#hey look shit i've had in my drafts for years and forgot about

[marksbear]

Hi Mark 🐻

I really really like your Blog and your Stories 🤎

I wanted to ask if I may make a request? I've been thinking about Jake Seresin from Top Gun a lot lately and there are only your stories about him.

So, my request would be Jake „Hangman“ Seresin x Male Reader.

-> Jake and M/N are in a relationship, but Jake doesn't want to make it public and hasn't told the others either. He's always playing the playboy.

M/N comes to the bar and sees Jake flirting with a woman and he decides to "get revenge" and flirts with a man. Jake sees it all and becomes incredibly jealous.

Jake confronts M/N and they have a huge fight. M/N breaks up in tears and goes home. The gang try to help Jake and he tells them why he never said he had a boyfriend (fear of his dad).

The gang and even Maverick help Jake do something romantic. Jake orders M/N to the bar again and then blindfolds him. You go into the bar, which is decorated in a totally romantic way. The two eat together and talk. They finish dancing and Jake then leads M/N to the beach where the others are waiting and officially introduces him as his boyfriend.

Thank you in advance and I look forward to reading more from you. Aaaand I wish you a happy new year 🤎

Hey Anon! Thank you for liking my blog and all that means a lot to me! And I hope you like this one my friend!

And sorry for this taking so long! I meant to post it on new years but got drunk and shit and kinda forgot this was in my drafts! 😭

Warnings! Angst to fluff!,

JAKE SERESIN X MALE READER

Y/n was in a different squad. His squad was always going second after Maverick's squad. That means they always see them fly first and go to missions first.

One of the mission's Mavericks team caught them off guard and the navy needed Y/n's squad to save them.

And that's how Y/n met Hangman. Y/n thought he was irritating to save, but he dealt with him anyway taking him to safety.

Even though Jake didn't want to praise the other group he had to praise the leader. Sergeant Y/n L/n. He thought Y/n was pretty damn good at his job. The way he took care of his team and the way he showed why hes the leader was pretty good.

After they completed the mission Y/n and Jake had unrecognizable tension between each other. With all that tension in the room led to Jake cracking and asking out Y/n on a date. They spend almost everyday with each other not missing a single day without seeing the others face. Always sneaking off during classes or training to hang out.

The two were going great. Truly great. Their lives has been better with the other being by their side until Y/n tried to hold Jake's hand in public.

"whoa there Y/n." Jake moves his hand away very fast.

Y/n gives him a confused look and asks. "What? I can't hold your hand I thought we were dating-----" Y/n gets cut off by Jake covering his mouth.

"Keep your voice down..." Jake says in a hushed tone. "Look we are a thing. But not a public thing y'know? Jake adds moving his hand off of Y/n. Y/n stares at Jake like hes a ghost or something. "C'mon Y/n. Don't tell me you actually thought it was a public thing? Trust me we are boyfriends, but not like that."

Y/n didn't know why those words stung. To Y/n it's like Jake had just broken up with him. He didn't know why Jake started to treat him differently in public and private. Y/n's heart stung each time he'd think about it and especially Jake's words.

Since that day their relationship has had a crack. The sad thing is only Y/n saw the large crack not his boyfriend who looked like he wasn't and only saw the relationship as it used to be.

Y/n walks inside the bar in a good mood with some of his friends. Y/n finds an empty pool table and begins the game with some of his buddies. "Didn't think the little kids team was gonna be here." One of the girls say looking at Bradshaw and them joke around.

The little kids. Was your group's nickname for Y/n's boyfriend team name. Y/n looked up from the game and eyes widens.

Y/n grips the pool stick staring at his boyfriend watching Jake caressing a woman's lip with his thumb with a smirk. Jake leans in whispering in the woman's ear as she giggles and blush.

This wasn't the first time he saw Jake flirting with a girl. he always confronted him about it, but Jake always had an excuse and argument ready.

He was tired of his shit. If he wanted to play this game Y/n was gonna play it better. Y/n analyzed the room and got his eyes set on a man who looked good like he should be a model or something. "Play for me John." Y/n gives the stick to his friend and makes his move.

The man is sitting almost where his boyfriend is. Not close, but still close where you can hear the others conversation.

Y/n sits by the man moving his chair even closer to the man. The two hit it off kinda fast talking about all sorts of things. Once Y/n felt Jake's eyes on him he began to really make his move.

He began to give him compliments and little touches on the man. The man really did seem interested with Y/n flirting with him back even putting his hand on Y/n's thigh.

The man leans into Y/n whispering in his ear.

And that seems to finally get a reaction with Jake. Jake dismisses the girl saying "I'm not interested in you anymore." The girl looks hurt and heartbroken but walks away with some tears in her eyes.

Jake seems to move his chair around facing his boyfriend and the stranger's full attention on the two. Jake's jaw is tight as well is fist. Y/n side eyes his boyfriend sees his angry state and goes for the cherry on top.

Y/n gives the man a light kiss on the cheek. "Bye, hopefully talk to you soon?" Y/n says patting the man's back. The man gives Y/n a bright smile and a flirt wink before heading off leaving the bar.

Before Y/n gets to go back with his team he gets stopped by his boyfriend. "Y/n. What were you thinking flirting with that guy?" The blonde is gripping his boyfriend's wrist.

"What? I can't make friends." Y/n uses the excuse Jake always says when he confronts him. "It's not like we are a thing." That last line caused Jake to flip.

