#but by writing these 2 different stories at once it helps me with being motivated to keep going

[goldenseresinretriever]

Snitches Get Stitches: Chapter 2

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Reader

Part of the San Diego Dogfighters universe

Summary: Jake Seresin, golden boy of the NHL and Captain of the Dallas Stars makes headlines when he unexpectedly signs with newly-formed San Diego Dogfighters. When your future seems at the verge of crashing down, you receive the opportunity of a lifetime to become the team physician for the Dogfighters. You never expected to be working directly with your favorite hockey player. Jake has a secret and you have a job to do. Will he be able to trust you enough to help and will you be able to trust him with your heart?

Chapter CW: 18+ ONLY, Swearing. No use of Y/N.

Word Count: 4.1k

A/N: A huge thank you to every single person that’s read the story so far, y’all are literally my primary motivation to keep writing. I love writing with my whole heart and knowing that someone else is enjoying it??? That’s insane to me so thank you so much for all the support, comments, reblogs, and likes, it means the whole world ❤️

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You lean against the counter in the exam room, giving Jake’s chart one last once-over while you wait for him to come back from the showers. There’s nothing in there detailing any recent injuries and your suspicion increases. You’re still weighing your options when the door opens and Jake saunters in, clad in a simple Dogfighters t-shirt and sweats, his hair still wet from the shower. He heads over to the exam table and pops up onto it, leaning to rest his palms on his knees.

“So Bugs, let’s get to it.” You give him a confused look.

“Bugs?”

“Yup.” He fails to elaborate but his eyes tell you he’s waiting for you to catch on to some joke you’re unaware of.

“I don’t get it. Why’re you calling me Bugs?”

“What’s up, Doc?” He says with a grin in a poor imitation of Bugs Bunny that makes a smile spread over your face, your worry temporarily forgotten. “You work for a hockey team now, Bugs, you need a nickname. So Bugs Bunny, or Bugs for short. Unless you’d rather I call you Bunny.” He waggles his eyebrows at you playfully. You feel your cheeks flush at his teasing. “So, what do you think, Bugs?”

“I think it’s a good thing you’re good at hockey.” You laugh nervously, as your mind comes back to the task at hand. You clasp your hands in front of you to keep them from shaking as you steady yourself for what you’re about to do. “Let’s get down to business shall we?” He nods, settling back on the table. “As I mentioned earlier, today we’re just going to be doing a standard physical, nothing special, but before we start, there’s something I want to talk to you about.” You watch him stiffen, his carefree, flirty demeanor now wary. It makes your heart ache. As a doctor, seeing your patients in pain has always been hard for you, but you trust your ability to alleviate it. To do that for Jake, though, he’d have to trust in you too. “During the introduction, I mentioned that the only way I can fully be of service to you as your physician is if we trust each other enough to be honest with each other.” You swallowed, crossing your arms across your chest, steeling yourself before you brought your eyes to look straight into his stormy ones. “So that being said I need to know, what’re we working with? A groin pull? An MCL pull or tear maybe?”

You had prepared for a lot of different reactions from Jake but the shock on his face wasn’t one of them. His mouth had fallen open and you couldn’t help the way your eyes caught on his slightly chapped pink lips.

“Jake?” You whisper gently like you’re trying not to spook a horse.

It breaks him out of his stupor. “What the fuck?” It sounds like it’s been punched out of his lungs. “How the fuck? How the fuck could you possibly?” His chest is starting to rise and fall rapidly and you push off the counter, his chart abandoned as you place your hands on both of his broad shoulders, crowding his space as you coach him gently.

“Jake, I need you to breathe for me, can you do that? In, and hold, and out.” You guide him through the breathing, his eyes on the floor on yours on the top of his head, watching water droplets slide along the strands until finally, his breathing evens out. You take your hands off his shoulders and drop to squat in front of him, catching his eyes where his head is still hung. “Talk to me, Jake, I can help. Let me help.” You’re not sure when you took his hand in yours as you realize you’re rubbing gentle circles in the skin. Nothing about that is professional but then again neither is accusing a multimillionaire athlete with a fantastic legal team of lying about a serious injury, so you’re 0 for 2.

“How, how did you know?” He whispers, and your heart breaks at the hesitation and fear in his voice. “Who told you? Did my old physician call you? Did my publicist?” His voice gets louder with each question, raising with his frustration. He runs the hand you’re not holding through his wet hair angrily, stray water droplets raining down over you.

You shake your head. “No, no Jake, no one told me, I just… I just knew.” He brings his eyes back to you, accusation shining hotly in them.

“How, Bugs? Explain how you ‘just knew’.”

“I…” you hesitate, embarrassment coloring your cheeks as you realize you’re going to have to explain yourself. You sit back on your heels to get comfortable, letting go of Jake’s hand to fiddle with your own. “So we had this game of sorts at my fellowship during the playoffs. Since if athletes get injured during the playoffs there’s a high chance it doesn’t get revealed until the season’s over, those of us who got together to watch the games made a game out of it. We’re sports doctors, right? So it’s our job to be able to diagnose athletes quickly and efficiently. So we would make notes of potential injuries each game and if we were right and they got announced after the season we’d ‘win’ and basically yeah we’d bet on how valid we thought each other’s diagnoses were.”

You sigh, remembering that night. “It was the Conference Finals, game 4 against the Ducks. You were fighting some defenseman from the Ducks who was getting too pushy with covering you, your legs got tangled and then you went down. Your legs stretched a weird way and then you went off the ice for your penalty and then you were benched for the next half of that period. I knew something was wrong. Everyone else thought your coach just wanted you to cool your head. I guessed either a groin pull or something with your MCL. Then the season ended and nothing came out about the injury. I just couldn’t shake it though, this feeling that I was right.” You shake your head. “Then, you show up here and you’re giving me these weird looks every time I mention the physical and then shuffling around when I mentioned injuries during my speech so I decided to take a chance. I know it’s extremely unprofessional to accuse you of hiding an injury but I meant it when I said it, I care about your health and I just want to help you, Jake, and I can, but only if you’re honest with me.” You let out a huff, waiting for Jake to respond, too nervous to raise your eyes from his sneakers to watch his reaction.

“Well I’ll be damned, Bugs.” You look up at that to see the curiosity and awe in his face. “That’s really something.”

“So,” you put on a small smile. “Are you gonna let me help you, Jake?”

His eyes dim at that. “Bugs, I can’t let you do that.” You can’t help the scowl that contorts your face.

“And why not, Jake? You’d rather throw the rest of your career, and maybe your life, away than ask me for help?” You’re trying to understand, you really are, but he’s just so stubborn and you can’t understand why. “We have time now, there’s two months until the start of the season, and if you let me help you, you can play, you can even stay on the first line, but time is not our friend, Jake you need to trust me, sooner rather than later.”

“If I let you help, it goes in my chart, and if it goes in my chart, it goes by Maverick and Simpson. And if that happens, I get benched.”

“What part of, if I help you, you won’t get benched, was not in English, Seresin?” You’re done being the nice guy.

“You can’t guarantee that. My last physician said I’d have to spend half the next season riding the bench, that I’d be lucky to make the third line.” It occurs to you that maybe this is why he left Dallas.

“Maybe if you let me look at it, I could give you MY opinion?” Irritation creases your face.

“If you look at it, that means scans, that means evidence, and I can’t have a trail of medical records leading the higher-ups to this, I could get fired for it.” He thinks he’s being reasonable, you can see it in his eyes, but he’s being anything but. It’s wearing down every one of your nerve endings and it’s not even noon on your first day, you’re going to snap.

“You put me out five hundred bucks!” You shout, seething and you don’t care if he sees anymore. His face shifts into confusion for a second as he processes what you’ve just yelled before he bursts out laughing at your attack out of left field. He throws his head back as he does it, and it’s a deep laugh, from the bottommost parts of his belly, but you can’t enjoy it with how furious you are.

“If it’s the money you’re looking for, Bugsy, I can write you a check right now.” He says, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. Only later do you wonder when the last time he laughed that hard was.

“Seresin, get the fuck out of my exam room.” Your voice is cold, monotone, exacting, and you’re doing everything you can to maintain your paper-thin composure. At your change in tone, his grin fades as he realizes you don’t find this as funny as he does.

“W-What?” He stammers nervously, confused by your request.

“I said, get the fuck out of my exam room, Seresin.” You stand up and his head follows you holding your eyes with his.

“But what about the physical?”

“I can’t examine a patient that doesn’t want to be examined, and I’m sure as hell not lying on a physical report, because then I’ll get fired, and unlike you, Mr. Seresin, I can’t afford to just go somewhere else. So, I’m going to ask you one more time, get the fuck out of my exam room. We can reschedule your physical when you’re ready to be transparent with me. Thank you for your time.” You purse your lips into a straight line as you collect his chart and your laptop from the counter, opening the door, and holding it open for him. He doesn’t move from where he’s perched on the exam table so you heave a sigh and head out yourself, calling back, “I’m going to get my next patient Mr. Seresin, you better be gone when I get back,” before letting the door swing shut behind you as head off to the gym where the players are doing their individual workouts.

“Javy Machado, you’re up.” You call across the gym, as you make your way to the shirtless dark-skinned man at the leg press, you tap his sweaty bare shoulder to get his attention and he pulls out his headphones.

“Sorry, miss, what’s up?”

“You’re up, Machado.” You smile, trying to regain your professionalism after the number Jake did on you. He returns the smile but you can see the confusion in his eyes.

“Already, miss? You’re done with Jake?”

“Mr. Seresin had something come up and had to reschedule. I’m not at liberty to say anything else.” You give him a tight-lipped smile and his brow furrows in concern as he gets up, wiping his face with a towel before putting his t-shirt back on and following you back to the exam room. Thankfully, Jake had left and you take your place at the counter, placing your computer back down and replacing Jake’s file in the rack, removing Javy’s instead.

“Ma’am?” you look up to see Javy fidgeting with his hands where he’s sat on the exam table.

“What’s on your mind, Javy?” You lean against the counter.

“I know you said you’re not at liberty to say but I have to try, okay? Is Jake okay?” Your heart breaks at the pain and helplessness in his voice. He cares so much and suddenly you’re angry at Jake all over again for hurting his best friend this way, your mind drifting back to the conversation you had with Natasha earlier.

