#can i write baseball fanfic of my own nonsense?

[yo-yo-yoshiko]

Getting used to the boy before settling in for some page inking using these old sketches.

[improbable-outset]

Do you ever feel like you're going insane when you read smut that makes like ..no fucking sense for the character. Like when ppl write Kenji as if he's some sort of bad boy womanizer and it's not an au he's just like that and it's ..that is???? Not the same man from the movie??? Like yeye bad boys hot but that's a decently polite young man? He memorized all of the reporters names... And knows their favorite teams??? He literally packed his entire life and career because his mom asked him to. Like he only lost his cool under extreme sleep deprivation blatant harassment and the assumption that his father was dead. Tbh the fact he didn't go villain after he though Emi died. Kinda a testament to that man's good boy status. Cause love Miguel but he'd have snapped in that moment (might feel bad after but like that would be after the fact) actually Miguel would've snapped way sooner probably between being told to go back to America and baby getting hurt the first time.

Also aside from baseball stuff Kenji touches things very gently like minimum points of contact, he's terrified of breaking his surroundings people please stop asking him to choke you and choke him instead and call him a good boy. He needs the validation to thrive.

TL:DR

Ouff anon, when I received this ask in my inbox, the first thing I thought of was, “I really hope my writing doesn’t come off like this.”

Because while fanfiction gives writers the freedom to explore characters in various ways, I do think that there’s something special and more refreshing about honoring the complexity of characters and their flaws.

Fanfictions are meant to be fun and imaginative, but it can be jarring when a character’s entire personality gets altered for the sake of fitting a popular trope.

I understand where you’re coming from, though, anon. It’s common for characters to be written into a familiar trope like the ‘dominant bad boy’ even if it doesn’t fit their canon personality.

However, this isn’t something new. People have been doing this for a long time, and I think it’s influenced by platforms like Wattpad, where those kind of characters are super popular.

People gobble that shit up so fast. And it’s become more prominent now and I think it might be because of BokTok. (Don’t take my word for it, this is an extremely biased opinion)

People will apply that trope to attractive characters from different media, and it can often lead to the character being portrayed in a way that contradicts their established personality.

And you’re right, Kenji's softer, more respectful nature might get overwritten because people might prioritise their own fantasies over canon, which might make them feel out of place a litte.

My guess, self indulging.

He is polite and thoughtful, and he definitely has that ‘good boy’ energy like you said. Those small details that you’ve mentioned paint the picture of who he truly is, but sometimes can be lost in fanfics when the focus is on making him fit the bad boy role.

I’m gonna drop some headcanons here, but I think part of Kenji’s politeness came from the struggles he faced when he lived in LA— being made fun of for the way he talks, his culture, and the food he ate.

It makes sense that he might have developed some people-pleasing tendencies from that, almost gentle demeanor, especially on camera. He’s someone who doesn’t want to mess up and tries to stay composed because that’s what people expect from him.

You mentioned Miguel and how he might’ve snapped way sooner. But, you have to understand that Miguel isn’t like for no reason.

His intense emotions and anger is rooted in his guilt. He literally collapsed an entire dimension and accidentally committed omniscide by disrupting a canon unknowingly.

He’s angry and defensive because he doesn’t want to make that mistake again. His strict, no-nonsense attitude is a shield and a defence mechanism as he prevents another catastrophe.

I don’t want to make it seem like I’m comparing their traumas. Both men have their own issues and which makes them unique and shapes their character in different ways.

Kenji is dealing with the pressure of his strained relationship with his father, the expectations of taking over his Ultraman duties, and the lingering pain of being bullied and his absent mother.

Similarly, Miguel’s trauma of losing a dimension and disrupting a canon unknowingly fuels his strict personality.

The only reason I’m delving into Miguel is that he’s another character who often gets rewritten for the sake of thirst or popular tropes, (and mischaracterised for being aggressive) when in reality, his harshness is a product of his deep emotional scar.

And just because a character is attractive doesn’t mean we should ignore the layers that make them compelling.

Both Kenji and Miguel are rich characters to explore with emotional depth shaped by their past experiences.

And I think it’s important to understand and respect those complexities (unless it’s an AU), rather than moulding them into a trope that doesn’t align with their backstories.

Of course, fanfiction is about fandom’s creativity and self-indulging, and people are free to interpret characters how they like, but I understand the frustration when you come across a fic or a set of headcanons that feel out of place with the original character.

