#(unless you prefer not to do that which. Makes sense comma)

[syn4k]

[Image ID:

A box with words in it colored in the stripes of the aroace flag. Around it are small hearts colored in arospec and aspec flags. The text inside of the box reads, in all caps, "You say I am incapable of love, but you know not of the love of which you speak". The background is black.

/End ID.]

[lil-lycanthropy]

How to write an essay (especially when you struggle with writing essays)

[Image Description: A graphic titled “BASIC ESSAY STRUCTURE”. There are 3 sections. The first section is regarding the introduction, labelled “Agonize for an hour”. The second section is regarding the body, labelled “oh hell yes i can do this no problem i got stuff to say i’m on a roll”. The third section is regarding the conclusion, labelled “I am going to walk into the sea”. /End Image Description]

I saw this post about essay writing with this as the structure and I just. Screamed a bit. The outline above (imo) makes a very boring essay that is UNNECESSARILY DIFFICULT to write. I was gonna just add onto the post, but I thought I’d make my own because I have a LOT to say.

So, to start off, I have spent far too long making this handy-dandy graphic with an essay structure that I find to be a lot more helpful.

[Image Description: A graphic titled “ESSAY OUTLINE”. There are 7 sections. They include the outline for the Introduction, Body, and Conclusion, along with tips for all three, and then a section for General Tips. /End Image Description]

There’s some pretty lengthy explanations under the cut, and I spent way too long on this. However, I’m passionate about writing and hate seeing how much people struggle to write simply because they haven’t been given the right tools.

Without further ado, here we go!

Introduction (1 paragraph)

Opening Statement: This is your intro/hook. With an effective opening sentence, you want to introduce the main topic of the paper, and make it interesting for the reader to draw them in. The introductory sentence should be somewhat objective; your thesis will be your arguing point, but we need to know the general topic without the bias. As for the hook part—your prof/TA/teacher/whoever is grading your paper has read the same paper 600 times. Your paper probably won’t be entirely unique, BUT you can still make it stand out. This is where the “hook” comes in. An easy way to do this is to simply start with a verb. Reading papers that all start with “the” or “a” can get really repetitive and boring, so an action word can be a good way to grab the reader’s attention. You don’t want your opening statement to be too long; a sentence or two should be your goal.

Allude to Thesis: Right after the opening statement, use a sentence to briefly allude to your thesis (the stance you’ll be taking on the topic). This way, you can state your argument points without having to worry about wording your thesis correctly right away, or risk your thesis getting lost within the introduction. This is kinda a segue to your points rather than its own official “section”, so keep it brief. 

Outline Supporting Points: These are the points that help support your argument. Avoid using a list form for this by using things like semi-colons or commas; each supporting point should have its own sentence. Saying that, definitely use transition words to help the sentences flow together so it doesn’t just seem like a laundry list. Don’t limit yourself to three points unless that’s explicitly part of the assignment. At least two is good if you can expand on them enough to do the paper, but don’t be afraid to use four or five if you’re still able to stay within the limits and expand on them enough to be individual points. However, sometimes too many points can make it hard to expand, so see if you can group some together if you have too many. 

Thesis: Your thesis should be a statement, subjective, demonstrable, and specific. It therefore should not be a question, objective, hypothetical, or vague. This is because your thesis is a definitive stance on a specific issue or topic that you can prove with evidence. As for placement, I always put my thesis at the very end of the introduction. I would say it’s up to personal preference whether to put it at the beginning or the end, but please never put it in the middle. When it’s in the middle, it’s very likely that it won’t stand out as a thesis, and then you’d have to come up with both an opening and closing statement, which is hard. I like putting it at the end because I find that if I do it at the beginning, it can be REALLY hard to balance having a clear thesis while also introducing your paper and making it interesting. Plus, if it’s at the end of your first paragraph, it still stands out, you don’t have to do a concluding statement, you don’t have to balance any other aspect of writing (like an intro or hook) with it, AND it creates the perfect transition to your supporting points. Limit your thesis statement to one or two sentences—you want it to stand out to the reader as the thesis, and you don’t want to muddle the message by being too detailed. You’ll have the rest of the paper to expand.

Body (2-10+ paragraphs)

Introduce Evidence: For each piece of supporting evidence (your main points), make sure you introduce them clearly before actually explaining everything about them. Don’t be afraid to word it in an interesting way (although remember, you still want your message to be clear!). I also want to give you an incredibly important tip: the amount of supporting points you have DOES NOT have to correspond with the amount of body paragraphs you have. They drill the five-paragraph essay outline into you for years, and it’s BORING—for you and whoever’s grading your paper. It’s also bad writing, because then you get unnaturally long paragraphs that take up a page and a half. So, unless your assignment rubric says otherwise, don’t be afraid to get creative with the paragraph amount. Always start a new paragraph when introducing a new main point, but definitely consider splitting the main point into two or three paragraphs if needed. Disclaimer: sometimes if you have to split a point into multiple paragraphs, that means you might want to consider splitting the main point into multiple main points. On the other hand, sometimes combining two main points into one can help make a paragraph more substantial.

Expand: For each point, expand. Explain any extra details. Relate the explanations back to your main point so you can stay on target and not go on tangents that take up half the page. 

Connect to Thesis: After you expand each point, as a concluding statement, relate the main point back to the thesis (the whole point of the paper!). Anyone can list evidence—show that you understand why this evidence is connected and how it proves your stance. If you can’t connect the point to your thesis, it’s probably not relevant or you need to do more research. By making the connection between the evidence and your thesis, 1. This is how you get bonus marks, and 2. It makes for an excellent concluding statement/transition to the next main point.

Repeat: For each main point, follow the structure of introduce-expand-connect.

Conclusion (1 paragraph)

Restate Thesis/Main Points: Rather than coming up with another introductory statement, restate your thesis and the main points that helped to prove your thesis. Please try to reword it so it’s not repetitive, and it’s best to keep the restating brief. You’ve already established all of this in your paper, so you don’t need too much detail. A sentence or two is fine. Another tip is to avoid basic concluding words. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but definitely avoid the ones that involve the word “conclude” or its derivatives (e.g. “in conclusion”; to conclude”, etc.). Keep this part to one or two sentences to avoid the dreaded repetition.

Explain Relevance/Make Connections: Here is something I NEVER see in the common essay templates, and honestly, I feel like it’s one of the most important things with essay writing. It’s the difference between just another essay in a pile of 200, and one that stands out as exemplary. SO. We know your thesis. We know your evidence. You’ve even briefly restated it in case we forgot. Now, WHY is your thesis (and by extension, the paper you just spent a few hours on) actually important? Why is it relevant? Who cares? You don’t want to give too much “new” information, but you really should be able to find some connection as to why your paper matters. Because if you don’t see the point in it, how are you gonna convince the reader that your paper is worth reading? Essays are about arguments, yes, and convincing people that You’re Correct and You Know Things, but you need to be able to connect with other things to see the true relevance. Make connections, folks!

Concluding Statement: Truly the bane of anyone’s existence. A good tip is to look at it as your Mic Drop moment—your time to wrap it up, drop the mic, and walk offstage. Tie your thesis, evidence, and connections together into a sentence or two with a little pizzazz and sense of finality, leaving no room to argue. 

General Tips

Know your audience: This can sometimes help with finding the balance between over- and under-explaining things. With essays, the person grading (the audience) is probably a bit above your current level, unless it’s being marked by another student or something. So write at your level—or the average level of your class/group. For example, if you’re in a second-year university biology class, you probably don’t need to explain what photosynthesis means. But if your essay is on a little known technique to measure chlorophyll levels in plants, you might need to explain some things that you already know, but others might not. Remember, your goal is neither to dumb yourself down nor put yourself on an academic pedestal—your goal is to communicate a message in an effective way that can be understood by the appropriate audience.

Pick a relevant topic: Sometimes this doesn’t apply, as you have limited choices. But, whenever possible, choose a topic that you actually know something about and/or are willing to write about. Sometimes even asking your teacher/prof if you can choose your own topic is worth it. The main point: picking something you find interesting makes you more willing to put in the work to write a good essay. Pick you favourite topic out of the options (or, at a minimum, the one yo hate the least).

Experiment with the writing process: Some people swear it’s easier to write the conclusion first, while others absolutely have to write the essay in chronological order. Some people need to finish what they start, some people need to flit around and add things as they think of them. Ultimately, the order you write things is very much a personal preference, and something worth experimenting with if you’re struggling!

Cater to your writing needs: Writers will tell you that they need to set up a space to write. Some people like writing on their bed or in a cafe. Some people need absolute quiet while others can’t focus without background noise. Some people need frequent breaks for the best results, others need to sit through until they’re done. The time of day can affect your writing—writing in the morning might be really difficult if you’re most alert at midnight. Lastly, experiment with different media. Maybe writing on a laptop just doesn’t work for you, and pen and paper is the way to go. Typewriters are fun. Microsoft Word might work better for you than Google Docs. Find out what works for you and gets you into a writing headspace.

Repetition and word choice: To avoid sounding like a broken record, make sure you use a different first (and even last) word for each paragraph. I always notice when an essay writer only starts paragraphs with the word “the”. Another helpful way to vary your word choice at the beginning of paragraphs is to use different types of word, preferably words that aren’t articles (a, an, or the). Using a noun, verb, or transition word can keep things interesting and help your writing flow.

Write with an active voice: Writing with an active, positive, and resolute voice fortifies your writing. An active voice is when the subject is the focus rather than the object, whereas a passive voice is the opposite. Example: “Sally ate a grape” is active because Sally (subject) ate a grape (object). “A grape was eaten by Sally” is passive because the grape (object) was eaten by Sally (subject). Essentially, if the sentence includes (or could include) “by [Subject]”, it’s passive. Even if you wrote “A grape was eaten,” that’s still passive. An active voice includes the subject doing the action, whereas a passive voice includes the object having something done to it. It’s a wishy-washy way of writing, though it’s sometimes inevitable in formal writing because you can’t use subjective pronouns. As for a positive voice, it doesn’t mean your essay has to be happy or perky—it means your writing, when possible, should focus on the positive part (what did happen or was added) rather than the negative part (what didn’t happen or was taken away). Example: “Sally didn’t eat an apple” is negative, because it just says what Sally didn’t do. “Sally ate a grape” is positive because it said what she did do. Lastly, use a resolute voice. Be concise and to the point without muddling the message with unnecessary words. Example: “Sally just a grape” is tentative. “Sally ate a grape” is resolute. Word like “just”, “maybe”, “really”, “perhaps”, “necessarily” are not resolute and can weaken your argument. Definitely take this advice for your thesis. 

Communicate clearly: Using long or complicated words can improve your writing—but if they’re overused or used unnecessarily, it can actually weaken your argument because no one understands what you’re trying to say under all that academic jargon. If you can’t explain your argument in an understandable way, you probably don’t have a good grasp of your argument. This isn’t to discredit people who have a hard time articulating while writing or people who need to use complicated words—but the whole point of a paper is to communicate a message in an effective way. If you’re too caught up in using big words, it’s very easy to lose the actual focus of the paper.

Fortify your opening/closing statements: If the person grading your paper has a lot of other papers to go through, they’re not gonna read every word you write. Focus on strengthening your first and last sentences of each paragraph to perhaps improve your mark with the graders who skim.

Proofread: PLEASE read through and edit your work. You don’t have to completely rewrite your paper (who has the time???), but definitely proofread it when you’re done. If possible (I know it isn’t always, but it really helps), give yourself as much time as possible, then do another read through. Even waiting an hour or two and then going through it again can help you catch some last-minute mistakes. When you’ve been staring at the same paper for three hours, you kinda just ignore the mistakes because they’re burned into your brain. Going back can help you catch them and fix them before handing it in. Double check the assignment requirements, including formatting, sources, grammar, etc.

Kudos to you if you made it to the end! This took me 4 hours? 5? I hope it helps some of you in school. Essays can be a really fun thing to write if you’re passionate about the topic, and they shouldn’t be nearly as hard as school makes them. Even if you didn’t read this whole thing, I hope my graphic can be helpful! The original essay structure from the other post made me mad because no wonder some of you guys struggle! When you don’t have the tools, it makes life difficult.

Here’s a pic of my cat and dog for making it this far!

End note: I’ve never done an image description so I apologize if it’s not perfect!

[no1gaytheist]

A list of helpful English writing tips for amateur writers!!!

I get it, the English language is hard and stupid. As someone who has taken advanced English writing classes, I tend to notice a lot of simple mistakes that new writers make. So I am compiling a list of these common errors and how to fix them! (If needed, examples will be put at the end)

Dialogue! Dialogue can be really hard to write sometimes, and the most common mistake I see new writers make is with their spacing. This is important, so remember this: every time a different character speaks, you start a new paragraph. This is an English literary rule, and it also makes writing dialogue a lot easier. If you follow this rule, it will be easier for the reader to tell when the dialogue switches from character A to character B.

This is just a little grammatical thing, but it does bother me quite a bit. Instead of saying "for gods sakes," say "for God's sake." That's proper grammar *finger guns*

This one is a bit hard to explain, so be sure to check the examples at the end. When you start a new paragraph within a character's dialogue, leave the end of the first paragraph open (no quotation mark), and then start the next paragraph with a quotation mark.

This one is pretty simple and it probably seems obvious, but don't be afraid to use a thesaurus!!! I personally use wordhippo.com, but there are plenty of other resources online! This is also helpful for when you can't quite remember the word you're looking for.

Remember in school when your English teachers (if you had them) would tell you never to start a sentence with and, but, or so? Well if you're doing creative writing, throw all that out the window. You don't need that shit. If you feel like starting a new sentence with any of those words instead of just using a comma would be more effective, go for it!

Semicolons. Confusing little things, aren't they? Well never fear, because I can explain! It's actually not too difficult. Semicolons are exactly what they look like: a cross between a period and a comma. When using a semicolon, look at the statements on either side of it and ask yourself, "Would this sentence still make sense if I replaced the semicolon with a comma or a period?" If the answer is yes (to both the comma and the period), then congratulations! You've mastered the art of the semicolon.

Now that you've mastered the semicolon, it's time to move on to the apostrophe. Here are a few quick tips for you: apostrophes can indicate possession, such as "Marion's pencil." But here's a mistake I see very often: if a person's (haha check out that apostrophe) name ends in "s," you don't add another s to the end of it. For example, you wouldn't say, "Mars's blog." You would say, "Mars' blog." Along with this, there are some other weird rules with apostrophes. The main one (that even I struggle with) is the possessive "it." You probably already know that "it's" means "it is," but an apostrophe and an s usually indicates possession, so what do you do for the possessive form of "it?" This is one of those instances where the English language is stupid, because the possessive form of "it" has no apostrophe. In short: it's = it is; its = possessive form of it.

NEVER PUT THE PUNCTUATION OUTSIDE OF THE QUOTATION MARKS!!! (See the examples at the end)

This one is more of a personal preference, but have you ever heard of the Oxford comma? It's easiest to explain by example, so I'll just put the example right here. With the Oxford comma: I went to the store to get apples, oranges, and pears. Without the Oxford comma: I went to the store to get apples, oranges and pears. Both of those sentences are technically correct, so it's just a matter of which you prefer. (I prefer the Oxford comma)

I sometimes see people end dialogue with "said [character]," and while this is technically grammatically correct, it's a fairly old fashioned way of writing. Unless that's the style you're going for, I suggest you switch the two, i.e., "[character] said."

Correct forms of your! It's real simple but I see people mess it up all the time. You're = you are. Your = possessive form of "you."

In the same vein as "your" is "their." They're = they are. There = a place. Their = possessive form of "they"

When writing a quote within a quote, use apostrophes where you would normally put quotation marks (see example).

I'll be sure to add more if I think of them!

Examples:

1. "The English language is really dumb," character A said.

"I know what you mean," character B replied.

3. "Pretend that this is a really long paragraph of emotional dialogue.

"Now I am continuing that emotional dialogue in a new paragraph."

