#idk.... but if i post the 10k i have right now i could then work on smut month

[andorerso]

another slightly nsfw snippet because they have no chill

The rational part of her sighs and throws her hands up in defeat. You’ve already made up your mind. Just do it. Jyn pulls out her phone and sends him a text. Pizza tonight? I’ll let you finish in my mouth this time.

[justajsworkshop]

There's so much content, so many opinions on what works and what doesn't. I'm just scared to commit because I dont want to waste my time following the wrong teachings and rules😭Its been years in this community. do you maybe have any advice for me? As in who/what I can follow and what to do?

my advice is to take a step back and think about this from another perspective. let me give you a hypothetical:

for two seconds, just pretend that manifesting doesn't exist, and we gotta do everything the good ol' 3D way.

you have a friend who wants to lose weight, but they've never been to a gym before, they don't know a lot about healthy eating, they have no clue where to begin. they start researching weight loss tips but everyone is saying different stuff. keto, paleo, veganism, carb cycling, reverse dieting, lift weights, do cardio, workout every day, get rest days in, get 10k steps a day, etc.

this friend is frustrated, confused, and worried about how they're going to achieve their goal when everyone has different advice and perspectives. they pick up one approach for a day or two, maybe even a week or two, but ultimately back down from it because they're afraid it's all been a waste because someone else said something different works better. they're making zero progress along the way and losing faith in themselves and their ability to "do this right."

they come to you for advice and ask: what do i do?

what's your answer?

and i literally mean tell yourself the answer because your advice is going to be the best advice for yourself since no one knows you better than you. the biggest piece of advice i could give you right now is to learn how to become your own best friend on this journey.

there's a lot of different voices and opinions out there because there's literally infinite ways to manifest/shift. there is no one right way; there's only your way. manifesting isn't about what so-n-so says on zwitter or what j posts on tungles. it's not about methods or processes. it's about YOU.

at a certain point, you gotta be willing to break out of your fear and break some eggs to make an omelette. try stuff, test it out, see what you like and don't like. you're never going to find the right approach that works for you from the sidelines. no one likes to talk about the trial and error period because they don't wanna come off as limited, but honestly, some stuff you can't find out for yourself unless you just give it an honest shot to see if it resonates for you.

focus less on committing to/doing the wrong thing and adopt a growth mindset around this. be a scientist. experiment, document, reflect, iterate. like, you literally cannot "lose" anything from that perspective because you're always gaining knowledge and understanding of yourself and what works/resonates with you.

i really don't get why people are so afraid of trying because idk, maybe it's just my business mindset, but in business, we always say "fail fast." cuz when you do, it breaks you out of this overwhelming fear of messing up. just do it imperfectly. do it scared. do it confused. just TRY NEW THINGS and see what happens. no one can deem what does or doesn't work for you but YOU.

conscious manifesting is not a spectator sport. it's literally in the name lmao. you gotta be a conscious, i.e., an active, participant in the process. don't confuse this with efforting hard. you really just gotta be aware of yourself. that's it.

i know it's not the sexy "just decide you're doing it perfectly" -- which you def can do, and this helps. really, start encouraging yourself and telling yourself you're doing great and youre proud of yourself, too. healthy/positive self talk works wonders. but sometimes you literally just have to get over your own fear and insecurities and just try shit out because reality can't move until you do. you might as well start now!

really, just break some fuckin eggs.

[longbobmckenzie]

THTH Season 3 Thoughts

It's been awhile since I've done a thoughts post, but we're over halfway now, and I definitely have some thoughts.

Overall, I'm enjoying the season - I adore Taz, and I look forward to playing it every week. However... I also have a lot of criticisms.

The Love Interests

The love interests are carrying this season!! Taz is the only one I'm really in love with, but I think they're all really good and well-rounded, and there's something for everyone. They have a lot of depth, their loyal routes develop at a really nice pace, and I love that they can be customized! They're the best part of the season and imo they're what make it as enjoyable as it is. Unlike...

The OG "Friends"

I hate them all, and I have since the very first week. Sean is a self-centred annoying asshole (I know some people like him and think he just needs to mature, but he's a big fat no from me). Victoria is an ugly bitch who just uses others to get off. Julian has annoyed me from day 1 with his dramatics, and I didn't like Giselle either but she's only gotten worse and worse. Like girl, if you don't even like Sean that much, maybe don't have sex with him? She's being treated as a sympathetic character, but she wasn't being manipulated or emotionally abused, and she could have spoken her mind. Asshole.

I honestly have had no desire to take the options that give friendship points, so my meters are barely filled for any of them and as a result I lost money when they didn't agree with me when I wanted to forfeit $10k when Poppy and Julian were in the suite. Oops.

The FTL Routes

I really like Avi, and while Poppy was annoying at first, I know people who are doing her route are really loving it. I love the slow burn friends-to-lovers thing so I really love this element - however I would have much preferred it if they were OGs. For Avi especially, it didn't really make sense that he kissed us on the date only to immediately friendzone us. I think it would have made so much more sense if he were there from the beginning and we started out purely as friends.

The "Spy" Storyline

Not a fan of this. Bad Lana is one thing (we'll get to that) but I think this just... doesn't make that much sense? idk. I don't have a fully fleshed out opinion on this or how I'd do it differently, but I think it would've been better in a season without Bad Lana.

Bad Lana

I watched the new season of the show where Bad Lana made her appearance, and I do think it's really neat that they were given that info ahead of time to add it to the game. However, I wish they'd followed how it was done in the show, where the Bad Lana ruling period was at the beginning (they did mention that they had this as well and had lots of fun with it), and then the two people who took advantage of it the most were sent into banishment. Having another Bad Lana ruling period (and then adding the banishment which is coming up in the next episode) right in the middle of the show just doesn't work quite as well to me?

Also, what is the point of getting green lights during Bad Lana's ruling period? We could kiss without them anyway!

MC as the Bombshell

I have mixed feelings on this - I loved being the bombshell and getting the free pass, however... there's just no impact. You pick an LI, you automatically connect, and other than Carmen, none of the partners really care? I would've preferred coming into a situation where the couple was actually a couple and I had to work a bit to turn their head (or maybe even switch to the other person, that'd be fun).

Tying this into the Bad Lana point above, I think it would've made a lot more sense if MC were an OG in this season to experience the Bad Lana period at the beginning. Kiss a couple people, get sent to banishment. To me, that would've been a lot more interesting.

Branching

The branching has been fine (although there have been some continuity errors if you stick with the same LI each time), but I think it was better in S2. I remember always being blown away by how much branching there was in S2, and this season just hasn't had that. It's still good and nothing to complain about, but I'd like to see improvements each season, or at least keeping the same level, rather than taking a slight step back.

Especially now that there are some people who are being banished despite not breaking any rules? How does that make sense? At least in S2, you could be eliminated or not depending on your choices.

The Spicy Scenes

These have been great so far, and I love that they're personalized to each LI and stay consistent with their character. No criticisms here!

The Confessionals

I love, love, love that we don't have a whole episode dedicated to confessionals anymore. And no more dumb quizzes

Cliffhangers

Please, for the love of donuts, not every chapter needs to end on some dramatic soap opera cliffhanger. This week alone, the chapters end as follows:

MC is shocked to walk in on Jirayu and Carmen in the sauna

MC is shocked that someone is having sex (despite the fact she literally just had sex in my route)

Lana's announcement

It's just kinda cheesy at this point, especially the 2nd chapter ending. It's Bad Lana's ruling period, people are having sex, what is there to be surprised about? And the fact that sooo many chapters end like this? Walking in on other people, jumping to conclusions, etc. It's getting old. It's one thing if the whole episode has a cliffhanger of some sort (still not really necessary), but each chapter? c'mon. Let's stop with the dramatics.

Edited to add:

Background Characters

It's kind of disappointing that if you're not romancing one of the LIs, you just... never see them. The storyline is dominated by the "friends" and your own LI (and Carmen/Jirayu with a minor plotline), and then there's always that one other couple that breaks rules, but otherwise, they all fade into the background. It's a lot like S1 again, whereas one of the things I appreciated about S2 was that the LIs you weren't romancing were still a big part of the story. In S3, if you don't choose their scenes, you just never see them. I hardly know anything about Beatriz, Carmen, or Isla, because I don't take their scenes and barely interact with them. On my Taz route, I've barely spoken to Jirayu or Matthias.

Now that we're pretty much locked in, maybe those characters will start being included more (like in today's episode where we had the chance for a threesome with the couple we've interacted with the least), but I would have really appreciated them being included more up to this point. It's a noticeable change from S2 and since I hate the OG "friend" characters, it's a real negative.

I feel like I had more things to touch on but I've forgotten them, so I'll stop here! Would love to know if you agree, disagree, or have anything else to add!

[randomnameless]

Now maybe I’m not one to talk since I did write a college paper on video game characters, but that essay feels so… empty? It reminds me of someone in another fandom who diagnosed a character they didn’t like with hisitrionic personality disorder.

