#link is to the song that inspired the first draft of this

[egoarc4de]

homecoming

[red-hemlock]

not on his blog but "HOT DAMN!" from richardo .

Send me “HOT DAMN!” and my muse will strip for your muse.

@beatsdrums (For visibility.)

@culebral (For the intended muse.)

// (Pray) ‘Till I go blind. //

// (Pray) ‘Cause nobody ever survives… //

Midnight in this shithole of a city, and she the temptation slithers across the bed with a fluid finesse… Rising ‘Eden’ to the writhing, salivating sinner before her, come this night in desire to sacrifice to the temple of flesh and debauchery; but here on this silk-covered ‘podium’, she was His idol. Deadly and warm. His empress always, clothed in sweet black lace that falls in too-promising a whisper; and bares supple, freckled skin to red ambiance. 

But not at all for the stupid fool bound to the bedposts.

// Prayin’ to stay in your arms just until I can die a little longer. //

// Saviors and saints, devils and heathens alike…. //

A knee falls strong to the crescendo of the tune wailing in the background. Crushing a tender throat, and all hope of her prey to taste ‘Heaven’ before she begins sending him straight to Hell in a slow-spiral. No quarter given. No mercy to be had. The murderess turns over-shoulder to look at Him across the room.

The one whom this whole hedonistic display was meant for.

“…You’re ‘ruining’ my hit, Specs.” Simply said, and with a flick of the wrist the little lacey number is tossed to Richard’s feet, as the choking struggles of a tied man desperate to spare himself from suffocation fall on deaf ears. But those eyes and lip-bitten smirk beckon with a wicked brand of command.

She was in control.

// She’ll eat you alive. //

[cosmicalily]

"written by the aces" - a mini series by @cosmicalily. view series masterlist, and outline here

4. "i've loved you for so long" | hwang hyunjin x fem!reader

You're taking me back, babe, to where it all started, wearing your hair up in your New York apartment, I swear, I've loved you for so long, I'd do it again and again and again and again, baby

author's note: okay so fun fact the left photo in this header is actually a pic of a picnic i went on with my friend that i took off my pinterest (ee if you wanna look at it here's the link! my pinterest is my pride and joy). i've had this fic in my drafts for ages, i adore this song and it feels SO undeniably hyunjin, i hope you enjoy!!

There were always questions as to how a broke artist afforded an apartment in New York City.

You had reasons. You worked almost every possible hour outside of the studio at a local coffee shop, and had sold several of your favourite possessions, including your prized guitar handed down from your mother. You worked hard for what you had, and you appreciated it more so that way.

That’s always how it had been. You worked hard enough for something, you’d eventually get there.

Hwang Hyunjin came from a wealthier background and also lived in an apartment in New York City, albeit much more beautiful than yours. He was beautiful, and not in any way snobby as you’d expect. He felt very deeply, and translated it into his artwork. 

He knew that if he wanted something, he’d get it, reasonably quickly. But he didn’t like things that way. 

He loved the anticipation, the slow burn, the pining and wishing and hoping, which was exactly how he felt about you.

He didn’t want his own expensive personal studio. He used the local art space, which was available to rent for a few hours each day. That was where he first saw you. All of you.

You and your posture that gave you back aches when you sat sketching for too long, the way you bit your lip when you were deep in thought, your habit of tucking your hair behind your ears only for it to flop forward again within the next few seconds. He was fascinated by you, but he preferred admiring from a distance for the moment. He didn’t want to push forward or scare you away.

You thought he was one of the prettiest people you’d seen. He seemed so comfortable with his masculinity that he wasn’t afraid to step into his feminine side, wearing his hair a little longer, dressing a little more form-fitting. His lips were plush and sometimes scarred from where he nibbled on them, and he had brown eyes, so dark yet so warm, as if they’d melt you if you stared into them for a little too long.

It wasn’t as if you ever shared a conversation before he left New York. Even though you spent a lot of time together, it was comfortable silence. You sat, on opposite ends of the studio, working on your projects, trying to avoid catching each others eyes. One time though, when you walked past to go wash your paintbrush, you accidentally brushed against him, and he noticed.

The way your cheeks flushed, and your small smile.

Hwang Hyunjin didn’t expect his life to bring him back to New York City, although perhaps a part of him had always hoped it would.

He’d spent years travelling Europe, visiting art galleries and staying in beautiful apartments and villas, swimming in the ocean in the summer and taking photos of the mountains in the winter. He was inspired constantly, and filled his life with art, food, gorgeous views and wine.

He’d gotten to a point in his life where it was expected he would be married, or at least have entered a long-term relationship. Although he met some of the prettiest people he’d ever seen, he never pursued further than dinner and a kiss on the cheek. 

He thought about you, and the way your cheeks flushed, and your small smile.

Your hair, piled up on your head in a way that was not at all structurally sound, letting fronds flop into your eyes and around your neck and collarbone.

He returned to New York a little while after he’d stayed in Paris, and spent time looking for an apartment. He’d been connected with a real estate agent, one that sold high-end apartments uptown. He decided to walk up instead of catching a taxi, and whilst walking past the studio where you’d first seen each other, he saw an advert in the window.

You were looking for a roommate, and applications were due by 5pm.

You stood on the other side of the apartment, your hair pulled up with a piece of blue-and-white gingham ribbon, taken off the wrapping of the book Hyunjin had bought you for your birthday. You wore a long denim skirt and pale yellow bralette, with lace around the edges and a soft pattern of tiny lemons across it, with one of Hyunjin’s white linen shirts over the top, unbuttoned and blowing in the wind that came through the opened window in the kitchen.

Hyunjin lay still in bed, flat on his stomach, admiring you from afar the way he always did. Even after two years, where all he’d done was live, breathe and love you, there were moments where he liked to remember how he’d fallen for you in the first place.

There were also moments where he wanted to be as close to you as possible. He shifted off the bed and walked over, wrapping his arms around your waist and pressing his face into your hair.

“Did you want to go out today?” he mumbled into your hair. “I feel bad that we stayed at home all day again; there’s not much point to weekends if we don’t do anything, is there?”

You looked up at him. “I didn’t really want to. I prefer being at home, anyway.”

“Good, because I didn’t want to either,” he smiled, pressing a kiss onto your shoulder. “Even though we don’t talk all the time…”

“I like our silence. We don’t feel like we have to say anything,” you finished, turning yourself around from where you were facing the kitchen bench and placing your arms around his waist. He shifted his to your shoulders, and pulled you in close, so you were flush against his chest.

“I’ve loved you for so long,” Hyunjin murmured, his forehead against yours, noses touching.

“You don’t just say it,” you whispered. “You show it. And that’s even more beautiful, I think.”

“I’ve loved you since I first saw you. And I know that you know, but I just want to remind you, that you’re what I’ve dreamed of for so long, and what I’ve wanted without realising.”

“You talk a lot sometimes, my love.”

“I mean everything I say. I like to talk about you. I like to talk to you.”

You cupped his face with your hands and brought your lips to his.

taglist: @hyunjiiza @velvetmoonlght @s3ungm1nxxl0ve @btch8008s @yaniluvs @ellemir2404 @bellarellasstuff @starsinagreenskyxx @ashtxrie @pigeonseatmayo @modesttiger @woozarts - comment, dm or send an ask to be added!

[kanmom51]

Like Crazy - new insights

*This is a reposting of my latest reblog due to issues with that specific post.

***This has been sitting in my drafts since April 2023!!!

This is the post I reblogged and the basis to my own post.

Yep. I had some of a post written way back in April 2023, but the pieces just didn't come all together for me.

After Muse's release and specifically after the BTB yesterday where JM discussed Who, Muse and the lyrics, we also saw the change made to Who's lyrics from "you" to "she" things started to clear up for me. But then, a friend also shared a picture of the original lyrics of Like Crazy, which were subsequently altered before recording. We discussed these changes and I now feel that this is it! This is the missing piece to my post.

I mostly left what I wrote over a year ago in tact, adding the missing pieces to this puzzle that makes this post with what I feel is a little more insight into Like crazy.

Needless to say, these are my opinions, how I see the lyrics, the ones that made the cut and the ones that stayed in JM's lyrics journal.

So, let's get started:

Here I was thinking I'm the only one who was seeing this...