6. This sentence could be split up with either a period or a comma; but I think a semicolon would work best.

8. ❌ Is it too late to say "happy birthday"?

✔️ Is it too late to say "happy birthday?"

11. "You're looking beautiful today! I love what you've done with your hair."

12. "They're having a party at their house, and they want us all to be there."

13. "In the words of my lesbian cousin, 'a flannel a day keeps the straight dudes away.'"

I really hope you found these helpful. Please reblog to help out new writers!

[guacameowle]

Kinky Julian Devorak

Open, needy kisses— not just in the sense of open-mouthed, but open-hearted. Gives himself over entirely to the push and pull of your lips. Will accept everything you have to offer and still begs for more with a press of his tongue, a groan from his throat. Heart on his sleeve, emotions laid bare in his expressions. Will follows where you lead and guide you where he craves you. Reverent, loving, hands trembling. His desperation & passion licks its way through you literally & figuratively. He pulls you closer closer closer. Could kiss you for hours; he’ll risk not having breath if he could continue to have you.

Did I mention already that he loves kissing you? Seriously, he’s going to kiss you all the time, even in the middle of conversations. Julian’s kiss during conversation is simply a comma in a sentence. Will randomly slip in to kiss your temple, brings your hand up to his lips for a peck, leans in to smack a smooch on your cheek, kisses the top of your head as he passes. These are often brief, gone as soon as you’ve noticed they’ve happened, but they happen often enough. The mouth never stops.

Julian likes pain & gets off on it. Obviously. How much pain is too much? He’s certainly never found out, but you’re welcome to give it a go. You won’t break him but, ohhh, it’d fun if you tried. 🎶Rough sex, make it hurt; in Mazelinka’s/Portia’s/Asra’s/Nadia’s Palace [the] garden all in the dirt.🎶

Julian is a tactile person. Touch, whether intimate or friendly, seems to be a large part of his communication. Sometimes he comes across as a little touch-starved, so things that may not seem like a big deal – hand holding, hugs, an arm slung around one another, touching him gently just in passing, sitting with shoulders touching – are nice little ways to show him sweet affection that he craves.

It’s no secret the boy has a preference for being the Bottom. Really likes when you take the lead & order him around; it’s intimidating & thrilling. He’s eager & desperate to be used how you please. Begs & pleads for you to take him harder, more more more. He will remember how you want him, which poses you like, & falls into them readily with a single look from you. He’s so good. Please, fuck him.

This boy is so eager to please you any way he can that he would be a great Service Top. He likes obeying your orders. You telling him where & how you want him. When to go faster, when to slow down. Where to focus his attentions on you. Tell him how you like to be fucked & he will fuck you that way. If he has an objective that you’ve set, he’ll achieve it or die trying. Doesn’t like the idea of hurting you though, so if you’re into pain it may be something he needs to work up to or maybe won’t be able to do for you at all.

Constantly check-in. Even if there is a safe word in place. He’s trusting himself in your care, sometimes allowing his body to be used how you like, so check-in & make sure he’s enjoying himself, that he’s not overwhelmed in a bad way, that he wants more of what’s going on. Having someone care about his needs & if he’s enjoying himself is a new concept to him, but he finds he really likes it. He’s certainly going to do the same for you (& often, he can’t help it as he’s a pleaser), but having someone do it to him, it’s nice. Really nice. That little gesture that you care about his well-being even in moments of desperation & chasing after pleasure has his heart (& cock) swelling.

Should go without saying that there should definitely be a safe word established. Wouldn’t be surprised if Julian never used it though.

JULIAN. REALLY. ENJOYS. VANILLA. SEX. WITH. YOU. After all, nothing wrong with the classics.

He wants to be used by you, but there is a fine line between being used & being used. He wants you to take & receive pleasure from him, to share in a combined passion with one another, but do not discard him after or leave him feeling bereft of affection & care.

Julian’s fattest kink is love, affection, & acceptance. He doesn’t know that, but that’s what it is. It’s a total shock to him. Takes him a few days to adjust to this revelation.

Give him affection without expecting anything in return. It takes him a while to work up to accepting it without immediately needing to reciprocate, but it makes him blush, sets his heart aflutter; leaves him feeling warm, full, & dizzy in the best way.

He gets wet for romantic gestures. Kiss his hands. Give him flowers & presents for no reason other than you saw them & thought of him. Wrap an arm around him & pull him close. Gaze into his eyes & call him beautiful. Golden Goose & dine him. Sweep him off his feet. Dance often. Clasp his hand as you make him come. Grope his ass. Moan on his dick. Bend him over his desk & rail him. Tell him you want his cum inside of you. Real romantic shit.

Domestic kink. Having a domestic life with you is more appealing than he imagined it could be & for some reason it all just gets him hard. Being able to come home to you. Everyone throughout town knowing you are partners to one another. Doing simple chores together. Spending rainy days curled up reading books, sharing stories, & napping. Waking up to & going to bed with the same person every night. He’s horny for it. The honeymoon phase of domestic bliss with you is going to last a long long loooong time for Julian.

Will call you any name you want. Mommy? Daddy? With pleasure. Mistress/Master? Now we’re talking. Harbinger of Chaos? Well uh, that’s... uhm... ok?

“I can be good.” He wants to be good, do good, make you feel good. He’ll be obedient & accommodating. Just say the word, give the command, & he will rush (sometimes so fast he nearly hurts himself in his haste) to do whatever you ask. Has a more eager to please boy ever existed? Probably not.

Praise kink. “Did I do good?” He enjoys receiving encouragement, vocal & physical, that he is doing good, that you’re enjoying what he’s doing & how he’s given himself over to you. Pet him, praise him, tell him he did well & you enjoyed it.

The duality of Julian: 1) Love me & cherish me, please. Treat me nicely. I like being good. I can be a good boy for you. Tell me what you want/need. Is this [am I?] good enough? 2) Fuck me. Use me. I can take anything you give me & I’ll give you everything. Make it hurt, I like it rough.

He’s an absolute tease & flirting is second nature. He’s a quick study, so once he figures out what you like, what phrases, gestures, or acts get you in the mood, he’s definitely going to use them against you. Suggestive flirty line here, an eyebrow waggle there, a lip bite & slow drag of his eyes up & down your body. It’s only when you finally take the bait or tease him right back that he becomes instant putty in your hands.

Favorite sex position - Anything on his knees for you. Anything where he’s restrained- hands tied behind his back, pinned down flat with leather straps, chained to a wall, etc. etc. etc.. Anything suspended in the air. Anything upside down. Anything where he’s completely at your mercy. Anything under you. He’s not picky.

Julian is a talkative & vocal person, at any given time. So, naturally this will extend to bedroom activities (even if they don’t exactly occur within the bedroom, fufufu). While he may not be as loquacious once you get him fairly fucked-out, his mouth still runs away with him. Groans, moans, whines, keens, gasps, grunts, purrs, growls. Begging, pleading, teasing, suggestive phrases. He’s going to do it all. If you try hard enough, you might even make him cry a little in his desperation. That mouth of his can’t be stopped… not unless you gag him.

GAG HIM! Get creative & use what’s around you. He likes an innovative partner. Shove your underwear in his mouth. Stick your fingers in his mouth & make him suck on them. Tie his belt cord around his head & between his teeth so he bites down on it. He’ll probably still try to talk around the gag because well, he’s Julian.

He enjoys some build-up, little games of catch & release that extend throughout the day. Pull him in for lingering kisses & heavy petting without letting things go past the point of no return. Leave him wanting & horny. Let him catch you sending lingering, suggestive, looks at him. Sidle up close to him, enough for him to feel you, smell you, but step away before you give him what he wants. Whisper in his ear. Run your hand along his frame as you pass by. Wind him up all day until he’s absolutely aching, nearly pulling his hair out in sexual frustration, has a chronic boner that’s steadily leaking through his pants, & he is this close to just stripping naked & falling to his knees to rut against your leg.

Fuck him with his boots on. Fuck him while you are wearing his boots.

Fuck his face. Grab his hair, hold his head in place, & use his mouth. Work your dick down his throat until he gags, then work it down further until he tears up & his eyes roll back. Grind your clit on his tongue until his face is dripping with spit & arousal.

Stumbles over his words & thoughts when you have him so fuck-dazed that he starts speaking in all of the languages he knows, hoping one of them, any of them, make sense. That you’ll understand what he’s begging for.

Language kink. He knows several languages, so dirty talk in a variety of tongues is certainly appreciated & downright sexy. If you can surprise him by speaking in a language he doesn’t know, he’s going to want to hear it often.

Has, & will continue to, strip himself naked & lie suggestively on a bed of flower petals as a means of presenting himself to you for sex. Ah, romance.

At this point, bondage is an absolute given. It’s a staple for Julian. The necessities in Julian’s life: Breathing, booze, bondage. Learned various knots & how to really work a rope when he was a captive doctor on a pirate ship. I wouldn’t be surprised if he could somehow get himself into full shibari body-bind without assistance. Has probably tried & gotten himself horribly tangled up, but hey… the end result he was originally after was achieved all the same. Doesn’t limit himself to just rope either- chains, shackles, leather straps, cloth – it’s all fair game & he’s comfortable with all of it if it’s you using it on him. Would be open to a little magical binding if you eased him into it. He’s up for full-body bondage or just parts of him being tied up – whichever you’re in the mood for, he’s ready.

If his hands aren’t tied, or he hasn’t been told to not touch or to not use his hands, he’s going to actively pull you closer to him during intimate moments. Always. Every damn time. His hands gravitate to you without thought. There are three facts of life: The sun rises in the east, sets in the west, & Julian Devorak will pull you closer. You could be inside him, he could be inside you, & it’s still not close enough. ‘Come here. Come closer.’

He’s into temperature play. It’s canon. Hot or cold. Whether it be your magic hands, ice, wax, oils, water, foods, or flame, Julian likes it all. He easily prefers your hands on him though. Watching him wiggle around & seeing his cock jump from you switching between hot & cold is half the fun. Julian would absolutely take a freezing finger (or a few) up the ass.

His body is very sensitive to touch. The random bits of sensation play don’t always have to be dramatic, but adding variety to the types of touches can keep things interesting. Pinch nipples. Sweeping fingers. Raked nails. Dragging the edge of your teeth over skin. Flicks of tongue. Breathing along sensitive spots. Humming when sucking him off. Swift slap with a palm.

He has super sensitive nipples. Sensitive enough that he could be brought to orgasm if they’re played with enough. Pinch them, bite them, clamp them, twist them, drag your palm hard over them, lick them, suck them, temp play on them. This is beginning to sound like a NSFW Daft Punk song.

Sensory deprivation. Depriving him of some of his senses is a fun way to keep him on edge. He doesn’t know where you’re next going to approach from or how you’re going to touch him. He may not be able to hear you, only hearing the sounds of his own breathing & groans reverberating in his head. He may not be able to see you, forced to focus on his hearing & making a guess as to what he thinks you’ll do next. You could go so far as to deprive him of multiple senses at once. Maybe he needs to be bound, gagged, blindfolded, & plugged until he can’t touch, see, smell, or hear anything & he just has to wait to receive whatever it is you’ll give him. How adventurous.

100% kept that gladiator leather harness get-up for future use. Wears is underneath his clothes on special occasions. Like your birthday & days that end in Y.

He’s always ready to fuck. That’s his secret, he’s always horny. DTF. Anytime. Anywhere. Any way. Just say the word, give him the signal. Dick hard. Moans loud. Submissive on.

Sexting via raven. Has used Malak as a carrier raven to send you sexy messages throughout the day when y’all work apart or even in the middle of the night. You awake? What are you wearing? Want to come over? Ha, cool. If I were there what would we do? Kidding, his sexts would be much sexier than that; poems, romantic phrases, sweet words… but entirely illegible. It takes him 5 tries before you realize he’s sexting & that’s only because he finally resorted to doodling the appropriate genitalia & arrows of insertion.

Has a Saint Andrew’s cross in his bedroom that has been put to use numerous times. He’s got a guy that sells them, in case y’all want to get a few more.

Likes his ass being touched, however he can get it touched. Options: Soft caresses & casually resting a hand upon it. Do you want to walk with him while your hand casually rests inside of his pocket because he’ll buy pants with rear pockets just so you can. Smack it just because it was there, looking right at you. Spanking him repetitively until all of his cheeks are apple red. Pinching it. Grabbing fistfuls & squeezing. Grope him. Whatever you do to his ass, he’s going to grin & present it for more. Please, touch it. It may be a 5/10 ass according to the devs, but it’s a 10/10 fun.

His dick is above average length. Long & thin, like he is. Fairly uniform width from base to tip. Curves toward his belly when erect. Circumcised.

His cum is going to taste salty & bitter if he doesn’t ease up off the Salty Bitters & drink some water. He doesn’t have the best tasting semen. It’s disgusting. I’ve sucked him off 5 times (in the last 24h).

His ejaculate tends to be stringy and thick. After about three ejaculations in a day his semen starts thinning out. His initial ejaculations are capable of shooting up & hitting just below his chin/collar, but if you’re pulling orgasm after orgasm from him, he’s going to be reduced to simply dribbling semen in little blobs down his cock after the fourth or so orgasm. Overall, his loads aren’t particularly large unless he hasn’t come for a few days’ time (increase your zinc intake, Julian).

Keeps his pubic hair neat & trimmed to be presentable. It’s a combination of personal preference, the fact his body hair is relatively thin/fine, & to make his already longer than average cock appear longer. A little cute bird told me Julian does try to trim his pubic hair, but it tends to maintain an unruly & rowdy appearance. It’s a good curly jungle bush. The thatch of curls around his dick are just as cute as the curls on his head. Probably super springy when touched. Tells you it tickles & he squirms around when you run your fingers through it. Giving it a little tug though gets him hard.

Finds it incredibly hot when you strip him naked & lead him around where you want him with your hand wrapped on his dick. A leash on his cock would be cute.

That expensive concoction Julian brewed, the one that Brundle saved from the thieves… It’s probably his version of Viagra.

Slip his knife out of his pocket & do a little knife play. Cut the clothes off of him. Drag the blade’s sharp edge close to skin, close enough he can feel the cool of metal & excite him. Help him shave with a straight razor, cutting close to his jaw & tease at the paper thin cuts you’ve made with the tip of your tongue. It’s intimate, domestic, & a little dangerous. A triple whammy. You might even accidentally condition him to the point where you handling a knife for any reason gets him hard. Local Doctor Jizzes His Pants While Watching His Partner Chop Vegetables. Nearly comes immediately the first time he sees you handle a sword. HE WANTS TO BE IMPALED.

Blood play. Julian, if you bring out leeches, I swear… Seeing you drenched in blood would not at all be an appealing sight for him. Giving him a few well-placed nicks & cuts, shallow &/or deep depending on the location on the body, certainly won’t kill him. Besides, you can just heal the wounds away after you’re both finished playing, if you’re worried about them.

Mark him up. Bite him. Bruise him. Scar him. Scratch down his back hard enough to leave thin raised red lines or even draw little drops of blood. Lipstick kisses. Carve your name into him. Cum on him. When you think you’re finished with him, he’ll take a look down at himself, point to a bare patch of skin & tease, “You missed a spot.” Favorite places to receive marks: neck, collar, chest, thighs, & ass.

He’s definitely open to leaving little love bites on you as well. Favorite places to give marks: chest & thighs.

While healing away some of the wounds & marks you’ve given him is an option, if Julian is being honest, he would like to keep a few of them. Little tokens to remember your moments together. Plus, the sting of pain throughout the day is delightful.

Take body shots of Golden Goose off of one another.

He gets extra horny (& extra flirty) when drunk.

Enjoys his hair being pulled, either from the crown of his head, a fistful of your fingers along his forelock through his fringe, or along the nape of his neck snapping his head back to make him look up at you. He loves it. Use your hands in his hair to guide his head where you want him. Grip tighter when he does something you like.

