#is to someday only write

[xiaq]

if you don't mind me asking, how do you balance work and writing? i work two part time jobs and struggle to find the energy/time to focus on writing even when i really want to. any advice?

I honestly don't do a great job of balancing work, writing, social things, home things, fitness stuff, and then just...relaxation. I'm always on the edge of burnout. Every 2-3 months, I get to a place where I feel overwhelmed, I have a good cry, I let myself off the hook for everything except work for a day or two, and then when I've rallied a bit I start the whole process over again.

And the only reason this is somewhat sustainable is that my partner does all the cooking, laundry, and most of the daily home maintenance stuff like taking out trash, checking mail, shoveling the walk, etc. We split cleaning duties on weekends and dog-walking duties through the week.

Even with that help, I typically work from 7am-4pm, take a break to walk Deacon/listen to music/shift into writing mode, and then write from 5 till dinner, sometimes through dinner if I'm on a roll. The one day a week that I climb/work out I don't write. I also don't typically write on Saturdays since those are housework/errands/social time days. Sunday is usually devoted to writing and relaxing (hockey, reading, hiking). It's a lot, even with Sunday as a "recovery" day.

I will say that just setting aside time every day with no word-count expectation made a huge difference for me. Before, I was trying to hit a certain number of words a week and then feeling like a massive failure when I couldn't achieve that. Now, I just say I have to write for at least one hour every day (other than climbing day). It doesn't matter what I accomplish during that hour, I just have to sit with the document open. On bad brain days, sometimes that means I edit what I've already got. And sometimes, even on bad brain days, I tell myself, "hey, you don't really have to write, you just have to clean up the last chapter for the next hour, no biggie" but then I have an idea and I jot down a bit of dialogue and then, well I might as well write the connecting bits, and the next thing I know it's dinner time and I have, actually, written something new. Having that freedom from a daily word count expectation greatly increased my productivity. So shoutout to my therapist for suggesting it.

Ok this is getting long, but also please just remember that writing is work. Even if you enjoy it. Even if you want to do it. It's still requires emotional and intellectual labor. And if you're already working two other jobs, that's a whole lot of work. Of course you struggle to find the energy and time to write. Because there simply are not enough hours in the day and that's not your fault. You can't budget time you don't have. So be kind to yourself. Please.

[necrotic-nephilim]

as much as I love the common "Tim worships/stalks Jason" trope in TimJay fanfiction because it's Good and making Tim a weird little freak is Fun, I think the underutilized dynamic is where Jason is the one weirdly obsessed with Tim and makes it Tim's problem.

Like, the moment Jason is confronted with the information that a third Robin exists, the first thing he does is cover his wall with pictures of Tim so he can just obsess and torture himself over it. That is the behavior of a man who is Unwell over Tim's existence and I love it.

red hood: lost days #4

And as much as a shitshow as The Titans Tower Incident™ is characterization-wise (though I think it has far more merit in depicting Jason's character than people give it credit for but I digress-) there's something very fun about the fact that even after kicking his ass, Jason respects Tim and is impressed by him.

teen titans (2003) #29

And on top of that, Jason can't seem to stop trying to ask Jason to Tim to work with him in some capacity.

robin (1993) #177

batman: battle for the cowl #2

While Battle for the Cowl is an exceptionally bad comic, especially for its characterization of Jason and the "be my Robin" bit is taken deeply out of context, I do think it's interesting how obsessed Jason is with believing that Tim is extremely competent, only held back by being "brainwashed by Bruce". (hence him leaving Tim for dead later on in the comic.) Jason seeing a darker side of Tim and wanting to bring that out of Tim, wanting to see what Tim could be if he let go of his loyalty to Bruce is so fun to me, tbh.

