#i'm just really excited to get out there and do stuff

[archaeren]

How I learned to write smarter, not harder

(aka, how to write when you're hella ADHD lol)

A reader commented on my current long fic asking how I write so well. I replied with an essay of my honestly pretty non-standard writing advice (that they probably didn't actually want lol) Now I'm gonna share it with you guys and hopefully there's a few of you out there who will benefit from my past mistakes and find some useful advice in here. XD Since I started doing this stuff, which are all pretty easy changes to absorb into your process if you want to try them, I now almost never get writer's block.

The text of the original reply is indented, and I've added some additional commentary to expand upon and clarify some of the concepts.

As for writing well, I usually attribute it to the fact that I spent roughly four years in my late teens/early 20s writing text roleplay with a friend for hours every single day. Aside from the constant practice that provided, having a live audience immediately reacting to everything I wrote made me think a lot about how to make as many sentences as possible have maximum impact so that I could get that kind of fun reaction. (Which is another reason why comments like yours are so valuable to fanfic writers! <3) The other factors that have improved my writing are thus: 1. Writing nonlinearly. I used to write a whole story in order, from the first sentence onward. If there was a part I was excited to write, I slogged through everything to get there, thinking that it would be my reward once I finished everything that led up to that. It never worked. XD It was miserable. By the time I got to the part I wanted to write, I had beaten the scene to death in my head imagining all the ways I could write it, and it a) no longer interested me and b) could not live up to my expectations because I couldn't remember all my ideas I'd had for writing it. The scene came out mediocre and so did everything leading up to it. Since then, I learned through working on VN writing (I co-own a game studio and we have some visual novels that I write for) that I don't have to write linearly. If I'm inspired to write a scene, I just write it immediately. It usually comes out pretty good even in a first draft! But then I also have it for if I get more ideas for that scene later, and I can just edit them in. The scenes come out MUCH stronger because of this. And you know what else I discovered? Those scenes I slogged through before weren't scenes I had no inspiration for, I just didn't have any inspiration for them in that moment! I can't tell you how many times there was a scene I had no interest in writing, and then a week later I'd get struck by the perfect inspiration for it! Those are scenes I would have done a very mediocre job on, and now they can be some of the most powerful scenes because I gave them time to marinate. Inspiration isn't always linear, so writing doesn't have to be either!

Some people are the type that joyfully write linearly. I have a friend like this--she picks up the characters and just continues playing out the next scene. Her story progresses through the entire day-by-day lives of the characters; it never timeskips more than a few hours. She started writing and posting just eight months ago, she's about an eighth of the way through her planned fic timeline, and the content she has so far posted to AO3 for it is already 450,000 words long. But most of us are normal humans. We're not, for the most part, wired to create linearly. We consume linearly, we experience linearly, so we assume we must also create linearly. But actually, a lot of us really suffer from trying to force ourselves to create this way, and we might not even realize it. If you're the kind of person who thinks you need to carrot-on-a-stick yourself into writing by saving the fun part for when you finally write everything that happens before it: Stop. You're probably not a linear writer. You're making yourself suffer for no reason and your writing is probably suffering for it. At least give nonlinear writing a try before you assume you can't write if you're not baiting or forcing yourself into it!! Remember: Writing is fun. You do this because it's fun, because it's your hobby. If you're miserable 80% of the time you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong!

2. Rereading my own work. I used to hate reading my own work. I wouldn't even edit it usually. I would write it and slap it online and try not to look at it again. XD Writing nonlinearly forced me to start rereading because I needed to make sure scenes connected together naturally and it also made it easier to get into the headspace of the story to keep writing and fill in the blanks and get new inspiration. Doing this built the editing process into my writing process--I would read a scene to get back in the headspace, dislike what I had written, and just clean it up on the fly. I still never ever sit down to 'edit' my work. I just reread it to prep for writing and it ends up editing itself. Many many scenes in this fic I have read probably a dozen times or more! (And now, I can actually reread my own work for enjoyment!) Another thing I found from doing this that it became easy to see patterns and themes in my work and strengthen them. Foreshadowing became easy. Setting up for jokes or plot points became easy. I didn't have to plan out my story in advance or write an outline, because the scenes themselves because a sort of living outline on their own. (Yes, despite all the foreshadowing and recurring thematic elements and secret hidden meanings sprinkled throughout this story, it actually never had an outline or a plan for any of that. It's all a natural byproduct of writing nonlinearly and rereading.)

Unpopular writing opinion time: You don't need to make a detailed outline.

Some people thrive on having an outline and planning out every detail before they sit down to write. But I know for a lot of us, we don't know how to write an outline or how to use it once we've written it. The idea of making one is daunting, and the advice that it's the only way to write or beat writer's block is demoralizing. So let me explain how I approach "outlining" which isn't really outlining at all.

I write in a Notion table, where every scene is a separate table entry and the scene is written in the page inside that entry. I do this because it makes writing nonlinearly VASTLY more intuitive and straightforward than writing in a single document. (If you're familiar with Notion, this probably makes perfect sense to you. If you're not, imagine something a little like a more contained Google Sheets, but every row has a title cell that opens into a unique Google Doc when you click on it. And it's not as slow and clunky as the Google suite lol) When I sit down to begin a new fic idea, I make a quick entry in the table for every scene I already know I'll want or need, with the entries titled with a couple words or a sentence that describes what will be in that scene so I'll remember it later. Basically, it's the most absolute bare-bones skeleton of what I vaguely know will probably happen in the story.

Then I start writing, wherever I want in the list. As I write, ideas for new scenes and new connections and themes will emerge over time, and I'll just slot them in between the original entries wherever they naturally fit, rearranging as necessary, so that I won't forget about them later when I'm ready to write them. As an example, my current long fic started with a list of roughly 35 scenes that I knew I wanted or needed, for a fic that will probably be around 100k words (which I didn't know at the time haha). As of this writing, it has expanded to 129 scenes. And since I write them directly in the page entries for the table, the fic is actually its own outline, without any additional effort on my part. As I said in the comment reply--a living outline!