I do hope I'm reading this right, before going off motormouth about something that maybe isn't what is being said, but to hell with it, this is something I've been thinking too and I'm just gonna come out and say it.

We're all over 18 here right?

This is a subject we can talk about?

The more I listen to this song, the more I think it to be true too.

First of all, before starting off, I want to link this ask:

**Shock and awe... "she" wasn't part of the original lyrics for Like Crazy . Colour me surprised to learn the same is true with Who (even though JM didn't actually write the song himself). Oh, and if we are on that subject already, how not surprising to see the process of writing the song with John Billion, who happens to be one of the writers of SNTY as well (me sitting here thinking of several words and references that could have been somehow suggested and inserted into the song. No idea who (nah, I'm telling lies, I know exactly who). How shocking (NOT) to see that the artist actually had input with the song lyrics of which he is not credited in writing.

Again, the depth of the song, the layers to the song and the multiple interpretations too.

JM told us this song is about him struggling. He told us he was going through a period where he was drinking too much. He was finding fulfillment in ways other than performing, as performing is part of him, he is a performer, someone who needs the stage to express himself. The stage is where he is at peace, the stage being a piece of him that he was missing.

We saw his outburst of emotions in the first day of MOTS ON:E (that was my first experience of BTS and he literally broke my heart - and later seeing him being mocked for it infuriated me).

This was October 2020, around 6 months into the pandemic. The uncertainty. This is their first online performance and from there until Muster another 9 months go by. We know from Festa 2022 that the pandemic screwed up all of their plans. The uncertainty, working on and releasing BE and then Butter and PTD everything leading up to the PTD online concert, a year after MOTS ON:E. For those that performing is their life, standing in front of an audience and giving it their all, it's a hard pill to swallow. The unknown, if they will ever get back to perform on stage in front of a live audience, when this is who they are, their essence, it can be unbearable. JM wasn't the only performer to go through this. It's just that he shared this with us. He showed us his pain and vulnerability and was mocked for it by many. Shame on them!!!

So, again, JM told us with Like Crazy, that he was filling in that hole. Alcohol was mentioned by him specifically. But listening to the song, I think it's quite clear that sex was a very big part of it as well. Looking for that rush, that high. It's clear as day, for me anyway, in the lyrics.

(I think we could last forever I'm afraid that everything will disappear Just trust me)

[Verse 1] She's saying Baby, don't think about it There's not a bad thing here tonight Baby, you can leave it Stay with me until today

[Verse 2] Watch me go Wet me all night (Away) And morning too Don't come if you're drunk

In this loud music It fades me It's a drama-like story I'm get used to it Have you come far to find me that you used to know? Yeah, I know You know, I know (Ooh)

[Chorus] I'd rather be Lost in the lights Lost in the lights I'm outta my mind It holds to the end of this night Every night You spin me up high The moon that embraces you Let me have a taste

[Post-Chorus] Give me a good ride (Oh, I'm fallin', I'm fallin', I'm fallin') It's gon' be a good night (Oh, I'm fallin') Forever you and I

[Interlude] Mmm-hmm Yeah, hey Mmm-hmm Ooh-woah Mmm-hmm Mmm-hmm (Forever, you and I)

[Verse 3] Me reflects in the mirror I'm going crazy without hesitation I'm feelin' so alive, wasting time

I'd rather be Lost in the lights Lost in the lights I'm outta my mind It holds to the end of this night Every night You spin me up high The moon that embraces you Let me have a taste

[Post-Chorus] Give me a good ride (Oh, I'm fallin', I'm fallin', I'm fallin') It's gon' be a good night (Oh, I'm fallin') Forever you and I

[Outro] This will break me This is gonna break me (Break me) No, don’t you wake me (Wake me) I wanna stay in this dream, don't save me Don't you try to save me (Save me) I need a way we (Way we) I need a way we can dream on (On, on, on)

Those are the lyrics he recorded.

But you see, there were changes made to the lyrics he was working on originally, and we got to see some of them.

This specifically:

Reading this draft and the final ones there are a few things that just fall into place for me (and I'd think for anyone that reads them), loud and clear:

First of all, obviously JM is singing about drinking too much alcohol. If the final lyrics hinted to losing himself in alcohol, the draft lyrics are ever so clear regarding that point.

Second of all, the sex. I think JM was pretty straight forward using the wording he was using. "Give me a good ride" can be other things, if you twist it around to try and explain it away, but bottom line, those lines within the context of the lines in the draft, like "just go turn off the light, you and me..." not to mention the whole chorus, to me the reference is obvious.

Next, I talked about the many references to JK in this song in this post:

This is all also relevant when it comes to my next point being the fact that to me it's clear that JM wrote this song referencing a special someone with whom he shares a high level of intimacy. A special someone that was there by his side when JM was struggling. A special someone that was struggling seeing JM going through everything he was.

To that person JM wrote (in the draft): "oh baby don't you cry, just wanna see your smile..."

These lines, they were too much. Too obvious. Too intimate. And they were left out probably because of just that.

So JM went with other lines. A little less obvious perhaps, and yet still very telling. The finale of the song:

No, don’t you wake me (Wake me) I wanna stay in this dream, don't save me Don't you try to save me (Save me) I need a way we (Way we) I need a way we can dream on (On, on, on)

Now, you could claim that the song is about an inner struggle. JM struggling with himself, talking to himself, and yes, that could very much be part of the message JM, the king of layering, is going for. But see, that's exactly the point. JM is the king of layering, of having several meanings and messages within his lyrics and creations. And this is not different. There is no mistaking the reference to another person, not JM himself, in the lyrics. The way he uses the "you" in the lyrics, at times could pass as you being the alcohol, at times the you being himself in the mirror, but at times it's clearly a third party he is talking to. Especially in that finale to the song, that someone that wants to lift him out of that stupor he is in, to wake him up, to save him, when he is unwilling, not ready to accept that help just yet (same person he asks not to cry, knowing that he is making them sad). There are also the clear JK references in this song. The "you are me I am you" being the loudest of them all.

But JM being JM, he showed us in his own way what this song was about, opening up and allowing us to see his drafts.

And then he gave us Letter. Hidden, and private and intimate. Addressed not to us, but to that person that was always there by his side, that person he addresses in Like Crazy telling him "forever you and I". Now, in Letter, being in a better, healthier place, he can repeat the sentiment of them together forever. A sentiment JK had mentioned in the past (omg, that was so very awkward).

And now using lines like : "I sincerely hope we are forever" and "But don’t forget that we’re always together"...

The lyrics, the sentiments, the drafted lyrics that never made it, like the use of "Dangshin", I have talked about it all. Letter was for JK. Period.

When seeing Like Crazy again, the lyrics, the struggle, the person by his side, the intimacy, and Letter, I'm kind of thinking that not only is Letter a love ode to JK. That is stating the obvious. But it's also JM's acknowledgement and thank you to that person that stood by his side in his most difficult of times.

JK.

Bottom line:

Like crazy is about JM struggling and self medicating with alcohol and sex.

It's personal about himself, his struggles, but also includes a person that is there by his side, one he is highly intimate with, one who is there with him together. That person is there, spending the nights with him, in that escape world JM created for himself. Sad seeing JM struggle, trying to find a way to help JM out of that pit but being unable to do so, staying by JM's side all the same.

We know who that person is.

Same person he addresses Letter to.

