#gone are the days when i used to write a few paragraphs and say “just go with it”

[dearhargrove]

arguments & apologies

summary you're already a simp for your tall, muscular boyfriend. even more so when he looks at you with those sweet puppy dog eyes of his, being all clingy and soft.

words 720

note I love Sam so much ;( saw a c.ai bot of him where he apologized like this and made it a headcanon because yes he would. he'd be the sweetest, most loving bf why can't he be real 🙁 anyway this is just a little blurb hope you guys enjoy <3 I had s8 Sam in mind while writing this cuz of his pretty hair ! also trying a new design for my posts 🤭

masterlist

Admittedly it had been a really long day. Sam had been gone with Dean for a ‘quick salt and burn’ but in usual Winchester fashion they took way longer than promised and came back with way more injuries than you expected.

They had patched each other up well enough, although it didn't change the fact that you lectured them both for using dental floss, a sewing needle and alcohol for that procedure. Their exhaustion paired with your frustration turned into a minor argument between you and Sam – which were rare but not non-existent. Now it's almost midnight and you're up late, restless.

Deciding to at least not just waste time you'd taken one of the lore books and sat in one of the plush leather chairs, trying to focus on the characteristics of a siren and how to defeat them but ultimately just re-reading the same paragraph.

Before you can continue trying to internalize the information the book is gently pried from your hands and laid - upside down so you don't lose the page - on the small table next to the chair and you immediately know who it is. Large hands push your knees apart until he can fit between them, sitting on his knees and looking at you with his beautiful hazel eyes.

“Baby,” Sam mumbles. He sounds apologetic and tired, face slightly puffy from his sleep. You just huff slightly in acknowledgement, trying to ignore the comforting warmth that spreads in your chest when he starts rubbing his palms up and down your thighs to warm you up.

His brows are furrowed and his hair is tousled, gray shirt washed so often it's incredibly soft and outlining every contour of his torso (which makes you go just a little crazy).

“‘m sorry,” he presses his lips to the inside of your knees, first the left and then the right. “Didn't mean to start an argument earlier. You were just worried ‘bout us.”

He always does this, worshipping you with affection and sweet words after any resemblance of a fight, making it impossible to stay mad at him. You heave a sigh and drop your head back against the armchair.

You feel his huff of amusement against your thigh before he presses another kiss there, his palms moving to your waist and pushing his your shirt up as he wraps his big hands around you, not squeezing just holding.

“Please don't ignore me, sweet girl.” His tone is a mix of fatigue and neediness that would make your knees buckle if you were standing, his voice husky and low.

You finally give in, mumbling, “whaddya want me to say?” and roll your head to the side enough to look at him. And— big mistake. His doe eyes are in full force, whether he knows it or not, hair still a sleep tousled mess but somehow curling perfectly where his neck meets his shoulders.

“Don't be mad at me,” the please remains unsaid but his gaze does all the talking.

After a moment of silence, “You know I can never be mad at you.” He smiles in that sweet, nerdy way of his and lays his head on your thigh, hands sliding down to your hips. Giving in, you push one hand into his hair, scratching at his scalp the way he likes. He makes a soft sound and closes his eyes, grip on you tightening.

“‘s okay. But you two aren't immortal. can't always come home and scare me half to death, yeah?” he makes an agreeing noise, though you're pretty sure he's half asleep again already.

You let a few minutes pass where he's still crouched in front of you, head cushioned on your thighs and holding your hips, your fingers playing with his hair. Then, “Let's get to bed, you'll have aching knees tomorrow, love.” he almost pouts, then stands with a crack of his knees and a grunt.

“Hate getting older,” he complains under his breath, then leans down and picks you up before you even fully stand from the armchair.

You fall asleep with him spooning you, his hair tickling the side of your neck and his palm splayed over your stomach under your shirt possessively, warmly.

[shiny-jr]

Dear author, I’m so sorry that someone plagiarised your work especially since you work so hard on your stories 💔😞

We want to help the plagiarised book get taken down so can you please share the link?

If enough people report, the fanfiction site admins will finally listen and take down the plagiarised book, instead of the plagiarism claim being buried.

I hope this issue gets resolved quickly and I hope you have a better day.

UPDATE! Based on this and that and also this.

Thank you, anon. I appreciate your words, but as I stated in one of my previous posts, Wattpad reports are finicky. I believe at this point, we're at day thirteen of dealing with this plagiarizer and day four of it being public and yet despite it all, the plagiarizer has still yet to budge.

So, I thought I'd give another update and give the information we discovered in our findings. As to what we know is copied and from who. Keep in mind, one of these four copies stories has already been taken down and done with. I'll specify which in a moment.

Before I proceed, if you happen to be one of the original writers mentioned in this post and you want your portion removed from this post for whatever reason, let me know. I do not want to upset anyone, except the plagiarizer. At this point in time, I care little for their feelings on the matter when they've had plenty of time to make things right.

The plagiarizer: Kristynaka1

FIRST.

Obviously, the first story that was discovered was mine, with all the information linked in the posts at the very top. I was made aware of this by the inbox from a kind reader. Ever since then, I've been dealing with this plagiarizer.

My mutuals and I found it weird that somehow, the plagiarizer had relatively good grammar with few mistakes in the story. Yet every little note or message they sent, had many spelling mistakes and was sometimes difficult to read. It was inconsistent and strange, and we couldn't make sense of it until we had a theory which some readers in the comments here have already suggested. We theorize that the plagiarizer began to use AI.

Of course, we can't prove this but how else would a user who can't format and type proper messages be able to write whole paragraphs that are actually legible and understandable?

ChatGPT was available to the public sometime in 2022. Before 2022, many of their "stories" were copy and pastes from Tumblr. After 2022, there were differences in the copied stories that made it harder to find the original story and connect it to the original writer. Differences in writing that I doubt the plagiarizer wrote themselves if we go by their messages like:

So yeah. Onto the evidence.

SECOND.

After a few days, one of my mutuals began to suggest searching for the origins of other stories as they doubted any of the posts belonged to the plagiarizer. Low and behold, we found three others. The first of which belonged to @monst and their post. Just by comparing the first paragraph was enough to confirm that.

I won't go into too much detail as the links pretty much say all you need when you actually look at the evidence.

THIRD.

Not even an hour later, we found the second copied story from that oneshot book. Thankfully, there were only two stories there, so there aren't any more copied parts from that series they claim is theirs. The original is @ppsycho and their post. This one again looks like a direct copy, even the image is the same.

FOURTH.

This is the one that was already deleted, thankfully. So there is not many good screenshots I can present, except one before it was gone. So the original writer is @mint-yooxgi and their post.

Here is the only screenshot I have of the wattpad version, just to showcase that it did in fact exist, and it was copied.

So yeah, that's everything for now. If you check out the plagiarizer's profile and recognize the other stories I did not name, please let me know. We thought we found one of them on Quotev, but it wasn't.

Please continue commenting discouragements and reporting the account!

I think I'll leave this off with something I typed last night in a chat:

In whatever way this ends, know that it will end badly for the plagiarizer. They can choose to ignore, but that won't make everything go away. People will remember, I will remember. If they go radio silent and try to forget everything but keep the stories up, comments will still be there. If they try to delete the comments, new comments will just be made. The comments will serve as warnings to others that might stumble across their account, and it will immediately make them click off the account or story because no one wants to read a plagiarized story. The account we see now will just be empty of real readers, so it will remain a miserable little place where each comment will serve as a reminder as to why plagiarism is bad.

Even if they do decide to delete and make another account yet again, whether they decide to copy the same stories they did before or pick entirely new writers to prey upon, it doesn't matter. Readers will either recognize them from before or new readers will notice the plagiarism taking place. It doesn't matter what they do. They will be found and dealt with in some way, shape, or form.

I hope those two or so years of small internet fame were worth it while they lasted.

[davrinsleftpectoral]

Grab an OC, any OC, then spin the picker wheel three times. Now write a paragraph or three about how the OC is using those things to either kill someone or seduce them.

Warning: Keanu Reeves is one the wheel, but you're not allowed to seduce or kill him.

I wasn’t tagged but @thedissonantverses made me do it. The wheel is hilarious.

My 3 things were parakeet with a grudge, peacock feather, and drill press. This is post Veilguard, with my Neve romancing Rook, Turvi. It’s a little longer but it makes me laugh, it’s so silly.

==

Turvi walked into the detective agency. It was a miraculously slow day, and it seemed that no one else was here. He spotted Neve at her desk pouring over notes. Neve looked up when she heard the door close and her face brightened when she saw him. “Hey trouble,” she started, then paused. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Well, that’s new. What is on your shoulder?” she asked.

Turvi sighed. This was a weird one, even for them. “It’s a parakeet. Named Beau.”

