#I don't want to add certain tags because well... I think that should be obvious from the poem

[w0lfboikieron]

"High-Functioning"

A/N: This poem is about ableism and the struggles of being a presumed-neurodivergent-but-undiagnosed individual both in childhood and as an adult. This is my experience. This is about the language and behavior others exhibited toward me. It may also have happened to others, it is also probably not a universal experience and I would never claim that it is.

There are words I hate. There are words that remind me of what was lost, Time stolen from me because I was “smart”. Opportunities erased because I was “high-functioning”. Money I now might have to pay because I could hide my pain. My confusion was buried under layers of “don’t rock the boat”, My struggles were painted over with “you’re just bored”, And now I don’t belong. Too burned out to pretend anymore, Too scared to step into the community I relate to. I don’t like when people say I’m smart, Not because it’s not true, I know more than most, But because they ignore why I’m so smart. I was told I was smart. I was expected to be. I didn’t have a choice, Because I was too smart to be one of “them”. Too smart to need an IEP, Even though I lost more homework in a week than I finished in a month. Too smart to struggle, Even though I had silent lunch for months over reading logs I tried to do. Too smart to need a diagnosis, Even though I suffered without one. My mom liked to tell these “funny stories”, Like the time someone said I skipped a developmental step, Because I needed to be moved up to a higher reading level, And my school didn’t accommodate that until she threw a fit. But I wonder what my mom missed. Because maybe that can’t happen, Or maybe it can, But either way maybe that person saw something she didn’t. A need that wasn’t being met. Maybe they saw that I was struggling, I don’t know I wasn’t even 7, But sometimes I wonder what could have happened, What would have come of someone listening to that person.

[amethystina]

Hi 🌸

🤲✅️🤭

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

I feel like I've shared snippets from most of my WIPs already but here's one from the chapter I'm currently trying to edit, which is chapter 6 of A New Dawn (Begins With Us):

"Just drop it, kid."

A furrow appeared between Sa Wol's brows, his despair giving way to a scowl.

"Don't call me that."

Even if 5-8 knew it would be mean to insist, he could tell that he had to create more distance between them. Sa Wol wasn't likely to let go unless 5-8 pushed him away. Not to mention that 5-8 would much rather face Sa Wol's anger than that heartbreaking vulnerability.

"That's what you are," 5-8 replied, as if it should have been obvious.

Sa Wol clenched his hands, his jaw tight, but, to 5-8's surprise, he didn't reply. Then again, maybe Sa Wol had realized that protesting would only make him seem more childish.

Seconds ticked by and once 5-8 decided that Sa Wol wasn't going to respond, he moved to push past him.

5-8 couldn't say if Sa Wol had been waiting for that exact thing or if he'd simply decided he wasn't going to let 5-8 brush him off that easily. Either way, Sa Wol's hand shot out, his fingers curling around 5-8's collar. Reflexes took over, 5-8 falling back on instincts he wouldn't have been able to hold back even if he'd tried.

He dropped his mask and grabbed Sa Wol's wrist, giving it a twist — swift enough to make those grasping fingers slip — before his right hand closed around Sa Wol's throat, slamming him up against the wall.

What 5-8 wasn't prepared for was the sharp tug on his collar, noticing Sa Wol's other hand closing around it a split second too late to stop it. 5-8 was pulled forward, having just enough time to let go of Sa Wol's wrist in favor of trying to stop his momentum. The sound of his palm hitting the wall echoed through the house, but 5-8 barely heard it.

He was too focused on the fact that Sa Wol's face was suddenly less than a couple of centimeters away from his own.

Everything stilled.

The explosive burst of movement left an almost deafening silence behind, 5-8 staring down at Sa Wol, heart in his throat. He could feel a trickle of horrified guilt — for having reacted with such violence toward someone he cared about and wanted to protect — but, at the same time, he could tell that Sa Wol wasn't at all frightened by what had just happened.

He was glaring up at 5-8, gaze hard, his fingers tightening around 5-8's collar — as if to make sure he wouldn't pull away again. The stubbornness and lack of surprise in his expression made 5-8 realize that, most likely, Sa Wol had grabbed 5-8 on purpose, knowing full well what would happen if he did.

They had ended up exactly where Sa Wol wanted them to.

✅ What’s something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don’t mean to?

... angst?

I mean, there are certain phrases and themes that I also keep reusing without meaning to, but the biggest is honestly angst. I'm a fluff writer at heart but I'm also really fond of writing long and complex stories with in-depth character development and an unfortunate side effect of that is angst. Because some growth only seems to happen through suffering. I am very displeased.

Oh! Wait! I thought of another one: neck kinks.

Why do so many of the characters in my recent fics have neck kinks? Like, at this point I have to wonder if I have a neck kink? But I don't think so? They just seem to occur naturally without me even trying.

It's honestly baffling.

🤭 Do you have a favorite tag to use when posting your works?

Honestly no. Is that a thing? x'D

I add the tags that are appropriate and, lately, ones I think are funny because I like to pretend I'm a comedian. I have ones I use more frequently because many of my fics contain similar themes, but not ones I prefer over others.

I think the closest I might come to a "favourite tag" is "Maybe he's born with it maybe it's gaslighting." But that, again, is because I like to think I'm funny and I felt really clever for coming up with it xD I've used it both for my Devil Judge fics and my Strangers From Hell Zombie AU.

Thank you so much for the ask! :D

Fanfic Writer Emoji Ask

[werewolfbneimitzvah]

hi! sorry to bother, but you were the first (helpful) result when i googled "john dies at the end trigger warnings." do you recall if there's overdose? like, someone almost dies/does die of overdose

Oh nice, I'm glad that old list is getting some use!! So like, I'm wracking my brain and i don't think i remember that happening. The weird otherworldly drug does kill people, but not by overdose, it sorta leads them to die in other ways. When John takes the otherworldly drug at one point, Dave (who's the main first person pov guy) doesn't realize it's a supernatural situation, and i don't remember if he specifically thinks it's an OD but he does want to take John to a hospital, and John is very non-responsive for a bit (not unconscious but not replying or seeming to respond to most things). It's possible that some random person is like, mentioned as having ODed, just like casually mention someone as a throwaway thing, it wouldn't be tonally out of place, but it also is possible that doesn't happen, I'm just saying that's a possibility. I don't recall any characters who appear as characters who like talk to anyone as ODing.

This is all irt the first book, and also the movie. The second book I'm less positive on, but still don't recall an OD.

I should also warn that the tw/cw list only includes the first two books and the movie, and doesn't include anything from the third or fourth book. I did read the third book but not the fourth, and there's at least one big thing that the third book adds to the list (character implying he assaulted a child, though the narration does make it clear as the character is saying this that he's almost certainly lying with the purpose of upsetting the child's father), but it's been a while, I'm least familiar with the third book, and i did not read the fourth. The third one involves heavier use of regular degular drugs by someone, the type that can be ODed on, though he doesn't.

Oh, and there's def alcohol use, at one point in the second book a character does spend an extended period of in-universe time heavily drunk, but i don't recall him coming close to death from it.

Sorry i can't be more certain about this. I'm gonna go ahead and publish this in the tags, because i know there's a lot of people who can correct me if I'm missing something, and i very well could be, even something obvious (memory is weird & drug ODs aren't something I'm personally sensitive to so it could easily just not really register for me) so i suggest checking the notes at some point to see if anyone else has responded. Though also, if you'd rather your url not be attached to this post, shoot me another message and I'll delete this and make a separate post asking the same thing.

Hope this and any further responses are helpful!

[yvesdot]

i believe that you're a person with the best intentions, and i don't doubt it's true that a certain number of palestinian fundraisers are scams, but the tone of the post you recently reblogged on this feels really racist and unpleasant, from the way they imply every fundraiser is a scam to making up stereotypical arabic names to serve their point as though a fundraiser being run by someone named Mohamed or Noor or whatever is inherently suspicious and not just like names that Palestinian people commonly have. if you feel motivated to look at the blogs of the people who actually vet these fundraisers and read what they have to say about their process and how they defend themselves i think you'll get a much more rounded view of the situation and how many fundraisers are fake than if you just trust of some random presumably white American claiming theres some massive Palestinian scammer conspiracy (which, uh, i think should ring some alarm bells as a claim?)

https://www.tumblr.com/el-shab-hussein/757726704054763520/kind-of-important-post?source=share (same anon of earlier message) here's a post by one of the people verifying fundraisers for easy access! if you want to share to your followers i would really appreciate it because there's so much misinformation and confusion going on right now

Thank you for sending this. I've deleted the post and will respond in a bit more detail below the cut.

Firstly, you have my apologies, because reblogging the post without calling out its racism is unacceptable and inexcusable. I did initially notice the "interchangeable" names (as well as calling people "Arabic-looking" ??) and in fact almost did add a tag about them, and the fact that I didn't-- and only noted my disagreement with the point about charities vs direct aid-- is in itself racist. I was in a rush, and the fact that in that moment I prioritized "getting the word out about possible scams!!" over making sure I didn't reblog anything racist is, well, also racist. (This general busyness is also why it took me until after Shabbat to respond to this-- I have now taken a few hours on either side to read further on the subject; thank you for waiting and I apologize for not managing to do more than delete the post before Shabbat began.)

The facts of the matter are that, the more I look at posts espousing skepticism, the more I see an inability to give any grace to Palestinians making these campaigns who are advertising in a non-native language on an unfamiliar website, and Palestinians who are heavily overworked right now verifying all of these campaigns while dealing with the obvious emotional toll of the genocide of their people. It's particularly egregious to me that there has been no apology for any of the individual racist elements of these posts or for targeting specific Palestinians we now know have gone through ID verification. I will be reaching out to the people I'm mutuals with to at least do my due diligence there. (Also, of course, I will be doing a lot more personal introspection on how I address situations like this in the future.)

Once again, thank you for reaching out to me. I was speaking to someone just the other day about how difficult it can be to reach out to a stranger on a mistake-- let alone a bigoted one-- they have made, and you should know I am deeply grateful to you for stepping up, particularly with much more kindness than was warranted. You (and anyone else) are welcome to say more on anonymous or in DMs.

[funkymbtifiction]

efj anon here! i read through your blog and i think esfj is the best fit. even though i relate a lot to se, i relate to ne as well. i guess i do use ne over ni, since i go back and forth on whether to move toward certain people or permanently stay away, and ni would probably stay away from its first negative impression. esfj sounds about right.

If you care to look through the character tags, you will notice a common trait of ENFJs being extremely single-minded in their opinions of other characters in the film -- because they tend to leap to a conclusion (either substantiated or not) and park there. The benefit of high Ni is single-mindedness; the downfall is narrow-mindedness in terms of challenging their own assumptions (this is less of a problem in more mature ENFJs than immature ENFJs for obvious reasons -- mature ones know their first assumption is not always correct).

for my enneagram, i think i’m probably a 2 or a 9.