This also made it easier to let go of the notion that I had to write something exactly right the first time. (People always say you should do this, but how many of us do? It's harder than it sounds! I didn't want to commit to editing later! I didn't want to reread my work! XD) I know I'm going to edit it naturally anyway, so I can feel okay giving myself permission to just write it approximately right and I can fix it later. And what I found from that was that sometimes what I believed was kind of meh when I wrote it was actually totally fine when I read it later! Sometimes the internal critic is actually wrong. 3. Marinating in the headspace of the story. For the first two months I worked on [fic], I did not consume any media other than [fandom the fic is in]. I didn't watch, read, or play anything else. Not even mobile games. (And there wasn't really much fan content for [fandom] to consume either. Still isn't, really. XD) This basically forced me to treat writing my story as my only source of entertainment, and kept me from getting distracted or inspired to write other ideas and abandon this one.

As an aside, I don't think this is a necessary step for writing, but if you really want to be productive in a short burst, I do highly recommend going on a media consumption hiatus. Not forever, obviously! Consuming media is a valuable tool for new inspiration, and reading other's work (both good and bad, as long as you think critically to identify the differences!) is an invaluable resource for improving your writing.

When I write, I usually lay down, close my eyes, and play the scene I'm interested in writing in my head. I even take a ten-minute nap now and then during this process. (I find being in a state of partial drowsiness, but not outright sleepiness, makes writing easier and better. Sleep helps the brain process and make connections!) Then I roll over to the laptop next to me and type up whatever I felt like worked for the scene. This may mean I write half a sentence at a time between intervals of closed-eye-time XD

People always say if you're stuck, you need to outline.

What they actually mean by that (whether they realize it or not) is that if you're stuck, you need to brainstorm. You need to marinate. You don't need to plan what you're doing, you just need to give yourself time to think about it!

What's another framing for brainstorming for your fic? Fantasizing about it! Planning is work, but fantasizing isn't.

You're already fantasizing about it, right? That's why you're writing it. Just direct that effort toward the scenes you're trying to write next! Close your eyes, lay back, and fantasize what the characters do and how they react.

And then quickly note down your inspirations so you don't forget, haha.

And if a scene is so boring to you that even fantasizing about it sucks--it's probably a bad scene.

If it's boring to write, it's going to be boring to read. Ask yourself why you wanted that scene. Is it even necessary? Can you cut it? Can you replace it with a different scene that serves the same purpose but approaches the problem from a different angle? If you can't remove the troublesome scene, what can you change about it that would make it interesting or exciting for you to write?

And I can't write sitting up to save my damn life. It's like my brain just stops working if I have to sit in a chair and stare at a computer screen. I need to be able to lie down, even if I don't use it! Talking walks and swinging in a hammock are also fantastic places to get scene ideas worked out, because the rhythmic motion also helps our brain process. It's just a little harder to work on a laptop in those scenarios. XD

In conclusion: Writing nonlinearly is an amazing tool for kicking writer's block to the curb. There's almost always some scene you'll want to write. If there isn't, you need to re-read or marinate.

Or you need to use the bathroom, eat something, or sleep. XD Seriously, if you're that stuck, assess your current physical condition. You might just be unable to focus because you're uncomfortable and you haven't realized it yet.

Anyway! I hope that was helpful, or at least interesting! XD Sorry again for the text wall. (I think this is the longest comment reply I've ever written!)

And same to you guys on tumblr--I hope this was helpful or at least interesting. XD Reblogs appreciated if so! (Maybe it'll help someone else!)

[yandere-sins]

You know how, irl, people get fascinated and turned on by the IDEA Of a yandere? And how a yandere, ofc, stalks and learns as much as they can about their darling? I just imagine the Yandere using that to their advantage and to their Darling's horror. "Oh, but you like this don't you? You've read so many smutty tumblr stories about being taken and taken and held hostage. You reblogged so many headcanons about a character killing your bully or that co-worker you hate. I know all your questionable porn tastes. I know all your deep, dark secrets. I know your violent vent posts that I got to enact for you, Darling! I've given you everything you've ever fantasized about, so of course you'll love me. <3" And of course, the yandere fails to realize that any of those behaviors or actions in real life is absolutely, gut-wrenchingly horrifying. But they think they're giving their darling everything they could ever want, and they'll continue to do so until they stop playing hard to get.

Ngl, probably one of my worst fears for the future, but thanks for requesting because it makes good yandere content :'D

I'm imagining a really smug yandere, you know? One that thinks they are doing you such a big favor and give you all their love by expressing it this way. But in reality, they don't even realize how messed up it is.

They were just breaking into your home after you went to bed to admire their darling from afar for a little bit. They are not daring to stir you from your sleep when they can stand beside you and watch. It is enough; they won't be greedy. But they couldn't have known they'd find the holy grail of smut and depravity on your bookshelf when they started browsing as their curiosity got the better of them. They are almost appalled by their darling, if not for the fact that when they browse through the pages of a random book, the words kidnapping, stalking, love, murder, and quite a few more seem like a temptation made for them especially.

So, you actually like that kind of stuff, huh?

Someone following you on a dark street, their steps noticeable but their face masked as they are always just five steps behind you. You run, they run. There's a red rose on your windowsill the next day. It scares you, but they know now that you are just pretending. That your heart is beating faster now, elated by the chase and the promise of love it brings. The fact that you have your own mad person excites you. The yan continues to borrow one book after the other, annotates them, and takes notes for themselves before putting them back onto your shelf for you to find one day, horrified to see lots of "I'd love to do this to you," "How about I kill the coworker you hate—would that make you love me?" and "Love this, love you, always you" in them.

They thought being a silent observer, loving you from afar, was the way to be with you. But they can't help but masturbate to the sex scenes, thinking about how they'd reenact them with you. Your books will be devastatingly ruined by stains and tears in the pages as they have either ripped out a scene to save for later or bit into the book as they've hit their orgasm. Your bookshelf was a collection of dark romance before, but now it is literally the remnant of a massacre of the once neat collection.

But of course, they won't stop there.

Everyone gets sick of reading books someday, even though it's been nice doing it sitting next to you—part of the yan hoping you might wake up and they get to act out some of the scenes you read about. However, there are more things to uncover and learn from. Your public social media they've stalked so far was nice and dandy, but the favorites and posts you hide on your private computer have so much potential to learn from.

