#again no business writing a new fic when I need to finish WIPs but my muse does what it wants

[letstrywritingmaybe]

Mistake

Summary: It’s only a mistake if done once, when it continues it’s done on purpose.

Prompt from @promptlyprompting on tumblr:

“We need to talk about the kiss.”

“What’s there to talk about? Everybody makes mistakes.”

Rated M

Some warnings: canon ship mentioned, slight cheating but not as bad as my other verses

Art by the ever lovely @vordark thank you for the motivation and always providing inspiration! I love you lots! <3

Posted on ao3 <3

[reonnex]

Wesper Fanfic wip

This is a wip of a wesper fic I had been writing! I know I should be updating my own fic but I was kinda stuck on the next chapter and decided to write something else for a break as that has been the only thing I've been working on since middle of April :)

Note that this is not edited at all and only one small section of it! (Minor cw for mentions of the tonics Jan Van Eck gave wylan and his not so great parenting skills)

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jesper laughed after a joke Wylan had made, setting the bottle of vodka down on the table infront of them as the night continued on.

Jesper and Wylan had just finished a report on the lastest stocks and had been able to sell some new business that they had been stressing about the past few weeks, which they had to celebrate the fact.

Marya was staying away a few days visting Plumje and Alys who Marya viewed as family as well. She didn't see her as a daughter but did family even need a label?

Wylan had been worried about how Marya and Alys would get along, but he had nothing to worry about! Sure there was a little tension at first. Marya being Van Ecks first wife he tried to kill and Alys having to deal with Van Eck now in Hellgate. But after just a few hours the two became inseparable. Gossping and grinning like friends who kne each other for years.

So naturally, Jesper and Wylan had the night to themselves.

Like school boys breaking into their parents wine collection, Wylan had grabbed a few bottles from the wine celler a laughing giggling mess as he handed one to Jesper.

About only thirty minutes in to the night, Wylans cheeks were bright red now with a lopsided smile and his eyes seemed a bit unfosued.

"Im just saying-" Wylan giggled as the drink sloshed in his hand. "Think about it! Talking is just so interesting! Me just moving my mouth is sending vibrations through the air- Soundwaves- like how does thay even work? How can my body store information in my brain and I can transfer that data out by vibrations so perfect that they form sounds? Or words? For that matter why cant an instrument make words? Why can't an instrument talk to us!" He asked with full seriousness.

"Saints Wy you're such a lightweight." Jesper had laughed shaking his head. "You haven't even had a full bottle yet."

"Psh- I've drunk before! Drank...? I am drunk but I have drank plenty of times."

Jesper laughed out again. He could feel the tug of the acholol on him as well, and was definitely starting to feel drunk right now.

But definitely not as drunk as Wylan.

"You went to mercher parties growing up. How are you this drunk over not even one bottle?"

Because the ones they served at those parties are weak!" Wylan snorted. "They're like- sparkling water. And for your information Jesper Llewellyn Fahey." He teased. "I was too young to drink anything there before my father stopped taking me out in public. " He chuckled, as a unsettling feeling crept into Jesper at that comment. "The barrel though. Now this is drunk material." He held the glass up to the sky. "If this was given out to Merchers then...they would pass out. No one would be able to hold their liqueur. Maybe Kaz should replace them all next time if he wants to know secrets so badly."

Jesper laughed and shook his head again as he drank from his own glass, amused by Wylans rant.

"I used to hate drinking." He said after a moment.

"Im shocked." Jesper replied, gesturing to the now empty bottle sitting on the table infront of them.

Wylan shoved him playfully, resulting in Jesper snickering.

"Im serious!" He slurred out. "Did you know that acholol orginally was made up from rice, honey, and hawthron fruit?"

"I did not." Jesper smiled.

"Yeah! Though it could of just been grapes but it was found in residue clay pots in Shu-Han like- thousands upon thousands of years ago."

Jesper could listen to Wylan ramble for hours.

"Well technically acholol is just the name of a whole rang of molecules that are formed when oxygen and hydrogen atoms bind with an atom of carbon." Wylan explained as he drank more from his glass, frowning when nothing came out before looking back to Jesper. "But in alcoholic drinks, acholol is just the specific small molecule, ethanol." He replied.

"The ethanol....ethanol..." he snapped his fingers as if trying to find the word before finally continuing on. "Taste reminded me of my medication."

What?

"Medication?" Jesper frowned. This was not the direction he expected this coveration to go.

"Yeah!" Wylan smiled out. "Couldn't stand the smell of it for like the longest time. I would get nauseous and worry the doctor my father hired would give me more." Wylan said with such little care.

"Slow down what medicine?" Jesper asked, moving to place his drink down before leaning back on the couch, looking at Wylan worriedly.

"You know! The medication to cure me. To...to try to fix my brain to get me to read? I told you about it didnt I?"

No. No Wylan didn't.

[welcometololaland]

Hi, how many WIPs are you currently working on? Would you like to tell more about it?

hello anon 💜 first up, i noticed you sent this to a few people and i just want to say thank you on behalf of everyone for getting behind writers and asking about their projects! that's really sweet of you and i know most people love talking about their writing so i'm sure you made a lot of people happy with this initiative :) using the anon function for good!

storytime but i have really been struggling with writing the last couple of months, mostly because i've been crazy busy with work (actually performing weirdly well but fuck capitalism) and social stuff. it's finally starting to quiet down - i think next weekend is the first weekend with free time since christmas, so i'm super keen to just...chill. maybe then i can actually work on writing!

as for wips...i have many but only a couple i'm actively working on right now.

Eurotrip (aka. When in Rome) - RWRB. i really wanted to finish this before may, but it's going super slow. I'm currently writing chapter 8 or 17, and my aim is to write at least 10 (but probably more like 14) chapters prior to posting. i'm really proud of myself for not giving up on this one because it's a mammoth and i started writing it in...2021 :/ but there's still a long way to go. i have art by @stardisnight to go with it, so that gives me precious motivation. also, the timeline of this fic vaguely resembles a lone star season right now so i need to work that out before i post.

Call Me (By My Name) - Lone Star. a co-write with @rmd-writes, it's just chugging along but as per usual we put no expectations on ourselves so there is no real timeline for completion.

10 Things I Hate About You AU (aka. Not Now But Soon) - Lone Star. i keep thinking about this and not writing it, but every now and then i get a strike of inspiration and go back and add to the doc. i actually DNF'd this ages ago, but i keep going back to it, so hopefully it gets done before the new season airs.

The Ring In 2.0 - Lone Star. calling this a wip because technically i have about 3k in the doc, but i swore myself off starting this before eurotrip is finished. i'm chomping at the bit though, the original ring-in was one of the easiest fics for me to write because it's so silly and fun and the chat with @dustratcentral is everything to me.

A Random Idea I Got From A Writing Prompt and I Pitched to @celeritas2997 - Lone Star. okay. hear me out. it could be short. 10k MAX. i have time for this. i promise. it's an austin au with a super stupid premise and i just. think. it. would. be. funny!!!! let me live. take me back to the ring in days where i didn't have any expectations of myself.

(other projects currently on the back-burner until inspiration rears her beautiful head again - product placement (tiktok 2.0 - LS), crossover, reddit au (LS), cause of action (TGM)).

thank you for asking 💜 and yeah, i take requests on any of these so tell me what you think everyone and don't hold back lmao

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, Chapter 7

Pairing: Platonic Steven Grant x Reader (for now 😏)

Rating: T

Word count: ~2k

Story Summary: Steven meets a beautiful woman in the Egyptian exhibit at the British Museum...

...Too bad she's his new boss.

Tags/Warnings: Canon Divergent since Steven still works for the British Museum post-canon, No Jake Lockley, developing friendship

A/N: Sorry that it's been a minute, folks! Non-fandom life is crazy right now and I also took a hard left into the Zorro (as in the 1950s Disney show) fandom for a hot minute before deciding that I need to finish at least one of my WIPs (most likely this one) before getting too deep into the fic I'm writing for Diego.