He shouts insults and remarks at Y/n not even caring about the tears in Y/n's eyes. "You're such an embarrassment. Theres no telling what people would say about me if they found out about you. And how could you be so selfish! Always trying to get me to come out Y/n I swear!---- " Jake stops his rant when he hears Y/n's choked sob fall from his lips and when he sees tears rushing down Y/n's face profusely no matter how much he wiped them.

Y/n storms out of the bar covering his face with his hands. Jake watches Y/n team follow after him quickly. "God. What did I do..." Jake's mind speaks for itself.

Hangman moves to the nearest window watching Y/n's team member hug him and open the car door for him. "What did you do Jake?" Phoenix asks looking outside the window beside him. The team all stare at Hangman.

After Jake tells them they all shout at him even coyote. Jake doesn't even try to defend himself knowing that he was in the wrong. "Why did you keep him a secret?" Fanboy asks shaking his head in disappointment."Yeah! Y/n is like one of the best people ever!" Bob adds in.

"Because of my father! Theres no telling what he will say or think if I come out and I have a boyfriend on the side of that."

"So, you were being a shit show of a boyfriend because of your father." Payback says starting to understand everything now. Hangman shakes his head yes.

"Someone call Mav. We gotta help this fool win his boyfriend back." Phoenix says with a plan already in mind.

TIMESKIP

Jake is standing outside the bar heart pounding out of his chest. The blonde begins to overthink his plan and himself. "What am I doing... he hates me now." Jake says covering his face with his hands and a sigh escaping his lips. His thoughts are so loud he didn't even hear a car pulling up and parking.

"Jake?" Hangman shoots his head up and smiles at his boyfriend. "Y-y/n you came!" Jake couldn't help but stutter when he saw him. Y/n wanted to just tear that smile off the blonde, but he knew he couldn't because he grew quite fond of that smile.

Hangman was nervous to give Y/n a hug, but thank god Y/n pulled Jake in his arms first.

The two stand and talk up a storm in front of the bar both of them honestly forgetting the harsh argument they shared hours ago.

"Are we gonna stand out here all day?" Y/n asks in a teasing tone which makes Jake remember his plan and cover Y/n's eyes with a tie. "Really a tie?" Y/n asks letting his boyfriend blindfold him. "Yeah do I have to bring up all the times you begged me to---" "Shut up!"

The couple laugh and joke around before Jake opens the bar door guiding his boyfriend in.

"Are you ready?" Jake asks standing behind Y/n getting ready to untie the tie. "Yes..." As soon as Y/n say yes Jake takes off the tie slowly and smiles to himself once he hears Y/n gasp.

"Jake! W-why did you do all this!"

"As an apology. I was being a real asshole and I messed everything up between us." Jake gets in front of Y/n before continuing. "You mean so much to me. I'm sorry Y/n I-I'm truly am---" Jake gets cut off by Y/n kissing him deeply on the lips.

Once the two pull away they let their foreheads rest against each other smiling and staring into the others eyes. Hangman pulls Y/n's hands dragging him to the bar.

"You did all of this?" Y/n asks looking at the romantic and beautiful scenery. "Of course I did!" Jake steals all the credit about working on the place even though it was mostly Bob and Maverick.

Hangman goes to the back of the bar getting f/n and handing Y/n's his own plate with a drink before he gets his own food sitting beside Y/n. "This is perfect. You are perfect." Y/n says eating some of the food.

The two talk about whatever is on their minds and cracking jokes. When the conversations get quiet it doesn't feel awkward at all it feels comfortable and loving.

"Do you wanna dance?" Y/n asks getting up walking to the jukebox. Jake downs his drink before getting up walking to Y/n standing beside him as he picks a song.

"Not this song Y/nnn." Jake groans seeing Y/n click on the song he honestly hates more than the whole world.

"You be the lady and i'll be the man." Y/n says with a smile putting his hands on Jake's waist.

Timeskip!

"Do you wanna meet my team?" Jake asks sitting on the floor with his boyfriend tired from all the dancing. "I already met your team Jake." "Yeah as C/n not Y/n Jake's cool and amazing boyfriend." Y/n becomes quiet staring at his boyfriend trying to see if hes joking.

"As your boyfriend?"

"Yes. As my one and only boyfriend."

"Hell yeah!"

"So what are we waiting for let's go!"

The two jump up from the floor and run out the bar hand in hand. "Are we seriously going to run to the beach!?!" Y/n asks with a shout.

Once the two arrive at the beach Hangman takes Y/n's hand giving it a large squeeze before turning around facing him. "Are you ready?" "Of course I am." They share one last smile before walking up to the group.

The group is quick to be silent giving the couple their undivided attention.

"Everyone. I'd like for you to meet my boyfriend Y/n." Jake says pulling Y/n in front of him.

THE END!

[onslaughtsixdotcom]

The 1973 Original Dungeons & Dragons Draft

In January 1974, the original Dungeons & Dragons box set was released. Often this is referred to as OD&D or the "3 little brown booklets." Much has been said about this, including multiple retroclones (like Delving Deeper and Fantastic Medieval Campaigns).

During Dave Arneson's lawsuit against Gary Gygax and TSR, a 1973 draft of the game was submitted as evidence. It stayed buried in the archives of the case for nearly 50 years before it was unearthed by a variety of people. Now it's available for anyone to read.

