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writingquestionsanswered · 7 months

Note

Hi! I have a few questions, sorry if you’ve already answered these.

I’m currently planning out a fanfic that will be co-written. We have a lot of ideas but no motivation to write, and they often find themselves writing other fanfics but never focusing the one we plan on creating. I feel like I’m always more invested.

Do you have any tips to help us get on track or more motivated? How can we sort out all our ideas and know what to keep or eliminate?

Thank you! Have a nice day :)

Fan-Fiction: Co-Write w/ Low Motivation/Investment

I started to plot out some ideas, and I'll still touch on those, but honestly I think before you worry about motivation, sorting ideas, or getting back on track, it's worth talking with your co-writer to see where they really are in this. Because collaborations can be a lot of fun, but they're fraught with pitfalls, and they tend to fall through more often than not, for so many reasons. It could be that your co-writer feels that you have different expectations, plans, or goals for this project. If you've done more plotting than they have, they may simply feel overwhelmed by the idea of having to step into and write in a world you've put more work into than they have. It could be that something has changed and this project just doesn't thrill them anymore. Who knows? But you won't know unless you talk to them and see what's up. Are they still on board with writing this story? Is there anything they can think of that might rekindle their motivation and investment? Is there anything about the story or plan that is overwhelming them?

If you can get to the bottom of what's holding them back and figure out what you can do to get them back on track, you'll have a much easier time tackling and rekindling your own motivation.

Outside of that, here are my previous posts that might help:

Guide: How to Rekindle Your Motivation to Write 5 Reasons You Lost Interest in Your WIP, Plus Fixes! Would Rather Be Doing Other Things Feeling Unmotivated with WIP Getting Unstuck: Motivation Beyond Mood Boards & Playlists Getting Your Writing Magic Back After a Break Getting Excited About Your Story Again

Happy writing!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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read-and-write- · 11 months

Text

Weekend WIP game

I was tagged by @daisymae-12 @happiness-of-the-pursuit @suseagull04 @inexplicablymine @gay-flyboys @rockyroadkylers thank you for the tag!

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more). (questions for artists/gifmakers here).

1. WIP List: This WIP list truly is just based on vibes, this is every fic that has made itself a place in my google docs, notes app, discord chat or voice note that's longer than 2 minutes (or all of them)

let's ignore the fact only two of them have real titles

two bros chilling on the ice 5 feet apart 'cause they're rivals (Figure Skating AU)

High School AU

Super Six and the Siren's Call

Spiderman AU

June, a child of divorce character study

MasterChef Celebrity AU

Carved within the beauty, the darkness in between

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

Super Six and the Siren's Call, it's HEFTY, it's CHONKY, it's 40k+ words and growing

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

Either Super Six and the Siren's Call or two bros chilling on the ice(...) mostly because the outline for both is BIG

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

I love writing Super Six and the Sirens Call, writing with @inexplicablymine and @happiness-of-the-pursuit it's really one of the biggest highlights of the AU, we get excited together whenever we get to write something new, we yell at each other (with love) and it's really just very fun

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

two bros chlling on the ice(...) it's a 30 chapter outline that I am tackling on my own, and on top of that I am applying to myself the level of nitpicky I apply every time I read a figure skating au because I always want them to be as accurate as possible.

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

two bros chlling on the ice(...) I feel like even for myself I have set up very high expectations in many aspects, and when I sit down to write sometimes I just think that maybe it might just not be enough.

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

Compared to my life before now I do try to have betas for almost every fic, mostly for grammar reasons since I need it. Now long fics are generally the ones where I know I could not do without betas at all.

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?

High School AU kind of crashed before it started, I had an idea and a plan but then many things happened that left it in a space where no words are coming out anymore

and figure skating au but i am really having a mind set of ojos que no ven corazón que no siente

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?

Is it really an OC if it's someone's family member who would technically exist in canon? asjdjsdhs let's say yes

Alex's abuelita in SSASC, truly one of my favourites, I am really enjoying writing her and also giving her more lore than would be known, with that being said anything else is a spoiler so stay tuned and find out yourself!

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

I don't write smut but people have called my outlines sexy!

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

June character study probably, follows the same path that Alex's fic did, just a walk through June's relationship with her parents divorce and her role in the family as a mediator.

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)?

Super Six and the Siren's call really does have a very interesting characterization, there's something about putting your blorbos in different worlds and dangerous situations that brings out the best in them.

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

Yes, yes I've mentioned it everywhere Super Six and the Sirens Call, I love the setting for this one, I love all the places they go to, the one's they mention, it's great

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

Super Six and the Siren's Call, next to Rhys and Beas we have done a hella ton of world building, investigation, writing, rewriting, editing, planning out promotional material.

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

two bros chlling on the ice(...) it's a long, long fic with a trope and a setting many people like. I try really hard not to create any expectations because in the end what people think it's something I can't control and yet.

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

I have not dreamt about these ones but I do dream about fics all the time, and also just about writing fics.

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't?

I think to a degree most long fics I want to write have complexities that a one-shot doesn't have. But let's say two bros chlling on the ice(...) because what I am going to say is very true for it.

In the narrative aspect there's a lot of thought that needs to be placed in how the story gets hold, divide the chapters in a way that enriches the story instead of dragging it down

Another aspect is that despite everything I find myself not familiar enough with the general environment where these characters are placed aka I'm not American so a lot of investigation and asking a lot of questions needs to come into place before writing because I want to be as faithful as possible.

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?

I'd like to believe I am always hilarious

Super Six and the Sirens Call it's a group effort of mixing feelings and jokes, it really has some very funny lines in it but I can't take credit for them really

I think two bros chlling on the ice(...) also has a fair share of humour if beta comments are anything to go by

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

Super Six and the Sirens Call has a fair amount of outsiders POVs that I have found to be very fun to write, try out the new voices and see how the world looks through others people's eyes.

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

-MasterChef Celebrity AU has a plan to mix both prose and TV scripts as a way to tell the story, and it's not about two participants

-SpiderMan AU is a 5+1, and I want it to be a long one while still falling under the realm of what can be considered a one shot

No pressure tags and sorry if you've already done this c: @14carrotghoul @raysletters @heybuddy-drabbles @cricketnationrise @moondal514 @littlemisskittentoes and an open tag for anyone else who wants to do it!

#tag game #fanfiction #this took me like 3 days to answer ajdhsj #i love it tho

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turtle-go-brrrr · 3 years

Text

General bayverse headcanons

Leonardo

Not a morning person

He has his routine and doesn't like to break it, except when he can sleep in

First thing he does when he wakes up is take at least 20 minutes to actually wake up before even considering getting up

He likes setting up breakfast for everyone though

He'd get the cereals, prepare some coffee, tea or hot chocolate, cut some fruits etc

Doesn't like when someone prepare his

Except if its Mikey

Leo's a book nerd

He likes mysteries and thrillers the most, but won't turn up his nose at some romance

Not a super big fan of fantasy, but there are some exceptions

Really doesn't like science fiction

Once got scared of a pidgeon

He was on patrol with his brothers and was looking out in the distance when the bird flew right next to his face

Only Donnie saw him and he won't let him live it down

Despite being the voice of reason of the group, he won't turn down pranks if they're directed either at Vern or Casey

They're so easy to mess with, and he has the luxury of hiding behind his reputation

April once told him "you could stand above a still warm body with a fuming gun in your hands and I would ask you to put it down to avoid putting your handprints on it"

Translation: he can do whatever he wants, no one will ever suspect him

He's not the best listener but he has the patience of a god

And he's trying his best to be better at listening when his brothers try to tell him about their problems (personal or mission related) tho he has some work to do still

Good singer, but terrible dancer (which is a surprise to everyone because he's really graceful on the battlefield)

His favorite animal is the Guinea pig

Donatello

Contrary to popular beliefs, this boy does sleep

Not that much, like 5 hours per night at most, but still

Better than nothing

And no, he doesn't feed exclusively on coffee, pop tarts and pizza, that would kill him (even tho it took him a while to understand that)

He's trying to get healthier eating habits

When he can't bother to cook himself some veggies, he tries to drink fruit juices to get those vitamins

Makes himself some homebrew omelettes where he just puts a little bit of every leftover in it so he can "get a little bit of every nutrients he needs"

It's kind of gross sometimes, but it works

Speaking of which, he makes the worst food combos

Like, he has no dignity

"I swear Dr Pepper and milk isnt as bad as it sounds", he says, trying to justify his favorite abomination.

Adds a bit of olive juice to it sometimes

Even Mikey is grossed out

Infodumps on his brothers at the most random time about stupid stuff

Like he'll see a random neon sign and give a 1 minute short lighting lesson and then never mention it again

His favorite animal is the Bearded Vulture

Raphael

Loves being the first to get up in the morning because the calmness of the lair soothes him

He talks in his sleep tho

Either says the wildest shit or talk normally, enough to make other people think he's awake and genuinely conversing

(He's not, and when they realize it's kinda awkward)

He also giggles in his sleep, and its terrifying

Loves animated movies

He loves that because they're supposed to be for kids, writers have to works hard and be creative to avoid censorship if they wanna tackle heavy themes

Which is often way more compelling to him than "adult" shows, where heavy violence and random sex scenes are everywhere

He also loves indie animation studios like E.S.M.A. and such

His favorite music genre is Epic rock and he likes listening to it before going on patrol (makes him feel badass)

He used to be the most physically affectionate of the bunch when they were kids, and could spend hours in Splinter's arms

He still does sometimes

While it takes him a while to trust someone, once he does he's gonna be the most annoying little shit you've ever met

If you're family to him, he's gonna annoy you to death

Mikey teases, Raph annoys

His favorite animal is the cat

Michelangelo

A heavy sleeper, but it takes him at least an hour of complete stillness before being able to fall asleep

And we all know he can have a lot of trouble standing still

While Leo's the one putting food on the table in the morning, Mikey is the one cooking it (if it needs to)

He has a playlist of soft musics from various games and movies, or ambient sounds like rain, fireplace, thunder etc

Sneeze like a kitten

But blow his nose like a dad (you know, shakes the whole lair and whatnot?)

He's the one who points out every stray cat they see when they're on the surface with an "aaannww!! It looked at me!!!"