“And why do you have a parakeet named Beau on your shoulder?” She pressed.

“He belongs to Gladys who runs the laundry service a few blocks away. She asked if we could help her, because Beau has a grudge.”

Neve took a moment, pondering his words. “You’re telling me the parakeet has a grudge?”

“Yes. He keeps flying out of the laundry to go next door where Cornelius Flores has a wood shop, where he builds furniture. And little Beau here keeps attacking Cornelius. But he’s all that Gladys has left of her late husband, so the bird means a lot to her. Only he can’t be attacking her neighbor every day,” he explained.

Neve sits and blinks at him for a few moments. Surely that story was enough to tug on her heartstrings. “Well all right. Let’s go see if we can figure this out,” she says, and stands to get her hat and coat.

They head to the building that Gladys has her laundry business in. Neve goes inside to get the story from Gladys herself, while Turvi, still with Beau on his shoulder, looks for clues outside the building. He circled the building a few times to be sure he didn’t miss anything, and then went inside to show Neve his findings.

“Find anything?” Neve asks.

“Just this,” he says. He holds up a peacock feather, and Beau the parakeet started flapping and chirping angrily at this. “And he does this any time he catches sight of the feather.”

“Oh Beau hates peacocks,” Gladys chimed in. “Our old neighbor had a real mean one. It would let out a loud squawk any time it caught sight of Beau. It would scare the poor little thing every time. But that neighbor and bird are long gone. And our new neighbor, Cornelius, doesn’t have any animals at all,” she explained.

“Hmm. But Beau the parakeet has a grudge,” Neve said, tapping her prosthetic foot softly on the ground, a sign that she was thinking something over. “Let’s go over to the wood shop and see if we can find out.”

As the trio walks inside, they’re greeted with the smell of fresh wood shavings and assorted oils. Turvi sees projects in various states of completion, but nothing that he thinks would upset a little pet bird. His eye isn’t as keen or experienced as Neve’s, so he watches her take in the shop. Cornelius spots them and calls, “Be there in a moment!” before turning back around to his current project.

Turvi is content to watch Neve as she surveys the shop, glancing back and forth between numerous items and Beau. The little bird remains happily perched on his shoulder, seemingly unbothered by the shop owner.

Suddenly, a loud screech sounded from the back of the shop. Beau immediately hopped off Turvi’s shoulder and started diving and pecking at Cornelius. The beleaguered shop owner dropped his tools to swat at the little bird. Beau was fast though and dodged the swings, chittering angrily. “Who are you and why did you bring this demon bird into my shop!” He yelled.

Turvi whistled a little tune and Beau flapped over to him, landing neatly on his shoulder. Neve looked at him with a raised eyebrow that promised she’d be asking more about that later.

Neve strode over with her hand outstretched and said, “Neve Gallus, of Minrathous Monsters and Murders. Your neighbor hired us to figure out why Beau here seems to have a grudge on you.” Cornelius stared back at her in disbelief, but still shook her hand.

“He’s very important to Gladys,” Turvi chimed in.

Neve plowed on. “What tool were you using just now?”

Cornelius gave his head a little shake, as if resigning himself to the absurd investigation. “This,” he says, holding it up, “is a drill press. Very common woodworking tool. Use it just about every day.”

Neve takes it in while Turvi stroked the head of the parakeet soothingly.

“Could you show me how it works?” She asks.

Cornelius shrugged, as if to say the day can’t get weirder. He cranks the handle and the tool emits the offending screech from earlier. Beau chirps indignantly and hops off Turvi’s shoulder to attack the woodworker yet again. “Oh come on!” The man wails.

Neve appears to be holding back laughter, but Turvi isn’t quite sure why. He whistles Beau back to his shoulder again.

Neve cleared her throat before asking “When was the last time you oiled your drill press?” Cornelius merely gave an exaggerated shrug, clearly fed up with the situation. Neve was pressing her lips together, not quite succeeding in stopping a smile. “Could you try oiling it now?”

Cornelius does as Neve requested. Once the drill press was oiled, he tried it out again on a scrap piece of wood. It barely made a sound. And Beau stayed content on Turvi’s shoulder.

“The screeching of the press sounds like a peacock. Little Beau here just hates peacocks. So each time you used it, he thought he was being harassed by a peacock. He was trying to show you who was boss,” Neve explained with a small chuckle. “As long as you keep that tool oiled, he should leave you alone from here on out.”

Neve continued chatting with the man a little longer, and ended up placing an order for another desk. For Davrin, she claimed. They took Beau back to Gladys, and recounted their findings.

“Little Beau should stop bothering the wood worker from now on,” Turvi explained. Gladys thanked them profusely and asked what she owed them. As Neve often did, she refused payment. Gladys made Neve promise to let her do a batch of laundry for them, on the house. Neve nodded graciously and Turvi handed Beau back to the laundress as they said their goodbyes.

Once they were back on the street, Turvi slung an arm over Neve’s shoulders, tucking her close as they walked. They continued in companionable silence for a few minutes, until Neve burst out laughing.

“A parakeet with a grudge, a peacock feather, and a drill press. It sounds like a story from one of Bell’s serials.”

“It’ll make a great story to tell over drinks,” Turvi agreed.

“Speaking of drinks. It’s nearly time for supper. Should we go to the cobbled swan to celebrate solving the case?” Neve asked as they approached the door to the agency.

Turvi flashed her a wicked grin. “I have another idea how we could celebrate. Alone. Upstairs.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Neve laughed again and before she could answer, he pulled her in for a kiss.

“All right. You win. We can celebrate your way,” she chuckled as they headed inside.

==

I’m not tagging anyone but you should def spin that wheel. It’s so funny.

[leezlelatch]

Ollie sits cross-legged on her bed, carefully studying the text of the old book the Cardinal lent her. Il Velo e l’Ombra. The Veil and the Shadow. "It's dense," he had said, and that was an understatement. The pages feel stiff, crinkling whenever she turns the page. Dark yellow edges gradually transition to bone white closer to the spine. Each page contains heavy type-set in columns that slightly angle down like the printing press wasn't calibrated the day this book was printed. It smells like old paper and something faintly herbal, and she imagines it new, sitting on the desk of an old occultist, brewing a concoction nearby.

But it doesn't have any spells or craft in it. She thinks.

She taps her pen against her notebook, frowning at the Latin passage in the next paragraph, and then frowning at her phone. It didn't make sense. Trusting Google Translate is never recommended, but...

Ollie glances at the clock. It's only a little after 8, and the Cardinal said it was okay to contact him, right? She hesitates. Now that she's actually thinking about contacting him, she feels a little nervous. He was kind during class, smarter than she thought the other students gave him credit for, but the way that white eye landed on her. The slice of black through his iris that served as a pupil. It made her shiver.

After a few more moments of hesitation, she inhales sharply and grabs her phone.

Ollie: Hello, Cardinal! I'm so sorry to bother you, but I was going through the book you recommended, and there's a Latin passage that isn't making much sense. Could you help me? I understand completely if you would prefer I wait until next class!

Her finger hovers over the send button, and she closes her eyes tight. Do it, do it, just do it. She presses her thumb down, and the message is off with a whoosh.

She watches with growing anxiety as the text bubble appears, then disappears, than reappears. And finally, her phone buzzes.

Copia: You are not a bother, signorina. Show me the passage?

The breath she was holding escapes in a sudden gush, and her shoulders relax. Okay, he's not mad. Good progress. She snaps a picture of the passage and sends it through.

Ollie: This part, especially the second half. It's not making much sense, and yes, I'm using Google Translate. 🫢

His response takes a little longer this time, and she imagines him flipping through his own books to make sure. Does he keep a Latin dictionary? Latin for Satanists, tucked into his bedside table.

Copia: Perhaps I will make you stay after class to write lines, eh? Ma sì, Google does not know the difference between ecclesiastical Latin and classical.

Copia: Spit, can I call you? The typing is too much.

Copia: I meant spit.

Copia: Spit.

Ollie's phone starts ringing. She went from blushing to laughing in the span of a second, and she picks up with a giggle still on her lips.

"Hello, Cardinal!" She says, her voice warm, whatever nerves she had gone after his typo disaster.

"I meant shit," he says, a growl in his voice. It makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "Telefono di merda..."

"I could tell," she says, her voice softening. Ollie pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. Italian is gorgeous.

The Cardinal clears his throat, and she can hear a rustle as he shifts. "Anyway! Mi dispiace, signorina. You are finding that the book is just as I said? I hope it is not too dry."

"No, no. I'm enjoying it! I have a lot of notes that I may ask you about later. It's just the Latin."

