ladyzephroar

[ladyzephroar]

This looks like such a fun and lovely writing challenge! If anyone is interested in any of the prompts, you can find more information about how to participate on their page. This is open for all fandoms!

Join us in the 2024 12 Days of Christmas Challenge as we hope to spread a little ✨holiday joy and cheer✨ through the magic of writing fanfiction.

About & Rules

The challenge will run from December 13-24, 2024.

The challenge is open to any and all fandoms.

Submissions must include at least one of the prompts for that day but can combine two, three, or all four.

Prompts for the day always include: a word/words, a scenario, a quote, a "famous" quote (taken from songs and movies)

Tag your submissions with #12daysofchristmas2024 and/or mention this blog so that we will be notified to reblog your submissions here. (Also, it would be super cool if you gave this blog a follow!)

Submissions for the day must be posted before midnight YOUR time. We're not super hard-and-fast about this rule, but posting within time is very much appreciated! 

If you’re posting your submission directly on Tumblr (as opposed to linking to an external site such as AO3), you MUST use a “keep reading” cut!

Please format ALL submissions with the following heading:

Title Day/Prompt Fandom/Character(s)/Ship Warnings (if applicable): Word Count:  Example: Santa, Baby Day 8 - “Prompt for that day” AEW - Adam Page x OC Warnings: Alcohol, cursing, sexual situations (explicit) Word Count: 7,290

You can also include a summary, gif, edit, whatever you want! Just don’t forget the “keep reading” if you’re posting directly on Tumblr!

2024 Prompts

Day 1 ❄️ First snow ❄️ Getting soaked ❄️ “Your hands are so cold.” ❄️ “I suppose it all started with the snow.” —Frosty the Snowman

Day 2 ❄️ Little lie ❄️ Trapped together in a snowstorm ❄️ “I thought you knew where you were going?!” ❄️ “I don’t know what to say, but it’s Christmas, and we’re all in misery.” —National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Day 3 ❄️ Accelerated heartbeat ❄️ Kissing in the snow ❄️ “Here, take my coat.” ❄️ “Let's hope the snow will make this Christmas right.” —Queen

Day 4 ❄️ Mulled wine ❄️ Playing board games ❄️ “I have no regrets.” ❄️ “Cheer up, dude. It's Christmas.” —How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 2000

Day 5 ❄️ Cookies ❄️ Holiday-themed contest ❄️ “That definitely looks… interesting?” ❄️ “That is exactly why you want a high-quality fire extinguisher right in the kitchen.” —The Santa Clause

Day 6 ❄️ Present ❄️ Making a new Christmas tradition ❄️ “Not another Christmas movie!” ❄️ “You say you hate Washington’s birthday or Thanksgiving, and nobody cares, but you say you hate Christmas, and people treat you like you’re a leper.” —Gremlins

Day 7 ❄️ Decorations ❄️ A little accident ❄️ “I was just trying to help!” ❄️ “I want my house to be seen from space.” —Deck The Halls

Day 8 ❄️ Touch starved ❄️ Telling secrets around the fire ❄️ “Sometimes the hardest part is forgiving yourself.” ❄️ “Santa, can't you hear me?” —Ariana Grande & Kelly Clarkson

Day 9 ❄️ Christmas fair/market ❄️ Late shopping (together) ❄️ “Hmm, this is actually not bad.” ❄️ “When you're still waiting for the snow to fall, doesn't really feel like Christmas at all.” —Coldplay

Day 10 ❄️ Surprise visit ❄️ Lighting scented candles ❄️ “I didn’t know you were here.” ❄️ “You’re skipping Christmas! Isn’t that against the law?” —Christmas with the Kranks

Day 11 ❄️ Fairy lights ❄️ Christmas party/ball ❄️ “I never want this night to end.” ❄️ “I won’t even wish for snow. And I’m just gonna keep on waiting, underneath the mistletoe.” —Mariah Carey

Day 12 ❄️ Feast ❄️ Indoor picnic by the tree/fireplace ❄️ “I baked your favourite cookie/pie/cake.” ❄️ “You are all I need tonight underneath the Christmas lights.” —Sia

Extra Challenge

Angst or fluff, romance or platonic - you're unsure in what direction your fic should go? Spin our

Wheel

and let it decide for you! You can spin it once and write all fics with what comes up, you can spin it daily and change course accordingly, you can spin it as often as you need or not at all - it's all up to you.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions! Also, feel free to share this post and help spread the joy and cheer!

