#<-perhaps that tag will be useful if i ever start doing more text posts. ..

[b1asho]

clip and 2 questions:

https://youtube.com/shorts/iLCwFGcjBmM?si=C0caXelKlTFhQpoy

How did humanity unlearn this lesson? Was the ship the humans crashed full of civilians and low ranking soldiers? or did they assume aliens worked differently from themselves?

also maybe i missed something but is EVERYONE stuck on that world and if that is the case is the greater universe doing things? (no need to elaborate, clearly no one on the you made would know too much about it)

Oh boy!! History time!! 👇

The humans weren't all on one ship, they were assembled in an 'exodus' fleet that was fleeing some kind of catastrophe in the solar system that rendered earth as well as any lunar, martian, etc colonies uninhabitable!! It was assembled from craft and structures of various purposes (from military and scientific to residential, recreational, and agricultural ) from a wide variety of countries, all moving as close as they could together at once (with the largest flagship being an american built-in-space superstructure one with some...interesting technology aboard....) People of all types/jobs/etc were part of the exodus, which took several months. They knew there was a viable planet in the direction they were going, but had no idea that that planet was already under terraforming reconstruction by the Old Seru Empire (who had arrived a few decades prior to start getting it ready to be a new source of materials and space for their waning empire by making its atmosphere a bit better and adding a better soil layer and more water) (they were mostly engineers and military, but there were also a lot of working civilians and others who were living up there in preparation for going down to live there)

Until they started getting hints that there was someone already there (via some radio waves and weird objects in the planet's orbit, which also corresponded to imperials also getting an idea that someone was coming), humanity at this point still had had no concrete contact with or evidence of aliens!! (Or, i should clarify, *organic* and *physical* aliens...)

How exactly this happened is a mystery (ie spoilers XD), but the mass of human ships ended up hitting the Empire's main orbital stations, sattelites, and their space elevator, and just kept coming until everyone was sent to the ground. The most common theory was that it was the rings of the planet that maybe hit the flagship somehow, but that doesn't explain the uh lights that some witnesses have accounted. Anyway, after they made landfall the rest is history..

So basically this is a relatively small population stuck where no one can find them, and who knows whos even lookig for them in the first place. No one really knows what's going on in the solar system, humans have tried reaching out but it's radio silent. The Crash also wrecked the Empire's wormhole thing, so they're cut off WAY further away than humans are. Presumably, the old empire has really started falling apart by now and has probably made several attempts to sling another wormhole in this area despite the risk...but thats just speculation because it seems they haven't managed to do it yet. There's probably all kinds of fun stuff going on around this little shipwreck planet (post apocalyptic earth?? Revolution across the original Empire? Who knows!!)

Everyone that's down there has largely sidelined space efforts in favor of making life on the ground better, because there's pretty much nothing around them for so far around that it's not really worth trying (let's focus on The War and/or getting running water to more of the country first)

Oh, and I think the general ideas explained in the clip are the reason why we've already seen a few warring periods in the planet's few hundred years of history, it's a whole mess of alliances and rivalries btwn the sophonts from all origins, idk the specifics yet tho

[carriehobbs]

I keep thinking about @/fauville’s tags (“#literally no one else calls the detective by a nickname #not their mom. not tina or verda”) on this post and how it's just another example of the way that the constraints of interactive fiction as a storytelling medium (e.g., limitations in what the writer knows how to code, inability to account for all players' (and player characters') reactions to the text, nuanced conversations reduced in-game to multiple choice answers, etc.) inadvertently provide characterization for the game's characters.

to use @/fauville's example of the detective's nickname: tina and verda should, at the very least, know that the detective has a nickname and should use it; however, they use the detective's first name instead. this is speculation (i don't know if mishka has ever gone on-record to say why nicknames were not a part of book 1), but I suspect, from a writing standpoint, that this decision was made because nicknames hadn't been included in book 1 (perhaps because mishka didn't yet know how to code nicknames in choicescript, or because she hadn't anticipated players wanting a feature like optional nicknames) and it would have seemed jarring for someone who has always called the detective by their first name to suddenly start using a nickname midway through book 2. unit bravo can get away with this change because they hadn't known about the nickname previously (doesn't know about the nickname -> learns about the nickname -> uses the nickname) in a way that tina and verda, who have known the detective for years, cannot (doesn't know about the nickname -> learns about the nickname -> doesn't use the nickname for years -> suddenly starts using the nickname with no explanation ??).

just because we, as players, can acknowledge and understand the external factors that influence a game's production (e.g., not knowing how to code a particular feature at the start of the series and later learning how to implement that feature, if this is indeed the case), doesn't mean that I think we should ignore the implications these gameplay (and game-making) decisions have for the coherence of the story and character. perhaps tina and verda's use of the detective's first name was motivated by external factors, but it still says something about the characters that they do so (perhaps it lends to the way that verda can sometimes seem more formal or put-together, or speaks to a past between tina and the detective before the detective started using a nickname, etc.).

even more interesting (to me, at least) are the implications that rebecca choosing to use the detective's full name has for rebecca's character and her relationship with the detective. rebecca will call the detective by their first name regardless of both their past relationship and their current relationship. in a low-approval playthrough, it is pretty easy to come up with reasons that rebecca might not call the detective by a nickname. perhaps she doesn't feel like she's close enough to the detective to use a nickname. perhaps she and the detective are so distant that she doesn't even know the detective would prefer to be called a nickname in the first place.

furthermore, what does it say about rebecca that she still won't use the detective's nickname even if they are close? we've seen through the series that, even on a high-approval playthrough, rebecca seems to feel a lot of guilt for not being around through the detective's childhood (regardless of how that guilt actually informed her actions) - is her refusal to use a nickname she should know about some kind of self-flagellation wherein she doesn't feel as though she deserves to be close to the detective and so she creates an artificial distance between them through the use of their full name? what motivation does rebecca have for not using the detective's nickname, and what does it say about her that she doesn't?

I just find it endlessly fascinating the ways in which the constraints of the medium can unintentionally provide characterization for the game's characters. I don't think that we, as players, should write off these moments of characterization just because they were the results of a constraint. regardless of whatever external factors influence the game's production, why, in-fiction, does a character do a certain thing, and what does that action or decision impact how we understand them?

[kilmerhq]

𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚘𝚡 … it  started  as  a  regular  morning.  you  were  pacing  your  favorite  place  around  the  town,  eyes  glued  ahead  or  above  —  perhaps  foreign  to  some  of  our  more  reserved  townies,  but  today  felt  different…  a  few  more  paces,  and  your  foot  collides  with  something.  it's  not  too  heavy,  but  it  can  easily  hold  its  own.  after  all,  its  withstood  the  past  few  nights  -  wet,  with  mid-autumn  rains  whose  force  whistles  against  your  bedroom  window.

OUT  OF  CHARACTER  INFORMATION  :   this  is  the  first  task + mini plotdrop  of  kilmer's  cove  !  muse  participation  is  not  mandatory,  but  highly  recommended.  to  participate,  make  sure  to  tag  your  post  as  #kilmer.task01  so  we  can  view  your  lovely  answers  and  collect  them  for  near  future  hauntings.  if opting out, make sure to give this a quick read regardless, as it will inform new threads from here on out ! click  the  READ  MORE  and  see  what  you  will  soon  find  out  about  your  muse…  and  maybe  yourself  ?

you  may  answer  the  following  questions  in  any  format  that  you  would  like  —  prose,  ooc  headcanon  style,  an  all-encompassing  self  para  …  whatever  fits  your  creative  vision  the  best  !

if  you  do  decide  to  venture  in  on  this  journey  with  us,  all  questions  must  be  answered,  but  in  any  order  you  see  makes  sense  with  the  narrative. the text in bold is what must be answered. all other info is there to guide you and your muse.

this may delve into themes of trauma and pain, so please use your discretion when tagging trigger warnings on the post. any of the triggers listed here must be tagged.

— NOW,  LET'S  CONTINUE  .

Q01  :  you,  ever  the  curious  cat,  whether  you'd  like  to  admit  it  or  not,  crouches  down,  eyes  laser-focused  on  the  item  before  them.  what  does  the  outside  of  the  box  look  like  ?  is  this  something  they  have  seen  before  —  either  in  their  dreams  or  reality  ?  go  as  detailed  as  you'd  like.  possible  descriptors  can  delve  into  things  like:  what  material  is  the  box  made  of,  does  it  have  any  significance  to  y/m  or  someone  close  to  them,  does  it  have  this  enticing  energy  or  will  y/m  rebuke  this  omen,  is  it  hot  to  the  touch  or  freezing  cold,  etc.

Q02  :  after  careful  deliberation,  or  maybe  none  at  all,  you  have  decided  to  take  your  chances,  anyway.  your  hand  is  outstretched,  fingers  skimming  the  exterior  before  finally  pulling  it  into  your  grasp.  is  it  locked  ?  a  simple  yes  or  no  could  suffice,  or  you  could  go  in  depth  about  how  surprisingly  easy  it  was  to  open,  or,  conversely,  paint  a  picture  of  a  struggle.  will  they  accept  defeat,  or  use  their  surroundings  to  pry  it  open.

Q03  :  a  time  capsule,  it  seems,  but  you  don't  remember  making  one.  how  did  it  get  here  ?  you  might  be  losing  your  mind,  at  this  point.  regardless,  relish  in  your  success.  congrats.  you've  opened  it.  now  tell  me  what's  inside.  pictures  ?  jewelry  ?  useless  knick  knacks  ?

Q04  :  the  finale.  do  you  take  it  home,  or  are  its  contents  so  painful,  you  cannot  bear  to  have  it  in  your  sight  any  longer  ?  again,  a  simple  answer,  or  a  careful  deliberation  would  work  —  both  tell  me  exactly  what  i  need  to  know.

if  you  decided  to  leave  it  there,  or  perhaps  throw  it  into  the  ocean,  you  may  never  see  it  again.  if  you  decided  to  keep  it  :  during  your  journey  home,  whatever  bag  or  pocket  you  decided  to  stash  it  in  —  perhaps  it  is  cradled  by  the  safety  of  your  palms  or  arms  —  you  slowly  feel  the  weight  being  turned  into  something  different.  for  you  are  dust,  and  to  dust  you  shall  return.  it  was  all  a  dream.  are  you  brave  enough  to  share  that  with  your  community  ?  or  will  you  keep  your  cards  close  ?  the  air  feels  odd,  and  everyone,  in  one  way  or  another,  simply  feels…  off.  for  those  who  seek  out  external  guidance,  it  seems  as  if  the  town  of  kilmer  and  its  shared  delusions  might  not  just  be  a  piece  of  urban  legend. 

this  collective  dream  will  now  drive  your  future  threads, whether you posted a task or not, your muse still fell victim to this disorienting dream. will  you  finally give in  to  the  mystery  of  the  cove  ?  or  will  you  continue  to  push  against  the  current of superstition  ?

[lisbeth-kk]

Continuing the May prompts with a letter story. Thanks for the tag @calaisreno

Healing letters

After grieving Sherlock for months, John decides to write down his feelings, just like his therapist, Ella, advised him to. First he tries to actually write. Physically. It’s too strenuous. He’s not used to writing by hand anymore. Besides the pages more often than not, gets soaked from his dripping tears, and the ink gets smeared all over the paper.

He'll use the blog, but he’ll disable comments. Although he does it for his own sanity, it may help the few friends he’s got to understand what he’s going through. He hasn’t exactly been socialising since Sherlock jumped off that roof, and he rarely answers his phone. 

He wants it to be a system to this. Each blog post will have its own topic. If not, John’s confident it’ll be just him babbling, not even making sense to himself. Today he feels a bit less depressed, and he can start with the anger.

