#lmao this is literally 1000 words long

[br1ghtestlight]

for @jimmyjrsmusoems birthday here's like all my notes and everything i wrote for a tinimmy fanfic where tina was a single mom and jimmy jr moved back to seymour's bay. never gonna finish this but the heart is there lol

tina is 22 and has a 4 year old daughter named alice (named after bob's grandmother) her high school boyfriend got her pregnant and then took off. she lives with bob and linda and works at the restaurant (for actual money) and alice sleeps in louise's old bedroom bcuz she moved out. previously stayed with tina in her bedroom

gene is 20 and lives with bob and linda and he's an indie musician who posts stuff online and has a bit of a following. he also does gigs at random pubs and nightclubs around new jersey but music is basically his career (he still helps out around the restaurant of course)

louise is 18 and moved out into an apartment with rudy bcuz they both wanted a taste of adult life and independence but they honestly only live like three blocks away and she comes over for dinner most nights

jimmy jr is 22 and just came home from college after graduating with a kinda useless degree in dance and he's kinda aimless in life. he moved back in with his dad and works at his restaurant again (he moved out of seymours bay in 11th grade when his mom moved out of state and he went with her bcuz his dad really wasn't interested in having teenage sons and he wasn't supporting jimmy jr's dance career. andy and ollie still live with their mom)

Jimmy Junior was standing impatiently in line at Patterson Farms with a single carton of milk that his father had asked him to pick up.

He'd been waiting for the past five minutes and he'd still barely moved forward, because apparently every single customer except for him was choosing today to buy a month's worth of groceries. He really should have gone to the self-checkout and saved himself the frustration.

There was only one person standing in front of him while the cashier rang up their shopping cart full of groceries. Jimmy Junior couldn't see her face, but she had shoulder-length black hair and big glasses that reminded him of Tina Belcher, his first and only girlfriend from back when he was in middle school. She was holding hands with a toddler who couldn't have been older than three or four, who was wearing a tu-tu and rainbow leggings and had a shirt that was clearly stained with grape juice.

He wasn't angry at this woman for buying her groceries or for bringing her toddler to the store which probably caused everything to take twice as long. He was just annoyed with the dysfunctional layout of this grocery store in general. Why did they decide they only needed two functioning checkout lines at any given moment? They were the biggest grocery store in Seymour's Bay!

Jimmy Junior had only moved back to Seymour's Bay after graduating college a few weeks ago, but he was already beginning to remember why he left.

Not to mention his father constantly asking him when he was going to move out and find himself a job, as if he wasn't already helping out by working at Jimmy Pesto's Pizzeria five days a week. He really needed to figure out where he was going in life so he could get the hell out of this town, or at least his father's crappy apartment.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. You're still $24.95 short for this purchase," the cashier told the woman in front of Jimmy Junior without any actual sympathy or concern in her voice. She was probably counting down the hours until she could clock out and leave this overcrowded grocery store, and Jimmy Junior couldn't blame her.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I'll just—uh, I guess we don't need cereal for a few more days," the woman in front of Jimmy Junior said anxiously as she began putting items back into her shopping cart.

Jimmy Junior immediately knew where he recognized that voice from. It was Tina Belcher. He hadn't talked to her very often since he moved away from Seymour's Bay with his mother and younger brother when they were in eleventh grade and they fell out of contact, but he'd been friends with her since kindergarten and it was impossible not to recognize her distinctive monotone voice, and those eyes that he'd spent so many years desperately trying not to look into out of fear of the disappointment he would bring.

Their relationship had grown apart over the years even before Jimmy Junior had moved away and they certainly weren't as close as they'd been as children, but he could still remember how hard Tina had started sobbing when he broke the news to her that he would be moving away and that they wouldn't be going to school together anymore. He understood how she was feeling because he was equally as heartbroken even when he didn't really have a choice. Jimmy Junior had always assumed that Tina and him would spend the rest of their lives together. They would always know each other and have that childhood proximity.

He didn't know why she was going grocery shopping with a toddler or why she was unable to afford groceries, but he did know that he cared about her and he wasn't going to let his oldest friend be humiliated like this.

Jimmy Junior stepped forward and pulled out his wallet. "Don't worry about putting anything back, Tina. I've got this."

"Jimmy Junior?"

Tina turned around to look at him with amazement in her eyes, as if he'd just performed an actual miracle by offering to pay for her groceries. He could afford it. His father wasn't actually asking him to pay rent while he stayed in his childhood bedroom, and he was getting paid for working at Jimmy Pesto's Pizzeria. His only living expenses were paying off his student loans for when he'd gone to college and gotten a degree in dance, but fortunately his payments weren't higher than he could afford. Even if he wasn't really able to afford it, he wouldn't have let Tina go hungry or stand there in embarrassment while the cashier watched.

Jimmy Junior shrugged and walked toward the cashier so that he could pay for everything Tina couldn't afford, and the milk his father had requested. Tina took a step back and gently guided the little girl she was taking care of out of the way. Once he had paid for everything Jimmy Junior offered to help bag Tina's groceries and she quickly agreed.

Tina smiled at Jimmy Junior as he began quickly and expertly loading everything she'd bought into grocery bags. After he moved away from Seymour's Bay he had found a job working at a grocery store while he was going to college, and he would say he'd gotten pretty good at loading up groceries quicker than the average person.

"Why are you back in Seymour's Bay? I thought you moved to Georgia with Andy and Ollie?" Tina asked. She started trying to help Jimmy Junior load her groceries into the bags, but stopped when she realized that he clearly had more experience and she was slowing him down rather than helping with anything.

Jimmy Junior glanced in her direction. "I graduated from college a few months ago, and I thought it would be a good plan to move back in with my dad and catch up with friends I haven't seen since I moved while I figured out what I'm going to do with my life. You know, typical young adult stuff."

Tina nodded. "I—I mean, I never went to college. I took a few English courses at the community college in Bog Harbour, but when Alice got older it was just too difficult to keep up with schoolwork and take care of her at the same time. I still work at my parents' restaurant, though. They're getting older and they need all the help that they can get."

"Who is Alice?" Jimmy Junior asked Tina with a questioning look. He wasn't sure if Tina had adopted a dog, or if her parents decided to have another child after Jimmy Junior moved away and he'd never heard about it. He thought they were a little too old for that, but he wasn't going to judge them. His parents might have chosen to have another child too if they hadn't gotten divorced.

Tina gestured to the toddler who was standing beside her and carefully studying the assortment of candy and chocolate in the aisle.

"Did your parents have another daughter?"

Tina actually laughed after Jimmy Junior asked this before she explained herself. "Oh my God, no. They're way too old to have another kid. Alice is my daughter! Alice, sweetheart, do you want to say hello to Jimmy Junior?"

Alice looked up at him with an unimpressed expression on her face. "Hi."

Jimmy Junior took a step back in disbelief. He'd never even considered that he and his childhood friends were at the age where it wouldn't be unreasonable to start a family and have children of their own, especially because that was not something he planned for himself. His parents' had been around his age when they first got pregnant with him. When he took a closer look at Alice, he could clearly see the resemblance between her and Tina, although he honestly thought he looked more similar to Louise. She had curly black hair and a nose that looked almost identical to Tina's. It was kind of unnerving.