I would put 6 in the running. Ping-ponging back and forth between making a decision (I don't want any more to do with this person) and then second-guessing it and changing your mind (I will give them one more chance) is very common in 6w7s, especially of the 692 tritype (which IMO is the one you are sporting in some order). 6w7s with 9 fixes make decisions and then second guess them, arguing themselves into giving people more chances and the benefit of the doubt, never trusting their negative assumptions about people (I should give them another chance/not think about them negatively; I am always aware of their flaws, but also quite convinced they don't mean to be a jerk to me!). 2 of course adds another dose of super-ego thinking (it's not right for me to have needs or to judge the people I care about in a negative light; that's not being a good and supportive and selfless friend!!).

for 9, i really want inner stability and fear separation from others. i don’t suppress my anger though and can readily show it to others, though i can feel guilty about it afterwards. i prefer to keep my emotions to myself and struggle with passivity, both in my career and with people. it’s only when i’m close to someone that i feel i can voice my opinions and be more combative. i seek outer stimulation that brings comfort, like obsessing over one specific show or listening to softer, mellower songs to soothe my anxiety. i also tend to disappear from others and isolate when i’m in a crisis. i don’t want others to see me that way, so i assure them i’m okay while dealing with it myself alone.

Hmm. I know an ESFJ 9 and while she is direct in immediately addressing things when she gets upset, she is also very passive and doesn't argue with her husband/those closest to her, because she doesn't want any argument on her side to cause separation/loss of attachment. I would dig into WHY you fear separation from others. Being withdrawn and separating from others in a crisis is 9ish, tho. Why are you doing that? What is your motive for doing it? Is it the FJ assumption that you ought not to trouble others with your troubles, that you need to remain upbeat for them all the time? Or is it that you feel overwhelmed by what's happening and can't make room for them right now until things calm down?

for 2, i relate to the fear of being unlovable or unwanted. i’ll stay in contact with people i’m not even that close to anymore and do things for them just to feel like i’m needed. it sucks when i don’t get that reciprocity or get the feeling that i’m dispensable. this part in your blog, “A 2 may supplement their emotional life through romance novels, romantic comedies, or Hallmark movies, anything where two people find each other and fall in love” really hit home because i seek these in media when i lack romance in my life. i can also be very conscious of my image and how i can appeal to others better. i don’t want others to think i need them though since that makes me seem vulnerable.

Could be either one, to be frank. You may need to dig deeper into what rejection means for the 2 (rejecting my need, or the belief that I need others, while assuming I am super important and vital to their well-being -- that I am needed) and compare it to the 9, but the bottom line is this -- you are on a plane. Someone does not speak the same language as the stewardess and is having trouble making the stewardess understand their confusion about their seats. You happen to speak their language. Do you help or not?

The 2 immediately helps. The 9 assumes the stewardess will take care of it, since that's her job and she deals with this stuff a lot.

[diminuel]

Late to the game but 16, 30, and 37 if you're still playing Fic Writer Questions! ❤

Yes, I'm still playing! :DD I just finished a task and am taking a break before tackling the next, so this is very welcome! ♥

16. What’s an AU you would love to read (or have read and loved)?

So many! I am very partial to I'd say three tropes that are always a win for me: arranged marriage AUs, especially if there's an element of danger involved that needs to be overcome (their marriage might be arranged, but they got to work for their relationship), "post apocalyptic" AUs focusing not on the major apocalyptic event but the aftermath, the rebuilding efforts in particular (so EndVerse AU once the threat is gone for example? Would love that. I think it's about community and hope after disaster that attracts me.) And of course, last but not least; coffee shop AU where you least expect it - take a random trope and throw a coffee shop in it. They're pirates on the high sea, but then they come across a coffee shop ship, that's just hanging out. Deserted island? No there's a coffee shop called "Desserted" on it. Stuff like that. I just enjoy a bit of silly fun with genre and expectations~)

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

Hm, no, I don't think so. I'm a bit of a comfort seeker when writing, I think, even though I enjoy torment. There are uncomfortable topics I deal with IRL that I work through with fanfic, but there are certain things that I dare not approach explicitly. (One example: I am autistic but I wouldn’t dare to write a fic that centers a character’s autism or is tagged as such.) However, the story I hope to write soon will tackle two things that are out of my comfort zone and I'm curious to see how it'll go. :D

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

Oooh. I don't actually know. I write niche stuff and taking that into account my fics are relatively well received (and those that weren't I'm not sure I would call them underrated *lol*)

One of my faves that is pretty niche but I still think of fondly is "Black Dove", my first DCBB and the one I poured the most work into, even though it might not be obvious when reading ;3 I like that it's a case fic, set in canon and picking up on an "updated" (deteriorated if that's even possible) end Verse situation. I used this fic to work through my issues with season 6. I think if I made certain changes then it would have been better received! (Cas doesn't have to shape shift into a female version for the fic to work. I could have easily cut that out. I was just too drunk on my power and wanted to add it *lol*) One of the things I like the most in the fic is Frank ;D And one of the things I like the least is its open end. It’s generally pretty bleak for the characters that Dean leaves behind in the alternative 2014. I wanted to go back to this fic and write the "fix it" second part for years but never did.

I would love to rewrite/ edit this story, but I'm not sure how to go about it because the original version is also good, just... very 2012 me. If anyone has any advice on how to tackle making “editions” of your work, let me know! Do you just edit? Do you tell your readers that you’re going to be making extensive edits so they should save a version of the fic as it is if they want to? Hm hm hm.

Thank you for providing this interesting distraction! If anyone else wants to give me something to look forward to while I edit my cover letter for a scholarship application, be my guest! (The cover letter is 3 pages long, much of it is a mess. I want it to be one page. Can it be done? We'll see!)

(Ask game)

[liopleurodean]

The Road So Far: Season Four

Well that was a ride.

Friendly reminder to check my tag #ashla chick flick moments to see my live commentary on every episode of Supernatural up through season 4 (so far), as well as the other 3 season recaps.

With that out of the way, let's talk about season 4.

Can I start with the poetry? If you gave me enough time, I could write a whole essay about the symmetry in this season. I mean, start with the obvious -- the titles of 4x01 Lazarus Rising and 4x22 Lucifer Rising (and don't get me started on comparing Dean to Lazarus, one of Jesus' closest friends. If you haven't read that story, please do. It adds so much). And I mean, all of the episode titles are on point this season. At least one Zeppelin song, a Peanuts reference, a Sesame Street reference (which I mentioned in my post about the episode, 4x18 The Monster at the End of This Book).

This season really highlighted how Sam and Dean have evolved in just four short years. Obviously there were extenuating circumstances to make them that way, but I feel like both characters were really stripped to their cores to see what makes them tick, and it's so fascinating to watch them react to what's happening around them. Dean is finally coming to see that his life actually has meaning, while Sam is falling apart from the life he never wanted. It's plain to see that neither of them wants to keep hunting, but season 4 has also provided plenty of evidence that hunting is undeniably in their blood.

It's also interesting to see how Azazel's plan fits into the greater storyline. I think I mentioned back in season 2 that his whole plot didn't make much sense on its own, and it's gratifying to see everything fall into place.

Once again, it feels like the writers are forcing Sam to be the main character, even though this season definitely has more Dean-centric episodes and Dean gets a lot more development and limelight. It's almost funny to think about.

Before I forget, I suppose I should pick my favorite episode. I do have to say, while this was my favorite season as a whole, none of the episodes really stand out to me as amazing. 4x06 Yellow Fever is a fan favorite, and I'm no exception, 4x17 It's A Terrible Life was incredibly light-hearted, which was much needed after On The Head of a Pin. 4x13 After School Special gets an honorable mention, but it's not on the same level as the other two. My all-time favorite episode remains to be 1x12 Faith, which surprises even me because I'm generally not a fan of overly emotional and heavy media. I tend to prefer more lighthearted stories, but Faith really hits. I've already said that 4 is my favorite season, even if the individual episodes were a bit lacking. I think I preferred the overarching plotline of this season over others; it had much higher stakes and I was much more invested in what was happening. I really felt more emotional about certain plot beats and the characters felt a lot more real. I sped through this season pretty quickly, at least in terms of how many watch-days it took (as opposed to total elapsed time since the last season). It helps that I was on a road trip, so I got a lot of time in the car, but I think I would have finished quickly anyways because the story was so riveting.

This season we got to meet Cas! I have to admit, he wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Then again, neither were Sam and Dean. I feel like I simultaneously know so much and so little about Cas compared to the two brothers, but that'll change as I get deeper into the show.

While I'm not a Destiel shipper (I know. But Dean is Ben's dad and I will fight you) I can definitely see where they're coming from. I'll probably keep making comments on it as I see it, because it really is an interesting take that could add to the show. As it is, it's exciting to see Cas evolve into a member of Team Free Will (and I'm honestly a little surprised that it's happening so quickly). Even though most angels are pieces of crap, it's still fun to see a new player on the field.

Speaking of, let's talk about Chuck. I've already had a lot of the show spoiled for me being on Tumblr, so a lot of the plot twists won't be as twisty to me. One of said plot twists is the fact that Chuck is God. Now, obviously I already know this, but what I don't know is why he's acting the way he is. Is he lying? Was his memory actually wiped? If so, by whom? Lots of fun questions, and I can't wait to see them answered.

And with that, I think it's time I wrap this up. I'll start season 5 hopefully sometime this week. Carry On!

[teufelsabbiss]

I think people need to admit they hate other's not having the same taste and opinions as them and being unreasonable about it.

It's perfectly fine to like and even love a piece of media and dislike or hate certain parts in it. Especially if the part in question is a problematic or triggering scene, character or plot-line. Fandom is, among other things, meant to get people together to debate and often this involves talking about the problematic things in the overall piece to process one's own feelings or bemoan events that one wishes had gone differently. Fandom has never been exclusively for sunshine, rainbows and sugar-farts, nor should it be.

Since the OP mentioned SY, LBH and BingQiu specifically, I kinda assume they are part of the crowd who think everyone who critiques their faves is a vile hater who should leave, because everyone who doesn't like what they love is wrong and an idiot. This could obviously be a completely wrong assessment, since their posts wording is more neutral, but it sure sounds quite like these arguments.

Might I add, it's extremely hypocritical and disgusting if fans of a bullying victim, who insist, often redundantly, on reminding everyone of the fact that he was bullied and abused, to go and bully real people over this fictional dude. But especially when the reason they do so is someone pointing out that said abused dude has also abused others. This applies equally to LBH and SJ fans who take it too far.

But sadly, while most of the fandom very much agrees and realizes that SJ is both a victim and an abuser, most of his fans included, the same can't be said about a giant part of the LBH fans. Or so it seems, because, oh boy, are those LBH apologists loud and in one's face!