The yan can learn about all these little desires of yours. The masks you like, how you want to be taken, cared for, and loved forever. You seem to believe in soulmates—crazy! They do, too! If the yan is delusional enough, it turns out that you two are so similar to each other—a perfect match. Even the kinks they didn't share with you before can be arranged with enough dedication to you. They'll make preparations so you'll be able to ease into these depraved things that you kept hidden from them. You might have been afraid to act on your desires, but the yan is ready to let you live them out to the fullest.

Never mind that you cry after being chased home, it's what you wanted, right? It doesn't matter how you actually feel when they harass and stalk you, leave you little notes and flowers everywhere, because they are just doing what your book-partners would do (it worked for them, after all). You wanted the yan to be possessive over you; why are you sad that no one wants to be your friend when the yan went to the trouble of making sure everyone would be too scared to approach you? And really, aren't you grateful for the yan taking care of your coworker problem? Was sending you their pinky not enough proof of their love?

How come you don't love them yet? When will you love them like the protagonists of your books?

Haven't they done enough? Are you seriously saying you don't like their gifts and dedication to you? Or perhaps you are just trying to play hard to get... of course! That must be it. You are so lovely; you must know that you deserve to be desired immensely. Only they can desire you as much as to go to such lengths, but perhaps it hasn't been enough yet. You deserve more. You are waiting for the yan to prove their undying, absolute love for you. It must be something big, something extraordinary. Something that will show you just how much they care about your interests and especially you.

They will take you and give you the life you want—you deserve.

Even if you hate them for it.

[deanscherrypie420]

🄱🄴🄰🄲🄷 🄳🄰🅈

A/N: It's summer! I figured I should write some summer fics <3 I hope you enjoy! Let me know if there are any errors <3333

Characters: The BAU team, Reader Y/N

Pairing: Spencer Reid X Reader

Warnings: just alll fluff, minor alcohol reference, FLUFF!!!

Summary: After a rough case, everyone decides to unwind with a nice slumber party - as Garcia would say - at the beach.

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Y/N loaded into JJ's car with Emily and Penelope, stuffing their bags into the trunk before her and Emily slid into the back seat, Penelope taking the passenger.

Jennifer was talking about her relationship with Will, and how generous he is for agreeing to stay home with Henry. "Well, hold up. Now that we're on the topic, have you and Reid made a move yet?" Emily questioned Y/N, earning an excited Oh yeah from Garcia.

"Seriously? Me and him aren't even together-" She tried, but the ball of energy in front of her wasn't having it. "That is the point! Oh. My. Goodness! Today, at the beach, you, you and him!" Penelope explained, flailing her hands around in excitement.

"Yeah, I mean you're gonna be lookin' all hot in your bikini. Might as well make a move." Emily added, making Y/N roll her eyes. "Guys, cut it out." She deadpanned, an annoyed edge in her voice.

"What's up? I thought you two liked each other?" JJ prodded. Y/N groaned and her shoulders slumped. "I'm not the prettiest girl in the world. I doubt seeing me in a bathing suit is gonna change his mind on that."

All three of the girls next to her gasped, a bit dramatized, and turned to face her. Jennifer looked at her through the mirror and gave her a 'Bitch please' look. "What? I'm just being realistic!" She tried to defend herself.

"You're being pessimistic!" Penelope argued, Emily nodding along with her words. JJ pulled the car over at the edge of a hill. Penelope raised a brow and stared her down, "The beach is down there? Are you serious? What part of no exercise do you not understand!"

The girls laughed and collected their stuff from the trunk. They were wearing their swim-suits underneath their t-shirts, not bothered to put pants over.

Y/N walked to the beach, stepping carefully around rocks as she made her way down the hill. She hopped down once she made it to the sand, then used her hand to shield her eyes from the sun.

Hotch and Jack were in the water, playing what seemed to be tag. Rossi was drinking wine underneath the fortress of shade they made, laying back in a comfortable chair.

Derek ran over to them, a huge grin on his face. "Hey ladies! Where the bikinis at?" He helped Penelope down and pulled her into a hug, then looking back to the rest of them.

"You're such a tease." Emily joked, following Y/N to the canopies. Y/N set her stuff down on her new-claimed chair and tossed her hair over her shoulder.

Spencer ran up to Morgan and Garcia, rushing to explain the cool rock he found. "It's sea glass! Look," He lifted the pink crystal up to show Garcia. "It's a natural piece of rock, and it gets it's glass like look from, from, uh-"

He started stammering when he noticed Y/N slip her t-shirt over her head, leaving her in a small, black bikini. He tried to continue speaking, he really did, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

She was marvelous, curves and all. Morgan noticed and nudged his shoulder. "Ooh, someone has a crush." He teased and Spencer quickly turned his focus away from her. "I do not. Anyway-"

He continued to teach them about the importance and history of sea glass for a good fifteen minutes, Derek yawning comically every few minutes.

Y/N ran up behind them and jumped on Reid's back, hugging his torso tight. "Spence! Come on, let's go swim!" She insisted, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from his conversation.

Penelope gave Reid a thumbs up and then went with Derek to set her stuff down. Spencer followed her to the water, trying not to look below her waist. Jack ran up to her and they could see JJ scolding Hotch.

"You should've told me you were bringing Jack! I would've brought Henry!" She explained to him and he nodded putting his hands up in defense.

"Y/N! Can you swim with me!" Jack asked, and she crouched down, brushing her ass against Spencer's crotch without realizing. He stepped back, swallowing hard.

"I'm not the best swimmer, so maybe we should bring Spence with us?" She offered, and Jack nodded, taking her hand and dragging her deeper into the water.

Spencer turned and saw Morgan running after her, Jack's giggling growing. "What are you lau-" She started, but Derek lifted her up and ran her further out, throwing her far out into the sea.

She was screaming and cursing, laughter bellowing from everyone. Y/N was shivering as she ran out of the water, grappling onto Morgan and pushing him down.

Spencer was laughing hard, trying to cover his mouth with his hand to conceal his amusement. She glanced at him, a wicked grin tugging up the corners of her mouth.

She charged after the man, jumping on him like she had earlier. He caught her effortlessly and spun her around, dizzying her no doubt. JJ took out her phone and started recording, and David refilled his bottle of wine. "Young love." He said in a sing-song voice.