"Oh," Jimmy Junior finally said after a few seconds of silence. "You have a daughter?"

Tina was clearly confused by how Jimmy Junior was reacting to the concept of her having a child, but he just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that this woman he'd known since they were children themselves had a child of her own. None of his friends from college or anybody that he'd known in Seymour's Bay had children, so Tina was his first experience with this.

"I mean, uh, that's great. I'm happy for you, Tina," Jimmy Junior started awkwardly. "Who's her father? Or, uh, mother… I don't want to assume anything."

Tina began picking up bags of groceries to bring to the car with both her hands, and Jimmy Junior helped her by grabbing a few and walking to the car with her. Tina handed a very small bag of fruits to Alice so that she would feel like she was helping too and that she wasn't being forgotten or excluded. If Alice was anything like Tina or her siblings when they were children, that was probably a good idea.

"You don't know him," Tina said to Jimmy Junior as they walked to her car together. Jimmy Junior had chosen to walk to Patterson Farms because it was a beautiful summer day outside and he didn't have any other plans, so fortunately he didn't need to worry about unloading anything in his own car. "We started dating in high school after you moved away. His name was Nathan, but he isn't really in my life anymore. He broke up with me after I told him I was pregnant and started avoiding me, so his name isn't even on Alice's birth certificate."

"Crap. I'm really sorry, Tina," Jimmy Junior said apologetically. Tina opened up the trunk of her car—which was actually her family's car that was the same one they'd had since she was a child, he was assuming she borrowed it for this trip—and began loading groceries into it. "I had no idea. He's an asshole for doing that to you."

Tina smiled like she was completely unbothered by the fact that her daughter's father had completely abandoned them and left Tina to raise her by herself as she struggled financially. Jimmy Junior's father was far from a good parent, but he could at least be thankful that he'd never once considered abandoning his children and he even took Jimmy Junior back in after years of separation between them. He was sure he would do the same for Andy and Ollie if they asked. "Don't worry, it's okay. It wasn't all bad, either. I always have my family to help me with anything I need, and Jocelyn and Tammy were actually really cool when I told them I was pregnant. They held a baby shower for me, and Tammy offered to babysit Alice for no charge. I didn't accept her offer, obviously, because she's Tammy… but I could tell she was trying to be helpful and make an effort. They've grown up a lot since we were in middle school."

Jimmy Junior slammed the trunk of her car shut before he turned back to her. "That's good to hear. How has your family been, by the way? Is Gene still working on his music career?"

"They're doing great," Tina said. She grabbed Alice's hand to keep her from wandering off into the dangerous parking lot. "My parents' restaurant has had good business for the past few years, and Louise actually just moved out on her own a couple months ago. She's sharing an apartment with Regular-Sized Rudy because they both decided they wanted to get a taste of adult life without moving too far away from home. She still comes over for dinner a few nights a week. Gene has been working on building a following online for his music, so he's been posting video tutorials on how to set up certain instruments and tune them, and he still plays local clubs sometimes. He's been trying to learn to play guitar. Alice has been OBSESSED with him. Sometimes I think she likes Gene more than she likes me. She wants to be exactly like her Uncle Gene. Isn't that right, Alice?"

Tina looked down at Alice and affectionately ruffled her hair. She seemed to finally be paying attention to their conversation now that Gene was mentioned. Before that, she seemed to be more interested in analyzing all the different colors of cars in the parking lot and counting them out on her fingers. "Yeah! Uncle Gene said I can come along with him when he's playin' at a club this weekend. He's going to teach me to play his old keyboard, and someday I'm gonn' perform with him!"

Tina shrugged and gave Jimmy Junior an uncertain smile. "I mean, she can't be any worse than Gene was at her age, right? He got a new keyboard for his birthday a few years ago, so he doesn't really use his Casio anymore, but he couldn't bear to get rid of it. Too many memories."

Jimmy Junior nodded. "Yeah. He's been playing that thing since I can remember. I don't blame him for wanting to keep it. Are you still living with your parents above the restaurant?"

"Yup, I'm still living with them. I couldn't afford to move out with the salary they're paying me to work there, and they help out with groceries and childcare. I think Alice likes spending so much time with her family, too. And since Louise moved out a few months ago, Alice got to move into her bedroom and she doesn't have to share a bedroom with me anymore. She's… probably old enough to sleep up on the loft bed without breaking her neck going down the stairs, right?"

"Tina, I don't know how old she is!" Jimmy Junior laughed.

"Oh, right. She turned four this year," Tina said sheepishly. "I feel like I've introduced her to everybody by now, but I guess we haven't talked very much in the past few years. Life caught up with me."

[redroom-rainbowguts]

I'm genuinely fascinated by the way my brain absorbs writing styles. Wish I could control it but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[milkloafy]

THE DUTIES OF A BODYGUARD — JIYAN

⋆｡˚ ❀ summary: jiyan never does an assignment half-assed. accepting a job as your bodyguard means being there to protect you at all times.  ⋆｡˚ ❀ contents: bodyguard au, modern au, fem!reader, reader is a rich gorl, spoiled but like aware?, almost nudity, 17+ ⋆｡˚ ❀ wc: 1.2k ⋆｡˚ ❀ a/n: inspired by creativepromptsforwriting’s bodyguard prompts :> red flag!reader kinda LMAO she’s very diff compared to how i normally write them but yk what don’t we all wanna pretend we’re a spoiled rich bitch with a hot bodyguard sometimes?this reader would 1000% drive jiyan crazy but like in the best way yk vibes u.u 

There were few individuals who truly needed bodyguards, in your humble opinion. 

Not the president of whatever country, not the elderly monarchs that should be abolished, not billionaires who made their money exploiting the vulnerable. For all you cared, most of those people were entitled assholes who didn’t need to be protected. 

The only people who deserved bodyguards were those under great threat. And sure, the powerful and influential people could be in danger as well. But frankly, you still didn’t care about them. 

And, naturally, when your wealthy father told you he hired a bodyguard for you, you were suspicious. As far as you knew, you weren’t under any threat. Your family wasn’t even multimillionaire status. Just a few millions… 

Certainly not enough to warrant much attention or animosity that your safety was in question. You were only the heiress of a multimillion dollar company. Most of your friends were as well. It was nothing too out of the ordinary in your circle.

You thought having a personal bodyguard was useless and immediately spoke out against your parents when they mentioned they would hire one for you, though none of your complaints were listened to by your family, of course. 

Unfortunately, those complaints melted away when you saw your bodyguard. 

His long, blue hair was tied up in a ponytail on the back of his head and you immediately thought of how fun it looked to play with. His golden eyes drew you in with his serious stare. The tight black fit of his clothes hugged every defined muscle on his arms and abdomen, and you felt yourself staring for just a little too long. 

You met his gaze and the corner of your mouth quirked mischievously when you saw him eyeing you as well. 

“This is your new bodyguard, Jiyan,” introduced your father. “He is to accompany you everywhere, understood? And please, do not try to scare this one off.”

You smiled dryly, shrugging in response. It wasn’t as if your words mattered much around here. At least this time, your bodyguard was handsome enough to look at. Maybe you could even have some fun with him. 

At least, that was your thought before you realized Jiyan took your father’s words very literally. 