I would love to say they can't have it both ways, but in this fandom they sadly can and do get it. As shown and recounted in the previous posts about this, posting anything positive about SJ will immediately get a few comments about him being a child abuser. Posting anything depicting his canonical crimes and flaws is obviously perfectly fine and in the character tag, as it should be. But posting anything that mentions and, heavens forbid, critiques LBH's canon crimes and abusive behavior has to be labeled #anti so no LBH fan has to see it or there will be hissing and spitting about mis-tagging at best and outright hate at worst. And better yet, no posting it at all, because how can anyone in their right mind possible critique their favorite?! The discrepancy is glaringly obvious and not ok, don't you think?

I have no problem when people love problematic or outright evil fictional characters or toxic relationships, since I evidently have these faves as well, those characters are usually more complex and compelling. It's perfectly fine to like icky fictional things.

But if you ignore and deny the problematic canon for a character or ship and insist everyone else has to do that as well, that's not exactly great. Why are you even liking it, if you have to remove the gross parts of it at all costs? And going ballistic against anyone who disagrees with your denial is not only gatekeep-y but also abusive. Who'd have thought?

It would be nice if we could have discussions about the actual canon and what we disliked or wanted to have gone differently without getting condescending hate and an unsubtle hint where the metaphorical door is.

I think some people just have to admit they don’t actually like SVSSS and that’s okay. If you keep talking about how you don’t like SY, LBH, or BingQiu and only like one thing you should probably just move on. Honestly it kind of reminds me of SY who liked parts of PIDW but held on to it like a dog with a bone.

.

[cf56]

5 Things I Never Get Tired of Writing

I was tagged in this game by the great @metallideth01. (Thank you!) Wanted to participate last week, but it was a stressful one. The question is:

List five things you never get tired of writing. It can be tropes, themes, characters, phrases, whatever brings you joy. Then tag five people!

I suspect some of my answers will not be all that unique:

Angst

I mean, come on. It's what I (and 90% of all fanfiction writers) live for! People wonder what gives us the urge to put these silly characters from silly kids' comedy cartoons through so much pain. The way I see it, it isn't a contradiction. They're put through so much angst in fanfiction because they don't have much in their show. You get really attached to these characters, not in spite of their comedy and innocence, but because of it. So you want to see them in more relatable, serious situations. You want to see them out of their element. So, you go read fanfiction. Eventually, you start writing fanfiction. Animaniacs in particular has a lot of buried threads of angst that hide just below the surface. They're very tempting to pluck at, and I will never be able to stop.

2. Fluff

But what's the point of angst if there aren't any happy moments to follow (or precede) it? I am very lucky to have a loving family of my own, but there's something so particularly satisfying about writing characters you love, well... loving. Loving the people they care about. It's another thing that may not always be explicit in those irreverent comedy shows I like to write about. Well, that one irreverent comedy show I like to write about, anyway.

3. First person/close perspectives

This one relates particularly to Animaniacs (as if the first two already didn't). I find it very interesting taking these wacky, silly characters, and breaking them open to explore what they're thinking on the inside. How they see the world. It reveals details you may not ever think about when seeing them as you normally do, in third person through a screen. There's a (fictional) real brain in there, powering all that comedy and silliness. Let's see it.

4. Grand adventures

This is something I actually haven't done much with Animaniacs yet, but I think it's possibly the type of story I'm best at writing. These are the ones where there's some big, usually overly complicated quest to solve that's always driving the plot forward. The characters work towards a final goal, there's twists and changing emotions along the way, it's great. You don't need to deal with any of that gross ambiguous realistic stuff like you do in the actually good and deep fanfics. You just set off and start writing.

5. "Why doesn't this already exist?" fics

What the heck does that mean? I like to write fics that fill in gaps in canon, or cover topics that you'd think would be obvious to write about for a certain fandom, but somehow haven't been done yet. Stuff that you could slot neatly into the real show's canon and not have anything changed, or even have it add more depth to what you're seeing in the source material, if you choose to accept it as your personal headcanon. Obviously, as the healthy Animaniacs fanatic I am, I have come to know the canon inside and out, so I find it very enjoyable to weave my fics around it, leaving little details/references in there for those who are able to notice them. I like to look at canon storylines and wonder, "what is the realistic conclusion to this after the episode ends?" or "what could have possibly led up to this?"

I'm super shy with tagging (and in general). Metallideth would be one, but otherwise I'll just do two (only respond if you want to :) ): @morbidmotive and @mx-mint323

There's so many talented writers out there, so if you want to participate in this, you totally should, tag or not.

[heretherebedork]

I appreciate your response, when I said critique I didn’t mean not talking about depth, which I really enjoy doing, rather ones that nitpick every single thing (and I’m not talking about toxic themes, those are obvious!) where it doesn’t make it enjoyable to other people, when of course you should enjoy what you enjoy but when it comes to community at large it’s not a friendly place. Your critiques are my favorite to read because you add a lot of insight and go deeper into aspects that others don’t care to do and instead take it all face value. You give thoughtful reasons for why you have the opinions you do, I’m thankful for that, even if I may not agree. Critique is healthy but where does critique end and instead turn to just hate ranting? So many posts and ‘reviews’ not just on here but other places just end up being hate rants with no substance, or care to really analyze things. I am not against critique when it comes to consuming media, especially one’s I like. But I cannot fathom making it one’s life purpose to think negatively all the time. If someone enjoys that negativity, good for them, but being involved in a community being this way just sucks the fun out of everything.

As I said, I let people enjoy shows as they enjoy them. What do I know about how much fun they're having?

Honestly, I don't see those posts. I've curated my tumblr experience (and don't really go anywhere else) so that I avoid posts like that entirely. Even the people that I follow and disagree with can explain their point and view and always do.

I have, honestly, found this community to be mostly amazing. I've found an amazing place in here where I can express myself, think the way I do, analyze how and why I think it and share that with an entire world of people who appreciate it and it's, frankly, amazing.

So while there might be pockets out there of people that are entirely negative... I'm proof you can mostly avoid them? I've found my corner and I'm content here and if someone reblogs my stuff with negative tags I... complain on discord and otherwise ignore it.

Look, let's be honest, I definitely hate ranted about Fish Upon the Sky and My Extraordinary. I did explain it, but I went off on those shows to the point that people still know, for the most part, not to talk about those with me. (Seriously, FUTS dethroning My Extraordinary as the worst show I watched unwarned is still impressive.)

Fandom is a place that can be filled with people who seem to enjoy things in a way you'd never, ever imagine and make no sense to you. But you have to find the people you agree with and like and you use them to find more people that you enjoy. I'm extremely picky about who I follow because I want to feel comfortable on tumblr so I only follow after a certain amount of conversation... but that's me being wild.

I'm honored that you enjoy my style of critique and analysis! I hope you can find more people that can help you keep joy in this fandom and that you find a way to avoid the negativity you don't enjoy.

May all your critique be well-reasoned and all your negativity explained!

[heloisedaphnebrightmore]

How to grow your blog - For Beginners!

Since I receive quite a few messages about how I grew my blog and how others could improve theirs, I decided to do this post to help you with whatever knowledge I gathered throughout my time on here.

Disclaimer: These are only my personal observations, there's no proven success if used and they may differ in other people's case.

Things I will discuss below will include;

Interactions

Masterlists / Navigations

Tags

Taglists

Simplicity

So, I guess it's time for us to begin :)

Interactions

First and foremost, interactions are the most important elements of Tumblr. These can include asks/ comments/ reblogs/ reblogs with comments and any sort of interactions with other blogs.

Asks are important because while you're having fun and chatting away with people, your name shows up on their blog and their followers might be intrigued by your user name or what you said and they check out your blog.

Comments. When you read a fic or see a beautiful edit and leave a comment on that certain post, most of the time the creator will check out your profile and other people who leave comments might find you sweet and head to your blog as well. It's nothing deep with an underlying meaning. It's simple curiosity. If what you write is kind or relatable, people feel drawn to you.

Reblogs. Reblogs are one of the most important part of Tumblr. That's the only way your art can be spread. Sure, tags are important and helpful, but reblogs are the ones that keep your art alive. When you reblog a post you're essentially sharing someone else's content with 10, 100 or 1000 people without your knowledge.

Reblogs with comments are possibly the most important and significant part of this site. You don't just share someone else's art, you also add your positive comment to it, which draws people's attention. When you reblog someone else's art, they might check out your blog and they might reblog yours. Of course, it's not a rule nor should it be expected, but from my personal experiences, I have gained loads of followers through my mutuals. Their kind words and love for my fics have drawn quite a large traffic to my blog and vice versa.

Masterlists / Navigations

Many people will tell you that tags are enough and you don't need a Masterlist. I disagree. Whilst tags are good and useful, tumblr's tags aren't reliable and on top of that people can be quite lazy. The easiest way to showcase your art - whether it be fanfiction, fanart, gifs, drawings, video edits and such - is to basically offer them to your visitors/followers on a silver platter. It can be a bother at times, always keeping it up to date, but when people have to search for your content they get discouraged because let's be honest, we like things that are easily accessible.

Masterlists can be a single Tumblr post or a Google drive document where you add the link of your creations. In my Masterlist you can find different characters, organised by different fandoms. If you use Google drive make the document readable [but not editable] for the public.

Some people, such as myself, create Navigation posts, where they add relevant sub menus which help their followers navigate easier on their blogs. These can contain where to send "asks", "rules" that the owner of the blog might set, "blog recommendations", "side blogs", "about me" menus and the like.

Tags

Although I mentioned that tags can be unreliable, they're still a necessity. Search for relevant tags and use them when you post your art. Meanwhile reblogging is the easiest way to get your creations out there, people do regularly search for tags when they wish to see something and the only way they will find you is if your post appears in tags.

If you're not sure whether your tags are working, you can always head to your dashboard, click on the 👤 in the right upper corner, go down to the posts menu and look for the post you want to check on. Once you found it, click on the tag that you would like to search for. If it shows up in the recent tab of the search results, it means the tag is working, but if after 5 minutes of posting it's still not there, you might need to reupload your work. Unfortunately Tumblr has some issues with the tags and it takes two or even three attempts at times to upload something correctly, whilst other times it might work immediately.

On a side note, if you reblog nsfw content or triggering content, you might want to tag those appropriately. Tw food, tw blood, tw. etc. Depends on the content of the triggering post.

You can also create your own tags. Such as "XY's inbox" for your asks or "XY shares" for anything that you reblog from others. This way people can block those tags and see only those posts on your blog that they might find interesting.

Taglists

Taglists aren't a necessity, especially because there are many different ways to notify your followers of new creations, but it's certainly useful. The reason I think taglists are important is because tumblr won't always show your posts on everyone's dashboard, especially if they follow loads of people. However, when you use a taglist, and mention people on your newest posts, they will be able to get a notification of your update.

Of course, if you feel like tagging people might be bothersome, you might create a side-blog where you reblog your posts and people can turn on notifications to be notified of your updates. This option has been rather popular recently, because usually we reblog and post many things on our main blogs and people don't want to get notified about every trivial post, so a side-blog with the most important posts might just be it for you.

