#i should probably write something else to get in the groove

[what-have-i-unleashed]

ao3 is still down... which means i have to go back to my wip fics... but i don't wanna... it's 1200 words already and yet i'm not even done with the opening scene why

[seeingivy]

you're losing me

satoru x f!reader

**part of my satoru as taylor swift songs series

an: based on a request I received! i've been trying to get back into the writing groove since finals ended - and this very detailed request was exactly what I needed - so ty my sweetie pie <3

--

“Would you guys like to order?” 

You swallow hard, looking up at your waiter, who has stopped by for the third time now. You’ve been sitting here with the first years for almost forty-five minutes now, waiting for Satoru to arrive for the dinner that you two kept promising them. Yuuji and Nobara have all but exhausted the free bread supply while you waited, much to Megumi’s dismay, who keeps claiming that they’re going to be too full to eat their dinner and complain about it for days. 

“Um-” 

You pause, checking his location one more time, before you sigh and give a polite smile. Satoru’s location still isn’t reading - meaning, he’s still stuck on his mission - and not coming to dinner. 

“Yeah. Yeah, sure.” you respond, gesturing for the three of them as Megumi starts narrating everyone’s order to the waiter.

The three of them turn to you - with matching stiff smiles - when he walks away as you swallow hard and prepare yourself for the awkward barrage of comments you know are coming. 

“He’s not coming?” Megumi asks. 

“Yeah. He’s still at his mission and I have to take you guys back early anyways, so we’ll just eat without him.” 

“Maybe you can take something for him to go?” Yuuji asks. 

“No, that’s alright. Um, his dinner from yesterday should still be there. He’s good.” you respond. 

You don’t miss the look that the three of them give each other and swallow down the defense of him that you always have prepared. Not that you don’t still vehemently believe in it, because you do, it’s just that it tends to make those prolonged, pitying looks last longer when you do. 

But Satoru really is busy. There’s no one like him - he quite literally changed the balance of life as anyone knew it when he was born - so of course there are certain missions that only he can do. And there’s a certain…safety that comes with picking Satoru each time. Because they know that he’ll come out on the other side of it, with exactly what they need. 

Which means that he comes home late sometimes. Despite your best efforts to stay up - which always end with you upright on the couch, with your neck curved in a weird way - only to find that you’re safely tucked into your bed the next morning. 

Satoru always comes home at some point, making sure to tuck you into bed, but has to run off so fast that you don’t catch him in the morning. 

“Gojo-sensei’s really neglecting you, huh?” Nobara utters, earning a jab from Megumi in his side. 

You smile. 

“No. He’s just busy.” you respond, awkwardly breaking the bread in your plate. 

“You’re right. He has missions and has been really hands on with the second-years.” Megumi responds. 

You shoot him a grateful smile. 

“Exactly! Especially since they’re all about to be nominated for first grade sorcerers so…now is more important than ever.” you add. 

“It’s okay. You should just make Gojo-sensei feel really bad. Isn’t he rich? Then he’ll buy you a nice ring to make up for it.” Nobara adds, giving you a wink. 

You snort. 

“Okay, Nobara. I’ll try it.” you scoff. 

“No, seriously! He should feel bad - you’re probably drinking wine alone at night, blasting some sad songs before you get so tired from crying that you fall asleep. You deserve a gift!” Nobara adds, earning her another jab from Megumi in her side. 

You roll your eyes. 

“I do not blast sad songs before I go to bed. That’s actually pathetic.” you respond. 

“Or therapeutic. I’ll send you a playlist. Trust me, you’ll get so mad that you’ll actually get a gift from him out of it.” Nobara responds, your phone beeping in your pocket from her message. 

You look over at Megumi, giving him a knowing look, before you return to your dinner and let Nobara target her incessant rambling for someone else. At the end of the dinner, Nobara flashes you a big smile when you set Satoru’s credit card down on the table, which was an accident because you had just left yours at home. You settle down her rambling by buying them all dessert on it before you send them home. 

--

Satoru, though he would never admit it out loud, had been dreading coming home for the past week. And he’d wring his own neck out a few months ago, for even thinking it, let alone the fact that he’s been entertaining the fact for the past few months. 

But what he has waiting for him when he’s coming home, leaves him with that deep seated, guilty pit in his stomach. Because he always trods into your apartment hours late, to find you curled up on the couch, having dozed off. 

Satoru knows you - too well almost - and that despite his protests, you tried your best to wait up for him every single day. His heart warms at the fact that you want to spend time with him, but it’s quickly overshadowed with guilt when he sees the dark circles under your eyes. And it makes it ten times worse when he slips out in the morning for his mission, only to see you squirming into his side of the bed, now left cold. 

And the worst part? That you can’t even bring yourself to be mad about it. Because Satoru would feel with anger, that it would be fully deserved, but your full understanding and love for him just makes his guilt a thousand times worse. Because without fail, you always leave ehim a dinner plate out, reminding him to eat his vitamins and rink water before leaving. 

But today was different - quite possibly, the first time he’s rushed home in a while. Because his mission finished early and his meeting got cancelled, meaning that he would be home when you would be awake. He’d made arrangements, quickly running past and picking up a bouquet and ice cream on the way home, nearly sprinting all the way up the stairs. 

Satoru pads into the apartment, feet leading him straight to the bedroom, where the light is pouring from the bottom of the closed door. He hesitates, caught off by the fact that you’re singing, before knocking on the door together. He’d missed the sound of it, of your quiet singing that he’d often wake up to while you were showering. 

Satoru can recognize that you’re listening to Taylor Swift almost immediately - with how much you and Nobara play it around him - and he’s almost positive that you must have the cat cuddled into your nap, explaining all the lore to him like he’s found you doing hundreds of time. 

"Do something, babe, say something" (say something) "Lose something, babe, risk something" (you're losin' me) "Choose something, babe, I got nothing (got nothing) To believe Unless you're choosin' me" You're losin' me Stop (stop, stop), you're losin' me Stop (stop, stop), you're losin' me I can't find a pulse My heart won't start anymore

Satoru swallows hard. He knows that it’s just a song. That the sentiment could easily not be reflecting what you’re feeling. 

But he’s also acutely aware that it could be what you’re feeling. And it’s something that you aren’t telling him, because he knows that you odn’t want to be another thing that he has to deal with at the end of the day. 

Satoru groans, leaning his head against the door, as he panders with his options. Because that’s the last thing that he wants you think. It’s the farthest place he wants to be in his relationship with you, because he wants you to always come to him. The fact that you could have been holding onto these feelings, for god knows how long, makes his stomach churn as his feet quickly lead him into the kitchen and has him scribbling a note to place in the bouquet of flowers. 

--

You shoot Nobara a text as you pad out into the kitchen, your cat following you on your heels. 

you: i like the playlist! 

nobara: how much have you had to drink? 

you: i did not drink. and i am not sad. 

nobara: now who said that? projecting much…

You roll your eyes as you half debate opening up the dinner you had left out for Satoru last night or ordering takeout and leaving him leftovers to eat tomorrow morning 

“I already ordered us something.” 

You turn around, to find Satoru closing the space between you, the flowery smell filling your nose as his lips meet your forehead in a warm kiss. 

“Satoru. You’re home, I didn’t even…” 

He presses his lips firmly against yours, his right hand flesh as your cheek, sending a wave of warmth down your spine. You smile into the kiss, resting your forehead against his, as he returns a soft smile back. 

“I missed you.” he murmurs. 

You deflate, warm tears filling your eyes at his presence - bright blue eyes, the smell of his shampoo, and his warm arms around yours - as you loop your arms under his and dig your face into his neck. You can feel him leaving a few pecks in your hair, his voice soothing as you try your best to will away your tears. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to cry, I just really missed you.” 

He pulls back, giving you a warm smile, as he reaches for the flowers on the counter and places them in your hands. You give him a bright smile, twisting them in your hands, as you fully inhald the flowery smell. 

“For you.” Satoru responds, in a sing song voice as he reaches forward to pinch your cheek. 

“You didn’t have to, love.” you respond, swiping the tiny little envelope from the bouquet. 

“Yes. I did.” he deadpans, placing his hands on your shoulder before swinging you around and placing you flesh against his chest. 

You open up the little envelope to find a little note inscribed with his messy handwriting, as his lips find their way to your cheek. 

My sweet girl, 

Your endless empathy and patience don’t go unnoticed. You’re far more than I deserve and I want to make it up to you, though I’m sure I’ll probably spend the rest of my life doing that, if you’ll let me. 

We’re going to go away, just the two of us, for a little while. I don’t care where we go, you can choose where we go and what we do tomorrow. Just know, that in earnest, I’m choosing you, even if I don’t make it clear all the time. 

I’ll choose you, always. 

Love, 

Satoru

You smile hard, twisting around, so you can look up at him. The tears are flowing from your eyes tenfold how, as Satoru lifts his hands to your cheeks, trying to push you into smiling. 

“Why are you frowning, princess?” 

“You’re so sweet, Satoru.” 

Satoru shakes his head dismissively, as he pushes you into his embrace fully, increasing the pressure of his hold around you. The two of you stand there in the kitchen for a while, softly murmuring to each other, in the pale light of the kitchen. 

When you and Satoru pad into bed later that night, you send Nobara another message before going to sleep. 

you: nvm. remind me to take ur advice more often.

--

an, again: no one crucify me I haven't written anything for like a month

the satoru as taylor swift series masterlist

taglist: @invisible-mori @porridgesblog  @k0z3me  @kayleegomez  @yihona-san06  @bsenpai  @sweetenertea  @skzismyhome @mykyoon @violetmatcha @rebeccawinters @luna0713hunter @shotenvinsoot @itzmeme @gojoswifeyyys-world @cutiejg

[asexualbookbird]

Oh what a month for reading! Some really bad books, but also some candidates for favorites of the year! Had book club! That was fun as always! I also started TWO new fiber craft projects which I'm excited about. The Cabled crochet blanket is SO much fun and I'm really getting into the groove of it. I've learnt how to read crochet charts! Partially anyway. For this one project. It's clear I am still recovering covid because I can't do much else than sitting in bed reading lol But hey, I'm resting and having fun!

Envy of Angels by Matt Wallace ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - What a delightfully hilarious nugget of a book! Absolutely wacky! Definitely interested in the rest of the series, but it's also more of a Read When In Brain Fog so I want to save it for my bad brain days lol

Shadow of the Crown by Amber Morane ⭐ - Unpolished. Poorly written. The ending sucked. No redeeming qualities and I do not want to read more from this series or author. At least it was free.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi ⭐⭐⭐ - Another fun and silly book! Scalzi definitely has a way of writing that defines a Scalzi Book™️. Don't think too much about it, just enjoy the ride. Loved the cats, I think more authors should put genius cats into their books.

Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - CRYING. SOBBING. SCREAMING. Finally read this and I am in PAIN! Very good, very feelings, this is what Ready Player One could've been.

Flight & Anchor by Nicole Kornher-Stace ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - The Prequel to Firebreak, glad I read this second so that lines could hurt me more because I know how their stories end. I'm not sure what, but this one was missing something for me that made me enjoy it a little less than Firebreak, but I still enjoyed it a lot! A great duo!

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Reread for book club! Still enjoyed it a lot! Still adore Temeraire and Laurence! The amount of times they call each other "my dear" so early melts my heart. I'd probably like this even more if I actually enjoyed historical fiction and the Napoleon wars.

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - hey. Hi. Hello. What if Geralt was canonically a woman and the demon chicken from Nettle & Bone had a Voice. What. If. This book is a part of me now thanks bye!

Again, no clear goals for March. I"m honestly having a good time just reading with whatever I vibe with. I didn't get to the Ga'Hoole books in February, so I'll put those at the top of my potential list for March, but other than that? Who knows! I definitely immediately put myself on the libby waitlist for Sunbringer I need to know how Kissen, Elo, and Ina get on. I need to know they're all okay. Please let them be okay ;-;

If you have any recommendations for books like Godkiller I am ALL EARS! Might replay Witcher III about it in the meantime.

[smilindesperado]

I'd love to know more about your post-canon Mai fic if you're willing to share! I saw a previous post from you about how it's nearly ready to publish - is it fully written? How long have you been working on it? What's something in particular you're really excited about? Is it Maiko? (You don't have to answer all or any of these questions, of course lol. Just anything you feel like talking about, if you feel like talking about it!)

Truly thank you so much for asking @myargalargan I have been working on this thing for the better part of the past year so the brainrot is sooo real, and I have been dying to gush about it 😆

I'll post the summary here and then everything else below the cut because you gave me the opportunity to ramble and I will happily take it haha

Mai had always wondered what it felt like to be stabbed by the point of her blades. The 100 year war is over, but not everyone is happy.  Mai’s not happy either, but she’s beginning to suspect that her discontentment might be self-inflicted.  Fortunately, an old Master sees her potential. OR Mai finds her place after the war.  And gets a sword.

I've spent the last year plotting, outlining and drafting all 13 chapters - so in a way yes it's fully written, but also no because I edit everything to death. I finished the rough drafts at the end of last year (and some of the chapters are still truly rough but that's what second drafts are for i guess). I'm currently working through the second draft of chapter 5 which is the goal I gave myself to reach before I started publishing to give me a buffer of a couple of chapters at the ready. So it's close.

I'm really excited to get to the ending honestly and how everything comes together. The story came from a mix of scenes I had made for other fics that I really enjoyed writing, but I couldn't make sense of the rest of the plot so I ended up abandoning those wips. So it was really exciting finding a place for them that made sense and seeing the full picture with those scenes. And then also it was important for me to put Mai in a spot after the war that I think she would actually enjoy instead of just blending back into the background of royalty and politics.

I also really enjoyed writing her relationships with other characters, especially with those she's closest to - Zuko, Azula, and Ty Lee. I know you're a Sukka/Sokka fan so you should also know I am continuing my Mai & Sokka besties agenda and there's a fun little arc where they get to work together full of shenanigans (and Suki also gets to knock some sense into Mai)

And yes, it is maiko because I am incurable. I'd say it's:

A-Plot: Mai finding her groove

Followed closely by B- Plot: Maiko romance

Distant C-plot that could probably have been better developed but then I would never publish: some background political scheming that moves the plot forward

[abidethetempest]

Hilo, everyone. I feel like I've been a little bit AWOL since about May of this year when it comes to my creative projects, especially my conlang which is the one 90% of you probably follow me for. I want to give an.... update? explanation? about why I've been so inactive and where I'm at mentally.

To be brief: I had burnout. Bad, bad burnout. For my conlang, for my fic, everything. If I'm being honest with myself, I'm still burned out on those projects. There's a combination of factors at play: working nonstop on two things at the same time for over a year, my interests shifting between different fandoms and projects as they tend to do, health issues, and plain old insecurity about the quality of my work.

