#but i've also been busy writing. these things are not exclusive to each other.

[howtotrainyournana]

what if i posted new scarian fic content while i'm on vacation. what if i just did that.

[armpirate]

Anti-romantic || JJk | Ch. 19

Pairings: Boxer!Jungkook x fem!reader || Enemies to lovers, neighbors

Genre: smut, angst, fluff, curse, illegal boxing, violence

Warnings: fuckboy!Jungkook x reader, smut, dirty talk, curse, mention of tarot and fate

Summary: Jungkook had always been carefree when it came to love. He always believed he was worth sharing himself with everyone, and thought it was selfish of him to ever think of keeping himself exclusive to just one person.

And maybe that was exactly what got him into the big problem he was in.

A curse that kept him away from love didn't seem an issue for him. The fact that his ex-girlfriend thought he'd be affected by the idea of the girls he slept with running away from him after sex was ridiculous. She actually did him a favor, and took a burden away from him.

At least that was what he thought at first.

He had never found himself thinking of the possibility of repeating with neither of his hook ups, because they disappeared before he was able to even think about it. But when he makes the mistake of sleeping with the sexy neighbor that lives in front of him, he finds himself hoping to get the chance for a second round every time their paths cross.

Y/n hated him the second he set foot inside the building by the way he started making her life a miserable mess for no reason. Sleeping with him was a big mistake she wasn't thinking of repeating. At least not until he came up with the excuse that she rejected him for a curse. Not only she thought he was annoying, but she was also convinced he was crazy. 

There was no way she could take him seriously.

Aprox. time of reading: 13 minutes

Previous || Next

MASTERLIST

Those four days were like hell.

It didn't matter how many times they came across each other on the common landing, or how he tried to smile at her every time their eyes met. Her answer was always the same: silence. Putting all of her strength to simply ignore him and just be as friendly as she could, while trying to fight that side of her that was urging her to make a comment that'd unchain the bickering between them like it had been happening since he moved into the building.

She was convinced she needed to get out more. It could be that sudden need only came from the fact that she could be feeling lonely, which was a relief for her. At least that was better than even thinking of her liking Jungkook somehow.

Her steps were stopped as she approached Donna, Alma and Jackie, regretting her decision on getting closer to them as soon as she was getting herself to do it. She had already tried many times before, and it was always the same thing. It wasn't that she didn't like them, she just wasn't able to click with them, there wasn't anything they could have in common. But being fair with herself, there was nothing she had in common with the group of friends she hung out with when they were able to.

—Oh, Y/n —Donna called her from afar, lifting her hand to motion her to walk to them—. Come sit with us. We're taking a sip of coffee.

As usual...

One thing about Donna, Y/n would never find her at her desk, she was always in the cafeteria or somewhere in the resting areas of the office -which made her wonder how she managed to write her articles, and do her research when she never worked in her workplace.

Not like it mattered, but it just made her curious.

—Look who's joining our dark side —Jackie giggled, smiling so wide that she could see her light pink gums.

—Well, I'm quite busy usually —Y/n answered, carefully sitting on the free chair in front of Donna—. I'm currently working on some coverages, I'm also still working on my article...

—Oh right, the one you couldn't tell anyone about? —Donna interrupted her, smiling.

—Yeah, that one —Y/n nodded.

—How long has it been since you started working on it? I guess they should be hurrying you up to publish it —of course she was going to drop that type of comment.

—Well, I'm taking my time. I've had some problems getting inside the biggest issue...

—Maybe you should change it and write about something else —Y/n's tongue was trapped between her lips when she was interrupted by Donna's advice filled with poison—. It's just an advice from a more experienced colleague —she tried to justify when the other two glanced at her.

—Don't drop it —Alma encouraged her—. Were you given a due date?

—No, no —her head shook—. I was even told to take my time to make it as perfect as possible.

—Then that's it! —Jackie clapped— Take it easy. And if you need help, just tell us. I'm good with photographs, so if you ever need a good shot, just let me know.

As much as Y/n was grateful for Jackie's kindness, she couldn't imagine her and her colorful clothes among the type of crowd that was formed by those boxing parties.

—Yeah, we're here to help —Alma seconded—. I know we didn't get close, but we love to help and enlighten you whenever you need it —she assured, placing her hand over Y/n's—. And Donna can also help you, right?

—Right —she forced a smile—. Of course.

There was no lie in admitting Donna was forced to say she was going to help, when at first she just wanted to mock Y/n -for some reason she didn't care about-, but there also was no point in focusing on that when two people she never gave a chance to were being so nice and good to her after barely spending any time together, despite sitting two desks away.

After that, she was able to look at the rest of the day in a different way, she felt happy, her mood went through a high boost after talking with Jackie and Alma, and not only because they encouraged her to go on with the article -which she had no idea how she'd continue writing after she dumped Jungkook. She also felt like a whole new possibility was opened after speaking to them, like she had a new place to go to whenever she felt like work was getting to the best side of her. It made her feel like she drew a safe line between them and her because she felt attacked, when they both were accepting and friendly.

It was amazing the effect one small detail could have on the other things. She didn't care about how crowded the subway was, or how tired she felt to walk back home, she just didn't mind it.

Just like she didn't mind finding Jungkook waiting for her in front of her door, while he stared at her doormat.

He was going insane.

Jungkook couldn't understand what was happening, but he was sure he couldn't go on that way. If anyone else had told him before that he'd be looking for someone else's attention, waiting for the exact time to meet up with her, he'd have cackled in the loudest way possible.

It was so bad that even Jimin noticed the change in him.

Normally, his attitude was chill and careless. Their dynamic worked because his friend was too emotional, and Jungkook was the one that lacked that sense. His nickname as they both grew closer together was Iron Man, but those few days he walked around like he was missing something.

He kept checking his phone, for no logical reason -because the only times Y/n had texted him was to tell him to lower the volume or shut up. But he still looked every once in a while, thinking her message would find its way into his device.

He was missing her, and he just couldn't accept it. Jungkook needed to solve it all out before it went worse, and the only way to sort it out was to have her going back to her petty responses and bad looks. He was convinced the only real problem was the fact that he wasn't the one rejecting her. That was it.

—What are you doing there? —she sounded tired, dropping the smile that adorned her face the second she set foot outside of the lift.

—I need to talk with you.

—Again? —she sighed— What is it now? They'll come to check your router? Will the plumber show up?

—Seriously? I come to speak with you and you only think that I want something from you? What image do you have of me?

—The image that you earned with passion —she answered immediately after.

Jungkook looked away, tilting his head as he tried to find the words to speak. Sentences were mixing together, the sounds were rolling around his tongue, and he was sure that he wasn't going to be able to form a proper phrase while she looked at him that way.

—Okay, then —she finished, turning to her door to open it.

Jungkook stopped her from closing the door behind her by speaking again, placing his palm on the exterior door knob, earning another exhausted sigh from her.

—You can't ignore me.

—Excuse me? —she chuckled, raising both of her eyebrows at the order.

—We're neighbors, you just can't act like I'm not living next to you.

—Unfortunately, it's a reality. That's why I have no other choice but to pretend you aren't there.

—I know I've done things wrong, but... let's make it up?

—No —she firmly said, crossing her arms on her chest.

—Is this because of the article? I told you I was going to do it.

—It's not because of the article, it's because of the way you dealt with the whole thing —she confessed—. You just can't ignore people when you don't want to do something, you speak with them. That's what adults do.

—So would you have accepted my decision if I had told you that I didn't want to help you? —he fought back— You mean you wouldn't have acted annoying and petty about it.

—No —she answered again—. I probably would've get mad. But I would have been on the wrong because I can't force people into doing things I want —she explained—. That's not the problem now, because you always find a way to make me mad and make it valid.

—Y/n...

—Didn't you want me to leave you alone? —she cut him off— I'm leaving you alone. Live your life, do your things... But don't bother me or I'll make you regret it —she threatened, pointing her index finger at him—. Get lost now.

—How can you tell me to get lost?

—Well, like I've just done it now —she shrugged—. It's a two-word sentence, pretty simple to say and understand.

—Okay, I'll tell you why I didn't want to do the article.

—That's literally not what I said —she mumbled.

—... but you can't judge me.

—Too late —she rested her arm on the door frame.

—This goes back to some time ago —he exaggerated the move of his hand—. An ex, that wasn't really an ex, cursed me. She promised I wouldn't have a stable relationship, and it had been working until now. I went to a tarot reader, and she confirmed everything that was happening, until she told me that a woman would come to break the curse. She said that I'd fall for her after she appeared, and told me that it'd be made through some work. You showed up in the middle of nowhere, you're the only woman who's still in my life when the rest of the flings disappear the morning after, and you're the only one I was going to do some work with.

