#i know the answer is to just write this stuff myself so maybe it'll make it into leverage at some point lol

[theogonies]

dressrosa/donquixote brothers brainrot incoming

i feel like the reason that a lot of rosi-focused fan content doesn't hit for me is that he's so woobified. like yeah he's definitely the better father figure to law but he also beat kids (even if his intentions were good in a weird shounen logic way lol) and repeatedly retraumatized law out of what was imo an ultimately selfish desire to prove his brother wrong--i genuinely cannot see a way that path would have ended well, even if doflamingo never intervened.

plus in light of doffy's grooming by vergo and trebol et al i think it's a lot more narratively interesting to ask how being raised by the navy would affect rosinante, possibly in a similar way. like we see him die *just* as he's getting a taste of the personal agency that his brother's had for years so we never get to fully see him through the repercussions of his own trauma, but even though from what i understand we don't really *know* whether sengoku raised rosi with the intention of sending him back to the donquixotes as a spy, it does create an interesting contrast where both brothers are being played against each other by outside parties using their respective senses of justice.

not trying to downplay that doflamingo is a fucked up guy who does fucked up things but i think it's weird that so many fics treat him as this utter monster while rosi gets to be, like, a normal dude. and i think that's because we see doffy at his absolute worst while rosi has always been filtered through law's grief and nostalgia. but at the end of the day they're way more interesting to me as narrative foils to each other, brothers who have been manipulated for most of their lives by forces outside of their control. it's not that they don't have agency but their relationship is so deeply defined by the terms of their separation as teenagers and i want to see rosi's side of that period and its consequences explored more.

idkidk not really sure what i'm getting at here i just wish that rosi was more interesting to me than he is lol. i know it's just because he wasn't around for long but imo he has so much untapped potential compared to the rest of the whole doffy/law/rosinante triangle. if you know any good darker/psychological, corazon centric fics please send them my way <3

#sorry i usually keep my unprompted character analysis thoughts to my notes app but felt like sharing this one #i feel like the whole fandom sees something in rosi that i just. do not get #but i want to love him! i really do! #i know the answer is to just write this stuff myself so maybe it'll make it into leverage at some point lol #idk if you really can get into doffy as a character without talking about rosinante #ronan talks #one piece #donquixote rocinante #donquixote doflamingo #trafalgar law #donquixote pirates

[azrielgreen]

There's a reason I always moderate comments but i approved this one so people can see how truly vile it gets sometimes. I'm not arrogant. I don't think the way I write is better at all. Exploring them on an authentic level means exploring this, or any, version of them with wholehearted passion, not that this is the authentic interpretation of them. Writing intense stuff isn't a brag, it's a warning so people can be prepared for stuff like arguments and confrontations. I always over-warn for CW stuff so that, again, people are prepared. I never once have asked people to read it. It's just there and I've tried my best to a) write something i loved and b) thoroughly warn those who might read it. Any interpretation of the characters is valid and worth exploring. It's so sad to see a reeled off list of all the way Steve "should be" and the implication that nothing but strict canon adherence could ever be a passionate, worthy exploration. It's... only fanfic? It's not real. They're not real. Nothing is real and everything is possible and that's supposed to be what's fun about it.

I write the characters very intensely, so yes, they are often out of character, sorry for... warning about that? I write different backgrounds for them and play with the negative space of possibilities and potential and i do this with authentic curiosity and passion because I love doing it and i get very into it. Sorry for warning about that too, I guess? When I first started writing in this fandom, some people pointed out to me that I could CW warn for them being OOC and that was new to me, i didn't think I had to warn for that. I thought people would read the tags, like in other fandoms, and understand that the story would do different things with the characters but it became clear that this was actually solid advice as this was a fandom obsessed with "canon adherence" and policing. So I thought I would CW as thoroughly as I could so no one would be shocked or disappointed and then maybe they wouldn't leave an essay of hate in the comments.

But ultimately, people like this would only be satisfied if I deleted everything and stopped writing. I barely participate in this fandom as it is beyond answering asks and writing. I don't rec my own work. The thing i don't ever want, and this is why it was worrying seeing something like YD becoming "popular", is for people to feel like they *should* read my work without having gone and looked for it via the tags. Without having found it naturally, just by browsing and thinking "that's definitely for me". I've only ever posted for small rarepairs in the past so a couple of comments on a fic always made me so happy. I write for myself and the few others in the world who might like it. I have never written for an audience. If you don't like something I wrote, it's not for you. Genuinely. Move along to the next, no? That's what I would do.

This was so spiteful and targeted. YD is so old at this point, I just don't understand people who do shit like this. I don't bother anyone and I try to be here for anyone who needs me. I CW as thoroughly as I can. I don't think I'm better than anyone. I think every single iteration of these characters is worthy and valid and what matters is how fun they were to write, for the author. I had so much fucking fun with these stories that seeing this miserable little rant seems pointless to me. I don't care if you didn't like it. I don't care if it wasn't to your taste. Writing it was what I wanted. Sharing it is secondary, always. It's fanfiction, written for free in my spare time. I didn't take up space, I didn't trample anyone. There is no reason for this beyond spite.

I am sorry about the vest/jacket mixup, however. Truly, genuinely from the bottom of my heart devastatingly sorry about that. I know it'll take time for people to forgive me and maybe no one ever will, I have to make my peace with that.

Anyway, thanks for loudly projecting your feelings onto me and my work.

💜💜💜

[strangersteddierthings]

Daily Ficlet 7

I’m challenging myself to write a little ficlet every day, using the prompts from this list. Today’s prompt is recipe book.

-

Steve finds Wayne in the hallway, pulling what items he can from the closet there.

"Need some help?" Steve asks as Wayne struggles with a bigger box that seems wedged in pretty good.

"Sure. Just get yer hands up here and ready to catch," Wayne answers, shimmying the box to and fro while Steve moves to follow his instructions. The box isn't by any means light when it falls into his hands, but it's not the heaviest thing Steve's had to catch -don't think about it, don't think about Eddie's limp body awkwardly shoved through a gate. Don't-

"Thanks, son," Wayne climbs back down the stepladder he was on and takes the box from Steve' hands, walking down the hall to place it on the counter. The front half of the trailer is missing, the gate took it, but a decent amount of of the trailer remains (Eddie's room remains) and the government has finally allowed Wayne to return to pack up what he can.

It's better than starting over completely.

"What's in the box?" Steve asks, because it's the only item Wayne hasn't just demanded he load into the moving truck outside.

"It was supposed to be Eddie's graduation gift," Wayne says softly. "'Suppose it'll have to be a 'glad you woke up from yer coma' gift instead."

"Yeah," Steve says, even if he doesn't believe it. Eddie's been asleep months now. They saved the world, killed Vecna, closed the gates, Max woke up, and the kids have started Sophomore year; Eddie remains comatose. "Can I get a sneak peak at the present?"

"It's not much, and ain't nothin' new," Wayne says, opening the box and beginning the process of pulling things out. It looks a bit like the contents of a hope chest. Things to start living on your own with. Robin's mom has one for her that Steve's seen, and even contributed to. There's an envelope of $500 tucked along the side of Robin's chest.

"This was his grandpa's. My dad's," Wayne says, pulling out a belt buckle. "And my ma made this, not for anyone in particular, mind you, but just because she liked to keep herself busy." It's a blanket, thick and a little scratchy when Steve touches it. "And this. This is the most important." Wayne pulls out a binder from the bottom of the box, handing it over to Steve for inspection.

He takes it carefully even though it looks sturdy. Holding it in one hand, he flips it open. He was thinking maybe it would be a photo album or something but it's not. It looks like a recipe book. All the recipes are hand written on looseleaf paper, with post it notes sticking out randomly. "What makes this special?"

"That's his mom's handwriting," Wayne smiles but he sounds sad. "Eddie lost her when he was five. She got real sick, y'know, and never got better. But she wrote out all them recipes. I'm amazed Al kept the thing, but I guess I shouldn't be. No real value in a binder of recipes 'cept to the people close to the author."

Steve looks back down at the binder. He still has both his parents, however distant they might be, so he doesn't know if he'll ever fully understand the significance of getting this piece of someone back. "Does he not have anything else with her writing on it?"

"No, not writing. We got plenty of things they used to own. Eddie's caseworker let us go through the whole house, after Al'd been shipped off to the penitentiary, to gather anything Eddie might want or need. Was supposed to just be his stuff, mind you, legally speakin', but I think that lady knew if we didn't take other stuff, Eddie'd never see it again.