(Funny enough, I did the same thing to Matt Murdock with Steven. 😂)

Either way, updates should come a bit faster again than they had been!

Tag List: @runny-mascara

Being able to walk to work is so much more convenient than having to rely on the bus, Steven thought as he made himself a cup of tea in the staff kitchen. 

The bus route that ran nearest to his old flat had usually put him getting to work with just barely enough time to put his things away before he needed to get to work, but now that he had moved into his new flat closer to the museum he was able to come in, put his things away, and make himself a cup of tea before starting his day. That reminds me…

He picked up his cup and headed upstairs to Dr. Y/L/N’s office, smiling when he saw Helen sitting at her desk. “Good morning, Helen.”

Helen looked over at him with a smile. “Morning, Steven. I'm afraid Dr. Y/L/N isn't in quite yet.”

Steven shook his head. “Actually, I came up to speak with you.”

Helen nodded. “Oh. Well in that case, what can I do for you?”

“I need to update my home address, please.”

“Okay, that's no problem.” Helen put her glasses on and turned towards her computer. “You could've just emailed me, you know. There's no actual paperwork involved.”

Steven grinned. “Ah, but then I wouldn't have gotten to see your smiling face, now would I?”

Helen giggled like a schoolgirl and waved a hand at him. “Oh Steven, you charmer. You know how to make an old girl blush.”

She pulled up his employee information record. “Okay, what's your new address?”

Steven recited his new address as Helen typed the information in. “Mobile number and everything else is still the same.”

Helen nodded. “Alright, then, you're all set.”

“Brilliant. Thanks.” Steven turned as Dr. Y/L/N walked up. “Good morning, Dr. Y/L/N.”

“Morning Steven,” Dr. Y/L/N replied with a smile. “Morning, Helen.”

Helen smiled back at her. “Good morning, ma'am.”

Dr. Y/L/N stopped by Helen's desk. “Steven, I'm glad you're here. I wanted to chat with you about a few things… if you have time right now, that is.”

Steven nodded. “Yes, ma'am, I have time.”

“Wonderful. Let's go to my office.”

Steven followed Dr. Y/L/N into her office, pausing as she closed the door behind them. “How are you this morning?”

Dr. Y/L/N smiled. “I'm well, thank you. How are you? Have a good weekend?”

Steven nodded. “Yes, ma'am. Busy, but good. I spent the weekend getting settled into my new flat.”

Dr. Y/L/N’s eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. “Oh, I didn't remember you mentioning that you were moving.”

Steven nodded again. “My lease was up on my old flat and I wanted somewhere a bit bigger and closer to work. I'm actually not far from you, just up the street a bit.”

Another smile spread across Dr. Y/L/N’s face. “Oh, really? Well then, welcome to the neighborhood. Maybe we'll see each other around.”

“Thank you.” Steven bit his lip. “Er, actually, if you're not working late, maybe we can walk home together since we're going in the same direction.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Yeah, I'd like that. I don't have anything pressing on my schedule this afternoon, so I should be able to leave on time.”

Steven grinned. “Brilliant! So I'll meet you out front at 5?”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded again. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

Steven took a sip of his tea. “So what did you need to see me about?”

“Few things, actually.” Dr. Y/L/N gestured to the chair in front of her desk.  “Have a seat.”

Steven sat and waited as Dr. Y/L/N walked around her desk and set her travel thermos of coffee down.

Dr. Y/L/N also sat. “Okay, first I wanted to thank you again for offering to help out in the gift shop last week until I could get the schedule rearranged in order to fill Donna's shifts. You really kept them -- and by proxy, me -- out of a bind.”

Steven shrugged. “It was the least I could do, ma'am. To be honest, I felt a bit responsible for causing the situation.”

Dr. Y/L/N shook her head. “The only person responsible for causing the situation is the person who is no longer employed here, but either way, I really appreciate it.”

She took a sip of her coffee. “The second thing is that we've had several new members join the board of trustees in the past couple of months, so I'd like for you to give the board a tour during the next meeting.”

Steven nodded. “Absolutely, ma'am. When is it?”

“Next Tuesday at 10 AM.”

“No problem. I'll put it on my schedule.”

Dr. Y/L/N paused to take another sip of her coffee. “And actually that brings me to the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. It's time for your 6-month evaluation.”

Steven nodded. All new hires and employees promoted into a higher position were given a performance review after their first 6 months before being shifted into annual reviews. “Wow, has it been 6 months already?”

“I know, I was surprised too.” Dr. Y/L/N gave him a soft smile. “I’m sure you already know what I'm going to say, which is that you're doing an absolutely wonderful job as our Visitor Engagement Specialist. We've gotten absolutely zero complaints about the tours since you took over the position -- in fact, our guided tour numbers have skyrocketed and museum memberships are the highest they've been in decades. And not only that, but you've been an excellent leader amongst the rest of the programming staff. I can tell that they really respect and admire you.”

Steven huffed out a breath of relief. He had figured that he would be getting a favorable performance review, but it was still nice to have it confirmed. “That's good to hear, ma'am.”

Dr. Y/L/N’s phone chimed with an alert. “Oh, sorry. Let me put that on silent.”

She pulled her phone out of her pocket, smiling brightly as she looked at the screen. She then tapped at it a few times before silencing it and putting it back in her pocket. “Sorry about that,” she said again. “My best friend is coming into town in a couple of weeks and she just sent me her flight information.”

“Oh that's lovely,” Steven replied. “Is she also an archeologist?”

Dr. Y/L/N shook her head. “No, she's a novelist. Amy Callahan?”

Steven tilted his head as he thought. “The name sounds familiar, but I don't know if I've ever actually read anything by her. I’m afraid I don't read much fiction.”

“It’s fine, I honestly wouldn't have expected you to have read anything Amy’s written.” Dr. Y/L/N shrugged, a small grin on her face. “She’s a spicy romance writer, so you're not exactly her target audience.”

Steven chuckled. “Well either way, I'm happy the two of you will be able to visit. How long will she be in town for?”

“Four days. Amy’s UK publisher is bringing her here on a book tour for her latest novel, but she talked them into flying her in a few days early so she and I can spend the weekend together. She'll be arriving next Friday evening and leaving for Manchester on Tuesday morning after her book launch Monday night.”

Steven took a sip of his tea. “How long has it been since you've seen each other?”

“Since right before I moved here. We FaceTime a few times a week, but it's not the same as getting to hang out in person.”

Steven nodded. “That's understandable.”

Dr. Y/L/N smiled and shook her head. “Anyway, that was all I had for you, so if you'll sign your review for me I'll make a copy for you then let you get back to your day.”

She slid the paperwork over to him and handed him a pen.

Steven quickly signed his performance review and handed it back to Dr. Y/L/N. “Here you are, ma'am.”

“Excellent. Thank you.” Dr. Y/L/N signed it as well, then stood and walked over to the printer to make a copy.

She handed Steven’s copy to him. “So I'll see you this afternoon then?”

Steven nodded as he stood. “See you then.”

He left her office, giving Helen a friendly wave as he passed her on his way to the elevator.

Once he had gotten back downstairs to his own office, he sat down at his desk and added the tour for the board of trustees to his calendar before beginning to read through his evaluation.

Employee Name: Steven Grant

Employee Personnel Number: P0013547

Employee Position: Visitor Engagement Specialist 

Date of Review: 19-August-2024

Reason for Review: 6-Month New Position Evaluation 

Steven skipped through the part that listed the museum’s mission statement and expectations of his position and instead focused on Dr. Y/L/N’s review of his job performance.

Steven has been extremely successful in his first six months as Visitor Engagement Specialist, Dr. Y/L/N had written. He has gone above and beyond in his role and has been instrumental in improving museum services and fulfilling the museum's mission statement. 

Steven is willing to assist other departments whenever needed to the best of his ability and without complaint. He is kind and respectful towards his colleagues and handles conflict with grace and professionalism.