(For the record, my paper was about character design and use of contrasting colour. Mario & Luigi we’re big ones, as was Dante & Vergil, and Superman’s brighter colour-scheme compared to Batman’s more muted one, but I also made use of the Christmas Cavs archetype)

Ooh, your paper sounds interesting, I never really thought about the contrast in colours, but now that you mentioned it, there are reasons why characters have a certain palet in a media and why, idk, "red" doesn't universaly means "enemy unit" but in some media is the color of the hero!

Back to the Supreme Essay...

Well, it's an essay about a game where the devs forgot to hire a continuity guy, and the commonly accepted reason as for why Thales didn't nuke Supreme Leader, Rhea and all of the Nabateans during the Gronder mock battle is because the Agarthans are crap cartoon vilains.

Discussing this game seriously will obviously lead to emptiness, or 60k words of projection but that's basically a fanfic at this point lol.

A redshit post or a redshit essay is still a redshit form of wank, and sometimes you just see behind the tiny veil of "I'm just a normal fan who loves this game/thing so much" that the 10k words using "big" words 75% of the readers don't understand like "feudalism" (special mention to an admirer who felt like they had to tell me, under a shitpost, that feudalism was BaD. Hope you're doing okay !) or "caste system" are just a pretense to give some sort of aura of authority to that fan.

"XYZ wrote 10k words about that topic, that means they thought a lot about it and if they managed to develop their argument that well, I don't need to read it to know they have a point."

"ABC wrote an essay about why PZM is true? Well, it's an essay, it's a serious work, so they must be right!"

I am not saying this is why the person who wrote the Supreme essay did it or anything of the sort - however, after seeing certain patters in this fandom from people who pretend to be BNF and spending a certain time on redshit, I can draw some conclusions.

Nonsensical and shiposting redshits are the most welcoming ones where you're just here to have a quick fun and maybe laugh at a meme or two.

iamverysmart and the other redshits were people take themselves very seriously and exchange in 10k words essay form are a pain to navigate, and from what I could see, the atmosphere there is either toxic, or subdued because you have BNF and their doxa (and armies of downvoters I guess?) and you can't really argue against the flow.

Now, I'm not saying you can't write 10k words essays, for fandom!, about characters, hell I made this blog to rant and nerd about my favorite characters nearly 10 years ago, and sometimes the ranting goes a bit overboard!

But Redshit isn't the place to exchange in 10k words essay form and writing in an essay form doesn't make the thesis supported or the argument or the fan who wrote it themselves "better" than the one who is receiving it/disagrees with it.

I mean, in 5 words or in 15k words, a headcanon is a headcanon lol

But in an era of discourse - especially since redshit encourages and welcomes those kinds of interactions with the karma counter - empty essays are sadly not that uncommon.

[your-littlesecret]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

@espithewarlock just tagged me on this, thank you bb 💕

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

62 + 1 on anon

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 

exactly 559.489

3. What fandoms do you write for?

exclusively Formula 1 RPF (right now)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

say my name and everything just stops (I don't want you like a best friend) - a/b/o where Charles accidentally "matches" with pierre in an app to help with his heat

jump then fall - vet!pierre who works in the animal shelter Charles takes a dog he finds in the street

call it what you want to - my firstborn wip, rival CEOs

hide and seek - crackfic where their families were never openly told Charles and pierre are married

baby one more time - pure porn. breeding kink.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always try to but I am terrible at it 😬 I appreciate all of them, but I never know what to answer too skaduhfbnskuhfvndfkhusvb but yeah, I try to answer all of them

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I have literally two fics with MCD so it could be either 💀 but to me, it's gotta be I know I'll never get it (there's not a day that I won't try)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I have literally no idea?? I don't really do unhappy endings (apart from MCD, and even then very rarely) so I could say any of them

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not really?? I got a bitchy comment once but that was about like. nothing related to the fic, which was weird osieugnsoeiugnfdivjn

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

yes. I don't know, I just- sit down and type it? idk what kind, I've written a wide range of different smuts I believe.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

that will depend on what you view as crossover. httyd au could be considered a crossover bc toothless and the fury light are literally part of the story??? the one where they are shadowhunters with our lord and saviour Magnus bane making an appearance (and Alec being mentioned). the proposal au? (I wouldn't say Lucifer au is a crossover bc I literally just based myself on the whole idea of celestial beings and whatnot. maybe it's a bible crossover??)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that I am aware of, and I fucking hope not!!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've had a request for it, but I'm not sure if the person is still thinking about it or what's going on. it would be an honour!!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

YES!!!! THE JUSTLY FIC!!!!!!! I love this fic so much and I love justi so much (debatable, we are in our enemies phase right now so I don't think I can say that in public) and it was SO MUCH FUN and I love writing with friends and I sure want to do it again!!! (friends..... if you want..... you know where to find me...... 😏😏)

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

definitely piarles. I will sometimes venture myself into other ships (especially if I want to write for a fren and I don't mind that ship)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I don't have any published work that's unfinished bc I keep myself on a very tight leash about wips. if I start posting it, bet that I already have at least half of that story written and the rest is already meticulously planned. I have a few half-finished wips on my docs tho, but if I stop writing it's usually bc it's not bringing me any joy anymore. the nanny x ceo tho.... I stopped that one bc I got a bit depresso espresso at the time and life got busy as shit but I want to finish it so badly.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I ask myself that every day kkkkkkkkkkk I guess the fact that I can write really quickly? like if I have an idea I can just write down a whole 10k in like. 2 or 3 days.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

first of all I can't shut the fuck up. I have to restrain myself when I want to write anything less than 5k. im not sure if it's a weakness per se but yeah.

I also am very aware I have issues with describing the locations and with ending a fic. like. I never fucking know how to.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I don't mind when it's specific words or the occasional phrase and there's a translation to it. other than that, I won't lie, I kindof despise it. I can't speak, for example, Italian, so what is the point of reading a fic where the whole dialogue is in Italian if I won't understand shit?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

you will have to talk to my lawyer to get that information.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I couldn't possibly choose only one! all the fics I post is because they bring me joy and I love writing them, so I don't think I have a favourite.

tagging @yukierres @duquesademiel @golden-fairylights @chaesonghwas and @hrhgeorgerussell 💕💕

[frozenjokes]

the boatem ghosts epilogue is over 10k words I am filled with such great fear what have I started. Also given that I’m writing it all before I post it bc I have no idea what I’m doing uhhhhhhhh idk where o was going with that here’s a sneak peak.

cw: violence, fighting, not really much blood cub is a ghost and scar is built different. That’s all the context you really need

Also this is unedited

***

He grabbed for the firework rockets in his pocket, but Scar was quick, his claws hooking into Cub’s legs. Cub shrieked and kicked out, but his foot found no solid purchase on Scar’s body. In a moment of panic, he dove downward before Scar could drag him out of the air, aiming to drive him against a tree. The thing about running headfirst into trees however, is that you, the guy in front, also get a face full of bark if you’re not careful, which Cub was decidedly not. Cub reeled back, unsure if the screech filling the air was his own or Scar’s. He sat, suspended in a daze, but didn’t get the chance to recover before Scar pounced, dragging him to the ground in a sharp pin.

“I’m not done with you. I have one more question. Go ahead and relax, alright?��� Scar breathed, his nails shaking lightly against Cub’s shoulders. Cub huffed, his eyes closing seemingly against his own will. Well, it wasn’t like he could see much anyway face down in the dirt. And resting here, surrounded by such a strong magic presence, well, it was comfortable. If he didn’t think too hard about the claws in his back, he almost felt safe. He hoped this spell wasn’t going to affect his memory.

“Good,” Scar continued when Cub didn’t answer, still breathing heavily, “This magic I’m doing, I know you can track it, but can anyone else? I didn’t see any other… vex.. whatever you are.. around.”

Cub grumbled to himself, struggling to turn his head, which Scar did not make any easier. “We all have ways to track traces of magic of any creature that’s able to use it. When you’re looking for a specific mob, we’ve got machines that can track anything. If someone wanted to find an evoker or a vex, they could. As it stands, it’s pretty obvious something big is here. Though, I don’t think anyone is looking, so you can take your nails out of my back, thank you.”

Scar seemed to take his last comment as a suggestion to do the opposite. Cub winced, the fog on his mind parting slightly. Was this part of the spell? Did Scar have to work to make him comfortable for it to be most effective?

“Right. Well I’m done with you now.” Scar wrenched his claws across Cub’s back, Cub opening his eyes fast enough to see the sneer on Scar’s face. His stomach dropped. He couldn’t die here. What if his spirit couldn’t find its way out? Scar seemed to wait for Cub’s response, cruelty dancing in his expression. Cub didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, but he needed to buy time.

“My question,” Cub pushed back, fighting to push back the reason for his fear from his voice, “I haven’t asked my question.”

“Oops,” Scar raked his claws against his back once more and Cub opened his mouth in a silent scream, “Well, I’m getting tired, so maybe next time, hm?” Scar raised his arm to strike again, but Cub turned, drawing his own claws across Scar’s face, catching the left side. Scar gasped as Cub scrambled out from under him, but apparently the threat of injury was not enough to deter the vex. Either the spell made Cub move slower, or Scar was just quick, but as Scar leapt again, it was becoming increasingly clear Cub wouldn’t be able to run.