Talks to animals as if they understand him and treats them like people

He's also the one getting spiders out of the lair

Except if they're too big. Then they ask Splinter to call April (they're all too embarrassed to do it themselves)

Huge history nerd

He tends to infodump on Donnie the most and then they'll just infodump back and forth about their special interest

The others just watch it unfold like a tennis match, wondering which one of them will run out of things to say first

(It was Donnie)

He has tons of WIPs of short stories he's written, or plots he finds interesting or that kind of stuff

His favorite animal is the whaleshark

#bayverse tmnt #tmnt #tmnt headcanons #tmnt leonardo #tmnt donatello #tmnt raphael #tmnt michelangelo #they are all big nerds in their own ways #donnis is the most obvious one but they're all guilty #i love them #my writing

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interact-if · 3 years

Note

Umm hi 👉👈 I realized that most of the asks you guys get are about games and rec lists. You guys deserve so much recognition for the work you put in this blog, so I wanted to ask if I can do a little get-to-know-the-mods thing? If that's okay!

1. Besides writing, what are your hobbies?

2. Do you have a niche interest right now?

3. Any fave songs/artists/bands?

4. Any fave movies/tv shows?

5. On a scale of 1-10, how likely would you survive in your wip's world?

You can totally ignore this if you guys want, no pressure. Anyway, much love to all the interact-if mods! You guys are incredible! ❤

We saw this ask and we went 👀 👀 👀 so we’re happy to answer! Thank you so much for the fun ask!

We also rated our survivability in all of our collective games, since Mars isn't an author! Fun stuff! Spoilers, though: it’s really not looking so great for me (Dani) but that’s fine!!! 😌

1. I’m a photographer as well as a graphic artist (but not like. A painter/drawer kind of artist!) and, on a general level, a maker and a tinkerer!

2. Fountain pens! I only write with ink, and only with fountain pens, and I use bottled inks/converters!

3. I’m pretty eclectic with music, but my top genres are alt rock, indie, indie pop, etc, as well as top 40s and some rap.

4. I feel like this is the hardest one for me to answer? Favorite movies/shows? Avatar: the Last Airbender has been a favorite show of mine since I was a little kid, but I have a harder time thinking of shows I would call a favorite in recent years. There are shows I’ve liked, and a lot of shows I’ve watched. But I’m picky! And demanding! It takes a lot to earn a place in Dani’s Trophy Case of Favorites. 😌 I would say I quite liked A Quite Place (movie), and I liked Us (movie). When it comes to TV shows, I have a hard time being pleased with them if they don’t end well. As a result, I have a penchant for a good limited series/miniseries (because they’re stories that have an end in mind and the plot reflects that, dagnabbit).

5. Heh. Okay.

In The Goodfellows? I think I stand I chance. I can exercise my sparkling wit and lovable personality to the best effect. I’m gonna give myself an 8/10 survivability rating. Even if I don’t have the right skills, I can go crying to the person who does and they’ll save me. Maybe.

In Creatures’ Cradle? I’m super $**!%d. 😌 1/10 survivability rating. And that 1 is me being nice to myself. The day the apocalypse breaks out I would probably be patient 0. I am self-aware. I would not do well in an apocalypse. Zombies care not for aforementioned sparkling wit and lovable personality, and I have all the muscle of a boiled spaghetti noodle. So it’s a no go.

Greater Than Gods (Cruz): Well. I’m going to be optimistic. And say that I have the wisdom not to do things I shouldn’t do and not to rock boats I shouldn’t rock. I’m going to give myself a 7/10 based on insider information, but also based on reckless optimism!

Vardir (Cruz): Cruz says this is a lighthearted game, so 10/10 LOL.

When it Hungers (Roast): I’m giving myself a nice, mediocre 5/10. I think I could put my mind to work here; I joke that I’m the village idiot, but I’m actually pretty smart! Unfortunately, I’m also curious, and maybe a little bad with authorities who won’t answer my questions. So I knocked off a lot of points due to the fact that I’d probably poke the metaphorical bear. So it’s a real coin flip as to whether I’d really make it or not.

Orthall Bay (Nines): Considering the genre is “horror” and the game intro includes the words “monster” and “maim,” I’m giving myself a whooping, enthusiastic 3/10. Yes, folks, I am that confident in myself! Once again, I can’t charm the socks off a monster (or can I?), so one of my greatest weapons is snatched from beneath my feet. Alas!

1. Beloved I’m a college student in the middle of a pandemic... i can hardly even write LOL i do draw at times which u can see in my personal blog (nothing too good really) and i used to do karate before things went to shit <3

2. Nothing niche I believe? All I do is leave Netflix as bg noise every day n play popular videgames (genshin)

3. Porter Robinson <3 I love Bea Miller a lot as well but lately I’ve been feeling Porter a lot

4. The Good Place <3

5. My WIPs:

Greater than Gods: Highly situational, the world GtG is set in is as broad as the real world LOL so I don’t have an universal answer. But keeping it vague, and knowing my own personality, I feel like 5/10. depends on my luck.

Vardir: 10/10 no one dies in Vikgade, unless you’re a hunter but I wouldn’t be a hunter <3

Others’ WIPs

I'm gonna give myself a solid 5/10 in all other WIPs because y'all aren't writing lighthearted stories either. I feel like as long as I avoid the role of the MC I will be mostly fine. I hope. But as Dani said I'm also prone to fight the wrong person and dig my own grave so 😌

1. Well, writing is a very, very, very, distant hobby since Words Hard, but I like to crochet and sculpt a little! Anything to do with fiddling with my hands and I’m good to go. And like, debatable but graphic design is my passion [insert clown emoji here since Tumblr said No]

2. Oh yeah a bunch! DnD yelling at people, thinking of arson, crocheting, rock climbing and simply vibing. I got into podcasts a few years ago and I’m always looking for more recs, so if you have some, hmu 😤

3. Pls,,,,my music taste is,,,so weird do not let me expose myself with lack of consistency but uhh. Current songs that are stuck in my head include; Cult of Dionysus , Achilles Come Down and The Last Shanty

4. If you’ve ever spoken to me before, I probably yelled about Pacific Rim to you or at you. Plus I love all The Mummy films and really enjoyed Castlevania (s3 excluded, we do not perceive that) as well!

5. Ah, mod survival simulator pt. 3

Alright, let’s go! I don’t have a WIP because again, words hard, but like, considering how feral I am when not tryna seem professional hm...

The Goodfellows: I wanna say a solid 7/10 because I’d hardcore vibe with the Traveler and probably instigate so much nonsense. I can also bribe with blueberry cake so maybe.

Creature’s Cradle: maybe a 4/10 and only because of pure spite keeping me alive long enough to smack someone. I’ve prepared for hypothetical zombie apolcapyses and I won’t hesitate to bap, but will be bapped back because I’m weak as hell.

Greater Than Gods: a toss up between 2/10 and 7/10! I can vibe and be chill but I also have terrible impulse control so...

Vardir: hm....I think pretty good survival rates all around? If you ask me to fight then like, okay sure, your knees are mine. So maybe a 8/10?

When it Hungers: .......8/10 just because I’d refuse to die if I can be a cool creature. Living for the aesthetic can and will drag me outta hell. But I’m also clumsy as hell so I’d probably crash as a porcelain or hold a rooster and perish (aka, real rating is a good 3/10)

Orthall Bay: 2/10, nope. Nope I’d be taken out in a heartbeat. Monsters can go pspsps and I’d head straight into the dark creepy forest like a fool if someone comes @ me. Half the time I’ll just assume it’s sfx makeup and vibe until it’s too late.

god, never put me in a universe where I cannot squawk like a bird and throw pebbles from a window. Oof

Anon, you're so sweet! I give you a forehead smoomch <333 As for your questions...

1. If I'm not writing, I'm usually watching video essays on Youtube. My go-to channels as of right now is Disrupt and Aperture! I just really like their videos. Aside from that, I recently got into podcasts. Currently going through Hello From The Hallowoods and Shelter and Warning, which are made by queer creators!

2. Oh oof, there's quite a bit so I'm just gonna put down one thing. For some reason, I really got into collecting tiny astronaut things? I recently bought this astronaut desk light, and I've got a package coming in for the miniatures I ordered. No purpose for them other than I think they're neat <3

3. I'm a bit private with my music taste (even tho I have Spotify connected on Discord lmao), but there's 5 songs that I'm currently obsessed with. I keep replaying them over and over again. Just squeezing all the serotonin I could get outta them.

4. I can't really say I have a fave TV show or movie because I can't really just pick one, but my current fave is 9-1-1 and Resident Alien. 9-1-1 because I just really love the found-family dynamics and how the show tackles sensitive topics, and Resident Alien because it's lighthearted comedy. My all-time fave movie is Flipped! I have the book too and I like rereading from time to time <3

5. You're in for a doozy, anon, because we're rating each other's games <333

The Goodfellows: 7/10

Listen. Shenanigans with the Traveler. I would get up to so many of them and that is what'll get me possibly bodied, not the actual environment itself <3

Greater than Gods: 7/10

I like to think I have enough common sense to uhhh not recklessly flip stones that should not be flipped <3 I'm a cautious and skeptic person irl so I think I'll hold up well? Then again, it's a vast environment change and while I can adapt pretty quick, I wouldn't like the lack of control in the unknown.

Vardir: 10/10

Going off what Cruz said, Vardir is lighthearted and focused on personal growth so I think I'll be okay! Self-growth here I come, babey!

Creatures' Cradle: 8/10

Maybe I'm overestimating myself, but I think I'll be able to survive in a supernatural post-apocalyptic world! Ah, but it depends on the motivation though. I like the idea of rebuilding communities and eventually societies, but the survival turmoil would be a constant battle I'd have to overcome. If we're talking survival itself though, I think I'll do well.

When it Hungers: 8/10

That's probably my wishful thinking but I think I'll be fine. Maybe. Possibly. Don't like the idea of being regulated by an organization so if I was a non-human creature that could pose a problem but I can roll with it <3

Orthall Bay: 6/10

Assuming I'm not playing as MC, my chances of survival uhhh changes quite drastically. Not enough to guarantee an untimely demise, but certainly enough that it would constantly keep me on my toes. I think that's the safest answer I can get without spoiling anything lmao

Thank you so much for asking! It's super sweet of you <3

1. Too many :'D I knit, I sew, I do carpentry (well, learning), I bake, I'm hammering away at HTML and CSS, my job kind of encourages learning new things and I take that to picking up new hobbies!