As the Visitor Engagement Specialist, Steven has created tours that are insightful, educational, captivating, and  that highlight the museum's diverse and ever-changing collection without feeling rushed or overwhelming. He is highly praised as a tour guide by museum visitors and has done a remarkable job of training the Programming staff to present tours at the same level of quality. 

(See attached documentation.)

Steven flipped through the pages of notes and comments, smiling at the copies of thank-you cards and drawings he had received from school groups after their visits and the comment & suggestion cards the museum had collected from other visitors.

He glanced over at the large cork board on the far left wall of his office, which housed even more drawings and thank-you notes and cards from teachers and students. They were Steven's favorite groups to give tours to and he always loved knowing that the children had been excited and intrigued by their visit.

He finished reading over his performance review then tucked it away into a file folder in his desk drawer before sitting back with a smile.

Feels good to be appreciated, doesn't it? Marc said.

Steven’s smile widened into a grin as he caught Marc's reflection on his computer screen.

He picked up his work phone so if anyone passed by his office they wouldn't see him technically talking to himself. “Yeah, it does.”

Nice move offering to walk Dr. Y/L/N home, by the way. Gonna see if she wants to stop for coffee on the way?

Steven shook his head. “I probably shouldn't. Don't want her to think I'm only asking her because she gave me a good performance review.”

Marc raised an eyebrow. Do you honestly believe she would think that? The two of you have coffee and tea together all the time. 

“Yeah but that's here at work, that's… that's completely different.”

*Is* it though?

Steven bit his lip as he thought. Having tea with Dr. Y/L/N at a coffee shop really wasn't all that different from having tea with her in the staff kitchen at work -- as long as he maintained the same level of professionalism. “Yeah, I suppose you're right.”

So you're at least going to ask her, right?

Steven nodded. “Yeah, I think I might.”

He hung up the phone then finished his tea before setting his cup back down on his desk, energized for the day.

[yanny-77]

20 Questions for Writers tag game!

Thank you for the tag @witch-and-her-witcher! I have been waiting to get tagged in this one!!!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 19!! 13 of them have been updated in 2024. I've been busy!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 377,473 words

3. What fandoms do you write for? I have works for A Court of Thorns and Roses, Crescent City, and Throne of Glass, but these days, I primarily write for Fourth Wing

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? - The Underpants Heist: 332 - Sweet Waters of Spring: 236 - I Don't Feel Safe With You Anymore: 153 - A Tragedy of Fawns and Fate: 134 - Dear Brennan: 116 - Me, You, and My Roommate: 86 (honorable mention since SWOS is no longer available on AO3)

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes! It might not be right away but I will respond to them. Seriously comments make my day and I read them over and over again before I respond. I went through a period after I got sick where I didn't respond to comments and this is one of my only fandom regrets.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I Don't Feel Safe With You Anymore is my Post-Iron Flame Xaden POV fic. The ending is ambiguous and neither option is happy.

Honorable mention to my ToG Epilogue: The Ice King & The Witch Queen

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? You, Me, and My Roommate is a threesome based on HOSAB where everyone finishes. I'd say that's a happy ending.

Honorable Mention: Tell Me a Secret, a cute Bodhi/Ridoc one shot

8. Do you get hate on fics? My SJM fics got hate on the r/acotar subreddit and now I don't go there anymore. Never on AO3 or tumblr

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I do write smut! I primarily write M/M smut but I also write M/M/F threesomes and M/F smut. I am open to other combinations too, if the right story strikes. I usually write Porn with Plot rather than just smut for the sake of smut so I need compelling ideas first.

I'm most proud of the smut in Pink Pony Club. It's Fourth Wing fic but @suebswrites requested that I make it like the Court of Nightmares scene from ACOMAF

10. Do you write crossovers? Yes. I have two fics with Crescent City/ACOTAR crossovers and I am planning a crossover for The Empyrean and All For the Game thanks to @hoeelliexx. I just can't start it until I finish TUH.

A Day to Remember: Flynn x Gwyn A Tragedy of Fawns and Fate: Flynn's Dad x Elain

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Nope

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? I am not cool enough for that ahahaha

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? YES. I love co-writing. I've co-written with @suebswrites and @korrinamoe

Dear Brennan Garrick's Snorkel The Moment I Knew

14. What is your all-time favorite ship? Either Azris or Bodoc...Or Tristan Flynn x Me.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? A Tragedy of Fawns and Fate. I recently revived this fic and published five new chapters so it's not impossible, but I won't make any promises. There's a lot of baggage with this fic because I was very sick while writing it and went through a very difficult time mentally as I struggled to cope with chronic illness. It just brings up a lot of feelings when I work on it

16. What are your writing strengths? I get comments on my dialogue and authenticity and those are both things that I'm really proud of in my writing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I get caught up in the dialogue and actions and forget to set the scene. I think this is because I don't need a lot fo details to generate a vivid image in my head so it's not a priority when I write. I think people are seeing what I'm seeing until my betas say "Hold up? Where the fuck are they right now?"

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I only read English so it can be difficult for me to follow fics with large amounts of untranslated dialogue. This is 100% a me problem though. I took Spanish for eight years and the best I can do is "Más cerveza por favor" and "¿Dónde está el baño?" I don't even drink so that first one is completely useless to me.

That being said, if you include context clues or translations for me, I'm golden. It can be a really fun way to add characterization to fics.

19. First fandom you wrote for? ACOTAR. I've written fics in my head before but it wasn't until I read ACOTAR that I started writing them down. I think I first published in 2022?

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Pink Pony Club. If you only read one of my fics, let it be this one. I put my entire heart into this one and I'm so stinking proud of it. This fic features Drag Queen Bodhi Durran and his journey to self-acceptance.

---

Tagging: @sarahydeart @alltoowellread @suebswrites @hoeelliexx @sarcasticmothwrites

[ghostoffuturespast]

WIP Whenever

Tagged by @streetkid-named-desire! Thanks for thinking of me!

Writing

Quite literally nothing has happened in this department since I finished So It Goes two weeks ago. Taking a bit of a forced writing sabbatical because my work schedule has been insane (and will continue to be insane until August, summer's my busy season) and I've just had a bunch of random social/housekeeping things I've had to take care of on my weekends. Hopefully things'll settle down soon.

I've got a lot of smaller projects on the back burners at the moment that I've been mulling over, but I haven't had the time to do any actual writing. Been jotting down notes when they come to me though. I also need to go back and give SIG a polish too (and take notes lol), there's a lot of formatting and continuity things that need to be fixed.

And I'd like to try out some other writing software/apps. Google Docs is great for working across multiple devices and any general word processor is fine for shorter writing projects, but considering how massive SIG ended up being and the likelihood that Part 2 Electric Boogaloo is probably gonna be a similar length... It'd be nice to have something that's got a wider array of tools, better file organization, and won't crap out on me after hitting a character limit.

(If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them! I've got a couple of candidates so far but candid reviews would be appreciated.)

VP

Still taking VP even though I haven't booted Cyberpunk up in like three weeks. I have a substantial backlog to work through and have the tail-end of the base game missions to post still. I am currently at the beginning of PL again and did take photos of the main missions getting into Dogtown. Got some pretty epic shots if I do say so myself.

Gardening

Trying to see about getting my front yard and my hellstrip converted into a pocket prairie! This is the preliminary design, which makes no sense without the plant list, but hopefully once this gets approved by my HOA I can start working on it. I'm planning on doing my own installation, so this'll definitely be a whole summer project.

Reading

I've been very slowly getting back into reading again! It's been nice. Mostly non-fiction books I can get away with reading at work, but I'm coming around to read folks fics too. It's just finding some free time to sit in my new reading chair rn...