He accompanied you back to your apartment—up to the penthouse suite, of course. And you showed him an open guest room for him to stay at if need be. However, he didn’t stop at the living room or common areas like you had expected. Jiyan followed you even as you entered your room. 

As he slid through the door behind you, you gave him a questioning look. 

“Can I help you?” you asked, voice higher than normal. 

He shook his head. “No, I’m only here doing my job.”

“Your job?” you echoed. “Does being my bodyguard entail you being with me no matter where I go?”

Jiyan nodded without the slightest bit of hesitation. “Yes. As your father said, I need to be in the room with you at all times.”

He said that with such sincerely you almost giggled. You were certain he was taking the job too literally, but as you noticed the darkness outside your window, you decided you could mess around with him for a bit. 

“At all times?” you asked with a raised brow.

“That is correct.” 

With an exaggerated sigh, you shrugged. “Suit yourself.” 

When Jiyan didn’t reply, you began taking off your shirt, unfastening the pearl buttons adorning the front. With each button, you revealed more and more skin, from the curve of your breasts to the softness of your stomach. Without turning around to hide yourself, you slipped the sleeves off your shoulders and let the light pink, tweed jacket fall to the floor. 

Jiyan’s expression did not visibly change, but the color of his ears sure did. They were tinged a pretty red and you felt almost bad for teasing him. 

“Are you sure you want to stay in my room at all times, Mr. Bodyguard?”

He cleared his throat, keeping his eyes on you but ensuring his gaze never dropped below your face. The self-control of a true bodyguard, you complimented in your head. 

“Is this what your father cautioned against when he said not to scare your new bodyguard off?” retorted Jiyan, answering your question with one of his own. “Is this a common recurrence?”

You shook your head and made a face. “Ew. Never. The last guy was too old and not my type.” 

Jiyan’s lip quirked up—the first time you ever noticed his expression change—before it returned to its normal position. “As opposed to me…?”

“Someone who doesn’t look old enough to be my great-uncle and is very much my type,” you confirmed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I still have to finish getting undressed for bed.” 

You stood there in front of him in only a bra, a tweed skirt—matching your top that was discarded on the floor, naturally—and thin stockings. Slowly, you unzipped the side of your skirt and paused before it actually fell to the ground. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to step away now?” you said, hesitancy creeping up on you for the first time as your fingers toyed with the clasp of your bra. While you didn’t mind Jiyan seeing you like this, you didn’t actually want to make him uncomfortable. You had some morals, after all. “No one is forcing you to go this far to protect me. I promise, you’d still be an amazing, father-approved bodyguard if you just stayed outside my room and only came to check in on me frequently…”

“I never do my job halfway,” he said firmly. “Unfortunately, with the information your father briefed me with, you never know what could lurk outside, and I am here to ensure your safety at all times. Still, I assure you I do not feel forced to watch. I could have offered to turn around while you changed. If I wanted to.”

“So you’re just being a pervert, then?” you teased. 

“Says the one stripping in front of a stranger with no hesitation. Perhaps next time you should reconsider such actions.”

“You’re not a complete stranger,” you said, finally letting your short skirt fall to the floor. Innocently, you bent over to collect your dirty clothes and place them in the hamper for the maid to take care of. “You’re my bodyguard now, and a hot one at that.” 

Jiyan closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to rid his mind of any indecent thoughts he may have. “Do you need to say bodyguard in such a way that makes it sound…salacious?” 

Moving closer, you batted your lashes as you peered up at him. “That’s just how I normally say it.” 

He sighed and muttered under his breath, “I’m here to protect you from any danger, but what about the danger you’ll pose to me?”

You laughed, not disagreeing with his words. Instead, you placed a gentle hand on his bicep and Jiyan straightened in surprise before reciprocating with his own palm on your exposed lower back.

“It’s a good thing my father will never have to know.”

[ifyoucandaniel]

I want to thank you for making your list of recommended long batfam fics. I have been making my way through it and I am really enjoying them! ESPECIALLY cards on the table (I also love Dark Matter but I had already read it). Please let us know if you ever get more long batfam fic recs 🥺

okay so ive been waiting to answer this until i had gathered a good chunk of new long fics and ive been getting a lot of similar messages asking for recommendations, so here is another list of my fav long batman fics!

Jason and the Three Terrors by @cdelphiki, 220k, ongoing, T. if i can get you to read one thing, let it be this. ohhh my god where to even begin, this is a fic where jason stays with the league after his dip in the lazarus pit for a little while and winds up being charged with getting damian, his cousin, and his sister out of the league safely. this fic is just so fucking good, cdelphiki always writes such seamless relationship growth and watching jason go from "im dropping these brats off first chance i get" to "im a single mother of three and i need to provide for my kids" is phenomenal. 1000/10, the writing, the kids, the relationships, please do yourself a favor and read this.

A Collision of Masks by Movaz, 169k, completed, T. !! guys. this is such a good dick grayson-centric fic. this is set in an AU where batman never joined the justice league so the justice league knows very little about batman inc. and consequently dick never joins YJ so the YJ team is tasked with checking out a new hero called nightwing in bludhaven and police officer grayson is tasked with helping the team in their investigation :) really good fic exploring dick juggling all his identities and finally gaining people he can rely on! i actually did a bind of it so you know i love this story so much

Life Happens by @cdelphiki, 176k, complete, G. ok so this fic is probably one of the most beautiful stories of growth and love i've read. its about tim and damian being transported from their world into ours where they're only comic book characters and they start to build a life for themselves here. cdelphiki is one of the most amazing authors, im currently going through all of their works, but this one has just stayed with me and i dont think anyone should pass it up. watching tim and damian grow together and seeing damian have a real childhood and just the whole concept of life happening wether you want it to or not is so beautifully done. cannot recommend enough.

Honoring Promises by LananiA3O, completed, 14k, T. okay this isnt actually a long fic, but its one of my favorite fics ever and i need it on this list. if you're like me and you love UTRH aus where instead of sticking around as red hood after bruce threw a batarang at his throat jason fucks off and disappears to live a normal life, this is for you. from dick's pov, he realizes jasons last letter was a last attempt at reaching out and stalks him until he finds out what really happened to his little brother. i think about this every day and wish it was 10000 words long

The Time Before by @cdelphiki, 80k, completed, G. at this point this is basically just a cdelphiki fic rec lmao when i said everything by them was good, i meant that shit. this is a fic where jason is sent back into time when he was 9 years old but still has all his memories from the future. he goes to bruce for help despite wanting to do literally anything else and is surprised to realize maybe everything isn't how he remembers it 10 years in the future and maybe theres a chance he can go home when hes older again. once again cdelphiki hitting me in the feels with this one, really amazing study on how time and pain can change how you perceive and remember things and also just forgiveness and fixing mistakes and accepting mistakes were made. very good, highly recommend

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors by Sophene, 80k, completed, batlantern, T. I have no excuse for this, this is such a fun and funny fic i love it so much. basically HOA president single dad bruce with his 10 million adopted kids and then hal jordan moves in next door and plays his music too loud at 10pm on a school night and throws parties and bruce has a stick up his ass about it. i really really love the shift in hal when kyle comes to live with him as his ward (? i cant actually remember if hes adopted or just a ward) and seeing him finally understand why bruce acts the way he does when it comes to his kids. also seeing bruce just being a tired dad 90% of the fic when he isnt glaring at hal is so good.