Cub turned to face him, just fast enough to catch one arm, but not the other as Scar dragged it down his chest. Scar only grazed his skin, but given the malevolent excitement in his eyes, Cub got the impression that was on purpose. He was being played with. He lashed out clumsily, but Scar stepped back, diving forward at the follow-through and knocking Cub back to the ground. Cub kicked out again, but still couldn’t seem to strike where the other’s scars had made him physical. Cub grimaced as Scar shoved his arms to the ground.

“You’re afraid, now why is that? This isn’t about the question, is it, Cub,” Scar snickered, digging his claws through the old injuries in his arms. Cub winced at the discomfort, struggling to pull his face away from Scar.

“Let me go. I’ll leave, you don’t have to send me back this way. I’ll leave.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Believe me I’ll leave. I won’t even come back for a while, if that’s what you want,” Cub squeezed his eyes shut, wincing at his own desperation. He could swallow his pride if that meant he could get out of here in one piece.

“Oh, don’t worry, I believe you,” Scar drew his claws gently across Cub’s neck in a tease. Cub thrashed, but stopped stiffly as Scar tightened his grip. “Are you worried? About getting lost?”

Cub gritted his teeth as Scar pressed down harder. “No.”

“Ah, well that’s good. Personally, I’m feeling optimistic! Watching you bumble around the woods for a couple hours has got me feeling pretty good about this. Good luck!”

“No-” but Scar had already ripped away his throat, sending darkness swirling through his vision.

[itsfrenchfornothankyou]

Hey @spoonergodofspoons has gotten far enough in one piece for me to start recommending fanfics so I thought it would be easiest to post them here! Consider this my one piece fanfics rec list for people who recently got halfway through dressrossa

Part 1: early asl reunions

Look I am a sucker for these fics, and aren't we all a little in denial about marineford?

A present that's a mystery (giving you your history) by midnightluck you might see that name a couple of times here, I love their fics so much idk if they have a tumblr

Anyway this is about 5.5k of sabo getting his memories back early (because koala found embarrassing baby photos of him for his birthday) and reunion fluff, one chapter for Ace, one chapter for Luffy

Wish by spirit and if yes by midnightluck LOOK I TOLD YOU THEYRE REALLY GOOD AND I LIKE THIS ONE EVEN MORE THAN THE LAST!! it's an au where the RA send someone to keep in touch with the whiteboards every now and again, and now it's sabo's job! This fic has my favourite reunion of all time and I won't say anymore because if there's one fic on this list you should read it's this one - 32k

Twin flames by soccersarah01 , again, no idea if they have a tumblr

Ace calls sabo his twin while in impel down and this has .. consequences. Reunion! Gol D Sabo! Fucking with the government! What more could you ask for in a fic! 66.666k

Speak up boys! By @plantwithoutplot , a solid contender for just being one of my favourite fics ever, it's currently sitting at about 69k (nice) and chapter 9/31 and look I know it's incomplete but it's SO GOOD

it's a time travel au, where the asl bros end up on Gol D Roger's ship. Ace is trying to commit patricide, Sabo is trying to be the reasonable one and Luffy is... Luffy. Everybody is having a rough time of it and auuugggg the angst of being reunited but knowing you have changed so much and what if you don't know them anymore and what if you are no longer the person they loved and AHHHH go read it!! Read it now!!!

Chasing the remnants by @29rynoah sabo goes with dragon to loguetown! This one moves a little slower than the others in terms of how long it takes for the characters to actually be reunited, but the writing is really good!! The payoff when they finally get to see each other again? The character work? Incredible, 40k and I know I said it moves slower but when I was reading it I swear it only felt like 10k

Being together we are stronger than ever by starryyah

Body swap! ASL can have a little body swap, as a treat! I'm sure nothing will go wrong! 13k

Part 2: Lawlu!

Okay, I know I'm a big proponent of platonic lawlu and I cannot see Luffy in any kind of romantic relationship I really can't- however some people are writing really good lawlu and I am a little bit closing my eyes and saying yes it is queerplatonic. To me.

I Love Luffy by missdreamgirl32 you know what I just want to steal one of their tags to sell this to you: Law tries to play three-dimensional chess against two guys playing go fish and loses

The character dynamics in this are so fucking good, I'm also actually just going to steal the summary right from the work because I get way to lost trying to explain everything else which is cool about this fic if I try to synopsise it:

After hearing Luffy off-handedly mention he has a boyfriend, and worried there might be some misunderstanding, Ace and Sabo decide to track the guy down and invite him out to dinner

Anyway it's really fucking good check it out it's only 10k I have read it... Many times (could be read as romantic, I do not)

The mysterious Torao by spooky_vallimo

This one is romantic but it's so fucking funny, spare 3k words worth of time to read this drabble, au where Luffy and Trafalgar met as kids, if you enjoy it there are some more works in the series

Come to sea with me, where we can be free by siojo

This is the only au that's set in a completely different world on this list, I guess I love Luffy is a different world but it's not fantasy different, its more a modern au

Anyway siren AU!

this one is again, a lil different to the others on the list, which are largely character studies

This one is on the list because I'm a little obsessed with the story aside from one piece characters? It's just really well written and has interesting lore and world building

It's also kind of a sad/bittersweet fic, and some of the characters do eat humans (because siren) so yeah, this one has a different vibe to the other fics on this list but it occupies a certain space in my brain, only 8k

Part 3: Miscellaneous!

This is ASL stuff that isn't necessarily early reunion, or is only about one or two of them

The world doesn't deserve you by dezace

Okay so what if I told you there is an au where asl brothers are pirates together as children? And that it was 47k and had other works in the same universe?

Great, you're on board? Now, this is the only fic on this list to have made me cry

It is HEAVY ANGST and Spooner I know I'm making this list for you but it will HURT YOU and you may not want to read it, the ASL bros may be alive but they were the only survivors after a buster call was made on goa, and everyone else on the island died, and everyone believes the trio to be dead for a very long time

But if you do decide to read this fic which will hurt you, the emotional catharsis at the end is REALLY GOOD!! and there are many more short stories in the universe!!

But if this all seems a bit too ouch, the this author has a different, more light hearted series: Luffy was raised as a marine and makes it everyone's problem, which is a fun good time where Luffy knows marine codes and uses them to save ace, among other things

Man I wanna go reread the world doesn't deserve you again

On brotherhood by @ladycrimsonandblack

This is a lovely little fic where Luffy is the elder brother, just over 4k

There's this very specific fic niche where Luffy is older and he meets up with Ace while Ace is unwillingly being recruited onto the whiteboards and I just love it, this is the second one I've read and now I'm going to see if I can track down the other

Update this is it

Anyway yeah this is a very specific genre of fic, but it turns out I'm very fond of it

Whatever you can still betray by midnightluck

Have something short fun and fluffy! In this fic Haruta of the whitebeards thinks Ace is a marine spy, but that's fine they're going to keep him anyway! 6.5k, one of my faves

[seethesunny]

Fic writing meme

Doing this again, this time tagged by the one and only @hypnotisedfireflies, thank you soooo much Chica! 💗

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

45! Forty-five! Mind you, it's been only a year since I came back to the gig lol

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

A very humble 260, 213 amount of words I've offered y'all 🤲🏼

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Again, I have to be in the right mindset (aka brainrot) to write for something, and The Last Of Us already got that space occupied for now 🫡

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

It is late now, I'm a bit tired; the sky is irritated by stars. (And I love you, I love you, I love you.) — first installment in my Jackson series, Tess lives au, and a sick fic all in one, TLOU.

hoax — that one rapple fic about them coming to term with non expressed feelings, EAH.

it is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world — the second installment in my Jackson series, 10k words being a Tess’s character study, TLOU.

I was lost within the darkness (until I found you) — family prompts fic collection, TLOU.

two slow dancers (last ones out) — ficlet collection centered around Joel and Tess with a variety of ratings, genres, and universes; aka my dumping ground, mind the warning. TLOU.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Always do and always will. They’re precious and important 🥹

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Whumptober is the outright answer. However, any of my canon compliant fic (joel misses his apocalypse wife) can fill that spot. Some of the ones in the ficlet collection are pretty tragic and grim, so angst is adjacent to it.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Those would be the ones where I'm delusional correct and Tess is alive and thriving 🫡

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I rarely get the normal type, so no. Luckily, no one is hating on my fics and if they do, I'm not aware 😝

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Uhhhhh yes, actually embarrassing the amount of pwp that has been posted bc I don't have self-control 🧍🏽‍♀️The kind ranges from very sad poetic introspective work to reallyyyy kinky nasty stuff. Idk what that says about me, and neither I care.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I don't vibe with them, sorry.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Again, no, as far as I can remember. But that's never cool, so don't even think about it. I vibe with so many things but not that :/

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! I had the idea to translate my own stuff to Spanish, but there wasn't an audience for that.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Tap into tlou time loop madness co-written by @tessaservopoulos and yours truly <3 we have more stuff coming up next, so stay tuned.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Nice try, I don't have favorites

I say, as I shove a picture of Tess and Joel into my front pocket.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Staring at my graveyard of multichapter fics that are on creative hell: for starters-

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm very good at conceptual/poetic stuff. I'm a control freak (complimentary). I would die if I didn't nail characterization. AUs. Uhhhh babyfic. Compelling ambience.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Pursuing multichapter storytelling. I'm a control freak (derogatory). Dialogue. I can get too much inside my head. Not writing in my mother tongue, so not the best vocabulary. Writing when I'm sleepy (a sin).