"So, Eddie's got things that were hers. But nothing that's uniquely hers. There's jewelry, and a coupla blankets, but all that stuff is replaceable and not... Well, I dunno what I'm tryin' to say, but that's just stuff that was hers. But this. This was her. Y'understand?"

And Steve does. There's a difference between having something that belonged to someone once, and something that really feels like them when you hold it. Steve doesn't have anything like that, personally, but he knows there will come a time when the difference matters. When everyone grows up and scatters into the future. He imagines a hand written letter from Dustin will mean much more for him to find after a long time of no contact than it would to find his old Roast Beef t-shirt in the back of a drawer or something, moth bitten and musty.

"I can't wait to find out if Eddie's an angry emotional, or a sad one."

Wayne laughs. "He can be both."

#wayne and steve #daily ficlet #just a lil thing for if eddie lived but didn't like... live #bittersweet #my fic

[ros3ybabe]

What is your morning and night routine ?

So, I don't follow these to their exact details every single day, but these are my ideal routines that, at the very least, I try to accomplish some of these things every day. This is just what I've currently been doing, to keep this as honest as possible.

🩷 Morning Routine -

wake up, drink some water (typically about half a 16oz water bottle)

put on my sweatpants, use the bathroom, wash my hands

brush my teeth, wash my face, do my morning skincare routine (currently using Cerave Hydrating Face Wash, Vitamin C serum, a thick moisturizer, and a lightweight sunscreen, I also apply hyaluronic acid to my lips and lock it in with a layer of vaseline or aquaphor) - need to update my skincare routine on here

make my bed

plug in all my electronics to charge if I didn't do it the night before

sit at my desk, write in my guided journal

answer a journal prompt from the Daily Haloha app on my phone

I typically check my emails, social media's, etc around this time and drink a hot cup of coffee

depending on what I have to do that day, I'll get ready (what I wear depends on where I'm going - gym, only classes, work, etc)

do my hair and maybe some makeup (again, depends)

pack my bags accordingly (school stuff in backpack, work stuff in work bag, respective gym stuff in school bag - all depends on the day)

clear any dishes and unnecessary trash from my room/desk area

pop on my headphones, grab my keys, head to my destination

I did not include breakfast as i typically eat on campus, or i skip breakfast because im not hungry. Some morning i shower and then do the brsuh teeth and skincare but it depends. I will update my ideal day routine for winter break as I will not be working or going to school during that time. it'll be the perfect chance to work on myself <3

🩷 Night Routine -

(shower if i didn't shower earlier in the day)

change into sweatpants and a shirt to sleep in

brush my teeth, wash my face (double cleanse most nights, follow my routine for that night) - I use a skincare diary app to create my routines by day and I love it

complete my night guided journal

scroll my social media's for a little bit

plug in all my devices (except my watch, I wear that to track my sleep sometimes)

lay down, typically zoom call my boyfriend for a little bit

after the zoom call, I honestly watch asmr until I get super tired and then I switch off my iPad.

plug my phone in, take off my glasses, take a small drink of water, close my eyes and fall asleep.

I typically try to wake up between 4 and 6am, and I try to go to bed between 8 and 10pm, sometimes 11 if I plan to sleep in the next day. I didn't include journal prompts or reading as I do those throughout the day and don't count them as part of a set routine.

Will update soon with my ideal routine I want to follow for morning and night during my 6 week winter break! will include gym time, breakfast time, etc. I know these routines don't seem so girly and lovely, but as a stressed-out college junior, this is what I do. I try to be realistic on here, as much as I can.

til next time lovelies 🩷 and thank you for the ask!

#pink pilates girl #pink pilates princess #self care #self development #self love #wonyoungism #it girl #health & fitness #mental health #physical health #morning routine #night routine #self improvement #self care tips #pilates aesthetic #pink aesthetic #pink moodboard #pink blog #pink academia #uni student aesthetic #university student #college student #student life #student #college studyblr #studyblr #langblr #that girl energy #that girl #it girl energy

[netherworldpost]

TRICK OR TREAT

A small box, purple and ribboned green. Inside are things, pleasant yet not yet seen.

Dreams, maybe, of places yet visited -- or places visited yet not yet returned to, in quite some time.

Wrapped in woodsmoke, that pleasant, and a leaf -- no, two -- it has been a good year, let us celebrate this success with harmless excess.

rambling ->

This will (probably) be the only trick or treat I respond to this year. You're the first! That's the bad news, that I'll probably only write one of these this year.

The good news (in active progress all season) is that I'm working on a whole system of them.

<- rambling / making sense ->

In 2014, I ran a promo on Evil Supply Co. where folks were invited to write in "trick or treat" and I would come up with a unique ramble (as above) for them.

Just for them. A gift of text. No duplicates. Each wildly different. How was that so long ago question mark exclamation mark.

I peaked into whatever information they provided to write something specifically customized for them using all of my powers of deduction (i.e. reading + skill as a storyteller) TO WRITE A TINY ***CUSTOM MYTH*** FOR THEM

(see above) (for yours) (enjoy!)

Answered LOTS.

It ended up being dozens. I don't think it was actually 364, but I do believe I ended up doing a few hundred, but. Y'know. Gif. Can't pass it up.

Tons of fun.

Tons of work!

Tons of fun though.

"I think you might have said something about a plan?" you might be wondering.

I don't know you and I don't know how familiar you are with my work and I'm guessing this is just a fun ask without prompting.

However.

I never let a chance to ramble go to waste.

Netherworld Post Office is being built as "an independent media company".

Fancy words.

Means we do lots of stuff.

Right now we're making myths for back office clients.

We're building a front office shop. Cards and stickers and zines.

That's two of the "lots of stuff."

A third of the "lots of stuff" is a continual "trick or treat" blog.

I'll run through some logistics quickly. You didn't ask for any of this part but this is the trick to the treat.

The Trick or Treat blog will be a public archive. Some things I'll just write because the blog'll need some stuff to get going and keep going.

But sometimes there will be a "trick or treat!" shop entry. Limited quantity. Available until sold out. One per customer. Working out the details. Randomly during the year it'll come back in stock until it's out of stock again.

If you snag one, it is $0.00 with $0.00 shipping and handling. Anywhere in the world. Trick or treats are free!

I'll write a tiny myth like the above.

It'll get printed on a card.

We cover the printing and the postage.

It'll get mailed to you. Wherever you are in the world!

Tiny postcard print.

Written just for you.

Mailed to just to you. For free! Anywhere in the world!

Trick or treat!

Via the mail!

You caught me in a late night business session and I had a solid amount of sleep today for the first time in weeks and so I Am Full of Energy.

Enjoy your treat!

I've carved off the launch date because (uncomfortable laughter) the problems we thought we had solved were solved but they weren't the only problems lurking.

It's fine.

That's business.

I'm smart and I've added even smarter folks helping me figure out the complex problems.

netherworldpost.com has the mailing list if you're thinking "huh I like the idea of receiving a launch email sometime when this all sets up."

I've overstayed my welcome in answering this ask, so I'll see myself out after a big "Happy Halloween!" to everyone

(or small I guess, text size is structured for reading)

(and we're in a small text section)

(...wrapping up...)

Thanks for this space.

The Trick or Treat blog is in active idea-ation-stage-ization because it is October and the October Energy is Rampant so we're grabbing it while we can to figure out this very October thing.

This gif selection is reminding me I am due for a witch hair appointment

Paying that bill requires cash (fair and good and fine)

And remembering "oh stones, money exists"

means remembering "oh bones, I gotta market this machine lest it devolve into An Ungodly Expensive Hobby"

so

that URL for email signup

one last time

netherworldpost.com

(I am actively reducing coffee intake and increasing sleep intake and my schedule has coincided with "tonight is a coffee night" + "today was a heavy sleep day" and your ask came in on "I am planning a big project")

(let this be a joyous warning to folks who ask me things)

(I MAY ANSWER) (IT WILL BE LONG) (IT MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE)

#october 31 #autumn blog #october #halloween #snail mail #autumn blogs #autumn snail mail #halloween snail mail

[kaelio]

Macro/micro for the fetish thing 📏

Ok, I know this ask is because of that entry in Anne Rice's journal where she watched Jack & The Beanstalk (she misremembered, I'm pretty sure this was Jack the Giant Slayer) so she could mack on Ian McShane and was annoyed the giants in it weren't hot enough, but obviously this is relevant to me because I draw micro/macro applicable stuff for a couple fandoms, or I have anyway.

The answer to this is, however, complex! Yes, in a way, but also not really, in a different way.

So first off, I like to write pornography, but it can't really get me off if I was the one who wrote it. Same with fanart. It's a writing challenge with a smack of pay-it-forward, or the sex is inherent to something I am trying to capture, but if I write it myself I'm too close to it; I remember too much of the process or mentally go into editing mode.

