#am i procrastinating watching The Scene? maybe a little

[originalaccountname]

There's another level of fucked up that comes with the Immortal Regimen project/experiment besides the psychological impacts in the fact that the entire time, they're still losing.

They're getting blown up and healed and sent back but they always go down the same way because nothing changes. Their weapons can't hit their ennemies, they lack human power, they lack resources. They're losing on every front. It's constantly pointed out throughout that story too:

They're losing ground. They're losing men. They won't get more resources. They don't have a plan. They don't make any progress. It's a futile effort in self-destruction. Mori won't let them stop, because if they do, he thinks the government won't see the potential of using abilities for warfare like Europe does and Japan will go down. It's the height of sunk cost fallacies. There's no point in keeping this going. They're never even gonna win. It was pointless suffering from the beginning.

[n0thingbutlov3]

need you now | 2 |

in which readers true feelings are revealed.

pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader warnings/tags: angst again (whoops) miscommunication (it’s short dw) fluff, reader is hungover lol, spencer is handsomely disheveled (moans) mentions of blueberry muffins being readers favourite type of muffin (sorry for not being vague but also if you don’t like blueberry muffins??? why) some tears, some swearing, some kissing, suggestiveness at the end of you squint (WHOOPS *evil smirk*) no use of y/n!! wc: 2.1k a/n: call me slim shady because i am back!!! i procrastinated writing this because i was scared everyone was secretly judging my writing and actually hated it and a second part would be a stupid idea but THEN i realised that was a little bit silly so im here B) part one got over 1000 notes (INSANE) all the support has been so so lovely—every note, reblog, and comment means the world to me, thank you!! i hope this part is okayy, feedback is always appreciated :) i hope you enjoy it you choose to read!!! <3 p.s kissing scenes are so difficult to write, i think i done absolutely awful!!!so let’s ignore that…. if you haven’t already and you’d like to, you can read part one here!

Your eyelids twitched as the early morning sun filtered through your bedroom. What was usually a calming wake-up call now felt like being blinded.

You burrowed your face into your pillow, squeezing your eyes shut in an attempt to dull the throbbing in your head. This is why you didn’t drink often.

Asides from the obvious headache and nausea, you always seemed to wake up with a sense of dread; ‘hangxiety’—a friend had called it once. It was creeping up on you now, and even though you weren’t sure exactly what you had done, you knew it was bad. You flipped onto your back, fixing your gaze to the ceiling as if it could tell you what irreparable mistakes you had made last night.

It couldn’t, of course. The only thing you had realised is that you should probably coat it in a new layer of paint soon.

“How’re you feeling?”

You shot up, eyes widening at the sight of a man in your doorway. A man whose sleepy voice and disheveled hair threatened to make you melt, but a man who should not be in your doorway, nonetheless; Spencer.

Your brain was quick to supply you with information then, your memory coming back in hazy remnants. You were upset so you…called Spencer for the first time in months. Yikes. He didn’t answer so you turned to a bottle of high end whiskey instead—yikes, again—and passed out on your couch, only to wake up to your ex-boyfriend in your apartment. Cue more sobbing, a pathetic attempt at asking—no, more like begging—him to get back together with you, and that was it. Well, mostly. There was also the promise of discussing your breakdown in the morning. The morning, which was now.

What the fuck.

“Like I’ve been napalmed.” You weren’t sure you were just referring to your raging hangover.

That prompted a raspy kind of chuckle from him and Jesus Christ—you really shouldn’t have called, because it was going to be infinitely harder to watch him leave when he inevitably told you you were sad loser who needed to get a grip and move on—except, he’d be a lot nicer than that, wouldn’t he? Because even if things were over between you, he was still the sweetest person you had ever met and he’d never say anything to intentionally hurt you. Maybe things would be easier if he did. If he wasn’t so sickeningly perfect—if he just insulted you in the way you were certain you deserved, then maybe you’d get over him quicker.

“So, I-ah-uber’d breakfast—“

Your inner turmoil came to a screeching halt at those words.

“You uber’d? You?”

He scoffed, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

“The team’s been very into it lately and I always finish my paperwork first so it only makes sense that I—stop laughing! I can uber!”

“Sorry! I just can’t imagine the great Doctor Reid stooping to the levels of a fast food delivery app. Do you ever order to the wrong place?”

“No.” he said, unconvincingly. “Well, only once—“

You were laughing again.

He whined, turning on his heel.

“Just take your aspirin and hurry up!” He grumbled petulantly as he left the room, but you could hear the smile in his voice.

After a quick freshen up and taking the pills placed on your bedside table—as per his request—you padded through to the living room, joining Spencer on the couch.

You gasped delightedly as he pulled out muffins from a brown paper bag. To be more specific, blueberry muffins; your favourite.

“Did you know that blueberries are good for fighting hangovers? They’re rich in vitamin C, which helps break down and metabolise blood alcohol. Muffins too, they—what? Do I have something on my face—“

“No! No, sorry,” You had been caught staring—ogling, more like. “I just missed…that.”

“What? My incessant rambling?” He was joking, but you could hear the insecure twinge in his voice—the one that told him he was too much. Over the course of your relationship, you had showed him that he didn’t have to think like that around you—that he was never too much; he was perfect in your eyes. You hated that he doubted that now.

“Yes, actually.” You tried to keep your tone light, unserious. But there was nothing unserious about just how badly you had missed the man sitting beside you. How you could hear his voice in your mind when you drove late at night, giving you statistics on accidents. Or how on other late nights, you swore you could feel his hands ghosting over your skin—only to find out it was your imagination.

If he could see how truthful you were being, he didn’t acknowledge it, turning his attention back to the coffee table.

“I’ll, um, save you the facts on how beneficial coffee is for hangovers, anyway.” He smiled awkwardly, shuffling a paper coffee cup to where your muffin sat.

“Thank you,” you mumbled, “for the coffee, not the withholding of information—i’m a real fiend for coffee facts…especially when they’re related to curing hangovers!” You said a little too cheerily, trying to alleviate the awkward tension. Although, that only seemed to make it worse.

Spencer just huffed out a little laugh in response, taking the wrapper off of his muffin.

The rest of breakfast went by in silence. Not the comfortable silence you always seemed to have with Spencer—when you were together, you reminded yourself—but a strained one. The kind of silence that occurs when there’s something left unsaid, and you’re just waiting for someone to spit it out.

Spencer broke first.

“So we should probably talk…about last night.”

You finished the remainder of your coffee, setting the empty cup down before turning your whole body to Spencer, tucking your legs up underneath you.

“Right, yeah…”

A beat passed, Spencer’s eyes darting around your face—assessing you.

For someone who had imagined this conversation in your mind countless times, you certainly weren’t saying much.

“I—uh…was very drunk.”

Something in him shifted, like he was putting up imaginary walls.

“So you didn’t mean…any of it?” His brow furrowed, his nose twitching slightly.

“Well no, but I—“ You what? Meant every word you said and more? You couldn’t just say that. You had just got a small part of Spencer back and you didn’t want to ruin it by coming on too strong.

He waited for you to add something, anything, to show him that maybe, maybe there was a tiny part of you that still wanted him as badly as he wanted you. But you didn’t. You just sat there, playing with the fabric of your—his—t-shirt.

He couldn’t do it.