Y/n completely lost the plot of the story at the mention of a curse. She couldn't believe he really believed she was going to fall for such a lame story. But it was even crazier that he spotted her as his savior, or the person that would break the curse. What fairytale did he escape from?

—So I wanted to avoid you, because I didn't want that change to happen —he continued—. I'm really happy with the way my life is going right now, okay? I don't need anyone to put everything upside down.

—Wow, you're really creative with excuses —she tilted her head—. Ever thought of leaving boxing and becoming a writer?

—I'm telling the truth.

When she was going to speak, he sighed loudly, throwing his head back while causing her eyes to open wide in surprise to the sudden sound coming from him.

—Okay... —she smiled nervously— So how does that curse break? With a real love kiss? Maybe a magic spell? Oh, I know, the power of love!

—It doesn't seem like you're taking it seriously.

—Look, I don't know what excuses you've made up to get girls to forgive you, and I have no idea how they could've worked, but all of this is a bit too much.

—I'm being honest.

—Sure you are —she shrugged.

—And it's also an explanation why you reject me every single time.

—Because your attitude can't be a valid explanation to you —her eyes squinted at his comment.

—It now makes sense!

Y/n just couldn't go past the fact that Jungkook did in fact believe the story he was telling her, and even was able to find some sense in something that seemed to be taken out of the wildest fantasies he could've read about -if he had read any book at all. At first she just thought he was recurring to his long list of excuses to justify his actions, and that only made her angry, with the only wish to crash the door against his face while he spoke. But the longest he went, the more she was convinced that the man in front of her needed psychological help. Urgently.

—You're scaring me a bit —Y/n admitted, looking around for the nearest exit to ask for help in case she'd need it.

—It's weird you slept with me a second time, but I guess the curse works differently since we see each other every day? Now it's one of those moments where I wished Carly didn't block me so I could ask her —he kept thinking out loud, moving his eyes away from her and losing the focus of the conversation.

—That many blows on your head have officially fucked up with your sanity —she mumbled, seeing her neighbor having a full on conversation with himself—. Instead of wasting money on a tarot reader, why don't you pay for a good therapist?

—Y/n, it's serious. My ex-girlfriend went crazy after I cheated on her —Y/n scoffed at that detail—, which isn't relevant now, and she cursed me before leaving my house. What was what she said? —his eyes moved to the top of his head as he tried to bring back the exact words Carly used— Something that I treated people badly, and that I was going to suffer the same thing or something like that.

—Are you hearing yourself? How do you pretend me to believe you, for fuck's sake? —Y/n insisted, controlling her big wish to roll her eyes in front of him.

—How many times have I lied to you?

—Do you really want me to answer that question? —her ironic tone was challenging, making Jungkook regret that question almost immediately.

—I promise I'm telling the truth.

—Okay, let's say I believe you. What do you want me to do with that information? —her lips puckered, before she continued speaking— Everything's okay, and everything you do is valid, only because you were cursed for not being able to keep your dick in your pants?

—But...

—You were cursed because you are a fifteen year old trapped in the body of a twenty six year old, and you aren't able to keep a woman exactly for that reason.

—Well, look who's talking, are you going to call me immature? You?

—Are you going to attack me?

—No, I'm saying that someone that drills a hole in a wall, because of a little noise, can't speak of others.

—A little noise?

—You're just as immature as me, but you disguise it with that serious facade thinking you're fooling anyone. Spoiler alert: you don't.

—Spoiler alert? See how you're a horny teenager? The only reason you don't want to commit to a relationship is because you have the Peter Pan syndrome.

—Here comes the smart ass with her bit of information taken from the short research she does for her articles... And what if I have the Peter Pan syndrome?

—You're nearing thirty, as much as it hurts you.

—I know, and do you know how attractive that is to women? I'll be a bomb when I turn forty.

Y/n rolled her eyes again, almost giving up the argument because there was no way any bit of common sense would kick inside his brain.

—I can't believe I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you right now.

—Because you like me, as much as it hurts you —he mocked her—. And the only reason you're willing to believe the curse thing is because you want to give me a free pass.

—No, the only reason I'm pretending I believe you is because I don't know if you're going to have a psychosis and do something crazy.

—Look who's coming up with an excuse now —he chuckled.

At that point her hand was tickling, reviving how it'd feel if she crashed her palm against his face. She could lie and justify herself by saying she did it in her defense because her neighbor's brain wasn't working right, which at that point wasn't really a lie.

—You could only wish. At the end of the day, I'm not the one scared of falling —she defended herself.

For the first time, Jungkook was the one nervous and speechless, opening his eyes a bit wider and parting his lips to speak, but not letting a word come out from them.

—You're sure because you haven't spent enough time with me.

—That means I'm so attractive that you fell for me barely spending any time together?

—No, that's not what I meant.

—But that's what you said —she rushed to say, keeping him from going on speaking.

—I'm sure that if I spent more time with you, I'd probably end up sick of you.

—Yet you had the chance, and you didn't take it. That's a bit contradicting —she fought back.

She left him stuck, between two options that he couldn't escape. One was a lie, and the other one was the brutal truth, and he was still fighting to confirm what belonged to each one of them.

—Don't worry though. There's no way I'd ever spend any more time with you than what we already did.

Y/n shouldn't have tempted the universe that way, and dragged it to a challenge that she wasn't going to like.

Not even a second after that sentence left her filthy lips, a huge noise interrupted their casual bickering, making them wonder what was happening. 

Taglist: @jk97bam @ttanniett

[laf-outloud]

Hi,

Here is the European Anon (or Troll as I am called at the moment). I would like to clarify a few things. I am a fan. Of the show, of the characters, of the two J's. That's the reason why the info about the contract could hurt me so much in the first place. Because this time it affected me myself. I've worked with stars who showed up to work (con) drunk. Who spent more time on Grindr than signing autographs. Who treated their Händlers like crap, while up front they were the loving, attentive star. You learn two things quickly in the businees. The manager is always right, and the star is never the bad guy. We had two guests from an equally famous CW show. The managers had agreed to a duo shoot. The problem was that they hated each other. In the sense of, we had to separate the two spatially, because otherwise it would have come to fisticuffs. The managers of both parties tried everything to make the duo shoot possible somehow and while one star finally agreed to get it over with "professionally", the other remained stubborn. The end? The duo was canceled with the reason "unforeseen scheduling difficulties" Well, sounds familiar? (No it's not Vampire Diaries, Paul and Ian are really like brothers, lol).

What you also learn very quickly. The fans forgive everything and the star is perfect in their eyes. No matter whether stars were bad-tempered, bitchy or sometimes even downright unfriendly, the fans always found an excuse for them, or in the end made us organizers responsible for it. Well, we can live with that, as long as people still pay for their tickets. At the end of the day it is a business.

Why am I writing this? So far it has never really affected me. For me, most of them are just people like you and me and I could deal with most of the stars in a really friendly or business way. But I've been a fan of Supernatural since the beginning. And then such an info is no longer professional but hurts.

I want to make it very clear that no SPN star I have ever dealt with has been unprofessional or unfriendly. Even though Misha's manager is a terrible woman, he himself was always polite to us as employees. And even from colleagues who have worked with J2 so far, there has never been a negative word.

That is why I was so looking forward to working with them. To be able to experience this famous friendship directly.

I am not so high in the hirachie that I get to read a direct correspondence of the management. I also can't say which Con I work for without risking my job. I know it's easier to make me out to be a liar than to accept that I might be right. I realize that and I can even understand that.

I've been sitting on this information for weeks, but who am I going to tell? Who believes me? I've talked to two close friends about it who are also fans and they didn't believe it either.

The trigger was the first reports from Charlotte. I have friends who are on site and yes, probably their euphoria and two glasses of wine on my part made me write to two people. Patrick (TFW) and LOL Jackles . Who I have found through Tumblr several times to be relatively fair and interested in facts. But there was no response. I was honestly taken aback by this, because even if they won‘t believe me, why not share the info anyway? Or at least respond to it? If there is nothing to what I say, then it could be quickly invalidated or? Unless the two know exactly that I'm right and are afraid of when it comes out.

I have written to you days later. you can look it up. I read post that you and others wondered why jared and jensen only come to different cons. That's why I thought, okay I'll send it again. I found your explanation of not posting it understandable and at least you didn't immediately ignore it. Thanks for that. that's also why I'm replying exclusively to you.