And in Robin #177, Jason seems genuinely upset Tim doesn't want to work with him. Jason sees such a raw potential in Tim and is obsessed with it, constantly wanting Tim to work for him and see Tim be the type of person Jason is. And despite Tim rejecting him, Jason doesn't shoot to kill Tim. I just cannot get over the fanfic potential of Jason obsessing over Tim, tracking him and seeing what he's capable of and what he could be capable of. Wanting to make Tim see things the way he does. To Tim it's corruption, to Jason it's freedom. Tim trying to 'save' Jason is fun and all, but Jason trying to corrupt Tim? That's even more fun to me. Watching that power struggle between them, Tim unable to get Jason off his heels as Jason gets more and more possessive and bold with each attempt.

And when Jason sees Tim successfully get Gotham back under control after a gang war, he's impressed. He praises Tim, even. And then Tim just. Breaks him out of prison.

robin (1993) #182

The way they're constantly trying to see something in the other that isn't there, hoping the other will come around? That is the most fucked up hate/love dynamic ever. Jason keeps coming back to Tim, keeps trying to find ways to get Tim onto his side. They're always chasing each other. And I think Jason would be the one to confess love first, the one to do anything to make Tim his. And when you consider after all of this, Tim has his Red Robin arc and is at his lowest, getting the closest he ever gets to considering murder? I think it'd be so fun to see Jason take advantage of that and worm his way back into Tim's life and finally push Tim over the edge.

[smallerdelusions]

Math Lessons My contribution to the Temeraire Summer 2024 event on AO3! Go read, the writing work is astounding. Bonus commentary and shenanigans below the cut.

Intended to be sometime on the Allegiance returning from the events of Empire of Ivory. I imagine Tem is the best maths teacher any of the kids can find on the ship (or at least knows the most). Demane and Sipho are supposed to be learning to read English here. Emily is best student as always. Dyer is trying his best. Allen is not trying at all but has been roped into making sure Temeraire doesn't teach the young, impressionable minds anything too radical.

Bonus ideas:

Featuring:

Roland and Dyer playing dress-up

Sipho and Demane taking an unsanctioned hammock nap between someone's horns

Sipho is the best artist of the kids I am willing it into existence

[xxplastic-cubexx]

cant stop thinkin bout charles and erik readin together on the couch but instead of reading with him charles is listening to eriks thoughts while he reads. Live mind commentary ……..

[velvet-games]

fuck it my vox is asian now

I'm taking projection to a whole new level yay

honestly I don't think there's been a single chinese character in fandom that I've liked so I'm just gonna force it on vox lol. it was kind of a crackpot hc at first but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me.

weirdly enough, I think my sexuality is the only part of my identity that I'm genuinely proud of. I've been lucky enough to have been exposed to a lot of positive media representation, and I've been able to control who I come out to. my feelings about racial and gender identity are a lot more complicated; I don't see chinese culture as beautiful and interesting the way I see queer culture as beautiful and interesting, and that makes it harder to reverse my instinctual disgust and shame at myself. there is, to be clear, a lot to love about chinese culture; I just feel like I'm expected to love something I never chose and would otherwise have no relationship with.

she's going to be tujia chinese; I have some memories of going to my family's tombstones and getting smoke in my eyes while burning joss paper lmao (p sure that's the english translation? it's supposed to be money that you can give to dead loved ones by burning it). I think it's really funny and tragic that vox uses this as a last ditch effort to say goodbye; yes your family's beliefs have been disproven yes somehow they landed in heaven and you didn't yes your only way to connect with them now is with money and a memory you can barely hold on to yes you've forgotten the language they understand best no you won't feel better afterward.

but y'know. you'd feel worse if you didn't try.

[glassrunner]

My Top 5:

anonymous asked: top 5 locations in a game of your choice?