[rqbossman]

Hello Mr Bossman! (and possibly anyone else who reads this)

Its an honour to be here, I have a few questions. First i appologise for the long paragraph, you may dismiss it for the questions at the bottom. For context, i am here after finishing TMA and being up to date with TMAP, i then went over and listened to RQG, and have just finished listening to Epilogue 3 and might i just say, good sir I am grateful for your podcasts. I am currently just a few months away from my final exams of High School, and as someone who even just 1 year ago was very lost, struggling with school and being just overwhelmed. TMA isnt exactly comforting, but the characters and plot managed to serve as a good form of escapism while sorting myself out. I found my self engaging more in creative things that i had originally put aside in favour of maths and science (which i hated but thought i needed to do). I started drawing again, even if just fanart. and i found things going well. By finding podcasts, story telling and these communities have helped me in my own understanding of what i want in life. I got an ADHD diagnosis earlier this year, and almost directly after started RQG and as my first hyperfixation (that i was aware of as an hyperfixation) gosh dang it hit hard. (in a good way). Ive been able to do so much more creative writing and drawings, and got re-involved with a small dnd group with some friends who i played one game with almost 4 years ago now. So overall, inspirational sounds cringe, but it was. Im doing my best with the upcoming exams, but trying to get in to Medicine is not my only prority, and the fact ive been re-introduced to my first love (Literature and story telling), im planning to go do an Arts degree and i know i wouldnt have been able to confidently make this decision, or even have survived this long in the school system without the work you and your coworkers do. Now the sap is out of the way, Question time! (if you could answer even just one of these questions it would be so cool)(they go in order of RQ relevant to random stuff)(dont feel pressured to answer all/any. i know i wrote alot): 1. what would you say is the best way to draft out a long-form story. (with "Erasing the Line" as an example) Did you start at the end, with the links to the overarching plot.

2. When working with the players (in a form of TTRPG), what did you do to make sure you didnt miss relevant timing of plot points/ avoid creating spoilers while still giving enough detail?

3. What are good places to start with making a job out of storytelling/voice acting/audio etc. In the case of RQ, how is this a job and where do i sign up please! /j (what i mean is, how is best way/how did you find all the people involved and was there a common path that you were all on before getting to where you are now?) 4. Do you have recommendations for Terry Pratchett Books, i may be an literary-leaning student, but it seems i have never actually properly read any of his books. so where is best place to start?/What did you read first?

5. Similar authors or similar inspirations? Did you have a favourite podcast you listen to in your free time that you havnt had a hand in producing/directing/working on. 6. Favourite song/album/artist. And more specifically, what you like listening to in background when doing either writing or (for ttrpg) character research/game planing. 7. Since the olympics are on at the moment, what has been your favourite sport to watch, if you have been watching at all. Thank you for your time :)

Thankyou for all the kind words. Knowing our work is helping people really keeps our engines fired up. Let's see if I can't answer your questions: 1. I "sandbox" which is where I just shove everything I can think of into an unorganised bullet point list. Characters, setting, plot, all of it in one big mess. Then I decide what type of story you want to tell, copy and paste to a new document and then start to organise the thoughts (with the sandbox on standby if new stuff comes in I don't know what to do with). I think of it like scultping, you cut away bits and reshape until something comes out the other end that is story shaped. Only then do I attempt to build the sandcastle and put something coherant together like a synopsis or scratch draft etc.

2. Very tricky. I did a complete review and update of all notes after each recording session and don't forget the audio eas edited. I made lots of gaffs that you never heard as audience.

3. I contacted anyone I could convince to take part and just proved I was serious by overworking. I don't reccomend that route. Unfortunately it really is "who" you know. That doesn't mean chase established professionals as much as it means you need to get out there and associate with other up-and-comers who match your vibe. For me the route was long and windy and not a particularly good example. 4. I normally recommend people do not read his books in publication order. Don't get me wrong, its wonderful watching his craft grow from one title to the next but I would recommend new readers tip their toe into his later works to see if they like where he ended up before committing the time. I often recommend 'Monstrous Regiment' as people's first one. My favourite though is 'Thief of Time.'

5. I don't get much time to listen to podcasts in the last couple of years. I used to listen to a lot of non fiction. 'Stuff you Should Know' and that ilk. I also read a fair amount of classic YA fiction to unwind (Windinsger trilogy, Bartimeous, stuff like that.) 6. Paul Simon's Graceland but when working I assemble a playlist for each seperate project that is tonally appropriate. If I really need to focus I listen to Classical Minimalism. Or the Old School Runescape soundtrack. I'm allowed to be ecclectic. 7. I am actually in an incredibly busy work crunch at the moment so haven't seen any of it!

[midnightsilver]

What is a Bang?🤔😄

➡️ Never done a bang before but curious about joining in?

Here’s everything you need to know about what a bang is and how they work.

⭐️ Bangs are creative fandom events run by fans for fans, and they are based around a theme: a favourite character, pairing, setting or concept. So there is a bang that is for works all about Crowley, or works centred around wincest or destiel, works with a horror twist can include any spn character, or works in an historical setting, or works inspired by classic movies or song lyrics. The list goes on. There are many different flavours of bangs to choose from.

⭐️ There are 2 main types of bang. Regular and Reverse. In a regular Bang authors sign up to write a story around the advertised theme and they are given a deadline by which they must complete a good chunk of their story. Once the deadline arrives and they are about 80% completed writing (variable depending on the bang) authors submit a synopsis of their story to the bang moderators. This is an overview of the plot, any warnings and the story rating. All the story summaries are then displayed anonymously to the artists who signed up to the bang. It’s anonymous so that artists will choose a story just based on a plot or ideas that interest them, not on who the writer is. On Claims Day the artists submit a list of their top 3 (or 5 etc depending on the bang) choices. The moderators pair up the artists with an author on a first come first served basis, by order of their top choice. This process is repeated (and maybe opened to public claims from artists not already signed up to the bang) until every author in the bang has been assigned an artist who is interested in their story. After that the artist and the author pair are given a posting date and they work together to create art for the story. Some authors still have more writing to do and might take creative input from their artist as they start talking over what art is to be drawn for the story. Some authors are finished writing by claims and it’s more a case of giving the artist the draft and waiting for a picture. It’s up to individual pairs how much collaboration they want to do and how much back and forth they have. So if you are looking to make new friends this can be a great way to meet people but if you are more of an introvert that’s okay too, you can just write or draw and keep your partner advised of your progress. On posting day the author and the artist both post their works and links to their partners works. The bang moderators also post adverts for the works on the bang page.

➡️ The benefit of a bang for an author is that they get free art 😄. The artist might get collaborative input but it’s not guaranteed, but they do get to read a new story about a favourite topic before anyone else 😁. And both benefit from each partner advertising the others work come posting day. Plus the event organiser should also do extensive advertising for each artwork and fic submitted. Bangs often have followings of readers who enjoy the bang theme will check out several of the works from the event - so by being in a bang you have a ready made target audience for your works 😄.

➡️ Cons of being in a bang: you need to work to a deadline. For some people this is good motivation, for others it’s just added pressure. You can withdraw from a bang if an irl issue comes up but you need to keep your bang partner and the moderators informed, not just ghost. The other con is that you need to work with a partner which might not be easy if you are an introvert, but mostly in a bang you are working with people who enjoy the same topic as you do, so while it’s still a bit of a lottery who you end up paired with it’s likely that you at least have some things in common. The moderators are also there to help if you aren’t getting on with your partner. They can find Pinch Hitters to step in and take over if someone has to drop out for any reason. And finally the other hard part of a bang is that even if you get all your work done early you still have to wait for your assigned posting date! No instant gratification here unfortunately, but on the plus side there will be plenty of other bang followers who are also eagerly awaiting your posting date! 😁

⭐️ So thats bangs! 😄 and I mentioned that there are also Reverse Bangs out there. In those the artists start off by drawing a picture for the theme of the bang. The artist adds a short synopsis of the idea that led to their art, plus any personal do-not-want’s that they have and the artwork is displayed anonymously in a claims gallery. Then on claims day the authors choose a picture to write a story for by submitting their top choices on a first come first served basis. The moderators pair up the artists and authors that way. Then both partners post their works on the given posting day, same as in a regular bang. Many of the bangs out there alternate between doing regular bangs then reverse bangs, so it’s up to you which style of bang you wanna try.

➡️ if you haven’t tried a bang before I’d definitely advise every creative person to give it a go. Bangs are for all levels of writers and artists and are a good way to get more involved in fandom with likeminded people.

Resources for finding a bang for you:

⭐️⭐️ The Events and Challenges page in the Spn Fanart Community - this is aimed at artists but gives links to bang pages that authors can follow for next time if the author deadline has already passed,

⭐️⭐️ The Spn Bang Calendar - a calendar view display of many upcoming bangs

⭐️⭐️ The Big Bang Blog Project - @thebigbangblogproject is a multifandom page that promotes all sorts of various bangs, events and creative challenges.