Again, I understand if you don't believe me. After all, I didn't want to believe my boss either. I thought he was just not willing to pay the 300 K (And that's what they cost each).

But now exactly what he said happens.

If I am telling the untruth, then why is Jared actually appearing at the same promoters (Monopoy Events, Entertainment Events Etc) on a different date than Jensen and always including Gen? And look at the line up of the English cons and tell me that you could not have paid Jared‘s fee to run various duo shots! If I'm lying, why is Creation now releasing the second convention for 2024 with only Jensen as headliner but not with Jared? It can't be the money, because Creation takes the same amount for the tickets as usual. And schedule difficulties during an official strike ? Hardly. You can call me a troll, but I am a fan as well, I know that you want to believe until the end that everything is good. But I just think the fans have at least a right to hear the truth. And that is that Jared's management will get away from creation cons in the future and will favor cons that Jensen doesn't attend.

Thank you for writing in, again. I'm sorry that because of the multiple asks, you've been classified as a troll. I've been on Tumblr long enough that I've seen multiple copy/paste asks and they most often are a troll, but I can see your reasoning. (I will say that TFW2.0 is a fan of Jensen first, so anything that could put him in a negative light will be summarily dismissed.)

I decided to post this response since your original ask seems to have been seen by multiple other people despite not being posted and I'll allow people to make up their own minds about what they want to believe.

I will say that Jared's absence from the con in July could be due to other reasons, like his standard summer vacation or birthday stuff, and June could be because he anticipates that they might be filming Walker into the summer, depending on how long the strike lasts.

When it comes to doing cons with or without Jensen, I know my initial response was regarding Jared's mental health, but it could also be a strategic business decision. Jared may want to distance himself from SPN (and Jensen) to open up other acting/producing opportunities. It's not always advantageous to just be known as "one of those guys from SPN." He's said before that he enjoys producing and I'm sure he knows Walker isn't going to last forever. An actor/producer's career shouldn't be defined by one role. He may also be promoting Gen to help increase her profile if they plan on producing together in the future. I'm sure there are some who, if they believe it's true, will take it personally, but it really may just be a business decision.

Either way, thank you for sharing. And if there are people who agree/disagree and decide to write to me with their rebuttals, please remember to do so respectfully. I won't post anything with accusatory language, insults, or outright dismissals.

[pan-magi]

On one hand, I hate that I'm making a vent post on this fandom blog. On the other hand, I am really annoyed and in a bad mood for unrelated reasons so I'm going to do it anyway.

I want to murder and destroy all the porn bots clogging the magi tags. It's infuriating.

"Because you follow #magi

*porn bot post*"

No, no, no. GO TO HELL.

Magi is already a small fandom. A lot of religious and spiritual blogs also use it. Even if they don't tags things with magi exclusively, I get a lot of Madoka Magica blogs recommended to me because of the series' full name (Puella Magi Madoka Magica). Nothing against them, of course, love existential magical girls. Point being I can bet none of us give a fucking shit. Leave our small tag alone!

I could just not visit the your tags page but the "because you follow x" posts pop up on home and following regardless. And I like checking in on random tags sometimes. It helps to not miss posts from people who simply have Magi as their anime of the week or whatever.

I do hate just to make this a vent post, so I'll add some anecdotal Magi stuff that I've already been thinking to make a shit post about. Unfortunately, I have not had anymore fandom related dreams. *

I will blab about the screenshot I chose for this though. I lowkey adore that scene. Morgiana just casually kidnapping her friend, so they can talk it out. (For reference, it's when she meets Alibaba in the Fog Troupe hideout and then just picks him up and leaves).

The funny thing is, they're not really friends at this point? Out of the trio and their relationships so far, Alibaba and Morgiana haven't had much time together. Morg is grateful that Alibaba freed her, yet I'll say they both are better friends with Aladdin right now.

Morgiana does bring this up. Her reasoning for taking Alibaba is so that he can talk to Aladdin and they can sort out their shit. She could see that the kid from Alibaba giving him the cold shoulder and is like "no." It's heartwarming. It's not something I'll recommend, sometimes people need space from each other and kidnapping is bad, still though- I love it lmao.

Best trio, ngl.

*I have since had a sorta Magi related dream since first writing this about a week ago. In it I met Ohtaka, except I've only ever looked at a few pictures of her before and know for a fact that how she looked in the dream isn't how she is irl. Maybe that's why it took me forever to recognize her. The first half was us basically meeting and talking about trivial stuff, not Magi or Orient because of not recognizing her, and the second half was me realizing my missed opportunity of fangirling and trying to find her again when she was not busy to get one of my volumes of Magi signed. Not in a desperate way but more of "ahhh, I'm so dumb and missed my chance. Bummer." I was way more melancholic about it compared to if I ever had the opportunity in real life. As if I knew it was a dream and not get too worked up about it.

My dreams are a lot more convoluted and trippy but that is the gist of the Magi related portion of the dream. The rest is irrelevant for this. Don't remember too much of it anyway.

That's all I have. This turned out long and I may trim it up. I feel better after typing it. That is what matters.

Fuck porn bots and may this small fandom prosper without them.

[melodyofthevoid]

Writing Wrap Up 2023

Another weird year, to be sure. Between finishing up school, job hunting, moving out, and all sorts of family things, it's been... a really slow year. It's a feeling I keep coming back to, this feeling like I'm not doing enough. Like there's some invisible deadline that I'm failing to meet. And that failure is what's keeping me from getting any enjoyment out of the works I do finish.

But that's not really... helpful, is it? Loathe as I am to admit it, focusing on what I did accomplish makes me feel better and it is worth celebrating, I think. Darn therapy actually giving me helpful tips and advice.

Now, most of what I wrote this year I shared exclusively with friends. Tbh this is both because it's all been pretty self indulgent OC stuff ngl, but also it's niche content for my DnD characters. But both Lorna and Alexi got some really excellent pieces, and Euripheus' origin/demise piece was another one I enjoyed doing.

Except for the part where I had to write an awkward family discussion/fight. Nearly did me in.

On a different note, Alexi's AU piece clocks in at nearly 10k words, which is the longest one-shot I've ever done. Bonkers. I really just wanted to torment him, huh?

Aside from that, I've been diligently chipping away at my worldbuilding documents, each of which is wildly different in construction/layout. Mostly due to their different reasons for being, and purposes. The OI one is the least developed as of now, but I hope in the next week to really dive into (hah) the nations and make those tangible cultures. My Fading Reflections one only really needs a timeline and some loose details added here and there.

The Sun/Moon game concept expanded to having a separate NPC doc, and I'm testing out how the dialogue could theoretically sound. In Stars and Time really inspired me, and I think it'll be a fun little side project as I side eye other things.

Then my big one, the Crane Wives Analysis. It's the first time I've ever done something like that and it really gave me a deeper appreciation for a band I already adore. 20k words over the course of the year, with half of those coming in November alone when I did NaNoWriMo for the first time! Not the traditional way that event works, but I completed all my goals, so hooray!

I also did nearly half of the Whumptober prompts I picked out, and am still doing those when I feel stuck.

I don't know where this next year will take me in terms of writing. I'm starting my new job, which while extremely exciting, does raise the question of Time. I'm on my own, going to have to do all the Adult Things™, and free time is definitely going to be at a premium. It does worry me, but I'll adjust (I hope).

So yeah! I'll attach links to some of my works below the cut, and wish you all a happy new year! Thanks for sticking around!

The Well Analysis

TCW: Singles

True Reflections (Magnus Archives Fanstatement)

TCW: Foxlore

TCW: Coyote Stories

TCW: The Fool in Her Wedding Gown

TCW: Safe Ship, Harbored

"Captive"

Bodies Are Business

Reassignment

[davidmariottecomics]

The Perfect (Editorial or Agent) Match

Hey there, Yogi Bear! 

To start out today's blog, I wanna talk about a kinda fun recent thing. Steve Lieber, who I've mentioned before for having his 12 point portfolio review critique without even looking, asked about the writing review equivalent. Jim Zub took a stab at it and his list is pretty good. And Chip Zdarsky's were also recommendations! And all of these are from Bluesky, so hope you can read 'em all! But, while I liked the other lists, I also had some thoughts. So my 12 critiques are here, which I consider pretty supplemental to Jim's! 

And now that you've taken all this advice and are feeling really comfortable with your script, writer-type, what're you gonna do with it?! 

What Does an Agent do? 

Before I get too far, let me make explicitly clear--I do not have an agent. I've worked with a number of agents. I know lots of creators who have them. But I don't have one myself, so I can only provide so much guidance. Okay, that disclaimer out of the way, what is a literary agent and what do they do? 