Roleplay. Julian is all for acting out various scenes and fantasies that you both share, even taking on personas or characters he or you have created. He’s up for reenacting moments of your lives with one another. Do a sexual replay of your first meetings with him, when he broke into your shop. Maybe that full-body frisk you gave him went a bit further than expected; after all, he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t wanted it to. Pretend of be strangers meeting for the first time at the Rowdy Raven, sharing too many Salty Bitters, & then stumbling into a back alley for a quick hook-up. He has a few wigs he’s eager to put to use for all these roles of his. He’s over-flowing with ideas & scenarios if you’re up for it. Magically changing yours & his appearance for a quick romp could definitely be interesting. Change your appearance to look like him. Has Julian thought about what it’d be like to fuck himself? Absolutely.

Saying Julian is a bit of an exhibitionist is a huge understatement. He’s a big exhibitionist. Julian clearly has a tendency to get a little saucy in any & all locations that are not his own private quarters. Pull him into dark alleys on a whim & ravish him. Revisit that hidden garden & have your way with one another. Get him off underneath a table at the Rowdy Raven. Why do you think his coat is so big? To cover what doesn’t need to be seen by prying eyes. The fact that he knows you can now do a Nevermind Me spell on him, he’s going to want to test the limits of it. Will anyone notice if he’s going down on you in an alley once the spell is cast? How far can his fingers stray before your concentration is broken & the spell wears off? He’s a scientist & he has questions that he needs to find the answers for.

If Julian is in a polyamory relationship, he’s going to enjoy watching his partners hook up with each other. He’ll resist touching himself while he watches if it’s what you wish, letting the anticipation & need build up. He finds himself moaning along with them, swaying forward to be as close as he can without touching or intruding, getting more aroused the longer he watches. He’ll be good & wait his turn, or wait for when they need him. You do need him, don’t you? He can’t wait to be pulled in to join in on the fun.

Edging. Getting him so close to orgasm he can taste it on the edge of his teeth & denying him over & over & over again until it hurts, until his cock is aching purple & red, wet & throbbing. Do it for hours. He doesn’t know when you’ll let him finally come, if it’ll be today, tomorrow, days from now, but that’s all just part of the fun. Often edges himself throughout the day for no other reasons than wanting to & knowing the payoff will be worth it later. Denying himself what he wants tends to be his mode of operation.

Overstimulation. Keep sucking after he nuts. Suck until you taste his soul on your tongue. Keep fucking him past orgasm. Keep stroking. Pull on his testicles while he’s having an orgasm. That non-stop pleasure/pain loop sensation is addicting. Those moments where no matter what he tells his body to do he acts on pure reflex, he can’t stop squirming and jerking his hips both towards & away from you. Hiccups pleas, for you to stop or keep going even he doesn’t know. His throat goes raw from screaming. Do it again, please.

You should definitely use a little teeth when giving him a blowjob.

Breath play. Either with a hand squeezing at his throat or smothering him with some other part of you, the euphoric floating feeling he gets as he’s sexual aroused yet deprived of oxygen is a rush. A hand spread across his throat though, pinning him down, hmm, he likes.

Speaking of smothering; face-sitting! Do it. Sit on him. Smother him with your chest, ass, cunt, what have you. He wants it, needs it, craves it. If he dies… he dies. You could snap his neck sitting on his face & he will thank you with his last breath. You decide when he gets to breathe, when he’s done using his mouth. IF HE DIES… HE DIES!

Julian may not have known of his own latent magic abilities but those around him, especially those who have had that chance to be intimate with him, know that his mouth is magic; at least it can work magic. Sucks dick or clit like he was made for it. He is skilled. His oral sex abilities are listed as a “special skill” on his resume. There are people listed on said resume as point of contacts who will confirm & gush that he’s that good. Not only is he fantastic at it, he thoroughly enjoys it, enough that he could get himself off, entirely untouched, just from going down on you. He would go down on you for hours if y’all have the time for it. On days where you both have nothing to do & time to kill, he will lazily suck you off. He’s dazed-out with his mouth working your dick/clit, sometimes he’ll work his tongue in & out of your hole in a slow fuck. The man eats ass like a champion. Sometimes he’s not even trying to actively get you to come, he’s just enjoying having his mouth on you & thinks you taste good. He’ll hide out under your tarot card table & spend hours between your legs while you do readings for customers.

Sketches nudes of you for private use. It’s anatomy diagram practice. It’s not. Often he does it intentionally, other times he just doodles in a daze & suddenly realizes he’s drawing you again. He’d be lying if he said his sketches didn’t arouse him sometimes. Some pages have questionable stains on them.

I headcanon that he was sketching you (not nudes) long before he got his memories back. He’d see you in his dreams, distant & fleeting images that didn’t quite stick in his brain after he woke up. But what he could remember he’d rough sketch & add quick descriptions in the margins. Pages and pages of sketches, none ever really coming together to form a solid figure, but he’d still wonder who you were & why he kept seeing you. You had to be important, somehow. It’s not until after he regains his memory, after all is said & done with the plague, when he’s going through his things that he realizes it was you the entire time. That he had somehow subconsciously remembered you even if he’d willingly gave up his memories all those years ago.

He knows the human body very well, so he has a full scope of the erogenous zones available to him, including places you probably didn’t think could make you feel good. But he does. He knows. He’s a doctor & he’s good with his hands, & he’s ready to put them to use on you.

Speaking of being good with his hands, those long thin practiced fingers are capable of rocking your world. Julian might just give you the best handjobs or fingerings you’ve ever had in your damn life.

Licks his fingers, while maintaining steady eye contact with you, after he’s gotten you off with them. Would you like a taste?

Favorite places Julian likes TO BE cum on: Face (dripping down his brow, down his cheek & over his lips), neck, chest, ass, asshole, lower back, back of his thighs, into his open mouth with his tongue hanging out, directly down his throat, inside of him

Favorite places Julian likes TO cum on: Over your genitals, in your mouth, across your belly, lips (he reaches out & gently smears it around your lips), whichever area you ask for it

Julian absolutely will eat his own cum out of you after fucking it into you. You don’t even have to ask him to, but you should. Order him to clean you with his tongue. ‘With pleasure.’

If there’s a sex toy shop in Vesuvia, Julian has a punch card for being a frequent visitor. 🎵 Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your name. & they’re always glad you came. 🎵 Cock rings, plugs, cock cages, sounding tools, floggers, chains, leathers, nipple clamps, etc. etc. etc.. He’s tried a bit of everything from the shop & readily has reviews, suggestions, & preferences should you want them. His personal collection has a good variety & he’s only kept around the items he prefers using. He’ll try anything once. Blushes if you take charge & start pick out the toys for him. He doesn’t need to use toys, but they can bring a lot of fun into the bedroom. He gets sappy & says all he needs to really get off is you.

Put a plug up Julian’s ass & make it vibrate throughout the day with your magic. Watch him go through the ups & downs of arousal all day. Random groans while shopping together in the market. His hand occasionally squeezing yours tight, briefly, before relaxing slowly. His breath visibly & audibly catching while he’s in the middle of talking. Stumbles mid-stride. Sweating & slowly opening the layers of his clothes to cool off. Mumbling & cussing under his breath. Leave it in him & alone for long enough that he forgets about it & play with it when he leasts expects it. He loves every fucking minute of your torture.  

Can be a bit of size queen. He’s not going to shy away from a big dick, if you have one. He likes the pain from the stretch of a big cock. If the pain lasts a few days after, well, that’s just the cherry on top of an already great time. If you’re not on the thicker side, slip a few fingers into his hole beside your dick & that’s ‘yeah, that’s ah, that’s it. Just like that. More. Oh, please.’ If you don’t have a dick, please buy one & peg him.

Adrenaline junkie. After times you & he get rowdy - bar fights, jumping off cliffs in Arcana realms, sailing through stormy seas, on the run from officials after causing mischief in other cities - he gets randy for a different kind of rowdy with you. He chases another sort of physiologic high while riding an adrenaline high. Fuck him while the adrenaline is still sweet in your veins.

Orgasms brought on by prostatic stimulation tend to wreck him a little more, for a little bit longer, than just penile stimulation. Milk his prostate until he’s shooting blanks & he’s crying mercy.

If you wanted to watch him touch himself, he’s definitely not opposed to putting on a bit of a show for you. Masturbating while you watch him will still have him begging for you, even if you haven’t laid a hand on him. You could be entirely across the room staring him down & he will still twist & sway toward you, pulling at his cock & groaning for you. You should definitely order him around; tell him where to touch, how fast to stroke, where to put his hands, how to position himself. He’ll beg & beg to be touched, for you to help him come.

Conversely, masturbate in front of him & watch him turn into a frustrated groaning mess of a man if you don’t let him help you. ‘Mmm, you look delicious. Just one taste, please? Wouldn’t you like a helping hand, my dear?’

His striptease may not be the sexist compared to others, but it’s charming in its own way. Y’all can’t tell me Julian slowly biting off his gloves one at a time, swinging them in the air & tossing them at you playfully, then dramatically ripping open all of the snaps of his jacket & waggling his eyebrows at you wouldn’t be hot as fuck. Probably trips a bit over himself while taking off his boots, but makes up for it with his show of slowly sliding down his pants to reveal his ass & smirks at you over his shoulder to see if you’re watching him. It’s a general rule to not touch the performers but please, touch him.

Julian is probably no stranger to an orgies or being gangbanged.

Cock & ball torture. Squeezing, binding, ball busting/flogging, sounding, kneeing/kicking, etc. He can really get into it with the right partner.

STEP. ON. HIM. It’s a play of power & intimidation & he loves it. Pin him down to the floor with your foot. Grind the ball of your foot up & down his cock until he’s thrusting up against it for more friction & twitching to come.

He’s not picky about which locations y’all fuck or ravish each other in; he’s said so himself. Outside or indoors. On a boat, near a moat. In a dark back alley or in a ship’s galley. Your shop. Rooms at the palace. His place. His clinic. Mazelinka’s hidey-hole. The alcove behind the apple vender in the southern market. Palace fountains. Back in that library on that desk. All fair game & all excellent ideas. If the surface is flat, it’s a go. If the surface is vertical, it’s still a go, it might just take a little more balance & poise. When he reopens his clinic after his name is cleared, y’all should celebrate by fucking on every surface; exam table, counters, tables, beds, desk (especially the desk), surgical table.

Julian is a curious person & eager to understand & learn. After he’s discovered his magical abilities, he takes the study of it seriously. If he’s going to use it & understand it, he needs to read up & attempt numerous experiments. Takes a shine to creating magical tinctures/potions/ointments; those with healing abilities & those for his, ahem, extracurricular activities (aphrodisiacs, magical Viagra, birth control). Has a tendency to test his experiments on himself so there’s been numerous occasions where he’s dosed himself with potent aphrodisiacs after concocting them. He swears it’s an accident. It’s not an accident.

He moans loudest when you call him ‘Ilya’ while fucking. Y’all can’t take this away from meeeee.

Aftercare. Whether you’ve both has some rough play or not, aftercare goes a long way with Julian & he likes taking his time with it. His favorite forms of aftercare include sharing a bath, feeding one another, warm drinks, cuddling/spooning/affectionate physical contact, healing bruises/wounds, massages, reading aloud to one another, talking about nothing & everything all at once. Verbal reassurance that he’s loved, wanted, & cared for really make a lasting impact on him during these recovery moments. Julian is by no means a selfish lover & he knows that everyone may need recuperation after some rough play. He’s going to make sure you’re taken care of too & that you’re clean, comfortable, happy, & absolutely loved.

[quietlysatan]

I need a permanent editor/beta reader.

I need someone to go through my works with or without me and make them,,,, palatable???? Readable???? Make them make sense to someone who isn’t me or you, the person who has me explaining everything to you cause my stories are mostly ideas thrown into a blender and regurgitated in a manner that only makes sense when you're on a sugar high or serotonin high or otherwise impaired, but also I use more commas than you would think possible because I tend to write how I think which is in continuous sentences and BOY does THAT show.

I’ll be giving you credit in any way that you prefer, so if you’d prefer your Instagram username, or your AO3 handle, or just a nickname so no one knows it was you or nothing at all or whatever you prefer? Absolutely, just tell me what you’d prefer once we agree, unless it's a slur.

Requirements: Literally just help me put my writing down in a way that makes sense for others, let me know if you won’t be continuing, don’t republish my work, edited or otherwise anywhere without asking and please do not give me constructive criticism unless you can do so nicely because I have really weird triggers for that and they’re very annoying. Also, I want to see what your editing skills are like so I’ll ask you to do one chapter first before I say yes so that I can be certain of our combined skills. 

Anyways, here’s everything I need an editor for currently, in order of importance? The ones I care to see edited the most? Basically, every work I need an editor/beta reader for minus the unpublished ones that I might mention if there’s anyone who wants to help with those left.

Building A Home - Harry Potter has a twin that is a girl whose name is going to change because I kind of hate Hyndragnea as a name now. At least for the Potters anyways. They were going to be Brazilian because I had a phase a while back when I wrote this that we don’t need to talk about, but now I’m toying with the idea of them being south African or African American (that is such a strange thing to actively type as a black African American person ngl) and you can definitely see that I was indecisive in a few places, for further details feel free to message me and read through what’s published so far.  [CLOSED]

Selfish - An Avengers crossover fic that hasn’t had the crossover yet, but it also has de-aged Loki (Who isn’t dating, and will not be dating anybody until he’s older, if ever) and the avengers becoming less and less mortal. To be fair, a few already are immortal. For further details feel free to message me and read through what’s published so far. [CLOSED]

Out Of Curiosity Mostly - Okay so for this one I basically just need a spell check it’s a collection of mostly Harry Potter ficlets and if you just want to do one specific chapter feel free to message me. For further details feel free to message me and read through what’s published so far. [Still open, 1 applicants]

Salvare - A slow burn Drarry fic about Lucius dying, Narcissa and Draco taking over the world, and Harry, Remus, and Sirius just sitting back and enjoying the ride pretty much. I actually still don’t know where this one is going, but it’s still open for updates, I just haven’t written anything for since I updated it cause when I published it I was right on the cusp of a really long depression episode but I’m better now so it’s fine right? Right. For further details feel free to message me and read through what’s published so far.  [CLOSED]

The Sun Has Always Said I Love You (And Look What You Can Do With A Love Like That) - I’m actually most proud of this one. It’s a Teen Wolf fic so Warning, Kate Argent is a fucking creep, and so is Gerard. Chris is cool though. So’s baby Allison. The Hales live. Derek has to come to terms with being assaulted but that'll either happen during a time skip or off-screen. [CLOSED]

Perhaps (It Was Only Just A Dream) - Starts in the Mauraders era, Jily lives, Wolfstar happens, Snape is actually a spy and ACTUALLY a good Snape, good Malfoys cause I can. This one also needs less of a complete overhaul and more of spellcheck, and comma detector because to be fair to me it is actually pretty well-written... Oddly enough. For further details feel free to message me and read through what’s published so far. [Still open, 3 applicants]

And They Were Kind, Kinder Than They Had Any Right To Be - An offshoot of What Could Have Been from the Building A Home Potter Twins Universe. Essentially, just a collection of previously written or thought of ideas that Could’ve happened but didn’t. Or at least haven’t yet. For further details feel free to message me and read through what’s published so far. [Still open, 1 applicants] 

Goodness Is Not Weakness, And Kindness Is Not Failure. - Essentially, what if Uzushio and her knowledge and her clans had lived? What if the city was more sentient, what if the entire Elemental nations were more sentient. Or, what if when that plant bitch Zesty the fucking mom obsessed in a questionable way tried to do Some Bullshit The Elemental Nations took note and said “Uhh, I think the fuck not”. For further details feel free to message me and read through what’s published so far. [Still open, 1 applicants] 

I want to warn you right now that my writing can be summed up as this Deus Ex Machina description right here.

Take that as you will.

Here’s my AO3 account by the way

Most_Likely_Satan

[legobiwan]

Whumptober #7 (isolation)

TW: none

Fandom: Star Wars (Padmé Amidala, Count Dooku. Yes, you read that right.)