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

For the love of God, do not use Google translate and take the time to consult the language you're gonna use if it's gonna be a recurring thing 🫶🏼 all my respect and love to writers who get to do their research, y'all are doing amazing sweetie.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I used to (terribly) write anything I could get my hands on, so no idea? Could've been anime to a very niche flash game from the 2010s.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I'm never ever toping this tribute to flutterings. If I ever leave, I hope my legacy is this work, and it continues to haunt readers forever and ever and ever 🫶🏼

Tagging fellow talented peeps: @tessaservopoulos @beerandyarn @wardenannie @vaelyrians @ammotraguslervia @electricbluebutterflies

[compacflt]

hey i just wanted to thank you so much for all of WIP Wednesdays and other insights into your writing process (from tags to answering asks) that you've posted so far. i'm a huge fan of wwgattai and debriefing, and everything new that you post is so wonderful. the amount of work that you've put into this is astounding, and the results (from what i've been able to read and otherwise glean so far) are incredible. all of this to say - i love your writing, i love to hear about the writing process and your thoughts on the characters and the universe. it's really special to be able to read and follow along, so thank you so much

(also i have not ever had a fic alter my brain chemistry the way that this has. the fic has had me in its tractor beam since october - literally cannot stop thinking about it, truly some amazing stuff)

ugh this ask means so much to me, thank you. i could talk about the process for this fic for literal years, mostly because it is the bane of my actual existence!!!!!! i was not supposed to care about this series at all!!! ‘when we get around to talking about it’ was originally just a 10k one-shot bouncing back and forth between charlie & ice’s povs as they try to figure out their equally extremely fraught and difficult relationships with maverick. the “we” in the title was supposed to be mav and charlie! it was originally more about mav’s relationship with women than it was about ice’s relationship with men—obviously that idea didn’t pan out! (it’s why there’s so much residual sexism in the story actually, i was originally trying to highlight the differences between ice & charlie as men and women… mav’s sexism in the original top gun is my least favorite thing about that movie and it really stuck with me) & ‘debriefing’ started out as just extra dumb little one-shots that didn’t make it into wwgattai (specifically just venice & the smoking weed scene) with no connective tissue whatsoever to the original fic. like. both fics were written out of order and without an outline, which… is why trying to fix their gigantic structural issues is such a bitch for me right now.

i can trace back every problem im having with the story back to one (1) day (august 14th) when i wrote both wwgattai chapters 7 and 8 without planning or thinking about the consequences of certain actions. i don’t want to get too deep in the weeds but there are so many mistakes i made that day that ive been paying for for months (for instance, the factual inaccuracy of ice & mav’s fucked-up ranks, the soft squishy landing of pulling roosters papers, CHOOSING TO MAKE ICE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT [because i hadn’t seen TGM for two months at that point & forgot what happened in the movie], not actually going into what it means for ice to be at the top of the american war machine, not bothering to ask how it’s even possible that one motherfucker can be this far up his own ass for thirty fucking years…) idk. like, when i wrote 90% of this fic i didn’t care about it, but now i… really do. idk why, but i really do. and im paying for the mistakes i made when i didn’t. which is why the edit is taking so long.

but stuff like this keeps me going :’) thank you <3

[shadowfromthestarlight]

self-pity party:

i don’t have it in me to celebrate or even be a remotely pleasant person right now. i had a cold starting on december 11th, which never progressed into anything worse but never entirely went away, then i must have caught something on the way to florida on the 23rd, because on christmas day i came down with what felt like a cross between covid and strep throat (maybe it was lol; i didn’t test). eating and drinking became a chore because of my swollen lymph nodes. my whole body hurt. i got a plush toy to remind me of my cat because i wished i could have my cat to cuddle with. the sore throat and aches gave way to a massive sinus infection. on wednesday morning, everything just started coming out. i had to work, but i also had to blow my nose every couple of minutes. falling asleep was hard because it was hard to breathe from the congestion. normal cold & flu medicine didn’t help. by friday night, i’d lost my voice. saturday morning, my eye hurt and there was never-ending green gunk coming out, my voice hadn’t improved, the congestion hadn’t improved, the sinus pressure was barely tolerable.

i spent the last day of 2022 feeling the worst i’d felt all year, unable to speak in anything above a hoarse whisper, a never-ending headache and pain all over my face, my eye clogged with goop, weak and fatigued from days of illness. i spent three hours of the afternoon waiting to get prescribed antibiotics at an urgent care. my head throbbed more and more as the night wore on. i was in so much pain and discomfort and frustration from being sick for three weeks and all-around misery that i wished i was a child so it would be okay to fall on the floor and scream. i watched the fireworks (at least 2 dozen displays) from the balcony and kissed my plush toy and went to bed. 

medicine and sleep marginally improved things; i can now think without a pounding headache and my eye isn’t oozing every minute. i might be able to travel home without people freaking out because i look like i’m patient zero for the next pandemic. i can still barely talk. i woke up coughing from post-nasal drip. i’m so over it. i’m over being asked how i feel, i’m over being told what to do to feel better, i’m over being asked if i’ve taken my medicine, in fact i would like to not be spoken to at all. i just want to go home, pull the covers over my face, and hide in the dark with my cat.

[i don’t even feel happy about the new year; i actually feel nothing much at all. i had never looked forward to 2023 anyway because i didn’t like the number. besides, from a global standpoint, it’s going to suck. we have possibly the greatest concentration of “leaders” who don’t know how to lead in human history. they’re all either weak-willed, stupid, or just plain psychopathic. there will be zero accountability for the people who just from a moral standpoint deserve to be hanged for crimes against humanity over the past three years. they’ll just come up with creative new ways to abuse us. can’t wait to see what the next annual propaganda campaign is!]

i feel awful because i’m a walker and a hiker and a step counter and i’ve barely been able to do anything for days. i haven’t had 10K steps since the 22nd. i’ve had one meal i would consider satisfying in the entire past week. i look scrawny. i have to do a lot in january to make up for it, but right now, instead of excited, i just feel exhausted.  

i think i’m gonna try crying and see if that helps get more... you know... out. 

happy new year same shit, different digits. enjoy it while you can, before WWIII hits. 

i might be back in a few days. idk.

[tacticalhimbo]

HOME IS WHAT ME MAKE IT; NOT WHAT IT'S DESIGNED TO BE

WORDS: 2.2K

FANDOM(S): Fallout 3

WARNINGS: Mothership Zeta spoilers, Mentions of Major Character Death, Themes of Isolation and Homesickness

NEOCITIES MIRROR

Now that we got that a-okay, I wanted to post the fic I wrote for the War Never Changes Fallout Fan Zine! [ Official Twitter ]

This zine was started by Chunklet with the goal of uniting the Fallout fandom in fundraising for the PCRF (Palestine Children's Relief Fund) ... and BOY DID IT WORK. The amount of pre-orders for the physical copy* were huge, and IIRC... totaled over $10k USD !!!!!

* Idk when digital pre-orders will start, but they will soon I'd imagine! Right now all the manufacturing stuff is being done :}

But with that said, here's a post-canon piece about my Lone Wanderer and one of my favorite side characters <3

Things could not have been any weirder. Genuinely! It was bad enough hearing whispers amidst the snow fallen camps about bright, blue lights lurking about the night sky. But to see them? To feel the tingling warmth radiating off of them? That was one thing. Feeling your muscles turn to mush, then waking up some hundreds of years later was another. And it. Was. Terrifying. Panic set into frozen bones. Eyes scanned the vicinity to land upon similar pods with very dissimilar folk. The one that’d stuck out most to Elliott, besides the young child who only just reached hip height, was what appeared to be another. A young person who claimed to be from the remnants of D.C., and seemed just as lost as he was.

But they, along with the others, made it through hell together. They fought off the strange spacemen. They navigated Mothership Zeta, or at least that was what they’d dubbed it, and took control of its helm. They, effectively, saved Earth. Then, one by one, they went their merry ways. Some of them had, anyway.