“Honestly, Javy? I don’t know.” You shake your head, a tired laugh escaping your lips. “He won’t talk to me, and honestly I was hoping to get some answers from you but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that you’re just as in the dark about what’s going on here.”

“So his physical?”

“I refused to do it until he’s ready to be honest with me. Since the team is still new we don’t have a designated mental health professional, so I’m responsible for all aspects of your health right now and I refuse to submit an incorrect or incomplete report.”

“And and if he doesn’t?”

You shrug, exhausted. “He can’t play without a physical.” You set your jaw. “I know it sounds ridiculous in the grand scheme of things but if I let a sick player on the ice, that would break every code I’m bound to, personal and professional.”

“No,” Javy shakes his head. “You’re right, that’s what he needs. I think it’s been a while since someone told him no, it’ll be good for him.” He gives you a rueful smile and you chuckle.

“You’re a good friend, Javy.”

“So is Jake,” he gives you an apologetic look, “at least he usually is.”

“I’m sure he is.” You say, giving him a sad smile. “I’m sure he is.”

***

The next morning at warmups, you stand beside Maverick as he gives the team a rundown of his plans for the day. You’ll be continuing the process of giving physicals today. You’d gotten through the first line yesterday with the exception of Jake and the rookie goalie, Bob, who you’d be starting with today since the goalie coach was visibly missing from the rink.

“And before we break, Bugs has an announcement for you guys.” It hasn’t even been a full twenty-four hours but Jake’s nickname had spread like wildfire and you can’t help but think back to your conversation with Zam yesterday.

You clap your hands together as twenty pairs of eyes turn to you. “Great job with the physicals yesterday you guys, not only has it been a good chance to familiarize myself with you as patients, but also a great opportunity to get to know you as coworkers. I really appreciate how patient you’ve been with me. I hope that attitude can continue going forward into the season. That being said, I know there has been some grumbling about these physicals since they seem like a waste of time since you get them done every year, but I would like to remind you all that a current physical with me is a requirement to play for the team come October. And since I want these done as soon as possible, if you don’t have a valid physical by the end of next week, I’ll be forced to give my professional opinion to Mav and Beau that you aren’t fit to play for the team.” You could’ve heard a pin drop in the arena. You could feel Jake’s eyes burning holes in your head, but you refused to acknowledge them, refusing to even invite suggestions that he was the cause of the issue. You had patient confidentiality to uphold no matter what other games you had to play to achieve compliance. “Okay, boys that’s it, Bob you’re with me.” The goalie flashes you a thumbs-up before lumbering off to the locker room to shed his equipment. You go on ahead to prep for his physical, stopping by your office to grab your laptop and today’s stack of files.

You almost jump when you push the door to the exam room open to see a sweaty Jake Seresin leaning against the exam table still in his gear and skates, arms crossed over his chest, brows drawn together in a frown. His eyes follow you across the room and you head over to the counter and start getting set up for Bob. Finally, when it becomes clear that he’s not going to volunteer anything, you turn to face him, fighting the urge to cross your arms across your chest and immediately go on the defensive. He’s a patient. He needs your help. He deserves your grace. You repeat in your mind as you force your best professional smile. “Mr. Seresin, what can I do for you?”

He scowls at you, whether it’s for the title or your nonchalant tone, acting like you don’t know why he’s here when technically you really don’t. You have your suspicions and your hopes, but he could very well be here to inquire how good you are juggling, for example. Not good.

“I told you to call me Jake.”

“Well I told you to be honest with me, so I guess we’re even.” You can’t help it, you turn into an immature child in front of him, your professionalism taking a dive out the nearest window. His glare deepens. “Now if you have something to say to me, get it out because Bob’s scheduled to be here any minute now.”

“He hit the showers.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” He shifts on his feet. “Listen, we need to talk about your little stipulation.”

“It’s not my stipulation if it’s literally in your contract, now is it?”

“But-“

“No ‘buts,’ Jake, you need a physical to play and I’m not forging one for you. I’m telling you now that no matter what happens, I will give you my 110% to get you back to full health, whether you come to me now or when you’ve run out of options or stubbornness. I don’t care what your last physician told you, I’m telling you, I will do everything in my power to help you, but for this to work, you have to trust me.”

He shakes his head ruefully. “I don’t get it. Why do it like this? Why haven’t you just gone to Mav and told him what’s going on? He’s got a laundry list of things he could hold over my head to get me to comply to a true physical.”

You chuckle at that. “Three reasons, Jake. First, I’m a grown woman and a fully licensed physician, I can solve my own problems and I’m not the kind of girl who’s going to run to my boss every time a patient throws a tantrum. I learn to catch. Second, that would be a violation of your doctor-patient confidentiality since you didn’t consent to me sharing that information with Mav, for example by informing me during your physical and me, in turn, putting it in your chart at which point it becomes privy to Mav and the other higher-ups who have access to your chart. And third, something more important than a breach in doctor-patient confidentiality would be a breach of your trust. When you step into this room, give me the privilege of your time, and submit yourself to my opinions and care, you trust me to do everything within my power to help you and I trust you to give me everything I need to be able to do my job. If I break that trust, for example, by going over your head instead of settling this like adults, then I can’t expect you to hold up your end of the burden and I can’t be of help to you. Does that make sense?” He’s quiet, turning your words over in his head you assume. Before he can say anything, the door opens and Bob walks in, freshly showered, stopping the moment he sees Jake. “Sorry, am I interrupting something?” He asks nervously, eyes shifting from Jake still in full gear to you. You give him a small smile in return.

“Could you just step outside and give us a second, Bob? We’ll just be a minute.” He nods and heads back out, the door swinging shut behind him. Jake is still silent, so you reach into the pocket of your coat and pull out a Ziploc bag, before crossing the room over to Jake. “Take your time and think about what I just said. At the end of the day, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, and while I have a preference, I’ll do what I have to do. In the meantime,” you extend your hand to him, the Ziploc dangling from your hand revealing the dog treats inside. “Tell Pudding I said hi.” Jake’s eyebrows shoot straight up as he looks at you in confusion.

“How did you-?”

You shrug. “I research all my patients, it helps me find possible points of relatability with them and start building a relationship. Plus Jake, you’re a celebrity and that adorable dog is in literally every single one of your Instagram posts. I may be your physician, but I’m not Amish.” You say with a smirk, passing him the bag and patting him on the shoulder. He takes this as his cue to leave and straightens, heading for the door. You can’t help the way your eyes fall to his right leg, trying your best to see through his facade but you have to hand it to him, he’s doing a damn good job hiding the pain.

“Thanks, Bugs.” He says in farewell and you smile, giving him a nod before he disappears and Bob comes in. He and Jake exchange a look and nod as they pass each other.

When the door clicks shut, Bob ambles over to the exam table, seating himself on the edge before facing you, a grim expression on his face. “Everything okay, Bob?” You ask. You’ve only ever seen the rookie goalie smiling.

“How’s his leg?” Bob blurts out the question and your eyebrows shoot straight up before you can stop them.

“Bob, I’m not at liberty to discuss my other patients.”

“Yeah, I know that but-“

“How do you know about his leg?” You’re dying to know. You know you just talked a big game about trust with Jake but your desire to know more about his condition is winning against your conscience right now. you’re only human, and every part of you wants to know how this rookie goalie who met Jake less than twenty-four hours ago as far you know already knows about his leg when his best friend doesn’t.

Bob rubs the back of his neck. “I have a bachelor’s in kinesiology and I’m a goalie.” He shrugs. “I spend a good portion of my time standing and watching, so I notice things. He hasn’t said anything to me, and he does a good job hiding it, but on the ice, I’d say he’s too preoccupied with the game to keep up appearances as well. But I can tell he shouldn’t be playing on it.” He shakes his head. “There’s no way Mav knows or else he wouldn’t be on the ice, but it’s only a matter of time before he finds out.” You nod along. It turns out Bob Floyd is full of surprises.

You hesitate before you respond. “I know as much as you do, Bob. I noticed it too, but Jake’s straight up refusing my help and I don’t know why. You’re right, Mav has no idea and I can’t break confidentiality to tell him without losing what little if any trust Jake has in me.”

Bob nods, “I had a feeling you knew after your announcement this morning. Did he really refuse the physical?”

“Not exactly, more like he refused an honest one, and I refused to give a dishonest one.”

“You’re really good at your job, Bugs, you know that right?” The unexpected gentle words from the goalie have tears threatening to blur your vision, you shake your head trying to hold them back, lowering your head to focus on a point on the floor.

“If I was good at my job, I wouldn’t be in this position.”

You look up when you feel a soft hand on your shoulder. “Bugs, it’s because you’re good at your job that you’re in this position. Unfortunately, there are plenty of doctors that would have just done what Jake wants, either because they don’t care or they’re too worried about getting sued by a multimillionaire athlete.” A watery chuckle forces its way past your lips. “You’re doing the right thing, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.” It takes everything not to hurl yourself into his arms and weep because this is what you’ve needed for months. One person telling you that you’re doing the right thing, that you’re good at your job, that what you’re doing matters, and here is someone who’s supposed to be your patient, healing a part of you.

“Thanks, Bob, I think I really needed to hear that.” You say, trying your best not to notice how your voice wobbles.

“Don’t mention it, Bugs, just trying to help.” He wraps an arm around your shoulders and squeezes in a half-hug like he can tell you need it, and you don’t even notice that it doesn’t make you feel queasy.

“Hey, Bob? If the hockey thing doesn’t work out? I think you’d make one hell of a doctor.” He laughs and you giggle as you straighten and grab his chart. “Let’s get started shall we?”

A/N: Bugs is just doing her best 🥲 BestFriend!Bob is my favorite Bob and I will die on that hill. To everyone who’s had questions I hope this sated at least a little bit of your curiosity. When authors say that our characters have a mind of their own, we really do mean it… but I love writing the story they tell me.

#snitches get stitches // sdd #top gun maverick #top gun maverick hockey au #tgm hockey au #tgm #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin #jake hangman seresin x reader #Jake seresin x reader #jake seresin x you #jake hangman x reader #jake hangman seresin x you #hangman x reader #hangman x you #Jake seresin x doc #jake x doc #no use of y/n #san diego dogfighters au #San Diego Dogfighters hockey any #San Diego Dogfighters

[subskz]

do you have any tips on writing? i wanna start my own blog and start writing, but im not sure where to start and how to make it sound good.

ofc! i do wanna preface by saying i’m by no means an expert, and when it comes to writing (or any form of creative expression) a lot of it is very subjective, so there’s not really any set standard for your writing to be considered “good” outside of basic writing/grammar rules! that being said, here are some things i do!

first just a few basic rules:

1.) start a new paragraph each time someone different is speaking

e.g. “What’s that?” she asked, tilting her head in the direction of the other room.