[cloudcountry]

Here comes the fanfic TWST ramble, and I say this threateningly 🫵 /J

But yeah!! As I’ve mentioned before, my fic plays off one of the more popular theories in the TWST fandom. This theory is that whenever the main character ‘Yuu’, dies, they then get replaced with a new Yuu. This new Yuu then has to go through the events of the game again, starting from the beginning. This loop of events repeat until a Yuu survives all of the events, overblots and all. The Reader (who I’m going to call Loop!Reader-) is the final ‘Yuu’, and they’re the one who ends the loop.

Admittedly, I wanted Loop!Reader to be clearly different from the Yuu in the game. However, I mainly used TWST’s light novel iteration (Yes, there’s an official light novel of TWST. I was shocked too) of Yuu, Yuuya Kuroki, as a base for inspiration. While Yuuya is almost painfully introverted and gives off the vibes of a soaking wet cat (sorry Yuuya- He really needs a hug-), Loop!Reader is very energetic, extroverted, flamboyant, and vibrant. She’s popular in school and has a large friend group. Her exuberance and liveliness may seem a bit overwhelming at times, but she really is a nice person! Whenever she’s in a conversation or outing, she makes sure no one feels left out and tries to involve everyone. And instead of coming from Japan like Yuu and their other iterations, Loop!Reader comes from America and is of Spanish descent.

Let me give a quick synopsis:

The story itself starts off with Loop!Reader mulling over the fact that it’s been almost a year since her best friend Rosalie’s disappearance. But she can’t dwell on it for long because she has to go play in a baseball tournament, and her team has to go against another team that they have some animosity with. Both her and her baseball team go all out, and they win, though just barely! While Loop!Reader is waiting for the rest of her team, she hears a cry, turns around just in time to see horses pulling a black carriage charging at her, and everything goes black. When she wakes up, she’s thrust into the world of Twisted Wonderland with seemingly no way home. As time goes on however, she starts getting odd dreams about her missing best friend…

Ngl, the fish facts you gave reminded me of the nicknames Floyd gives to others! In case of Loop!Reader, I’ll be honest, I’m having a bit of trouble coming up with one- So far, I was thinking he could call her either Swordfish or Sailfish, mainly because Loop!Reader is an incredibly fast runner. But neither of those sound as cute or catchy as Shrimpy in my opinion, so I’m a little bit stuck,, 

Oh, but speaking of nicknames!! One time I jokingly made Loop!Reader call Azul, ‘Azulito’ in some practice dialogue where she was teasing him, and I thought I would never use that nickname again. I was wrong. Loop!Reader calls Malleus, ‘Cuernitos,’ which means ‘little horns’ in Spanish-

I’m pretty excited to write for Loop!Reader!! Her expressive personality paired up with the wide cast of TWST is definitely going to be interesting >:] *cough* The newfound Azul lover genes in me are vibrating and are already trying to think of scenarios with him and Loop!Reader 🧍‍♂️ 

And for the fun of it, I made a quick list of ship dynamics with Loop!Reader and some of the TWST characters-:

Azul and Loop!Reader —> Conniving Bastard (/aff) x Popular Drama Queen

Riddle and Loop!Reader —> No-nonsense x Free Spirit

Floyd and Loop!Reader —> >:] x ;)

Ace and Loop!Reader —> “Only I can make fun of them!” (Goes both ways-)

Malleus and Loop!Reader —> Loves listening x Talks all the time

Jamil and Loop!Reader —> Over it™ x Drama Queen

Idia and Loop!Reader —> Pessimist x Optimist

And also for the heck of it,,, have some random snippets I wrote randomly trying to get a feel on how to write Loop!Reader’s character—

~~~

(Name) wanted to bury her head in her hands and scream. Why were all the boys she’s met by now in Night Raven College so stupidly attractive, and why couldn’t the boys at her own school be like them?

~~~

“So someone showed up today, and they were pretty, uh...” (Name) trailed off, but the way she smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear gave Grim the message. 