2. My time is kind of consumed with school work and work work and WIP work so not a lot of time to pursue niche interests right now. I've been watching a lot of horror game playthroughs, true crime youtubers, and an adorable show on Netflix called the Repair Shop <3

3. My taste in music is "what am I vibing with atm?" I've been listening to a lot of 80's music atm (don't @ me), but also Lo Fang and Kaleo, and whatever spotify recommends me on my discover weekly which is usually complete chaos.

4. I love the Mummy even though it hasn't aged 100% well (I'm a librarian, of course it's one of my gotos LOL), Legally Blonde, Leverage, Jumanji (the original), I'm....very bad at having recent tastes... and very bad at remembering my favorites when asked.

The Goodfellows: I'm a creature of comfort, 5/10 if I can just luxuriate in town and not actually interact with the story sfjkdbsdkf

Creature’s Cradle: I'd like to think I have a 50/50 shot XD 5/10, I want to think I'd be decent at a zombie apocalypse but ultimately would suffer an early fate.

Greater Than Gods: 10/10 if I'm just vibing, less so if I'm involved in the actual story XD

Vardir: I'd still suffer without technology but I can also knit for a living in this world so I'm down 8/10

When it Hungers: I feel like I could vibe here, there's tech if dated, hot showers, telephones are around by now... might still get bored. 7/10 though it'd be cool to be another creature....I should make a 'what creature of snv are you' quiz!

Orthall Bay: 7/10 idk I feel like after the first monster of the week I'd just skip town XDDDD I'm the worst protagonist, I see danger I just leave.

#mod talk #long post #interact if: asks

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writing-with-olive · 3 years

Note

Hello Olive! 👋🏼

I don't know if you're still taking requests but I would love your help ! 🙃

So in multiple POV books, sometimes two scenes from two different POVs happen simultaneously. Usually, it’s much easier to portray this in movies and tv shows by cross-cutting scenes and interspersing them using the ocean's novel formula I think, to create suspens and tension in fight scenes or backstories parallelism.

In a book, my wip for example, I find it much difficult to convey the same feelings and tension in words.

Any tips and/or guidelines plz?

Could you plz add an example of your own creation just to see the result something like a cheat sheet /not that I'm using it, just to understand how I can go through it/?

Thanks in advance!!!

💕

Hey anon!

Quick disclaimer - I write in single pov, so the advice below is based off of what I've seen, and how I would tackle it theoretically if it was something I was thinking of writing something like this. Similarly, because multi-pov is not something I particularly enjoy writing in (personal preference, nothing inherantly wrong with it), and it would probably take me several hours to produce a new work that was of much quality, I'm not going to include my own final example, though there are little tidbits below, as they became relevant. Also, this got long, hence the read more.

Alrighty into the good stuff!

So the first thing to consider is why it seems easier to pull off more rapid pov switches in movies. The main thing is grounding. Oftentimes, movies will put characters in situations where their background is at least somewhat different, and sometimes they'll mess with the music a bit (though not always). This makes it really easy for the audience to place where the characters are in a split second, which in turn means producers don't have to spend a ton of time re-establishing where each person is. This helps to keep tension up.

The thing with books is that we only have words to work off of - no visuals to provide readers with instant grounding. That means if you want to pull it off well, quickly grounding readers every shift is essential.

Parallel backstories are probably going to be a lot trickier to pull off in writing than they are in movies. The reason they work in cinima is that a) like we mentioned before it takes a lot less time to do the whole grounding thing, b) parallels are a lot more aesthetically pleasing when you can see them, but they can come across as repetitive when read, and c) dramatic time shifts like flashbacks are easier to pull off in movies where you can see that characters are visibly younger, but they tend to be disliked by readers, as it tends to disrupt forward momentum.

Intercutting stories with regards to backstory pretty much means you need to be right there with your character to see the backstory unfold. Which means flashbacks.

In some books, flashbacks are a key part of the narrative, especially if it's in a story where time is more fluid. However, if you only have one or two cases where you need to jump back, it has a much greater potential to look lazy. More often than not, it's generally considered a stronger story if you can find a way to intersperse backstory throughout the story.

It also means it's often more interesting to show their backstories, but let the audience come to the conclusion on their own that they're actually kinda parallel, and see how that affects how the characters turn out.

The next thing to consider when maintaining tension is pacing - the pull and push of scenes or even smaller beats that keeps a story dynamic. Even within faster scenes, you have places where you still make your audience wait, or else it'll be over too quick. Slower scenes still need to have some faster bits to maintain forward movement.

Each time you switch povs, you are creating a little bit of waiting time for the "non-active" pov. This is not a guarantee to establish tension, but it does help. To balance it out, make sure what's happening on the page keeps moving. Give your characters time on page to rest sometimes, but largely keep moving forward.

Another thing with pacing for multi-pov is that the longer you bench a certain pov, the longer it takes to get back in their head. So make sure to give all of your pov characters similar page time. They don't have to go in a specific rotation, but they should be balanced.

Some thoughts about making pov shifts that don't disrupt the forward momentum as much:

1 - Establish location before it becomes vital. This is actually something that is key to a lot of action scenes, because nothing breaks tension and immersion like the author saying "oh wait here's this detail that i forgot to tell you until now." Basically, set up the general layout and other necessary details when things are calmer, so the reader has a chance to set up a mental map of the place, and when things are more tense, keep readers spacially grounded by referencing what you've already established.

2 - To make it clear that things are happening at the same time, use references that can pop up in both povs. For example, maybe all the lights go out, or maybe in one scene, a character shoots a gun, and in the next (because pov switch), a character hears a gunshot going off. You're going to want a time, place, and pov reference right away to ground your readers (if you're doing third person, the pov reference could just be saying that person's name), and you're going to want to have a few space and time references as you go through the scene, so that when you do your next pov shift, readers can slot it into the correct chronological spot.

3 - Similarly, make sure that timing matches up. Your audience will notice these things. If two reference points in one pov happen three minutes apart in world, the same reference points have to take three minutes in the other pov too. Something that I HIGHLY suggest is before splitting up your povs, create an outline of what happens from an omnicient point of view, so you can make sure to get characters to the right place in the right amount of time

4 - You don't have to make each character's scene start and stop at the same in world time. This is what makes the aforementioned time references so important. However, if you're going to skip something like a character going from the kitchens to the dungeons because nothing really happens, you have to show that intention before you cut away, or else it's going to take a lot longer to re-establish where a character is.

5 - To keep tension up, mini cliffhangers can work in your favor. Maybe a character gets captured and they're about to discover who his captor is, but then you cut to the other character in a cell, trying to pick the lock before anyone notices.

6 - Remember that in situations like these, your readers will often have a better idea of the overall picture than your characters. If you reveal something in one pov, remember that you don't have to reveal it again in the other, unless it's a means to reveal more necessary information. Going to the example from point 5, maybe in the next scene, the captured character figures out that it's a trap, and that if anyone else walks through the door it will blow up. But the lockpicking one doesn't know that. So she's trying to get there and rescue him. Tension is created both because she has to do it without getting caught, but we as readers would know that if she manages to follow through, it will be devastating. The trick is that the thought shouldn't really cross her mind, because she has no way of knowing it.

7 - Choose your povs with purpose. Does the reader need to know something for the chain of events to keep making sense? Which pov will be privvy to the most knowelege? Does there need to be something ominous (like maybe a body falls past a window), but revealing why that happened would kill some of the suspense? Which pov would reasonably be near the window, but wouldn't be able to see or hear what was happening above? Also consider where it makes sense to bring in povs that haven't been in the spotlight for a little while.

8 - Remember that you can't cut as fast between povs at the same speed you can in movies because of that whole grounding issue. Give each pov at least a full scene to themselves, and sometimes a few so that we can actually see things unfolding, and then switch. If you create things that other povs can reference, even if only in passing, it will still maintain the experience of things happening at the same time.

Hopefully all of this made sense and gives you a better jumping-off point. Happy writing!

#writing #writing advice #writeblr #writing reference #multi pov #action scenes #tension #suspense #writing tips #ask #writing questions #dual pov #long post #movies #fight scenes #escape scenes #spacial grounding #olive's writing vibes

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spikeinthepunch · 2 years

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Blog: Reworking Fanworks? (crosspost)

this is a crosspost of a blog on my website.

Very quickly sitting down to throw out these thoughts because boy! I have energy and inspiration to write this all down. This may because long because I wanna give loads of context to new readers...

So, i used to be pretty into Warrior Cats â€“ though from 2020 to April 2022, i was specifically in it for the RP circle I got into. A bit before that though I had written a whole outline for a fan story though, and I did it more as an exercise. I always felt i was bad at following through or finding endings to stories, even if just outlined. Its hard for me to tackle anything if i dont know how it will end. This was The Moon's Talon (MT) - there is an 11 page outline you can read, with a full clan allegiance, and the canon had some altered roles. And I am still very proud I finished this whole story outline! It really is the first thing i thought of and wrote a whole idea for.

But I did that, and then hopped into Rping during most of the pandemic. I won't go on about that for too long, but eventually I ran my own server called The Astronomers (TA) following a Warrior Cats story with clans and various very original ideas with lore. It was meant to literally force a reality between the real outter space beyond earth, and the more "magical" side of warriors typical beleifs. The two clans were to start as polar opposites- one beleiving strongly in more scientific views of stars and space while the other beleives that stars were personaifications of their loved ones. I had numerous arcs planned up to the "end", about 5-6 arcs, but we only barely got into arc 2 before I closed it in early 2022 for reasons outside of my control.

I had to take some time away from all that due to the stress and upset that led to the server's closing, and I hyave much enjoyed my time since. I wasn't into all that RP stuff because of warriors, really. I do xenofiction like Warriors! But i was there for the stories to tell with others more than anything.

BUT where am i going with this article you are wondering... well, its been some time since all that and I am feeling better about looking at those stories. When someone messaged the Moon's Talon blog about the outline, I was like oh! Yea I am still pretty happy with that. Maybe I can rework it to being non-Warriors? It might be refreshing, i just havent done much OC stuff lately that isnt by complicated world Cryptolalia that is so much of a WIP i cant show much for.

I have seen quite a few people rework their Warriors stories into original universes, and I have considered it before, but that was when I was in the middle of by server, and then after that I really thought I just wasn't going to pick any of that up. And on top of reworking MT, it occurred to me that I could rework all of the stuff I did for my RP too... it hit me and it made me feel kind of emotional I think. I had to give up on it in a way I couldn't change, and it sucked. I don't like to think back to all that, but it sucked. And it hurts that I never got to live out that story in the format I intended- and while I can't recreate everything as it was (either due to being too Warriors-esque, or because it was RP format specific), I feel much better about look at all that again, and reclaiming it, and rebirthing it into something new!

