#anyway I hope you'll like what I've done 🥰

[gealach-in-a-misty-world]

Writing update

You'll be happy to know that I finished writing String of Fate! The story ends with chapter 37. And on that note, here's a little survey for you: should I update weekly, or keep to two updates a month? Keep in mind that the weekly updates would come starting from chapter 30. The angst will also be heavy, but we'll finish with the fluffiest fluff that ever fluffed. HEA guaranteed!

[nobodysdaydreams]

20 Questions for Writers

@myfairkatiecat Thanks for the tag, sorry this took so long. (@sophieswundergarten thanks for the reminder 💕)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

8 so far. It's not a lot, but I make up for it in length.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

417,645 💀

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Exclusively tmbs so far, but I plan on doing some Wolf359 fics when I (finally) finish the podcast. Sadly all my ideas are long. I'm sorry.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Since I have so few fics I'll just give the list:

S.O.S., by a lot. I'd like to thank the show's cancellation for my unexpected success.

The Oldest Siblings , mainly due to it's association with SOS (it's the prequel in the series)

Treat Them With(out) Mercy

Who You Were Meant To Be

A Joy To Obey and It Should Have Been Us are tied

The Boys Who Waited

Sirens of the Sea and Sky: dead last with 3 modest kudos. This fic is the equivalent of having a kid in a school recital who screams the whole time and knocks down the set. He might be a disaster, but he's my kid and I'm proud. This fic is ridiculous, but it makes me laugh anyway. I don't know how burnt out finals Bods came up with this, but by golly...she did.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Of course! I think I've responded to every comment I've ever gotten (if not I'm so sorry please let me know). I appreciate every one of them, and I love talking about the ideas in my idea and the fics I write, so please know that every comment you leave totally brightens my day! 🥰

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hm. Right now "The Boys Who Waited" probably has the angstiest and most ominous ending, but we'll see what happens.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably "A Joy To Obey" since it's my main fluff fic with a nice ending. A great read if you like lighter stuff.

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

Not yet. If I did, I'm not even sure what I'd do. Depends on the hate. I might cry. I might laugh, honestly. I don't think I'm nearly important, good, or noticeable enough for that so I might be a little flattered ngl (unless it was something vulgar or hateful towards a certain group of people then I'd delete and block the person). I'm sure people have read my writing and not liked it, but I think they just click away.

9. Do you write smut?

No, that's not for me. Especially because I'm writing for a children's fandom, I just don't think that's appropriate.

10. Do you write crossovers?

No, but I've done some AU's on tumblr.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. Also this is a small fandom so if a fic of mine DID get stolen, it would be pretty awkward and obvious. Don't plagiarize kids.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I'd be honored if anyone wanted to do that!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

No, but that could be fun!

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Why the MV Shortcut, of course! /jk

I don't really have a lot of ships I get super invested in, I prefer platonic relationships. If I think of one I'll let you guys know.

15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

You'll find out. (Don't worry about SOS. I promised I'd finish it and I intend to keep my word).

16. What are your writing strengths?

According to my readers, dialogue, characterization, themes, weaving multiple storylines together, and plot twists.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I can't write a short fic to save my life, and I can't edit to save my life. I also just publish my first drafts because I have no impulse control (sorry).

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Funny enough I’ve done this, but only canon MBS dialogue where I've translated it directly from the show's subtitles. If I made an error, please let me know.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Mbs, and so far just mbs. Hoping to expand someday when I magically have more time (and finish Wolf359).

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

SOS, just because of what a fun journey it's been.

Tags: @phtalogreenpoison @oflightningandstars @mvshortcut @sqenthusiast @itsgoghtime @amphibious-entity @mysteriouseggsbenedict and anyone who hasn't been tagged yet but wants to do it (sorry if I accidently double tagged)

[psalmsofpsychosis]

(still the same anon from all those Batman/Joker asks)

Be ready with those empty walls, pal, I'm on my way!! I've already thrown my suitcase in the car and filled up the gas-

You blew every expectation I had with that answer of yours and I don't know if I'll ever recover. I will absolutely respond to your answer but first I need to put my brain back together from being rearranged like a jigzaw puzzle. I'm definitely looking forward to reading that Jesus/side wound meta whenever you post it.

Until then I have a different question. I don't remember who said it but it was along these lines: "There are only three people in the world who find the Joker funny. Joker himself, sometimes Harley and lastly Bruce. And he feels so fucking guilty for it."

They pointed out how Batman does a lot of bad puns, same as the Joker, except he does it with a straight face and serious tone. For example: Bat-terry, Bat-bucket, Bat-arang, saying "hang in there Alfred" while Alfred is dangling off a metal beam. (Those are my rushed examples, not something the original poster brought up, so if they're unaccurate, that's my fault). Bruce will also just say the craziest shit and nobody is sure if he's serious or not. (Happens all the time)

I have a vague suspicion who it was but I'm not sure enough to @ them.

Joker and Batman's sense of humour and how they are somewhat opposed but still similar will drive me into an early grave I swear. Like that post that's still circulating somwhere that mentions how Bruce "lives and dies by the fact that nobody can ever tell when he's pulling their chain" and how Joker "craves to have his comedic genius acknowledged [but he's just not funny]".

I don't know about Joker wanting to be acknowledged as funny because I don't think he considers himself to be in the clown business. He definitely ranted about this to a captured Damian in a comic once. But he does make a lot of bad jokes. Maybe he doesn't think himself funny, either?

Any thoughts?

(Btw I'm not done pestering you yet, be ready to receive an ask about the Batman: I Am Suicide comic and about Martha and Thomas Wayne in the next few days. I still have to gather my thoughts though.)