[anglerflsh]

solution for intrusive thoughts

[tqtc-art]

Secret lost Gravity Falls episode where a traveling stage magician called The Lady Flame arrives in town…

[stingrachelmha]

You were meant to finally rest in peace

[d6b-onion]

I am not normal about these two

they are so gay and wonderful and cool and komachi's scythe is so badass and god they should kiss and make out and-

THEY ARE SO COOL why are scythes this cool and homoerotic i love these two so much azeqlf,d;koxqzenioi,zfj;dowf,kezn

[wonder-worker]

Wild how we know that Elizabeth Woodville was officially appointed to royal councils in her own right during her husband’s reign and fortified the Tower of London in preparation of a siege while 8-months pregnant and had forces gathering at Westminster “in the queen’s name” in 1483 – only for NONE of these things to be even included, let alone explored, in the vast majority of scholarship and historical novels involving her.

[anbessette]

You've heard of There Was Only One Bed, now get ready for: There Were Only Two Beds!

3zun stop at an inn for the night after a night hunt. There's one room available, but it only has two beds. (And, to avoid the easy solution, the room is too small and cramped for anyone to sleep on the floor. Jin Guangyao could maybe fit in the gap between the beds but it would be hell on his old injuries and the other two know it.) Who shares with whom? Who sleeps alone? How do they decide?

Some possibilities I considered while trying to fall asleep:

NMJ and LXC share, JGY sleeps alone

——NMJ suggested it because he doesn’t trust JGY. He doesn’t say it in so many words, but JGY knows 😢

——LXC suggested it because he’s worried about JGY’s reputation. No-one would dare make an issue of Zewu-jun and Chifeng-zun sharing a bed, but being caught in bed with either of his sworn brothers could ruin JGY.

——JGY suggested it because his sworn brothers are pure and righteous and he is the son of a prostitute. Obviously they wouldn’t want to dirty themselves being so close to him if there's another option. He'll be the one to make the suggestion so he doesn’t have to hear either of them say it out loud.

NMJ and JGY share, LXC sleeps alone

——NMJ suggested it because he saw the look on JGY’s face and had to make sure JGY knows that NMJ doesn’t think he’s dirty.

——LXC suggested it because of his ongoing quest to matchmake Nieyao into reconciling. He's sure that a little forced intimacy can only improve their relationship!

——JGY suggested it because he wants to show er-ge that he is trying to fix things and it’s da-ge who’s being unreasonable. He assumed NMJ would refuse and earn himself a disapproving look from LXC. He has no idea what to do with himself when NMJ just goes “Yeah, OK” and gets into bed with him.

LXC and JGY share, NMJ sleeps alone

——NMJ suggested it because LXC and JGY are both smaller than he is and will fit more comfortably in one of these cramped little beds. He has no feelings whatsoever about the prospect of sharing a bed with either of them, it's just practical.

——LXC suggested it because he assumes NMJ would refuse to consider sharing with JGY and he doesn’t want a fight.

——JGY suggested it because he’s scared of NMJ. He doesn’t say it in so many words, but NMJ knows 😢

Someone figures that opportunities like this don’t come along every day and volunteers to share with whoever he thinks he has the most sexual/romantic tension with. It might be his only chance to share his beloved’s bed! Unfortunately, it’s not as romantic or as sexy as he hoped, not least because he can’t stop thinking about the other guy just a couple of feet away...

Someone doesn’t want this to be weird and volunteers to share with whoever he thinks he has the least sexual/romantic tension with. Turns out he’s mistaken about that. By the end of the night he has to confront the realisation that he’s in love with both of his sworn brothers.

Someone wants to share because he’s noticed there’s a ton of sexual/romantic tension between the other two. They’re not gonna be consummating that shit tonight if he has anything to say about it! He’s so busy worrying about his sworn brothers getting together and leaving him behind that he doesn’t notice the “😍Of course I’ll sleep with you!” and “😏You two have fun” reactions.

Someone volunteers to sleep alone because he’s noticed there’s a ton of sexual/romantic tension between the other two and he is nobly stepping aside. He won’t stand in the way of true love. The other two are like “Why’s he so eager to sleep alone? Doesn’t he love us?🥺”

Two people offer to share because they’ve done it before and it wasn’t a big deal (Nielan when they were kids, Xiyao when they were on the run, or Nieyao when they were in the army). The other person spends the whole night tormented by sexy, sexy visions of what might have happened between his sworn brothers on the multiple(!) nights they’ve spent in bed together.