Tagging with no pressure: @fly-amanitaa @merge-conflict @vox-monstera @baublekute @shimmer-like-agirl @mynonsenseistingling @dani-the-goblin

[ladytauria]

💖 and 🧠 from the ask game <33

💖 What do you like most about your own writing?

my writing voice! i used to hate re-reading my own writing but now i can do so comfortably, even when i pick up on mistakes i missed or things i would change <3

i'm also fairly proud of my imagery, lol. that was something i worked hard to develop, and while i DO forget to like... describe things still when im writing, when i do remember/go back to add that in i feel more confident in my results lol

🧠 What’s an idea you have that you can’t quite call a WIP yet?

i have SO MANY of these

okay. i counted up the ones i have fleshed out outlines for, since there's more to talk about, and then i rolled a die <3

so! it's a jaytim fic inspired by the lyric, "why do you make me want to leave the world behind?" from the song stardust by new politics. the rest of the song doesn't actually fit, & i'll probs end up not using that line as the title, lol.

my outline for it is almost more of a not-fic than an outline, so... i'll just paste that in here, ig. pls excuse my brackets <3

why do you make me want to leave the world behind?

Jason couldn’t tell you what the final straw was. Maybe it was the last argument he got into with Bruce. Maybe it was hearing Joker’s laugh, again, echoing through the streets of Gotham. Maybe it was the gunshot he took to the shoulder, a few weeks ago. It— The point is, it could have been any number of things. Whatever the final straw, one thing is clear: he can’t do this any more.

And it’s not that he wants to abandon Crime Alley, or his people, it’s just—

He’s tired. He’s been tearing himself apart for the mission since he was twelve. He died, even—only to come back and keep doing it. And now… He’s just… done. He wants to live, and he can’t do that when the mission controls his life. He needs out.

Thing is…

He can’t leave Tim.

Tim is… somewhere along the way, Tim has become his rock. They’ve moved in together. When Jason suits up, Tim is at his side. When Tim needs stitches, it’s Jason holding the needle. When Jason comes home, knuckles bruised and lip split, it’s Tim there with the ice pack. And when they’re finished tending each other’s wounds, large and small, they fall into bed together—sore but together.

Jason doesn’t want to give that up.

He knows Tim won’t leave Gotham. Knows that Tim views Robin/Red Robin as the most important thing he’s ever done, the thing that gives him purpose, makes him feel real. He can’t ask him to leave it. He can’t.

But he’s not sure he can stay, either.

It’s a big, tangled mess, and Jason is no closer to figuring out what to do when Tim approaches him one evening. He sits down with him, holding his tablet, looking like he’s got something on his mind. He doesn’t bother with much preamble.

“My parents bought a place in [idk, some nice coastal or country area] a long time ago. A small vacation home, I think. It was one of those things we didn’t lose when Dad went bankrupt. I think… It looks like a nice place to retire, don’t you think so?”

Jason can hardly believe what he’s hearing, even as he agrees with feeling. He has to pinch himself once or twice, as they start making plans. They’re as methodical about it as they are everything else, hashing out all the details. It doesn’t feel real; not even when they inform the others, not when they start packing. Not even when they finally make the move, or unpack, or settle into the house.

It’s not until the second morning that it starts to sink in. This is real. It’s happening.

They grow roots. Befriend the neighbors. Tim gets back into photography, dragging Jason out with him on long walks to capture the scenery. He gets a job, too, working on cars, and talks Jason into pursuing a degree, the way he always wanted.

They gets visits and calls from the bats, and their friends—some more than others—and they usually even remember to leave business out of it. It’s… everything Jason wanted, honestly—though it’s not always easy. There are still nightmares, restless nights, and times when neither of them can watch or read the news without the urge be out there. Especially when there’s a crisis.

The worst of it, though, is the itching, nagging feeling in Jason’s chest. The thing that tells him it’s too easy. Too simple. Eventually something has to break—and each nightmare, each restless night makes Jason more and more certain it’s going to be Tim. One day, he’s going to wake up and decide that a quiet life with Jason isn’t what he wants after all.

He’ll leave.

Jason keeps his worries to himself. Just—tries to bottle up the good days, tucking them close under his heart, to keep him warm when he’s alone.

Before he knows it, though, a year passes. Tim still hasn’t left. Jason wakes up first, like he always does, and puts on the coffee before starting breakfast. Tim stumbles out of their bedroom just after Jason finishes the pancake batter. Even with a regular sleep schedule, he’s still not a morning person.

He goes for Jason first; winding his arms around his waist and sneaking a kiss before he pours his coffee. He slips out of the way, leaning against the wall to sip his coffee and watch Jason. And somewhere between the first batch of pancakes and the fourth, he glances over, and—he sees it.

Tim is smiling at him over the rim of his cup, still a little hazy from sleep. His eyes are no longer laden with bags. His skin is clear, a little tan. He’s got freckles, just a few, dotting his face. There’s a light, a glow to him that once Jason only saw in glimpses.

He’s happy.

Here.

With Jason.

It knocks the breath from him. He doesn’t know what his face is doing—only that Tim is at his side in an instant, coffee forgotten on the counter. Wrapped in Tim’s arms, Jason finds himself spilling everything, every thought and fear that’s plagued him for the last year. When he’s done, Tim smiles sadly, his hold turning into something like a cradle, despite their size difference.

“Robin was the most important thing in my life for a long time. First because watching you both, knowing what I knew… made me feel part of something bigger. Something amazing. And then because it gave me purpose. I was doing something that mattered, and so that made me feel like I mattered. And being good at it… It made me feel like I belonged, like I was wanted.” He strokes Jason’s cheek. “But… It always felt like it could be taken away. There were times when I thought it had been. And then… us. Jason, I don’t need Robin anymore. You make me feel like I matter—and I don’t… I don’t have to… to be perfect, or prove myself. I can just be here, with you, and that’s enough. I’m enough. And that… It means everything, Jay.”

Jason is tearing up. Supposedly, he’s the one who’s good with words—and Tim has pages of love poetry and sweet letters tucked away that can attest to that—but right now? He has none. All he can do is kiss him, and hope that everything he wants to say comes through.

The gratitude. The awe. The agreement. Tim does matter, and he doesn’t have to do anything to earn it, because Jason loves him. And fuck—the reason Jason stayed, the reason he couldn’t just leave on his own was because with Tim…

Tim has always taken him as he is. He doesn’t ask Jason to be anything more than he is, and because of that… Jason wants to be. He feels like the best version of himself when they’re together, and to hear that he gives Tim that same feeling—

It’s everything.

Tim’s coffee grows cold. Breakfast burns.

Neither of them care.

[ fic writer ask game ]

[skibasyndrome]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

Thank you so much @darktwistedgenderplural, @wilmonsfolklore, @iwouldnevergetintofanfic & @earlgrey-lateatnight for tagging me in this!!!! This is so much fun!!! 💜💜💜💜💜

How many works do you have on Ao3?

17! (but only 12 of those "count", the other 5 are 6+ years old)

What's your total Ao3 word count?

107,628

What fandoms do you write for?

Young Royals

Top five fics by kudos

You crave the Applause / Yet hate the Attention

Lavender Haze

It's in the water, baby

Never Letting You Go

Close, Closer

Do you respond to comments?

Yessssss, I really want to reply to every comment I get because I appreciate people taking their time to write them a lot, but sadly I've been super busy this semester and so there are quite a few still waiting to be responded to. But!!! I've seen them, I have and continue to feel over the moon about them and some day you'll all get your replies!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

If we're only talking about the current fandom... none? I don't think I've ever given anything an angst ending. I don't even know if I'd be able to do that with Wilmon

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

By that logic, all the rest lmao. I think the ending that made me personally most giddy/happy for my blorbos was probably Lavender Haze because the potential, the big feelings that don't have a name yet, the I-really-wanna-see-you-again of it all? Yeah that one feels the happiest.

Do you get hate on fics?

Not usually, no. Although I had one salty anon who apparently thinks writing about characters being attracted to each other qualifies as fetishizing the actors? Lot to unpack there.

Do you write smut?

Yepppp

Craziest crossover:

I don't think I've ever written anything that could be considered a crossover

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yeah, in the early days of me writing fics people would go around and just... copy a whole fic and post it to their blog instead?