Option C by CasualGeek, 78k, completed, T. this has, in my opinion, a very unique and interesting premise. basically, what if instead of becoming red hood, jason comes back to gotham and manages to get Joker put on trial for the murder of sheila haywood and get the insanity plea thrown out. really interesting approach to batman and joker and jason technically doing things through the legal justice system and what that means for him and the people around him. very good, read it all in one sitting

butcherbird, fly away home by e_va, 41k, completed, M. lost days jason todd loml! basically what if when jason was off on his world tour one of his tutors kidnapped bruce wayne and jason has feelings about it against his will. "what if lost days jason was stuck in the same room as a sick bruce for more than 10 minutes and actually had to talk to him without punching him" AU and i throughly enjoyed it. @darlingatlas recommended this one and she never misses with the jason recs

this kind of weather by r_astra, 55k, completed, T. this is the fic something in the static was originally inspired by and if you know me, i love that series, and i love this fic too. another what if jasons mom didnt die until later and social services gets involved before he can bolt and bruce seeks him out with some very interesting news. i love fics that display jason’s relationship with crime alley and him being one of them. very good, i love jason so much

ok now these aren't actually long fics but i need to get them out here because i love them so much and highly recommend!

To My Brother by a_silly_gander, 7k, completed, T. Lost days jason au where he starts sending post cards from his travels to dick on a whim while we follow his time away and the people he meets. i love this one so much, please read it if you love jason and dick, its so special to me.

Enhanced Fashion Sense is a Perk of Being a Cat by 12pt_timesnewromanfont, 23k, complete, G. selina breaks into drake manor to steal a cat artifact and accidentally meets the drakes ten year old son they left home alone. then she starts keeping tabs on him and eventually adopts him and makes him stray. i really love selina finding tim before bruce and taking care of him <3 10/10 i wish selina would adopt me

[etoileee]

please please please tell me what percy is like😛

PERCY JACKSON IN MY DR Ψ

I’m so sorry this took so long! I don’t know why but I genuinely find it so hard to describe literally anything from my dr, like when I’m asked for example what Percy is like, I can’t come up with words that describe him... I just get these abstract thoughts and emotions that I associate with him.

It might be the fact that I'm dyslexic lmao but going on;

I don't consider Percy Jackson intimidating, but he definitely can be 1000%

He isn't shy at all, for example when I first met him we made eye contact, and he DID NOT look away. like I won't lie sometimes when I make eye contact with people I try and see if I can make them look away first just for the fun of it, but no he put my ass in my place that day.

I made a post talking about how people too often forget that he's a New Yorker and borderline juvenile and a lot of you thought it was funny but I am SERIOUS SEND HELP

He's a bit blunt, very honest. if he doesn't like some shit you're doing he'll tell you. I mentioned in my last post that he isn't afraid of confrontation and truly I mean it, I'm the type that tries to avoid it but once the opportunity presents itself he jumps to it, and he WILL fight ur ass, especially if it's someone he cares about that's on the line.

besides that part of him, I also noticed he is very protective. again, especially about people he cares about. he is the type that will defend you if he's with people who are talking badly about you and then tell you what they said about you then never talk to them again.

In my dr him and I just recently met so I haven't really experienced protective Percy, he did end up defending me two times, once during Capture the Flag and once when we were training, and both times I was honestly shocked. like I know his fatal flaw is his loyalty, but I didn't think he would say anything in my defence.

When I told him "You didn't have to do that" he got annoyed. dead ass told me "Why wouldn't I?" alright then... lemme shut up

HE IS SOOO SASSY

He's leading the sassy man apocalypse I've watched him roll his eyes when Dionysus talks or literally when anyone says anything he doesn't like... like okay princess calm down.

It's honestly really funny though I giggle a lil when I notice him getting annoyed.

something else I noticed is that low-key he's good with kids and it's really cute to watch. He's awkward as hell yes but he's good at helping them not doubt themselves.

I watched him help a group of what I think were nine-year-olds with sparring, he was a bit of an awkward teacher yes but after a few encouraging words their little doubtful faces went away, and once they got it right he would be like "See? I told you, you could do it."

Those memes that are like "Percy from his pov" and it's him just thinking he's an average teenage boy and then the "From everyone else's pov" and he's like a god are so accurate he's a little bit mesmerizing ngl.

overall I like Percy, but we're both trying to figure each other out and its so obvious. I wouldn't say we're friends yet, but we might be getting there. slowly but surely 😭

as of right now our relationship is that of two people forced into a group project for school that are slowly getting to know each other

[arcanegifs]

This is the last time I'm going to be annoying about this, I swear.

A few examples of that I, a gifmaker, personally love seeing under the tags:

Analysis of said scene, show, or character, especially the long ones going in depth that span like 1000 words

People saying how crisp the GIFs look and how nice the coloring is THANK YOU. ILY GUYS. That's always huge praise for me.

Reacting with how emotional you got with the scene. How painful and emotional or how touching a scene is.

People making funny jokes, memes, comments, etc.

Literally ppl horny posting LMAO. It's super funny to read and I love seeing all the unhinged comments.

Seeing how much you loved the show and its characters

Things I don't like seeing under the tags. And these are just two very specific things:

How much you hate the show, how much you think a scene is bad, how much you hate a character, the ship, the creators, etc. or how much you dont like this ship anymore, calling a ship horrible because ____ reasons. OKAY! I get it! But I don't want to see that. Make your own hate post on your own blog! You're free to have an opinion on how much you hate something. Just do it on your own blog.

Asking why I leave out certain scenes out, why I decided to gif this scene, or not gif more of these characters. Sometimes, I'm just exhausted. I can overlook things. You guys don't know how draining making gifs can get to me, especially the scenes that are really long. But I do it because I LOVE Arcane, the story, and the characters, and the particular scenes that I make gifs of. I have my own biases too. Of course I’m making them first. Please, just make them yourself instead of complaining under the tags of my edits. Yes, I can see them.

Don’t get me wrong, I wholeheartedly appreciate everyone who supports and follows the blog. I want to make a million more HQ gifs of this amazing show, but sometimes, the very rare negativity can still get overwhelming, to the point where it demotivates you.

Arcane is extremely special to me because it's such a fantastic show, and that alone motivates me in trying to create more GIFs. Honestly, if it was any other fandom or show? I would've probably left already. Arcane is THAT great.

I know the block button is there. I use it too, but sometimes, the amount of effort and time you exert to create FOR FREE just isn’t worth it. And that’s why gifmakers and creators stop making things for fandom. It’s not fun anymore. It’s not worth it.

Some people think that making my style of GIFs is easy. Then great! Since you think so, then do it yourself and help create for the fandom too! I wholeheartedly encourage you to do it!

TLDR: Don't be rude on people's fanwork, especially when they are created FOR FREE. If you don’t like their fanwork, you can make them yourself.