He squinted, taking a moment to listen carefully before another dull thud echoed through the door. “Not sure,” he replied. “Let’s check it out.”

2.) when seperating dialogue, don’t capitalize dialogue tags, treat the text in quotations and outside of quotations as if they’re the same sentence. this is one i didn’t learn until quite recently actually…😭

e.g. “Oh my God,” she muttered. “Why are you so difficult?”

The exception to this would be if the dialogue is seperated by a different sentence!

e.g. “Oh my God.” She was clearly fed up, running a hand down her face with a huff. “Why are you so difficult?”

3.) when a character is quoting something within their dialogue, don’t use quotation marks (“”), use apostrophes (‘’)

e.g. “He told me “do what you want”, so I will.” (this is wrong)

“He told me ‘do what you want’, so I will.” (this is right!)

as for writing tips, these are just some things that i personally do when i write! they’re not necessarily the right way to go abt it, so only follow the advice you want! i also talked a bit abt motivation here

include actions w dialogue! this can keep things from getting monotonous (like a constant back and forth of “he said” “she said” with little in between) and can also emphasize what the characters are saying! for example, instead of writing “he replied dismissively” you could say “he replied, giving a dismissive wave of his hand” or instead of “she said in exasperation” you could say “she rolled her eyes as she spoke” just little things like that to enhance the dialogue. ofc, keeping it simple is necessary sometimes so don’t overdo this!

that brings me to another point, adverbs aren’t bad (i use them a lot!) but sometimes what ur trying to say could be better expressed with just one word. it can get a bit repetitive if things are always described like “said awkwardly” “laughed loudly” “touched softly” etc. you might be able to find a word that gets the point across better. for example, “said irritably” could be “huffed”, “walked casually” could be “sauntered”, “smiled brightly” could be “beamed” and so on. but there are plenty of cases where adverbs are super useful so definitely don’t avoid them altogether!! i just try to make sure i dont use a bunch in a row

simple dialogue tags like “said” “asked” “replied” are your friend!! don’t avoid using them just bc they might seem generic hehe esp if you’re substituting them w verbs that are less appropriate simply for the sake of not using “said”

sometimes, you’re better off not including dialogue at all! like the whole premise of “show, don’t tell”, spelling out every last thing for the reader can sometimes work against you. body language and cultivating an atmosphere is key here! if it’s an awkward situation, you could bring up someone averting their eyes, shifting from side to side, playing with their fingers etc. if it’s a serious situation, you could mention their tensed shoulders/facial expression, their jaw clenching, them pulling away when someone tries to touch them etc. that in itself tells a story! but once again, it’s just abt using methods like these at the right times. sometimes, exposition is necessary

if ur writing abt skz, or any muse really, i think including mentions of their features/habits makes it more fun to read! it can help immerse the reader if u bring up traits that capture the character’s essence, or speech patterns that capture their voice. it’s all fictional ofc and just based off our perception of them, but i like to write skz in a way that’s at least somewhat believable in accordance w their personalities! even little things like the way jisung talks through breathy giggles, binnie’s nose scrunches, how minho looks up when he’s thinking, or how jeongin ends his sentences with a cute nod sometimes. and ofc there’s physical details as well like binnie’s chin scar, chan’s dimples, hannie’s cheek mole etc

this one is probably obvious but paragraph breaks are very important!! both to prevent overwhelming the reader with a huge block of words, and for organizing events/building tension! a paragraph never strictly has to be multiple sentences, you can have a single isolated line of text if you want. timing paragraph breaks can be very effective for creating the right vibe! if something intense is happening, putting a break right after a serious action or putting a single line of dialogue on its own can make them stand out and really add to the drama of it all hehe

don’t worry too much abt using the same word multiple times!! it might feel a lil annoying when you have to repeat a word several times in a paragraph but sometimes that’s the only option there is. if you try to replace it w 10 different synonyms instead of just referring to a book as a book, then it might end up sounding even goofier haha…so try not to stress when you feel like you’re overusing a word!

if you want your writing to be more immersive, take all senses into account!! describe more than just the character’s actions—describe sights, smells, sounds, touch, how the characters are feeling, etc!

arguably the biggest piece of advice i could give!! having varied sentence structure/length is one of the most challenging parts of writing in my opinion but so so important. when smth sounds off in your writing, it could very often be bc of the way a sentence is structured, or bc several sentences back to back are similar in length/format, which makes it flow awkwardly. i think making sure ur sentences range from long, detailed ones w several clauses, commas, semicolons, em dashes etc. to short, direct ones keeps the writing engaging! sometimes combining 2 short sentences can make the flow sound better, and sometimes breaking down a long one does the same! it also makes it a lot more effective when you have a sudden short sentence amidst several longer ones, bc there’s a clear shift in tone! generally just try to avoid having an entire paragraph of sentences that go “she did this and then this. then she did this and then this. then she did this and said that.” the variety will work wonders for how it all connects together!

ofc there are some situations where you might be going for a certain feeling or tone w your writing, in which case it can actually be a useful tactic to have repetitive sentence length/structure. maybe you want a scene to feel overwhelming w several long, complex sentences or you want to really drive in an idea by using blunt, disjointed ones. it’s all abt what you hope to achieve w your writing and your personal preference!

i hope this helps!! once again this isn’t the be all end all, so please only follow what you see fit! if you have any other questions let me know, i’m wishing you the best of luck! ^_^

#ask

[mastersoftheair]

ok, so my own final (and very, very fresh) thoughts, bc i wanted to wait until i'd watched everything to make a sweeping opinion of the whole series, and it's quite opinionated. and long. probably too long. i write essays for fun (everyone point and laugh):

my personal (and very, very fresh) ranking of the hbo war shows (not including gen kill bc that's a different war, sorry) goes- band of brothers > masters of the air > the pacific (it's the same for my title score rankings. that hasn't changed yet)

my main points of contention with MotA are 1) the nine episodes, 2) the length of the episodes, and 3) certain editing choices. nine episodes, compared to the classic ten, isn't Nearly enough time to showcase all that they wanna showcase (especially when the episodes are as short as they are, once you get past the recap and "next on" parts). and they wanna showcase A Lot! there so much going on! i'd ask them to pace themselves, but they literally Can't!

i mean, the editing choices are a Whole Thing! practically gives me whiplash sometimes lol. i feel like the weaker episodes still have parts that are Really good, but like. Individually. they don't work together as a stronger whole, which is to the episode's detriment. rather than jumping around (as the show often did), they could've benefited a lot from focusing on the One Story instead of squeezing three more stories into there (i say that, but i think the 4-5-6 episode run (all with multiple stories per episode) did this very well while Still being very good episodes, so it's not like it Can't be done, it just didn't work for 7, 8 and (partly) 9). granted, i suspect a chunk of the weird editing can be blamed on, well, there being only nine (and not all that long) episodes and no one wanting to cough up enough money for a tenth. ugh! i'm blaming both hbo And appletv for this (and covid19 ig). it's just One More Episode, how much could it cost?? and on the subject of episodes, why no episode titles? you used to love episode titles! i could've brainstormed episode titles for them For Free!!

when it comes to the characters, the rankings remain the same: BoB > MotA > TP. it's not totally fair tho, since BoB followed the exact same (and large-ish) group of guys from beginning to end, so you're Gonna know who they all are and get attached. this wasn't the case (for me!) when watching TP, since, unlike BoB, they jump around from group to group. i never felt like i got to know them all that well, outside of the main characters. i think MotA almost hits that sweet spot, especially knowing they had those two main things going against it: large cast And jumping from group to group. there's a case to be made for bias here (i Was the blog blogging about everything MotA for like. years.), but i still think they found a good enough balance of fleshing out the main characters while Also helping the audience get to know about a bunch of minor characters, of which there are a shitton (and their personalities, motivations, backgrounds, quirks).

there's also the representation of women. actual angel renée lemaire is and will always be a cut above the rest (bastogne is just That Good, argue with the wall). she's written so well that it almost makes me forget about how a bunch of women are portrayed in carentan. i have...issues with how women are portrayed in TP (even tho i love lena), so there's that. MotA falls in the middle (again) bc there's Way more women on-screen, but the writing can be questionable. balanced (as all things should be?) captain l'sandra wing-westgate is a character of all time, but episode 7 birthed the craziest discourse known to man (the hbo war fandom), but it wasn't all that unwarranted. manon and michou were sooo cool, but we didn't see nearly enough of them (another victim of the 'editing too many stories into one episode' problem. why not a whole resistance episode? or at least as the only b-plot?). paulina was interesting, but fulfilled one of those 'attractive foreign woman gives sage advice during/after sex' tropes (there's probably a tvtropes page for that idk). so many red cross girls, but none of the in-depth payoff :/ epic highs (multiple women!!) + epic lows (writing women??) = pretty tolerable. not great, not terrible. it was aight. i trust the fandom to build on this tho.

narrative is the big one tho. it's the whole "doing so much with so little" thing they've got going on (i'm ignoring their big budget here lol, could've been bigger). rather than having one main story with many connecting side stories (like BoB), it does the TP thing where there's many semi-connecting side stories set in the same general area. it helps that there's crosby's narration (i enjoy narration, sue me!), and he helps everything connect, sorta. but there's still other side stories that have Nothing to do with him (sandra's side gigs (revealing what she did takes away the mystery of what she Might be doing), the tuskegee airmen, quinn and bailey's eurotrip). would it have helped if there were two narrators (say, someone like rosie)? idk. gonna sit with that one. if there's a through-line, it's not super obvious like in the other two shows. which is insanely funny to me bc i literally like TP less, but that show's got an Extremely tight through-line all the way down. i can't lie and say it doesn't!

back to budget- i've seen people criticize this show for being called "masters of the air" when there's not much of "the air". ig that's fair, but there's the money issue, again. also, it'd get very repetitive if they were always in "the air". there was enough confusion about identifying who was who with the masks on, so imagine if that was Every Episode. out of All the issues the show has, this is the least issue-y. again, that's just my opinion, and it could change.