But as a result I tend to think of fetishes as both multipliers and ingredients.

As a consumer, I tend to think of fetishes as multipliers. Like, something that you're totally neutral on is a 1x. Something you just can't stand at all, total horny-killer, is a 0x. Hypothetically there's no upper bound but, say, 3x would mean the story is 3x hotter to you because it features that fetish. An example for me would be scat. Hard 0x. The second I see it, I'm out. No matter what else is going on, the multiplier is 0; the story is at a level of 0 hotness. The earlier answer on oviposition is like a .1x. I haven't run into a story with it that was good enough to get me off, but Bloodchild got close, so I'm saying with the deftest of hands, it can work. Micro/macro is maybe like a situational 1.2x. It's a little bump but it's not going to be make or break per se. It could be in a story where it added nothing to me.

Because that's where we get into fetishes as ingredients.

When I'm thinking about an effective piece of erotica, it's got components, right? It's expressing some notion. It'll have different ingredients in it that make up the whole, that make for a cohesive work. I do think that micro/macro can enhance some recipes a bit, but more than that, it's a virtually essential ingredient to others. Let's say you're into werewolf porn. If the werewolf is like, same-entity-size.... I dunno. Like I guess. But isn't the werewolf theme usually leaning on some sort of power dynamic that the savage nature of the werewolf highlights? The werewolf is going to be 140 lbs? Sure you don't want it to be a bit more Big? Or, to make a different point, more Small? That might take you in a funnier direction, more like a comedy premise perhaps, but something's being communicated by the inclusion of some kind of noticeable size difference.

Let's now take it over to tentacle porn. God, I tried. I have on an occasional whim thrown my lot in with Kurt Eichenwald and it just does not take. I can't get off to it. I'd love it if I could. But anyway, let's say someone's being pointedly caressed by an octopus. You can't have that be just a regular-size octopus. Kind of pathetic. Obviously, that octopus has to be bigger than an octopus should be. "Well, what if you add more octopuses, like an octopus gangbang?" Sure, that might work for some people. But for me it comes off as lacking in confidence. Oh, you had to bring all your little octopus friends to nail this twink? Sad.

Now, I am a scaley straight-up. The only limiting aspect to this, for me, is that most scalies seem to have gotten into it from like... Spyro the Dragon? And they're really cartoony. Doesn't hit. As a kid, I had books on ancient Egypt, and I was intrigued by Sobek. Also we had a caiman. And my mother would find people in the classified ads who were trying to sell giant snakes and pay for her kids to go pet (but not buy) the giant snakes so we wouldn't be afraid of snakes, like she was, so as a child I was just overwhelmingly exposed to giant (16'+) snakes. My mother would go dump us off at places where big snakes were so we could observe big snakes, like reptile shows and the reptile house at the zoo. The result of this was super funny but suffice to say I am not afraid of snakes. (Not into vore though! Does nothing for me! Responsible owners don't live-feed.) I want to be super clear: I do not want to fuck animals, never have, but I did want to nail Bleu in Breath of Fire more than you can possibly imagine. However, if I'm doing scaley stuff in particular, one simply has to admit that micro/macro is the baking soda in that quickbread. It's not the part that makes that fetish work, but it's certainly more likely to turn out the way you intended if you put a little bit of it in there. When I made Cardassians huge in my DS9 redesigns, however, that was mostly in service of it being funny since I was a major bottom-Garak advocate, the bigger they are the funnier that is. Also like, whiny old queen giant lizardman is just fun and has room to spitball where like, I don't know, a more straightforward big hot lizard man would utterly bore me. It can't all be baking soda.

#askbox

[goodluckclove]

Blind Trust OC Interview!

I got tagged by @mk-writes-stuff, and this sounded like fun so I'm down!

I've been thinking of an upcoming plot thread where I delve into Scott and Edgar's friendship as children, so I'll be answering as both of them at that age (so, like, 4-8). It'll be good practice to write their kid personalities.

Enjoy some casual conversations between two very different children who love each other very much.

(edit: this turned out way longer than i expected it to be but it's very cute in my brain so i'm letting it happen. i also tag @ivaspinoza and @rkmoon and @thegreatbeargod-writes if they're down!)

Are you named after anyone?

Scott: I'm named after my dad! My dad's name was Scott so now my name is Scott. Mom says that if I decide I want to change it she can help me, but I don't think I will. I might be a girl named Scott and I think that's cool because then I can still tell people about how important my dad was!

Eddie: I think - um. I'm sorry, I'm not sure. I think there was a little boy named Edgar in a children's book I used to have. I don't know if that's right, though. I'm sorry.

Scott: You know sometimes people aren't named after anybody. Sometimes you just get a name off a list. Sometimes you make up special new names to give to kids when they're born.

Eddie: I think Edgar was already a name before me.

Scott: Maybe.

When was the last time you cried?

Scott: This morning! I thought about a duck I saw in the river last year that was smaller than the other ducks and couldn't swim as fast. But its little duck family made sure to wait for it to catch up. It was really nice.

Eddie: You told me about that last night.

Scott: Yeah, it made you cry too.

Eddie: I'm sorry.

Scott: No, it makes sense! It's really beautiful. It's important.

Do you have kids?

Scott: I read in one of my dad's books that I might not be able to have kids myself, and it made me really sad because I thought it meant I wouldn't be able to have a family. But then mom told me - well, she explained a lot of things I didn't really get. I think it just meant that I was wrong before, and if I want I can have a really big family when I'm older.

Eddie: How big?

Scott: Probably a hundred. They can be kids and uncles and aunts and cousins and friends and dogs -

Eddie: You'd need a really big house.

Scott: Don't worry. We'll find one.

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Scott: I'm not really good at telling when people are being sarcastic. I don't understand how it's different than lying. I think it's a special kind of lying that everyone knows about but me. And that's kind of hard, but I think it's probably okay!

Eddie: It's not good when people are mean.

Scott: Some people feel like they have to be, I think.

Eddie: Why?

Scott: I don't know. But it must be hard for them.

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Eddie: I'm - well - I can tell if someone's going to be a bad person pretty quickly.

Scott: Wow.

Eddie: It's not really...it's hard to explain. Bad people - grownups, usually - get a look. In their eyes? Sometimes other people don't see it, but I do. I'm...really good at it.

Scott: That's amazing. Like a superpower!

What’s your eye colour?

Eddie: Scott's eyes are blue like, um...the sky in summer after I wake up from a nightmare.

Scott: Oh man.

Eddie: Okay it's your turn.

Scott: Um. Right. I - Eddie has brown eyes. Like...hang on, let me think. Like dirt? Yeah. Good, soft dirt. Mine's not as good as yours was.

Eddie: No, I liked it. I like soft dirt. Thank you.

Scary movies or happy endings?

Scott: I'm not allowed to watch scary movies because some of my older cousins put on Jurassic Park and I cried so hard I threw up.

Eddie: It is pretty scary, I think.

Scott: They say the dinosaurs aren't even real.

Eddie: Yeah.

Scott: How'd they get them to work on the movie, then?

Eddie: I think they made them up. With - uh - technology. Like a special effect.

Scott: Is Air Bud a special effect?

Eddie: I...I'm not sure.

Scott: I prefer Air Bud.

Eddie: I do too, I think.

Any special talents?

Eddie: Um, Scott is really, really good at the piano -

Scott: Eddie knows everything about every bird.

Eddie: Oh no. Oh no, Scott, that's not true.

Scott: Quick, name the best bird.

Eddie: That's not - Scott, that isn't really -

Scott: Come on I bet you know.

Eddie: American Goldfinch.

Scott: I knew it.

Where were you born?

Scott: I was born in Bluerose, Oregon!

Eddie: I was born in the Shreveport Academy in Louisiana.

Scott: That's really far away.

Eddie: Yeah. Yes. It is.

Scott: It doesn't feel far at all when I talk to you at night.

Eddie: ...No. I guess it doesn't.

Do you have any pets?

Scott: I'm friends with all the farm cats in town. Sometimes they'll follow me around to make sure I get home okay.

Eddie: That's nice of them.

Scott: You should talk about your pet!

Eddie: I don't have a pet.

Scott: There's that lizard in your yard.

Eddie: Oh, the skink? I'm not sure if that counts.

Scott: You named him Buster.

Eddie: I did. His name is Buster.

Scott: I like that. Buster seems nice.

What sort of sports do you play?

Eddie: I'm on the Academy little league team, but I'm not very good at soccer.

Scott: I don't play any sports, but I like to skateboard. It makes it a lot easier to get around town.

Eddie: Can you do any tricks?

Scott: Sometimes I can almost do a kickflip but if I keep practicing I think I can learn how to do a hardflip.

Eddie: What's that?

Scott: It's - different. It's cooler.

How tall are you?

Eddie: Short. I wish I was taller.

Scott: Why? I like that I'm short.

Eddie: Sure, but you might be a girl. It's okay if girls are short.

Scott: Well if you keep being a boy, I don't mind if you grow up to be short.

Eddie: I'll...probably get a little taller when I'm older.

Scott: Oh! That works for me too.

What was your favourite subject in school?

Scott: Eddie's really smart. He tells me all about his homework and tests and it all sounds really important.

Eddie: i don't really think school is fun, though. And you're smart, Scott. You're really smart.

Scott: I think science is neat.

Eddie: I thought there were only three types of matter -

Scott: No there are so many.

Eddie: Yeah, you're the one that told me about that.

Scott: Time crystals.

Eddie: Which one is that?

Scott: I can't remember. But they're there.

What is your dream job?

Scott: I want to be a professional zookeeper. And I would be friends with all the animals and take care of them.

Eddie: And you'd play the piano too, right?

Scott: Sure, but that won't be my job. That's just something I'd do for you and our family.

Eddie: Oh. Hah! Okay.

Scott: What about you, Eddie?

Eddie: Uh. Maybe I could be a Scout Leader. Like in the Boy Scouts!

Scott: You can take them to the zoo and - and I can tell them about anteaters.

Eddie: I'd like that.

#writeblr #writing community #writers on tumblr #on writing #writing #authors of tumblr #queer writers #blind trust #migration patterns #songbird elegies #lore time bby #i miss writing my novel #it's been like four days #editing is important but i MISS IT

[naffeclipse]

Sorry I haven't been commenting on the Apex Polarity chapters, there's been a lot going on recently and hhh,, sorry,,

I'm just gonna go over a few overall things~

Ok, starting with the setting. You've captured the arctic setting SO WELL! I don't understand how you do it but it's all just so easy to visualize when you write it. From the white arctic ice to the small research base and to the dark cold ocean, it's all so well written! I also just love this type of setting. I'm currently a little obsessed with arctic environments and especially arctic research bases. (The Thing has me in a death grip pfpgjdjf) I'm having a very good time hehe~~

You venture into places and explore environments I haven't seen anyone in this fandom write about yet. (maybe I live under a rock and there are more fics that explore settings like this, sorry if I've missed those) What I want to say is I'm so impressed that you can tap into all these different environments and transport us there so effectively! Lovely stuff!!

Michael and Vanessa are holding big secrets, gosh, especially Michael! I want to know what he knows, and what he might be hiding~

I really like those two in this story btw! Y/N needs some good people around to bring them down to reality after their meetings with Eclipse, and so far Michael and Vanessa are doing a great job.

I gotta say, the oatmeal with cinnamon brings so much warmth to my heart. Where I live it's a common food, especially during the winter months. Next time I have some it'll be really hard to not think about this fic. X3

Ok! Now the guy we all are obsessed with! Eclipse!!!

I'm falling so hard for this orca that by this point the impact will be fatal. He's so scary, off-putting and littered with red flags, still I want to cuddle him!? How do you even write a character like that!? How is he turning into a softie!?!?

Every interaction with him gives us something new, it's always so exciting when he shows up! And of course you're taking advantage of all his animal/monster features, one of my favorite things about your writing. You're using his teeth, his claws, his orca body and giving him those animalistic behaviours that just makes him SO FUN TO READ!! He's a creature and I LOVE IT! >:3

So in the recent chapters with the rock, the nap and that little ice block ride, oh my goodness he's sweet! How are you making him sweet while still keeping his forceful behavior!? I'm really wondering if he'll ever stop with the manhandling, will he be transformed at the end of all this, and where will this story even go!! I have my theories, but I feel like they could all be wrong X3

Before I end I'd like to just ask one thing about Eclipse!

How is his relationship with actual orcas? Are they mingling or does he hunt them? Or are the orca families too strong for him and they bully him out of territories and hunting grounds? Or do they just ignore each other?

(Feel free to ignore this question if it will lead to spoilers :p)

I'm VERY excited to see how this story continues, it's been such an enjoyable ride so far! Thank you for blessing us with your writing! ♥️♥️♥️

Meep, I am rattling you so hard right now, you have no idea!!!

Thank you so much! I've really thrown myself into descriptions for this fic as I want to capture the essence of the feeling of a place as intense and wonderful as the Arctic so your comment makes me so so happy!

Ah, Y/N really does need good people!! Vanessa and Michael have got stuff going on :)

Aw, that's super sweet ;-;

AH YES THE GUY HIMSELF!!! I'm really glad you enjoy him, I enjoy him too, writing and in the brainrot alsjdfals but we'll find out more about him as we continue on this icy little journey hehe

I would love to answer this question but I think it might be a spoiler, so I'll just ask that you keep it in your back pocket for later!!!

Thank you so much, Meep!!! I'm excited too and I'm so glad you like it!!

#mwah #smooch ya on the head #themeeplord #compliments

[bettsfic]

Betts,

Would you be comfortable in showing us what your messy first drafts look like? Not for a whole story but maybe an excerpt and noting how it changed in revisions. I’ve been looking for first drafts by writers and either found they look almost identical to finish printed version or I can’t find them at all.

i can show you what a messy first draft looks like but i don't think it'll be very illuminating. for me, the down draft is mostly about developmental work. i'll write ten scenes and the final draft will be chunks from six of them. so on a small scale it looks like i don't do much editing, but big picture i write over twice as much as i end up keeping, and what i keep has usually been completely rewritten. so if i do a side by side comparison of a scene, what you're not seeing is the stuff that didn't make the cut, or all the ways i wrote in the wrong direction for a long time, or the hours of research i had to do for a single detail (an example of which you'll see below).

i wrote an issue of my newsletter about my drafting process, so that might be more helpful. i also answered an ask recently about ways to develop a scene if you're stuck.

unfortunately i don't have the brainwidth to do all the research here, but the new yorker published an early draft of raymond carver's "what we talk about when we talk about love" which as originally called "beginners," and somewhere there's a detailed comparison of the two and the changes his editor, gordon lish, made.

but! you asked to see a draft comparison. so here's a draft comparison.

so this got a little crazy and i ended up making a gdoc for scene 2 so you could see them together. see link at the bottom. conclusion: comparing drafts is very hard and i don't think this probably helps at all but i tried.

"final" draft

these are the first two scenes of a short story i wrote called The Group W Bench. we begin in 1970 and then move into present day-ish. i've bolded the small things that were actually big things, and i'll explain why they were big things at the end.

"final" is in quotes because there is a different final draft of this story that goes in a completely different book.

scene 1: past

They didn’t hand out 4-Fs in St. Louis. Supposedly it was the worst draft office in the country. I didn’t know anyone who’d gotten out of it, but in my hometown they didn’t seem to want to. Most everyone was proud and eager to get shipped off.

My number was 66 and it’d been pulled just after I turned nineteen. On the bus to the induction center, I tried to come up with a plan. My only options seemed to be mutilating myself or flat-out running. I was too much of a coward for the former and I couldn’t wrap my head around the latter. There were only a dozen of us on the bus and I had my whole seat to myself. Out the window, cornfields blurred past; it was August and the stalks were head-high. I tried to imagine myself out in the jungle holding an M16, but I couldn’t. I’d graduated high school with a C-average, only kissed one girl one time, was raised by parents who’d had no parents of their own. My mother grew up in an orphanage. My father rode the rails. They fucked up my brother Tommy, did a little better with Wyatt, but by the time I came along, they’d given up. Sometimes I felt feral, raised by wolves.

Across the aisle, a guy was playing the harmonica. He had shaggy black hair and stubble around his jaw, big nose bent at the bridge. He caught me staring at him and I looked away quickly. He crossed the aisle and sat beside me. 

“You look like you don’t want to be here,” he said.

He didn’t sound like he was from Missouri. He sounded like an actor on TV, all hard Rs and round vowels. I didn’t respond to him. For all I knew he was a plant, some kind of spy trained to sniff out potential defectors.

He ran his thumb over the shiny surface of the harmonica. The movement reflected the sun into my eyes. “Buddy of mine got his arm blown off.”

“My brother died,” I told him. I’d been the one to answer the door that day. I was only sixteen and the boy who delivered the telegram couldn’t have been much older. He handed it over, touched the brim of his hat, and said, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

There were no remains. Nothing to bury. Just a bit of yellow cardstock telling me Tommy was dead.

“Sorry to hear that, man.” He held out his hand. “Jack Ward.”

I shook it. “Birdie Mills.”

Jack smiled, a deep dimple carved into each cheek. “Hell of a name, Birdie Mills. Where you from?”

“Here. Couple hours north.”

“California. Riverside.”

“What’re you doing here?”

“Just got out of film school. Can’t get student deferment anymore. So I started bouncing around, you know, changing my address. They finally pinned me down.”

I hadn’t thought of that, transferring draft centers, delaying as long as possible hoping the war would finally end. It was a relief to meet someone as reluctant to go as I was. I felt crazy sometimes, surrounded by men who wanted nothing more than to die for their country. I couldn’t imagine loving anything so much I’d be willing to give my life for it.

“You have a plan?” I asked.

“Nope.” We turned into the induction center lot. “I’m gonna wing it.”

early draft

according to my document, i wrote this on november 8, 2022, so almost exactly a year ago. at that time, this was one chapter of a novel that had alternating POVs in third person. i had about 90k of this novel written. which turned into a short story. which turned into a different novel.

scene 1

Birdie’s number was 257 and it was pulled shortly after he turned nineteen. His draft office was in St. Louis, notoriously one of the worst in the country. There were no 4-Fs in St. Louis. He didn’t know a single man who’d gotten out of it, but then again, they didn’t want to. Most everyone in his town was eager and proud to get shipped off. 

On the bus to the induction center, he tried to come up with a plan, but nothing came to him. Out the window, cornfields blurred past; it was August and the stalks were head-high. He tried to imagine himself out in the jungle holding an M16, but he was just a coward from Missouri who graduated high school with a C-average, who had only kissed one girl one time, who was raised by parents who’d had no parents of their own. His mother grew up in an orphanage. His father rode the rails. They fucked up Tommy, did a little better with Wyatt, but by the time Birdie came along, they’d given up. Sometimes he felt feral, raised by wolves.

Across the aisle, a guy was playing the harmonica. Birdie couldn’t pull his eyes away from him. He had shaggy black hair and stubble around his jaw, big nose bent at the bridge. He caught Birdie staring at him and kept his gaze, some recognition in his eyes, and a moment later he was slotting the harmonica into his jacket pocket and coming to sit next to Birdie.

“You look like you don’t want to be here,” the guy said.

Birdie didn’t say anything. For all he knew, the man could be some kind of spy trying to sniff out defectors. 

“Buddy of mine got his arm shot off.”

“My brother died,” Birdie admitted.

“Sorry to hear that, man.” He held out his hand. “Jack Ward.”

Birdie shook it. “Birdie Mills.”

Jack smiled, a deep dimple carved into each cheek. “Quite a name, Birdie Mills. Where you from?”

“Here,” Birdie said. “Couple hours north.”

“California. Riverside,” Jack offered. 

“What are you doing here?”

“Just got out of film school. Can’t get student deferment anymore. So I started bouncing around, you know, changing my address. They finally pinned me down.”

Birdie hadn’t thought of that, transferring draft centers, delaying as long as possible hoping the war would finally end. It was a relief to meet someone as reluctant to go as he was. He felt crazy sometimes, surrounded by men who wanted nothing more than to die for their country. 

“You have a plan?” Birdie asked.

“Nope,” Jack said, pulling his harmonica back out. They were turning into the induction center lot. “I’m gonna wing it.”

changes and why i made them

lotto number 257 was pulled in 1970 but only numbers under 125 were drafted. it took an entire afternoon to figure out how the selective service lotto even worked.

turning this into a short story, the sentence "They didn’t hand out 4-Fs in St. Louis" was a stronger opening.

as a chapter in a book, at this point the reader is familiar with birdie and knows him only as a scoundrel-type character seen from the perspective of his son who despises him, and his daughter who reveres him. so in the old version, it was satisfying (or intended to be) to get to his POV and see him from his own perspective. as a short story, i tried to organize the opening in such a way that you get grounded pretty quickly and see birdie as a scared kid before you get to the scoundrel days (see below).

the brief "my brother died" flashback was the first part i wrote in his POV, and that was back when the structure of the narrative was a series of short, titled vignettes. so on one hand i was glad i got to keep it but sad i had to shoehorn it into a different scene instead of allowing it to open the piece.

the novel was written in third person but when i tackled it as a short story i decided to change it to first person because i like first person better, and birdie is a very fun narrator.

the "I couldn't imagine..." sentence was added in the short story version because in the present timeline, birdie's about to get shot to save his daughter while they're robbing a bank together. so in one sentence, i managed to condense an arc that before took a VERY long time to establish.

this got kind of out of hand. i tried to do the same thing with scene 2 but it was hard in the text window so i did it side by side in a google document. if you want, you can add comments asking why i did certain things and i'll answer you there. i'm sure i missed stuff.

sorry if this isn't helpful!

#writing advice #bk #rabbit's blood #revision

[bigmammallama5]

hey so, many of the fics i've loved of yours feature intimacy and sex, i've always been in awe at how much emotion there is. there's an idea i've had lately that deals with intimacy and tbh i'm scared to write it. mostly bc i'm afraid i'll write it shitty but also bc i don't usually write sex (which is prob why i'm convinced it'll come out shitty oop) - i guess my question is, how do you get to a point where you're not scared to write it? or like, less scared? bc i really want to write it, i believe in the story, i guess i just don't believe that i can write it...

Well… that’s hard a hard question to answer lol. I know you may roll your eyes at this answer, but you just have to trust yourself to try because you may never truly feel less scared until you do!

I have made a lot of shitty art whether that’s writing, drawing, pottery, you name it, because I just. I really really needed to make it. I was lucky that when I was a younger teen I started exploring more explicit topics in fic with a best friend my age who was also curious. Sure we were woefully inexperienced, but we allowed ourselves to try. They’re still one of my best friends to this day and we do pottery together, and we still encourage each other to try new things.

So. Just try for yourself. Don’t feel pressured to share it, to polish it, to make it presentable. I know we all crave that validation, but you are your most important reader. I still get scared to write some things, draw some things, test the limits of the clay on my wheel. But how will I ever be able to know if I can do it if I don’t trust myself to try? There are still fics and drawings I may never finish and I had to learn the hard lesson to just be okay with that. Sometimes I can’t tell that story. Sometimes it’s not the right time for that drawing. Sometimes I need to practice and learn more before I can make that pot. Sometimes you just need to try and know that it will probably be shitty lol. But that doesn’t mean it will always be shitty. Keep at it, build skills that will help you (like reading published stuff that isn’t just fanfic, taking a drawing class, talk to a more experienced crafts person ect) and eventually, if you keep letting yourself try, it’ll be less shitty.

In the wise words of our late beloved space mom, Carrie Fisher: “Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.” Just let yourself try, and maybe yell at a buddy or two along the way lol

#ask me stuff! #sorry that got wordy i just #i didnt want you to feel like i was brushing you off and i tend to overcompensate lmfao

[sam-loves-seb]

gallavich questions

thanks for the tag (and the questions) @callivich !!

What’s a fic you’ve read more than once? intro to quantum dating by @spoonfulstar, i think i've read it 3 or 4 times now, it's one of my all time favorites

What’s a gifset you always have to reblog? anytime i see a gifset from that one s5 deleted scene, yeah that one, i have to reblog

What’s a headcanon you can’t stop thinking about? i have a very specific headcanon for a tattoo ian gets post-canon for mickey, and i hesitate to even explain it now bc i think one day i do wanna write a fic about him getting it, but whatever--my headcanon is that he gets an M tattooed on his left ring finger and it's a subtle yet sweet nod to his husband. (i could talk about this for 9 hours but i will limit myself and stop here)

What’s a fanart you love looking at? i've spent an obscene amount of time staring at this fanart by @doodlevich it just checks all my boxes (domestic, husbands, fluff, etc.) and it's so well done, i'm obsessed with this pieces

What’s an idea you’d love to create if you had the time/inspiration? listen, i have this idea for a rock band au that lives rent fucking free in my head, and if i can find the time and the inspiration to actually turn these vibes and unorganized plot points into actual words and a coherent story in the new year, then maybe it'll see the light of day in 2024 but no promises. for now, i leave you with this: four milkovich siblings are in a rock band that is rising to success with the launch of their second studio album and subsequent tour, and ian gallagher is lead singer mandy's (fake) boyfriend--at least in the eyes of the public--and he spends some time that summer touring with the band and hooking up with their lead guitarist in secret until the band's manager/father catches wind of what's going on behind closed doors

What’s something you’ve discovered since entering this fandom? A new trope you love? A different analysis of the show? Something else? i've always been a post-canon enthusiast for almost all of my ships, but i think before gallavich i always envisioned them with a very cookie cutter standard american dream family with the house and the careers and the 2.5 kids, which usually fits a lot of my ships, but with gallavich i... don't have that same vision ?? i think they're actually my first ship that i hc more often than not without kids in their post canon life, which is a new vibe for me entirely but i kinda love reading/writing it. idk if that answers the question you asked, but it definitely answered a question

What’s an underrated trope or concept you’d like to see more of? honestly i want more s9/10 prison era gallavich fics (and/or fanart). i think it's a gold mine era with so much untapped potential, and there are very few fics/series/whatever that really get deep with it and get to the good stuff of these two boys who haven't spent any significant time together in years but still love each other like they did way back when

What’s your favourite season? And has this changed after multiple rewatches of the show? it flip-flops for me between s4 and s5, like right now i think it's s5 but idk if i could actually pick one or the other as my absolute favorite

What’s a plot hole you wish had been answered or resolved? i would give my left arm to know how the fuck (and why the fuck) mickey started rolling with his dad again in post-prison s10 era, like in 10x08 he's going to terry for advice on how to protect ian, just for terry to try to kill him again 3 episodes later ??? make it make sense john wells i'm under your bed

What scene or moment do you feel isn’t discussed enough? personally i think the promise ring scene in 10x09 is criminally underrated and not talked about nearly enough, like you don't understand how happy that scene made me (stay with me here) seeing mickey stand up and fight for the future he really wants with ian and not settling for anything less

What line/dialogue/description from something else (a poem, a book, a tv show, a movie, or something else) do you feel describes Ian and Mickey’s relationship? can i do song lyrics? i'm gonna do song lyrics--i've always thought the song godlight by noah kahan was very gallavich, especially the chorus, and especially during s4/5/6 era and it may or may not be a piece of inspiration for my big bang canon divergent fic

What do you think is next for Ian and Mickey post-finale? i think they take a while to really settle into their new place and and make it their own, and it's a bit of an adjustment (for both of them) to fit in with this new crowd and this new environment, but they're learning how to grow and evolve together and at the end of the day that's all that really matters to the both of them

tagging: literally anyone who wants to play bc my brain is tired and i am too tired to try and remember everyone i probably should tag

#gallavich meta #gallavich questions

[writingseaslugs]

Headcanons Writing Technique + A Che'nya headcanon!

Aight, homies, so one person wanted me to drop the secret on how I power-write 22-character headcanons in like less than three hours (thanks, @seajellyx ). So here we go. Just a heads up, I type hella fast, so it might take you more or less time, but this is the most simplified version that I find to be helpful.

A heads up that I recommend writing everything in Google Docs or something other than Tumblr. If Tumblr does something weird, it can delete all your stuff, and then you'll want to perish.

In the end, I'll add a quick TL;DR if you want just the basics, so if you don't care for overly detailed explanations, skip to the very end. Without further ado, this is my gremlin way of writing headcanons AND formatting on Tumblr. It takes me half an hour to do a set of five characters.

Prompt: Figure out your prompt. Go find a prompt list or get an idea/request/whatever works.

Characters: Choose your characters. Character select that shit, homies; you can do all your favorites or every character in the series. It doesn't matter.

How Many Bullets: Decide how many bullet points you want to do. This is gonna simplify it and keep things consistent across the board for you. I like to go for about three to five bullet points on average since it's not overwhelming, especially when doing many characters.

The Formula: This is gonna sound weird, but make a "formula." Have a question to answer for each bullet you decide on. If you want three bullet points for your headcanons, write down three questions. Sometimes I type the questions first, and that's how many bullets I have. I switch it around sometimes to keep things fresh. Two examples of my previous formulas:

Prompt: Reader Who's Scared of Storms

Formula:

How do they find out you're scared?

How do they comfort you?

What do they do when you call them in the middle of the night?

Prompt: Doing Nails with Them

Formula:

Do they normally do their nails?

How do they respond when you ask to do their nails?

What do they do when you ask them to do your nails?

This is the basic formula that you'll be following. All characters will be based on this formula, so just answer these questions when you write.

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5. Basic Outline: Make a basic outline after you have your formula down and your characters selected. Don't write the full answers down. Just quickly jot down a single sentence that gives you a basic idea. Do this for all the characters, so you aren't stressing over ideas for every character. An example:

(And by the way, I normally just keep the formula in a sidebar on my writing program, so it's just set up as bullets, not with the question and then the answer. Adding the question is just for example purposes).

Prompt: Reader Who's Scared of Storms

Character - Che'nya

Question: How do they find out?

Finds out when he sneaks into the school during a storm and sees you.

Question: How do they comfort you?

Makes jokes and drags you to prank Riddle and Trey.

Question: What do they do when you call them in the middle of the night?

He already knows there's a storm and has snuck into the school before.

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6. Time Limits: Once you have the basics written down, you can expand on them. Normally I give myself a time limit. I'm pretty fast, so I give myself five minutes per character for a set of three bullet points. This way, you're just writing and not thinking too hard. I can go overboard or get distracted if I give myself unlimited time. Adjust the time to how long it takes you. Maybe time yourself for writing a few headcanons and seeing how long it generally takes you. If this stresses you out, though, don't worry. I just like it because then I know, "Okay, to do all five characters, it'll take me a solid twenty-five minutes, and I'm done."

7. How much are you writing: In the writing program, I aim for three to five lines written of text. Again, it's just consistency. Don't force yourself to try to write a lot. If you have what you want to be written, then you're good. Go to the next bullet, and don't sweat it. I'm just OCD and like things to be fairly consistent.

8. Expand: Go hog wild and just type them out now. Use your basic idea and just expand on it. Don't worry about grammar or spelling mistakes; you can deal with that later. My example:

Prompt: Reader Who's Scared of Storms

Character - Che'nya

Question: How do they find out?

Basic Idea: Finds out when he sneaks into the school during a storm and sees you.

Che'nya finds out you're scared of storms when he's managed to sneak into the school one day and was looking for Riddle. It was just about to start raining, and he saw you off in the distance. He was planning on just scaring you when he heard the first crack of thunder. He watched you literally jump and scream, clearly not realizing a storm was about to happen. He then watched as you scurried off into the nearest structure while looking panicked. He investigated and headed over, finding you having a full-blown anxiety attack. He asked to see if you were alright, coming over and startling you. Once you realized who it was, you were embarrassed but explained your issue with storms.

Question: How do they comfort you?

Basic Idea: Makes jokes and drags you to prank Riddle and Trey.

Once Che'nya knows, he's going to be trying to calm you down through laughter. He's going to drag you to find Trey and Riddle, messing with them by turning invisible to jump out at them. You're playing as the distraction. If you prefer being away from others, he's cool with that too. Besides, he hasn't seen Ramshackle yet and is excited to drag you there. He'll be raiding your kitchen, saying that tea is apparently good for calming you down. Then he goes into detail about how he used to be skittish with storms when he was younger to help you feel a bit better.

Question: What do they do when you call them in the middle of the night?

Basic Idea: He already knows there's a storm and has snuck into the school before.

You're never going to have to worry about calling him. He always knows when a storm is on its way, like a weird 6th sense. Once he does, he ditches his campus and heads over to Night Raven. He always makes an excuse at his school as to why he's gone so he can spend the entire night. Expect him to make hot milk and watch some cheesy movies with you. He's curling you up in his lap and playing with your hair the entire night as well, loving when you let your guard down and fall asleep on him.

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9. Quick Corrections: There you go; the basics are now all done! You have all your headcanons. You're thriving; you're vibing. All that's left is to do the grammatical corrections. I use my homeboy Grammarly (free version because I'm broke) and let it do the hard work. Just make sure you check what it's correcting because sometimes Grammarly gets it totally wrong. Then you're just about done my dudes. However, if you want even more tips...

Bonus: Quick Tumblr Formatting

So now you have all your lovely writing done, preferably in google docs or something else (I've been using Scrivener since 2016) because, oh goodness, Tumblr can be a nightmare sometimes, and delete all your work. Tumblr copy-and-paste formatting sucks when using other programs, so here's my little workaround: (As a note, I use the beta version of the Tumblr post editor as it has more options and is overall better, especially when you get to the tagging portion).

Make good use of your drafts: I make consistent formatting type of thing in my drafts for each dorm. I also like to use banners to separate characters. It retains most of its formatting when you make a draft and copy-paste it into another Tumblr post. Here's what one of my drafts looks like:

Just some notes: Embedded links, indentations, and page breaks don't work when you copy and paste them. You'll just have to put them back in yourself, but 90% of the time, it copies/pastes everything perfectly. The only issue with this is that when you do this technique with banners, then:

That weird media link will pop up. I'm OCD, so I go through docs and copy/paste it there to fix the problem, but if you don't care, then power to you. If you're curious, I use Canva to design all my banners (1000x200), but that's an aesthetic look you don't need unless you want it.

2. Copy and Paste: Now that you have the drafts done copy/paste them into a new draft. Then go to your docs and individually copy/paste the characters under their correct names. I organize things by dorms, but if you're only doing a few characters, you can delete the ones you don't need.

3. Quick Tagging: Tagging is my most hated thing, so I made it simple. The best way to do this is through docs. Simply open a document up and write down all the tags, making sure to hit enter between each one, so they're all on a different line. I use docs for this because when you make something a header, there's a sidebar that you can use to automatically bring you to whatever you need.

I like using these general tags for fandoms, then creating a header for each character name and using custom tags for them. So the general tags would be:

General Tags:

Twisted Wonderland

Twisted Wonderland x Reader

Twst x Reader

Character Name:

Character Name

Character Name x Reader

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This makes it so much easier. When using the beta version of the Tumblr editor, all you do is copy/paste the tags into the little "add tags" section. As long as each tag is on a different line, then the beta version automatically knows their different tags. If you use the normal version, it'll add all those as a single tag, and you'll want to cry.

On another note: Tumblr only allows 30 tags in total and only the first 20 count. So make sure if you have tons of tags, the important ones go first.

4. Post/Queue/Schedule: All that's left to do is post/schedule/queue your stuff. I like to schedule things personally, but adding to the queue is way easier. Then you're all done!

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I know this seems like a lot of steps, from writing the headcanons to posting them, but if you have the drafts to copy/paste from, it takes me, on average, thirty minutes to write and format headcanons for five characters.

This is just my process; I find it easy once you have it all down. Took my a while to figure out what works best for me, but maybe this will give you ideas.

TL;DR

Find the prompt you want and the characters you're writing for.

Write a question for each bullet point, then jot down quick ideas for each character.

Expand on each character, write a paragraph, and then use Grammarly to fix the errors.

Make drafts from which you can copy/paste formatting, then plug your writing into bullet points.

Copy/Paste premade tags from docs into Tumblr Beta Post Editor, then hit the post/queue/schedule button.

#Twisted Wonderland #Twisted Wonderland x Reader #TWST #TWST x Reader #TWST Wonderland #writing #writer #writing tips #writing advice #headcanons #che'nya #che'nya x reader

[aglitchysylveon]

slides in with question

List 5 things that make you happy, and put this in the ask box of 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you!

(btw you dont have to answer on the spot :3) (btwbtw: LOVE YOUR WORK /POS)

Things that make me happy? I have a lot but if it comes to here I guess I can think of some things.

1: I like it when people reblog my stuff, especially the things that aren't overly popular. Like half of my art that has a shit ton of attention are of the smiling critter things and then I look at my OCs that have... Like 2 reblogs and maybe 4 likes. So I like it when people look my OC art because I worked a lot on those (even the lore bits)

2: I enjoy getting comments and asks about little things about myself, it's fun to write about the things I like.. And maybe getting asks for my OCs? I LOVE WRITING ABOUT THEM PLEASE SOMEONE ASK CECE SOMETHI-

3: I don't know why people use the tags to comment on people's posts when they reblog things but sometimes it can be so funny to see their reaction, and it's unironically the funniest thing. Also some of the messages of the reblogged posts are so funny 💀. The McDonald's Gabriel thingy I did that kinda blew up has so many people being like "yes I'll have (a food from the restaurant)" but yeah. Now I'm kinda just rambling lol.

4: These last two are kinda tricky because these never happened (yet) and I'm sure any artist can relate to the sheer volume of happiness that can suddenly materialize within you, but it's when people comment about my art and how much they love it, I know that I'm good at art it's just sometimes I kinda doubt my ability or get down on myself when things don't get attention but I gotta remember it's the stinky algorithm.

5: For this, I hope one day it'll happen. But I love getting fanart of my OCs, so far it's really only been my small friend group whose been drawing for each other, and even from them I get happy about seeing my OCs in their art styles or just doing stupid shit. Or with their OCs.

But yeah that's pretty much what I can think of.

I don't know how to do the askbox shit so I'll just ping 10 people here and hope I don't explode from doing things wrong, please don't drag me into the shadow realm.

@angelcat123 @aprosin @clownpalette @cameraclown06 @gardensofcanaan @little-miss-impersonator @handhourgalleries @callie-flower @purpletrashsnake @izel-scribbles

(Also this totally isn't a promotion for my mother but guys please follow @handhourgalleries , she's my mom and she's very cool, her art looks so edible I'd eat her art as a late night snack. Do it now/j)

#answering asks #asks #things about me #stuff i like #5 things #artists on tumblr

[factorialsotherfandoms]

XCOM2 au again. This is... honestly I should write the other piece of this first - hopefully tomorrow - but I've a long day today and this one is faster. This preceeds the bits I've been writing recently by a few months, being the bit between Mike being kidnapped and Pac getting to safety (tomorrow's is the actual kidnapping, if I can convince myself to write it).

It's also Felps PoV and I adore him but I also struggle because I've only ever caught 5 minutes here and there of his stuff, so he's the Brazilian I have the worst grasp on. Apologies.

Open ending, but if you read the other bits later than this you know its fine in the end.

It's a quiet night, but then they often are. Felps has command of the ship, Forever and Cellbit having bedded down for the night. The one call they were expecting has been and gone. Someone still has to remain at the comms, just in case, but he can sit at the desk and play cards with the night-duty engineers and not feel too bad about it.

He's won three bottles of lemonade and an old wristwatch, and lost his third favourite pen when the comms light up.

Not expecting anything, Felps takes a moment to even recognise the beep. A quick glance at the screen - it's in the band they reserve for emergencies, long-range. Redirected via... A quick glance shows him that while the computer can unscramble the message, it's been redirected too many times to pin the origin.

He can worry about that later.

The game is abandoned, Felps answers the call.

At first, all he can hear is sobbing - heavily distorted. It takes him a moment, then another, then...

"Pac?"

Pac and Mike are supposed to be radio silent for another three, maybe four, days. They're supposed to be using one of the camp radios even if they do.

Felps heart drops to his feet as Pac continues to sob.

"Pac?" He tries again, gesturing for one of the engineers to run and wake Forever. "Pac, what's wrong?"

He still doesn't get an answer.

Behind him something moves. Felps snaps around, sees it's just his fellow cards players. One is running off to the commander's quarters, the other two are hovering at their desks, ready to input whatever commands are needed.

Felps takes a breath, then another, then realises... It's not just sobbing.

It's hard to make out, it's so hard to make out, but between the sobs he can make out numbers.

Coordinates.

"Pac?" he tries again, doing his best to hide his own fear and knowing he can't. "Pac, can you start from the top again?"

Pac doesn't, seemingly unable to hear him, but after a couple more digits Felps hears 'latitude'.

He grabs a notepad, and begins scribbling down what he hears. It takes a few goes through to be absolutely certain he got the whole string, and then hands them off to one of the waiting engineers.

"Pac, it's Felps, I'm here," and Felps wishes he was, not half a world away, the ship having been used to make some deliveries yesterday. "It'll all be okay, right? I'm here, after all!"

It's not a promise he can make; one of the engineers has pulled up the coordinates, and it's at least a four hour flight. Felps bites his lip.

It's also... Something about the satellite photos looks wrong.

It looks...

"Pac, shit, calm down!" he tries desperately. "Are those your coordinates? Or the mission ones?"

There's a brief break in the sobbing, a short breath and, "it's- it's where /it/ lives. I can't- I- It's here, Felps, it's here! I can't-"

The sobbing picks back up. Felps own heart-rate picks up.

4 hours. Shit, shit shit - they're four hours out, and that isn't even his location!

"Shit, shit, shit," Felps chants the word, three repetitions to ever sob of Pac's, tries to think, tries to drone both things into music in his mind and focus through it. "Pac, is Mike there?"

The sobs grow heavier, "they got him, they got Mike."

Felps can taste his own blood - Pac will always mean the universe to him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care for the rest, and doesn't mean losing anyone wouldn't ruin him too. Got as in killed or got as in kidnapped? It doesn't really matter, does it?

"Shit, fuck," who is even awake to help? It's the graveyard shift. "Where are you, Pac?"

Any response he does get is incoherent; Felps barely even notices himself pulling open a second comms channel - local this time.

He doesn't realise he managed it until he's answered with, "Tubbo here, whatcha need?"