He was so tired of loving people only for them to leave like he had meant nothing to them. Was that all he was to you? Someone you could call when your inhibitions were lowered, looking for comfort? He would do anything to be back in your life again, but he couldn’t be a person of convenience; someone you only wanted when you were lonely.

He ran a hand through his hair, swallowing down the tightness in his throat.

“You were drunk and you got carried away, I get it. I think I better go though—“

“What? No, I—“ You bobbed your mouth like a fish, trying to find the words necessary to keep him here. There were too many of them and yet none at all. None except for three. Three words that you wished you had the courage to say months ago, or weeks ago, or last night. But you never claimed to be a courageous person, and you weren’t about to spill your heart out again only for it to end up in rejection.

Spencer stood, making his way to your bedroom to grab his shoes and coat. He didn’t care about his other clothes, he could buy more—he just needed out before he broke.

You sat dumbfounded on the couch, willing yourself to do something, say something. It was like you were frozen. And you stayed frozen. As Spencer shuffled around your bedroom, as he returned to the living room—completely avoiding your gaze—even as he searched for his keys. You hadn’t realised he had driven over here. He didn’t usually drive unless he had to get somewhere urgently. Were you someone worth seeing urgently to him?

He picked up his keys, heading for your door and only then did you realise how dire the situation was. If he left now you weren’t sure he would ever come back.

“No—wait, Spencer!” You stammered, lunging off the couch to try and stop him. He unlocked the door, moving to leave when you grabbed onto his jacket sleeve.

“Please don’t—I love you!”

“What?”

He turned to face you and you noticed just how wrecked he looked—not at all dissimilar from how you had for the last few months. Had he looked like that the whole time?

You must’ve been staring because when you came back to your senses he was calling your name exasperatedly.

“Do you mean it?”

You were fed up living like this; harbouring so much love for someone and not being able to express it. Even if he didn’t love you back, even if he was over you, you couldn’t go another moment without at least telling him how you felt.

“Yes,” you heaved, “I love you—I never stopped loving you, I was just…” You knitted your brows together, unsure how to phrase what you were feeling.

“I’ve never loved someone the way I love you and that’s…terrifying. I thought the way I felt was wrong, like—when you were on cases, I missed you so much, more than I thought humanely possible and—well, I never wanted to be the kind of girl to base her happiness on another person because that’s how you get hurt. So, I thought the only way to combat that was by…distancing myself. I thought if you weren’t in my life anymore then I’d be able to get a grip and become more independent—“ you huffed, trying to stop the wobble of your voice. “but it didn’t work, because then I was just missing you twice as much, except I couldn’t see you at all—“

“You could’ve answered my messages, we could’ve—“

“So you could return your key? Then things would actually be over. Why do you think I ignored your messages?”

“Why do you think I kept messaging? Angel, I was never going to return that key—at least not willingly—I just wanted to see you, to see if you were doing just as horribly without me as I was without you. You know, I couldn’t even focus on cases—Hotch even suggested I take some time off.”

You frowned, your voice impossibly small. “I’m sorry.”

He took a step toward you, cupping your cheeks in his hands.

“Don’t apologise, you were dealing with your emotions in the best way you knew how. I just wish…” he swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing. “I wish I hadn’t let you go so easily.”

His eyes were shining and—God, you wished you could take it all back. All the pain you had caused him, caused yourself, just because you were too scared to talk about your feelings.

“I wish I hadn’t left.” You blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill from your eyes. “Y’know, I read a book on astrophysics because it reminded me of you. I didn’t understand any of it but I couldn’t put it down. I still—“ you let out a watery chuckle. “still have it in my bedroom somewhere.”

Spencer smiled, swiping under your eye at a tear that must’ve escaped.

“Yeah? Maybe I can read it to you—help you understand it.”

“I’d like that.”

You didn't know much about celestial bodies or the ultimate fate of the universe, but you could've sworn you'd seen the stars pictured in that book in Spencer’s eyes when he looked at you.

“Say it again.” He mumbled, tilting his head down so that your faces were just inches apart.

“I love you.”

And then his lips were on yours, impossibly soft and everything you had been missing since you had broken up. He kissed you like you were the oxygen he needed and all you could do was sigh into him because you knew the feeling.

He leaned back all too soon, resting his forehead against yours.

“Well, I should probably go—“ He smirked, but you cut him off before he could continue his teasing.

“You’re not funny.”

He narrowed his eyes, sucking his teeth.

“I don’t know, I—“

You pressed a firm hand on his chest, bunching the cotton of his t-shirt into a fist.

“Stop. Stay—we can have a pyjama day and maybe for dinner, you can show me just how tech savvy you’ve become and uber us some food—“

He rolled his eyes, kicking the door shut before pressing his lips to yours with more force this time.

“Stop talking.”

[im-a-king-baby]

hi ! first of all; i read ELYN over the easter weekend and stayed up till like five am waiting for it to get happy so i could sleep (i gave up) and i loved it so so much. It just feels like such a tangible, realistic outcome for them (if we ignore s3) it made me ache in that exact anxious yearning way the actual show does. Big ask and 100% appreciate it if the answer is no but are you planning to write more for them in that universe? Would love to see them when Wille is at university, or see Wille simply make some (oblivious?) uni friends, or see Sara and Simon interact again or honestly literally anything and everything.

secondly, and who knows maybe (probably) you’re aware of this but the photos/images in the fic do not appear as images but just as a text/error box? Is that intentional or did they break? I kept finding myself curious as to what image was put with the chapters haha

Hi!!! I hope you had a good easter... and went to sleep at some point... 😅

Thank you for alerting me about the images! I was not aware of that :( Although I guess that makes all those hours hardcoding the text threads and tumblr posts so they would work without images worth it 😂

I have gone through it all again and updated the image links so they are working for me now (let me know if they're still broken for you?).

There's nothing in them that's required to follow the fic, you just get to judge the time I spent procrastinating by making album covers and then sorting all the random pop songs I'd invented into albums (something that was definitely vital even though no one but me cares about the difference in vibe between Simme eras 🤣).

If you are just interested in the art, these are the 4 covers I used in the fic:

Sadly this fic was always destined to lose canon status after season 3 (although I am going to keep believing August's arc could go the ELYN route until proven otherwise).

Regarding sequels, prooobably not? Sorry :( I have more notes for Simon pov scenes during and before than anything set after because I'm not sure what more I have to say, (other than wanting to write something of ELYN Wille with Edvin's new haircut but basically all I've got is this:

For a moment Simon thinks Wilhelm isn’t even here, then the bleached blond head turns and it’s Wilhelm’s face and Wilhelm’s eyes and Wilhelm’s mouth dropping open in surprise at seeing Simon in the doorway. “You’re here,” Wilhelm says. “How are you -?” “You cut your hair.” It’s dumb. Obviously. But Simon hasn’t slept and Wilhelm’s hair is almost white, sharp and bristled, and Simon wants to touch it, to see if it hurts. “I…” Wilhelm hesitates. “There were always rules about my appearance, about how I was allowed to look, and I thought…” he reaches a hand to his hairline, his face falling a little. “Do you hate it?” The bristles give under his fingers, impossibly soft. He looks older, but also somehow younger, like he’s reclaiming the rebellious teen years that the crown never let him have. “I want to kiss you,” Simon says. The coffee shop is full of people. At least four that Simon can see are looking at them, not even trying to be subtle. There’s a camera tilted in their direction, but it’s not close. “Can I kiss you?” “I-” Wilhelm starts doing the same glance - who’s watching, who’s filming - then seems to catch himself, snorts a soft laugh and pulls Simon in. It's too short for Simon to catch hold of, but he can run his fingers through it and it's soft or ghost them over to catch the sharp edges of the tips, and it's Wilhelm and he's here, they're both here. And they're going to be okay.