(Can I just say that every single one of your answers has made my brain release a huge amount of serotonin? Or is that too much? Eh, whatever, it's the truth anyway. You've brightened my week considerably, thank you so much!!)

❤️❤️ hi friend, i adore receiving your asks and getting to exchange interpretations with you, and i can only hope that my superturbonexus unhinged answers have brought half as much joy to you as your questions have brought me 🥰

I kinda took my time with this ask (sorry!) because it's a rather big bite out of an intricate can of bat worms for me, can included. I also found and reread this particular post by @distort-opia , which put more a dozen more interesting worms in my metaphorical can— i'm not sure though if it was the post you were initially referring to.

So! The concept of jokes and generally being a funnyman is a subjective talk, and my personal preferences regarding where Joker and Batman place on the funnyman scale deviate considerably from what the general consensus in batman fandom seems to be (or the lot i have seen of it), so i guess i'll just take this opportunity to do personal talk, probably more than usual 😂 take it all with a grain of salt! (an ingradient that you'll find this answer contains a fair bit of actually—)

I dont think Joker is funny one bit, and i dont think he's particularly trying to be in the general sense of the word; to imply that he's "funny" both in-world and on a meta level would mean that being funny is his core motivation and the heart of his actions, that it's the foundational component, and to me it's not. A bit more a matter of personal taste on my part, but i actually feel lowkey irritated with Joker portrayals that lean too heavily on the "HE MAKES JOKES HE'S SO FUNNY!!!!!" act at the expect of every other significant characteristic he has, because like, funny is not who he is, it's just one of the 500 things he does. Sure he started as a fun character meant to bring in a dash of psychopathic delight to the early Batman works, but he has evolved to become so much more than that, which i like better than the more simplistic "he's a funny fun guy!!!!" characterizations. To me Joker is not funny, he is not supposed to be the way you pour salt on your dish but it's not supposed to taste salty, it's supposed to taste /right/. His jokes aren't the main dish, they're an added flavour meant to bring home a certain act: the performance. He's a showman, he's here to put on a good show, and that show doesn't have the end goal of being "fun", it has the goal of being iconoclastic and real and raw. But he can't exactly do raw, raw and sincere scares him, in a way he's a slave to his fear and tries to cage it and tame it and understand it the way Batman is scared of bats and everything they represent and he made them his very persona. Joker tries to be true and geniune and sincere but he can't, so he infuses his actions with jokes to soften the blow, shift the taste a bit. He also has the genius' disease; he wants to be seen through, interpreted, understood and reimagined, mirrored, and it's an itch only a certain fellow fucked up intellectual can scratch for him.

Batman deeply understands the value of a good performance and a viciously planned persona, he is a performer both as Bruce Wayne and as Batman after all. And he has the expertise to dissect and bring out all the nuance in Joker's performance, it's probably why he finds him funny. He understands the theatre piece, both when it's executed in a stellar fashion and when it falls flat on its face. noone else can bring this level of discernment to interpreting Joker like Batman does because what other villains do is actually less performance and more.... outright insanity. I think this is also the reason why Batman enjoys saying the most insane shit and making weird jokes at weird times and have everyone be confused by him, it's part of the performance. There are these little almost invisible acts that Batman and Joker catch of each other, that they want to catch of each other, "i'm shaking the persona a bit", like when an actor improvises a moment to keep the role fresh, but only the people in on the script catch it, to others it feels in accordance, not off enough to catch attention. It's one of their core points of connection and similarity actually, they both have their performances and they both wiggle in its frame, sometimes threatening to break through the confines.

[oatflatwhite]

Hi 😁 I absolutely adore your writing. I'm just wondering do you have any writing tips. If your willing to share your secrets that is.

What's your writing process? How do you stay motivated to write? How would I go about improving my own writing?

Thanks so much and no pressure to answer 🥰

hi anon <3 wow, this is such a kind thing to say and such a surprise to find in my inbox! sorry it's taken me a few days to answer.

it sounds obvious but my best writing advice is to just write. practice really does make, if not perfect, then as close as you can come to it. i've been writing fic since 2011 and writing in general for a whole lot longer and the rhythms i have learned - the way i like to structure sentences, how i approach dialogue, honing characterisation - are all just from that process. over and over. it might be boring or frustrating but keep at it if you want to write and i guarantee you will improve!

also, read!! fic and actual books, cross genres, time periods, literary styles. i am so influenced by authors i have read over my whole life, even if just a certain turn of phrase has stuck out to me, the way they write a relationship, the style of prose, all that kind of thing. it's natural to take in these kinds of things and transform them into your own words - inspiration, not imitation! and most times it's done unconsciously anyway. plus, reading expands vocab, an expanded vocab gives you more to work with when writing - and so on.

in terms of my writing process........ i am lacking in anything hard and fast lmao. i write when i feel like writing. sometimes i can sit at my computer and force some words to come but often it will only happen - or i will only write stuff i actually like - when i want to. i walk away otherwise. don't be afraid to put the pen/keyboard down. i do want to make some kind of career as a writer and obviously if that's a path you want to go down too sometimes walking away isn't exactly an option - but take care of yourself as much as you can, listen to your mind and your body, because you'll enjoy yourself more writing when you actually feel like it! plus, stepping away from a project for a while can help you come at it from a new angle and work through problems you had no idea how to approach before.

i'm sorry all this advice is so general!! i hope it helps at least a little. good luck with everything <3

[bite-sized-devil]

🌻 500 followers Bite Sized Event! 🌻

The proposal:

Match Ups, but with a bite-sized twist. With your match up you'll also be getting some head canons for you and your F/O or F/Os, a short fic and/or a script post.