Simplicity

This might be confusing so let me be less vague. As I said, we can be rather lazy and that doesn't mean we're bad people, we might just had a difficult day or too much to study or work and we just want easy access to content. Being simple is a necessity. Though it's good to be creative and unique, such as creating a Masterlist that's called "Where the stars shine", it's not obvious for many what is hidden behind those words and they might not be curious enough to check it out. By being simple and obvious, as I said before, you're offering your content on a silver platter. Simple and neat. Sometimes people just need things to be easy to find.

I have been told many times before that my blog is very organised and I feel very proud about that because it means people can find things easily. Of course, it's not proven, but I think that could be a factor in growing your blog. But as I've said, these are only my personal observations.

I hope this helps. Have a nice day :) Heloise Daphne Brightmore

[xxisxxisxxis]

Gateway Drug | Part Eighty-Eight

Very late, I'm sorry, I just couldn't post it without tweaking things here and there because I'm a little bitch that wants to get this right. I hope everyone has had a good Christmas!!

Words: 4k

Warning(s): explicit language, mentions of drug abuse, explicit sexual situations

Tag List: @unknownoblivion  @edwardtriggerhandzz  @haileynicoleseavey17  @cierrasixx19  @oskea93  @mgkobsessed  @sharon6713  @itsametaphorbriansblog  @miriampraez  @allie-mcginn @xpoisonousrosesx  @rebeccaphillips14  @nicholeh7 @lilmou5ie  @emariehorror  @divaanya  @6ixx6ixx  @ratedrkohardychick91  @floregrohlssard  @oldschoolimagineblog  @abaldboi  @liith-ium  @jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels  @ytwahsog  @scarecrowmax  @random-internet-user-4471  @solohqrry  @sparxx27  @kaitieskidmore1  @cruecifymesixx    @meetthesixxter    @arianareirg  @gingerspicetalks

@fancywasmyname1  @teller258316  @ggorehorror  @blowinmeupwithherlove  @xrosegoldwolfx  @mylifeisjustafeverdream  @redlipscrystalskies14 @str4nge-haze @reigns420 @sixxseconds2love @leatherandheels @dogmom2014 @allyouneedislove-mp3 @n0-self-c0ntro1 @viinceneil

LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE TAGGED

"It's not a death sentence, Viv." Sharise assures me in the back of the limo. 

"I've really been a lunatic, Sharise, and it's not just because people have overexaggerated about how I've been acting--it's because I've actually been fucking crazy." I state as she sips her champagne. "I have a diagnosis and new medication to prove it." 

"Is it ever gonna go away?" She asks me next, furrowing her brows a little. 

"Nope, but it sure as shit can get worse." I tell her. "There's two strains of it and I have the second one which is just shorter spells of mania--a.k.a being a fucking looney tune--and leaning more depressive--a.k.a staying in bed for three months straight and not wanting my husband to touch me despite just getting married." 

"You're not crazy." She argues, lightly kicking at my leg with her heel. "You just have an imbalance in your brain. It's annoying, yeah, but you're not crazy." 

"I just don't want Nikki to leave me over this. Nothing screams stable marriage like bipolar disorder and heroin addiction." 

"Shut up, you're okay, Nikki's okay, you guys will be okay." She assures me. 

I think back to what his therapist wants us to do Wednesday...I can't tell him I'm pregnant. I haven't even told Duff and he should be the first one I tell. 

I feel like as soon as I tell Nikki, it really will be over. 

I get nauseous, my mouth watering. 

"I need air." I pull the sunroof back and stand up, try to calm down, my eyes closing and my head leaning back as we stop at a red-light. 

I hear the obnoxious rumble of a motorcycle coming to a stop in the lane beside us, and groan. 

"Whew!" I hear a familiar voice call. "Your old man let you outta the house?!" Robbin yells over his the noise of his bike and I look over. 

"He's in rehab!" I reply. 

"No shit!" He chuckles. "Whatcha doin'?!"

"Getting some air!"

"There's plenty of air over here!" He informs me. "Come get on!" He gives a grin. 

"I'm good!" 

"Oh, c'mon, Viv, I've only had a couple shots!"

"Couple shots of what, is the question!" I reply. 

"I'm not high!" He states. "Come on!"

I look at him, considering it. 

"You look too damn good to be riding around in a blacked out car where nobody can see you!" He adds and I roll my eyes. "Come get on the damn bike, Viv, a couple blocks won't kill you!" 

I rub my lips together, seeing that the light is gonna turn in a minute. 

"You're gonna get me in trouble!" I say, going to pull my heels off. 

"Not much more than what you're already in!" He says back. 

I sigh out and start to climb out of the sunroof and he puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles loudly before he ignores the cars behind him and kicks the stand of the bike down, coming and grabbing my waist to help me down the car. 

"You look like sex on ten-foot legs!" He adds and I shake my head, pushing at him playfully as we get on his motorcycle. 

"Where the hell are you going?!" Sharise pokes her head out of the roof. 

"I'll catch up to you in a minute!" I tell her.

"Viv--" the light turns green and Robbin doesn't waste any time with getting gone, cutting Sharise short. 

I don't know if it's the loudness of the bike, mixed with the wind and Black Sabbath blaring through speakers I'm assuming he managed to beg someone to build into the Harley, or him smelling like a bar, so I know he's probably drunk and I'm focused on not getting myself killed, but I manage to get my mind off of all the bullshit that just seems to keep getting heaped on loads at a time.

We get to the Cathouse, eventually, which is where Sharise and I were headed, and Robbin comes to a stop and parks his bike and I swing my leg back over the side and put my heels back on, reaching for the strap to buckle it, but failing. 

Before I can grab it, he's crouching down and putting my foot on his knee, fastening it for me before he does the other. 

"Thank you." I tell him as he finishes. 

"Wouldn't want you to break a nail." He replies sarcastically.

"Ha ha, smartass." I state and he chuckles, standing up, as I think back to earlier. 

"What 'trouble' am I in?" I ask him. 

"You think I didn't see you come running in with Duff while Nikki was OD'ing?"

"You managed to see that while you were running out of the room to get outta dodge?" I ask him, smartly. 

"I helped Slash's girlfriend for a minute while they were getting you and Duff." He explains. "I got out of there before you had a caniption and killed all of us." 

"I wouldn't have killed you." I argue. "Make you wish you were dead, sure, but actually kill you, no." 

He smiles a little and rubs his lips together. 

"So, Nikki knows about you two?"

"Yeah."

"And he still wants to work things out?"

"Yeah...no reason for him not to when he cheated on me with Vanity, first." 

He just smiles and nods. 

"I'm glad you two are doing that." He tells me. "I was really bummed when I heard he'd filed for divorce." 

"Well, we're not outta the woods yet." I mumble and he furrows his brows. 

"What do you mean?" 

"I'm knocked up, Robbin." I blurt, and he looks down at me with this expression on his face of confusion and unamusement.

"That shit's not funny, Viv." He states to me.

"I'm fucking pregnant, Robbin, I'm not trying to be funny." 

I snap out of it when Robbin repeats his question, "what do you mean?" 

"Oh, sorry...I don't know...I forgot what I was gonna say." I say next, wishing I could actually tell him I'm pregnant.

When we get inside and get to VIP, Sharise is sitting with her arms crossed, brows raised at me when I sit down. 

"What?" I ask her. 

"You ditched me for a boy." She tells me, pouting. 

"I didn't ditch you." I reply. 

"You so ditched me."

"...Yeah, I did." I admit, smiling and she nudges me with her elbow, saying, "you better be glad he's cute or I'd be more pissed over it," and I laugh as she finishes her drink.

After a night of dancing and pretending I'm not reaping the consequences of my exponential crisis, I'm dropped off at home. 

When I get inside, I see flowers on the small table in the foyer, and smile a little, seeing the little card that reads, "VIVIAN." 

I pluck the paper from the vase and turn it over to read it. 

See you Wednesday

—Nikki

My smile grows wider before slowly falling. 

I'm not sure he'll even want to be with me after Wednesday. 

I feel guilty because I know he's probably decently looking forward to getting all of this over with and starting over, yet here I come with a damn baby. 

Putting the card back with the flowers and placing them on the kitchen counter, I go to my bathroom to get a shower. 

Once I'm done, I'm staring at myself in the mirror, studying to see if there's any noticeable changes…

My boobs are slightly bigger, nothing too, too obvious--I guess Doc's observant. 

I do look like I'm glowing a little bit, but I can blame that on starting fresh with Nikki and how happy I am because of it. 

I open the bathroom drawer and pick up the little ultrasound picture I had taken. 

A sick part of me has been hoping I'd miscarry by now so I wouldn't have to turn mine, Nikki's and Duff's lives into a shitshow, but I was told the baby's healthy. 

I'm not sure why the hell my body refused to grow anything in it, I guess I should've looked into it after my third miscarriage in a row, but I didn't want to pry at myself. I just wanted to forget I was pregnant at all. 

I regret that, now, though...I don't want to get a couple months in and BAM! no more baby, like in the beginning of '86. I should've looked into it earlier and so I could have figured out what was causing it so I couldn't let it happen anymore. 

Despite us not speaking in years, I was certain my mother had, indeed, still managed to screw me over one last time. My uterus was septated and had gone unnoticed in ultrasounds for years--either by the hands of shitty technology or shitty technicians and doctors that didn't say anything about it. Apparently it was a genetic mutation that women could be born with and was a mystery in itself, but a part of me always blamed my mom.

September 1987

"Wait, wait, wait," I chuckle, Duff's lips on my neck. 

Before I even realize what's happening, my back is hitting the mattress of the bed I share with Nikki while Duff's lips are tugging along the skin of my neck, coaxing a light vapor of moans from my throat while I grab at the bottom of his shirt, tugging it over his head. 

Mine's next, lips pressing down my chest as his hands slide under my back to get my bra off. 

My back arches to let the fabric escape, all while my hands pull at my panties, getting them down my legs before I'm kicking them off, the two of us chuckling, his lips coming back to mine while he goes for his belt buckle. 

It's hard to pretend he's Nikki, like I catch my mind trying to do, because he's not as rough as Nikki is. His kiss is sweet and gentle--not weak by any means, and its still hot, but Nikki's is dominantly aggressive and attentive without even meaning to be…

"Condom," Duff says pulling his lips from mine. 

"We don't have any." I tell him, catching my breath. 

"...I'll see if I have some in the car." 

"You can just pull out." I suggest, not wanting him to give me time to change my mind about this. 

"Are you sure?" He asks me, fingertips running over my cheek. 

"Yes." I grin and he slowly smiles and leans down again, kissing me. 

I screw my eyes shut when he slowly pushes into me, letting out a groan under his breath while I take in a sharp breath, nails biting into his back. 

"Are you okay?" He asks me, and I nod, eyes still closed. 

"Yeah." I sigh out, hands grabbing at his arms, nails biting into the tattoo on his bicep as he pulls out of me and pushes back inside, huffing out a sharp breath, his forehead against mine as I lean up and kiss him, humming as he starts thrusting into me steadily, overwhelmingly so.