another budget thing (i think??)- idk enough about costuming and hair for period pieces so i can't comment on that with my 0 background in it, all i Can say is that i knoooooow people were clowning on marjorie cleven's hair in episode 1 (and i could see why, no such thing as 1940s beach waves). but from what i could understand- that actress' addition was a last-minute thing (bc i had No idea who the hell she was and i already found someone cast for marjorie all the way back in 2021). maybe there's something to say about the quality of rush jobs, but i really do think it was the most last-minute thing bc it came out of Nowhere, and timeline-wise, it looks like that bit was done long after everything else had been filmed. outside looking in, it seems something probably went wrong/didn't work out with who or what they already had and there wasn't enough wiggle room (time and money) to fix it. this isn't me being an apologist (lol), but i feel like a theorist at a big board bc nothing adds up! and i wanna know what happened! i'm just speculating! speculating on this blog is All i did for like Years lmaooo.

this is more of a side thing, but some of the lines in MotA feel really on-the-nose, almost corny. and that was Gonna be a knock against it, but there's some equally Extremely on-the-nose lines in both BoB and TP (Especially in BoB), so if i give MotA shit for it, i'd have to give all three shows shit for it lol. none of them are free of cheese.

another silly aside- no peaches, no main gingers, no main eugenes! we can't have 'em all, but c'mon!

there Is some good tho lol. one thing that MotA really has going for it, that i think the other shows have less of, is- and GOD it feels so weird to call this "world-building" when it's actual goddamn history, but- it's got world-building. maybe that isn't the best word for it. but i like how much Bigger ww2 feels in this show. BoB is one stop, then the next stop, then the next stop, which is, admittedly, good from a narrative-perspective (easy to follow), but not as good when you want a scale of how devastating the war is (in fairness, it was filmed in 2000). even TP feels pretty "enclosed" in a way. there's island-hopping, yeah, but all the damn islands look the same (not including australia lol). it's a theatre of the war we otherwise don't really get to see, but there still isn't all that much to see. it's water and sand and rock and dirt. which is the point, but Whatever! would've been cool if we saw sledge and co. in china, but moving on. MotA's able to really show the scale of it, both in the air and on the ground (that scene in germany during episode 6 was both harrowing and fantastic, also the inclusion of the actual children forced to fight nearer to the war's end in the finale). idk i just liked how it was able to zoom in and zoom out (and in and out again) in a way that the other shows weren't.

another thing it's got that the other shows don't is Really driving home how young everyone is (not "child soldier" young, but damn young). the cast is full of baby faces (rip babyface). a lot of ww2 shows/movies don't bother casting to reflect this, but i think overlooking that takes away from the overall impact. you browse through some old newspaper articles or photos of soldiers during ww2 enough and you're gonna Regularly get hit with the face of someone who looks like they could've sat in the desk next to you during a high school lit class. a lot of those b&w grinning faces look like kids bc they pretty much were (more so if they lied about their age). you don't really get that in BoB or TP (it's Crazy when the real life pics of the soldiers portrayed in those shows look younger than the actors).

i'm mixed about the tuskegee airmen. what we have, i love (thank you, dee rees). unfortunately, my biggest irk is that it leaves me wanting more of them, which i won't ever get. speaking as a black person (not speaking for All black people, just how i personally feel about it), having them included feels like a catch-22. if they weren't included in any capacity (all while knowing there were whole tuskegee airmen in stalag iii with the white main characters), there'd be a problem. however, including them (all while having these time constraints and not enough focus on them) leads to the feeling of having them "tokenized" (which i can see). there's no world where there'd be 50/50 split (even a 70/30 split) bc, at that point, just give them a show of their own. but there'd still be a general annoyance that big budget ww2 shows are only ever white. on the other hand, hanks and spielberg and orloff and miller and all the directors (except dee rees) are white, and how good of a story about black people are you really gonna get from the perspective of nonblack people? that in mind, i personally don't feel put-off by having the three tuskegee airmen in the posters/trailers/promos, bc i just Know there'd be a whole nother problem if they weren't included in them at all despite being in the show for however long (it'd be even worse if they made their pictures smaller). like i don't work in advertising, but i don't know if a "sweet spot" even exists for something like this. people would be pissed off no matter what imo (i'm also speaking with a bias here bc i had to browse through sooooo many comments written by white guys whining and crying and pissing and shitting themselves once they learned that the tuskegee airmen were gonna be in the show in Any capacity, so i'm just cool knowing they're in shambles rn (and josiah cross- he played richard macon- always goes Wild seeing his face in the promos, and his joy is pretty contagious).

i give it somewhere like a 7.5-8/10. 3.75 stars out of 5. not perfect, subject to change, gotta marinate, but i'm overall happy with it! MotA's best episodes are better than many other individual hbo war episodes. should i be grading it using the overall sum of its parts, not just the different parts? idk, i'm not being paid to grade lol.

#i feel like i'm knocking the pacific too much in this even when i like the pacific. i just like it much less #i've talked my sister's ear off enough about it (she adores the pacific the way i do band of brothers) #and like i've got plenty of issues with band of brothers but it just does it for me. idk. i'm complicated by avril lavigne #this is an essay. my GOD is this an essay #but better to vomit it all out now so i can look over it later and see how my opinion changes over time. i want to archive my fresh thought #masters of the air #hbo war #masters of the air spoilers #mota spoilers #band of brothers #the pacific #for once i'm not spam-tagging those. i talk about them a decent amount in here. sorry for the people who don't go here tho #long post

[nomsfaultau]

thank you so much for writing mandatory family reunion. i just reread it for the eighth time. i think im going to dedicate my life to life to reading your other sbi fics until you update again. also; do you have any tips for committing to fics and not leaving them half-finished?

ahhhh that’s so sweet glad you enjoyed! As for writing fics, having it be your special interest really helps. But for more general advice on finishing:

-Don’t stick to just one story. Which seems counter intuitive! But inevitably you’re going to hit a snag in one story. So instead of stopping writing at all, switch projects. Writing involves a whole bunch of thinking, and stuff needs time to percolate in the back of your head. But having a small project to work on in the mean time keeps you engaged in the writing process, gives you practice, makes you feel like you’re making progress, and allows time to work out the other story. I personally have 1-2 main projects, Fault and MFR, and then rotate a couple back burner stories that I work on whenever I get inspiration and fully expect to have very slow progress and possibly never finish. Short stories, one shots, hell even just writing little one off scenes that don’t go anywhere. It’s a way to keep writing fun and thus you’re more likely to continue working on the stuff you’re trying to complete. Don’t feel bad if there’s breaks between working on your main project. Writing involves a lot of thinking and it takes time to do that.

-Devoting time to do that thinking also significantly helps. When you’re falling asleep can be a good time to rotate stories in your head. Could also be if you’re walking from place to place, or brushing your teeth, or other little gaps in the day. Even if you’re not physically writing, it’s still part of the process and can make it easier when you actually sit down to write because you know what scene you’re most excited to work on. Also, talking over your story idea with a friend is a great way to stay motivated if you can get over the mortifying ordeal of being known. You can bounce ideas off them, and other people’s investment in a project can be a great motivator to finish. Like legit a single ao3 comment once stopped me from my plan to abandon a fic. Reminding yourself why you (and other people) like the story makes it easier to want to continue.

-Keeping a rough outline of what you envision for the story can give you a road map to how close to done you are and where to go next. Just like you can hop between projects, I find jumping around the plot time line to write what scene I’m most interested in atm keeps me going instead of writing everything in order. Though, all writers have different degrees of plot planning, so that depends on your style.

-Art! I’m an artist, and while writing definitely fuels what I draw, I find doodling cool scenes I want to write really inspires me to keep going. This sorta falls under the same category of continuing to think about the story and motivating you to finish. -I found keeping a writing journal has improved how I view my writing. Basically, I’ll jot down a bullet point list of scenes worked on that week/month. Writing is a very slow process, so seeing a timeline of actual progression on a story makes it feel like I’m actually getting more out of my head and onto paper. I also jot down what ideas for scenes I came up with since that’s also part of writing, and might include a chill no stakes writing goal for that period, like work on X or Y project, or a particular scene. Sometimes my goal is just ‘write at least one sentence’. I give it lots of leeway, and accept that the muse may just be somewhere else that week. And if the goal isn’t met, no sweat! Life can get busy at times and it’s more important that you aren’t beating yourself up if it’s been awhile since you last touched a project. Forcing yourself to write a scene that isn’t ready won’t result in a good scene or an happy writer. Switch projects, give yourself time to think about it, take care of yourself, etc.

And, legitimately, don’t be afraid to abandon a piece. Maybe you’ll come back to it, maybe you won’t. It can feel disheartening to feel like you can’t seem to finish a project, but unfinished pieces also do a lot for you: they hone your craft, allow you a creative outlet, give you scenes that could potentially be reworked for later pieces, and most importantly were hopefully fun to write! Story crafting is a hobby that should bring you joy, not frustration and shame.

Like, I have stories that will never see the light of day and are just so I can have fun and poke it with a stick occasionally. I’m 100% confident in saying that every author will have tenfold the number of unfinished wips compared to complete works. That’s just part of the creative process: exploring different worlds to find the one you want to write.

Perhaps a fic might never get finished, but in the wise words of Technoblade: “if you enjoy it, it’s not time wasted, no?”

(Now, I think he was talking about murdering people, but the point still stands.)

#I mean besides my novel I’ve only completed like 6 fics out of dozens of ideas #Only one of which had multiple chapters #Well and truly having a bunch of random wips is normal and expected #Muses are flighty write to have fun with it #Ask #writing advice #creative writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writers #writing inspiration #something to nom on

[firetextskpop]

hi how are youu

could you make a poly!wonhui in idol au? the subject is entirely up to you!

thankuu <3

A/N: I wasnt 100% sure if you wanted reader to be an idol too, or not but I will write them as such lol.

Your member's eyes fell on you as Seventeen's Wonwoo stood at your dorm door. He wasn't supposed to show up by himself or at all. Usually, his manager would come to the door to pick you up but that was when you guys had something planned. To your knowledge, there was nothing planned, but here 1/2 of your boyfriends stood. Basketball shorts, a white t-shirt, not even trying to conceal his identity.

"H-hey! What're... you... doing here." You broke the silence. Wonwoo's eyes scanned the faces of the people before him before coming up with a good excuse.

