble with it from the beginning. All I really know at the moment is that they meet because Lonan catches Harrison being a thief lol so, so much fun tension already to work with!

I’m not sure if I’ll finish this, mostly because the prospect of writing an 80k novel sort of terrifies me?? The project is almost 12k at the moment, and we really have only scratched the very surface, so we’ll see! I haven’t written genre fiction in so long and I’m adoring this! It’s also so much less strenuous than writing literary lols so perfect because I’m still a little wiped out after my semester ended!

Here’s an excerpt when Harrison meets up with Reeve for the first time:

The shop’s name is The Lark’s Lagoon. When he enters, a string of freshwater shells clatter, like bells would. She is not at the table like she was in the past, so he putters around the shop. Some of the things she sells are silly. Plastic mood rings that are clearly heat activated and more suited for a child but marketed to women in their thirties. Ping pong balls with the inscription enchanted aims. Snowglobes with a miniature witch figurine who says I’ll tell your fortune when you shake it.

“That’s a bestseller.” Her voice comes so suddenly that Harrison drops the globe. It shatters across the floor in a glittery bundle. “So you’re going to need to pay for that.”

Harrison describing Lonan lol:

Harrison hated him. He was cute, but Harrison hated him.

Harrison chilling in his timeloop where he can’t be seen:

It’s harder avoiding birds than he thinks. Every time one spots him, his body lurches, magnetized in the direction of the apartment. If it weren’t for the trees he latches onto along the way, he’d already be back at the brownstone listening to Foster lecture him on not being seen and not exploiting his magic. So he becomes more careful. Checks every direction—up down, left, right, diagonally, whatever—until he is certain no one can see him.

Some Stressed Foster dialogue lol I love him protect him at all costs:

“How many times have I told you that you cannot be seen in the timeloop? I woke up with a migraine five minutes ago and when I went to find you, realized you’d slipped out. Do you know how my brain feels when you stretch the timeloop like that? It feels like someone’s cracking it. My brain, a walnut. You, a nutcracker. Not to mention, you didn’t even leave a note. What if you were robbed? Or murdered? What if they dismembered you and I had no idea?

so that’s this project! don’t see any reason to stop writing it, so I’ll make an update on it soon! :) let me know if you have any more q’s!

#asks #writing #fostered #seventhvirtue

[aurorawest]

What's your top 5 Loki moments in the MCU? :)

Aka an impossible choice, haha. I’m trying to think of which scenes I like to go back and watch.

1. The Elevator Scene (Thor: Ragnarok)

Does any scene define and capture Loki as well as this scene? Last night I made a post about how my wife had observed that in my most recently completed fic, “Loki got what he wanted, and now he’s sad.” That’s Loki! That’s who he is. Satisfaction isn’t in his nature. Give him what he wants, and he’ll immediately realize he didn’t want that thing at all. And it’s just so beautifully done in this scene because we also get Thor realizing that he can’t give Loki what he wants, that he’s been so intent on saving Loki when really the only person who can save Loki is...Loki (I say this a lot so sorry for sounding like a broken record).

Tom Hiddleston’s acting is always fantastic but he does a particularly great job in this scene, too.

2. Loki’s death (Avengers: Infinity War)

I know, I know. I don’t like that Loki died. But I also think it was a very well done scene, and I do not think it was poorly written, or nonsensical, or whatever. The fandom likes to wank about this scene because they didn’t like that their fave died, and whatever. It’s a good scene.

I wrote a post about why I think Loki is one of the bravest characters in the MCU and tbh I’m not going to word anything better here than I did in that. I’ll just excerpt this part:

So all the Asgardians fall, leaving Thor, Heimdall, and Loki—and Loki is the last man standing. Thor and Heimdall are done; they’re terribly wounded. Loki tries one more gambit — “We have a Hulk.” And here’s the thing: he could have escaped here, too. He could have taken the Tesseract and run.

He doesn’t. He stays. He throws the Tesseract away and stays for his brother, whom he has let go of and pushed away so many times before. He stays and walks to his death, he faces someone who has done terrible things to him, and he tries to accomplish something by dying. He fails, but that doesn’t make him any less brave.

And I’m not even taking into account here his arc during Ragnarok, during which he also shows immense bravery. Loki has been through some shit, and he has a beautiful story about persevering.

3. The gladiator cell on Sakaar (Thor: Ragnarok)

I love that Loki reaches out to Thor here in the best way he knows how. This is actually a huge moment for him. Loki isn’t good at reaching out. You know what I just thought about that hasn’t ever occurred to me before? This scene echoes the moment in TDW where Thor comes to Loki in the dungeons. I think even their poses are pretty similar.

Anyway it’s a really good Brodinsons moment. It really captures the toxic dynamic they’ve got going on. “I’ve placed a large wager against you tomorrow. Don’t let me down,” is basically just, “You hurt my feelings and I hope you DIE, Thor!” in that way that siblings say stuff like that to each other.