I had a hard time finding a link to this draft in a lot of the blog posts that talked about it, so here's a link to the PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gwiPJSxQEX6ozSluhi4RWRmGfM-HWN0u/view?usp=sharing

I won't be going over it today, but here's Arneson's response: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gtojjrlTywMjKW7T-qjlm8vh8qVpxVCY/view?usp=sharing

But, I'm going to look at it today, because I'm a crazy person with a lot of time on my hands. And I'm going to post the interesting shit I find. Let's ride.

The first real interesting thing is the XP table. Prior to this is an explanation of the ancestries in the game (at this point only elves and dwarves are called out, assuming humans as the default) and they mostly conform to the OD&D rules. The text is a little hard to read (these are scans of typewritten papers), and the way elves work is still as complicated and inscrutable as it always was.

But, the XP table!

1000 XP to level up a fighter? 500 to level up a cleric?! Easy game back then.

There are only 5 stats in D&D73: Intelligence, Cunning, Strength, Health and Appearance. Dexterity has not been added yet.

There is also a lot of language in the stat explanations about classes using other stats on a "2 for 1 basis" in their prime requisite area. I'm not sure what the fuck this is supposed to mean. This is all the rest it says about prime requisites:

Let's move on to the rest of the class tables. Why the XP wasn't just included in these tables, I don't know, but hey, it's 1973.

I'm mostly just showing this because it's the most important part of any OSR style game, the TABLES.

Moving on, the game talks about the equipment list (also important) and retainers. It refers to NPCs as "non-real players" which is fucking hilarious.

Engineers are on the list of retainers and prices, but then crossed out with typewriter dashes.

Just thought this was interesting; table of magic users being able to create spell scrolls and potions.

Magical research!

I've never been a big fan of this rule, as it just seems to complicate shit, but it's right here.

I don't know if this table ever made it to OD&D or other versions of the game; it's a matrix that determines what dungeon level relates to what hit die monster there will appear on the level. Here's further results to go with it:

But then this next part was the thing that blew me the fuck away:

Actual mechanics for running away from monsters?? Was this in OD&D and I just fucking forgot somehow?

This is interesting, because it basically implies not that one should be using the Chainmail system or what's eventually known as the "alternative combat system," but in fact both in tandem depending on the combat situation.

The next section is a bunch of monster stuff and a section on castles. I'm not interested at this time in a big list of monster AC and hit die and comparing them against the released version or your favourite retroclone, you can do that yourself. But the fun thing is that there's about 35 monsters which is bonkers.

Next up we got a random encounter table for overland travel:

I don't have any idea what this page is saying:

Interesting little sample megadungeon layout!

Some stuff about overland travel there, and then we get to the spells. This is where I admit I do not have encyclopedic knowledge of the OD&D spells, so I can't sit here and give a blow by blow of the spells and if they're any different from the finished version. Then there's the saving throws table:

The names of the saves have always changed around a bit. I like that paralysis and stone are one thing and spells is another--fuck wands, fuck staves, it's always been confusing. These ones are clean. If I was gonna do an OSR (other than Knights of Diamond), this is what I would use.

I've reached the end of the draft now, so it's time for me to move on. Check it out for yourself!

[sirthisisa-wendys]

I Can Explain: South Terano/ Ken Ryuguji/ Ran Haitani/ Rindou Haitani x Fem!Reader

based on this request from @aasouthteranoswife: Their s/o accidentally hitting their bike with s/o’s car 🙃

wc: 955

tw: none

masterlist

song recommendation:

South Terano

"South!"

Your worried exclamation precedes his entry into the garage, where you're standing, hands over your mouth.

"What's wrong?" he breathes, but once he sees the damaged bike at your feet, he knows what you did. A high-pitched ringing begins in his ears and he tries to think, think, think...

"South, I'm so sorry..." You burst into tears, and South's heart immediately melts. He can't stay mad at you with those fat tears rolling down your flushed cheeks; he wasn't a man made of stone.

"Baby, baby..." he coos, holding his arms out to you and stepping over the shards of mirror littered on the floor. "It's okay. I'm not mad. I'll take it to the shop in the morning."

"I'll pay for it," you blubber, but South clicks his tongue, shaking his head as he envelops you in a deep hug you're not sure you'll ever want to leave.

"No, no. I have a friend who owes me a favor. It'll all be okay."

Draken

Draken heard the crash and immediately hopped off of his perch on the couch, remote still in hand. When he threw open the garage door, there you were - in the brand new Range Rover - and there his bike was, tipped over and undoubtedly dented on the left-hand side.

You're staring at the bike in horror behind the wheel, but when you see Draken looking from you to the motorbike, you pull back out of the garage and peel off, burning rubber on the street.

"Hey!" Draken calls out, but you're gone, not even daring to offer an apology or a helping hand. No, you're his version of a hit and run. "Fuck..."

Before he can even investigate the damage on his bike, he pulls his phone out of his pocket and speed-dials your number.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me, don't kill me..." you yell on the other end.

"Hey, hey, hey," Draken begins, rubbing his temples. "You know I fix bikes for a living, right?"

"Oh," you whisper, and he sighs. "I forgot."

"Get your ass back here so I can not worry about you worrying about my bike."

"So you can fix it?" Draken looks back at the bike and considers the fact that none of it seems really that broken anyways.

"Of course I can. I'm the repairman, remember?"