"Dino told me you played pretty well and my team is short one. I came to see if you wanted to hang out with us for a bit" Well, the excuse sounded good at the moment. The oldest member of your group looked at you in confusion. "I haven't even seen you run." They said and you rolled your eyes.

"I'll be out in a bit. Thank you for the invite!" You scurried to your room but not fast enough because now your roommate member was on your tail and shut the door behind them. "JEON WONWOO? WHAT IS HE DOING HERE? HOW DO YOU KNOW DINO?" Seeing as your group has been debuted for only 6 months, you can see how everyone is confused. "Dino asked me to do a dance with him for their new song for social media." You responded, finishing getting ready. Which wasn't a lie, that is how you met Dino, but Wonwoo was a whole different story.

When you were training, you decided to visit the Pledis building (when it was still active) for motivation, and as you were leaving Wonwoo came in. His eyes met yours and immediately, he fell in love. You noticed it was him but wanted to respect his privacy. To your surprise, he called after you and asked why you were there and tried to get to know you. You answered his questions the best you could but after 5 minutes, his manager began pulling him away. Wonwoo pulled away, well aware he had a schedule and gave you his Kakao to keep in touch. He let you know that he'd love to help you in areas you needed help and would support you in your idol journey.

"Y/n, your phone." Your roommate said, knocking you from your trance. The phone lit up.

jhw:

i forgot to tell you...

Then the text cut off for privacy. Quickly, you rush out the door and ignore the many questions coming from your members. When you find the car that contains your boyfriend, you rush to get in before any fansites recognize who you are. Immediately, you're met with an arm around your shoulders and a smug-looking Wonwoo. He was very obviously head over heels for you and you appreciated it so much as well as tried to show him the same affection back.

"Jun has a surprise for you when we get to his place." Ah! You never actually read his text. "I forgot to tell you that Nonu was coming! Wear something comfortable." Nonu was the nickname you both had for Wonwoo. Being as it was Jun, you could imagine he had something intricate planned. No telling if it had some obscure meaning from something that happened in your relationship that not even your younger boyfriend remembers or something new that barely anybody has ever thought of.

Arriving at the apartment, you and Wonwoo sat in the car as the manager knocked to make sure Jun was there. Once the door opened, you both rushed inside and the door shut immediately after. Jun's apartment was like a second home to you. The pictures on his wall consisted of pictures of the three of you, his family and mostly his magazine covers. He says it keeps him motivated to keep going but you nor Wonwoo were complaining. Today, however, you noticed a theme in the pictures he had up. It started with the very first picture he ever took of you. The photo was before the 3 of you started dating. As you and the brunette followed the trail of rose petals on the floor, the pictures became more recent. At the end was a kitchen table with fresh food set up and your blonde boyfriend setting the last bit of food and drinks upon the table.

"Wen Junhui.." You mumble. His eyes met yours and he immediately smiled. "Oh, hey Xiao Baobei" Jun greeted you, coming to hold your hand and sit you down at the table. The foods consisted of the first meal you and him had on your first solo date. Wonwoo sat on your right side and his hand rested upon yours while watching Jun as he sat on your left and Wonwoo's right. "No hey for me?" The younger nudged his boyfriend. Jun smirked and placed his hand on the nape of Wonwoo and said "Hello Da Baobei" A smirk crept up onto Wonwoo's face and he began to eat.

The food Jun prepared was impeccable. Tasting the meat alone brought you back to the time Jun had suddenly made his confession. Funnily enough, you and Wonwoo had been dating for 3 months, barely branching into the new romantic versions of yourselves (Really just you, Wonwoo had been romantic with you since day 1). Seventeen were well aware of your relationship and you had spent time with them on multiple occasions. At this point, you were occasionally their background dancer so you were no stranger. This particular day it was you and the 96s hanging out. Jihoon had recommended this amazing restaurant and he and Wonwoo went to get it. Back at the dorms, you, Hoshi, and Jun watched youtube videos.

Amidst you all sharing laughs, the other 2 members had returned with the food and you all began to eat and enjoy the videos. Jun sat on one side and Wonwoo on the other. You dropped a piece of meat and it bounced from your lap to Junhui's. Without a second thought, he picked it up and put it in his mouth. "Hey! That was mine." You shoved him lightly and stole a piece from his plate. As he went to return the complaint, Wonwoo jokingly said "Why don't you 2 just kiss already." YOU were well aware it was a joke. Jun, however, didn't and lightly gripped your chin, bringing you closer. To say the least, everyone in the room was a little shocked. Soonyoung was very anxious and didn't want his younger friend upset so he immediately said something to try to make it less awkward. "Jun.. uh.. i don't think he was serious." Hoshi began rambling on the context but Wonwoo stopped him, now looking at the red-flushed man. "You like y/n?" The eldest of the 4 nodded and then the brunette turned to you. "Do you like Jun?" Your bottom lip made its way in between your teeth. Wonwoo smiled and caressed your cheek. "It's okay if so. I can share baby." Slowly you nodded and the only thing Wonwoo had to say was. "Okay." and turned his attention back to the video. It felt a bit awkward after but due to the relationship the boys had, it was over fairly soon. Later that night, Jun actually pulled Wonwoo to the side and let him know that he also had a crush on him as well. He felt like saying it in front of the other boys would have made the tension worse and well, we see how everything worked out.

Back to the present day

"It must've been great." Jun jokes and kisses your forehead, taking your plate to wash it. "It really was, thank you both sooo much." You say. Wonwoo pulled you onto his lap and gave you a kiss, then Jun comes by and gives you both kisses. "Let's cuddle on the couch" The younger suggests and carries you over. Now Jun is sitting with his legs on the couch, Wonwoo in between them laying on his back with you on top. Jun's hands ran through Wonwoo's hair and Wonwoo's hands roamed up and down your back and your hands rested against both of them. All of your breathing fell in sync and in the words of the popular song, there's no place you'd rather be.

#seventeen scenarios #kpop #kpop scenarios #wonwoo scenarios #seventeen wonwoo #jeon wonwoo #wonu #wonwoo #wonhui #junhui scenarios #wen junhui #junhui seventeen #moon junhui #seventeen stories #poly!seventeen #poly!wonhui

[juliannepepper]

What to do if you don't have ideas:

Do you not have any ideas for NaNoWriMo? Do you not know jackshit about what you want to write? Well, as a professional thinker (don't search that up), I got some tips that can help you kickstart an idea for a story:

1. Mix and Match:

This is one I read from "Save the Cat" by Blake Snyder (I know it talks about screenwriting, but, it's still very much applicable to all fiction writers. If you haven't read it, I would suggest you to give it a try). Try thinking of an elevator pitch, or a proposal that is one to two sentences long. If your proposal is good enough to hook yourself in, you got yourself a story worth writing. For Nanowrimo, you're pretty much writing for yourself. If you aren't hooked to the premise, don't even bother.

One of the best ways to do it is to mix and match. But, Julianne? What do you mix and match? You can mix genres, what if statements, pre-existing books, anything that can hook a reader (and yourself) in one to two sentences. For example, looking at popular stories:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer: Cinderella and cyborgs

City of Bones by Cassandra Claire: Harry Potter and angels

Lucifer (Netflix): Biblical figures in an LA cop story

Foul Lady Fortune: Shakespeare's "As you like it" set in 1931's Shanghai

West Side Story: Romeo and Juliet with New York City gangs

And the list goes on and on. You might be thinking that it's plagiarism to take two already existing ideas and mix it together. Well, let me tell you--as long as you aren't blatantly copying a pre-existing story and you're putting your own spin to it, you're fine. Of course, you can always put a disclaimer that says it's inspired by the pre-existing story.

2. Random Word Generators:

I did this for my personal NaNoWriMo in February of 2021, and it makes the planning stage a lot of fun. Go to a random word generator (there's a ton online), generate ten random words (I did 30, and it was too much for a single month to finish a book), and make an outline.

I took a typical plot outline mountain (I would suggest doing the same. It's the simplest outline), and assigned the words to the different beats. For example, if one of my words was "Dog" I can put dog in the exposition part of the plot outline mountain, at the very bottom. Maybe my character has a motivation for a dog. Maybe the character is a dog. Maybe there's a pre-established world-building element that has to do with a dog. The list can go on and on.

Once I put all my randomly generated words in their places, I expanded upon them. If my words in the exposition were "Dog, Feather, Jump," I would try to make a connection between the three words and think about how that would fit into the exposition of the story (maybe the character is the 'Guard Dog' to the queen and they're known for being as light as a feather and just as stealthy. They jumped at this opportunity the moment they saw it, to get out of their thieving ways). You can always change the words and exchange them for different words, as long as it sparks ideas.

3. Writing what you love:

Even if you don't have any ideas for a story, the best writers are also the best readers. Think about what you love in a story? What do you look for? What tropes stand out to you? What makes you care about a story? For me, I love fantasy books, a slow burn, a sarcastic main lead, action scenes. Write everything you love to put in a story in a list. Then, write down the things inspire you or are important to you. It can be a T.V show, a hobby, an already existing story, a person you look up to--anything that doesn't have to do with what you want to see in a book, but what inspires you to be creative.

After that, think of a theme. What is the main theme of what you want to write about? Maybe you love the theme of "love at first sight" or "being true to yourself." Maybe you're much more political and is interested in the theme "injustice in the current justice system" or "political parties driving people apart." But, think of a central theme.

Finally, outline the story. Use a pre-existing plot outline (though you are more than welcome to deviate. Remember, you have to finish a manuscript in a month). Write down where the story begins and how you want it to end based on your theme (ex: if the theme is about letting go, the beginning main character could be a hoarder and the story can end with the main character starting from scratch, maybe even giving their stuff to charity). Then, write how they get to that ending based on your inspirations. With the example of the hoarder, I love fantasy and slow burn romances. The setting would obviously be in a fantasy setting, and maybe their love interest helps them get over their hoarding ways. I'm inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, so I'm interested in incorporating martial arts in their magic system, or have the setting inspired by East-Asian cultures/Inuit cultures. Maybe the main character is the "Chosen one" in a sense and doesn't want to be. Maybe the main character is reincarnated. The list can go on and on, it's all up to how you want the story to go.

This option is the most vague, I think, but, it can really help you think of an idea of a story that you want to care about.

#nanowrimo #writing #writing advice #writing inspiration #on writing #writers on tumblr #writeblr #writer #writing tips

[chrononautintraining]

20 questions for fic writers

Thanks for the tag @lindirs-gaze!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

78

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

1,216,174

3. what fandoms do you write for?