It's a lot like other forms of agents you might've heard of. Your agent is a person who supports you and represents your interests in business. They are an advocate on your behalf. This means everything from reading your manuscripts to help refine/sell them to reviewing paperwork for you to making sure you're getting paid what you're worth and more. In the book market, there are certain publishers that will almost exclusively review agented submissions--you need to have someone who has been trained to know what the publisher might want and who has access to contacts there to advocate for your work. The reason for this is often to cut down on submissions that otherwise just have to go unanswered and to preserve some level of privacy for editors. Having an agent might not work for everyone, but if you can find someone who you like working with and can afford, they're going to be a lot of help. Agents can get your work to more potential buyers, help identify where your work will best fit in the marketplace, and, again, generally advocate for you.

But just like publishers and editors, not every agent is looking for every type of story. Specific agents, and even whole agencies, can have niches that they are interested in working in and representing. This is really important when we're talking comics. There are some agents that don't really represent cartoonists because they don't do art representation. There are some agents who only do art representation and might not be the right fit if you also wanna write. There are agents who primarily focus on books for middle grade or young adult readers. There are agents who just plain don't do comics. So how do you find an agent who might be a good fit?

Manuscript Wishlist

Manuscript Wishlist (or MS Wishlist) is *an* option for finding your agent, but it's one that I think can be really helpful. The basic idea of MSWL is that the website version has vetted agents and editors who have submitted profiles explaining what they are looking for in submissions. It's built off of a Twitter system where agents and editors tag posts #MSWL to flag the sort of work they're looking for from writers. One of the things I really like about the site is that in addition to details on what the agents and editors are looking for, and how to go about querying them, a lot of folks also take advantage of the sidebars that include things like lists of "what I like" so you can get an even clearer idea of if your work will mesh well with their interests and if your personalities will mesh well while looking to work together. 

There are a ton of other resources out there for how to write good queries and each agency/agent/publisher/editor is going to have their own submission guidelines that you'll have to look up and follow--so I won't get into those--but this is a way to start seeing who might be interested in building a relationship with you. 

Also, keep an eye on Publishers Marketplace. This is a primary source for what publishing deals are happening. Maybe you want to submit a query to an agent about a talking dog. Might be good to check publishers marketplace to make sure that agent didn't just sell a book about a talking dog. 

MSWL Editors

MSWL also includes editors and for similar reasons. Editors have things they're interested in working on and it helps clarify to agents and to unagented folks what sort of titles they might be interested in acquiring. I *do not* currently have a MSWL set up on my own because I am not currently seeking submissions (sorry), but next time I think I might be, I'm going to be looking into it because I know what sort of stories I like to tell and what I would like to see from other folks. 

Obviously, if you don't have an agent, double-check that the editor you're submitting to accepts unagented submissions. That's hugely important. But especially in comics, only taking agented submissions is uncommon. And if an editor is making clear what they'd like to acquire, you wanna get it in front of them because that is the most direct pipeline to traditional comics publishing. But it's also worthwhile to remember that because of how agents and editors work together, there's a lot of outreach between the two where editors are searching for talent, but only want to reach out, not be reached out to--especially if you're looking to do work on an existing property, rather than an original. 

Now I'm gonna go batten down the hatches and prepare to ride out the rest of the coming storm! 

See ya next time! 

What I enjoyed this week: Blank Check (Podcast), Dungeons & Daddies (Podcast), Craig of the Creek (Cartoon), Honkai Star Rail (Video game), My Adventures with Superman (Cartoon), The Broken Room by Peter Clines (Book), Crime Scene Kitchen (TV show), Dumbing of Age (Webcomic), Shortpacked (Webcomic--though some of these pop culture strips sure are dated and/or in poor taste!), Solve This Murder (Podcast), Praise Petey (Cartoon), the acoustic Sonic Symphony performance at the Speed Cafe (see below), at time of posting having power and not a lot of rain/hurricane weather, owning (but not having watched yet) the Venture Bros finale movie, getting 3 5-star (the best possible) character pulls in a row in Honkai (but not the character I really wanted, who I only have like 9 days to get now if I can...). 

New Releases this week (8/16/2023): Brynmore #2 (Editor) Godzilla: The War for Humanity #1 (Editor) Sonic the Hedgehog #63 (Editor)

Final Order Cut-Off next week (8/21/2023--last day to get your preorders in): Brynmore #3 (Editor) Godzilla: The War for Humanity #2 (Editor) Sonic the Hedgehog: Amy's 30th Anniversary Special (Editor)

New Releases next week (8/23/2023): Godzilla Monsters & Protectors: All Hail the King TPB (Editor--on the latter half)

Announcements: Becca is at Cartoon-a Palooza in Temecula on 9/15 & 9/16. It's a cool free all-ages little con, so come on out and see them! 

Wanna support me? Consider joining my Patreon! This week, in addition to this blog (but without the Patreon plugs!) and one of my legacy blogs, I shared for the $10 and up members the script (and some extras) for my Beast Wars 2022 Annual story, "Rhinox's A-Maze-ing Adventure". You can only see it there! And I'll have more scripts, pitches, comics, etc going up in the weeks and months to come! Also coming soon, just coordinating with Becca, we'll be releasing a tease of a new comic we're working on together. It'll be on both our Patreons, but if you like art and adult art in particular, definitely don't miss Becca's either! 

Or, you can buy something from my webstore! A lot of what is there is no longer in print and won't be going back to print anytime soon to my knowledge. The stock I have up is pretty much the stock I have. And you can get it signed and personalized and sent to you for a pretty reasonable price which includes shipping.  Alternatively, I still have a few things up on eBay and I'm going to be adding a few more! 

Sorry to be hyping ways to send me money so much recently, but between rising rent and utility and gas costs, not so rising work hours/pay for Becca and I, and us also trying to plan a wedding for a year from now, money's been tight a lot! I know that's the case all around, and if you have been supporting me in any way, it has not gone unnoticed at all! This week, Becca and I checked out a venue that we really like for the ceremony and reception. So, hoping we can make that happen! 

Pic of the Week: I referenced it earlier, but the Sonic Speed Cafe pop-up here in San Diego did a special mini acoustic performance of the Sonic Symphony that's about to be touring the whole world! So we had three musicians in the restaurant playing some Sonic hits! It was a lot of fun! 

[astralleywright]

i apologize if this sounds insane because frankly it does. on deviantart, there's a sub-sect of fandom people that make posts of like, a fictional character angrily ranting at another fictional character in a giant PARAGRAPH of text explaining what they did wrong and telling them they should be ashamed of themself. that is legit what comes to mind whenever i see the six trillionth post in the tag about "OMG WHY DOESN'T BH TALK TO EACH OTHER!"

do not worry anon, I am extremely internet poisoned and have a vast knowledge of weird fandom habits. Idk if i've even seen that kind of post exactly, but I have certainly witnessed variations of the idea or the feelings behind it in many places across many fandoms. for all i roll my eyes abt excessive posting abt how good one is at Understanding Media i DO agree that getting mad at the characters and lecturing them for having flaws and doing the wrong thing is like, the lamest and least interesting way to discuss stories. its very boring when characters do not do these things!

i understand the impulse; stories are meant to make us feel things, including anger and frustration, and there are plenty of times characters i love have done stuff that, in the moment, genuinely upset me (and not on a meta, 'bad writing' level, which is different). i just think it's good to take that reaction, appreciate how it made you feel, and the fact that the writing or performance or story evoked a reaction from you, but to not let that be the end or even necessarily the beginning of your analysis of the hows and whys and thens of the situation.

there's a lot of things happening with the "why won't the hells talk to each other!" thing. ppl struggling, mentally and/or emotionally, with the extreme time dilation is a big one. i also think part of it is people approaching this one-camera improv show the way they would a scripted tv show, and possibly attributing more intentionality and significance to certain actions or reactions than the players did, or attributing decisions that may have been influenced by out-of-game factors exclusively to the hells. i get the frustration, bc i too want them to talk more often, but i think ppl getting outraged that the hells don't immediately follow up on every questionable action or percieved offense is. unserious. they're a little busy at the moment.

[indira-korr]

9 People You Want to Get To Know Better

I was tagged by @elismor, @brokenphoenix99, and @marbled-polecat. I feel like one of you will regret this soon. The others already know I'm a freak :3

What song comes on and ALWAYS makes you think “Yes! That’s my jam!”