Unlike Nikki, he's not ferociously aggressive for the most part. He's more so gently aggressive. 

I can't contain the near squeak that emits from my throat as he continues in and out of me, my arms and legs desperate to get him as close to me as possible.

The more I show that I'm feeling good, the more comfortable he gets, and the more deliberate his movements are. 

"It--" I'm cut short when he pushes against my cervix, and my eyes roll back. 

He's about to pull back out but I wrap my legs around him and pull him back in as I beg, "no, no, please, right there." 

He looks down at me, eager to please, looking me in the eye as he pushes against it, again, a sharp shiver shuttering up my back and I cry out, arching my back when his fingers go to my clit. 

My hands dig into the sheets, gasps and whimpers leaving me as he watches me, patiently, like he's studying me in the throes of stupidity and pleasure.  

I'm trying to crawl away when he grins and starts hounding at me, repeatedly hitting the spot in me that has tears pooling in my eyes from pleasure. 

"Please, don't stop." I ask him, my voice weak, and he sits back on his knees, pulling me onto him, grabbing my hips, guiding quick movements into me, making my thighs tense up while he looks down at my tits and the sight of him fucking me, before his eyes catch at my hip bone. 

"Do you like it?" I ask him and he runs his thumb over the "D" in my skin and looks at me before kissing me, quickening his pace again, hitting my sweet spot once more several times while I tighten around him. 

"Are you gonna come?" He asks me, and I nod, not able to speak. 

I push him down to the mattress and straddle him before I brace myself on his chest and start riding him. 

"Fuck," he says as he watches me, probably not able to believe we're having sex. 

My orgasm hits me in a wave, my head back, my hands moving over his on my waist, before he sits up and pulls my lips to his hotly, our tongues dancing as he wraps his arms around me. 

In a couple more minutes, he's holding me still while thrusting up into me desperately, and I feel my brain swimming on dopamine as sweat rolls down my spine. 

"I'm gonna come." He tells me, shutting his eyes and licking his lips for a second before looking down at himself going in and out of me. 

"Then come." I say softly, leaning forward, kissing, licking, and biting up his neck. 

Duff lets out a sharp breath, his hands pulling me down onto him while he gives one last thrust into me, warmth spreading throughout me as his cum coats my insides. 

"Fuck." I whimper out, my hips flexing, at the feeling. 

"How the fuck could he cheat on you?" He asks me, reeling off his sex-high, his eyes running all over my glistened skin before he's sitting up, wrapping his arms around me. "You're so fucking flawless." He adds and I smile at him, brushing the hair from his face before kissing him. 

Once I get off of him and lay beside him in the bed, he's looking up at our mirrored ceiling, that's recently been replaced ever since I broke it throwing a tantrum. 

"That was…" I start, realizing what I'd just done, and he looks at me, his brows furrowed slightly. 

"Are you okay?" He asks me, sitting up, probably thinking I'm about to cry. 

"Yes, I'm fine." I assure him. "It's just strange to have sex without being left right after." I add, remembering the more times than not that Nikki would leave to go out after we got done. 

"I'm not leaving." He tells me, his hand brushing against my cheek. 

"I know." I reply, closing my eyes, my face resting against the pillow as tiredness creeps up on me. 

He lays back down beside me, pulling me closer to him, and comfort consumes my body…

...Right before the roaring of Nikki's Harley pulling into the driveway shatters it.

I snap up, Duff doing the same. 

"Is that…?" He asks me, eyes wide. 

"Shit!" I whisper yell, the two of us getting out of bed. 

He nearly trips, pulling his jeans back on, and I'm pulling my silk robe on, grabbing Duff's shoes, heading for the guest bedroom closet. 

Once he's hidden, having to crouch uncomfortably to fit under the shelf, I'm running back to our room, spraying a few sprays of my perfume to throw off the sex smell.

I rush to the bathroom to wet a washcloth and get Duff's cum, that's leaking down my legs now, off, just as I hear Nikki's boots stomping into our room. 

I finish cleaning up as fast as possible and get back out there to see him shirtless. 

"H-Hey." I nervously greet him, regretting not fixing my hair from its roused state. 

He glances at me and does a double take, his eyes snaking up my exposed legs before he's looking at me. 

A slick smirk falls on his lips as he says:

"Whatcha been doing?"

"What do you mean?" I ask, eyes wide. 

"I know what you look like post-orgasm, Viv. There's no shame in having fun with yourself." He adds and I nearly sigh out with relief. He thinks I've been masterbating. Perfect. "Infact," he steps closer, making me step back until my back hits the wall, and he puts his hand beside my head, trapping me in, "it's really hot." 

I shift uncomfortably as his other hand moves to the curve of my hip, slipping under the robe to palm at my ass cheek, and I have to force myself to hold back a moan when his hand suddenly comes down to harshly give one good smack to my flesh before rubbing over my stinging skin. 

"Don't stop just because I pulled up." He tells me, motioning to the messy bed. "Keep doing your thing and I'll just observe." He grins, his hand moving to my throat. "Might even get the camera out like the good ole days." 

I can't seem to make myself talk, my breathing heavy, my tongue being bit between my teeth. 

We stare at each other another moment before he loses his grin and runs the thumb of his other hand across my lip. 

He leans down and I let out a breath. 

"Nikki," I start softly, about to pull away as best as I can but he stops me, pressing his lips to mine for a second. 

Our tongues meet soon after, and he's running his hands down my back, before pulling me up to wrap my legs around his waist, causing me to let out a moan as my back's against the wall while he threads his fingers through my hair. 

I snap out of it when my back hits the mattress, his hands sliding under my robe to run over my stomach, up my ribs to run over my breasts before grazing down my sides. 

"Nikki." I say after a moment, the two of us catching our breath. 

"Take your robe off." He ignores me, pressing a kiss to the center of my chest. 

"Nikki, no." I deny him. "It wouldn't be smart for us to do that."

"Why not? You've already drawn up divorce papers or something?" He stands up, pulling away from me.

"You're drunk." I bite at him, annoyed. "And what are you doing home? You don't come back home until morning, usually." 

"Tommy puked on me, I had to change shirts." He says. "Not that I owe you a fucking explanation."

"Never said you did, Nikki. It was just a question."

"No, but you're looking pissed that I'm here so that's why I am."

"I'm not pissed, can you stop assuming things?" 

"Whatever, Viv." He grumbles as I stand up, too. 

"Yeah, whatever, Nikki." 

"Oh my God, just shut the fuck u--" he stops abruptly, and I'm confused until I see he's focused on my hip bone, that's been exposed by my robe failing me when it shifts, and I see he's focused on the "D" on my hip. 

He steps closer to me, angling his head in every direction to see it clearly, even laying on the carpet and looking at it from below, the same confused expression on his face. 

When he gets off the floor, he's on his knees, holding at my hips to look at it from centimeters away. 

"Nikki, cut it out." I scold him, trying to move away from him but he stops me. 

"Ya know, the funniest thing is happening. I haven't taken anything hallucinogenic, but I swear I see a 'D' on your hip bone." He tells me and I finally get out of his grip as he stands back up, studying my expression. "Oh, hell fucking no, you did n--I know you do not have a fucking 'D' on your fucking body."

I had one in me a few minutes ago.

"It's not a 'D', Nikki." 

"I may not have graduated but I know my ABCs, Vivian, and that's a fucking 'D'!" 

"It's a Roman numeral for '100'!" I say back, smartly. "To represent the least number of times you fucked Vanity while we were together, so I'll never forget!" 

"We're still together, Vivian!" He screams.

"Really?! Is that why you screw groupies almost every night on the road?!" 

"Because I get lonely because my wife refuses to acknowledge me without screaming my fucking head off!"

"You were screwing another woman even when I wasn't perpetually angry at you, Nikki, what the fuck are you talking about 'lonely'?!" 

"You know what I mean!" He yells back. "See, I can't even come home without you starting a fucking fight!" 

"Then freaking get out!" I throw my hands up. 

"I am!" He shouts, getting his shirt on and grabbing the keys to his bike and heading to the door and I follow him. 

"Good!" I scream back. 

He leaves, slamming the door, and I exhale sharply, forcing back tears, letting out a frustrated groan before throwing one of our wedding photos at the wall. 

When I start back to our room, Duff is cautiously waiting in the hallway looking at me with a sad expression. 

"Don't worry about it." I assure him, kissing his cheek, before stepping back to the bedroom. 

"Don't worry about it." He didn't have anything to worry about then, but look at what five months did.

I shut the door of my car, looking at the apartment Duff's now sharing with Mandy, and let out a breath. 

Tucking the picture of a teeny-tiny little thing growing in me into my purse, I head up and knock on his door hesitantly, hearing Mandy call, "coming!" 

She opens the door and her eyes light up when she sees me, a big grin coming to her face, a softness to her sweet eyes that makes my stomach turn with nausea. 

"Hey, Viv!" She greets me, stepping aside as if it's muscle memory. 

Why does she have to make this so hard on me? Why can't she be a raging bitch? 

"Hey, Mandy." I reply, going inside, glancing around. 

"What's up?" She asks and I rub my lips together. 

"I really need to talk to you and Duff." I reply and she furrows her brows. 

"Are you okay?" 

"Just have a seat." I tell her. 

"O-Okay…" she goes to the living room and sits down. "Duff, c'mere!" She calls as I sit across from her, nervously fumbling with my hands. 

"What's u--hey, Viv." He says, smiling at me as he dries his hair with a towel. 

"She said she needs to talk to us." Mandy says, her tone causing him to look at me, cautiously. 

"What's wrong?" He asks and I can hear my blood pressure in my ears. 

"...I just...really, really, need to tell you something important." I say as he sits down. 

"Alright." He clears his throat, the two of them staring at me and I realize I'm not freaking talking to them at all. 

Just looking at them like a scared puppy. 

"What's going on, Viv?" He asks me. 

I decide maybe speaking right away is best, opening my purse and grabbing the photo, leaning forward to hand it to him. 

He takes it and Mandy both look at it where I have him/her circled in a red marker, confused…

"Is this…" Mandy starts and stops, eyes shooting up at me. "Are you pregnant, Vivian?" 

I swallow the lump in my throat. 

"I'm pregnant." I admit out loud. 

A smile comes to their faces, which throws me off completely. 

"This is good, isn't it?" Duff asks me, handing the picture back, "I mean, you and Nikki are working things out and he's sobering up...I think it's a good thing, you know?" He shrugs, his smile reaching ear to ear.

"Yeah." Mandy agrees and I have to take deep breaths to keep from crying. 

"Duff, Mandy," I start, my voice cracking, "Duff," I repeat and his smile slowly, very, very, slowly fades as if he knows exactly what I'm saying before I finally say, "I'm pregnant."

[goldznuts]

(Wano AU) Tagged::Regrets

If there was one question that had began to annoy him it was any in reference to the one piece or laugh-tale island. Those were his secrets to keep and if any desired to know then they could go themselves in their own stride and pay their own prices but he would still always be the first. There was no easy path for the questions they asked and Roger could not help but play musical chairs in attempts to get away from the never-ending questions and conversations. A quick smile and wave was given until his presence brought more attention than he bargained for. Nope! The captain commented before rising from his seat slapping the payment on the counter. Under the influence, the Captain after two battles now staggered down the street in hopes to find a quiet bar to relax in. He wasn't tired or hurt just to the point that he was too drunk to speak properly. This was not how he often carried himself but he had gone too far in his search for booze. Little did he know with the fame, even while despised, he could manage to find regrets in making such a bold testament to the world. Peace was rare and priceless, this was his first lesson as King. His best bet was to buy his drinks and head back to the Oro Jackson to disappear into the grasp of the sea once more. There was one place he could go to and not have to worry but they would despise him too. It would be certain that his sails were the ones that kept Oden away for so long and Wano had began to fall into a grim era. As the thoughts crossed his mind he remembered his first statement not to rule a thing and tried to cast aside such concerns. But Oden?....he was there, or so he had presumed. Was it selfish for an entire country to have fallen for his cause? These type of thoughts came to mind to counter his protest of little cares. Pressing a hand to his forehead he lifted the gourd to read the label in question. Sure enough it was Rum. He didn't do too well under the influence of Rum and steered clear of the drink as a whole. No wonder his mind was processing too much in irritation. That still didn't change the fact that the thoughts were in fact truth as ugly as it appeared. For every action there was a reaction and many would pay the price even more than he could have ever imagined. It was heavy and one of the few regrets he carried with the new crown. When they had brought Oden back in celebration they could not help but acknowledge the price they had all paid when Wano came into view. Should he have stayed behind to assist in such matters? Should he have left Oden to his affairs the first time they returned for the Polygliff. Either way it was done and now he had but one choice at this point. He had gotten wind that Kaido had schemed something up for the entire land of gold. This was the cause of his stop for drinks in the first place. The news that Wano had closed off everything in attempts to conceal the secrets he had found out. Yep! This was definitely the work of Kaido and Roger could not help but feel a pull at his heart in thought of what that monster could do with his hands on an entire country of innocent people. Seems some of the Rocks had found a way to rule even while broken apart and disbanded. Such thoughts were beginning to bring a headache and he could not help but sigh slinking away into an dark alley to sober up a bit before heading back tot he Oro Jackson. Roger had left behind his crewmates for extra security to their vessel and even selfishly because he required the time to think. Once on board, he through a drunken sway gave the order dropping the canisters of alcohol on the deck before dropping to the wooden floor hopelessly trying to fend off a drunken slumber. ☠"Go!....We are going.......Wano, to Oden, head for Wano."☠ The drunk captain had finally spat out the order before the snores commenced. The king was content to face his consequences alongside Oden. He couldn't just leave him there to handle Kaido alone in good conscience. Newgate wouldn't let him live it down if something happened to the man or his family. Too add Kaido was NEVER

ALONE, but if he were then he was a force to be reckoned with all the same even for Oden. Rayleigh only paused studying the drunk captain with a raised brow shaking his head in disapproval. This was unlike Roger and surely his visit could not have been so bad. "Political affairs are not our forte, Roger!" The other screamed with a mind to knock him upside his head. Even as he protested the captain continued his snores the order standing without the dispute. If he were awake he would tell his number two that they could not rule the seas and not address and situation like this. They owed Oden for everything and could never turn away even if the man had told them to go. Oden had promised that he would be fine and would reach out when he was finished with setting order. The roger pirates were supposed to celebrate together with him, it was the promise given before they agreed to leave. That was how it was supposed to go and even then Roger had a bad feeling in his gut and still left as requested. When they arrived in Wano things were not as they had found it the first time around. The drastic changes already shifting the finical and economical stance of Wano. The caste systems had tilted for greed and plots. This was real bad and to make matters worse he had found out that ODEN WAS DEAD? This hurt his heart and Roger had no idea how he would even tell Whitebeard of such a thing. He had left the other there and now knew he should have stayed to address the situation directly with him. As Oro Jackson pulled into port he studied the smoke filled skies a grim chill pushing down his spine as he took in the view. None on board the ship could speak as they viewed what was left of the Kozuki family shrine, it was now nothing but ash. They knew it would be bad but never anticipated Wano would end up in such a state. To correct, he should have known but at the time he was not aware that Kaido was directly involved with Wano. Deciding against porting the Pirate king opted to hide the vessel and leave out on foot. Hours later he found himself in much need of a drink as he made his way through the lands under disguise. They had opted for masks since they were so common these days. The Red and blank kimono he wore was constraining and layered to blend him in with the noblemen. He could find out anything he needed to know with time in patience. The drinks they shared weren't festive in the least. The captain babysitting the bowl of sake that had been poured by request. He gazed into the liquid his reflection dancing back, or one of the mask rather as he sunk back into his thoughts. When he had found a voice to speak he finally swallowed the lump in his throat. Roger forced up a cracked voice before he took in a few labored breaths to hide the fact he was very upset. Rayleigh in whom set beside him had no sarcastic comments to add nor did he instigate the situation that was obvious. There was no humor to be found even as they tried but the silence had to be broken. He was certain Rayleigh didn't offer many words only because he too didn't know what to say or he was simply waiting for the captain to lead off in discussion. During times like these it made the captain very thankful for his friend. ☠"Rayle-O, I-I, don't think we did the right thing here. I-I feel like this is my fault and I am almost scared to inquire anything further. This is so wrong!"☠ The captain explained as he lifted the bowl to his lips the sake being a much calmer choice for the male. He couldn't help the sting of tears that forced forward. Roger was very thankful for the mask he wore at this moment and lowered the bowl not even in the mood to drink. This was so messed up, he had assumed that when Oden returned that he would be able to handle the situation at hand. THAT WAS WHAT HE HAD TOLD HIM! And here Roger was fool enough to believe him even despite his own two eyes and the odd gut wrenching feeling they all had when they sailed out. ☠"We are far too late and we have to fix this!"☠ He choked out as he struggled to catch his grip for the moment being. He

needed food and more drinks, something that could put him down until he could process all the grim news and address it. No wonder they were hated by the many, if they left messes like this for the world to clean up. Thoughts like this came forward and had the King already wanting to retire from the game before he even started. It was then Roger made up his mind that when they fixed Wano's grim tale he would retire and head home to start a family. ☠"I-I didn't want to rule the seas...I just wanted to find the answers. When this is over......."☠ He paused remembering that he was intoxicated and that this was not a conversation to be had in a place like this. Instead Roger paused patting the other on his shoulder before heading to put in a another request for food. Leaning over the counter with his mask in place he glanced back to the curtain that had concealed them from view by design. The place was known for privacy and small gatherings much like a lounge so it was a good option for peace. What peace was to be had in Wano when the entire land was suffering? Immediately, Roger lost his appetite and headed out for a fresh breath of air. Ensuring that the mask was pinned into place he slid the door open gently so not to draw attention as he snuck out for a moment to figure out his best course of action. Who needed a plan? At this point he'd love to get his hands on the supposed strongest beast and anyone else involved. His eyes burned with fury behind the mask as he leaned against the wall allowing a much needed breath to escape him.

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

Bloody, Beaten, Bruised or Maximum Effort

Quick Tag List: @kuruumiya @spacelizardtrashboys @enigmaticandunstable @nattinngrst @amyofaquitaine

This passage contains potentially: scenes of one (or more) characters swearing, blood, self-harm (unintentional) and scenes of a violent nature. whump content and potential tear-jerking moments.

Summary: In this 'chapter' Kirby has her first fight in New Jersey, and stay in New Jersey for a week, leading to some heavy whump content by a certain someone.

Kirby's POV:

Standard match, one on one with a ten minute time limit. Not much for a debut but it's made into a big deal upon learning the opponents were male and female and not the standard male on male.

Jobber VS Newcomer.

Andrew Strong VS Kirby 'Gluttony' Lucifarian.

The bell rings and the fight starts.

"Strong throws the first punch and misses."

"The Ogress capitalises and hits him with a Feeding Frenzy."

"Strong is backed into the turnbuckle but the Ogress continues her attack."

"The referee is forced to separate them and Strong gets The Ogress in a lock-up."

"A swift knee to the stomach and Strong is staggered."

"The Ogress hits Strong with the Organ Grinder and it looks like it's all over."

"She covers Strong and … one … two … three. She's done it! The Ogress has won!"

Walking back to the locker room, I caught a glimpse of Moolah as she sneers at me and I shrug her off, focusing on getting into some clean clothes and going back to the hotel. I change and walk out of the dressing room with my bag slung over my shoulder.

"Good work out there, Kirby."

I recognise the voice and turn to see André, "Thank you, Drey."

"Moolah, doesn't seem to like you girls."

"We're stealing the hag's time in the sun. She always hates people who do that, even if she brings them in. I'll see you soon Drey."

"See you soon, Kirby."

I start walking back to the hotel when I start hearing a voice behind me, gradually getting closer.

"Hey, Miss, I think you dropped this." A distinctly masculine voice called out.

I turned around to see what the person wanted. To my surprise they had picked up my wallet, "Huh, I didn't feel it fall out of my pocket, thank you."

The man handed it to me before introducing himself, "Paul Orndorff. I saw your match earlier, you're fast for a giant, tough too."

"Thank you, Mr Orndorff."

He looked over his shoulder, "Oh, well, I have to go, Piper's waiting for me."

"Uh well, bye Mr Orndorff."

He left without another word and I unzipped my bag slightly to place my wallet inside, zipping it back up and continuing back to the hotel. I spent the night in a cramped hotel room and went to the gym the next morning.

Setting myself up at a heavy bag and practicing as per usual, no interruptions, no one else near by to talk to.

It was as if my mind just drifted away and I went into this mental fog, no gloves on but punching as if I did, breaking through the skin on my knuckles and only stopping after I noticed smears of blood on the heavy bag.

I wiped it down and bandaged my knuckles before moving on to doing push ups, lunges, squats and other exercises that wouldn't leave me covered in blood.

I was alone for the rest of the day, so I ordered some pizza (simple, pepperoni) and relaxed in the hotel, I pulled out a sketch book from my suitcase and began sketching.

I didn't plan on sketching anything too important so I just went with what was on my mind, which happened to be Roddy, Jeez it's like I'm becoming emotionally attached to this idiot.

When I see him next I'll give him the drawing if I have it with me. I close the sketchbook and go back to the gym for around an hour, before coming back to the hotel and getting some rest.

I woke up the next morning (January 9th) and had a day much the same as the last, got up, did my morning routine, went to the gym, came back, ordered Chinese food and started drawing. It was just a shitty little thing, but once again, the Rowdy one came to mind.

What is it with Scottish men and me, is it because I'm a quarter Scottish, is it maybe because I believe in the folk tales and stories of old, of knights on white steeds, saving fair maidens and living happily ever after, while the monsters they kill or maim lie in a pool of their own blood and wish they could've had a different life?