Spots taken: 17/13 (I might extend this if I smash though the first 13, or if you plead your case really well. I realise that is a strange number to put but you know what it's creepy and I like that.)

To request a Matchup:

you'll need to tell me about yourself; star sign, age, height, identity, occupational, favourite things, what you do in your spare time, what you look for in a partner. Etc. You can tell me your favourite obey me character but I can't promise you that's who I'll match you with. You can also provide me with a picture of yourself or describe yourself to me (in detail). If you do send a picture please specify if you want it posted or not.

For the HEADCANONS:

I'll be making these up to suit you and your F/O or F/Os. Just let me know if you want SFW or NSFW or a little suggestive or a little of all.

For SHORT FICS:

You can give me an idea or let me decide, it's up to you. Just let me know if you want a fluffy piece, a little suggestive or just straight up smut.

For SCRIPT FICS:

you can give me an idea or let me decide. Just know these are usually a little silly. (I don't think I've ever done a seriously script post before I think they've all been crack posts.) Regardless, again let me know what you are comfortable with regarding smut, fluff, suggestive content.

Rules for your request:

You need to be following me (I feel like that's obvious but I guess imma say it anyway! Also I feel like such a prick ass saying that.)

You need to be 18+ and have an age in your blog or mention it in your ask or dm.

I only write for obey me characters: the demon brothers, the royals, and purgatory hall (not Luke).

You can remain anonymous. Just sign yourself off with an emoji, or an alias.

That's pretty much it. (Capped at four rules, I've clearly thought this out.)

Thank you for requesting! And thank you so, so, so, so, sooooo much for following me 🥰 I feel very blessed 💕 I really enjoy reading all your comments and tags on my posts!!! I hope I haven't upset anyone with the my silly little posts, I would hate to think I've ruined anyone's day with my horny little posts, reblogs or interactions. And if I have or ever do please let me know! I'm never afraid to admit I'm wrong about something, or clueless. I'd never post anything malicious on purpose, I'm not about that! Only positive, good, happy, chill, and horny vibes from this little devil. 💕💕💕🌻

[flowerslut]

Popped on to wish you a speedy and healthy recovery from your procedures 🖤

Also, thank you for updating Roots, and I hope it’s because you wanted to and not because you felt you had to. Please put yourself first right now 🖤

But since you updated…I wanted to say on first read this is my instinctive raw gut reaction without analysis…I was loving you having Jasper come back to himself so much…when he first recognises Edward, then when he sees Emmett - the burst of rage and regret and guilt he has! Remembering Alice, running to check on her… until a certain someone snapped him back into his automatic response and the thought he had….makes me feel sick. But I know he wouldn’t do that to Alice, and you mentioned something in your tags about infidelity not being a tag..

(I also hope Alice didn’t see that particular vision with her fragile state right now, would not be helpful for her)

I’m really hoping you let him come back to himself soon and see Alice even though it’ll rip our poor troubled Jasper’s heart out at seeing her like that/knowing what was done to her 💔

My heart is breaking for Rosalie!

And being the Peter/(Charlotte RIP) stan I am, I kind of lowkey love the fact he was stinking of venom and rot because that screams to me that he carried and held Alice all the way back home and we love that for his character 🖤

tldr; take care of yourself and Roots is better than the entire plot of The Twilight Saga altogether, sending positive vibes and all the Jalice love 🖤

Clara x

(PS, I may be back with a more in depth analysis once I’ve reread this chapter after some sleep after a 12 hour working day)

thank you so much!!!! I'm feeling better every day and I'm in good spirits so that's a huge plus!! and omfg lmfaooo don't worry!! every single time I've worked hard to squeeze in a roots update is because I'm fucking feral about this story and I LOVE thinking about it and posting it and talking about it etc etc!! 🥰 for as obsessed with roots as everyone says they are, just know that I'm over here also feeling the same stuff!!! sure there's a sense of obligation there since I like posting regular updates but it's 10000% percent because I love! to write!!! and I love! the fics!! I write!!!!

gonna reply to the rest under a cut bc of spoilers! ♡

don't worry, if jasper's disorientation/current mental state is making you feel sick or nervous or anxious then that means my job here is done 💀 this poor man is still trying to mesh the good (his current life) with the bad (his past life) in his brain and it's causing a full fracture to happen. we (jalice stans) often talk a lot about jasper's trauma because it's a really interesting subject to dive into, but being able to write and explore a traumatized character going through psychosis has always been something I like to explore in fanfic and with characters I like (who are all very traumatized individuals. hm. wonder what that says about me 💀)

anyways you'll have a better idea of what alice is and isn't seeing two chapters from now! but don't worry, I will give you one assurance and say that this past chapter (48) is as disoriented as jasper gets in the fic. he starts clearing up more little by little as the story progresses. unfortunately, I can't say the same about alice

and poor rosalie oh my godddd :( I think that whumping emmett (or renesmee, if we're being real here) is probably the best way to get rosalie to break down. and rosalie is interesting because she's so quick to anger. but when there's no immediate target for that anger, and when the person she loves more than anything is in such a state, you can only imagine what she's going through right now. (which is why edward's current job is keeping rosalie from trying to fight maria because she badly needs something to tear into) you definitely get a little more peter & alice content in the next alice chapter, but not a wild amount. peter's main job right now is 'keep alice alive' and if that means having to begrudgingly follow maria's orders...well, he'll do it, but he won't like it...

thank you again for always being so sweet!! I'm so happy you and other people love this story so much! it feels so good to have a fic that I was insane about for a year straight finally infect my readers in the same way that it did me 💀 I can't wait for you guys to have the full thing by the end of the year!!!!!!! thanks again! ♡

[sonic-an-shadow]

To the Sonadow couple, do you believe Big Foot is real?