Ran Haitani

"Y/n!"

You sit up straight in your desk chair, praying to God that Ran was finished with dinner.

"Come downstairs!"

Eagerly, you hop out of your chair and rush down the steps, your stomach growling mercilessly. "I hope you made soup," you begin, but when you arrive in the kitchen, you see Ran sitting down, fingers smeared with oil and a wrench lying on the table, no food in sight.

"Come over here."

Oh, shit.

You swallow hard and walk over to Ran, who lets you sit in his lap, which is something he does when you're in trouble. Big trouble.

"Want to know what I've been doing for the past three hours?"

"Um..." You look at the wrench and oil on his hands, which are resting on your upper thighs. "Fixing the exhaust pipe?"

"Fixing the exhaust pipe," he affirms, nodding slowly. "And how, pray tell, did it get like that?"

"The door was open and it let in a draft? And the draft blew the bike over?" Ran's violet eyes are unamused.

"I'll ask again." Ran repositions you so that you're caged between his arms, facing him head-on. "What happened. To my. Bike."

"So," you begin sheepishly. "I was pulling in last night after the girls and I went out, and I was so drunk that I thought your bike was further away but it wasn't, and then I bumped into it and it almost fell over, but then I caught it and I put it upright, but the exhaust pipe--" Ran cuts you off with a finger to your lips.

"You got drunk and drove home?"

You wish you could melt into the ground as Ran stands, lifting you as well and walking you to the bedroom.

"Get your keys." You slide off of him and rummage around in your purse for the key fob, handing them over to him. He takes them, slides them into his pocket, then sighs. "I'll be driving you around from now on. And you'll be helping me get the dent out of the SUV."

"Okay, but," you whisper. "How long are you going to be my chauffeur?"

"Three weeks. One week for each hour I had to fix my bike."

Ran doesn't really know how to do punishments, you reason, following him to the garage. But that's just fine with you. You know how to get a few dents out of a car. This isn't your first rodeo, after all.

Rindou Haitani

The receipt is slapped in front of you, and you balk at the number at the bottom.

"Six thousand dollars?"

Rindou doesn't do anything but grunt, rolling his neck around and then exhaling deeply.

"Babe," he begins, sitting beside you at the table. "This was a lot of money for the accident you had."

"I'm sorry," you whisper, pressing your lips together. "How can I make it up to you, Rin?"

"You can start by promising not to hit my bike again," the blonde man mutters.

"I promise," you reply confidently.

"And those six thousand dollars really ate into my profits from this year... it really hurt my heart, too." You tilt your head at the younger Haitani, a smile pulling at your lips.

"I know a few things that can ease a broken heart."

"Oh, yeah?"

"I'll start by apologizing on my knees," you smirk. "How does that sound?"

[gemalawashomestuck]

8, 13, 35!

Ooh, thanks! Hoo boy, this got long quick so sorry for that - can't do a read more, I'm on mobile. Spoilers for my fic Still as a Statue and me rambling about a bunch of random drafts ahead.

8: "Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it."

This is a hard one as I'm not particularly a fan of my own dialogue (but internal monologue is my favorite). It's difficult, obnoxious, and frankly takes the most time and effort out of anything I write. Most of the reason Still as a Statue got backed up for a year was a piece of dialogue that just did not want to work. That said, these pieces come to mind:

> "Hey um…in that statue, what was it like?” You ask, looking at him curiously.

> He frowns softly, glancing down at his hand where it rests on your shoulder. He takes a deep breath or two before he speaks, like he’s trying to pull himself together. You figure whatever he’s about to say really isn’t pleasant, and you know that’s probably an understatement.

> "I…I was awake. Fully. The entire time, I mean, I slept sometimes but…it was really hard because I couldn’t close my eyes or anything - and the nightmares were really fucking hard to deal with. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t even blink, and everyone forgot I was ever even alive except as some stupid little myth,” he mumbles, voice heavy and low with emotion but flatter than before, like he’s lost the energy to even cry.

This is part of the aforementioned bitch piece that stuck me for months, but I'm genuinely proud of how it ended up. I really tried to push Dave's emotions into this snippet and I think I did alright with that. Dave's been through a lot and I kind of wanted to show that in the way he talks throughout the chapter, a bit overwhelmed and upset and even angry over what's been done to him and he doesn't know how to handle those emotions. As a sort of addendum, I give you this:

> "I won’t lie, it really was hell, or maybe worse - not sure if I would’ve preferred eternal fire to that statue. I mean I’d just say burn me but I don’t know how bad that is, for all I know I’d just regret making the rash call in the end though I’m not really sure how shit gets worse…and I’m not sure. Maybe there was a safeguard or some shit, something to keep me from completely losing my shit. It would make sense for them to put that on, a madman probably can’t have a soulmate and it also sucked a lot worse than it probably would’ve if I’d lost my mind. Pretty sure they meant for me to end up with a girl to ‘show me the error of my sinful choices’ or some shit but at least that particular fuck-you from the past didn’t work out,” he admits in a quiet voice.

This is really just a Dave Ramble that expounds on the above, particularly on how nasty it was for Dave - five hundred years of being trapped in a statue is hard to relate to as a reader, but I like to think the idea that Dave thinks he'd prefer being burned alive for all that time says something serious about it. It also kinda shows the motivation behind putting Dave in the statue - obviously you can't take what Dave says as gospel, but the idea that he was placed in there with the intention of him suffering is very real and very there.