The person who’s sleeping alone is jealous and horny and agonising over all the sex he might be missing out on right now.

The person who’s sleeping alone can hear the other two breathing, and he knows they’re fast asleep. He’s cold and lonely and tormented by soft, cosy visions of all the cuddles he’s definitely missing out on right now.

Somehow, they make it through the night.

The next time they have to spend the night at an inn together, the proprietor says “We have two rooms available. One has two beds, and the other has one bed.” 3zun, remembering this night, say “We’ll take the room with one bed.” “No, that’s not … You don’t have to choose between them. You can take both rooms.” “WE. WILL. TAKE. THE ROOM. WITH ONE BED.”

[elialys]

Helen x Wendy is a thing, and a very tempting one at that

[yunamiudon]

Modern AU! Codywan👮‍♂️

I stole this design from my drawing last year lol

↑I drew this AU again...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27588466/chapters/67488583

I haven't decided what Cody does for a living in this fic, but I'm starting to think Detective Cody might be a good idea... 🤔

[coffeeghoulie]

Mushy May Day 12: First Time

Dew's entrusted with Aeon's first time Up Top.

Thank you to @forlorn-crows for putting Mushy May together, and to @ghuleh-recs for the divider <3

Contains t4t ghouls, discussion of boundaries, a little miscommunication that is quickly resolved, but no actual smut because this got long and it was very late lol

"I'm not him, you know," Aeon says tentatively, pulling away from the barrage of kisses, even as Dew keeps backing them against the wall of their hotel room. They're somewhere they've never been before, somewhere in the middle of the United States that they can't really remember the name of. "I don't know if I want it if this is just because he's not here."

"Voidling," Dew freezes, hands caging Aeon in. Something in his hungry expression cracks, softens, and Aeon stares with wide, nervous eyes as Dew brings a hand in, running his knobby knuckles over Aeon's cheek in a sort of caress. His brow furrows. "Did you think I wanted you because Aether's back at the Abbey?"

Aeon shrinks back as much as they can. It isn't a lot, their spine already pressed to the tacky hotel wallpaper. They can't meet Dew's eyes. The silence is enough of an answer. Dew hums, and Aeon squeezes their eyes shut. They bite at their already kiss-swollen bottom lip.

"Voidling, look at me," Dew says in a tone that Aeon's never heard from the fire ghoul before. It's shockingly soft, and it's enough of a jolt to their system that they glance up, mismatched eyes meeting copper. He sighs, and Aeon tenses up as he keeps touching their cheek. "I want this because it's you. Blow off some steam, yes, but because I wanted to do this with you. If you don't, if you think you're obligated to keep going, tell me to fuck right off, okay?"

Aeon blinks, a little shellshocked. They had played it up at the Ritual a few hours earlier, falling to their knees at Dew's feet and bending back so far their helmet had brushed against the stage.

Dew had stalked up to them after bows, spindly fingers around the back of their neck burning like a brand, whispering in a low, dark tone that they'd be rooming with him tonight. It had sent a spark of something hot down their spine. And when they had gotten to the hotel, and the door had barely latched behind them before Dew was pouncing, kissing them like he meant to devour?

It hadn't been a spark. More like a bonfire.

They've tried to make up for their inexperience with enthusiasm, pretending like they haven't been staring at him since the moment they arrived Up Top a few months ago.

"Voidling?" Dew asks, an undercurrent of worry filtering into his voice. "Hey, Aeon, you alright?"

Aeon shakes their head, not as a no but to clear their head. "'M okay," they say, trying their best to maintain eye contact.

"What's goin' on in there, Aeon?" Dew asks, hand still on their cheek. "Let me in."