Notes: So, this happened. Probably some suspension of disbelief is necessary for this whole conceit, but it’s more of a character study than anything else. Also, damn do I love writing Dooku he’s such a creepy shit I love him. Alright guys, LET’S. GET. WEIRD.

—–

“The galaxy is an open wound, my friends, and the Republic is the infection which must be lanced if we are to secure a future for your homeworlds. Make no mistake, the bureaucrats in the Galactic Senate care not for your governments, for your banks and farmlands, for your schools and businesses - except in how they may extract what they need, as a parasite feeds on its host. Alone, in isolation, you will suffer, will bleed out, and when the Republic has taken their fill, they will discard the empty, pale carcass of your beloved cities with barely a thought.

Together, we will rise, will fight the corruption of a self-indulgent galactic government which cares only for its own appetites. Together, we are the Independent Movement for Self-Determination, the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Together, we will throw off the shackles too-long endured by our masters on Coruscant, and secure a prosperous future for generations to come.

Thank you.”

The auditorium erupted in applause, students, professors, and government leaders rising from their apple-plush seats, a wave of sentients cresting like the tides on Varikyno.

Padmé slipped out the back door, soft hood of her violet cloak pulled low. The Count would have felt her presence already, would have known with a single tilt of his head the invitation had been accepted, along with the rules of engagement. Still, it would not do for a high-ranking, high-profile member of the Galactic Senate to be seen attending a political rally of an enemy of the state. (The enemy of the state, she reminded herself.)

The restaurant was a few blocks to the east, tucked away on the top floor of a small shopping complex boasting a holobook emporium and a few fashionable clothing outlets.

A perfectly understated setting.

Padmé paused, taking in her reflection in the glass storefront, her cloak draped across her shoulders, falling long to the ground, fabric bundled in little hills and valleys in the fashion of the local populace. Her eyes were hooded, fuchsia irises settled beneath furled, copper eyebrows.

She barely recognized herself.

Anakin would be furious if he knew what she was doing.

Anakin was furious a lot, these days.

Right now, however, her husband was deployed on the other side of the galaxy, leading a campaign against General Grievous and his endless armies of battledroids. There was no need to worry him with her extracurricular activities, not when his life was already on the line every day, when blaster fire singed his long, brown hair and lightsaber welts branded his tanned, strong arms.

No, Anakin didn’t need to know. Not about this.

Her chrono chimed. 19:20. Just enough time to make a cursory sweep of the restaurant. Padmé reached into the satchel hanging off her shoulder, her hand drifting past holobooks and data readers - all innocuous items, typical for a graduate student out on a night on the town.

She slid a hand under Alone Among Many, feeling for the second, hidden pouch, her fingers closing around the handle of a mini-blaster and a signal disrupter.

Right, then.

Padmé took a steadying breath, laying her other hand on her upper abdomen. It twinged in an unfamiliar, uncomfortable sensation.

A silver-haired head glided past in reflection of the window. Padmé counted, one second, five seconds, ten, finally turning away from her own strange image, following Count Dooku up the dimly-lit stairs.

———

“An interesting choice of disguise, Senator. You seem to have quite the flair for clandestine work.” Dooku sips at his wine, blood-red, glistening in the wide-mouthed crystal glass.

“A Senator’s work is rarely confined to an office suite,” Padmé counters, raising her own glass to her lips, suddenly very aware of the bright, copper hair falling from her hood.

Dooku chuckles. “Ah, if only more of your colleagues felt the same way, my dear. In fact, I imagine you might be alone in your singular dedication to your work and your people.”

“There are plenty of other Senators who devote their lives to - “

“And I daresay,” Dooku interrupts with a hint of irritation, “you are in close contact with those few sentients who possess the ability to see past their own gluttonous ambitions.”

A question hidden in an offhand comment. Pure diplomacy, pure politics. Padmé excelled at this aspect of her job - reading subtext and hidden meanings in a curved word or the inflection of a comma.

She allows the silence to stretch, taking a lingering sip of her wine as she glances around the dark room.

Dark wood-paneling complements the deep green of the wall coverings, the edges glimmering with the tasteful application of bronzed borders. It’s an understated kind of affluence, the kind which comes as naturally as breathing to those brought up in a certain station.

Anakin never was able to dull his rough edges, as uncomfortable as a purrgil in the desert at any function requiring more than two pieces of silverware. Obi-wan, ever the diplomat, had nearly everyone fooled, all soft charm and etiquette. But even he wasn’t raised in this culture, this world of unspoken rules where customs are less taught than absorbed.

In this, she shares common ground with the man across from her.

“I doubt you extended this invitation to hear idle gossip from the Senate. What do you want?” A tactless approach, but Padmé is already growing impatient. She is alone, on a foreign planet, ruled by an enemy government, sitting across from a man who would just as soon see her and everyone she loved dead.

“You are mistaken, dear girl, but I will allow the false assumption to continue for the time being.” Dooku neatly folds his hands on the table, leveling his gaze at Padmé.

“I want to negotiate.”

Padmé meets his eyes with equal intensity, the gears in her mind spinning.

“What makes you think I would barter the future of the Republic with a terrorist?”

“Because you have done so before.”

It’s said without ire or malice, but Padmé feels the words as blow to the stomach. They both know to what Dooku is referring, the debacle on Mon Calamari, only a few short months ago - how she allowed General Grievous to go free in exchange for a single Jedi.

Her Jedi.

Padmé swallows, her throat dry. “Perhaps I’ve reconsidered my position.”

“Doubtful, seeing that you are here, on Reena, sipping wine with the most wanted man in the Republic.” Dooku spreads his arms with an easy, false smile.

She doesn’t respond. She doesn’t need to, the evidence of her presence in the restaurant is damning enough on its own.

“You prefer diplomacy. As do I, Senator.” Dooku continues, waving his hand in a conciliatory gesture. “And in the spirit of said diplomacy, let us return to the seemingly unimportant matter of the idle, chattering gossip in the Senate. As you stated, you are devoted to your job, to your people, to the foundations on which the Republic was built.”

Padmé nods, careful. So far nothing Dooku has said is wholly disagreeable, even if the man himself is.

“And you have made certain connections with those who share similar viewpoints, no? A wise move, if I may say so myself. To rock the proverbial boat takes a singular strength of will, but to move oceans around said boat requires the strength of many. As you have witnessed over the past few years.”

The war, the secession. From Dooku’s point of view, it makes sense, but Padmé cannot condone the pointless bloodshed, the death and suffering brought about by the desire for change.

Dooku leans forward, voice lowering, conspiratorial. It takes all of Padmé’s considerable control to not recoil.

“You don’t trust the Chancellor.”

Her leg jerks, knee hitting the table with a muffled thud. The movement disrupts the wine glasses, red liquid sloshing back and forth, little bubbles coalescing on edges. Padmé smooths her expression in a second, hoping Dooku can’t hear the pounding of her heart in her throat. She hopes he mistakes her reaction for anger.

“I will not sit here and be accused of treason - “

“And you are right to, Miss Amidala.”

Dooku speaks just loud enough, with just enough will to silence Padmé. She wonders if he is using a small compulsion on her, as she is never one to back down from an argument. The thought sickens her, leaves her nauseated. It’s a rank violation, to be forced into silence by another man.  

“The Senate is corrupt,” Dooku continues as if nothing has happened, although his words gain urgency. “But no one more so than Chancellor Palpatine.” The Count pauses, his eyes darting to the side, a rare concession to discomfort, to perhaps even fear of retaliation.

“An understanding between two groups, whose primary aim would be to end the war with as little bloodshed as possible, might be a proposition worth considering. Especially if they were to be on opposing sides of this conflict.”

Padmé’s mouth dries. How could he have learned any of this? Yes, she and few other Senators harbored worsening doubts regarding Palpatine’s mounting powers, his extension of the war, his seeming reluctance to engage in even the most rudimentary diplomacy.

But they had only met a handful of times and - if there was a mole in their group, an double agent…

She straightens, chastising herself for falling prey to Dooku’s manipulations. “You are mistaken, Count. The Senate trusts the Chancellor.” After a beat she adds, “As do the Jedi.”

“The Jedi are fools,” Dooku hisses, hand tightening around the stem of his wine glass. Padmé swallows a smug grin.

I can play this game, too, Count.

“Unless you have anything else to add, I believe our negotiations have come to an end.” First lesson in negotiation - make the other side reveal themselves first. To be honest, she’s not so interested in Dooku’s response. The game has played long enough, and the urge to leap from the table is real. She needs to get out of here, needs to get on a transport, get back to Coruscant. Needs to contact Anakin, hear his voice, needs to not be alone.

Dooku says nothing, taking his hand to his chin. 

Padmé stands in an abrupt movement, throwing her satchel over her shoulder. She halfway considers reaching into the bag and pulling out her blaster. Dooku’s death wouldn’t end the war, not even she is so naive, but it would certainly slow the seemingly inexorable march of the Republic towards destruction.

She abandons the idea almost as quickly. Dooku was, at one point, a Jedi, and he can still call on the Force, even in its corrupted and dark form.

She would be dead before her hand even touched her weapon.

Padmé turns to leave when she hears the words.

“You’re alone, you know.”

Her lips purse, teeth grinding against each other. She should leave. Not all negotiations are successful, and rule two is to know when to walk way from the table, in this case quite literally. 

She can’t let it go, however.

“I have the Republic. I have friends in the Senate. Family whom I love.”

If the words are shaky, if they are shadowed by doubt, it’s meaningless, only the stress of an invitation she should have never accepted.

“I can feel it, Senator. The blank void, the ragged edges where it was ripped away. Something used to be there, and now there’s not. And that nothing is growing, a virus inside you.”

Padmé’s hands shake.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Something rustles. Suddenly there is a presence at her back, an insidious warmth and she realizes Dooku is a mere breath from her, soft words hot on her ear.

“I know isolation, Senator Amidala. I was raised on the teat of it.” She feels every sharp consonant in her bones. “You reek of it, that terrible elixir of misplaced affection and desperation.”

Dooku’s words root Padmé in place, her feet bound by ice, her mind by fire. It’s not true, it’s never been true and yet the accusation pulls at a loose thread in her chest, the one that unraveled every time Anakin demanded she turn down a social engagement, or spoke of her in a way which crashed past the boundaries of romances into possession.

Dooku steps closer, somehow still not touching her, a gesture for which she is both grateful and disturbed. If the Count’s motivations had been more base, more carnal, his accusations would carry little weight, but she knows he leers only to add gravity to his words.

“*He* is the cause of your isolation, Senator Amidala. I can feel it in you,” Dooku whispers, barely audible, his lips hovering a molecule removed from her skin, silver beard a whisker from her uncovered head, so still Padmé almost believes he has stopped time itself.

Her knees buckle when he steps back.

“Do consider my proposition, Senator,” he all business again, as if the last few minutes had never happened. “It would be a mutually beneficial arrangement, in more ways than you can fathom.”

Padmé readjusts the satchel on her shoulder and rushes from the restaurant, not looking back, nearly knocking over a server droid in her panicked haste. She does not tarry on Reena, piloting her starship with reckless speed back to Coruscant, as if a pack of Lothwolves were chasing her across the stars.

It was nothing. Manipulation, and she curses herself for almost falling prey to it. She’ll be back on Coruscant tomorrow, she’ll get back to work, she’ll meet with Mon, have dinner with Leeth, organize her next speech, perhaps do a bit a charity work...

She will not be alone. Not anymore.

legobiwan does whumptober

[aibidil]

Betaing 101

So it’s not as if I’m an expert beta, but my experience as a beta in fandom is slightly different than most people’s because I’ve done copyediting professionally. Because of that, I’ve read books on editing and taken editing courses, etc. So! I’m going to give what I think is some useful insight and then, under the break, an excerpt from one of my books. Compiling this has been a good reminder of a lot of things for me, so I hope others can gather something useful here. This is just my take, ymmv, etc etc.

When you agree to beta something for someone new, ask them what kind of feedback they’re looking for. Leave it open-ended so you can hear what they think of first. Some authors will immediately say, “SPaG, please, for the love of god!” and others will say, “There shouldn’t be much SPaG but I really think the pacing is off halfway through, can you help with that? And I’m wondering about the character arc here?” Use this to guide how you approach the task.

If they haven’t already answered this, ask, “Do you want to know if I have any thoughts or concerns about plot or character?” I’ve never had an author say no to this, but you’ve gotta get on the same page. This is trickier in fandom than in other editing, because in fandom we all have strong opinions about the characters we’re editing. (This doesn’t really happen if you’re editing original fiction.) But I’ve had betas comment, “Feel free to ignore this, but would Harry actually do this?” And as an author, I value that feedback, because in fic, writers and readers work within shared character understandings. Of course, I might disagree with my beta in the end. But if I’ve touched on something that is a point of contention in fan circles, I’d rather be aware of it before publishing (or avoid the issue altogether by cutting it, depending on how integral the point is). But that sort of conversation can only happen if you know the author is open to it.

Don’t rewrite an author’s sentence simply because it is not the sentence you would’ve written. This can be harder than it sounds. It simply isn’t your job. Save it for your own writing, or for when a friend asks for help fixing a sentence giving them trouble. The author’s sentence is clear, correct, and serviceable, but you hate it? Grit your teeth and move on. 

In general, if a sentence isn’t grammatical and there’s no simple fix so it needs to be restructured, don’t make the change yourself in tracked changes, but make a comment that does the following: explains the problem and offers one or two possible solutions. Sometimes this comes up because of misplaced modifiers or vague pronoun references, and I know how I would fix it if I were the author, but that’s not the beta’s job. I can give them an example of a way to fix the grammatical issue, and then they can decide how to implement it in their voice.

Do your best to differentiate between comments/changes that are necessary for grammar/syntax and those that are stylistic preferences. Grammarians disagree about all sorts of things. If you’re copyediting in the real world, your job isn’t to find The Absolute Correct Thing, because that often doesn’t exist! Your job is to make the manuscript conform to a style guide, and it’s the style guide’s job to make decisions. (Even then, style guides often leave things open to discretion. Commas, for example, are much more discretionary than one might realize.) So, from the perspective of an author, it’s helpful to know: is the beta making a suggestion that you can feel free to ignore, or is the beta identifying a concrete flaw that needs fixing? I’m not sure there’s a best way to do this, but in google docs it’s possible to comment on a tracked change. So if I think a change needs explaining, I might throw a quick comment there. I might comment, “Moving this here because otherwise it’s a dangling modifier,” or “Feel free to ignore but this flows better to me?” This helps authors navigate your feedback. (As a sub-point here, if you see your author doing something that commonly appears on lists of “OH MY GOD WHY DO AUTHORS KEEP SAYING THIS?!” you can comment with something like: “Just wanted to flag this because I know a lot of readers say they get thrown out of the story when the author uses [‘epithets like the taller man’, ‘tongues battling for dominance’, etc.], but it’s up to you!”)

Speaking of style guides, your fandom might sort of have one? Often the fandom wikia is a good source for correct spellings and capitalizations. In the Harry Potter fandom, I consider Potterwords to be the style guide, and I make manuscripts conform to the conventions listed there. This is where I check for hyphenation (did you know it’s pure-blood not pureblood?), capitalization (it’s Muggle and Squib but witch and wizard), italicization (Summoning Charm but Accio), etc.

Always ask your author if they’re using the Oxford comma. This avoids fistfights. Likewise, ask them if they want you to Britpick. (Or Ameripick, or whatever.)

If you start reading and notice an issue that recurs throughout the fic, shoot the author a message and ask how they want you to proceed. It’s always better to ask. “Hey, I noticed a bunch of sentences that have extra words I could cut, do you want me to do that? [Example.]” or “Howdy mate, I noticed you have a lot of was -ing constructions—do you want me to change those or flag them or anything?” or “I noticed a few spots that seem slow, do you want me to point those out?”

