#i have way more dialogue snippets i love so if anyone wants to send this again they totally can | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

flieslikeamoron · 9 months

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Hey hey hey, made sure to send this before I succumb to sleep (was so tempted to ask so many of these): 3, 20, 56, 64, 76 (for the obvious one that has me in a chokehold and forever leaving incoherent comments 💕). Have a lovely Saturday

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

Um. I went buckwild on this one. I'm going to do the others in a separate post because this is so detailed and probably not what anyone is interested in. But I save a lot of stuff in cut folders while I'm writing, so here's an example of the process of writing the scene where Eddie takes Steve to his room for the first time.

Normally the first thing is a very basic outline of what scenes I'm trying to put in the chapter. Dabblewriter has a notecard function so it's like this.

And what you'll notice about this is it doesn't have a lot of stuff from that chapter. It doesn't have the almost fight with Billy. It doesn't have Eddie comforting Steve in his van. It says Eddie invites Steve over at the picnic tables, but that happens after the almost fight in the final version. The picnic tables in the final version are Eddie being scared Steve's breaking up with him, and offering to drive him. And the "Steve at Eddie's" part in this outline doesn't include them fighting about "you could be my thing" at all. So this is the starting point, and it's not actually what the story ends up being. Which is usually the case.

Sometimes I can go directly to writing a scene, but most often the next step is making stream of consciousness notes like this until I find the scenario I think will work. Which is honestly just more outlining, but more specific.

Okay, so if you remember the final version of that scene you remember some of this is in there like Steve's playing with the yoyo and touching all Eddie's stuff. Eddie's coming onto him. But he doesn't actually blow him or ride him in the scene. So what happened in between this and the final? Well, another super messy full of notes version but getting closer to the real thing.

So at this point the "tour" and the guitar being "his girl" are in there, but notice I put save the dad stuff for later. And this is because at that point I was still thinking they were going to have sex in this scene. And the dad stuff is kind of a boner killer so it wasn't working to have it in there. You can tell from the first set of notes I thought the scene was about Eddie's discomfort with Steve being in his space and taking control of it with sex. But I had been waffling between Eddie blowing or riding him or both, and here I thought maybe 69ing (which is dumb that wouldn't work in this scene). Usually if I can't settle on something that way it's because it's not working. So it just took me a while to let go of that original idea, and realize the scene is actually about not just Eddie being vulnerable and uncomfortable with it and trying to take control of it. But also about Steve wanting Eddie to be this thing Eddie knows he can't be. (This thing that realistically no one can be.) And the two of them not really hearing each other. And Steve learning from this that Eddie doesn't want him to say how he feels because in his mind Eddie doesn't feel the same way. But even while they're not getting each other, finding that "I'm so into you" moment and taking baby steps toward each other etc.

I had already written "the dad thing" and the "you could be my thing" parts and the "i'm so into you" bit. Or anyway mostly just the dialogue of them. If random bits come to me I just write them, and try to figure out where they go. Sometimes they don't go anywhere, but most of them get used eventually. And those types of things always change once I'm actually putting them in a specific place rather than having them be unconnected snippets. But once I'm actually understanding the basic shape of the scene we're looking at:

Now we're getting there. But keen eyed readers will notice that originally the bit about Eddie's mom and about Steve having taken a few lessons and only getting hard for electric was originally here before I moved it to its own scene. And that the whole upping the ante thing where Steve's still trying to talk about the guitar while Eddie's touching him to turn him on isn't there yet. This almost game where Steve is coaxing more info out of him and Eddie is coaxing him to get hard. So the original idea of this scene of Steve wanting to know Eddie and Eddie wanting to distract him and using sex to regain control is still in that moment rather than in a whole sex scene. But I hadn't figured that out yet in this version.

Anyway there's more of this version and it does have the shape of the final. Like it's got the whole I'm into you argument, but not some of the specific things like Steve sitting up and Eddie holding him down to keep him from leaving. I won't copy the whole thing because it's very long, but here's a snippet toward the end. You can see there are still notes throughout that I have to go back and fill in with the actual words. Please excuse the notes by the way, I don't correct any typos or formatting in them ever because usually no one sees them but me.

So these are just the versions I have saved, not all the ones I went through. And once there's a draft with no more notes, it still needs more editing. But you can see the progression and kind of get the idea. It's truly the most inefficient process. OTOH if I had written the version of the chapter that was in the outline, it would have been worse. And I simply wouldn't have thought of adding the almost fight with Billy when I was outlining. That just comes from the character work. Because I wanted that moment of Eddie saying "he has a ride" in front of everyone. And once you have that happen in front of Billy of course Billy's going to say something. And at that point it's just... Well, this is what these people would do. And sometimes you write all that stuff out, you follow the characters where they're going, and then it's like... Well, yes this is what they would do, but it doesn't add anything to the actual story or I already hit this beat, so you take it back out. But in other cases, it is the story.

So the process for the most part is I just have to try things and write around it until I figure out which parts are working and why and what it's supposed to be. I don't really recommend this process to anyone, but the way my brain works I have to find the story in the writing. And like... It works. It gets results. But man, I would love it if I could just write a thing without writing it 20 times the wrong way first.

#writing #ask game #my fic: sleight of hand #dvd commentary i guess

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limetimo · 7 months

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20 questions for fic writers

saw this on @magswrite's blog and really wanted to do it, just pretend I was tagged please xD

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

37!

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

282,087

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Harry Potter, but I have a few fics for Marvel too.

4. What are you top 5 fics by kudos?

Teenagers Scare The Living Sh*t Out Of Me - The year is 1995. Regulus Black is BACK, 18 or 33, whichever is more convenient for him at the moment, and he's back with VENGENCE.

Regulus Orange Is The New Black Cat - Regulus is Crookshanks AU

I Pledge My Loyalty - Regulus, Lily and Severus AKA the power trio you didn't know you needed

45 Decibels snippets from Crookshanks!Regulus

Love Poison oh I didn't even notice this one got so high on the list. Oh my heart. My baby. Black Brothers angst with a very hopeful ending.

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

Always! Fandom is about the community. I love seeing/chatting with my regulars :D Like hiii bestie!!

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

Lord's Redemption (Friday 30, October 1981) definitely. Or maybe It would eat you like poison If you knew what I knew, though I nearly forgotten I've written this. Has it really only been 2 years?

7. What is a fic your wrote with the happiest ending?

Uhhh Regulus Didn't Die For This is an overall very happy fic with a very happy ending.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

None that I can remember!

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

I've written some, but none of it made it on Ao3 now that I think about it. The closest thing to smut I've got on my profile is Sinking Slowly (wolfstar exploring nonsexual kink)

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

No but I want to :D

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

12. Have you ever has a fic translated?

Yes! One reader asked if they could translate 45Decibels to Chineese, and then they did it. (I've been told by a different chineese reader the translation isn't super smooth but hey. Translating is hard.)

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

Yes, Dominoes, as a part of a fest, but we both got busy with life and then kinda forgot it existed...?

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

I love writing Bartylus. For reading, there's always some absolute masterpiece with Drarry, and I go back to IronWinter periodically.

15. What’s a wip you what to finish but doubt you ever will?

Capymama II, the sequel to Capymama. I have enough written that I can consider it a WIP and not a plot bunny, but I don't really see myself completing it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've got no shame! I killed the cringe in me!

17. What are you writing weaknesses?

I'm not witty or smart enough for my characters. My boy wants to say a funny thing or be a classical musician or an art restorator or discuss cult indoctrination at length and I'm sitting at the keyboard like. "I don't even have vocabulary for this, much less practical knowledge. Send help"

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

Always a difficult problem to solve, how to incorporate translation in a way that doesn't make your or the reader's head hurt. I went with special brackets in Teenagers and yes I question that decision on daily basis

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Marvel. Or, Tony Stark if we want to be exact.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

The Unfroggivable Curse holds a very special place in my heart ♥

no pressure tag for @ncoincidences and anyone who wants to do this too ♥

#fic rec #tag game

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theoreticalli · 7 months

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handing you specific tav asks if you’d like them: general 4, story 1, romance 4!

hiiiii sadie I meant to send you some too, I'll do that as soon as I post this :)

Ithkara Nacoile - they/she - Seldarine Drow - Beast Master Ranger

General 4 - What sort of general actions raise or lower their approval?

Any kindness to animals or other civilians will be viewed favorably. They’re generally supportive of peacemaking, protecting as many lives as possible, and generosity. They don’t support lying in friendly circumstances; they appreciate genuine, earnest responses. Being selfish will upset them, but talking your way out of a situation will inspire them. They also will be impressed by most Wisdom skill checks, especially nature or animal handling. They won’t appreciate assumptions about them because they’re a drow, but also won’t care too much about how you handle drow enemies. Don’t make fun of them for being awkward and earnest. Also, they’re a godless nature commie, so stealing is all good by them.

Story 1 - How does your Tav advise the pc when it comes to the Dream Visitor?

Ithkara is, like, absolutely a little in love with their visitor. He’s sweet, he’s hot, he has a lot of the same goals and perspectives on how they should be moving forward as them. The’re very disappointed that he’s (at my current in-game point) usually inaccessible. soooo… if you wanna listen to yours, they’re not gonna say anything.

Romance 4 - Do they have a special romance scene at the tiefling/goblin party?

oh boy I'm putting a cut on this one bc I literally just wrote out most of their scene lol

They’ll be sitting out by the boat on the beach, to the left of Wyll. If you talk to them, they’ll say:

“I’m a little overwhelmed by parties. Too many people. The rumble of the waves is better company for me. Or maybe just more… selective companionship.”

If you choose to stay and continue talking to them, they’ll say:

“Of course I mean you, silly. Sit down, help me finish off this bottle, and let the chatter blend into the tide. It’s nice, I promise.”

If you try to initiate romance, they’ll say:

“What do you— Oh! I see. Uhm. Well, this feels a little public still. Meet me later, once this has all settled down?”

Later that night, you’ll meet them in the same place.

“Hey. Hi. I— uhm, I thought could we— oh, damn. The words won’t get in order. Listen, I- I’m pretty good at the physical stuff, but I’m not too practiced with the— feelings. And… I don’t want this to be like some quick roll in the underbrush. So if you can be patient with me—?”

If you respond affirmatively, they’ll relax and say:

“Thank the gods. Okay. Well, maybe we can… sit next to each other? Is that a lame way to start?”

You settle down next to each other again, closer than earlier. Then they’ll say:

“Look at the stars. They’re so clear tonight. You know, when I was younger, my auntie told us stories about the Celestials being in the stars. I thought they were like little faces up there, looking down from the ceiling like the bats in the Underdark. I was a bit disappointed when I saw they were just… lights. Not too disappointed, though. They are awfully pretty. Just like, uh, I mean, you’re like— gods, that’s stupid. Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

If you’re kind, they’ll relax again. They will then take your hand to help point out different constellations, and the scene will fade out.