He stuck out his tongue in disgust. “Henchman, get it together!”

~~~

(Some context: This is the aftermath of Loop!Reader bumping into Malleus for the first time-)

“Grim,” (Name) hissed, gently trying to shake the grey creature awake. “Grim, get up!”

“No, my tuna-- Bwah? Huh?” Grim blinked groggily. “Henchman? What’s happening?”

“Grim, you will not believe what just happened.” (Name) kept her voice low, but her eyes were wide with anticipation.

“What?” Grim said, still groggy from sleep. He rubbed his eyes.

“I just met the most beautiful man in the world two minutes ago. Like, for real.”

Grim stared at her with tired eyes, clearly unimpressed. “You woke me up for this? I was dreaming about mountains of tuna… And anyway, didn’t you say the same thing about those other two guys?”

“Okay, the other OTHER most beautiful man,” (Name) cut herself with a sharp shake of her head. “But that’s beside the point! I just went out for a quick walk outside and I bump into the most gorgeous man I’ve EVER seen. Great hair, amazing eyes, handsome face. I didn’t catch his name though, he didn’t want to tell me.”

“Huh,” Grim looked at her with squinted eyes. “What was he doing all the way out here?”

(Name) shrugged. “Something about abandoned ruins? I think he was taking a look around here.” The girl’s eyes widened when a thought struck her. “So he’s gorgeous…” She whispered conspiratorially, a small smile dusting her lips. “And kind of a nerd. One of the best combinations.”

“Uh-huh, sure…” Grim nestled back onto his spot on the bed, trying to go back to sleep. “You owe me some extra tuna for waking me up, henchman.”

“Hey!”

~~~

All in all, I’m pretty excited to write it!! Loop!Reader is fun to write, and I like making her interact with other characters >:D

Jackdaw Anon 🐦

WAIT YEA I KNOW THAT THEORY!!!!!! THATS S O COOL?? I LOVE THAT CONCEPT SO MUCH...IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE SUPER ANGSTY aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAA!!! also i love the contrast between them omg jhasfdhgasfd

dont worry about the name not being catchy!!! honestly ive gotten into the habit of assigning fish and rocks to peoples ocs and even people themselves sometimes (like how i call my mutuals angelfish, piranha, sea walnut, etc!!) so juts have fun with it!!!! :D

THOS ENICKNAMES ARE SUPER CUTE TOO I LOVE THEM :(((

[daglout]

wat are some of ur fave fanfics?

I paused Boss Baby to answer this I hope you’re satisfied.

Lmao.

Sadly I don’t read as much fanfic as I used to, and I definitely read less than I want to. I still need to catch up with a LOT of fics, so I’m only going to list what I have caught up with.

Before we begin might I recommend, anyway, Taming A Monster (HTTYD) and Daughter of Death (Mulan) by my friend @missiemoose ?? !?

Okay, now we shall officially begin!

I’ve separated these recs into HTTYD and non-HTTYD.

HTTYD:

Heart of a Scot, Soul of a Dragon by @joliemariella  [Brave/HTTYD crossover—Mericup]  This is my current favorite fanfic of all time! No hyperbole!! The relationship between Merida and Dagur is so wonderful I can’t get enough of these PERFECT BEST FRIENDS! And I just absolutely love how the two worlds are bridged together; nothing feels rushed or out of place, everyone is perfectly in-character and the story never loses its sense of wonder! If you’re a fan of “Brave” and a bigger fan of Dagur (because this is a big Dagur fanfic,) I highly recommend it!

Practically Cliché by @tysonrunningfox  [Modern AU—Erestrid]  The…very first…fanfic I read for HTTYD…….(I’m pretty sure)... Reader beware, Eret is naked 9 times out of 10. This fic is what made me fall in love with Astrid’s character and really start to understand her better. That might be my favorite part of fox’s stories, that she writes Astrid so candidly and in a way that gets her. And also Eret is really hot. This fic is Rated R for Raunchy.

Bring It Back Home also by @tysonrunningfox  [Modern AU—Snotstrid]  BASEBALL SEASON IS SNOTSTRID SEASON AND ONLY THE STRONG WILL SURVIVE. I’m serious I can’t look at baseball without thinking of this horribly wonderful story and these silly pictures. I think this is the fic that ruined me. It made me not hate baseball. It gave me a domestic Snotstrid fetish. It’s AMAZING!

Just follow @tysonrunningfox and if you aren’t already, what are you doing. READ ALL HER FICS !! ! !!

No Justice In Secrets by CrawlingFlesh  [Canon Divergence—Daglout]  This very well may be the only proper (as in on a fanfic site) Daglout fanfiction ever to exist. It’s a bit tragic, but I like to imagine a happy epilogue.