I’m so angry with you, Sherlock. How could you kill yourself in front of me? Making me witness my best friend jump off a building to his death. Did you think I wouldn’t mind? That I wouldn’t grieve you just because I was pissed with you when I left you? You, the most observant man who’s ever walked the earth. How could you not know, you meant the world to me? What do you think it was like talking to you when you stood up there? I heard the tears in your voice, and you must’ve heard my despair as well. When I saw you lying at the pavement, my life ended too, you know. My whole world shattered. You were taken away before I could say a proper goodbye. How do you think that made me feel, Sherlock? Damn, you!

John’s mentally exhausted after posting the entry. He’s shaking with anger against Sherlock. Without giving it a second thought, he grabs his jacket and heads out to get some air. He walks quickly wherever his feet carries him. He doesn’t care much, and he must look quite intimidating, because other pedestrians are clearly avoiding him.

He makes tea and toast when he gets back. The anger has dissipated a bit. It’s actually liberating to feel something again. For weeks he’s just been numb. Haven’t cared about anything. He startles when his phone buzzes. A text from Molly. He deletes it without looking. She has most likely read the blog entry and wants to comfort him or something. Mike and Greg texts him a few hours later. John deletes those texts too. 

***

A few days later the anger is long gone. Another feeling has emerged in his mind the last couple of hours. His faith in Sherlock. It’s always been there, but never as strong as it is now. Curious, that.

From the first day I met you, I had faith in you, Sherlock. That drug bust at 221B told you that much. Perhaps I put you on a pedestal for a while, come to think of it. Nevertheless, despite all your odd habits, sulks and annoying behaviour, I always believed in who you were. The core of you. Not to flatter myself, but I think I knew you quite well. Perhaps not as well as Mycroft, although he once said that I knew you best of all. All that’s been said about you after you died, makes me believe in you even more. Because I know, Sherlock, that you never were a fraud. You may have shammed and tricked people for a case, but you were never a fake. To the day I die myself, I’ll deny that with everything I’ve got.

Again, John’s mentally exhausted after posting the new entry, but in another sort of way. The adrenaline doesn’t zing through his veins. It’s more like he’s poured out his soul. And in a way he has. He’s never uttered those words to anyone. 

Before the day is over, his phone buzzes with texts from Molly, Greg and Mike. He deletes all of them without reading. This quest is something he wants to execute without input from anyone.

***

A week passes without the urge to write. When the familiar nightmare appears one night, John knows it’s time for another blog post. He had waked screaming Sherlock’s name, seeing him fall from that roof again. His heart pounded like he’d run a marathon and his face was wet from crying, sobbing really.

How did I fail to see that something was amiss, Sherlock? I loathe myself for not observing you more thoroughly. Moriarty clouded my vision. You were so absorbed in his endeavours to get your attention. Flattered maybe, that another genius wanted to play with you. I should’ve seen that his only goal was to destroy you. He said so the first time. At the pool. “I’ll burn the heart out of you.” Whatever he meant by that. He certainly burned the heart out of me, if he had anything to do with your suicide. It must’ve been that. You would never do what you did unless you had no other choice. Am I right, Sherlock? I think I am, which makes it even harder to bear. The thought that if I’d been just a little bit smarter, more alert, less stubborn and angry with you....I might’ve saved you.

John shuts his phone off and drinks half a bottle of whisky after posting that entry, or letter as he’s started to call them. 

***

This will be his last letter. John knows that this also will be the hardest one, and maybe it’ll be the one that starts his healing properly. His grief’s still raw. Some days are better, other worse. This one tip more in favour of the latter.

How much can a man grieve before it destroys him, Sherlock? All I know is that I’ve grieved enough to last a lifetime. That said, I’ll never stop grieving you. You were the best thing that ever happened to me. Being in your orbit, saved my life. I was so lost back then, and now I’m even more lost. Because now I know what it’s like to be whole, to have a purpose, to wake every day, feeling excited about what may await me. A new case, a severed head in the fridge, listening to beautiful music from your violin, having takeaway from our favourite places, or dinner at Angelo’s, bantering with you about the lack of milk, or nagging you to eat something. There are so many things that vanished from my life when you died, Sherlock. Are you aware of that? I’m just existing nowadays. The amount of tears I’ve shed could fill the pond in Regent’s Park. I’ve hid them here at Baker Street. Out and about I put on a mask. Motionless. Stony. Speaking of. I’ve only been to your grave once since the funeral. The stone fits you. Polished, black with golden letters. Only your name. No dates or quotes. I talked to you when I stood in front of that stone. Asked you for a favour. To do one last magic trick. For me.

For an unknown reason, John enables comments after this entry, but hours go by, and the comment sections are still empty. Maybe he’d miscalculated people’s interest in him. After all, the readers of his blog were all interested in Sherlock, not in him, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise.

He takes a shower and heads for the bedroom when he hears a sound he hasn’t heard for ages. Someone’s commented on the blog. Probably Molly or Mike. His curiosity gets the better of him, though. The comment is on the last entry.

I heard you. SH

A bit angsty. I can reveal that I shed my share of tears throughout alongside with John...

@totallysilvergirl @notjustamumj @raina-at @meetinginsamarra @topsyturvy-turtely @peanitbear

[studywave]

PDF Readers: What Do You Want? What Do You Need?

Hey all! I promised a series of posts on resources that have helped me during undergrad, and I'm going to start with the basics: how to read your coursework. I'm going to tag a few people who mentioned being interested in this series, but please let me know if you'd like to be untagged!

@anyto @wocinstem @youneedtostudyives @studyblr-perhaps

Now, I'm an English major, so I can't speak on behalf of the sciences, but almost all of my course materials have been given to me in the form of PDFs. I also download almost all my research in PDF format, and when I find books for free online, they're usually PDFs. Clearly, this means I need some easy way to read and edit PDFs. Below the cut, you'll find information on how to choose a PDF reader that's right for you, as well as information on Xodo, my personal favorite reader.

What should you consider when choosing a PDF reader?

Well, first, there's cost. There are all kinds of PDF readers at all kinds of price points. Xodo, my favorite, is free. I've never used the paid version, because for my purposes, the free version is more than enough. Now, let's talk about those purposes.

As an English student, I'm mostly concerned with annotation. I want to be able to mark my documents up, highlight them, write on them, leave comments, all that good stuff. However, what I need might not be what you need. Do you need to sign a lot of documents? Do you need to build PDFs from scratch? Are you more concerned with appearance, or with functionality?

Once you've answered these questions, you'll be able to search online for reviews dealing with the specific kinds of functionality you need.

Why should you use Xodo?

Well, for starters, the free version has more than I will ever need. I can edit, I can annotate, I can sign, I can highlight. I can do pretty much anything my English major heart desires, and I can use my Apple pencil to do it (I'll make another post about ipads and Apple pencils and link it here once it's finished).

This screenshot shows a lot of my favorite parts of Xodo. I can highlight in different colors (I use green to make information on further reading stand out) and I can write (also in different colors) with my Apple pencil, all while scrolling and navigating with my hand. I don't have to constantly click back and forth between marking and scrolling like I do with some apps, and I can lay my hand on the screen without disturbing anything. This, the ability to confine the text marking to the pencil, is really important to me. I don't like to be constantly clicking around and making accidental marks.

I've also been able to read almost every PDF I've put on here without much trouble. Between the size of my ipad screen (which will be the subject of another post), the high resolution, and the ability to zoom and scroll at the same time, I can read even pretty low-quality PDFs with very little trouble.

You might also notice the little box with the "4" in it in the upper right corner. This indicates the number of tabs I have open because yes, you can have multiple tabs open in Xodo. I've had over ten tabs open at a time, some containing 300+ page documents, and I've never had lagging or glitching problems.

Here's a selection of other actions Xodo allows. I've never scanned anything to PDF using it, but if the rest of the app is anything to go by, it probably works just fine.

I've had the occasional problem with glitching (maybe once per every five hours of reading I do, if that) which usually just involves a section of the text going black and can be solved by closing and reopening the app. Closing and reopening is no problem, either, because Xodo saves your place.

All this to say, I've used Xodo for a little over a year now, and I have no complaints. I cannot recommend it highly enough, and I'm sure the paid version is even better. That's all for now. Happy reading!

[eusuntgratie]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

tagged by @jdeanmorgan 😘

How many works do you have on ao3? 264. holy shit!

What's your total ao3 word count? 428,688

What fandoms do you write for? men's hockey rpf, rwrb, rwrb rpf, 911, 911 rpf are the ones i have current wips for although its been a minute since i've written buddie. i'm an rpf bitch lately.

Top five fics by kudos: open my heart and let it bleed onto yours (sterek, teen wolf), (be a) good wolf (sterek, teen wolf), safe (sterek, teen wolf), partner (buddie, 911), home (sterek, teen wolf) these haven't moved in a while my new fandoms are not as big as teen wolf those fics did some numbers

Do you respond to comments? nearly always! i love engaging with readers, but even if its just an emoji or a thank you i usually respond.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? probably hold me like i was forgiven (tknp, men's hockey rpf)

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? recently, and in the most traditional sense, maybe dance with me so we don't cry (firstprince, rwrb)

Do you get hate on fics? i write a lot of rpf, so yeah. not on hockey fic, but actor rpf tends to bring it out in people 🙃 i got more comments that irked me on disaster than i'm used to bc i didn't do what some people expected, but only one or two of those i'd consider hate.

Do you write smut? yes! the fic i posted today, you could've texted (ryliver, 911 rpf) is pwp.

Craziest crossover: i don't think i've written one? i'm not opposed but. not yet.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? not that i know of

Have you ever had a fic translated? no but i would love that! eventually i will tackle translating one of mine into spanish.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? i've cowritten a series but not a fic, but only the ones i wrote are still up

All time favorite ship? impossible question. i don't ever really get over/move on from a ship completely i just shift to mostly reading/writing something else. stucky, sterek, buddie, firstprince, tknp, and sidgeno are probably my big ones that are like, ingrained into my soul at this point. but they absolutely are not the only ones i care about. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? i have a bunch of sterek and buddie wips that i'm not sure i'll ever get back to. the buddie ones certainly have more of a chance but. i don't know. shadow (buddie) and stilinski construction (sterek) are two i think about every so often but i'm not sure i'll finish.

What are your writing strengths? who knows. dialog maybe? when i have it nailed down for a character which isn't always. giving a little glimpse of a world and situation in a short fic, maybe? sexual tension, perhaps. i feel like i write good blowjobs.

What are your writing weaknesses? uh, plot? action? why would my characters DO anything when they could just talk and think and fuck. kissing is so fucking hard to write.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language? on the rare occasion it actually makes sense for the character im fine with it. i've written some spanish dialog in fic. but just because a character speaks another language doesn't mean they'd randomly start speaking it in the middle of a conversation or something.

First fandom you wrote in? stucky/captain america/mcu. my first fic was Captain America and the Winter Soldier Read Thirst Tweets

Favorite fic you've written? if i had to pick right now it would be disaster and forgive me, father for very different reasons <3

tagging @lostcol @bigassbowlingballhead @jbarneswilson @voxofthevoid @oxfordslutphase @onward--upward and anybody else who wants to do it!

[suicidalgamergirl]

Bastarion Fic

From one of my prompts.

https://tgtncomic.tumblr.com/post/740426707222331392/stupid-astarion-fic-ideas

Enjoy my crappy writing.

*****

Her relationship was over.

Ken, her boyfriend for 5 years, ditched her. After caughting him texting other women, she had to break up with him. During the relationship, Ken has tried everything that he can to at least have some intimate relationship with her. Despite knowing she was assaulted in her teen years by another classmate years ago, she really couldn’t enjoy sex like every other adult.

It fucked up her mentally and emotionally.  

It also didn’t help about his constant nagging for it and downplaying that she’ll be worthless in the next couple of years.

After seeing him chatting up chicks on his cell, she knew he wasn’t faithful. She ended the relationship, but his last words to her had stung hard.

“No one else will find you attractive. I just gave pity on you because no one will ever want to sleep with you. You dumb bitch, should have given me what I deserved for being nice to you.”