<3

[keepmeinmind-01]

4, 11 and 13!

thank you for the ask :D

4/ a story idea you haven't written yet

I have some disparate ones that have been simmering close to the surface for a while. One is where Newt and Percival get married after Percival rejects Theseus, but Percival turns out to be abusive and Theseus eventually helps Newt escape. One is where Theseus has a nasty run-in on a mission that leaves him struggling with a severe eating disorder, and how that plays out with Newt and Leta, and the kinds of knock-on effects something like that can have. Finally, I am sort of keen to do something sexy for FB, maybe something with a wlw pairing. I have a few very vague ideas, but I just haven't felt in the mood for ages LMAO. So all of those are pretty much unwritten (other than 3 lines for the second one).

11/ a WIP you'd like to finish someday

My Thesival dog story!! I wrote 14k words of this in one day and then instantly got stuck, because whenever I go back to it, I just see this massive disjointed document of stream-of-consciousness scenes. But it's sweet and a little flirty and has proper hurt-comfort, so I need to get on it and finish it for this niche pairing LOL.

13/ a fandom you're thinking about writing for

Right now I'm so deep in Fantastic Beasts haha, but I sometimes think about going back to Overwatch. I also know that if I watched Killing Eve, I would definitely be all over writing fic for it, but I keep procrastinating because of what I've heard about the ending. And I also had a big Carmen Sandiego phase - maybe I'll do something with those one day. Hannibal, too, but all the fic writers for Hannibal are on steroids hahaah (in a good way).

thank you for asking!! :D

[stars-and-birds]

Alright, I’ll play. There’s a lot of questions because I just copy and paste the original post and remove anything I don’t wanna know or feels too personal or whatever.

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. (Do it)

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic?

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

💖 What made you start writing?

❌ What's a trope you will never write?

🏆 What's your most popular fic?

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

🧠 Pick a [toh] character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them. (It’s gonna be angst-y most likely btw)

😬 Which of your fics would you be most horrified for friends, family, or coworkers to stumble upon?

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success?

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?

Okay I’m doing this no procrastinating.

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh? Cannot think of any i might be funny here but it doesn’t come naturally in writing

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers? hmm does inserting a twice song into my first Wenclair fic count?

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride? if I ever actually go somewhere with twaf (I’m working on it I swear) we are going places and not coming back folks

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. (Do it) i have good analogies?? I think??

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately? yup! I’m a swiftie bitch and right now I’m listening to cruel summer a lot for a ronance fic that maybe I’ll release someday should the fanfic gods allow. that and silk chiffon by muna has been stuck in my head since I watched do revenge

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic? *grits teeth* they can’t prove it

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write? preferably afternoon 👍

💖 What made you start writing? i do wanna be writer but I didn’t really think I’d write fanfic. But then I tried and despite all the woes I have about it it’s super fun

❌ What's a trope you will never write? I can’t think of any?

🏆 What's your most popular fic? good question. I should probably know this. okay I just checked it’s New Years eve. (A Wenclair fic) which I am slightly salty about bc like all of my popular things I wrote it at midnight slightly unhinged. Still, I like it and I even got some fanart of it (!!!) out of it which was super cool.

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which? *sighs* I’m not cool enough to have readers theorizing abt my work lol. Maybe further into twaf that’s my dream

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants? both! I spout out the randomest shit as I go but if I have a timeline idea I’ll write it down in a separate doc with future scenes I want to use

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started? write multi chapter fics in advance or you’ll regret it

🧠 Pick a [toh] character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them. (It’s gonna be angst-y most likely btw) give me a vee headcanon!

😬 Which of your fics would you be most horrified for friends, family, or coworkers to stumble upon? oh god. I might actually die if any of them read any of my fics but especially the new years fic idk it’s a little dramatic

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success? well I wouldn’t consider any of my fics successes so… maybe praise. or just a comment. I’m not a popular fanfic author but one day. One day.

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)? id love to say angst but I’m not sure that’s true. maybe action I can’t write fight scenes ;-;

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart? nope.

thanks for the ask dagger sorry this took me so long!

[fountainpenguin]

1,2,16,18 for the author ask. And thank you for your time.

[Current Ask game]

Lots of interest in this Ask game, thank you! :) I ended up answering 2 HERE and 16 and 18 HERE

Where do you typically get your ideas?

From writing, honestly. I just jump in and start writing, and the ideas come. I have to start writing before I can get very far in my outlines. I do a little testing, I play around, I do some thinking, but until I start actually writing the prose, the ideas are vague.

When I write, I just kind of let them flow out of me and I follow wherever the story takes me. It just becomes a "What's the most natural thing to happen next in this story?" game and then I write whatever that thing is.

I do a lot of character studies and I move up and down the timeline. I could never write a story in order from start to finish... I have to move forward to scenes that snag my attention, play with those, understand the worldbuilding and character based on what I learn from doing that writing exercise, and then I use that information to influence how I write the early chapters.

If you don't know where you're going, it's hard to know where to start, I think (This is why I like having a table of contents and a place where I can open my individual chapters, pick up the scenes, and write from there... I am constantly course correcting early chapters based on stuff I've written for the end of the story, and I correct late chapters based on what happened earlier in the story- hence why I end up with large scrap docs).

Avoiding procrastination is my key advice. Just start writing. No one's watching; you're by yourself, and if you're worried it isn't "good," you can always come back with fresh eyes and edit later. Even if you think the writing is bad, it's better to have the scene finished in a way that you can adjust later. Getting it written out moves you to a spot where you're free to think about the scene in new ways and start coming up with new ideas. It's hard to have ideas when you only have the barest bones.

Also, the closer you get to finishing, the more exciting it can feel to put in the work ("Wow, I'm almost done! That's so cool; I'm going to work hard and finish this" as opposed to feeling overwhelmed).

I guess for me, it's like decorating a cake. I have a vague vision of what cake I want and I might pick out some decorations in advance. Maybe I'll change what flavor I want the cake to be after I've decided on decorations. When I'm actually making the cake, I focus on the ingredients... not on the decorations. I can change my mind and pick new decorations later if I get a new idea by the time I'm done baking the cake.

You can always scrap the cake if you want to, or you can enjoy it for what it is even if it didn't come out the way you intended! And other people are sure to appreciate it too if you offer them a slice.

[Current Ask game]

[fastcardotmp3]

1, 19, and 42 for fanfic asks!

thank you for asking, friend! <3

1. do you know how you want the story to end when you start, or are you just stumbling through the figurative wilderness hoping to find a road?