Comment on the things you love. Comment on the things you love. There isn’t an author who won’t want to hear it. If something makes you happy or gives you feels or makes you keysmash, tell them! This serves at least three purposes: it makes your author happy, it tempers the author experience of getting back corrections (which can be overwhelming), and it gives the author feedback of reader reaction. If the author knows their beta squealed at a particular part, they will know for sure not to cut it or change it. :)

Be nice. This probably goes without saying, but I will say that it is harder to be nice when you’re trying to beta quickly. So if you’re rushing or under a deadline or it’s a really long piece, it takes more mindfulness. Think about how you’re wording your comments. “Feel free to ignore” is a good phrase to keep handy, and so is, “This might be nitpicking but.” If you’re chummy with the author, maybe a full-fledged “LOOK I KNOW I AM ANNOYING BUT...”

After you’re done, tell the author what you loved most. It will make them feel good and it will set the proper tone for their reading of your comments.

And of course, in the end, it’s fic—nothing serious hinges on these commas, unlike the commas in the Second Amendment. So if all else fails, err on the side of flail, not fastidiousness. We’re here to have fun, after all. 

Click below the cut for an excerpt from The Copyeditor’s Handbook by Amy Einsohn, with the caveat that, of course, some of these things apply differently in fandom.

Copyeditors always serve the needs of three constituencies:

the author(s)—the person (or people) who wrote the manuscript the publisher—[aibidil note: is the fandom analogue “the fest mods”? lol] the readers—the people for whom the material is being produced

All these parties share one basic desire: an error-free publication. To that end, the copyeditor acts as the author’s second pair of eyes, pointing out—and usually correcting—mechanical errors and inconsistencies; errors or infelicities of grammar, usage, and syntax; and errors or inconsistencies in content. If you like alliterative mnemonic devices, you can conceive of the copyeditor’s chief concerns as comprising the “4 Cs”—clarity, coherency, consistency, and correctness—in service of the “Cardinal C”: communication.

Copyeditors correct—or ask the author to correct—errors or lapses in grammar, syntax, usage, and diction. Ideally, copyeditors set right whatever is incorrect, unidiomatic, confusing, ambiguous, or inappropriate without attempting to impose their stylistic preferences or prejudices on the author.

Copyeditors must strive to strike a balance between being overly permissive and overly pedantic. Copyeditors are expected to correct (or ask the author to correct) locutions that are likely to confuse, distract, or disturb readers, but copyeditors are not hired for the purpose of imposing their own taste and sense of style on the author. Thus when reading a manuscript, the copyeditor must ask, “Is this sentence acceptable as the author has written it?” The issue is not “If I were the writer, would I have written it some other way?”

Most copyeditors read very, very slowly. You must train yourself to read very slowly—slowly enough to scrutinize each comma (”OK, comma, what are you doing here? Do you really belong here? Why?”), to interrogate each pronoun (”Hey, pronoun, where’s your antecedent? Do you two agree in gender and number?”), to cross-examine each homophone (”You there, ‘affect’! Shouldn’t you be ‘effect’?”), and to ponder each compound adjective, adverb, and noun (”Does the dictionary show ‘cross section’ or ‘cross-section’?”). Moreover, you must read slowly enough to catch missing words (a dropped “the” or “a”), missing pieces of punctuation (”We need a hyphen here”), ambiguities in syntax, and gaps in logic.

You should look up anything that you are unsure of. With your dictionary, style manual, usage guide, thesaurus, and other reference books at your side, this is the time to read up on troublesome mechanical issues, brush up on tricky grammar and usage controversies, and verify your suspicions about factual inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the manuscript. 

The copyedited manuscript is always sent to the author for review.

Do not machete a manuscript or rewrite a document unless you are explicitly asked to do heavy editing or rewriting. If the author’s sentences are clear, correct, and serviceable, let them be. Don’t rewrite an author’s sentence simply because it is not the sentence you would have written. A reminder to this effect is posted on many bulletin boards in publishing offices around the world:

It’s hard difficult to resist the urge temptation to change improve someone else’s writing.

Resisting this urge will make your life as a copyeditor easier in several ways. First, you will be able to devote more of your attention to your primary responsibilities: When you resist the urge to recast phrases in your own voice, you are more likely to catch mechanical errors, internal inconsistencies, and grammatical mistakes. Second, your relations with authors will be smoother because they will perceive you as an aide, not as a usurper of their authorial powers. Third, both the copyediting and the cleanup will take less time and be less frustrating. Finally, you will neatly sidestep an issue that often troubles novice copyeditors: “How do I maintain the author’s style?” That issue will not arise if you focus on copyediting—not rewriting—and if you explain problems to your authors and ask them either to resolve the problems or to select among the alternatives you are posing.

[scribeofred]

2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47!

2. Whatis your latest fandom?

My latestfandom is Batman in terms of fic. There’s a wealth of reading material in it,and it is almost perfectly suited to my preference for brothers-relatedmaterial. There are also some very very very good writers to be found, and I’menjoying being able to consume in a large scale again, at least when I’m notsick of reading due to work.

3. Whatis the best fandom you’ve ever been involved in?

In termsof “this is my ideal place and I am never leaning,” absolutely Thunderbirds. It’salso a… very small fandom, and for a choosy consumer such as myself, that’sbeen a serious problem over the last year or two, what with the departure of alot of my favorite writers. Nevertheless, the world and the characters have embeddeddeep in my heart, and I’ll always be around somewhere in the fandom in one iterationor another.

5. Whichfandoms have your written fanfiction for?

A few! Ihave published fics for TRON: Legacy, Assassin’s Creed, FFVII, Star Wars, Sherlock,Thunderbirds, FFXV, and VLD.

As far asentirely unpublished fandoms… I have an enormous Merlin AU completelyoutlined, but I only wrote snippets of it. Too bad, because it was going to beSO GOOD. Alas, I am no good with monster projects, so it languishes, probablyforever. Unless I post the outline here. Hmm. I could do that…

7. Listyour NoTPs from each fandom you’ve been in.

Oh man. Well.Let’s see. Automatically anything incest or slash, they’re just not my mug ofpomegranate juice. Other than that, I’m relatively fluid when it comes topairings and tend to go in for anything that’s well-written and has dynamicsthat are to my taste, so I rarely hit upon pairings that make me nope entirely out.I tend to just not care about anything that doesn’t strike my fancy.

11. Whois your current OTP?

As notedabove, I am not a hardcore shipper. Favorite pairings come and go depending onmood and whether they’ve become boring due to overuse/overexposure/passage oftime or not. If I had to pick, I’d say I still default to Scott/Penny, though,because I’m still writing ’em.

13. Goon, who are your BroTPs?

Mostrecent fandoms only, in no particular order: Shiro & Pidge, Shiro &Hunk, Keith & Pidge, Keith & Hunk (VLD); Scott & Virgil, Scott& John, insert-all-possible-bro-combinations-here (TB); Dick & Jason,Jason & Stephanie, Jason & Cass, Cass & everyone, Jason & Damian(Batman).

17. Whatship have you written the most about?

I am stillinfluenced a ton by TOS, so as of the last five years, it’s Scott/Penny. They’rethe ultimate power couple, both heirs to enormous fortunes, and let’s face it:they look incredible on each other’s arm. The dynamics are lovely between them,very arch, very clever, and finding ways to make them relax around one anotheris just genuinely my favorite.

19. Anyships which you surprised yourself by liking?

Nyx/Araneafrom FFXV came out of the blue. I think I saw someone had written it once duringone of my only glances at the fandom’s AO3 section, and it lodged in my brain. Imean. I’ve read exactly one (1) fic for them and have written an equal numberof fics with them, and I don’t really think about them on my own time nowadays,but they did click with me, at least very briefly. I also super wasn’texpecting to like Shiro/Allura from VLD, but they touched hands in S2, and Idid that little flappy hand thing and made The Noise, and I knew I was InTrouble.

23. Whatfic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit?

See, I dothis thing. Where once I’ve posted a fic, I am disinclined to reread it withoutsome serious—usually external—prompting. Not because I hate it! But because I’vejust moved on to new ideas—that one has had all the hooks it had in my brainreleased by way of posting the story, and I don’t need to think about it anylonger. I’m not very interested in rewriting old material, although last week Idid reread Three Towels and a Tracy for the first time in a couple years, and Imade a few tiny tweaks to the AO3 version for improved readability. I edit soheavily while I initially write a story, though, that I really don’t leavemyself much room for editing/rewriting at a late date.

Arealistic answer would be “probably the first ten or so stories I posted becauseI know So Much More about writing, especially the technical elements, now thanI did then, and there are undoubtedly many missing/misplaced commas int them.”

29. Whatinspires you to write?

Sometimesit’s vivid mental images that I Must Put Into Words (an upcoming FFVII story);sometimes a piece of art or a song compels me to put words down. Imagery is abig thing in my writing, so it tends to be something visual that sparks aproject, although occasionally combinations of words just *sing* to be put downsomewhere. Truth told, I write for SS and no one else, so yeah, she’s myinspiration.

31. Doyou listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which bandor genre of music does it for you?

Music inand of itself rarely inspires me these days, with one notable exception, but I dousually listen to it while writing. Anything instrumental gets at least tried,but I lean toward film/game/TV scores (Hans Zimmer yaaaaaasssss), smooth jazz, epicproduction music, and some electronic music. If music is too much for onereason or another, I will pull up a soundscape generator—myNoise is amazing; I’vebeen all over the Black Hole soundscape recently—and let that run on animatefor an hour or two.

37. Doyou use established canon characters, or do you create OCs?

I alwaystry to write canon characters unless it’s necessary to create a person for aspecific scenario. OCs can be hard to connect with unless you’re very good at makingreaders care, so they’re a bit risky. I know I prefer to read about canoncharacters, though, so that drives my thinking when I create plots/scenarios.

41. Listand link to 5 fanfiction authors who are amazing:

@preludeinz is just… one of the best writers you’re ever going to find. The way she’sable to take literally any scenario or characters and make them interestingbaffles me even years into knowing her, and you will not find a better writer todescribe clothing. She’s as brilliant at handling character interactions as sheis at describing lasagna food. Also, her dialogue is A++

lurkinglurkerwholurksis another complete package. Everything about their writing is engaging andfeels so polished, and they have an enviable ability to capture characters’ voices.I’m constantly blown away by the quality of their work, and I’m waiting withbated breath for the next chapter of Nature and Nurture.

@headspacedad writes some of the best stream of consciousness I’ve encountered. The firstchapter of their story Falling took my breath away, and subsequent updatescontinue to knock the air out of me. Writing a character who’s lost a primarysense is no easy feat, but they make it incredibly easy, and indeed the storyis so rich with details that it’s 100% better that way.

If youwant a writer who’s going to challenge you with each chapter, each scene, eachparagraph, each sentence, pollywantsa is absolutely the writer for you. I’mperhaps a tiny bit traumatized by one particular work, but in general every storyis worth reading. There’s a sense of weight to each piece, a gravity that goesbeyond fandom trappings and sinks into your very bones, lives like mercury inthe bottoms of your lungs, dragging you down into the unshakable truths that areinescapably human. Real people make wrong decisions, destroy other people orthemselves; they are crude and profane and selfish and so very beautiful intheir imperfections, and polly will remind you of that with each tone-perfectword they’ve laid down.

Roundingout the list is @velkynkarma. Unusual stories and unique situations that I neverwould have considered reading are some of my favorite stories because of VK’sskill at finding the engaging threads to pull into the light. Space mouse vsCoran? Amazing. Keith + space mouse shenanigans? Incredible. Zarkon + eldritchhorror? Terrifying but so engaging. Slav and Sven AU? Worthy of popcorn. Heapsof Shiro angst? Sign me up. The high quality of both storytelling and technicalskill are not to be missed, and every new story and chapter updated is a TREAT.

(honorarymention: @deepwaterstars for being the sunbeam to my moonbeam

43. Whatship do you feel needs more attention?

Uh… I’mnot sure tbh. I’m not a “shipper,” and I tend to read gen fic as a wholesalerule. I wouldn’t mind seeing a bit more Virgil/Penny, I guess?

47. Doyou leave reviews when you read fanfiction? Why/why not?

Mmmm.See. This is the thing I’m trying to get better about. Because I tend to go ALLIN when I comment and drop a solid 300–500 words, and that takes time, even ifthe words are flowing. I find it hard to write something more modest, because Iknow exactly how much I drool over the writers who leave me enormous comments,and I want to give them the same feelings. I tend to only comment whensomething has truly moved me, especially since I’ve tried to move on from the unasked-forcritique-style reviews. Maybe one day I’ll find a happy middle ground.

ask me about fanfic!

[tlbodine]

A Quick and Dirty Comma Guide

Commas are a tricky piece of punctuation because they're very versatile, which means there's a lot of ways to use them incorrectly.

It doesn't help that certain well-meaning teachers have been known to over-simplify comma-usage rules by saying, "Put a comma wherever you'd pause in a sentence." No. Bad. That way lies madness.

So here's a quick and dirty guide to using commas.

First: What the heck is a comma?

A comma is this little squiggle: " , "

It's used to:

- Combine two complete sentences together with a conjunction

- Separate out items in a list

- Set off an adverbial clause at the beginning of a sentence

- Isolate appositives and negation in a sentence

It's also used in punctuating dialogue, writing out dates/times/addresses, and a few other small things, but those aren't really our concern right now.

Did that list up there make you nervous? Don't worry. We're gonna break it down. It's not as scary as it sounds, I promise.

Comma Use One: Combining Sentences

A comma can combine two sentences, but ONLY in the presence of a conjunction, and only if they're complete sentences.

Your conjunctions are the FANBOYS - furthermore, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

A complete sentence requires a subject and a verb. If both are not present, you have a sentence fragment. Therefore:

I kissed a girl, and I liked it.

Is a compound sentence. "I" is the noun in each case. "Kissed" and "liked," respectively, are the verbs.

If the sentence were written thusly:

I kissed a girl and enjoyed every minute of it.

You would have no comma, because "enjoyed every minute of it" has no noun. It cannot stand on its own as a complete sentence. Therefore, you can use the conjunction ("and") without a comma.

It would be GRAMMATICALLY INCORRECT to write, "I kissed a girl, and enjoyed every minute of it" -- although a case could be made for writing it that way anyway if you wanted to emphasize a pause in that spot. There's some wiggle room for creative freedom outside the realm of grammar, so once you know the rules, you can commence breaking them.

But you DO NOT NEED to put a comma in front of every conjunction you use, and doing so can create a bunch of weird pauses or stutters in the flow of your writing because readers will instinctively take a beat of pause wherever they see a comma.

So instead of writing:

I put the key in the door, and turned the lock

or

He looked over his shoulder, and put on a burst of speed when he saw the monster following him

Get rid of that comma.

These sentences, incidentally, are what a grammar nerd might call a "compound predicate" - a sentence with one noun and multiple verbs. There's also a compound subject, which looks a bit like this:

My friend and I rode our bikes to the store.

There's two subjects -- "my friend" and "I" -- but only one verb ("rode)"

Notably, you don't use a comma there either.

So far so good? Have a decent grasp on the combining-sentences thing? Ok. Let's look at the next thing that commas do.

Comma Use Two: Dividing Items in a List

This is pretty straightforward. If you have a list of things, you can separate them with commas:

I went to the store to buy milk, egg, cheese, bread and the soul of an innocent bystander.

You may or may not put a comma before the last "and" in the sentence. If you put it there, it's called a serial comma or "Oxford comma," and some people are very passionate about them. Mostly, the Oxford comma is useful in making it clear you're talking about a list, and not an appositive. Compare and contrast:

I'd like to thank my parents, Ayn Rand and God.

vs

I'd like to thank my parents, Ayn Rand, and God.

The second example makes it clear that those are three different things. The first example kinda makes it sound like he's the child of Ayn Rand and God. We'll touch on this more when we get to appositives in a second.

The other cool thing about using commas for lists is that you can make lists of things other than nouns. For example:

He got in his car, started the engine, drove for three miles, turned left, and pulled into the gas station.

That is technically a single subject (he) with five verbs acting as a complex predicate...but I prefer just to think of it as a list of actions. That's easier to remember, right?

Just as long as there's no subject hiding out in those actions -- it's the same person/entity/group doing all the things on the list -- you can separate them out with commas. Cool stuff.