Other possible dialogue snippets:

“Not that I have anything against the tieflings. They deserve a night like this. I just don’t think I deserve to be in the way of… whatever that mage is doing to try to impress his siblings.”

“You know, I never thought there’d be anyone I would choose to be around if I had the option to be alone instead. So… good job? It’s nice to have friends.”

“I’m sorry, but… I don’t want to go back over there. I’ll see you in the morning, I guess. Goodnight.”

“No, I don’t want you to ‘bring the party to me.’ The opposite, actually. Please go away. I’d like to be alone.”

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 tav #baldur's gate oc #ithkara #that's my kid I love them <3

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punch-love · 7 months

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7, 8, 13, 14, 22, 23, 38, 39

sorry for being greedy again lol :)

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

“You’re smart. You’re funny.” Peter continues, his fingers tapping against Wade’s chest in a comforting metronome.

“You’re terrifying.” Peter says, and Wade hears his own awe in the words. “I’ve never met anyone like you before.”

“I’ve never met anyone like you before.” Wade repeats distantly.

It grows silent again; Wade moves his body down so he can press his ear against Peter’s chest, listens for the heart. Peter is stiff underneath him, hands crooked and unmoving over his own.

“Isn’t it terrible?” Peter asks very quietly.

Wade wonders what he means; the sound of his heart is grounding, steady. It’s been years since anyone has let him listen to their heart.

“The way I feel.” Peter says.

“No.” Wade never has meant anything more. [atlas]

It's my favorite ending that I've written. I only write unreliable narrators, so this is the first time you really see what Peter actually, genuinely loves and admires about Wade in a way he can't flinch away from. At this point, we only know Wade's insecurities, so the ending is a mirror where Peter is the one being insecure/feeling unworthy of love and Wade is the one who immediately dismisses it. The double meaning of "isn't it terrible, the way I feel?" both his physical body/the intensity of his emotions. The way that Wade feels safe for the first time in the narrative to just exist. Everything I wanted to accomplish with it feels accomplished. It's an ending where I don't feel like there's more of a story to explore. You know what happens to them, you know?

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

“I can’t be that financially viable.” Peter croaks instead. “Let’s be real here.”

“You’d be surprised how much a guy is willing to pay to put you in a paper cup and toss you outside the city,” Deadpool responds coldly.

“I’ll give you five dollars and a sweet kiss on the cheek if you leave me alone,” Peter says Deadpool’s face is doubling in his vision, tripling, a whole army of scary clowns.

“If I showed you my rates I think you’d piss yourself.” Deadpool snorts.

“Five dollars, a sweet kiss on the cheek, and an IOU.”

“How many legs do you think a spider needs to walk?” Deadpool flicks Peter’s twitching bicep.

“Preferably all of them.” Peter laughs nervously.

“I’ve seen them work with one.” Deadpool grabs his knife from his belt and drags the tip slowly across Peter’s costume, the frayed threads snapping in its path and bleeding into a thin, painful line as he makes his way down to his thigh. [it's an acquired taste]

I just love the juxtaposition of Spider-Man being his peppy, banter ready self vs. Deadpool being frustrated that his job is taking too long and is very much ready to kill or maim him for it. It's funny, but it's also like, oh this is going to go south real quick, isn't it? I really like balancing quips with, like, the physical gravity of what is happening, and I think this scene does that well. I also just love the idea of Spider-Man being like "five dollars, a sweet kiss on the cheek, and an IOU" to the mercenary trying to kill him for an unfathomable amount of money.

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

You have to write poorly to write well, and you have to write often to write at all.

14. What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

I think any advice around the necessity of a traditional structure. I was taught to write on the basis that every novel needs specific things/character types to be like, a good piece of writing, and that's just not true. It's better to take a seam ripper to tradition, then get bogged down by the patterns of people that aren't you.

22. Choose a passage from one of your earlier fics and edit it into your current writing style. (Person sending the ask is free to make suggestions).

I have been recently re-editing chapter 8 of love-punch because it's the weakest chapter (to me) writing wise. It was also my first published "smut" piece (even though it's not even really that) so you can tell I was a little nervous about my approach. I don't think my style has changed so much as my approach to it. I've taken a lot of descriptions and just let the action or reaction speak for itself. I'm not re-writing it publically, though, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

23. If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why?

I wouldn't! I think they all stand up to my expectations of them. I think the only thing I end up editing is love-punch because due to the multi-chapter structure I don't really get to edit as a completed "piece" so the style, by the nature of time, gets a little dated and needs a brush-up. I also wrote Spider-Man as Spider-man up to like, chapter six or something, so I need to go back and fix that sometime.

38. Talk about a review that made your day.

I got a review the other day on the latest love-punch chapter that quoted my favorite section and said that they had been looking for a fic where Peter uses his super strength against Wade, and that the scene where they wrestle each other in the chapter really fulfilled that for them. It was nice because you don't really get to choose your audience and what your audience likes about your work but when someone reads it likes it for the reasons I, personally, like it always makes me happy. I wrote this because I wanted to read it, so when other people who are looking for the same things find it everything feels so full circle.

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

The rudest review I got was someone asking me why I had to make Peter trans and then when I explained it they complained that I made them switches because they wanted him as a cis-gender bottom. It was infuriating. I'm like, not the most cool-headed person in the world, so I just yelled at them until they were like "wow, you are literally attacking me right now" and then I deleted all of their comments after I cooled down because I didn't want their words to trigger any of my trans readers who were reading my comments. I like yelling at people much more than I like being nice (especially if that's the energy they're putting out - I will match your energy) so I usually get out some aggression until I calm down, and then I usually just delete them. I think that some writers are too nice with their rude reviewers and I like to be a reminder that if you talk shit, I will actually hit you.

I don't get many rude reviews though. I do get comments that trigger the hell out of me because I write a lot of my personal experiences/traumas into my work, and sometimes they'll be like "wow that's so romantic <3" about something that is straight up abusive and that always ruins my day/makes me want to stop writing, but they're not being rude, just romanticizing something I was hoping they wouldn't. My rudest fans are people who want to befriend me/have access to my personal information or life and get upset when I set a very clear "I'm not here to be your friend, and you are not entitled to know anything about me outside what I write" boundary. The majority is very decent to me, though.

#mailbox #ask game #I literally screamed when I saw how many you asked #I love answering shit like this and you're great at the selection #it was fun to look for prose/dialogue I liked because usually I skip those #but I had two passages immediately stand out #thanks for asking as always :)

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jmrothwell · 1 year

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For the fanfic asks! C, F, W

Heya Ash!! Thanks for the ask!!

C: What member do you identify with most?

Ok this question threw me off a bit so thank you again for helping clarify.

Ok so we're saying member means character which in that case, I related to Alex the most.

In large part because he has anxiety, I've got anxiety. He's got friends that don't entirely get it, I've get friends/coworkers/family who don't entirely get it. Like they try but....they don't get it even when I try to explain and that means sometimes they do more harm than they intend(just like a couple of moments from the show with Alex and the band)

Also he's going through a bit of an identity crisis which has been me for the past like decade.

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

(This took a bit because I had to try and go back and review some of my Dialogue scenes XD)

All right so this is from the last Chapter of All I Ask sooo spoiler warning:

She glared at him, and what the hell was she getting upset over? “Did you ever talk to the girl this song is about?”

“I mean,” he was caught off guard by the question and its phrasing, uncertain what was running through Julie's mind. He tried to not look at her but his eyes caught on hers anyway. “She and I talk all the time.”

“But you never talked about this! You never even asked her how she felt.” Her voice started to bleed with a panicked desperation he didn’t understand.

Time for a bit of a ramble, XD. God I loved writing this fight and I WISH I could have better captured Julie's thought process in it.

Her question at the beginning of this snippet is the first time she refers to the mystery person in Reggie's song by something other than a gender neutral term.

And in all honesty it was a bit of a gambit, her trying to confirm what she's pretty sure she already knows.

In fact if Reggie wasn't so lost in his head this bit right here is where it should become very clear that Julie knows the song is referring to her. I went through a few iterations of this little bit just trying to capture that, and though I'm not sure if anyone else noticed (or if I captured that at all) I love it.

W: Do you like more general prompts, or more specific ones?

I like them both for their own reasons. More specific prompts really narrows the field down and is great for busier days where I want to write but have like no brain power. Though depending on the specificity of the prompt my creativity can feel a bit stifled with nowhere to go.

Really general prompts allows for more out of the box thinking (AUs, twists on concepts) more creative freedom. These prompts only becomes a problem in situations like I am presently in. Where it feels like all creativity has dried up and even the simplest of ideas is taking way more work than usual to come up with.

If I am sending prompts, I tend to keep them general because I don't want to sound too demanding XD.

FanFic Ask Game

#Fanfic Ask Game #Thanks for the ask!!

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narukoibito · 2 years

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F and S!!

❤️ @simplypotteringaround

I already answered these in this post, but I'll go again for F! Also you can always send me another set if you prefer!

F: Share a snippet from one of your favourite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.

MMMMMM I decided to share this snippet of dialogue I love that I wrote for Unravel Me. was reallllllly trying hard to keep it regardless of the changes in my outline but...I just don't know if it works anymore with what I want to happen, so I'll share it instead. (But who knows maybe it'll show up one day!)

I love it because of how well the back and forth flows, with Hermione prying in her well-meaning way and Ginny evading. The was originally going to be in Chapter 5 at the Burrow, but clearly I did something very different instead.

“I think he’s lonely,” Hermione pronounced.

“Harry can take care of himself, Hermione.”

“You haven’t been around as much Ginny. He threw himself straight into Auror training after the war.”

“He’s gone on dates,” Ginny pointed out a little bitterly. “And you said he had a relationship until recently.”

“Yes,” Hermione conceded.

“Maybe he needs a break from it all. I know I do after Dean.”

“How have things been since you broke up?”

“Dean wasn’t happy about it, but it was time.”

“And have you put yourself out there?”

“I go out with the team,” Ginny hedged.

“Has there been anyone since?” Hermione asked shrewdly

She couldn’t very well mention the multiple times she’s shagged Harry now could she?

“Flirted with a guy the other night at the bar.”

“And?”

Ginny shrugged. The team had certainly thought Ginny should take him back. They were always pressuring their newest player to officially join the “unwind” club. Of course, it was a bit annoying right now that only one particular bespectacled git seemed to get her going at the moment. He was cute. A bit too dull. It was fine.

“Look, I’m not really looking for a relationship.”

“What if the right person asked?”

Ginny gave her an arched look. “And just who do you have in mind?”