You’re Everything I Want (And Nothing I Can Keep) by @wilderwestqueen  [Modern AU—Hiccstrid]  What can I say, I’m a sucker for helpless pining and fake relationships! This fic gives me all the Hiccstrid I could ask for and more. Even more Hiccstrid. It’s so much. It’s just like that tub of homemade frosting I made so I could eat it all but it’s too sweet to consume it ALL AT ONCE like I had planned. I mean, I want to consume it all right now, I really do, but is it healthy for me?? No. I do it anyway. ..What were we talking about?

Gift Of A Mother by GreatMarta  [Canon Divergence]  I know AU’s where Hiccup runs away during the first movie are popular, but this fic satisfies the need I always have for stories about Valka coming back to Berk. I’m always way more interested in how people who have lived in nature adapt back to a human way of life, and I want to explore Valka’s life on Berk! And with Jorgenson family feels and Smallcup, this is the perfect place for me to settle right in.

Every Nest Has Its Queen by Palus_Heimalis  [Canon Divergence]  ANOTHER VALKA-FOCUSED FIC!! That’s right, because they’re all good. And this one is especially good because she’s a transwoman now. Oh yeah. Can’t take that away from me!!!!!!!

Hallow’s Eve by @maedarakat  [Modern+Fantasy AU—Tuffgur]  Who knew being a werewolf fit Dagur so well? We knew. We all knew, deep down. Maybe this is more of a seasonal fic for some people, who are cowards and fools and keep Halloween to a specific month of the year. That’s not how I live!! The Tuffnut/Dagur content in this fic is  #Prime  and completely appreciated.

And you should follow @maedarakat if you’re a fan of the Thorston twins, because he posts like…all the best and most quality content for those rascals. If I could, and it’s only me stopping me, I would go through his whole archive and link every ficlet. But I need to finish watching Boss Baby and it’s already 4 AM.

Non-HTTYD:

Aftermath by @barduil —  Look. … . ..I can’t leave the 2016 remake of “Beauty and the Beast” behind me, try as I might, and GaFou is JUST the hill I will die on. This is the fanfic that helps me COPE.

Beauty and the Biryani by EmpressIrony —  Okay. You might not understand the reason why this exists. It’s born from a sort of… Well, you had to be there. And you can’t now. We can never go back. This was built from the blogging of Nella’s hilarious and excruciating journey through “The Tiger’s Curse” novel, which was all on a site that is long gone. In its time, fans of her blog were writing fanfics in response to posts and others comments (usually from Goodreads forums. God…good times. I even had my own fic from this event). I think this fic stands on its own as a cute romance. There is quite an age difference, though! So if you’re not into that, skip!!

The Fountain’s Promise by last place — Just a really niche fic that stuck with me forever. When I looked up the “Western” genre in the Death Note archive once and really late into a school night, I wasn’t actually looking for something great, but greatness was waiting! This fanfic delves into Morality and Fate, those nonsense concepts all the best Death Note fics tried their hand at. It’s a bit more fantastical than realistic, but I remember the concept working quite well!

Pantheon by @inkedinserendipity — This is such a beautiful epilogue to “Moana’. I love all of inked’s “Moana” stories; they’re a deep dive (ocean humor) into the story beyond, and I highly, highly recommend you check them out if you love the film!

[commodorecliche]

hey babe!! I just have a little q for u. Do you have any advice for writing porn/mature scenes into stories? I struggle with this more than anything, and end up making the rest of my piece really awkward trying to write my way around it instead of writing it. Any advice? Sending via ask bc maybe someone else will benefit from my question too.

Woo! I’m finally getting to answer this ask - I’ve been out and about with the fam today. And it was just… not an opportune time to talk about writing about people doin’ the do. But I’m home now and can actually answer this. 

I’m going to put this below a cut, because obviously this is long and NSFW (duh). R18+ below the cut. You’ve been warned! 

Okay so smut can be understandably very difficult to write. From my experience with reading smut, I’ve noticed that the biggest and most glaring issue is that people don’t know how to make it realistic. And ‘realistic’ can refer to a lot of different things: it could be because something is anatomically impossible, it could be because they are over-exaggerating the feelings/sensations descriptions to the point where they are over the top, it could be because the writer is inexperienced and doesn’t know what certain sexual acts entail, it could be because they keep calling a character’s penis their Love Hammer. Staying realistic is accomplished via simplicity: like having the tone of your smut stay in line with the tone of your piece, or maintaining your characters emotional states throughout the sexual experience. But all in all, it’s pretty easy to tell when smut is bad: bad smut just doesn’t feel realistic.