"Ahh, sì, I see. What you have sent me...ehh...," he pauses, growing quiet for a moment. "I wrote it down, uh, I cannot get the texting back when we are talking. Quod in umbra latet, lumen revelabit. What lies in shadow will be revealed by the light."

"Ohh," Ollie says slowly, a snicker in her voice. "Oh god, I thought it said 'the shadow will hide the lamp.'"

Copia chuckles low in his throat, and her belly flutters. She holds the phone just a little tighter. "You have a good mind for this, I think," he says softly, and she may be imagining it, but his accent sounds thicker. "I look forward to seeing your notes."

Her voice is caught in her throat for a moment, and she's glad he can't see her face. She can't stop smiling. "Thank you so much, Cardinal. I'm excited for next class. I'll let you get back to your night."

"Mm, sì. But do not hesitate to ask if you get stuck again, eh? It is...nice. To be asked." He's quiet, thoughtful. Maybe a little sad, but...that could just be her imagination again.

"I will. Of course. Goodnight, Cardinal."

Copia stares at his phone for a long moment when the call ends, exhaling a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

[immediatebreakfast]

The daily format really of today really gave me a good reminder of how dangerous is the Count, and how Lucy (and everyone around her) is still blind to this threat while coming with no explanations.

Even if the trumpets of salvation started playing when Van Helsing arrived, I forgot how so far he only has theories, a certain feeling. Van Helsing needs to rule out any illness, sickness, and disease that he knows either in depth or in surface before even touching a possible supernatural explanation for Lucy.

While Lucy still loses blood.

The writing played perfectly all of the emotions that Jack felt with both the telegram, and the letter. Once again Seward's writing style is the perfect choice to give the reader that anxious feeling of what happened after you read his words. The entry starts with this:

"Terrible change for the worse. Come at once; do not lose an hour. I hold over telegram to Holmwood till have seen you."

No greetings, no indications, no explanations, nor theories. Just a tiny paragraph that says that Lucy is in danger. A change so bad that Jack has to wait for Van Helsing to treat her before he sends any information to Arthur. A few words that only tells us the grim possibility of Jack finding Lucy almost dead in her bed.

Also, despite we the readers knowing that Dracula is the one who is responsible for Lucy's suffering the horror doesn't leave just because we have it. How many days Lucy has left? How her getting better then worse is affecting her organs? What if Dracula doesn't directly kill her, and instead she gets sick and her body can't handle it?

Then, Jack has to write to Arthur. We may breath a sign of relief that Lucy is now a little bit better, but there is something... off about this letter.

"My news to-day is not so good. Lucy this morning had gone back a bit."

These words lack the urgency of the telegram to Van Helsing. It's still not good because Arthur knows that Lucy got worse, but it certainly doesn't translate the same feeling, the possibility of the worst. There is no "Van Helsing had to come quickly."

Instead the focus of the letter is finally having the perfect solution of the societal limbo trapped in the Westenra household. At the hands of Mrs. Westenra no less, who finally decides to get help for her daughter, and now both Jack and Van Helsing can actually play the role of doctors without social restrictions.

Yet that doesn't take away the anxiety of the underlying question of Lucy's state.

"If any need I shall write, so that, if you do not hear from me, take it for granted that I am simply waiting for news. In haste."

At the end Jack, just like the readers, only has one option despite all of the dread that he is feeling... he only can wait.

[bonesandthebees]

Hi Bee!

I really admire your work and I'm currently attempting to write my own fic, and I'd love to have some advice on writing stuff.

1) Do you have any tips for writing the beginning of a fic? I cannot figure out how to start writing with a decent sentence. It all falls apart when my fingers go on the keyboard.

2) Do you have any tips for pacing/plot/outlining? I still have barely figured out what pacing is, because I cannot tell when authors are like "oh I don't like this because I rushed the pacing". I literally can't tell most of the time, unless there is not any space to breathe between things that happen.

3) Do you have tips for writing surroundings and the parts of the paragraph that aren't dialogue? Like. How do I naturally fit the description of the area into the fic? And how do I naturally fit extra commentary into a paragraph that has dialogue in it, especially when it isn't the pov character's dialogue?

Again, adore your writing. I feel kind of awkward since I've never done an ask before; idk if there's some kind of etiquette.

Hope you're doing well!

-Royal :)

hi sorry it's taken me a bit to answer this one! I'm more than happy to give some advice!

okay so first off, writing the first line of a fic is borderline torture sometimes. it's so fucking hard. to me though it's kind of like jumping into a cold pool. you can stare at the water thinking about how cold it's going to be and how unsure you are, but then at some point you have to bend your legs and jump before you can overthink it or else you'll never do it. you have to just put something down for the first line.

one method I like employing when I'm really struggling is starting with a line of dialogue. it instantly throws the reader into the scene as they have to try and find out who is talking, what they are talking about, and where everyone is. an example where I used this is in the stars and their children, which opens with a line from tommy "Hey Wil, can you hand me the epli?" this tells us multiple things right off the bat. it establishes a character present in the scene (Wil) and that there's something different about this world from ours (epli—it makes the reader want to know what it is and why it's being handed to the character speaking)

other times I try to either start with a line that describes the setting ("The streets were crowded at this time of day." - everything else has gone wrong), or start with a line that describes the emotions of the pov character ("Lessons were the most unbearable in the afternoon." - under the hanging rose). basically, you're trying to find a way to throw the reader into the scene in one line. it's difficult, but try any of those angles and hopefully you'll think of something that fits. but again, it's jumping into a cold pool. you just have to put something down so you can start. you can always go back and change it later

okay putting the other two under a read more bc it got long

2. okay now pacing. that's a bit more difficult to help with because a lot of pacing is just getting a feel for it. one way is to just think about it logically. say you have two characters that start as strangers and you want to get them to be best friends. you can show them meeting for the first time, but then you often have to show them bonding before they can reach best friend status. there's pacing here both in the literal world of the story, but also in the text itself. you don't want to write them hanging out for a few hours and suddenly decide they're best friends (although ofc there are exceptions to this like if they're little kids bc, well, that is a thing little kids do where they'll declare a kid they just met their best friend), nor do you want to write them meeting for the first time, write a line saying "they hung out every day for the next three weeks until they were best friends" and then just act as though they're besties (again, there are exceptions to this in specific cases). it just feels weird yknow? It doesn't get the reader invested in this relationship because it doesn't feel like it's been earned. it's a similar thing with plot beats. you have to make it feel natural both in the world of the story itself, but also the timing with which you tell the story. like I said though, pacing is really something you just get the hang of naturally with practice. reading published novels will help as well because it'll help you get a sense of what good pacing feels like.

3. ohhhh you've hit a specific issue I had a lot when I was younger. when you have a dialogue scene going on there's a lot of ways you can balance the text outside the dialogue. ofc if the dialogue is going by at rapid speed, you can straight up just do the dialogue lines and you don't even have to specify who's talking if it's clear within the text

Ex:

"You can't come to my nuclear reactor, Tommy," Tubbo sighed.

Tommy scowled. "What the fuck? Why not?"

"Knowing you you'd find a way to cause a nuclear meltdown."

"Would not."

"Would to."

"Would not."

"Would to!"

"So what, you're a bitch who can't handle a little radiation?"

"Oh for fuck's sake-"

see how after the first two lines of dialogue where I established who is talking in which order, I stop using the tags all together? it's still clear who is talking because the dialogue is ping ponging back and forth. it's a fast-paced conversation, so cutting out the tags helps that effect.

but of course this is only the case in a few instances. most of the time, you do need lines outside dialogue not only to establish who is talking, but also to keep the characters present in the scene itself.

you have several options for what to include outside your dialogue. one of my go to's is always character actions.

"Don't you have one of those swimming pools you keep the nuclear shit in?" Tommy asked, leaning against the wall.

Tubbo pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes but before you ask, no, you can't go swimming in it."

there we include the action of tommy leaning against a wall after he asks the question, which is followed by tubbo pinching the bridge of his nose. this lets the reader see exactly what each character is doing, which can also establish the emotions each character is feeling without saying them outright. tommy is comfortable enough with tubbo to annoy him with his questions, which we see by him casually leaning against the wall. tubbo, meanwhile, is annoyed just like tommy wants, which we see by him pinching the bridge of his nose.

characters sitting down, standing up, wringing their hands in front of them, folding their arms over their chest, shrugging, curling their hands into fists, etc. are all examples of character actions you can include to give the reader the ability to picture the scene more accurately

then of course you have thought process and scenery description you can include as well. thought process is just including what your pov character is thinking as the conversation progresses.

"Yes but before you ask, no, you can't go swimming in it."