13: "What's the best writing advice you've ever come across?"

It's probably a tie for me, personally, between 'write what you want to read' and 'it's okay to write similar things a bunch of times'. Mostly because two of my insecurities when it comes to writing are the self-indulgence of everything I write and the fact that I have so many plots and drabbles and ideas around the same few tropes. I had a full document that was just a soul mate collection, for a while, because I love that trope so dearly.

35: "Would you ever kill off a canon character?"

The answer here is an unequivocal yes. I've probably killed all of them at least once in the drafts I have, whether it's raw angst or well deserved. I have a draft where Dave dies 50+ times and most of them are doomed timeline reasons. I have a draft where Bro gets dismembered and deserves it. I have a Dirkjohn draft where they both die in the end. I have a draft in which the twist is that Karkat was dead the whole time. I have a Johndave draft in which the whole plot is centered around Dave's untimely death. Wait, no, I have two of those, one is ghost fluff and the other is a very complicated mystery. Me and character death are WELL acquainted and if you like angst you might wanna buckle the fuck up when it comes to my drafts because I do not pull punches (I'm a sucker for things turning out ok though, there's very few actual bad endings even if my fics HEAP with bad shit happening). They don't tend to stay dead, though.

[thegeminisage]

hey liz i've been thinking a lot about story structure lately and i wanted your take on how you decide what structure your stories will have? i know there's that "you have to do what your story needs and tells you to do" thing but these bitches dont ever tell me anything they just multiply so. thoughts? - bma

(as an aside, i don't know whether involving medium would change many things but it may be worth considering. mainly i think medium is just a matter of arrangement and that the story would be for most intents and purposes the same no matter how you choose to tell it. i guess you could argue that structure is arrangement in itself and intrinsically tied to medium but i sort of feel like it is secondary arrangement, if at all? like if you consider time as an element to outline -- the time IN the story (how things happen to your characters) is not necessarily the time you’re telling the story IN (how you are telling your reader that things are happening) aka internal chronology doesnt equal your work’s pacing? or should it??? does this make sense? i dont think so. i am sorry.) - bma :|

NOOO dont be sorry ur making total sense

i think there’s 3 thots to unpack here (medium, structure, & chronology) & i’m gonna start with medium bc it’s easier. im also putting it behind a cut bc it’s gonna get just stupidly long and rambly. i’m sorry in advance if it’s not helpful to you, i have a lot to say for someone who has never taken even one single class on writing and as a result doesn’t know jack shit (there’s a tl;dr at the end dont worry)

about MEDIUM: 

so like ok i’m just some goof-off with a HS degree who writes fanfiction but In My Very Super Qualified Personal Opinion, i don’t think that most of the time medium is intrinsically tied to STRUCTURE of the main storytelling arc...i think the art of storytelling itself is distinct from the medium you choose to tell the story IN. this post puts it better than i ever could but basically for me, i feel like the story itself is sort of the raw, malleable concept, and the medium you choose to tell it in is how you convey the information??

like in a book, you can say “she forgot her keys” and in a film you have to show her smacking her forehead, heading back into the house, and swiping her keeps off the counter. you can’t TELL in film, you have to show. similarly i regret every day i cannot perfectly describe a facial expression with words when i see it so clearly in my head. for audio-only podcasts that are dialogue heavy out of necessity you have different limitations than you would for, say, animated music videos with no dialogue at all. games allow for more interactivity and exploration while sacrificing accessibility, tv shows allow for more length while sacrificing, uh, a big hollywood budget...medium affects the kind of story you can reasonably tell which is why some stories are better suited to one medium than another. i think trying things in other mediums is a good way to stretch your storytelling muscles but with enough skill nearly any story could be told in any medium. i think when trying to decide on a medium you just gotta weigh the pros & cons and what you feel comfortable with/what you think would be most effective/what would evoke the strongest reaction

re: structure:

firstly “do what the story tells u to do” is a little silly like...the story isn’t sentient. come on. that’s like “i can only write when the writing gods inspire me” there are no writing gods! inspire yourself! it’s all in our weird messed up brains! ok anyway.

this is, again, just how i do things, and i am 700% self-taught so take it with a grain of salt, but when i sit down and start blocking out a story from scratch i don’t...actually consider the big structure at all! sorry if that’s not helpful to you. i like to make a list of everything i want to happen, and then put it together in a few different orders to see what looks best. and when i’m finished, whatever i have just like...IS the structure i go with, with perhaps minor tinkering to make it flow more smoothly. (i think this might be in the same spirit as “do what the story tells you” with less bullshit and more Agency Of The Writer.)

for long and more complex projects, i actually usually have several lists - one list of stuff that is, for example, the Action Plot (the kingdom has been cursed, i’m tracking down my serial killer sister to bring her to justice, i’m running from djinn who wanna kill my dad, i’m trying to bring my dead not-boyfriend back to life). then i have another list for Character A & Character B’s romance or whatever. and maybe a even another one for solo character development (magicphobic prince learns to love magic, former werewolf hunter figures out his family is a cult, half-demon learns to embrace his own nature). and as many lists as we need for however many Main Characters and or Plots/Sideplots

how i order the lists: individually first. don’t mix them together to start with. when deciding the order of an individual list i like to, for example in a romance arc, use escalating intimacy. “A and B have dinner together” is naturally gonna go way sooner than “A and B kiss” or “A and B talk about A’s angsty backstory” because that’s more satisfying. draw it out, good/important stuff last, dangle that carrot so we have a reason to keep reading! for singular character development, it’s basically a straightforward point A to point B...if i want my guy to start hating magic with everything he is and end up being very comfortable with it, i have to put “reluctantly uses magic to save his own life” WAYYY before “casually using magic to light torches and reheat his cold stew.” 