I never have all the details, like I never know what the final scene will look like or anything, but I always have a general idea where I'm going! I have trouble writing if I don't have a goal to get towards, even if it's just something like "they're gonna find a reason to be hopeful at the end of it all" which is also why I write out of order, because having a scene halfway through a chapter that I can use as a goalpost for the first half of the chapter is infinitely less intimidating than having endless blank pages in front of you fjkdalj

19. what are some books or authors that influenced your style the most?

on the one hand I am a messy amalgamation of everything I have ever read or watched, picking and choosing with my greedy little raccoon hands for word scraps

on the other hand, I've written in lots of different contexts in my many past lives lmao but most of my specifically creative writing knowledge actually comes more from screenwriting perspectives than it does narrative fiction. Like, I am absolutely influenced by books and poetry I've loved but I think a lot of the way I structure things/ write dialogue come from a more screenplay-y place, even if that's not what the final product looks like

like if I'm gonna dissect my own writing I think I've got some Sorkinisms baked into my bones, a Ghibli-induced need to be loving about a physical space, and maybe a hint of GDT's relishing of the beautiful monstrous and explorations of grief just floating around my brain waiting to be made use of.

this is a much longer response than necessary for the question but I'm ~procrastinating it's allowed fjkdlsf

42. describe the aesthetic of a story in 5 words.

I think this means describe the aesthetic of one of my fics but if I'm wrong about that MY BAD so here's 5 words on that's just wasteland, baby! :

a hopeful sort of hopelessness

✨ ask me writing questions ✨

[dragonwarriorgal]

I watched the finale of Shadow and Bone S2 and here are my thoughts

Oh, god. I miss Baghra and her sassy old bitch routine, but Jesper can hopefully fill the hole in my heart.

Nikolai had a limp?

Man, we sure were lucky that the Smoke Men didn't kill or rip Nina apart...

See Nameless Jacked up Grisha? THIS is how you say your final words. Though I do give yours credit, your "ruh, roh!" was the funniest final words 🤣

I love Mal being all

in the scene after he is just brought back to life

Ok, I gotta admit the "The Five of Ketterdam!" line got me🤣🤣🤣

MILOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Ok, the bee call back is a little cool, I'll give you guys that

All I know, 24 min left of this episode, is that I don't want Nikolai to turn into a smoke monster. I mean I want A DESIGN OF A MONSTER! Not some smokey cloud barf!

Look at Inej walking up to the ship in the background like a badass coming like "No, this is MY SHIP BITCHES!". And Inej and Tolya together

I can get with that love triangle

Pekka Rollins... a prisoner... announcing the fight in the prison where the guards have been putting prisoners to fight each other and other creatures, LIKE HE PUT THIS WHOLE SHTICK TOGETHER!?

you know the funny part about the fight scene in the prison and all that drama? It would have been more impactful and believable HAD WE NOT SEEN THE SCENES IN THE PRISON ON HOW THIS ESCALATED TO WHERE WE ARE NOW!!! Like imagine THIS scene is the first scene we see after Pekka's comeuppance. I would have believed he would have made it at this point in the joint. But because the way we were SHOWN HOW he came to being up there calling all the shots is just S.T.U.P.I.D. at least to me that is. I would have liked the mystery of how he got up there, I would have liked to think "oh, that cunning bastard! of course he would be running the place!". But, no... the mystery was being slowly revealed to us and now there is no mystery for this...

this is my reaction to the reveal of Nikolai's monster design:

and the reveal

Ok, so they are doing the jurda parem story line?

Not gonna lie, my face was doing this

after the last shot, I was wondering if Alina still had her powers after reviving Mal. So this is a nice twist to leave upon for season 3

If you have made it this far and are wondering if I have anything more to say about this season of Shadow and Bone (probably not lol), then yes, I do plan on doing another thing with Shadow and bone but by doing a shallow to mid deep dive into the series as a whole, as when my brain can't shut up when I am going to bed, I decided to record my ramblings inside my head so that I can get more sleepy if I express all the tabs I have open in my brain as I try to close them up for the night. It will maybe be a video, it honestly depends on how busy/procrastinated I will be. So look forward to that (or not, whatever floats your boat)

This post is dedicated to David 💔

[wanderinglia-blog]

Hey everyone! So, I figured it was about time I emerged from my social media cave. 🏞️ You know how sometimes life just sweeps you off your feet? Well, that’s exactly what happened to me! One minute, I was scrolling and posting like a champ, and the next, I found myself on an unintentional hiatus, getting lost in the land of “I’ll post tomorrow.” Spoiler alert: tomorrow turned into days… then weeks. Oops! 😂

Honestly, it felt like I was living in a sitcom where the main character keeps saying, “I’ll get my act together” but never quite manages to do it. Picture me in my comfiest pajamas, snacks scattered around, and a questionable number of reality shows binge-watched. You’d think I was training for a gold medal in procrastination! 🥇

But here I am, ready to shake things up and dive back into this wonderful world of posts, stories, and—dare I say—actual interaction with you all! I’ve missed sharing the little quirks of my life, my random thoughts, and the occasional dad joke (even if I don’t have kids, I still have dad-level humor).

So, bear with me as I try to get into a regular groove. Expect a mix of fun stories, maybe some behind-the-scenes chaos, and a whole lot of laughter.

[liremonrecit]

only once in a lifetime type of love or love only once in a lifetime?

I stumbled upon this movie today, salah satu comfort movie yang secara konsisten berada dalam daftar film favorit selama bertahun-tahun. sejak kecil. i love this movie so much, i feel like if i can only listen to the audio, i can still tell you which scene is it and what clothing did the character wear. long story short, my procrastinating self chose to watch it (again) today. Mungkin untuk menunda mengerjakan yang lebih urgent namun memusingkan, mungkin pula sebagai bentuk pelarian dari rasa tidak nyaman akan tugas yang tak bisa diprediksi. akhirnya, film ini kembali sukses memberikan rasa nyaman karena familiaritasnya yang tak tertandingi. Kembali pula berhasil membuat haru hingga tangis berjatuhan di pipi. Film ini, utamanya scene ini, juga berhasil membuat resah hati. Belum bisa tidur sampai saat ini. i've been watching this movie, religiously, for at least once a year. and in every stages of life, i see this movie differently. i come from a different perspective each year, with some brand new realization, brand new understanding. and of course, bigger crush with SRK lol. and as happy as i am with this little 'journey' that i have with the movie, tonight, this scene stuck inside my head like never before. it scratches a different part in my brain and i am quiet frustrated. "in this life, we live once, die once, get married once, and love once" i mean yeah, we only live once, die once. but we've all seen some people who got married more than once in their lifetime. we've seen some who fell in love twice, thrice, and more too. i mean even in the movie, we saw SRK got remarried when he realized he fell in love with his best friend. so a person had more than one chance to fall in love, right? or maybe... what SRK said was right? selama menonton tadi, pertanyaan itu terus bercokol di kepala sampai saat ini. begitu mengganggu. apakah dalam hidup, kita hanya jatuh cinta sekali? apakah pengalaman merasakan jantung yang berdebar, bahagia yang membuncah, pikiran yang dipenuhi sebuah nama, melakukan hal-hal bodoh, lantas merasakan lega yang luar biasa setelah menatap senyumnya, apakah itu semua hanya datang satu kali seumur hidup kita? sebagian dari diri ini berkata, ya, ia hanya datang satu kali seumur hidup. keyakinan ini berdiri atas pengalaman diri sendiri, dimana cinta yang seperti itu pernah hadir dan berlalu pergi bertahun yang lalu. cinta itu usai atas upaya yang besar, tamat pasca kedewasaan serta percakapan yang terus terang, dan resmi padam disiram jarak yang dingin, waktu yang beku. dia kehabisan kesempatan dan dengan sendirinya layu. setelahnya, cinta yang seperti itu tidak pernah datang lagi. namun kemudian, sebagian lain dari diri yang kian bertambah usia ini kemudian bertanya, apa benar yang seperti itu cinta? hati yang berdebar bertanya-tanya, rasa penasaran yang tak ada tepinya, siang yang dihabiskan memikirkan obrolan semalam dan malam yang enggan beranjak siang demi mendengar suaranya, apakah semua itu adalah cinta? apakah beberapa lembar surat, pesan, dan senyum yang merekah usai bertukar pandang itu benar cinta? untuk usia dan fase hidup di saat itu, mungkin iya. ilusi-ilusi tersebut dapat dengan mudah dimaknakan sebagai cinta.