So here she was. An adult who was broken, hugging plush toys as she muffled her cries for the night. Maybe her childish attitude was the reason no one wanted a relationship with her. Maybe cuddling her pain from the assault because she was nothing but an irresponsible person to not be taken seriously for being an adult. 

Ken was no more and she was free. 

Getting up from her bed, realizing she is not going to have a good night. She put on her jacket and locked the door. She heard that doing some sort of exercise might release some endorphins. 

She definitely needed the boost. 

*****

Why did Tav have to die?

Her aid in dealing with his cruel master and letting said vampire become the next sacrifice of the Ritual of Ascension. He was granted such power from it. He was stronger, sharper, and willing to take down Baldur’s Gate with her and then the world.

He was going to give her Mephistopheles’ blessing and grant her power as his consort will have. 

Yet she refused. She felt frightened of him. Yelling that he changed. She wasn’t pleased with his blessed powers that he rightfully deserved.

Ungrateful.

Having lived for centuries after her death, he noticed how frail humans are. They take their small lives for granted by wasting it over miniscule things.

Here he was, standing at her gravestone, and pondering what could have been if Tav wasn’t so ungratefully stubborn and accepted his compromise. 

Still the night was young. Turning around and morphing into a white bat, he started fluttering into the night sky. Perhaps he’ll find something amusing during his flight.

*****

She had walked into a park. She was humming a tune to herself, a song by Oasis. A song of her youth. She used to sing that song to herself when she was a kid and attended her first funeral. She didn’t understand the whole procedures of said funeral. She was walking around in the mausoleum while everyone else was watching her dead grandma to be sealed into the wall. 

She still didn’t understand death and maybe she never will. She was always different from everyone and it was hard making friends growing up. 

Ken was the only one who saw something in her.

And now he is gone.

“QUIKP!” a cry in the night had halted her humming.

She turned to the distraction. She saw a pair of dogs playing with something. Something in her became a protective instinct. She rushed towards the dogs and they fled from her before she could try to find their tags.

Looking down, she couldn’t believe her eyes. She looked twice and she still couldn’t believe it

On the grass was a small white bat. It was in bad shape from the dogs. Taking off her jacket, she wrapped around said animal.

Bats were mostly nocturnal animals that were seen in the countryside. Plus it’s even rarer to find an albino bat.

“Don’t worry lil fellow,” she said as she hugged the poor thing, “I got you.”

The bat lifted his head. Was she dreaming that the bat understood her? It was getting late and the weather was getting cold. She might have to take said bat to a vet. Do they even know how to handle bats? Will it be better to phone a nature conservationist instead? What if it has rabies? Would they have to put it down?

Fuck it. It’s coming home with her tonight regardless of her safety. She can figure out in the morning what further action to make. Right now, she felt this poor bat needed some comfort.

*****

Those mutts ruined a perfectly good stroll. 

Though, it was an interesting outcome. Another human decided to help him. What was the outcome of that? Her presence reminded him of a lost friend. Humans are such foolish creatures. They don’t know what danger they put themselves into by helping the less fortunate. 

Perhaps revealing his true form will prove how foolish their gentle gestures are. 

Stupid ungrateful humans. Just like Tav.

He’ll allow the human to hold him, for now. He was lost in the sound of her heartbeat. His sensitive ears can hear the flow of blood in her as he was being held. Her breath was giving away to the cold air of the night. She was sacrificing her body heat for him.

It made him pity the human. A bit.

[exys0n]

𝑆𝑂𝑁 𝑂𝐹 𝐸𝑋𝑌 ;

𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘳.𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘬.𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘤. 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘬𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯. 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺, 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 +, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴; 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸�� 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. read rules under the read more.

𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠;

this blog is 21+ and mutuals only; please don't interact with starters, plotting calls etc. if we aren't mutuals. as said further up, this blog is not spoiler free. i do take mains and exclusives, just shoot me a message!

no drama and no wacky behavior please; no tra.nsphobia, ra.sicm, hom.ophobia, you know the gist.

triggering topics will be present and i will be tagging things accordingly. if i ever slip or not tag something you aren't comfortable with, just message me. tags will be trigger word //.

formatting is small words with spacing and icons. i also won't judge you on how you decide to format or if you use it at all. also please tell me if you don't do well with small text, then i'll gladly change it for our threads and things!

all graphics on this blog are made by me unless otherwise stated. the psd i use are from somresources.

the best way to get started with me is either send me a message or perhaps feel free to send a meme as a sort of ice breaker. when answering a meme, i always make a new post; be more than welcome to continue it if you want, but also never feel pressured to do so. please reblog a meme from the source if possible.

hi, thank you so much for reading my rules. i'm kay twenty-seven. i'm a huge book nerd and love everything spoopy. :) please don't hesitate to message me if you want to write!

[ablizmal]

「 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒚 」

selfship || 845 word count || my first ever fic lol

hey. do you guys ever, uhhhhhhhhh,,, fall in love with the goofy (affectionate) detective man from death note? no? well i have, and i’ll never shut up about it hahajajdsjdksdjsjaha///

you can find an introductory post explaining the barebones of lawliz (L x me heeheehee <3) in the tag “self ship promo”! (i can’t link it or else this won’t pop up in any selfship tags x_x)

ALSO the letter’s words comes from a show!! i’ll reblog with link after i post this, so check that out for more context :>

N E ways, onto the fic!! <3

❭❭┈┈┈┈❥‧┈⎻‧♡⎻‧‧❤︎‧⎻‧┈┈➤

❭❭┈┈┈┈❥‧┈⎻‧♡⎻‧‧❤︎‧⎻‧┈┈➤

(please note that anything stricken out is subconscious to L! thank you!! ^o^)

Several people have expressed their admiration for L throughout the years, whether through television media or online text. L understands, he knows what he’s doing is, overall, having a positive effect on the world.

But. But. Despite it all, despite the countless compliments he’s gotten, he finds himself reading this sleep hazy one over and over again.

“I loved you from the moment that I saw you, you’re my hero, I believe in you. There’s nothing you can’t do. You make a difference in the world.

And you make all of the difference
in the world to me. ⸝⸝^ˬ^⸝⸝”

Why… is that? And why is his heart rate accelerated? Has he not been given a compliment in that long?

…No. That couldn’t be the case. He’s overheard the Taskforce members state their awe about L and his tactics whenever they’re on call. He felt the common gratitude he typically does and filed it away into the “I’m smart, I’m good at my job, I’m good for my cause, I’m useful” compartment of his brain. So what is it about this slurry of words that makes him so captivated, so—

His face… feels fuzzy. Why fuzzy? What does it mean? It’s such an odd sensation as well. It makes his cheeks feel a bit hollow, it makes him feel seen, more tangible, but it’s not uncomfortable. L places the letter down, fingers feeling light.

He considers all the angles. He’s gotten a compliment… his heart is racing (pitter patter, pitter patter), and his face feels strange and warm. And above all else, he can’t stop thinking about these strings of words.

Just then, L’s body filled with certainty. Of course. It should have been… obvious, in retrospect. But how could he have known before when this was rare?

L is taken aback and feels elated from Liz’s compliment. Perhaps even… giddy?

“Hmmmm…” He drops a few more sugar cubes into his coffee then stirs. He presses his thumb against his lip. “What an unexpected circumstance…”

He starts to dissect the passage that echoes in his mind.

“I loved you from the moment that I saw you”

L knew that was impossible. No one can ever fall in love with someone at first sight. That’s not how love works (he’s heard). Ultimately, this sentiment is used to signify that ‘yes, while it may not be true to have fallen in love with you when we first met, I sure wish it was true, for you.’

For him.

For… L.

Immediately, his eyes shot to the last sentence. He had no use to revisit the already known facts of sentence two and three. He notices his heart skip.

“And you make all of the difference
in the world to me. ⸝⸝^ˬ^⸝⸝”

L was fully aware at this point of Lizzie’s infatuation with him. That was no shock. However… which way did she mean this? Is it merely referring to the infatuation, or could she really… could L really impact someone’s life to this extent?

He’s not sure what that is like. Well, not really, anyways. L supposes, in a way, that Lizzie has altered his life in ways that are too overt to ignore. For the first time in his entire life, he has a friend, one who wasn’t aware of his genius and/or title. A person who liked him for… hm… he wasn’t sure what, but for some reason or other. They’ve spent time with him, or “hung out,” as she refers to it as. They’ve gone to the mall together, have watched countless movies, have talked about everything and anything. They’ve eaten sweets together, attending various café’s. And she agreed to this study with— for him. They agreed to this study for him, expanding his knowledge on this phenomenon that’s so commonly depicted in media.

Now that he thinks about it, Liz… never mentioned having any other friends. None. It simply never crossed his mind, other people, when they were together. (Hmmmm… together. He felt a twinge of happiness at the use of the word in regards to the two of them.) L halfheartedly considers if this line, then, implies that her world has changed due to the social contact, but he brushes it off just as quickly. No, it doesn’t fit, for he knew that Lizzie wasn’t the type to throw words around lightly (at least when it comes down to something serious).

So maybe… L has changed Lizzie’s world just by being him.

⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄

“Huh…”

⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄

Incredible… how incredible… She likes L for him, she sees something in him that he’s not even certain of.

He takes a sip of his coffee. When the rim meets his lips, his motion ceases as he realizes the corners of his lips were curled. L… was smiling over this. He was smiling over Lizzie.

Quietly. He presses the cup to his lips. And proceeds to sip the entire contents of the sweet concoction in one go.

…Perhaps the thought of Lizzie making a difference in his life has more weight to it after all.

[melody-han-wayne]

(OOC: Update + Apology—Long Post)

So I've been pretty much non-existent for the past 4 months or so BUT I can explain!

Basically what happened is that I emigrated to not just a different country, but a different continent on literally the other side of the world from where I grew up. And I left behind all my friends and family at home, meaning I came here alone and I'm still alone and probably will be alone for as long as I remain in this new country. So for the past few months I've been dealing with moving and settling down and making plans to secure my future in this new country—heck, just making sure I can have a future in this new country. I'm more or less settled into my new life now (except for the planning for the future part) but before that I kind of forgot about Melody for a while 🫥

So anyway the guilt ate away at my subconscious and Melody's voice came to me in a dream and berated me for abandoning her, so I woke up and quickly came to check on my baby. And I realise, to my utter mortification and horror, that I never paused my Tumblr queue, so all the half-baked ideas, the rough drafts, the tentative-but-not-in-chronological-order character development, had been posting itself while I was away 🫠. So if during the past 5 months you saw my blog degenerate into a bigger and bigger mess and wondered "What the heck is going on"—it's not you, it's me. Right now I'm just trying to salvage what I can of my blog (and my dignity) and reorganise everything I originally planned for Melody (tbh I forgot half of it but I'm sure the memories are in here somewhere, I just have to clean out the dust and oil the gears first).

Honestly I have no idea how many people follow(ed) Melody's story, I might as well be posting into the void for all I know. But like so many of the other RPers on this blog I started because I was bored and had some ideas in my head that wouldn't leave me alone, and over time I became attached to my OC and her story (perhaps unhealthily so). That's part of the reason why I decided not to just delete my blog and make my absence permanent. Because working on this self-indulgent project used to make me happy, and because I still have some ideas I want to share with whoever might be lurking around. Another reason is because of the community that welcomed me and that I personally watched grow. Even when this blog was at its 'most active' I probably didn't interact with other RPers as much as I should/could have (again, it's not you, it's me) but what little interaction we did have I truly did enjoy as we built and connected our own stories and characters while also interpreting the DC ones. I don't think I've said this before, and I don't think I'll ever say it enough, but really, thank you all for being willing to indulge me and play with me. This has been a lovely space to be in, and you guys combined are like 80% of the reason ❤️❤️❤️❤️

@florence-wayne-official @kit-the-nonbinary-wayne @that-one-gotham-kid @amira-wayne-al-ghul @warren-wayne-kyle @teagrayson + anyone I missed, knowing the rate at which this community grows there's bound to be at least one person I didn't tag (it's not a snub—again, not you, it's me and my bad memory—please don't be offended 🥺)

((idk if tagging everyone is proper etiquette after my prolonged absence, I was just going to say 'you know who you are' at first and leave it at that but I'm not sure if you guys actually know who you are 😅 so if I'm breaking some kind of unspoken Tumblr code of etiquette I apologise again))

(((I didn't mean for that above note to sound as rude as it did)))

ANYWAYS if you've read past the wall of text above to make it down here congratulations and thank you, I'll be doing my best to clean up/revise my blog and my OC and her story in the coming weeks and hopefully get some sort of continuity back on track :) I'm also trying to figure out what happened in the rest of the RP community in my absence so if I reply to a three-month-old post now: once again, it's not you, it's me, and there's totally no obligation to engage with.