Feel free to send me more Fanfic Asks or ask me anything else!

#simplypotteringaround #unravel me #new snippet #that may never appear?#dialogue i'm proud of #i think i literally captured it while in bed on my phone before i passed out #fanfic asks #thank you for the asks!!

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gilears · 2 years

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for you my darling jamie: 3, 9, 19, 21, 22 (👀), 28, 29, and 33!! <3

THANK U MY DARLING SAV!!!!!!

3. How would you describe your writing style?

all over the place tbh!!!!!! i feel like i can very much be a writing style chameleon based on what the vibe of a piece needs, but i def gravitate to either silly goofy writing with lots of unnecessary asides (like lola fic or my reddie fake married disaster fic) OR like. insane ominous overly verbose dread hours (like o&t<3)

9. Thoughts on cliffhangers.

harrowing!!!!! what if the author never updates again???? i dont ever post chapter fics until ive finished or almost finished the entire thing for this reason, i dont want anyone to hurt the way ive been hurt

19. Share a snippet from a wip without giving any context for it.

“Ah, it’s rather smoky—Kristen, did you make cheese crackers? Is that why you—” He cuts himself off, looking genuinely touched at the idea that Kristen would go out of her way to make him his favourite snack, just the way he likes it (burnt).

She’s not sure how she feels about crushing the hopes of a man who’s had his hopes crushed so many times before, so she decides to just rip off the bandaid. “No, your kitchen’s on fire.”

Gilear’s eyes widen, and he takes one more step out of the hallway to where he can see the kitchen, the yells, “Ahhhh! My kitchen is on fire!”

“Great listening skills,” Riz mutters under his breath.

21. Can you accurately predict how long your fics are going to be? If you can, what’s your secret?

yeah for the most part i can! ive been writing fic for 8 years now (omg) so ive kinda just developed a sense for how long a particular idea will take me. i think it helps a lot that im a pretty heavy outliner, and i typically dont start writing something unless ive got most of the plot figured out

but whenever im wrong about a wc its always that i end up being way over. i have cant shut up disease and its terminal

22. What is it about watching the same two idiots falling in love over and over again?

djkglhbsdlj;ghsdfg woowwww i wonder what ship that eyes emoji is for sav!!!! tbh idk if i have a solid answer for this question! sometimes a dynamic just Grips you and youre like holy shit i have to read and think about these people interacting for the next 5-10 business days straight. when i figure it out ill let you know

28. Any writing advice that works for you and you feel like sharing?

yes! i think you should write whatever makes you happy to write because that will make you love writing more, which will make you write more, which will make you be a better writer. early 2021 i decided i wanted to write more stupid goofy shit and i had SUCH a blast writing it it made me wanna write more stupid goofy shit and i had so much fun writing stupid goofy shit i stopped caring about what would get the most hits/kudos/attention/whatever

also i think the secret to not giving a shit is having friends that are also writers. all my closest friends in fandom have been writers and when u can have people to go to who will Get and celebrate your work no matter what? game changer!!!!! opens up a whole world of possibilities like, "hey, what if i wrote this niche rarepair fic with my friend but its in second person and also the ship only has like 2 fics in their tag and also what if we wrote it in one night?" and then u have SO much doing it and dont even bother to check stats bc u already feel so fulfilled for having created it!!!! and also u and ur friend are so much closer now for it!!!

tldr put on some fun music, do a little dance, tell urself "who give a shit" and write whatever the fuck makes u happy

29. What’s the hardest thing about writing?

writing 💔

33. Give your writing a compliment.

aw this one is cute. mmmm i think im pretty good at capturing specific character voices/cadences/vocabulary in dialogue!!! 🥰

send a number for fic writer asks!

#this got so long JLHKFDKG #lova uu #grasslandgirl #ask

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katyobsesses · 2 years

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C, F, and H!

💛 Send Me Fanfiction Asks 💛

C: What character do you identify with most?

I identify with 3 main characters in Glee for different reasons. Kurt is the biggest one, i think. I've related to him since i first watched the show in Feb 2011, practically since i first saw him on TV, singing I wanna hold your hand and just continued to even more as we got to know him better. it was the bullying and how he felt like an outcast, how he dreamed to leave McKinley and start afresh. It was how even after he found a group of friends he was still the one on the outside, still not quite fitting into the group cohesively. I don't think i have all of his courage, but i like to think i have some of it, and as a teen I wished for my own Blaine to help me find that courage (one reason why i was such a klainer in my youth tbh) Then there's Sam, who is a neurodivergent himbo nerd. The only thing i'm kinda not, in that equation, is a himbo. I relate to his nerdiness and his lack of social skill, to his kindness and want to have everyone and everything be fair and equal. Also his craftiness/love of art/ability to play guitar. I'm an introverted, unathletic Sam... with anxiety. And finally there's Marley. Who just smiles through her pain, doesn't want to bother anyone with her own problems but helps others with theirs even if they don't always deserve it. I was a lot like that, I'm still like that, but I no longer trust like Marley does, I've been burned to often by Kitty's of my own for that. I see my teen self in Marley, and I wish I had her song writing abilities, or her drive. I'd say I'm a mix of these three characters most of all, which is definitely why they're my favorites in the show, and why I love writing Sam and Kurt so much!!

H: How would you describe your style?

Dude I have no idea 😂. I like writing in third person limited, switching up the way description is written based on the character POV I'm writing from. I enjoy getting into the head of characters, trying to find their voice (my fave POV to write from, so far, is actually Karofsky's! he's fun to figure out) It seems to depend on the mood i am when i start a fic if it's dialogue heavy or description heavy, but dialogue is usually easiest to me but also description is really fun sometimes... i guess it depends on the fic!

F: Share a snippet from one of your favourite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.

hmm, this one'll be a bit long so i'll shove it under a readmore I think.

this was the first thing that came to mind when I read this question and is from the Prom Queen chapter (Chapter 39) of One More New Direction (my OC centric fic (which has been updated up to Chp31 so far on AO3))

“It was meant to have stopped.” He whispered, sounding shocked, “The teasing stopped, the slushies stopped. I thought… I thought with Dave on our side…” He shook his head, his voice going bitter with a scoff, “I thought because no-one was beating me up, no one was throwing me in dumpsters or shouting slurs, that we had made progress at this school. I guess I was wrong.” “No.” Sam said, “You’re not wrong, Kurt. You’ve made so much progress at this school, I mean, I don’t know exactly what’s going on with Dave, but he was the biggest culprit of all of that, right? He and the Jocks, and even Puck and Finn before last year? But look at him, and Puck and Finn, now. You’ve made so much progress at this school, Kurt, so much.” “Obviously not enough.” Kurt scoffed, “Because all of them, in there, they wrote my name on those ballots. It’s still the same, it’s just moved behind my back instead of to my face. All that hate, that prejudice, they were just too scared to say it out loud.” Kurt let out a sob, hand going to his mouth. “I’m just a joke to them.” “You’re not a joke, Kurt.” Erin told him, “You’re not. You’re my best friend-” “Our best friend.” Sam interjected, and Erin lifted her eyes from Kurt to him. He was worrying his lips, and she could feel the nerves radiating off of him. It looked like he was trying to psych himself up to do something. Something big. “-and we love you, okay?” She continued, looking away from Sam. “You’re amazing and worth a thousand times more than anyone in that room. You’re talented, and kind, and smart, and funny. And you are so strong.”

“I’m tired of being strong.” Kurt sighed, “I’m tired of acting like it isn’t lonely being the only out person at this school, like it isn’t draining to be the only representation some of those people have.” “You shouldn’t have to be.” Sam said softly. “You shouldn’t have to be the only representation people have.” “Yeah, well,” Kurt scoffed out a humorless laugh, “I’m not sure Santana’s all that eager to come out.” “I wasn’t talking about Santana.” Sam breathed, and Erin looked up at him to see determination on every inch of his face. She smiled at him, and he smiled back with a nod. “Brittany coming out wouldn’t really shock anyone.” Kurt shook his head, and Sam huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. “Dude, I’m talking about me.” He said, as if he wasn’t saying something big, as if the confession wasn’t huge. “And you really shouldn’t assume things about Santana and Brittany unless they actually tell you.”

I'm not entirely sure why this came to me first, but I feel like i really got Sam and Kurt in this scene, like it feels like them to me and I'm proud of that, i guess. I like how it flows too. I guess that's all i want in dialogue, and I think I'm good at that a majority of the time. I always want to make it sound like the characters, make it flow like a real conversation. there are some characters I just can't seem to get right and that is why i avoid them (Santana is definitely one, Tina was but I think i'm getting her a bit more? Quinn too) But I feel confident writing Sam and Kurt (and my oc Erin too, obviously), because, as previously stated, I relate to them, I can get into their heads, I can imagine being in their position. I really enjoy writing dialogue, and I really enjoyed writing this - in fact i always enjoy re-writing the Prom Queen scene idk why exactly.

#Katy Writes #ask #theledgendofjenna #omnd

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relatablegenzwriter · 3 years

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any tips on editing?

Editing! So exciting!

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I have never known a writer without a strong opinion on editing. Some people love it, some hate it. I’m hoping these tips might slowly push you to the latter.

Disclaimer: I don’t do a ton of editing. I spend most of my time trying to get my novel ideas to actually work on paper, and haven’t made it to that point yet. However, I have made it there with a few short stories, and while most of the advice probably transfers over, take this with a grain of salt if it doesn’t work for your particular wip.

Without further ado, here are some of my tips on editing your writing!

First, get rid of the idea that editing = trashing your work. Lots of writers are afraid of editing because it’ll make them realize everything they don’t like about their work. In reality, we edit our work to improve it and help it grow, not to criticize our first draft, which is undoubtedly not going to be the best work we’ve ever produced.

Whenever possible, always do your first bits of editing on paper. There’s definitely a psychology behind scribbling all over your manuscript and how it helps you make more thorough edits. If you don’t have access to a printer, try an annotation app on a computer or tablet.

Before an editing session, make a list of the things you want to accomplish in that session. “Add more physical description”, “enhance the relationship between chars. A and B”, and “break down chapter 4” are all examples of notes I wrote to myself while editing this year. That way, you’ll know what to keep an eye out for while rereading.

Split it up! Especially if you’re writing a longer work, editing can be really intimidating. Go chapter by chapter, or give yourself ten pages at a time. It’ll feel a lot more manageable.

Along with that, take your time. Depending on how thorough you are, this can be a painstaking process. This is why books take so long to come out! It’s supposed to take a long time, so don’t stress about getting it done quickly.

Do multiple sessions. Don’t expect to edit your work once and have it ready for print; you’ll need to go through it quite a bit. This is normal! Some authors have revised their books 50 times. You probably won’t need that many times, but don’t be surprised if this takes longer than it took you to write your first draft.