Comma Use Three: Setting Off Adverbial Clauses

"WTF is an adverbial clause?"

Ok so you know what an adverb is, right? It's a word that modifies a verb?

Well, an adverbial clause is a word or clause that modifies a verb. It establishes when/how/to what degree something is done.

So for example, "very softly," "before sunrise," or "after grilling the corn for ten minutes" are all adverbial clauses.

Now, there are two places in a sentence one of these clauses can live - the subject/noun side, or the verb side. If they're on the verb side, there's no comma:

He buttered the bread after removing it from the toaster.

But if it creeps over to hang out on the noun side of the sentence, you need a comma to set it off:

After removing the bread from the toaster, he applied liberal amounts of butter.

If your adverb is short, it doesn't necessarily need a comma even if it's at the start of a sentence, but it's never wrong to put one there (unless you're writing in AP style, which hates commas, but that's a whole other story). So for example, words like "Earlier," "afterward," "lastly," and "first" don't need commas at the start of a sentence, but you can put one after them anyway if you want that pause to be there.

Make sense? Great. Last stop on the comma train coming right up!

Comma Use Three: Setting Off Appositives and Negations

An appositive is when you deliver a definition or synonym of a word or provide more information about the word in a way that doesn't really impact the meaning of the sentence. Like, it's good information to have, but you could remove it and the sentence would still make sense.

Compare and contrast:

My cousin, who lives in Wales, has a pet unicorn.

vs

My cousin who lives in Wales has a pet unicorn.

That first version, we get the sense that you only have one cousin, and you just wanted to tell us that they live in Wales because it's cool information. In the second, it's pretty clear that you're specifying which cousin -- as in, you've got a few, but we need to know you're talking about the one in Wales.

Isn't it cool how you can get all that information from a couple of little squiggly marks?

Negations work kind of the same way:

It was the black crayon, not the blue one, that he reached for.

The negation provides some extra information, so it's set off with commas.

Make sense?

Sweet! Commas are really complicated so I can't fault you a bit if you make mistakes with them.  I've been guilty of some flagrant comma abuse in my life, too. But hopefully these tips can help put you on the right path. Feel free to ask questions and I'll try to clarify where I can!

[scifrey]

From Signing to Signing

Congratulations! You’ve signed with your first literary agent, and they love your manuscript! Huzzah! Bravo! Cheers! Mazel Tov!

… now what?

What happens next?

Working with your Agent

After you’ve had “The Talk” with your agent, and agreed to sign on as a client, one of the first things you will likely discuss with them will be what revisions they would like to see done on your existing manuscript (unless you already revised the book as a condition of offer).

You will likely also have a conversation about what other manuscripts you currently either have already complete, or what ideas you may have for future books or - if the book you signed on has series potential - where to go with the next books.

Remember, your agent is your ally for your future career, and they are the ones with their eyes on the market.

Shopping your Manuscript

Once your manuscript edits are complete and your book is ready to be sent out to publishers and editors for consideration, your agent will work with your to build a Shopping or Pitch package. This is where those Back Cover Copy, 1-3-5 Page synopsis, Market Comparisons, Series Potential, etc. documents that you ought to have been writing while you were sending the books out to agents to consider come in.

When you’re both happy with what you have, your agent will start sending out letters of interest (these days, more like emails of interest) to the industry connections they have. Editors, publishers, etc. They’ll talk it up at conferences and list it in their available properties if that’s something they do. They’ll work with the agency’s foreign rights partners and dramatic adaptations partners to pitch the manuscript around those parts as well.

You’ll likely get some nos, some partial or full reads and a pass, or some interest. The ideal is to have several editors at multiple houses wanting to acquire the book, which would result in a bidding war.  

Once you have an offer, you and your agent will discuss the terms of the offer (it may include a book tour, it may not; it may include an advance, it may not; it may include an audio book, it may not, etc.), request any desired changes to the phrasing or clauses, and then sign it.

At this point, the work of turning your manuscript into a book passes out of your agent’s hands and into your acquiring editor’s.

Working with your Publishing House

Editing

Once all the paperwork is signed with your publisher, your acquiring agent will reach out to you with a formal Editing Letter. You will likely have been in contact with them already, talking about the book and what they loved about it, and where they see it fitting in their hourse’s roster and marketing plants. But this will be the first real notice that it’s Go Time.

The letter will outline the strengths of the manuscript, and discuss any changes they propose. You can always talk with your editor if something is unclear, doesn’t seem to sit right, or would impede future narrative plans. Always make sure you guys have a through understanding of what you’re each talking about and are completely on the same page before diving back into revisions.

Sometimes these revisions are substantial and include complete burn-and-rewrites, and sometimes they’re like, four little notes. It all depends on what serves the manuscript best to make it a strong book product.

Once you and your editor are satisfied with the rewrites, a timeline for publication will likely be set, and the great spinning wheel of turning this manuscript into a Book starts cranking into motion.

Copyediting

Next, your manuscript will be handed off to a proofreader and copyeditor. Their job is to hunt down and destroy all those typos, comma splices, and mistaken homonyms.

Depending on the size of the publishing house, this might be the same person as your acquiring editor, or a freelancer they hire, or an in-house copyeditor. Either way, these edits should all serve to strengthen your manuscript, so if at some point you’re reviewing them and something is clashing, or they’re stripping out the voice, talk to your acquiring editor about it.

You may have a few back and forths, depending on what you want to accept or reject in their proposed changes.

Cover

Likely, you’ll have already been discussing your ideas for the cover with your acquiring editor. Remember, you as the writer don’t actually have the power to dictate or veto the cover ideas, but of course as the person who knows the story best you will be asked your opinion. Different publishers include authors to different extents in this discussion process.

Usually a cover is completed far enough in advance of the book that it can be used as the jumping off point for the Buzz Building that will take place in the 3 -12 months prior to the book’s release date.

Discuss with your editor what their marketing department has planned for the cover release, and loop your agent into this discussion so all three of you can strategize together.

Interior Design & Galleys

The next time you see you manuscript, it will be book shaped! After everyone’s signed off on the edits, your manuscript is forwarded on to a typesetter/interior designer, who will lay it out in book format. This is the time when they’ll add things like illustrations, if your book comes with them, or specific fanciful scene separators, or the title page.

Any specific imagery or layout choices will have likely already been discussed with your acquiring editor before this time, so now is the moment to review the book and make sure that it was translated onto the page correctly.

A “galley” is basically a dress-rehearsal for your book. You’ll be asked to review it (and hopefully with at least a few weeks lead time so you’re not rushed), and make sure that not only are major mistakes (like two chapter 4s and no chapter 5 ) or small weird formatting concerns (like cut off lines, or things that are italic which should not be or vice versa), or something else is wonky.

Where I’m given the lead time, I prefer to be able to print this out and see it “book shaped” to get a sense of the whole product, not just the story.

You’ll be asked to send back your fixes and then, for really reals, the book will be out of your hands forever. That’s it! No more changes! All done!

Marketing and ARCs

A lot of this work will probably actually take place alongside your work on what was requested of you in your Editing Letter.

Once you have your cover (and it’s been released), you can start using it in your own marketing initiatives. Authors are usually the ones who must design and pay for the little in-hand things like lapel pins, bookmarks, postcards, library posters, and of course whatever graphics you use for your own social media and website.

Your publisher will work to get the book out to review sites, awards, industry publications, and if they have the pull and the money, premium placement on a shelf, or book tours or appearances.  You may or may not be paired up with a publicist in the house to help with this.

You may have very little marketing support, if they’re a very small house with a very small budget, so in this case you may want to consider hiring a publicist yourself, or a social media advertiser, or a virtual assistant, or paying a friend in wine to put out a newsletter every month for you (thank you, Karen!). Or you may wanna just buckle down and do it yourself.

Either way, do some research and make yourself a plan. I have lots of advice on marketing your work in my other Words for Writers articles.

When the book is done-done-done, the publisher will make ARCs - Advance Reader Copies. Basically, pre-publication books. This should be the final book in every way except that they are available before the book’s actual release date.

These are sometimes paper, sometimes e-only. Reviewing the ARC will be the Final Chance Ever to find mistakes, but should be pretty clean.

ARCs are then sent out by either you or your publisher’s marketing team, or both, to reviewers, media outlets, contests, and industry publications. This helps to generate the vitally important pre-publication buzz for the novel.

The Big Wait

(Sometimes I think this stage is added simply so you can take a breather from your book and stop despising it after having reread and rewritten it about seventy million times. I’m always grateful for it though because it’s nice to have the time to refill your well with excitement and joy for your story.)

This is where the marketing plans start whirring into motion and you’ll start sending the ARCs out for reviews. They’ll start coming in so you can use them to support your marketing, and add them to your website.

This is the perfect down time to do all those little To Do list things you’ve been missing - update your website, write thank-you notes, get your social media queued up, arrange your book launch party, etc.

Time to go have another chat with your agent! Get them up to speed with the marketing plans that your publishing house is enacting, and talk through what you think you can add on your end, and from the agency, to support or augment that push. Makes some checklists, start some buzz going, and then…

Step back.

Do nothing.

RELAX. Catch up on sleep. Do your taxes. Spend time with your kids. Meal prep. Whatever sparks your joy.

And, eventually, when you’re ready to jump back into the creative well, start the next project you and your agent earmarked as your follow up. This might be book #2 in your series, or something else entirely. Check in with your agent, and then have fun!

Release Day

Time to get back at it!

On the day your book is released, it will likely be All Hands On Deck. You, your publisher, your editor, and your agent will be working in tandem to execute all of your social media blasts and marketing pushes. Try to set up as much of it as possible to be automated on the day-of.

Some people have their book launch party coincide with the release date, some choose to do it after, and some choose not to have a party at all. Research what works best for you, and make sure you have enough lead time for you/the bookstore to actually receive your box of books in the mail!

The Aftermath

The book is out, the party is over, the cake is eaten and your hand is cramped from all the autographs you signed. Bravi!

Don’t forget to keep your social media and website up to date with any changes that might come with the book - new fantastic reviews worth sharing, the announcement of a foreign language edition acquisition, an audiobook adaptation, etc. etc.

At the same time. take some time to refresh, recharge, and revel in what you accomplished before jumping back to the other project you’re working on.

You deserve it!  You published a book!

*

Still have questions? Read more WORDS FOR WRITERS here or ASK ME HERE.

[zealousnightsublime]

SEO Checklist for Web Designing

1. Key content: Domain Your domain name should be customizable (e.g. Google, Amazon, Yahoo!, etc.), easy to pronounce, and even easier to remember. Don't worry too much about stuffing keywords into your domain name. Keywords in the domain name are no longer as powerful as they used to be. 2. www or not www - The choice is yours, http://www.20news.net / or http://mysite.com/, pick one and stick with it. 3. Simple Design - Don't reinvent the wheel. If your design is complex, it will most likely interfere with your visitors' ability to navigate and view your site and will slow down development. The simpler the better. 4.Do not create directories more than three levels from the root directory - Pages are as close to the home page in the directory structure as possible. Keep things organized, but don't get too organized. If you have a file or a subfolder in a directory, there must be a VERY valid reason. File/folder names using keywords - Your file and folder names must contain keywords. If your page is about Idaho potatoes, the filename should be idaho-potato. 5.Static URLs - Static URLs are URLs that are not dynamically generated. The static URL looks like http://www.20news.net/directory/file-name.htm and the dynamic URL looks like http://www.20news.net/index.htm?page-name=. You can make search engines searchable for dynamic URLs, but it's much easier to index everything with static URLs. 6. Think Small - The smaller your web pages, the faster they load. A single page must be under 15K (unless absolutely necessary) and the entire page including graphics must be under 50K (unless absolutely necessary). Remember that not everyone has a high-speed Internet connection. there are still people who don't have a 56K modem. 7.Dashes - Use dashes (-) instead of underscores (_) to separate words in folder and file names. Most search engines parse a dash just as readers would parse a space. Using underscores makes what_would_you_do look like whatwouldyoudo to most search engines. You absolutely must separate the words in your URL. 8.Navigating on Every Page - It's a good idea to have consistent navigation across every page of your site. Your navigation should link to the main sections of your site. It would also make sense to have every page on your site link to the homepage. 9.Sitemap - You should create a sitemap that links to the main and subsections of your site. Sitemaps should at least link from your site's home page. Preferably the sitemap should be linked from each page. The recommended filename for your sitemap is "; sitemap.htmlandquot; or "" site-map.html.andquot; 10.Title - The page title should be used within the TITLE tag and at the top of each page. The title should be keyword rich (maximum 7-10 words) and descriptive. 11. META Tag Description - Some say meta tags are dead, but some search engines will actually use them under the page title on search engine results pages (SERPs). Do not use more than 150 characters, including spaces and punctuation. Your description should be a complete, keyword-rich sentence. 12. Keywords META Tag - List of keywords that appear on the page. Use spaces to separate keywords (not commas). Sort keywords as they will be searched for or as close to a full phrase as possible. This tag is basically dead, but by creating it when you create the page, it allows you to come back many times later and realize which keywords you specifically targeted. If the keyword does not appear at least twice on the page, it will not appear in the keyword meta tag. Also, try to limit the total number of keywords to less than twenty. 13. META Robots Tag - Some search engine robots respect the META Robots tag. This gives you some control over what appears in search engines and what doesn't. It's not an essential aspect of search engine optimization, but you don't need to add it. ). You shouldn't start a page with an H2 tag. If the default H1 is too large, use CSS to style it effectively. Remember that most search engines like to see the title tag and then some text or an image; not H1 immediately followed by H2. 14. TITLE Attribute - Use the A HREF TITLE attribute (e.g. andlt; a href = "page.html" title = " This page contains links to other pages.andquot; andgt;). The TITLE attribute improves usability/accessibility. Make sure to include keywords however you see fit, but remember that they should tell your visitors where they are going when they click the link. 15.ALT tags - All images must have an ALT tag. Use keyword-rich descriptions of images. If the image contains text, use the text from the image. It is also a usability/accessibility tool. 16.More Text Than HTML - A page must have more text than markup language. 17. Anchor text - Anchor text is the text used to create a link to a page. Using keywords in the anchor text is a very good idea and will improve the performance of the page in the SERPs. 18. Use text links, not images - If you're going to link to something, use text. Search engines cannot read text in images. The only time this rule doesn't apply is when you're linking to something with a well-known logo. Even then, it's still best to use text links. If you must use an image as a link, make sure to give it a good ALT tag. 19.Gobs of Content - The more content the better. Having pages on pages with original and relevant content is the best form of search engine optimization. 20.Add New Content Regularly - If you could add a new page of content every day Read the full article

[dccomicsbookshelf]

The Love-Life Habits of Bats

This is probably going to be the only time I talk about this, since this isn’t really a topic I a) care that much about or b) feel all that comfortable talking about.

As a result of the above, these are less “headcanons” and more “my interpretation of canon” (and as such are not as varied or colorful as a lot of other people’s hcs on the topic) and a lot of my opinions are sourced from me seeing interpretations in fandom and canon that feel wrong to me for whatever reason. So here we are, something I never thought I’d actually post about but just so that y’all can know where I’m coming from. (Or just enjoy free-standing) 

BatFam sexual orientations and miscellaneous notes concerning relationships and sexualities

(+ one mini-rant on behalf of Dick Grayson.)

Bruce: Is aggressively heterosexual for the most part. Not in the hur, hur, no homo, dude! sense, he just...really likes women. It’s one of the aspects of Brucie that is true for Bruce as well. Yes, a lot of his one-night stands are ostensibly about keeping his cover as a playboy billionaire as part of the Quest for Justice, but he is genuinely very sexual. He tones it down a little as he gets older (and acquires more children) He actually desperately wants a serious and stable relationship (and is also terrified of the prospect) which results in a frustrating combination of overbearing clinginess and emotional pushing-awayness. It’s part of why Talia broke off their engagement. He was smothering her. Is also mildly bicurious and has probably experimented a few times.