namun kini di usia dan fase kehidupan di saat ini, deskripsi sederhana dalam film di atas mungkin ada benarnya; love is friendship. as simple as that.

so idk maybe... maybe the companion are supposed to be light-hearted, warm, and clear as a day, rather than mysterious. it's supposed to be pure, fun, and respectful. and as high as you get, you know you still have some room for your brain to work, rather than being fully infatuated.

love based on friendship would probably stand strong, for it based on loyalty, and comes from mutual empathy. it's supposed to be super transparent that you don't have to wonder, because the answer is there in all their words and their actions.

it is a love that comes from reciprocal adoration where you feel seen, heard, and loved simply for being yourself. it is sincere, coming from deep down your heart. you don't have to wait and see because they share the same excitement, just as big, if not bigger than yours.

maybe THAT is the kind of love that we should be running after around this year and age.

maybe our definiton of love actually evolves, grows alongside, and adapt with us.

maybe at the end of the day, we shouldn't focus on the amount of chances to love that we've got, and focus more on the kind of love that we're letting in. we can fell once or more in a lifetime, but is it the once in a lifetime type of love?

you know the answer.

anyway, proses penulisan ini berlangsung dengan tujuan mengurai kusutnya pikiran dan sebagai upaya menjawab hadirnya berbagai pertanyaan. semua terasa lebih jernih sekarang. makaseiring dengan usainya paragraf ini, simpulan serta jawaban telah bulat diperoleh. sampai jumpa pada pergumulan lainnya yang entah kapan. sampai saat itu tiba, semoga bahagia senantiasa meliputi!

Love, T🫶🏼

[the-writing-mechanic-official]

1: What is the best compliment you've gotten on any of your works?

-Onetime I wrote a plot twist in a fic and everyone in the comments (a total of 4 people) were shocked beyond words. Best chapter ever.

2: Do you have readers that you recognize by name (even if they may not comment regularly)?

-4 or 5, yes. I read their works, they read mine. We kind of are each others' fans.

3: Do you have scheduled uploads and if so, when?

-No...not yet.

4: How long was the longest work you've written?

-My longest work was the third draft of my novel, at 44K words.

5: What is your go-to way to deal with writers block?

-Random prompts. Journaling. Watching videos/making posts about writing (procrastination?).

6: Do you have a motivational cycle? (As in phases in which you barely write and phases in which you write so much holy shit).

-Yes, they sort of come and go, months at a time, maybe a year.

7: How long are your uploads in regular?

-In my fanfics, I keep most chapters 1.2K to 1.5K. In my novel though, each chapter is 2K to 2.5K.

8: Do you look through any and all replies to your work? Why?

-Yes! I love to see people's opinions on my work and build on critique. I often get inspired from comments on my works.

9: What genre is your favorite to write?

-Action/Adventure, but I had a romance faze at some point and it wasn't all that bad. I am currently writing Sci-Fi adventure, which is very interesting.

10: Do you read and write similar stuff or are there differences?

-To some extent. The things I DON'T read and DON'T write are exactly the same though.

11: What kind of relationships do you like writing best? (Family, platonic, romantic, etc.)

-Platonic friend (preferably groups) but a romantic one pops in once in a while.

12: Do you write in your first language? Multiple languages? A secret, third option?

-I used to write poetry in my native language (Arabic), but my works and novel are in English.

13: How many WIPs do you have open?

-3 atm. 2 will probably be abandoned fics soon. That and 7 other stories I have in my inventory.

14: What POV do you write? First person, second person, third person?

-I'm honestly still trying to decide. My works are mostly in 3rd, but I'm experimenting with 1st.

15: What is the weirdest thing you had to look up for writing?

-... Wendigos. 5 Punishments of Ancient China. Number of people who drown yearly in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. etc.

16: What is something you didn't have to look up but is still weird to know?

-I couldn't get an answer by looking it up, but I had to conjure the symptoms and after effects of having your earlobe split open.

17: Could you or could you not successfully pull of a murder (at least in theory)?

-I will do the murder, but it won't be long before they figure me out.

18: Do you have a beta reader?

-No... not yet.

19: Do you edit your works?

-Of course. The more serious ones at least. small changes here and there sometimes.

20: Do you start on new ideas immediately or do you write them down until after you finish your current WIP?

-I write them down, but every time I think of a scene or concept in them, I write it quick.

21: How serious do you take your writing? Do you get money for it? Do you want to? Is it a hobby or a profession?

-It is not what I'm planning to have as a full-time job, but it is a nice hobby but I hope I can publish and get money from writing a series one day.

22: How often do you write fanfic? (From not at all to exclusively).

-I used to. Not that often anymore.

23: Is there a project you want to talk about?

-I am dying to explain this book of mine to someone, except that it is the third in a series of four and it is yet to be fully plotted. (It's called Ruins of Place, btw).

24: Do you stick to the same writing style or do you try out new things when you can?

-I find my writing style change after every fallout a little, and I feel it's improvement :).

25: Have you ever gotten hate and if so, how did you deal with it?

-My fanfics were in a small fandom, so really, no one complained much. As for my novel, it has yet to meet someone else's eyes.

26: Do you have a special writing process you have to follow every time you write?

-No?

27: How many people you know irl read what you're writing?

-None. They know I'm writing, but unless this book is finished no one shall see it (and don't even come at the fanfics.)

28: What would you say is your specialty in writing?

-Internal monologue and fight scenes. Sarcasm too, if it counts.

29: Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind?

-Sometimes, but not that often. A mix of anything that doesn't put me to sleep in the first 30 seconds.

30: What is, in your opinion, the greatest achievement that you have reached in writing?

-Finishing each draft is a great feeling. 10yo me might have not known it, but the 210 pages of a hand-written abominable story I wrote back then was the reason I got the idea to develop steadily.

Know yourself as a writer.

Writer ask game! (Both fanfic writers and non-fanfic writers)

1: What is the best compliment you've gotten on any of your works?

2: Do you have readers that you recognize by name (even if they may not comment regularly)?

3: Do you have scheduled uploads and if so, when?

4: How long was the longest work you've written?

5: What is your go-to way to deal with writers block?

6: Do you have a motivational cycle? (As in phases in which you barely write and phases in which you write so much holy shit)

7: How long are your uploads in regular?

8: Do you look through any and all replies to your work? Why?

9: What genre is your favourite to write?

10: Do you read and write similar stuff or are there differences?

11: What kind of relationships do you like writing best? (Family, platonic, romantic, etc.)

12: Do you write in your first language? Multiple languages? A secret, third option?

13: How many WIPs do you have open?

14: What POV do you write? First person, second person, third person?

15: What is the weirdest thing you had to look up for writing?

