#hope we can do it again sometime <3 o7

[radisyn]

I have been sick for a few days so this is all I've managed for Day 7 (Ugly Sweaters and Costumes) of @hot-glenn-holidays-2023 thus far... think I'm going for a sexy santa/krampus costume vibe 😂 hence the bells and (eventually) chains and fire ����⛓️😈

Anyway happy holidays ya lovely degenerates ❤️ hope we can do something like this again sometime! thanks to @babacontainsmultitudes and @iersei especially o7 o7 o7 y'all are the real MVPs

[huntershowl-moving]

Positivity hour! Tell us about your favourite RP partner and your favourite thread! <3

OOH! i love positivity hour! cut for length because WORDY BITCH DISEASE STRIKES AGAIN APPARENTLY!

i don't think i could pin down just one favorite because i'm so incredibly lucky to have so many amazing partners during this sephblog golden age. this is only a few of the ppl who have touched my presence here and live in my brain rent free rn, i wish i could remember all of them but a shortlist will have to do o7

i will shoutout @harerazor and @tewwor for being my OGs, my rp besties, the truest mfs who always stick around through my year-long (sometimes years-long) absences and whenever i come back to discord or the dash, it's like we never left <3 AND for following me into my hyperfixation zones omg. writing windbreaker and jjk muses would be so much more lonely without u two in my life. <3

on the topic of OGs, @spiritcrown, @never-surrender and @bcdomens are the CREW!!!!!!!! THE FIRST PPL I EVER WROTE WITH AND SOME OF MY FAV FOLKS ON THIS HELLSITE you guys are the best. ily. connecting with u guys again felt like coming home.

@favorskill has ascended past the title of rp partner and into the title of friend. rio is one of my favorite people ever, genuinely, he's so cool and so skilled with writing/worldbuilding/watching his DICE MAKING SKILLS GROW has been so amazing too??? i care u so much rio. biting u. even when my brain is hopelessly deep in the fixation hole i am thinking about u and ur muses always <3

also shoutout to my wife @vsagis / @theixth (bc ik uve been on this one today) for just being like??? overall such a lovely person and an amazing writer??? our main dynamic is so deep and expansive we're starting to develop an extended universe for them. i love them i LOVE THEM TO DEATH. alex u match my freak ily i hope i get this job so we can hang out irl <3

speaking of matching my freak, @koseigu and i get along like a house on fire, and i don't think the world is truly ready for us. the more dynamics we develop, the more dangerous we become. everything we do with geto & sephsho ROCKS and i am terrified (excited) to see where seph and sukuna lead us in our newest explorations. we get up to some absolutely nasty (hot) shit with our creatures and it's always an amazing time. hehe

@chaoslulled hol you are so so so special to me. i owe u so many things and im so sorry omg but i literally never stop thinking about our threads & dynamics they're soooo good. i think you're one of the only partners i've actually been able to maintain Main Threads with over a long period of time?? there's something about the way we write together that makes that actually work in my brain which is super unusual JSDKJDHJKD i'm not complaining though, i love it so much. also your ocs are spinning around in my head on a daily basis, especially char because seph, chiaki and geto all like her very much. <3 ALSO. U ARE THE REASON I WRITE GETO. I HATE IT HERE HE WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE HOW COULD U DO THIS TO ME (affectionate). ur satoru is always the one he and seph come back to first because he is the original.

@quillheel and i have been mutuals for a while but didn't start regularly chatting until recently, and geto has been keeping me hostage in our 1x1 server over the last week or so, it's a problem, please help me. please. my crops are dying. also ur my current record breaker on "most fucked up start to an rp dynamic" with sukuna and rusa and im gonna be real i think u might hold that title for a while KJSDHIUSDHSJDHSJKDHJSKDH

@hinodae gray i think i would follow u to the ends of the earth. our little accidental threads have been some of my favorites ever, and i love to PIECES every one of our ship dynamics so far. thank u for being just as much of a slut for ships as i am, i feel like we match each other's energy and vibe so well!! TUMBLR BETTER UN-SHADOWBAN U SOON OR IM GONNA THROW HANDS >:'O

@eraserisms and @rcguish u two are like a package deal in my brain. D.A., the fact that we exist on the same chef wavelength always makes me so happy. i love seph and shota so much, they make me Hurt in all the best ways and i'm lookin forward to getting more into todoroki's voice so we can keep building out shota becoming his dad i mean mentoring him! and rys!!! i know ur absolutely going thru it rn so we haven't been talking as much lately, but i'm still just as feral for our dynamics as ever. seph and shouta's broken friendship. shou and orion's blossoming romance. seph has so many feelings and thoughts about silver that i don't even know how to articulate but that might need its own separate post. blowing u kisses.

lastly but not leastly, @gomannakami we only connected recently but we've already got this absolutely TRAGIC AND BEAUTIFUL set of pairings going on. satoru and chiaki are so stupidly cute and so so sad. seph and suguru are still in the beginning stages but i LOVE writing them sort of dancing around each other, the mutual pining is so spicy and delicious.