the tricky part for me is when i’m done with these lists and then i need to mix them together To Pace My Whole Story. (this is usually why i wind up with a rainbow colored spreadsheet.) i don’t like to put too many things too close together because then the pace feels uneven. even if my Action Plot is only a thinly veiled excuse for romance and character development, i still don’t want to focus on a romance for 30,000 words and then go “and oh yeah in case you forgot Serial Killing Sister is still coming for your asses.” the more sideplots and major character arcs you’re juggling the harder it is to get an even distribution, which is my main concern always

and like, generally, whatever i have when i’m finished...is my structure. (sorry.) 

i don’t know much about the classic 3-act or anything like that, but i usually can divide them up into 3-5 big arcs based on story turning points. sometimes i take a scene out of one arc and put it in another because it fits better and i like for my shit to be organized, but usually by the time i’m finished with all that, that’s what the final story is mostly gonna look like. (there have been a few exceptions when i realized i needed extra scenes/changes while i was MID-DRAFT and let me tell you that murders me EVERY time. it happened on the merlin fic i’m currently posting and that was like my own personal hell.)

this is also where thots about chronology come in:

i think time CAN be an element of this if you WANT it to be, but it doesn’t HAVE to be. if you want it to be, i would consider it just another “list” like character development or the romance arc. 

i usually plot without considering Time very much...to me, it’s all down to the events you want to show, and however much time it takes is the byproduct. if you want to show something from a character’s chilhood but then tell the bulk of it when they’re adults, that’s one thing. if you want to show a scene from their childhood, teenhood, young adulthood, etc, that’s a different kind of pacing?? i usually do it this way so i can regard time like wordcount: it takes as long as it takes. 3 days or 3 years, a 1.5k drabble or a 100k epic...overall, my LARGEST CONCERN is that even distribution. in the same way that i don’t want one chapter to be 30,000 words when the rest are 10,000 words, i personally am not a fan of huge timeskips offscreen

(because this where i think someone’s own internal chronology DOES matter...this is just a personal preference, as a reader i have a hard time really comprehending, say, a year timeskip or a 10yr timeskip when all i did was turn one page. like, a year is such a long time. i can’t even begin to describe how different i am now to how i was a year ago. it’s the same for character development. time IS development and as a writer i’m not really comfortable having that take place offscreen - for main characters, at least. it’s just too jarring. a little prologue with something happening 10 or 20 years ago is usually fine, but for the most part, i’m not a fan. ...i can do one chapter per year a lot easier than i can do two chapters in childhood and the other 8 in adulthood. of course you can play with this a LOT with nonlinear storytelling, which is a whole other very cool thing, and someone skilled in their work can keep me sucked in no matter what, but imo if you don’t want to risk throwing your reader out of your work it’s better to keep things steady)

HOWEVER sometimes time IS an element u wanna consider outside of just making sure your shit is evenly distributed...if your heart is moved to tell a story in a specific timeframe, over a year, or from solstice to solstice (this was almost the timeline for my merlin fic and then i changed it), for the first six months of a friendship, or even a huge journey in the span of a single day (toby fox had a lot of success with this one lol).

i think it can help to choose a start and end point for your chronology the same way you do for character development (prince goes from hating magic to being ok with it, story takes place from ages 8 to 25, or from new year’s eve 2038 to 2039, whatever) - that way you can keep your distribution even, if that’s a thing you want to do...even if you have a lot of skips you can still note what happens offscreen to make it work better in your head? like, if you just make it another List, another column on your spreadsheet, when you’re in the early stages of organizing you can be conscious of it and make sure it’s playing into the story the way you want it to

anyway these r my thots im SOOOO SORRY this is so long lmao. brain machine broke today which is why i had to ramble more to explain myself. the tl;dr in case ur brain is melting out of ur ears & u didn’t sign up for an essay:

imo medium is totally distinct from storytelling tho ofc some stories are better suited to some mediums

structure? i don’t know her. i plot w/o regard to structure and then if it looks funny i mush it into a more structurally sound shape

my main concern when structuring anything, including time, is an even distribution of Events and a steady rate of escalation

structure to me is just what i have when i’m finished plotting. i’m sorry one day i’m gonna take a writing class

internal chronology matters to me personally because i have a little bit of time blindness but maybe not to everyone, i know many very successful stories where they disregarded that entirely to no ill effect

writer’s block isn’t real! everyone just needs more rainbow spreadsheets

thank u for asking I HOPE i didn’t make you regret it too badly lmao and that at least a little of it was helpful!! 

[bts5sosempire]

BTS Reaction: friends + accident kissing = a couple (Hyung Ver.)

A/n: so myself deadass thought of something at like 3am and I'm like why don't I just write it down and work on it tomorrow morning. When I woke up and check my draft I write something along the line "just kiss him" as the headline and was like wtf before I try to remember what I am really aiming. Long results too.