Yes. 😃

No. 😒

... 🙁

... 😒

Why not? 🤨🤨

Simply because it's all a hoax. There's too little evidence of his existence, and whenever he does have evidence it's questionably bad quality. 😒😒

So are your photos. 🤭🤭

😒😒🙄🙄😒😒... That's besides the point. The point is that there is no hard, solid evidence of his existence. 😕😕

So he's not real to you simply because he has no proper evidence? 🧐🧐

Yes. 😌😌

🤔🤔... Then I'm going to get you some evidence!! 😃😃

🙁🙁... How!? 🤨🤨 You'll have to find a forest where he'll most likely be, not to mention that he's on Earth in the human world. You'd get lost- nope, no, absolutely not. 😠😠😠

WHAT!?😟😟 WHY NOT!? 😫😫

Because you'll get lost and I don't want to go out looking for you on a witch hunt. 😠😠🫵🫵

Don't you mean 'recovery search?'🤨🤨

No, witch hunt, because once I find Bigfoot his hide is mine and I'm going to make him hate that he ever got lazy and allowed the first human to ever spot him. 😠😠

😐😐... It's nice to know you love me, and I hope to never be at the end of your wrath. 😅����

Well don't do anything worthy of said wrath and you won't have to see it first hand. 😠😠

Easy peasy, you love me too much to ever get that mad at me anyways. 😚😚🥰🥰

Push it just right and you just might. 😒😒😠😠🫵🫵

A-hahaha... 😅😅😙😙I'm still going to look for Bigfoot. 😄😄

Fine. 😒😒

YAY!!! 🥳🥳

But make sure to keep in contact. 😌😌

I will. 😄😄

And make sure to check in with me every hour. 😏😏

Got it! 😉😉👍👍

And don't fall into any bodies of water. 😌😌

I won't, Shads. 🙄🙄

Good, I hope you have luck on this unsuccessful mission. 😒😒

Oh come on Shads!! 😫😫Haven't I've done the 'impossible' enough to make you have faith me.😉😉😌😌

It's exactly that reasoning that I worry about you, because you'll somehow drown from a rock, and that's literally 'impossible'. 😒😒

... Shads please, have faith in me. 🥺🥺

.... 😒😒

.... Please? 😟😟I'll make your favorite tonight. 😁😁

.... 😒😒Extra cuddles tonight. 😒😒🫵🫵

Deal!! 🤩🤩😊😊

I'll have faith, and you'll be safe. 😌😌

I will. 🥰🥰

(ㅅ˙³˙)❤(´ε｀　)💕💕💕

[vermillioncrown]

Hello! I just wished to say that I've been reading Dream Before Daybreak and it's been a delight!! It's been a lot of fun reading ZYX's friendship with JZX (ch 19 hit hard... but I'm looking forwards to seeing these two reconcile!) You're great at slapping the readers with emotions, and while there are a lot of terms I'm unfamiliar with it's really interesting reading about the culture and the many thoughts you've put into this fic! Fantastic writing, and I'm looking forwards to seeing more!

yay, thank you 🥰

i've had great fun setting up the zyx and jzx friendship, and like you're looking forward to the reconciliation, i'm looking forward to doing jzx's pov to show his side of things.

(there's so much going on with their whole situation that readers who only think "what's the big deal, he's just mad about the gender reveal???" have not absorbed the setting and context. they aren't just jzx and zyx without ties and obligations to others.)

and thank you for the compliment on the emotion-slapping lol; i always fear prescribing emotions for readers to feel, in like when sometimes you're told to be ...idk "be serious. this is serious" it's so overdone it just makes you laugh instead? anyways. everyone processes emotions differently so the hope is presenting a character's pov and their feelings on it, and if i've done okay enough in making you sympathize with them then you'll feel for them.

final thank you for appreciating the cultural aspects. i consider dbd to be my messiest fic (since it's the one that i'm "closest" to, narration-wise and personally), but there's a lot of love in it. a complicated love letter to my culture, the many genres it intersects, and something only possible building from writing 'failures' from more than a decade ago.

i wanna say we're at the halfway point of that fic? but regardless, it's a turning point of emotional investment from zyx. a down payment of "they care and things matter."

the rest is connecting the logical threads from everything i've laid out to consequences. big plot points are already outlined, it's just the interpersonal bits that need to be solved. i'm happy you're looking forward to it and i hope that it all is something that makes sense and feels satisfying

(i don't know if i'm coming across as a huge plotter bc it's not...i usually start with vibes and follow those whims, trusting that my subconscious has latched onto a logical thread. and at some point i take the vibes-only writing and beat out the shape of an acceptable plot. pantser-plotter hybrid)

[royal-phoenix]

You look like the sort of person to make liking Elon Musk a personality because you haven't got one yourself. Were you dropped on your head as a baby? Were you left alone in front of the television for too long? Did your parents teach you that hating people would stop you thinking about how worthless your life is? These are all genuine questions I need to ask you. Do you honestly think that ignoring any kind and rational thought that couldn't entered your brain is going to stop you from hating yourself. Go get a therapist, please. Maybe get off social media for a while, it's obviously not doing you a world of good. Now don't even try and think up some sort of clever way to tell me that I'm an ignorant fool, we all know who you're really talking to. I mean, I can practically smell your insecurities from here. Do you wish you were born a different gender? Do you wish you could tell people who you loved/don't love? Because you kinda have made hating lgbtq+ you're whole thing at this point... I mean well done, you're so original... but anyway we all know everything we do is projecting on other people (don't understand? That's ok sweetie, didn't expect you too. Basically it means you hate yourself so much that instead of making that your internet personality, you try and pick apart the people who show similar traits to you.)