16: What is something you didn't have to look up but is still weird to know?

17: Could you or could you not successfully pull of a murder (at least in theory)?

18: Do you have a beta reader?

19: Do you edit your works?

20: Do you start on new ideas immediately or do you write them down until after you finish your current WIP?

21: How serious do you take your writing? Do you get money for it? Do you want to? Is it a hobby or a profession?

22: How often do you write fanfic? (From not at all to exclusively)

23: Is there a project you want to talk about?

24: Do you stick to the same writing style or do you try out new things when you can?

25: Have you ever gotten hate and if so, how did you deal with it?

26: Do you have a special writing process you have to follow every time you write?

27: How many people you know irl read what you're writing?

28: What would you say is your specialty in writing?

29: Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind?

30: What is, in your opinion, the greatest achievement that you have reached in writing?

Please don't feel pressured to answer anything you're not comfortable with!

[hergrandplan]

I didn't know you write fics!!! My to-read list is getting scarily long, but i'm def squeezing you in after the newest wip chapters on my list!!!

You answered so many questions already, but how about 2, 3 and 37 for the writing ask game?

Little fun fact! I started writing fics as a teen (mostly for Percy Jackson) and then stopped, thinking I'd lost my drive or muse or whatever. And then I watched Young Royals... and now I can't stop writing haha.

Even better, I never wrote a singular multichapter fic (that I actually thought I could finish) before Young Royals. And the start of a multichapter was the very first fic I posted in this fandom 😂

2. Is there a trope you've yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

I am so glad you asked this cause this is the one i wanted to answer most. Cause I've been watching One Day (like the rest of the world) and though the romance is good, I guess, the thing that intrigues me most about it is the storytelling. Every episode is just one day, one day a year, and somehow it manages to let you know exactly what happened in the 364 days before that episode, where the characters are standing now in their life and their feelings, they make it make SENSE somehow (I'm not feeling like I'm missing anything) and they move the plot along. in the space of 30 minutes per episode. which is incredible, and I maybe want to try and write something like that.

There's also a dark academia fic that I maybe want to write, but with other ideas I've had it has sadly been shoved to the bottom of my stack

3. Is there a trope you woudn't touch with a ten foot pole?

surprise pregnancy as a way to keep the main couple together.

Gross.

37. Talk about your current WIPs

I feasibly can't talk about ALL of them. that is way too much. But here's the ones that I'm most excited for:

Suburban Legends (6/?) : like I said, this is the first multichapter I've ever posted that I am 100% sure about I'm going to finish. I've never had an idea that was strong enough to make it into a multichapter until this one, in fact I never wrote a fic longer than 2.5k words before this and the wordcount in my doc is 40k at the moment. The way I think about this fic daily is unhealthy, but I love it. They're both a little bit oblivious idiots, it's wasn't meant to be angsty but in hindsight, I don't know how I thought I could have them be exes and also have it fluffy, but there's so many good things to come I'm !!!!

(working title) See The Stars, See How They Shine For You: inspired by none other than Omar at the Oscars. Former Crown Prince of Sweden attends the Oscars (or some other award show, I'm not set on it yet) and meets Simon, who works there as an usher of sorts. Simon is very annoyed with him (why is a prince at this award show) but that quickly changes when he realizes what a loveable idiot Wille is. Banter and fluff galore I am so so excited for it

and one that I started this week and wrote 3k words for in one night: (untitled). (aka i had a title but realized that title was already taken BUT). Wille never chased after Simon in that final scene. Though he abdicated a year later, they never saw each other again. Until Simon finds a letter in his mom's attic, and reaches out. It's so angsty already and I love it

(and there's a bunch of one-shots I have planned, like their first labour day together and wille's 18th birthday where Simon makes up for the shitshow that was the previous year. someone needs to take word away from me lol)

Send me writing asks while I procrastinate lol

[j-a-smiths-blog]

0602 28Jun23: Today, tomorrow, friday... that is all that is left to wearing this two hundred dollar uniform that I had to buy in March. Thankfully, I didn't buy the other uniforms cause I literally would have never worn them other than to try them on.

There is no rush to get to work as I only have a few things left to check out of. Gotta double check with my buddy to see if we are going to start ripping up the back porch today.

Also, thinking Friday night or Saturday morning, I will start writing episode two of my series I am putting together. I actually am procrastinating right now while watching a YouTube about behind the scenes of the "Joker". It's the Director of Photography talking about everything he used and did and how it came up with this and that. Which is interesting to see how professionals do it.

That last sentence literally took like five minutes to type because I zoned out thinking about doing the storyboard for episode 1. The idea of drawing out 120 little pictures. But in the end, it helps to communicate with the cameraman exactly what you want to capture, and before you even get there, it helps you find potential holes that need to be repaired prior to shooting. So I got some work to do. But I was thinking this as I'm thinking maybe I should go ahead and utilize the printer at work and make my own storyboard page, copy enough to get through my 120 shots probably twice... but I have to do some numbers to figure how many shots go on each page and to leave enough room for details as in scene shot #, camera and lens, line from film being said and maybe a notes/info box.. ok I got some work to do. Gotta shower and head to work!

[13-frinfransstudios]

PROJECT ANNOUNCEMENT~!

I just wanna say that MY ONE SHOT STORIES ARE NOW OUT ON WATTPAD~~

They short story collections full of gayness and fluff! Join me on my quest in writing sweet scenarios you can enjoy as couples or a single sapphic like me who daydreams a lot about romance (for a bitter person)

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTON❀⋆｡˚♡ ˚ ༘

It would be nice if you read this first, but if you wanna skip to the stories, that's okay. I will just sit in the corner and rock myself back and forth while hugging my knees thinking I shouldn't have written this part (jk)

Hello readers!

This account is quite new but I've been writing stories here before. But they were all fanfictions of fandoms I'm not a part of anymore so I decided to make another account to make something that includes my original characters.

As I want to start over my writing career, but with many story ideas in mind, it stresses me out. How I can restart my journey here? Which of these stories will get me going without it leading to an unfinished story?

As a writer, I have many ideas in my head. And as a writer who also has parents who don't believe you can make it if you pursue arts and literature, I have low self-esteem and I overthink my stories a lot of times even If I am aware that it's good. Sometimes when I feel stressed due to writer's block or anything really, I lay down and close my eyes, thinking of random scenarios I can have with my imaginary girlfriend--I know, corny and silly Friyn being stupid and craving for love--and it feels good. Sometimes, I tend to even put them in my stories. So I start to write them, using You and I pronouns instead of making up characters (and most times I end up imagining them while sitting on a chair in front of a blank Google Docs screen with my eyes wide open which sometimes scares the shitballs out of my fam) (sorry little sis) and that's how I thought about it: why not just write about these stupid scenarios instead while you're still trying to figure out your Wattpad story?

And I do be-do-be-do agree!

So WELCOME ALL OF YOU! TO THE GAYEST BOOK YOU'LL READ! Or so I hope please gays I hope you'll like these.

WELCOME TO THIS WRECK OF A BOOK FILLED WITH MY CRIPPLING STARVATION OF LOVE AND FEAR OF LONELINESS! This collection may consist of things more than stories but also short letters for lovers as well as love songs I write when I'm in a mood. And guess what? THEY'RE FULL OF FLUFF! So send some of your faves from here to your girlfriend or crush or just send it to yourself, pretend someone else gives it to you and you start to do that wiggle dance thing with your feet while you're laying on the bed.