Paulson, the man who’d lost his wife and boy and came from a time long before them, found himself in the Capital Wastes as a daring desperado—well, truthfully he’d found himself bounty hunting. Going after the real daring desperados of the wastes and protecting innocent folk who found themselves outside settlement walls. A real noble cause. Somah, one of the first people the lone wanderer came across, found herself eager to return to the wastes. Space life wasn’t for her, and she had other obligations which needed attending to. What they were was unclear, but whatever it was, the lone wanderer never came across her again. And then there were those that stayed. Toshiro Kago, the samurai, had remained on Mothership Zeta, as it was an odd place of comfort. Generational differences aside, the lone wanderer and he had built a steadfast bond through steady communication, with their own dialect of Japanese just understandable enough to mesh with his. So, he’d figured staying with Elliott would be his safest bet, if the stories they swapped were anything to go by. Sally, the younger child of the bunch, also stayed with Elliott aboard the starship. It was safer among the stars, and she couldn’t deny the awestruck wonder that’d washed over her once she’d seen how unique the technology aboard was. Plus, if parts needed fixing, and they were lodged in some vent… There was no way one of the adults would be able to reach it. It was like a game, a jovial task that her—and her alone—could complete. Then there was the lone wanderer. Tomo was their name. Otsune Tomo. A peculiar individual with an even more intriguing past. Supposedly born in one of those vaults, then forced out by circumstance at the meek age of 19. Traveling alone across the remnants of Washington and its surrounding areas, all to find their father, who’d suffered a horrendous fate shortly after their reunion. A real tragic case, but a real trooper nonetheless. They’d briefly returned to the wastes to finish what they’d started, but as soon as they were fitted with a clean bill of health, they’d returned to the crash site where it all began.

And Elliott couldn’t have been happier.

The two would talk for hours, with Tomo catching the pre-War soldier up on everything going on below. Likewise, Elliott would tell them all about the different things he’s seen hovering above Earth, and all about the skeleton crew’s shenanigans. Yet the more and more he’d heard about life down below, he realized that maybe he’d like to go back. To feel the irradiated soil under his boots and breathe in the sights of the places he’d traveled to whilst under the government’s payroll. He was homesick, and terribly so. So one day, whilst Toshiro and Sally studied the view from the port, Elliott decided to broach the topic whilst Tomo inspected their Pip-Boy for notes they’d taken.

“Say… You ever, y’know, miss your home? I mean, I know you and your vault left off on some pretty bad terms, but… surely ya miss it, right?”

Brown eyes peered past the flickering display.

“Of course I do. Why?”

A pause. Hesitance lingering in his tone.

“Well, I… I know things ain’t the same down there. But with the boys gone and this,” he gestured around them vaguely, voice softening, “being all I have left of them… I think I miss home.”

The words struck Tomo hard enough for them to abandon their search and set the Pip-Boy down on the console beside them. They’d known that feeling more than anything. The only relic of their vault life was, frankly, the very device they’d just set aside. That, and the subtle inking that sat below their shirt collar. A permanent remnant of the trouble they’d get into with Amata in their earlier teen years. A permanent etching of the very thing that, beyond the realm of the vault, kept their mother so near. XXI: VI. 21:6. ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end…’ They could still hear the reverence in their father’s voice as he’d recited the passage to them; it sunk their heart. Wordlessly, they sat forward and set a gentle hand on Elliott’s arm.

“I just don’t know what I’d do. I mean, I got Sally to take care of now, and I ain’t really familiar with D.C. I’d been, but I got no way of knowing how to get back to my home. Oklahoma’s a pretty far trek, and there’s no transport system. Least you ain’t said there were… It probably isn’t even safe there anymore, anyway.” He sighed. “I just… I want to do the right thing by her, y’know?”

“I know.” They patted his arm, nodding. “I know people that Sally could stay with. They’d keep her safe, and she’d be able to access tech that’s… less advanced than this, but it’d be new all the same.”

“Really? You’re sure?” Enthusiasm trickled back to him; revitalized his hope in things. Tomo smiled. “I’m sure. I’ve told you about them, the Brotherhood? They’re the ones that helped me do… everything. Saved me after that deal with the Enclave; saved me again, when I’d activated the Purifier. They’ve got children, too. It’s the safest place she could be.”

“Yeah—yeah, I remember ya sayin’ something about them. Alright. Yeah. When do we head out?”

[…]

The air was stiff when boots hit the ground. A burning sensation wracking the soldier’s lungs as he’d breathed in the lingering radiation for the first time. It hit Sally, too, bringing about a series of surprised coughs which immediately caught the wanderer’s attention. They stopped and crouched to her level, setting a gentle hand on her back to offer a series of steady pats. Around them, Brotherhood soldiers simply continued on their ways, some breaking off to enter the surrounding wings whilst others loitered about.

“I’m okay!” She chirped, taking a deep breath and exhaling to relieve any unease. “It’s not so bad, right?”

A nod. “There are some areas that are still heavily irradiated,” Tomo began. “But many of them are liveable. If you start to feel sick while Elliott and I are gone, I want you to talk to Dr. Li, okay? She’ll help you.”

“Is she nice?”

“Of course. But she’s busy, too. If she can’t help you, then look for Sarah. She’s a very close friend of mine.” There was hesitation on Sally’s face; it didn’t escape Tomo. So they leaned in and grinned. “Want to know a secret about Sarah?”

An enthusiastic gasp, and Sally leaned in too.

“Sarah is the Elder’s daughter. If you ask her nicely… she might show you some of the cool technology they’ve collected.”

“Woah! Really?” Sally beamed and drew back, rocking on her heels.

“Really. Now, we won’t be gone too long, yeah? A couple of days at most, since it’s a bit of a hike to D.C.” Tomo offered a reassuring look as they stood. Sally gave them an enthusiastic wave and sped off to explore all that she could. Like her, the remaining duo quickly prepped their gear and set off on adventure.

The ruins of D.C. still stood before them; still towered over the desecrated streets below. They, too, had their own scarring from the event to end it all, but they stood. And that fascinated Elliott. Blue eyes were wide with wonder as he could point out and recall everything as it was some two-hundred plus years ago. Detail to Tomo how pristinely white the monuments were, their contours shining amidst a blue sky and green grass. Now, they were much duller. Blending in to an almost invisible degree, if not for their sheer size. It was a troublesome sight for the former medic; one that quickly humbled that otherworldly wonder and soured it. Home wasn’t all it was meant to be, it’d seemed, and if a resourceful city like this could be reduced to atoms… He shivered at the thought of what little ol’ Stillwater would look like. And Tomo noticed the shudder, watching as he’d stepped forward and parked himself on the seats of the Museum of Technology. Flushed cheeks puffed as one came to rest on the palm of his hand, elbow balancing on his knee as he’d slumped forward. The exhaustion from walking through the downtown area was more than enough to prompt the gesture, though something more was clearly weighing on him. Tomo lingered on their feet, shifting their weight from side to side as they watched blond locks fall into the man’s face.

“It really is all gone, ain’t it?” He uttered. “‘sides the little bits you can find rummagin’ the rubble.”

“It… has been a while.” They started hesitantly. “But that doesn’t mean everything’s gone.”

Elliott peeked. “How’d’ya figure? Look at it. It’s… I mean, I guess because this was the center of America back in the day, it makes sense it’d be the most impacted. But even when you’re up in the stars, you can’t hardly see nothin’ anymore. It’s all so… empty.” The wanderer found themselves parked beside them, shimmying off their backpack and rummaging about to produce two bottles of Aqua Pura. They extended one to Elliott, who’d accepted it without a second thought. The gesture brought a small smile to their lips, a lithe elbow coming to nudge his side.

“What—”

“That’s proof that not everything’s gone. All the irradiated water people were drinking before…” They paused, biting back the memories that the train of thought conjured; the sacrifices it took to produce that bottle. “The point is, just because things as you knew it were gone doesn’t mean everything has to stay gone. For decades, people looked at my father like he had three heads. Purifying all the water in D.C.? That was pure imagination. But now, people have it in their hands.”

Confusion sprawled across the man’s features, though a spark of recognition ignited in his gaze. Tomo smiled a little more, continuing.

“It’s tough to get used to, I know. When I first left the vault, I thought things were hopeless. That I’d never find my dad, or that I’d die out here because I had no idea what I was doing. But then I found Megaton, and the people inside it. I found Moira, and Simmons, and even Moriarty, even though he’s kind of…”

“A jerk?”

“Yeah, a jerk. But he still led me to Three Dog, and to Sarah. And they led me to my dad. People out here are different than they were before the war… probably…” They spared a glance and Elliott gave a lighthearted shrug. They were; they weren’t. “But at the end of the day, they just want the same things: Safety and community—to belong somewhere. And many of them are more than willing to put the effort in to build it; to rebuild the remnants.”

“Makin’ them something new?”

“Exactly.”

A slow sigh escaped Elliott as he fidgeted with the bottle in his hands. Back and forth he’d moved it, opting to adjust his posturing and lean back against the steps as the bottle moved from hand to hand; as the water within it sloshed quietly and rhythmically. “It still hurts.”

A pause.

“… It’s going to, for a while.” A quiet affirmation, followed by a gentle hand coming to rest on Elliott’s arm. “It’s not easy admitting how different things are.”

A hand abandoning the bottle of water, and opting to reach across and rest upon the other’s. A friendly gesture; an acknowledgment of the homesickness that still shook their cores.

“And that’s what community’s for, yeah?” He smiled, eyes once more bright with motivation.