AS FOR THREADS!!!!!

ooh. hm. fuck. i think my first thought is always gonna be my longer-running threads with @chaoslulled — the one that stands out the most in my mind rn is the thread where satoru found seph on the brink of collapse after a hellhound kill. it was only the second thread we ever wrote together, and i ACUTELY remember how nervous i was that it was too intense and i was gonna scare hol away with it because that's happened so many times before. SJDHKSJHD

another one that comes to mind is one of my first threads with @tewwor's litho, which started with the simple inbox prompt "can't sleep?" and ended up turning into one of our longest threads to date and spiraling out into the longest fucking slowburn of this blog's career. i loved it. i'll never stop thinking about that apple.

[soemthingsparkly]

HCC RANCHERS SNIPPET (if you feel no inclined)

YESSIR O7

---

Tango's Apartment

Sometime in the future.

By the time Tango wakes up that morning, he's already got a stack of texts from Jimmy waiting in his notifications. 

He smiles into his pillow, giving himself one more long moment of enjoying the glee that surges in his stomach at the thought of him. 

It's been roughly two months since their first kiss - the one that allowed them to shift what they had to what they have now. 

There's something still so very new and exciting for Tango to think of Jimmy as his boyfriend. It seems silly, even.

Especially, considering hardly anything has changed between them. Sure, there's a little bit more flirting now and it's exciting to know his affections are returned, but really?

Jimmy is still just his rancher. 

...

His Rancher. 

Tango smooshes his face into his pillow again and lets himself calm down, before finally checking his texts. 

Jimmy and Tango 

Sometime in the Future. 

8:41am 

Jimmy: Mornin' rancher :) 

Jimmy: Oh, i bet you're not awake yet actually 

Jimmy: hopefully you've got your phone on do not disturb or something 

Jimmy: if not then whoops 

Jimmy: alright I tried to refrain from texting you but I actually just can't help it 

Jimmy: I've just got a coffee and some brekkie and I'm about to head into the forest for a cosplay shoot I'm doing 

Jimmy: like that someone's hired me for I mean

Jimmy: I'm not in the cosplay obviously 

Jimmy: not that there's anything wrong with cosplay of course!

Jimmy: just that I'm not the one dressing up today 

Jimmy: or any other time actually 

Jimmy: not that I wouldn't but just that I haven't 

Jimmy: jeez Louise I'm chatting up a storm ma coffees gonna get cold blimey 

Jimmy: alright I'm gonna drink this and then hit the road and maybe by the time I get there I'll have learned not to be a total idiot :PP

Jimmy: hopes are not high

Jimmy: just arrived at the forest and I listened to that band that Skizz recc'd me on the way over 

Jimmy: man likes some weird stuff but after like the first 15 minutes I could kinda dig it actually 

Jimmy: hope you're sleeping well rancher

Jimmy: can't wait for you to wake up <3

Jimmy: right so elves can go to hell I've decided 

Tango: morning rancher heh 

Tango: quite the adventure this morning for you huh? 

Jimmy: Hey T! :) yeaaaaahhh

Jimmy: How'd you sleep? 

Tango: pretty well 

Tango: dreamt of you 

Jimmy: omg no I'm blushinggggg

Jimmy: wait did you actually?? 

Tango: mhm 

Tango: I dreamt that you decided to start your own hot dog stand outside the hermit 

Tango: you served hot dog water like coffee and I kept having to tell people we couldn't let them drink your hot dog water inside the hermit 

Jimmy: what??!?! dude that's so rude!! 

Jimmy: I thought you loved me :(( 

Jimmy: why wouldnt you support my business ventures T?? :(( 

Tango: hehe sorry it was X's fault 

Jimmy: sighhh 

Jimmy: I'll have to have a word with him next time I'm over 

Jimmy: let him know that big man Jim and his customers won't be denied comfortable seating like that, eh!!! 

Tango: oh he'll be trembling for sure 

Jimmy: I should hope so 

Jimmy: tell him his days are numbered 

Jimmy: cause I'll be there again in (hang on lemme check) 

Jimmy: 52 days!!! 

Tango: sigh 

Tango: too long :( 

Jimmy: I know :( 

Jimmy: I miss you rancher 

Tango: I really miss you Jim 

Jimmy: I miss you so much T 

Tango: Hey I have to get up and take a shower before work, but do you want to call on my way in? 