I can't say I have any idea where this may go. It will probably take some time as I need to take out all the Warriors stuff, and also likely redesign SO many characters. I need to figure out how to get these two stories to work with each other, because in their existing canon, MT occured in the far far past before TA. It relied a bit on the Warrior's expected "reincarnation" ideas and things related to the stars. I think I will have to do away with much of that, or do it in a way that isn't so tied to "stars are our dead relatives". I will probably shove these two stories together and not make them a huge timeskip. Which means other ties need to change, converge, whatever.

I don't even know how I will shift all this- I do look forward to getting rid of the 20 member large clans... thank god, no more random ass background cats I will never touch. I look forward to it, because both stories were actually way more inspired by Felidae- in the sense that that book treats cats as much more intelligent, capable of some human things if they learn it, etc. I don't think I will have any issues changing it up- it'll just take time.. and I am way more eager to make my own ideas not tied to the strict rules of Warriors now too.

I have lots of ideas I wanna work on, and I don't actually plan to draw as much for this as I did for my past Warriors stuff- I really forced it. But I will certain be writing stuff! And eventually I will have a section on my site for all my OC things...eventually lol. For now though, follow my tumblr!

So, i used to be pretty into Warrior Cats - though from 2020 to April 2022, i was specifically in it for the RP circle I got into. A bit before that though I had written a whole outline for a fan story though, and I did it more as an exercise. I always felt i was bad at following through or finding endings to stories, even if just outlined. Its hard for me to tackle anything if i dont know how it will end. This was The Moon's Talon (MT) - there is an 11 page outline you can read, with a full clan allegiance, and the canon had some altered roles. And I am still very proud I finished this whole story outline! It really is the first thing i thought of and wrote a whole idea for.

#web blog #the moon's talon #MT #ARP #oc

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electricshoebox · 3 years

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writing tag

Tagged by the lovely @adventuresofmeghatron, thank you!

Tagging: @junemermaid, @molliehaswords, @desynchimminent, @valkyriejack, and @mercurymiscellany, if you’d like to do it!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

39. Holy shit.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

533,274 words. Holy shit.

3. What are you top 5 fics by kudos?

How to Share a Bed Without Killing Each Other: a Love Story (Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Iron Bull, 5 Chapters, Complete) The trials and tribulations of literally sleeping together.

Rivers in the Sand (Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Iron Bull, Oneshot, Complete) The Hissing Wastes unsettles Bull’s memories, and when he and Dorian are trapped together by a fallen pillar, Dorian helps him deal.

a soft place to land (Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Iron Bull, Oneshot, Complete) When a letter from his father sets him off, Dorian turns to Bull for a distraction.

Always Good at Bad Ideas (Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Iron Bull, Oneshot, Complete) Bull gets injured fighting a dragon, which leaves Dorian frantic enough to blurt out the one thing he was trying to keep to himself.

Flashpoint (Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Iron Bull, Oneshot, Complete) “One time he got so excited he set the curtains on fire.”

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

Yes, always! I’ve seen various opinions on whether authors should, but to me, engaging with and getting excited with readers is half the fun and half the point. I also just really want people to know how much it means to me not only that they read, but that they take the time to leave a comment. Comments are hard to write. I completely sympathize with that, sometimes you just don’t know what to say or how to say it, and I absolutely don’t begrudge anyone that doesn’t. It just means a lot to me when people do, even when it’s literally just “This was cool!” or something, and I want them to know that it’s appreciated!

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hmmm. I guess that sort of depends on your definition of angsty. None of them have directly tragic endings, it’s just not in me to write that way, but I have one or two with open or less definitely, obviously happy endings. The rarepair DA2 oneshot I wrote for Merrill/Orana, Counting the Cost, has the most open ending, left completely up to interpretation. The Inception AU DAI fic I wrote for Dorian/Bull, In the Shadow of Dreams, has what I think of as an optimistic ending, and less a happy one. I tried to end that one with more romance, but it just didn’t fit the tone of the rest of the fic, so a quiet ending that signals a road to recovery was what I chose instead.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Most all of my oneshots have pretty happy endings. I guess I’m tempted say A Line in the Sand, my Deacon/MacCready start-from-scratch slow burn novel, just because it goes from antagonists to lovers and has the longest road with the most earned happy ending. I feel like the long struggle to get there makes it feel happier.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Not really. Instead I’m sometimes tempted into AUs based on other media, but not full blown crossovers with actual different characters meeting. Even then, I’m really picky in what I enjoy. I’ve only written one, the Inception AU for Dragon Age that I mentioned above. Honestly, it requires no knowledge of Inception at all. I really just stole a bunch of concepts from it and then made my own modernized Thedas around them.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Thankfully no! I’ve received one or two kind of odd comments, but otherwise I’ve been very lucky and everyone’s been really nice.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Hell yeah! I’ve written many kinds, really, whatever I feel like or whatever fits the fic. I’ve done plenty of your typical smut. I branched out into light BDSM with several of my Dorian/Bull fics, as well as waxplay and praise kink. I’ve also done some roleplay in the vein of “established relationship pretending to be strangers meeting at a bar” for Deacon/MacCready with By Any Other Name.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! Two of my Dorian/Bull fics, Wishing Stars and No Patron Saint of Silent Restraint, both by the same lovely person: landanding on AO3. I don’t think I stopped flailing for a solid day when I got the request for permission either time.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not since pre-AO3 days, beyond collaborating in a tabletop setting. I’m not completely opposed to the idea but it would have to be someone I felt really, really comfortable with and with whom I have really good communication. I’m really particular about my writing, and I’d need to know someone’s emotional comfort level with trading and changing and even eliminating ideas.

13. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Oh god that’s honestly really hard. I’ve written the most for Dorian/Bull and that ship will always have a special place in my heart. But I did write my first full-length novel for Deacon/MacCready, and they’ve already got me in the middle of my second. So they’re the ship that taught me I could do that, and they’re my beloved rarepair. There are a few more I absolutely love, but I think those are my top two right now.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Definitely Uprising. It was the first time I tried longform fic, and it was meant to be an entire retelling of DA2 with Velanna as the Justice-bearing character, rather than Anders, because after learning the developers almost took DA2 in that direction, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I had a lot of plans for it, for how Justice might develop differently, for what it might have looked like if elves had been more of the battleground issue instead of mages vs. templars, for some angsty bittersweet long distance Nathaniel/Velanna and some complicated Fenris/Hawke and Merrill/Orana. But I drifted away from Dragon Age fandom in interest a long time ago, and I’m not sure I’ll ever get the steam back for it. I’m proud of how far I did get, though.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I feel pretty confident with dialogue, I can usually make a scene flow with it pretty well and I spend a lot of time trying to be meticulous about character voice. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on my descriptions, which I appreciate and wouldn’t have considered a strength, but my readers have been kind. I think I’m pretty good at including body language, too, though maybe to a fault.

16. What are you writing weaknesses?

Much as people have been kind on the feedback, I really feel like action scenes are a weakness for me. I don’t enjoy writing them and I struggle a lot to make them feel like they’re flowing over just bulletpointing. I also feel like I struggle to make them exciting. I feel like I struggle with exposition scenes as well, and keeping them interesting over info-dumping.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’m generally in favor of including them, but with the caution of doing thorough research if it’s not a language I speak. I shy away from it if I can’t be completely sure it’s accurate, because I don’t want to risk putting off a native speaker reader, or saying/doing something offensive. I’d expand that to include anything about another culture, really. For example, I’ve been slowly picking away at writing a Fallout fic for my Sole Survivor Anthony and Preston, and part of what has been slow going is just making sure I’m getting Anthony’s culture right. His parents immigrated from Vietnam, and I want his experiences with them and with his culture to be as accurate and respectful as possible, not falling into any stereotypes but also being allowed to be complicated.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Depends on what we’re measuring. The first fandom I ever wrote fic for of any kind was Sailor Moon. The first fandom I actually put fic on the internet for was Lord of the Rings, on good old fanfiction.net. The first fandom I published on AO3 for was Dragon Age.

19. What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

God this is such a hard question to answer, my feelings on my writing change so often. I think it’s hard for A Line in the Sand not to be my favorite for the reasons I’ve already mentioned, it’s my first successful novel-length fic, I accomplished a lot with it and learned a lot from it, and it’s a rarepair I got to kind of develop from scratch in my own way.

But if I look back at my whole repertoire so far, just to branch out from the usual answer, I’d say I’m also really fond of To Have and to Hold, which was the first time I ever participated in a minibang, or really any kind of writing challenge. It’s a Dorian/Bull established relationship fic set during Trespasser, and it’s kind of a meditation on Dorian’s past and present and how they’ve shaped his feelings on love and commitment and marriage, all while he’s trying to decide his future. I’m proud of how it came out, and I think my Dorian voice still holds up okay. Plus I had two incredible artists working with me who put together stunning work for it, and how could I not be super grateful for that?

It’s funny, most of the top ones up there for kudos are ones that I don’t personally think are my best, it’s a lot of my very early offerings for Dorian/Bull that I think I could improve on a lot of if I tackled them now. I’m grateful people like them but I feel like they’re more an accident of timing, being published early in the ship’s popularity.

#writing tag #writing memes #my writing

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apollosbastard · 4 years

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WIP weekenddddsssss yaaayyy

Major vanilla Persona 5 spoilers and angst ahead

It takes place immediately after the -redacted- fight in Shido’s palace

The atmosphere in the engine room was tense. Akechi had already undergone a transformation of his appearance and abilities. The Thieves has no idea what else he could have up his flared sleeves.

For now the fighting has ceased. Huffs from the active team members and Akechi’s own rattling breaths were the only sound competing with the machinery.

“... My entire life I’ve gotten by on my own. So why? Why can’t I BEAT YOU?!”

He throws his arms to his sides and yells to the ceiling. The Thieves ready themselves for another bout but their leader waves them off. Makoto tilts her head to Akira. “Don’t think he’ll try again?” Akira just shakes his head.