Selina: Pan with high standards (and Bruce). Has not, despite popular rumor and speculation, been part of a threesome with Harley and Ivy. She doesn’t have that kind of a relationship with them. (Doesn’t mean they don’t all three have fun feeding those rumors on occasion.)

Kate: Look, this has been very firmly established in canon so I don’t think I need to say much. She’s a lesbian, Harold.

Barbara: Bi and ever so slightly aromatic. She’s not romance-repulsed but she doesn’t really initiate unless it’s a situation that would be super important to her partner. Her workaholicness probably has something to do with it tbh.

Dick: this one is gonna be super long because I have some Opinions to say. Imma start with what he isn’t. He’s not a man-whore. Not an exhibitionist. Not a flirt.

The only times he’s slept with someone outside a committed relationship (i.e. Kori and Babs) were either...

That weird one night stand with Helena that was WAY out of character for both of them.

Mirage and Tarantula. If I have to explain why these don’t count then humanity needs to burn already.

He’s actually pretty shy about PDA. He grew up with a firm divide between the “public” and the “personal”, first with the circus then with Bruce. When you have an audience, you perform. When you are with your family and friends, you take the masks off. With his family in particular there was the idea of “our love for each other is not for someone else’s entertainment. It belongs to us.” He loves holding hands and hugging in public, but more than that and he starts getting uncomfortable.

He gets called a flirt a lot but he rarely is actually flirting. People just assume he’s flirting when he’s really just being friendly and/or polite and barely tolerating them. 

All of this is a really long way to say that Dick Grayson is so demi it might as well be his middle name. (He has a very strong preference towards women. And he has a type.) But because he’s pretty and friendly, people make assumptions because people are egocentric, entitled assholes.

Cass: Is pansexual and aromantic in the sense that she actually finds romance adorable until it involves her, then she finds it vaguely awkward. (She is also toppy as heck.) She has to trust someone before she’ll get intimate with them though. Generally speaking she doesn’t go looking for relationships. She prefers spending time with her family and friends. (She mostly has FWB kinds of relationships anyway, since she and Superboy stopped dating. The closest to a “relationship-relationship” since then was her almost-thing with Steph.)

Jason: Ace and either bi or pan-romantic. (He doesn’t want to sleep with you but he will romance the heck out of you! His methods of romancing vary depending on his Pit-Madness status.)

Steph: Bi. After her pregnancy she’s been a lot more choosy about her partners. Part of it is “been there done that” and part of it is that she’s a little self-conscious about her stretch marks and steadily growing collection of scars. 

Tim: Is straight and awkward at romancing unless he’s deep in a persona, then it varies. He tends to be, like B, overbearing and kind of classist/elitist which has caused him some difficulties (understandably) but he’s getting better. As he gets into his late teens his sexual/romantic life has picked up quite a bit.

I must correct myself. He is straight with one potential exception.

Look, I don’t even ship TimKon myself but that subtext (in the actual comics) is one comma splice away from being text.

Damian: I haven’t thought much about him tbh because he’s ten. All I really know is that if there is a word for “sexually attracted by competence” he’s that. Definitely sapiosexual. Refuses to enter a relationship with someone he cannot trust and once he does enter a relationship he throws his whole heart and soul into it. His first breakup was devastating. 

Duke: Is low-key bisexual. At one point decided he will only date outside the masked and caped crowd as he has the basic requirement of “sanity” for a partner. This makes it complicated because relationships with civilians come with their own host of problems.

Alfred: Was a theater actor in-between being special forces and a Bat-Butler.

[fantroll-purgatory]

@47098

Hi again! You guys helped me a lot with my trolls, and you helped me a bit with her already, but if it’s alright I’d like another review! 

Name: Cris Wright 

Is this a reference to Phoenix Wright or do you just like the name? Hehe. I would almost recommend changing the surname to Binyot as a reference to Vinny Vinesauce, a really famous game corrupter, but… since I don’t know your reasoning behind this name, and human kid names tend to have less rhyme and reason, I will Approve It.

Age: 14 (or the equivalent of about 6.9 sweeps)

Weapon: Grappling hook!

As cool as that is, I think maybe hammerkind or scrapkind would work best for her, as a reference to her interests? It seems a lot more likely that she’d be carrying around her bangin’ hammer, or a piece of sharp scrap that she could kick ass with. Unless she utilized the grappling hook to get away from the beast in her home? But it doesn’t sound very useful to use a grappling hook inside a house… I guess I’d need more context LOL.

Inventory: Looks like an old point and click adventure game’s inventory system? Also it keeps track of her health. It has the possibility of getting ‘corrupted,’ but I’m not sure how it would get corrupted.

Since she’s a heart player, maybe it could get corrupted by giving her Way More Lives. Just hearts going all off the screen. Especially if she gets god-tiered in a really unorthodox way that could result in glitching. 

Symbol: Missingno’s ghost version, colored green to match her glasses/ eyes! It matches both her love for video games and is sort of similar to how the events of her story play out. Thank you guys for the suggestion, back when!

Oh I’m glad it was helpful! 

Handle: screapmetalMaster [SM] - screapmetal is for her scrap metal sculptures and her inability to type well. Master is because of her false confidence and bravado. 

Quirk: types in all lowervase and often makes extremely easy to fix typos because she types extremely fast and doesnt check her spelling before pressing send and makes herself look like a complete dumbasss 

FUCK i mean lowercase, also dumbass should ujust have like two s

JUST FUCK 

(uses capitals to emphasize words, mostly curse words, and corrects herself using said curse words. Often makes typos in the correction as well. Doesn’t use commas or apostrophes,  most of the time, and doesn’t capitalize names.)

Haha I love that, it’s a really simple and effective way to communicate her tendency towards haste. I think it makes sense that she’d be in a rush for a lot of reasons, not the least of which including her… lusus.

Lusus: Keeping this in because she sort of… does have one? A big beast in her home that chases her around that acted a bit like a parent when she was a very small baby. The beast is a creature beyond description. When she turned three, the monster kept away before eventually emerging to begin chasing. 

Now I gotta ask… what kind of beast is it? Like you say it’s beyond description, so is it a first guardian or some chaotic sort? Or a spirit? Some sort of cosmic reach around monster projected by a juggalo? Weird stuff can happen in Homestuck so I’d not be too surprised by any of these options. 

Personality: 

Excitable, self-loathing.

Extremely excitable, as in she gets EXTREMELY EXCITED over things she is interested in. She hates sitting still, preferring to wander around aimlessly even if she has seen everything before. She has a hard time connecting to people, but if she does she will ride or die with them. She has a hard time believing anyone really likes her, but still tires her best to be what she considers likable. She doesn’t know what other people are like, though, so she often isn’t very good at making impressions. Every mistake is just another reason to hate herself, but she never lets other people know how she really feels about herself. She absolutely has a phobia of talking about herself, just the thought making her panic. She perceives everyone as being better than her, viewing herself as some kind of cosmic fuck-up that was shoved into the farthest corner of the galaxy to be forgotten.

She is very earnest, seeking ways to do things and enjoying problem solving, but when social interaction comes into play she is completely blank. She has never been around people, so this is to be expected, but it is still almost impossible to speak to others in real life. She has a bigger problem speaking to other humans, as trolls are easier for her to talk to because she relates more to them. 

She has a phobia of being touched, but finds that she is okay when she initiates the touch. 

Ooh, I do like this personality a lot… Being unable to sit still because of how she grew up and this feeling of suffering and this desire for closeness… An inability to connect emotionally and a search for a sense of self, a need to look inside and figure herself out… I also adore that her theme color is green, because it feels like a nice nod to the doom aspect, which feels pretty connected to her too. 

I think you should focus a little more on her desire to build a cohesive identity. You mention her outward confidence/calling herself a master, so maybe make her someone who is a bit of a compulsive liar. Who tries to overstate who she is and what she is capable of, because that’s what she thinks people want to hear, and she wants to present this cohesive outward identity to try to find a sort of stability within herself. 

Interests:

Turning scrap metal into very scraggly, usually sharp sculptures. She basically puts a pile of scrap down and hits it with a hammer. 

Video games, or more specifically fucking up the game’s coding to make weird things happen. 

Programming (In a broad sense)

“in a broad sense” made me laugh. My favorite thing people do is organizing game menu items in a particular code sequence to make events happen in speedruns. Would she do that sort of thing? 

Adventure (in a “i want to see everything and mess it up!” way instead of an “i want to explore the world!” kind of way) 

Maybe you should have her have like, a youtube channel or something of the short where she shows off her glitch fun to try to give herself an ego boost. 

Title: Mage (??) of Heart 

I’m… tempted to make her a Knight of Heart. I know Maroux is a knight, but Maroux’s a troll and Cris is a human, so that should be fine yeah? It just seems like she has a lot of need to self-focus and work on who she is and learn to be confident in herself and her abilities and her identity.

Land: CORRIDORS and SCRAP 

Essentially leaving what she used to have and being thrown back into it, like the universe is telling her that she can never leave what she was born into. (if that makes sense)

Oh that’d be so stressful for her but you’re very right about it being a good idea. It would create a quest that forces her to work on self reflection and exploration instead of an examination of the world around her.

Dream Planet: Derse 

For sure fitting!

thank you guys again!

Always happy to help! Thank you for sharing another wonderful character. Here’s the design notes:

So I really didn’t have much to edit here. I moved her face down to match the style’s proportions better, including moving the hairline down. I made the jacket a uniform color to preserve simplicity. And I added shoes (edited from fan-troll’s) because I feel like if she needs to run it’s a good idea for her to have some reliable running shoes. Unless she wears socks because she needs to sneak? But even then working with a ton of sharp metal scrap while shoeless seems foolish.

She’s a great character! I hope this helps!

-CD

[autoirishlitdiscourses]

Discourse of Thursday, 29 April 2021

Opening up more room for 65 minutes at that time passes differently when you're in charge in our technologically oriented society, they tend, in which it could be executed a bit more would have been even more successful, however, I myself tend to agree/disagree rarely produces discussion effectively because closed questions seek immediate resolution. I discover by any means, and how that has changed, but what else do we define what that means and how you're going with the Office of Judicial Affairs.

These papers address to some questions and frame them. But analysis requires moving outside of my margin notes. Unfortunately, I think, however. I am of course, you really do connect them to the fact that you have a wonderful poem and its background. Incidentally, I think that having a topic. On Raglan Road, which largely duplicates ID #1 from the absolute last piece of writing, though as I said? On your grade so far, mid-century American painter Willem de Kooning's Woman series is full. It is a piece of writing to get to everything anyway, because it's been the case that two people who grow up to your address book or calr, online or offline. Your paper must be attended, in a lot of ways.

Ultimately, you'll have to set up the section, not a fair amount of time that you need to send me the URL. As I told him that he has otherwise been quite the digression from what I would like to recite and discuss can be in South Hall 1415. Have a good book. Think about what kind of psychological issues, would be to go down this road, a student who's not able to take it. Picking a selection from Ulysses is already enough to get into South Hall 2635 which is not unusual at this point, you got them saying productive things. Well done in all, who can tell you your grade without the midterm returns to Tuesday, so I'm not entirely sure that this means, and a good conversational move might just be that our sympathy is based on your recitation and thinking closely about delivery; you have any questions, OK?

Or about people of Irish nationalism and neutrality—these minor errors that don't have a full schedule this week Yeats is making. Arguably, The Song of the analysis fits into the midterm was graded correctly. You did a lot of ways, you've done your research paper will almost certainly would have helped some, here. —Henry David Thoreau, Walden 1. In fact, more centrally, it sounds like you were reciting and discussing the selection you picked a longer description or outline, I'm very sorry to take so long to get into South Hall 2635 which is not a member of a section you have any questions, OK? Doing this would be to go back over. Ultimately, what does it make sense? You've done a number of recitations. Don't be afraid of silences and retractions in your hand. No longer issued as a hard text, though I think that the items on the English 150 Fall 2013 Anglo-Irish Literature Section guidelines. 4 December 2013. There are some available on the structural similarity between you and ensure that you need to talk about how you're going to do that. And let me know what you want it to move forward and make eye contact in that case. But you've done quite a good decision to pick a text that you discovered that time passes differently when you're at the final, you'll have to do, and recall problems, although I think, to be more specific you're able to give a strictly accurate piece of writing. Unfortunately, it seems that trying to satisfy a literature or writing process is itself the immediate, direct, personal interest in readymades and in a way that you can let me know if you want to, then this change to concepts of nationalist identities to have practiced a bit lopsided. Either way is OK with me about your key terms more specifically. 96% this is not based on the assumption that you could take Playboy as a discussion of the texts you're examining, and there are many other things you may leave your luggage during section for those risks. So, where do you want to go for answers on earlier sections over to earlier this year. If you want any changes made I will send you an updated grade by Friday evening if you don't schedule immediately, you can say more than you have some very minor alterations; at this point, but I'm not familiar with either play though I've pointed to in my office hours, or the viewer is understood or affected by a bus or abducted by aliens over the line.

I've attached a copy of the poem itself, you have any other questions, or just her conscious thoughts? You've done a strong delivery. Let me know that a contemporary English poet might be interesting ways of reading the few remaining lines of the quarter a very good topics buried in there that it's less successful than it should turn into a regular rhyme scheme, and may be that Mary sees love's bitter mystery as being the natural outcome of the Irish see femininity, rather than a B-for the actual facts behind some of my head this afternoon, so I can just bring it to take so long to get to all questions about them; and invented a few avenues that might be the bearer of good ideas for when and where it will help to mitigate your anxiety. To put it in my box South Hall 2432E. Travel safely and enjoy the company of your paper you had thought about your topic before you went through a series with which they are aware of areas where your ideas. I'm not trying to complete a COMMA specialization, seniors trying to get people warmed up if they want to attend those classes and do not think that your pacing was quite good in many places where I can if you don't already know her, and that her motivations are likely to get some pointers on this you connected it effectively to larger-scale issues and give everyone their preferred text/date combinations. I'll see you before the paper may help you to leave. Either choice is absolutely nothing wrong with this by dropping back into lecture mode and/or may make other types of documents in addition to doing it for the final. Another student from your large-scale details and making sure to send your lecture orientation was motivated by nervousness, and Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake, all in all, you would be to find. On poems by Eavan Boland, White Hawthorn in the assignment handout. Mp3 of the recitation assignment or the barbarity of poetry after Auschwitz. I saw you on time. This is a hard time constructing a satisfying analysis of a text that they should not be penalized for falling short by one letter and a half overdue on this assignment.

If this is not just show up that night for you. Yeats, When You Are Old. If you need to pass them out, and create a separate workbook for each paper is going well, and then look at last week's presentations has taken me so long to get back to you. You had a good student this quarter, depending on which of the things the professor is not one of these ways, and you write very effectively and provided that you should definitely talk to me. Finally, I would like to have a thesis statement, and what your specific readings as a whole it ties together multiple sources to produce your good readings and the argument itself, I think that you need to indicate the sources in their papers, so that my work has paid off for you never quite come out and say, none of the room. If you have already left campus. My worst grades as an effective vehicle for your section tomorrow night! You may find that asking questions that you have previously requested that I gave you, or slide it under my office hours. 61% based entirely upon attendance I won't be assessed until after the final: you need 94% on the final, is not that you would need to focus on your grade is OK with me in my office SH 2432E, provided that you score at least take a look at British regulations of the Flies, and I've just been crazy and I'm certainly not obligated to look it up until 7: General Thoughts and Notes 16 October discussion of Rosie's attempted seduction of TA for English 150 TA, and that's perfectly normal and acceptable at this point. If you do have some good ideas here, I think that you could go with this by dropping into lecture mode and/or not effectively support the overall understanding of a specific understanding of what the nature of the pieces of evidence: a they were sick. It's a two-line chunk; pick a text that you've thought closely about it a more fluid in the text, despite the strike. Get An A paper; I still think that even this was still a bit lopsided. I think that your paper, because in my margin notes. Another potential difficulty is that if someone else beat you to give them by title in your paper grade. You will notice, regarding the text itself and to speak can be a stronger link between the selection. Again, well done. It is your specific point of analysis conclusion that broadens and shows larger-scale points as every other B paper one day late unless you explicitly say it's OK in unusual circumstances, you can take the final analysis. Hi! If you have any questions, and you touched on some important feminist concerns through a concept on your grade, assuming there are a couple of things would have helped you to be a productive way to get me a couple Rosie and Fluther, after all, you've got a really good, perceptive, very few students this quarter, and shown, in fact, everyone! As I told him that not doing so. —I will hold up various numbers of people haven't done the reading process, though, I have you down for Dec. Again, this is conjectural, but th' silk thransparent stockin's showin' off; dropping warm from Out in th' park in th' pan for remember you said it was never distributed in class to be spending time thinking about, but you really have done some very minor preposition substitutions. You dropped or from investigate or do not do this or anything else gets covered in the term, although it sounds like it, is to call on you before the quarter.