Tommy huffed and folded his arms over his chest. Tubbo was so fucking boring these days with his 'safety rules'. He'd nearly been nuked before and was fine! A little radiation wasn't going to hurt him.

that right there is a glimpse into what's going on in tommy's head at that moment. he's frustrated with his friend because he thinks he'd be fine swimming in the nuclear pool. it gives us more insight into the pov character and how they're reacting to the conversation at hand.

then for scenery description:

Silence fell over them as Tommy glared at Tubbo. Tubbo glared back, refusing to budge. Around them, the snow coating the ground glittered in the afternoon sunlight. Clouds of breath puffed in front of Tommy's face. An icy breeze wound between the buildings, making goosebumps rise along his arms. He tugged his sleeves down, still not breaking eye contact with his friend.

the conversation falls silent for a moment, so we take a moment to step back from the two characters. we look at the setting around us, which emphasizes the pause in dialogue and makes it feel quiet even to us as the readers. you don't have to restrict your scenery description to moments where a conversation takes a pause, but taking a step back gives a sense of a 'silence' to the reader even if it's brief. another example of this could be,

"Don't bullshit me, Tubbo. Why won't you let me see it?" Tommy asked after several long beats.

Clenching his jaw, Tubbo's eyes flickered to the ground. The snow beneath their boots was muddied. Tommy spotted a dead worm frozen against the hard earth.

Then, Tommy understood.

"You don't trust me anymore."

now let's see this a different way

"Don't bullshit me, Tubbo. Why won't you let me see it?" Tommy asked after several long beats. "You don't trust me anymore."

see how without all that extra description the pause feels much shorter? and with that shorter pause the weight of Tommy's next sentence loses it's emotional impact?

if you want to add scenery description to a dialogue exchange, imagine it like it's a movie. you have two characters that are talking, and suddenly the camera pans away from them to look at the setting around them. why does it do that? what effect does it have on the scene playing out? your words are the camera zooming in and out on the characters. there are a lot of ways you can use this 'camera' to change the rhythm/flow of a scene. you just have to play around with it to figure out how to use it

I hope that's helpful!

[taegularities]

If I can be so honest your comment about 'but I know the ending, i don't need to share it' re - finishing the series left a really bad taste in my mouth. I've followed your blog since the amortentia chronicles, i've always loved reading your work and left feedback, but the posts you tend to put up now along the lines of 'seems like there's no interest anymore' before/after each chapter put me off continuing to leave feedback because what I do leave isn't enough? The numbers you get for C&F & CMI, multi part series which have spanned literal years and with you, through absolutley no fault of your own, being away from the community at times, are insane, I don't know any other series like them that can pull those kinds of numbers and have people writing paragraphs of love about them in your asks and it's a testament to the community you've built. Of course they're not going to get the same numbers the first few chapters got, it will never work like that.

I make and share content of my own and I understand how important feedback is but I do it because I love and enjoy it, if you don't have the energy or passion to carry on the series then don't do it. These posts about lack of feedback, almost like we're running an engagment crowdfunder to unlock a new chapter always just make me feel so weird as if we're dragging you through cement against your will to write 🤷‍♀️

sigh look idk what to tell you except the things i always say when i receive asks like this one. i write bc i love the characters and the stories, not because somebody's forcing me to. but it's a fact that feedback and interaction motivates writers. and it's not only the case here on tumblr – it's literally the same in general media, too. tv shows or books or movies get cancelled bc ppl stop caring. i know i don't earn any money with my fics, but the power readers have is extremely valuable and makes us want to keep doing what we do. and i share my stuff, so people can tell me what they think and whether they liked it and because i want to talk about the stories i love sm with someone. like if people don't interact, why am i sharing them

and i am not the only writer talking about this. yeah, you're right, i was gone for a long time due to reasons i had no control over – c&f was supposed to drop back in february. i do feel terrible for leaving for so long… i didn't think i'd get sick for months lol and i know this was one reason for the blog being so overall quiet. but you know what leaves a bad taste in my mouth? hyping stuff up and seeing people be super excited about it and commenting and then me getting very excited, too, and then not seeing half of these people ever again after drop day. i wrote c&f not bc anyone dragged me through cement, but because i loved the characters and would've finished the story either way. but i was motivated bc yall motivated me and i got through the scenes despite all the health issues and life, and then to get barely anything back for 20k words does leave a bad taste in my mouth, too. and i'm not the only writer saying this.

i'm also not only about interaction, bc if i was i'd be posting a popular genre fic here every week. i write when i want to which literally proves that i love my ocs and jks and come back bc i miss them, not bc i'm like 'oh i'm gonna get so many asks for this'. but it helps. it helps to see that people are just as enthusiastic as well and want to talk about it. tbh, i am so freaking grateful for all the love i have ever received on here, but it is true that interaction has waned, trust me. i didn't get a single reblog with a comment on this c&f chapter. i am really happy for you that you have your own reasons to create stories, but that doesn't mean i'm not allowed to be sad about everyone's disappearance, yk? tysm for supporting me, but if i'm being v annoying with my stuff, i am okay with you not interacting if it helps you create a safe space for you. i do appreciate you, but your ask did kind of make me feel shitty, too idk

[maddogqs21]

Hey Everyone,

I am wanting to start writing fanfiction, and I have two that I am working on for the smiling critters fandom. I was just curious as to if anyone would be interested in it. I have one that is a one-shot collection, but the other, which I am calling “New Beginnings” (for now), would be a multi chapter fic. Pretty much it would be how the kids that later became the critters met, and then a few more arcs.

I would like to note this about the tags, there will be a romantic relationship tag, but that would only apply to the prologue and mentions to it throughout that only would apply to the older version. Anyways, the teaser is under the cut. I am working on character info so I have a few paragraphs here and there about the characters before the first chapter, so I may post them later

Skittering was all he could hear from his cell. It had been a long time since he had seen the sun, even longer if you don’t count the playcare sky as having a sun. He missed the light, how it used to invigorate him, now it is a stark reminder of how fake everything was. He hung his head, shaking it. How could it have all gone wrong? He should hate his best friend, he really should, but all he felt in his heart was a deep pain. As he looked up, he remembered the conversations they would have. They had all been stung up like he was currently, but one by one, they were dragged off, never to be seen again.

Kickin had been to his right, and was the first one to disappear. He remembered their conversations, always a mix of pessimistic and optimistic, to at times, extremely ridiculous. He could almost hear Kickin’s chuckles at his own bemusings. In the early days, they would just add on to the other’s words.

“Hear me out, I know that this is a really dumb idea, but, stay with me here…” Kickin snickered at himself, unable to finish his sentence.

”Let me guess,” Bubba groaned, “this is another one of your ‘I have been thinking about this for a long time, and I think I should tell you, but if I would have said it earlier, I would have been beat one way or the other’, and based off our previous conversation about the fake sky, you are gonna say something about us being abducted by aliens? Or is this the one where you think we are on our way to Mars as we speak to take care of a space station before they decide to send kids up.”

Kickin only burst out into laughter, as Hoppy shouted, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME? HE GUESSED IT AGAIN?” DogDay heard scraping and heard Crafy’s “At this point, we should just let Bubba translate Kickin’s musings before he even says it. This is the 486th time,” and Picky’s “Honestly, when are they going to admit that they have been dating for years! He knows Kickin like the back of his hand, and I swear Kickin has figured out all the ways to get him to-“, “KICKIN, WHY IN THE HELL WOULD SOMEONE WANT TO-“, “SCIENCE, BUBBA, SCIENCE!”, “WHAT ARE YOU EVEN ON RIGHT NOW?” Bubba’s voice cracked, everyone just bursting out into laughter.

“These are the times that I wish they would just-“, but before Bobby could finish her teasing remark, all of the girls burst out laughing. Little did they know, that this was their last time laughing for years to come.

He shakes his head of the memories, sighing sadly at the trail of Kickin’s blood that went right in front of his cell. He had dislocated both of his shoulders, and with Bubba’s instruction, learned to put them back into place. But as he stepped out of the cell block, everyone froze, his blood curtailing screams echoing for what felt like hours. The next thing he knew, the mini critters started tearing into the chicken. He could have sworn he heard Bubba choke out a sob as Kickin reached for the elephant before the others head hit the ground with an echoing thud.

”Dammit,” he swore, as he felt the mini’s eating away at him. Must be time for them to eat. He closed his eyes as each bite started to fade away in his mind. How he wished he was young again, free from the knowledge, experiences and pain.

His mind takes him to his happy places. The little houses that the playcare had made for them based off of the cartoon, to the last time they all ate together before going to the playcare, but his most favorite place was the playground where he met the ones he cared about most, back when he was only 7.