Or maybe I haven't got this quite right. Is it perhaps the classic: I know nothing about this and that makes me very frightened so I'm going to make their lives a misery...

Does that sound right?

Look I don't know about you, but having tantrums and calling people horrible words aren't going to win you anything.. didn't anyone ever tell you, you can't have everything. But then maybe that's why you're like this. Maybe you never got anything and get mad when incredibly beautiful, vulnerable groups, who have been incredibly brave, take a stand and are proud of themselves for once.

Now, I'm just making assumptions but you definitely don't sound mentally stable.. I would ask if you wanted to talk but I don't want to hear you whinging anymore than I've had to.

I hope you realise how silly you look.. how old are you? A greasy 30-40 year old man whose unemployed? A 13 year old boy with daddy issues? A 50 year old woman with karen energy and religious trauma? I mean how idiotic can we get.

To talk about cis the "slur", I mean I'm not going to take someone who calls people revolting words, seriously. I mean god if you would stop dividing cis people and trans people then we could all just be people 😭

Your. Logic. Isn't. Logic.

I mean happy pride month, I hope you have the day you deserve 😶

Don't even bother to reply, I don't want to see you pop up on my tumblr ever again just go kiss elon's ass or smth way less pg 🥰

HAHA HOW HILARIOUS YOU'VE COMPLETELY TAKEN AWAY THE ANONYMOUS THING BECAUSE YOU FEEL THE NEED TO STALK US. I mean god all you'll find on mine is some shit sketches and loads of batman reblogs 🤣 unlike you, I process my childhood trauma very differently.

Have a fucking day :)

And you sound like the sort of person who makes generalisations about people. Also, I have never seen such a long rant online - I think you need to seek mental help...as soon as you stop foaming at the mouth and pick your toys up. But thanks for making me laugh this morning - you sound so crazy and unhinged it made me chuckle thinking about you furiously typing your words whilst on the verge of a breakdown. Brilliant. Haha

You have literally just thrown a tantrum. Therefore you have no right to tell anyone else what to do. My advice: grow up, realise you are not special and don't forget to take those meds! Now off you run, mong child..

[c-e-d-dreamer]

Welp, my brain’s gonna be on FIRE 🔥.

ULTIMATE RANDOM QUESTION TIME PRT. 2: Do you know those pictures/moon boards that you have on your fanfics? Like the pictures at the top of the titles? I’ve always loved those and I wanna know, how do you make them?

Ooooo what a fun random question! 🥰

So, for a while, I did banners for my fics. And for those, I would use Google. So for LOHLDOW, I searched "little girl reading," and for OMG Roommates, I think I first searched "roommates," but I didn't like the results, so I think I ended up doing "couple moving." But I would always add "Twitter header" to the end so that way Google would pull images that had that more banner sizing.

Then, I would open up the PicsArt app, and sometimes, I would mess with the sizing more, maybe crop it. But I'd add a filter over the image using the "effects" option until it was to my liking, and then I'd add the fic title as text. Sometimes, I had to use the blur tool and blur the image beneath where I want the text just so the text is more legible (I did this with the Wonderland banner), but yeah!

But, of course, recently, I've made the switch to fic moodboards, and for those, Pinterest is your best friend. I usually just search for things related to the plot of the fic and then collect images. So for Regency Cassian, I searched "Regency romance aesthetic," and got all the pictures I wanted from that. That was probably the easiest moodboard I ever made. Lol. But for one of my new WIPs (a little peek behind the curtain here), I searched "werewolf aesthetic," "witchy aesthetic," "werewolves," and because Nessian are magically bound by marriage in this fic, I also searched "handfasting."

You can also search for the couple too! Like "Nessian," "Nessian aesthetic," and even "ACOSF aesthetic" to get like Nesta and Cassian and couple type photos. I have a whole heap of those saved for moodboard use, and you'll definitely notice a lot of the same ones used across many a fic author's moodboards lol. There's just not that many long haired men aesthetic photos, ya know?

But anyways! You want at least 9 images. If you have more, then you can swap as needed if you decide an image doesn't work the way you hoped.

But then it's back to the handy dandy PicsArt app! I use the square collage feature, and I have my border set to 3, but do whatever makes your heart happy. I add all my images, and usually, there's one or more images that are a bit too HD or the colors don't quite match the rest, so PicsArt lets you add filters to individual images in collages and I'll use that to sort of soften and get it to feel more cohesive.

When it comes to arrangement, I personally like to mirror. So, for Werewolf Cassian, I have the handfasting photo in the center then "Cassian" in the top right corner and "Nesta" in the bottom left corner. I have wolves bottom center and witchy top center. I have Nesta's magic top left corner and Cassian's claws bottom right corner. I just like how that composition looks that way. But you find what works for you and makes your heart happy!

Then to finish it up, I usually like to add a filter to the whole finished collage. Nothing crazy, but it just gives that final cohesiveness of all the images in my opinion. Save that final image and bam! You're done! And if you're anything like me, you'll probably waste hours laying in bed and making these 😇

Sorry this is a whole ass essay, but I hope this helps! 🥰 also, just for you, enjoy the werewolf Cassian moodboard below the cut for reference 😘

[destinyc1020]

phone addiction is real and normalized and i haaaate it. i feel like so many of us are on some level addicted to screens, and i just absolutely hate the feeling of it. like i love coming on here, seeing content, catching up, but when i'm away too long i honestly get really restless and feel like i 'have' to check to see whats up in the entertainment world. i've been working on this for years, too, trying to figure out ways to just chill and maybe log off of things for a few days, but i struggle to even manage that. what i want is just a nice balance of checking up on fandom stuff casually, not feeling like i need to do it or that i'm missing something if i'm away for a few days. it's baaad!! and then you go out and see people glued to their screens in restaurants, with their kids, in every situation possible. theres so many advantages to phones but i feel like their disadvantages aren't talked about enough. i love how tom has spoken up about stepping back from checking social media, i hope z for her own health does the same sometimes cause whew,cannot imagine being famous and having social media convo being about myself!