Can't wait to hang out with the Batfamily again ☺️ plus all my RP siblings, half-siblings, future siblings, stepsiblings, undead siblings etc XD

[sana-yan]

the secret history of sanada and taichi

Taichi: I like Sana, I do. We weren’t there at the same time, but we both came through the same All Japan dojo system. He’s like a cute kid brother. 

–SANADA came into All Japan after you had already left. But he agrees with your ‘kid brother’ remark and talks about you in a similar way.

Taichi: Aww, bless his heart. But I’ve known him for a long time, since he was a newcomer to AJPW... (source)

the following are the kayfabe diaries of taichi and sanada, in its original japanese text, as well as english translations by me. i'm not a fan of the translations on njpw's english content (as they sometimes censor bits out or omit them entirely), so i tried my hand at translation/interpretation to capture what i feel is more authentic to the original text, as well as provide background information for readers. of course, since i am not a native speaker, please feel free to correct me on the nuances!

!! since this is paywalled content, please do not share outside of tumblr. thank you

TAICHI's DIARY (6.12.2021)

岡本「今回も私が担当します、改めましてニュージャパンワールド解説でもお馴染みの東京スポーツの岡本です」 Okamoto: I'll start us off; I'm Okamoto from Tokyo Sports, a commentator for New Japan World.　 タイチ「今更いいよ。もうレギュラー化してんな」 Taichi: You're a regular now. You don't have to do that. 　 岡「田口さんの日記の巨乳ちゃんポジションですよね完全に」 O: That's Big-Breast's position in Taguchi-san's diary, isn't it?

(T/N: Ryusuke Taguchi's diary has a character named "Big Breast" who starts off the entries. Okamoto suggests he is equivalent to that in Taichi's diary.) 　 タ「それを言っちゃおしめぇよ！ T: Don't say stuff like that! で、今回はなんだよ？」 So, what is it this time? 　 岡「はい、ようやくGODから奪還したタッグベルトに早速、内藤SANADA組が挑戦に名乗りを上げて来ましたが、その辺のお話を聞かせてください」 O: Naito and SANADA have come forward to challenge you for the tag team belts after you finally regained them from G.O.D. 　 タ「まぁもうその辺は試合後のコメントやTwitterで散々言ってきたからなぁ。 T: Well, I've said enough about that in my post-match comments and on Twitter. 珍しくsanaやんも喋ったしな。 And Sana-yan spoke, which is rare. ナイトーに無理やり付き合わされてるんじゃないのはわかったよ。 I can see he's not just being dragged along by Naito. だけどな、アレじゃダメだな！ But that's not good enough! 足りない！」 it's not enough! 　 岡「伝わりませんか？」 O: Would you like to tell us why? 　 タ「昨日のsanaやんの日記よ！ T: It's Sana-yan's diary from yesterday! 最後のたったの一行よ！ It's just one sentence at the end [saying he wants to go for the belts]! ナイトーの長さに比べて、たったの一行だぞ！ It's a single line compared to Naito's [diary entry]!

岡「でもSANADAさんが気持ちを喋る事自体、珍しい事なので、十分かと思います」 O: But it's rare for SANADA-san to express himself, so I thought it was fine. 　 タ「いやっ、もっと言うならな、毎回の日記の短さよ！ T: No, if I had to say more, I'd talk about how short each entry is! コメントも出さないなら日記も喋らないのかよっ！ If you don't do comments, shouldn't you do your diary! 俺とsanaやんの日記の内容の違いよ！ Look at the difference in content between my diary and Sana-yan's! これでどーせみんな一律同じギャラなんだろ！？ Everyone gets paid the same rate, right? ふざけんなよ！ You've got to be kidding me! やってらんねぇよ！ I won't do this! だったら俺も次回から10行くらいで終わらせてやるよ！」 If it's going to be like this, I'll only write up to ten lines the next time! 　 岡「いやいやまぁまぁ… O: Ah, well, you know... それも含めてSANADAさんなんで… That's just who SANADA-san is... ところでお2人は全日本プロレス出身同士という意外な繋がりがあるわけですが。 Anyway, the two of you have an unexpected connection from All Japan Pro Wrestling. 接点はあったのですか？」 Did you two ever come in contact? 　 タ「それな、よく言われるんだが、俺が辞めてから入門してんだよな、sanaやんもbushiやんも。 T: It's often said that SANA-yan and Bushi-yan joined AJPW right after I left. だから入れ替わりで全く接点なかった」 So we didn't come into contact at AJPW. 岡「そうなんですねー。 O: I see. お会いした事もなかったんですか？」 So you've never met him before? タ「いや、初めてsanaやんに会ったのは… T: Nah, I first met Sana-yan... 彼がまだデビューして間もないくらいか？？ ...around the time he had just made his debut? 意外なところで初対面を果たしたよ」 We met for the first time at a totally unexpected place. 岡「どちらでどのように！？」 O: Where and how!? 　 タ「もう本当にな、何年も前だから正確には覚えていないが… T: It's been such a long time, I don't exactly remember... 多分10年以上前だろうか… Perhaps more than 10 years ago... ある日今も全日本プロレスにいるリングアナの木原とな、全日本プロレスの道場の近くにある、スーパー銭湯に行ったんだよな。 One day, Kihara, a ring announcer at AJPW, and I went to the super public bathhouse closest to the AJPW dojo.

(T/N: Tiger "Old Man" Kihara is a ring announcer for AJPW and was the manager of the Great Muta during his stint in the United States.) その時な、何故か木原のオヤジがダイエットをしててな、無駄なダイエット。 At that time, for some reason, Old Man Kihara was on a diet, a useless diet. 食事とかやたら節制してて、練習もガンガンしてて、その日もその後の事で、サウナに何回も入ったんだよな。 He restricted his meals while practicing hard at the dojo, and on that day, he went into the sauna several times. そしたら節制のし過ぎで脱水症状起こしてサウナ出たら倒れちまってよ！」 Then he got dehydrated from overdoing his diet and collapsed right after getting out of the sauna!

岡「え！ O: Eh?! それはタイチさんも一緒だったんですよね！？」 While he was in there with you!? タ「そうよ、2人で行ったんだからな。 T: Yeah, we went together. 木原のオヤジの野郎、ガタガタ痙攣し始めてな… Old Bastard Kihara started convulsing... さすがに救急車呼んだよな」 So I went to call an ambulance. 岡「そんな事あったんですか！」 O: Did they come? 　 タ「そうだよ。 T: That's right. 救急隊員が風呂ん中入って来てな。 The paramedics came into the baths. 体が硬直して担架にも乗せらんないから、股間にタオル一枚で裸のまま救急隊員2人に、両肩両膝抱えられて救急車まで運ばれて行ったよ。

He was so stiff he couldn't be carried on a stretcher. Two paramedics had to carry him naked with a towel between his legs, lifting him by his shoulders and knees and taking him to the ambulance. 椅子に座ってた状態のそのままの姿な。 Just like he was sitting on a chair. 結果大丈夫だったから言えるけど、不謹慎にも俺はその姿を見てさすがに、つい笑っちまったよ…」 Once I saw it would turn out okay, I couldn't help but laugh at that sight... 　 岡「今だから笑い話ですね… O: What a funny story... って、全然SANADAさん関係ないじゃないすか！」 But that has nothing to do with SANADA-san at all! 　 タ「いやまぁ焦るなって！ T: Don't be so impatient! ここからだよ。 Here it is.

ほんでなそのまま木原のオヤジは近くの病院運ばれてな、点滴の処置を受けてたんだよ。 Old Man Kihara was taken to a local hospital and administered an IV drip. 付き添いで行ったけど、俺は次の日早くて帰らなきゃいけなかったんだよ。 I came as a chaperone but had to leave as it was getting too late. それを木原オヤジに伝えたら、全日本プロレスの道場から���手を呼んでくれと… When I told Kihara-san about it, he asked me to call a young man from the AJPW dojo... 俺も早く帰りたかったから、すぐに道場に電話して、出たのは誰かわからんけど、木原オヤジがこんな状態だから迎えに来てと伝えて。

I wanted to leave early, so I called the dojo right away. I have no clue who answered, but I told them about Old Man Kihara's condition and to pick him up. そしたらすぐに2人の若手が病院に来たよ」 And immediately, two young guys came to the hospital. 　 岡「それがSANADAさんだったと！」 O: And that was SANADA-san! タ「その通りだ。 T: That's right. sanaやんともう1人、誰だったか… Sana-yan and another guy, who was he... ど忘れしたが。 I forgot who it was. そこで初対面だよsanaやんとは」 That's where I met Sana-yan for the first time. 　 岡「そんな時にそんなとこで！ O: At such a place and such a time! どうでした？初のSANADAさんの印象は？」 How was it? What was your first impression of SANADA-san? タ「もう本当ただの若いお兄ちゃんて感じだったよ。 T: He really felt like a younger brother. かわいい感じの男の子。 A cute-looking boy. 挨拶もちゃんとしてきてな。 I should say hello properly. と、思ってたら急に驚きの行動に出たんだよ！」 Was what I thought when he suddenly surprised me! 　 岡「なんですか！？」 O: What was it? タ「じゃ俺はもう行くよ、と伝えたらsanaやんが持参してきてたビニール袋の中身をガッサーーーーと待ち合い室の椅子に広げてな！ T: When I told him, "I'm heading out now," Sana-yan spilled all the contents of the plastic bag he had on the waiting room chair! 中身は大量のお菓子だったよ！ There were a ton of sweets inside! ゲーセンでも行ってきたんか！レベルのよ！」 I thought he had come from an arcade! It was that much!

(T/N: At some arcades in Japan, you can trade your winning tickets to get candy prizes.) 　 岡「えぇ？ O: Huh? 夜の病院の待ち合い室の椅子で！？」 In the chair of a hospital waiting room at night!? タ「そうだよ！ T: Yes, that's right! さすがに俺もビックリしてな… I was surprised too...

なにそれ？と聞いたらsanaやんがな What's that, I asked him, and Sana-yan said, 　 sana「長くなりそうなんで暇つぶしに持って来たんです！

"It looked like it would be a long wait, so I brought it to kill time! あとは自分らでやっておくんで大丈夫す！」 We'll take care of the rest from here." て言いながらお菓子ボリボリ食べ出してな！」 He said that, all the while munching on sweets! 岡「なんですかそれ！ O: What's this! 木原さんの事全く心配してないじゃないですか！」 They weren't worried about Kihara-san at all! 　 タ「そうなんだよ！ T: Yes, right! 俺も���れ言ったら I told him that too! 　 sana「木原さんの事なんで、どーせ大丈夫っすよ！ SANADA: "It's Kihara-san, so it should be fine. うまい棒食べます？」 Would you like a Umaibo?"