A lot of people’s go-to advice when asked about writing smut is to tell people to go watch porn in order to learn about sex better - but I actually disagree with that tip. I don’t disagree with it from any moral stance or personal preference, either. I like porn. But of course, some porn has it’s moral, feminist, and ethical issues - but those are things that are best left to another post. Porn can certainly been enjoyable and sometimes even helpful. But the reason I would tell most people to just skip trying to learn about smut from porn is because most porn nowadays is astoundingly unrealistic. It’s not made to be informative about sex or how sex works/feels - it’s made to be entertaining to a viewer. And for many people it is. But it isn’t realistic, and a lot of stuff that happens in porn just does not translate well to the page.

If you are curious and feel that something visual would help you get a better understanding of sex, then I would recommend looking up lower budget/amateur level porn. It typically is more realistic as far as the experience of both partners goes.

But aside from that, something that will really help you better understand writing smut?: go read smut. Go find smut that you LIKE. Read a bunch of smut.  Take notes about it. Find smut that sounds AWFUL to you. Find smut that sounds AMAZING to you. Find smut that turns you on. If it turns you on, or makes you feel emotional, then odds are it’s good smut. Naturally, everyone has their preferences as to what they like in smut, but it’s pretty easy to spot bad smut. (I’ll get to that a bit later)

Okay, Lindsey, so how do I understand smut better to WRITE it?

1) Understand the tone of your piece.Tone: The tone of your fic as a whole needs to match the tone of your smut. For example, if you are writing a fic that is heavily emotional, where the focus is mostly on their first time together, or on their emotions/feelings, then suddenly tossing in a nasty, kinky, graphic sex session to top it all off is going to ultimately feel out of place tonally. (That isn’t to say that situation CAN’T be executed well, but it takes skill. But if you’ve got a fic where characters are… learning about their feelings for each other, waxing poetic about how much they mean to each other, being sappy and emotional together, and then toss in a “OH, FIST ME DADDY” scene, it’s gunna feel… off.)

2) Understand the characters you’re writing.Characters: Understand the characters you’re working with. Whether these are your own characters or someone else’s characters (fanfic), you need to examine the personalities that have been crafted for them. Are they a character who would become deeply emotionally involved with someone? Are they a character who is emotional, but also very physical? Are they a character who is reserved/shy sexually? How experienced are they in bed? If they are experienced, then what kind of experiences have they had before? Etc. Because your understanding of a character is how you are going to want to portray them in bed. If they are a shy, inexperienced virgin, guess what? They probably won’t be rushing to swallow a cock. And they sure as heck aren’t gunna be taking a dick the size of a baseball bat up their tush immediately.  Build up to it, make the smut work with their characterizations. 

3) Understand the nature of the relationship you’re writing.Nature of the relationship: This goes along with the previous point, but what kind of relationship do these two characters have? If they are getting together for the first time, have they been friends since they were kids and are deeply emotionally invested in each other? Is this a casual hookup? Are they in love? Have they had sex before and are just now realizing they want to have something more serious together? Have they been in a long term relationship for years and are intimately familiar with each other? Are they sexual strangers? Is this a case of “love/lust at first sight”? Is this relationship meant to last? Etc.

4) Understand what kind of sexual encounter you’re writing.Nature of the sexual encounter: What kind of encounter is this? Are these two characters in a relationship and unable to contain their desire for each other? Are they having a sordid quickie in the bathroom at a party? Are they having soft, slow, meaningful sex together in the quiet of a bedroom? Is this the first time they’ve ever met? First time they’ve slept together even if they already know each other? Are they nervous? Are they desperate and hungry for each other and frantic to have each other? You can make any of these work with any kind of relationship, btw:

“These characters meant for this to be a casual hookup, but they accidentally got a little too emotionally invested".“These two characters have been together for years, they adore each other, and they love to experiment with each other sexually, so sure honey, get that fist up in there.“ “These characters have been pining over each other and are finally getting together.” etc. 

You can have a lot of fun with smut, you just have to figure out what kind of smut you’re wanting to portray. And a lot of that is going to depend on the points above.

Okay, Lindsey, that’s super. I’ve got a grasp of all that stuff, but it still feels clunky! What would making actually WRITING the smut easier?

1) Learn. Anatomy. And learn about sexual acts. Don’t be afraid to look up blowjob tips or look up guides on how to rim/eat out/finger somebody effectively. Go read people’s personal accounts of sexual experiences. Go read comments where people talk about what they like in bed. It’s super helpful.