Yea girl....I feel you lol.

I think society has kind of normalized this behavior of "Phubbing" in public also. However, if you look back to old movies, or even old photographs, you'll see images or pictures of people casually enjoying one another's company at a restaurant and giving everyone their full attention.

But if you go out to eat in 2023, and look around a crowded restaurant, you're guaranteed to notice at least more than a few people phubbing the ppl they're with at the same table because they're deep into their phones. I've even seen a group of friends (not mine) all at the same table, and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them had their heads bent into their phones.... nobody talking to each other... 😑

I'm like, what's the point in even going out as a group of friends if all you're going to be doing is ignoring each other the entire night? Rofl 😆 🤣

Anyway, I totally agree with what Tom says about giving yourself a BREAK from social media, and just your devices in general!!🥰 That's just wise advice imo. 🤷🏾‍♀️

I know it sounds super crazy, but I guarantee you that if you were to delete all of your social media apps from your phone and stay away from them for two weeks, you will realize that you feel SO MUCH BETTER, and your addiction will subside. 😊

***You are addicted BECAUSE you keep going on these sites lol. If you stay away from them, the less you will be addicted, believe me. 💯

It will be tough, but that's why it's called an ADDICTION. That's classic addiction symptoms if you can't stop doing smthg, or you feel anxious or uneasy when you remove the addiction from your life.

However, it DOES get easier with every passing day that you don't give in to your addiction.

You're only feeding your addiction the more you go on it and can't stay stay away from it for many days.

Just like Tom noticed that he had a problem with alcohol and started to stay away from it, you can find (just like he did) that it gets easier the longer you stay away from it! 😊 The first step however is (as you've already done) recognizing that you have an addiction.

I know for me personally, I stop craving it when I get off of even Tumblr for a few days lol 😆 I highly recommend it. I also think that a lot of fans will STOP feeling so anxious about Tomdaya every two seconds when you're not following their every move every second of the day. 👀🤷🏾‍♀️

I'm telling you, NOT being addicted to your phone is a wonderful thing! 😊

You can even try a "Living in the 90s" Challenge by driving someplace close to home (maybe the grocery store or smthg) and actually *gasp*! leaving your cellphone at HOME!! 😳🤯😲

I'm getting anxiety just even thinking about doing that rofl 🤣, but I've actually contemplated doing that just as a challenge for myself to see if I can actually do it, and not break out in a cold sweat wondering where my phone is, what I'm missing, or whether someone has tried to reach me at some point lol 😅

I think what we will find when/if we do this, however, is that we're way more PRESENT in our lives, we make more conversations with ppl in public, and we will probably notice so many more things in our life when we leave the phone at home, or just leave it in our purse. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[the-writers-bookshelf]

I hope it's okay for me to send another ask for fab Friday. Lots has happened that I'm so proud and excited about and want to ramble briefly about.

So I started this trilogy a couple years ago called The Fall of the Sirens. They're novellas. I've been stuck on the 2nd novella for a WHILE but decided to go ahead and try again, which resulted in me finally completing it!! So I just have the 3rd novella to write the first draft for which is SO EXCITING because Sirens are my favorite mythological creatures and this trilogy was my first siren-based project I ever started... and the 3rd book has concepts in it I've been DYING to delve into including FINALLY revealing the race of beings that show up in the War of the Seafolk, which is the name of book 3.

I'm also hoping to publish these works when they're done-done.

I also have written some for the chinchilla prince concept I spoke of but it's been really difficult for me because my concepts for that series are rather complex and I haven't read children's picture books in so long and don't have childten.... so I'm struggling with the actual content of the books /:

Anyway! That's me the last couple weeks. I hope you're well! 🥰🥰

Thank you again for running Fab Friday. You already know what a huge fan I am of it by now but seriously what you're doing is so wonderful and I appreciate you so much 🥰🥰

I'M SO HERE FOR A SIREN TRILOGY!!! I would read that in a HEARTBEAT! I'm so glad you worked through that speed bump and FINISHED your novella! AND you're onto book three!! Go go go!! :)

I hope the chinchilla prince works itself out and goes a bit more smoothly for you! Maybe you could raid the picture book section at your library for ideas???

Or maybe it just needs a little rest like your novella did and you'll be bursting with ideas again! 💜

[brandwhorestarscream]

kay so i found your blog through ao3 and

(RAMBLE INCOMING)

it's so refreshing to see someone who can defend starscream without demonizing arcee and vice versa. arcee is very much a traumatized individual and starscream killed cliff didn't exactly make it better. she's become so wrapped up in both propaganda and her own vengence that she'd rebuke her own morals just to get back at those who wronged her, and it's so refreshing to see her finally be faced with the fact that she's hurt people too.

starscream on the other hand is a very interesting case. he's rude, vindictive, overemotional, vengeful, the list goes on. he's been terrible to others, killing cliff for simply talking back to him. he's lashing out at others because he's not in control. he wants safety, he wants to finally feel sure about himself. all of his bluster and bravado is just him trying to look like he's not afraid, but he is. he's terrified. but that doesn't mean he hadn't hurt people.