(T/N: Literally called "delicious stick.")　 ってこんな感じだったからな！」 T: And that was that! 　 岡「なんか全然印象違いますね… O: What a totally different impression... 若い頃はそんなんだったんですねえ…」 So that's what it was like when he was younger... 　 タ「ある意味、大物になりそうな予感はあったよな… T: In a way, I had a hunch that he'd become something big... まぁそんな初対面だったよ」 And yeah, that was the first time we met. 　 岡「SANADAさんとの初対面の話で凄い長くなりましたね」 O: The story about meeting SANADA-san for the first time turned out to be quite long. 　 タ「そのsanaやんの日記はクソ短いけどな。 T: Sana-yan's diary is fucking short, though. タイトルマッチをもしやったら、またあの時、差し出してくれたうまい棒、くれるかな…」 If we have a title match again, I wonder if he'll offer me a Umaibo like back then... 　 岡「SANADAさんならきっとくれますよ、あの時のうまい棒… O: I'm sure SANADA-san will give you a Umaibo from that time... だから挑戦受けましょうよ。 So take the challenge.

一緒にうまい棒食べたらいいんですよ！」 Let's all eat Umaibo together!

(T/N: This following part is totally false. Taichi's diary always ends with a wacky imaginary scenario, mostly ending with Okamoto or Taichi or both dying.) sana「タイチはん、岡本はん、そんなの待つ必要ありまへん。 "SANADA": Taichi-han, Okamoto-han, you don't have to wait. 今食べましょう、あの時のうまい棒… Let's eat it now, the Umaibo from the past... はい、どうぞ」 Here you go. 岡「わっ！ O: Wow! 急にご本人登場！」 He suddenly appeared! タ「さ、sanaやん… T: Sa-Sana-yan... あの時は一緒に食べれずごめんな… I'm sorry I couldn't eat with you then... ありがとう！」 Thanks! タイチとsanaやんと岡本は仲良く3人でうまい棒を食べた Taichi, Sana-yan, and Okamoto got along well and had Umaibo together. いつの間にかキツネ目の男に毒を盛られていたうまい棒を食べた3人は死んだ Before they knew it, the fox-eyed man had poisoned them, and they all died.

(T/N: This is a reference to the Glico Morinaga case. Okamoto and Taichi have a dark sense of humor.)

SANADA's DIARY (6.25.2021)

兄やんとの1番最初の出会いは、どこかのラーメン屋さんでした。 The first time I met Ni-yan was at some ramen restaurant.

当時デビューしたてだった頃、木原のオヤジから電話があり「今から来い」的なことを言われ向かいました。 I had just debuted, and Old Man Kihara called me up and said, "Come over now," so I went.

兄やんの第一印象は、ヤカラでした。 My first impression of Ni-yan was that he felt like a yakara. (T/N: EDITED to add in context that Sanada could potentially mean that Taichi is either a) a kindred spirit, having the same background/lineage as Sanada as an AJPW trainee, or b) a delinquent thug.)

（今もですが） (Even now.)

そしてその後は、スーパー銭湯（先週の兄やん日記の中に書いてあったやつ）でお会いしました。

And after that, we met at the super public bath (the same one mentioned in Ni-yan's diary last week).

そう、先週の兄やん日記の中にも書いてありましたが、木原のオヤジが無理なダイエットをし何度もサウナに入り麻痺して倒れたのですが、救急隊が木原のオヤジを風呂から外に運んでる時、タイチ兄やんは全く気にせずドライヤーで髪の毛を乾かしてて、カッケーと思いました。

Yes, as mentioned in Ni-yan's diary last week, Old Man Kihara went on an impossible diet and visited the sauna many times and collapsed, paralyzed [from dehydration]. While the emergency personnel carried Old Man Kihara out of the bath, Taichi-niyan looked unfazed and started drying his hair with a dryer. I thought he was cool.

そしてその後お会いしたのはメキシコだったような。（この時にデスペラードにも会ったような）

And then I think we met in Mexico afterward. (I think I also met Desperado at this time.)

そして兄やんのタッグパートナー、ザックは同い年なんですよね。

Also, Ni-yan's tag partner, Zack, is the same age as me.

（だから何やねん）

(What's the point you're trying to make)

(T/N: me too, Sana-yan. Why did you bring up Zack's age out of nowhere? Lmao)

see u next time

[arom-com]

hi hope this is ok but i've seen sooo many of ur posts tagged as renbrand and i am ... perhaps .... a little curious .... would u like to tell me abt them !!!! 👀👀 (its ok if not ofc)

Ofc!! I sure have been tagging them a lot huh

The short version is that they’re my unhinged lesbian ocs stuck in a murder timeloop

Longer version is this:

(I am not going to be able to explain this in any way approaching coherent) (but I will try!!) (sorry in advance for the Wall of Text)

So RenBrand stands for these two:

Ren Hayashi (23, she/they) university student studying criminal psychology, abandonment issues out the wazoo, Going Through It

Brand Reitveld (26, she/her) local gang leader, Control Issues TM, definitely the cat in whatever cat-and-mouse thing they have going on

They’re in love — it’s not even remotely healthy.

Basically, through no fault of their own, they got stuck in a long-form time loop (days/months rather than strict 24h) that resets whenever one of them dies, which wouldn’t be too much of an issue? Except a) they’ve never met and don’t know they’re stuck together, and b) Ren keeps getting fucking murdered

Bc!! Ren’s psychology prof is running a secret cult (trying to turn his crim psy students into serial killers, it’s a whole thing, very cringe of him) so she gets killed for accidentally getting in the way a couple times (she doesn’t know about the cult), and then ofc starts investigating, which only makes it worse (I feel so bad for her but it’s also really funny, saddest most pathetic sopping wet oc I’ve ever created)

(Some of Ren’s deaths are also caused by Brand who’s like listen I don’t have a grudge against you or anything but you do keep getting my people killed so I have to eliminate the threat, no hard feelings! And Ren is like I am in abject misery)

(strangers to enemies to lovers except the strangers to enemies is a speedrun and the enemies to lovers is a slow burn)

The story they’re from is sort of a dark mystery-slash-romance (think nbc hannibal meets groundhog day, which is certainly a sentence), and it’s mainly centred around Ren and her corruption arc as she goes from “tired student just trying to finish her dissertation if it kills her” to “codependent mob-wife who kills first and asks questions later”

I’m obsessed with time as a narrative device, and especially time loops, because it can be used in such interesting ways!! And the interesting part about time loops to me is that they’re like,,,,, rube goldberg machines for character development? You only stick a character in a time loop when you need them to undergo a pretty drastic change without a proper catalyst, and it forces them to wear themselves down to their bones, to find the very essence of what they are, and then build themselves back up again into their ideal and purest form of self. (Of course, some people just use them as a tool for romance, but that’s boring!! Boo)

Usually time loops exist to make a character better, because they’re given some kind of epiphany that makes them the best and kindest version of themselves. (Alternatively, they can be used as the cosmic equivalent of a washing machine spin cycle if you’re writing horror) But what interests Me is the idea of using a time loop to make a character worse, which is what I’m doing to Ren (and to a lesser extent, Brand)

And it’s not just corruption for corruption’s sake, either! Ren, as she is, is miserable — she’s completely isolated, unable to achieve any of her goals, and ultimately ends up getting killed in an impersonal way for impersonal reasons — but once the loop begins and she gets her second chance, she starts to wear away at all her self-imposed barriers and boundaries until she can start making her own decisions and being an active agent in her own life. Of course, she’s not choosing to do good, but the best version of herself is not necessarily Good or Kind, it’s just Authentic.

Brand, on the other hand — because she has more support and isn’t as repressed — is experiencing the time loop less as a vehicle for character development, and more as a perpetual time travel fix-it (which is SO fun, having two characters get wildly different outcomes from the same experience). Her problems are more interpersonal rather than internal, so where Ren is using the extra time to understand herself, Brand uses it to understand the world around her (and is thus doing a much better job at actually solving the plot, we love a girlboss).

Brand’s conflicts are with her brother (who I can’t even Begin to explain without adding another thousand words to this post), and (as the leader of the local gang) with the police & the murder cult, which means that a lot of her loops are spent information-gathering (and murdering, dw abt it)

Personality-wise Ren is pretty quiet, she doesn’t like to ask for things which means she gets into miscommunications a lot (people not helping when she wishes they would, people helping when she doesn’t need it bc they think she just doesn’t want to ask), she’s a very “the only one you can rely on is yourself” kind of person, which isn’t exactly ideal for someone you’re stuck in a time loop with but at least it means she never gives up? She also doesn’t really care what people think of her — or rather, she does care, but she doesn’t let it stop her

Brand is suffering from a lethal combination of being the youngest sibling and simultaneously the eldest daughter, so she’s great at asking for help and using her resources but it means that she a) is a little entitled about it, and b) needs to feel like she has perfect control over everything or she’ll die. She’s very possessive and protective over things that she considers hers (hence murdering Ren for getting her people killed, it’s fine they get over it)

Renbrand also come equipped with two sets of narrative foils (Brand’s disabled ex-ballet dancer brother and his bodyguard/love interest, and the cult leader professor and his prized pupil who both hates and loves him for what he’s become) but the word count on this is already obscenely, embarrassingly long so I’ll talk abt them another day maybe

[starlightkun]

hello! do you perhaps have any tips/advice for those starting their first writing blog?

my tips r mostly gonna b mindset/writing tips rather than like "hacking the tumblr algorithm" type stuff so if that's what ur into then read on:

first up, let's get the few "notes/numbers" tips i can give u out of the way:

from what i can tell, most readers read from the tags rather than their dashboard, so pay attention to what tags people actually use for fics (throwing your tags in the general tags for groups/idols generally isn't as helpful for getting people to actually READ them than putting them in the actual fic tags bc people go into the general tags more for visual content [pictures/gifs] or updates from my experience. when people want to read fic, they go into those fic tags)

this is just a courtesy thing: please tag your stuff correctly! if your fic is, for example, a reader x taeyong fic, only use taeyong, nct, nct 127, or nct u-derivative tags, do not use any other unit (wayv, dream) or any other member tags, even if those other units or members are mentioned or have substantial roles! (a proper love triangle is different, u can include both legs of the love triangle). i assure you, if you spam tag, and put your stuff in places it doesn't belong (god forbid in completely unrelated fandoms or groups), the people who went in those tags looking for content actually about that thing, are just going to be annoyed at best, and pissed off and block u at worst so they don't have to see ur work in their tags ever again. some ppl use the block button very liberally (as is their right. spam tagging fics is annoying as hell)

also, try to keep up with what tags readers are actually going in to read. i've been reading & writing fic for 10+ years now, and have seen the evolution of language in fandom and around fic writing, primarily on tumblr and i've had to uh, keep up with the times to make sure my fics were following wherever the readers were. this shouldn't be hard if you're an active reader yourself but it was something that caught me off-guard when i realized we stopped using "imagine" at some point (dont even get me started on the change from lemon to smut)

post formatting! figure out how you want to format your actual fics on tumblr and stick with it! (trust me....it's exhausting changing ur formatting across dozens of posts.............. but if u rlly hate it after a while just commit and change it lol);; take inspo (dont just copy and paste bc that's tacky) from some of ur favorite writers, figure out what u like to see in a fic (heading text of the title, picture header, indentation, small text, word count, genre tags, content warnings, pairing info, preview, summary, dividers, etc.), and decide what u want to include in urs!

finally for this part: THERE IS NO TUMBLR ALGORITHM. EVERYONE CURATES THEIR OWN DASHBOARD EXPERIENCE AND ITS BEAUTIFUL AND MORE PEOPLE NEED TO PUT IN THE EFFORT TO DO THAT AND FOLLOW THE WRITERS THAT THEY ENJOY READING IN THE TAGS SO THEY CAN KEEP UP WITH THEM AND CONTINUE TO LIKE AND INTERACT AND ACTUALLY GROW AND DEVELOP A CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY

and now my more "mindset/writing" tips:

this is literally in my pinned: i write for fun and for free. i write things that i like, and because i enjoy doing it, and i post them on the internet for free. it is not my job, and coming online should not be stressing me out. and i've been able to keep that up for a year now since my comeback after an unexpected hiatus, and it's honestly been one of my best years of writing as an author.