Happy writing, and good luck 🍀

[ladyzephroar]

Cherry trees are stunning in their full spring splendour. At least that is my opinion. Magnolia trees are a very close second.

[ladyzephroar]

Hello all,

To those of you who follow me and have noticed that I no longer have my Asks opened, I would like to apologise for my decision to disable that feature altogether. It was a difficult decision on my part since as a fanfic author, I love interacting with my readers- but I will not tolerate that feature being abused because scammers think they can use this platform as a place to con people out of their money.

No legit charity will send the people they have vetted and are purporting to help to a social media site such as Tumblr to be a nuisance to everyone by spamming and demanding money. Anyone claiming otherwise is not to be trusted. If you wish to help the people of Gaza there are legit charities out there that send money directly to the people in need and not to some rando's bank account from India or Europe which is where a lot of the Gofundme accounts have been created.

I may lose a lot of support. I may even lose readers. However, at the end of the day, I will not stand by and allow my friends to be scammed out of their money when there are legit charities out there screaming for help because they have real people that are in dire need of their help and are not getting it.

The fact that Tumblr refuses to do anything about these scammers makes me angry enough to want to delete my account and move to a platform that actually protects their users. Until I find a better platform to discuss my writing and post information about my stories, I will be on Tumblr. However, if I decide to delete this account and move elsewhere, I'll probably be found on Dreamwidth.

The Asks feature is meant for my readers to reach out to me with their questions about my stories. It is not meant to be abused by scammers purporting to be victims of war demanding that I give them money.

[ladyzephroar]

Some more excellent writing tips for those that may come across my page that are also writers. :)

Show, don’t tell

"Show, don’t tell" means letting readers experience a story through actions, senses, and dialogue instead of outright explaining things. Here are some practical tips to achieve that:

1. Use Sensory Details

Tell: "The room was cold."

Show: "Her breath puffed in faint clouds, and she shivered as frost clung to the edges of the window."

Tell: "He was scared."

Show: "His hands trembled, and his heart thudded so loudly he was sure they could hear it too."

2. Focus on Actions

Tell: "She was angry."

Show: "She slammed the mug onto the counter, coffee sloshing over the rim as her jaw clenched."

Tell: "He was exhausted."

Show: "He stumbled through the door, collapsing onto the couch without even bothering to remove his shoes."

3. Use Dialogue

What characters say and how they say it can reveal their emotions, intentions, or traits.

Tell: "She was worried about the storm."

Show: "Do you think it'll reach us?" she asked, her voice tight, her fingers twisting the hem of her shirt.

4. Show Internal Conflict Through Thoughts or Reactions

Tell: "He was jealous of his friend."

Show: "As his friend held up the trophy, he forced a smile, swallowing the bitter lump rising in his throat."

5. Describe the Environment to Reflect Mood

Use the setting to mirror or hint at emotions or themes.

Tell: "The town was eerie."

Show: "Empty streets stretched into the mist, and the only sound was the faint creak of a weathered sign swinging in the wind."

6. Let Readers Infer Through Context

Give enough clues for the reader to piece things together without spelling it out.

Tell: "The man was a thief."

Show: "He moved through the crowd, fingers brushing pockets, his hand darting away with a glint of gold."

7. Use Subtext in Interactions

What’s left unsaid can reveal as much as what’s spoken.

Tell: "They were uncomfortable around each other."

Show: "He avoided her eyes, pretending to study the painting on the wall. She smoothed her dress for the third time, her fingers fumbling with the hem."

8. Compare to Relatable Experiences

Use metaphors, similes, or comparisons to make an emotion or situation vivid.