[sleepdepravity]

hiiii hope this isn't weird, but i'm currently tearing through all of your mp100 fics on ao3 after reading in absentia* and Persona Obscura, and while it was Persona Obscura that really landed me flat on my ass after finishing it, it's the bit in Reigen's Comprehensive Fool-Proof Guide where reigen makes a whole social battle map of the restaurant table that REALLY cemented to me that it's likely few ppl know this scrunkly blonde wet cat man better than you do

like i cannot express to you how much Persona Obscura knocked my socks clean off. poof. gone. not many ppl like to get into the nitty gritty of reigen's (or any beloved character's) nastier personality traits, nor do so in a way that's both so unabashed and deeply humanizing about it at the same time. i feel like you especially have a really good grasp of the way reigen's mind operates in social situations, and how that mental process can be manipulative, strategic, and even dishonest from many angles. but regardless reigen remains a person trying his best to do good every day, and generally using what he's good at to the benefit of both himself and others, especially those he cares about.

i LOVED that the story wasn't done after the mask ghost was defeated in Persona Obscura. i loved that reigen's misanthropy and spite and apathy weren't just swept aside, and that they were neither villainized nor optimistically dismissed but instead held up in comparison next to the deep care and years of history he has with his loved ones, not so easily swept away but paling in comparison to that love. it was very heartwarming and it also lowkey made me feel very seen.

and i LOVED in Reigen's Comprehensive Fool-Proof Guide that reigen tries to convince serizawa that he suckered him, that the way he is has inherently manipulated and somehow tricked serizawa into a situation that doesn't benefit him, when that's clearly not the case and serizawa knows it and calls bullshit. and again, the entire scene in the chinese restaurant?? my man has practically game-ified social interactions and turned them into a turn based strategy RPG. it's insane. i do that. he just like me fr. what. the whole:

"Manipulation?"

“It’s what he calls being thoughtful.”

—exchange took me out at the knees, they're adorable and you're too good at writing a reigen that makes me feel like a bug who's rock has been rudely picked up. i'm not even gonna get into the entire exchange from in absentia* where reigen talks about reading mystery novels like he's trying to 'win' at them, because that one also made me feel insane and way too identified with this dork.

like yea ofc i have blorbos i'm unwell about, and often they say things about me that are probably deeply embarrassing if i examine them too hard (and trust me reigen IS one of them), but it's rare that it's a fanfic about said character (and not just the source material alone) that REALLY makes me sit back and go, "oh fuuuuuck is this why people kin fictional character. is this why."

like it's happened maaybe once before. but man. you're in my brain. like you're primarily deeply rooting around in reigen's brain but also what the fuck.

i guess what i'm trying to say is that you're a very good writer with a very good grasp of character voice/introspection, and you've explored some really really cool ideas in your stories, and i think that's really cool, and i'm sorry it took me over 6 paragraphs to figure out how to word that properly

i have you have a very nice thursday <3

✨

wow omg no it’s not weird at all, thank you!!! I think six paragraphs is a normal amount of words and I appreciate that you’ve spent those six paragraphs on this. Reigen is such a funny guy to poke around and I’m glad that you can enjoy the results of my poking ehehe

Really, thank you so much for writing me, you’ve definitely made this a very nice Thursday indeed

[twolitwicksinatrenchcoat]

wowza this was supposed to be like a paragraph long yikes anyways A lil story using @justmwahstruly zombie WH au, because our ocs kiss kiss fell in love/j. This is better read with some context so check out Mwah's post, here! Also I don't write at all so don't mind all the mistakes -🕯 tw:: small description of violence

Molly had a tough day at work, an annoying group of teenage customers, near the end of her shift, who didn't seem to understand the difference between sentient zombies, and feral zombies ready to bite and attack. They weren't even quiet about their opinion, loudly talking and side eyeing the diner staff, only shutting up when the staff came near, despite the fact that the staff could clearly hear them from behind the counter. Molly was irked that she even had to serve these people, but she had a job to do and she did it well. Despite this the group sneered at the food saying it was disgusting. That was a total lie, Julie/Howdy was a great cook, for both the living and the undead. 

It's fine though. Because this was the last few minutes of her shift and she was off after this, she could cool down and take a break. Yet despite this, she clocked out finding herself unable to stop thinking about the insensitive group,  who seemed to belittle the people who lost so much against their will due to the outbreak. Perhaps it was just muscle memory that led her to Flint's apartment, too zoned out to even register Flint letting her in, nor the fact that he was leading her into his home, his hand in hers. Flint saw quite easily that she was upset. 

And what followed next was an accident, a mistake, whatever you'd like to call it. Molly hadn't been able to stop thinking about the stupid act of discrimination and her emotions got the best of her. It was just for a few minutes, just a few simple minutes that Molly had gone feral. She didn't register Flint as a person she was close to, instead he was just a target at that point I suppose. Her nails dig into Flint's pale flesh, dragging down and leaving deep scratches. Maybe he should have left Molly alone, he has seen she was some sort of upset, maybe wanted to be left alone. Unfortunately Flint was not that kind of person. When Molly "came back to" she had enthusiastically greeted Flint, not even questioning how she made it to his apartment.  And he hadn't meant to do it, yet he really couldn't help it. When Molly reached out to him he flinched back, panicked eyes flickering over Molly's figure.

It took Molly a few seconds to realize what had happened. Even longer for Flint to calm down and realize Molly was no longer feral. Yet the fear still lingered, something Flint despised.  Both felt horrible, and both had left things unsettled that day as Molly had excused herself, saying she had something to deal with. The strange awkwardness went on for the rest of the week, Flint's appearance at the diner started to slow,  and Molly had not stepped a foot into Flint's housing department again since that day. 

Flint missed Molly, wanted to tell her it was okay. Things happen, he worked with kids, had his unfortunate fair share of sentients going feral. He understood it just couldn't be stopped sometimes, and he could never hold it against Molly. When he had tried to grab Molly's hand she snatched it back, eyes glancing at the nearly healed scratch marks on Flint's face. Was she scared of hurting him again? With a sharp inhale Flint grabbed Molly's hands with his own shaky hands. His grip careful as he led Molly's hands to his cheeks, even like this he leaned into her touch. He still trusted her, this time there was no slight tremble in his face, instead it was replaced by a steady stare and he fumbled over his words, trying to assure Molly that it was okay, that he's safe and he never blamed her, and his fear had just got the best of him at the moment.

[the-kr8tor]

Hi Katy 🩷 how are you? The brain isn’t braining. I tried writing but I only got about two paragraphs done. I’m feeling the imposter syndrome. Did I ever mention how cutie patotiee I find glasses? So the fact that you wear them gives me joy. I admit to trying to sabotage my vision just to wear glasses.

I did write an ask a few days ago but my phone decided to retire early. All of the content was erased but at least I could refine my idea. Replacement should hopefully come soon.

Anyway! Idea is as follows, I love historical fiction and combining my love for spider punk and spider noir’s friendship in the fanon I’ve created 1940s American pilot spider-woman and here’s why… Noir and p trade war stories while Hobie and p bond over their trauma, yippee! (I never said this would be fluffy) The spider band is lowkey concerned with how casually they do this but to each their own? They’re all very close obviously.

Hobie one day tries to contact p. Doesn’t think much of it considering how many missions they go on along with working for the society. Until someone else brings up, days later, they can’t get in contact either. Noir’s demeanor instantly changes and before anyone can blink he’s gone with Hobie trailing right behind him. Now, they both understand why their spider sense went off suddenly and quite randomly. Feeling sick to their stomachs. Noir more so because he and p are fighting the same war. He knows the stakes.

Once they reach p’s dimension they see confetti and hear cheering. The axis has surrendered and the war is finally over but…where is p? Someone, I’ll let you decide, picks up a discarded newspaper. After flipping through the pages they come across a section titled ‘missing pilot’ written by Mary Jane Watson. Even with their watches they can’t find her location and it slowly tears them apart. Deep down they already know, she’s gone.

Her body is found weeks later. Pictures of the spiders tucked into the breast pocket of her uniform along with her family’s. Bullet holes littered in the plane they used to sit around in under the stars.

A funeral is held. Only family and friends but what’s the difference in a war, right? Her family is awarded her medals along with a flag. The gang watches from the sidelines. Noir and Hobie are the last to leave.

“I know this is coming at a bad time,” Lyla whispers, “but I think you want to hear this.”

P left a recording. Her voice is shaky as explosions and gun fire are heard in the background. She tells them she loves them. All of them. What they mean to her. Hobie chokes back a sob as he hears a loud bang and the engine going out and Noir shakes as her voice cracks. She says goodbye and wishes them well and then, the audio cuts off.

It’s just another canon event.