[phntmeii]

♡ Dating Jaime Lannister Headcanons:

❝ You are still maiden, I hope? Oh, good... I only rescue maidens. ❝

[ SFW + No Gendered Terms]

A/N: This list of headcanons is before the events of ASOIAF :) This is assuming he previously let go of Cersei and has no romantic connection to her recently and accepts his role as Heir/Lord to Casterly Rock after being dismissed from the Kingsguard for being a Kingslayer.

Kingslayer Era:

> Now, likely this matchup would be at the hands of a political marriage by his father, Tywin Lannister. After all, Jaime is his prized heir so Jaime already knows you must be someone who has quite a lot of good attributes yourself.

> Jaime is well aware of what a good match he'd be for quite literally anyone even despite his reputation. He's attractive, the eldest son of a noble house, a Great House at that, and one that is rich as fuck. He's also one of the most skilled fighters alive and quite literally noted to look "like what a king should look like."

> Jaime is the MOST cocky and flirty mf alive. He has Lannister pride and ego flowing through his veins and he revels in it.

> As a result, Jaime has no issue approaching you if he finds you attractive and immediately letting you know how he feels. He has a tendency to not think before he speaks and is generally blunt with his words.

> He 100% believes he has you wrapped around his finger the moment you spot him. Who wouldn't? It's the Lannister ego you can't blame him. It runs in his genes.

> Now while playing into his ego is all good and fun, putting him in his place or humbling him once you're in a relationship with him is a surprise but one that only amuses him and he listens to. AKA he is absolutely more in love if you tell him to stfu sometimes LMAO

> Once he realizes that you have genuine care and respect for him regardless of his reputation, this is what piques his interest the best and will get him to chase even more. The thought of someone’s genuine care rather than feigned admiration gets him to feel genuine warmth that he can’t help but chase after.

> He'd find both stubbornness and easy blushing as both enjoyable reactions to his advances. If you played "hard to get", he'll gladly be the one to chase.

> If you easily blush/get shy or flustered when he flirts, he will 1000% take advantage and use his charm to get reactions out of you as much as possible.

> His main Love Languages to give: Gift Giving and Words of Affirmation.

> This man is a LANNISTER okay?? He will absolutely "randomly" find you around to spoil you with different gifts and romantic gestures to gain your favor.

> Whatever gifts you want is literally yours the moment you even glance in that direction. Jewelry? Already yours. Clothing? It's in your closet already. You mentioned you like a specific flower? Prepare to receive a bouquet the next day.

> Although he does think that expensive gifts mean more, he's attentive in his gifts and gets you things he knows that you'll like. Simply because something is expensive won't take precedence over your actual interests.

> Also... Words of Affirmation?? This man quite literally is Prince Charming because he will absolutely charm you at any given point.

> He is obsessed with telling you how much he loves you, thinks you look good at every given point and how lucky he is that you ended up falling in love with him.

> Absolutely calls you a series of different pet names and rarely uses your actual name unless it's in a serious context or public situation.

> You can't even bring yourself to be upset for long at him because he'll find ways to make you smile just with his words. You can't help it when he's smirking at you while cheering you up because he knows he'll get you to break.

> His favorite Love Languages to receive are: Physical Touch and Acts of Service.

> Having you hold his hand instinctively when feeling nervous easily melts him because it lets him know that you trust him to protect you.

> Hugs, kisses, etc. everything just to show you appreciate and love him even as quick, little reminders while passing by will put a smile on his face.

> He absolutely will reciprocate and be an absolute gentleman with physical touch like offering his arm on walks and kissing the back of your hand with a slight bow.

> Acts of Service, specifically regarding caring for him, means the world to him. Assisting in bathing him, taking care of any wounds, bringing him a meal if you know it's been a while since his last one, or simply doing your duties properly around the Rock.

> He is incredibly respectful and protective over you. He values your needs and opinions as his partner and is absolutely willing to defend you and your honor at any time.

> Thinking of those lines "I'll go to war with him if I have to." I'll kill him, Ned Stark, the king, the whole bloody lot of them until you and I are the only people left in this world."

> His cocky exterior is true and influenced by his skill but he does possess insecurities that he doesn't share until later on in the relationship. It would take even longer than that to learn why he became the infamous "Kingslayer".

> There are times where he simply enjoys laying with you and venting a bit. Considering his massive expectations by nearly his entire family, he'll vent but remind himself of said expectation and may cut himself short. If you encourage him that it's a safe space, he'll reluctantly continue but feel better with your reassurance.

> He would genuinely be a good husband and you can count on it. While he has his duties as heir/lord, he always sets aside time for you and gives exclusive attention to you. You are his lovely partner after all. Your needs never escape his mind through his days.

> Genuinely goes to the ends of the earth to make you happy. Even if you order him around, he’ll wrap his arms around you from behind, enjoying your warmth for a moment before going off to do as you wished once you continue complaining to him.

⤷ divider credits: @cafekitsune

[myloveforhergoeson]

reading round up REDO!

sorry for the double tag, first post didn’t save properly and i wasn’t able to give you all your flowers. please find them under the cut. i’m so embarrassed.

original here:

fic list:

assorted works of @ceruleanmusings <3

Blood Diamond; Year Five

ahh!! the blood diamond one shots are always so enjoyable to read and that make me think so much about my own characters and their backstories and childhoods as well. this one in particular really got to me; there isn't much room for childhood discussion in btrtv and the way you characterize young kendall and james made me MELT. so accurate to real kids, first of all, but there was so much shared about each other with just a few lines of dialogue. katie tugging james' hair at the end is like. the perfect precursor to their relationship as they grow older too lmao! i always look forward to your work :) <3

2. assorted works of @partiallypearl / @praetoravila <3

adorable kaela blurb

lolive ghost blurb

mighta found the one (but i need you too)

'cause i don't wanna keep you guessing

ipod shuffle challenge

all over again

pearl... darling.... there is nothing i love seeing more than your lovely works! from our dms to your full works, you are truly so creative it blows my mind! this month was no exception. the kaela blurb already had me by the throat... those two mean the world to me i mean it! and the various lolive blurbs and all over again... lord you had me crying with the last chapter of that one... and of course... the wag au one-shot... you are so sweet to me and my baby girl roxy, and that blurb had me literally giggling and kicking my feet hehehe. tysm for the sweet gift for my birthday <3 and your iPod shuffle challenge was so interesting! i love all the stories you chose to tell and how every word in the small drabbles packed a punch!!!! lovely as always <33 tysm for sharing :)))

3. assorted works of @selangkir <3

promptober one-shot!!

aughauifafvaibie there are never enough words to describe how well you write katie and the knights. even if this was just a short story reworked to be in kendall's pov, the strong ties between them are evident and i love the little quirks and rituals they all have that you sneak in there. how kendall instantly knows something wrong with katie, how katie pushes back against him, everything is just *chefs kiss* excited to read katie's pov if you ever wish to share that as well!!! <33

4. assorted works of @inkameswetrust <3

date night

god. in kames we DO trust. everything about this one-shot had me going through like. every single emotion possible for a person to feel. lyn is the character of all time + i love how james (and kendall, reluctantly) got to participate in a scheme akin to their youth to make sure her date goes perfectly :)) and the dual line between what was going on with lyn and Nathan helped kendall and james learn more about each other - even after being together for so long!! thought about this one for days ngl and the drawings you made live in my head rent free. im just 1000% obsessed thank you so so so much for sharing :)