Jimmy: I'd love that yeah :) 

Tango: And you can tell me about the elves and their eternal damnation :P

Jimmy: omg yes 

Jimmy: I have never been so blooming mad at a man with a pair of pointy ear Tang! 

Tango: hehe 

Tango: can't wait to hear about it

Jimmy: can't wait to tell you!! 

Jimmy: go on then stinker 

Jimmy: talk to you again after :) <3

Tango: heh

Tango: talk after <3

[bluntforcespatter]

yeeeah i get that a bit more than i'd like to lol. 'm sorry it's like that for you tho /gen n yeah. it's def easier to just be some little electronic beastie than imagine myself to be properly tangible for anyone. i'm real like a digital pet or smthn, ig is my personal like...thoughts on it. ppl like those cuz they're cute, so they like me because i'm just a lil critter ywy. but if i'm more real and like....more than just words then like it becomes "what if i'm [neg thing here]" like i said, ik all of that's not entirely true, just kinda a ramble of like. getting it in my own ways lol, even if it might not be the most sensical way of putting it edtfbh n i get what you mean! i've watched/played/read stuff like that before. it's a weird sorta cathartic pain, so it's nice in a way. it sounds really good :3 thank you ywy hopefully yours does too. no problem o7 i get it n i'm glad it helps a bit for me to ramble n stuff ywy i always worry it's a bit much or annoying or w/e, so it's nice to hear [read?] that it's actualy helpful gtrfh - 📺

ah, thank you (ᵕ—ᴗ—) all we can do is our best, though, so... i am trying? ¯\_(ᵕ—ᴗ—)_/¯

and SO TRUE !! i spent my childhood online. like i was on forums and shit when i was 6 ( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) i was in a very very bad situation and escaping onto the internet made me feel better. i could pretend not to be from my home there. but so many years spent on the internet without anything in real life that was good really made me worse in a lot of ways - like ... the internet was the only place people ever listened to me, let alone interacting with me out of choice. in my home, i wasn't treated as a person. my parents didn't even really use my name, the name they gave me, until i was older. but online people would say "hi ghost! how was your day?" and it made me feel real. but now i feel more real online than offline... and if i am real IRL, then that means all the bad stuff that happened to me IRL did happen. so i just sort of mentally shut it all down and i wish i wasn't this way but my brain is protecting itself or something. that's what i'm told anyways.

i miss quotev i practically lived there. most of my system THRIVED there, with the RP groups we could pretend to be in character and then just be ourselves, people would address us as ourselves and it was so affirming and it felt amazing to finally exist and matter to someone. we have an alter who is basically all digital, so we often see ourselves like a little sprite traveling through 0s and 1s and pixels out into the wide web !! it's fun but sometimes very lonely.

so i totally get what you're saying. if you were a tamagotchi i would put you on a keychain and take you out and about !! digital friends ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

cathartic pain !! yes !!! it's nice to remind yourself that it hurts - remind yourself you're still here, you still are feeling and alive, you did experience things that you carry around with you... i am very dissociative unfortunately so i relish anything that makes me feel again. most of the time i feel like a fuzzy static CRT TV...

and thank you (o^▽^o) im going to try to have a good evening. i think i can do it. im going home today (was at my roommates mum's to visit, she gets lonely) and im excited to go home and relax !! you're certainly not being too much or annoying. i only get annoyed by actually irritating things. like frustration at ignorance or injustice... i am always yelling on my blog that anyone can come yap anytime about anything because i like to listen. a pain shared is half a burden, a happiness shared is twice the joy !! (* ^ ω ^) hopefully you make time today to do something self indulgent . it's important to take time to do stuff that feeds your soul . or whatever that sounds cheesy but i hope you know what i mean !!!

[tgrailwar-zero]

Hello! This is mostly a request/gathering call for us masters: anyone up for some future planning in the comments (goals etc.)? Since we’re going back into the arena, I think it’d be really helpful if we listed/discussed a couple of goals we wanted to hit when we’re back at it! Normally there’s a bunch of discussion under posts, but they’re typically more focused on the occurring event, so. Here’s a compilation of current future goals we have, any masters please feel free to add more on/discuss in the comments!