My current hyperfixation is The Untamed/Modao Zushi, but I write for whatever. I've got a lot of one shots for properties I think are neat like Welcome to Nightvale or Parks and Rec.

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

A Passion for Mushrooms, Mountain Flowers, The Seedling, Family's Just Another Word for Something Left To Lose, and In Town for the Wedding. Four in Hobbit/LotR fandom and one Naruto.

5. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

I really try to. I appreciate feedback so much. When I'm in a funk it really brightens my mood, so I want to respond and build community with readers not just drop a story. And sometimes I go months without checking my inbox which makes me feel awkward about replying. It's a mix.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Interestingly, Family's Just Another Word For Something Left To Lose, according to some readers. It's ambiguous at the end and *a lot* of people think Kakashi dies, which is not at all my intent. I was paralleling the same scene with Iruka in the anime, and Iruka survives. It did not occur to me that the ambiguity would be what so many people took away.

The one I wrote that's intentionally angsty at the end is all i hear is your gear, which has no happy intentions and is all just about Crowley being a demon in hell.

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

So much of my stuff is romance with a traditional HEA ending, but weirdly the ending I like most is A Spy in the Shire. It's a happy ending for this one oc dwarf, but in the broader context of the series I think it both emphasizes the Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies AU happiness as well as justifying the many sacrifices made in canon.

8. do you get hate on any fics?

yeah for sure. And I am sensitive about it. If it hits me when I'm already feeling low, I usually have to stay away from fandom spaces for a while and I often lose the motivation to write at all. It sucks. Some of it I can brush off more easily, like the Iruka/Kakashi shippers who come onto my fic to make fun of the way Mighty Guy looks and try to pick a fight. They are likely children and I just don't engage. But the people who criticize my writing or a specific story for reasons they are happy to detail can be harder to ignore.

This is of course a very different thing than the helpful folks who point out that I've once again mixed up desert and dessert. Y'all are lovely and I appreciate the help.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

Yes, as the mood strikes. ...the kind I'm in the mood for? Almost always romantic stuff between a major pairing.

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Listen. Ron Swanson and Wolverine would be very good friends, actually. My Parks and Rec / X-men crossover is not crazy.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! One of my Naruto fics is available in Chinese and two of my Modao Zushi stories can be read in Russian. As I speak neither language, I can only assume the translators did an awesome job of making my writing smarter, funnier, and sexier than it is in English.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I find the idea of collaborating interesting.

14. what’s your all time favorite ship?

This is not how my brain works. I pretty much constantly have a Current Obsession and then pairings I still enjoy. Right now, Wangxian invented love, but I'll always enjoy revisiting a certain romance involving Mister Spock or the Leverage Pretzels and Beer OT3.

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I desperately want to finish my Zombie Criminal Minds series, particularly because being able to revisit it will mark the end of my pandemic / outbreak related brain gremlins.

16. what are your writing strengths?

speling

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

I'd like to do more with humor. I feel like I frequently manage to provoke a sensible chuckle, but I've read fics that make me crack up. Someday, I'd like to write a really Terry Pratchett style laugh-a-minute story.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Sometimes you gotta do it, because it's in keeping with the canon, but it's always best to do sparingly. If it's longer than a greeting or an honorific, I like to translate directly within the narrative or use a footnote.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

Slayers. Yes, I was that anime kid in high school.

20. favorite fic you’ve written?

My favorite child? Well, I've never really cared for Pit Stop...

I suppose, back against a wall, I enjoy the world building in None So Blind. We just don't spend enough time in dwarven spaces that aren't complete ruins in the canon. Coupled with thoughts on fantasy accessibility and the classic trope of tripping a romantic lead into a pile of literal pig shit, I just like it. Good work, 2018!me.

If you'd like to play, please pretend I tagged you! For the meme, I'll invite @youhideastar, @primtheamazing, and @sunshine304

[lynnedwardswrites]

I'm on my way to a retreat my writing group holds every 6 months. There are half a dozen of us that I'd consider the "core" group members, and maybe 3 times that many any given month on their way in or out or showing their face once in a blue moon. It's a pretty chill group, all in all, with vibes that range from "I have a master's degree and 25 years of experience" to "I wouldn't show you my work even if I had written anything lol."

The unifying factor here seems to be a casual, hobbyist writer vibe with the occasional dream of publishing, often held back by time constraints, insecurity, or just... not actually being motivated enough to write except as an escapist hobby. Which is all good and fine, don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against hobby writers. They make great art and great friends

Except then there's me.

I'm over here writing 4-6 hours a day, 4-5 days a week, 2 years running with one story, The Story, foaming out my mouth. I'm writing because The Story is nipping at my heels and if I don't keep moving it'll consume me. I'm writing because My Story is tearing its way out of me in a wash of blood like a newborn child, The Child, The Chosen One with a destiny and a life of its own that I have power only to birth and release.

It's an incredibly egotistical way to view (and present!) my own work but I don't care because the above drama accurately represents how I experience it and how important it feels to me. I've got years and years of development left, on the thing itself and my skill as a writer, but that time doesn't matter because The Story Has To Be Told.

*The writer is huffing. She pulls back a little, with an apologetic smile for getting so intense.*

Anyway, I don't think my writing group realizes that I'm working on a different plane of existence, either. They make comments like "yeah because none of us like showing our writing haha" when I'm over here very carefully measuring how often I share my work so I don't accidentally dominate the group, but still get maximum feedback utility from every piece I share. They're over here making sure the kids who don't actually write still have a fun time at the retreat, and I'm trying to figure out how to warp every prompt and speed write into an opportunity to make progress on my wip.

And... and I guess I'm lonely??? So lonely I'm screaming all this into the void on the hellsite, just desperately hoping for One. Other. Person. who will get it. Who will squeeze my blood-covered fingers in a way that squelches because theirs are dirty, too. If you know that person, if you are that person, show your face! Take my hand! Write me something as brave and messy and indecent as this self-absorbed internet gesticulation. And if you're not them, help me find them??? I need them??? The other side of my coin, the one who writes the same way but from the other side of some fence???

If I was half the expert I need to be, I could probably pull up some frenemy trope historical duo to get you the vibe I'm looking for, but instead it's just a very chaotic HELP.

#writeblr #writers of tumblr #writblr community #writeblr community #writblr #reblog to find lynn her anti-lynn

[buckybarnesss]

This is probably the most inflammatory thing I've said in a while, but

Something really bothers me about the insistence that Deaton is a benevolent force of good, when the proof is that he is helpful to Scott.

And he is helpful to Scott. Just like Peter can be helpful to Derek. The problem with both of those is that, generally, they are ONLY helpful to Scott and Derek, and always have plans and schemes of their own.

Scott had no choice in who his emissary was. He didn't know WHAT an emissary was. Deaton positioned himself nicely there. He showed Stiles how to use mountain ash and then was like "actually, nevermind."

Does this mean Deaton is an evil sleaze? No. But that doesn't mean he's aboveboard. He lies and manipulates, he just happens to favour Scott.

As I write this out, I think it's the insinuation that Derek is just an untrusting asshole and not someone who is more attuned to recognising an adult man who is pushing a teenage boy to do things that maybe he wouldn't do normally. IE, the mountain ash thing at the end of Season 2. It didn't help in the fight against the kanima. It didn't even kill Gerard! It just... was a shitty thing that happened.

I know people say that it's fanon that Deaton had any involvement in that, but uh. Scott didn't pull mountain ash out of his ass and distill it into pill form.

Sadly, I think that moment + the true alpha thing happening in quick succession kind of made us divide into different camps, and now we're fighting the same war forever, but I think there's wiggle room here.

Deaton isn't evil but he isn't a paragon of virtue. Scott is lionhearted but self-righteous. Derek is slow to trust, but once he does trust, he's loyal. No one on this show is perfect.

I will, however, always support Derek Hale's wrongs.

you are so right.

fandom tends to divide it self into these all or nothing dichotomies that does such a disservice to the story and characters.

the whole scott versus derek debate should've been left behind in season 2. season 3 spent so much goddamn time on them moving past it. the entire episode of frayed was dedicated to the scott and derek relationship, you know.

derek wasn't even like mad about scott becoming an alpha either. scott merely wasn't his alpha just like he was never scott's but they had accepted that by that point. if anything derek was proud of scott.

besides scott becoming a true alpha and derek giving up his alpha status to save his sister was them both being at different places in their character arcs but also when you look at the hows and whys of it all they both were manipulated into it. for different reasons.

peter and deaton mirror and foil each other in interesting ways.

deaton is such a fascinating character and a prime example of doyalist versus watsonian perspectives.

he is so enigmatic in-verse because he was used mostly for exposition and lore drops by the writers but in turn this made the character very reserved, careful and calculating. he keeps his own counsel.

early in season 1 stiles is jealous of derek acting like scott's "yoda" but all the while deaton slips into the position of being scott's mentor. he becomes the obi-wan without either derek or stiles noticing. deaton definitely shares old ben's "from a certain point of view" philosophy.

i know people have been weird about deaton over the years in unpleasant and let's be real here racist ways which is unfortunate and dumb. he isn't evil. he just has his own motivations and agenda which is a good thing because characters are flat and boring otherwise. like yeah it's frustrating that deaton didn't tell derek he was talia's emissary but wow look at that character conflict, look at the added depth to deaton and to the lore in one decision.

i really am looking forward to my rewatch so i can dissect his character and pay more attention to him because i have thoughts about him and his sister marin.

i think one of my favorite things about deaton is that he chose scott to be the chosen one in a way. look at currents when deaton tells scott what a true alpha is.

deaton: it's rare-- it's something that doesn't happen within a hundred years. but, every once in a while, a beta can become an alpha without having to steal or take that power. they call it a true alpha. it's one that rises purely on the strength of character, by virtue, by sheer force of will. scott: ...you knew this would happen. deaton: i believed. from the moment I knew you were bitten, i believed.

and i love the contrast to marin saying in alpha pack:

"and I sent her to do what I've always done-- maintain the balance"

to deaton's regression of the mean:

deaton: gave you ever heard the term "regression to the mean?" scott: no... deaton: it's a bit of a technical way of saying things will always even out. scott: like, things will always get better? deaton: more like... things can't always be bad. scott: so, no matter how bad things get-- deaton: --or how good-- scott: they always come back to the middle.

they both want balance but don't seem to agree what balance looks like or how to achieve it.

i cannot wait to pick his character apart.