5. assorted works of @naquey / @ithinkyouhealedmyheart <3

ghostwriter ch 3-8

AHHHHH RONNIE MY SWEET MY LOVE MY EVERYTHINGGG god the story you are weaving her for and kendall have me (affectionately) tearing my hair out. the way these chapters set up her relationships with most of the main characters is just so special. though everyone is just a little bit different than one another, and all the teens have their own special quirks, they're all still able to get along and make friends. i imagine in the tough Hollywood industry, that's all they have. ronnie slowly getting to know and opening up to the other girls, the band, guitar dude, and everyone else is so sweet! each chapter brings a new understanding to her character, and i love every little thing about her :) getting to read her and kendall's story is a privilege!! so excited for their future heheh <33

6. assorted works of @icegirl2772 <3

Take A Shot In The Dark Ch. 16

eee kaelyn!!! my sweet sweet girl!! this chapter follows one of my favorite episodes, and i love all the special additions you made for kaelyn and her story. so happy to read that she and neil are over... now james can step in and pick up her broken heart!! akifaiufaiufbaie i can't wait for them to get together, you've got me on the edge of my seat :))) <3

7. assorted works of @fiyero3305 / @fiyero0533

promptober one-shots!!

MY FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!! thank you so much for using my prompt list, i'm so happy you were able to find inspiration from the things i put together this month :) though i am just a casual fan of the umbrella academy, from my two seasons of knowledge, i'm confident in saying i love your version of the characters even more lol! each blurb brought in a new sibling dynamic, something of your own to bring to the table. just blew me away, truly. my favorite was the cemetery prompt you wrote with ben. got my heart squeezing harder than ever before! and the one with the psychic and klaus and allison was soooo so so good. so happy you were able to get these out and share them ;) looking forward to more in the future

8. assorted works of @bunnyfern

a field of blooming tulips

ahh!! my lovely crowe!! i love her and james' story so much :)) the bad boy chapter never disappoints... crowe getting hints of home and talking to luka in the middle was so great! i love getting little glimpses of her life back home :) her ever-evolving relationships with the others at the palm woods is so adorable too!! always a pleasure to read <3

[bonkwosher]

omg if you wrote more alan grant x reader i will literally name my firstborn after you. you write him so well bless you 🥹

A/N: Lmao, will do Anon. I have no prompt from this so I'll figure out my own one.

Prompt: "4. understanding each other without words 5. recognizing the sound of their steps 15. watching their oblivious s/o lovingly 38. craving their company after a stressful day" From this prompt list (I've used it before for Benoit Blanc). 1000% friends to lovers rn.

Pairing(s): Teacher!Alan Grant x Colleague!GN!Reader

Contains: Teacher!Alan, Teacher!Reader, Alan having a long day with back pain, mentions of trauma (Jurrasic Park incident), panic attacks

Word Count: 2k

It was stupid, your little crush on the lead paleontologist at the dig site. You were the site manager, in charge of ensuring everything ran smoothly. Really you were just a Business 101 teacher, but Dr. Alan Grant himself requested that you manage the site. How could you say no? Your break room crush wanted you all the way out in the badlands of Snakewater, Montana with him. Okay, maybe not just him but there's something here, right? You've known each other for years, you sit in on his lessons when you're not teaching. He smiles when he sees you enter the room. You could only hope there's something special.

For now, you sit in the teacher's tent reading some papers that were dropped off with the food for the week. Dr. Sattler, the lead paleobotanist, was making some food for herself. A cup of tea sat on the table in front of you, occasional sips being taken. You heard footsteps move past you outside the tent. It was a light stomping & slow, it was Alan, & boy did he need coffee.

"Morning, Alan," you spoke the moment he grabbed at the tent's curtain door.

Alan was taken aback a little, shaking his head before pinching his nose, "Good morning, Y/N."

It was cute, the way he stumbled to the coffee machine. It was already on considering Ellie used it. He lazily pressed each button, rubbing his face with both hands afterward.

"Rough night, Dr. Grant?" You spoke, a teasing edge on your voice.

Alan froze for a split second before speaking, "How did you know?"

"Is it not obvious?" Your reply caused him to turn around, coffee now in hand.

Alan turned to Ellie with a confused look, to which she responded, "Looks like normal Alan to me."

"Well, I did have a rough night. I tweaked my back near the end of the day yesterday, sleeping was hell."

The dark circles under his eyes were becoming obvious. You couldn't help but pout a little in response. It would be weird to offer a massage. He's just a work friend.

"Well try to rest today," you suggested with a reassuring smile.

He waved off your suggestion, figuratively & literally, "No, no, some of the students found a really good fossil with that computer thing. It would be a shame to miss out on that, & I can't let them mess up such a beautiful fossil."

You stood up from the table & set the papers down, "Well I'm all caught up on work on my end. Mind if I come with you? Tap a few bones with a chisel maybe?"

Alan looked down & chuckled at your statement before shaking his head once more & looking up. A cheery sigh escaped him as he looked into your eyes.

"There is much for you to learn about paleontology, Y/N."

You were standing across from Alan as he was sprawled out on the ground, brush in hand, lightly brushing dirt away. You didn't notice the dopey smile you had on your face till Alan looked up at you, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"What?" You asked, laughing & putting your hands on your hips.

"You're standing around lookin' cute, I thought you were going to join me in the dirt," he teased back.

You both blushed. Not that either of you noticed the other was freaking out just as much. Alan couldn't believe he was so forward &, frankly, you couldn't gather that he might actually have feelings for you. You quickly turned around to hide your blush, Alan's heart sinking. You turned back around, with equal speed, brush in hand. You kneeled down on the dirt, leaning on your elbows & finding yourself in a similar position to Alan. You began brushing the dirt away. You tried to sneakily watch Alan to see if you were doing it right. His brows were furrowed as he brushed at the bone in front of him.

"Dr. Grant! I brought the supplies from this week's dropoff!" A student called out, a pile of boxes high enough to block their vision was shaking in their arms.

You couldn't help but freeze as the kid stepped towards the site. A few more steps & he'd surely step on the bones, inevitably freaking out & accidentally dropping everything. He'd be dead by dawn if Alan had anything to do with it. Luckily, Alan intervened early, shooting up quickly to stop the kid. A groan escaped him as he reached his hands out.

"James, the table is this way!" He tried not to sound too upset.

"Sorry, Dr. Grant!" James apologized as he turned towards the aforementioned table.

Alan's right hand darted to his back, applying pressure as best he could. You stood up slowly, noticing Alan's attempt at hiding the pained grimace on his face. You began walking towards him as he gripped his hat on his head, crushing it between his fingers.

"Professor!" Your focus was drawn to someone shouting your title, considering you were the only non-doctor here, "You got some faxes, the receipts from today need to be revised & sent to the school!"

You realized now it was your assistant calling out, a student volunteer getting work experience in the weirdest of locations. You thanked them as you grazed a hand over Alan's back.

"Please rest," you whispered to him as you walked away.

As you went off to do your work, it was Alan's turn to freeze. He may be good under pressure, when deadlines are coming, or even when dinosaurs think he would make a perfect midnight snack; But god did he feel absolutely helpless under your touch. He felt himself leaning into the touch & now he was stuck in this awkward bent hip position. He sighed as he adjusted his posture, convincing himself that it wasn't your touch that suddenly made the pain go away. Coincidence, he'll call it. He got back into an uncomfortable position, determined to get a good look at this fossil by nightfall.