i think that figuring out a way to write in a way that's sustainable and fun for you is the most important part. people will stick around if you can find that. i've been able to create a community around my works no matter what fandom i was in, for 10 years, and that includes 10 years ago when i was literally like 12, 13, 14 years old writing things that 12, 13, 14 year olds write. and i do think it's because i was always having fun, and interacting with the people who stuck around. and when i stopped having fun, i was done. nct has officially been the longest fandom i've written in, even discounting my year hiatus, which is crazy to think about btw

when you get someone who follows and interacts and is a recurring reader/reblogger/asker/commenter, i'm sure u will already be like '!!!!!' bc that's what my brain does anyway, but make them feel welcome. don't just focus on the tags and the numbers and the notes. what really makes me feel good at the end of the day is seeing the same few people come back and talking to them and knowing that they like my stuff so much they wanna read more. to me, the tags are a means to an end. the tags are a way to hopefully get a few more people like that to find my blog and follow and stick around for more in the future.

small blog org tip: make your blog easy to navigate for people who are checking it out for the first time from finding a fic in the tag or from someone else rbing it or smth! i always link my masterlist at the end of every fic, it's in my pinned and description, and i just try to make it very easy for people to find more fics of mine if they want to :)

i think that compared to other social medias, you'll find that it's slow but steady growth on tumblr (or at least, that's been my experience), but as long as you're writing what you like, it'll make the rocky start feel a little less rocky (i know it sucks when ur not getting any notes. i know. i promise. it's like bringing a cake to a party and nobody eats it. but sometimes u just have to have a piece of ur own cake and go home and bake another one bc u like baking and hope maybe next time everyone will see it)

and just remember that this is your blog! post stuff you like! don't be afraid to let people see the personality of the person posting all these fics that they're reading. most people like knowing that kind of stuff, even outside of stuff like ur bias or fave unit or wtv. i make all my unhinged posts (which, admittedly, have ended up costing me some followers but if u can't handle me at my unhinged perfume jungwoo posts then u don't deserve me at my buzzer beater sungchan) and post pictures of bread and complain abt work or whatever in addition to all my stuff about my wips and then the final fics. i think treating ur blog like an actual blog does a lot to make it feel like there's a real person behind the acct

[books-and-catears]

Old Flames and New Faces (Part 2)

Tagging as requested: @greenlit-mess @satans-favorit3 @beelsmeal @tanspostsblog @wafermelons @percythebitchwitch

<- Chap 1 || Chap 3 ->

As the days passed by, you went over to HOL less and less. It started out small, barely noticeable.

Like an occasionally forgotten movie night or anime marathon or a post poned trip to the mall or cat cafe.

"Levi, I'm here! Let's go try out that new game you texted me about!" You said, barging into his room.

"MC how many times have I told you to knock?! And password! Lily has learnt it in two weeks and yet you refuse to comply!" Levi grumbled. "And sorry... But Lily and I already stayed up finishing it."

"Satan did you get that book I asked for, from the public library?" You approached Satan in the common room.

"Oh that one. Sorry MC." He said, sheepishly, "I brought it but Lily asked for it and I ended up giving it to her. I'll ask her to give it you right after she's done!"

"Nice bracelet, Asmo." You told him as you bumped into him near his room. "Butterflies are your new aesthetic?"

"Lily picked these! We got matching ones from the mall!" Asmo gushed, "Sorry we didn't get you one MC...they were being sold in pairs."

You'd feel bad about it as you walked back to your new home. An emptiness slowly settling in your heart. But not for long. Healing came faster than expected.

"Oh that game?! We just got it yesterday, let's play it together MC! Simeon...uh you should just watch, you made a mess of the controller last time." Luke piped as he dragged you over to the game room.

"Were you perhaps looking for this book, MC? Yes I borrowed it after you suggested it. You still haven't read it? That's splendid, we can read it together." Simeon smiled as he patted the place next to him.

"MC, do you mind wearing anklets? I recently designed one with a charm matching my necklace. I want to give it to you, if you'd like it." Solomon knelt to tie it around your ankle.

But then things got a little more tense. And you felt your insignificance grow. Maybe they meant it maybe they didn't - but some things had started to sting. And somehow the angels and the sorcerer came to help.

"Hello Beel, here I am!" You walked in cheerily in the kitchen. "I've come here to make my signature choco fudge and ice cream for everyone, as promised."

Beel shifted uncomfortably in his place, his eyes turned towards the floor. "Actually MC, Lily just baked some chocolate and hazelnut tarts for us. And they were big too - I don't think we can fit another dessert. Not even me. Maybe tomorrow MC?"

"MC please come home quick! Solomon was going to make a chocolate oyster dessert but we stopped by saying you're going to make something already! Won't you come and make those fudges for us again!?" Luke cried over the phone in emergency.

"Mammon that's a lot of cash. Are you going to gamble all of that? Come on now you promised not-" You started to scold him but he shook his head.

"Lily gave this to me as a gift and said I could use them however I want! So I don't need to listen to you on this anymore MC, haha!" He said before dashing out the door.

"Ah he's out gambling again you say, don't worry I can help." Solomon answered your call, "Yes I did in fact just shut down the main electricity source of the big casinos. What do you mean I started a riot?"

"Belphie, I'm too tired to go back, can I come cuddle?" You said sheepishly as you sneak into his room. You see another body curled up next to him.

He turns towards and points at Lily sleeping peacefully, being curled up against him. He shakes his head as if to say, "Sorry no more space for you."

"You called for me Lucifer? Haha honestly it's been so long since one of you called for me, I don't even mind if it's just to scold me." You smile at him as you stand in his study.

"Well then you know exactly why I've called you." Lucifer's voice was low and deadly, "What is with your recent pop quiz scores? You haven't scored this low ever."

"I know I'm sorry," You tried to defend, "It happened in the middle of moving, so I didn't get enough time. And Satan's been a bit busy teaching Lily, so I couldn't go to him for my usual revision and-"

"You can't just rely on Satan to teach you all the time. Lily needs more help than you after all. It maybe not because she somehow scored the highest in Devildom history. Which may I remind you is your weakest?" Lucifer scolded further.

"I am bad at memorizing. Sorry Lucifer I'll try to do better..." You say. He merely grunts and nods. "It's late, go back to the hall. You remember your protection spells yes?"

"Yes. Yes absolutely." You learned them by heart. Usually the brothers accompanied you from RAD to the house but now you were used to going place to place alone. You had to be hyper aware now. Although Solomon's anklet helped ward off the smaller demons anyway.

"Welcome home, MC" Simeon stood near the door waiting. "Next time just let me come get you please." He ushered you in.

"Thank you Simeon. It's nice to know someone still cares haha." You smile for the first time all day.

"Is it just me, or have the brothers started acting strange ever since Lily joined us?" Simeon wondered.

"They just really like her. Besides you know how children often toss their old toys aside for shiny new ones - something like that perhaps." You laugh on the brink of tears.

Simeon cups your face and pulls you into his arms. It was a whole other feeling of comfort. "An angel's embrace is no joke." You murmur into his chest.

He laughs and holds you closer. "Spend the night with me. You have been holding too much in. You need to lighten that heart of yours."

[finelinevogue]

hiii ! could you write something about harry stalking y/n's Instagram but her account is private, so he sends a request and she accepts and she follows him back, and harry likes her pics (which aren't many) and tries to find out if she do you have a boyfriend or something?

this might be quite short but i hope this is alright for you;

“What’s the correct reaction I should use when Harry Styles requests to follow me?”

You asked your best friend, Heather, as you were both lounging on your bed. She was sat up against the headboard and you lay the opposite way around, holding you phone to the ceiling.

It was just another simple day for the two of you. You’d worked a long shift at the local supermarket and Heather had worker her long shift at the cat shelter, both of you now just having some down time to relax and regroup your thoughts before you even thought to start on dinner. Heather, your best friend and roommate, was an absolute tyrant in the kitchen which meant you were often the one to cook dinner. Tonight was shrimp risotto, if you could be bothered to get out of bed to actually make it. However you were no grounded to your bed more than ever, shocked with the current notification staring you square in the eyes.

“Why?” Heather laughed at you, not noticing your heavily serious face to your question, “you having your daily dreams over the man again?”

Okay, you didn’t have daily dreams… Nightly dreams, maybe. You had liked Harry for a while actually, perhaps since he had cut his hair for a movie he had done. You weren’t a huge fan of his and listened to his music occasionally - like when you were folding laundry or on a long train ride - but you weren’t dedicated to him. He was cute and his voice sounded really lovely. He was definitely the face you used in your nighttime scenarios, but you would never admit that out loud.

“No,” you briefly paused to find the right words to say, “because Harry Styles just requested to follow me.”

“You— What!” Heather sprung up from her position on the bed, but you stayed still and eyes fixed to your phone.

“Appropriate reaction?” You asked again, handing her your phone so she could see for herself.

“Um, ascending into heaven, I don’t know do I? The really question is why the fuck haven’t you accepted it?” She was quick to answer your question and even quicker to ask hers, looking at you as if you’d just told her you were born with only one tit.

“Maybe because it’s Harry Styles!” You exclaimed, sitting up and looking at her now the same way she had just done you.

“Babe, honey, that’s exactly why you need to accept him.” Tossing you back your phone you caught it as you looked to her. God, what was happening? You’d been stacking shelves at a supermarket 3 hours ago and now you were about to accept a follow request from Harry Styles - like the same man who you think about every night before bed and yet know barely anything about.

“Oh fuck it.” You clicked accept and then followed him back, switching your phone off and throwing it down onto the bed.

“Did you..”

“Yeah.”

“So…”

“Yeah.”

Then you started to freak.

It hit you that Harry Styles could see all of your instagram photos - even the ones you were tagged in. Then you questioned whether he would even bother to stalk you? Was he that kind of person? How did he even find you in the first place? You had 489 followers to his near 50 million, so it’s not exactly like he just saw you appear in his notifications - you didn’t even follow him until 30 seconds ago. Let’s say he did see your photos, what would he see? For starters there’s the photos of you and your parents dogs and then just your parents. There’s you on the beach and you in the snow. There’s you with friends and still some posted of people you didn’t like anymore. It was okay.

“Do you think he’s wanking off to that picture of you in your lingerie?” Heather broke the silence.

“What?” You looked at her baffled by such a question.

“You know? The one you just posted like two days ago because it was body positivity week at the gym?”

Fuck.

You’d completely forgotten about that photo and you scrambled quick for your phone. God, you couldn’t let Harry see you like that. You’d felt really, really, good when you’d posted it, dressed in your black lingerie from Victorias Secret, but now you were insecure that Harry could’ve looked at the photo and… well, vomited maybe?

“Oh no, no, no.” You repeated as you went back onto Instagram, only to freeze. “Holy fuck balls.”

If your mother heard the tone of your tongue from the past 5 minutes, she would have you strung up on her washing line by your toes. Okay not literally, but something similar.

“What? What’s happened?” Heather pressed, nosy to the current situation.

“He liked the photo.”

“He what?” Heather shouted, a shit eating grin on her face.

“Oh my fuck he liked the photo.” You put the phone on the bed and got up off to stand up, pacing whilst your rubbed your hands over your stressed temples. “He liked the look.” You repeated to yourself, trying to convince yourself that this was actually happening.

Harry Styles had seen a photo of you in your lingerie. That is not something you’d ever thought you’d ever say, but there’s the fact. Like he’d seen you - your body. You paced the length of your bedroom, completely in your own head wondering where you’d go in your life past this moment. Crawling under a heavy rock to live forever sounded pretty good right now though.

“Have you done freaking out yet?” Heather asked sarcastically, watching you pace with your phone in her hands.

“No. Yes. Maybe. Is this an acceptable reaction?” You stressed your hands through your hair and cupped your hand over your mouth in shock that this was genuinely happening.

“So I shouldn’t tell you that he’s also sent a direct message?” She asked rhetorically, making you stop wearing a track into your carpet.

“He…”

“Yeah.”

“Saying?”

“Do you want to sit down first or…” Heather asked, clearly concerned you weren’t handling this all very well.

“No. I’d rather just collapse afterwards.” You nodded your head, egging her to continue.