Tell: "The mountain was huge."

Show: "The mountain loomed above them, its peak disappearing into the clouds, as if it pierced the heavens."

Practice Example:

Tell: "The village had been destroyed by the fire."

Show: "Charred beams jutted from the rubble like broken ribs, the acrid smell of ash lingering in the air. A child's shoe lay half-buried in the soot, its leather curled from the heat."

[ladyzephroar]

Excellent writing references that I am just going to reblog because I love reading through them.

When your Character...

Gets into: A Fight ⚜ ...Another Fight ⚜ ...Yet Another Fight

Hates Someone ⚜ Kisses Someone ⚜ Falls in Love

Calls Someone they Love ⚜ Dies / Cheats Death ⚜ Drowns

is...

A Child ⚜ Interacting with a Baby/Child ⚜ A Genius ⚜ A Lawyer

Beautiful ⚜ Dangerous ⚜ Drunk ⚜ Injured ⚜ Shy

needs...

A Magical Item ⚜ An Aphrodisiac ⚜ A Fictional Poison

To be Killed Off ⚜ To Become Likable ⚜ To Clean a Wound

To Find the Right Word, but Can't ⚜ To Say No ⚜ A Drink

loves...

Astronomy ⚜ Baking ⚜ Cooking ⚜ Cocktails ⚜ Food ⚜ Oils

Dancing ⚜ Fashion ⚜ Gems ⚜ Mythology ⚜ Numbers

Roses ⚜ Sweets ⚜ To Fight ⚜ Wine ⚜ Wine-Tasting ⚜ Yoga

has/experiences...

Allergies ⚜ Amnesia ⚜ Bereavement ⚜ Bites & Stings ⚜ Bruises

Caffeine ⚜ CO Poisoning ⚜ Color Blindness ⚜ Food Poisoning

Injuries ⚜ Jet Lag ⚜ Mutism ⚜ Pain ⚜ Poisoning

More Pain & Violence ⚜ Viruses ⚜ Wounds

[these are just quick references. more research may be needed to write your story...]

[ladyzephroar]

This is one of the cutest drawings I've seen. Harry and his little froggy raincoat is freaking adorable.

just realized i never posted these harry doodles from twitter!! little harry and his froggy raincoat <3

[ladyzephroar]

I don't think I will be using any of these words in a story, but I think I am going to use some of them as story titles.

Archaic Words: Hate

for your next poem/story

Bydryven - to commit evil

Deule - the devil

Deviltry - anything unlucky, offensive, hurtful, or hateful

Exheridate - to disinherit; to hate or detest

Eye bite - to bewitch an animal with the evil eye

Hain - malice; hatred

Hateredyne - hatred

Hatien - to hate

Hatous - hateful

Hatrex - hatred

Hazeney - to foretell evil

Hellhound - a wicked fellow

Hiessen - to forebode evil

Ivele - evil; injury; sickness

Lathe - hateful; also: injury, harm

Lether - vile; hateful

Limbo - hell; properly, the limbus or place where the righteous were supposed to have been confined before the coming of Christ

Lothe - perverse; hateful

Mysbreyde - evil birth

Onde - zeal; envy; malice; hatred

Pelsey - mischievous; evil; wicked

Quad - bad; evil

Quede - harm; evil

Quince - the king's evil

Slier - to look sly upon, but with some evil design

Spurn - an evil spirit

Toady - hateful; beastly

Tutivillus - an old name for a celebrated demon, who is said to have collected all the fragments of words which the priests had skipped over or mutilated in the performance of the service, and carried them to hell

Ungode - bad; evil

Yeffell - evil

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References ⚜ Word Lists

[ladyzephroar]

To those that have written 'lost episode' based prompts for your stories, what helped you write your fic? I have been sitting on this prompt for a few years now and keep drawing a blank because I don't know what to write.

According to AO3, I've been sitting on this particular prompt challenge since May 2022. So if an idea isn't going to form, I think I should drop out of this particular challenge?

[ladyzephroar]

Definitely up to no good. Love the fan art and the depiction of the Marauders.