2) For the love of god, avoid as many ridiculous euphemisms as you can. Think of sex in a much more grounded sense - don’t think of it in metaphorical terms. Some subsitution words are okay, obviously. A penis can be a dick or cock, sometimes even a member, but even that sounds a bit ridiculous sometimes. A hole can be an entrance, a rim, etc… But for the love of god, avoid nonsensical euphemisms. I have seen smut that legitimately, without any hint of irony, called a penis a “meatstick”. Meatstick is not sexy. If you were in bed with someone, and they said “Oh yeah, baby, you like my meatstick?”, you would laugh your ass right off that bed. You would laugh your ass all the way back to your house after you left that moron naked and alone in their bed. Nobody is in bed and thinks to themselves “god this meathammer sure is just the bees-knees”. Sex is sexy! You don’t need to dress it up with ridiculous euphemisms. You don’t need to call a dick a meathammer to make it sexier. Call a dick a dick. Call a pussy a pussy. Call a clit a clit. Call an asshole a hole.  

(**Note: I am speaking from a cis perspective about this. Writing trans characters in sexual situations is something that I feel a trans individual should advise, rather than me. I do not feel it would be right for me to try to offer advice about how one should or should not refer to sexual organs when it comes to a trans or nonbinary perspective, as that is not a perspective that I have experienced. (This is especially important I think regarding body dysphoria; I want trans individuals to have THEIR say about what is or isn’t appropriate as far as genital descriptions. And this may come down to personal preference, like a lot of smut.)  If any trans individuals would like to weigh in on this or offer advice, please feel free to comment! But… I still stand by my assertion that you should never in a million years call a penis a meathammer.**)

3) Don’t forget that sex can range from strictly physical, to strictly emotional, to a mixture of both. And depending on the tone you want to set, you should pick what kind of range you’re working with. If it’s more physical than emotional, try to focus on the physical aspects of it - what are they physical sensations? If it is more emotional, then show how the character is feeling as the actions take place. Most of the time, you’ll be working with a mix of physicality and emotionality. And even strictly physical sex can have emotional sensations (happiness, euphoria, frustration, etc…) Tell us the actions that are happening, of course, but don’t forget to show us how the characters feel about them too.

4) Foreplay, foreplay, foreplay. Even if this is a one night stand, foreplay is a must. Jumping straight into the sex can be wholly unsatisfying for both parties. Let them kiss - let them bite each others’ necks. Let them suck hickies into each others’ skin. Let them touch, let them tease. Nibble ears, play with nipples, dig fingers into hipbones, grind pelvises against thighs in desperation. Let them be hungry for each other. Like someone once told me: If this sexual encounter isn’t a “hit-it-and-quit-it” situation, don’t treat it like one.

5) Avoid too much dialogue - especially lengthy dialogue. Once sex starts happening, your characters likely won’t be having lengthy conversations about the meaning of life, ya know? Dialogue can certainly happen, but it’s not like a normal conversation. It’s breathy, it’s strained, it’s needy, it’s curt. It’s filled with moans and whimpers and uneven breaths. 

If it’s desperate/quick/needy sex, keep your speech curt and to the point: “Yes”, “God, fuck”, “Please”, “You like that?”, “More”. If it’s more relaxed/emotional sex, your speech can be a little lengthier, but not by much: “You’re so beautiful”, “God, I love you”, “I’ve missed you so much”, “Tell me you love me”, “Please, I want you”, “It’s okay”, “Kiss me”, “God, you feel so fucking good” (PS, don’t be afraid to let them swear).

6) Focus on the big picture - don’t just focus on the actions, or even just the emotions. What sounds are they making? How are they breathing? Are they nervous and whimpery? Are they aggressively desperate and growling with need? Do they moan? Is it hot in the room? Are they above the covers? Under them? Do they hiss when they’re touched? Are they breathless? Do they bite and kiss and lick? Do they rake nails down each others’ backs? Give us a whole picture. (And as with any writing: SHOW DON’T TELL. Don’t say “He breathed rapidly”, say “He panted” instead.) Paint us a picture, give us a scene to visualize.

7) Think about what YOU enjoy. Seriously. If you’re ever in doubt about whether or not something sounds sexy, or if it would feel good or not, think about your own sexual experiences and about what you like. Whether you’ve been with a partner or just on your own, or even just remembering your own fantasies. You likely understand sex and sexual sensations more than you think you do. If you ever are unsure, think of your own feelings, your own emotions, and your own sensations. It can really help.

Got any examples, Lindsey?