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I get comments asking me if people can translate my fics, but I haven't seen a translation thus far, no.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope! Would love to try it some time though

All time favourite ship?

Wilmon all the waaaaayyy

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Ugh the list is so long. One thing that I'd LOVE to write but I'm just not sure I've got it in me worldbuilding-wise is a fic where wilmon are ancient greek heroes to be

What are your writing strengths?

I've been told that "filth with feelings" is one of my strengths. Oh and some of my favorite compliments have been ones that said I was good at really getting into a character's (let's be real, it's Wille's) psyche

What are your writing weaknesses?

How long do you have lmao? Idk where to start, hmm. I think I just always question myself and every choice a little too much in general, I have a very weird mix of perfectionism and impatience going on, I start too many new things before old ones are finished, my English isn't as good as it could be, I don't know when to stop rambling...

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I really don't see why you wouldn't use it. I think it's a nice little touch, at least I like it a lot on YR fanfic. It needs to make sense of course, but why not have a casual little "nej" somewhere, I think that's fun!

First fandom you wrote in?

One Direction, in ye olden days (2012) lol

Favourite fic you've written?

Oh this is difficuuuuult, aaaaah. But tbh I like Lavender Haze and the sequel All this shit is new to me a lot. Those are my sweet, sweet babies, because, I think I've said this before, this is my first multichaptered Wilmon fic that isn't "just" pwalp (=porn with a little plot) and I feel like I get to try myself out a lot with All this shit. I like the process of writing it and as for Lavender Haze, there are just some tiny elements in there that I feel immensely proud of.

I'm gonna (very much no pressure) tag @grapehyasynth, @oneofthosebells, @toffeelemon, @goldenwilmon & @piebingo and anyone else who sees this and hasn't been tagged yet (and if I'm double-tagging, apologies!) 💜

[ussjellyfish]

Elemental asks: Lightning, spirit and fall

Lightning: What’s the most shocking plot twist you’ve ever come up with?

Once I blew up Earth. It was while I was watching Battlestar Galactica and I felt kind of grim dark, so I did. It happened off screen, but then my characters (from Stargate Atlantis) could never go home again and had to build a new home.

Spirit: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received on your writing?

I get so many little beautiful compliments. People make me art sometimes. Once someone had me sign a fic I wrote. People name their sims after babies I gave the characters in a fic...It's really lovely how much quiet, mind-blowingly wonderful feedback fanfic writers can get, and I'm so grateful I can experience that connection, because it's so wonderful to have a sense of community.

Fall: Have you ever completely abandoned a WIP?  What led to that decision.

A few times. Once I came back 18 months later and finished it because someone asked nicely on a podcast.

I have two that I'm stalled on right now.

In Small Packages - Michael Burnham/Laira Rillak, Mirror Philippa Georgiou/Katrina Cornwell. It's a little sequel to Firefly where the canon-ish Michael meets a little kid from Firefly and then meets the other Laira, who has lived a very different life. (Laira and Michael are together and really domestic in one universe, not together in the other)

It needs one more chapter and I'm pretty sure what happens and I need to sit down and write it and...I haven't yet. I was going to write two more, one where Michael gets to the other universe but that's a lot of world building and dialogue with many people and that part is intimidating me so...it might get one chapter from Laira's pov where Michael comes back and tells her what she saw, because that sounded nice.

I haven't updated that since April.

The other one I've stalled on is Quantum Variations on a Love Theme (Michael Burnham/Laira Rillak), which is really long, and me stalling on that one is entirely me having feelings that aren't helping the fic.

The people I wrote that one with (where we talked about the headcanons and I dedicated chapters to them) don't talk to me anymore. (they're very busy and our relationship is just...changing. We're growing apart, and that's okay. that happens, but opening up that file makes me sad. Sharing it with them really meant so much to me and one of them stopped reading many chapters ago and the other didn't even tell me when she'd read the finale and I am sad about that.

It's a really good birth scene. I killed it and...the people I was most immersed with, that I told everything too, are gone. It doesn't really matter to them. I don't really matter to them, and that's really hard. (this isn't true, of course, people grow away and it doesn't mean they don't love me, it's just not perhaps in the way I'd like to be loved).

So that fic represents...loss and my feelings of abandonment, and it's hard for me to go back to it and say, well, this is mine. It doesn't matter if you're not here and you're not going to bounce ideas off with me and you're not going to read it, I can still tell this story. I still want to tell this story.

It's the 12th longest fic in entire Star Trek Discovery tag and I've been working on it since January 2022. Often I struggle with what happens after the baby arrives in a long fic where someone is pregnant. Babies are great, but they're also exhausting and the characters are exhausted and the falling action is hard for me. The character's arc was getting through that process and she did and now...

So I'm a little lost on that one. I think I could wrap it up ish in a chapter, and I'll probably get there just not as soon as I'd like.

It also wouldn't be terrible if it ended there. The characters are happy, they went on a great journey together and I had fun writing it and it has some of my best work in it, it just feels sad instead of joyful at the moment.

[seblaineworld]

Hey, Seblainers! Hellooooo, everyone else!

10 Days Of Seblaine 2023

One week to go, so without further ado, here's what you need to know.

The Rules

When?

The event runs from Monday, 6th November until 23:59 (of your own timezone) on Wednesday, 15th November 2023.

Who can take part?

Anyone and everyone who shares our love of Seblaine!

What can we submit?

Anything, as long as it is Seblaine-related! Fics, Graphics, Gifs, Gifsets, Videos, Manips, Playlists, Lyrics - anything you like as long as it fits the themes! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.

Please remember to use #seblaineworld and #10daysofseblaine2023 within the first five tags, and also put @seblaineworld somewhere in your posts, since we all know just how flaky Tumblr can be about tags!

Be sensible and considerate. We're all very well aware that not everyone shares our love of Seblaine, and even within our own tiny (but always fierce!) Seblainer Fandom, there are those who don't enjoy mature content, so please ensure you tag everything you submit, appropriately.

Can I cross-post/combine themes?

Yes! You can combine any of the themes that you want. And if your contribution does combine multiple themes, you can post on whichever day you prefer. Just remember, if your contribution covers one or more themes, then properly tag all days, regardless of which day you actually post on.

Do I need to submit something for every day?

Absolutely not. If you want to contribute something for every day, then of course you can, but it's not a requirement at all. We know everyone has busy lives, so just do what you can when you can.

Can I post a WIP or work if it fits the themes, even if I started it weeks/months/years before the 10 Days Of Seblaine 2023 announcement?

Absolutely! Your Admin has done this before and feels it's a great way to refresh creativity and blow the cobwebs off that piece you just KNOW you'll finish one day, but never quite seem to have the time. So feel free to post anything you've already started - providing it fits one of the themes!

On that note, do remember that the free day is exactly that. A day on which you can write about/create for, any theme you like! Did your favourite theme just narrowly miss out on being in the top 10? If so, here's your chance to do something about it and make a submission using that theme!

When do we start posting?

As soon as it becomes Monday 6th November in your own timezone, post your work to your Tumblr blog, and as mentioned above, please tag it #seblaineworld and #10daysofseblaine2023 then make sure those two are in your first five tags. Please also put @seblaineworld somewhere in your post.

If you're going to be posting your work to another site like AO3 or ff.net, post a properly tagged link on your Tumblr.

A 10 Days Of Seblaine collection will be added to AO3.

Can I post early?

Sorry, no. 🙃 Tumblr, however, does let you schedule posts so you can schedule the post for the right day, even if you're not going to be around that day. Of course this gets a little harder to navigate if you’re also posting to another site like AO3/ff.net, so if this is going to be a problem, let me know and I'll figure it out.

Can I post late?

Now for the good news - yes! I know how time can occasionally run away from us all, so as long as everything is tagged properly you can post (for example) your day 3 piece on day 7 and that won't be a problem. Everything posted will be reblogged until Friday, November 24th.

You haven't reblogged my work yet!