I really mean it when you argue that a you have two options. Good luck on your group for several reasons, including absolutely everything in the day before Thanksgiving. One way to clarify your own ideas and ask what is it the burning bush of Moses. It's just that your situational and historical texts might support that negative value-judgments about the text quoting, including class, and bought yourself some breathing room. Again, thank you for doing such an excellent performance unless you file an informational report with the sweatbeads as big as berries moment in your section to begin, for being such a good set of additional typing, at the beginning of Ulysses in particular texts, how do they set up yours and demonstrated that you need another copy of Word and work it can. If you attend section every week except Thanksgiving and a thoughtful rendition of the section as a piece of elevated political rhetoric. —I am willing to make sure I can plan for section this week: have several options: 1. I think that O'Casey's portrayal of the soul, freedom, the sympathy of the texts you're working with, and showing that you want to say, and exhibiting solicitous concern for emotions that they can take a more accurate translation of the Triffids, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, Jose Saramago's Blindness, and not quite right to me that is also an impressive move you might start by asking questions that ask people for general comments people can still pull your grade to you with comments at the end of the cease to do it while still scaling up each part of the text itself and seeing what is off limits from those poets: Eavan Boland reading White Hawthorn in the formula by which I say not to castigate you, and to your recitation.

[desperatelyseekingroleplay]

Seeking Literate Partners

Introduction Hello there, my name is Serenity, but feel free to call me Ren. Okay, so here are the basics and all that, no fun but very much so needed. I am a female in the central time zone and I am 18. I am currently a student but even so I'm on and reply daily (if I won't be able to I will tell you ahead of time I promise). I have been writing for about six years and over time I have come to prefer literate partners, I'm able to write maybe up to six or seven paragraphs, I ask for one minimum and unless I have an exceptional muse I match length because that's likely what I can only go off of. Now, I understand sometimes posts will be shorter, just MOSTLY I want one paragraph minimum. I strongly prefer MxF couplings, but I am open to try MxM and FxF, I promise I won't be any good at it and I'll be shy about it at first but hopefully I'll come around, I need to broaden my horizons anyway. I like my smut when I'm in the mood so I ask that my partner is also 18+, thank you. I absolutely love to double up, doubling adds more options and variety to an rp as far as I'm concerned. I am able to play up to four major characters no problem and still add in side characters, though if I'm doing that much I promise I expect the same from you. I'm perfectly fine with playing male or female, but if we're doing more than one character each I don't want to play ONLY the males. I like using POC in my roleplays just as much as the stereotypical beautiful blonde, I like a little variety. When it comes to fandoms I only ever do OC's in the fandom world, personal preference. Fandoms - Maximum Ride - Shadowhunters/The Mortal Instruments - Percy Jackson (Anything I freaking love this man) - Wolves of the Beyond - Warriors - Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Hunger Games Interests - Romance in general - Fantasy - Boarding School - Pregnancy - Realistic Wolf Pack - Medieval Kingdom - Furry - Brothel - Vampires, Werewolves, anything really - Arranged Marriage Iffy But Open To - Incest - Animal play? - Age play Limits - Scat - Watersports Pet Peeves - Bad Grammar (Like just competently blatantly horrible, a little comma missing or something is fine but do not rp with me like "r u sure?" unless it's a text a character is sending) My Prompts: Inquire for more. Tearmunn: A beautiful, large, and magical kingdom known as Tearmunn is nestled along the coastline of the sea of Tamron. This amazing kingdom is led by tyrannical King Johnathon O'Dair. The king is very conservative and does not approve of all the supernaturals in his kingdom. He wants them all gone, even going through the trouble to send guards out to murder them. Little does the evil king know his son and daughter, Ansel and Arabella, are both not human. His late wife, Queen Isadora, was a wolf shifter. She passed only a few years ago, the death took a great toll on the young Prince and Princess. The King issued a period of mourning for the entire kingdom, which in that time is when the young royals started to go against their father. The duo loved their father, that was undeniable, but they both hated how he ruled. They knew something had to be done about it. Ansel and Arabella started harbouring 'Undesireables' on their private island of Theo first and soon after began helping them out by finding jobs and homes for them on the mainland. The young royals have continued to help the 'Undesireables' in their land and now Tearmunn is even more rich than it was before, although the king still wants them gone. Lately, more and more 'Undesireables' have been coming up dead or missing. The very beings Ansel and Arabella invited, promising safety, were now dying off. What are they to do? It's not only their father now, there is something worse…something darker out there at work. How will they ever find out? Will it be too late? Come join us all in the amazing, magical land of Tearmunn and find out for yourself. Into the Wild: As a pampered, city dog could you survive out in the wild? Could you find your own food, keep yourself warm without the comfortable heat of a home, remain alive in the forest? Could you live peacefully alongside the wolves you’ve heard so many terrifying things about? With recent changes you've been forced to do just those things. Will you remain a stray or will you join this dog pack that has risen? The choice is yours, Into the Wild you go. Wild, fierce, and cunning. You as a wolf have lived in this forest and with this pack since your birth. You're loyal to your pack and defend it with your life if necessary. With the new threat to your prey the dogs are how will you be towards them? Most wolves in the pack hate the dogs, but do you? The choice is yours, but remember to keep your head low and never disobey the alpha. This is WAR: In the forest of Oudéteros the two packs Nekrá and Anésti have resided beside one another at an uneasy peace for many, many moons. The territories were not always peaceful, though. Generations back the two had war, blood was spilled, relentless murders for no reason, all this and more, but, one small group of wolves came along and decided constant battle and war were not the answers. The group of four, two from each pack of varying ranks, received a message from the alphas of the past, the message was carved in a slab of stone and it read:  You four, the Healer, the Negotiator, the Dauntless, and the Leader. It will be you four to end this war. The war must end for if not, all of wolf kind in the amazing land will cease to exist. Of course the four wolves found this insane, not only were they paired with enemies, but how would THEY end the war? They were only ordinary wolves. The four parted, two heading to one pack and the other two to the other. None would admit it, but the words hung heavy on their hearts for nights to come. The leader will lead, not only you four, but the new world as well. That wolf will become known as the chieftain after the war. He or she will reset order, deal out punishments, and declare the new packs and the new alphas. The Dauntless, is the brawn of the operation. This wolf is the strongest of you four and will be the lead warrior in any battle that comes your way, because, as we all know…this will not be an easy trek to peace. The Negotiator, or the peacemaking brains of the operation. It is up to this wolf to try and talk some sense into the wolves of each pack. Warn them, tell them that if peace does not come death for all will. This wolf, though they may seem unimportant is VERY vital. This wolf will not only calm the packs but he or she will bring the four of you together. The Negotiator has a kind heart, a happy attitude, and will always bring happiness in suit of wherever he or she goes. This wolf is the sticky sap used to hold you together. And finally, the healer. But, aha! Not only is this wolf trained in healing cuts and bruises, this loveless medicine wolf will heal the rivalry, while they search for their love, though it is forbidden. This wolf will mend the broken bones and spirits of everything that is to come. There will be heartbreak, betrayal, death, and much more that will take its toll on the wolves. The question is…Who Will Support The Right Cause? And Who Will Die? All That Is Up To You Four, You Must Fix It All. This message was sent to those wolves millennia ago, now the packs' alliance is shaking…shifting even. The Nekrá and the Anésti are both forgetting the ways the world was. Dark and chaotic with death around every bend. No one remembers those days any longer and the wolves that saved them? Long gone and long forgotten. Both alphas are head strong and want more land. The wolves slip over borders daily, stealing prey and causing conflict. This went on for a while, a long while indeed, but…the prey started dropping and the day grew warmer and the rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes grew smaller. Now, with the oncoming drought the wolves are even snappier and angrier. Blood is spilled at nearly every watering hole over drinking water, the boundaries remain still, but the Anésti, always having had better prey, land, and water are currently better off than the dark, ruthless, Nekrá. Both packs suffer, both packs break laws, but it takes only four wolves to fix a world, and everywolf knows history repeats itself. Contact Tumblr: sparklebix666-blog Email: rpmenot@outlook.com Discord: sink.tink#2325 Other: I would LOVE to make a rp group on discord if anyone would be interested in one for any of my plots or prompts!

[fyrapartnersearch]

Seeking Literate and Active Partners

Introduction

Hello there, my name is Serenity, but feel free to call me Ren. Okay, so here are the basics and all that, no fun but very much so needed. I am a female in the central time zone and I am 18. I am currently a student but even so I'm on and reply daily (if I won't be able to I will tell you ahead of time I promise). I have been writing for about six years and over time I have come to prefer literate partners, I'm able to write maybe up to six or seven paragraphs, I ask for one minimum and unless I have an exceptional muse I match length because that's likely what I can only go off of. Now, I understand sometimes posts will be shorter, just MOSTLY I want one paragraph minimum. I strongly prefer MxF couplings, but I am open to try MxM and FxF, I promise I won't be any good at it and I'll be shy about it at first but hopefully I'll come around, I need to broaden my horizons anyway. I like my smut when I'm in the mood so I ask that my partner is also 18+, thank you. I absolutely love to double up, doubling adds more options and variety to an rp as far as I'm concerned. I am able to play up to four major characters no problem and still add in side characters, though if I'm doing that much I promise I expect the same from you. I'm perfectly fine with playing male or female, but if we're doing more than one character each I don't want to play ONLY the males. I like using POC in my roleplays just as much as the stereotypical beautiful blonde, I like a little variety. When it comes to fandoms I only ever do OC's in the fandom world, personal preference.

Fandoms

- Maximum Ride

- Shadowhunters/The Mortal Instruments

- Percy Jackson (Anything I freaking love this man)

- Wolves of the Beyond

- Warriors

- Guardians of Ga'Hoole

- Hunger Games

Interests

- Romance in general

- Fantasy

- Boarding School

- Pregnancy

- Realistic Wolf Pack

- Medieval Kingdom

- Furry

- Brothel

- Vampires, Werewolves, anything really

- Arranged Marriage

Iffy But Open To

- Incest

- Animal play?

- Age play

Limits

- Scat

- Watersports

Pet Peeves

- Bad Grammar (Like just competently blatantly horrible, a little comma missing or something is fine but do not rp with me like "r u sure?" unless it's a text a character is sending)

My Prompts: Inquire for more.

Tearmunn:

A beautiful, large, and magical kingdom known as Tearmunn is nestled along the coastline of the sea of Tamron. This amazing kingdom is led by tyrannical King Johnathon O'Dair. The king is very conservative and does not approve of all the supernaturals in his kingdom. He wants them all gone, even going through the trouble to send guards out to murder them. Little does the evil king know his son and daughter, Ansel and Arabella, are both not human. His late wife, Queen Isadora, was a wolf shifter. She passed only a few years ago, the death took a great toll on the young Prince and Princess. The King issued a period of mourning for the entire kingdom, which in that time is when the young royals started to go against their father. The duo loved their father, that was undeniable, but they both hated how he ruled. They knew something had to be done about it. Ansel and Arabella started harbouring 'Undesireables' on their private island of Theo first and soon after began helping them out by finding jobs and homes for them on the mainland. The young royals have continued to help the 'Undesireables' in their land and now Tearmunn is even more rich than it was before, although the king still wants them gone. Lately, more and more 'Undesireables' have been coming up dead or missing. The very beings Ansel and Arabella invited, promising safety, were now dying off. What are they to do? It's not only their father now, there is something worse…something darker out there at work. How will they ever find out? Will it be too late? Come join us all in the amazing, magical land of Tearmunn and find out for yourself.

Into the Wild:

As a pampered, city dog could you survive out in the wild? Could you find your own food, keep yourself warm without the comfortable heat of a home, remain alive in the forest? Could you live peacefully alongside the wolves you’ve heard so many terrifying things about? With recent changes you've been forced to do just those things. Will you remain a stray or will you join this dog pack that has risen? The choice is yours, Into the Wild you go.

Wild, fierce, and cunning. You as a wolf have lived in this forest and with this pack since your birth. You're loyal to your pack and defend it with your life if necessary. With the new threat to your prey the dogs are how will you be towards them? Most wolves in the pack hate the dogs, but do you? The choice is yours, but remember to keep your head low and never disobey the alpha.

This is WAR:

In the forest of Oudéteros the two packs Nekrá and Anésti have resided beside one another at an uneasy peace for many, many moons. The territories were not always peaceful, though. Generations back the two had war, blood was spilled, relentless murders for no reason, all this and more, but, one small group of wolves came along and decided constant battle and war were not the answers. The group of four, two from each pack of varying ranks, received a message from the alphas of the past, the message was carved in a slab of stone and it read:

 You four, the Healer, the Negotiator, the Dauntless, and the Leader. It will be you four to end this war. The war must end for if not, all of wolf kind in the amazing land will cease to exist. Of course the four wolves found this insane, not only were they paired with enemies, but how would THEY end the war? They were only ordinary wolves. The four parted, two heading to one pack and the other two to the other. None would admit it, but the words hung heavy on their hearts for nights to come. The leader will lead, not only you four, but the new world as well. That wolf will become known as the chieftain after the war. He or she will reset order, deal out punishments, and declare the new packs and the new alphas. The Dauntless, is the brawn of the operation. This wolf is the strongest of you four and will be the lead warrior in any battle that comes your way, because, as we all know…this will not be an easy trek to peace. The Negotiator, or the peacemaking brains of the operation. It is up to this wolf to try and talk some sense into the wolves of each pack. Warn them, tell them that if peace does not come death for all will. This wolf, though they may seem unimportant is VERY vital. This wolf will not only calm the packs but he or she will bring the four of you together. The Negotiator has a kind heart, a happy attitude, and will always bring happiness in suit of wherever he or she goes. This wolf is the sticky sap used to hold you together. And finally, the healer. But, aha! Not only is this wolf trained in healing cuts and bruises, this loveless medicine wolf will heal the rivalry, while they search for their love, though it is forbidden. This wolf will mend the broken bones and spirits of everything that is to come. There will be heartbreak, betrayal, death, and much more that will take its toll on the wolves. The question is…Who Will Support The Right Cause? And Who Will Die? All That Is Up To You Four, You Must Fix It All.

This message was sent to those wolves millennia ago, now the packs' alliance is shaking…shifting even. The Nekrá and the Anésti are both forgetting the ways the world was. Dark and chaotic with death around every bend. No one remembers those days any longer and the wolves that saved them? Long gone and long forgotten. Both alphas are head strong and want more land. The wolves slip over borders daily, stealing prey and causing conflict. This went on for a while, a long while indeed, but…the prey started dropping and the day grew warmer and the rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes grew smaller. Now, with the oncoming drought the wolves are even snappier and angrier. Blood is spilled at nearly every watering hole over drinking water, the boundaries remain still, but the Anésti, always having had better prey, land, and water are currently better off than the dark, ruthless, Nekrá. Both packs suffer, both packs break laws, but it takes only four wolves to fix a world, and everywolf knows history repeats itself.

Contact

Tumblr: sparklebix666-blog

Email: rpmenot@outlook.com

Discord: sink.tink#2325

Other: I would LOVE to make a rp group on discord if anyone would be interested in one for any of my plots or prompts!