[nanamiskentos]

hey mamas 🙇‍♀️ for the “get to know your fic writer” — 3 , 4 , 6 , 11 (cause i need YOU to put me on YOUR fics 🤭) , 13 , 16 (cause im nosy….) , 21 , 23 & 24 (help a hg out), 25 (so i can glaze you), 32 , 39 , 59 , 60 , 64 , 65 (!!!)

okay i’ll get out of here now…

HEYY 🤩 ...i got this notif earlier and saw the no. of questions and decided to eat dinner first bc i needed to be SEATED and with my laptop out ❤️ you came to the right place bc im president and mayor of yap city

— 3. describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

i have like a little template in my drafts with my basic layout (like title, prologue, warnings, pairing etc and so on) and i just keep it to copy and paste for a new fic. and underneath the header and info section, i just outline messy dot points. and each dot point gets turned into a few paragraphs or a scene. and i always have some typa thesaurus open 😭

— 4. where do you find inspiration for ideas

oouh!! mostly song titles i think, i always use them as a jumping point. or actually i really love pinterest, and web-weaving type of posts when it comes to themes i wanna explore (mostly in sfw fics, as opposed to like short smut) 😁

— 6. do you have your work beta'd / how is this important to your process?

nope 😭 my drafts are always super messy and all over the place and im always a little self conscious esp since i jump between ideas and dialogue. BUT i am always yapping in peoples dms and talking abt ideas anyway or getting dialogue checked for clarity...

— 11. link your three favourite fics rn

omg! rent-a-dilf by @screampied i found it sooo charming and effortlessly engaging and also super fun even tho i've never played the sims.

i forgot to like this and add it to my queue so i took an hour to find this particular one, but what you know by @starmapz sukuna and reader are so well characterised and incredibly written! i also loved little yuuji and choso's cameos :(

and they were roommates by @sugoroo i loved it so bad, so EXCELLENT and the tension and smut had me on the edge of my seat. choso's made me laugh 😭

— 13. whats a common writing tip you always follow?

honestly it feels like a cop-out answer but i always try to remember 'unlearn shame' in my head. like when im writing, like for no reason, i get a bit embarrassed or self aware or im overthinking a sentence?? i just have to remember that it is just never that deep....😭

however, a better answer i think would be that for 99% of my fics (so excluding very short fluff, or straight up jackhammering smut) i always always do worldbuilding first. my favourite authors are j.r.r tolkien and george rr martin so middle earth/westerosi levels of high fantasy are massive inspirations when it comes to the grand scheme of creating a world for my characters to interact in.

also i rlly love mythology, folktales and medieval history so they always play a role in how i write or treat common themes. i think its super interesting and poignant at how some stories survive thousands of years and resonate across different cultures, and they remain classics for a reason <333 if that makes sense

like okay say! even in fics that aren't a part of some royal/fantasy/myth au right, like idk say im writing about gojo dying (rip king 😰) its obviously set within the jjk world in 2018, but i would try to see how the following works express the same theme of grief, battle, leaving a loved one behind:

the death of sigurd in the volsunga saga in norse myths

patroclus and achilles in the illiad

a medieval french epic called the song of roland, where roland's death is felt so strongly by his fiancee that she dies

tristan and isolde (tristan being mortally wounded n knowing that he will leave isolde behind, and she succumbs to grief)

the japanese folklore tale of the warrior tomoe gozen, and how she mourns her lord and lover

— 16. how many fic ideas are u nurturing? share one of them!

29! at the moment 😭 and watch me genuinely write like...2... but one of them that i havent even drafted much out yet, towards the end of the list is like geto x reader long fic (prob will have smut bc 😇) but its gonna be an alternative universe where reader is considered a saint/icon/mouthpiece of the gods and he's been marked for death (a warrior? or smth idk)

— 21. would you ever collaborate with another writer for a story?

i've never done it before but ofc! is this the start of user curtins and user creamflix collab.....

— 23. best writing advice for other writers?

sometimes u have to make sure you're sitting on your own and reading that dialogue out loud, or mouthing it. i'm writing shit and then speaking it afterwards. and i cant even stand to hear it bc no way would anyone ever say that.

— 24. worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

you can't start a sentence with 'and' like wtf okay....who said that. english is made up, all words are made up no one gaf if its not proper english, im allowed to do desi repatriations like this ig

— 25. what fic do you wish you got more of a response one?

hmm honestly, i did have an answer for this at first like 'oh yeah this one xyz i wish it got more notes' but that being said i feel like there's none that i feel truly flopped on par with how im improving writing and getting more comfortable. but! if i had to choose: goo goo muck #1 with the minotaur au because i rlly put some thought into how i could incorporate sukuna, yuji, and yuji's execution with the myth of the beast trapped in the maze.

and ditto! i think its my longest fic so far 😭 and it took me so long to plan out a timeline from childhood to gojo's death

— 32. name three of your favourite fanfic writers?

it would be poor form and incredibly remiss of me to not say user @creamflix 🤭 i really love how ur dialogue flows, and the way you describe scenes make me feel like i'm really there (a+ for me)

also @tonycries simply because every time i try my hand at smut, it takes me 4 days to think of something new, and i'm always wondering on how to reword shit so i'm not writing the same thing over and over, but they keep it soooo fresh and new with every fic and soooo well written!!

@kurooh i always find their smut fics sooo creative and fun, and their recent double fantasy fic was SAUUUUUR good!

— 39. share a snippet from a wip!

nay! mind you, this isn't even proofread so its still incredibly basic and thesaurus.com has not come out....but i tried a mildly different inspo approach and header. its very backstory and angst based for sukuna regarding his childhood, but sweet at the end i promise :(( IM CRYING. im seeing mistakes in this already, but i needed to give uraume my they/them baddie a cameo later in it

— 59. does anyone in your personal life know that you write fic? if not, would you tell anyone?

im cryinggggg. def not, unfortunately i can't let this get in the way of the public brand #coolgirl but it would go something like this

— 60. have you had a writer that you admire comment on your fic?

🫡 @madamechrissy who's writing my fave bridgerton fic, with duke!gojo commented on my vacation fic and i really did a giggle and kick in the air 😭

— 64. something you love to see in smut?

hmmmm my favourite thing is like when it isn't just pure smut if that makes sense, like setting, atmosphere, or cute banter is incorporated or clever wordplay. like you can feel the vibe of like where its set idk 😭

— 65. tell us what you're most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project?

i really want to improve and become more confident in different genres, like better smut that flows more without me having to stop and stare at a wall for ten minutes each time, or super cute fluff <333333

[inknanda67]

Finally, I organized the series "Between golden ornaments and Tarots Cards" on ao3! :D

Between Golden Ornaments and Tarots Cards:

It's a series I've been working on for a year, which started with a crazy idea of ​​making a cosplay video of the lamb to the sound of the song "Where You Are" from the movie Moana, which was a trend at the time.

In the end, this series became gigantic, currently having 8 stories, all of which are interconnected to each other.

This series is also a gift to @epicaandk0 who created the first cult of the lamb fanfic I read.

"Who Tends to the Shepherd Whom Herds the Flock?"

This wonderful fanfic with a captivating story caught my heart in such a way that it gave me the strength to write my own.

There were also other people I was inspired by, but I'll put their names at the end of each fic in a chapter name, "thanks" and whoever allows me to put them in gifs too

Here is the order for anyone who wants to read it, the colorful stories are the ones that are being updated( or already complete) the ones that are blank, have a spoiler chapter, and that's it, until I finish updating the current ones :3

1. "Hearts are made to be..."

( Forneus Pov, takes place in the past)

2." Five points of a pentagram."

( Narinder Pov, takes place in the past, linked to "Hearts")

3. "Between Golden Ornaments and Tarot Cards" (Book that gave the series its name)

(Lamb/ Lambert Pov, takes place in the present, but also in the past)

4. "Ambrosia: Fuel for burning flames"

( Narilamb romance 🔞 + Shittens, happens in the present.)

5." Pan's Flute- Leshycat "

( Leshy Pov, Leshycat romance, takes place in the present, linked to "Ambrosia")

6. "Spores Soirée"

( Sozura romance, takes place in Past/ Future, linked to "Ambrosia", a gift for @panoffrying )

7. Oceans of time- Hertra

( Heket Pov, Hertra romance, takes place in the past/present/future, a gift for my sister @mimi-s-boudoir )

8. "I love you Lambert..."