In no particular order,

Current common goals:

1) Get checkup done by Angra’s healer person

2) Go find Avenger (Salieri)

3) Get Avenger (Salieri) back

4) Tear Caster to shreds :]

5) Figure out what to do from there

Possible other goals:

1) Figure out if we want more servants on our team, if so who and when (having more under us doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily trust, like, or go with our plans. More servants also mean more people to work with/look over and higher expenses of resources (items etc). We might want to discuss things and consider how well we can trust servants we want to rope in, and how we’re going to handle logistics and prioritise servants, wants, and needs before we go through with things)

2) If Avenger’s in kill mode, bring him back out of it and back to himself

3) If we do have multiple servants at some point, figure out a system so that we don’t accidentally end up with the negligence situations again 😔 (though that should be negated by a lot if we’re all on the same team)

4) Go find Rider, talk to him/figure stuff out with him

5) Find items and resources/temp allies?

6) Go find Saber, talk to them, get loreblasted 👍 (before or after we end Caster debatable, but they did mention hoping for no deaths in this war (soz bud, very likely nah))

7) Temporary ceasefire/truce with Blue team until we to tear Caster to the ground

8) Apology letter to Blue team

9) Avenger (Angra) mentioned that he passed what was left of Mandricardo’s data to someone, maybe he’s one of those under Saber? Keep an eye out for him?

10) Talk to Foreigner again :(

11) Figure out more of the mystery behind the grail war

12) Figure out additional goals for the grail war

13) Say hi to narrator friend pal Avengy sometime

14) keep shade Away from friend pal Avengy and Admin off our backs (cough)

If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions, please mention them! Hopefully if this works out we can do more discussion posts or something like that in the future too o7 (thank you op for harbouring this essay in your inbox lmao, thgw subject of brainrot real)

"Look at you, gettin' all organized."

[imy2]

tlkin abt shows vlongtext

A) watched carol & the end of the world n it was nice to see fat main characters n also for their fatness to not be the central point of them, carol was relatable too .. 'to know that with all this potential i should've raised up but i never did' , - well to me that's how it felt.. 4/5

B) watched kipo ataowb again - loved it ofc, didnt love the fitness raccoons djjgnjd what a ridiculous sentence.. ok they were fine actually im just sensitive </3 then dave aop saying 'that was twice the calories' ... again whatever actually.. 5/5

1-1} just started z nation again :p i love murphy i do .. strapped down n eaten alive like. then dragged around by some military fucks in the apocalypse.. •

"yeah well why don't you take it then" - "don't leave me to the zombies man. don't leave me! don't let me turn, you bastard - pike me! pike me or i will hunt you down and eat your brains!" , and right beforee - hammond 'i give you mercy' to the other prisoner , if that's not a set up. murphy kept chasing that mercy ahhh i feel him i do. then ofc warren right after. 'i give you mercy'. yeahyeah .. •

"it's ok, she was ready to go" "aren't we all" garnett lmfao. •

"well i guess i won't shoot him.. yet" warren's first line to(kinda) murphy. i love rewatching. •

"an ex cop and some others taking shelter in a prison up the road" nod to twd o.O man i shld be allowed to fight rick. nyway.. •

didnt rmbr sketchy and skeezy being ep1 love that excited to watch their story again•

8 bites ur kiddin me.. murphy 🤝 me •

aww 10k intro is saving doc ofc •

zombaby will always be so great .. WAIT i didnt rmbr he fking kills hammond.. welp.. deservedkinda .. lmfaoo "none of this would've happened if you just left the baby" "i didn't tell hammond to go get eaten by a baby" garnett laugh2 •

ahhh citizen z ofc... "here's a little smth for all of u out there w 3000 miles of bad road btwn u and home.. i hope u can hear it" .. 'have mercy or u don't have nothing at all and you're still alive!' •

ok unexpected liveblog of ep1 over...

d2 / /

1-2} we were made to walk thru this fire <- e2 end song, truee o7•

1-3} cassandra ugh <3 :'( each time it gets me so bad •

"everybody out there - whether you're hiding in a cave or running for your life, just keep doin' whatcha gotta do to stay alive; bash 'em, slash 'em, bust 'em, and burn 'em ... whatever it takes, just stay alive - no questions asked." <- citizen z ep3 (lol), 2024 motto ? •

1-4} "i'm telling you - there ain't nothin' there. no thoughts, no memories, no soul - nothing." where'sss my gif.. -"he just, you know, he seemed so... trapped. I couldn't even tell if there was a real person still in there sometimes." zombies 🤝 me (alcoholism esp ofc)•

ahhh doc airvent, classicc... "give me a kiss baby" ok doc did look hot n all covered in zombie guts sayin that but i'd look hotter ^_^ •