No problem! Again, because Tumblr can be (very!) erratic, just send me an Ask or message if I haven't reblogged your work within 24 hours of you posting it, and I will get onto it right away.

So, that's it for now! I'm excited to see all your work, and hope you'll join me for this bumper celebration of Seblaine on Monday 6th November. Just drop me an Ask or message if you have a question that's not been addressed here, and I'll see you all a week today!

Ail 💜

[justhere4thevibez]

annual writing self-evaluation

thank you @pipergirl17 and @erythromanc3r for tagging me!

1. List of works published this year (in no particular order):

oh gosh, I've been busy-busy this year with fanfic, so here goes!

Complete works:

... And a Hellcheer New Year 

Galentines and Valentines

Hold Onto Me

Devil in the Woods

Every Time I Run, I Run to You

Eddie and Chrissy Go to a Wedding 

Knocking Me Out With Those American Thighs

Cooking Up Something Sweet

Please Don't Say You Love Me

Let Me Start Over Again

You Got Me Good

Be My Breath (Through the Deep, Deep Water)

This Old Man

Do You Wanna Touch Me

My Words Will Be Your Light

She'll See I'm Not So Tough 

She Knows What She Wants

Give Me a Taste

The Right Kind of Sinner

Release My Inner Fantasy

Hooked on a Feeling

Whiskey & Wine

The Graveyard Smash

Long Is the Road Out of Hell 

In a Sentimental Mood

Set My Soul On Fire

Burnin' Out of Control

WIPs:

Looking For Something Dumb To Do

I Can't Get Rid of You 

If You Fall, I Will Catch You 

2. Work you are most proud of (and why):

hmmmmm, that's a tough one! I love them all for different reasons, but I will say I'm very proud of Long Is the Road Out of Hell because it's my longest fanfic to date (almost 60k!) and at one point I really wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish it. but I did!

3. Work you are least proud of (and why):

tbh if I'm not proud of something, I won't publish it. but I think the work that frustrated me the most was Whiskey & Wine, my kinktober fic. I pushed myself too hard with too big of a goal and burnt myself out halfway through. but I did learn the importance of setting boundaries for myself (and why I need to be careful committing to challenges 😅)

4. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

not gonna lie, once I publish something, the words tend to leave my brain, so I don't always remember what I write lol. I should probably keep a doc of good lines from my fics so I have something to present when people ask me 😂 but here are two excerpts that I'm pretty proud of.

Devil in the Woods: He had loved her since the first time he opened his eyes to find her snuggled up on his chest. He had loved her longer, since the moment he’d held her in his arms on that endlessly rainy night. And longer still, he’d loved the little girl who played jacks with him on May Day and laughed at his wild antics.

Hooked on a Feeling: He knew he could be… a lot, as kinder people said. A goddamn nuisance, according to everyone else. He didn’t mean to be, he just tended to… latch on to things. Kind of like a bulldog (but in a nice and lovable way, thank you, Jeff). And right now he had ChrissyChrissyChrissy clamped tight between his jaws, and he hoped to god she didn’t ask him to let go.

5. Share or describe a favorite comment you received:

I have a few regular commenters who give me the longest, loveliest comments where they literally analyze each chapter section by section 😭 it makes me feel so loved. but as for one individual comment, I distinctly remember a commenter from one of my early fics commenting on a really tough scene I did re: chrissy's eating disorder. they said that they also had an eating disorder, and that chapter was very healing for them. I don't think I'll ever get another comment as powerful as that.

6. A time when writing was really, really hard:

I go in and out of mild anxious/depressive episodes, mostly due to outside stressors, and that makes it really hard to write. writing is the one constant joy in my life, and when I don't even feel like doing that, I know something is very, very wrong. but luckily, they don't usually last too long!

7. A scene or character that you wrote that surprised you:

mike's redemption arc in Long Is the Road! that one was a total curveball to me, and it only came about because it was the closest place I could think of to have Chrissy walk to after her mom kicked her out. total accident, but it spawned on of my favorite sibling-ships for chrissy that I've ever written!

also writing wayne's pov! i never intended to do that, but once I started, his voice just kind of stuck in my head 😂

8. How did you grow as a writer this year:

I wrote a lot. like over 300k of fanfic. and i even got back into writing some original fiction, which I'm so excited about!

I also started writing smut for the first time in 2023, which was something I never anticipated doing, let alone enjoying! but it's been super fun

9. How do you hope to grow next year:

I'd like to work more on my original fiction, maybe get a short story published. I'd also like to get better at world-building! I tend to get so focused on the characters that I forget they exist in a place I should spend some time creating lol

10. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

@slumped-in-the-arms-of-fiction all the way! she's been such a wonderful beta reader, cheerleader, and overall positive influence on my writing. I Can't Get Rid of You wouldn't ever have happened without her support and feedback!

11. Anything in your real life show up in your writing this year:

ooh, buddy! pieces of myself get sprinkled all over the damn place 😂 but as for specifics...

Galentines and Valentines opening scene was reminiscent of the girls' nights me and my college friends used to have (and still have sometimes)

Hooked on a Feeling had elements of my own past experiences of being laid up in a hospital (and being very annoyed about it)

This Old Man was absolutely inspired by my love of Columbo

You Got Me Good definitely included some of my own thoughts and feelings about when I get a little too high 😂

12. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

give your writing time.

it's so tempting when you have a new idea to jump on it and then get frustrated when it doesn't immediately turn out the way you want, but I've found that if I give myself time to think over a piece before I write it, and let it sit for a little while after I write it, I'm much happier with the end results!

13. Any new projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

finishing my three WIPs! and hopefully a little christmas fic 😂 I don't have anything else immediately in the works, thank god!

14. Tag three writers/artists whose answers you’d like to read:

@1lostsoul0fishbowl @pearlypairings @rose-n-gunses and anybody else!!!

[eldrith]

HIYAA! It’s me, the new tumblr acc person who asked u abt the text thing on ur own intro post, and i was wanting to ask for some tips on writing?

Ok so hold on let me compliment u first cuz u are actually so amazing!!! i’ve been following ur stuff for a while now (not rlly, since like summer 24 but shh) and honestly ur writing is so stunning and beaand breathtaking and legit made me pull up the dictionary like every two seconds (mostly cuz eng isnt my first language), like if shakespear himself was reborn to this time and age i’m convived he was born as u, cuz ur talent is INSANE?? like AAAAAAAAAAAA

anyway now that i got that out of my system (not rlly, i could write an entire essay on how beautiful and amazing ur writing is) i was hoping to ask for tips on writing? like general stuff yk? also i heard that its good to have a few drafts ready for when u start posting so it wont take long to get content out?

ughh srry for the ramble im stressing😭 also i kinda giggled when u said my blog will def be cute cuz the aesthetic it has rn………. 😀 its far from cute lol😭 i still think its pretty :3

hi cutie! sorry it took me a moment to answer this i've been so busy!!

first of STOP IT bc youre so sweet (& if you've been following me since summer '24 then you've been here the whole time bc i made this account in july!!! <3) the dictionary part ahahaha i get it!!! you're so kind to say such things i appreciate you & im so happy you like my writing!!

dw about rambling i literally don’t stop taking ever. & i believe you that ur blog is SO cute!!!!

i would be happy to share some tips ! i obviously am not the best source bc im not a professional writer and to each their own – but here's a (very long im sorry) list of what i recommend:

in terms of tumblr,

having a 'backlog' of fics in your arsenal is a great thing. i think even a plethora of diferent wips can be a great thing too (there's 11 unfinished wips in my folder rn that may not see the light of day), even if you're a slow writer (like me). that being said, it doesn't have to be that way — sometimes i post things right after finishing them just bc i want to share it!!!

along that vein, i know a lot of my moots here have schedules or structuring to posts. alerting their followers or posting teasers before (i do like to do this often), or scheduling fics to be posted on a certain day/time. i think this is wonderful; though i haven't been able to keep myself to such a routine, and literally just let things rip whenever.