Tubbo's voice is distorted too; Felps isn't sure if it's his own panic, or the fact Tubbo's got him on speaker.

"I'm on another call - channel, er, emergency channel. Can you track it?"

"The computer can't?"

"No."

Tubbo says something - Felps is momentarily distracted by Pac going deathly silent on the other line. He doesn't even breathe until he hears the sobbing pick back up - quieter, but Pac is at least safe enough to cry, and near enough the radio to be picked up.

"Say again?"

"Said maybe, I'll give it a go," there's the sound of clattering machinery, and then Tubbo's voice is clearer. "How urgent?"

Felps can't answer that question - on his other line Pac shrieks, and he immediately switches over.

"Pac!" he calls. "Pac, are you okay?!"

A few rounds of gunfire.

"Pac!!!"

Heavy breathing, and then Pac's shaking voice, "just... just a guard. Just a guard."

Just a guard isn't anything Felps likes.

"Pac, you need to run," Felps does his best to be serious, to talk his panicking friend through it long enough to survive. "Please, Pac?"

"But-"

"For me?"

"Felps?" the voice isn't from either comms line, but behind him. "What's going on?"

Felps turns, fingers on his pistol as he jumps - just Forever, just Forever, more than half asleep and wearing nothing but lounge pants.

"Pac," is all Felps can quite manage to say in reply. "Pac, um, he-"

Forever's eyes skim over Felps' face, and the monitor, and Felps can see the life and the hope drain from his body all at once.

And there's nothing Felps can say to make it better.

He turns back to the screen, trying to find anything - anything - that might save his light. His fingers tremble as he searches every bit of the map around the point he was given, but he also has no idea how long ago Pac and Mike were there. Maybe...

Tubbo's voice cuts back in, "got it! Sending it up. You... I might have listened a bit... Tell Pac to get home safe, okay? I'm getting the rest of the shift up. I'll let them know."

That line goes dead before Felps can reply, but at least Tubbo is on the ship. He clings to the other one instead, where he can only hear Pac's unsteady breathing.

With the distortion he can't tell if it's panic or injury, and Felps' heart - he can't take it, he can't take it okay, he's only Felps!

The coordinates from Tubbo flash up on screen - and bless the kid, he must be terrified, but they're shifting as Pac's radio is moved. Full tracking.

But, if they can track Pac...

If they can track him...

They should tell him to turn off the radio, to hide and stay safe, but if they do that they loose him, they loose him and they'll never know what happens if they get there and he's gone.

"Pac, don't leave me," he begs, and maybe it should be the other way around but what can he do? "I need you."

Pac needs to be needed in a way Felps doesn't, or at least in a different way to how Felps does. They'd all kill themselves for each other, but it's Pac who can't find point in living if he's not dying for someone else. Felps knows this, they all know this, they just won't say it.

He should hang up, he should hang up and let Pac hide, but they're still three and a half hours out and anything could happen in that time.

Forever's arms wrap around Felps, gripping him tight as his friend leans down and presses his chin into his hair.

"Calm, calm," Forever whispers, just audible over the crackling sobs of Pac. "We need to stay calm."

Trembling fingers tight in Felps' shirt say he's anything but.

"We're three and a half hours from you," Felps tells Pac, not speaking his words but reciting the script he was taught long ago, back in the military, back in a world before this one. "What's your status?"

Felps doesn't get an answer, just stifled sobs and feet on concrete.

Forever trembles behind him, and Felps thinks their commander might be crying into his hair.

Felps is crying onto the keyboard, he knows that for sure.

"Pac?"

Nothing again.

He glances at the map, tracking their progress.

Still three and a half hours. Three and a half hours.

And Felps... Felps doesn't know if Pac can hold out that long.

#qsmp fanfic #qsmp au #qsmp x xcom #qsmp felps #qsmp pac #whumpcember2023 #i don't like how i wrote felps but i'm not sure how to fix it so it'll do

[meltingpenguins]

Hi!

Genuine question: what makes you think that gomens s3 will have crowley revealed as jesus?

Because while I def agree that jesus crowley would be a nightmare, I don't really see that many things that would suggest this particular scenario? Like, obvs the show, and s2 specifically, has this very disturbing crowley-favouritism and is definitely mary-sue-ifying him, and unfortunately I see way too clearly how he can be openly declared God's Specialest Boy in s3, but I don't really get why you're so sure he's gonna be jesus, and not, like, The Chosen One To Bring Peace To Heaven And Hell, or God's Special Agent On Earth Who Taught Humanity Everything, or just The Best And Purest And Possibly Most Powerful Entity, or some other similar nonsense.

Is there any particular reasoning behind the jesus-crowley theory, aside from the overall suspicion that Crowley's gonna be Special, and the fact that s3 is going to center around the second coming and it's possible that the new jesus could turn out to be one of the characters we already know?

It is all this 'build up' in s2 that -if- there's a plan seems to be working towards 'crowley is like superspecialhyperimportantandawesome'. and this is exactly the kind of oh-so-amazing plottwist we can expect from someone like NG, unfortunately. Someone else put it neatly (paraphrased)

'Sir Terry wrote about average 'loser-type' people overcoming a situational threat/evil by people fundamentally people, Neil writes loser-type people getting flung into a different world where they are super-powerful and important and overcome threats by being super-powerful and important.

NG writes Isekai, one way or they other. We had traced of this in the changes to the book stuff in s1 already (things like crowley not being a nobody in Hell anymore, no one ever holding a candle to him etc)

Now with s2 so much seems like a frantic 'look at this amazing foreshadowing to crowley being not just not what he seems but super important'. because it's simply NG's modus operandi in whatever he writes.

So, yeah, while, sure, it doesn't have to be jesus or raphael, it'll prolly be someone equally important or something. and no matter how you turn it, it's still badly written, even IF it's building up to the 'big payoff' in s3.

/shrug

As for myself, I think i'm leaving the fandom being. GO doesn't spark joy anymore for me, not just because of what's going on ON the show itself. Maybe i'll finish my fanfic some day, maybe i'll take the basic premise and make it an original fiction or a TTRPG campaign.

We'll see.

Hope that answered the question :) Have a nice one.

#good omens critical

[insecateur]

Hey Mr. Sam! I'm not super acquainted with the fanfic community, so I'd like to ask a question in order to put some thoughts in order. I've seen this recent phenomenon where some readers will try feeding abandoned/hiatus'd fics into some sort of chaptgptesque thingum in order to finish them, and writers are, naturally, upset. My question then is: are they/you *largely* upset because a) said readers are basically saying the writing is boilerplate and predictable enough that it can be ML'd into a coherent continuation; b) there is a legitimate fear of how the data is used or the program is trained on it; c) there is fear that their unique style will be successfully "replicated" by AI; or d) some other reason? Thanks for the info!

heyyy sorry for not answering right away,

i want to give a caveat before i say anything else - i'm markedly more jaded than most fic writers i've seen on this topic, as a primarily visual artist who's used to my work being reposted, reused, sometimes even edited etc without permission. i haven't even bothered to edit my fics on AO3 to make them available to registered users only bc i'm just like, it is how it is. if machine learning algorithms want to put my ott kinky smut in their research data you know what, good for them i guess. maybe it'll make the results less biased toward vanilla straight people lol

but anyway, i think in general it's a mix of not wanting your data to be put into machine learning without your permission or knowledge, and just an overall frustration at how people who read fanfic, look at fanart etc online treat people who make that stuff like they're basically non-existant or just there to provide "content" to be "consumed." which i guess is part of why i'm already way past jaded about it; people have already been doing this to fanartists for years and years and years at this point LOL. i'm actually myself kind of frustrated seeing some writers talk about it as if it's a new phenomenon and proof that writers are treated less well than visual artists in fandom ? when ummm. i guess you just didn't notice until now bc it wasn't threatening you? which is fine but it gets kinda old after a while.

i personally just don't like people doing stuff with what i make without permission, as much as it is a losing battle at this point. so seeing people joyfully basically say like, "i don't care about the people making the things i like, i can just get this ''AI' to do it faster anyway!" is pretty disheartening, especially when it involves feeding works you might have spent months or years on into it. it's kind of an accumulation of negative feelings.

in the grand scheme of things i'm mostly over it tho. to me it's pointless to worry about it just like it's pointless to worry about the people disregarding my wishes regarding my art. all it does is cause me undue anxiety. which isn't to say measures shouldn't be taken against it, and i'm glad there have been moves recently to try and draft laws etc on the subject, but at my level there's not much i can do except say "please don't do that" so really it's whatever.

#la réponse d #idk if this is an interesting answer but there u go. if other people want to weight in feel free