GET A BETA. This is probably the best advice I can give you. A beta will give you a fresh set of eyes, as well as a person to bounce questions off of (see my suggestions here). Your beta reader can be a writer friend, a non-writer friend (more opinions here), someone you meet in an online writing community… as long as they know what they’re in for (and you’re willing to compensate them for their work!), anyone will do.

Break it up. Editing is exhausting sometimes. Have another writing project going that you can work on in between sessions to prevent burnout.

Retype. This is controversial, and believe me, it is a PAIN IN THE ASS. But it’s also one of the most useful editing techniques I’ve encountered. Pull up your manuscript and a blank document side-by-side, and retype it. You’ll find yourself correcting typos, adding and removing details, and editing without really realizing it. I don’t know if I would recommend this for novels unless you really wanna put yourself through that, but I would absolutely recommend for flash fiction, short stories, and individual scenes and chapters that are really giving you a hard time.

Show some love! To keep your morale up, try editing as if you were editing a friend or classmate’s work. Instead of scribbling out that really frustrating paragraph and writing “THIS SUCKS”, mark it with a “having trouble understanding this part”. Instead of just pointing out everything that’s not working, also note where it is! Highlight your favorite snippets, characters, dialogue, etc. Yeah, you have a lot of work ahead of you, but look at all the great work you’ve already done!

Happy editing! (And please send me more questions about writing!!)

#writing #writers #writeblr #writing advice #editing #editing advice #my advice posts #answering asks

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littlemisspascal · 3 years

Text

Death and an Angel part 14.5

Death!Din x Cupid F!Reader

Summary: And it’s unbelievable, truly, that he’s found someone who makes him feel as though he’s flying and falling simultaneously.

Rating: T

Word Count: 3,701

Warnings: angst, dialogue heavy, language, angst, Violence, plot plot plot, did I mention angst? Cuz it’s here

Author Note: Texas weather is no laughing matter and never have I hated snow more than these last few days. This is definitely more of a transition segment so I wrote shorter snippets as a result, but there is some serious plot development nevertheless. The response to last chapter was so amazing I can’t thank everyone enough for all the love and support 💖💖💖

Links to Part 1 and Part 14 and Part 15

Cross-posted on AO3.

Photo Inspiration:

Ahsoka hijacks the Razor Crest as soon as Din teleports her aboard the ship. She pushes Din out of the cockpit, refusing to let him so much as glimpse the coordinates of the destination she inputs into the nav computer. The Oracle hadn’t been kidding when she said she didn’t trust him going alone to rescue his soulmate.

Bo-Katan hadn’t been phased by Ahsoka’s arrival, adapting to her presence with the same ease as a duck to water. However, Din couldn’t help noticing the moment her mask of cool indifference slipped when Ahsoka asked the reaper to stay in the cockpit with her, claiming they had important matters to discuss.

Din climbs down the ladder into the hull, recognizing that the conversation about to ensue is not one he needs to be involved in. Fingers twitching restlessly, he commits himself to checking each of the weapons in his armory, sharpening his vibroblades and loading a set of whistling birds into his vambrace. He’d made a promise to Ahsoka against killing Moff Gideon, but he’d made no vow against scarring the Seraph beyond recognition.

When Din’s finished with him, Gideon will be a warning to the rest of the galaxy what happens if you steal from Death.

He stills at the thrum of satisfaction that runs through his body at the thought of pressing Gideon’s eyeballs out with his thumbs. The darkness within him has grown stronger since he killed Hess and it’s becoming an increasingly harder challenge denying its craving for bloodshed. If not for Ahsoka’s intervention, he would have reaped Xi’an’s soul, breaking another sacred rule. He should feel grateful, but the darkness expresses annoyance instead, upset to have been denied its kill.

There is a thought that has been plaguing the back of his mind, shackled in the same corner as his other doubts and regrets. He once had iron control over his powers and emotions, but now he’s holding onto his human façade by a mere thread. So slowly he hadn’t even been aware it was happening, his darkness has usurped his morality.

He’s meant to be a neutral entity, but when he looks at his reflection in the fresher mirror all he sees is a weapon.

Obsidian orbs have replaced brown eyes. Flawless tan skin has become dissected by lines of ink that once were blue veins.

Darkness is corrupting him from the inside out, making him a slave to the power he once mastered.

And he doesn’t have a fucking clue how to stop it.

Bo-Katan joins him in the hull an hour later. She doesn’t say anything , just leans against the wall across from him, and Din continues cleaning the barrel of his amban rifle as if he doesn’t see her.

The silence isn’t tense or uncomfortable, but he feels her gaze trying to penetrate his helmet. He knows the reaper well-enough to tell there is a question on her mind, but her hesitance to voice it unsettles him. Bo-Katan rarely holds her tongue around him, preferring blunt honesty over sugarcoating, which means whatever is on her mind must be serious.

He bites back a sigh when she starts restlessly shifting in place and pauses his task. “Ahsoka told you,” he says at last.

“That Moff Gideon fucked with our lives?” Bo-Katan snorts humorlessly. “Yeah, she showed me everything.”

“I’m sorry about your sister.”

“Me too. But it’s...good not being in the dark anymore. I needed to hear the truth,” she replies stoically, but the pointless adjustment of her headband betrays her internal strife. There is a moment of pause before she looks at him again. “I heard about your promise,” she says, and it’s not really a question, except that it is.

Din’s fingers tighten around the rifle. “Did she make you swear the same one?”

“No.” Bo-Katan shakes her head. “No, she didn’t.”

He’s not surprised by the answer. He actually thinks he should have expected it, considering the universe has always held him to a stricter standard than other entities.

“Ahsoka made it clear to me that this is something between you, Gideon, and your angel alone. I cannot interfere just like you cannot kill him.”

There is bitter resignation in her tone. He recognizes it because he felt the same when he made his promise to Ahsoka. No one likes being told no when they want something. But this—knowing with absolute certainty Gideon is the one responsible for hurting their loved ones and being told you can’t do anything to avenge them? This is the kind of pain that will linger for years to come as an ache in their bones and a scar over their hearts.

It isn’t fair. But Din’s lived long enough to know the universe never intended life to be that way.

“Can I ask you a favor?” Bo-Katan asks, pulling him out of his thoughts.

He blinks at her, realizing this is the question she’d been withholding since she came down the ladder. Never has she asked him a request before. “What is it?”

“You must separate Gideon from the Darksaber,” she answers, expression one of absolute seriousness. “The Armorer warned my people if the Lightsaber was ever mishandled, it would turn against the wielder by transforming into the Darksaber. Instead of empowering you, it deceives you. Fills your head with delusions until you lose your grip on reality entirely.”

“And you want to spare Gideon’s sanity?” Din asks slowly.

“Of course not. The son of a bitch deserves to be punished for his crimes. Even if I did want to,” her lips curl into a snarl at the thought, “there’s no way of undoing the damage done to his mind. What I want is for the weapon to be returned to the Armorer. She’s the only one who can properly dispose of it.”

“Right,” he agrees quietly. Anything that comes out of the Armorer’s forge is built to last the length of eternity. He could toss the Darksaber into the center of a sun and it’d remain whole and unaffected, waiting to twist the mind of the next wielder. Nodding his head, he assures her, “I’ll take care of it, even if I have to cut off his hands.”

“Good.”

Din paces the length of the hull, each thud of his boots making contact with the metal floor blends with the low hum of the engines. Usually he’d ignore the creaks and groans of his home, but the metallic symphony is the only thing capable of drowning out the thoughts in his head urging him to storm the cockpit and retake control from Ahsoka.

“Pacing isn’t going to make us arrive any quicker,” Bo-Katan tells him, not even bothering to open her eyes as she lounges atop one of his storage crates. “Ahsoka said it will be another hour at least.”

He has a retort ready on his tongue when a voice calls out his name from somewhere beyond the Razor Crest.

“Din!”

Din freezes in place as unexpected, heart-wrenching hope slices through his chest. He knows that voice. It’s his favorite in all the galaxy.

“Death?” Bo-Katan asks, concerned by his stillness. “What’s wrong?”

He tentatively reaches out towards the bond, giving it the slightest of tugs. When he feels the distant flicker of a reaction on the other end from his angel he nearly forgets how to breathe.

“The bond,” he murmurs, voice thick with awe and relief. “I can feel it again.”

Longing fills his chest where the hollowness used to reside now that the invisible block separating them is gone. It wraps around his heart, squeezing so tightly he nearly falls to his knees. Din pulls at the bond again on impulse, possessed by the all-consuming need to see her, to have her at his side where she’ll be safe.

The bond protests the harsh treatment, too weak to physically bring them together across the vast distance separating them. He snarls a curse under his breath, hating being helpless to protect her. It’s unfair, he finds himself thinking for a second time. Unfair how it hurts more now being able to feel her presence compared to when he couldn’t at all.

A paper airplane flickers into existence on the horizon of his mind, flying straight into his hand when he reaches out for it. I can’t leave this place. Not yet, the note says. The words themselves are unsettling, but it’s the strength of the emotions she’s attached that has him reeling with shock. For one crazy, electrifying moment he thinks he’s passed onto the afterlife.

Another note arrives. I miss you, Din. I want to see you so much it hurts. And it’s unbelievable, truly, that he’s found someone who makes him feel as though he’s flying and falling simultaneously.

As he sends a message of his own, never has he been more certain that if anyone can put an end to the darkness inside of him—it’s her.

“The Moff is an expert when it comes to defensive warding,” Ahsoka says as the three of them stand looking up at a canyon wall that extends in either direction as far as their eyes can see. “But even he can’t hide from my sight.”

Din scuffs at the salt-covered ground with his boot, still coming to terms with the fact all this time Gideon’s been hiding out on Crait of all planets. As much as he wants to believe Ahsoka’s right, his powers can’t detect even the barest hint of the Seraph’s presence.

Bo-Katan’s eyebrows arch with skepticism. “You’re sure this is the right place? It’s kind of remote.”

“Perfect for building an army,” Ahsoka replies without missing a beat.

Din exchanges a look with his reaper, realizing this is the first time either of them are hearing about this.

“Gideon has an army?” he asks. “Who—”

“Mercenaries,” she interrupts, turning around to face them. Her blue eyes are distant and cloudy, entranced by a vision. “When I break the warding, all but one will meet the end of their mortal lives attempting to overpower us.”

“All but one? I don’t think so.” Bo-Katan rests her hands deliberately on her blaster pistols. “Anyone who works for Gideon is an enemy in my book.”

“Migs Mayfeld is not to be harmed.” There is steel in Ahsoka’s voice as she blinks back into the present moment.