(LambGoat, envious Goat Pov, Non-Canon to the series, linked and happens during and after "Ambrosia")

9. My jewels

( Kallamar POV. Kallamar's polygamous romance and his witnesses. Linked to the fanfics "Hearts are made to be..." and "Five points of a pentagram", it set in the past.)

And that's what we have so far, I'm thinking about creating a 9th story to do some more future scenes, but I'm still organizing the drafts of all the stories that are in white on the list.

I hope you all like this series :3

A kissu from Nanda.

[aureli-us]

HI, I may be a bit late to this, but from the ask game:

1, 4, 11, 13, for Tharya? 😍

SORRY THIS TOOK ME 93728292 YEARS TO GET TO!! i promise i've had this in my drafts forever i just had to finish it... for anyone interested the original ask game is here and i'd love to hear more requests!!

1) Does your OC have a voice claim? If so, who?

UNFORTUNATELY not! i have looked around a couple times though. in my head she has a an american accent since that, to me, is natural - but lately i've been looking into scandi accents and such! i'm sort of leaning towards a finnish or norwegian accent, moreso finnish a bit, i just prefer the way it sounds. in relation to miraak's accent she would probably have a bit of trouble understanding him early on since i assume his accent would sound (and is) very thick and archaic to her ears, and he speaks the common tongue slowly (on purpose). in-game he overpronounces/pronunciates things quite...thickly? i imagine his accent would be much heavier than tharya's, though possibly also recognizable to the nords as related to their own. tharya's accent would also be noticeably different to her countrymen bc her father is from cyrodiil, but idk what real world accent cyrods would have. same goes for her siblings! but unfortunately everyone besides miraak has american accents in my head lol

4) What song describes your OC & their partner?

okay i'm really bad at making playlists BUT i do happen to have a tharyaak one....i will link it here hehehe but my favs for them are probably:

lay all your love on me - abba

wish i knew you - the revivalists

put your head on my shoulder - paul anka

just the two of us - grover washington ft. bill withers

11) What was your inspiration for your OC?

HONESTLY what a question. tharya was born of my very first skyrim OC fane - the character i first created when i got the game + finished the main quest for the first time ever with. i was never 100% happy with fane though, and somehow as i grew increasingly bored with not knowing what to do with her, i decided to change her name. at first it was just that, but then i wanted to change her appearance too; i wanted an LDB who looked like the most boring run of the mill LDB possible: a blonde nord. i wanted that so i could give her intense characterization and depth that would pull people in after sort of tricking them with her appearance of being just another white blonde nord LDB. that's also why i made her a mage. i wanted her to exist as this dichotomy. a lot of tharya's emotional depth comes from me since she is my oldest running OC and i needed a place for my problems, so they became hers: estranged from her brother, struggling with femininity, self-image, love, intimacy. some of it i also just dreamt up to create a more battered and wearied LDB: alcoholism, her constant wish to return to sovngarde, her reckless self-endagerment, her feeling slighted by the world not recognizing her after killing alduin. i want her to be a tired hero who is kind and warm, but has fought with all she could ever give to be kind and warm. and, if you spit in her face, her kindness and warmth are not feeble, nor endless. sometimes she skips being nice because she's sick of it all.

13) Does your OC have a rival? How did it start?

HMMM. well besides early miraak lemme think... if i had to pick, maybe........

MAN i don't think she really does??? maybe i'm just blanking. i can't even in good conscience say miraak because they weren't REALLY rivals to begin with, more like star-crossed enemies....tharya's biggest rival may sort of be herself, at least in earlier years. she kind of got way too into her own head after killing alduin and it let to a pretty substantial depressive/alcoholic episode. i can't say ulfric either because she really didn't consider ulfric a rival, he was a lesser opponent, and an unfortunate duty to carry out. so idk if she has a set rival really in the sense we could think of a hero vs rival way. cool to think abt tho!

[saraptor-art]

WIP TAGGING GAME

Thanks for the tag @allmightskitten 🤩

Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Tag as many people as you have wips. People send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then post a little snippet or tell them something about it!

I think this might be a little disappointing because I don't really have that much wips 😔 I put everything in the same big document and that's that 😅 I tend not to branch out too much once I work on something because my creative juice is already drained by my job! (only sharing fanfic wips btw)

Sea Salt and Sun : does it count as a WIP? I put everything in the same doc so technically yeah? I've got some various scenes drafted up to a year forward of the chapter online at the moment

Hyrule Countryside : the first fic I started to write when I got back into fandoms! I wrote it purely for me, to get back into writing :) it follows the whole life of a bird farmer/ forager Sage from her childhood in Haneto to her adult life on the road and in the Zora Domain. She's a childhood friend of Kass because I just wanted to write about him and have him sing more songs. I wanted to explore the relationship between the different people of Hyrule before Link comes around and after :) basically I was writing my own little fic inspired by the lore of Rito Chronicles ^^ (that's also why I wouldn't publish it) I've said it before but it was this mastodon of a work by @unmaskedcardinal got me back to writing and interacting with fandoms as an adult.

-9000 : a dbz fanfic that isn't textual but an addition of funny, ridiculous and sometimes heartfelt and steamy fancomics about Doctor Rine and her two friends, Nana and Berry as members of the Frieza Empire (and later on earth too!)

This is really something I want to work more on, it just cracks me up! (feature lots of Raditz because, come on, he's fun)

[elizmanderson]

2024 wrap-up, part 1

part two | part three | part four

[ABBA voice] here we go again, my my—

anyway, now that I've put that song in your head, let's look back at my year

writing

book stuff

as you may know, my second book, The Keeper of Lonely Spirits, releases in March 2025! so I spent much of this year editing, then editing some more, then line editing, then copy editing, then going over pass pages, then over more pass pages... the process never ends (until it's too late to make changes)

(artist: Xuan Loc Xuan)

if you find any typos in the final book come March, instead of being annoyed about them, you should recognize their determination and give them an award for MVT (most valuable typo) and a kiss on their lil typewritten forehead. because they made it not only through my own fifty six thousand rereads, but also through my agent, my editor, my copy editor, and my proofreader, and I think almost every single one of those people went through the book at least twice

anyway, The Keeper of Lonely Spirits is a cozy fantasy about an old man cursed with immortality who hunts ghosts rather than making mortal friends who will die one day. when the residents of an Ohio town beset by a vengeful spirit adopt him as their own, he must decide: leave to protect his heart, or stay to save their lives?

link to StoryGraph listing

link to signed preorders through my local indie

link to unsigned preorders through the publisher

I also received my first ever trade reviews, one of which was a starred review from Library Journal! trade reviews can convince booksellers and libraries to purchase the book, especially if positive, especially if starred. they look good on a book's resume

read the reviews here:

link to Library Journal review

link to Publishers Weekly review

short stories

because I was so busy with novel stuff, I only wrote one short story this year. part of one short story. back at the start of January.

you know what happened? I let it sit for a few days for reasons I no longer remember, and when I came back I couldn't remember quite where I was going with it a l a s

anyway it's a queer Cinderella-inspired short, and I'd love to magically figure out a direction for it afresh so I can finish it in 2025

in-progress stuff

...we still won't talk about how revising last year's cozy mystery is going, but in my defense (a) I've been on deadline for other things and (b) just nine chapters in I had already strayed so far from my scene list that I had to rethink the whole book, whoops

mostly, I've been working on the second book that this publisher bought, which has resulted in a very terrible first draft full of so many footnotes and brackets that I would almost call it a zero draft, except I can't bring myself to use that term*

(*for myself. y'all use it as much as you like, if you like it)

literally it was 79,000 words, 6,000 words of which were footnotes-to-self so as not to ruin my fancy WIP aesthetic (Blackadder and Perpetua ftw) with comments

anyway, then there was a marginally less terrible second draft, which is what my editor got (a respectable 98,000 words with zero footnotes and almost zero brackets)

THEN I was supposed to take a break and not think about the book again until my editor read it and got back to me...but instead I immediately wrote a brand new synopsis, sent it to her like "seriously you don't even have to read the version I already sent you bc it's gonna look so different," and then a couple weeks later whoops turned around started rewriting the whole story

which isn't going great bc I really DO need a break, I can TELL I need a break, but unfortunately when it comes to writing my brain is like "NO BREAK. ONLY WRITE >:[" which is Not Good. but I am trying to let myself casually poke at it instead of going hard and getting it done fast enough to send to my editor before she can even read the version she has lolol, so that's something

no-context spoilers for this WIP:

(tried finding the original post but could not, so screenshot from the internet it is)

that's it for part one! part two to follow is here! link to part two

[wayfayrr]

I can't quite believe this was first in my drafts in feb and I've only gotten to actually writing it these last two weeks.