Tomo mirrored his smile. “Exactly. Now, you want to see if that exhibit’s still running? I’d be amazed if it was, but considering I accidentally triggered it when I’d gone in to retrieve that piece for Three Dog…”

And with that, the duo were on their feet and off again. Off again, with the realization that neither of them were truly lost in the hellish world around them, they both just needed to find someone who’d understood what it was like to live and lose. Someone who, like them, had hope in the future that lay ahead.

[unreadpoppy]

a (long)vent about writing, motivation, comments and loliness (and the depression)

Writing fic is one of the few ways I've found to help me deal with stressful times. When I was in college, and under a *lot* of stress, writing fic was the only thing that helped me to not lose it ok. But now that I'm out of college I've been struggling to write because I no longer have an outside stressor to keep me motivated. In fact, I have almost nothing to keep me motivated on fic.

Despite my shitty social skills and social anxiety, I'm someone who desperatly craves community and connection. Even if my social battery can get very low very quickly, I like talking to people. I especially like talking about something I've done, like when I participate in plays, I like talking about the process and all that sort of stuff.

So I love receiving comments. I like knowing someone read my stuff and I like talking to them about it, even if I can't always find the right words to express that. Which is also why I love leaving comments too. I know how hard it is to write fic, and idk, it makes me feel good to know someone will wake up to an email that someone read their fic and enjoyed it.

On a personal note, reading comments people left on the stuff I wrote helps me a lot. I've spoken here before about struggling with self esteem issues and I have an inner demon on the back of my head that tells me that everything I do is shit and I shouldn't post it. SO when I do post it, it's my way of trying to fight it back, right. It's why sometimes it takes me so long to write stuff, because i'm just constantly being told it's not good enough, and yeah, comments help me drown that voice out better than any meds i'll ever take. And sure, we could talk about how it's not really great to rely this much on external validation but that's not the point ok.

The point is, writing, even if it's really helpful for me, can be a struggle. And right now, it's being a big struggle. And one triggered this post is that I looked at my works on AO3 and I just...got really upset.

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate every kudos and bookmark and comments (even if half of those 8 are my replies). What makes me upset is that feeling of putting so much effort into something and feeling like gaining so little in return. And this is not something of today. All fics that I've abandoned have been due to lack of engagement, because it is extremely hard for me to keep up doing something that I don't feel motivated about.

And look, it is EXTREMELY frustrating when I vent about this and I get hit with "but you should be writing for yourself." I do write for myself, because I wouldn't write it if I didn't want to. But, if I didn't want other people to read it, I wouldn't post it. And I have done that, I have a notebook filled with fic that I don't intend on writing on a computer and posting cause I don't want others to see it. But if I'm posting it, it's because I want to share with others. I want to talk about it, I want to hear what people thought. I come from a theater background, telling your fellow actors what you thought of their performance is what's normal to me.

And look, I've long given up on receiving comments ok. I content myself with a single kudos email nowadays but it IS disheartning when I see that a 10k thing I wrote got no kudos. It SUCKS when I dedicate myself to a chapter, excited to hear what people thought of it, and crickets instead.

And for the love of god, do not take this post as me begging for attention or go read my fics out of pity, i don't want either of that. I just want to vent. I want to vent because I feel very lonely in fandom spaces, because I feel extremely unmotivated no matter what I do and it hurts me, because I can't bring this up to my therapist because I don't want to explain all of this to her because she's a 40 year old brazilian woman who doesn't know what fan fiction is.

So I need to put the feelings somwhere ok, and im putting it here. I just...i just don't want to feel like this. I don't want this loliness, I don't want this feeling of nothing I do matters.

But i'm just tired. I want to write but I can't. I have the ideas but not the strenght to actually write them. And it's hard. I'll keep trying and I'll keep writing but it just sucks a lot and i feel like almost no one ever really gets it.

And I don't even want to get into the feelings of...not jealousy, because I don't wish ill, but that feeling of seeing fellow writers get so much more praise and engagement on their blogs and on their fics and then not getting that for mine. It just sucks and I don't want to talk about it.

Lastly, I want to leave on a quote that I think summarizes what I believe in. This is from the song 'Beautiful', the last song in the musical Ordinary Days. The characters are talking about works of art but I think it can apply to other things (emphasis is mine)

The point is that things aren’t beautiful all on their own Beautiful comes from reflection Beautiful takes a person who makes a connection You know what I mean? For beautiful to happen, The beautiful has got to be seen

[headspace-hotel]

Land Back is a dead-end political movement that's mostly propped up by non-native, anti-civilization academics with ecofascist tendencies. It's actually fairly racist, based in ethnonationalism and ideas about "noble savages" that are not based at all in history, that also unfortunately drowns out all of the real concerns that actual indigenous people have, most of which are far more complex and do not have easy solutions.

Anyone who tells you that "indigenous" ways of life are somehow better or nobler or more sustainable is just outing themselves as bigoted against the very people they claim to be advocating for. There was a significant amount of environmental degradation in pre-Columbian North America, including desertification, loss of habitats, and many megafauna that went extinct due to human intervention. It's not anyone's fault though, no one knew any better before the science of ecology developed in the 20th century.

But the idea that pre-agricultural or pre-industrial societies were more morally pure who "only take what they need from the land" persists among people who apparently do wish it were true, so they could put native people on some sort of pedestal that would make their victimization and mistreatment more tragic, but it has no basis whatsoever in reality.

idk there are definitely indigenous activists with specific and achievable goals related to "land back" but I guess you could call anything complicated and abstract "dead-end"

That second paragraph is like...mostly just horrifyingly wrong? If no one "knew any better" about ecology before the 20th century, uh. How do you think that humans survive in any environment for 200+ years? Luck?

Ecology is just, outside. Go out there and look at it. It's got fuck all to do with moral purity and everything to do with survival. I mean seriously—the "science" of ecology is woven into the cultural fabric that ensures survival in pre-industrial societies. It's not perfect, and humans had a significant impact on post-ice age extinctions, but generally people who are dependent on the natural resources immediately around them either learn to manage them sustainably, or they don't last long. We're plummeting toward option 2 right now.

Colonizers' destruction of natural environments was not because of plain scientific ignorance about how nature ~works~ (though that was present too, since they were invaders in a land they knew nothing about), it was because of a mad rush to exploit land of resources, intentional attempts at genocide, and ideological crap about "taming" nature and making everywhere Just Like Europe because Europe Is The Best, Obviously. I KNOW there's nuance here, but it isn't true that no one Knew Any Better. They knew, the colonizers just didn't care.

You have got to be messing with me. No, the "way of life" that pours millions of gallons of water and more herbicides than are used for actual farming on monocultures of invasive grass and obliterated almost the entire American prairie to replace it with corn sprayed with pesticides is not comparable in "sustainability" to the way of life practiced by the people who lived here before for 10k plus years. This "way of life" has barely existed a century and it's already being recognized as Shitty and discarded.

[unalivejournal]

u mentioned only reading kripke era fic do you have a reclist 👀👀👀and if not could you link some of ur faves cuz the stuff that gets circulated the most right now is all like late late seasons fic and kripke era is my favorite too but im having trouble finding that many fics for it or even seasons 6-10 era which im fine with also. its just that like. the last five seasons were so bad that it makes fic generally worse too because people have to jump off of just Thee stupidest plot choices no matter how good their prose skills might be. but anyway yea if u have recs that would be awesome :)

hi anon i was thinking abt making a reclist and u just gave me the perfect excuse thank u

jess adamilligan’s kripke era fic recs

from making this ive learned that i never bookmark ANYTHING. sorry all of these r like….. 10k and under. i DO read longer fic but i don’t have any kripke era longfics bookmarked & tbh i prefer short oneshots

season one gen

disclaimer because it’s unfortunately needed: NONE of these are w*ncest! they’re all completely tagged as gen and i did not read them with the intent of consuming ship content.

Coaster Park by fogsrollingin, 10.4k, G, gen

Coaster Park had been experiencing an unusually high frequency of technical difficulties. Dean wouldn't have pulled a shift treating nauseated, heat-stroked, or dehydrated park-goers for that if he could've helped it, but when 'technical difficulties' were accompanied by rumors of things moving and stopping on their own in front of the operators' eyes, Dean had to throw down.

No historical tragedies or disasters in the area, ectoplasm, or EMF. Dean's only lead was a battered-looking kid that'd been coming to the park every day since it'd all started.

really interesting au fic! slightly ‘it’s a terrible life’. dean winchester is a hunter/EMT and sam wesson is a college kid destined to die on a roller coaster ride.

two basic motivating forces by sahwen, 7.8k, T, gen

He can’t cry, it’s not allowed; even as a child he was hushed into silence, whether his tears were from a long car ride or a late night or a raging fever. It’s never been an option, it’s never been an available outlet, and it’s not about to start being one just because he’s having an emotional breakdown on the bathroom floor.

Sam isn't only afraid of clowns.

BIG emetophobia tw (both for graphic depictions of nausea/vomiting and for the fact that this fic is about sam suffering from emetophobia) for this one but it’s my favorite sickfic. portrays anxiety over getting sick really well and is a fascinating examination of the different ways that sam’s fear of loss of control can manifest itself. also has lovely brothers content <3

Let’s Start at the Very Beginning (Remix of Just as Easy as 123) by nwspaprtaxis, 4k, T, gen

Dean’s functionally illiterate and Sam’s determined to remedy it...