"Okay! Okay! Put me down!" Y/N begged relentlessly, kicking her legs and squealing. Spencer didn't want to, he liked being this close with you, but he gave into her requests and tossed her back into the water.

She shrieked and crawled out of the water as quick as possible, wiping sand off of her knees. Spencer studied her, his cheeks warming as he traced her body with his eyes.

"Hey, Lover-Boy! Get over here, we got sandwiches!" Derek called out to them. He looked down at her, a playful grin growing on his lips. They'd known each other for forever, accumulating a secret language over the years.

Race you? He asked with his eyes, and she bit her lip in agreement, her eyes twinkling. They started running, and he easily took the lead. Suddenly, she gasped and grabbed her knee, a low groan escaping her throat.

He turned and rushed over to her, crouching by her side. "Hey, what happened? Are you okay?" He asked and she shook her head. "I think I pulled a muscle." She explained and he frowned. "Let me take a look at it,"

When his hand met her calf, she grabbed it and pushed him face-first into the sand. "You can't beat me, Spencey!" She taunted as she ran towards the canopies, leaving him in the wind.

He stood up and jogged over as well, catching the sandwich Emily tossed at him. "That wasn't fair! You cheated." He bargained, and Hotch shook his head, Jack mirroring his actions. "That seemed pretty fair."

Y/N just giggled, reaching into the cooler for her drink. She preferred Truly drinks over beer or wine, the fruity taste more enjoyable in her opinion. She moved things around in an attempt to find them, but had no luck.

"Seriously? Did we forget my shit?" She all but whined. The sun was gonna start setting within a few hours and she wanted to end the night with a buzz.

Penelope looked over her shoulder, helping her search the ice-chest. "No, no, no. I swear I packed them!" She said as she aimlessly looked around.

"You can share my wine, and that's a limited time offer." Rossi proposed, fake cheering his glass in the air. She just shook her head, biting the inside of her cheek as she tapped her hip.

"Oh! In the pink ice-chest! I left it in the trunk, I'm sorry!" JJ cleared the air, shoving her phone into her top - a make-shift pocket. "I can go with you to get it if you want?"

"I'll go with her." Spencer offered, nearly cutting JJ off. "Oh, yes, yeah. You two go ahead." She said as she waved them over to the hill trail.

Y/N made small talk as they walked up to the car. She was walking in front of him and he found it quite tantalizing, having to divert his eyes somewhere else every few seconds.

When they reached the car, she popped the trunk and Spencer raised it. She unlatched the cooler and hooted in triumph. "Yes! God, I can't live without these." She cracked open a can and took a swig, lifting it up and offering it to Reid.

"You know I don't drink, Y/N." He explained and she rolled her eyes. "Right, right. Can't believe I forgot." She said sarcastically, setting the drink down onto the trunk bed. "Also, you're carrying that. You're the strong one here."

Spencer scoffed and shook his head, finding her childish behavior amusing. Something else was on his mind though, something he wanted to do while she was still sober.

"Hey, Y/N?" He stepped closer, nearly trapping her by the car. "Yes?" She felt her heart flutter, the close proximity letting butterflies loose in her stomach.

Before she knew it, he had kissed her. It was soft and slow, his plush lips moving gently against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, more passion seeping in.

He pulled away, a boyish smile playing on his lips. "I've wanted to do that for awhile. I really like you, Y/N." He told her and she knew her cheeks warmed.

"I really like you, too." She said before kissing him again. He smiled into the kiss and then scooped her up, tossing her over his shoulder. He grabbed the cooler and her drink in the other hand, beginning to walk back down the path.

"Put me down, Spence!" She squealed and giggled, his laughter only making hers grow. "This is what you get for throwing me in the sand!" He chuckled, bouncing her up his shoulder more for a better grasp. She yelped and then broke into loud fits of laughter along with him.

The group watched them as they came back down, shit-eating grins on all of their faces. "Finally," Aaron said. Morgan turned around and pointed at him, "I knew they had a thing for each other!" He exclaimed and the group broke out into their own laughter.

"We all did!"

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A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed! This was super fun to write! Leave requests if you have any <3 Follow, like and comment <33

[homeofthelonelywriter]

Adventures of a Songbird

(A/N) Another part, this time reflecting my current obsession "The Future is a Foreign Land". I'm not well.

Pairing: Simon x fem!Reader (platonic for now)

Warning: my obsession with Ghost and this song, pls help

Synopsis: Let's just say you got your callsign for a reason.

Finally, the day you waited for every few months had arrived. As soon as your alarm went off, excitement filled your body. After all, you could spend half of the day training what you wanted, and after that, there would be a huge barbecue. No rules, no bossy Price yelling at you, no cardio, and most importantly, no party pooper Ghost and good food afterward. Heaven.

You popped in your earbuds, the new song of one of your favorite bands playing on loop, while you got ready for the day. All too soon, you were on your way to the mess hall to get breakfast and listen to the monthly speech about enjoying the day but keeping the training serious.

Once you sat down with the rest of the Taskforce, you pulled out your earbuds and joined in the conversation, quickly noticing that Ghost wasn’t there. To a questioning look from you, Johnny just shrugged before he continued to stuff his face with porridge. If you weren’t already used to that display, you’d be slightly disgusted.

“So, what did you guys choose for training today?”

Price looked from one member to the other. Johnny answered through a mouth full of goo, making you visibly cringe.

“Hand-to-hand combat. Excited tae shaw some recruits what’s business.”

You chuckled, Johnny was right after all. For some reason, hand-to-hand was a favorite amongst the recruits. You understood its importance, but you were happy if you could skip it for a day. Kyle was next to answer.

“I’m doing survival in the woods.”

Price, who had rolled his eyes at Johnny’s answer, nodded appreciatively at Kyle’s. Then he turned to you.

“Oh, uhm, I’m going to the shooting range. Spend some time on aim et cetera.”

A small smile spread on Price’s lips, but again he nodded, so you didn’t pay it any extra mind. Well, you really should have.

As soon as you were done with breakfast and the speech was over, you left the mess hall and made your way to the shooting range, your earbuds back in your ears, and the music flowing. You started to hum along, a smile on your lips. That smile only grew when you entered the building and saw that it was mostly empty. There were the two soldiers at the front who were responsible for general safety and handling the weapons. Besides those, there were only two other soldiers, both recruits. So, you checked out your favorite gun, as well as a few magazines, and went to the other end of the range.