This is really difficult to answer. On the one hand, there’s so many, how do I even narrow it down? On the other, I don't actively listen to music much. This isn't a top 5, just stuff I found in my Spotify list and thought ... Yup, that's jammy to me :)

Almost anything by Queen

(Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Öyster Cult

Black Horse and the Cherry tree – KT Tunstall

Come on Eileen – Save Ferris

Love is a battlefield – Pat Benatar

If you could only reread one book/series forever what would it be?

Also difficult. At the risk of outing myself in front of all my writer friends: I’m not much of a reader. 🫣 I'm either to exhausted to read or (if I do have some energy) too busy with writing or drawing or other things. Maybe Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion. There are so many details, there is something new to find each time.

If you could only rewatch one show forever what would it be?

The benefit of the goldfish memory is being able to watch something again and again and again without it getting boring. I did that a lot with Stargate. Back in the day, I even learned English and Spanish with that show. My fake astrophysics vocabulary is excellent, thanks to Carter.

Damn... now I also want to say Star Trek... Ugh... (And yes, I'm aware of the irony of being exclusively active in the Star Wars fandom but not mentioning it here😅 I should stop talking now.)

It's your fault! You wanted to get to know me! XD Apparently decision making and keeping things short are not my strong suits.

What did you do when AO3 was down?

I had visitors and hadn’t even noticed that it was down. I'm not much on AO3 lately, except when posting my own works or sometimes rereading lovely comments to make myself feel better when I'm sad or insecure about my works. The comments you guys leave me really make a difference on bad days. Thank you (ಥ﹏ಥ)

Me to self: Maybe I should print out my fics with comments. Just in case. Imagine 80-year old future-me finding that stuff in the attic. 🤔🥹

Imaginary grand kids looking at the smut: Grandma, WHAT THE FUCK?!

I have no idea who's been tagged in this already. No pressure tagging a few people I've seen around but don't really know well or at all: @frostbitebakery, @hawthornsword, @blirzy, @hellsbelle8675 , @itszerohz, @weatherbane. Feel free to run away screaming or say hi :)

[delusionaid]

❧ ✖ for the salt meme !

Salt Meme :D

❧ Have you ever been jealous of anyone?

Of course, I think that's human :) In terms of rp I am continuously jealous of people who manage to write regularly and quickly, because I unfortunately am a very slow writer and have dry patches where I can't write at all. I wish I had the time? muse? dedication? others have to write daily and don't keep their partners waiting so long.

I am also a little jealous of people who write the same muse for many years. I always found that really admirable and cool. I love having a multimuse but it's also a necessity because I somehow can't stay focused on just one muse for a long period of time. I also hop fandoms after a while. But sometimes I wish I was able to just really go in-depth with one muse for 5+ years. Kudos to anyone who can do that!

And then of course there's the jealousy of seeing a portrayal that just really kicks ass. It can create a bit of insecurity but I try to not get negative emotions about it and instead focus on the fact that I get to see or interact with a really good writer and enjoy their skill and ideas! :)

AND THEN THERE'S THE JEALOUSY OF SEEING PEOPLE WRITE SHIPS THAT I WANNA WRITE WHILE EVERYONE IS EXCLUSIVE WITH THEIR PARTNERS AND I CAN'T FIND SOMEONE TO WRITE IT WITH GOD DAMN IT 😂😂😂 But it's okay, we're okay.

✖ How has Tumblr RP changed since you started?

MASSIVELY. *grandma voice* Back in my day-- I said that yesterday, actually, we used to rp with 49 duplicates any scenario that came to our mind and had gigantic reaction gifs in each reply. Nobody had a proper theme, icons weren't a thing and nobody had rule pages. It was admittedly chaotic but overall felt like a free, fun space to be in with very little social politics.

Especially in recent years (2-3) it's become minefield of eggshells, to put it bluntly. Some things I approve of, such as the rule pages - I think those really help to filter out who is a good match as a writing partner before you follow them. Others I find saddening. The whole exclusivity/mains business for example leads to many people feeling shut out - and while I think everyone is absolutely free to be exclusive with friends and close interactions to others, there are fandoms that are so small that no new people dare make blogs (or do and go inactive immediately) because everyone else is essentially in a closed group. Or maybe they're not but they're intimidated by the "mains". Tied into that is also the unfortunate side effect that sometimes "popular" blogs create a clique vibe that can be very daunting to new rpers, particularly when these popular blogs decide to use their popularity to dictate how things should be run within a fandom.

I've also seen good writers be ignored or neglected because they didn't use fancy graphics or had no blog theme (this was before dash view was a thing!), which was upsetting. I feel like we're going away from that a little bit at the moment, but for a while it was really "aesthetics over writing", which is sad for a community of writers, in my opinion.

Ship wars have been a thing for a long time, but they are getting increasingly bad and I am getting increasingly more annoyed by it. Blacklist and keep scrolling. We all do it. No need to get all up in arms because someone likes a fictional ship you find stupid, just focus on the ships you do like.

I am sure there's lots more to say but these are the main things that come to mind :)

[bobwess]

For the AMA (apologies in advance i've got fic-writing on the brain cuz of nano)

How do you deal with writer's block when it strike? Or is your go-to to drop AMA? :P What's your preferred fic writing time, if you even have one?

Do you tend to write mainly digitally? Do you keep a writer's notebook?

Have you ever had a fic idea just pop into your head so jarringly you just start immediately writing from scratch? Or are you the sort who needs everything meticulously outlined out?

Is NaNo something you've ever tried, or is it not your thing?

You a person who listens to music while writing? If so, what sorts of thing?

Do you find that you tend to write in short bursts and then leave it for a while, or do you make consistant slow and steady progress? Or does it really depend on the fic?

Have you ever reread something you've written and had zero recollection of writing it?

You might have been asked this before, but do you have a favorite thing you've written? (Doesn't have to be just kept to fics either)

And one last silly one for the road...You get stuck in one of your fics. Which one would you rather it be, and what would happen?

How do you deal with writer's block when it strike? Or is your go-to to drop AMA? :P What's your preferred fic writing time, if you even have one?

I usually write lateish. On a normal day I'm going to bed around 8am, I'm usually starting writing at like 2/3.

Do you tend to write mainly digitally? Do you keep a writer's notebook?

I write exclusively digitally. I type very fast, pretty much the same speed I think so I can keep up unlike if I'm writing physically. I can also change things on the fly without struggle.

I keep a physical notebook with me most of the time but its specifically for prop building, makeup designs, and work related planning.

Have you ever had a fic idea just pop into your head so jarringly you just start immediately writing from scratch? Or are you the sort who needs everything meticulously outlined out?

Absolutely have gone in from scratch.

It's weird though. 50% of the time it's seat-of-my-pants moment-by-moment with maybe a couple notes for the future (Only Human, A Sudden Affinity) and sometimes I have a fic meticulously planned out (Wait for the Ricochet, My Endverse fic).

Almost all of my one-shots are ideas that popped into my head and refused to not be written.

The Endverse fic actually, while fully planned now, at first was just one chapter I really wanted/needed to write and I sat down and wrote it out. Then built the fic around it. It became chapter 3. It's the weirdest one I've ever written because I have every chapter made individually in documents, and each one is outlined. So I'm just popcorning and doing a scene here and a scene there.

Is NaNo something you've ever tried, or is it not your thing?

I should do. I have two novels I am working on slow as shit and it'd be a good job to have a kick in the pants to get them done. A couple times before I've thought about it. November is just always busy as hell and I can't self-enforce a substitute month.

You a person who listens to music while writing? If so, what sorts of thing?

I listen to music 90% of the time. Honestly it depends. I have two playlists. One is much more aggressive, rock/metal/etc. Otherwise I'll go for concerts or other instrumental music. If there was a spotify wrapped type listing for my computer, Ray Chen performing Sibelius' Violin Concerto would be towards the top of the list.

The other 10% of the time I'll just listen to like sounds. Rain or rivers or something like that.

Do you find that you tend to write in short bursts and then leave it for a while, or do you make consistent slow and steady progress? Or does it really depend on the fic?

Absolutely depends. But probably bursts more often. A specific fic will just grab me. Unfortunately for everyone waiting on my chapters my bursts of inspiration recently have been my thus unpublished Endverse fic. Which means a lot of writing has been done that isn't ready to see the light of day.

Have you ever reread something you've written and had zero recollection of writing it?

No. I am very aware of what I've written, and I re-read a lot. I do sometimes REGRET things I've written, though it's rare. I only have a few pieces of mine I don't like.

On the contrary, my VIDEOS? Holy shit, I don't have a clue what's in them. They leave my brain the second I am done editing them, and I never ever re-watch them. "I love your Destiel series." "Thanks, I do not remember it."