I have no idea, and the idea of my own mind comparing me with those monsters makes me regret ever reading those stories while growing up, rather I should have stuck my head into scientific textbooks instead of tales of heroism and fantastical ghouls, then I would have never become and wrestler or met the amazing people in my life.

I look back down at the paper and decide to let Roddy have two final full page drawings on the other side of the sketches I've already drawn of him, I add in a small note on the page under a picture of Roddy that Sam had found.

The more I looked at the drawings and that lone picture, the more I realised the small details of Roddy's features, the strong jaw with a cleft chin, his hazel eyes? or are they dark blue? either way they intrigue me. And that musculature, Roddy's not slim but not a big man either, he's at that almost perfect weight to body fat ratio. Good lord, listen to me calling … Piper, Roddy, Him, perfect. I think I want to be sick, just to be rid of those thoughts.

Right as I run into the small bathroom I hear a commotion in the hallway and someone being thrown or more accurately, hurled into the other side of the bathroom wall. I take a deep breath, re-fix my mask into it's usual position and dart out into the corridor, right as the commotion ends.

The obvious victim of the bout was on the floor face down with a long, not to deep cut down the back of their left leg and was breathing heavily when I reached them.

"Woah, hey, hey buddy." I whispered to them in an effort to calm them.

"Kirby?"

FUCK

…

That Glaswegian accent, fuck, He's not even supposed to be in town, or is he?

"Piper?!" I whisper-yelled, more to myself than to him.

"Hey…" his voice trailed off, I heaved him over my shoulder and went back into my hotel room, tossing him down on the only bed and grabbing his left foot, reaching over to my suitcase and getting my personal first aid kit, nothing too fancy, some bandages, plasters, the bare essentials. I cleaned the cut and bandaged it, taping the bandage in place.

I glanced up from Roddy's leg and saw that he had passed out, "Shit." I muttered to myself, louder than I thought and his eyes flickered open.

"Kirby? Is that you?" His voice weak but still understandable.

I stood there, frozen to the spot, unable to move, I wanted to cry as I realised how badly he had been beaten up, his eyebrow cut, coming close to his eye, his hairline a mix of matted brown hair and blood that was starting to coagulate and then I started to notice more things wrong with Roddy's visage.

His shirt (a Piper classic, yellow with a wild cat graphic) was torn in several places, showing bruises and nicks in his flesh. His kilt, however, was fully intact, including his belt and sporran, though all of it was scuffed with little scratches, but no cuts.

"Kirby? Kirby talk to me, please?" He spoke so carefully and it broke me.

I dropped to my knees, weeping, and Roddy shot to his feet, before dropping down on his left side and leaning on the bed, getting only a couple of steps closer to me.

"Kirby, are you okay?"

"Roddy, look at ya," I took a deep breath in, "How can you be so beat up and worried about me? How is that possible?"

"Kirby? look at ya, you're crying over me? I thought you didn't care about me that much?"

I wiped the tears from my face and got Roddy back on the bed.

"Stay there, Piper."

"Oh, feisty."

"Roddy! Stay on the bed and don't move."

"Yes Ma'am."

I trudged into the bathroom and ran a long cold shower, and I heard him move off the bed before swearing and sitting back on the bed.

"I thought I said, DON'T MOVE Roddy!"

"Alright, alright. … feisty"

After the shower, I dressed in the bathroom after drying myself off and exited the room. I instantly noticed a sleeping Piper.

"I guess I'll sleep on the floor then."

"C'mere." He lazily waved his arm to try and beckon me over.

"No, Roddy, get some rest."

"Come here and get in the bed." He rolled over and picked up the duvet, lackadaisically blowing a joking kiss in my direction.

"Jesus, Roddy, fine."

I climbed into the bed and felt Roddy's arms curl around my waist and his face between my shoulder blades.

"Rod, get off."

"Wha'?"

"Get off of me."

"Why?"

"Aren't you married, get off."

"if I was married, there would be a ring on my finger," He waved his left hand in front of my face, "No ring, no wife."

"Oh. Still, get off."

"Now, would that be 'get off' in the, leave me alone, way or the 'get off' in the, I love you take me now, way." The latter a clear joke but it annoyed me even more.

"Leave me alone, Roddy."

He slid his arms off and rolled to face the other way.

"Small bed, Kirby."

"I wasn't expecting company, Piper."

"Your tattoos are nice."

"Sleep, Piper."

"I'm just saying."

"Roddy, you are injured, sleep."

"I looked through your sketchbook earlier, y'know, when you were in the shower, just flicked through it, and wow, you're a great artist."

"For the love of God, Roddy! would you please just get some sleep."

"Alright!, alright. No need to yell."

"One more word and I'm chucking you out the nearest window."

We both fell silent and managed to get some sleep, it wasn't until sunrise that either one of us awoke. As I stirred from my slumber I was face to face with the Scottish idiot. I yelped and, without realising his legs were intertwined with mine, fell off the bed with him falling on top of me, waking Roddy up in the process.

"Oh, well, morning sweetheart, did I wake ya."

"Rod, get ya damn 'Loch Ness Monster' away from me."

Rod's cheeks turned pink and he quickly looked down between our bodies before sheepishly standing up and hurrying to the bathroom, I took the chance to change into a graphic tee and some black jeans, not noticing that Piper had left the bathroom door wide open, until I heard his voice.

"Woah, so uh, all of you is bigger than normal?"

I yelped and threw one of my shirts at his face, before realising that I had thrown the shirt I was planning on wearing at him, "Wait, Roddy, I need that shirt."

He laughed before handing me back my shirt, "Uh, thank you … for …saving me last night."

"Were you even supposed to be in town?"

"Well no, but I …" He trailed off

"I can't hear you, Roddy?"

"It's nothing, really."

I continued on with my normal routine, mindful that Roddy was in the same room as me and injured. It wasn't until the phone rang that I had a problem, before I could reach the phone Roddy had already answered it.

"Who is this?"

I could hear a loud, angry voice on the phone and Piper got defensive.

"You think you're a hard man do ya?!"

Damien. That's got to be Damien, which means I am in some real trouble now. Thanks Piper, ya dafty.

"I'll get her to call ya back once you've calmed down."

He slammed the phone back into it's place and breathed out a hefty sigh.

"Kirby, is Damien your boyfriend?" He seemed instantaneously calm

I almost choked on air for a moment, "No! He's my manager, and he's like double my age. He's Vic," I paused for a moment, "He's my dad, as well as the other members of the D.O.D. We're not all his biological daughters though, just Vickie."

"So, he adopted you?"

"I guess you could say that." I avoided looking him in the eyes.

"Tell me the truth. Now!"

"Promise you won't tell anyone first."

"I won't tell a soul, now, why are you so, uptight, about who he is to you."

"First things first, my name isn't Kirby Lucifarian, it's actually Kirby Trevor."

"Oh, so Damien's not you're adoptive father, either?"

"No, my real parents are Heaven and Eric Trevor. Damien's Vickie's dad and only Vickie's dad."

"Are either one of your parents giants? or is it just you?"

"Just me, the closest person to me in height, family-wise was my uncle Rory. He's the reason I have the tattoo on my wrist."

I walked up to Piper and showed him the 'R' tattooed on my right wrist.

"So, he passed away?"

"Yeah. He died, eleven, no no, twelve years ago now, when I was Seventeen, My uncle Vaughn died a couple months later, he's why I have the lighter on my left arm, my uncle Vaughn was best known for being, in the nicest terms, a layabout smoker, and the smoke took him in the end."

"So, you have a lighter to remember a man who died by smoking?"

"Dark, I know, but uncle Vaughn would've laughed at it. Erik laughed at it when I explained it to him."

"Eric, your dad?"

"No, no, Erik, with a 'K', my old tag partner before I joined the D.O.D. I think you would've liked him."

"Really, now why would I like a guy I know nothing about?"

"Well, Erik's Scottish, He's from Edinburgh. He's tall-ish, then again I am a giant, so who am I to say what's tall, he's six-foot-five. He played the bagpipes when he was younger, he quit playing when he was twenty-three, same year we lost the tag titles."

"Rough," He interrupted "Continue, please."

"Uh, well. Erik's strong, very strong, he would compete in the Highland games and well, … I guess back then I thought I'd never leave him, until Damien gave me an offer I couldn't refuse and I left him. I had a whole life with him planned inside my head and I left it all behind, for what, cramped hotel rooms and breakfasts with André."

"You had breakfast with André the giant and you didn't tell me … You, You had a good Scottish man, and you left him, for," He gestured to the room, "all this?"

"Well I jus-"

"No," He held my jaw and looked me straight in the eyes, "You had a life, a man who obviously a close relationship with you, and you gave it up for breakfasts with André and shitty hotel rooms."

"I know I'm stupid."

"But you're not stupid, you saved me, I could have died in that hallway and you brought me in here, you stopped that bastard from killing me. I could kiss you."

"Please don't."

Sorry for cliff-hanger ending, but … END OF BLOODY, BEATEN, BRUISED or MAXIMUM EFFORT.

[alyssa-orowane]

Fantasy tropes to avoid (and ideas to reinvent them)

Hello aspiring writers of Tumblr! How is it going?

This is my first post on here and I decided to dedicate it not only to the genre I am writing in, fantasy, but also to a crucial topic, which relates and affects every genre in different ways.

TROPES.

It's lazy to build stories on something that has already been written a million times before. I don't like tropes at all as a reader. If I wanted to read the same stereotyped story all over again I would just stick to the previous book I have read with that same plot, so I would also spare myself the trouble of learning the unpronounceable names of these new stereotyped characters.

On the other hand, as a writer it might be tempting to give in and use tropes. "Why not? After all everybody uses them and I am already SO busy writing the actual chapters of my story."

I tell you what: every time a trope threatens to slide into your story, crush the page and throw it across the room, yelling:

Seriously, though: tropes are just general, undeveloped ideas. That's what you need to do, develop them. In this way only will you ever be able to unleash their hidden potential.

Without further ado, may I present you three of the most common fantasy tropes and hints to reimagine them.

*Keep in mind that this is only my personal view on the subject and you can either agree or disagree with it.

1. The chosen one

This one is the most obvious one and I am also quite sure that you expected to find it on the list. Interesting, Watson: I guess that it makes this article stereotyped too…

Well we all know those characters. Those characters that were meant to be the one. The prophecies had spoken about them long before they were even born. They might as well be the only one capable of using magic or wielding a certain weapon. This character is either the only one who pushes forward the storyline or that one protagonist who does everything except choosing anything actively in the plot. There is no in between. Either way, they only possess notable qualities. Of course there is no trace of flaws. I mean, they are the hero.

Have a side-kick (or co-protagonist) be the chosen one instead

A great idea, if you really want to insert this trope in your story, is to use it to your advantage and surprise the reader with it. Who could ever expect that the protagonist was actually never the chosen one? Or that another character is the chosen one from the start?