PLEASE READ THIS ONE god it’s so sweet. dean never learned how to read properly due to his nomadic childhood and sam teaches him how.

dean/cas

Broadway Musical by Griftings, 9k, M, m/m

This is the day that marked the Holy and Blessed Union of Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle.

The merging of prominent bloodlines is always a grand occurrence, but breeding pedigree hunter families like Winchester and Harvelle is something to be rejoiced. It is also something to be meticulously planned, which thankfully the Host is very good at.

Or, the romantic comedy where Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle are destined to get married, Castiel is given the task of playing matchmaker and fails terribly, the entire Heavenly Host becomes a sitcom audience, God warns against male pregnancy, and Jimmy Novak is incredibly unimpressed with angels in general.

somewhat of a fandom classic and the humor holds up wonderfully. a very silly fic completed with commentary from angel radio throughout the entire thing.

Sappiest Season by dollsome, 2.7k, G, m/m

In which Dean and Cas have to stop an evil Christmas tree (like you do), and it requires a little fake couple action.

hilarious little s5ish fic. one of the first i read when getting back into spn. i don’t want to spoil anything but this is my favorite pick me up and i still giggle randomly whenever i think about it

The (Mostly Accidental) Courtship of Dean Winchester by tuesday

Angelic marriage rites were never intended to go quite like this.

another fandom classic. ik this one is recced a lot but how could i NOT include it. dean and cas get married (mostly by accident) and they’re huge cunts about it

the one thing in the galaxy god didn't have his eyes on by prufrock, 2.4k, T, gen + m/m

“Wait,” Dean says. “Let me get this right. You can fly, right—you can teleport—but you can’t drive a car?”

or, after the events of S5E03 "Free to Be You and Me," Dean teaches Cas to drive. Cas finds it stressful

im always a sucker for a good ftbyam fic. also i can’t drive so. resonation

So Says The Sword by komodobits, 85k, E, m/m

The briefing was simple: ‘Stand guard over the Michael Sword until the battle is ready to commence. Await further instructions.’

Castiel doesn’t mind working security duty; he was briefed shortly after the initial salvation of the Sword from the pit, and again before taking up his position. He knows what to do. However, it’s easy to forget that the green room isn’t real. Time moves differently there, the space ever-changing to make a prison of mountains, cathedrals, salt flats, orchards, and whatever Castiel was led to believe about Heaven’s greatest weapon—Dean Winchester is something entirely unexpected.

NO introduction neede. i think everyone on spntumblr has read this already but still. if you haven’t then i am demanding that you read it NOW. tbh i’m just adding this one so that i have at least one long fic here 😭

the weight by @myaimistrue, 3.5k, T, gen + m/m

“Do you…” Bobby sighs. “Listen, Dean, do you have something you wanna tell me?”

It’s the conversational equivalent of being punched in the stomach.

Or, Dean works through some things with Bobby's help.

WHEN I SAW THE USERNAME I GASPED I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS U. anyway i Love coming out fics idk why i just do. the world is ending and dean comes out to bobby

canticles by 2street2car, 10.3k, T, m/m

“But you know something? If I couldn’t get you laid, at least I gave you a good first date.”

feat: footsies at a Ruby Tuesday, stargazing, the recreation of an iconic "Dirty Dancing" scene (no, not that one—the other one), and practicing for When You're With A Girl.

another ftbyam fic that skepticalfrog (i believe?) recommended a while back. made me feel at least 28 new emotions

Epilogue by JayneL, 28k, E, m/m

Bobby is here, swearing somewhere above and behind him; and Dean is here, talking about 2014 like it's a foreign country; and Sam is here, and is not Lucifer. Which means-- Bobby is here, swearing somewhere above and behind him; and Dean is here, talking about 2014 like it's a foreign country; and Sam is here, and is not Lucifer. Which means--

Cas is no longer when he was. Lucifer sent him back.

Coda to 'The End'.

2014 cas gets sent back to 2009, feelings ensue etc. i don’t remember all the details of this one bc it’s been a while but it’s really good

bonus

currently reading

Fragile As We Lie by perilously, 11k, E, f/f

Dragging Bela Talbot out of perdition isn't so much a decision as it is a frantic choice based on gut instinct. Her soul is bright, if fractured, and Anna yearns to do good again after the perversion of free will that immediately preceded her death.

Bela's no ordinary human, though; she's prickly and damaged and beautiful, and Anna doesn't want to leave her side. So maybe they can figure out how to navigate post-resurrection, post-Apocalypse-that-wasn't Earth together.

[wangxianficrecs]

Follower Recs

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Hi! First of all, thank you so much for running this blog, It's become one of three reasons why I haven't yet committed arson (I jest but the Feeling is true). [Hee, hee, hee.] I have a rec for you! It's called "wholesome life usurp immediately" by comfect on ao3 and it's. So good. It's unfinished but the author updates it literally every other day if not faster! It's a lovely fic, I hope you enjoy it. 🌻

Wholesome Life Usurp Immediately

by Comfect (T, 55k, yunmeng sibs, qingli, wangxian, WIP)

Summary: Wen Qing examines Jiang Yanli at Cloud Recesses and has a cure for her poor cultivation.

Now there are Three Prides of Yunmeng.

Everything kind of fixes itself from there.

~*~

hello mojo!! I would really like to recommend standing still (but we keep going) by lwjromantics!! it's really good!!

standing still (but we keep going)

by lwjromantics (justfantaestic) (T, 5k, wangxian)

Summary: Lan Wangji supposed that if having to take care of little A-Yuan and Mo Xuanyu and having to look at the reminders of Wei Ying in their habits and mannerisms was punishment for his actions, he would willingly take it and flay his own back open.

— There are children in the Burial Mounds.

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hii mojo! I just read this cute fic and I loved it so I wanted to rec it :) 

Word Up, Talk the Talk

by Larryissocute (G, 2k, wangxian)

Summary:  It wouldn’t have been a problem (it really wouldn’t) if they weren’t best friends. Wei Wuxian doesn’t know what good deeds he did in his past life to be blessed with Lan Wangji as a friend nor does he know what evil things he did to be cursed with being only a friend to Lan Wangji.

Or the one where Wei Wuxian kisses Lan Wangji and then runs away.

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Hey! Love your account — and proud of you for taking the hiatus you needed.  [Lol - it was really nice!]  Idk if you take fic recommendations, but I'd love to rec Roots by ardenrabbit. Fantastic characterization, I really love it!

Roots

by ardenrabbit (E, 46k, wangxian, WIP)

Summary:  After Wei Wuxian's duel with Jiang Cheng, he finds that stab wounds aren't so trivial when he doesn't have a core to heal them. He wakes to find Lan Zhan in the Burial Mounds with him, already beloved by the Wens and making himself at home. When Lan Zhan tells him that he wants to stay and offers more help than Wei Wuxian knows how to accept, he fears that it's only too good to be true.

Lan Wangji knows that Wei Ying is doing the right thing, and he couldn't live with himself if he let him do it alone. For everything Wei Ying has sacrificed, Lan Wangji is determined to give something back to him.

Hanguang-Jun has turned his back on the clans to join the Yiling Wens and their demonic cultivator leader, and every clan has a different opinion on the matter.

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Hello! I wanted to rec a fic on ao3 called "Restoration" by jelenedra. It's complete, an alternate universe of the sunshot campaign told nonlinearly. It has strong fairy tale and fae elements, with a touch of mystery. Bit of a fix it. Some delightful one liners, and the final ending imagery is just LOVELY. The fic deserves much more love. There's also some YilingWei, wwx not raised by Jiang, and sentient Burial Mounds elements. Enchanting read that keeps you enthralled and curious and intrigued.

Restoration

by jelenedra (M, 85k, wangxian)

Summary:  They say he was thrown into Luanzang Gang by the man who killed his parents; they say that he is an immortal cultivator who had been in a deep trance until the Wen sect disturbed his rest and incurred his wrath; they say that he is the fierce corpse of a cultivator who had somehow regained his mind and his spiritual powers.

When Lan Wangji sees him for the first time, he understands why people talk.

Meng Yao wants safety. Xue Yang wants vengeance. The Sunshot Campaign wants victory. Yiling Laozu provides, for a price.

~*~

I usually read all your recommendations. Thanks for gathering all good recs of wangxian. I am in love with every single story your recommend especially the favorites. [I’m so glad!]  I just wanted to suggest a fic i came across while searching for phoenix!wwx. Its a new story I think as author has published it today. The first chapter was very interesting that i thought ill recommend it you and know your opinion. The legendary phoenix and his dragon -Devipriya and Hidden Path to Love by ShadowTenshiV

Hidden Path to Love

by ShadowTenshiV (G, 78k, wangxian)

Summary:  Wei Ying is a servant working at the Gusu Lan castle. One day he enters through a secret passage way connected to the library where he meets a Lan for the first time. He may have left quite an impression, gaining the other´s attention and slowly becoming friends. They would like to become something more, but a servant can´t be with a prince, but maybe his secret can change that.