This fic was based off of five songs from spotify shuffling one of my playlists which was an idea inspired by @trulytiredhermit and then it kinda just went from there

the songs that I based it on were: To my enemies - Saint motel, stalker’s tango - Autoheart, meet me in the woods - Lord Huron, The red means I love you - Madds Buckley and Bitter water by the oh hellos

You know they say you're nobody until someone wants you dead, and I can't help but feel like it's morbidly accurate for everything that's happened to me recently.

That weird shadow brought me here for whatever, most likely because it wants my head for some reason. and then all of a sudden?

I'm one of the most important people to the heroes of Hyrule, brought here by fate for whatever reason and they all love me… although love might not be the best way to describe it. If you were to ask any of them they'd say "It feels so wrong it's right" Heh how ridiculous to be that obsessed, so I ran as far as I could, lost in a world that isn't my own and one that shouldn’t exist out of fiction. Those boys that I once cared for; who promised me they'd find me someway home, but talk is cheap after all and it's oh so effortless to lie when it brings you so many benefits.

The situation was so incredibly strange, I don't think there's any amount of time where I could've gotten used to it despite what they would say. it started, well I can't say normally as nothing about this is normal, but it started well. they were themselves, they were still sane. but then they started to slip letting me out of their sight, less and less and less until it was like I had to be in at least one of their line of sight at all times, they wouldn't let me talk about my home, wouldn't let me focus on things that weren't them always trying to justify it whether it was to me or themselves I could never tell. Perhaps it was both?

This little journey I’ve taken into the unknown?

Oh, I’ll go back changed, I wonder if those I cared about would even recognise me at this point. How long have I been away at this point, it feels like ages yet my phone says it’s only days. Well in the games back home the games always ran on a much faster time scale, it wouldn’t be impossible that I’m still running off of real-world time; if anything it makes more sense with how I’ve not needed to eat or sleep for days on end. I’ve never been away from the links for this long, not since I started travelling with them that is. They’re probably worried sick at this point; it’s probably only a matter of hours until they do manage to find me. Until Wolfie sniffs me out, Sky uses Fi to dowse for my signal, or even Wild traces me with his slate.

“[name]?”

And with that last thought it’s as if I’ve jinxed myself and my hiding spot. The one thing I can be glad for is that it’s Sky who found me, while his anger is terrifying it’s not on the same level as Time, Warrior or Light forbid if Legend was the one to find me. Sky is oh-so-nice compared to them, even if he is a yandere with a strange fascination, a near-obsessive infatuation.

he still treats me like I'm a person though, so there's that. He, I think if I were to end up with any of them it would be him. 

"oh by Hylia, [name] are you alright? you've been missing for so long, we thought you were kidnapped, but by the looks of it, you've managed to escape them! even, even if it did leave you hurt"

his smile doesn't look right. he's lying, lying straight to my face... 

but it's not like he's lying to me. No, it's like he's trying to convince himself that's what happened. His concern is sweet despite how misplaced it may be; I can't bring myself to break it to him that it's not what happened. Unless...

I couldn't, could I?

oh, but I could.

"link, I- I wasn't kidnapped. I was scared of how the others are acting, I didn't feel safe so- so I ran as far as I could"

This affected me more than I thought, seeing as I could barely finish the sentence without stuttering or coming close to bursting into tears, I hope he reacts the way I want him to and by the look of it, he will.

His face instantly fell when I said that, filled with pity and something else I can't quite put my finger on, the closest thing I can think of is pride but even that doesn't seem right, is, is he smug? Why would he be smug that I’m scared of the others when I…

“Oh my dove, you don't need to be worried now, I'm here. I'm the only one you trust after all; the only one of us you need. you're my betrothed, my one true love until the end of time"

his"betrothed", when did he- how would he- how didn't I realise? Is Skyloftian culture so different to my own? oh, what am I saying of course it's that different. why is he reaching for - the feather? he proposed when he gave me that earring, didn't he?

"I knew I made the right choice when I chose you as mine, we’re perfect for each other can’t you see? And I know I shouldn't love you, I know I shouldn't love you but I do and nothing will separate me from you again as long as I draw breath.”

And isn’t that the truth, that look in his eyes, that stupid lovesick look. I’m not a fool entire for I know exactly what it means. The idea that even if I somehow made it home…

He would find me.

And he would never let go.

How are you even supposed to respond to something like this? This declaration of ownership, that no matter what I do I’m his. To think how I idolised him when he was nothing more than a game character, how naive was I?

Even still I can’t bring myself to hate him, even if he’s a walking red flag. Even if he’s someone I should run from in fear - It’s still Sky, still the only one to welcome me with open arms, the only one to treat me ever so kindly when I was petrified of everything.

Part of me is telling me to leave, to do what's smart and practical. But another part is pulling me towards staying, following my heart even if it means taking a risk. I know I’d have regrets either way for I would be losing something I care for no matter my choice and I’ll need to say something soon to him, even if it’s a lie. I can’t bear to see him so worried, even knowing where that worry is from.

I don't know what the right choice is, but I know that I have to make a decision. And no matter what I choose, I'll have to live with the consequences.

[wingardiumfm]

it’s  the  thirty-first  of  october.  the  air  is  getting  chillier  and  the  shopkeepers  in  hogsmeade  are  finishing  up  on  the  final  touches  of  decorations  for  the  yearly  samhain  festival.  it’s  the  one  day  of  the  year  where  hogwarts  students  are  allowed  out  past  curfew  to  observe  and  celebrate  the  old  traditional  ways.  families  from  all  over  the  country  and  the  various  hamlets  travel  to  hogsmeade  to  celebrate  the  end  of  the  harvest  season  into  the  beginning  of  winter. 

hogsmeade samhain festival — october 31st, 1978 at sunset to november 1st, 1978 at dawn.

welcome to wingardiumfm ! we are officially open for interactions now with our very first event. enjoy the atmosphere, the food, the games, and the crafts that come with the hogsmeade samhain festival of 1978 ! your characters have ultimate freedom on their choices during this event whether they’re there to celebrate samhain, work a booth or activity, enjoy the festival themselves, or visit with family.

please be sure to reply to any open starter you see made on the dash/linked in the discord and include everyone in any closed starters you choose to write. and most importantly, have fun !

this event will last from DECEMBER 31st  to JANUARY 6TH .

list of activities happening during the samhain festival !

bonfire — a fire lit in hogsmeade's main courtyard to mark the beginning of samhain ceremonies.

wandlight parade — a magical procession through the village where wizards and witches use their wands to create glowing, spectral designs that represent the spirits of the season.

divination booths — skilled seers offer palm readings, crystal ball gazing, and tarot card sessions for festival-goers.

pumpkin carving contest — a magical twist on pumpkin carving, where participants enchant their pumpkins to sing, dance, or tell spooky stories.

haunted hayride — a ride through the forbidden forest, complete with ghostly apparitions, enchanted creatures, and eerie effects.

ancestor's lanterns release — attendees write messages to departed loved ones on enchanted lanterns, which float up and disappear into the sky, symbolizing the thinning veil between the worlds.

potion-making demonstrations — hosted by the current potions professor at hogwarts, professor slughorn, attendees learn how to brew seasonal potions like warming drafts or dream elixirs.

ghost story circle — ghosts like nearly headless nick, the fat friar, and moaning myrtle share chilling tales from the past. held in the three broomsticks.

dumb supper — a traditional, silent feast with magical foods like flame-roasted meats & floating pastries where empty chairs are left out for deceased loved ones.

mask-making workshop — participants craft enchanted masks that change expressions or react to the wearer’s emotions, inspired by ancient samhain disguises to ward off spirits.

thestral night flight — brave attendees can take a ride on thestrals, gaining a glimpse of the magical creatures said to connect the living and the dead.

hogwarts frog choir performance — the frog choir performs haunting songs with enchanted instruments and harmonies that invoke the mystical spirit of samhain.

cursed artifact exhibition — a special display in zonko's, featuring dark magical artifacts with explanations of their lore and legends.

magical market stalls — shops and local artisans sell samhain-themed wares, from enchanted trinkets to seasonal candies like pumpkin pasties and fizzing whizzbees with a spooky twist.

ghost duel reenactments — hogwarts spirits recreate famous wizard duels from history in a dramatic, magical performance in the courtyard.

fireworks — a magical fireworks show at the end of the festival, featuring spells that light up the sky with seasonal symbols like runes, pumpkins, and glowing spirits.