To see this trope well recreated I recommend watching the BBC TV series "Merlin" in which a young sorcerer, Merlin himself, must help the future heir to the throne, the prince Arthur Pendragon, to fulfill his destiny and become the greatest king who has ever lived. Arthur has no clue of what has been foretold, nor that he even is at the centre of a prophecy. All of Merlin and Arthur's choices will determine either the glorious success or the tragic failure of the quest; all of this while Merlin hides his powers from Arthur and everyone else as magic is condemned in Camelot.

2. Overused fantasy Races

...which translates mostly into putting Elves, Dwarves, Trolls, dragons and any of the Tolkenian elements and creatures in your own story. Now, don't get me wrong. Tolkien is one of my favourite authors, hence I am always captivated by those fantasy novels that display these Races in their stories. But I don't want to read a copy, I want to read your own masterpiece.

That's exactly why you should:

Redesign the well-known fantasy Races and adapt them to your world and to your theme or just create brand new ones

Personally, I absolutely LOVE to craft new fantasy Races. I believe that it adds depth and realism to the world-building (which does not consist only of geography). Each civilisation brings their culture, their traditions to your story and that's what makes a world truly breathe. In my opinion, the purpose of fantasy is not to focus just on the epic deeds narrated or on endless battles enriched with magic and legends, though those are very important part of this genre and they must be just as equally developed. The reason why I write fantasy is to spread awareness around the vast variety of themes that coexist in our society nowadays, in the first place global warming, the racism that still today people experience, LGBTQ characters which are often unrepresented both in literary fiction and TV. What better genre than fantasy is there to represent diversity and multiculturalism? On these latter points I will never not be thanking and loving the works of Steven Erikson which are part of the high-fantasy series "Malazan Book of the Fallen". Diversity and the brand new variety of intriguing Races are a huge part of what makes Malazan such an awesome fantasy series. I refer to Steven Erikson as the main inspiration of my writing and I recommend you to give a try to his books, if you have the chance. I warn you though, that it is not any light or easy reading.

The other option might be to reinvent the well-known Races. Tolkien himself did not "invent" the Elves of Middle Earth, rather he made a legend of his own after having studied the myths and ballads of ancient civilities. Then he developed their language, their history and their culture as if they were a real existing population. Every single aspect of Tolkien's worldbuilding can be read in his Silmarillion. I think it is a must-read for anyone who is looking forward to reinvent the traditional fantasy Races or just to know more about them.

3. Unfailing magic systems

Magic can be anything you want. That doesn't mean, however, that it should be your escape point: stuff in your story should happen because of your characters, not only because of magic as it is simpler to put it that way. A magic system should be rational and engaging. The reader needs to be able to understand exactly how, when and why does magic work in your world. No, the answer should not be "because it's fantasy."

Set rules, limits and costs to the magic in your world

How do character gain magic abilities? Is magic accessible to everyone or is it elitist? Is it taught in specialised schools or is it something that resonates from within? Are wizards free to practice magic or is it banned? Or maybe are there only specific areas of magic that are prohibited? What is its source? Does magic come from higher beings or are spells more powerful the stronger the mage's will? Does magic need a catalyst (such as a talisman, a weapon etc.) to be casted? If not, do wizard recite spells? Do they need to trace specific symbols? Otherwise is it necessary to make specific hand gestures in order to release their powers? Does it exist only one system for all mages to use or are there multiple kinds? Last but not least, what are magic users in your world called? It's all up to you to decide. Ask questions and let each question lead you to another one. You need to know exactly how your magic system works and so does the reader.

What I love about crafting magic systems is the freedom to establish the boundaries and the natural laws that apply to your world, as magic is a huge part of the story if you're writing fantasy. Well, this could also lead to another question: is your world actually ruled by magic forces or do magic abilities have just a marginal role in the world building?

Remember that magic should not be used as an excuse to fill eventual plot holes in your story. Your magic system should function correctly and it should always stay true to itself. In other words, it must be believable.

And I can hear you thinking "but it‘s magic!"

Then guess what? You need to make the readers believe that magic is real!

First of all, set the rules, the limits and the costs that apply to your system. Having done that, you'll have finished most of the work that concerns the use of magic in your world. Most, not all. If you are a bit of a perfectionist like I am, consider the importance of developing your system furthermore by asking yourself questions, such as the one I have written above.

Rules: decide what makes your system work and what magic can be casted for.

Limits: decide what kind of tasks your magic system cannot perform.

Costs: decide from what kind of source is magic obtained from and, literally, what does it cost to mages to obtain their magic from this source (as Rumpelstiltskin of OUAT wisely says: "all magic comes with a price.")

The most excellent and well-rounded magic systems I have ever come across are the ones created by Brandon Sanderson in this "Mistborn" trilogy: allomancy, feruchemy and hemalurgy. All three magic system permit the magicians to use a wide range of abilities based on the metals they can "burn". Magic originates in the Shards and from Preservation and Ruin, two god-like beings. If you're already interested, I definitely recommend you to check Sanderson's novels out: they are a useful resource of inspiration.

I hope this post has somehow given you the inspiration to go and write right now. 
If you have questions about some of the points or requests for the next articles, don't be shy and send me a message! I will try to cover your topic as soon as possible and as best as I can (and I will also tag your profile, if you agree). 
Thank you all for your attention. Bisous^^

[whitewolfofwinterfell]

i'm confused about the JK Rowling thing. I mean surely not every story has to represent everyone right? I get that people are upset with the way she's responding, but why were they attacking her in the first place? Is it because it's so wildly popular that people think it should be more inclusive? I can understand that, but how would she have known that in the beginning? I don't know i guess i'm clouded by my white privilege but i don't quite understand what people want from her at this point.

I know what you mean, anon. Although I’ve been part of the HP fandom on here since I first created my Tumblr account, I don’t consider myself actively involved in it (by which I mean that I avoid current topics/gossip/drama), but for years I’ve been aware of the voices of the fans questioning JKR’s lack of representation in Harry Potter. It’s exploded again recently because of the reveal of Nagini as a person (more specifically, a Korean woman) in the new FBAWTFT film and there’s a post here that you can read that explains that. 

Warning, discussion below on sensitive topics regarding representation of minorities, race/racism, sexuality/homophobia, disability and colonialism. 

Firstly, you are right that no story has to represent everyone, because that would be impossible. The truth of it is that any writer has the agency and choice to write the characters and story they want to. Speaking from a personal perspective as someone that loves to write and is a straight, white girl with no disabilities or part of any minority group (that I’m aware of), it is significantly more challenging to write characters that are from minority groups. The reason for that is because I myself do not identify or fit into any of those labels (I can’t think of a more appropriate word, so I’m gonna stick with labels, forgive me if it’s a poor choice of word), so I don’t completely understand what it is to be gay or black or physically disabled and what if I can’t bring justice to a character that is those things? What if I offend someone that reads it that is gay, black or disabled? And these are the kind of issues that representation can pose for writers. Having said that, all of this can be resolved with one simple word - research. In my case, it’s very different because I only write for fun and recreational purposes (although there’s always a certain level of research that goes into my writing), but for a professional author, they should be working their asses off to do research to ensure they do their characters justice. 

Personally, I think concerns over representation being raised are always valid. We live in a world where there are more voices speaking out against injustices and particularly, injustices that are more subtle or that have been normalised and widely accepted, such as the lack of representation in popular culture. Having said that, I don’t agree with sending hate and/or being violent or aggressive in raising those concerns and at times, I think the HP fandom can be guilty of that. 

As I pointed out to the tags in my post, I really don’t think JKR did anything wrong in not having diverse representation in her books for a number of reasons. The most obvious reason is that she simply wrote characters that were relatable to her and that she was in touch with in her daily life. It’s important to bear in mind the context of the time in which she was writing - people, particularly young people, seem to forget how much progress has been made in such a short time and how much more liberal societies (I’m particularly referring to the UK here, since that’s where I live and JKR lives) have become over the last few decades. When I was a child I didn’t know anyone that identified as anything but straight until I was around 19/20 years old and then slowly I had friends and people around me that came out as gay, bi and pan; I didn’t meet anyone that was trans until I was 22 years old; at my school I only knew one child that was physically disabled; at my primary school there was only one child that wasn’t white. 

Obviously I can’t comment on JKR’s personal character since I don’t know her and I don’t follow her or engage with her through social media, but the lack of representation doesn’t immediately mean she’s inherently racist or homophobic or biphobic or erasing any kind of minority group deliberately. She was just writing what she knew. But what I said and you have agreed with is that she hasn’t handled things right. Her reactions to fans complaints have sometimes been childish and the Nagini incident shows that she’s grasping at straws to try and pacify people by providing them with the representation everybody is asking for, but it’s only making things worse for all the reasons the post I linked above explains. 

However, shifting away from the whole JKR drama and reflecting on what you said about white privilege - it’s a topic that I’ve been researching a lot recently for educational purposes (this is really just my opportunity to discuss an area of research I’m thoroughly enjoying and finding fascinating, so I apologise in advance if you don’t care about any of this lmao). I’m currently studying a module at university about Jim Crow in South America which is an exploration of black history in America starting from Reconstruction following the end of the Civil War right up until the 1970s (I think near the end of the module we may even touch upon Black Lives Matter). I’m also researching for my dissertation which is about experiences of African American soldiers in the Vietnam War and what’s fascinating to me through the research I’ve been doing is the construct of race and ‘whiteness’. It’s an issue that’s too complex to explain, and you may not care or be interested, but the short version is that race biologically and scientifically does not exist. There is no biological differences (except external appearances) that separate a black/brown/yellow person from a white person, it has quite literally been constructed by European white colonialists and scientists as a way to suppress people of colour, usually for economic purposes. You might be wondering why this is relevant, but it’s because until about 2-3 years ago, as a white person I had no understanding or knowledge of race and how it impacts people’s entire lives - socially, economically and politically. You’re right that white privilege clouds your judgement, particularly when it comes to issues of race, it clouds the judgement of every white person in the world, but what’s worse is that most white people don’t even recognise that white privilege exists. I see so many white people around me in my daily life and on TV (the most recent example I saw was on Celebrity Big Brother UK, which made me so angry I could create an entirely different post on that) claim “racism doesn’t exist anymore” or “this is a equal society” and it infuriates me beyond belief. White people don’t see racism because they don’t experience it and they’re not living it. 

To finish on a final point that’s relevant to your original ask, at this point you’re right that there’s nothing JKR can do to make fans happy. When a series is as popular as Harry Potter and has such a huge fan-base, there is always going to be someone complaining about some aspect of it. If it wasn’t an issue of under-representation, it would only be something else. Nothing in this world is ever perfect and there’s always room for improvement. Honestly, I think the best thing for JKR to do is leave the Harry Potter universe the hell alone. The series is not without its problems, but generally it’s so well-loved by millions of people globally and the fact that she keeps trying to add/retcon certain aspects of the universe and/or characters is what’s frustrating fans more so than anything else. She should just admit that it doesn’t have the representation it could’ve had, learn from that and in any future projects, she can be more aware to be diverse with the characters she writes.