Hello, my love! I'm good, how are you? 2 paragraphs is better than none! You're doing well trust me. Awwee thank you! I'm blind as a bat without them lol pls don't sabotage your eyes!! Glasses are so expensive and you can't wear sunglasses bc of them :(

Ooohhh how interesting---! OMFG 😭😭😭😭😭😭 THEY'RE BESTIES AND NOW THEY HAVE A MISSING PIECE 😭😭😭😭 I hope this doesn't make Hobie and Noir's relationship fall apart 😟

The recording they left for Hobie and Noir 😭😭 that scene reminds me when steve Rodger's plane was about to go down and he talks with peggy one last time 😔

[gayathreya]

kanguva fixit fic time

okay i've seen it multiple times now and while i don't hate it, i think it's mediocre-below average and it is filling me up with sooo much frustration cos.. it doesn't have to be. there are relatively easy fixes for the script when this much effort has already gone into the production design and setting! i don't mind waiting 2+ years for a suriya film, but i just hate it when i do that and it's bogged down to be another loud action entertainer, a genre i thoroughly despise more and more these days as i age. i say i don't hate it, but tbh... the more i think about this film, the more i'm starting to dislike it.........

SO... I'M JUST GONNA WRITE SOME BULLETPOINT PARAGRAPHS ON FIXING IT THE WAY I AS A FAN WOULD DO i think it will help process some more of my frustration with it after my lbxd reviews. the 3 biggest problems i have with the film are direction+editing (i consider these together, and by extension, the lack of patience and fleshing out given to the worldbuilding which deserves it), the sound and screaming dialogue (also, really, part of a director's failing) and the abhorrent cameo, so my points will seek to address that most.

we open with the present, yes? actually, i think the fact there's this timeline is fine, unlike quite a few saying it wasn't needed. i disagree because if your main plot is about reincarnation, you MUST have different timelines, because the whole mythos and trope of reincarnation is the unfulfillment in a past life coming back to haunt you in the next. there is something that needs to happen, and the related souls cannot rest until a wish is met. if you don't want the present portion, the core plot itself has to change, which meh, i don't want to put in this much effort into thinking about this film cos it irritates me.

i don't want or need to change the entire story cos idc about this film to put in that energy, but one of the first marketing failures is that they seemed almost embarrassed to admit it was a reincarnation story, which i don't get at all. reincarnation themes are one of the biggest and most easily acceptable ideas in indian mythos and storytelling.. why would u be embarrassed about it? there were actual interviews where the background crew involved kept saying it was an ''interesting'' connection and straight up lied that it wasn't reincarnation, which is the main reason why so many fans were coming up with different thoughts on what the key plot was; namely, an immortality curse/boon affecting hero and villain directly and how the elements of faith and the kid tied into that. none of this is true, ofc, and that's fine, i won't slam the film for not giving me what i myself thought. but if they had said this from the start, which isn't even a spoiler cos it opens with that instantly, people would have had a clearer mind going into it. false marketing is worse than no marketing, and i'm still seething about all the bullcrap they uttered about it

my issue with the present timeline really is just the sheer dogshit idea of their jobs and conflict. we didn't need francis as a bounty hunter, he could've just been some guy working a normal job with his ex-girlfriend and he stumbles across the kid, who also didn't need any of that science fiction biomedical shit ripoff to happen. he literally could've just been A RANDOM CHILD who is abused or used in some bad fashion, whom francis accidentally meets and wants to save, cos their bond doesn't let them go. idk, i think these are simple things that could make any movie better, cos it wipes away the unnecessary shit and over the top bs with tech, we don't need that. i have no idea why directors do not want to keep their films simple to focus on the core emotion, instead wasting so much time and money to have hired guns and soldiers in loud explosive action scenes. action sequences and soldiers btw, which were reeeally bad cos the english dialogue writing was horrible

just think about how this portion in the intro and climax could've been soo much better if it was stripped down. none of the aeroplane nonsense and high tech trucks and guns and random white thugs like what is the fucking reason!!! only shitty directors who can't write hide behind needless extravagance. and siva is definitely a shitty director who can't write. i would much rather the kid be a child who is under a kidnapping ring, no matter how cliche it sounds, cos it's still miles better than uhhh *checks notes* giving him mutant superpowers after his brain has been operated on. wowz so cool da. is this 1990.

like this just makes me so angry thinking about it, this artificial inclusion of a sci fi trope, when the film already looks so ugly in that horrible ai intro which looks so ghastly and obviously fake. for that alone, i'm almost at the zone of saying i'm happy this flopped. on top of obviously using ai to ''enhance'' suriya's voice in other languages as they said... like bro.... FLOP DESERVED. if an actor can't even be fuckin arsed to learn the dialogue and DUB IN A FUCKING STUDIO FOR HIS OWN MOVIE??? then piss off. if i were a fan of his from telugu lands or something i'd feel honestly deeply cheated and hurt. what's to stop anyone from saying he doesn't even need to dub in tamil anymore? we have his fake voice coming from a computer that they clearly believe is acceptable to throw into other languages, thinking that emotion and inflections are worthy of their audience. do the same in tamil then. how about it. such lazy, horribly unethical filmmaking deserves to be thrown to the dogs. fuck gen ai use in art and fuck studio green and fuck everyone who agreed to that shit

the period portion... where do i start, man. what a mess. why wasn't there any breathing points.... why didn't we have any lull in the screenplay. that's the first thing i would change, and anyone disagreeing cos they want to make it ''racy'' or ''crisp'' needs to be kicked to the curb. you are not a child. have some patience. horrible filmmaking style that does nothing but induce a headache. i just mentioned this elsewhere but even slow paced 3 hour films would get fans, because there'll be something in there to warrant a revisit. but fast paced vomit spat out onto a script won't, cos there's no rewatch value at all. i have very minimal interest in sitting down to rewatch this cos the scenes are all just blurring together and i can't even catch a breath to analyse anything. imagine if we just had suriya in pain, suffering, a film exploring his psyche about his guilt, betrayal, both physical and emotional hurt, perhaps a disability from the stab wound... just nothing. fucking give me 10 mins of suriya crying or having his wounds tended to, it'd be better than this trainwreck garbage of scenes whizzing by that i can't even separate. i really... HATE!! editing like this. i haven't seen worst editing in a suriya film except in singam 3. this is almost on par imo

there were so many things mentioned in interviews by suriya/the team that never happened on screen. suriya for example, talked so much about the aspect of faith and their deities, how the different clans operate with different economics, worship, even their disposition in relation to their worshipped elements.... sorry, these are either flat out lies or more likely, things told to him in passing that siva never bothered to fuckin put in script. they never had any prior script reading, btw. suriya legit said siva writes his dialogue early morning at 4-5am, and at 7am or so he's given the papers and thrown into set to act. well of course this film is gonna be shit, brother. what else did anyone expect!!! no practice, no script reading, no chemistry between actors to act out and perform, no voice modulation and testing that's why every other scene it's him shouting alternately and pissing all of us cos we can't even watch a movie in peace.... saying ''they're tribals'' as an excuse for the constant shouting is also such a poor understanding and dehumanisation of our ancestors, who also had calm, peace, quiet love and contemplation, in their longings or beliefs. this actually isn't a movie. it's a reels fest for instagram and tiktok wanker teens. it's clear siva didn't think of his whole as a film, but merely events and moments to stitch together, cos there's no way in hell any competent director would create a film like this otherwise. can't stand films crafted solely for events and spectacle, cos where is the character drama and arcs of highs and lows? even an amateur writer would know this.

speaking of breathers... what i really want in films is vulnerability and fragility of the hero to be depicted. i legit couldn't believe my eyes after what happens in the interval, cos i was so sure once that betrayal happens, we'd be spending the next 10-15 mins of suriya hurt, in both physical and emotional pain at his failure in taking care of the boy and convincing him of his good will. i thought we'd see kanga struggling to walk or fight, one of his arms useless to him now, but... notHING EVER COMES FROM THIS!!! we just continuously get pulled into narrative plot point after narrative plot point. there is no time at all to be spent on exploring kanga's psyche.. a better writer-director would certainly think about this. siva didn't. even the present timeline when francis dislocates his own thumb, i thought it would come up - the idea of casting self-injury on himself this time to save a boy who stabbed him in the past, it's almost poetic. but... nothing. just fucking nothing. where is the literary value and tension and poetry that all this potential has???

this obviously extends to all the other moments the movie could have slowed down and added more dialogue or atmospheric tension - the burning at the stake, the rock of justice, any of the worship and politics and economic push and pull these clans have with each other... instead, we get literally nothing apart from ''evil blood clan'' who hates ''good fire clan'' BRO WHAT ARE THEY EVEN FIGHTING FOR!!! what is their conflict? there's no point of moral or philosophical discussion point at all between these clans in the film. this also ties in to the first crime - koduva killing 100 (-99, really) men, and the fallout from that. why not just make him kill 1? then wouldn't there have been an actual avenue to discuss capital punishment and revenge, and eye for an eye vengeance or rehabilitation? where's the conflict point in executing a piece of shit who murdered ONE HUNDRED PEOPLE?! this could've so easily been turned into commentary on how one views justice and crime against the backdrop of tribes. the audience is given nothing for us to think about their sides and who to root for, what mistakes or crimes they may have committed against each other, or any kind of conflict in their faiths or ideology that one goes against. just typical one-dimensional bad guy who hates the typical one-dimensional good guy. you spent almost 3 years making this.. this is what you came up with?? fucking juvenile. even a beginner writer would be embarrassed to put this out. obviously, this happens when your whole team is just thinking about how to make hero mass entry and cOO0llLL YOuTh gEN Z moments, rather than expanding upon the world and potential themes to flesh out. there is no point saying in every interview siva has great knowledge in tamil literature. so fuckin what. none of that shit matters cos his writing isn't literary at all. this looks like a grade school paper a child puts out for what makes a ''cool'' hero and nothing more cos they do not have the capacity for literary analysis.

the cameo.... watha i'm pissed as f. i cannot tell u how angry i was watching that shit first day. sooo stupid and unnecessary, completely spoiled the expectations of waiting for rolex/dhilli clash on screen just cos siva had a stupid idea to make this into 2 parts which didn't need to be. FUCKKK YOUU, MAN!!!!!!!!!!! this should've just been a single, longer movie, and with kanga failing both his promises (protecting the boy like he promised his mother, and letting himself be killed by him), should've just killed himself in the climax. it would've been a great ending for him actually as it intercuts with the present (i did like the intercut of both timelines in the climax actually, i think this is the only portion where the editing is done decent), where in one time we see him throw himself to the sharks to be ripped apart after his failure, and in another time he manages to save the boy from whatever it is, and maybe even inadvertently dies in the process because of the kid due to a past sin of his own in the role of the present kid's harsh life, but dying happily so, creating a bittersweet tragedy of broken promises mending itself in another lifetime. this could've easily been made up to be a tragic literary piece on reincarnation and promise, and it would've worked. idk. i'm just spitballing. it's not that i've had a long time to think about this, these are very basic things i already thought of almost immediately after my first show, and i'm just stumped no one else in that whole shit team bothered to take a step back and think to make this more compact into 1 solo film. if everything just has to be about milking money from the audience and dsp blaring shitty loud music every second, then fuck you.

i think this got longer than i intended. there're still so many other problems apart from direction and editing, pacing, but these above things are the biggest ones for me. cos even with the extremely painful and poor quality bgm by dsp, i also believe it could've been naturally avoided if given a slower film, and he wouldn't have made this so loud for no reason. it'd be very natural for a md to provide quieter moments if the scenes themselves are softer with more intimacy and atmosphere, not stitched together from all high moments, which ofc would only make his job louder.

so many dumb fight scenes... the opening francis fight and editing style with coloured words and childish intercuts (sorry idgaf i am a thallumaala hater because i am not 12 years old thinking this is cool).. the croc fight.... which served literally ZERO PURPOSE. no really. they even dared release a video on that making, to show how much HarDWOrK they put in for it, making a river and animal from scratch, painting and animating it, and it's like ??? tf for???? the only bit that served was to make the boy injured, and to make kanga take care of him leading into the mannippu song. this could've been achieved in soo many other ways... poruva could've been bitten by a dangerous insect. he could've eaten the wrong fruit. he could've slipped and fell down a bad ravine or cliff that looked inviting but is actually deadly. LITERALLY ANYTHING else would've saved them so much time and money, and yet still prove and highlight the same idea to the audience that the forest they've been exiled to is dangerous and not easy to survive in. nothing though.... just nothing.

i can't believe i'm still talking about this given how frustrated it makes me and how lazy i feel these scenes are written in for what they think is mass appeal. spectacle, scale, budget, visuals.. NONE of this substitutes good, calm pacing and editing and story. man, i'm tired. ok whatever i'm done

[rp-partnerfinder]

Cyberpunk 2077 / Kerry Eurodyne...

...anyone else? o(╥﹏╥)o🌹

I've been on my Kerry Eurodyne bender ever since Cyberpunk 2077 first came out and now, replaying it once again, I'm here looking to finally fulfill a daydream of finding someone to write your Kerry against my V. so, (cis) M / M, set... sometime during, after, or completely seperate from Cyberpunk 2077 and its storyline. canon, canon-ish, AU, whatever - I'm game to most things. more info below!

• about V;

in addition to game canon, contrary to (apparent) canon I headcanon him somewhere a bit past 30. he's a punk kid with grey morals, someone who used to be a golden retriever turned into a scary guard dog due to, y'know, stuff... but still definitely has that golden retriever energy hidden deep and reserved for Kerry. can present as serious and tough for the most time, but becomes kind of a lovestruck fool around Kerry. ambiguous ethnicity, does speak a bit of Spanish though and tends to get tan very easily in the sun. though he'll do most things for money he, too, has his weak spots; for example, though he's not exactly fond of them you still won't ever see him messing with kids and (though he's done it before, will do it again) he struggles putting bullets into people begging for their lives. V definitely acts a little tougher than he actually is and he's an incredibly soft top and dom in a relationship. not to say he can't play rough - he just wants there to be mutual consent and understanding. terribly sentimental, extremely soft for people he cares about. a cat dad.

• about the dynamic;

mostly looking for the opportunity to have V worship Kerry like he deserves! possibly working through stuff like the age gap they have and the insecurities that might bring, Kerry getting older, his rockstardom, V narrowly avoiding death and continuing to chase it on the daily with his job, how Johnny still effects either of them even after the ole' Silverhand is gone from their lives... stuff like that, whether it be mid-game, post-game or an AU entirely. heavily looking for the focus to be on Kerry and his character study, with V basically being the supporting love interest.

• about me;

sup! I'm a 33yo trans dude looking for someone 25+ only! sorry; I just feel weird writing with people like, ten years younger than me. I write in third person, past tense, super descriptive if given the chance and upwards from two paragraphs to whatever exceeds the discord limit. I don't demand multiple paragraphs every reply, I just personally like to ramble a lot of the time. I appreciate good communication even when we’re not writing! I hope there’s mutual consideration in that neither one of us can be or should be available 24/7, though occasional check-ins would be nice (and I'll definitely provide them whenever I can). having said that, I’m more than happy to befriend my partners! I love sharing memes, art (I also draw my ships a lot, wink wonk), music, whatever you have OOC.

faithful characterization and good grammar is key to me. I’m always quality over quantity. my favorites to write are romance, relationship and character studies and whatever kind of shenanigans come with that. I'm enthusiastic about smut as long as it comes with some plot... and naturally open to action / angst / drama / whatever on the side, as long as the couple itself isn't toxic to one another and there's a happy ending somewhere to be found.

I don't have a steady schedule so depending on my week, my reply speed can be anything from several times a day to a few times a week. hoping for something similar; a single reply a week tends to make me lose interest quick. I know - I hate it too...

could this be your cup of tea? could you make my dreams of letting V worship Kerry come true? sweet! hit that like button, I'll check you out and come message you!!! 🌹

.

[fandom-rpfinder]

Cyberpunk 2077 / Kerry Eurodyne...

...anyone else? o(╥﹏╥)o🌹

I've been on my Kerry Eurodyne bender ever since Cyberpunk 2077 first came out and now, replaying it once again, I'm here looking to finally fulfill a daydream of finding someone to write your Kerry against my V. so, (cis) M / M, set... sometime during, after, or completely seperate from Cyberpunk 2077 and its storyline. canon, canon-ish, AU, whatever - I'm game to most things. more info below!

• about V;

in addition to game canon, contrary to (apparent) canon I headcanon him somewhere a bit past 30. he's a punk kid with grey morals, someone who used to be a golden retriever turned into a scary guard dog due to, y'know, stuff... but still definitely has that golden retriever energy hidden deep and reserved for Kerry. can present as serious and tough for the most time, but becomes kind of a lovestruck fool around Kerry. ambiguous ethnicity, does speak a bit of Spanish though and tends to get tan very easily in the sun. though he'll do most things for money he, too, has his weak spots; for example, though he's not exactly fond of them you still won't ever see him messing with kids and (though he's done it before, will do it again) he struggles putting bullets into people begging for their lives. V definitely acts a little tougher than he actually is and he's an incredibly soft top and dom in a relationship. not to say he can't play rough - he just wants there to be mutual consent and understanding. terribly sentimental, extremely soft for people he cares about. a cat dad.