Well maybe I'll slip in some tragedy on the way because 1. we need to balance things out, 2. who doesn't love a good surprise? and 3. I am quite evil sometimes. I'm that person who will give you all the ice cream flavors you want and then as you are about to eat them, I take it and make you watch me eat them all as you cry in agony (If you're upset about number 3, please don't take it seriously I'm sorry don't go I need you-)

What's fun about this book as well is that I might put some of these scenes in some of my stories like they're easter eggs! Won't that be cool eh? Oh...You...You don't think so? Do you think it's just me being kinda lazy to write different scenes that's why I take some that's in here instead? Yeah, you're kinda right...

Anyway!! Enough blabbering! Enjoy this gay book, gays (and straights, I guess, but especially the gays)

----------------

About the author: Things you need to know about Friyn: is your typical stressed student by morning, and a typical stressed writer by night; They keep talking about how gay they are and how they love women; They also keep talking about writing despite avoiding it for a few months; Their main genre is romance despite being a bitter romantic; It's them, their stuff toys, procrastination, unfinished stories, and ice cream against the world.

To all sapphics out there, this is for you

-----------------

SCENARIOS: A Sapphic Romance Collections is now ON WATTPAD:

I will be posting these parts on Tumblr soon so stay tuned loves <33

[look-at-the-soul]

Hi! It's gossip girl! I hope your days been good! I've been pretty good. School has been a bit crazy and I'm a bit stressed by the work I have but I've also been procrastinating a but more than I should on it which probably isn't a good thing😂 I think I've started trying to write at times to avoid my school work, because it helps me kinda relax too. But over all it's still been pretty good!

Oohh I did read part two!! I liked it a lot!! Especially how you wrote about some of the darker parts of the modeling industry! Those were very good! And yes, Lenny totally deserved better!!

And I think I've found a lot of inspiration for background characters in my writing from my friends and just people around😂 it's amazing how one thing they say or do can inspire a part of a story!!

Then yes! Being surprised is great!. I kinda feel the same way about interacting too😂 I'm kinda scared of like putting too much out or like interacting once in some way (like an ask or reblog or comment) and then maybe not again for a while because of anxiety or some reason and that person thinks I don't like them or their stuff😅 I always do it's just I don't know what to say sometimes or can't get it out! But I have been able to do it a little bit more since I got back!

I am almost done with the story I sent in an ask about, I think I just need to edit it now and find a good time to get it up!

And OMG yes! Alfie's POV would be brilliant, I'd love to see his background and what he did while Tommy wasn't there. Also it would mean that we might get to see domestic Alfie with Cyril which is just 😘😘😂😂

And definitely let me know! I'd be eager to hear!

I think I do the same thing that you do with Lenny, that I do with Jonathan  Crane in the Batman Movies😂 Like I know he's crazy but Cillian is so fun to watch! There's one scene in the first one where like Batman breaks into his hide out and Crane is like looking up and goes like "he's here" or something and idk why by I just love that whole scene so much.😅😂 

And honestly I'm also kinda with you on the Sherlock stuff. I liked the show, but I think overall I was much more into the RDJ movies. I think it was because it was in the historical setting with I'm a sucker for. I think they just announced the 3rd one is in development this months and I really hope it's true!!!😂😂ALSO GUESS WHAT! I was watching actually the second RDJ Sherlock movie and guess who showed up as Sebastian Moran? PAUL ANDERSON!!!! I heard his voice and recognized it and told my dad like "That's Arthur Shelby!!!" And we both laughed because he looks so different in the movies than Peaky. And yeah, it made me laugh thinking of Arthur Shelby trying to fight Sherlock Holmes and what not😂 

And yes! There are those two movies about Agatha Cristi's Hercule Poirot Mysteries and they were both brilliant!!! I especially liked the first one!! Murder on the Orient express!!

And I'm starting to love nail designs too!  I still always loved watching those videos!! I've actually recently gotten stuff to try the nail stamping which is really cool! It takes a bit of practice but the little designs from the cheap stamping plates I bought look really cool if I get it to work! Plus it would mean when I get my nails done I could do like just the base coat and if I wanted a design I could do it at home and not pay like $10  extra for each design! And they have some pretty cool ones to but😂😂  The lip color I like is Birthday Suit by Revlon, but they have a whole line of colors and nail polish colors that match. I also like that it's relatively cheap compared so some other brands😅 And I've heard of places that do that! I've always wanted to try!! 

Also 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 all the fingers crossed!! That sounds like a really fun concert to go too!! I've only ever been to three of them actually myself. I liked the music but I think there were just too many people for me and I got a bit overstimulated but the people and noise after a bit, but I still had tons of fun!!😅😅😂 the last one I did was a Thomas Rhett Tour in like 2019😂. But the one I really enjoyed the most was actually when Hugh Jackman preformed in Atlanta the same year! I loved it! He even do a routine where he tap danced to ThunderStruck which may still be the best thing I've ever seen🤣😂 Fingers crossed you get your tickets!!! 

It was great chatting with you too❤️❤️Hope to talk soon too!! And who knows, even if you won't see me, maybe you'll see something I've done soon too😂😆🥰🥰 

XoXo GG

Hey GG! I didn’t want to leave this message hanging for a long time in my drafts, so we’ll have lots of things to chat :)

Last night there was such a storm and one of my puppies was super scared around 2:00 am, I stayed up hugging her 🥺 thunders are so scary for such a little baby ♥️ and is raining again so I will use it as inspiration to write…

Oh I’m sorry to hear that! I know school Can be so stressful, but hang in there, it will get better. Totally agree with that! Writing is so good to relax, it passes the time and you barely notice anything else 🥰 (if only we could do it all the time).

Yeah? You liked it? I’m so happy to hear that! I’m planning part 3, but I don’t have anything written yet, although in my mind, I have the entire chapter figured out, it’s funny how I just can’t come around to actually write it. I thought it would be a good approach, to be honest I didn’t plan for it to be like the major plot but it turned out that way.. okay, we Can keep “fixing” baby Lenny in fics 😉

I love how it sounds! I do it all the time too, like the way someone looks at their partner, a small gesture, a line… there’s inspiration everywhere!

Oh no, well you know yourself better than I do obviously but don’t ever feel like that at least not here, I understand anxiety is something huge and sometimes it plays against us, making us feel insecure about something (trust me, I’ve been there), sometimes I’m thinking I will bother someone by asking this or approaching for x, because in real life I think (or maybe is just me), I’ve been rejected and I’m afraid it will happen again so I retrieve and prefer to watch from afar, but not you, you’re always welcome here! 🥰 that’s right sometimes is hard to put into words how we feel, but I’m glad to know you felt encouraged enough to write me that first time and you kept coming back, to me it means so much because I feel like in some way, we clicked? Or connected and you felt like safe (or at least I hope so).

OMG what?? That’s great news! Lots of progress here!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I’m so so excited to hear that!!

You know, I’ve been reading some Alfie fics and I have to admit he’s been growing in my heart, his character was full of potential! We need like that side of him, I think he’s such a big fluffy bear 😂 and they owe us the Cyril story how he and Alfie met, and how was the dynamic once Tommy “adopted” him.