#my blog #thoughts on teen wolf #teen wolf #i cannot tell you how my one brain cell vibrated upon seeing this ask when i woke up from a nap

[grandlovescheme]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @luthien-under-bough, thank you! I love talking about fics and the process of how I write them, so this was fun to put together :)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

28

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

459,900

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Now exclusively House of the Dragon, specifically Daemyra

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

High Hopes

Let's Ignite Under the Ember Skies

You're Ripped at Every Edge (But You're a Masterpiece)

If I Could, I'd Get You the Moon

The Dominoes Cascaded in a Line

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, I try to always respond, even if the comment is to an older fic. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed or don't even know what to say when someone's being way too kind to me lol, but I always want to let people know I see them and appreciate them so much.

The only time I don't... is when I see someone's binging my whole fic, so then I only respond to the last comment, once they're all caught up.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

This is easy, as I only have one fic without a happy ending - All and Then Most of You, Some and Now None of You. I love daemyra too much to not give them HEA as much as possible

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

This is hard to pick... Because all of my fics, apart from that one, end teeth rootingly sweet 😂 Perhaps Dominoes. Or perhaps fighter!au, which you guys haven't read yet but it's very fucking happy!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Sometimes. Though it is much much better now that I disabled anon asks.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! What kind I write... Hmm, tbf I think I write pretty vanilla stuff, even if I do try to explore some kinks here and there when it fits the story and the characters. I guess my kind is focusing on the feelings most of the time, and the emotional connection.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I don't, or at least I haven't yet. We'll see if muse ever strikes this way!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, so hopefully not

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

A few times in a different fandom

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, not yet, but I'm definitely open to the idea. I definitely wrote a bunch of stuff based on my fandom friends' crazy ideas and prompts with their help, so that's halfway there, I guess

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

No couple had ever taken over my life and thoughts the way Daemyra did, so, the answer is clear!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Soulmates AU? I was once so excited for it, wrote a bunch of notes and even the first two chapters, but now I'm kinda... not feeling it :(

16. What are your writing strengths?

I spent the longest on this question. I think it's the emotions I try to convey in my fics, good or bad.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Now this is much easier. Plot! Intrigue! If you guys haven't noticed yet lol, I write fics heavily focused on romance only, and the development of Daemyra's relationship, because I just can't pull off anything more than that.

I'll probably never write a fic where people will wonder what'll happen next, what that and this means, what this person's motivations are... Because I'm unfortunately not wired that way. But I learned to accept that, and I have fun writing my silly romances with no real plot <3

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've done it myself a few times and I like to see it in other fics, too. Especially in HV it's delicious to see in the canon-verse. Though I always struggle with how to write the translation - right next to it, in cursive, in brackets, in the final notes?? That's always a head scratcher

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Eh, probably Twilight? I don't remember writing anything before that, so must be it

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Probably still High Hopes, even after all this time 🤍

This was fun! I'm tagging some of my writer friends if they wanna join and haven't yet, @ar-feyniel, @eschercaine, @calenlily, @fiora-miriel and anyone else who wants to! :)

#my fic stuff #question game #my writing i guess

[ivesambrose]

*·˚༊ Mini Messages for May 2022 ༊˚·*

1. 2. 3.

Take a deep breath and pick a gif 💚

To book a personal reading with me DM or email me at [email protected] with your name and query 🌙

If you enjoyed this reading or any of my pick a cards and would like to support me you can drop a tip here

Gif 1

There's a space of your own that you envision for yourself that is so sacred. It's yours, just yours. Even if you may or may not have it at the moment of reading this you know it'll be yours. This month makes you realize that you already have the skills you require to manifest and achieve what you had set your heart on for quite some time now.

I see your expertise in something helping others out too. You problem solving / giving advice or a possible solution to others. People trusting you a lot in general. "he/she/they is legit. I'll trust their insight over anything."

There's a focus on downtime, retreating and recharging as well. I see some of you going back to reading for leisure or taking up something to learn as a hobby but getting really into it. I see less screen time, less scrolling on social media and more gathering knowledge.

Focus on meditation, slower workouts (pilates or yoga) and just being detached in general. I almost want to type that you have absolutely no fucks to give anymore and in the best way possible. You have realized something crucial so you feel lack of stress and even there is something to be stressed about given the retrogrades or something else you're just simply choosing not to give it energy anymore.

Lot, I mean a LOT of intuitive messages in dreams and a romantic prospect attempting to connect with you.

The less you chase the easier things are. I love this for you.

Placements : Virgo & gemini (moon or rising), Earth placements specifically.

Gif 2

An opportunity is offered out of the blue. Someone's advice or a friend's / loved one's well wishes indeed came true. You weren't expecting it but now you're so ecstatic that you suddenly got this particular thing. You almost feel like a kid who got an A+ in a test and your favorite teacher looked at you proudly while handing it back.

This month you'll realize where your potential lies in your life, career as well as love. A very, "I will only live once what the fuck am I doing?" attitude kind of takes over. Try not to be too reckless however because you will end up feeling overwhelmed.

A lot of you are on a spree of visualizing and imagining a thousand different possibilities and opportunities. Maybe some of you are newly single too but you seem excited if anything.

A lot of writing down ideas, plans, stories, scripts, scribbles, doodles, recipes even etc

Maybe starting over isn't that bad after all.

Placements: libra, aries, water signs, air placements.

Gif 3

Faking your confidence till you make it. I see that you're very nervous with something your nerves are getting the best of you. You might feel stuck at doing something technical when you would rather be doing something else? You want to dream a little bit, you maybe even want to star in a movie, collect your cash and leave.

I see you wanna go. I keep getting the vision of a foot on an accelerator. This city doesn't feel like home to you does it? You feel a bit alone in your journey with only a very close few who get you.

I see you collecting stuff for later this year, I'm not sure what and likely this will be something specfic to you.

Some of you saving up for a concert where you meet your new friends? This one was specfic too.

I sincerely sense a lot of you want to feel excited for things again especially after the last 2 years. You want to celebrate occasions and meet new people. Something about autumn and Halloween is also coming up. I feel this month will just be about finding bits of yourself that you lost touch with, finding the drive, motivation and joy in things. I also heard, "I know I'll get out of here. I know where I wanna go."

This month, know that if you can envision yourself somewhere then you're gonna be there no matter what. Persist in that vision.

Placements : Fire signs, leo (moon and rising), cancer moon specfically.

#free readings #divination community #tarot community #pick a color #Pick a card #PAC #pac reading #Spirituality #May tarot reading #intuitive readings #psychic readings

[thefandomcassandra]

I am once again making fanart for my own au, hallowed be thy unknown, in which Nick dies during his trial and Maya is left with only a ghost to help her after her sister dies.

The first was meant to be a scene in the trial where Maya finally gets Redd White but I never actually had the full "OBJECTION!" moment, yknow? It came out different but the art actually motivated me to write so win-win, yknow? I might actually color this one and use it as like...a banner for the fic or smthn idk lmao.

The second was a scene from chapter 3, after Maya, Phoenix, and Gumshoe leave Bluecorp. Gummy feels really goddamn bad he let Redd White backhand her TWICE so like...yeah. Considering the whole stuff with Badd and Faraday and Kay, the man has seen his share of kids getting the rough end of it, yknow? I liked being able to give Maya someone living to rely on. Plus I love Gummy and Maya as a duo coz like...they're the ones the game tends to dumb down for comedy. I want their existence to be meaningful, yknow?

Idk pls read my fic. I'm working on Case 2: Tokusatsu Haunting right now lmao. I'm not fond of PLAYING Turnabout Samurai but I think the story of it is fascinating. It shares the better end of the Third Case Syndrome stick (god the investigation portion sucks shit and drags and is confusing) with Turnabout Serenade. Alas...

[Image ID: Two pencil sketch fanart of Ace Attorney. The first is of Maya Fey calling "OBJECTION!" with the ghost of college-aged Phoenix Wright mirroring her pose behind her. The second is of a tired Maya looking away as Gumshoe (only his hand) applies a large bandage to one of her injured cheeks. He is saying "This isn't the first time I've seen things like this." /end ID.]

#the sheepy writes fic #the sheepy does art #ace attorney #gyakuten saiban #hallowed be thy unknown #maya got slapped and got mad about it #image described

[sleepyjuniper]

Woo, uh, hi! This is probably weird, getting comments on tumblr for your story rather than AO3, or maybe not, I have no clue, but I just wanted to pop in and say hi, I absolutely love Visions.

I found it about 2, maybe 3 days ago, and I've been binge reading it up until now. And oh my god, I love the story, I love practically everything about it. The relationship with the DCA (specifically Moon of course, though Sun has quite a few sweet moments as well!) and Gregory. A parental figure Moon and them basically adopting Gregory?? Not a relationship I knew I needed, but god did I NEED it, woah. The way you write the DCA, I absolutely adore. Heck, I just love how you both wrote ALL of the characters! They're all just, in my opinion, absolute sweethearts with a bunch of issues. Mostly anyways! And how you write it makes me feel so, woah. I'm not sure how to describe the feeling, but uh. Happy brain tingles, so many happy brain tingles from reading that story.

And and, the little details (the only thing I can specifically think of at the moment being DJ's morse code and use of sound effects to communicate, that was neat. There are a bunch of others that I liked though, just can't remember at this point in time) are just for vvxshhz. The amount of effort that is put into the stories is just so amazing, and I loved it.

I'm not sure if it's being continued, and even if it isn't, it was at least a REALLY good read, and I'm definitely gonna recommend it to my friends! Just wanted to share my appreciation for the story (hopefully it was phrased well enough), and to wish you a good day/night, and take care of yourself! If it is being continued, take however much time you need on it, I'm sure everyone knows whatever you write next will be amazing! There's more I probably could say honestly, I just genuinely can't think of the words right now. But, I'm excited to see what you have planned next, even if it's not related to Visions!

Wow, this ask is so so so so sweet! I read it last night and it made me smile.

First of all, I'm glad you like the story so much! Admittedly, I haven't thought about it a lot in recent months, but I've been wanting to get back to writing once I'm done entertaining myself with all the new shiny things (TV shows). You make me want to continue the story. And I do want to finish it, it's my first major project and there's an audience waiting to see what happens!

It really means a lot to hear that someone is taking the time to read the fic even months after its latest update. Truly, I can't tell you how much.