Din nudges Bo-Katan with his arm when it looks like she wants to continue arguing. The reaper huffs a quiet breath of annoyance, but eventually jerks her head in the tiniest nod of compliance.

Ahsoka grabs her twin sabers from her belt and ignites their blue blades. She handles her weapons with deadly grace, altering her appearance from peaceful Oracle to fierce and cunning warrior. Turning back to the canyon wall, her gaze trails over the red-brown rocks only to pause and narrow at seemingly random points.

Bo-Katan tries and fails to follow her line of vision. “What are you—”

The Oracle leaps into the air with surprising agility, lashing out with her sabers against the rock. Blinding light bursts forth from the point of collision followed by a flickering glimpse of a gigantic metal door.

“—looking at,” Bo-Katan finishes quietly, watching Ahsoka swing herself higher to attack another portion of the canyon wall where the next segment of warding is hidden.

There is something undeniably satisfying about seeing the door materialize as the wardings cloaking it are destroyed. Every precise strike of Ahsoka’s sabers brings Din one step closer to reuniting with his soulmate.

As if spurred by the mere thought of her, fear ripples across the bond like a gust of icy wind, stopping his heart cold. His angel is terrified. Din reaches out as far as the bond will allow in its fragile state, trying to get her attention by pulling at it and shouting her name, but none of his attempts breach the storm of panic.

“She needs me,” he mutters to himself, stepping forward with clenched fists. His vision narrows until all he can see is the door in front of him, an obstacle that must be dealt with. “She needs my help.”

“Wait,” Bo-Katan calls out, but her voice sounds as if it’s coming from thousands of miles away. “Ahsoka isn’t finished with the warding yet!”

If he were capable of rational thought in that moment, he would have heeded her warning. As it is, he summons his power into the palm of his hand, the darkness inside of him crowing in wicked delight. He winds his arm back, preparing to slam his fist against the door, only for a whipcord to wrap around his wrist with an audible zip.

He’s pulled backwards onto the ground, breath knocked from his lungs as he lands with a heavy thud. Bo-Katan appears not a second later and pins him in place by straddling his waist. The darkness is demanding he push her aside, knowing with absolute certainty the reaper is no match against him, and it takes all his strength to wrestle the urge under control.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” She glares at him, eyes resembling green flames eager to incinerate him.

“I—” he rasps, breathing heavily. His hand starts trembling, a burning itch under his skin. “I can feel her fear. She needs me.”

Bo-Katan blows out a long, frustrated breath. “Well, shit.” She jostles him then, forcing his head to momentarily clear as his helmet smacks the ground. “Look, soulmates are soulmates for a reason, right? I heard it’s like being two halves of the same whole. So if your soulmate is anything like you, she’s not going to give up without a fight. You have to trust she can take care of herself right now. That she’ll be fine.”

Din bristles. Trust is not the issue here. There is no one he trusts more than his angel—not Bo-Katan, not Ahsoka, not even Kuiil. The issue is he’s being asked to deny the instinct to shield her from danger which is woven into every cell of his being.

“She’ll be fine.” The words come out sounding sharp around the edges, cutting his tongue like shrapnel. “Everything will be fine.”

Bo-Katan disconnects the whipcord and rises to full height, apparently satisfied by his agreement. Din pushes himself onto his feet at a slower pace, his hand still shaking as if it's electric. He looks down at it, noticing for the first time the flesh is gone, replaced entirely by shadow. His expression tightens as he observes the change, realizing the black tendrils are slowly creeping up towards his wrist.

An alarm rings out, reverberating off the canyon walls like an explosion. Din’s gaze snaps up just as Ahsoka lands on the ground in a defensive crouch. Now that it's been fully unveiled, the door bears a striking resemblance to ones he’s seen at military fortresses across the galaxy, ridiculously massive to intimidate enemies and impenetrable from outside attacks. It makes sense, he thinks with a scoff, someone as power-hungry as Gideon claiming an abandoned base as their lair. Without the wardings, Din is able to detect the massive number of souls gathering on the other side, resembling vermin crawling over one another in their haste to arm themselves.

He searches for his angel’s soul, even just a glimpse of her bright light, only for his powers to instead encounter a massive cloud of dark, negatively-charged energy within a distant corner of the underground tunnel system. It fills an entire room, prohibiting him from sensing if anyone is inside. There is something strangely familiar about the energy, like he’s encountered its essence before, but he can’t recall the specifics of when or where.

“It’s time.”

Ahsoka’s voice reels his focus back to his physical surroundings. He notices the way her grip on her sabers tightens in anticipation and out of the corner of his eye Bo-Katan withdraws her blasters from their holsters.

The bottom of the door begins to raise with an earsplitting groan, but the mercenaries only wait the minimum amount of time it takes to pass under without hitting their heads to start charging forward.

Every mortal has a beginning and an end just like everything else in the galaxy. These mercenaries are no exceptions, having long sealed their fates when they agreed to accept Gideon’s payment. So when Din’s shadowy hand phases through a man’s chest and tears his heart out of its cavity, staining the white salt under their feet crimson as blood bursts from the vacant hole, Din tells himself he’s simply fulfilling destiny.

He repeats it when he discharges an assault of whistling birds, each one puncturing the throats of each target they encounter with a shrill warcry. And also when he rips a devaronian’s horn out of his head, a fragment of skull and bits of brain matter still gruesomely attached.

Again and again, with each permanently silenced voice and every shattered fragile bone, destiny is fulfilled.

Din would be lying if he said he’s never wondered what it would be like to die. To pass on from this world into a new realm for him to explore. He’s imagined the idyllic afterlife mortals have written poems and novels about, describing it as a blissful safe haven where sorrow and tragedy have no definition because they do not exist. He’s familiar with their opinions of damnation’s appearance, too, as an infernal place of fire and brimstone and screaming.

They were wrong about that.

Damnation is not a distant hell. It is found in an underground lair on Crait.

Instead of flames and sulfur, a Cupid’s blood is split and a soulmate bond is snapped in half.

Instead of screaming, a madman laughs.

“I’ve waited so long for this moment,” Gideon says through his chuckles, hauling himself onto his feet. His voice is an abrasive rasp, as if he’s shredded his vocal cords by screaming. “I’ve had to be patient, wait to find your weakness so I could catch your attention. It’s a shame, really, she had to be the one you fell for. She was quite the little spitfire.”

Din stares at his soulmate’s motionless body, frozen in place. Please, he pulls at his severed half of the bond, resolutely ignoring how cold it feels. Open your eyes, angel. Don’t leave me. Please.

There is no response. Just heartbreaking silence.

“I sense your anger, your hurt, and grief. Those are mortal emotions.” The Seraph grimaces in disgust, then lets out a low hiss when he agitates the wounds on his face. “By living amongst their kind you’ve forgotten your true potential. You are not their equal, Death. You are their superior. Immortals are meant to be better than them. To rule over every aspect of their pitiful lives.”

“I don’t want to rule anyone,” Din says, dragging his eyes away from his angel to glare at Gideon. Both his hands begin to shake as his mind plunges into a gaping abyss of remorse and despair. “I just want a life with her.”

“Even dead, she continues to blind you.”

Din snarls viciously in response. His control is pushed closer to the brink, holding on by mere fingertips, and darkness engulfs the entire room as a result.

The glow of the Darksaber persists, reflecting off his beskar and Gideon’s armor. It reminds him of moonlight, and he thinks for all that Bo-Katan warned him about the weapon’s sinful qualities, she did not mention its beauty. Even Ahsoka’s vision had failed to truly capture its radiance, just as a holovid can never compete with a face-to-face conversation.

His powers are drawn to the Darksaber. The energy it emits matches the one encountered earlier when searching the tunnels for his angel’s aura. This close, there is no ignoring its familiarity, not when his brain feels seconds away from exploding.

“I used to believe love conquers all,” Gideon prattles on, seemingly oblivious to Din’s torment. “I chose it as the Cupid motto because I thought there was nothing mortals cared more about than the health and happiness of their loved ones. Only after our fateful encounter did the Lightsaber reveal to me the truth.”

Lightsaber? Din’s head jerks up to stare at him, biting back a wince when the throbbing in the back of his mind intensifies at the movement. Does Gideon not realize the weapon has transformed?

By connecting Ahsoka’s claim that Gideon didn’t fully understand the consequence of corrupting the Lightsaber with Bo-Katan’s explanation that the Darksaber deceives its wielder, the answer is an obvious one: he doesn’t.

Gideon mistakes Din’s confusion for interest and his lips slowly curl into a smile. “Mors aeterna. It means—”

“Death is eternal.” The translation slips unbiddenly from Din’s lips before he even realizes his mouth has opened.

“There is no one more feared or respected than you. But for what reason? What have you done to earn your reputation?” Gideon demands, spit flying as his anger flares. “You are no more than the universe’s favorite puppet. Mindlessly obedient to its every demand.”

Hearing the truth always hurts, but hearing it from Gideon is especially torturous. Din’s creed to the universe has dictated his actions the entirety of his existence. He never fought against its orders, never thought of his own desires as more important than what it wanted.

Until he matched with his soulmate. She changed his priorities and shifted the center of his entire world by revealing to him even Death could experience love.

There had been no hesitation when he broke his creed for her.

And he doesn’t hesitate breaking Ahsoka’s promise now.

“I just murdered your soulmate right in front of you and you do nothing. Did you ever love her at all?”

“I do.”

Din summons every trace of power and darkness he possesses and combines them together within his core—a volatile, pulsating mass of pure chaos. His beskar armor starts to crack and chip away, unable to withstand the increasing pressure.

He thinks of his angel’s smiling face, the sound of her laughter, how bright her soul shines, and he thinks all those things are gone now. Not even a chance to say goodbye.

“More than anything.”

And Death lets go.

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#death and an angel #my fic #Din Djarin #din x you #din x reader #din djarin x you #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian #the mandalorian x reader #pedro pascal character fanfiction

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twistedmusings · 3 years

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What Are You Writing?

A/N: JOKES ON YOU GUYS, I'M AN OBEY ME WRITERS BLOG NOW. Nah not really, I mean maybe I might start thinking about making one in the future but I see all these awesome writers in that fandom and I get i n t i m i d a t e d. Nevertheless, I did want to pull a harmless prank on my readers so...enjoy a labor of love and possible regret as I now have to work on other requests ó uò

How would the brothers act with a Writer MC?

-He almost jumps when you walk into the room, practically shouting his name as you go to stand next to his desk and take a peek at what he is working on.

“Can I help you? “You certainly can.”

-You place a notebook next to his stack of paperwork and take a pen out, opening it up to a blank page before staring at him and building up your courage to ask the next question.

“What would you do if I suddenly asked you to be my fake boyfriend for a day?”

-You certainly were keeping up with your role in being the one human he isn’t able to pin down, huh?

-He asks what in the world you are talking about and you squat near him so that you can explain what you were doing. RAD proved to be a lot more stressful than you thought and you didn’t need to remind him that you were playing therapist to seven demons so you needed some sort of break.

-You tell him that in the human world you had a habit of writing ideas, snippets and even random bits of dialogue when you got stressed so you had asked Satan to lend you a notebook and a pen so you could unwind but you had gotten stuck in one scene.

-The character you were writing was loosely based on Lucifer so you decided why not ask him what he would do in order to get some inspiration!

“So here I am! I don’t need an entire synopsis I just want to know because maybe that will spark something inside of me.”

-Pen to paper, you look up at Lucifer ready to write anything down and even though you were looking him straight in the eye you were not paying attention to just how hard Lucifer was staring at you.

-You really had no idea how he felt about you, did you?

-Even with the pact making, the Hellfire Newt Syrup incident, the countless of times he had tried to flirt with you to the point that anyone without eyes could tell how he felt about you, your human brain did not seem to accept the fact that the eldest of the seven demon lords had fallen for you.

-Was this just another way of torturing him? Who would have thought that you would be such a cruel master?

-If only he wasn’t bound to you by the pact. Not that he regretted it but without the pact the ‘need’ to submit to you wasn’t as strong, all he would have to do is grab your chin, turn your face towards his so that he could tell you explicitly what was going through his head every time he saw you--

“...I would walk you to class, first and foremost. We would leave the House of Lamentation together and arrive together as well. Maybe some impromptu dates. Free tutoring as well.” “That’s tempting~ Would you let me hang around in your study?” “You are already welcome to do that.” “Aw, when did you get so soft?”

-Get the hint already!

-Your hand is scribbling down every idea he says, making quips here and there as you both talk extensively about your fake dates would play out. The idea of having you all to himself without his brothers around was already so tempting yet here you were talking about it like it was just a passing thought.

-That wouldn’t do.

-He grabs the top of your pen and smiles when you look up at him in confusion.

“At end of the day, I want to make you feel like the most important person in my world. I don’t want there to be a single doubt in your mind that you belong with me. Pact or no pact, you changed me in ways I couldn’t even fathom, MC, and I am doing everything in my power so that you will see just how important you are to me.”

-Your eyes are staring up at him, wide and with surprise as he dares to cup your cheek.

-He did it. He had gotten through to you! All he had to do was lean in and--!

“Can you repeat that one more time?! Oh my god Luci that was so good! I’m showing this to Satan when I’m done! Thank you so much!”

-Lucifer’s hand drops to his lap as he watches you pick yourself up and run out of his study, his fist clenching in his hand as he thought of just how blind you could be for not seeing what he had tried to convey with those cliched words! Of all the humans--!

-He stops as he hears your giggles outside of the hallway, unclenching his fist and sighing as he tries to look at the positives.

-There had been a flush on your cheeks, of that he was sure. Which meant that in some way...his words had made an impact. He hoped it would take just a few more cheesy lines for you to fall for him.

”Mammon!!!!”

-From the top of his head to the tip of his toes, Mammon could feel himself shiver as you called out his name. Ever since he made that pact the way you would call out his name would send a pleasant shiver down his spine as he turned to greet you.

-Levi told him that you had been looking for him and he had practiced his greeting at least five times to make him look as cool as possible.

“Yo MC! I heard you were looking for the Great Mammon!”

-See? Wasn’t he cool?

-The brothers watched as you didn’t even greet Mammon, you just grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the living room telling everybody that you needed to talk to him privately.

-Privately? As in you two alone? Together?

-Well of course you wanted to talk to him alone! His awesome ways had probably finally gotten through to you and you were about to confess to him. Suck on THAT Lucifer!

-You push him into your room before closing the door and turning to look at him.

“I have something I need to ask you. Do you think you can help?”

-The words escape him before he even thinks them.

“Anything.”

“I want to go out with you. Tonight. Almost like a pretend date.”

-Fireworks go off inside his head as he feels tears prickle at the corners of his eyes. This was real, you were asking him out! You had picked him out of all his brothers despite how many messes he got you in and how much trouble tended to follow him--

-Wait, pretend?

-You proceed to show off your little book of writings, explaining to him that you had gotten stuck in trying to describe a hidden date between the protagonist and the love interest.

“They are trying to hide the fact they are dating from everybody so that they won’t get in trouble. I figured that a human and a demon going on a date is already somewhat of stigma as it is so I just want to see how it feels so I can describe it better.”

-He can’t really describe the sadness that he feels when you tell him it would all be pretend. Too much for dropping Grimm on wishing wells. He was going to go back and fish them all out tomorrow. What a letdown!

-Here he was, the GREAT Mammon letting a human toy with his heart like this!

“You won’t get in too much trouble if we do this...right?”

-The worry in your voice is what makes him look into your eyes. Your hand was on his as you looked for any signs of discomfort from the Avatar of Greed. Your eyes were entirely on him.

-Mammon’s subconscious: More of that please.

-You looked so worried for his well-being. Mammon had no idea who had told you that humans and demons were not allowed to date but they had clearly lied to you. There was no stigma whatsoever. And in retrospect he should reveal that to you now so that there would be no misinformation on how much he wanted to take you on a not pretend date.

-But all your attention was on him. Your body was facing his way, your hands on his as you licked your lips nervously. More, more, more, more he needed for you to look at him more--!

“Tch. Making such a complicated request. You could really get me in trouble for this, MC!” “You’re right, I shouldn’t push it--” “But I guess if you are asking me, I could spare a couple hours...for you.”

-You both share a smile as you hug him close, his arms wrapping around you tight as he tries to keep his smile from breaking out into full blown giggles.

-This worked out for him as well! He was going to give you the best date of your human life so you would have no choice but to fall for him! You better get ready!

-You wrote some fiction, he wrote TSL fanfiction, Levi was probably already aware of your talent once he asked to beta one of his other works and you came back not just with some beta but with some actual USEFUL feedback unlike Satan going on about his spelling mistakes. -So you are already in his room when you ask for his help, grinning as you hold up the small ideas that you had written for your proper introduction into the TSL fandom.

“I want to write an AU about Henry and the Lord of Shadows in an arranged marriage!”

-The premise was simple. You wanted to write about the Lord of Shadows and his Henry having to marry each other in order to bring peace to both of their kingdoms. The marriage proposition was sudden and each of the seven brothers was against it but you wanted to show just how much Henry was willing to sacrifice to help the people who he cared about the most.

-And you loved drama like this.

-You hold up your book as you keep ranting to Levi, the other caught up in your plot as he closed his eyes in order to better imagine it.

“And I want a moment where the Lord of Shadows tells Henry that he doesn’t have to do this. That he wants him to be happy and doesn’t want him to be stuck with a reclusive Lord for all his life.”

-Of course, of course. The Lord of Shadows had always hoped for Henry’s happiness and he had also sacrificed a great many of his previous ways in order to gain his best friend’s praise! Levi was proud, you understood these characters so well! So he pipes in with his own thoughts.

“I bet Henry turns to him and asks why he is so against the idea! It would push the Lord of Shadows to confess that he has secretly longed for Henry’s affection and attention all this time!”

-You both grin before you stand up, putting on a fake sad face as you take Levi’s hand in yours before pressing them to your chest.

“Am I not worthy to be your spouse? Do you hate the idea of marrying me that much?”

-Levi is caught up in the moment that he doesn’t even notice how close you two are, instead moving even closer as he cupped your cheek.

“You? Not worthy? It is I who is not worthy of you. After all you have done...can I be selfish enough to call you mine?”

-Oh this was practically writing itself! You really hoped that Levi remembered some of these lines. You pull away from his touch dramatically before sighing as you decide that this scene would be a good catalyst moment for a confession.

“Have you ever thought of me that way? More than what we have now? I’m embarrassed to admit it but...I have on many occasions longed for something more.”

-Levi’s expression softens in a way you haven’t seen before, keeping a hold on your hands as he follows up with you seamlessly.

“If I told you about my fantasies...about the deep need I feel to keep you away from prying eyes and hoping that yours would remain on me despite the others who so badly wish for your hand. Would you still see me in such high regard?”

-Shit he was good. The prying eyes bit was perfect! Now to end it with a bang! You feel Levi pull you by your waist so you are pressed against his chest, eyes looking down at you as if begging for your reply. So you do what you have read in many other books and take his face in your hands.

“Keep me. Forever.”

-You both stay that way for a few seconds before you pull away and let out a giddy squeal, rushing over to your book and writing down the lines that you could remember, gushing about how Levi had just given you the best ending ever.

-What you didn’t see was the poor demon standing there, arms still pretending to hold someone as the spell broke for him slowly. He needed to process just what the hell just happened.

-He had held your hands, touched you, had you close enough that he could feel you against him and you hadn’t even moved away! Levi could still see how warm your hands were on his cheeks and the words that you had said to him were now slowly coming back to him as he remembered his embarrassing replies!

-You jump and turn when you hear a clatter behind you, turning around to see that Levi had fainted and was now slumped against one of his many manga bookshelves, face all red and a dopey smile on his lips as he repeated your words over and over.

-If you had a writing buddy in Levi, then you got a plot bunny buddy with Satan.

-With the amount of books that he has read and the number of genres he is into, you are surprised that he finds your ideas mildly interesting. They were all just cliches and purely for your enjoyment so when he asked you if he could read some of what you had written you were too shocked to notice that he had already taken the book from your backpack.

“A love story...interesting.”

-You two were in the library, looking for a certain book about black magic casting as well as some examples of ritual circles that you needed to complete for your next assignment. Or rather you were looking for the books, he was just following close behind you as he read your latest entry.

“How are you stuck in this scene?” “Huh?” “How the main character meets the second love interest. It’s pretty obvious.”

-Well excuse you for having writer’s block. You know that he was trying to be helpful but his help always came with some sort of sarcastic twinge that, while endearing during some situations, was incredibly annoying when he was criticizing your writings. You turn back to look at him as you stop at the spot the book was supposed to be in.

“I haven’t necessarily fallen in love with anyone lately, you know! It’s too specific a feeling!”

-Satan’s eyes take in the way you tip-toe to try and reach the book, cursing under your breath as you struggled to get it from the highest shelf. Devildom libraries were notoriously famous for having ridiculously large bookshelves and only a ghost attendant would be able to help you. He looks down at your book and then back at the small scene before smiling as he snaps the book shut.

-Surely a bit of inspiration is all you needed, correct?

-You feel a hand on your lower back, another brushing the hand reaching out for the book and grabbing it for you. Satan smiles as he holds out the book to you.