1-5} "it got to a certain point where i just gave up - didn't care if i lived or died. then a funny thing happened.. i didn't die. and with everything that's happened, it's been harder and harder to remember the past. i guess that's a good thing, right?" damn garnett. •

citizen z pouring a shot into his dogs used bowl then going 'oops' n drinking it himself. very real i wouldve done that .. "the only thing worse than drinking alone is not drinking" nooo citizen z dont tell me those words •

goodbye murphy's hair u wont be seen again for a while.. his first 4eps look was so cute, his now bald look is nice too•

"and suddenly we see that love costs all we are and will ever be. yet it is only love which sets us free." awwww don't think i've ever noticed antoine's writing of that poem in the photobook warren looks at ;-; 'my love always' <3 "i have to wait for him this time. i owe him that much. - it's like you said, i can't start forgetting til i know." •

1-6} damn then right after.. first time sex w new lovr getting interruptd for them to be killed. literally tragic •

"but if we're lucky, someday this will be over.and next time, i hope we get it right." real of u citizen z •

1-7} sketchy again! "we navigated our way up" - "we" with no mention yet of skeezy bc duh ofc "we" . •

1-8} "murphy - don't you leave." "you got me as far as you could." ... "you came back." "i did." •

1-9} "we don't leave each other behind." "i came back for you - i'll always come back for you." / "we never stood a chance." "woah. woah, hold on. what are you saying to me?" "think about it, like.. our relationship - what's it based on? .. we don't even know each other." "we've kept each other alive. we've been there for each other. ... yeah, yeah - we got a lot of bad shit to go through before this is all over, but.. i need you. i don't know what you're talking about, 'we don't have a chance'." "for the last three years, we have never thought about anything past tomorrow. ,, what kind of future do you and i have? what are we gonna do - we gonna get married? , i can't even think about that stuff, like it's crazy, it's impossible." "but we have each other." .... idc abt mack rly also addys s1 hair is ofc atrocious •

1-10} "if i haven't said anything lately - thank you so much, universe - for my whole situation! .. i'm not like other boys, i do not give mercy." murphy again •

1-11} "aw man don't get down on yourself like that; you're a perfect hunk of man-meat, don't you ever forget it." lol doc...also im surprised every time lucy happens s1 •

1-12} murphy got his cool eyes on now.. i want those eyes •

1-13} oo i feel bad for murphy.. doc casually tlking abt leaving him to be experimented on :( also the group casually tlkin abt splittin up.. wdym its the apocalypse y wldnt u stick together...•

oh cassandra :((• also newmurphyagain..welcome blueman

welp that's s1 done.. not sure if will continue taking notes.. just been anxious so occupying time :p

nvm cant sleep yet hehe..

2-1} cassandra :( murphy -_- absolutely atrocious•

"maybe there are worse things than being a zombie. maybe being a starving, fearful, violent, vindictive human is worse." nooo .. too real murphs(lol).. #alcoholism•

ooo hey vasquez •

'love her forever and ever again and love's made a fool out of me' need to listen to that sounded good •

okayyy.. now sleep ig..

[lostacelonnie]

They make memory meds what? Thats wild. Sometimes you just gotta sea the ocean in all her glory yknow? Its healing in a different way from goin outside to touch grass. I took three years of spanish & talking to native speakers for me is always yeah i got the vibes even if I didn't catch every word. Back to spain again wow. At least itll be for a city you know & like. Id like to go to spain one day. I just made it to the ice planet city & met bronya & her mom. Her mom has milf vibes. Simulated universe is so much easier than genshin abyss i like it. Honkai does have a lot to catch up on but i should be able to eventually. I might try for silver wolf but i wanna save for seele re run. Oooh sweet freedom so soon. I hope you use that to catch up on your missed sleep

RIGHT?? they didnt work at first but my dose is bigger now and waow theres not Much improvement but theres improvement. YEAHH fr fr i love just standing half submerged like. Man. and yeah its like that at school for me since 4 outta 5 of my teachers are spanish and barely speak polish or english. and yeah shdhfjgj i can just feel how im gonna be like "oh they sell good pizza there. thats where i got sunburn. i got jumpscared by the hit song calma by pedro capó here. ah hey thats my broom closet" the WHOOOLE trip ahdjjf. but i Am looking forward to it since ill also get like actual classes while there so thats gonna be cool. spain is nice [well. not like i have been to many places ajdjfj but from first impressions] but good GOD is it hot as shit there. AND AH JARILO-VI NICE!! so true cocolia milfing in every universe so true. and yeah and its like Actually Enjoyable wow...... generally i feel that a lot of stuff in star rail is just stuff that was bad in genshin, but instead of listening and fixing it there, hyv just made a different game. Lol. and yeah there is a Lot so good luck with that o7 hehe i got silver wolf bc decided that im prooooobably gonna manage to save for kafka anyway and i did get her but also im a bit nervous bc i do Not feel like im gonna win 3 50/50s in a row so. ahh. and yeaaaahhhhh i literally have like.... 5 days of school left..... and thankies hehe i actually did since we had a lot of first lessons cancelled this week so i got half an hour more each day 👍

[krisrix]

Hey! I was just wondering if you had any advice for a first time fanfic writer? I haven't done any creative writing since I was twelve and have no clue where to start, but I got an idea for a wayward son au that I cannot get out of my head!!

My friend, I am with you!!! I did very little prose writing from ages 15-30 (only RP, which is not quite the same, since you’re only writing your character a little at a time, always in reaction to the other players). Then I read Carry On was like “I have to write a nightmares/bed-sharing fic” and just went fucking hog wild.

I’ve got one big suggestion, and then a whole bunch of less important ones.

Here’s the big suggestion:

Chase your bliss! This is a hobby above all else, and it’s something we’re all supposed to be having fun with. A little stress is good, but if you feel it’s getting out of hand, take a step back and reevaluate what you’re trying to get out of the process.

I’m a creature that needs constant validation, and sometimes that can be paralyzing—there’s a lot of worrying about whether or not people will like what I’m working on... But here’s the secret: they will. 

Someone somewhere will like what you made. Even if they never let you know. You gotta have faith that they’re out there.

Maybe it’s not as many people as you wanted. Maybe you even get some mean responses. But no matter what, there will always be at least one person out there who is fucking thrilled you made the thing you made and shared it with the world.

Keep yourself and that one person in mind. They’re your not-so-imaginary friend throughout this journey. Create for the two of you and no one else.

Okay, now here are the more technical suggestions:

Finished, not perfect. Repeat this to yourself forever, ad nauseam. Tattoo it inside your eyelids. You will never internalize this enough. You will never internalize this enough.

Don’t edit as you go, just keep writing! Going back to reread in order to get your bearings or see which trains of thought you’d like to follow is all fine; try to limit it to that. The key idea is to get all your thoughts out and onto the paper/screen. Then, you can edit. (I personally am terrible at this. I edit constantly. About 75% of my time “writing” is actually obsessively editing. Do as I say, not as I do.) And relatedly...

Get your ideas out as fast as possible. This can mean many things. You could make an outline. You could write with dialogue only to start. You could jump around and write scenes as they come to you. Whatever you’d like. So long as you just keep writing. Because whatever it is you’re holding in your head that you sweaaaarrrr you’ll not forget when the time comes? Buddy, you’re gonna forget it.

Do writing sprints. When you’re feeling demotivated or like your brain is filled with cotton, try setting a timer for 15 minutes and don’t stop writing until the timer goes off. Maybe whatever you wrote during that sprint is garbage—that’s okay! It’s about loosening your mind and getting the gears spinning. Like how artists do warm-up sketches! It’s about inspiring new trains of thought or getting you in the zone. You don’t need to post it or keep it! And speaking of not needing to keep everything you write...

Don’t be afraid to kill your darlings. That is, if you wrote something and it’s just not working, remove it! Sometimes we write ourselves into a corner. Or we chase down an idea that’s awesome but doesn’t fit with the plot or mood we were going for. I’ve had times where that’s happened and I ran with it, and it worked out really well! Other times, not so much. In Limit Break chapter 3, I kept trying to cram something in that just was not working, and I wound up only stressing myself out and wasting a lot of time. Eventually, I pulled that part out and set it aside. I’ve got a graveyard document for all the bits I’ve scraped from various fics. Maybe I’ll reuse those bits one day, or maybe they will forever rot there. Who knows! It doesn’t matter. Not every word, or paragraph, or chapter is going to be good. Not every idea is precious. Sometimes you need to recognize that, cut your losses, and try anew.

If you can’t think of a word/spell/response/reasoning/anything, use a placeholder. I type ELEPHANT in all caps whenever I’m struggling to come up with something. Then, using the “find and replace” feature, I’ll go back and fill these sections in once I’ve got all the other stuff written—or once the solution comes to me while I’m in the middle of some unrelated task, like doing the dishes. I wait way too long until caving to this advice; I’ll stare at the screen and wrack my brain for an hour. Don’t be like me. Don’t let your momentum die because you’re stuck! Pop in a placeholder and carry on!

You should probably use a beta. I had no beta on my first fic nor on 5 Times They Half-Arsed It (too embarrassed LOL). Otherwise, I always use the brilliant @carryonsimoncarryonbaz. Reach out to your friend group for help—or come DM me! Having another pair of eyes (or two! or three!) look at your work is pretty much always a good thing. Betas can fill a few different roles: they’ll help you spot spelling and grammar stuff (no matter how careful you think you were); they can point out inconsistencies or things that need clarification; they can find weird word choices; they can help you untangle problem areas or push you in new directions, etc. And they can be your cheering squad and offer you encouragement throughout!!