• about the dynamic;

mostly looking for the opportunity to have V worship Kerry like he deserves! possibly working through stuff like the age gap they have and the insecurities that might bring, Kerry getting older, his rockstardom, V narrowly avoiding death and continuing to chase it on the daily with his job, how Johnny still effects either of them even after the ole' Silverhand is gone from their lives... stuff like that, whether it be mid-game, post-game or an AU entirely. heavily looking for the focus to be on Kerry and his character study, with V basically being the supporting love interest.

• about me;

sup! I'm a 33yo trans dude looking for someone 25+ only! sorry; I just feel weird writing with people like, ten years younger than me. I write in third person, past tense, super descriptive if given the chance and upwards from two paragraphs to whatever exceeds the discord limit. I don't demand multiple paragraphs every reply, I just personally like to ramble a lot of the time. I appreciate good communication even when we’re not writing! I hope there’s mutual consideration in that neither one of us can be or should be available 24/7, though occasional check-ins would be nice (and I'll definitely provide them whenever I can). having said that, I’m more than happy to befriend my partners! I love sharing memes, art (I also draw my ships a lot, wink wonk), music, whatever you have OOC.

faithful characterization and good grammar is key to me. I’m always quality over quantity. my favorites to write are romance, relationship and character studies and whatever kind of shenanigans come with that. I'm enthusiastic about smut as long as it comes with some plot... and naturally open to action / angst / drama / whatever on the side, as long as the couple itself isn't toxic to one another and there's a happy ending somewhere to be found.

I don't have a steady schedule so depending on my week, my reply speed can be anything from several times a day to a few times a week. hoping for something similar; a single reply a week tends to make me lose interest quick. I know - I hate it too...

could this be your cup of tea? could you make my dreams of letting V worship Kerry come true? sweet! hit that like button, I'll check you out and come message you!!! 🌹

👾

[findroleplay]

Cyberpunk 2077 / Kerry Eurodyne...

...anyone else? o(╥﹏╥)o🌹

I've been on my Kerry Eurodyne bender ever since Cyberpunk 2077 first came out and now, replaying it once again, I'm here looking to finally fulfill a daydream of finding someone to write your Kerry against my V. so, (cis) M / M, set... sometime during, after, or completely seperate from Cyberpunk 2077 and its storyline. canon, canon-ish, AU, whatever - I'm game to most things. more info below!

• about V;

in addition to game canon, contrary to (apparent) canon I headcanon him somewhere a bit past 30. he's a punk kid with grey morals, someone who used to be a golden retriever turned into a scary guard dog due to, y'know, stuff... but still definitely has that golden retriever energy hidden deep and reserved for Kerry. can present as serious and tough for the most time, but becomes kind of a lovestruck fool around Kerry. ambiguous ethnicity, does speak a bit of Spanish though and tends to get tan very easily in the sun. though he'll do most things for money he, too, has his weak spots; for example, though he's not exactly fond of them you still won't ever see him messing with kids and (though he's done it before, will do it again) he struggles putting bullets into people begging for their lives. V definitely acts a little tougher than he actually is and he's an incredibly soft top and dom in a relationship. not to say he can't play rough - he just wants there to be mutual consent and understanding. terribly sentimental, extremely soft for people he cares about. a cat dad.

• about the dynamic;

mostly looking for the opportunity to have V worship Kerry like he deserves! possibly working through stuff like the age gap they have and the insecurities that might bring, Kerry getting older, his rockstardom, V narrowly avoiding death and continuing to chase it on the daily with his job, how Johnny still effects either of them even after the ole' Silverhand is gone from their lives... stuff like that, whether it be mid-game, post-game or an AU entirely. heavily looking for the focus to be on Kerry and his character study, with V basically being the supporting love interest.

• about me;

sup! I'm a 33yo trans dude looking for someone 25+ only! sorry; I just feel weird writing with people like, ten years younger than me. I write in third person, past tense, super descriptive if given the chance and upwards from two paragraphs to whatever exceeds the discord limit. I don't demand multiple paragraphs every reply, I just personally like to ramble a lot of the time. I appreciate good communication even when we’re not writing! I hope there’s mutual consideration in that neither one of us can be or should be available 24/7, though occasional check-ins would be nice (and I'll definitely provide them whenever I can). having said that, I’m more than happy to befriend my partners! I love sharing memes, art (I also draw my ships a lot, wink wonk), music, whatever you have OOC.

faithful characterization and good grammar is key to me. I’m always quality over quantity. my favorites to write are romance, relationship and character studies and whatever kind of shenanigans come with that. I'm enthusiastic about smut as long as it comes with some plot... and naturally open to action / angst / drama / whatever on the side, as long as the couple itself isn't toxic to one another and there's a happy ending somewhere to be found.

I don't have a steady schedule so depending on my week, my reply speed can be anything from several times a day to a few times a week. hoping for something similar; a single reply a week tends to make me lose interest quick. I know - I hate it too...

could this be your cup of tea? could you make my dreams of letting V worship Kerry come true? sweet! hit that like button, I'll check you out and come message you!!! 🌹

-

[fantasyliteraturereview]

Trouble with Boys and Meeting Cool Queens

Travels with the Snow Queen was published in 1996 and follows the story of a girl named Gerda and her journey to find Kay her boyfriend. The story begins with us learning Kay has left and Gerda does not know where he has gone and so she sets out on this journey to try to find him. We learn that she does not have access to a normal map but rather scars on her feet that lead the way. As she continues, she thinks about what she wants to tell him when she finds him. She goes over a list in her head of sixteen things she will tell him. Many of these include how she doesn't like him anymore, she cheated on him and wants to say goodbye forever. As the story progresses, she has this feeling of wanting closure even though she easily could have let him go and never questioned it. As Gerda makes her way north, she encounters many different animals who help her on her trip, and she finds where Kay is being kept with the snow queen. Once she arrived, he begs for her to kiss him so that they can both leave, and everything would go back to how it was before. She hesitates and the snow queen arrives back home and asks Gerda if she loves Kay to which she replies sorry to Kay. The snow queen then offers her a chance to travel and work with her and Gerda gets her closer from Kay.

I really enjoyed reading this story. Much of it kept me really interested and excited to see what would happen and I found myself genuinely getting annoyed at the characters at times. It did a really good job of immersing you into the world and taking you away from reality. The setting and descriptions were incredible. Something that made this story really stand out was it was told from a second-person point of view which can be really hard to do however the author Kelly Link executes it wonderfully.

 One of the things I really liked about it was how there were random paragraphs that were like a tour happening and the story just jumped to them for a paragraph and then back into where we left off. One that stuck out to me when reading was, “My name is Gerda, and I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you” (Link, 574). This one stuck out to me for a few reasons. When initially reading I was confused but once you reach the end it makes sense. At the end of the story, the Snow Queen gives her a business proposal and we learn she works with the Snow Queen doing tours. 

Another part I really liked was the ending because it is left open for our interpretation. The story gives several hints as to what happens to the characters but we never flat-out get an answer. We can assume maybe one day someone came and kissed Kay, saving him from the enchantment. I would like to hope in this version no one comes because of how he treated Gerda. This leads me into another thing that I really liked, which was the characters. We can easily see how both Gerda and Kay are really thought-out characters. They aren't perfect, both have their faults and have done not so great things. This allows for the characters to seem more realistic and allow for readers to connect with them more. There were several things I enjoyed about the story but it also had its faults. 

Moving into things I wasn't as much of a fan of within the story, one of the biggest things that bothered me was the fact that the main focal point of the story was that she wanted to find her boyfriend who she didn't even want to be with anymore. I can understand it giving her a chance to explore and travel but the fact that it was over a boy bothered me. Once he left, she never had to see him again or even give him a second thought but instead went on this whole adventure just to tell him she doesn't love him anymore. She goes as far as to write a list of the things she wants to tell him when she sees him. This includes some things such as "1.  I’m sorry that I forgot to water your ferns while you were away that time. 2. When you said that I reminded you of your mother, was that a good thing? 3. I never really liked your friends all that much. 4. None of my friends ever really liked you. "(Link, 570)

This is just the beginning of the list however as we can see as the list goes on she is sort of ranting and just wanting to put the information out there to help herself feel better. Her character complains a lot in similar ways throughout the story even as the side characters tell her he doesn't love her anymore she keeps pushing on to complain and tell him all these things. It just really bothered me because it seemed like her main goal was to tell his guy all the things she hates about him. In reality, the story is written wonderfully and so there are not many things to even consider “bad”, only minor annoyances. 

Overall, I loved this story. I hope I brought to light some of what I thought and how different perspectives of reading can bring light to different things within a story. So, venture forth and remember “Part of you is always traveling faster, always traveling ahead. Even when you are moving it is never fast enough to satisfy that part of you” (Link, 566)

Link, Kelly. Travels with the Snow Queen, 1966, pp. 566–676.