"I want this, I do, I'm just-" They sputter, tongue too big in their mouth, unyieldy.

"Easy. Take a breath. 'M not gonna bite. Not unless you ask."

Aeon obeys, chest heaving as they inhale hard. "I haven't done this Up Top yet, not in a vessel. I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Oh," Dew's hands move down from their face, curling softly around their biceps. "That's okay. I'd be honored, voidling, that is, if you're sure you want it to be me. I haven't exactly been, ugh, the nicest to you."

Aeon flushes a dark violet, making silver freckles stand out on their cheeks. Their mismatched eyes go wide, hair falling over their forehead with how violently they nod. "Please, really want it to be you."

Dew smiles, something softer than Aeon's ever seen on the fire ghoul's face, and he reaches up to push a few strands back. The lamplight softens his sharp features, and he cocks his head. "Let me treat you right, voidling."

Aeon nods again, and Dew draws them into another kiss. This is like nothing Aeon's ever experienced, leagues of difference between this and the kisses from before, the ones that felt like Dew was trying to consume them whole. This feels almost reverent, the way Dew's lips move against theirs, the way he cups their cheek like they're something to be cherished. They don't know what to do with their hands, brushing over Dew's hair, down his arms.

They kiss like that until Aeon's dizzy with it, pulling back to pant desperately. There's a warmth blooming deep in their gut, knees shaking. Dew laughs, not unkind, and begins to herd him towards one of the queen beds. Their eyes go wide as the backs of their calves bump against the mattress, collapsing back onto the bed.

"Again, voidling, if you don't like any of this, tell me to fuck off. Those words. Okay?" Dew looks more serious than he has the entire time, a small furrow between his brows that Aeon has the impulse to kiss away.

"If I don't like it, I'll tell you to fuck off," they repeat, nodding. Dew's lips quirk up in a smirk, and it sends a bolt of heat down Aeon's spine, tail flicking as they prop themself up on their elbows.

"Good boy," he purrs, crowding closer before pausing. "'Boy' a good word for you?"

Aeon chews on their bottom lip, the pupil of their good eye probably dilated to the size of a quarter. "Very much so," they breathe.

Dew nods curtly, visibly filing that information away in his brain. "Let's get you stripped down, want to see what you're hiding under those hoodies, voidling."

Aeon obeys, tugging the hoodie up over their head. "You've seen me changing, though," they say, struggling not to tangle the hoodie in their horns with how eager they are to get rid of it. "We share dressing rooms."

Dew leans in, a glint in his copper eyes. "Yeah, but I've never looked. Let me see."

Aeon swallows hard, tossing the hoodie at the corner of the room, blush spilling down their chest as they feel more than see Dew's eyes on them.

"Pretty," Dew hums, gaze raking over the swell of Aeon's chest. The chill of the air conditioning makes their nipples pebble, a pretty lavender against the rest of their skin, and they fight the urge to cover themself with their arms.

Dew notices, because of course he does, ever perceptive, and tugs his own hoodie off, revealing skin covered in silvery scars, matching sets along his ribcage and two much more prominent ones underneath his pecs. Aeon swallows the saliva pooling on their tongue, staring unashamedly. "That's better, right?" Dew laughs, pressing closer until Aeon can feel his body heat radiating off of him.

"Yeah," Aeon says, chest heaving and all they've done is kiss. "Dew, please." It's not something that they meant to say, but it slips past their lips on a whine.

Dew absolutely lights up at the sound. "What, voidling? What are you begging all pretty for?"

Aeon tries to turn their head away, but then Dew's fingers are on their chin, gently making them keep eye contact. "Please fuck me?"

Dew leans in, pressing a soft kiss at the corner of Aeon's mouth. "Of course, voidling. I'm going to take such good care of you, I promise."

[iamthecomet]

Just thinking about Dew, kneeling on the floor of the confessional, giving Secondo sloppy head while he takes confession.

You know, normal things.