4. Breaking out of Asgard (Thor: The Dark World)

It’s not that I don’t love TDW. I do. It’s a Thor movie. It has most of my favorite characters in it. But let’s be real. It’s not a good movie. It’s not a bad movie. But it has serious structural problems. And that makes the part where Loki, Thor, and Jane bust out of Asgard a shining light in the middle of this film. It’s so funny and so engaging. It’s the first time we see Loki and Thor really act like brothers together. It’s super relatable too if you have a sibling. I feel like the clear superiority of this entire section of the movie probably had a lot to do with the direction Ragnarok took their relationship.

Honestly Loki is at peak snarkiness throughout this entire sequence and I’m grinning thinking about it.

5. The Weapons Vault (Thor)

This is actually not a scene I go back and watch a lot, but I feel like it deserves a place on this list. Watching Loki’s entire world shatter and crumble at his feet while his dad thinks he’s saying the right things but is in fact saying the exact wrong things will never not be devastating. And that’s not a dig at Odin, btw—if I haven’t already outed myself as someone who doesn’t hate Odin, but finds him a complicated, interesting character who is actually not An Evil Abuser™, well, I am now. This scene is tragic because Odin is trying to reassure Loki with logic and facts, but that’s not what Loki needs. Honestly Loki really just needed a hug here. If Odin had just hugged him, probably most of the MCU could have been averted. Stephen and Wong could have actually got their sandwiches in IW if Odin had just given Loki a hug in Thor 1.

Honorable mention:

Loki and Stephen Strange’s meet cute (Thor: Ragnarok)

Haha just kidding!!! It’s not a meet cute. Unless...Marvel...? Feige...? You want to give Loki a sarcastic, magical boyfriend...?

Thank you so much for asking! 😄 

#loki meta #loki odinson #brodinsons #Anonymous

[lady-plantagenet]

What are your top ten novels about the Wars of the Roses? And why?

I think it’s obvious by the length how enthusiastic I was to answer this ask xx thank you for asking me and giving me also an opportunity to make a masterlist of some sorts of all my reviews xx. But you know? I speak like quite the expert but in reality I’ve read very little histfic about TWOTR because I just newly got back into this hobby (about a year ago) and have little time in general so tbh the last three books on this list I do not personally care for but since I’ve read so little novels of this kind they are here nonetheless hhh (so please people, give me no angry asks asking me why I am endorsing PG, I’m not).

1. The Last of the Barons by Lord Edward Lytton-Bulwer

This is quite possibly the best book I’ve ever read in my life. The gap between these books and the rest is a chasm the size of the world and I wpuld genuinely reccomend this book as an actual piece of literature to anyone, not just TWOTR fanatics. It is written in 1840, in quite old timey lingo and it centres around Richard Neville 16th Earl of Warwick, but in the true tradition of a real classic it is more than just a character drama, it astutely showcases the purpose of Warwick and what he did in the context of his wider world and doesn’t just chalk it up to personal greed. There is also this fascinating subplot about courtship, science and such. Hell, you even get this eccentric ‘natural philosopher’ guy called Adam Warner who tries to make something like a steam engine and gets employed as an alchemist by Jacquetta and Edward IV.

From a historical standpoint it is quite biased as the author himself was a politician (and an actual baron) and tbh I don’t completely agree with his interpretation of history and I can see some of the Victorian inluences slip in, but some of his takes are very refreshing and he clearly consulted the primary sources. I am much interested in his philosophy and life outlook though and while I don’t think his Warwick is the Warwick, I think he (Lytton-Bulwer) understood him like no other novelist could. As for the writing style... here’s an excerpt of a good reads review that I agree with and tells you all you need to know:

“Of course, such a style of writing no longer exists. The language used is essentially foreign to us. But the nobility, the pride of this story work their ways into your bones, your heart. You will yearn for honor once you have left it.“

Basically, go type it into google and see what I mean. You don’t even need to purchase this book it’s all online at the first click on Gutenberg.

Nevertheless, I’ve posted excerpts of it here, here and here =)

2. The King’s Grey Mare by Rosemary Hawley Jarman

This book (unlike the latter) has zero actual historical value. Actually, it sort of does in the way that it hilights certain real events that most people are unaware of when it comes to its protagonist: Elizabeth Woodville, eg the whole Cooke tapestry affair and the whole Desmond affair. Both things which I still stand on the fence about (if you don’t know what I’m talking about send em another ask or pm me). But like, it isn’t political, philosophical or such in any way like the first book, yet you still feel like you are *there* in the 15th century - by the time I finished reading it my heart was wrung dry and I kind of fell into a down for a couple of days because I just wanted to feel the magic again. If anyone would ask me I would give this 5 stars because it perfectly achieved what it set out to do (I can’t expect all books to go above and beyond like #1), it made me feel for the characters who were super complex, was accurate historically and even when it wasn’t it made sense, it got very creative with its themes (which I like to see because I am not interested in reading the exact same story over and over again) and the prose was absolutely magical and brought all the depth to this novel. I’ve read classics with less flowing and poignant prose, yes actual classics!