“Okay…” She rolled her eyes and returned her eyes to the screen to start reading out the message. “Y/N—”

“Oh jesus.” You interrupted, clutching onto your desk chair as your legs went weak and you had to sit down. Heather laughed at you before continuing, her eyes lighting up as she skim read the message.

“I hope you’re having a lovely day. I hope you don’t find my follow request or liking of your photos too creepy or forward, it’s just I think you’re really beautiful and ever since I heard about you I just had to know who you were. If you don’t want to reply, that’s alright I understand, but if you would like to know me a bit more as I would like to get to know you then feel free to call me or just message back. If, however, you are already seeing someone I apologise for this message to both you and your partner. Wishing you all the best, H. x”

Breathe check. Yes, still breathing.

“Y/N?” Heather asked, noticing you were struck still.

“Okay…” You let out a shaky breathe, doing some internal meditation to try and calm the buzzing of nerves that were rushing throughout your entire body.

“Y/N?” Heather snapped you out of your attempt of peace. “What do you want to do now?”

“He called me beautiful.” You smiled at her she smiled back, happy that you were happy.

“He also said he had heard about you from somewhere?” Heather asked, having picked up on that important bit of information.

“And he wants to get to know me.”

“Yes, okay lover-woman, let’s focus here.”

“Right, yes. Focus.” You nodded your head, still in a dreamy daze.

“Should we call him?” Heather asked.

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” You threw your hands up in the air, which shocked you both. “Woah, sorry. Do you seriously think he’s going to want to listen to me paralysed at the lips? No.”

“So, text?”

“Text, yes.” You sighed, coming to sit on the bed next to her and draft a message back to the man who was about to change your life.

[serendipitous-magic]

What is your writing advice for young people who want to write fanfiction and original stories in the near future?

If this is just Way Too Much, skip to the end (#16). My most important piece of advice is there. I also happen to think #5 is pretty good.

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1) Literally just write. Write whatever you want, and do a lot of it.

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2) You don’t have to post everything. In fact you don’t have to post anything. You can, don’t get me wrong, but it can be intimidating to sit down and think “I will now write something that other people will see and read and judge with their eyeballs.” Because that’s probably gonna lead to nerves and writer's block. Just write down the ideas that you have, the things you want to write, whatever’s in your brain that you want to explore and expand upon and make into something. And then if you want to, share it. Or don’t share it. I have plenty of half-baked ideas and documents and random story chapters and shit hidden away on my Google Drive that will never see the light of day, for a whole number of reasons. I wanted to write it but it wasn’t ~Spicy~ enough to warrant posting, or it’s only like an eighth of a good idea, or it’s like one scene with no story around it, or it’s just something incredibly self-indulgent I just wanted to write for my own enjoyment.

Point being, don’t write for other people. Don’t write so that other people can read it; write what you want, write for yourself, and then if you want to share it, do.

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3) You can pretty much ignore any and all of these for fanfiction. In fact, you can ignore pretty much any rules or guidelines you want for fanfiction. Fanfic is a sandbox. You don’t have to be a “professional writer” to post fic. No one expects you to be Stephen King or Margaret Atwood. Fanfic is just for playing in a fandom and having fun. If you wanna write a 50 chapter slow burn with very little plot aside from the OTP slowly getting to know each other, and no real stakes or central conflict, I guarantee people would read that. Really, fanfiction is the Old West of writing: lawless, wild, unpredictable, and free.

However, here are the rules you must follow:

-Separate your paragraphs. (I’m sure you know this already, but I’m gonna say it anyway just in case.) Do not post one big block of text. Make a paragraph break when someone new is talking, when the characters are in a new place, when a new event occurs that changes the scene, when a chunk of time has passed, and when there’s a major change in subject.

-I know it’s obvious, but... grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. They exist to make writing easy for readers to read, and more people will read your stuff if they don’t have to stop and try to figure out what you meant.

-Use tags and labels, as is possible with whatever site you’re using. Especially if you include possibly triggering content in your story. Again, I know it’s obvious, but it’s common courtesy. Bonus: tagging the themes and content of your story helps readers find it and read it :)

-If possible, limit the use of all-caps and exclamation marks / question marks. 99% of the time, one ! or one ? will do. If you overload the page with a lot of all-caps and long rows of exclamation marks or question marks, it hampers readability.

... That’s literally all I can think of. And, like I said, it’s all pretty basic stuff. You were probably rolling your eyes like, “Uh, yeah, Gwen, I know.” But that’s literally it. You can pretty much do whatever you want in fanfic.

That being said, here’s my advice for both fanfiction and original work...

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4) A quick and dirty rule for coming up with a plot, starting a story, keeping up pacing, or maintaining tension: figure out what dreams, desires, and goals are nearest and dearest to your main character’s heart (see #16). Then set up the main conflict to be directly in opposition to that goal. It doesn’t have to be in a tangible way, though it could be. But, if your main character wants more than anything to reach the ships on the southern coast of your world and sail to a new life, make sure the main conflict immediately prevents them from doing that - in fact, make sure to send them north. If your main character just wants to keep their loved ones safe, kidnap the loved ones. If your main character just wants to date their best-friend-turned-crush, make sure they think they have no chance - or, make them cocky about it, and make sure it makes Person B determined not to ever like them. You get it. Figure out what your character most wants, and then keep them from having that. Boom - your conflict now ties in with your character's motivation. It's like instant yeast for plots.

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5) If you’re anything like me, you want your first draft to be Good, despite all that advice about how the first draft doesn’t have to be good and it’s just to get words on the page, yadda yadda. And if you’re somewhat of a perfectionist (like myself), it’s easy to get stuck looking at a blank page because you don’t have The Perfect Words, and you want what you write to be Good the first time.

Here’s how I cheat that:

Instead of trying to write a Good First Draft from a blank page, hit the enter key a few times, skip a little down on the page, change your ink to red (or blue, or whatever - just something immediately identifiable as Not Black) and just thought vomit. Write whatever the hell you’re thinking, exactly as you think it. Don’t worry about it being readable, don’t worry about narrative flow for now, don’t worry about covering all the details, don’t worry about anything except either a) getting all the details of your idea out onto the page, whether that’s a lot or whether it’s just a sentence or two, or b) if you don’t have an idea yet, finding your way there.

Because this method is also very good for finding your way to ideas when you’re stuck in writer’s block.

Because of how human brains work, getting this stuff out onto the page - in all its messy, stream-of-consciousness glory - will likely spark more thoughts. As you write your original idea about the scene, it’ll likely spark more ideas. Creation begets creation. If you just start thought-vomiting your ideas onto the page, chances are you’ll think of more things as you go, and you’ll start filling out description or dialogue or tone or action or whatever, and pretty soon the scene starts writing itself.

Not sure where you’re going with the scene or which ideas you wanna use? Use a lot of ambivalent language in your “thought-vomit draft.” My pre-writing notes are chock-full of the words “maybe,” “perhaps,” and the phrases, “At some point...” and “...or something like that.” In this way, I don’t tie myself down to one idea; it’s just an idea, and I’m keeping it on the page in case I use it, but I might chuck it in the trash or change it or whatever.

And then, once your ideas for the scene (or story, or chapter, or whatever) are on the page, then go back to the top and start translating them into a “real” first draft. Use black ink, and start copy-pasting chunks of the thought-vomit up into the top part of the document and translating them into Draft 1. Separate out paragraphs where paragraph breaks should be. Add the correct punctuation and whatnot. Change “describe the lobby here - include potted plants, fancy carpet, blood stain, etc.” into an actual description of the lobby. Flesh it out, or condense, or whatever it needs. And if you’re still stuck, change back to red ink and ramble some more until you find a path that feels right, then plug that in. This keeps you from looking at a blank page, and it allows you to generate a kind of Draft 0.5, somewhere between a plan and a first draft.

You don’t have to use every idea. Like I said, jot down whatever comes to mind, put a “maybe” before or after it, and keep working. If the idea grabs you and you wanna keep expanding on it and exploring it, cool. If you just wanna jot it down so you don’t forget it and then move on, also cool. Red-ink draft / “thought-vomit draft” is your time to jump around in the timeline, add or finesse details at whatever point your brain moves to, etc. Don’t try to do it exactly in story order, because you will get tangential thoughts and ideas, and you will not remember to write them down five pages later when you finally get to taking notes on that scene. Trust me. On that note...

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6) Write everything down the moment you think of it. Seriously.

“I’ll remember it when I get around to writing that scene in a couple days / weeks / months (/years).”

You won’t.

Write it down.

Phone, journal, google docs - hell, my family regularly laughs at me for grabbing a napkin during dinner and scribbling thoughts down alongside pasta sauce stains.

And then, once you have it written down somewhere...

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7) Consolidate your writing ideas in one place.

Maybe this isn’t really your style, and that’s totally chill.

Buuuut, if you’re Type-A like me - or if you tend to be somewhat unorganized and you know you’ll lose track of your writing notes if they’re scattered across multiple notebooks, journals, napkins, phone notes, etc. - having one consolidated document of notes is a life saver. I keep mine on Google Docs so I can access it, add to it, and look through it for inspiration anywhere at any time. When I have one of those Shower Thoughts that I jot down on my phone or on a napkin during dinner, I set myself a reminder on my phone to type it up in my Story Ideas document later.

(Or, if the idea I had was for a story of mine that I’ve already started planning / drafting / whatever, I put it in the document for that story instead of the Big Random Story Ideas doc. You get it.)

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8) Have other ways to collect and save writing ideas, besides just writing stuff down. If you like Pinterest, make pinterest boards of your characters or stories or settings or whatever. If you’re big into playlists, make a playlist for your character / setting / story / etc. Or both. Or something else. I’m not good at drawing, but maybe you are, and maybe you like to draw your ideas. Whatever form it takes, having another way to save ideas and think about your stories is invaluable.

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9) Some writers can just start writing with no idea where the story is going, and they just kind of figure it out as they go. I envy those writers. And I do that sometimes for fanfiction, where the stakes are somewhat lower and the audience is reading more for scene-to-scene enjoyment (and to see their OTP kiss) than for a Driving And Compelling Narrative.

But here’s the thing: especially if you’re just kind of starting out, writing without some sort of plan is really, really hard, and will likely lead you into a slow, meandering narrative that will likely frustrate you.

Even if you think you’re someone that just can’t write with a plan (and again, I have the highest respect for pansters out there - I don’t know how you do it, you crazy bastards, but you keep doing you) - even if you think “I can’t work with plans, they’re too prescriptive, I just want to write and see what happens -”

Try at least making the most skeletal of plans.

Even if you have no clue what 90% of the story is, yet. That’s fine. But you need to have some idea of what you’re building to, even if that’s nothing more specific than a feeling, or a turning point for your character. Even if your entire plan for everything beyond Chapter 1 is, “At some point, Charlie needs to realize that Ed was lying to her.”

This is where those Draft 0.5 notes come in handy. Because, more than likely, working on your current scene that way will spark ideas for later scenes, which you can put down at the bottom of the document and save for when they become relevant. In my experience, the line between planning ahead and making a Draft 0.5 is exceptionally thin. One can quickly turn into the other.

If you’re really, really resistant to the idea of planning ahead, that’s okay. It’s not everybody’s style. But for the love of all that is holy, write down your ideas for future scenes, even if you’re a person that doesn’t like to plan and writes only in story order, because you will not remember that idea once you get to that scene.

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10) You don’t have to write in order.

Here’s the thing: I’m a person that can only do my Draft 1 in story order (meaning, chronological order). I just have to be in that flow; I need to write in story order for me to best channel where the character is at from scene to scene, both narratively and emotionally.

But my Thought Vomit Draft is another thing entirely. By using the brain hack of putting my notes in red (or another color, it doesn’t matter) and going down to the bottom of the document / page and taking notes there, and then integrating them into whatever plan I have, and then translating them into Draft 1 once I get there in the story - by doing that, I can get my good ideas onto the page (and expound upon them and let my muse carry me and ride that momentum while I’m in the moment of inspiration) without writing out of order.