[solar-wing]

Im sorry, but HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO WRITE SO MANY GOOD FICS WITH THAT MANY WORDS??????

Do you have any tips for anyone planning to start writing? Can you describe how your creative thinking works? Love your work!

my exact writing process:

going from left to right:

– stare at my computer, willing the idea/scene in my head to appear on the document in words while listening to whatever inspired me on repeat. – sleep after exhausting my creative energy in such a strenuous manner. – eventually, come back to the idea/story only to end up formating the story post (story cover, author's note, summary, masterlists links, etc.) and not actually work on the story itself. – EVENTUALLY, write something and feel proud of myself for all of five minutes.

– eventually, come back and cringe at the screen wondering what the fuck I wrote and how I even got to the point I'm at. – question who I am and what I'm doing while staring at the screen, attempting again to will the scene/story I'm imagining onto the screen in a DECENT format while also wondering how the fuck it got so long. – read a notification from one of you coronal mass ejections asking me when the story I've been ignoring for months is getting updated (rightfully so) – write with passion fear, because I know if I delay any longer, one of you CMEs will eventually unite the rest of you and start a mass riot.

– stare at the post after publishing it and refresh my screen every thirty seconds to see the likes, reblogs, and comments coming in. – sleep (very important step) – eventually, read over my own work after posting it, going back in to make edits after realizing I either have a duplicated paragraph/section or a misspelled word somewhere and it's bugging the hell out of me while trying to just ignore it. – look at my inbox/drafts, trying to decide what request/draft I should finally start/finish, until I don't do that and just end up starting a new random story after getting inspired from the most random thing.

and that's it (i'm so serious, it goes exactly like that)!

but, in more seriousness, there's three crucial things to my writing creative/process.

an idea that was randomly sparked from a song or likely another post I read somewhere.

a super-powered hyperfocused spawned from ADD (attention deficit disorder) that randomly turns on and off.

drafts that have been sitting in my Google Drive for months to nearly a year.

it's funny because I'm sure people have questions of how I'm pushing upwards of 30K word fics out back to back at times, and the whole time, I'm like "This draft has been sitting here and getting slowly added to since April."

One Kent Was Enough was an idea I got last year during the summer (2023), and the draft had literally been sitting in my Google Drive and Tumblr drafts for months. Like I'm pretty sure I had a draft post of it on my old account before it got shadowbanned and I made this one..

All that to say, my writing process is pretty organic to me. It's really a reflection of my personality and how I operate in real life. Though, I I'd doubt that a lot of the stuff I put in there is unique just to me.

As far as tips I would have, the first one would be don't expect to write like your favorite author off the bat. One, you're two completely different people with different personalities, styles, likes/dislikes, etc. Two, if any of you remember how Nightwing and Shadow first came about, then you know seeing where it's gotten now has been a process. I promise I did not just start writing like this.

But, the biggest tip I would give is to just write. I saw a music artist named Doechii say this in an interview: "I have the right to be bad at something when I first start." Like I said in my process, there are many points I will look back at my work and completely hate it. Sometimes, the stories won't make sense to you or you'll feel like you've just thrown a bunch a words on the screen. It's okay.

It adds to your process because eventually, you start to learn what works best for you and what doesn't. Also, the stories end up turning out to be really well-thought-out and good in the end. I'm not joking when I say One Kent Was Enough was a literal mess at multiple points, and many times, I had no idea where I was going with the story. I literally couldn't get past the scene where the boys meet their dads and the rest of the Team for months until I had a breakthrough.

you'll eventually find your own way. just start writing 💛

[mxxnlightwriting]

happy sts !

i saw on your intro post of A Spark of Magic that you do playlists for your wips. i'd love it if you shared some of them and if you told us your thoughts about crafting them :]

writblr: @vsnotresponding

Hello! Happy STS to you too ☺️

Thank you so much for your question! I love music (I'm always listening to it), so I try to create a playlist for my WIPs as soon as I start working on them. My playlists tend to be messy because they're a collection of songs that help me brainstorm the story, remind me of a certain character, or would be part of a specific scene I want to write/have already written.

My playlists, much like my manuscripts, also have several drafts/versions. The first one tends to be an eclectic collection of all the songs that remind me of said WIP, but as I finalise the manuscript and finish its structural edits, I usually remove songs until only the "official soundtrack" remains.

How I choose which song fits and which song depends on whether it makes sense sonically with the tone of the story and whether or not it relates to a scene or character.

I'll share more details about the playlist of A Spark of Magic below but I didn't go more in-depth with other WIPs because I'd make this super long, but I've linked them too in case you want to check them out/listen to them!

✨ A Spark of Magic

A Spark of Magic has some mysterious vibes and magic, but since its main characters are teenagers and it's set in our world (in a small town located near the mountains), I wanted the playlist to reflect that atmosphere and vibe.

The first playlist I created for this WIP had about 26 songs. You can find it here, and you'll notice I've renamed it to A Spark of Magic Series because this is where I'll add all the songs that will inspire/influence this series.

The final version, and the one I've included in the book (I include playlists in my books), only has 10 songs. These songs are organised chronologically so they either match events of the book and/or an inner struggle of the character, kind of like a soundtrack. You can listen to this final version here, and you'll see it's much shorter but also more cohesive sonically (I think).

🍰 Not Another Cinderella Story

As the placeholder name suggests, this WIP is a Cinderella retelling, but this one is set in modern times and in a fictional European country named Tudal. I wanted this playlist to have some sweet vibes (with its fair share of heartache), so I've included some songs that have fairy tale vibes. Those include Bewitched by Laufey, Enchanted (Taylor's version) by Taylor Swift, and Slow Burn by Kacey Musgraves.

You can listen to the full playlist here but this isn't organised properly yet so it's a big mess!

🏙️ Risky Business

This is the playlist I created for my adult contemporary serial, and I'm mostly sharing it because it's currently my longest playlist (it has 213 songs). This serial takes place in a cosmopolitan city and it features six different points of view, so it has an even bigger collection of songs that reflect all their storylines and moments. You can listen to it here, but as I said, it's very long (and messy).

I have many other playlists for my never-ending WIPs, but hopefully, this gives you an idea of how music influences my process!

What about you, does music have any influence on your writing process?

I wish you a lovely day/night!

[bluephoenixgirl]

Better Than Him

Gunnar Henderson x Reader

Warnings: Some Adult Language, Depressed!Reader, Anxiety, Mention of Bad Break Up, Alcohol, Mention of Drunk Reader, Angst with Fluff at the End, and Possible Grammar Errors. (Let me know if I forgot any!!)

Summary: Y/N and Gunnar grew up together and lived in the same state till their senior year in high school but they eventually got reunited after just a year apart. When they reconnect old feelings came back for Gunnar but before he could tell Y/N she once again got together with someone else. After the boy breaks Y/N’s heart Gunnar hopes and prays that Y/N will realize that he is way better for her than her ex.

Word Count: 1,764

Author’s Note: My first Gunnar story is finally here! I am so happy that baseball is back since I’m getting all kinds of story ideas for Gunnar and Adley. Now this story is actually based off a country song that I don’t think a lot of you know. The inspiration is from the song He Ain’t Worth Missing by Toby Keith. I grew up listening to country music and my first ever crush was Toby Keith who sadly passed away in February and it really crushed me because he was a big part of my childhood so of course I’ve been listening to his music a lot lately. Gunnar actually reminds me a lot of Toby Keith. I really don’t know what it is. They are both country boys since Gunnar is from Alabama so they had similar accents. And maybe it’s because they had similar hair and when Gunnar has facial hair he looks like him! Idk what it is so don’t be surprised if I write another Gunnar story based off a Toby Keith song! I’ll leave the link to song here if you all want to listen to it! You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Sorry for the long Author’s Note and I hope you all enjoy this story!!