You quickly got ready, putting on the earmuffs and taking the weapon apart to check if everything was okay before you put it back together and loaded it. Before taking on the stance, you turned up the music. Then you were ready.

You were completely in your zone, slightly swinging your hips as you quietly sang along to the song that was playing on repeat. And all of that while shooting at the target.

“When it all burns down. When it all burns down. I will hold you close for the minute. Yeah, I'll hold you for the minute it takes.”

With the last word, you shoot one more time, before putting the safety back on and placing the gun down in front of you. You press the button to move the target sheet closer while taking off the earmuffs, heaving a sigh of relief as that also takes off the pressure from your ears. You would never get used to that.

The sheet was about to finally be close enough to properly inspect when the music suddenly faded from your left ear. You quickly turn to look in that direction, just to be met with the broad chest of Ghost. And between his fingers, and awfully close to his ear, was your earbud.

“Hey, give that back!”

You reach up to pluck it out of his fingers, but he easily swats your hand away with one of his, while listening to the song. And to your surprise, he starts to slightly nod along.

“It’s good.”

Ghost hands the earbud back before moving to the station next to yours. Without any further acknowledgment, he starts to prep his gun just as you did, before taking aim. You manage to pull your earmuffs back on, just in time to not be deafened by the shot. You scuff at him, annoyed but also surprised at what had transpired earlier.

You decide to continue with your training until the barbecue is announced via the intercom. You, along with the other soldiers, cleaned up and handed the guns back, before making your way to the back of the mess hall, where the grills were already hot and food was already ready.

You grabbed a plate and piled it with all your favorite food, before finding your team and sitting down with them. While you were chatting about what everyone had done during the last few hours, you couldn’t help but complain about the music that was being played.

“I just hate it.”

Without saying anything, Ghost stood up and left the table. You thought nothing of it, at least not until “The Future is a Foreign Land” started playing. You quickly looked over and saw Ghost moving back towards your table, from the direction of the soldier who was in charge of the music. And sure enough, that soldier looked like he had just wet his pants.

Once Ghost sat down again and the others were preoccupied with another topic, you leaned over to him, placing a hand on his bicep.

“Thank you.”

He just nodded in response, but you swear that you could see a slight crinkling around his eyes, even with his balaclava hiding most of his face.

Please consider reblogging and following me! It helps a lot!

Call of Duty - Masterlist

Master-Masterlist

[gffa]

I hope you guys are enjoying this spate of Star Wars posts because boy do I have more stuff I want to yell about, like I'm practically champing at the bit to screenshot some moments from The Vow of Silver Dawn to go ???? over Jedi interaction with the legal system and I'm like a third of the way through The Living Force blogging and I think I still have some Brotherhood caps I haven't yelled about yet and I haven't touched any of the prequels/originals comics in like two months, so I will be exploding over those eventually, and that's not even getting into that I have at least three comics from this week that have my Blorbo in them to yell about or all the reference posts I've been working to collate, like one of these days I need to do a masterlist of reference posts just because there are so many and and and-- Anyway, sorry about your guys' dashes, I'm genuinely trying to spread things out a bit, but I'm just kind of really excited to yell about some of this stuff!

[tozettastone]

Hi, I want to say I really appreciate deadbeat and want to thank you for giving me brain worms about dadkuzu and “the dad who stepped up” hidan. I am curious though, what drove kakuzu to seek his child out? I’m assuming he was not aware of their existence until ami (I’m assuming it’s ami) wrote to him, but I’m curious to understand his logic.

Hey anon! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hidan is the most emotionally intelligent person in that trio and it's a bit of a worry because he's a 17–18 year old boy at the time.

Kakuzu definitely knew about Maddie! Ami was passing information across borders, and some of that would have included the odd update on Maddie for Kakuzu. They weren't very emotionally entangled, but Kakuzu and Ami had a pretty open and honest — if not especially warm — relationship with each other. They're just distant coworkers who made a baby, I guess. There's not much of a secret or anything there.

So Kakuzu's actually just being totally honest when he tells Maddie that he's just checking on her. Ami sends him a message like, 'Yeah, so, I'm like, sick-sick. I'm going to die.'

The reason Kakuzu only shows up almost a full year after that is that... it just takes a solid ten months for him to stop avoiding the problem. I considered how long (and indeed if) to leave Maddie in the cursed swamp on her own, and she really didn't have to be there for nearly a full year. But she was. Because Kakuzu got Ami's note and then let it burn a hole in his pocket for almost a year while he grumpily avoided thinking about it and stomped around.

Interpersonal obligations give him hives. However, he still takes them really seriously.

Let me elaborate on that! While writing, I decided that in the highly limited canon we get on Kakuzu, the text indicates his character exhibits a fairly developed and surprisingly pro-social sense of interpersonal obligation. I draw this conclusion from 3 main examples:

1. The betrayal of his home village hit extremely hard and devastated his entire personality forget because he WAS very loyal, he took his obligations to them very seriously, and he expected them to do those things too. They didn't.

2. He takes care of Hidan despite emotional incentives to do otherwise, including picking up his stuff and bringing it along with them when he's debilitated by a mortal injury

3. By implication, at least, he takes care of akatsuki members who aren't even his own partner? Nobody is forcing him to sew Deidara back together, I think.

So those examples informed my choice to consider it relatively likely that he would actually go and make sure his child is still breathing. I'm sorry it's not more exciting than that though, haha.

I bet Hidan responded in a totally mature, respectful and understated way when Kakuzu told him what they were doing in northern Fire Country though.