Maybe that’s just me. But if you’re a person who really prefers to write in story order, that could be hugely helpful to you. It is to me.

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11) Emotion and motivation will do more for your story than technicalities of plot.

If your characters really care about something, and their journey through the (shaky or weak) plot is emotionally engaging, it will be a much more compelling story than a story with a “perfect” plot and unrelatable or unmotivated characters.

If your characters care about what they’re doing, and it means something to them, and their goals and actions are driven by dreams or fears or emotions that are integral to who they are, your audience will care too. If you have a perfectly crafted plot that hits all the right beats and has high stakes and fast pacing and drama - but your characters don’t connect with what’s happening in a way that’s deeply meaningful or emotional for them? You’re gonna have a hard time engaging readers.

When in doubt, prioritize character emotion and motivation over plot. Emotion is what drives story.

This power is highly exploitable. (Just look at pulp novels and shitty but entertaining movies.) You can even use it to glaze over plot holes or reinvigorate a limp narrative. Use it that way sparingly, though. It’s a band-aid, not a surgery. 

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12) Evil villains are hard to write - mostly because there are very few truly evil people in the world. (There are a few. Billionaires and several big name politicians come to mind.) But by and large, there aren’t that many evil people. There are plenty of bad people, but bad people have some good in them, somewhere in there. Trying to write an evil villain is hard, because they often turn very cartoony.

Here’s a tip: it’s much easier to write antagonists who aren’t evil. Even if they’re bad people. Of course, there’s no reason you can’t write a villain that’s just truly evil - a serial killer, or an abuser, or a billionaire, or someone who legit just wants to hurt people or blow up the earth or stay in control of an oppressed population, or whatever. But chances are, it’s gonna be really hard to make them feel real, and even harder to create a plot around them that doesn’t feel forced or contrived.

Instead, try writing an antagonist / villain whose motivations and goals directly clash with your protagonist’s - but not because they want to take over the world or see people suffer. Write an antagonist who’s chaotic good, but whose perception of the situation is completely opposite from your hero’s. Write an antagonist whose only desire is to save people, and who will do anything to achieve that goal - anything. Write an antagonist who believes in the letter of the law, and will hinder and oppose the hero’s methods even if they agree with the hero’s motivation. Write an antagonist who got in way over their head and did some things they regret, and now they don’t know how to get out, and they’re doing their best but whatever they set in motion is too powerful for them to stop now.

Write villains who are human. Write a killer who thought they were doing the right thing by taking their victim out of the equation, who vomits at the sight of the body and sobs over the grave they dig. Write a government leader who truly believes she’s doing what’s best for her people in the long-term, even if it might hurt them in the short term, and is willing to endure the hatred and belligerence of the masses if it means securing what she thinks is a better future for her people. Write a teenage bully that thinks they’re the one being picked on by the world, and they’re just fighting back, standing their ground. Write a scientist who will break any code of ethics and hurt anyone he needs to - in order to bring back his baby sister from the grave, because he promised her he’d protect her and he failed. Write an antagonist who is selfish and self-centered and capricious - because in order to survive they had to look out for Number One, and that habit ain’t about to break anytime soon.

Write villains who aren’t even villains. Write antagonists who oppose the hero because of moral differences. Write antagonists who are trying to do the right thing. Write antagonists who treat the heroes with kindness and dignity and respect and gentleness.

They don’t have to be good. They don’t have to be Misunderstood Sweethearts who “deserve” a redemption arc. They can be cruel and nasty and dismissive and callous and violent and etc. etc.

Just hesitate before you make them Evil-with-a-capital-E. Because evil is hard to write, and honestly, boring to read. Flawed human beings with goals and motivations that directly oppose the main characters’ are much easier to write and much more interesting to read.

Ask why. Why is your villain trying to take over the world? What does that even mean? Are they trying to create a Star-Trek-like post-capitalism utopia, but they know that won’t happen in a million lifetimes, so they’re trying to do it by force? Are they actually super in favor of human rights, but they got very impatient waiting for the world to do anything about poverty and war, so they decided to take it into their own hands? Are they determined to fix the world - no matter the cost? Are they terrified and overwhelmed, but committed to see it through to the end? Or - maybe they’re just doing it on a dare. Maybe they don’t really give a shit about world domination, they were just a mediocre rich white guy who decided to fuck around and find out, and now he’s kind of curious how far he can take this thing. And now he’s kind of an internationally-wanted criminal, so he’s kind of stuck living on his hidden private island in his multi-billion dollar secret base, strapping lasers to sharks’ heads for the hell of it. Gross, selfish, uncaring, and dangerous? For sure. Evil? Depends on your definition. See, now we’re getting somewhere.

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13) It’s tempting to let the plot control the characters. It’s easy to drop your characters into a situation and see how they react. But here’s the thing: that doesn’t drive plot. In fact, it bogs down pacing. Instead, try to build you plot off of your characters’ actions and decisions. Let your character build their own situation. Not to say it should go they way they wanted it to go; in fact, usually, their grand plans should go to hell very quickly. But having the characters take action and make decisions, and letting the plot develop based on that, is much easier to make compelling than making a rigid series of events and then trying to herd your characters into them.

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14) Having trouble justifying a character’s actions? Consider having them make the opposite decision, or having them approach the situation in a different way. For example: you need your character to go meet the bad guy, for plot reasons, even though there’s no way it’s not a trap. If the character goes, readers are gonna be groaning with their head in their hands, because c’mon man, that was really fucking stupid. But he’s gotta go, because the plot needs that. Two ways you might handle this: a) He knows it’s probably a trap. He decides not to go. The plot conspires to get him near the villain anyway. Or, b) He knows it’s a trap. But he needs to go, for (insert reasons here). So, he approaches it in an unexpected way. He brings backup, recruiting a side character we met earlier in the story. Or he arrives on the back of a dragon, because ain’t nobody gonna fuck with a dude on a dragon. Or he goes - early, and ambushes the villain. It may work, it may not. He may get himself kidnapped anyway. But it moves the plot along without having Stupid Hero Syndrome.

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15) This is a legit piece of advice: if all of this sounds overwhelming, literally just ignore it and write what you want. For real. Writing should be fun, and every single writer operates differently. If you’re sitting here like “I’m getting stressed just reading this,” just flip me a good-natured bird and get on with your life. I promise I won’t take it personally. Same goes for literally any other writing advice you see. Lots of rules and guidelines can very quickly make anything thoroughly un-fun. Just write. If you’re passionate about it and you do it for long enough, you’ll start figuring out the tips and tricks on your own.

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16) Here’s the best piece of advice I can give you: know your characters. More importantly, know what’s important to them. Build their personality and decisions off of that, and build your plot off of their decisions.

I see a lot of character building sheets that ask a shit-ton of questions like “What’s their most prized possession?” “Do they like their family?” “What’s their favorite food?”

And while these are good questions, my problem with this type of character building is that if you start there, with the little stuff, you’re building on nothing. IMO, to make a truly strong character (not strong like Inner Strength, strong like effective), you need a strong foundation.

Here are the things you must know about your character:

a) What are their greatest fears / deepest insecurities? And I don’t mean “wasps” or “heights.” I mean the deep shit. I mean fears like “living a meaningless life,” or “turning out just like their parents,” or “that no one will ever love them,” or “being powerless.” You may say, “But they’re really scared of wasps! They fall into a wasp nest when they were little and got stung so much they almost died!” Great! That’s a fantastic bit of backstory. They should absolutely be afraid of wasps, and that should absolutely be an impediment later in the story. But dig deeper. What about that event actually scarred them? Was it the helplessness? Stumbling around, swatting at the air, not being able to do a single thing to stop what was happening to them? Was it that they were alone, and no matter how loud they screamed, no one was coming? Was it the bodily horror of feeling themself turn into an inhuman creature as they swelled up from the stings, unable to move their fingers or face normally anymore?

And don’t forget insecurities, because those factor in, too. Are they deeply insecure about their identity? Do they believe, deep down, that they’re ugly? Did they grow up poor and they’ve always been really touchy about that? Why? Dig deep. Figure out what really, really bothers them.

b) What are their hopes and dreams? What do they truly want out of life? What do they consider the most valuable to their experience here in this thing called life? Is it the freedom to forge their own path and be independent? Is it the approval of their family or peers? Is it a home? Is it knowledge, or understanding? Spiritual fulfillment? Is it deeply important to them that they contribute to their community, or protect those they love? What do they need in order to feel truly and deeply fulfilled in life?

Figure out those two things (each one encompasses several things, btw, you don’t have to stop at just one for each), and then use that to inform how they behave and the types of decisions they make within the story. 

It also informs character behavior and personality. 

Let’s say we have a character who’s afraid of helplessness. They’re probably gonna be the person that always wants to do something, try something, no matter how hopeless the situation seems. They’d despise just sitting and waiting, probably, because it makes them feel powerless. They might even be the person that makes rash decisions and acts impulsively and puts themself in danger unnecessarily, because in their mind it’s better than being at the mercy of fate. This is one way you could use a character’s personality to inform their decisions, which in turn helps to inform plot.

Or, let’s say we have a character whose greatest fear is being left behind or forgotten. We may have a chatterbox on our hands. They might be obnoxious. They might love the spotlight, constantly vying for attention no matter the situation, because deep down they’re so afraid that they’d be forgotten otherwise. Or, it may go the opposite way. They may be so afraid of people leaving them that they’re terrified of bothering people. They don’t want to do anything that could annoy people, anything that might give people a reason to leave them. They might be exceedingly polite, quiet, accommodating. A push-over, really.

These are two nearly opposite types of personalities, both stemming from the same core fear/insecurity. You can go a lot of different ways with it. But if you build on that strong foundation, you’ll have a strong character, and a stronger plot.

Likewise, the structure of your story can and should inform the design of these character traits. If you need your characters to team up near the end, it may be impactful if you give your main character a deep fear of commitment, an insecurity about being unwanted or left behind, and make them highly value independence and freedom. That could make their team-up for the final battle very meaningful. Conversely, you can use your character’s deepest fears and desires to help design the plot. Is your character deeply insecure about voicing their opinions or taking a stand, because of trauma they faced in the past? Make them face that. Build that into the climactic third act. Give them the big inspirational speech where they stand up and talk about what they believe to be important, what they think the group should do. And then design that character arc to run through the story, giving you more handholds and stepping stones, more pieces of foundation on which to design the plot.

In this way, character should inform story as much as story informs character. It’s a feedback loop.

Bonus: if you build your character and your plot off of each other in this way, it automatically starts to build in the foundations of that emotional investment I mentioned earlier. If your character’s decisions are based on what they most want and do not want in life, you basically have your character motivation and stakes pre-built.

Note: you need to know these things about your villain, too.

-_-_-

I’m genuinely sorry about the length of this, lmao. But you did ask.

Best of luck!

Edit: I forgot an important one:

17) Start when the scene starts and end when the scene ends.

What do I mean by that?

If your notes say “Danny asks Nicole out after school and majorly flubs it,” start the scene when Danny approaches Nicole after school. Better yet, cold-open the scene on “I was wondering if, you know, you’d wanna. You know. Hang out some time?”

Don’t start that morning when Danny goes to school, unless you’re gonna cover the school day in like one or two sentences. Don’t spend whole paragraphs going through the school day, unless it’s to cover other plot points first (in which case apply these same guidelines there), or if the paragraphs are there for a specific reason, like to illustrate how stressed he is and how it seems like every little thing is going wrong. Even then, trim the fat as much as possible. Expounding and describing everything Moment-to-moment is for the meat of the scenes, not the leading-up-to and coming-away-from.

Here’s my rule of thumb: study how and when movies cut from scene to scene. Movies have exceptionally strict, limited time for storytelling; they’re excellent examples of starting a scene when the plot point starts and ending when it’s over. If you can’t picture a movie showing everything you showed, start the scene later and end it earlier.