I hope to give you the closure you deserve eventually! The story DOES have an end, it's just a matter of figuring out how to get there, honestly. I was spending a lot of time calling with a close friend of mine and he was helping me brainstorm how to wrap up the story fittingly, but our progress was very slow and eventually I got distracted by a different game. But! You've given me new motivation, so thank you.

#asks #visions or lack thereof

[nebulousbrainsoup]

i don't usually share things like this on main, but in the spirit of writers supporting writers as well as the spirit of children wanting to better their parents, i have a story under the cut for those interested!!

context: anyone who knows me on a personal level knows i had a very strained relationship with my father growing up. he wasn't around due to work for a while and overcompensated for his absence when we got out of that situation. i was the only daughter of a man who had no father figure and grew up bouncing between a ranch and the rougher suburbs of Chicago. he raised me to be scared of the world and show no emotion.

this was a point of contention for us because, as i have come to realize since moving out, i have clinical depression!! when i was finally diagnosed at 18, i opened up to my parents about how bad it really was. he was resistant to the idea of medication and shot back with something ridiculous and ignorant at the time.

the story: my dad has a chronic condition that's caused him a lot of trouble through his life, some of which i have seen with my own eyes. about a year ago, his pastor convinced him to write a book about it. his initial thought process was something along the lines of "oh, why would anyone want to hear my story? why would they want to know what i went through/did/etc?" it was a very him perspective. i took a risk in that moment and, once again, shared a thinly-veiled personal experience. i told him that one of the most motivational things for some people when they go through hardship can be the perspective of someone who went through something similar. i watched his face change, and at the time didn't know what that meant.

today, he finished the manuscript draft and he sent me this message:

“I want you to know that your advice to me about how my experience can help others changed my perspective and how I wrote it. Thank you.”

when i gave him advice, it was from one person to another and one writer to another. i wasn't speaking to him as his kid. but it hit me, when he sent me that message, that despite being his child and being younger than him, i gave him a new perspective. i changed his thought process.

all of this to say, in a really long-winded way:

1. adult children, if it is safe for you to do so, challenge your parents. earn their respect. remind them that you have life experience, too. it may be rewarding.

& 2. never be afraid to share your struggles. someone going through something similar or even something completely different may find strength through your story.

#idk this is dumb but i had to word vomit #feeling sappy #nebulous rambles #delete later probs

[brella-boi]

The Saga of Chili and Mint

As promised earlier here is the COMPLETE guide on following the story of our two favourite blorbos.

Starting off, for anyone new coming in, here is a link to Chili's and Mint's toyhouses if you need their ref or any other informational snippets. This guide focuses on how to follow the story of these two as it has been written over the past 4 years and it has never been compiled including the comics or a timeline of events.

Open the cut to read the guide! And good luck!

(If there are any errors or mistakes in links please let me know if you find any!)

The Timeline

The official timeline of main events. Majority of it happens during Splatoon 2, and while the new game is out already, we're still not through the current story. We are sat currently about 2 years before Splatoon 3 happens, and 3 years since Splatoon 2 launched.

There is a short story archive here for anything I've written ever, and it is constantly being updated with new links once something new comes out. The first few stories were written when my writing ability was not as good at it is currently, so some of the first few may seem rough around the edges.

But for the sake of this guide I will relink everything in order.

(Splatoon 1)

1- Debt / Where we meet Agent 3 for the first time.

(Splatoon 2)

2- Petrified / The beginning of Octo Expansion and meeting Mint. 3- Tests and Tested / The adventure of OE 4- Homely / Hours after returning from OE 5- Parasitic / Aftermath of OE 6- Journal Marked with a Mint Leaf / Different POV from Parasitic 7- Julie / Meeting Chili's sister 8- Happy Hunting / Realising some parents never change from abuse

Lost Memories (Comic) - Where Mint ventures down back to the metro in search of their lost memories.

9- Saw it off / Immediate consequence for doing so (Content Warning) 10- Check up / Continuing the consequences 11- Phantom Limbs / Chili tries to help Mint through their new disability

Confessions (Comic) Part 1 / Part 2 - In which Chili learns his crush was swept away.

Search of the Wind (Comic) - An introduction to a new character, Tai, who is Mint's twin brother.

12- Eye to Eye / Trying to make peace with the fact the twins are reunited 13- Aftermath / Losing a dear friend 14- Vibes of the Sea / Mint and Chili forgive each other for their recent aggressiveness 15- Yearn 2: Slapparoo / Where Chili is going just a little bit insane 16- Doctor's Home / Tai tries to understand Chili's motives and finds his answers

Secrets Funfair (Comic) Tai is having a very difficult time making peace with this new world, and his constant chase after answers is driving him mad. Mint suffers from it and Chili tries to step in. Act 1 Act 2 17- [Intermission] It's Quiet After a Storm / Chili handles Mint after the events of Act 2.

---

You made it to the current spot in the story!!! Congrats! If you made it this far I'm very proud of you and also I am so very sorry. This isn't the end. There is also plenty of one shots unfortunately.

BUT IF YOU'RE STILL INTERESTED (which wow I must salute you!) Then here is a SECOND timeline showing where each little one shot is situated along with a tiny summary of what each is about!

Garden Trip - Trip to a botanical garden with Chili and Mint.

Stressor - The anxiety that comes with taking Julie under custody.

Terrors - Handling psychosis with a little sister around (not very well).

Egg Hunt - Giving Julie a proper Easter holiday.

Ohana - Accidental meeting with Julie's parents that ends in a fight.

Candy Parade - Helping Mint feel better after the events of OE.

Yearning - Chili monolouging after the events of Confessions.

Change - Mint's monolouging about how much their friend has changed.

Carlson - Meeting a hallucination.

Overthinking - Chili helps a friend out in need and overthinks everything as always.

Chestnuts - Chili teaching Julie and Mint a little family tradition.

---

There are some stray comics here and there hidden around the #comic tag on my blog. Not all of them are canon anymore, but most still should hold up :) If you want some extra dventure.

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WOW look at you!! You made it all the way to the end. You're something else entirely!

If you enjoyed this and would like for the stories to continue then your every like, reblog, ask and comment are what drives this forward. Leave a little thought or opinion if you'd like, it will take this a long way forward.

Thank you to everyone who have stuck with me through the journey of this massive storytelling experience as well. Those who are still here and those who are lingering, those who may not be. I appreciate you all so much <3

#archive #here it is!!! like i promised!!!! #enjoy this <3 #mint #chili #ocs #splatoon

[project-aphelion]

05.24.2023 - Chapter 7

Word Count

> Chapter 7: 4632

> Total: 41464

Whale whale whale. The last time I updated was in June 2022. It’s basically been a whole year. What happened? I’m glad you asked!

First: I was just getting kinda tired or and burnt out by this story. It’s quite large and there’s quite a bit of intricate worldbuilding and backstories that weave through the narrative, so it uses up a Lot of my problem-solving brainpower. I got stuck in chapters 6 and 7 and couldn’t get unstuck, so I decided it was time to take a break from APHELION.

Second: But that doesn’t mean I stopped writing! I moved onto my backup wip, SUDDENCE, which is much smaller in scale and much shorter. I thought of it as my breath of fresh air, and I reasoned that if I managed to finish a draft of it, it would make me realize that i CAN write a whole story, and I would get a new surge of motivation and confidence for APHELION.

And what do ya know! I finished draft 2 of SUDDENCE last week! It clocks in at 49k words (which is more than what APHELION has so far, which is. wild) and it taught me a valuable lesson: KEEP IT SUPER SIMPLE. My problem with APHELION was that it was much, much, much too complicated for no good reason, and I had to learn how to pare things back.

That’s something I kinda knew for a while, but working on SUDDENCE really just drove it home, and it gave me practice for how to simplify things.

What’s Different?

So anyway! I know I skipped Chapter 6 (oops) but I finished Chapter 7, which is Rian’s chapter. In this one, he struggles with the idea of running away and having his own life vs. staying and helping ~save the world~. “Saving the world sounds pretty noble, why would he run from that?” BECAUSE you see the people he works with (or rather, for) may not have entirely noble intentions and helping them might end up (and did) hurt people. And Rian doesn’t want that on his conscience! But if he runs away, he loses his avenue to do good to the world because he’s just a 13-year-old kid. He doesn’t have the resources and know-how to run around and perform miracles. Plus, he hates being on his own. This kid’s got a lot going on.

Changed:

The entire second half of the chapter was changed. Originally Rian is asked to perform an interrogation with his superpowers, and it goes on for a while, and it leads to this whole thing of him accidentally implicating Cay etc etc ANYWAY that was the part that was definitely too complicated for no reason, so now Rian just pretends he has a headache and manages to get out of doing it. The whole thing about Cay was just taken out entirely (it was too plot-conveniency anyway).

I also rearranged the general order of events. Can’t go too much into it because #spoilers.

Excerpt! Here’s Rian and Holly, AKA his only friend in the world.

Holly sighed through her nose and brushed the hair out of his eyes. “I’m sorry, Ri. I know you don’t feel well. Eat as much as you can, alright? I can help you eat the rest.” She tugged at one of his curls, frowning slightly. “And then we can do something about this hair—”

“I don’t want to cut it.” The words came out stuck together like jam. He felt awful for talking back, and he didn’t know why. Just yesterday he had threatened to shoot her. Why did this feel like crossing a line?

“You don’t want to cut it?” Holly tucked the lock of hair behind his ear. “What about just a little trim? So we can get this”—she drew her finger across his brow, sweeping the hair once more out of his eyes— “out of the way? Would that be alright?”

Rian didn’t see a point in arguing, so he nodded.

Holly smiled. “Okay, then. Now eat your breakfast. It’s good, I promise.”

His breakfast is pancakes, btw.

Up next: finishing Chapter 6. It’s actually mostly done, and there’s just a bit of action in the middle I have to figure out. This is a loooong one.

In other news: I’m rereading the Grisha Trilogy now that I finally got my hands on physical copies. My kinda odd opinion is that while everyone seems to hate how slow and political the second book is, I kinda like that aspect. I think Bardugo is veryyyy good at political intrigue, which is why I liked the first half of King of Scars but not the second half and why I probably will never finish that duology.

C’est tout!

-Emily

#uh oh what are my tags again it's been so long #aphelion #aphelion edit updates #emily edits aphelion #writeblr #writing update