Be upfront with your beta(s) about how much you’d like/need from them, so that they can best help you. Constructive criticism is how we all get better, but sometimes it’s just not about that, you know? Sometimes you just want someone to be at your side during the process. (Other than your not-so-imaginary friend, of course~)

But really, above all else, chase your bliss.

I hope any of this helps! 🖤 Come chat with me again any time. Good luck! o7

[the-darklings]

home is wherever i’m with you;

pairing: connor x reader

drabble prompt: [o7/11]: connor + comfort

word count: 729

a/n: I’ve had a pretty terrible few weeks. I know some of you guys have as well. So this is pure, shameless fluff we all deserve and need. Thank you @wer-if-est-er-ia for providing me with the perfect prompt. Hope you guys enjoy.   

previous drabbles: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

— — —

Your window was a gateway to the universe.

Tiny beads of rain trailing down the clear, cold surface were stars falling down in your lap as you stared up at them in wonder. With your arms wrapped around yourself, you felt the heaviness of the day sink into you with painful finality.

“I’m home,” a voice called with a click of the front door opening, “Hank wants to know if we can still make it to dinner tomorrow. Said Sumo misses you. He also gave me a lengthy lecture about making myself more...emotionally available.”

You didn’t even have the energy to smile at something that would have usually made you laugh. “How many swear words did he use to get his point across?”

You heard him shuffling around the apartment, a rhythm and precision to all his movements that were starting to become achingly familiar.

It was nice to have him in your space. It was nice to wake up with his fingers tracing your skin, and his lips slow and searching each morning. Often so unsure but always eager to learn.

You could hear the smile in his voice when he answered, “Too many,” he voiced, his footsteps approaching your resting place. “How was your—(Name)?”

He appeared in your line of sight, and it still startled you sometimes, seeing him here. Seeing him look so human, so beautiful, and alive—

He was worried though.

You could tell by the way the casualness slid off him suddenly, how his entire demeanour sharpened immediately upon seeing you, his eyes flickering over your features hurriedly.

“(Name),” he called again, something heavier in his voice. His fingers searched for yours, cautiously entwining as he knelt before you.

“I’m okay,” you told him, swallowing the lie, “Stuff just...gets to you sometimes. Stress and worries, and life. It’s okay, don’t worry about me.”

His thumb ran over your knuckles carefully, his brows so deeply furrowed it made him look almost angry, “I do not like it when you’re sad,” he remarked heavily, “It makes me feel...uncomfortable. Don’t be sad,” he commanded almost petulantly, his fingers tightening around yours for a moment.     

You smiled weakly at him, “It doesn’t work that way, sweetheart.”

His gaze was focused on your interlocked fingers intently, his expression troubled, “I wish I could take all of you sadness away,” he told you soberly, before lifting your hand and brushing his lips against your knuckles delicately.

He was upset, you realised with a start, your lips parting in surprise, “Oh Connor, everyone has bad days, it doesn’t mean that good days don’t follow them.”

Sliding from your seat, you knelt before him, gently bumping your forehead with his as you gave him a wan smile.

“I wish—I want to help you,” he confessed, a shakiness to his voice that was quickly becoming a telltale sign of him being overwhelmed. Just part of humanity and all the messy, messy emotions that came with it. Connor felt everything so deeply that sometimes you couldn't help but to think he was more human than most humans were. “You always help me, but I cannot—”

“Shhh. You do help me,” you muttered lightly. “You’re with me right now. That’s enough.”

He leaned back, gaze serious as he timidly reached for your face, fingers tracing an invisible smile, “Nothing will ever happen to you (Name). You have my word.”

You did not expect him to wrap his arms unsurely around you, touch awkward and restrained, but so very warm that it made you sag against him involuntarily.

There was such simple comfort to be found in a hug from someone you loved. Feeling of soothing warmth that was capable of wiping every bad thing from your head for at least a little while.

“I—I love you,” he whispered gently against your ear, voice cracking.

Your heart gave a little jolt, still unused to hearing him say it. He rarely did because he found it hard to voice everything he felt even now.

But when he did—

God, when he did.

It was like dying and being born again. Exactly like every stupid, cliched story you’ve ever read told you it would be like.

You curled into him, voice strained as you told him, “I love you too Connor.”

And with those words, you made him into your home, shelter, and your entire life too.