Jonathan is a treat to see! I bet he has this weird fetish or something like will have you gasping 🫢 I don’t know why, that or a completely different personality… oh I think is when he also says “the bat-man” with his beautiful voice and his hair looks greasy?? I love that! I have one more request to write about him too, I should start working on that this weekend :)

Yeah, I understand they didn’t continue with the films because RDJ was also in this other character of Tony Stark but I liked him better as Sherlock, I think he and Jude Law should work together again. What?!! No way!! Really?? 👀 I need to watch it, I don’t remember! Oh my my!!! Yes! I totally get that is so weird to see him in other character, but I swear I don’t remember (and I’m supposed to be a Sherlock fan!) haha

I need to google those films!! Bet they are amazing, and I don’t know why I’m almost sure I saw the other day they are making another movie about another book! Although don’t ask me which one because I don’t remember 😂 oh shushsss where did I see it? 🤔

I love stamps!!! Stop!! I bought the stamps, machine and plates but I was a fail 😂😭 couldn’t get it right hahaha is harder than it looks! But the final result is amazing! You need like a heavy nail polish, oh please if you find a way, let me know because I was utterly frustrated that I couldn’t do it right 😂😂😂 I need a slow motion diy video or something, but I’m sure you will do it better than I did and you could even make money out of it 😉

Oh stop! That color is amazing! I loved it 😍 and revlon is a great brand! They’re always making the exact same colors than expensive brands and revlon and maybelline for example last longer, I love it, buy another one whenever you can because you will ran out of it one day if you like it so much.

Oh May the concert fairies be with us! I’m going to see Adele in June!!! A dream, I’ve followed her career since she started and I’m super excited for this Vegas residency ♥️ before the pandemic I was all concerts it was one of my favorite activities to do, to enjoy a moment like that, carefree… this is the second or third concert I will attend so I’m excited! Never heard of Thomas Rhett before, any song you’d particularly suggest? Oh one of my friends is súper fan of Hugh she went to a show too, said it was amazing! Thank you, you’re so sweet. I didn’t buy the tickets for the festival, but I’m hoping Westlife will do about her show on their own (I see lots of fans in the US requesting a tour here, so maybe I will have a chance to see them…) 🤞🏻

You can’t even imagine how much joy your chats give me, makes me wonder how it would be in real life to talk and talk and talk for hours like this, oh I really look forward to!!! 🥰

Have a great and safe weekend and enjoy the days off xx

[solothefirst]

Q&A - The Crow’s Heart by Laurie Bell

“Can you tell me what the next stone is?”

I can’t tell you the next stone, but I do know it and I think you will be excited by it.

“Is the next animal a water animal?”

I can’t tell you, but thanks for asking.

“How long did it take to write the Crow’s Heart?”

About 6 months to write and another year to edit. I then sent it off to my publisher – Wyvern’s Peak Publishing. I hand write my first draft on the train and my handwriting is very messy so even I can’t always read back what I wrote down.

“What color is the next book?”

Too spoilery, sorry I can’t say. But I promise it will look amazing.

“Does Tracey learn any new magic?”

She sure does!

“Does Uncle Donny ever get any paying clients?”

Maybe…

“How do you write the fight scenes?”

I act them out at home. (Not on the train, haha, though that would be hilarious). It is very funny to watch.

“What is your favorite YA book at the moment?”

Legendborn and Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

“What is your favorite YA streaming show at the moment?”

At the moment – Lockwood and Co on Netflix. It is based on a book series by Jonathan Stroud.

“What music are you listening to at the moment?”

I love a particular band at the moment that is on constant repeat in my headphones but I can’t tell you because they swear a little bit and I don’t want you to get in trouble with your parents. And also lots of musical theater and show tunes and soundtracks. And Robbie Williams.

“Do you procrastinate?”

ALL THE TIME. I read lots of books, play video games, watch TV shows, listen to music, play on social media… all when I should be writing or editing.

“Do you know how the Stones of Power will end?”

Yep. And no, I’m not telling. Good try though.

“Do you like editing?”

I do now. I used to hate it, but now I really enjoy fixing what I have written and making it sound better. I print my draft out two pages to a page, double sided, so I can edit them on the train. My pages are covered in handwritten notes and scribbled out lines. Editing should be messy. My beta readers, editors and publisher are amazing and always ask really good questions that make me think of what to clarify and add or remove. I add in extra layers with every draft. I cut out text and add new text and go back to plant clues. My first draft is always mostly dialogue and fight scenes, then I add in movements, actions, location and the weather. Also senses (smells, tastes, textures, sounds). SO, if you are editing… think of adding something about how the character feels about what is happening, add in secrets – secrets are great, weather, and add in all the senses.

“I like writing stories but I can never end them, I just keep writing and writing and writing. How do you end a story?”

Aha! That’s a great question. I only plot my story a little bit before I start writing. I let the character tell me what happens and they take me to the next part and then onto the next. Sometimes, something happens that not even I knew was coming until I wrote it down. But I know I am at the end of the story after the main character has gotten what they want or need (and that is not always the same thing). Or, the end might involve a secret that has been discovered or a big battle is now over and the main character has won or lost (Remember getting what they need does not mean it is something that they want.) Then I do a little wrap up at the end so you know everyone is mostly okay and so you know where they all ended up… Sometimes, I also set up the next book. Cliff hangers are great! But when the big big story is over and I am happy as a writer to put the story down, that’s when I know I have gotten to the end.

“I find it hard to write. My teacher says “write a story” and I just stare blankly at the page and then I get in trouble.”

Oh yes, I have been there. It is hard to write on command. I use a few tricks to get me started and I keep a notebook of ideas that I write down whenever I think of them so I always have something to start with. Hopefully, your teacher gives you a prompt or an idea of what to write about. If you get really stuck, look through your phone for photos that can prompt you with an idea, or think of something funny you saw outside or something your pet or siblings did that made you laugh or made you mad. Maybe something you broke? Or an argument you had? Or a big storm you saw? Or a party you were at and the birthday person didn’t like the present they opened? Think of how those things made you feel, and what you might have said/or done next. You could even think of a story you heard and come up with another ending. Or in your head you might think of a “what if” question. What if the prince didn’t save the princess or what if the hero failed? What if it hailed during the big interschool sports day? What if the pool was empty when you went swimming? What if the dog had muddy paws and came inside the house? “What if” is a great prompt if you get stuck. Write the story as if you were watching a scene in a movie and you’ve come in halfway through.

“My teacher tells me to write only one page! How can I stick to only one page?”

Give yourself a time limit. Break up the page with a line in your head. The intro takes up the first few lines. The action happens in the middle of the page and the wrap up or ending happens in the bottom few lines of the page and try to fit your story into that. Editing is good too. If you write two pages instead of one, cut out words and lines that you don’t need and rewrite sentences to say what you want quicker. Cut out all the “suddenly”s and “just”s or “then”s. Cut out all the “I thought/he thought/she thought/I was thinking” and all the “I was about to/she was about to/he was about to” and “I tried to/she tried to/he tried to”. Try turning your “ing” words into “ed” words like “I was skipping” to “I skipped” and you will find your two pages quickly become one. You can fit more story telling onto that one page then. And of course –  you can always end your story with a cliff hanger!

Keep writing and keep those questions coming in!

The Crow’s Heart is Book Three of the Stones of Power Series released by Wyvern’s Peak Publishing. It is available now at most online bookstores and the occasional real life bookstore.