Sneaky third year marauders… definitely up to no good

[ladyzephroar]

The problem is that I tell myself this and I absolutely break down into tears because everything NEEDS to be perfect before I can move on.

Through gritted teeth: my first draft is allowed to be awful. My first draft is allowed to be awful. My first draft is allowed to be awful.

[ladyzephroar]

Everyone, I've got big news... Well, big enough news that isn't so important but is important to me.

I just finished writing the first part of Chapter 1 of the new story (fic) I am planning on posting before Christmas, and now I am about to start writing the second part.

And I am so freaking happy that this GIF represents how I am feeling:

If my actual desk wasn't threatening to collapse due to it being really cheap, I'd totally jump on top of it and do a little celebratory dance, I'm just saying.

So to those Amazing Spiez! fans... A new story is coming your way soon. Also, there's going to be a new chapter coming for The Curse of Sekhmet as soon as it comes back from being looked at by the beta. ^^

[ladyzephroar]

Is there anybody on my Friend's List that's good at plot help? Even if you are just sitting and listening to me complain, I will forever be grateful. I have a plot that's giving me some problems and it's driving me crazy.

[ladyzephroar]

I reserve an intense, burning hatred for those that bind fanfiction. Seriously, they are as much of a damn problem as those selling bound copies of fic. If it wasn't for these people binding fanfiction and showing off their bound copies, we wouldn't have people selling their own bound copies for hundreds if not thousands of dollars/euros, etc.

Our fandom forbearers did NOT suffer through Anne Rice, strikethrough, and other bullshit for fucking ACOTAR and Harry Potter fans to fucking ruin it for all of us by selling fanfiction. I am not losing novel length yaoi epics because some of you don't know how to act in fannish spaces and yes I do blame the booktokification of fanfic but I also blame those of you that treat fandom like content to consume and not a community to engage with.

[ladyzephroar]

I feel called out by this post and I don't know how to feel about that, lol.

unfortunately, I will write this fic and I am writing this fic are two very different things

[ladyzephroar]

hello, i want to ask if you know ways to replace "because" to make a less repetitive use of the word without lose the meaning and make it hard to understand. it's with what i struggle the most and i find your blog really helpful especially because english is my second language, thank you!!

Because—for the reason that; the fact that

After all - in view of all circumstances

As - for the reason that; because, since

As a consequence of - (or in consequence of) as a result of [something specified]

As long as - inasmuch as; since

Bearing in mind - to think of (something) especially as a warning; remember

Being (as; as how; that) - for the reason that; because

By reason of - because of; due to

Considering - inasmuch as; since

Due to - as a result of; because of

For - for the reason that; on this ground; because

For that - archaic: because

Forasmuch as - in view of the fact that

Forwhy - archaic: because, for, since

Given (that) - in view of; considering

In consideration of - a taking into account

In fact - in truth

In that - used to introduce a statement that explains or gives more specific information about what one has just said

In view of - in regard to; in consideration of

Inasmuch as - in view of the fact that; since

Insofar as - to the extent or degree that

Insomuch as - in view of the fact that; since

Now (that) - in view of the fact that; since

On account of - for the sake of; because of

On the grounds that - for the reason that; because

Owing to - because of

Seeing (as; that) - since—used to introduce a statement that explains the reason for another statement

Since - in view of the fact that; because

That - used as a function word to introduce a subordinate clause expressing a reason or cause

Whereas - in view of the fact that; since; used especially to introduce a preamble

Wherefore - for what reason or purpose

Thanks for the request—really needed this too! Hope it helps with your writing :)

More: Word Lists

[ladyzephroar]

I now want to read some genderbend Marauders fanfic where the Marauders are girls because of this absolutely stunning fan art. Anybody have any recommendations?

Just some lame 70s marauder girls

Ref

[ladyzephroar]

This scene was hilarious in the books. Too bad they got rid of this scene for the movies. I feel that it would have been just so funny.

— chapter 7, goblet of fire

i felt the strongest urge to draw this endearing scene :’)