Kim Seokjin:

Jin had invited you over to celebrate Hoseok birthday and now you guys were playing an Uno game, by drinking shots. You watch as Jungkook skip Taehyung and you were next to Taehyung and it was you who had to drink a shot.

You were getting so tipsy and drunk as you only had one more card in the game and you look at Jungkook who had a smudged look on his face. “Jeon, I hate you so much right now, after all these years I protected you from the rest of Bangtan and this is how you repay me?” Slurring out the words, you slammed down a card. “I'm done!”

You lay on the ground and roll away to go outside, to get fresh air.

It took another hour or so for the game to finished and everyone is shit face drunk, besides Jin, who come to check up on you who was hunching over the railing as you were making a long whining sound.

Jin came over to pull you back in case you fell over. “Hey, are you alright?” He asked and you look up at him. Your face was flushed red from the alcohol and you were hiccupping. Shaking your head, you try to push Jin aside, but got caught with his feet and tangle them up. The both of you fall on the ground together and you end up kissing him.

Jin was rather surprised and he hastily pushed you back. His face became flustered he was about to stutter out an apology, but you went to besa him first. “Jin you know I like you right? Not as a friend, but more than that. Maknae Jungkook has been encouraging me to confess to you but I really can't do it, b-but- wait forget about what I just say.” Your words sent his heart flying. You stand up but stumble, so Jin decides to carry bridal style.

“I-I like you too!” He declared looking away. You tap his face and force him to look at you.

“Why are you looking away? Are you being honest? Do you like to play with my feelings?” With your questions attacking at him at all angles, Jin feels his brain went dead. Your eyes squinted at him. Jin blush at your intensity.

“Stop looking at me like that or I'll have to kiss you again!” He hurriedly carries you inside and ran to his bedroom with the members eyes lingering at him and you in his arms.

“I told you he likes her!” Jungkook shouted before knocking himself out as he plopped back onto the hard ground.

Min Yoongi:

Yoongi somehow convinces you to do a fake date with him to throw off some girl who has been chasing after him for about three months now and she had been bothering and distracting him also.

You were worried as this isn't something you would just randomly do, but if Yoongi needed help, you would help him. After all, you do like him as a crush even if he doesn't like you that way. And even if this isn't like a real date, this would be the closest thing you would ever get with him.

Yoongi came to find you while wearing all black with a leather black jacket and cap. He entered a secluded shop to where he knows that people won't be there. You wore an opposite outfit from him, soft pastel colors to bring out your warmth.

“Um hi,” you awkwardly wave at him and he comes to sit down across from you. “So how are we going to plan this out? Did she follow you?” Asking with a discreet look, you look out the window at the corner of your eyes and see the lunatic woman right across the street who was looking here and there for Yoongi.

“What do you think?” Yoongi retort back at you, and you smack your lips together and mouth out an ‘Okay’ before looking back at him.

“So the original plan as it is.” Sliding over a cup of coffee at him, you both walk out of the shop. Yoongi hand slides into yours and you look at his hand in surprise. You try to tug it away with a blush on your face.

“Act natural.” He whispers into your ear, before tugging on your hand and tightens his hold. The woman saw Yoongi and ran across the street as multiple cars were honking at her.

The woman grips on Yoongi's arm and tore him to look at her. “I've been following you, and why aren't you answering your phone?” The woman then looks at you before sneering then her eyes went lower and saw the both of your hands interlock with each other. “Let go of my Yoongi's hand you wretched witch!” The lunatic woman tries to tear both you and Yoongi apart, but the man got in front of you.

“I appreciate if you don't harass either me or my girlfriend or I'll have to take action against you,” Yoongi warns her before walking away with you.

“Girlfriend?” The woman mutter before she let out a screech and tries to attack Yoongi. You look behind you and saw her charging at Yoongi with a weapon. Pulling the man aside, you both stumble as coffees fly into the air and lips happened to lip-lock with each other. The both of you were both wide eyes.

“Did that crazy woman try to stabbed the Min Yoongi and his girlfriend?!” A bystander shouted and two men were restraining the crazy woman down as she was shouting and kicking like hell while trying to bite their hands. “Someone called the police and inform BigHit!”

You shove Yoongi aside whisper a shy sorry, “I-I didn't mean too, u-uh she was charging at you and I didn't want you to get hurt or anything...” Your words trail off and your face gets redder and redder.

“I like you too (Name),” Yoongi told you and you look at him with your mouth agape as words left your mouth. “I like you for a long time actually.” He stands up and dusted himself off before pulling you up from the ground, “Why don't we go on a real date this time?”

Jung Hoseok:

You were friends with Hoseok and the rest of the boys for a long time. You were one of their unofficial dance teachers and their little cheerleader, according to the rest of bts. Jin had like you more than Hoseok when it comes to teaching them how to dance and everyone runs to you for help whenever Hoseok gave them a glare when they forgot a step in the choreography.

Everyone calls you ‘Mrs. Jung’ teasingly since you are very caring and very affectionate with Hoseok even though the both of you are friends. But everyone knows how you both really feel for each other. Hoseok often gives you gifts and stuff whenever you come over and you always run to help Hoseok when he's in trouble.

And today is just one of those days. You and Hoseok were leading the dance routine for the boys since everyone had literally begged and ask Hoseok to call you for help. No one likes it when he gets stern, but when you came over its like Hoseok is a different person. He became softer, but with your head turn behind him he glares at them.