Footsteps, from a previously unknown entrance approach their position. All the Thieves were low on stamina from the fight, and Akira can only imagine how tired their single combatant is after their battle. This wasn’t like last time either. In mementos, Akechi had claimed he’d been holding back. At the time, Akira thought he was just doing damage control for his bruised pride but as it turns out he was telling the truth.

Room still quiet, the footsteps find their way to the party’s position.

“Shadow incoming!” Oracle warns. The footsteps close in as the aforementioned shadow makes it’s appearance. Akechi, or at least a cognition born of Shido’s twisted psyche, strode confidently into the engine room. He was dressed in a simple dress shirt and slacks, lacking any of the accessories unique to the genuine article. Before anyone could question his appearance before them, he raised his hand in a quieting gesture;

“Let’s get right to business, shall we? Once again you’ve managed to fail our captain and once again he is unconvinced of your- Our” he adds with a sneer, “dedication to his design. I refuse to allow you to continue to hinder our efforts.” A gun, identical to the one Akechi had used in the interrogation room, manifests in the cognition’s hand as though it’d always been there. “You’ve become a liability. Surely you’re aware of how liabilities are dealt with.” Akira was still extremely antsy from the fight and reason had taken a backseat to pure instinct. After all, Crow was a Phantom Thief and this was a like a hold up. Before he could consider what he was doing, he launched himself towards the fake, tackling him to the ground.

The metal interior amplified the explosive sound of a gunshot so loud it was nearly deafening. There was a reason he ordered the Thieves hold off on taking any shots during the fight.

Akira and the cognition fought on the floor until Yusuke made it to their position and pulled Akira off of the fake and behind the defensive wall of their team.

“Panther! I think the time’s well suited for an attack!”

“Gotcha, Fox!”

Walls appeared around them and Ann was suddenly holding an umbrella.

They performed their showtime, Yusuke’s clean katana slash causing blood to hemorrhage from the wound until the cognitive shadow exploded into red and black smoke. When it cleared, they were alone again.

“Woah man what the hell?! You just ran in there!! Are you tryna’ get shot?!”

“‘Not ‘trying to’, no.” Akira retorted. Turning to the rest of the group he put his hands clenched into fists into his pockets, “Well we’ve got all five letters now. Let’s head to the main hall and regroup.” Ryuji huffed at his recklessness but it’s not as though he could say he hadn’t done things equally endangering so he let it go.

Akechi had been standing in shocked silence until now suddenly lurched forward almost animalisticly. He made a b-line for Joker but before he could get there his path was blocked by Makoto and Haru. Instead of forcing his way through he just yelled past them, by now far too exhausted to continue fighting.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?! For what purpose could you have possibly done that?! He was about to kill me! Save you some fucking time and energy! Oh, oh is that it? You couldn’t bear the thought of the kill going to anyone else?! I suppose I can understand that. At least that’d prove you have at least one functioning braincell still rattling around in there.”

Akira frowned heavily. His poker face was good. Sometimes it was too good for his own well-being. He shook his head and started back towards the stairs.

“We still have the same end goal, Crow. Same as always.” He said over his shoulder.

With his back now the the others, he takes one hand out of his pocket and places it to his side.

Goddamnit it was worse than he thought.

Not like it was easy to tell with his gloves, though. Everyone was covered in soot from the exhaust vent they’d climbed in through so his vest was darker than usual too, aiding to further camouflage the growing stain. No matter. They didn’t have the time to deal with this right now. He’d just have to do a rough patch job in LaBlanc’s bathroom when they got home. Using the bathroom was practically the only time away from Morgana he got in the tiny café. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but Joker could already hear the outrage from the other Thieves over taking a bullet. And for Akechi, of all people. He wiped his hand off on his outer jacket and continued up the stairs.

Before long, the others caught up to him. Everyone except...

“Where’s Crow?” Joker asked Oracle. “Dunno. He didn’t say much after you left and didn’t look like he was coming with us...” Akira pursed his lips. Really Goro? After all that?

He hadn’t realized he’d stopped walking until Futaba had to turn back around to face him. “Hey, um...” she looked at him, expecting to finish her sentence but he cut her off.

“Hmm. We forgot the last will seed above the IT guy’s room. I’ll be right back.” He knew their navigator wasn’t an idiot. He didn’t have to make eye contact to know she didn’t believe him.

“What, you’re going alone? Are you stupid?”

“Probably.” he shrugged.

All the same, Futaba took the letters and with a final stern glare started again towards the hall.

With her departure, Joker allowed himself a moment wince at the worsening pain in his side. Sure, wounds inflicted in the metaverse didn’t hurt as much as reality, but a gunshot is a gunshot. The difference between searing pain and blinding pain weren’t distinct unless you happened to be experiencing both at once. The real difference was that instead of being able to go to a hospital -or even preferably Dr. Takemi- and get it treated and dealt with, he instead just had to live with it for a few days. Injuries sustained in the metaverse mostly healed when re-entering reality but still hurt like they were fresh for days after. He remembered one time he and Ryuji were at the batting cages and Ryuji was blaming a week old High Pixie bite on his hand for losing.

The closer he got to his destination -which was obviously not the last will seed- the clearer a sound made itself apparent to Joker’s ears. A jarring mixture of enraged screaming and choked sobbing.

Had something happened? Had more shadows appeared? Despite the protests from his abdomen, Akira started running. Quickly closing the remaining space back to the engine room a frantic look around the room marked it empty except someone laying on the floor with their back to the entrance. The cacophonous noise hadn’t stopped since his entrance so Joker supposed they hadn’t noticed him yet. The figure on the floor had to be Akechi but... he wasn’t wearing his metaverse disguise. Not even his old one that he’d worn in Sae’s palace. He was wearing his usual daily attire. His grey-ish tan blazer and black slacks. Joker began quietly down stairs, not wanting to scare him. He realized this could be a ploy of Cognitive Akechi’s but the sound coming from from the crumpled mess sounded far too real and Akira could hardly imagine he’d ever let Shido hear him cry.

“C- Crow? That’s you, right?” Akira cursed under his breath. His voice was shaky, either be it from the continuing blood loss or the current situation he couldn’t tell, but he didn’t appreciate the pathetic tone it gave him.

The crying immediately stopped.

Akechi threw himself on to his feet and started backing away from Akira. His eyes were wide and his expression was absolutely incomprehensible.

“Get away from me!”

“Crow, we’re leaving I ca-“

“I said get the fuck away from me!”

Akira put his hands up and took a step back. Something was wrong. Akechi was agressive for sure, but something was absolutely wrong about this.

After a few second of standing in surrendering silence Akira tried again;

“Crow what is it? What happened?” Akira knew Akechi had lost, but even directly after the fight he’d just been angry. Now he seemed scared. Terrified even, if his retreating steps with his back to the wall was any indication. Akechi’s eyes darted from Akira’s face to the rest of the room, to the catwalk, to the stairs, then back to his face. Without replying, he started clawing at his face, seemingly trying to tear off a mask that wasn’t there.

“LOKI!!” His scream was desperate. More-so even than it had been during their battle.

“DECEND LOKI!!!” He tried again, his fingers still trying to find purchase on his face. Akira ran forward and caught Akechi’s gloved, flailing hands in his own. Akechi’s eyes lock with Akira’s, shock clear on Joker’s face. Akechi’s breaths were shaky and getting longer and longer until he was practically hyperventilating. Akechi raises his gaze to the ceiling, hands still caught in Akira’s. Calling out a final,

“Robin Hood! To me!” his voice cracks in the last few seconds. Hearing him try to summon Robin Hood with the same unstable lilt he calls Loki with was honestly unnerving. The persona failed to appear though, even with the extra force in Akechi’s demand.

“...It’s like I forgot but I haven’t... I haven’t forgotten but I... they’re just... they’re not answering...” Akechi’s voice gets quieter as he continues mumbling to himself, looking at the floor to the side.

“Hey hey, it’s okay. I don’t know what happened but we can deal with this when we get ba-“ suddenly Akechi’s head snaps up from the floor and to where his hands were being held in Joker’s. He rips his hands back so quickly he loses one of his black gloves in Joker’s red ones. The sudden pull forward reignites the worst of the pain in Joker’s side. Akechi squares his shoulders and fixes his face in a steely glare, but also takes another step back.

He looks quizzically at Joker’s out of place expression. “Why’re you here? Change your mind about killing me? It’d be easier now than ever so I suggest you take the opportunity.” His words were sharp but his tone lacked edge. Akira shook his head, looking at him.

#Akira Kurusu #Goro Akechi #akeshu #Persona 5 #Persona 5 Royal #anyways #holy shit #I don’t really ever post writing here but here we gooo #anyways I have like over 5k words of this and I don’t know how to end it #hahaaaaaaa

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mego42 · 4 years

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Writer Asks

Tagged by @sothischickshe, @bourbon-ontherocks and @medievalraven who are all v lovely and for reasons unknown to me, want me to ramble about my fic so like, blame them for this I guess

Tagging @fairhairedkings, @riosnecktattoo, @inyoursheets, @foxmagpie, @pynkhues if you feel like it

ao3 name: ms_scarlet (origin story no one asked for: I came up with it for a creative writing class where we had to submit everything under pseudonyms for anonymous full class critique, which was gr9 and not at all traumatic, and I was deeply obsessed with both the Grateful Dead and Sublime versions of Scarlet Begonias at the time)

fandoms: the only fandoms I’ve written fic for are bellarke/t100 and Good Girls (and Buffy but it was way back in the day, pre-organized archives and has been completely lost to time which is For The Best)

number of fics: 14 (lol, 5 over the course 3 years in t100 fandom and 9 since joining the GG fandom at the beginning of s3, you could say I have been inspired)

fic i spent the most time on: a song inside the halls of the dark for sure, it’s the first multi chapter I’ve ever done and I’m far enough into it that I will be super honest, I was extremely dubious over whether or not I’d actually see it through when I started but huzzah! It’s happening. But yeah, I spend like, a lot of time thinking about it, writing it (lmao obvs), rewatching clips of the show to pick apart characterization and mannerisms, etc, etc. I try to work on it in some capacity every day (sometimes that just means outlining or deleting chunks of my outline and crying about how much I hate myself) to keep up momentum so yeah, def that one.