(side note: i am so happy you didn't woobify starscream. it's extremely annoying when people do.)

and the thing i love so much about hindsight is that it put up a mirror and says, "you did something horrible. you aren't the good guy just because you follow propaganda saying that you are. you are the monster you said you'd defeat."

and i love that. good job. :)

(RAMBLE OVER)

Ahhhhhh omigosh anon this is so sweet!! I caaan't ahhhh what a great ask to wake up to!! /)//w//(\

I'm so glad you're enjoying Hindsight! We've just entered timeline 3, with 4 more scheduled after it, so I hope you'll stick around and continue to enjoy it. Arcee may have come to realize and accept that she was wrong to kill them all, but her story's not done yet! There's still more issues for her to work through and I've got a lot planned for her going forward ^-^

Anyway! I'm done gushing, that was so sweet! It makes me so indescribably happy that people like Hindsight so much 🥰

[singsweetmelodies]

just stopping by to say: you've had SEVEN accounts over ELEVEN years in fandom?? you actually are a legend, wtf. any chance you can reveal some of the other fandoms you've written for? 👀 no need to answer if it's too personal or if you're not comfortable revealing it btw!!

ahhhh, anon, you'll make me blush 🙈🙈😍🙈 YOU are the actual legend for sending this ask!! ❤️❤️ also, omg, noooo worries, i don't mind answering at all - i am also an incredibly nosy person, lmaooo, so i completely get wanting to be curious about everything you can, hehe.

and as for fandoms: i'm not going to reveal absolutely all of them (mostly because i'm too lazy to go open up all 7 accounts AGAIN and check, so i'll most likely forget some, lmao 😆🥲) but also bcs there are one or two i'm redacting for shame, kslldjdhdhdgdhdgdhdggdd 🙈

ANYWAYS. let's get to it - here's a list of many of the fandoms i've written for over the past 11 years, in the order of how quickly my brain remembers them lmao. also! pls note that these are only the fandoms i've written for. the ones i've READ for are absolutely impossible to count, i fear 😅😅

and now with the disclaimers and whatnot done - the list:

Harry Potter (specifically, Marauders Era)

Avengers 2012 (specifically, Clintasha)

Once Upon A Time (Captain Swan beloved)

Marvel's Agents of SHIELD (definitely the fandom I've written the most for to date)

Star Wars (Reylo. sorrynotsorry)

Supergirl (Supercorp, of course)

Star Trek: Discovery (one fic in total but it counts)

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (again, one fic, but I loved this quirky little series very dearly)

The Queen's Gambit (this is the one I completely forgot I ever wrote fic for, and was pleasantly surprised to remember lmao)

Six of Crows (Kanej forever!!)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Sambucky, of course)

Black Widow 2021 (specifically, the fascinating and excellent Natasha & Yelena & Melina & Alexei dynamic)

Miraculous Ladybug (shut UP, the content in this fandom is genuinely god-tier)

Spider-Man Homecoming & No Way Home (Spideychelle <333)

Arrow (I never finished this show but by god I had my Olicity obsession. also. Sara Lance!!)

Arcane (one fic but God I wish I'd had spoons to write more because this show is awesome. Caitvi 😍😍)

Avatar The Last Airbender (OH MY GOD almost forgot this one but how could i. this show is so good!!)

there you have it, anon! 🥰 insanity that has spanned 11 years, lmao. but this is only a fraction of the true insanity, really - there are SO many fandoms where i just lurked, and obsessively read fic, but never posted anything of my own 🥲🙈 anyways!! looking at this all again has definitely been A Ride for me. i do hope you enjoyed(?) the answer - pls do tell me if anything here is a massive surprise, or not surprising at all, lmao. i of course believe my taste is impeccable, but please do tell me what you think too <333

[loveyouhomex]

hi, i saw your adhd post and its painfully relatable in a certain way? like ive started taking my meds a week or so ago, still waiting on an official diagnosis (which is only a formality at this point) and i dont even know if they are working but the thought of something making this feeling easier, when i've managed to do it anyways before is like. its making me feel weird, because why would i really need them? and then i think on how hard it is to fucking wash the dishes or focus enough to study and im like you know what, fuck it. i deserve not to suffer. i deserve to have things made even a bit easier for me, because its been so hard and if other people can benefit from so many things, like having normal brain chemistry, why shouldnt i, too? why do i have to suffer? you think i'm weak, well, lets see you try to get through the day with all this shit in your head and see how you deal with that, and see if you still think im weak for needing an extra something. its like wearing glasses, nobody thinks youre weak bcs you cant see, its normal that you'd get glasses, so i try to frame the adhd like that when the imposter syndrom hits me. idk if this helps in any way, i hope it doesnt do the opposite, but i just wanted to say you're not alone in this feeling, and that you're very brave, and not weak at all, at least not to me. and you dont have to reply or anything really, i just wanted to tell you this.

hi anon!

first of all, thank you so much for your message. it helped a lot that it was relatable for you too - it made me feel like i'm not alone with this 💕 my psychiatrist said that you should definitely feel them as soon as you take them (if you have stimulants as well) and i do feel smth change. i couldn't take them the next day so i was kind of waiting for a comparison, but i think on my day-off meds i was talking myself so much into a "look you can do stuff even without meds, i mean you're getting it done, why would you need something else" that it made me hard to really focus on how much they help me.

i feel like especially if you've got diagnosed as an adult and then as a woman as well, where symptoms are so inherently different, it's hard for me myself to always see the symptoms and regard them as something that i can help get better with meds.