You might have been asked this before, but do you have a favorite thing you've written? (Doesn't have to be just kept to fics either)

Until very recently it's been "Only Human" because it's been such a labor of love, and I have a few idea notes for running it all the way into "season" 13. But honestly "Wait for the Ricochet" has overtaken it. I don't know, I just think it's neat.

And one last silly one for the road...You get stuck in one of your fics. Which one would you rather it be, and what would happen?

Oh man. See the FUN answer is My Endverse fic, because honestly it has a lot of meat on it and I would love to fit into Chitaqua. I'm really enjoying what I've written so far. (Like I said, stuck in the brain, can't stop talking about it.)

But the real answer is Hell Above, because I can be a passenger on the airplane and theoretically not-die which is not a given in my other fics.

[allthefoolishdreams]

hiii!!! hope you're doing well <3 you already know i love you are strange, but i am so so curious about superchan and felix never bad! <3

hi!!! thanks i'm doing well, hope you are too <33

yes, thank you! blanket apology that i've been so slow with you are strange, but it's coming along!!

superchan: the funny thing about this file is that it's split into two sections: jeongchan's story and felix's story, neither are fully formed at the moment. i haven't really had much of a chance to work on it since i've been busy and trying to focus on you are strange first, but i can say a part of the plot for chapter two is that jeongin tries chasing down an exclusive interview with superman, much to chan's dismay, he eventually gets it because of his ace investigative journalist skills (or so he thinks)

felix's story, which again isn't fully formed at the moment, takes place over the course of felix's first year on earth as he grieves and learns to be human basically

i don't have a snippet i'm happy with for the main fic but here's a bit from felix's story:

"I can't believe I've been frozen for almost twenty-eight years," Felix grumbles, he still hasn't gotten used to the fact that it’s been so long. That Chris is no longer the baby that Felix was put in charge of protecting. In fact, he’s not even younger than Felix anymore. Chris is a fully grown adult, and on this planet he is a superhero, powerful and strong and protecting others all over the world. Clearly not in need of protection, and certainly not from Felix. His first instinct is to protect Chris still even if he doesn’t need to, because in Felix's mind it was just a few weeks ago that he was barely able to walk, let alone talk. It all makes him feel unbalanced because his one purpose was to take care of Chris and he isn’t sure what he’s supposed to do now.  He frowns, "You were a baby to me and now you're... Old." "You're the old one," Chris retorts. "Not really," he says, "Being frozen does that to a person."

felix never bad: this one is actually my newest wip!! i actually had the idea for awhile now but never wrote it, i also have not actually written much more than two paragraphs for it. anyways, it's a seunglix fic based on the show dash and lily which if you're not familiar with is a series where the main characters become anonymous pen pals via a journal that they trade back and forth with dares to each other throughout the holiday season (hence the christmas evel ref). one of the characters is optimistic and loves christmas, the other is more gloomy and hates it (i'm sure you can guess who gets to be who); they encourage each other to try new things and of course fall in love through their words. it's so cute and wholesome, i want to write it for christmas but knowing me i probably won't have it finished in time for this year

[itchywitchybitchy2911]

Hello Friends!

It's been a while, but I've got some news! This past week I've been dog-sitting for some friends of mine and it's been a fantastic opportunity for me to catch up on some rest, relaxation, (pup snuggles!) And learning more about my craft/spirituality.

I've been noticing many synchronicities lately, particularly in numbers and symbols. This month I've been followed around by the numbers 222 and 444. I've seen them on clocks, license plates, timestamps on videos/happening to pause songs at those times, what have you, without actively searching for them. 222 usually pops up when I start to have doubts about my faith/witchcraft journey. 444 pops up most when I'm thinking about my bf/driving to meet him/listening to music that reminds me of him. It's all super weird and super cool!

Other synchronicities I've noticed are signs from the Lady Aphrodite. I've been drawn to the color pink lately, which is new to me (goth kids ftw). Crabapple blossoms are blooming and they're all in shades of pink, magenta and white. I keep finding white feathers floating around me outside and seeing white birds (mostly pigeons, which is odd in itself because there haven't been any flocks living in my neighborhood in recent years). I've also felt this feminine presence when I pray. It is warm, inviting, and also feels very...I dunno how to put it...excitable(?). It doesn't feel like the God I'm used to praying to (Christian God to be specific) because the energy is so playful and light. It's very comforting and I find it to be a nice change of pace from the Christian guilt I'm used to.

And so, to make a long story even longer, I've been leaning into Aphrodite devotion and studying up on the facets of the Goddess/Goddess energy.

Below is a recipe for a strawberry daiquiri I made in her honor, as well as some book marks I've whipped up for the reading I've been doing. And for more fun, I'm making my own tarot deck! So far I've finished the court on pentacles. It's taken me 5 days 💀 ☠️

Other things to add, if you're feeling ✨️ fancy ✨️: rosewater? Grenadine? Idk I'm not that creative when it comes to bartending LMAO

This is a great book from 2005. At the time of publication, Sylvan was a Wiccan author based in Austin, Texas. She writes about the Mind/Body divide in the US American society and how that effects women and their relationships to their bodies. While I find it a decent read so far, it does have some pitfalls. For one, you do need at least some understanding of the spiritual aspect of Wicca. While I myself do not identify as Wiccan, I do appreciate the thoughts and feelings brought forward. Another is that the book was "exclusively for women," because that is what the author states she can write about most authentically from her own experience as a Cis, AFAB person. I definitely think everyone should give it a read, however, regardless of gender orientation/gender assigned at birth.

This next book has been a nice stepping stone for me as a new witch. It has lots of helpful tips and basic ideas as to what magic is and how to incorporate it into your faith and day-to-day life. I find it to be a bit Euro-centric, however, so please keep that in mind.

Both books are wonderful resources, but I do reccomend further reading on all subjects that interest you. Another point goes to Sylvan for this; she lists at least 10 multimedia resources to check out at the end of each chapter.

My bookmarks, dedicated to Lady Aphrodite <3

And finally, my tarot cards! I'm so excited to work on the next court!

Overall, it's been a busy couple of weeks for this witch. And if you've made it to the end of this posting I do have a favor to ask! As a new witch, it's quite hard to find reliable AND engaging resources on the craft that aren't so...popculture-y, shall we say. Do you have any recommendations? Please DM me if so! I'm also looking at you, fellow followers of Aphrodite. Do you have any resources that you'd like to share about this Goddess? I want to learn all I can!

Thank you all so much for reading <3 <3 <3 Until next time, take care and Keep Smiling!!!!

[msfbgraves]

What traditions do daniel and terry and the pups have for christmas? like carols, mistletoe, midnight mass etc. what kind of gifts do terry and daniel give the other, if they do at all? what do they NOT want for christmas (like socks for example lol)

ARGH I am going to have to write the scene now that another sweet Anon asked for won't I? That's why some asks don't get answered, I have requests now for like, um, 12 extra chapters? I love those and you'll probably get those chapters but it will take months! So I've been putting off this Christmas chapter that basically answers all these questions but...

Daniel will love like hyperexpensive exclusive olive oils, licquors, spices for cooking but he does not like getting cooking utensils. Those are necessities, not luxuries. He will get what he needs himself, and it will be good. Also he does not like things gifted for a pup he's expecting for Christmas. He likes tools, good clothes, picture frames, records, biographies of his heroes or books on a new hobby (not so much novels until much later in life, when he has some quiet time, which is like, when Luna is around six at the earliest? And then he gets with pup again soon after, Madonna mi!) and knives. He loves him a good dagger. And Terry loves his swords and guns but around pups? Hm.

Terry does not want alcohol. He'll buy his licquor himself. He loves new sheet music, and records too, he's a reader (he'll push some things on Daniel, who is like "Yes, Terry, thank you" and then 'never gets around to them'). He adores his Danny buying him clothes. Boy has impeccable taste, so the socks will be to die for. He tries to reciprocate but it's usually jewelry on his end. Accessories. But they do have pre Christmas tailoring visits. Terry loves art and that Daniel develops a really good eye for, for his sake.