As far as one shots go, there’s blood in my body (I’m holding on) for bellarke, I think I spent a month, maybe 6 weeks working on that

fic i spent the least amount of time on: as the world turns, the blunt burns, I was doing my usual lazy Saturday morning scroll through Tumblr before I got out of bed and saw a post like I want beth and mick to get high together (I would love to give credit but I haven’t the foggiest notion who said it, I wasn’t intending to write it so I didn’t pay too much attention, I’m the worst, I’m sorry) and then some dialogue popped into my head maybe 10 min later and I think I wrote the whole thing in like, 45 min on my phone. Cannot emphasize enough how little I thought about it (or proofed it tbh, yikes, so many typos) before posting

most hits: overall, I’ve Got You Here my t100 post s3, alt s4 thing. For Good Girls, a song inside the halls of the dark

most kudos: overall, there’s blood in my body (I’m holding on) - bellarke modern au. For GG, still song.

most comment threads: a song inside the halls of the dark by a M I L E (it twice as many as blood, the next highest), the GG fandom is so lovely and supportive and friendly and I love you guys, I really do

most bookmarks: same as kudos, blood overall and then song for GG

highest total word count: lol song is killing it

favorite fic i wrote: oh man, that’s hard. I love them all for different reasons. Blood was my first ever AU (I am a canon/canon-divergent ho) and it also deals with some stuff that’s important to me so that’s always going to have a special place in my heart. I’ve Got You Here was the first time I tried to tackle something bigger than a missing scene or short one-shot so that’s also significant.

I’m really proud of smoke, fire, it’s all going up because I think I did a p good job with the Rio POV there. I’d give her a HA! And a HI-YA! is special bc it’s my first outside POV and it was based on so little info it was basically OC, so that was a fun challenge.

All of that said, obviously, a song inside the halls in the dark is my fav. It’s been the biggest stretch of my skills (I had NO! IDEA! If I could plot and pace on the level required to sustain the fic I’d originally outlined and it’s only grown from there tbh), it’s also been like, the loveliest experience? I keep saying people’s reaction to it has broken my brain and I’m not actually just saying that. I’m deeply overwhelmed. And last but emphatically not least, it’s how I’ve gotten to know @nickmillerscaulk who, on top of being an incredible editor (seriously y’all, she is Skilled, I’ve learned so much from her), is such an awesome, amazing person and I’m so very glad we’ve become friends.

fic i want to rewrite/expand on: Oh man, idk. Pills N Potions is the easiest because it’s a prompt collection! Send me prompts! I can’t promise I’ll write them right away (my ADHD is so very real and only dubiously under my control during quarantine, so I live in constant terror of losing the thread of song especially this close to the end) but I def want to flex my quick and dirty short fic for funsies skills. I’m super looking forward to @goodgirlsficrecs prompt-a-thon.

share a bit of a wip or story idea you’re working on: ahahaha oh man, my google drive is littered with partially drafted or outlined ideas. I have a bunch of missing scene things I started at various points in s3 that are realistically dead in the water.

In terms of WIP/ideas I’m still intending to work on/finish:

A post 311 Rio POV pwp

A fishing/fencing/flute playing fluff for @medievalraven because I keep taunting her with my tags for song

The Good Guys (Rio, JT and Stan) thing that snowballed in a post way back when from @jazillia007, @nickmillerscaulk, and @inyoursheets

I still low-key want to do the transcripts for the Mick, Annie and Ruby group chat. I might save that for whenever I rewatch and have it running concurrently to s3, idk we’ll see

A Jewel Thief AU that I am wildly hyped about. I outlined the first chapter of it around when I started posting song and haven’t let myself do anything with it because I know once I get started I’m going to abandon whatever else I’m working on

More Annie POV, I don’t have any specific ideas, I just really love writing Annie POV

#tag games #my fic

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ettawritesnstudies · 4 years

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Etta’s big creative to do list for when I’m not drowning in final exams

(the rest are below the cut because this got LONG! I am putting this here so you have some idea of the stuff I’ll be posting about come Monday 5/11 and also so I can find it again instead of putting it in my notebook where it will inevitably get lost among my fluids practice and history essay jottings. if you’re curious about the fact that I am not yet done with my semester, yes, I am absolutely procrastinating an essay right now by writing this. don’t worry about it.)

FINISH STORGE!! I’m only like 3 chapters away from writing The End and I desperately want to do that this year so I can edit and start sharing snippets with alpha readers by this time next year at the latest :D

Outline the Laoche Chronicles

this includes the trilogy outline in broad strokes to make sure everything sets up the next points

a detailed outline for the first book which will need a name eventually

(my outlining process can be found here!)

Character profiles for all the new OCs

(this process can be found in this post!

worldbuilding write-up questionnaire for the new civilizations that’ll feature in the main trilogy and differ from Storge

Learn how to make edits for tumblr because graphic design and anything resembling Proper Authors Platform Branding continue to elude me

This won’t happen this month, but I need to do a cleanout of the social media’s I do have so I can put writing stuff there too and start a proper Author’s Internet Presence. If I do finish Storge this year, I’ll be looking for beta readers eventually and I need to have something to show for myself. This includes...

doing a mass edit of this blog and organizing my tags

teaching myself HTML/CSS and making a custom blog theme that works for my needs or commissioning someone to do this for me

making a Laoche Chronicles wip page

buying a domain and designing an actual authors website

making an #aesthetictrash book Instagram? I’m vaguely aware this is something people do but I only use insta for it’s chat feature with my college friends so I know not the first thing about how that works

I have a disasterous Pinterest that’s 100% private boards for my various bits of nonsense that needs to be turned into a place to showcase WIP aesthetics

I refuse to touch twitter nor facebook nor snapchat nor ticktock with a fifteen foot pole

if you couldn’t tell by now, I was that kid who had a brick trac-phone until 10th grade, and used my smartphone primarily as a music device until very recently

Write a considerable backlog for my Newsies fanfic so I don’t fall behind whenever I go to my internship in a month

Finish the intro for my Vampire Plague Doctor Buddy Cop story and the Chaotic SFF Academia idea that I started last month, and write a few one shots for those Maybe start posting them somewhere if I’m happy with how they turn out?

Make a proper quilt from the 10389238320923 old event t-shirts I have sitting in a pile in the basement so I can take it to college with me in the fall. (also maybe mockup a walking skirt out of an old sheet, so I at least have an idea of what to do whenever proper fabric stores open again)

It’s going to be below freezing tomorrow for SOME REASON despite being MID- MAY, but I need to plant my garden and make a compost pile at some point

Make a list of art skills to start practicing so I can tackle the concept of “learning to draw” in a logical manner like you would in a class, and start doing these drills

Also participate in the rest of MerMay

Read a few books! My current next list of TBR looks like this

Illthdar! I have been dying to get my hands on @illthdar‘s book but I didn’t want to start it during the school year and then have to inevitably put it down like two chapters in because I had boring real life obligations to attend to, so this is my first read for as soon as I’m done with the semester on Sunday.

Pride and Prejudice, which I've heard is excellent and regrettably not actually read yet (nor any of Austen, yes I’m a heretic I know, but I’m also an engineering student and 90% of my time is spent doing maths)

Storm of Fire and Blood - I have had this book for a year and put it down because of school which is a crying shame because I really love this series! For any religious/historical fiction fans I highly recommend the Sword and Serpent trilogy! It’s a retelling of the story of St. George and the Dragon long before he’s ever a saint. I think anyone could enjoy it, but if you’re Catholic or enjoy early Christian history, you’ll get a lot of the references and saint cameos and it’s just! A lot of fun!!

also my patron St. Katherine of Alexandria is a major character in the 2nd and 3rd books and she’s absolutely wonderful so I might be just a little bit biased

Make a few watercolor maps of the world of Laoche! Including detailed maps of the city of Maaren where Storge takes place, and Arga (one of the countries in the later trilogy)

update my bullet journal which has been languishing unused on my dresser since march when I moved home from college

Carve new dulcimer hammers and teach myself a few songs. (also maybe try to make a longbow or new bridges for the dulcimer but that’s all probably a BIT of a stretch)

Brush up on my piano and guitar practice because I am very very rusty. I need to find some new songs to learn because I don’t really want to relearn Debussy or Chopin again, but I need to find some good ones first...

If you’re still reading this. Wow. Congratulations. That was a lot. and thank you! But yeah! This is what’s been knocking around in my head recently while I was supposed to be studying, but now that it is out of my head and into a post hopefully I will be able to focus again :P This is extremely ambitious and I 100000% will not be able to finish everything on this list, but! it is a plan! Wish me luck!

#etta rambles #to do #planning #things to do after finals #creative to do

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borkthemork · 4 years

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8 favorite works of 2020!

Thank you for @suf-fering for the tag!

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 8 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome work!

1. An Invite for Tea

This was one of my first published FMA-oriented fics but it was at that point where I wanted to improve myself when it came to pacing and the way sentences flowed between one another. This was also a point where I realized that I had never, and I mean never, researched characters extensively to understand their personalities until now.

I mean, I had researched before, but not to the extent that I’d done with FMA. I rewatched the show, looked for analysis posts, did my own observations, and honestly it’s mind-boggling to realize how much I love focusing and analyzing for betterment, so this one was lovely to write.

2. The Twenty-First of July

Working on FMA fics had been a very hard process when I got involved. I usually oriented myself to a 2k-4k writing process a day because of Doesn’t Have to be Solo, and it was a breath of fresh air to be able to write something small and yet allow myself to revise, to edit heavily, and this piece was the result.

It made me realize that I could take my time this year, and the results would be worth it.

3. amestrian catcher (set something ablaze)

I like to try different styles, and doing a huge fic with smaller portions from different times was a great exercise for me! It was based on one of my friend’s art pieces and I worked on it for five days at midnight because the smaller portions meant my brain was able to focus on writing the whole thing eventually, leading to this fic that I was very proud of as a result.

I’ll definitely use this style again with a few others fics, such as Ling’s character study, Madame Christmas’s character study, and many other stuffs.

4. Doesn’t Have to be Solo

Now, I’m going to be honest. I have a lot of mixed-feelings with Solo. Mostly because, in retrospect, I had burnt myself out big time with it, and it lead me to go into a small spiral regarding my own writing capabilities.

It was a huge project, and in an attempt to compensate for its massive scale I dragged myself into a frustrating productive hell just to get the words out and it also lead me to act like a dick head until my friends intervened.

That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it though. It made me evaluate a lot about myself and how I view my relationship to my work. I tinkered with a work schedule, outlines, and a lot of research, but I had to accept the fact that I pushed myself too hard, to the point my own self-worth became attached to the work itself. It was a huge eye-opener for me, and I appreciate the fact this fic made me a better, aware person as a result.