“Black magic casting...and you needed something about ritual circles, right? It seems the perfect book is right next to you.”

-He ‘accidentally’ brushes your cheek when reaching out for the book behind you, humming for a moment before he puts it back and looks down at you without moving his arm out of the way. Satan had just effectively trapped you in a rather flawlessly executed Kabedon.

“...Satan...the book…” “It wasn’t the right one. Or maybe I just wanted an excuse to get you in this position.”

-Your eyes were shining, the book was pressed right against your chest, he could even see the small blush adorning your face as the situation became quite clear to you. Now he wouldn’t tell you that he had practiced this sort of scenario by himself in his room just in case you ever asked him for help finding a book, better for you to believe that this had all been just a ‘happy’ accident.

“You are looking at me so seriously, MC.” “I know what you are doing.”

-He dares to move closer, his shadow casting over you as if to hide you from prying eyes. If you made the first move, there would be no one stopping him.

“Yeah?” “This would be perfect! A library setting! Gives me a chance to make the character like a cool librarian type!”

-Satan stays silent as you grab the books you need and snatch your notebook from his hand, stating that you were going to check these out immediately and then head home. He turns back to look at the place you were just standing at, the place where you had been completely at his mercy.

-Dammit, he should have blocked the other side too.

-Asmo was ecstatic when you asked him for his book collection.

-It annoyed him to no end when people thought that the only way he consumed his erotica was through personal experience and porn. In his opinion, after personal experience, the best way to enjoy his usual favourite activity was reading erotica. The descriptions, to get into the thoughts of the inner characters and seeing how they essentially lose their minds to the pleasure. It was thrilling.

-So when you come knocking at his door one night and ask for one of the books you usually catch him reading, he is both excited and curious.

“Which one do you want darling? I have the first volume of ‘Eternal Dom Love’, ‘Baring My Soul to a Demon’, ‘Captive Human’--” “You have anything like...with dirty talk?

-Oh now he is really excited and curious.

-He looks around his small library and pulls out the book he thinks is best for what you desired, holding it out for you to take but pulling it back quickly with a grin. Asmo wasn’t going to just let you walk away after telling him something so interesting~

“I’m a bit possessive about my books, MC~ What are you going to use it for? Recreational reasons?”

-You blush and cover your face with your hands, not really embarrassed for asking but instead embarrassed that you were about to tell him what you were going to do with it. But you steel yourself, you had heard Asmo flirt in the club before and from how quickly his dates had insisted on taking it to a more ‘private’ area, you knew he had the thing that you desperately needed.

“I…” “Yes?” “I’m-trying-to-write-the-prelude-to-a-sex-scene-in-one-of-my-stories-but-I-have-no-idea where-to-start-so-I-need-material!”

-Asmo blinks before grinning as he got in your face, pushing the book into your hands as he asked you what the story was about, who were the characters, had you based them off of anybody and just what kind of sex scene where you planning?

-He had no idea you had that kind of talent, where had you been hiding that all this time?

-You slowly explain the plot to him, getting a bit more into it as you see how much attention Asmo is paying to your every word. Out of all of the brothers you didn’t expect him to be so interested in one of your stories! The scene you have in mind is somewhat clear to you so you try to explain to him just what you think is missing.

“It is a demon and a human. They are clearly not supposed to be doing this. Yet that is--” “What makes it all the more appealing.”

-Asmo had played this out perfectly given the little time he had to work with. The more you talked, the closer he got to you. The closer he got, the more you moved away subconsciously. Your body instinctively wanted to make room for him and give him his space but you let out a small ‘meep’ when the back of your knees hit the side of his hanging chair and you find yourself sitting down as he kneels in front of you.

“They both know that if they take such a intimate step with one another they might not be able to go back to how they used to be before. Everything will change.”

-You nod as Asmo touches your leg, hand moving towards your thigh as he rests his chin on your knees.

“But what is so wrong with change? You said the demon is a charmer so they would want to charm them throughout the whole thing. It would start out slow, teasing even, probably testing out the waters as they see what their human likes and doesn’t like."

-He scoots closer and traces your fingers, the digits wrapped tightly around his book as he continues..

“They would eventually lose control, wouldn’t they? The passion would be too much for them to handle and they both would lose themselves to their lust. Although it wouldn’t be just lust…”

-Asmo looks up to meet your eyes, straightening out as he leans in closer to the point that you are shutting your eyes and leaning in as well--it’s not that you haven’t had experience with kisses but surely the demon of lust’s kiss would spark something inside your head--!

-You open your eyes when you feel the book leaving your hands.

“I changed my mind. I think this would be a much better title for what you are looking for, Sweetie.”

-He holds out your hand for you to stand up and you almost want to ask Solomon to cast some sort of spell that would make you forget everything that happened in these moments. You closed your eyes like some highschooler waiting for their first kiss--you were better than that!

-You thank him and make your way out of his room, running back to yours as fast as you can without noticing Asmo’s mischievous smile as he waved goodbye. It was always good to play the long game~

-You two had stopped at Madame’s Scream because Beel had complained about being hungry yet again. Besides you both had done rather well on an examination so--why not celebrate?

-You only had a small fizzy drink while Beel had ordered himself something called ‘The Herculean Parfait’, something about it holding 25 scoops of ice cream plus whip cream, nuts and some waffle cones at the bottom. Now the waiter had brought out two spoons but it was clear that Beel would only be needing one.

-This was rather normal for you two, Beel eating his fill while you stared at the blank page of your small notebook. You were trying to write a cute scene with a couple sharing a dessert at a coffee shop where they first met but you were struggling to think of a fluffy scenario.

-Was feeding your partner considered cheesy nowadays? You tap your page twice before looking at Beel. The second spoon remained untouched, some ice cream specks stuck to the shiny, concave surface as the Demon of Gluttony continued his ice cream carnage. You grab the spoon and take some from the side that had yet to be eaten.

“Hey Beel”

-The demon stops eating and looks at you as you hold out the spoon to him, his hunger suddenly stopping as he looks at the sugary contents stacked high on the spoon you were holding out for him.

“Say aah!”

-Beel blinks but doesn’t think twice the moment you give him the command, opening his mouth and eating the sugary confection off the spoon, his smile growing as you let out a small giggle.

“Did it taste good?" “Mmm~!" “I’m glad.”

-He abandoned his own spoon as you scooped up some more, opening his mouth as you kept on feeding him. Beel had no idea what had brought this on or why you were suddenly feeding him. It wasn’t like he was complaining, however. Yes your pace was slow and such a giant parfait would surely melt with how slow you were going but he didn’t care, instead opening his mouth wide as you kept on feeding him.

“So Beel…” “Mmm?" “Does it feel any different when I feed you?”

-Beel frowns when the spoon stops but decides to answer your question so that he could go back to eating. Why would it feel any different? Well, it somewhat did? He didn’t know how to describe it but he does feel a lot fuller than before. He is actually tasting the food as you take your time scooping up some more. He had picked out so many different flavors and he could taste almost every single one.

“I wouldn’t say different...but food certainly tastes better when you give it to me.”

-You immediately stop and put the spoon down, smiling as you start to writing down what Beel had just said. You could essentially build an entire scene around that! What a good idea coming here--

“MC?”

-Your pen stops as you look at Beel, your pen falling from your hands as you see the puppy dog look he was giving you. He looks at your hand and then at the spoon.

“Why did you stop?”

-Beel smiles happily as you go right back to what you were doing, the notebook forgotten as you continue to spoil your demon. You had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time you were doing this.

-Belphie yawned as he cuddled you closer, your hands moving so they would be wrapped around his neck but still holding onto your phone. He closes his eyes and tries to drift off but frowns when he hears your fingers tapping on your screen. He could probably sleep through the sound but he didn’t want to.

“Turn around.” “Huh?” “Just turn around.”

-You do as he says, now pressed against his chest as you continue to type. Belphegor was close to falling asleep, pressing his nose against your shoulder as he breathes you in---

Tap tap tap tap

“Fuck this.”

-He grabs your phone and drops it off the bed, your protests being muffled as he wraps his arms around your neck to pull you close. You tap his arms twice before wiggling out of his hold, sitting up on the bed and looking at him while he glared back at you.

-What did you think you were doing typing away on your phone? Belphegor never really asked you for much but when it was cuddle time it was cuddle time. You weren’t supposed to do anything *but* cuddle during cuddle time so you clearly needed to stop being distracted.

“What do you think you are doing?” “Taking care of your distraction.”

-You both stare at each other as he sits up as well, clearly letting you know that if you were to go and dig for your phone he wasn’t going to let you. At this point, it really was useless to argue with Belphegor. As the youngest, he was used to getting what he wanted with little setback. So you lay back down, ignoring the triumphant smile Belphegor gave you as he went right back to cuddling you.

“I was writing something.” “It can wait till later…”

-Belphegor yawns and wraps his leg around you, ignoring the little ‘hmphs’ you were giving him as well as the words you were muttering to yourself. But what good would it be if you weren’t cuddling up to him as well so he decided to give in as well.

“What were you writing about?”

-Oh this was new. You turn to face him, talking about the scene you were working on. This couple had just had an exhausting day and they were eager to lay in bed together but their work or other responsibilities were keeping them from cuddling at night. You explained how you wanted to describe the exhaustion one was feeling from not having their partner with them.

-The demon of Sloth hummed when you mentioned how tired the character was and speaking up about how he knew how they felt. You chuckle and mention that it seemed that everything made Belphegor exhausted nowadays. He shakes his head, opening his eyes so he could look at you.

“No. I mean that everything gets heavier when you’re not with me.”

-You try to cut it in and ask him what he is talking about but he beats you to it.

“I get more energy when you are around. I actually want to do things aside from sleeping. “Are you saying you like hanging out with me more than sleeping?” “Don’t push it, MC.”

-Both of you laugh, your body cuddling closer to the demon as you yawn. A part of you was still annoyed that Belphegor had shoved your phone to the floor because now would have been a prime time to write that he had just said but as your eyes grew heavier you just hoped that you would remember it by the time you woke up.

-Belphegor opens his eyes once he feels your breathing evening out, smiling as he leans in close and presses a kiss to your forehead.

“You weren’t far off...I do like you more than sleeping...sometimes…”

-He yawns and wraps an arm around your waist. What a good idea it was to lock the door so none of his brothers would bother you two. Your nights were his, after all.

#obey me #obey me imagines #obey me headcanons #obey me luficer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me mc #//HA YOU ALL GOT FOOLED #//PRANKED TM

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jayoctodot · 3 years

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The Silent Patient vs The Maidens

I will start by saying that I understand the appeal of these novels as page-turners. They are easy to read and if you want a twisty reveal at the end, you will probably be entertained and satisfied. That being said, I am SO CONFUSED by the near-universal adoration of The Silent Patient and the reasonably positive reception of The Maidens. The weaknesses of the two are strikingly similar, as well, which doesn’t give me much hope of seeing improvement from this guy, though I am intrigued to see whether he keeps repeating the same (apparently successful!!) patterns. These books were at least super fun to hate.