And well, the pups get spoiled rotten with toys each year. All mobsters sucking up to Terry by spoiling his pups. One of their pre-Christmas traditions is that they have to clear out toys they do not want anymore and patch them up to "Help Santa", aka donate. Since Daniel is very handy both with needlework as with construction, the toys sometimes end up much more beautiful than they started out, resulting in: "But I want to keep it, now!" to which Daniel answers that they could have come to him with the toy at any time, but did they? He always patches up some of their favorites for Christmas, too, anyway - yes, sweetheart, the Elves saw how much you love this, so they took it back to Santa for you and look how nice it is! That's what they wake up to on Christmas morning, a refurbished favourite toy, before the new avalanche of presents under the tree. (How else is Daniel ever to get those toys cleaned???!!!) But they are the Elves for the other gifts, understand? They help cleaning and sewing and mending. And they bring them round the houses on December 24. Nicely wrapped. Otherwise, he'll tell Santa they don't need anything (like he would. He adores buying them their hearts' desires. Who knows them better than their Mama?). But Christmas has always been about giving back too (and keeping the underlings happy). Terry always gets mountains of gifts for them, he literally needs to sort them into piles on Christmas Eve after they come back from the LaRussos and Mass, Terry has had to make it a policy that he can't accept gifts without knowing what they are, because he's not asking Danny to rewrap. That happened when Eli was little one time, and it's not like his love isn't busy enough.

[purplebass]

Make you feel my love ~ Wessa

Hi everyone! It's been a while since my last fic, because I've been busy writing something else that's not related to fiction. I've been wanting to write a Wessa one shot for a while, and I finally did. The one I've posted here is the clean, PG version of another explicit one shot that you can find exclusively on AO3 (my nickname over there is purplebass). If you want to read that one, go ahead. This is similar, yet some things are different because, well, it needed to be clean. This is set after James and Lucie are born. Enjoy!

“The children are sleeping, finally,” Will snorted. He was coming back from the nursery, his hair disheveled, and his shirt partially open. 

Tessa thought he looked like one of those Victorian characters from romance novels who had just spent the night mulling over the woman he wanted to marry. He had been roaming in his colorful garden because she had just rejected him and he couldn’t get over it. The truth was that Will was just a very nice looking tired father of two who helped take care of his children. 

“How much did it take this time?” Tessa wondered, putting her book on the small table by the bed and rising from her chair to greet her husband. “I told you I could have –”

“No,” Will put his finger on her mouth, his worn out expression turning into a sweet smile. “It’s only fair that I spent time with them after three days in Paris with that pompous man that is Maurice Bridgestock,” he rolled his eyes. 

“I imagine he must have been boring as usual,” Tessa giggled knowingly. “I just hope he wasn’t that awful, this time.”

“Oh, he’s always awful and boring,” he started to unbutton his cuffs, glancing for a moment at his reflection on the mirror behind his wife. “I wish I could have traveled with you and the kids, but they are still too small to travel, aren’t they?” he asked Tessa.

Tessa couldn’t help but smirk. “It’s not that they are too young,” she replied. James had just turned two and Lucie was closer to turning one. “They’re very grumpy because of their teeth. They would have probably whined the entire time we were there.”

“I would have paid money to see Maurice tearing his hair out because of two little kids,” he giggled evilly. “He hates kids. He would have probably asked the Clave to never ever be sent outside of London with me.”

“Which, I assume, is your dream,” Tessa shook her head.

“Who cares about Bridgestock,” Will turned his full attention to his wife. He caressed Tessa’s shoulder. “You are my dream. You and the kids. I only dreamed of you while I was away.” 

Tessa shivered, eager for that touch she had been missing for three days.“I only dreamed of you too.” He tugged her closer to him so that their bodies were plastered together. They both needed the closeness. 

She could see the yearning in his eyes. He hadn’t kept it at bay ever since they glanced at each other after he crossed the portal a few hours before. She had been waiting for him in the study with James and Lucie. She sat in his chair, knowing that he would land there once his job was over. They had been expecting him at five in the afternoon, but came six and he was nowhere in sight. It turned out that Will portaled in the sanctuary, hoping to surprise his family. He went to the drawing room to look for them, imagining he’d find them there, but Tessa had had the same thought. She had also intended to surprise him to be the first person he’d see once he materialized there, but in the end they couldn’t surprise each other. 

When Will crossed the threshold of his study, after all, he locked eyes with Tessa. She’s even more beautiful than I remembered, he thought. They yearned to touch each other to soothe the ache of not having seen each other for three days. He cut the distance and his lips were soon on hers. He couldn’t help it anymore.

“Pa!” James cheered, breaking the moment. He was on the floor beside his mother playing with a toy, and Will picked him up. Then he said hi to Lucie, who was still a little shy but loved to be in her dad’s arms so much. They ate together, and then Will asked if he could put the children to bed. They were both having a hard time because they were growing teeth, so they took their time to fall asleep. They also didn’t want to sleep because they wanted to spend time with him. He had to read them a few stories before they dozed off. He stayed for a while after, watching them sleep. Thinking how they were small and cute and how they resembled him and Tessa. Unbelievable. Their children were also beautiful. 

“Are you sure?” Tessa asked, and Will answered her by making out with her. 

His mouth descended on her shoulder blades and he couldn't stop kissing her neck. "Absolutely," he muttered in between kisses. "Are you?" 

"I missed you so much, Will," she told him. She felt grateful for his thoughtfulness. She knew he might be tired – it was past midnight and the children exhausted her too these days, but she needed this. She needed him, but she thought he needed her more tonight, after his long trip. "This is the longest trip you've made since we got married," she stated. 

"Are you angry about that, Tess?" 

"Absolutely not," she echoed him. "My passion for you only grew more while you were away." 

"So did mine, my love," Will said roughly. "It grew exponentially." 

"I can see that," Tessa teased, raising both eyebrows in his direction. "It needs immediate intervention, I'm afraid." 

Will sighed with anticipation. "Well, don't stop on my account. Please, Tessa. Please," he begged. 

"Since you're asking nicely," Tessa smirked. Her hands worked on his neck and this time, it was her turn to kiss him. 

He was holding her by the hips. “Don’t hold back,” he pleaded. He gazed down at her, ecstatic, still feeling the tingles because of how she had just kissed him. He didn’t want to push her. After all, she might be tired. There was time to recover the time lost. 

Tessa had a glint in her eye.  “You need to relax.”

“What you were doing was relaxing,” Will raised an eyebrow. “You can continue with that. Please, continue doing that.”

She spun on her feet and walked towards the bed in the center of the room. "Let's get comfortable." 

“Tess, cariad, go to b –” He didn’t know how she did it so fast, but in a matter of seconds, she had grabbed him by the shoulder and had pushed his body on the mattress. 

“I’m not done with you. Not yet,” she promised him. She looked mischievous and determined. And bossy. “Go lie down in the middle of the bed, Will,” she ordered him.

Will giggled like a young boy. Not that he was old by any means, but his laugh was the kind you’d heard from a little child getting his favorite cake on an ordinary day. Obviously, he carried out her command. She didn’t have to ask twice. 

Tessa hopped on the bed and placed herself behind him. She couldn’t help but stare at something at the end of his jawbone. “You have a cut over here,” she traced the red line with her finger. “It seems deep.”

He snorted. “That’s probably Gerdard’s fault. That’s why it was itchy.”

“Who is Gerard?” she wondered, her hands started massaging his shoulders. “Is he one from the Paris Clave, perhaps? You’ve never mentioned him.”

“That’s because he is a cat. A damned cat, at that,” Will replied with a sigh. “It does live in the Paris Institute, though. He jumped on my legs while we were speaking with the woman who runs that place,” he moaned because he was enjoying the massage.

“The side of your collar is also stained with blood,” she told him. 

“And Maurice didn’t even bother to tell me,” he protested. “This is better than cake on an ordinary day,” he moaned to her, keeping eye contact as she gave him pleasure.

“But you love cake,” Tessa said.

“Yes, I –” he groaned. “I do love cake. But I love you more – damn Gerard.”

Tessa couldn’t help but smile. “I wonder if there is a cat in this world that likes you,” she said. “Feeling better?” she whispered softly. 

“Let me help you now,” he turned his head to look at her. 

“No, I’m the one that’s supposed to make you feel good tonight,” she objected, now running her hands in the back of his hair.

“I’m already feeling great,” Will commented, placing his hand on hers. “Why don’t you come over here?” he pointed to the bed. “I just want to be next to you and hold your hand.”

“That’s so sweet,” Tessa giggled. “And here I thought you wanted a massage.”

“I enjoyed the massage, thank you,” he kissed her forehead. “But it’s late, and I am cold. I need warmth now, Tessa.”

“I need warmth as well,” she adjusted herself in his embrace. “That’s better, yes.”

Will started telling her about what he and Maurice Bridgestock did in Paris, while Tessa told him about what she and the kids did those three days. At some point her eyes closed, and he ordered her to go to bed. “Thankfully, we’re already here,” she yawned, and he placed her head in the crook of his arm. 