5. Get a Hobby, Asshole

This one isn’t on Ao3, yet. But this one tested my patience, big time. Not in a bad way but akin to “I am going to tackle this beast even if it kills me” kind of way, because this was one of my more seriously-handled fanfics and there was a lot of research done into creating this seven chapter monster.

I had to set up reasonable word counts each day, revised chapters, discussed with people on cleaning up the plot lines and arcs, researched about not only cooking but Middle Eastern etiquette and cuisine, and god that wasn’t even the end.

This fic is a warm-up for the bigger project that I’m working on, which could be found below. I have most of the rough drafts completed, but it’s honestly one of those triumphant moments where I think I could do this. I am starting a small project, and I plan to finish it — that feeling is just enthralling by itself, and I’m proud of it since I hadn’t finished a big writing project since elementary.

6. Heathcliff

“Get a Hobby, Asshole” was the predecessor to this behemoth, which is basically a fanfic of the Ishvalan Reconstruction Act, and let me tell you, I am so glad I started on a smaller project before I tackle this one because it’s massive. I won’t promise anything, but I always wanted an in-depth fic about the reconstruction of the Ishvalan Holy Land, and I want to make sure I have the preparations done for something big like this.

It’s still a WIP, but it’s one of my favorites for the amount of research I’m currently pouring into it.

7. The Daemon Roadmap

One of my original content projects I’m doing, it’s actually a story idea I had been stewing around ever since elementary school. And over the years, it transformed to something a whole lot different.

8. Connecting the Charts

Another original content project, and this one was something I worked on for NaNoWriMo and my God I never expected to be enthralled over aviator lesbians, a tired dad, and just a heck ton of plane shenanigans. It was hard to adjust to a 1,600 word count since I took things slow but it helped me a lot with being able to amp up my productivity in general!

Tagging: For anyone else, feel free to join in if you want! @spectra-bear, @annaleigh, @firewoodfigs, @raposabranca, and @tomochingus.

#personal #tag game

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signoraviolettavalery · 4 years

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ITagged by @winged-fool and @ninswhimsy

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world. tag as many writers/artists/etc as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Well, I’m pretty damn good at being full of myself regarding my writing, so, here goes

I wish that I could let you love (me) My arranged marriage fic, where I got to tackle some really complex topics, like trauma, PTSD, depression and self-worth issues, and what healthy relationships look like given all of the above. I like to think that I did those topics justice, and portrayed the with compassion and nuance. I love writing Malex, but this is one of the first fics where I felt like it was “about” more than just Malex - where it was about some really complex issues that are close to my heart, and got to delve into those. And the response I’ve gotten has been so amazing and touching.

Bring Me That Horizon One of my first Malex fics, and (I believe) one of the first pirate fics in the fandom. In it, I wrote what is possibly one of my favorite few lines:

When Alex was young – before he had given his father one final reason to hate him, among all the others – he had caught butterflies. They were delicate creatures, and he had been drawn to the intricate patterns of their black-and-yellow wings. But he’d learned quickly that they would not be able to fly again unless Alex used the gentlest of touches to trace those enticing patterns.

Now, Guerin’s calloused pirate’s hands touch his yellowing bruises like they are butterfly wings, whisper-soft.

And Alex believes him.

In general, I”m really proud of how I portrayed Malex as loving and soft, while also working in a lot of esoteric Golden Age of Piracy knowledge.

Let me be your killer king

This is the third fic in my first Malex darkfic series. Prior to this, I’d never really written darkfic before, but once I started, I fell in love with it! Darkfic lets me explore a world where Malex are happy and untraumatized, and it’s such an amazing escape that I still enjoy living in.

If I gave you every piece of me

A remix of @el-gilliath‘s Vigilante AU, where Alex is basically a porcupine trying to be prickly and push everyone away, and Michael patiently and systematically getting through all his defenses and breaking down all his walls. It was so satisfying to write a fic where Alex just keeps creating obstacles for them, and Michael lovingly sticks around until Alex lets him in.

My body, the bloodstained temple of thy divinity I wasn’t sure which fic to choose for my 5th one, so let’s go with this god!Michael wip. It tackles some heavy topics (internalized homophobia, self harm, etc) that I don’t have too much personal experience in, but I’ve been putting an enorous amount of effort into treading these topics with grace and making sure I get them right. Plus, this fic has some of my most beautiful, angstiest lines and scenes (I think).

Tagging.... @el-gilliath @frauncis and whoever else would like to do this

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stars-falling · 5 years

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The Bounce House (Elriel)

Summary: “Why not?”

Elain didn’t reply. She couldn’t exactly tell her sister that her and her husband, Azriel, had spent all of the week’s money on an inflatable bouncy castle; despite it being the reason she had called Feyre.

“Umm, divorce?”

“I’m coming over right now.”

Elain and Azriel spend all of their money for the week on a bouncy castle.

Pairing: Elain/Azriel

Note: Prompt: We spent all our money for the week on one of those inflatable bounce houses and now we can’t afford to eat AU

I present to you a new fic that I wrote instead of my requests, my upcoming collab with @amusedowl and all my other wips. Enjoy!

Word Count: 999

Read here on AO3

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It took Feyre three tries to answer the phone. When she finally picked up, she sounded out of breath and she could hear Rhysand mumbling in the background.

“Elain? Is everything alright?”

Elain nodded before remembering she was talking on the phone.

“Yes, Sorry. I haven’t eaten in a day and I’m running on, like, 4 hours of sleep.”

She heard Feyre gasp.

“Why not?”

Elain didn’t reply. She couldn’t exactly tell her sister that her and her husband, Azriel, had spent all of the week's money on an inflatable bouncy castle; despite it being the reason she had called Feyre.

“Umm, divorce?”

“I’m coming over right now.”

She heard the phone call end and she put down the phone.

Azriel materialised beside her, in the same way, her husband always does.

“Did you ask her for the loan?”

Elain shook her head before burying her head in Azriel’s chest.

“I couldn’t tell her. She would have killed us both.”

Azriel wrapped his arms around her.

“She’s still going to. We should probably start planning the funeral, she is on her way over.”

“I may have also told her that we’re getting divorced.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Elain pranced out of Azriel’s grip and dragged him towards the door of their new cottage.

“It doesn’t matter, let’s just go on the bouncy castle until Feyre arrives.”

o.O.o

They were, in fact, still in the bouncy castle when they heard a car pull up, doors slam and several pairs of footsteps race down the path.

When someone started pounding on the front door of the cottage, Elain yelled, “We’re in the back!” Before running straight into the wall and being pinged back towards the entrance. She would have fallen out if Azriel hadn’t caught her in his strong arms. They both collapsed onto the bouncy floor in giggles and were lying there as Feyre rounded the corner with others in tow. It looked like she had brought the whole gang. Rhys, Cassian, Mor and Amren stood behind Feyre as they took in the scene. Meanwhile, Nesta disregarded the no-shoe policy and launched towards where Azriel and Elain were lying on the floor. Somehow, despite her smaller stature, and the fact that Elain was lying on top of him, Nesta managed to yank Azriel to his feet and drag him off the bouncy castle.

“How dare you divorce my sister! I don’t care what the reason is. Just know that if this goes through, you will never see the light of day again.”

“Umm, Nesta?”

Nesta’s name was called by Feyre, who had not been blinded by rage as Nesta had been, and had taken in the scene before her.

“What?” She snapped.

Feyre gestured vaguely at the bouncy castle and Elain lying on the ground with a smile on her face.

Elain pushed herself off the floor and bounced towards the entrance and onto the mat in front.

“Oh, hey guys.”

Everyone watched in stunned silence as she pulled Nesta off her husband and wrapped her arms around him.

Feyre opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before saying, “Elain, care to explain what’s going on? You didn’t sound great when you called and you told me the reason was divorce.”

Azriel sent Elain a look telling her that he was both amused and exasperated.

“We are not getting divorced.” He told the group. “Elain just said that because she didn’t want to tell you the real reason she called.”

“What was the real reason she called?” Asked Cassian.

Azriel ducked his head down close to Elain’s ear and whispered, “Even though your sister didn’t kill me just now, I think she might murder us both for spending a ridiculous amount of money on a bouncy castle.”

Elain hummed in agreement.

“Can you two please stop whispering and tell us what the hell is going on?”

They turned back to the group to find Feyre glaring at both of them.

Azriel rubbed the back of his neck and refused to meet any of their eyes, “We may or may not have spent all of this weeks money on this bouncy castle.”

Several gasps echoed around the garden, as well as several remarks about how idiotic they are, and an eye roll from Amren that told them that she was not surprised.

“It also means that we haven’t eaten in a day because we have no money for food.” Continued Elain. “We called you Feyre because we were wondering if we could borrow some money.”

Nesta walked up to both of them and hit them on the back of the head.

“Whose idea was this?” She hissed, glaring at Azriel as if this was all his fault.

“We are both equally to blame.” Replied Elain. “I suggested it and Az didn’t say no.”

Feyre sent them both her most disapproving look.

“I will lend you some money, but I swear to the Mother, if you do something like this again, you are on your own.”

They both winced slightly at the harsh tone but thanked her anyway.

“How long do you have it for?” Interrupted Cassian.

“Another 5 days, I believe,” Az said in response.

“Well then, what are we waiting for? The last one on the bouncy castle buys everyone food. Except for Az and Elain, of course, they don’t have anything.”

The group erupted into a flurry of movements and launched themselves towards the castle, pushing, shoving and laughing all the way.

“Take your shoes off before you get on!” Yelled Elain as they bounded and rolled into the bouncy castle.

No one heard her as her voice was drowned out by the sounds of jumping and shrieks of laughter. She watched as her husband tackled his brothers onto the floor and Feyre and Mor ran repeatedly into one wall and bounced back into the other.

They were ridiculous, she thought, but she loved them and she wouldn’t trade them for anything else in the world.

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Let me know if you want to be added to my tag list!