(For context, I read The Maidens for a bookclub I'm in, because several of the members had read and loved The Silent Patient, and one of them gave me a copy of the latter to read on my own time. I loathed The Maidens and then read The SP for comparative purposes. And because I'm a masochist, apparently.)

SPOILER WARNING! Do not read on unless you've finished both books (or unless you care not for spoilers). Sorry if it gets a bit shouty.

Here are the similar weaknesses I noticed in both:

PSEUDO-PSYCHOLOGY

-> Weirdly similar “group therapy” scenes early on where a cartoonishly unstable patient arrives late, disrupts the meeting by throwing something into the middle of the circle, and is asked to join the group after the therapist(s) speechify on the importance of boundaries (HA! None of these therapists would know an appropriate boundary if it kicked them in the ass) and debate whether to “allow” the patient to join. Both scenes are so transparent in their design to establish the credibility/legitimacy of the narrators as therapists, but instead both Theo and Mariana come off as super patronizing. The protagonists are less and less believable as therapists at the stories progress (though at least Theo’s incompetence is explained away by the “twist” at the end; Mariana, on the other hand, is confronted in the opening pages of the novel by a patient who has self-harmed PRETTY extensively, and rather than ensure he get proper medical attention, she essentially throws him a first aid kit and tosses him out the door so she can pour herself a glass of wine and call her niece... and it devolves from there).

-> Ongoing insistence throughout the narrative that one’s childhood trauma entirely explains the warped/dysfunctional way a character behaves or views the world, which is why the books go out of their way to give EVERY potentially violent character a traumatic childhood; when Theo insists that no one ever became an abuser who hadn’t been abused themselves, I wanted to throw the book across the room. (That is a MYTH, SIR. GET OUT OF HERE WITH YOUR ARMCHAIR PSYCHOLOGY.)

-> Female murderers whose pathology boils down to “history of depression” and “traumatized by a male loved one/family member.” Because, as we all know, depression + abuse = murderer!

-> The “therapy” depicted in both books is laughable and so so unrealistic, mostly because neither narrators function as therapists so much as incompetent detectives, obsessively pursuing a case they have no place pursuing (or skill to pursue - both just happen across every clue mostly by way of clunky conversation with all the people who can provide precisely the snippet of info to send them along to the next person, and the next… until all is revealed in a tired, cliched “twist”). Their constant Psych 101 asides were so tiresome and weirdly dated (also, the constant harping on countertransference got so ridiculous that at one point during "therapy" Theo literally attributes his headache and a particular emotion he feels to Alicia, as though the contents of her head are being broadcast directly into his mind... and I'm PRETTY SURE that's not how it works???)

CHARACTERS

-> Psychotherapist narrators with abusive fathers and pretensions of being Sherlock Holmes, which results in both characters crossing ALL KINDS of ethical lines as they invade the personal lives of everyone even tangentially connected to their cases (and, in Theo's case, violate all kinds of patient confidentiality. Yeah, yeah, by the end, that's the least of his offenses, but before you get there, it's baffling that NO ONE is calling him out on this).

-> All female characters are either elderly with hilariously bad advice, monstrous hulking brutes, or beautiful bitches (except for ~MARIANA~, who is Bella Swan-esque in her unawareness of her own attractiveness, despite multiple men trying to get with her almost immediately after meeting her. I'm so tired of beautiful female characters being oblivious to their own hotness. Are we meant to believe all mirrors and male attention have escaped their notice? If it’s to make them “relatable,” this tactic really fails with me).

-> All characters of color are shallow, cartoonish side characters, and most of them are depicted as unsympathetic minor antagonists (the Sikh Chief Inspector in The Maidens continuously drinks tea from an ever-present thermos, and his only other notable characteristic is his instant dislike of Mariana, whom he VERY RIGHTLY warns to stay out of the investigation that she is VERY MUCH compromising… the Caribbean manager of the Grove is universally disliked by her staff for enforcing stricter safety regulations at the bafflingly poorly run mental institution, because HOW DARE SHE. There's a very clear vibe that we're supposed to dislike these characters and share the protagonists' indignation, but honestly Sangha/Stephanie were completely in the right for trying to shut down their wildly inappropriate investigations).

-> "Working class" characters (or basically anyone excluded from the comfortably upper-crust, educated main cadre of characters) are few and far between in both stories, but when they show up, he depicts them as such caricatures. We got Elsie the pathologically lying housekeeper in the Maidens, who is enticed to share her bullshit with cake, and then a TOOTHLESS LEPRECHAUN DEALING DRUGS UNDER A BRIDGE in the SP. I kid you not, a man described as having the body of a child, the face of Father Time, and no front teeth, emerges from beneath a bridge and offers to sell Theo some "grass." I was dyinggg.

-> There are no characters to root for. Anywhere. Partly because they’re all so thinly drawn — and because we’re clearly supposed to view almost ALL of them as potential suspects, so they’re ALL weird, creepy, or incompetent in some way.

-> The flimsiest of flimsy motives, both for the narrators and the murderers. Theo fully would have gotten away with his involvement in the murder if he hadn't gone out of his way to work at the Grove and "treat" Alicia and his justification for doing so is pretty weak; his rapid descent into stalking and murder fantasy and his random ass decision to "expose" Alicia's husband as a cheater with a spur-of-the-moment home invasion and staged attempted homicide is ONLY justified if the reader hand waves it away as WELP, HE'S CRAZY, I GUESS (after all, he DID have an abusive father and a history of mental illness, and in Michaelides novels, that's ALL YOU NEED to become a violent psycho). I guess we're lucky Mariana didn't also start dropping bodies (because the logic of his fictional universe says she should definitely be a murderer by now... maybe that'll be his Maidens sequel?). But she especially had NO reason to randomly turn detective - and she kept trying to justify it by saying she needed to re-enter the world or that Sebastian would want her to (??), even though she had no background in criminal psychology... or even a particular fondness for mysteries (really, I would've accepted ANYTHING to explain her dogged obsession with the case. WHY were Sebastian and Zoe so certain she would insert herself into the investigation just because one of Zoe's friends was the first victim? WHY?). As for Zoe and Alicia, their motives are mere suggestions: they were both abused and manipulated, and voila! Slippery slope to murder.

WRITING STYLE

-> Incessant allusions to Greek tragedy and myth, apparently to provide a sophisticated gloss over the bare-bones writing style, which opts more for telling than showing and frequently indulges in hilariously bizarre analogies. Credit where credit is due — the references to Greek myth are less clunky in the SP, and I liked learning about the Alcestis play/myth, which I hadn’t heard of before - but OMG the entire characterization of Fosca, who we are meant to believe is a professor of Greek tragedy at one of the most respected universities on the planet, is just absurd. His "lecture" on the liminal in Greek tragedy is essentially the Wikipedia page on the Eleusinian Mysteries capped off with some Hallmark-card carpe diem crap. The lecture hall responds with raucous applause, clearly never having heard such vague genius bullshit before.

-> Super clunky and amateurish narrative device of interludes written by another character; Sebastian’s letter reads like a mashup of Dexter monologues and Clarice’s memory of the screaming sheep, but by FAR the worse offender is Alicia’s diary, where we’re supposed to believe she painstakingly recorded ENTIRE CONVERSATIONS, BEAT-BY-BEAT DIALOGUE, even when she’s just been DRUGGED TO THE GILLS with morphine and has mere moments of consciousness left… and even before that, she literally takes the time to write “He's trying the windows and doors! ...Someone’s inside! Someone’s inside the house! ETC ETC” when she thinks her stalker has broken in downstairs. WHO DOES THAT?)

-> Speaking of dialogue, the dialogue is so bad. Based on his bio, Michaelides got a degree in screenwriting, which makes his terrible dialogue even more baffling.

-> HILARIOUSLY rendered voyeur scenes where the narrators spy on couples having sex. Such unintentionally awkward descriptions. First we had Kathy’s climax sounds through the trees and then the bowler hat carefully placed on a tombstone before the gatekeeper plows a student. Again, I died.

PLOT/"TWIST"

-> The CONSTANT red herrings make for such an exhausting read. Michaelides drops anvils with almost every character that are so obviously meant to designate them as suspects in our minds. There is absolutely no subtlety in his misdirections.

-> The “crossover” scene between the SP and The Maidens makes no sense - when in the timeline does Mariana’s story overlap with Theo’s? They confer just before Theo starts working at the Grove, obviously (though Mariana appears to be the one who alerts Theo to the job opening there? Whereas in the SP, Theo has been obsessively tracking Alicia since the murder and had already planned to apply to work there?), but then are we supposed to believe that while Theo has been psychotically pursuing his warped quest to “help” Alicia, he’s also been diligently treating Zoe, so invested in her case that he repeatedly reaches out to Mariana to get her to visit Zoe and even writes Mariana a lengthy letter to convince her to do so??? And then a couple days after The Maidens ends, Theo is arrested???

-> But the thing I really did hate the most is how Michaelides treats his female murderers (who are both also victims themselves) as mere means to deploy a “twist”; there’s no moment spared to encourage our sympathy for Zoe, who was groomed and manipulated by the only trusted father figure in her life, and even after spending a decent amount of time getting to know Alicia via her ridiculous diary, where it’s so apparent that she’s been demeaned, objectified, manipulated, gaslit, and/or used by EVERY man in her life, she’s sent packing to spend the rest of her days in a coma… HOW much more satisfying would it have been for her to succeed in exposing Theo and reclaiming her voice? But no, she basically rolls over when he comes to finish her off (SPEAKING OF — ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE THERE ARE NO SECURITY CAMERAS IN THIS INSTITUTE FOR THE CRIMINALLY INSANE????), writes one last diary entry, and drifts off forever. And then a couple pages of nothing later, the story is over. GOODNIGHT, ALICIA!

Both books kept me rolling throughout (by which I mean eye-rolling but also rotfl). Maybe I will check out his next effort — I’m morbidly curious what he’ll turn out. It does leave me wondering whether I should give up on thriller novels entirely, though. Are many of the weaknesses of these novels just characteristic of the genre? Maybe I'm just holding these books to unfair standards? I'm mostly only familiar with thriller films — many of which I think are amazing — but maybe you can get away with more in a film than you can in a novel.

...I really only intended to write a handful of bullet points, but more and more kept coming to mind as I wrote, to the point where subheadings became necessary. Whoopsie.

#the maidens #the silent patient #book review #alex michaelides #thrillers #books

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