“Goodnight, Tessa,” she felt his hand brushing her hair, and then nothing more, as her tiredness gave in and she fell into the arms of her husband and slept. She’d planned to make him relax after his short trip to Paris. In the end, the plan worked, and she also relaxed.

The next morning, they were jolted awake by someone crying in the room next to theirs. Tessa rubbed her eyes and sat up, but Will was already putting his robe on. “Let me go,” he told her, but she stopped him.

“Let’s go together,” she proposed, and Will smiled at her and waited until she was ready. 

They found Lucie crying in her crib once they reached the nursery. James was still sleeping, but perhaps he would wake up soon because of the fuss his sister was making.

“Lulu, dear,” Will said sweetly. “What’s wrong?”

Lucie’s eyes lit up when she saw him. “Pa!” she cried, and opened her arms to make him understand she wanted to be hugged. 

“I think it’s the teeth again,” Tessa replied. “Or… not.” After Will had taken Lucie in his arms, she had stopped crying. “She’s probably missed you.”

“Such a daddy’s little girl,” he kissed Lucie’s head. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. Next time they’ll ask me to go to Paris, I’ll tell them the whole family is coming because Bridgestock is not fun to be around. I don’t care if they find me ridiculous or childish.”

“Will, you can’t do that,” Tessa laughed. “Even if you hate that man.”

“I just wanted you to see Paris again,” he admitted. “And take the children there with us.”

She put a hand on his arm. “We will see Paris someday, don’t worry. But not today, I’m afraid,” she shrugged. James had just started to cry too. “Oh, Jamie boy. Come here.”

“Someday,” he cupped Tessa’s cheek. “Someday, we will.” And Tessa just knew he would keep his promise. She would make sure he did.

[andypantsx3]

hello!!! tysm for the fic advice, it really really helped!! im in the process of tryna fix up my blog layout and such, may i ask what your first fic was? or what was your first published work and how was it? the feedback, how'd u feel & stuff? i have multiple fics/ideas written down already and i just fr need to post them atp 😭

IM SO SORRY IF THIS FEELS LIKE AN INTERVIEW!! i promise i don't wanna intrude, and you definitely don't need to answer at all!!

Not at all, I’m happy to answer!!

The first thing I ever posted was my fic savvy, which is an aged-up fic about a reader in the UA business course trying to wrangle Bakugou into cooperating on a senior project, and falling in love along the way lol. I only had an ao3 for maybe the first 6 months of my fanfic writing career, so I think at least my first 7 fics were published there exclusively, before I eventually backfllled them here when I finally made a tumblr.

I can say that on ao3, everyone was very kind to me. I would get like one to two very nice comments and a handful of kudos per chapter at the beginning. It's so addicting, realizing people like your work, even if I knew it was unpolished. I would save people's comments in my inbox and read them over and over throughout the day (still do lol. If you're nice to me, I will hold onto your words literally forever). I cannot even properly describe how heady the feeling of appreciation from other people is. It really stays with you forever and ever, and makes you want to grow and learn and be better and keep delivering for those people who were kind to you.

I really like the variety of comments people give on ao3--they range from compliments, to theories about the next chapter, to personal anecdotes about aspects of the chapter, to pages-long analysis of your writing, to strings of emojis, to clarification questions, to well-wishes for your health and safety. It always makes it fun to log back onto ao3 and not be able to anticipate what kind of conversation people will be having with you.

The "negative" experiences I've had on ao3 were mostly invited by my own errors--writing my fic cover shot which is kind of exclusive of readers with darker skin tones, which I was rightly called out for failing to note. And also failing to properly note threats of violence in the first chapter of my fic statistically significant, and accidentally triggering one of my readers, which I still think about and deeply regret to this day.

I also asked for constructive feedback, which I might actually advise against for the first little bit that you are writing. Actually almost none of the concrit that I have received has been actual concrit.

In general, concrit is supposed to recognize the goal of your writing and help you achieve it. But most of the concrit that I have received has been people suggesting their own plotlines and character interpretations, and sometimes that has been phrased as, "Bakugou would never do [X thing you made him do]" or "I don't like that you made them say I love you to each other after just a couple months of knowing each other"--because while I'm sure those comments come from a place of wanting to be helpful, they're super subjective, and don't actually help me write the fic I want to write. And also they can make you feel like an idiot who doesn't understand characters or love or life as well as the next person might.

In general, though, people were very lovely and said that they thought my first few fics were good for first works, and that gave me the encouragement to keep writing!!

I don't know what it might have been like to post my works on tumblr at the same time too, although people have been generally very nice on tumblr as well. I really enjoy the community aspect of tumblr beyond anything, the opportunity to follow and get to know the sorts of people who read my fics!!

I think the one thing that you have to be prepared for when you post on tumblr is salty anons. While asking for no concrit on ao3 should be enough to ward off any more "negative" feedback, I've found tumblr to be just a liiiiiittle bit more hostile in recent months. I think this year especially, people are meaner than ever on the internet lol. I've answered 3 or 4 mean anons publicly in the last 8 months alone, but there are several more I've just chosen to block and delete.

There is almost no way for you to anticipate what kind of thing you will write or say that will upset someone on here, so if I had any advice for you (or past me) it's that you have to anticipate some bad with the good. Tumblr is just a different audience and a different kind of social media where you're judged a little bit more as a person than a writer. But know that the good is totally worth the bad!! The opportunity to really get to know people and make friends on here is the absolute best thing about the fandom.

Anyway I hope this helps and I hope this didn't scare you off!! Being a fic author has been the absolute best thing these past couple years and I totally want you to have the same experience too!!

[the-other-art-blog]

I've never interacted with the Bridgerton fandom before but I lurk sometimes and I agree with you. Since they planted the seed for a potential queer relationship for Benedict, I think they literally don't know where to go/what to do with it. I know it sounds dumb but I think they really don't know what to do, or if they do and go for a queer relationship, they're struggling really hard to make it work as something Benedict can be open with in society. I've been a historical romance reader for a few years now and the few queers love stories I read were not displayed for the entire society to see. Benedict could not dance with a man or kiss him in public and since queerness has already been shown as something to experience in the shadows, it seems a very big thing for Benedict to tackle for his arc, do I make sense? Since it's all about doing what he want and be himself without society caring, it ticks the box but they would have to have very good writing without make it like Benedict's relationship could end homophobia for everyone bc it's a bit much for a systemic issue. If he can't be out in the open, what is the point of it? That's why I think they don't say a thing about Benedict or Sophie, I think they've not thrown out the idea of a bisexual or gay love story yet but they're not sure what to do and they can't talk about Sophie all the time to then have someone else be Benedict's love interest. Personally I wouldn't be mad if Sophie was a man but I don't really trust the writers at this very moment. I think being a historical romance reader is making me a disservice here. I don't mind changes at all, I know how things are written in the media but I know what tropes I do and don't like and in making changes like they did in season 2, they made the characters do things that makes sense in a way but also make them borderline unlikeable for me and if I don't like them or root for them in my historical romance, it's not good. It's growing into it's own thing, its own drama and I love drama, Downton Abbey is one of my fav shows and it's dramatic as fuck. It just feels like they've been baiting romance lovers with the first season being very much like a historical romance book in its essence and now their writing choices are throwing me off a little bit. I do still trust them with Polin, if they did it so well for Anthony I know they can do it again. But Benedict? For some reason I'm not so sure. I care and ramble too much lol and some of what I said is obviously a "me" problem but yeah

I disagree, anon. I think they know exactly what they should do with Benedict. JQ may have ceded a lot, but she must have made guaranteed her endgame couples. From a business POV, it doesn't make sense to tell a completely different story from the one in the books. Yes, Kanthony was very different, but they're still Kate and Anthony, and traits of their book counterparts are in the series. Also, I understand that they couldn't have two consecutive seasons with the same storyline: we got caught so we had to marry and learned to love each other along the way. Even JQ said so.

So, I'm sure the production knows they have to cast Sophie and tell the story. The problem is that a section of the fandom (notably not a lot of benophie fans) and the press is pushing a gay storyline exclusively for Benedict! The reason why they don’t mention Sophie is because they don’t want to lose those viewers. They didn’t expect that kind of reaction from the fans in s1. CVD said that that was not what they intended at all. And now they have to deal with it. I think they are hoping those demands died out in the future.

But at the same time, they are trying to emphasize that Benedict is straight. He was in the art school, he could have seen a male model, but no. He saw Tessa and quickly slept with her. I think we are gonna see Benedict with other women in s3.