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lambourngb · 5 years

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Behind the Scenes- Last Year’s Wishes

@zuluoscarecho - ““Oh man you have been busy! I’m glad the writing Has been going well for you. I would love to hear about your process when you get a chance if you’re keen. Like whether you plotted it out, whether the whole fic came to you (more or less) or how hard you had to work to fill in the gaps to get you where you wanted to go, whether you’re a “push through” kinda writer and just sit down and do it or whether you scribble stuff down all day and then type it up at the end or whatever. Many questions I have”

Oh boy, these are great questions- my approach to writing has changed from how I started “Last Years Wishes” and how I’m finishing it. First of all, I was out of practice. The last long story I tackled and finished on my own was in 2002-2003 on ff.net (for a moment I thought it was 2012-2013 but I just looked it up and still can’t believe it was that long ago, hahah) Then I wrote a follow up with a co-writer that ended …poorly due to stuff outside of writing with that person. I hit a very bad depressive cycle and didn’t write again until 2019 and RNM.

The idea came after I watched some true crime story in August- I think it was “Murder Comes to Town” - which is all small town population less than 10,000 gets hit with a salacious murder. I immediately thought about Michael, and first I thought he could be blamed for Max’s disappearance, but then I remembered how visible Noah was to the town, and I was off plotting. Carina said on twitter- oh lord what a loaded sentence that is - that we don’t know when Alex was at the Airstream or what he had to say- which fine, but that made me think about juggling the time a bit, letting the police show up first, then Alex go to the wild pony, THEN MAX, and yeah boom! Conflict! Alex knows Michael wants to be with someone else, but he just gave him an alibi. They are stuck! Fuck Alex’s whole life, amirite? That part of the idea came all at once.

I wrote the first draft of the scene for Tumblr - August 8th - started it before work when I like to write- kept writing once I got to work (bad employee!) posted it and as the comments and likes rolled in, I kept writing. First day was like 6,000 words.

Then I didn’t really touch it for 2 weeks. I kept adding stuff here and there, using WIP Wednesday to motivate me to share a bit. In one month though, the story was at 10,000 words by September 12. Mainly because I just wrote as it came to me, and let my brain just fuck off on Tumblr or reading other fics. I wasn’t really serious about it. Six weeks later it was 15,000 words by the end of October. This time I thought the reason I didn’t have more progress on it was because I didn’t have the practice of finishing a story- so I attempted at the very beginning of October to do Whumptober. I managed to write 2 stories - truth (to the people we love) and If You Regret (What You Know).

So two stories finished, I went back to Last Year’s Wishes and used everyone working on NaNo for November to buckled down. I wrote out a rough outline of future scenes. I made a point to write, if I could, every day something. I do try and write in a linear fashion, but if I couldn’t move forward in the story, I would go back to previous stuff to add in descriptions, put in some introspection- sometimes a whole scene needed to be inserted, then I could push forward again.

The story grew from 15,000 words on Nov 1 to 28,000 words by Dec 1. Nearly double in size. And the more I put my ass in the chair to write, the easier it became to focus. It will never be easy to focus for me- I really like scrolling on my phone, chatting with other people, etc. But I had to build a muscle in my brain from the ground up with no real belief that I would succeed because I thought depression and anti-depressants had broken my brain. But Malex kept me interested.

By the time December rolled around, I made a goal of finishing it by New Years, but then my outline kept growing. I kept thinking about the underlying plot, I kept thinking about how big the communication divide was- I couldn’t just say “they talked, they fucked HEA!”. As December came to a close, I realized I had written 32,000 words in the month of December but I was only half done with the story. So while I was disappointed I hadn’t hit my goal of being done, I was very pleased at the progress. The story was around 60,000 words by the end of the year.

January- I increased my goal of 1,000 words a day, to 2,000 words a day. I really believed I could finish it in one sustained push. I wrote nearly 40,000 words in the month of January- bringing it to just under 99,000 words but…it still wasn’t done. My assistant quit. I got sick. Progress stuttered. But I felt like the end was in site- so I contacted betas, two of which came through- tasyfa and Maura - and kept writing. I thought it was just 20,000 words to go, and since I just wrote 40,000 in one month, I could easily write 20,000 2-1/2 weeks, right????

February- beta comments were great, I started releasing it publically in chapters, and then the feedback started rolling in- and instead of motivating me forward, I started obsessing over the next thing people would read- I wanted it to be perfect. I started inserting new scenes, fleshing out other areas- driving my betas crazy I think- because I kept poking at it. I wrote those 20,000 words easily as the story was getting posted, but they were all in the existing frame of the plot. New stuff … that didn’t really start happening until March.

Another thing that I realized was my outline needed to be supportive but flexible. Originally (which remind me once it’s complete) but I had some different ideas for how the last few chapters were going to go, and I had to let those narratives go because it no longer felt natural to me with the narrative I had established.

Even now I have 5 scenes outlined for chapter 22, but as I started writing it this morning, I am leaning toward blending it into 4 or 3 scenes. Oh- my scene should have a standalone point to accomplish, and if that point isn’t clear or can be accomplished in another way, then it gets moved or blended. I don’t really jot things down on paper- but I have two documents- the writing doc, and the story doc. Writing doc has the outline, I always write with my outline heading just below my cursor so I can keep looking down at my goals and construct the scene from there. The story doc is where I cut and paste it into the whole thing. Sometimes as I scroll to find where I am in the doc, I will add something or edit something, before putting in the next bit at the end.

This is what chapter 18-19-20 looked like on Feb 9th in my outline : [1.. After their pathetic attempts to decorate Alex‘s leg was starting to bother him. Michael took one look at him and advised that he remove the prosthetic. Alex protested mildly about being seen that way. Michael reassured him that Isabell not only knew but didn’t care.

1a. - Isobel and Kyle arrive- she found him in the grocery store attempting to leave with the last baked ham - Mom working a double, Rosa was going to midnight mass with Arturo and Liz- 1b. Isabell and Michael have a quiet talk that Alex overhears while he changes and removes his leg for the night-. He discusses talking to Maria and reframing some of what Alex had said. 1c- walks past them to the kitchen with Kyle]

[2. Isobel and Kyle show up to the cabin for Christmas Eve- Isobel sleeps over. Michael offers the spare, Kyle takes the couch, Alex objects to Michael sleeping in the airstream. ]

[ 3. Alex wakes up to an alert on the day after Christmas Day that gets an alert about someone at the cave. Finds Michael staring at Jesse and not Max.. Why did you think you were like him- that night that Noah died. What did that mean. It means he was ruthless about his agenda and so am I. I’ll do anything to protect you. Michael is silent and closed off, but follows him back to the cabin - knowledge from the ship piece ]

ONE MONTH LATER on March 10 the notes looked like this based on how the story looked: [2. Isobel and Kyle stay in the face of the weather- Isobel sleeps over. Michael offers the spare, Kyle takes the Airstream ,Michael volunteers himself to sleep with Alex - Michael quietly explains he isn’t going to have a conversation with anyone afterward, Christmas gift exchange- Michael gives him the handprint- remnant from the console and his mother, sharing the intensity - they have sex ]

[ 3. Alex wakes up to intense sorrow by Michael via the handprint n the day after Christmas Day that gets an alert about someone at the cave. Finds Michael staring at Jesse and not Max.. Why did you think you were like him- that night that Noah died. What did that mean. They discuss Alex’s family and the future- do you think you would ever forgive them? I’ve been mad at Max, but if he came back today I would take him back, What about Flint and what he did ? Do you think he’s sorry? knowledge from the ship piece- soul mates, forever tied together ]

Err— I’m long winded, so did I answer your questions? Feel free to ask more!!

#fake dating your ex because of the feds #wip whine #the writing process #behind the scenes with my disaster brain

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synonemous · 5 years

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@kakushigo's beautiful notes, snippets and lists are making me wanna do one for my wips so brace yourselves (I guess???)

1) the old-timey Dixing vs Haixing war-to-truce-to-peace au that spawned the "who got the diplomat killed?" snippet from that 1-sentence-from-your-WIPs challenge. it features Zhao Yunlan having go undercover as a diplomat and generally not having a good time. until he does for *ahem* reasons

2) the one I've taken to calling the Law of Surprise au because it's literally just that principle from the Witcher (the show, sadly, not the books or the games) and making Zhao Yunlan make an absolute fool of himself in ye oldie Haixing with, well, the expected results. if the expected results includes getting himself betrothed before the Hallows decide to yeet him back to the present, that is

3) more in my "redux" series, which should be self-explanatory

4) like a sequel and two separate side stories to "ready, set, game on" (feat. different first-meetings because that's how I roll, apparently) because that story isn't letting me go anytime soon...

5) speaking of stories that won't let me go. the rest of the "culpa" series. oh boy. if you want more serial killer shenanigans, why don’t you step into my parlor...

6) novel vs drama fix-it, which I'm waiting to actually write until I've finished the novel for...obvious reasons

7) the drama fix-it that is completely different, obv, to the one above, though...the end result is probably similar because angst? I can do. but not without a happy ending. not yet. the pain is TOO RAW

8) the baby au. that's it, that's how Imma describe it. ok, moving on!

9) the scenting focused a/b/o au that had me rewatching eps 1-15/16 for, uh...wardrobe reasons...

10) the one that is literally known as "did I dream you up or are you my soulmate?" right now because...that's it, that's the premise. Zhao Yunlan fakes a boyfriend because his mom's asking questions and then you'll never guess who he runs into...

11) the other one that's literally known as "insert pick-up line here" because...Zhao Yunlan is a trashfire that needs warning labels. several. features a college-aged Zhao Yunlan running into baby!prof Shen Wei and making a fool of himself, as per usual, and then starting to wonder what is up with this hot guy and then...plot ensues. somewhere in there

12) oh yeah, the other ye oldie war-time au with a/b/o thrown in there where Zhao Yunlan is a war general that accidentally meets a quote-unquote “soldier” during an, you know, incident, and then one things leads to another until Zhao Yunlan has to hunt down his baby daddy while also trying not to wring his father's neck because he’s very much not interested in being set up, thanks

13) the MDZS au, sparked by chatting with @voidslantern, because ZYL (the actor) coulda played LWJ and neither Void nor I will take criticism on that. the au is probably not gonna go the way you're thinking (because even I don't know the way it's going) but I'm having fun so far so...yay?

14) the a/b/o (are you sensing a theme here? I'm sensing a theme here...) time-paradox au where I tackle the conundrum of Character A being mated to Character B before Character B meets Character A for the first time

there are many, many others I could feature here but...this is a nice list. I think I'll leave it here

#I have so many wips #this is just the ones I felt like sharing today #I have at least a good five more #and that's just for Weilan #I have at least another 20 for WangXian #etc...#I am a plot machine!!!!

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