Making smut sound realistic takes some skill, but of course, like with any skill it just takes practice. The more you write it, the easier and more natural it will be. And the better you understand sex (whether from experience, observation, reading, etc…), the more easily you’ll write sex. Below, are two examples: one is an example of “do” (using a snippet from one of my own works, hopefully that isn’t too... idk, pretentious? it’s what i had on hand lol) and an example of “don’t” (using a notoriously bad, published erotica scene).

Do:

Shiro presses down into him, body rolling against his - fluid and pliant and wanting, going wherever Keith would have him go. He only moves away when Keith ushers him to do so. Nimble, determined fingers push at the waistband of Shiro’s pants, urging them down as best he can. Shiro understands - he’d have to be a fool not to - and he leans up, ridding himself of his pants and briefs as Keith unbuckles his own and does the same.

They’re naked now and Keith’s body feels the same as it always has. Shiro finds comfort in the familiarity. He eases between Keith’s legs once more, folding himself down close, his elbows resting at either side of Keith’s head. He cages him, encases him, guards him off from the world, lowering his mouth to Keith’s with a gentle roll of his hips.(from my fic, “Coherence”, there is more smut in there if you want to see more of how I write it, this is just a little snippet)

(for the love of god) Don’t:

He came again so hard that his dick wrenched out of her hand and a shot of it hit him straight in the eye and stung like nothing he’d ever had in there, and he yelled with the pain, but the yell could have been anything, and as she grabbed at his dick, which was leaping around like a shower dropped in an empty bath, she scratched his back deeply with the nails of both hands and he shot three more times, in thick stripes on her chest. Like Zorro.(from “Winkler” by Giles Coren)

Takeaways: 

- Don’t be afraid to research- Don’t be afraid to talk about how things feel- Don’t be afraid to talk about what things/characters are doing- Don’t be afraid to emulate your own experiences- Don’t be afraid to show the physicality of it- Don’t be afraid to show the emotional aspects of it- Stay grounded, stay realistic

So yeah, that got a lot longer than I meant for it to be, but I hope that this was at least somewhat helpful! If any of y'all have any specific questions/concerns that I didn’t address here, please feel free to reply/message/inbox me and I’ll do my best to answer!

Thanks for taking the time to read this monster-length wall of text, too… I hope it helps!! 

[shotce]