“Alright let's relax!” You shouted as the music stops, everyone dropped to the ground in exhaustion and you went over to Hoseok and swing a tried arm at him. He playfully uses a finger to cup your chin before pinching your cheeks and you move away from him. Hoseok comfortably slings an arm over your shoulders and let you drag him away to a couch.

Hoseok lay his sweaty head on your shoulder before poking your cheeks, “Have you lost some face fat?” He pokes them again, “They are not pudgy anymore.” You patted your own face a few times and look up at the ceiling in wonder, before looking down at him in confirmation to which Hoseok just poke them. “Have you been eating well?”

“Yeah I did, it's just that I recently had been hitting the gym so I guess it's normal for me to...lose them?”

“(Name) noona you go to the gym too?” A Jungshook ask before he comes sprinting at you at full speed and sat next to you. Hoseok tries to shoo the younger one away from you. “Do you mind going with me next week, I want to see your workout regime.”

“Jungkook you had Jimin to help you with that and you still want my little (Name) to go with you? Aren't you a little selfish?” Hoseok latches his arms around you tighter. He made a little sound effect which sounds like he was offended, and pull you close to him.

“Hyung you always talk with her and you never let us have her phone number too and I'm not about to let go of this opportunity to go away. Plus we all know how you feel-” A shriek left Hoseok's mouth as he lung over with you in his arm and cover Jungkook whiny and big mouth.

“You shush about that!” He warns and the boy's eyes crinkle in amusement to which his eyes are smiling for him. He wiggle his brows.

“Hoseok what is he saying?” Your heart is pounding and you don't want to believe it, but your face is heating up. You loosen the man's arm and sat in front of him with your back turn against the younger boy.

“It's nothing!” Hoseok shout before the younger boy pull Hoseok hand away and was about to say it, but Taehyung came flying forward and crash into Jungkook from behind and Jungkook lurches forward and push you into Hoseok with such force that you fall so fast forward and kiss your friend/ crush.

Everything went quiet as Taehyung mutter an ‘oh shit’ and you pull back from Hoseok so quick that you didn't look at him and you fled the scene with a worried Hoseok right behind you. “Wait (Name)!”

Your face burns with embarrassment. You just kissed Hoseok! Jung fricken' Hoseok, aka your long-time crush!

Running away down the hall, you didn't think Hoseok would catch up so fast. He grabs your arm to stop you and tug you forward to him. “Look I'm sorry, I'm sorry about their action and what just happened.”

“Don't mention about it please,” you didn't look up at him.

“Do you hate me now?” He asks you and you suddenly look up at him. Hoseok was worried you won't see him the same ever again as that accident just happened. He doesn't want to lose you.

“Hate you? It's quite the opposite of hate, to be honest.” You breathe out a sigh of nervousness, and you were going to tell him. It's all or nothing now, “I like you for quite some time now.”

“Oh God, I do too!” He brings you to a sudden embrace. “Let's go out tomorrow as a real couple!” And what just happened was forgiven and forget.

Kim Namjoon:

You had just confessed and kissed your friend Namjoon and you had run away from him without saying goodbye or anything. You want to die, you want to be buried alive, and you want to be killed. You just want to forget what you had done. Now Namjoon won't ever look at you the same again.

Laying in your bed, you had been avoiding any kind of outside contact and communication. You don't like confrontation and that sucks too, but you have to face it somehow if that is going to make you move on. Dreading in bed you roll over to the other side of the bed and pick up your phone that you had it on silent.

Checking the notification, you saw the messages from the boys and Namjoon stood out to you the most since you put him as ‘Crush’ so you just scream into your pillow and toss your phone aside. Letting out those pent up embarrassment, you went to read all the messages before reading Namjoon and everyone was worried about you. “I'm such a horrible person...”

After reading Jin's message you hesitate on clicking on Namjoon's messages. Sucking in a breath you click on it and see about 5 messages but one stood out from all. But this one just happens to be right now.

‘Are you home?’

You send him a quick ‘yeah’ before the doorbell of your apartment was being rung and it resonates inside your entire apartment. You got scared for a second and cautiously get out of bed to check the peephole and saw Namjoon there with his secret blending in attire.

Opening the door, Namjoon walks in. “Um, we need to talk.” You nervously nodded at him before telling to go sit down on the couch as you prep food and drink.

You walk in moments later and set down the snacks and sit across from and as far as possible. “So where do we begin...?”

“Let's start with the day you left.” Namjoon went direct to the point and he didn't want to beat around the bush. Your face went a silent ‘Oh’ and anticipation was building up in your throat. “I never get the chance to tell you how I feel and you did your part, so I thought it was fair for you if you know how I feel too.”

“Uh, you don't have too! I already know you don't feel the same way! It's better if you forget any of my words and action...” You awkwardly laugh and look away from him in an uncomfortable manner-- scratching behind your ear. “I-It's fine really...”

“What if I tell you that I return your feelings?”

“That's not possible-” stopping what you were doing, you look at the serious man across from you, “-wait, what?”

“I had like you more than a friend (Name).” Namjoon stood up from the other side of the couch and walk over to you who slowly try to move away from the towering man. Namjoon grabs your wrist and pulls you close to him and your face burns from the sudden closeness.

“Well...then, I guess I'm not going single this year.”

[skerplowzer]

video game scenery porn: dishonored - dunwall tower waterlock