Y/N and Gunnar grew up together in Montgomery, Alabama and were really close to one another since the day they started school together. Well, that was till Y/N moved from Alabama to Maryland her senior year of high school.

Y/N has a lot of family in Maryland so that was a big reason why her and her family moved there. It just really broke her heart to move away from Gunnar. It was so hard for both of them to not see each other everyday. They did their best to stay in touch with each other by texting, calling, or even FaceTiming.

After they both graduated from high school they thought that they were still going to be separated from each other since they were going into different directions but to their surprise they were going to be reunited. Y/N got accepted into the university of Maryland and Gunnar got drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2019 MLB draft at just seventeen years old. They are so happy to be back to living in the same state as one another again. Even though they won’t be able to see each other everyday but at least they were just a car ride away from each other again.

When they started hanging out with each other again a lot of old feelings were returning especially for Gunnar. Gunnar started to develop a crush on his best friend at the end of eighth grade into their first year in high school. Gunnar will never forget the day he realized that he’s falling head over heels for Y/N. Gunnar always wanted to ask Y/N out but she was always with someone else. When he reconnected with her he was hoping he would get a chance to confess to her his feelings but again Y/N got the attention of someone else.

______________________________

Now into the Present. Gunnar is entering his third season in major leagues after winning AL Rookie of The Year the season before and Y/N is almost done with her final year at Maryland University. Y/N hasn’t just been stressed out because of school but also has been stressed because she just had a bad break up with her on and off again boyfriend named Brad. He’s your typical fuck boy frat boy in college. It always drives Gunnar fucking crazy when Y/N goes back to that asshole so he’s hoping and praying that this break up is the end.

Since Y/N has been depressed from the break up Gunnar and a couple of her friends she goes to school with got her to agree to go to a bar and have some drinks since it was Friday. Since Gunnar’s opening day for his team was a Thursday he didn’t have a game that night. Once everyone arrived at the bar everyone walked into the bar together. Right away Y/N wished she didn’t walk inside. She just froze in her spot. The only person who noticed that she just stoped was Gunnar. Before he could ask what was wrong he saw what Y/N was looking at. It was Brad sitting at the bar with a girl who was obviously his date. Y/N knew who the girl was. The girl is the person Brad dumped her for. It hurt Gunnar to see the hurt in Y/N’s beautiful and soft eyes. “Y/N.” Gunnar said putting one of his hands onto her shoulder which got her attention. “Ignore him. Don’t let him ruin your night.” Gunnar told her. Y/N just gave him a nod and let Gunnar take her to where their friends were sitting which was a table in the back of the bar.

Right when the waitress came to their table Y/N ordered some shots of Tequila for herself. Gunnar’s worry returned since he was worried that Y/N was going to get completely wasted. It’s never fun taking care of a drunk Y/N since she can get really crazy when she drinks too much.

As the night went on Gunnar would notice Y/N glance over at Brad and his date. When Brad leaned over and gave the girl a kiss on the lips Y/N has enough. “I can’t fucking do this!” Y/N hissed as should stood up. She grabbed her purse and made her way out of the bar. Her friends kept calling her back over the music but she just ignored them and kept on walking. When Y/N walked out of the bar one person followed her. When the person grabbed her hand she knew the person who followed her was Gunnar. Y/N let out a heavy sigh. “Y/N-“ Gunnar started to but Y/N immediately cut him off. “I’m not staying okay!” Y/N told him with a mixture of frustration and sternness in her voice pulling her hand out of Gunnar’s. “Listen I know you can’t go back in there but you still deserve a night out. We can go somewhere else.” Gunnar told her but she shook her head no. “I just need to be alone right now.” Y/N told him and turned away from him to walk to her car. Gunnar wanted to go after her but no matter what he says to her it isn’t going to change her mind.

Y/N has gone through many break ups but this is the first break up that has left her completely broken. No matter how sad Y/N got from a break up she never shut Gunnar out. Her telling him that she just wants to be alone is a first.

Once Gunnar watched Y/N drive away in her car he let out a heavy sigh and walked back into the bar.

______________________________

A couple days have pasted and Y/N hasn’t contacted Gunnar which made him even more worried about her because it’s not like her to ignore his texts and calls. He feels like she is isolating herself from all of her friends which is really out of character of her. He knows that she’s hurting but she shouldn’t be by herself right now. She’s vulnerable and when you are vulnerable being alone is a big red flag. He knows that she’s hurting but she shouldn’t be ignoring the ones that love and care for her. The only time Y/N has left the her apartment is to go to her classes.

Y/N was sitting in her living room watching TV. She was wrapped up her in her fluffy blanket eating her favorite snack while watching her favorite and comfort show. This is all she does when she is home. There was a knock on the door which made her let out a big groan. “Go away!” Y/N called out. “Y/N, it’s Gunnar.” She heard him say on the other side of her front door. “I told you that I want to be alone!” Y/N called back out to him with frustration. “Y/N I just want to talk to you.” She heard Gunnar say. She could hear the concern in his voice. “I’m not going to leave.” She heard him add in.

She let out a sigh in defeat as she pulled her soft blanket off her body. She stood up from the couch and walked over to the door. She opened the door to see her concern best friend. “Are you going to let me in?” Gunnar asked her. Y/N stepped to the side so he could walk into her apartment. “Is your roommate here?” Gunnar asked her in a curious tone. “No, she’s in class right now.” Y/N answered as she closed the door. “Have you been going to class?” Gunnar asked her which made her let out a groan. “If your talk is a lecture you can just leave.” Y/N told him in annoyance.

She walked back towards that couch and flopped down onto it. “Y/N you shouldn’t be depressed over a stupid fucking frat boy.” Gunnar told her in a stern tone. “You can find a guy that is ten times better than Brad.” Gunnar added which made her let out a scoff. “Oh and who could that guy be?” Y/N asked him folding her arms over her chest. “Me!” Gunnar blurted out which took her by surprise. “What?” Y/N asked in shock looking up at him with wide eyes. “Shit!” Gunnar hissed as he ran a hand through his curly blonde hair.

This isn’t how he wanted to tell his best friend that he has feelings for her.

“Gunnar!” Y/N said as she stood up from the couch. “Do you have feelings for me?” Y/N asked him. “Yes I do.” Gunnar answered which made her heart skip a beat. “How long have you felt this way?” Y/N asked him. “Since the end of eighth grade.” Gunnar answered her. “You’ve had these feelings for that long.” Y/N said still in complete shock. The couldn’t believe what was happening. “I wanted to tell you but you were always with someone.” Gunnar told her with frustration in his voice. “Gunnar.” Y/N said but he ignored her since he started to ramble. “I wanted to tell you when we reconnected here but before I could get the chance you got with Brad.” Gunnar explained to her. “Gunnar.” Y/N said again but again he kept on talking. “When you two broke up I was hoping and praying that you would realize that I can be better than him for you.” Gunnar told her. Y/N knew he wasn’t going to listen to her and that he was going to keep talking so she walked closer to him.

Before he could get another word out she grabbed him by the arms and connected her lips with his lips. The kiss took Gunnar by surprise but since this has been a moment he’s been waiting for he immediately returned the kiss. When they released from the kiss they had to catch their breaths.

“I’m sorry.” Y/N said in a soft tone which confused him. “Sorry about what?” Gunnar asked her in confusion. “I’ve had feelings for you too but I always thought that you only saw me as your best friend.” Y/N told him. “Don’t be sorry. I’m stupid for hiding my feelings from you.” Gunnar reassured her. “I think we’re both done with be stupid.” Y/N said with a giggle which also made Gunnar laugh.

“Well since we’re done being stupid how about I take you out to dinner after my game on Sunday for our first date?” Gunnar said as she smiled up at him. “That sounds like a good date to me.” Y/N said wrapping her arms around his neck as he smiled down at her.