[arcadekitten]

Arcade! As someone who also has OCD (and autism, but thats besides the point), I just want you to know that it DOES get better! I dont know if thats the only issue youve been dealing with lately (other than the computer one), but I just want you to know that you *can* definitely take a break and that it WILL get better <3 And dont worry about your patrons at all, we're much more worried with your mental state than with our rewards! <3

This message is so sweet of you it genuinely brings a tear to my eye, thank you ♡

I've definitely got a lot of stuff to sort through on my plate right now, while the OCD is definitely a big contributer to all of this I (and people i trust) also think I had a lot of stuff piling up for a while and it kinda became a whole "straw that broke the camel's back" ordeal. Just one of those unfortunate situations where I always tried to look for help but couldn't receive it until it actually became an emergency. (Don't recommend that btw--if you need help then keep pushing for it until you get it)

It really does mean a lot to hear you say though. I feel bad for feeling bad because I care about you guys and especially the ones going out of their way to pay me! I have always been met with so much kindness and generosity and I feel terrible when I can't provide for those who have showed so much love for the things I make! It can be hard not to be impatient with myself because I love making my art and games and I love when I get to share them with you all and seeing the joy you get from them, and I'm sad when I can't do that and I feel bad for you guys when I can't do that!

Luckily though I'm finally receiving much-needed mental health services. I'm still just only beginning but I'm at least seeing the tiniest slivers of progress and it makes me hopeful, at least for today.

I do intend to take the rest and recovery I need, but I will still be excited for whenever I get back to the usual fun we have around here. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and incredibly supportive words. They mean so so much more to me than you could ever know ♡♡♡

[chimkin-samich]

Because I am shy I'm using anon- but I just wanted to come by and say that your artstyle is genuinely so so cool- and I absolutely adore the way you draw the dca guys!!! I also love how you draw your original characters and the little interactions with them in comics. Seeing your artwork- no matter the quality or context- honest to stars makes my day just a little bit brighter, and I know 10 times out of 10 it's yours because it's so unique and recognizable and lovely! I hope you are doing amazing and I hope you have a wonderful day/evening!! <3

Aaaa this makes us so happy 😭

We always wonder if our art is unique in being recognized so you tell us this makes us really happy, especially that you get excited just seeing it, we ask ourselves if ppl really like our stuff that much

All the asks like this (we keep em cuz we love em so if we don’t respond that why but we read all of em lol) and the rabid tags that ppl leave on our art makes us laugh and very happy that ppl love our art and ideas, always makes our day to see what responses you all leave ✨✨🥺

[philosophiums]

Hi! I have some questions about your jjkxatla au that you're doing ( which is literally like THE COOLEST thing ever I'm so excited to read it when it comes out you guys are so creative :D)

Will each book for each element be one chapter in the fic? Or will each book be multiple chapters and uploaded as separate parts on ao3? And if it's the latter, will you upload book one before you finish the other four books. I hope this makes sense (and apologies if you've addressed this before lmaooo)

Also!! Who would you say is your favorite character to write dialogue/interactions/fight scenes so far in the fic?? All of the characters designs and lore bits are super interesting to me so I'm curious as to who's your fave from a writer standpoint haha.

That's all! Thank you guys for creating this AU, it has taken up around 80% of my brain and I'm so hyped for the first chapter to be dropped. Thank youuuuu :D

AAAAAAAAAAAA that's so sweet tysm !!!! <3

oh!!! okay ! explaining it with words might get confusing, so i'll use a bullet list to explain the general like... sections and stuff

>Entire Fic >Part 1 >Chapters 1-? >Part 2 >Chapters ?-? >Part 3 >Chapters ?-? >Part 4 >Chapters?-end >Epilogue

it's all going to be uploaded as one fic, and i'll just label in-fic where each of the parts begins and ends (they are like the books in atla, and are named after elements, but i'm just calling them parts instead to not be a direct rip from atla KJBSDVKJBSDV)

the intent right now is to finish the first draft of part 1 (which i'm estimating will be about..... 10 chapters? maybe 9 if i'm lucky, but watch it be 11-12), and then go back and edit it before i start uploading!! there isn't going to be an update schedule because i don't want to like... catch up to wherever i currently am too quickly and (biggest reason) i don't want to put pressure on myself or on hina to finish things in a certain timeframe. there will likely be a break between part 1 and part 2 (and so on) for similar reasons (this is going to be.... a really long fic. right now it's looking like it'll be 90k+ just for part 1, and the last thing i want is to get burned out halfway through, so i'm pacing myself on purpose)

AH my favorite character to write for is megumi 100%. yuuji is the avatar, but i think with the way hina and i structured the general plot, megumi is the main character. it's split pov between the two of them, but megumi has a bit more screen time because i just find him easier to write KJDVBDJVK

thank you so much!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3

[satureja13]

The trailer for the next EP 'Lovestruck' is out. Watch -> here on youtube Release date: 25.07.2024

And I must say I'm disappointed. Again we get the least they can manage. And nothing that hasn't already been leaked. There's just the world and 3 new interactions (cuddle in bed, cuddle on the blanket and feed the the partner) and that new dating app. That's it lol! Oh gods. The dating app worries me since it's connected with the gallery and I only can imagine what disturbing Sims will be uploaded by some jokesters -.-

They didn't show a lot of the new build/buy, the thing I'm excited the most for is the plant in the background hahaha

The clothes are meh, as so often.

Pic below: me, not amused ^^'

40€ for this?

Ciudad Enamorada looks a bit dull for a South American city imo Could be any other city anywhere.

Eh and EA - that's not hot, that's disturbing ö.ö' I can't imagine any of my Sims doing this omg. At least we get the heart shaped bed back, that was about time!

The cuddling in bed is what I'm most excited about, that's pretty cute.

Cuddling on the blanket looks a bit uncomfortable ^^'

I wonder if their lips are really touching now while kissing or if they staged it for the trailer.

Haha ok, that's cute too!

Yeah, me again, thanks EA -.- But that axolotl aquarium is cute again ^^' It's changing its expression? aouwww

The early buyer digital content, also the worst I've ever seen.

I hope the 2 other neighborhoods are more appealing, they also mentioned a beach, so we're looking forward for that. That's the first EP for this year, they could have put a little more effort in this. What we got in the first half of 2024 is 1 EP, 4 kits (castle, urban fashion, party essentials and the goth kit) plus Crystal Creations. Let's hope the second half holds a bit more exciting stuff.

I don't know what I'll do if all this stuff is only for adults (the dating app definitely is). I'm not ready to age the Boys up. (My daughter immediately said 'NO!' even before I was able to finish the sentence hahaha)

[kimarii-00]

How would armando react if he is in love with the reader (and the two of them are a couple) but they have a fight of differences and they break up (she leaves him), a few weeks pass and armando doesn't likes her distance, and he doesn't want to lose her, so he does everything in his power to get her back

I follow you! 💗

Break-Up Make-Up

AN: I'm probably going to rewrite this and make this into a fic at some point!