By the time you left your "office" tent, it was dark. You looked towards the dig site to see some floodlights pointed towards the fossil. A couple eager students, & likely, Dr. Alan were hard at work. Dr. Sattler would soon come to end their fun & make sure the students got their 8 hours of rest in. You decided bed sounded much more comfortable than attempting to get them to sleep anyways. You opened the door to your trailer, letting it shut behind you. You toed off your shoes & took off your button-up & pants, changing into less dusty clothes before climbing into bed. You gave it one last good stretch before plopping onto your bed. You got comfortable, adjusting a couple pillows before feeling right.

A couple knocks hit your door, "Y/N, are you awake?"

Alan was trying to be quiet in case you were asleep but you could tell he needed to see you. You stood up slower than usual, you were tired after all, & opened the trailer door. Alan's arms twitched up slightly, he retracted them.

"Can I-"

You interrupted him, "Of course."

Alan's arms darted around your waist. From his place, a step below you on the trailer stairs, his head reached the crook of your neck. He nestled into place quickly, as if you had done this a million times. In reality, you & Dr. Grant had hugged once.

That time he hadn't asked, he knew he caught you off guard & he beat himself up about it ever since. It was his first day back on campus after he mysteriously left for an island with Dr. Sattler. You had come in to check on him after your classes, which happened to be late that night, & found him in his office. He was hunched over his work, head in his hands. The office door was left ajar, maybe he was still running office hours? Nonetheless, you pushed the door open slightly & knocked as you did so. You seemed to scare the life out of him. He jumped back & out of his seat, throwing papers into the air with him.

He yelled something barely intelligible, sounding maybe like, "GET BACK!"

"Alan! It's me, Y/N," You tried to calm your colleague as you walked toward him, his eyes were going everywhere but in your direction.

You managed to get a couple feet in front of him, his hand was clutching his chest & his breathing was beyond fast.

"Alan, I need you to take deeper breaths," You spoke as you reached out to touch his hand, "Please."

Finally, his eyes met yours, your hand wrapping around the one that held his chest so tightly. The genuine look of concern in your eyes grounded him. He looked around the room to see he was safe in his, albeit, now messy, office. Without thinking he scooped you into a hug. You were shocked at first by the sudden movement, your hands took a moment to find their place. In the moment, Alan didn't process that he caught you off guard, that would haunt him later. Right now, you were the one thing making him know he was safe, & holding you felt right. He had barely spoken to you before this. You were another teacher in the giant school that was U of M. But in the few times he's spoken to you, he's fallen hard. It surprised him that you stopped by, he was hoping you weren't there to ask him about Jurrasic Park.

You never did, & after that night you were always around. You sat in on his lessons & he even sat in on yours on the rare occasion. You offered to talk to him about whatever happened if he ever wanted, he never did. Alan was stubborn that way, he didn't like talking about feelings.

So you'd be lying if you said it didn't shock you when Alan asked to come into your trailer late that night. He sat down on the "kitchen" chair & looked up at you, pulling his hat off & setting it in his lap. His eyes quickly decided looking at the floor was more comfortable.

"Sorry, if I'm intruding, I had a rough day."

"You're not intruding, Alan, you never are," you tried to find eye contact but there was none, "You want to talk about anything?"

A long moment of silence sat between you. Alan was clearly fighting himself on something. Finally, a sigh escaped him.

"Do you remember... that night in my office?"

He didn't have to explain, of course, you knew, "Yes."

"It happened again, last night."

"I'm so sorry, Alan."

"Don't be," He had a clear train of thought & you couldn't break it, "I fell & hurt my back, I was terrified. I wanted to run to you but the fear that something was outside kept me trapped."

He wanted to run... to you?

"I've been in so much pain all day," he continued, "& it felt so isolating to keep last night to myself, bad isolating. When you just knew something was wrong-"

Alan stood up & took your hands in his, his eyes found yours just as quickly, "How did you know?"

"You looked, not like you, if that makes sense. I just knew."

Alan's hands darted to the sides of your face but yet again, froze. His eyes were filled with determination & fear. You weren't scared. You lifted your hands to guide him. His hands now resting on each side of your jawline. In the silence, Alan lightly traced a line across your cheek with his right thumb. You gave him the smallest of nods, looking deep into his eyes. Alan pulled you in for a deep kiss, a sigh escaping him when you kissed back. In a moment, you were separated again.

"Mind if I stay the night?" Alan spoke softly.

"I would love that."

A/N: This took me so long & I can't believe I didn't get burnt out. I am so happy with this.

[thetragicallynerdy]

10, 20, 21, 23, 30, 39!

Hello buddy!! I'm so sorry it's taken me literally a month to get to these, but here we go!!

10) Top three favourite fic tropes.

Oooooh GREAT question. Hmmm they're all like whumpy XD

When someone shows up at someone else's door bloodied or sick and then passes out when they answer it

love confessions when they think the other person is dying

any enemies to lovers (bonus if it's enemies to fuck buddies but still enemies to lovers)

extras: hiding an injury/illness, and taking a wound for someone else :3

20) Do you work on a single project or many at the same time? How does that work for you?

I work on so many 🫠 (melting face emoji)

But honestly, a combo of both! I always have a massive list of WIPs (think: upwards of 30 at a time), because I start projects and then have difficulty finishing them. I typically have around 5 fics on rotation that I am actively working on at a time.

However, I do finish things best when I buckle down and like, dedicate a week or two or whatever to finishing a single thing. So typically when something is getting towards being done, that's what'll happen, and then I'll go back to slowly picking away at many things.

21) Can you accurately predict how long your fics are going to be? If you can, what's your secret?

Answered here! Short answer though: LMAO NOPE

23) Dialogue or description? Why is the other one so hard?

I love writing dialogue SO much more hahaha! Honestly part of description for me is that it takes a lot more cognitive work - especially if it's setting/space and place type stuff. I can picture and think about how bodies move in my head pretty easily, but I find it really hard to do with places!!!

Dialogue, on the other hand, just comes naturally (most of the time). I think I could 1000% write a fic that was entirely dialogue, I just won't because it's not what I find fun to read.

30) Describe a fic that almost happened, but then it didn't.

God. I mean I have many, many abandoned or half-abandoned fics - more for UnDeadwood than OFMD, but definitely in both. (Ranging from anywhere from a couple thousand words to one that is 90K and long abandoned [someday I'll give in and just publish shit as is])

A big one though was an UnDeadwood Watership Down AU - in which everyone (main 5 cast members, at least) were shifters, and Clayton's shifted form was a rabbit. It was Clayton POV, and laced with all sorts of the Watership Down rabbit religion etc. I think I had like 3-4K written for it.

Oh my god I also had a Ladyhawke AU??? For UnDeadwood?? That was devastating and very fun to write and never got finished - it also had somewhere around 5K written for it.

And that's not even considering the number of "hey omg this would be so fun" ideas - I love thinking about new fun wild AU's, and am very grateful for friends who listen and "yes and" me!!

39) Wildest AU scenario you have written?