I never expected anyone to care much about my Eliksni language project. It's been both wonderful and overwhelming to have so many people interact with something I thought would only be seen by myself and maybe a few other linguistics nerds. I am still a beginner to conlanging, and I worry constantly that someone better, more knowledgeable, and more experienced than me will come along and say "This is terrible, and you should quit." Even back in April and May of this year, I knew that feeling dread at the thought of working on my conlang was not healthy or normal. So I took a break! It's helped a lot, and I've been working a bit on translations lately. Hopefully I'll have some conlang posts soon :)

The other big thing I've been burned out on is my Destiny longfic. On top of the already present burnout, I got a rude comment that really took the wind out of my sails. I'm not going to dwell on what was said or who said it, and DO NOT go crusading on my behalf or come ask me about the details. I don't want drama over this, I want to move on from it so I can hopefully start writing my damn fic again. Just... be kind to each other when you comment, okay? There's no need to suck the joy out of someone else's project bc you think you're a better writer than them, especially when you're reading it for free on the internet.

In some better news, I'll be doing Destinytober, same as last year: writing oneshots in the universe of my longfic. I really think that will help me get back in the groove and be inspired again.

Anyway. I'm still here, and I'm still trying to be creative! Here's to maybe getting out of the burnout hole before the year is over.

[rdhadastroke]

So this straw-masked dumbass decided to do a thing and share some personal tips about writing fanfiction/writing someone else's character/writing in general!

Please keep in mind that I am a hobbyist writer, not a professional! These are just suggestions/things that help me that may or may not work for you, please feel free to correct me or add your own anecdotes :)

Tips for getting ready to write:

Make sure that you're in an environment where you can concentrate.

Whether that be in a quiet room, a chatty café, or blasting your eardrums out with music, whatever gets you in the groove is good. Not everybody can focus in the same environment, so your choice of surroundings for when you right aren't going to be the same as everyone else's. I (personally) listen to long video essays, my current favorite song on loop, or a playlist about the story/characters.

Clear a space for where you want to write.

Clear the space of excess clutter and keep only what you need. If what you need to write is a lot, that's fine! Having too much going on at once in your writing space can overwhelm and/or distract you. I know from personal experience.

Have all of your materials at hand.

Character sheets, previous stories, note paper to jot down ideas, rough environment & scene sketches... Whatever references and tools you need, keep them with you! Also, keep a glass of water or some other drink nearby. Hydrate or diedrate, my friends.

Make sure that you won't be interrupted while you're writing.

This may not be an option for those of you living with your parents or a roommate, but it's ideal for your creative flow to go undisturbed, uninterrupted, and unwatched. Is your father really watching you write your fanfic? No, probably not, considering that he's snoring. But it still feels weird to write when he's sitting in his armchair right behind you. No, I am not projecting my experience onto the reader under the cover of an absurd joke, why would you say that?

Now that setup is out of the way, let's go over some actual writing stuff:

Always, always, always block out what you want to write before you actually write it.

By "block out", I mean give a basic summary of the events you want to take place in that chapter or segment. I usually do this event-by-event because I struggle to carry on a story without an outline, but you can do it by chapter or by paragraph if you'd like. Make jokes in your mini-summaries, and phrase things in wacky ways (that convey things to you effectively)! You don't have to be too serious about it. After all, if you're in a lil silly goofy mood, you can get an epic sentence like this:

If you get stuck on a part of a story, move on and save it for later.

If you're anything like me, you understand the screaming, crying, pissing, pants-shittingly frustrating experience of not knowing how to describe something or figure out what should be said next. As angering as it is, it's okay. Just write a mini block-in for what you want to happen, want to describe, or the general tone of what you want to be said. Or use a keyword that you can Ctrl+F for to finish those pesky scenes when you're ready. If your writing software can do it (I have no clue if any one program does this, I only use Google Docs), mark the spot for review to return to it later. If you're one of those frighteningly powerful people who write stories by hand, highlight it and paste what you want to go there over it once you're ready. If you aren't familiar with this infuriating part of writing, you're a lucky bastard and I envy you immensely.

If you have writer's block, there are 8 potential strategies (that I can provide) you can use to alleviate it.

These are NOT surefire fixes for writer's block and are EXTREMELY subjective and results will vary from person to person, but they can potentially help you.

Read a book. Sometimes reading how another author writes (dialogue, scenery, figurative language, etc.) can help you get a better grasp of what you want to write, and how you want to write it. You might even get inspired to make a different story, which bleeds into the next point.

Work on/start a different story. (This isn't always the best way to get out of writer's block, so if you can't get a word down, this probably won't help.) Sometimes changing what you're working on can free up the ink clogged in your pen, for lack of a better phrase, and give you an, "aha!" moment.

Eat and drink something. Brains don't work when they don't have fuel, so feed your machine. Frequent maintenance keeps an engine running smooth, so occasionally get a snack and make sure to keep hydrated.

Take a walk and get some fresh air, and touch some grass for the love of god. Jokes aside, getting your body moving can excite your brain into working and clear some brain fog, since exercise gives your brain a dose of serotonin. As silly as it sounds, sitting in the sun and touching some grass can actually make you feel nice and rejuvenated, it helps me a lot. Even if you don't go outside, moving around is a good way to give your brain a break.

Talk to a friend and get their input. Their ideas can get you through a tough spot and inspire you to get writing again.

Look at pretty pictures and distract yourself from what you're doing. I have pictures of art pieces and doodles I like hanging in front of the desk where I write, and losing myself in pretty stuff helps me work through what I'm struggling with.

Jot down notes by hand on what you're trying to do. Planning things out on pen and paper, despite being tedious, imprints information in your mind and can be useful to your writing needs

If you're writing a fanfiction, look at the source material. Chances are, there's something there that could help you along.

If you don't have the motivation to write anything, don't.

This isn't the best advice for someone who's on a time limit, but works wonders for passion projects and fun stories. Very few do their best work when they force themselves to do it. Besides, there's no point in having a hobby if you don't get joy out of it and overly stress over it.

Writing someone else's character? No problemo, here's some fanfic help:

Always look at the source material, and don't be shy to explore new territory with the character.

It's important to stay true to the personality of a character when you're writing someone else's creation, but don't be afraid to throw in some headcanons and artistic flair. Remember, there's a difference between writing a character unrealistically (pertaining to personality, likes, interests, and universe/world/time period) and changing the circumstances of the original story. Characters are people too, and people react differently to the same thing depending on the world around them. A character may not have [x] trait if [y] event never happened, likewise [y] event never would have happened if this character didn't have [x] trait. Take into consideration the people around the character, as well, as they can also affect what the character does and how they develop. Change up small events in the original source material's story to get a different story and a different reaction out of the character. Experiment, and have fun! It's your story, write it your way!

That's all the advice I have for now, and I hope I was helpful! :)))

[phobia-sweets]

BTAS Dork Squad

He gets threatened but Y/N (who is kinda his rival/enemy) surprisingly steps up to protect him.

Y/N:"You will leave him alone."

Guy : "Says who?"

Y/N : "Says me."

After that she just gives some lame excuse like "There's a level to how much of a dick person can be" or "I'm the only one allowed to threaten you."

this was fun to write :D

I'm slowly getting back in my...groove? i suppose? For riddler, reader is a vigilante. For the other two, a criminal.

BTAS! Riddler, scarecrow and Mad hatter x reader

Warnings & Notes: None! :D not proofread again

RIDDLER

 Honesty, if you were told that hey. Riddler’s gonna try to reform, work for wacko toys and you were going to attend their party, you’d laugh in their face.

 Sure, you wanted him to stop his criminal ways but… This just did not seem… right? Almost like he was planning something. The Batman seemed to agree – he was almost certain this wasn’t the end of his crimes.

 Watching people laugh and chat away at the party, you sat on your seat sipping at your drink. You could hear Edward talking somewhere behind you, probably with Charles Baxter. The party so far had been quite uneventful. It was nice to be in the middle of civilians, it was much more calming than your nights as a vigilante on the corrupt streets of Gotham. You did feel out of place, though. 

 Turning around, you saw Edward, but not Baxter. Instead, chatting with Edward was someone else. You didn’t recognise them, and it looked like Edward didn’t, either. You couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but judging from Edward’s nervous smile and apprehensive body language, he did not like the situation.

 “Leave him alone.” You commanded, eyeing both of them. Tapping your fingers against the table, you were growing impatient with the man. 

 “Says who?” The man mocks, turning to look at you, walking closer.

 “Says me.” You stated nonchalantly, looking up at the person who had walked up to your table. Their smile faded when they met your eyes, recognising your face. From where, you didn’t exactly care. They muttered a quick ‘whatever’, walking to the exit quickly. You watched them leave, not noticing Edward sitting next to you, adjusting his jacket. 

 “Well, Good evening [Hero Name].” He smiled smugly. “May I ask what brings you here tonight? Didn’t take you for a toy collector.”

 “Am not. Just… enjoying the atmosphere, I suppose.” You sighed, leaning back in your chair.

 “I should thank you for earlier. I wasn’t exactly sure how to get them to leave. They were rather persistent about staying-” He explained, “But still, I wasn’t expecting you here. Especially not defending me. I apologise if I’m mistaken, but you do not like me, correct?”

 “As much as I doubt you’re actually trying to ‘reform’, there’s still a limit as to how much of a dick someone should be. Take it as a… I don’t know, an apology for all the times I’ve punched you.”

SCARECROW

 Having rivals or enemies in Gotham wasn’t that unusual. The city’s high rate of crime and, well, criminals made it easy to gain them. You’d considered yourself rather lucky for not having one despite having a fair share of your own crimes, mostly robberies, with an occasional extortion – Sure, people didn’t exactly like you, but those were mainly the people on the other end of your schemes. It was like that for a quite long time, until you’d managed to piss off Jonathan Crane – also known as the scarecrow, by destroying a batch of his toxin ACCIDENTALLY when you were being chased by the police. You had crashed your vehicle into the wall of an abandoned building, which then exploded in a cloud of red smoke, giving you a great chance of losing the police on your tail, but not without a more than healthy dose of toxin.

 Losing a massive batch of toxin had made him angry. It was honestly pretty obvious, considering when you met him after that and he promptly attempted to gas you. From that point onward, whenever the two of you crossed paths, it ended up in a fight of some kind. 

 So, the last time you two met, he had successfully gassed you. A revenge was in order, so here you were, behind an abandoned warehouse, where Jonathan was working on a new batch. How did you know this? Well, people talked when they had a knife to their gut.

 Sneaking through the broken window into the dark warehouse, you eyed your surroundings. Dust covered a majority of the surfaces, aside from some tables and bottles of various chemicals. The sound of yelling and clanging caught your attention, making you peek from behind the boxes in front of you. Jonathan was there with someone else. Jonathan was lacking his scarecrow get-up – wearing a labcoat instead, probably had been working on toxin before the man had interrupted him. 

 Jonathan wasn’t weak. But the man in front of him was… threatening, to say the least. Watching them interact made it clear that Jonathan wasn’t exactly prepared to fight him. Once the man walked closer to him, you took a deep breath, taking your knife from its holster.

 “You leave him alone – Now!” you stood up from behind the boxes, keeping your other hand hidden with the blade, just in case the man tried something. 

 “Says who?” He mockingly asked, walking towards you, surprised by your appearance. You kept your eyes on him, but saw Jonathan grab something at the corner of your eye. 

 “Says me!” You declared, pulling the knife from behind your back to stop him from coming closer. He didn’t stop though. Not until a cloud of red gas came from behind him, surprising him and causing him to inhale it immediately. You covered your mouth with your sleeve, stepping back. The man started screaming, as they usually do when under the influence of Jonathan’s toxin. He ran, and you turned to look at Jonathan as he watched the man scream in terror with a smile on his face. 

 “A thank you would be nice, y’know. If I hadn’t shown up, he’d have bashed your head straight through that desk. Probably. I don’t know.”

 He turned to look at you, his other eyebrow slightly raised, as if evaluating you. “Well, then, tell me, why help me?”

 “I mean, as much as I want to punch you, I don’t want to see you all bloody on the brink of death.”

MAD HATTER

 Ah, yes. The mad hatter. You weren’t exactly sure how to feel about him. As a fellow criminal, yeah, sure, you had a sort of respect for him, but god, did he sometimes get in your way. 

 Like that one time you were planning on robbing a jewellry store. You hadn’t told anyone about it! Yet somehow when you got there, Jervis was there with his mind-controlled… henchmen? When he noticed you, he proceeded to call you Cheshire, and rambled on something about a teaparty. You just left without saying anything. You made it your mission to avoid him from that point on. Sure, tea sounded nice, but you had a job to do! Steal, run, sell. 

 It wasn’t much of a surprise you spotted Jervis from far away. The hat was usually a giveaway. Not many people wore tophats in Gotham. It was the man next to him that surprised you. Usually Jervis’s henchmen wore a mask, an outfit or a hat related to, well, alice in wonderland. Had to keep the theme. Walking closer, it became obvious the man was not one of Jervis’s henchmen. Jervis looked quite distressed, the man towering over him. 

You sprinted towards the two of them, yelling, “Oi! You stop right now!” You stopped a few meters behind them both, just in case.

 “Says who?” The man turned to look at you, not reacting in any other way.

 “Says me.” You challenged, taking out your pocket knife. The man immediately backpedaled, hands raised to show he didn’t have a weapon.

 “Wow, wow, relax, relax. I’ll go, ok?” He reasoned, walking away from the two of you. You put your knife back when he turned the corner and you couldn’t see him anymore. 

 “Thank you, thank you, let me thank you with a brew!” He exclaimed, holding onto your arm. You thought about it for a minute. It wouldn’t hurt, right? But then again… You had a job and a tight deadline. You turned to look at him again when you heard him question you with a quick ‘cheshire’, and you took his hands off from your arm. 

 “I’m sorry, Jervis. I can’t. But remember; I’m the only one allowed to threaten you, ok?” 

[diagonal-queen]

If the BSD girls were my coworkers

♡ characters: Kyouka Izumi, Yosano Akiko, Kouyou Ozaki, Gin Akutagawa, Higuchi Ichiyou, Naomi Tanizaki, Lucy Maud Montgomery

♡ synopsis: How would these girls be if they were my coworkers?

♡ cw: Swearing, knives, mentions of sexual harassment

note: Well this took forever to write, my bad lol. Uh I'm working full time rn so my posting schedule is a little silly and goofy ahaha anyways um. Apologies for errors and I hope you enjoy x

If the BSD boys were my coworkers

Kyouka:

She would try her DAMNED HARDEST OKAY

Scarily good at cutting (legally she's not allowed to be cutting stuff because she's too young, but she's good at it so I wouldn't snitch). Like she'll slice up a whole box of lettuce in like two seconds. We would NEVER run out of cuts with Kyouka on board

Also very good at cleaning, would clear out the entire store and kitchen in a manner of minutes

However she's bad with customers. Like REALLY bad. She would either just tell them the entirely wrong thing, falter and run away, stare silently in confusion, or just refer them to me lol

Always appreciative whenever people bring snacks to work and let her have some

Her favourite job is cutting and wrapping stuff because it's what she's best at and it makes her feel more confident in her ability

Constantly amazed by the pricing machine that just spits out price tags (me too queen) and is always so delighted no matter how long she'd been working there

I appreciate her doing her best and I don't care how many times she makes a mistake she will learn and continue as best as she can and that's REALLY what counts

Yosano:

Oh boy.

I'll start by saying that a very large percentage of my patrons are middle-aged to elderly men. Some of them are very polite and nice, sure, but there are...others.

These 'others' would not last half a second under the icy glare of Akiko Yosano. A single suspicious glance/comment at me or any other female staff would have her committing suable actions

She'd also be good at cutting stuff, but probably get a little too zealous when she gets to cut pumpkins (aka use a mallet and a giant knife at the same time)

Absolutely would answer the phone with no hesitations and be able to take orders and stuff properly without any training which is nice

BUT if someone called us asking for empty cardboard boxes or something stupid like that (which has actually happened) she would argue with them and then just hang up T-T

She should honestly be in a management position because she would be so good at that

Yosano has her ups and downs in vegetal retail. But regardless of all that, she would be like. The COOLEST coworker ever on god

Kouyou:

At first I'm not sure if she'd like a job like retail

She'd be like 'I'm really being paid minimum wage to cover my hands in rotten fruits and get verbally abused by pensioners?' (she's so right btw)

But she'd eventually get into the groove of things (probably just because she has nothing else do to) and would actually become quite good at it

She'd be good at organising, cleaning and sorting stuff out to make it look presentable

A respectful AND respectable queen who values neatness and maintains a good rapport with customers...except if they give the rest of her coworkers any shit. Then she's not maintaining as good of a rapport with customers

She's the kind of girl who would ABSOLUTELY talk shit about customers (and other coworkers ngl) in the back lmao

She would always wear gloves because she doesn't wanna get her hands dirty (I hc that Kouyou has perfectly manicured hands and does what she can to maintain them)

Would get frustrated easily though so we'd just have to try not to upset her as much as possible sksjkjfks

Gin:

I have this coworker who's not very talkative and can be a little awkward to talk to some times, but he's a literal godsend and does everything extremely quickly and to such a perfect degree that without him I am complete mess

THAT is Gin as my coworker

Also my coworker is like super nice as well and Gin would be really nice too lol

She would come off as frightening at first though. I get the feeling that a lot of customers wouldn't want to approach her lol

Might be lacking in confidence at first when she starts but she gets the hang of it quickly enough

Probably doesn't tie her hair up properly and is constantly asked about it by the manager

You would never have to ask her to do anything, she'd just be on top of it all and have everything ready

Would never answer the phone even if she were the only one there. She would probably freeze up and panic until someone else came and answered it for her (she really doesn't strike me as a phone person, because same)

Higuchi:

She is also doing her damned best and y'know what? Even if she continuously fucked up, I would forgive her

Even though I know Higuchi is actually very strong and accomplished she's still my favourite girlfailure and I love her

She's pretty good with customers but she would probably falter if one of them started getting mad at her or something (I would defend her guys)

A little bit clumsy, she might drop some things or her cuts might be a little janky, but like honestly the customers can DEAL with it. I feel like they wouldn't probably mind anyway because Higuchi is a pretty likeable person

Always sharing her snacks with her coworkers

Probably late to work a lot of the time but only by a couple minutes, and always makes up for it by staying behind after her shift ends (I wouldn't be surprised if the store actually ended up owing her some hours lol)

Really strong, so people are always getting her to help them lift/carry stuff

Leaves little encouraging/nice notes around for her coworkers because she's a sweetie <3

Naomi:

Naomi haters are gonna get so mad when I say that she'd be a brilliant coworker

We've seen how good at her agency job she is, why would retail be any different?

The best customer sweet-talker ever, would get herself and me out of any and all trouble and the manager would never ever know

Knows how to work all the machines and has memorised each of the numerical codes for each food like a walking dictionary (there's like five hundred of them fr)

Jun'ichiro sometimes visits the store to go shopping and that's the only real issue that Naomi has at work. She will drop everything to spend every second she can with her brother and it's honestly pretty annoying

If she gets overwhelmed she would forget how to do literally anything correctly and might have a bit of a panic moment

Dudes are probably trying to hit on her all the time and she might actually throw food at them I'm not kidding (and I would fully side with her)

She would also be so nice to her fellow coworkers and always encourage them :')

Lucy:

Lucy would consider this kind of work to be spectacularly easy compared to what she had going on in her orphanage and the Guild

Truly a testament to how absolutely shitty her life has been so far (sorry queen I could treat you better <3)

She's pretty good at everything, not perfect but generally quite good. An all-rounder, always getting called in on unscheduled days because she's just the go-to for everything lmao

Not that she would come in on those days, but yk

She would bring snacks for her coworkers but she would never admit it. She'd be like "You can have some if you want I don't care" while having entirely bought them for them lol

If a customer tries to strike up an argument with her or ask for something unreasonable, or try to guilt her into doing things for them (which is surprisingly common actually), they would FAIL

Would store extra stock in Anne's room (and would probably just keep rubbish from throughout the day in there to keep the kitchen clean, until the end of her shift when she can throw it out lol)

Alongside Gin she's EASILY the most valuable and helpful coworker (and also the cutest prettiest one <3)

taglist~ ♡ @gettinshiggywithit, @fyodorhatr, @flower-of-darkness, @bejeweledgirl

[nerdacious]

So now that the fic has been finished for a bit I have some questions about the making of Partners and Paper Trails. I'm just curious about what it was like to write it (and wondering whether my experiences writing for this fandom are universal). No pressure to answer!

Generally speaking, did you find Harry's chapters or Kim's chapters harder/easier to write?

Which parts of the fic (either POV) were your favorite to write? Alternatively, which parts were unexpectedly frustrating?

From what I understand, you wrote the entire fic ahead of time and then edited it as you went along, but didn't start publishing it until the first draft was entirely finished. Do you have any advice for someone who's attempting to write a long fic following a similar process?

(as a secret fourth question, if there's any hidden lore/details that people didn't seem to pick up on/something else fic related you want to share and haven't had the opportunity to, I'm all ears. love me some secret lore 👀)

Sorry it took me so long to respond, I was working on my response instead of working and then I was like crap, I should probably do work, and then I actually went out and did stuff with people irl for once lol. So now I'm back home and can answer this!

Generally speaking, did you find Harry's chapters or Kim's chapters harder/easier to write?

There were aspects of both that were difficult. I spent a whole other fic in Kim's head so I had more practice with him, but I think Harry ended up being a little easier or at least more fun. I could break up reactions and thoughts into each of his aspects vs the solid paragraphs of Kim's chapters. You also can just do more wacky stuff with Harry and his skills. However, it was hard to remember all of the skills. Like, I did Encyclopedia so dirty. After a point I kind of just forgot about him or didn't feel like thinking up facts for him to chime in about lol

Which parts of the fic (either POV) were your favorite to write? Alternatively, which parts were unexpectedly frustrating?

My favorite thing to write is dialogue, especially when Kim and Harry are really getting into the groove of the case and when they get their little banters going. I also really like competence porn so Harry wasn't nearly as much of a mess as he could be in game. It was a bit of a wish fulfillment fic in that I wanted to see Harry doing better for himself and not just for Kim. I think directly after Martinaise he probably was doing worse than the point he's at in the start of the fic.

The hardest part was writing the case and trying not to make it too obvious (but it definitely was so I had to hope people enjoyed it regardless haha). I'd never done a mystery before so coming up with what happened and how/what they discovered was challenging. So I guess that's not really unexpectedly difficult. Writing the actual porn was unexpectedly frustrating! A majority of what I write is smut so it was like "why is this so difficult???". I had to get that last chapter perfect (I still don't think it is, but what writer ever does) because I dragged it out long enough and I didn't want to let anyone down. It's very different from what I originally had. I also had never written d/s before, thankfully my editor has experience in that realm so he had really good pointers even though it's really light in the fic lol. I still don't know how successful I was with the smut for this one.

From what I understand, you wrote the entire fic ahead of time and then edited it as you went along, but didn't start publishing it until the first draft was entirely finished. Do you have any advice for someone who's attempting to write a long fic following a similar process?

Some people can just write and post as they go, but I have way too much anxiety to start posting something that isn't finished. I also have way too much ADHD to trust that once I started something I actually would finish it. I've also seen too many fics that don't know or don't want to quit so they just keep going past the point where it would have been a good/interesting ending (not really in this fandom, I just mean in general). So, yes, I finished it, had my editor do an initial read, made some general edits based on his feedback, and then he did a more in-depth edit of the first few chapters and then I started posting them. Some chapters I added a lot more to them during this stage and some chapters stayed pretty much the same. There are a few chapters that haven't been edited because he was unexpectedly unavailable for an extended period of time and I didn't want to stop the momentum. I didn't really have a beta reader for this one, but I asked a few people to beta specific chapters. It's not something I typically would want, I'd have preferred to have a beta for all of it, but it is what it is (or was rather). So all of that is to say, you don't have to do it that way lol, but I would at least have an outline and stopping point and stick to it. And if you want a beta reader, find someone who's opinion you trust and who you can trust will be honest with you. Also don't get rid of anything entirely. If you like something, but it doesn't work, cut it and paste it in a separate document because you might find a way to bring it back or parts of it back in other places. Also make copies for version control. Once I finished it, I made a copy so if I changed something too much in the final version but didn't like it, I could either refer back to or restore parts from the original.

As for secret lore/things no one mentioned:

In the first chapter, when Mollins first flips the siren on, Harry has an adverse reaction to the sound because of his encounter with The Pigs. Then there's an Esprit De Corps check about her listening to her police shows. (Hilarious fact: I couldn't remember her real name correctly at first and before I double checked the wiki I thought it was Marine Le Pen loool)

This goes back to the first fic, but Kim bought a book on how to support someone in addiction recovery and the receipt shows he bought it when he first started as a detective with Eyes. If you take the radiation drug in the game, there's mention of Kim possibly having had a partner with addiction. Also based on his many comments on seeing officers in much worse condition and having only one partner, I'm guessing he's talking about Eyes so I went with that. I still have no idea what exactly happened with Eyes in my story, though.

Shivers helps Kim open the door to the Linnea.

The reason Johnny's body was dropped off in the Harbor is because there had been a bank robbery in Jamrock at the time and there were cops everywhere looking for anything suspicious. That's a tidbit that didn't make it into the text.

The people in Harry's Shivers check in the first part of his final POV chapter are the people that would have been targeted next.

Thanks for asking these questions, they were fun to answer!

[okamiwind]

hm here's an update on how i've been doing

i went on a band trip last week that took a lot out of me emotionally, but it was fun also? sometimes life is weird like that. like maybe you had something annoying happen to you but then that annoyance leads to a bitch session that leaves you closer to someone else, maybe in a way that you wouldn't have known before. so idk. good and bad. you're just supposed to have both, i guess.

as i've been away, i haven't been writing much besides paradisium. paradisium, despite only requiring 500 words a day, sometimes feels like a real slog. i dont think i had a super clear idea of the middle of this story, so trying to figure it out is a challenge.

now that i'm thinking about it, a lot of my stories start that way? i have a very clear beginning point, a very clear end point, and the middle is like jeremy bearimy. like how do you unravel a knot that was tied in the fabric of time? you cant, of course. you just try and hack away at it with a butter knife

summer pretty much started for me last week as i don't follow the calendar dates for seasons. seasons should be entirely Vibes based. so anyway summer started last week and i can't wait for it to be over. counting down the days pretty much.

i'm not really looking forward to my birthday, but it will be pretty cool to hopefully be finished paradisium by then. lets all put our hands together in prayer.

oh yeah. i was gonna say... today i started writing iatbye again after an extended absence and tiana happened to catch me with a call in the middle of it (usually i write in blocks of 1k, so i think of .5 as my halfway point). as i was talking to her i was like man, this is a terrible time to talk to me because all my thoughts are completely absurd and strange and weird, like i told her that the horse is a metaphor and she's like yeah of course it is and then i explained the metaphor at her for 5 minutes and then the next 5 minutes i told her about my anxieties about the next two chapters for iatbye and why that's probably contributed to my lack of energy to write it

yeah chapter 12 is like, the climax of this part. the way that chapter 17 and 25 were those big emotional moments for part one, chapter 12 will be the emotional centerpiece of part two. so it's like. you know, i'm sure it will be fine, and truthfully it doesn't matter if it sucks bc im not being graded and its just for fun, whatever whatever, but at the same time, i have these Standards TM for myself that i almost certainly can't live up to. so its worrisome. you can write things a thousand different ways, and i have to try to write it the Right way. so i worry over it.

sidlink is still on the backburner. i know in some way or another what i wanna do with that fic but its just too wide open right now for me. i need to finish an iatbye chapter to like. get back into my groove. get some confidence back or something.

so idk. that's how i am now mostly. i mostly exist in a state of depressed (and i mean that in the squashed sort of depressed way, not big sad kind of depressed way) anxiety. like most of the time i can deal with it but then ill get hit with this wave that just like waterboards me lmao

[aliasrocket]

Two things, one Rocket is a stranger in his body. Two, any advice for writing? I struggle with descriptions and describing dialogue and I overthink it because it sounds dumb. So any advice? 🥺

Yes. Rocket definitely feels a dissociation between himself and his body. I can understand how that feels to a certain extent.

As for advice for writing, I feel honored that you came to me for help! I hope my ‘guide’ will help you!

Advice for descriptions and describing dialogue!

Actively do the things you’re trying to describe.

This is especially useful for beginners because once you get into the groove of writing your imagination gets stretched over time to the point that you know what you want from a scene but anyway, what I mean by this is if let’s say there’s a character that struggles with their body image and they have a closet with a mirror, instead of just saying “he walked over to the closet and saw his reflection. He hated it.” You can try to go over to your closet and pretend you’re looking into a mirror.

This will get your brain to start thinking about how it would feel to look into a mirror and hate what you see. You’ll also get to see stuff that you do by instinct so your writing comes out much more humane, if that makes sense? For example, maybe you touch the mirror out of pure instinct. You could write the character doing that and it would give more life to your fic because it’s something we would all probably do.

Show, not tell.

This one is basic english writing 101 but this quote has saved my writing. Let me give you an example.

She turned around in the middle of the argument. She exhaled and inhaled, the situation getting her anxious and her palms sweaty.

This is good! But “the situation getting her anxious” is telling the reader that she was anxious, instead of showing the reader. So whenever you write, there should always be a lot of questions in your head, like what happens when someone gets anxious? Both in their head, and to their body? Once you get this instinct, you’ll be able to come up with stuff like this.

she turned around in the middle of the argument, and she felt her head swing around with her. Her hands were tossed above her head, her sweaty palms cooling to the ventilation above as she exhaled. She swayed left to right, almost like she was trying to cradle the heart that was pounding against her ribcage.

I mean I’ve been writing fanfic for years so take it one step at a time. I recognize this instinct isn’t easily acquired so just try to remember if you want the reader to feel what the character is feeling in that scene and you aren’t able to feel yourself filling the character’s shoes in that moment, then maybe you’re ‘telling’ more than ‘showing.’

It’s okay to use ‘said.’ Dialogue is simple most of the time.

I cannot stress this enough. Teachers in school always say ‘said’ is such a bad word for a dialogue tag because it does nothing to describe the way someone says something but sometimes, people just say things. It took me years to accept this face.

But obviously if it’s a really emotional scene and someone is begging someone to stay, then ‘said’ would be horrible. But if two people are just talking, especially if it’s a calm setting, they’re more likely to just say something more than anything else.

Now let’s say you do need to describe the way someone says something. Dialogue is one of the simpler things to describe in writing, it’s just a dialogue tag and that’s it, really. Everything else you use to describe the way someone says something just goes back to the two points I mentioned above, because their actions play a huge part in the dialogue too.

Now if you’re struggling to find more complex dialogue tags, besides Thesaurus.com, I also like to use these websites :

This is also good for any other simple word you’d like to replace with a more complex word, too.

This is more suited for dialogue tags and has saved my writing multiple times.

I hope this was helpful!

[morfinwen]

So. Things are ... going.

My overall emotional state is kinda like when something falls from a high place and lands on something between it and the ground and stabilizes after wobbling: it's not great or even good, but it isn't shattered pieces on the ground.

I have never been particularly good at discerning my own state of mind or distinguishing between the causes and effects thereof. Allergies are still a thing but mostly in check, and while it's fun (after a fashion) to blame the cold and frankly ridiculous early darkness, that's been a thing for years and i don't recall always having an emotional collapse this time of year, so it might be something else. (I hope it's something else: can't really afford to move somewhere less affected by the earth's tilt, and i'd rather not have to deal with this level of depression annually.)

Currently on the new job hunt. Weirdly enough, there's the occasional high of seeing a job posting that sounds really good, but sadly it is often followed by the low of seeing how many other people have also applied for it. I have resorted to adding (*gag*) a cover letter with most applications in the hopes that will make an impact. Next step may be "reaching out to the employer", but i really hope it doesn't come to that.

Computer is up and running again, and my phone has been replaced -- with the latter, there's adjustments to be made in the change to a different model, but at least i can actually use it for phone calls and don't have to worry that restarting it will necessitate a factory reset.

So! Prayer requests:

First and foremost, a new job. I would really like a work-from-home data entry kind of position, but there's multiple factors at play, so just .... anything that would be a better fit than my current job.

That whatever is messing with my emotions would just ... not do that anymore? Tbh i can't tell if i've got some actual mental illness going on or just the garden-variety kind of thing that plagues "normal" people.

Continuing to make progress with helping my sister achieve what independence she can.

I'm going to start going back to the gym this week (haven't been in the last two weeks), but eating healthy remains a problem.

A couple appointments i should be making ... really don't want to.

My mom had a particular genetic (defect? malfunction? unsure of the correct term) that probably contributed to her getting cancer. It's hereditary, so i recently got blood drawn to be tested for the same. Please pray for results to be quick and that i didn't inherit it.

Oh, and there's some writing i really want to do, but it's been a while since i've really been able to find a writing groove, and it's only gotten harder to attempt now that i've quit using Google Docs.

That's all i got for now. Someday, maybe, i will start queuing posts again.

[letapollojusticesayfuck]

6, 9, 12, 13, 14

6. Show us a bit of a WIP!

okay soooo this is part of a final chapter to something I should have had done. a long time ago. but hopefully soon!! i just need to stop forgetting it exists...

He thinks back to earlier that afternoon, in the doorway, Klavier’s eyes on his skin and his towel suddenly seeming scandalously skimpy. To later, Klavier’s hair curling around his ears and Apollo burying the impulse to twine it around his finger. To the way Klavier got him a drink and ferried him through the airport and dropped his guard around him and let himself be imperfect the way he never does with the public’s eyes on him— Apollo allows himself to imagine, for one second, what it would be like to thread his fingers through the hair at the nape of Klavier’s neck and pull him down for a kiss.

9. Write a recommendation of someone else's fic you enjoyed!

So this is going kind of far back, but I'm Not So Good With In-Between by SocialDegenerate was one of the first Klapollo fics I ever read, and it has all my favorite things: Apollo secretly enjoying something Klavier's doing but not admitting to it, Klavier finding his own way to move forward in his career post-Gavinners, social media sleuthing, Trucy Wright...

A more proper summary is: Post-AA6, Klavier launches a radio show and answers listeners' questions/gives advice. Apollo winds up listening to the show and realizing he misses Klavier more than he thought, so reaches out via text and they become closer than they had been when in the same country. Cue pining like you wouldn't believe, the radio equivalent of vagueposting, and some minor meddling...and perhaps, things all work out in the end.

12. What's the funniest or craziest AU idea you've ever come up with?

I was about to say "this one is hard because I probably don't remember them all" but then I remembered the Emperor's New Groove Klapollo AU and. that's it. that's the one.

13. What's a character or ship you haven't written/drawn yet but would like to some day?

ohhhh one of these days I will be brave enough to write kazuma/ryuunosuke fic. but I probably have to replay all of TGAA first

14. Is there a character or ship you were so sure you would never write/draw but now you've changed your mind?

I never thought I would end up having a motivating enough idea to write anything Franmaya related, but I ended up coming up with an entire detailed boarding-school rivals-to-lovers plot...that technically I'm way overdue on posting. Next time I have a day off work I'll finish that one off and get it out there, I promise!!

THANKS FOR THE ASK SPARROW!! <3 <3

[on-leatheredwings]

🌿, 🦷, 🛼, and 🪲 because we're thirsty for more

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

don't sweat it 99% of the time, ESPECIALLY. ESPECIALLY. IF YOU ARE NOT DOING THIS FOR MONEY/TO GET PUBLISHED LMAO.... fanfic should never be a pain ... writing is a discipline but it shouldn't be PAIN.... don't force it b/c you'll just burn yourself out worse in the end....

to get back in the groove, walk away from current interest, find something new and fun.... if no media is grabbing you, just fantasize about the life you'd love to live and write about that... usually that helps me...

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

trust ur instincts idk sometimes if u feel a bad vibe it's probably for a good reason.

uh. idk FGFIDJSIH i dont feel very wise! i'll say i'm currently unlearning guilt against having boundaries, so. don't have guilt for protecting yourself. it's your life/mind/body! ^_^

🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis

👅🧎🙏💔😢 im bad at this FGHJOFDSGHJ

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

my ass is not writing anything new rn so here's 100 words already written

tw/cw: heavy groping 18+ older! damian x reader

You crane your neck away, but he takes it as an invitation. 

“Damian, I…” you struggle. 

His hands slide forward underneath your arms, kneading your chest. It does feel good, you regret to admit. 

“Okay, okay,” you sigh, trying to inch away but his hands drag you back once more. Not by force, just by suggestion. By pulling the invisible strings that play your body like fiddle, and it seems this morning Damian wants it to play his favorite song. You shrugged on your flimsiest robe on your way out of bed this morning, and nothing else. So here you were, paying the consequences. 

“Mm, maybe later, Damian. I have–” you gasp at a wandering digit “–to run errands today.”

[bi-bats]

*sliding into your ask box 4hrs late with sbucks and ask game questions* heyyyyy bestie

favorite part of what are you waiting for?

and 17, 18, 19, 23 for the ask game please 💕

hey bestieeeeeee 💖

oof. favorite part of what are you waiting for? I'm not actually sure yet but I can tell you for sure that my LEAST favorite part is trying to FIGURE OUT THEIR STUPID TIME TRAVEL TIMELINE WHY WOULD I DO THAT TO MYSELF AURGRRGHRGUHGRH

okay no. no I'm normal I can be normal (<- lie). My favorite part is actually probably something that someone else pointed out to me, which is that Jason seems really young in it? Like. he actually feels like a nineteen year old. He's reckless and lost and terrified and he feels guilty and he just wants to fix this thing that he feels like he fucked up. And I just really like how he turns all of it into determination.

17. What fic are you most proud of?

It feels weird answering this question with an unfinished fic, but probably What Are You Waiting For. There's just something I really really love about the way that it flows. Honorable mention to I Know What My Brother Is, I'm really loving some of the lines I've put in that piece!!

19. Who is the easiest/hardest character for you to write about? Why?

Bruce, honestly. I can only write him as like, crack treated seriously or hurt/no comfort. I sort of feel like maybe I should challenge myself and write him as more of an in-depth character one of these days? That might actually be interesting.

23. If you had to remix one of your own fics, which would it be and how would you remix it?

OOOOH INTERESTING!! Honestly, You Hear His Voice Once and You Know It Again. I actually plan to remix it as a longer fic, but I also think it would just be super interesting from Tim's perspective!

18. What is a line/scene you’re really proud of? Give us the DVD commentary for that scene.

adjflkads this was really fun to write out but also it got way out of hand so I'm putting it under a read more

Tim snorts. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just trying to picture Damian Wayne walking into a bodega with a sword strapped to his back, digging through his pockets for enough change to afford his morning cup.”  (Look, I love when Tim is an asshole, okay? And I love that like. He's mad at Damian, but this is the line where it goes from mocking to teasing) A smile curls across Damian’s lip, against his will. He is powerless to prevent it. (And this is the line where Damian feels that, where this gets a little bit softer again, and I love that he just can't fucking resist Tim even a LITTLE) “The owners are middle eastern. It can be nice to have a conversation in Arabic, every once in a while.”  There’s a pause before Tim answers him. “How do you take your coffee?” he asks in Arabic. (ajfkldfklas the way that Tim is like. He's just as bad as Damian, actually. He can't fucking help it. He wants to be angry SO bad, and he IS angry, but like. He can't stay mad??? He just cares about Damian too much. He keeps trying to force his walls to stay up and they just keep sliding down every time) “Black,” Damian responds in Arabic, that same feeling he always gets when he gets to rest his English. Like collapsing onto his bed after an especially long day, remembering that his comforter and sheets and pillows were waiting for him. “I didn’t know you missed speaking Arabic.”  “I didn’t know you spoke Arabic.”  “Yes, you did,” Tim snaps, abruptly switching back to English. “You knew.” (Andddddd this. I love that Tim calls Damian out on his bullshit. Someone said something to me about Tim using honesty as a weapon, and I love that he does. Like, I'm always a sucker for Nightwing/Red Hood where Red Hood is the only one who really knew Nightwing from before and I love applying it to them. I also love how like, every time they find a groove in their conversations, Damian steps on a landmine and it makes Tim snap) “…not when I would have had an occasion to use it.”  “An occasion, are you kidding me? Any time you wanted. Any time you wanted to walk into the manor and say anything to me, you know I would have listened. I would have done anything for you, don’t you get that?” (The way it's just so obvious that Tim was in love with him I'm 😭😭😭 I also love the way that Tim reminds Damian that he would have done anything for him when Damian really actively is thinking "I'll do anything for Tim" like all of the time (you know I might not have published those bits yet but it is a recurring theme in the 23k more words I have lol)) Damian sighs at himself. Why is he even doing this? Every time he thinks he feels an opening, Tim slams the door on his fingers. (aurghrgh I love this line okay I don't have anything extra it stands for itself I love it) “Yes, I know,” he breathes.  “You are infuriating to talk to, you know that?”  “Yes,” Damian answers. (LMAO the way he's so self aware) “Why are you staying on the phone with me?” “Because you—” Tim groans, and Damian feels like an intruder in the pause that follows. (not to suck my own dick but like. I think this line about how Damian feels really communicates Tim's feelings in this moment better than anything I could have written from Tim's perspective. Like. If I said he sounded frustrated or irritated or whatever it wouldn't have worked as well, because the line as it is points out specifically that the thought that Tim was going to voice was a private, personal one that he doesn't really want to share but he started to because it's true, and he's frustrated about that and he's frustrated about the thought and augrhrugrh I'm really into that line) “You always make me want more than I can have.”  (AJDSFLKAS I'M SO PROUD OF THIS LINE. Not only because it sums them up perfectly and like pinpoints EXACTLY where Tim is when it comes to Damian, but like. This line is so important to the fic. Remember it. Remember this moment. I'm not going to spoil it but fkjjka don't forget this line!!!)

wait that was actually so fun!!!! Thanks for the ask bestie!!! 💖💚💖💚💖

[goddesspharo]

if i may: ✦ and ♡ [any fic you’d like]?

✦ what was your easiest fic to write & your hardest?

I'm going to go with the ao3 era because I'm definitely not looking through LJ. Although I will say I was certainly more prolific re: volume in those halcyon days, particularly for Gossip Girl and House (of all things!...as if I was not obsessed with that show for at least the first two seasons) - God, that perfect storm of excellence that the S2 finale with House getting shot leading to Cuddy and Wilson putting House in a Ketamine coma without his consent and then S3 beginning with him running??? CHEF'S KISS. Even though that show went batshit crazy later on, the mileage from some of those storylines was highway level. This show was at its best when everyone around House was doing ethically dubious things in an attempt to get him to stop doing ethically questionable things. 

But to answer the actual question: I almost never think any fic is easy while I'm writing it and questioning my decision to write anything at all, but some involve less hair pulling than others. There was a period after The Batman where I got into a nice little groove (after not writing any fic for a good five years, apparently) of feeling like the floodgates opened and I wanted to write tomes, which probably has more to do with loving Matt Reeves' distinctive Selina voice. (The effortless baby to this hot mess of a socially awkward dude she met four seconds ago works only because Zoe Kravitz has confidence for miles.) I think living in a rhythm where the minute's working overtime was relatively easy to write (and shorter after the two previous 10k+ fics I'd written) - it felt easy, breezy while I was writing it and I had a good time. 

I'm always inclined to say that the hardest fic is whatever I'm currently working on because it's not over, but in this case, I'm going with against the grain of dystopic claims. As a person who almost never posts WIPs, I'm not sure why I decided a Top Gun Maverick apocalypse AU was the perfect time to start, but I probably would've relegated it to languishing half-finished in my google docs if I hadn't posted it as a WIP so maybe past me knew the only way to get it done was to have external accountability? It was hard to write because I vaguely knew where I was going with it when I started writing it and then had to actually follow through with PLOT that made sense and couldn't go back and change things that I had previously set up. It did force me to make an outline for the current WIP just to avoid that JJ Abrams life, you know?

♡ pick a fic and I’ll pick a comment that made me really happy

Any time a person comments on fic, it makes me happy. There's nothing like that rush when you get one of those [AO3] comment e-mails because it makes you feel like you're not screaming into the void! Of course I agree with the adage that you should write for yourself, but you're also to an extent writing for others (or else you'd never post it, right?) so it's nice when you hear something back. Then it becomes a game of catch instead of throwing a baseball into a tornado and hoping that it'll return someday. I love when people leave lengthy comments with pull quotes and how things made them feel or why certain bits worked for them, but it's also really nice when you get a comment years later with people telling you they still love something you wrote. (Those comments where people are talking about re-reading your stuff? LOVELY.) All of this is a long-winded way to say that if you've ever commented on anything I've written, know that it has probably made me really happy even if it was a sentence. 

[ask me about fic!]