❥ You’re at your breaking point, seriously. How much longer does he expect you to put up with his shit?

❥ He works all day everyday, and only returns at odd hours in the night, if at all. Sometimes you make an attempt to stay up to greet him when he comes in, but it’s rare that you are able to catch him before you end up falling asleep yourself.

❥ The rare times that depriving yourself of sleep actually pays off and you get to see him, he’ll brush you off and answer any questions you may have for him with one worded, half assed answers: “Yeah.” “Nah.” “I’m just tired.” “Mhm.”

❥ You knew his job called for most of his attention, and you knew what you signed up for when you both started dating but you never imagined that it’s be this bad.

❥ You’re starting to think that your relationship is just something he can indulge in whenever he feels like it, which is not often.

❥ Even on his “days off”, he’s working. He’ll get a call from a colleague or something of the sort, and then rush off back into work, kissing your cheek and promising that he’d be back before dinner (He never meets that deadline). If he’s not working, then he’ll blow you off when you try to get him up and out of the house to go do something fun for once. The usual, “Sorry, I’m tired. I’ve been working all week” (like you didn’t know that).

❥ It was another boring day alone in the house you shared, late at night. You didn’t feel particularly tired, so you decided to stay up watching your favorite show until your boyfriend decided to show his face again. You don’t know how long you were up, but your heart skipped a beat when you heard him slide the key into the front door. You were especially excited tonight because, well, it may be cold by now, but you’d made his favorite meal as a thanks for all of his hard work.

❥ You knew he was usually grumpy when he came in due to the lack of sleep, but tonight he was like another man. Another one that you didn’t like.

❥ “Would you please just fuck off, you can’t see I’m tired?”

❥ No matter what other nasty things he said to you that night, that one stung and stuck with you the most.

❥ How does he have the right to treat you like garbage, dispose you when your not needed but then retrieve you when he wants something from you? Who does he think he is when all you wanted to do was show him the meal you worked so hard on, even if it was cold.

❥ “I’m sorry I just wanted to fuckin’ greet you when you finally decide to bring your ass home. I barely get to see your face anymore. This is our first real fucking conversation in— I don’t know how long!” You’d responded to his out of pocketness.

❥ The argument just kept escalating until you reached your breaking point, and you released the bombshell.

❥ “If that’s how you really feel then maybe we should take a fuckin’ brake, since I’m such a damn insect to you!”

❥ “Are you breaking up with me right now?”

❥ You didn’t respond with words but rather actions. You stormed into your shared bedroom, snatched up a suitcase you were sure wasn’t going to fit all of your stuff, but it was big enough for essentials.

❥ You stomped around the room, picking up and packing things you deemed necessary, with him in the doorway trying to get your attention to calm you down.

❥ He didn’t mean for it to get this far.

❥ Once you finished, you shoved your way past him and flung yourself out of the door, taking your car and dialing a friends phone number, whom you were sure would let you crash at her place until you were back on your feet. After all, the two of you lived together, so your decision to leave basically left you homeless.

❥ Armando didn’t see or hear from you for three whole weeks. The time that was spent with you not by his side was damn near the embodiment of hell itself, that is, until he saw you through the peep hole at his front door.

❥ You were half expecting him to not even be at home, you thought he’d drown himself in more work now that you weren’t a factor in his life.

❥ You were surprised by how quickly the door opened and how enthusiastic he seemed. You haven’t seen him like that in a long time and it somewhat weirded you out.

❥ “(Name), I just want to say I’m sorry for—“

❥ “Save it.” You said, “I’m just here to pick up whatever I left behind.”

❥ You watched first hand as the enthusiasm all faded from his face and all he seemed like was a hunk of flesh and bones. Albeit, a hot hunk of flesh and bones, but that’s besides the point.

❥ You walk in and he shuts the door behind you. You walk to where the rest of your things resided and ignore the way Armando followed you around like a lost dog.

❥ “If you’re going to follow me around like that the least you could do it help me load this stuff into my car…”

❥ He nodded and immediately got to work, and you internally face palmed.

❥ This was the man that you fell in love with, not the workaholic asshole that you’ve been dealing with for months on end.

❥ “I am sorry, y’know. About what I said that night… And everything that came before it.”

❥ This caught you off guard, because you’ve only heard Armando apologize a few times, and you don’t think you’ve ever heard an apology by his so genuine.

❥ “I said some things that night too, don’t feel too bad.” You say, acting nonchalant but your mind was racing a thousand miles per second.

❥ “I didn’t even realize how much I worked affected you… Though I guess that’s part of the problem too, right?”

❥ You looked away slightly and nodded, glad he was acknowledging his actions.

❥ “(Name), I miss you. So damn much.”

❥ This caught you entirely off guard but you didn’t reply.

❥ “This house is so empty without you in it. I haven’t even been able to bring myself to work knowing how bad I fucked us up.”

❥ “I can’t forgive you so easily… This was a problem for months along with other things, how am I supposed to be assured that it won’t happen again?”

❥ “I’ll prove it to you.”

❥ He’d royally fucked up your relationship, yet for some reason, he couldn’t seem to find any anxiousness about the process of getting you back… He still loved you, and he trusted that love to guide him into winning your heart back. (He also knew you still loved him, so it definitely wouldn’t take that long… 💀)

TAGLIST!