but yeah, the "i deserve not to suffer" hit me so freaking hard. it's true, no matter how "small" the things are, they still impact me even when i try to tell myself it's normal that things are hard. but like, they're harder for myself in some aspects than neurotypical people.

thank you again for this. hope you're doing well and that you'll get your diagnosis soon 🥰

[lovejosephquinn]

Hi! So sorry you’re having a bad day, same here honestly 😓 it’s times like these where I think we really need a lovely soft Joe Quinn to cuddle 🥰 perhaps a sweet spooning session in bed after a hard day for both reader & Joe? Idk whether I want reader snuggling into Joe’s chest or the other way round, I’ll leave that up to you, either way, snuggles & hair playing. Soft vibes. Oh now I’m thinking about using Joe’s tummy as a pillow as reader lies between his legs while reading to de-stress! Can’t make decisions to save my life 😅 it’s that kinda day! Anyways, sorry for the ramble, hope your tomorrow is better 😊 take care love! ❤️

This.

Honestly, I needed to read this over today after having an even worse day at work than yesterday 🙃 I think it's time for fluffy snuggly af Joseph, need a bit of him

I hope your day's been better today! Lots of love x

Tysm for the lovely request ❤

Joe sprawled across the sofa watching you as you slammed the front door shut behind you, ignoring everything in your path as your eyes made a bee line for the other side, you stomped into the bathroom and flung that door shut to. Today had been simply awful, and you were ready to sob your heart out alone.

You sat on the toilet seat, your head falling into your hands, silently screaming as you had done the whole day, work was really stressful and demanding this last couple of weeks and today had been the cherry on top for you to break. Usually, you were one to keep leaving bad days at work, but you seriously couldn't on this occasion.

A knock came from the side of the door.

"Y/N, are you ok in there?" You sniffled slightly as a single tear fell.

"Love, talk to me, tell me all about it if you want to, or don't I can just be there for you in silence too."

Joe was the sweetest and he was the only person who simply was able to calm you once you were in that state of mind.

"Open the door baby, please. For me." He cooed lowly.

How could you deny him? Simple answer, you couldn't. You unlocked the bathroom door and it creaked open; you stood looking the most vulnerable you had for a long time, and it simply broke Joe's heart to see it.

"You know what you need, you need a bit of snuggle time." You nodded slowly as he gazed into your sorrowful, puffy eyes, your cheeks had gone a little red and your smile he loved to see was nowhere to be seen.

"Come on, let's get under the covers. Let me make it all better." You wrapped yourself around Joe's arm, his fingers intertwining with yours as you tilted against him, slowly walking to your bedroom. Joe lifted the covers back for you to get in. Hopping in, you turned onto your side and in an instant, as soon your head hit the pillow the tears began to fall once more. Joe swooped in next to you, holding himself against you and wrapping his arm around your chest, the other snaked between the pillow and your neck to enable him to close the full space between you, he laid his head down and held you tight for the next few minutes in silent bliss. "We don't have to t-"

"Just keep holding me Joey, that's all I need, that's all I've craved all day." His nose nuzzled into the back of your hair.

"You got it beautiful."

A little later, you rotated around to face your man, your faces meeting at the same level, he gave you a sweet smile, caressing your cheek and wiping the rogue tears from your face. "I thought you'd fallen asleep for a second there."

You shook your head, lips remaining in a straight line but at least you'd stopped crying.

"I don't like seeing my girl like this."

You stayed silent moving downwards so your face could press into his chest, his scent was so homely and calming to you. Joe kissed the top of your head, enveloping you with his arm once more.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"I don't think so but ugh my head hurts so bad."

Joe had a lightbulb moment as he sat upward slightly, breaking the embrace and you furrowed your brows at him. "Why did you move, I was enjoying that."

"You'll enjoy this more. Come lay in between my legs, head on my stomach."

You did just as he said, switching positions and claiming the covers over your body once more as you were whisked away into a glimpse of heaven once Joe's fingers started to play with your hair.

You hummed at the small warm-hearted gesture.

"That feel good, babe?"

You nodded up to him, a slight smile creeping onto your face.

Joe's eyes lit up as he briefly saw the mere glimmer of expression. He took a deep excited inhale. "What's that I just saw?"

"What do you mean?"

He sat up further which slid you down to his thighs, leaning as close to your head as he possibly could. "That little smile trying to peak through."

"I don't know what you're talking about." You tried to hide the sudden giggle that fell from your lips. Joe grabbed a hold of your arms and pulled you up, you were now sat on his lap faced backwards against his chest, he moved your hair out of the way, kissing your neck in a swift motion. You giggled again.

"Y/N Y/L/N, was that ANOTHER giggle?" He said it as if he were talking to a child, you couldn't help but shake your head.

"Fibber." Joe sniggered back.

You were beaming from ear to ear now, his fingers began to tickle your sides and you barked out the biggest howl of laughter, purely because you didn't enjoy being tickled but in the weirdest way possible, it cheered you up.

"Joe... Joe! Joseph... stop!!" Your laugh was infectious to him and instead of tears of sadness, the tears that rolled out of your eyes this time were tears of joy.

Joe placed you down gently onto your back beside him and leaned over you, stroking your head and pushing your chin up to meet his gaze once more. "There she is my baby's back."

You took a sigh of relief. "I can always count on you."

"What for, love?"

"To make me feel good again, I don't know how you do it - you barely do anything, but you're just you and that's enough, I know I'll never be sad for long, so long as I have you. I love you so much."

You could almost see water in Joe's eyes, your words electrified him, he couldn't have loved you more. Your bad day suddenly washing away as you shared a passionate open mouth kiss. Joe spoke his next words so tenderly, "As long as you're smiling, my darling, I know I'm doing right. I love you too."