10 Questions

Omg you guys, I feel so loved lol thank you! Soooo, I hope I'm doing this right, now that I'm finally getting around to it! 10 QUESTIONS: Tagged by @ellebeedarling 1. What’s the best vacation you’ve ever had? Oh, this is hard. Um. When I went to Edinburgh I had an absolute blast, and I can't remember if we did the day trip to Paris that visit or the one before, but yeah. Gale force winds and torrential downpour by the Eiffel Tower and it was STILL super fun.
 2. Who was your first crush (or first close friend if you’ve never had a crush)? Huh, some kid in elementary school? 😅 3. What is your favorite tv series? Ooo, so many! I'm currently watching Due South, Game of Thrones and Teen Wolf(past seasons, no Stiles, no me), tho. 4. Are you into sports? Participating or watching? Which ones? I prefer being active in one, but going to baseball games is fun. 5. What is your guilty pleasure album/musician? The one you’re embarrassed to tell people you love? I have no shame! My Chemical Romance. But Irish Punk and the Fallout playlist on Spotify are my Go Tos. 6. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Finally getting cold weather and snuggling up with hot drinks, the poodle and appropriate movies. 7. What is your favorite alcoholic beverage? Irish coffee or cranberry vodka rn. 8. What is something you’ve always wanted to learn how to do? So many things, a second language would be nice. 9. Are you a singer or a dancer or both? I used to sing well enough, now I don't even try. I can do the Shepard shuffle! 10. Do you play any musical instruments? I've tried. Flute, organ, drums. I never stayed interested long enough. Tagged by @missannaraven 1. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Oh man, pizza?
 2. Do you have any nicknames? If not, is there one you’d like to have? Shotce, Iggy, Lainey, Zombie (every morning my roomies see me), Ti-Ti, Dory, Lainers etc. 3. If you won the lottery tomorrow, what’s the first thing you’d buy? Tickets to Ireland with plans to go eastward until I'm back home. You know I'll have to bring all my buddies too. International road trip ftw!!
 4. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night.
 5. Do you consider yourself a good cook? I grew up with parents who are great at cooking (used to have their own restaurant and pizzeria) so I know my fair share, but there's a lot I've never learned that I should have😩 6. What kinds of things really make you laugh? I like being stupid with friends. I also get really excited very easily about nerdy things.
 7. What is your favourite way to spend a day off? Relaxing with the poodle. Reading fanfic. Hiking once upon a time.
 8. Do you have any pet peeves? Usually work related things, my sister, people WHO CAN'T DRIVE (though I've probably done the same thing at one point)
 9. Who is your best friend? Irl girl!Cody. On tumblr, @ellebeedarling .
 10. What should I know about you that I’d never think to ask? Idek I used to be very religious thanks to my sheltered Catholic upbringing. Love of fanfic and fandom removed a lot of that nonsense from my eyes, but I still struggle with what I used to believe and what I still do, if that makes sense? Tagged by @sweet-ree 1. What’s your sign? Birthday? Aries, April 1. 2. Favorite cocktail? (If you don’t drink, favorite concoction?) This week it's the Nutella latte from Sambalatte. 3. Do you have any special/unusual/secret talents? Err. Uhmmmm. Monkey toes? 4. What is a personal accomplishment you are proud of? Did anyone tell you that you couldn’t do it? I started drawing again. I've traveled places far away. 5. What is your favorite stuffed animal? Current please (and don’t tell me you don’t have any, I’m over 40 and I have lots incl a giant Appa, I wont believe you) LOL Let's see, I donated a lot but kept the large, fluffy Eeyore I got when I was sick on my first trip to Disneyland when I was 22. Then I got my Grunt plushie. And the Dogmeat one. 5.5 Favorite fic writers? Ouch. Which fandom? Lol 7. Phrase from a video game which became like a mantra to you? (one of my favorite questons!) Living lean~Kaidan Alenko , gotta cut out that clutter! 8. Who was your first fictional crush? (another favorite) Aladdin and Esmeralda. I think. 9. Any kinks you’d like to share? My kinks are of the non-sexual kind like cute messages, domesticity and fluffy things. 10. Post a gif/smiley face/pic/emoji of your current mood. 😋 Tagged by @estalfaed Dream Vacation location? If it has to be one place, Finland. Who did you save - Kaidan or Ashley? Kaidan. What is your favorite desert? Boston Cream or cherries. What is a MUST-HAVE in a prospective partner? Kindness, loves dogs, nerdiness, hygienic. Which was your favorite Doctor Who companion (if you watched the show)? Whelp. Only watched it with my Who-obsessed friends. I liked Rose, but Martha was kickass and River was was just...saucy. River counts! A salt circle is good for keeping out what? Demonic thingys and spirits. Sadly, not unwanted family. Favorite Movie? Star Wars/Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, The Mummy, Pirates of the Caribbean, Hocus Pocus, Aliens etc etc If you could have any super power, what would it be? Breathing under water maybe. You have three paths before you, one leads to a misty forest, one leads to a ruined castle, and the last leads to a quiet lagoon. Which do you choose? Oh dude, I see a castle overseas and I'm Gone, but I'll always pick the forest. If you could see your future, good, bad and in between. Would you want to? I'll always want to know, but hopefully will say no. My Questions: Which (video game) character do you most empathize with and why? In ME3 did you pick Control, Synthesis or Destroy? Or which one did you favor when playing multiple times? If you didn't play ME, which type of endings do you usually choose? What is an otp you don't post as much about? What about your notp? Would you be interested in a flat Kaidan/mshenko sent out through the community? What is your favorite type of xover to read/see? Don't like xovers? What's a show/movie/fandom you're into that's rarely on your blog? What trope is your favorite and which one do you despise? Do you have any gaming/writing rituals? (I.e. Cocktails, mood lighting) What way do you like to shake off a bad day? Or what motivates you? If you joined the Inquistion (or moved into a castle) where would you park your butt? Tavern? Library? The gardens? Stable? What is your weapon of choice in most video games? Powers/biotics? Shotguns or arrows? Wit or strength? YAY and that's 10. Man that was hard. Ok, I tag everyone below, feel free to join in if you want. @estalfaed @sweet-ree @ellebeedarling @missannaraven @estora @mehutchinsane @you-are-a-program @young-avenger @mandydarlings @thejollywriter @omegastation @threewhiskeylunch @introspecticskeptic @blueteaparty @rego-mem @humblydefiant @simon-and-garfunkbot @willowdeville @mshenkoaddiction @vorchagirl @renlyslittlerose @blueeyeschina