— — —

an: If you guys ever need anyone to talk to you can always message me. Keep on smiling my lovelies. ❤️

[beaumontjemma]

Half an hour, and then I can go to lunch. Half an hour and the world’s longest list of stupid questions.

Jemma meditated on that fact, schooling her fidgeting hands into her lap and sitting as straight as she possibly could without aggravating muscles she’d beaten into submission that morning. This was just an interview. Just a bunch of canned sound bites, and charming smiles, and PR work for the team, all of which she could do in her sleep. She’d even put on foundation in the middle of the day for it, wouldn’t Lorelai be proud?

o1. Are you happy with the way the quidditch season is going so far?

A softball right out of the gate was always her favorite, and Jemma grinned, even as she tempered her response down from gloating, “I’ll call it cautiously optimistic, we’re doing well so far but I don’t plan on slacking off anytime soon.”

o2. What words would you use to describe yourself?

“Pugnacious? There’s a five galleon word for you, that’s got to be worth at least 3 regular words.” Spiteful, determined, and desperate to prove herself probably wouldn’t play quite how she wanted in the papers, however true.

o3. If you could change one aspect of your personality, what would it be?

“I’m sure there are people who’d like me to be calmer, but that sounds boring, doesn’t it?” Did they teach journalists to hope for the best like that, expecting an honest answer to personal questions? Like she was going to tell the whole damn readership of Quidditch Daily that she couldn’t breathe for the insecurity sometimes and she couldn’t figure out how to do more than pantomime confidence? “I really can’t think of anything I’d change.”

o4. Briefly talk about a defining moment in your life. What made it so important?

“Easy one, second game of my first year on the Hufflepuff team. It’s not the same winning games when it’s just you and a bunch of neighborhood kids and cousins and stuff, winning in a real game with real stakes for the first time was- I don’t even know. There aren’t words to describe that rush.”

o5. If you weren’t involved in the quidditch scene, what kind of job do you would have? 

Jemma tilted her head, faux confusion on her face, “Other... jobs? That aren’t quidditch? I don’t think I’ve heard of such a thing. I certainly can’t speak to it.” It would be boring to say she’d probably have just wound up in the family business, and worse, it would remind her that she could still wind up in the family business. Not that they weren’t great, just.. not what she was interested in or good at. 

o6. What are some similarities/differences between yourself and your teammates/coworkers?

“Well we all wear the same colors. That’s a similarity. And we have the same goal, winning the cup again. And we mostly play different positions, which is a difference. Some of them are taller than I am? I don’t think I ever bothered to quantify specifics, because they don’t matter until something starts going wrong, and nothing has with the dynamic yet. Maybe we’ll sign someone who’s horrible in the locker room, and that’ll be an issue and I’ll think about it, but otherwise it just seems like asking for trouble.”

o7. What kind of things do you think about when you’re alone?

“Athlete stuff, I suppose. Mile times and broom maintenance and what to eat for dinner. Christmas is coming up, that’s taken up a good bit of brain space lately.”

o8. What are three good habits and three bad habits that you have?

Ticking them off on her fingers, Jemma listed, “I wake up early most days, I floo my mum at least once a week, and I always buy a round when the team goes out. As for bad, I cheat on my diet with chips more than I should, I listen to terrible music, and sometimes I wait long enough before feeding my cat that he can actually see the bottom of his bowl in some spots, which he would probably call the height of cruelty.” It was a testament to the unoriginality of sports reporters (Mags excepted, of course) that she had rehearsed answers to that question down to a pithy and charming sound bite.

o9. What is your personal philosophy?

“Win? Learn from your mistakes? That’s a broad question, but I guess those two sum it up.”

1o. Would you rather be liked or respected? Feared or loved?

“Respected and feared, at least on the pitch, and that’s the important thing here, isn’t it?”

11. What are your thoughts on Puddlemere United?

Okay so it wasn’t the height of maturity, but it was fun to just make an extended raspberry noise and leave the question at that.

12. What about The Chudley Cannons?

“It would be awkward if my thoughts on the Cannons were anything other than glowing delight.”

13. If given a more lucrative position with another team, would you take it? 

Sucking her breath through her teeth, Jemma shrugged, “I don’t think anyone could afford to pay me what it would take to get me away from the Cannons. And they’d have to make a series of really stupid decisions first, like, I dunno, hiring Hagrid as head coach and changing the uniforms to include frilly skirts. I think the owner’s too smart to do something like that, though, so I don’t see me moving teams anytime soon.”

14. Would you consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist? 

“Optimist. I tried pessimism but I don’t think it’s for me.”

15. What’s one thing you would change about your team, if given the opportunity?

“Less groaning during drills. I’m including myself in that, so it’s fair.”