@dasaniswrlddd @thedarkworldofhananerea @taylormcguire282 @timebomb1101 @5arlan7 @desiiiisworld @babygurl030 @lovelyme22 @Leavemealing @lewispool @yeahnohoneybye @velocitynyoom @maybepersuasivetom @deadpool15 @believeinthefireflies95 @lxla04 @planetnique @arinotarianagrande

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Hi, um. trans girl teenager here with a sex ed question. as a teenager I'm like, sorta exploring the idea of having sex with other people; I'm just thinking about it as something I might want to do, 'cause it seems fun. however, being trans, I'm scared I'm gonna get dysphoric about it. cuz, y'know, genitals and stuff. I guess like, do you have any ideas about approaching or thinking about this sorta stuff? how can I do sex without getting dysphoric, because I really want to at least try. thanks!

hi anon,

so the thing is, I don't know what in particular makes you dysphoric. it's different for everyone! some trans women might not want someone to touch their genitals at all. some might be okay having their genitals touched with hands or mouths, but not using their own genitals for penetration, while some feel the exact opposite way of that! while for others, what causes dysphoria may have more to do with how partners talk to and address them, or the physical positions they're in regardless of what kind of touch is involved. everybody has different lists of things that are okay and places where they set down their boundaries.

you know your mind and your body better than I ever could! when you touch yourself and think about sex with other people, what feels exciting and what feels like a big no? having sex with other people can feel very different than masturbating, for sure, but it's at least a great place to start in terms of figuring out what kinds of sensations you do and don't like and what kind of partnered sexual activities you might be interested in exploring when you have the opportunity, which you can discuss with your future partner(s).

you're always going to be the best expert on yourself, so start conducting some experiments!

[unforth]

Prefacing this TGCF post with: people can draw and write however they want forever and I support them and this is about my personal view of these characters.

Anyway.

I saw a post today that had Xie Lian singing "when will my life begin" from Tangled and it drove home what really bugs me about a lot of fan casts of Hualian onto popular media (see also my Howl's Moving Castle take). It's this idea that Xie Lian is, well, waiting for his life to begin, and Hua Cheng swoops in and makes it exciting, when this is imo so utterly antithetical, and in fact opposite, to canon.

Xie Lian has lived and lived and lived. He was a prince, he fought in wars, even during his 800 years fallen the whole book is an exercise in showing that he WASN'T just waiting around, he kept doing things the whole time - Fang Xin Guoshi and General Hua and and and. AND he also cultivated to the point of ascending again. Xie Lian is a fucking bad ass idealistic martyr who doesn't know when to quit and at least to me that's the whole point of his character and I love that about and for him so to see him inserted into existing franchise AUs as the wilting flower waiting for a moment to shine is utter character erasure and it makes me insane enough that I'm writing this post about it even though I think I shouldn't and even though I genuinely don't want to rain on anyone's fandom parade. But like. That's not him!

You know who it is?

It's Hua Cheng!

Hong Hong'er lives in Xianle, a kingdom where all this stuff is happening, and he just watches from the sidelines. He's an observer at the parade. He's just some kid. And then he falls (or jumps, or is pushed, you pick your interpretation) and he's caught by literally the coolest guy in the entire kingdom. He's the nobody who gets swept off his feet! And it changes his whole life! Like I think it wouldn't irk me so much to see Xie Lian get typecast that way if Hua Cheng wasn't right there literally living his "I met God and it changed my whole life for the better" fantasy. He seriously deserves to get recognized for this. I get that he's the loud flamboyant one so that makes it seem like he should get cast as a Howl or a Flynn or whoever, but like. He was waiting for his life to begin, and it does, when he meets Xie Lian.

And like. I get that these are kinda competing interpretations that depend on when you look at canon - I'm looking at the original 800 years ago events, others are looking at Hua Cheng coming in 800 years later - but still the "present" in TGCF isn't imo about Xie Lian having waited to be saved, he hasn't been in a hat shop for his whole life boredly making hats, he's never stopped moving and never stopped adventuring and never stopped striving to change the world. Hua Cheng is living out his "you saved me now I save you" fantasies but fundamentally they save each other over and over and over again and that's beautiful and I hate seeing it erased to make Xie Lian into the wilting flower. Like. The one who basically hasn't done anything that whole 800 years is ALSO Hua Cheng. We don't hear about him going off and having idealistic adventures. Everything we know of that he's done was directly related to Xie Lian (ie burning the temples). Other than that he seems to sit around in Ghost City chilling with his ghoulies. So again, finding Xie Lian is what pulls him out of his funk and prompts him to start acting for good, whereas Xie Lian has been acting for good the whole time.

Ugh. I should shut up now, just, I've been in this fandom for four years and this has become such a pet peeve of mine because it reflects such a huge disconnect between how I perceive these characters and how much of the rest of fandom does. And that frustrates me, cause I wish there was more content in line with my perception.

[agelenopsis-potteri]

i gotta be honest i am stoked to be a janitor. i see mops and i get excited

[hanzajesthanza]

this looks like a long time but initially it said 1 MONTH 15 days

[hotasfahrenheit]

i was excited when i saw Mike and Jeff (and Ten and Jackson) were going to be on Chuang Asia together but i did not EVER expect multiple shows and projects from them and i'm SO stoked.

i know not everyone in the BL fandom spheres know who Mike is yet but he was in one of my fave dumb Chinese dramas (My Little Princess, and listen it does a really great job of inverting a bunch of popular romance tropes and it's great and funny and cute actually) and i love himmmmmmmm

he's also in one of PP Krit's mvs and it's real pretty so go watch that if you haven't seen it!

Mike was primarily acting in China before the pandemic and until a couple years ago, but he has a young son and the rest of his family is in Thailand from what i know, and it seems like he's shifting into working in Thailand instead of working internationally. and we don't have any actual -confirmation- if either of these shows are going to be BLs or QLs or anything that i know of (tho Happy Ending seems the most likely because of Jeff's and Barcode's characters) but i'll take whatever he's ready to work on because he's great.

i'm so ready for the beautiful things that this beautiful friendship is already turning out like we are all just going to be BLESSED. i hope Mike and Jeff work well together and have a great time and everything they touch turns to gold (and that Jeff talks Mike out of making any more bad mvs) and we get two besties making shows together for a long time. i hope they get to work with all their friends whenever they want and keep pulling in ridiculous collections of actors and talented people to work with them because WHAT THE HECK EVEN ARE THE CASTS FOR THEIR SHOWS like it's actually insane?

i'm also super here for Jeff having been like “i'm out of BOC to focus on singing” and after doing a bunch of successful music stuff, concerts, dropping an album, now he's doing a bunch of acting on his own like yes, get it king, follow your heart and make your own shows since BOC didn't appreciate your talent or give you enough work to do! make all the shows you want, play whatever kinds of characters you want! we're all here for it.

anyway i'm ready for all of it. let's go.