This book also switches POVs quite a lot (basically it headhops because it’s written in omniscient- but whatever, rules are meant to be broken), so you’ll get to see many of your faves in there, Edward IV, Margaret of Anjou and Grace Plantagenet feature quite heavily. One thing that disappointed me is that it wasn’t really Edward IV/Elizabeth Woodville (at the time I bought it for that), she never really likes him and his love for her kind of wanes towards the end. If you’re not too bothered about that then I say go buy it.

3. The Daisy and the Bear by K L Clark

I put this here because we are already going into shakier territory when it comes to this list. This is kind of the last *really* good, truly five star one. It is a long spoof about TWOTR but god it’s smart! Yet, It does not take itself seriously and has Margaret of Anjou/Warwick the Kingmaker as a crackship and centrepiece and had me in stitches the whole time. I’ve written a long detailed review for it here.

4. Death be Pardoner to Me by Dorothy Davies

This is a novel about George Duke of Clarence. Quite possibly the only novel ever written about him in existence and boy is it a trip - the author claims to have channelled him (she’s a medium). I’ve written a detailed review for it here. I read this last spring and my views have unfortunately changed, the thing is, I’ve come to find out through my research that this was quite possibly a hoax as there are some indisputable inaccuracies (Ankarette Twynyho’s age, the details of Isabel’s death - we *know* she did not die from childbirth, Isabel did not reunite with him after Tewksbury 1471, but right before Christmas 1470). It’s also quite Richardian (the author admitted) and she could have *had* me had she not chose to divulge it in the foreword. Nevertheless, I still like this book because it did get to me at certain points and it’s good quality as a novel, I remember shedding a tear at one point even which is extremely rare for me but I think that says more about my sentiment for the subject matter than the book itself.

5. We Speak no Treason by Rosemary Hawley Jarman (not yet finished, so ranking may vary)

I haven’t finished it yet, so I’ll leave it here for now. This book is a Richardian book about Richard III, but I can’t get enough of this author, I haven’t found anyone to replace her with. The prose is magnificent as usual and I must confess that I’m happy that this book is told through the POVs of three OCs and not Richard, he remains rather elusive and tbf I find the three OCs very interesting and at this point I’m more interested in their stories than anything else. Of course, Richard III is still a fairly prominent part of this novel (even when he doesn’t appear) and it has led to me getting annoyed quite a bit. Given who I am I fumed massively at that one aside that Clarence and Edward have bastards whereas Richard isn’t like that... like are you serious?? At one point the author reassociated the Games and Playes Chesse book to Richard when it was in reality dedicated to Clarence and I got even more annoyed. Leave the poor figure something ma’am? Whatever, as a book about three medieval commoners it’s fantastic and that’s what I pretend it is.

6. Wife to the Kingmaker by Sandra Wilson

Nothing more to add than what I wrote in my (super-long) detailed review on here. This is the case because I read it very recently. This is a novel about Anne Beauchamp 16th Countess of Warwick, it’s ranked higher than Sunne because though it’s less accurate it’s got panache.

7. The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon K Penman

I feel very strongly about this Richard III book and what it represents. I wrote a long detailed review about it on here and a follow-up post on the discussion is here ft my awesome mutual @beardofkamenev ‘s insights also thrown into the mix. Xx

8. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

This is a step higher than the other two because this book pretty much changed my life. The thing is, I read it translated into my own language by an extremely talented translator and I was also only about 11/12 years old so it was all very impressive to me then. This book about Elizabeth Woodville effectively introduced me to the TWOTR; an interest that has never really left me these past ten years (though at one point (ages 14-19) it was quite wane). It’s not a good book by any standard (I was quite shocked when picking it up at a bookstore, I had found that when read in the original language it lost all its magic), but I owe a lot to it and some people who now endlessly discourse about how bad PG is need to recognise their debt of gratitude and be a bit more respectful, I think. That is of course unless you came into this era via different media, but you got to admit that a massive part of us got to this place through TWQ, though we outgrew it.

10. The Red Queen and The Kingmaker’s Daughter by Philippa Gregory

Exact same commentary as above, just objectively not good books. Flat characterisation, misunderstanding of the era, historical innacuracies which don’t add anything, lack of nuance in prose which often dances too close to *gasp* YA prose *shudders*. But these are lower because I don’t owe them a debt of gratitude as I do TWQ. Funnily enough, they are still better than the series.

#look at rb for tags