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hello mojo! i was wondering if I could make a fic rec? it’s called “and the calm is deep where the quiet waters flow” by izanyas. it used to be on ao3 but the author has since moved it to eir own website and has started posting updates there. i was wondering if this could also act as a signal boost bc some old readers on ao3 might not have known that it is now on another website.   Author's been through a tough time so I think it deserves a lot more love.

For new readers, please mind the warnings in the prologue and the beginning of each chapter! it’s omegaverse and a very heavy read as it deals with (possible spoiler) off-screen rape that results in an unwanted pregnancy, as well as secondary gender oppression which runs deep, but for people who can bear it the writing, worldbuilding, and emotions are truly spectacular.

and the calm is deep where the quiet waters flow

by izanyas (E, 270k, wangxian, WIP, link is to WordPress rather than AO3)

Summary: Cangse Sanren was the first of her kind to become a cultivator. Talented, passionate, free-spirited, she bested everything that ever came her way until the very end.

Jiang Fengmian refuses to see her son deprived of that same freedom.

~*~

Hello Mojo! I dunno if this's been recced before, but here's another ficrec for you? It's complete, on ao3, "The Third Young Master of Qishan Wen" by KouriArashi. It's 'if wwx was raised by dafan wen, but gets recognized as 3rd heir due to his skill' scenario. Some really nice banter and characterization. Wwx and lz get together before the sunshot campaign. Story follows the live action but diverges into au, and does some cool callbacks to original canon. Love Meng Yao in this!  [Oh, I know KouriArashi from my last fandom, I love her works!]

❤️The Third Young Master of the Qishan Wen

by KouriArashi (T, 139k, wangxian, my post)

Summary:  The fic where Wei Wuxian is adopted by the Dafan Mountain Wens instead of the Yunmeng Jiang.

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Hi Mojo! I can count the number of times I’ve spoken on Tumblr on one hand (I’m shy heh) but I found this fic that I think you and others would really like? I’m a sucker for emotional hurt/comfort and this was just too sweet for me not to share (did I go through 20 pages of bookmarks just to make sure you don’t already have it? Maybe …) [Aww, you can do a sidebar search in the bookmarks for the author’s name.  But I hope you found other good fics by carding through the whole catalog!]  It’s “Close Your Soft Eyes” by timetoboldlygo! I also wanna say thank you for all the hard work you put into this blog! It’s a treasure beyond compare. :D [Thank you so much!]

Close Your Soft Eyes

by timetoboldlygo (G, 12k, wangxian)

Summary:  When Lan Wangji woke, the first thing he noticed was the slip of paper, folded and tucked between his index and middle fingers, not Wei Wuxian’s absence. His fingers trembled as he unfurled the paper. A donkey with a little smile beamed down at him.

-

On the nights that Wei Wuxian was gone, Lan Wangji woke to gifts on his pillow.

~*~

Hey Mojo! I love your blog it is beyond awesome! [Thank you!]  I was wondering if you would consider reading JaenysBloodcourt series "A Bond to Takes us home"? The summary is weird but I like the fics and would love to hear your opinion on LWJ POV (it's part 2). Part one is Mingxian but part two (Wangxian) reads as a standalone for the most part. Anyways, thank you for all your hard work! <3 [I’ll put it on my list!]

A Bond to Take Us Home

by JaenysBloodcourt (T, 10k, mingxian - nmj/wwx, wangxian, series in progress)

Summary:  Wei Wuxian has two soulmarks. He has two soulmates that seem to be the opposite of him. During his first life he meets both of them, loves only one and longs for the other. In his second life, the one he loved first is dead, and the one he pined after is pining after him.

These are the many tales of his soulmates and the raucous they made across the cultivation world.

Some are dark, some are light. Beware.

~*~

I forgot to send this in for Mother's Day a few weeks ago, but have you read dragongirlG's "into the light of a dark black night"? It's a short canon divergence where Mama Lan escapes the Cloud Recesses after spending one last, heartbreaking night with her sons. It's so beautiful and bittersweet! [Oh, ouch.  I just read this author’s time travelling juniors au, but hadn’t seen this one.]

into the light of a dark black night

by dragongirlG (T, 3k, Madam Lan & sons)

Summary:  The night that Wu Yuhua, formerly known as Madam Lan, plans to escape from the Cloud Recesses, she runs into an unexpected complication.

That complication comes in the form of her younger son A-Zhan running up to her door and kneeling in front of it, hushed whimpers escaping from his throat.

Wu Yuhua knows it's not the full moon, knows that it's not the one day a month she's allowed to see her children—but like hell is she going to leave her six-year-old son out there trying to stifle sobs in the snow.

She opens the door. "A-Zhan," she says, bending down and reaching out a hand. "Come in, my sweet boy."

On a snowy night in the dead of winter, Wu Yuhua, formerly known as Madam Lan, unexpectedly spends one last night with her sons before escaping from the Cloud Recesses.

~*~

Hello queen I’d like to recommend for ur follower rec posts Avatar: The Untamed Waterbender by KouriArashi. Banger of an ATLA au, def the best one I’ve seen. It’s a WIP but the author updates pretty regularly and it’s all around an A+ fic [Oh, yes, I’ve been waiting for this one to finish before I jump in.]

Avatar: The Untamed Waterbender

by KouriArashi (T, 123k, wangxian, WIP)

Summary:  You know the drill. Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

100 years later, Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli find Wei Wuxian sealed in an iceberg.

Featuring: avatar WWX, waterbending JC, firebending Wens, airbending Lans, earthbending Nies and Jins, Jiang Yanli in possession of the brain cell, et cetera.

~*~

[My ko-fi.]

[willowiswriting]

TWO FOR MIRTH - WEEKLY UPDATE Current status: Outlining/Draft 0

Happy Friday, friends! This week I’ve been continuing my work on outlining and drafting TFM. Here’s my breakdown of the week:

Friday, March 11:  +500 Words to Draft 0 Yep, even though I’m in the outlining phase, I’m adding to my manu draft. I tend to outline in chunks, and then write out what I’ve outlined, and then go back and outline some more. Why? I don’t know! But 500 words is a great start, and my draft 0 manu is now at  1800 words into my draft. This may not seem like much, but I HATE writing the first couple chapters, so unfortunately we will be inching along through this first writing phase.

Saturday, March 12: +588 words to Draft 0 Today was one of those days where the only reason I got out of bed was because my partner was cooking breakfast. Still, I’m pretty proud of myself for this! 

Sunday, March 13: +1,218 words to Draft 0 Today I am finally writing my first scene where Elaine does magic! I’m really enjoying writing Aphra as a character, she’s like a more serious version of Terry Pratchett’s witches and it just makes me smile to have her tutting and grumbling about all the time. Also, this is random, but I remembered today that I wanted to include a scene where Elaine and Sauda are at a cemetery together (maybe on a date idk) and Elaine asks Sauda if ghosts are real or not. Sauda has no idea, but explains that it’s difficult for her to believe they don’t exist because of the phenomenon where humans in this world, even after thousands of years, continue to build cemeteries in the same places, as if they can sense it’s a place of death. I just really liked that idea. Have I written it yet? No. Will I? God I hope so.

Monday/Tuesday, March 14 + 15: +0 words to Draft 0 Monday/Tuesday are my “weekend” days, so I spent them catching up on chores, getting my car repaired, and doing a lot of cooking!

Wednesday, March 16: +583 words to Draft 0 I almost didn’t want to get back to writing this week, but then I came across @ashen-crest talking about how she received some motivation after receiving a nice compliment from her copyeditor, and it inspired me to get back into it! So thanks for that! I’ve also been reading The Priory of the Orange Tree this week, and I can feel the writing style seeping into mine, which I am Very Happy about. I’m really, really enjoying this book.

Thursday, March 17: +781 words to Draft 0 I’ve been working on a scene this week where Elaine does her first proper necromancy lesson with Aphra, this is still in chapter one. The scene wasn’t in my outline, but the prose kind of naturally flowed towards this scene, and I thought it would at least be a fun thing to write so that I could figure out the specifics of this magic system, even if I ultimately cut the scene later.  Today I’m finishing up that scene, and I’m realizing that it is VITAL to setting up a few clues for later in the book. We learn how completely exhausting this type of magic is for a new mage, we see the relationship dynamic between Aphra and Elaine, and we learn a few interesting details about how magic in this world works. It’s honestly kind of the perfect opening to the book. I accidentally did it right!

TOTAL: +3670 words to Draft 0 Y’all. That is probably the most words I’ve written all year. The combination of my word find challenge and my adding to this post everyday helped SO MUCH! 

My goal next week is to... Hit 6k? Double this week? I used to write 10k or more a week so we’ll see how I do I guess. Now that I’m getting into the meat of the story I think it’ll be easier.

TFM taglist below the cut!

taglist: @writing-is-a-martial-art @bentypes @viskafrer @ashen-crest  @ellierenae​ @drippingmoon​ send an ask/reply to be added <: