#baby's first piece of hp writing

[puppypawprintce]

~Trapped in this Dismal Vignette~

1500 words | 1974 |

gen + snegulus + bit of inner turmoils.

cw: underage smoking, sirius bashing (theyre bonding)

Everything in the house reeks of never breaking tradition, of the walls cluttered from landing of stairs to the chandelier that hangs precariously above the large, faded-by-time wine stain on the busy carpet. It feels like when one walks through the hallway everything in existence sprouts undead eyes and it wouldn't be unlikely to spot a few thestrals once exiting the premises. It's as if things stick between the coils of life and death. Remnants of a soul burn in the two sons and nowhere else.

Walburga Black cares not for her eldest son, nor does he wish for anything more.

"Isn't your dear old brother's birthday coming up?" Less a question, and all a reason to sneer and scoff. Regulus slams his palms on the counter, the look on his face wild, then deadpan. The same gray eyes.

"Unfortunately."

"He doesn't shut up about it, he's convinced he's London's favorite doll." Severus stares from across the room with a twinge of satisfaction in his chest, it's a rarity to hear anyone agree with him. To speak and know he was in similar company. Sirius Black wasn't all that, in fact, he was below average across the board. I wish he weren't so pretty at least. Maybe if his nose were twisted just a smidge to the left. And if someone were to douse that hair in petrol.

"Even worse, in 3 months."

"I know."

"He could stand to wait til October."

And Severus has to think for a moment. Has to dig through the many layers of memories he isn't particularly interested in—he isn't interested—and there it is, the first day Autumn showed her face in the leaves and her unrelenting breeze. Sirius, the bastard all grinning and standing tall over his friends, growth spurt, lunges an arm over James' shoulder while proclaiming he wants to do something dangerous for his birthday. November 3rd wouldn't be a good day, Severus had thought.

"Their lot would kill me if they knew mine, I'm sure." Severus balances his tilted head in the palm of his hand, almost like a fateful reminisce. Though his face remains sour, and Regulus only stands to mirror.

"Potter oughta be expelled."

There's that feeling, the one where Severus thinks it be best to douse the stove and all its tangled wire before the pot can even come close to boiling over. He blinks, his breathing stiff and the line between feeling as calm as a Cokeworth boy can be to wanting to hide in the nearest quiet closet looms in between his skeleton and the subtle beating of his heart. "They would never expel Potter, he's got a whole battalion on his side."

"So do you Severus."

The boy looks at him expectantly, his hands still firmly placed and the curl on his forehead twirling to obscure the visible scar Regulus wears near his left eyebrow. An expression of mercy on his hair's part, Severus always feels guilty laying his eyes on it.

"No one is on my side Regulus, what are you playing at?"

"I just mean it would take a thousand Potters to outsmart you." Regulus moves in search through his jacket pockets. "Mum will be home soon, let's head out."

Severus hops off his place on the rickety old stool, almost on command. His feet don't reach the floor from up there, and he's glad no one ever comments on it.

"Does it hurt..to smoke?" His hands rest in the pockets of his sweater, the edges of its stitching frayed and full of holes. It's hardly sweater season yet, but Severus doesn't like when people can see his arms. And the pockets, he likes those a fair amount. They walk at a steady pace, leaving the grounds of Number 12 Grimmauld Place behind.

Regulus shoves his newly retrieved cigarette between his teeth, his perfect set of front teeth, and sets the end aflame with a careful cup of his other hand. Taking a drag, his eyes close and for a moment Severus wonders if he shouldn't be so curious. Wonders if this is a fork in the road the future him would madly scold him for.

Regulus balances his cig between his index and center. "Nah, not really."

A dense cloud escapes from his lips and rises up, disappearing into the monotone atmosphere above. It smells like it always does, bitter and strong enough to make you wanna plunge into the nearest shore just to get away from it.

But Severus doesn't run, and his eyes stay fixated on the schoolmate he's somehow managed to get along well enough to be friends with. That might kill him someday.

"Do you wanna try it?"

His heart doesn't skip a beat.

"Yes." He frees his left hand, then stuffs it right back in his pocket. Too eager. When Regulus offers him the same cigarette that had just vacated his mouth, Severus appears hesitant, and for the first time in months an odd sense of dread tears its claws into the very back of his mind. "Hold on, same one?"

"Yeah? Why not. You a germaphobe or something Sev?"

The words bounce right off him. He doesn't feel particularly strong about germs in either direction, no and it isn't like they haven't shared snacks before, or even taken sips from the same water bottle. But his mind twists and his stomach feels sick and for once in his life Severus isn't in any danger yet thinks he's looking death straight in the eyes. Petrified.

"Fire's dying." Regulus hits it again, his eyes watching Severus closely. He doesn't like the way Regulus always looks him in the eye, too near and too close and it'd take a million Regulus Blacks to get any of this out of his head. Sometimes he wonders if it's on purpose, what's his aim in all of this?

Severus makes up his mind in the same second that his friend tries to offer him the cig again, can't be too cowardice. Doesn't matter his reason, doesn't matter the fear. He tentatively holds it between his fingers and repeats the action of guiding it to his lips.

It tastes awful. Like dirt and the corroded, burnt bits of whatever got thrown into the brazier for last night's supper. Inhaling is much, much worse.

Resisting the urge to drop it on the ground, Severus hands it back and his whole body convulses into a fit of heavy coughs. His hands shake and it feels like his chest is on fire.

"Did-" he coughs a few more times. "Did you fucking jinx it?"

Regulus can't contain his amusement whatsoever, the way his giggling turns to a couple snorts and he totally drops the cigarette without even realizing. Severus looks about ready to hex the guy himself before he's met with a water bottle shoved in his face, cap already slightly unscrewed just for him.

"I didn't do shit to it Sev, you just aren't used to it."

He'd be more inclined to believe him if he didn't think his lungs were crawling with fire ants right about now. Clinging to the bottle like it was his saving grace, Severus gulps down three quarters of it without stopping. Ebbing the pain away into a subtle discomfort.

"I thought you said it didn't hurt." He wipes his mouth with the back of his sleeve and coughs again.

"I forgot you're...."

"Forgot i'm what? You did that on purpose and you know it, Black."

"Hey... hey okay maybe I knew that would happen—" Severus' eyes are glaring and narrow as nervous-to-pick-up-the-pieces words fumble out of the boy's mouth, hands raised in mock defense. "But I didn't jinx anything. That happens to everyone- it's normal!"

The betrayed Slytherin stamps the sole of his shoe on the last bits of life the stick of death had left, all embers burnt out and their fuel crushed to dust. "You're very lucky that I'm generally a fan of you."

Wind picks up and brings both of their hair to reposition around their faces, Severus brushes his back into place and Regular doesn't move a muscle. That godforsaken scar stares its dark eyes back at him, 2 dots amongst the general blob-ish shape. Taunting him, making him wish to repent.

"I didn't like it."

"Clearly.. It's okay, you would've transformed my head into a pincushion if it wasn't taking effect. Feel any better?"

He takes a second to assess it all, the way his head feels and the dissipating burn in his chest and the odd sense of anxiety that'd come over him. How he doesn't like how close Regulus is and gets, yet he doesn't mind at all. Maybe it's the latter half that makes him so queasy, everything feels like sandpaper on his skin and there's nothing he can do that would land him in better shape. Nowhere else was as safe as the right here, right now.

"I don't know."

[pa1nkill3r]

Day 2,557 [G.W]

[Pairing:] George Weasley x GN!Reader

[Summary:] A boy comes into the joke shop with his mother; It felt all too weird for the one-eared owner to feel so at ease, something he never felt for the past 7 years.

[Warnings:] angst, sad, major character death (not Fred obv), reincarnation, grief, mourning, swearing

[a/n:] Scrolling through facebook and getting videos of children talking about their past lives really intrigued me. This is my first fic and it might be bad so please don’t bully me, I’m sensitive <3 (jkjk but I am open for constructive criticism!)

[a/n; March 2024] I wrote this draft back in 2021 or 2022 I believe, waiting desperately for the opportunity to finish and post this. That time never came. Now, 2 or 3 years later, I gravely admire my vocabulary, creativity, and passion for writing back then. Honestly speaking, moving schools killed my spark and I am desperate to get it back. For now, I am working on reviving that spark within me by going back to where I started. Even though the HP fandom isn't as active as it used to be, I would still like to share this piece I made because I am so, so proud of my younger self.

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There was something about Y/N wearing white that George loved so much. He always got so giddy and cute which in turn made their eyes roll and mouth grin.

The way Y/N looked sitting at the Great Hall with their white sleeves rolled to their elbows, one hand under their chin and the other twirling a spoon while their eyes dragged along their charms textbook, cramming in as much information as they could for the upcoming test that afternoon. 

Or that time at the Yule Ball when they thought it’d be funny to wear an all white ensemble because: “What?...I wanted to feel like a bride at their wedding.” whilst having the best night with George, their “groom”.

Even small moments like when they would steal a shirt from George’s drawer and wear it to sleep. He loved every single bit of it, even if it cost him many shirts.

He truly never got enough of them wearing white. So seeing them in a casket wearing that same color 7 years ago, looking so peaceful and so… dead. That killed him. That’s the last time he will see them in white; That’s the last time he’s going to see them at all. 

That was the last time he could actually feel their hand rather than just dried oil on linen canvas, framed in oak and hung atop his bed. How he wished their eyes could roll one more time at how stupidly in love their boyfriend is with them, especially in white.

Voldemort’s reign of terror had ended, as well as the lives of many others, and maybe even George. They were a horcrux he never made, his life force created by deep love and affection rather than the hunger for immortality.

It never got easier even after 7 years, he simply just got used to it. 

He got used to the feeling of an empty bed. He got used to gripping onto a cold body pillow instead of a warm figure and a heartbeat with Y/H/C hair disturbing his lips. He got used to counting the days since their death which gravely disturbed Fred, his twin. He got used to waking up everyday and checked off a box from the calendar with an absurd amount of numbers on it. 

Admittedly he is doing better than he did 7 years ago. No more jumping from every small sound and drawing out his wand in the middle of the night. No more vivid dreams of several dead bodies laid across the Great Hall. No more crying himself to sleep. No more missed dinners. No more grieving. 

He’s longed for them longer than he has actually been with them. But his love never faltered. Not once. 

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Day 2,557

It's now exactly 7 years since the Battle of Hogwarts. And in a month it would be the 7th anniversary of his obituary for Y/N on the Daily Prophet, a suggestion made by Percy to try and help his grieving brother. It helped, but not really. 

The small May 2nd, 2005 box wrote “Baby Vic’s Birthday!” in bold red ink. George moved the yellow paper star that stuck gently onto the calendar with paper tape as Fred walked into his room. Envelope in his hands, bread between his teeth, and a beautiful haughty looking owl on his shoulder.

“Fun to finally see you up, Georgie!” Fred greeted sarcastically as George hummed in response. “Bill just sent an owl that little Vicky’s turning 5!"

"That is usually how birthdays work, Freddie." George joked, grabbing his wand and with a flick, his bed is magically fixed. "I'm not a dumbass, you know?" Fred chuckled lightly as he handed George the letter from Bill and Fleur, "They're hosting a party for her at the Burrow at 5."

He took the piece of parchment and flattened it by his desk before pulling it closer to his face, his back mindlessly pinning itself to the wall. 

Dear Fred and George, 

Bill here, As you should know, it's baby Victoire's 5th birthday today and we would really like love to have you two come by the Burrow at 5 pm. 

Vic really misses you both. Uncle George this, Uncle Fred that. She’s going to be like you two one day, I’m tellin’ ya. She loves listening to stories you tell her, especially the ones about Y/N and Tonks. She thinks that they’re the coolest people ever and that she wished she could meet them. I simply told her that one day she would, but it’ll be far far away from now. 

Hope to see you later! Please owl back immediately, Vic’s got Ginny’s temper.

xx Bill

“I’ve already owled them my ‘happy birthday’ letter before Chouette came.” Chouette, the owl cooed at the mention of her name. Slightly shuffling her feathers therefore lightly tickling Fred's neck, making him shiver. The haughty owl flew from Fred's shoulder to George's making the younger twin chuckle. 

"Seems like Chouette is telling you to take a bath, mate." George laughed as the back of Fred's hand flew to his forehead. "I got us crepes and bread for breakfast! And you go on and call me stinky?" Fred exclaimed dramatically. 

"How 'bout you be a dear and write to Bill and Fleur that we are going to Vic's party, alright?" 

"Yeah, yeah, I'll do that." George agreed, taking out a roll of parchment from his desk drawer as well as a quill and a bottle of ink. "While I eat my breakfast and write this, will you be a dear and take a bath!" Fred cackled at his younger brother's statement. Though in a bit the sound of water dropping down the shower head echoed through the small flat above the shop.

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School owls poured in as numerous Hogwarts students wanted to take advantage of the annual “54% off ‘End of War’ sale” at Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes held in memory of the fallen 50. Because in Fred and George’s philosophy, “...We might not be able to save them, but they can save our customers over 50% off of all our products!”

It seemed insensitive but it’s the thought that counts. They wanted to make sure that their passing didn’t go to waste, even if it is counted as a discount to the famous Diagon Alley shop. 

Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley were rather busy picking up and shipping out their joke products, sending it to the owls who were perched up in a little area at the back of the store, nibbling on insects Verity; a part of their staff had handed them before sending them back to the school her bosses previously dropped out of. 

It was nearing lunch time when everyone wearing magenta robes stocked up the shelves again, having been sending out owls since 8 in the morning when they heard a clanging from the front doors, signaling that a customer had finally came; A middle aged woman looked starstruck whilst holding onto a young boy that’s slowly getting out of her grip, having the same eagerness as his mother.

It wasn’t unusual for customers to react this way coming into the Weasley’s joke shop. The boy’s eyes sparkled while the mother looked in admiration. The mother crouched down to hold onto her son, keeping him from running while his mouth spilled with words. 

“Mum, we have to get something for Mia!” the boy cried out eagerly, eyes darting towards every single corner of the store. George’s mouth upturned into a sloppy grin whilst listening to the boy. 

“Marty, that’s sweet of you, but we already got the quill she wanted.” The mother said quietly, running her hands over the boy’s shoulders, easing it. “And it’s your birthday...” George didn’t know what came after that as he took the chance and walked towards the small family with a big smile on his face, quickly followed by Fred. 

“Heard it’s a little man’s birthday.” inclined George, hands in his pockets and head down turned. The mother looked up and stood from her spot, giggling slightly as she kept a hold of her son’s shoulders. “What’s your name?” he asked, now being the one to crouch down in front of the boy.

The boy tilted his head to the side, eyes slightly strained. He looked both confused and hyper focused at the same moment. Though weird, George thought nothing of it. After all, he was a kid, the man he’s looking at has one ear, and the hyperfixation was quickly ended by the slight shake of his shoulders. The mother looked down at her son, silently telling him to introduce himself. And so he did. 

"I'm Martin! I turn 6 today!" the boy said enthusiastically,bringing a smile on George's face. Being around Martin felt odd, it felt so unapologetically peaceful and rather… familiar. 

"SIX?!" Fred loudly piped in. "Well now that's big, little man!" 

The mother was slightly startled by the appearance of the ginger's twin, though the same cannot be said about Martin who simply smiled absentmindedly. 

"I knew you before." said Martin, eyes targeting the younger twin. George smiled and kept close to the boy, keeping the conversation going. "Really?" he asked with vivid curiosity, he did not recognise the boy or his mother but fueling a child's imagination wouldn't hurt anyone. 

"How?" piped in Fred, now also crouching beside his twin, "And why just him?" he asked comedically, pointing to his brother. 

"Since we were 11." Answered Martin with no signs of struggle on his face. The red haired owners looked at each other, though more in disbelief than in confusion. 

"Thought you said you were 6, Martin?" George asked with a kind look on his face. The boy’s mother shook her son’s shoulder harder than she did the past few times, mumbling “Marty, what did I tell you?” in tired disbelief.

“M’sorry mum.” Martin said with a pinch of sincerity before turning back to face the bigger man in front of him. “I was 20 before I became 6.” “Marty.”

Chilling, the owners thought. As they were 20 at the time of the battle of Hogwarts. 

“I’m so sorry Mr.--”

“Weasley.” Fred replied as the confusion simmered throughout his twin brother. “S’really nothing to worry about Mrs.--?”

“Edevane. But I truly am sorry, he’s just a very imaginative little kid. Always has stories of his quote-unquote ‘past life’.“ she explained, making the kid become a bit mad. “But mum, it’s true!-”

“Marty, how about we look around the store, alright? Mr. and Mr. Weasley could show us around perhaps?” Mrs. Edevane hinted to the twin owners, relief gracing their legs as they were now able to stand on their feet. 

“Yes, we can certainly do that! Come along Marty, tell us more about this ‘past life’ of yours.” Fred’s arm wrapped around the small boy’s shoulders, showing him around the color filled shop. “Sorry about that Mrs. Edevane.” he added mischievously, “Here at Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, we like to encourage creativity and imagination.”

“--As it is the reason we got here.” George finished, giving Mrs. Edevane a kind smile as they start roaming around the shop. “Uhh. Mr. Weasley.” Her fingers tapped onto George’s shoulder. His head whipped around and mouth about to open when suddenly the 6 year old spoke; “Mum, Mr. Weasley’s name is George. This one’s Fred.”

The utter shock that went through the twin wizards was clear as day. No where in the shop did it say the owner’s names. Even their name tags; The little badge pinned on their suits merely wrote ‘Mr. Weasley’. Fred, being the initiator that he is, leaned forward. “Now how can you be so sure, Marty?” he teased, “What if I tell you that you’re wrong?”

Martin simply smiled, angling his head a bit to the side again. “Mr. George has a longer face, down turned eyes and eyebrows, he’s a bit taller than you, Mr. Fred. You have a squarer face and shorter features than him.” he explained smoothly and innocently. As if it’s something he’s observed over the course of his whole life.

“Ma’am, I’m afraid your son’s a genius.” George joked, even if he’s visibly disturbed, though nonetheless intrigued. Nobody has ever differentiated them this way, even their own mother. Though one person did. The one he cherished most. The mother smiled, holding onto her son once again. 

“I’m no genius.” Martin spoke, a shy smile gracing his small little lips, so identical to the person’s portrait above George’s bed. He even said their typical response to their mind being praised. 

“-- I just quietly observe.”

Martin spoke but George merely whispered. A shiver ran through his spine, heart pumping, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. It could’ve all been a coincidence. One big coincidence served on a silver platter, garnished with confusion and terrifying accuracy. 

“Mr. Weasley?”

He snapped back, giving the woman a sign to continue. “Uh, I just wanted to ask... err. Why that big of a discount? Why is it 54% off of everything? That doesn’t really sound like a good marketing strategy, doesn’t it?” She asked curiously. 

“Well Mrs. Edevane.” George started, seeing as Fred and little Martin were still going around the shop. “Remember the last wizarding war?” Mrs. Edevane shook her head. His smile faltered a bit but still kept his composure. “We’re, what you call it? Muggle--born?” Her eyebrows furrowed while her teeth sinked into her bottom lip. “Well, my daughter... err. Just started her first year and that McGonagall woman said that she’s a ‘muggleborn’.” 

They truly didn’t know who they are.

“-- What I’m trying to say, Mr. Weasley, is that we, or at least I, am not magical. Nor is my husband.” He nodded, breathed in a bit as his mind tried to ease itself. The boy couldn’t have known who he is as they wouldn’t have known anything about the prophet, or could they?

“Well, Mrs. Edevane. 7 years ago at this date. The second wizarding war has ended. My brother-in-law defeated... him.” It was still hard to say his name, even years later. “V-Voldemort.”

She looked curious but silently let him continue. “Uh, remember when. Uh-uhm that bridge collapsed in muggle london? 7-8 years ago? A big hurricane happened? When a lot died like-” It was hard to explain. Truly. It was hard to live through it again.

“Like that Emmeline Vance lady?”

“Yes, exactly!” He exclaimed. “It was all caused by him. By wizards! Dark wizards!” Her previously bright face now looked horror struck. It was all making sense. “Seven years ago, this day. Everything ended at Hogwarts. As well as the lives of 54 on our side.” He wanted to mention one very special loss, but figured that she doesn’t need to know about it. She was just a muggle mother who brought her son birthday shopping. “We wanted to commemorate them.”

A sincere look graced upon her face, out of pity. “Is there any chance that you’ve seen anything from the ‘Daily Prophet’, Mrs. Edevane? Or your son?” He asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. She shook her head, now gracing a look with pure confusion. “A-Anything. Like a paper? A newspaper with moving photographs? Or maybe a-a Quibbler?”

She shook her head. “Why’re you asking Mr. Weasley?” His mouth opened, about to burst out his concerns and held in grief to a complete stranger when; “George!”

It was Fred, hand resting on his twin’s shoulder as the six year old boy beside him just stood. “-- Can I talk to you? I need to talk to you.” He said, fright gracing his features and panic in his voice. 

George nodded, bidding a quick goodbye to the mother and son who came in a few moments ago and calling for one of their faculty to give them the tour they wanted.

Fred pulled his twin to an empty corner of the shop. Sound muffled by the stacks of products ranging from fireworks to extendable ears. “That boy George.” Fred panted. Voice shaking. “He knows too much. Is there a chance that you put anything about how Y/N saved me?”

“Briefly. Why?” His heart was about to pop out of his chest at any moment. Any moment now his heart would be a new WWW product. 

“He explained everything! Everything George! Knew things that he shouldn’t have!” Fred said, terrified. “What did he say?” asked George. Croaking out whatever’s left in his heaving lungs. 

“He said that he saved me. Me and Percy! From the explosion! I didn’t think much of it at first, George! I knew that you wrote that in their obituary. But he just kept going.” Frightened. They were both frightened. “Everything they did. He knew.”

“How accurate was he?”

“Very. George. Disturbingly accurate.” Back straightened and composed, Fred stood back, eyes darting back and forth from his brother to the entrance of the shop. “He knew that they transfigured the rubble to sand. He knew that they cast that ring of fire shit they did. The diabolica thing to ward off the death eaters? Yeah. He named the spell. HE NAMED THE SPELL, GEORGE!”

“I heard you the first time!” George yelled back. Disturbed, yet he felt at peace. He could have the last goodbye he’s always wanted. “We need to talk to the boy, Fred.”

His twin nodded fervently, about to walk away from the corner when he felt an arm tug on his elbow. “Oi, how can we do it without worrying the mother?”

“Give whatever he wants for free. It’s his birthday after all. Now come on!”

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[effypcfcwrites]

The Owl House

(Originally posted on my personal Facebook dated April 25, 2023)

This is probably the first time I'll be posting a detailed review of a piece of media that I like, so witness me sing all of my praises for this animated series from the House of Mouse, because wow, I've never been so invested in a Disney show after rewatching Gravity Falls.

For those unfamiliar, The Owl House revolves around Luz Noceda, a teenage girl who stumbles upon a portal to an alternate world called The Boiling Isles, meets a witch named Eda Clawthorne, learns magic under her tutelage and eventually enrolls in Hexside, a magic school where she makes many friends and goes on multiple adventures.

I binged this whole show in a span of weeks and even stayed up all night on my day off to finish it up to Season 3, the first 2 Seasons being on Disney+ and the latter on Disney Channel's YouTube page.

Simply put, I love it so much! I love how it reminds me of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and, dare I say, Harry Potter, which it even poked fun at, at times. Well-deserved, considering J.K. Rowling’s transphobic views and HP’s underlying anti-Semitic undertones.

I loved the pop culture references to Thor: Ragnarok, Howl's Moving Castle, Metal Gear Solid, and even Hades, among many others! I thought those were very clever and funny, and just a treat for fellow nerds, geeks, and fans of fantasy stories, anime, and video games.

I love the LGBTQ+ representation all throughout the show, which was such a bold move considering Disney’s iffy stance on the subject. None of them were antagonized for it, and it was treated as something normalized in both the Human and Demon Realms. The show featured 2 gay dads, non-binary and aromantic-asexual characters, and one of the internet’s favorite sapphic/WLW couples Lumity, which is the ship consisting of canonically bisexual Luz and implied lesbian Amity Blight, whose rivals-to-friends-to-lovers relationship was just so wholesome, so natural, and very healthy, considering they're both teenagers. Suprisingly, there was very little melodrama, not once were they petty towards one another whenever either party did something wrong, and they never got tired of showing affection towards each other. I found myself shamelessly gushing over how cute, adorable, and supportive they were together, and tearing up a lot during key moments of their relationship, especially when they both found themselves in dire straits as the story progressed.

I love the writing and the character development of them all! None of them felt static, they all grew throughout the series, maturing, getting better, and healing from their own insecurities, trauma, and guilt. The humor and comedic timing was a nice touch, and I was really taken aback by how S2 ended on such a dark cliffhanger with all stakes raised to the roof, similar to A:TLA S2 and The Empire Strikes Back, as mentioned earlier. That season wasn’t afraid to have such a grim ending, with such a great payoff by the end of S3 which is worth celebrating.

I love the animation and art style, which blended colorful and whimsical with eerie and ominous in just the right amounts. As a sucker for animated movies and series such as Adventure Time, The Prince of Egypt, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, it was just such a delight watching it.

I love the overarching message of the show, which is to be truly yourself, to embrace your quirks, and never to limit yourself and your potential based on what the majority of society and the powers-that-be expect from you. All throughout, you’ll find the characters challenging pre-established norms and roles, and it’s just so satisfying seeing them all win.

11/10 top-tier show. Don’t @ me, it’s hard for me to find something I disliked about the series. It's definitely a must-watch, especially if you're sick and tired of all the bleak nihilism of modern adult animation, and you just want to baby your inner child and escape to a whimsical fantasy world with characters you can all relate to. Betting my bottom peso you'll all be hooked, like I was.

[bookworm-1196]

Part 5 of my yearly wrap up : my 30 favorite ships that I shipped throughout the year

1. Percabeth (Percy and Annabeth from the PJO & HOO series by Rick Riordan) the first ship I ever shipped I want a love like theirs

2. Locklyle (Lucy and Lockwood from Lockwood & Co series by Jonathan Stroud) I love slow burn couples in book series where you see the characters evolve over the years and where the romance isn’t the main plot

3. Herongraystairs (Will Jem and Tessa from the the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare) always thinking about them in some way shape or form I want a love like theirs

All these ships are my Roman Empire btw they all share the top spot there’s no ranking

4. Pip and Ravi from AGGGTM by Holly Jackson - badass intelligent talented girl x supportive funny guy who loves her like it’s breathing trope you will always have my heart (funny that seems to be a consistent pattern with these ships lol)

5. Malec (Magnus and Alec from the Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare) yes I know they’re everyone’s favorite along with Herongraystairs I’m basic bla-bla-bla but have you considered that they’re popular bc they’re such a top tier ship? All the ships I mentioned are ships I could write an essay or multiple essays about just get me all the books they’re in so I can quote stuff and around ten to twenty hours and I’ll write an essay of 292749299171883902883 words about how much I love them

6. Pandalily (Pandora Lovegood and Lily Evans from the Marauders fandom loosely based off of the HP series) I’m writing a fic about them I have to put them in the top 10 even if I’ve been relatively inactive in the fandom and when it comes to actually writing my fic (sorry I’ve been busy with school and existential crises lately)

7. Wolfstar (Sirius Black and Remus Lupin from the Marauders fandom especially from the fic All The Young Dudes by MsKingBean89 because in that fic the angst and the slow burn are unparalleled)

8. Jegulus (James Potter and Regulus Black from the Marauders fandom, especially from the fics crimson rivers by bizarrestars, only the brave by solmussa and art heist baby! by otrtbs) not the biggest shipper bc i read too many fics of them in too short a time and got jegulus overexposure and needed to take a break from reading fanfics for a while but in those three fanfics especially crimson rivers and only the brave they’re incredible

9. Dorlene (Dorcas Meadowes and Marlene McKinnon from the Marauders fandom) I want to write a fic about them next. In my head they’re sooo imgonnagetyouback by Taylor Swift coded

10. Kanej (Kaz and Inej from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo) soulmates in my opinion but not in the “they were destined for each other” SJM way but in a “their souls fit together like pieces of a puzzle and everything falls into place perfectly because their love is just so cosmically powerful, they weren’t destined for each other but they loved each other so much from now on they will meet and love each other in every lifetime” kind of way if that makes sense (same goes for all the ships here especially Herongraystairs)

11. Herondaisy (otherwise known as James and Cordelia from The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare) the unrequited lining the angst they’re just so perfect

12. Kitty (Kit and Ty from The Dark Artifices and soon to be The Wicked Powers main couple by Cassandra Clare) I love angst and pining and an excruciatingly long slow burn so you know I love Kit and Ty

13. Nick and Charlie from Heartstopper by Alice Oseman - it seems like your typical teenage love story but it’s actually so much more than that at the same time, I want what they have

14. Everlark (Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins) a beautiful love story

15. Sizzy (Simon and Isabelle from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare) I love them so much

16. Firstprince (Alex and Henry from Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston) RWRB is perhaps one of my favorite romance books ever and I love the “exchanging love letters” trope

17. Helnik (Nina and Matthias from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo) I knew Matthias was going to die bc of spoilers from before I read SoC but it still hurt so much

18. Solangelo (Will and Nico from HoO, ToA and TSATS by Rick Riordan) the sun and the star wasn’t one of my favorite books of the year but I still love them

19. Ruegard (Clarisse and Silena from PJO by Rick Riordan) I joined TikTok this year and discovered they were shipped by a pretty big part of the PJO fandom and now I need to reread PJO.)

20. Eva and Celeste from It Goes Like This by Miel Moreland - I highly recommend this book it’s abt a queer sapphic band who get broken up and now they come back together to perform one last time. The main couple, Eva and Celeste have such a beautiful story I don’t want to spoil anything

21. Teo and Aurelio from The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas - they got together too soon in the second book in my (very very biased towards excruciating slow burns) opinion but I loved them in the first book

22. Kit and Theo from The Pairing by Casey McQuiston - the fact that we have two Kits and two Teo/Theos on this list but in different ships (also two Wills) is kinda funny. I really loved their story and I want a love that’s so profound but also so fun like theirs.

23. Thomastair (Thomas and Alastair from The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare) I love them so much

24. Ghostwriter (Lucy and Jesse from The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare) they’re a big part of why Chain of Iron is one of my favorite TSC books but also their relationship conflict in CoT about not being able to kiss for a weird illogical reason was just not believable

25. Gracestopher (Grace and Christopher from The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare) some people ship them but in a platonic way some people ship them in a romantic way I understand both sides and honestly as long as we got to see the two of them develop a close bond based on love and trust it doesn’t entirely matter. Unfortunately CoT broke my heart

26. Ineffable Husbands (Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens) I watched Good Omens at the end of 2023 and read Good Omens the book at the start of January 2024 I still think of them from time to time and I’m not really up to date on s3 news but apparently s3 is going to be much shorter 😢 again that thing I said about loving excruciating angst and pining

27. Rosekiller (Evan Rosier and Barty Crouch jr from the Marauders fandom specifically in the fic “I’m not going to teach him to dance with you” by greensenne (not 100% sure I haven’t messed up the name of the fic but 100% sure that’s what the fic author is called if ever you want to check it out. It’s a no Voldemort AU with lots of Speak Now by Taylor Swift vibes) they’re Wolfstar but evil/morally gray Slytherins depending on the fic basically)

28. Jurdan (Jude and Cardan from The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black)

29. Fierrochase (Alex and Magnus from Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan) I discovered the TSC fandom bc I kept reading Pinterest posts with “Magnus and Alec” in them and thinking huh I don’t remember that part of the story from Magnus Chase and also why is there consistently a typo in Alex’s name?? I love their dynamic so much I NEED to reread MCGA next year

30. Edwin and Charles from the Dead Boy Detectives TV show on Netflix (why does Netflix keep cancelling shows I love? I watched it and then right after Netflix cancelled it)

Honorable mentions go to Just for the summer by Abby Jimenez my second favorite romance book I read this year after The Pairing.

[justforbooks]

The Need by Helen Phillips review

A harassed mother is dangerously cut off from reality in this modern twist on the horror genre

When women entered the workforce en masse in the 1980s, sociologist Arlie Hochschild called it the “second shift”. Women’s lives were transformed, she found, but the men they shared their homes with were stubbornly unchanging in their habits. So, as men were clocking off and chilling out, their wives and girlfriends were clocking back in for an evening of domestic duty: the cooking and the cleaning, the laundry and the to-do lists, the shopping and the shuttling between childminder and swimming classes. The situation remains the same today. In effect, women in employment are pulling double shifts, and their unpaid labour is subsidising the men who live with them – or rather, live off them.

Molly, the American suburban mother at the centre of Helen Phillips’s novel, hasn’t read Hochschild, but then she doesn’t have time. She’s got a small daughter called Viv and a baby called Ben; a job as a palaeobotanist at a site called the Pit, which turns up plant fossils mystifyingly not quite like anything else in the record; a ceaseless rota of expressing milk so she can keep up the breastfeeds; and a husband whose work takes him away from home for weeks at a time. She is tired – so tired, and so anxious for her children’s safety that she can hardly trust her own senses.

She suffers “minor disorientations … small errors of eyes and ears … The conviction that there was something somehow off about a piece of litter found amid the fossils in the Pit at work.” When we meet her, Molly is cowering in her bedroom with her children, certain that there is an intruder in the house, and simultaneously certain that she’s in the grip of one of her delusions. From the first page, Phillips is writing in several registers of horror at the same time: it’s a juggling act as awe-inspiring as watching a harassed mother pump milk while answering work emails while responding to a nagging toddler.

The terror of the home invasion is perfectly vivid, and so is the disturbing prospect that we’re embedded in the consciousness of a woman who is dangerously split off from reality. Phillips can conjure pure nightmare in a single sentence as she narrates Molly’s thought processes: “Her desperation for her children’s silence manifested as a suffocating force, the desire for a pillow, a thick pair of socks, anything she could shove into them to perfect their muteness and save their lives.” It’s a line that chills not just through the violence it implies, but also because of the proximity of annihilation to love.

Yet Molly, we soon learn, is right to believe there’s something trespassing in her house. The thing she’s hiding from turns out to be at once totally sinister and entirely familiar: both an answer to the ravening demands of her family, and something with frightening needs of its own. She’s right, too, about the trash she’s found in the Pit, which attracts coachloads of curious tourists when it is put on display. There’s a Coke bottle with the script of the logo leaning left rather than right; a toy soldier with an undeniable monkey tail; and most compelling of all, a Bible where the “divine pronoun” is She rather than He throughout.

These are objects that are not quite evil but definitely creepy, and Phillips revels in the ambivalence of her imagination: in genre terms, The Need belongs to the HP Lovecraft-revisiting tradition of the New Weird, where incomprehensible phenomena lead into the realms of the terrible and sublime. Like short-story writers Kristen Roupenian in You Know You Want This and Mariana Enríquez in Things We Lost in the Fire, Phillips revitalises horror tropes by running them through a female point of view. There’s beauty, too: Molly feels her dread casts “the light of the sacred upon the mundane”, and Phillips’s attentive, unsentimental observations of Molly’s threatened domesticity catch at the heart. Thrillingly disturbing, frighteningly insightful about motherhood and love, and spilling over with offhand invention, The Need is one of the most necessary novels.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[thescholarlystrumpet]

Tagged by @tawnyontumblr Thank you, luv! This is fun!

How many works do you have on ao3?

166 formatting is being weird without a sentence here

What's your total ao3 word count?

910,348 - ahhh approaching 1M!!

What fandoms do you write for?

Good Omens and (to a lesser extent) Hazbin Hotel right now. Past fandoms included Rumbelle, Whouffaldi, Buffy, and Avenue 5

Top five fics by kudos:

To Tell the Truth (Doctor Who) Whouffaldi moments woven between episodes. Mostly canon-compliant.

Lending a Hand (Good Omens) In his heavenly form he wouldn’t have had this dilemma at all because there was no corporeality with which to struggle. And on the other, much less ephemeral and much more literal hand, he currently had a very noticeable (and increasingly painful) erection.

Personal Assistance (The Thick of It/Doctor Who) Clara Oswald leaves behind teaching to enter the world of British politics. What better way to make a splash than by working for the infamous Malcolm Tucker? And if discovering a (mutual) attraction happens to catch them both off-guard.... well, that's just life, right?

The Babysitter (Once Upon a Time) Tumblr prompt: Mr. Gold forgets something at his house & goes back to go get it. When he arrives he hears his son's babysitter moaning and thinks she has a boy over. When he goes into his bedroom he finds her touching herself on his bed alone moaning his name.

None of Your Business (Once Upon a Time) “Well, it’s very nice to meet you at last, Angus.” She rolled his name around in her mouth as though she hadn’t been screaming it the night before. Mr. Gold tries to balance lust and trust with less finesse than he'd like to admit. Luckily, Belle can give as good as she gets.

Do you respond to comments?

I've made it a goal to try and reply to almost every comment. I'm grateful someone took the time!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh undoubtedly Silence is Golden. I made my self tear up writing that one...

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

Almost all of them? But I will take this chance to pimp my Canon-based Buffy Season Six Fix-it! (Everyone lives!): Making the Pieces Fit

Only totally non-shippy fic in my repertoire and one of my proudest achievements.

Do you get hate on fics?

rarely if ever?

Do you write smut?

Bwahahahahahaha. Oh. Yes.

Craziest crossover:

Not Just Watching Anymore - Buffy/Good Omens excuse to write an M/M/M threesome between Aziraphale, Crowley, and Giles :D

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes, back in the rumbelle days, someone linked me to a site trying to sell my fic as theirs and we reported it.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

If they did, no one ever linked back to me :(

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Working on one with @hakunahistata tho we've both been sidetracked by Bang fics, hehe. It's gonna be great to get back!

All time favorite ship?

Oof. I love all my OTPs but I'm definitely *deep* in Aziracrow right now and hope not to emerge any time soon.

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

SO. MANY.

What are your writing strengths?

I get good feedback on my dialogue and characterization. I think I write pretty kickass smut most the time.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Background. What color are the walls? Where is the furniture? I have no fucking clue unless its relevant to the story. That table only existed when I needed the character to lean against it. It wasn't raining until that helped set the mood. Some people write exquisite scene setting and I am envious but writing it bores me to tears.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

One of my IRL besties can read a bunch of ancient languages and WILL side eye improper grammatical structure in fiction so I picture them giving me that look unless I do the really proper research (or ask them directly).

First fandom you wrote in?

unofficially HP but per my AO3, Once Upon a Time

Favorite fic you've written?

Ask me to cut my baby in half while you're at it, geez! But right now, I am proudest of For Loving One 

No pressure tagging: @voluptatiscausa, @naromoreau, @fishey-me @ineffabildaddy @she-makes-things @hakunahistata @nosferatini @zin-lynn-c and anyone from the @goodomensafterdark crew!

[miraculousstories]

List of my fav mlb fanfics no one asked for:

(this is a very long list btw, and all links are to ao3. I try to include as many warnings as possible, but I may forget some so please read the tags before reading the fic.)

Baby Boom by ShawnaCanon

It’s about an akuma that causes everyone in Paris to… do the deed… (not graphic) and every woman to get pregnant. It somehow evolves into a timetravel fic-

400,000 words- def recommend for readers who are okay with vague references to sex.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23034028/chapters/55083382

Dearly Despised (I Love You) by snacc-noir

Lovely fic. A nice take on the adrienette enemies to lovers trope, and it adds in some fake dating. Cn and Lb start out as (more or less) lovers in the beginning, and it evolves from there. It’s not a finished fic, but still, if you’re willing to wait then read.

73,000 words so far (I’ll update as time goes on) and 33 chapters- totally clean fic, I recommend if you love enemies to lovers trope.

(Last update on the fic was 10/20/2023)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28711611/chapters/70393941

Turn Loose the Mermaids by bookskitten

WONDERFUL. That is all I have to say about this. One of my personal favorites for sure- it’s a mermaid au where Marinette is a siren hellbent on dragging the captain of a ship (who just so happens to be Adrien- aka Captain Noir)down to the depths of the ocean… but you know it won’t end that simply.

64,000 words- WARNING- GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF SEX. I do not recommend for anyone not comfortable with that sort of thing. But if you are, go read! I promise it’ll be worth your time.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8238214/chapters/18879793

Cut My Life into Pieces, This is My Last Resort by Silver_fox_fyre

This was… an interesting one to say the least. In this, Marinette is at the end of the rope- struggling with being both Marinette and Ladybug. So, of course the logical decision would be to fake her own death. Well, Marinette’s death, that is. Be warned, some of the excuses are kind of a long shot (for instance, she fakes her own death by using the mouse miraculous- only she doesn’t actually have the costume, she just looks normal.)

114,000 words- completely clean- characters do fall asleep on each other like…once, but nothing happens. Some passionate kisses, but that’s all. Lots of violence though, and blood and gore are a given. Character death is included as well. I recommend for braver readers.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/44353420/chapters/111546223

In Case You Don’t Know Me Tomorrow by thelibraryloser

This one is… an interesting one at best, a strange one at worst. The idea itself is that this is a universe where you can pay to have your memories erased. (No plot spoilers there) everyone is aged up in this, maybe around 20, 25. Non-magical universe as well.

56,000 words- a good fic, I’ll say, but it is a bit weird and I got bored of it at times. But stick around to the end and you’ll be rewarded, I promise. Clean as well, don’t worry.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/41522079/chapters/104136594

Miraculous Magic: First Year by spetember

*gasp* Is this- it is! The mlb/Harry Potter crossover you’ve all been waiting for!! Marinette and Adrien are 11 year olds who have just received their Hogwarts acceptance letters. They receive magical artifacts- and are told by Headmaster Fu that they must strive to defeat the Dark Lord Hawkmoth. They are 11, so while Mari does develop a crush for Adrien near the end of the fic, there isn’t much love. But honestly? I didn’t miss it. There’s so much action- I loved it. I’m thinking of writing spin-off fics about the other years, so if I do I’ll post the link in the reblogs.

58,000 words- wonderful. Simply wonderful. Mild violence, but no worse than the actual Harry Potter. Nothing related to love, as I mentioned. They are 11 after all. If you are in both the hp and mlb fandoms, I def recommend.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11558436/chapters/25960689

Longest Night by P_Artsypants

Whump fic. Must I go on? Jokes aside, this fic is amazing. Marinette and Adrien are captured by some psychopath, and are tortured. I mean really tortured. Like I had to walk away at times it was so much- and this is coming from the person who regularly reads violence and smut. But if you can make it through, it’s a wonderful story. I don’t wanna spoil anything… but they do make it out alive. Well… kinda. I’ll let you read to find out.

210,000 words- Okay, I know I like to joke around a lot, but this time I’m serious. This is a very graphic fic which includes torture, and I mean real torture- not just the stuff you see on TV, but the stuff you see in R- rated horror movies. The fic actually references that the plot is similar to a horror film that actually got banned from almost every country in the world because it was so horrible. (The fic isn’t as bad as the film, but it is kinda horrifying.) Just for reference, here’s some torture tactics they use: Forced piercings, locked in a closet for a month, food loafs (a bunch of leftover food that’s baked with poison that makes you hallucinate) and.. well, there’s blood. I’ll just say that much. PLEASE use caution when reading, I will not say that again. For extremely brave readers only. Oh, and a side not- not completely clean. There is a sex scene at the end, which is skippable but if you are comfortable I would read it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19855210/chapters/47019550

The Strings of Fate by sailortwilightt

OKAY BACK TO THE NICE FICS. This is actually a two-parter, and it’s nail-biting good. It’s a soulmate AU, naturally, where an invisible red string takes you to your soulmate. Please note that this is an older fic written before the more recent seasons, so Emilie, for example, is not dead. This also evolves into an alternate dimension AU, and it has a great plot.

120,000 words- counting both fics. As warnings go, there isn’t much to warn. It’s clean as far as smut goes, and, while there is definitely some graphic violence scenes, nothing too bad. I recommend for the reader who isn’t too bothered by the canon-fanon differences.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/919836

Miraculous Moves Underground by LadyDi1980

Okay, so I’m sure you’ve seen the post about this fic floating around. It’s a dancing au, which features the clashing worlds of ballet and hip-hop. Non-magical, but I didn’t miss it. Wonderful au, really, and I def recommend.

104,000 words- clean fic. No violence (except for a few slaps initiated and recieved by none other than Gabriel Agreste) and no smut. There are some songs and images that don’t work attached to the fox. So be prepared for some disappointment in that department. Also, the music is mostly BTS.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7203476/chapters/16346582

Blanks by DipStick45

For those of you who stayed around until the end, you’re amazing. This is my favorite fox by far, and it’s absolutely incredible. It’s a zombie apocalypse au, but it’s much more sophisticated than the usual zombies one. The actual word zombie isn’t used once in the fic. Oh and by the way, this fic made me cry. I have never cried from any book, tv show, or other fic in my life, but I cried in this one. Why? You’ll just have to find out!! Oh and also, this is only 2 chapters. Apparently they were doing a one-chapter challenge, but ao3 has a word limit for chapters. READ. I WILL PERSONALLY FORCE YOU.

103,000 words- okay so despite what I said- here are the warnings: major character death. I won’t say more for now. Violence. As expected, only times 10. Someone gets beheaded, another gets themselves split in half. The actual zombie bite’s effects are also quite graphic. There IS one smut scene, but it’s not detailed. And Adrien was high anyways. Oh yeah, alcohol use, and… I mean… they do describe the human body in some detail, but it’s not that bad. Chloe is insane, by the way, so there’s that. I think that’s it. If you’re okay with that, then read. I beg of you.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43755576/chapters/110030079

And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed this very long list of fics! Lemme know what you think of them!

[jilyarchive]

MAY AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: OHMYGODSHESINSANE

Q: Where can we find you and your stories?

A: @ohmygodshesinsane​, AO3, FF.NET

Q: How would you describe your writing style?

A: Ooh, this is hard! I love writing a bit of banter but it’s the psyche underneath that I’m really drawn to, and the characters – I think of myself as writing about characters or relationships more than scenarios or plots. I like to hone in on the little moments rather than the big showstoppers. I’d rather write about the aftermath of a battle than the heat of it, and I love the mornings-after, the space between a confrontation and a revelation, and the first shared laugh rather than the first kiss. Maybe that’s the perfectionist in me coming out – I get nervous writing those big events, I get worried I’ll muck it up. And I love a party scene too. There’s something about the chaos that brings the important things into focus.

Q: How do you come up with ideas for your writing?

A: Honestly, other books and fics! I’ll read a romance novel and think – now, what if Lily and James had a conversation like that? Oh, and this could happen – and maybe Sirius did that bit – and instead of x, a and c happen. My real life does inspire a lot of it too. If I need to work through something, I’ll pull it to pieces in a fic. Or someone will tell me a story and I’ll think, ‘oh my god, I need to write something like that’. And it becomes something completely new by the time the writing’s done. I love prompts, too, I can’t get enough of them.

Q: When and why did you begin writing fanfiction?

A: I wrote my first fanfiction when I was around seven years old in a literacy lesson, and it was maybe three paragraphs based on The Lion King 2. Towards the end of 2010 I started writing HP fanfiction and in 2012 I started writing marauders and Jily fanfiction. I loved reading but I had a short attention span – I’d always start wondering, ‘but what if this happened? What if so-and-so did this instead?’, and I’d go scribble my ideas down. I could never watch movies all the way through because I’d run off to go play-act my own version of the story. And so it really just blossomed from that. I’ve spent over half my life writing fanfiction and I can’t imagine doing anything else with my free time.

Q: What’s one thing you’d tell someone who is considering reading one of your fics?

A: Thank you so much! It’s all homemade and written with love.

Q: What are some of your favorite Jily tropes?

A: I love a slow burn, if that counts. Otherwise probably Enemies-to-Friends-to-Lovers, Anguished Declarations of Love, and Forced Proximity in any way, shape or form. I love it when there’s a little angst mixed in there. And of course Quidditch Player/Professional Athlete!James x Journalist!Lily. It’s one of my absolute favourite AUs.

Q: What do you like most about the Jily fandom?

A: The Jily fandom is so friendly and welcoming! Never before have I felt so much like part of a community. People are so great about reading and commenting and sharing the love, and I love all the events we have. It’s very active and close-knit. It just has this truly lovely atmosphere.

Q: Pick a favourite Marauders era character.

A: Goodness, I have to go with Lily! She’s probably my all-time favourite to write, because I feel there’s just the right mix of canon information about her and things that are only hinted at that can be fleshed out. I could read character studies of her all day.

Q: Self-promo time! List the fics that you are most proud of writing.

A:

creature comfort – This fic has been with me through thick and thin since I first started writing it in 2017 (!!) and it’s been so fundamental to me re-engaging in fandom and improving my writing skills. It’s been quite the undertaking to write but I love carving out the world word-by-word, and it’s been such a crucial tool for me to build the world of HP as I see it and to get a sense of James and Lily and the rest of the gang’s characters.

baby it’s cold outside – My first (proper) smut fic which I spent ages worrying over and crafting. I love how it came together in the end. It’s essentially an AU with Quidditch Player! James, Journalist! Lily Evans, and only one room left… with just one bed.

Mercy – This is a more recent one, and a fic written almost entirely by accident – I intended for it to come in at about 300 words and it wound up nearing 3000. With every line I wrote I felt I was discovering something new about the story and about the characters, especially Lily. The process of writing it was really special, and it took me on a bit of a journey. It was difficult but enjoyable. As for the story itself, it’s a Jily Lives! AU from Lily’s perspective – a bit angsty. 

Q: Fic rec time! Could you recommend a few of your favourite Jily fics?

A:

The Life and Times by Jewels5 – This was the first Jily fic I followed along with update-by-update and it was what really cemented my shipping of these two. I reread it every year or so and find another layer to it that completely unravels my heart.

We Have Buried the Putrid Corpse of Liberty by @mabeltothknows​ – I am very late on reading this but I am loving every chapter. I can’t help but adore anything Jily and Married at First Sight and this fic combines them perfectly. It has so much heart and humour and the multimedia aspects bring it to the next level. 

i let you into the garden of my loneliness by @theesteemedladydebourgh​ – The prose is so beautiful and every emotion is so tangible in this one-shot, and it really does have my entire heart. It’s truly a masterpiece and well worth the read.

Thank you @ohmygodshesinsane​ for chatting about your fics with us! ❤️

[fightingwithtruelove]

1, 2, 9, 12 💕

1. What is your favorite trope to write?

Ohhh damn, that's so hard, there are so many! If I have to pick one.... THERE'S ONLY ONE BED!!!!! Catch me clutching this trope in my cold hands after I die because I wanna take it to the grave with me.

2. What is your least favorite trope to write?

This feels like a weird question, because why would I write a trope that's not enjoyable to me? *insert woman trying to do math gif I can't find rn*

If I had to choose from the tropes that I have written, I'd probably say baby fics or teen AUs, only because they're fun but in small doses, if you know what I mean? I wrote one and outdid myself tyvm and that's that for this millenium. (Basically I only wrote a baby fic bc I was inspired by your pregnancy lol).

9. Biggest pet peeve while writing?

Idk, but for some reason when I'm typing fast I will very often type images as imagines and that really stresses me out. Is that what this question means? Why am I so confused rn?

12. First ever fic written?

Not counting the HP one because it was messing around and very much not knowing what we were doing with a friend, so basically my first fic was a Spoby piece, pretty sure it was like soft pg rated smut, and I know I used the chasing cars lyric as the title. It was on ff.net so when I orphaned my account I deleted all my fics, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

[kay-elle-cee]

Happy birthday Kelsey and congrats on the milestone!

I believe the first work of yours I read was Magic Like This when it was published last year, and I absolutely adore it. James is so soft and sweet and I love how you wrote Lily embracing her growing feelings for him.

Then, a few months later, I rediscovered you with A Thrill Divine, Down My Spine (so incredibly fun 🤌) and was pleased to be reminded of Magic Like This (because I'm notoriously bad at keeping track of first I love). And then I went down the rabbit hole of all your other fantastic works and here we are. I am a huge fan. 😁

I love restless waves rise and fall. It might be one of my all-time favorite Jily AUs out there. The backstories and universe you've created have been so fun to explore, and the micros you occasionally write bring me so much joy.

I especially love how you wove thematic imagery throughout. A scene that comes to mind in particular is when James and Lily finally talk at the end of chapter 5 about their feelings...Lily "anchoring herself to her spot," her "bursting through the surface" as she admits her feelings, "a swell of emotions eddying within her." The imagery truly elevates the emotional climax of the story, and you should be proud of what you accomplished.

Now...a couple fan questions if you'd want to share your thoughts on one or both of them.

1. Do you have a way in which you envision James and Lily admitting they are in love with each other? They're clearly very close to that point by the end of the main story.

2. Do you have any insights you'd want to share about what was going through James' mind during my waves meet your shore (forever and evermore) - specifically re: "our ship" and also when Lily confesses what she said to Petunia?

Thank you for all you bring to the Jily community - we are lucky to have you! ❤️ (Also, sorry this became way longer than I anticipated lol)

Okay hello first of all you should know I've reread this like updwards of 20 times because oh my god this is so sweet? This makes me so giddy? Truly truly truly makes me warm and fuzzy, thank you SO much for all your lovely words!

Magic Like This was really the first fluff piece I wrote and I did not expect the reception it got, but I'm so glad people enjoyed it! A Thrill Divine was something that took over my mind that I HAD to get out, and is probably up there on the list of my favorite things...it was my first magical AU and just so much fun. I'm glad you enjoyed them both!

Okay okay okay you have to know how NOT chill I am about your words for restless waves rise and fall. Like. That is my baby. My first born child. My first multichap, my first AU, it's SO close to my heart and to know people love the little self-indulgent cross section of HP and pirates (because yes I also used to write POTC fic) just 💕💕💕💕💕 I promise I have SEVERAL more micros planned out because I have so many Thoughts about them all the time.

I had SO MUCH FUN with the thematic imagery in that fic, playing with the water metaphors, etc (which I know I'd done elsewhere, but felt more fitting here), and I'm glad it enhanced the fic for you and didn't feel too on the nose 😅 Now for your questions...

1. Yes. Yes I DO. I've had that scene envisioned since ending restless waves and I've been MEANING TO WRITE IT. It was always my intent to write it but then my waves meet your shore got way out of hand (after the Lily & Euphemia scene, the characters absolutely took control of the narrative) and I've been writing in that timeline knowing how much I need to go back and write the I Love You scene. I don't want to give too much away but I will say there is a phosphorescent bay involved.

2. AHHHH Yes I am HAPPY to talk about this (but will put under a cut for spoilers and also length because I feel like I will be RAMBLING)...

Follower Milestone Celebration

OKAY so "Our Ship". James is so attuned to Lily in this conversation with his parents and the Dursleys. She's not really engaged in the conversation, she's putting on a brave face but he knows her footing is off—here on land and in the presence of her sister. So, this is absolutely James' way of bolstering her both in the conversation and in their presence, as if reminding her "You have something. You are someone. And they can't take that from you." I think he also realizes that there is no way to hide what they do from the Dursleys, so before it's revealed Lily is his First Mate, he positions her more as an equal than anything else.

And then this poor man his brain is SHORT CIRCUITING during that moment when Lily tells him that she told Petunia they were married. He's got the family ring in his pocket, he's got the proposal all planned out for their next stop, he's got her to meet his parents, and she's just jumping ahead. I think it's definitely really heartening for him to hear that she jumped to that (and him) as a way to support herself/protect herself from her sister, but also while they unDOUBTEDLY love each other, maybe there's this one underlying fear that this woman who's been at sea all these years living an untraditional life doesn't want a traditional marriage and maybe a partnership like they have is good enough for her. (And I think this kind of comes up at the end where she points out a lot of priests probably wouldn't marry them. Maybe it's something she's just resigned herself to). BUT the fact that she reaches for marriage with him as a lifeline just makes his heart swell.

And he is so. happy. It's that kind of moment where everything aligns and it's like oh we're on the same page and also just like....their whole life flashes before his eyes in that instant and he just gets consumed by the need to propose NOW. He's the one that pushes on past the "oh yeah we're married, sorry we didn't tell you," and proceeds to tell her exactly the moment he wanted to propose in a code that only the two of them know. He literally can't stand the fact that she doesn't know the depths of his devotion for her in this minute and wants to give her that reassurance and security that everything she said is what he wants. <33333 OH MY GOD I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

AH. okay I'll chill. But thank you SO MUCH for asking about my bbs. <333 You are an absolute GEM.

[givemetherapyimawritingtravesty]

Fanfic writer self-appreciation! Answer this, then pass the ask along to your favorite writer, your mutuals, or just someone who needs to answer it. If I were to read one fic of yours that best reveals who you are as a writer, or the one you’re MOST proud of, which fic should I read?

I have to choose just one of my babies?? I'm indecisive asf (see: my gender and sexuality lol)

How's two? Because we stan growth.

My one of my first official fest pieces: Drowning Breath. "The tragedy and wasted youth of Regulus Black." Just under 1k words, it's heart wrenching and gorgeous, at least that's how it felt writing it and releasing it to the world. It was a big deal for me at the time. One of my first stand alone pieces that wasn't in the Sweater Weather subfandom of HP / wolfstar. Also a dabble into Regulus and a hint of jegulus, as well as being songfic adjacent. It was new for me and I love how it turned out.

A more recent one that still haunts me in the best way, (Win Your) Favor. "Self Prompt (for HP Knot Fest): Regulus is an alpha and needs to knot but is demisexual and doesn't have anyone he trusts / likes enough to do that and it's causing him problems. James, his brothers best friend, offers to help him because he is not so secretly in love with Regulus and knows him well enough to be trusted with seeing him in that capacity.

Demisexual and anxiety ridden Alpha Regulus gets to know his brother's omega best friend, James, in a new light."

This one is much longer than the first, over 9k, and one of the longer stand alones I've done. Got to explore a lot of things and it was very cathartic. I also tried some different writing routines and strategies that I thought helped me pace the story better and express the progression of the relationship well.

Regardless of how they turned out, I'm proud of them and the effort I put into creating both works. They were turning points in my writing, at least for me on the back end of things, and they make me feel good about my writing.

[captainsparklefingers]

9 FANDOM PEEPS TO GET TO KNOW BETTER

Tagged by @grayintogreen and I never typically do these but why not, you know

3 Ships You Like: Widomauk (Critical Role), Stucky (Marvel mcu and I gusss in the comics as well but that would really only apply to post ice Steve due to the whole 'thats your teenage sidekick' thing), and hm...let's go real old school and say Anastasia/Dimitri from both the movie and the musical. I've got other ships I'm interested in, I can give you several more from CR alone, but it's hard to say if there's some sort of pattern that I can pick up with what I like and get interested in. Like there's definitely ships I feel like I SHOULD like and certainly understand buy just... don't. I guess.

3 (Hazbin/Helluva) Ships You Like: okay okay okay. So, Huskerdust, M&M, both of which feel like no brainers. I really enjoy Chaggie and Cherrisnake, and I am fascinated by the deeply fucked up dynamic between Stolas and Blitzø. Look, I can see and angle for a lot of stuff here, I'm not gonna be picky.

Unless Valentino is involved. Fuck that guy, he sucks, Vox deserves better.

First Ship Ever: oh God, okay, I thiiiiink if we're not going with baby's first Mary Sue esque OCs and character I like, the first was Tobias/Rachel in Animorphs. It's at least the earliest I remember, and it still punches me in the gut. I might like my happy endings but sometimes you just need a ship that ends like a sucker punch to the gut.

Last Song You Heard: Mad World by Tears for Fears. I really like Tears for Fears and a lot of 80s New Wave music in general.

Favourite Childhood Book: OKAY LET'S THINK FOR A SECOND. CUZ THERE WERE A BUNCH. GOD. When I was real young I was a big fan of the Madeline series, the Babar books, the writings of William Steig (particularly The Bone)... there's this book called Ruth's Bake Shop that I adored, and this book called Messy Jessie that was very relatable...

But I adored the Animorphs books. So much. I got into those in the 4th grade after my favorite teacher introduced me to them and I was absolutely hooked. What a series. Honestly, I wanna reread em.

(Honorable mention to the HP series, which feels a little bit tainted now given everything but I really liked as a kid.)

Currently watching: I'm so bad at watching TV for the most part, especially by myself. But I'm rewatching Hazbin and am planning to do so for Helluva as well. I watch CR and d20 weekly, I watch a lot of Game Grumps, and I also tend to watch a lot of Mst3k and Rifftrax. Also, Julia Child. Lots of Julia Child.

Currently Consuming: I'm ALSO bad at eating in any way resembling consistent or healthy behavior...but I'm working on improving that. Right now I'm having two pieces of toast with ricotta.

Currently Craving: oh God, so many things at different times, all the time. I'm trying to develop better eating habits in general (and need to make myself cook more but the combination of my much loathed job sucking all my energy and my much enjoyed but poorly times gym classes get me home later than I'd like makes it difficult)... I guess right now I'm craving Moe's, I enjoy their burritos a lot and their El Guapo salsa is one of my favorites. Like I'd eat that shit all the time if I could.

I'm honestly not sure who to tag here...I suppose if you're in the fandom and interested, consider this an open invite?

[vaingloury]

Even more disparate thoughts on Fabula Ultima

Belated write-up: I finally got the chance to bring this game to the table last month...

...for all of one session. 

That’s one more session than most of the indie ttrpgs I own. Still, I bought a physical copy of the rules and I’m a bit disappointed to see it become yet another art book in my collection.

This post isn’t really a review or a judgement of the game’s quality, just some thoughts on why my group bounced off this game after one session and why it might not work for other tables like mine. This also isn’t in response to it winning the Ennie, I just couldn’t find the energy to write this sooner.

Praise first: The art’s great. I know not every project can afford consistent, original art but Fabula’s illustrations do a lot of the heavy lifting (not to say the written material isn’t also solid) in getting you interested in the game and imagining all kinds of characters you might want to portray. The game avoids stock dungeon fantasy classes with unique classes that don’t feel gimmicky for the sake of avoiding dungeon fantasy classes. Class abilities interact with each other, prompting teamwork. I really like the identity/theme/origin section of the character sheet because I’ve been in one too many games where the players want deep character drama but put the work of planting the seeds for that drama on the GM instead of themselves.

But now the criticisms.

This is not a game for the simulationists. Maybe that was obvious to others from the marketing blurbs, but I saw “J(T)RPG” and got excited thinking about how my character’s pockets were going to be overflowing with Mana Potion x99 in preparation for all the boss lairs we were going to be raiding only to be met with a Schrödinger’s inventory system (if you need an item, you just have it (within reason) except for HP/MP potions, which you can only hold a single digit number of) and a GM section on dungeon crawling that can be summed up as “Yeah, maybe don’t?”

My experience with video jrpgs is pretty synonymous with dungeons, random encounters*, and Mana Potion x99s, so not having those things makes me feel naked here. This is going to be a boon to groups who beg for bags of holding in D&D and find playing anything that’s not “the main story” in ttrpgs to be tedious. I get that Fabula wants a more cinematic experience, with the minutiae of adventuring relegated to happening “off-screen”, but without bean-counting to slow things down between set-pieces (Fabula cut the detailed overland travel rules in its conversion from Ryuutama, if you want travel scenes, just freeform rp it baby) I’m left underwhelmed with the remaining two game modes: combat and cutscene.

(*As a side note, Fabula does have random encounters. However, enemies matched to the party’s level can hit fairly hard, thus more than one encounter a travel day would be brutal in a mismatched tone kind of way. From this, I can assume that encounters are supposed to be few and scripted, keeping in line with the aforementioned cinematic experience. GMs experienced with multiple games will notice this but I’m curious about groups coming directly from video games or D&D. Tangentially, Fabula has an Appendix N, listing several games that are heavy on the dungeon/ multiple random encounter/ resource management trifecta. In hindsight, it finally dawned on me that Fabula doesn’t really simulate jrpgs, rather it simulates media inspired by jrpgs.)

This is also not a game for those of us who don’t run games in the small theatre company sort of way, that is to say your games don’t have a route scripted out in advance like three-night play or a television miniseries, where you gotta hit all the plot beats in sequence. When I said cutscene earlier, I meant it literally. The game wants the GM to interlude the narrative with visions of the campaign’s BBEG getting closer to their goal, enemies do that thing from video games where they can escape a fight you were winning because plot armour (which I find funny rather than frustrating, although that leads me to my actual frustration:). This all assumes that the GM has a grand, linear story to tell. Like the random vs scripted encounter thing, this isn’t addressed explicitly from what I can find in the rules. It’s just assumed you’re running this game because that’s your GM style (it is not my GM style). Lightning round of a few more things my group didn’t like:

Economy: I’m not sure how (much) to distribute money in this game. Because Fabula prefers that you didn’t dungeon crawl, you’re not finding money in chests. Turn in twenty bear asses maybe? Do you even need much money (if you’re not playing a Tinker)? Goods and services are dirt cheap, and most things don’t actually have to be bought. Rare weapons can just be dropped by enemies...

The Starter Scenario Boss: I’m willing to concede that I maybe just ran it wrong but the party didn’t stand a chance despite me nerfing the boss duo’s HP and damage. Also combat ranges aren’t a thing in this game, which I think contributed to the difficulty: the enemy can freely use close range attacks on targets they aren’t standing next to (again, “just freeform it”; they somehow run one football field in a few seconds...).

You Can’t Die: Again, I think this is going to be a boon for a certain type of group but mine felt like the risks weren’t real if you can’t die. I’ve already seen the defence of “just use a different consequence that isn’t death” but our characters found themselves in situations where things wouldn’t make sense if they didn’t die without the help of insane levels of deus ex machina.

I’m usually in the “play another game” camp but rather than trying to tailor Fabula to what I find fun, it’d be easier to just take the theme and bond mechanics from this game and graft them onto Pathfinder 2 or something.

[sliebman10]

2022 in Fic

Thanks for the tag, @schmem14.  Original post here.

Tagging @soloorganaas, @squintclover, @bleepbloopbotz, @thememoryofthatday and literally anyone who hasn’t already been tagged! Love to see what everyone has accomplished.

I like this concept but  I’m not going to highlight every fic I wrote so I’ll share fun stats instead:

Word Count: 206,150

Hits: 42,797

Number of Fics started and finished: 35  (not including ficlets contained in compilation works)

Number of WIPs started: 1 with 7 chapters already posted. 1 that is almost done and ready to be posted. Several that I ave bits and pieces for that need to be fleshed out. A few that are just ideas.

Main ships I wrote this year 

Sirius Black/Remus Lupin

Harry Potter/George Weasley

Euphemia Potter & Sirius Black

Favorite Background Ships: Lily Evans/James Potter, Nymphadora Tonks/Fleur Delacour, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley

Favorite Fic I wrote: I love all of my babies, but I have a soft spot for Sanctuary, my first AU fic.

Least Favorite Fic I wrote: I don’t know if I have any that I’m not fond of...but I would have taken more time with 1828 Days if I had known how things were going to work out. But given that, I am still happy with the result.

Most Popular Fic I wrote: A Work of Fiction, which I wrote with the lovely Garefinn for the Mixed up Writer’s Fest has the most hits overall, though Scripted and Revised grew the fastest while I was posting it. 

Least Popular Fic I wrote: Let Us Both Sleep, the only non-HP fic I’ve written, and Learning to Bake are tied for the fewest hits.

AO3 Fic Writers who have inspired me and my writing this year: I wrote fics directly inspired by fics by fantismal, krethes and shalomdebbie. Others are: MsAlexWP, Soloorganaas (Jewish Sirius has my heart <3), Cithara, TracingPatterns, myheadsgonenumb, Ron’s Girl Friday...I’m sure there’s many more. 

Favorite Ship: Always Wolfstar, though Harry/George also has a piece of my heart. I loved my Parvati/Lavendar gift, and am intrigued by Draco/Neville. 

Least Favorite Ship: I don’t think this is really fair to say - I feel like whenever I say I’m not into something, I read something great and change my mind.

Fic Writing Breakdown by Season:

Winter: 7 (Jan/Feb), 6 (Nov/Dec)

Spring: 7

Summer:  8 (so many words written courtesy of Wolfstar Bingo ;-)

Fall: 5

Fics with accompanying media by other creators:

Let There be Light is accompanied by a podfic of chapters 1,2 and 4 by the lovely @burningaurora.

Goals for 2023: Hoping to finally finish a few of my WIPs, take part in the Remus Lupin fest, do the 2023 incarnations of Wolfstar Bingo and the HSS Rarepairs exchange, continue trying to write a little everyday and get more involved with writing some different ships/characters. 

[bellaramseysgf]

Cuddles Please (B.B)

Warning(s); none? Just fluff I think

Pairing(s); Bucky Barnes x Girlfriend! Reader

Summary; Bucky had a really bad day and just wants you in his bed.

A/n; I’m so Fucking sick, I can barely stay awake and it’ll take me all day to write just this little thing but I’m trying. I adore you guys thanks for your patience<3

Wanna Join my taglist? Click here! For HP characters click this one! <3

••••••••••••

You were laid on the couch in the compound flipping through a book while you waited for Bucky to come back after a mission. Though you weren’t an avenger you didn’t get treated differently which meant a lot to you.

“I’m never doing that again, next time you’re falling off the train” Sam groaned popping his neck. You smiled at Bucky but it fell quickly when you saw his face, he looked like he was on his last leg. He looked exhausted and sounded just as tired when he asked you to come with him upstairs.

“What happened my love?” You asked as he rushed to take off his tactical gear and change into sweatpants. “Sam wouldn’t shut up the whole time, I never had a moment of piece, I got stuck on the couch which I didn’t even mind but Sam is so loud when he snores so I couldn’t sleep well, and then we lost track of the girl we were after. It was just really tiring” he said and you pouted a guy laying back you beckoned him to you.

Bucky didn’t waste a second climbing into the bed he cuddled into your side. “I’m so sorry baby, it had to be rough. But you’re home now and I’m right here” you cooed softly kissing his head. You get him relax into your side as you hummed softly to him, he shifted and at first you didn’t know what he was doing.

You lifted up his shirt you were wearing and stuck his head under the fabric allowing it to engulf his head and shoulders as he settled his head on your chest. You smiled and rubbed his back up and down,he just needed to feel you closer to him then normal. You knew something else had to of happened but he will tell you when he’s ready.

“I was thinking maybe I should move in here, if Tony will allow me.” Bucky nodded “I’d like that a lot.” You smiled “that way I’d be here when you leave and get back, we’d never have to spent a night apart unless you’re in a mission” Bucky sighed and nodded once more. “Want that” he mumbled and you stopped talking allowing him to drift to -much needed- sleep.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Taglist: @marvel1984 @glxwingrxse @teddybearsgrr @Delightfulavenueprince @guyinachair27

[my-reality-my-rules]

Do you recommend any methods?

[thanks for this ask!]

ooo, i like this one. the ones I've tried so far are: raven, estelle, sunni, intention, pillow, and coraline. I'm rating these based on my experiences with each method; again, you don't really need them for shifting, but you do you! this is just a personal evaluation of each one, so don't take it too seriously ((:

RAVEN

this is the first ever method I've used, and it's one of the most effective for me. i usually fall asleep somewhere between the 70s-90s range. i had been using this the first time i successfully shifted, in that weird forest. if you decide to follow this method down to a t, like not moving or keeping your eyes closed, it can cause discomfort (you're allowed to tweak it to however you see fit, though). it may also be slightly difficult for people with short attention spans. however, it's an easy method, and it's one of the most popular ones too (for good reason, due to how simple it is). 13/15 would recommend for baby shifters

ESTELLE

this is what I'd been using when i finally shifted to my HP DR bedroom. i put subliminals on (which was dedicated specifically to a certain character), and woke up on the bed i scripted. the symptoms i got for this one had to be some of the most vivid that I'd experienced, especially regarding the flashing lights. I've only tried estelle twice or thrice, since more often than not i fall asleep halfway through a song. 10/15 if you have a short attention span like me, 14/15 if you wanted something playing in the background while you sleep

SUNNI

hands down, this is one of my favourite methods. it may be more difficult if you think you're bad at visualising, but it's easy enough to use to trick yourself. instead of utilising only the imagination, it takes advantage of all five senses—at least, the imagined ones. it's my favourite because it's 'tight', in a sense; you need to think of 15 things and imagine them in a particular order, which could really help in keeping you on track. additionally, sunni also stretches your brain for its creative juices; when i use this i try not to repeat any object that i imagine, so it really forces me to get diverse with the things that i think about. i also managed to wake up in my naruto DR with this method. 17/15 would definitely recommend this one

INTENTION

a bit more loose than the other ones I've tried, in the sense that all you have to do is set an intention. and that's it. just a comfortable sleeping position, and the sheer fucking will to wake up in your DR. and so far, it's actually worked. the last time i did this, i actually felt someone lying beside me. I'd been half-awake at the time, too tired to actually think about anything aside from the fact that i was cuddling someone and felt so damn comfortable. it might come off as a bit more difficult to someone who's not used to a really simple method, but trust me when i say it works. apply a bit of the positive version of the I think, therefore I am mentality, and you're all set. 10/10, very easy and fairly motivating

PILLOW

i have a grudge against this particular method, lmfao. last year, around 2 or 3 months after i discovered about shifting, i became obsessed with writing my script. during classes, I'd write some details i wanted on a piece of paper, or on a google doc and print it out. i even used one of those fancy templates for this. my dumb ass, lazy and lacking situational awareness, didn't notice i kept the papers under my pillow. eventually, i forgot about doing the pillow method because i was more focused on raven. after some time, i became constantly tired, even when i wasn't trying to shift. imagine my horror when i cleaned my bed, and realised that I've kept my script under my pillow for 2 fucking months. even if i wasn't actively shifting, the fact remains that i had been unconsciously trying to. 13/15 though, because I'm not gonna lie—that experience only served to prove the method works

CORALINE

keep in mind that i use a slightly altered version of the most popular coraline method that you've probably seen going around. the normal one makes you imagine yourself in the tunnel, whereas i imagine mine to be inside the pink palace itself. the normal one also has you visualise memories and sensations as you're through the little door, whereas mine has you visualise things from your DR before you enter the tunnel. all in all though, I'd place this one in the middle of my list, but perhaps somewhere on the higher end. it's mostly a visualisation method, which could be quite difficult for some people, but i find it's also similar to the sunni method when I'm imagining myself walk through the rooms of the pink palace. 13/15 for the sunni part (because it feels physical), 12/15 for the visualisation part

and that's it! I've mentioned in a previous post that i usually just combine sunni and raven when shifting, the former more often than not.

happy shifting ❤️❤️