time zone reblogging is a good way to ensure any readers around da globe see your fic! you can figure out some of the main time zones and schedule reblogs of your fics for those times. i sometimes do this too!

create your post draft w/ title/headers/warnings & tags etc beforehand bc it is SUCH a drag to do when you’re about to post a fic!!!

again, people are for the most part very kind here; don't feel like you have to be churning out fics just to keep people's attention. your writing will be wonderful & they will (they WILL. or else i will Get Them) be grateful that you chose to share it!!

in terms of general writing, i actually have so many thoughts on writing and preferences, but i dont want to be insane on main so here's just a few things off the dome—

love your story!! i think people's best works are when they become deeply invested with their own plot/characters. it's why i chose to leave certain characters, because i was no longer loving/enjoying my stories.

withhold information from your readers. i am a huge believer in the theory of omission. this seems to be a bit controversial on here; but i personally am in support of Hemingway's iceberg theory. overwhelming readers with information is boring. let them use their imagination to keep them & yourself from getting burnt out, & allow them to see what they'd like to within those gaps.

write first & edit later. this is something that took me a while to get into the habit of bc i always feel the need to fix things immediately. but it helps the writing process to get out your thoughts and structure first, then fine-comb it after. it saves energy & time!!!

especially in longer fics, avoid logical fallacy — ie., arguments that do not have adequate support. if your characters are fighting and it is for a reason that is not believable (same with a larger scale, like war), then it isn't as realistic nor entertaining to read!!! (i could elaborate but i could write so much on all of this HAH)

USE THE FIVE SENSES. all of them. they are your friend for creating imagery and i use them all the time. this also helps to avoid white room syndrome.

speaking of imagery: make use of both literal and figurative.

literal — obvious & realistic description of anything. ex; describing how black the wings of a raven are. simple& makes a huge difference in world building. figurative — my favorite; words and descriptions that imply certain ideas & need to be interpreted. describing how shadows slither around corners; implying distrust or paranoia, thoughts of serpents, etc. (this is where you have to have faith in your readers �� perhaps i put too much faith in them sometimes lmao.)

my favorite way to ensure a cohesive work is to always anchor a motif. i always write with a clear recurring element in my works (could be some device, reference of some sort, words/verbal formula) which appears habitually. in every piece ive written there is at least one motif & usually more (i could cite examples but im not going to rn). it’s my favorite way of conveying emotion & importance. it help sets mood — and ties your whole fic together.

George Orwell has written a lot about never using the passive where you can use the active... this is obviously a preference; i have read countless astounding fics here that write in the passive, but i personally find myself more engaged in active tense. you’re IN the story, not being told of it.

DO NOT USE AI BOTS TO HELP GENERATE YOUR WRITING. ai is incredibly harmful to art; i understand folks who have english not as their native language attempt to use bots to 'polish' their writing, although it is so incredibly obvious when it is used — because computers use patterns. AI CANNOT CREATE, it can only replicate. it can only steal. they use repetitive words, phrases, and structures; all chat GPT fics read, in one way or another, the same; and have a non-human touch which is ingenuine. writers are beautiful and unique because they are different, because we all have a different relationship with english and writing. i often wonder if my translations come out incorrectly because my mother tongue is not english (however i've spoken it basically all my life, so i acknowledge it is different); though i think the charm in authors is their choice in expression. i hope people are confident with themselves, no matter their perceived skill level. i hope they know a robot will take away their intrinsic skill and natural talent. i hope they know it is incredibly obvious when chat bots are used to generate writing. and i see it in this fandom all the fucking time.

writers on writing; ie., some sources that help me:

ray bradbury on: I’ve kept everything I’ve ever cared about since childhood.' or: why personal experience is integral to writing fiction. (1963)

anaïs nin on how the excess of emotion is essential to writing.

ten rules of writing by nietzsche.

vonnegut/kafka: uncertainty is the crucible of creativity. or: the shapes of stories.

writing morally grey characters (character depth)

donna tartt on the writing process: an interview (must watch!!! shes my god)

okay i am DONE yapping. i hope some of this helps & if u have any comments or questions or anything im happy to hear what u think!!

[martsonmars]

Hello hello! Thanks @blackberrysummerblog @larkral @wellbelesbian @hushed-chorus and @forabeatofadrum for the tags! I'll check out your posts later.

I'm being so out of character and posting again because I am still writing! I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that I should be desperately studying instead...but I have two WIPs for you today.

1. New snippet from my baby Snowbaz fic. I was making a lot of progress but then I got distracted by my other WIP...but it's okay. Other WIP is close to being finished so I'll get back to this one soon.

“I don't want to go home,” Baz sighs. He pushes himself up and picks up his crown. “I want to be the princess one more time.”

Simon huffs. “I rescued you eight times today, can we do something else?”

Baz considers it for a long moment. (Pretends to consider it.) (He's really good at pretending.) “No. I like it when you rescue me.”

It takes the hint of a shy smile to convince Simon.

“One last time,” he concedes, and Baz grins. He's missing two front teeth now, too, just like Simon. “But tomorrow I want to be the princess.”

Baz pretends not to hear it.

Second WIP and tags under the cut!

2. This one is a silly little thing that I intended to finish in a day, but The Horrors didn't allow it. Hopefully today or tomorrow...I'm so close... I will not reveal the premise but I'm having so much fun with it and I hope you will too.

He just needs to say yes, and Snow will hand him thirty-six grams of chocolate and bubbly mint from the tray he's just finished restocking, and maybe their fingers will touch in an endless, momentary instant that bears all the intensity of Michelangelo's Creation...and then Baz will be on his way, and he will not forget to pick up his bag because he's too busy unwrapping his chocolate while maintaining eye contact in the peak of his seductive act, and he will not lock himself out of his car again because he got lost staring at Snow's van pulling out of the car park and imagining freckled arms laying him in the load space, and for certain he will not count down the hours until the hundreds of famished twenty-somethings in the building finish spending their weekly allowance on overpriced snacks and the emptiness of the goods tray calls for a refill.

Baz is very booksmart but otherwise useless in this one. My favourite.

Hello and no pressure <3

@sillyunicorn @facewithoutheart @palimpsessed @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @johnwgrey @fatalfangirl @confused-bi-queer @bookish-bogwitch @letraspal @cutestkilla @ileadacharmedlife @bazzybelle @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @ivelovedhimthroughworse @artsyunderstudy @orange-peony @ic3-que3n @whogaveyoupermission @shrekgogurt @raenestee @onepintobean @stitchyqueer @technetiumai @brilla-brilla-estrellita @thewholelemon @theimpossibledemon @j-nipper-95 @imagineacoolusername @sosoapi @yellobb @theearlgreymage @rimeswithpurple @ionlydrinkhotwater @jbrrring @shemakesmeforget @katmiscellanious

[onboardsorasora]

🌈☔️

Hello Friend!!!! thank you for asking!! I was scrolling through my medieval omegaverse WIP for something nice but all the fluff comes with spoilers, so Enchanted Au: Christmas it is!

🌈 Share something soft/fluffy from your WIP.

Daniel came out of the bedroom, he had put on a pair of black skinny jeans and his vans. But no sweater or jacket. Max’s brow furrowed. “You’ll be cold.” He pointed out, and Daniel blushed before covering his face with his palm, his curls flopped forward. “I need to do laundry, I don’t have any clean sweaters. I’ll be fine.” He muttered with a shrug. Max rolled his eyes, knowing that Daniel would shiver the moment they walked into the elevator. He shook his head and walked past Daniel back to his bedroom. He grabbed a sweater from his closet and walked back out of his room with it held in front of him for Daniel to take. Daniel’s blush deepened as he ducked his head into the thick fabric, the navy sweatshirt was perfectly oversized and smelled like Max.  “Thanks.” He said shyly, ducking his head to covertly sniff the collar and get enveloped in Max’s scent again.

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

I got like 3 ideas last week that, reasonably I know I can't write them all lol

The latest one was a Renovation AU Idea. Where Max is a contractor/handyman on a job and the interior designer who hired him got fired. Daniel was hired on as the new designer and its a sort of enemies to lovers but theyre not really enemies. They just but heads a lot because their thinking/working styles are a little different. And they have a limited amount of time left on the project to get everything done.

They bicker alot and the Daniel teases Max a lot- makes a lot of tool jokes, always noticing how Max's thigh strap tool kit is snug on his legs. Theres sexual tension of course but they figure out how to work well together. Max kisses Daniel late one night. When theyre both frazzled and tired and arguing over if the chandelier needed to three or four inches lower than in the plans.

"It will be too low Daniel, the weight distribution will be off."

"well if your guys installed the fucking beams-"

Max presses him against the unfinished fireplace and kiss him hard.

They fuck nasty when the kitchen gets fully installed, testing the height of the counter tops- of course. They finish the job and start dating. They eventually open up their own business.

Thats the quickest explanation without it becoming like 1k words lmao!

[bylightofdawn]

2023 Wrap Up.

It’s officially New Years in Texas. 2023 has been a weird year for me, one that both dragged and flew by way too quickly. There’s so much pain and awfulness going on the world right now that it’s hard to not dwell on or carry that into 2024 but I’m going to try and keep this relatively light-hearted and positive if only because I want to try and start the New Year on a positive note. For me personally? I didn’t really do anything big or notable but I had some smaller but meaningful victories.

I made a New Years resolution (something I’m pretty vehemently against because I always feel disappointed in myself when I don’t follow through) that I was going to start writing again and I would try and write every day. I didn’t manage every day but boy howdy did I still keep up that resolution. The major project of course being Seeds for the Future which I clocked in at 176,456 words minus I want to say around 10,000 words which I’d previously started like 3 years ago before abandoning it. So we’ll call it 165,000 to make it even-ish.

Holy. Shit. 165,000 in one year. I did not in a million years think I had that in me. And it’s been a wild ride. At points I felt like I was being ridden by a damned demon that was demanding I write this NOW. I was especially busy the first six months or so and then I burned myself out which….completely understandable when you consider your standard basic fiction book is around 70,000+ so I wrote two fucking novels in six months length-wise. But I also wrote a bunch of other stuff. I wrote A Fragile World Between Sharp Teeth which I’m still absurdly in love with. Wrote two whole-ass Witcher fics this month and one Star Trek fic as well as some other WIPs.

By my calculations I wrote -drum roll- 233,383 words in 2023.

223,383 WORDS WRITTEN ARE YOU SHITTING ME

And actually followed through on a New Years Resolution.

I also forced myself out of my comfort zone in little ways. I pushed myself to take action on my health to try and figure out the cause of my chronic pain and while the diagnosis was a bummer as was getting diagnosed with diabetes on top of everything else this year, I am proud that I forced myself to do it. I also did silly things like bleached my hair and dyed it all manner of crazy colors.

I think for 2024 I’m going to try and hold myself accountable for my health. I desperately need to go back to therapy and as much as I hate to admit it, I need to join a gym and strengthen my body. It will be the best thing I can do for my RA if I can help strengthen my muscles and I think it will help with my pain levels. It just...it sounds like so much effort though and it scares me so we’ll see how that journey goes. I’m going to keep plugging away slowly but surely.

I’m also going to keep trying to write in 2024. I have so many fic ideas I want to write. I’m definitely not going to do anymore crazy fucking 100K fics again. It definitely takes a toll on me creatively and not going to lie, after a while it feels like I’m just kinda screaming into the void because the sad truth of the matter is, long-fic will turn readers off and they won’t click or interact with it. And eventually my imposter syndrome reared its ugly head and the last half of this year and trying to finish Seeds has been a slog for the most part and not one I enjoyed.

Now, I’m going to go pour myself a glass of Moscato, eat some stupidly expensive caprese salad and I think edit the first chapter of my Gallahir sequel. I think I might be able to get it up and posted today if I can edit the first chapter tonight. Thank you to all my tumblr buddies, both new and old who have stuck it out with me through everything. I love and appreciate y’all and I am hoping you all have a happier, more kinder year than 2023.

[eleanorfenyxwrites]

A few days ago @little-smartass tagged me to self rec 5 of my fics so here we are! Out of 84 fics published to AO3, here are the 5 (and a bonus sixth lol) in no particular order that I'd like to highlight 🥰

The Sculptor (WangXian, 27.6k)

This fic was inspired by a fabulous piece of fanart by @ceru-draws and I wrote it in a 3-day sprint/fugue state. I'm still really proud of it mostly because I think it's the tightest narrative I've managed to write yet so far, and I really enjoyed creating a modern AU but set in the American 1970's, with some of the little undercurrents of queer/counter culture that that entails. It was really fun to write, the art it's based on is beautiful, and I think it's a nice little read. (It's also part of a series, so if you like it there's more to the universe!)

2. Outta Time (3zun, 4.7k)

Okay so this one is relatively short, less than 5k words, but it's about the ✨vibes✨, alright, and they're immaculate if I do say so myself. @little-smartass and I realized last summer right about this time that we both love Orville Peck and I said I'd always pictured 3zun so vividly for the line in Outta Time that goes "Drag me to the party guess I got nowhere to go / Got a man to my left and one on my right and they're tellin' me 'bout what they know". And aren't I just a lucky duck - she had great ideas for writing a whole fic AND she drew that scene that sparked it all 😭 This fic is also the start of the Orville Peck Cinematic Universe, which is currently only 2 published fics but there are many more in the works! This is the fic for you if you like soft gay cowboys.

3. Tales From Jianghu Shopping Center (Wangxian, NieLan (implied), SangCheng (unestablished), 6.6k)

This is another one that's all about The Vibes, this time inspired by a post by @lansplaining reimagining all of the Great Sects as businesses in a seedy strip mall. It's the 90's, it's summer, it's fluffy fun and low-stakes drama for everyone! I wrote this one partially out of homesickness when I was missing the boiling hot Southeast American summers I'm used to, but also I just really have a deep love for shitty little strip malls and the weird shit you find in them so this was bound to happen either way once I saw that absolutely INSPIRED post. This is also another one that's part of a larger universe (are you sensing a theme?) and they're all slice-of-life fluffy little summer things focusing on various ships within the community. And I have more in the works!

4. After Each Midnight Begins A New Day (3zun, Wangxian (background), 54.4k)

The one that started it all! This is not only my first chaptered fic for The Untamed, it's the first chaptered fic I've ever finished in my life, and I'd been writing fic for a decade by then. I feel like I can't really rec things I've written without including this one, which was a turning point for me in the fandom both in terms of starting to really actively participate by sharing stuff I'd written (outside of tags and short one-shots) and in really letting 3zun take over my brain for what would be the next three-ish years and counting. I still go back and reread this fic every now and again and of course there are things I would change now with so much practice under my belt since I wrote it, but I do still love it as it is. (This one is also part of a larger universe with plenty of extra scenes, some of which are chaptered fics themselves....shocking, I know.)

5: You Need Tending (12k) and You Are Of Their Ilk (44k+/WIP) (Baby Wangxian)

I'm putting these two fics together for number 5 because this is my post and I make the rules now lol. I wrote the first fic and then decided that I wanted to explore the sort of ripple effects of what happens after the Lan save WWX from the streets, and then it really got away from me, so the sequel is much bigger and more emotionally fraught than the first (at least in my opinion). It just feels weird to recommend either of them without the other when they're so closely linked! It's been ages, I know, since I last updated You Are Of Their Ilk but I'm still claiming that it's a WIP - I will finish it one day, I just don't know exactly when. So if you love it and want to see it finished, don't give up hope!

So there we go! I know this is more than 5 (a LOT more than five if you include the extras and stuff for all the fics lol) but oh well. As per usual I'm terrible at knowing who to tag for these things but I'm going to give it a shot (and if you see this and you're not tagged but you want to play then consider yourself tagged by me!)

@wei--wuxian @omgpurplefattie @iamwestiec @rhysiana and/or anyone else who wants to play!