Oh god that's a fun question.

UnDeadwood - I think it's a toss up between the jaws that bite, the claws that catch (snake creature Matthew, smutty Matty/Clayton(/Aly) in which Matthew has two dicks. That's it that's the fic. It is unfinished.)

The other UDW option is i found love where it wasn't supposed to be, written with @lovewithagirl, which features a whole lot of ghost sex (as in, sex between an alive person and a ghost)

I have a lot of different AU's for OFMD, but I think they feel a little more "normal" in comparison - they're more stuff like the Remington Steele AU or the Die Hard fic. The wildest is probably Ask Me Anything, written with @yerbamansa, which is a TealOranges Tumblr SMAU in which there is timey-wimey bullshit. Or maybe the Plumbing the Depths series, which is the Jim/Olu/literal kraken! Ed series, mainly for the rarepair.

Thanks so much for the ask, friend!! This was fun, and a nice lil distraction. And thanks for the patience as it took me so long to answer!!!

Writer Ask Game is here, for the curious - if you ask tho, be aware it may take me a while to get to it, life is making inbox answering more difficult these days <3

[plothooksinc]

Tagged by @loadthebases

Turns out if I search by mentions I can find it immediately! I'm so clever. (And yet. I only just went "oh hey".)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

22! I am not as prolific as some-- a lot of these are one shots. |D And most of them are ancient.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

475,671!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The fandoms I write for that are published are Rurouni Kenshin, Final Fantasy VII, and TMNT '03, '07, and ROTTMNT. Unpublished I also have One Piece, Tiger & Bunny, SPN, FFXIV, annnd The Untamed, most of these just being snippets etc etc. (And then RP is another bag entirely, writing in a different format-- you can include Blade of the Immortal that way.)

4. Top five fics by kudos?

It was only recently I managed to clock the 1000 mark, and I did it on two fics at once, lmao. Uhhh--

Underdark - 1089!

No Rest For The Weary - ....1089. (You guys really are neck and neck still.)

The Zaibatsu Project - 291

Some Rest For The Weary. As A Treat. - 221

Snowblind - 174

Not altogether that bad, considering Ruroken is such a dead fandom these days. /o/

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yup. Unless someone is leaving a whole stream of one word OMG/!!!!/EEEK in which I'll probably just answer the last one they left. I did go through a very long period where I did not because I was too tired, but I started again around the 2020 mark when I actually started reading fanfiction again. And started engaging, etc etc.

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

I write angsty endings? :|a 404 File Not Found. I think the closest I got was the tiny ficlet I wrote for Ruroken which was just Kenshin being depressed in the rain after Tomoe's death, and I'm not sure that really counts. That was like three paragraphs of "well my life sucks" lmao. It never made it to AO3. (It's on ff dot net still, though.)

...OH. But I can tell you which one's going to have the angstiest ending and that's The Legacy. Which given the last chapter I had finished with Raph holding onto his dead not!girlfriend, I would assume most readers are not gonna be surprised by this fact. (File Soon* To Be Found.)

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

Idk man I tend to angle for happy endings in general, so that is very hard to answer as it comes under YMMV - people have different views of happy endings, after all. Probably Underdark as the most distinct "Yes, everything is okay now" ending.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nah, not really. I did have one serial reviewer that reviewed every chapter of Tanabata Jasmine back in the day with a lot of backhanded compliments and condescending comments? And one person who started off reviewing Misconduct with "well my friend told me to read this" and two chapters later said "okay I'm bored now bye", but none of this is hate. The only actual "hate" I got given was not actually ...for me? I don't think? It was someone who literally said: Why did you delete your slave fics? BITCH!! And I'm like... I have not now nor will i ever write... one of those...? So yeah. Think they mistook me for another author or something. Maybe Kikide. EH. Not my division.

9. Do you write smut?

Nah.

10. Craziest crossover?

Zaibatsu Project is a Rurouni Kenshin/Cyberpunk 2020 crossover, so that's taking all your 19th century samurai types and ditching them wholesale into 2029 Tokyo. It's fun. Maybe one day I will even write more of it.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Outright? I don't think so. Buuut I've certainly had people ping me in the past to tell me someone's lifted a chunk of it wholesale or "they've written Snowblind, only with smut!" or there was one person who wrote a BNHA fic which followed the same plot of Underdark complete with dialogue borrowed directly from the fic. That last one I contacted the author and they apologised and offered to take the fic down and I told them they could keep it up provided they credit me for the inspiration somewhere. I'm sure by now some AI has scraped my stuff, but largely I write in fandoms that don't get lifted and sold like others do. And honestly, the above examples are more kinda flattering than anything else.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I believe most of my longer works have been translated into Russian, at the very least. I found Tanabata Jasmine back in the day being re-released onto a Russian forum site and I had a lot of fun translating the site to read responses (and laugh a bit at the machine translations because they kept telling me the readers were legless). Underdark has for sure. I've also found Snowblind.

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

I wrote a few pages of one with @shadowbends at one point! But we didn't get far in and we both got distracted with other projects. And I also wrote half a fic to set up the other half for an author, but she didn't end up going ahead. Alas. So.... kind of?

14. All time favourite ship?

I'm honestly not much of a shipper. I mean-- actually, I ship a lot of different pairings, but only kind of superficially for the most part? Like I really enjoy reading ships but I still vastly prefer gen. I will very rarely read an outright romance fic, there's gotta be a plot. (Or at the very least some interesting smut, god.) It's easier for me to point out ships that make me go UGH GOD NO rather than a preference. (In RP I'll ship a little more if the dynamics between our characters work out really well, but I still won't be crushed if nothing comes from it. This is a hard question for me to answer. I definitely don't have an all time favourite in this lukewarm pile of ships, that's for sure.)

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

Any of the WIPs that I have that I never bothered publishing have been abandoned. Anything I want to finish will get finished. It will just take some time. This is assuming I have a long life; I mean, if I'm scheduled to die, say, three years from now, the only thing that might get finished is Infinite Ricochet, lmao.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Action scenes! /o/ Pacing and tension. The most common review I get is from people vibrating from delighted stress, lmao.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Connective tissue. I can get really bogged down in getting from A to B. You can really see it in the early days of a fic where I'm still writing set up and wondering how to scale up realistically to the things I really want to write. Once everything starts going wrong, it gets much easier, rofl.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Depends on context. Like many I started writing fanfic at the time people tried to pepper as much Japanese into their dialogue as possible for realism or brownie points or whathaveyou - you can see that in my first fic on ff dot net lmaooo. Don't do this. Not unless you have a foreign phrase that just loses its flavour when translated through to English. Or, alternatively, when you actually have a non-English character who keeps dropping into their own language, or some try hard teenager who keeps trying to show off how much Spanish they know, as an example. There are always reasons to do so and reasons it will work. But if you're just going "LOOK AT THE WORDS I KNOW"... I recommend not doing so, you will look back years later and go "oh god".

19. First fandom you wrote in?

....look, technically the first fandom I wrote in was Inspector Gadget self insert fic. But I was nine so I feel I should not be judged. /cough

First time I sat down to write an actual story that was based off a show was for the old Defenders of the Earth cartoon while I was ...15? And then when I moved out my one sofa chair was surrounded by notepads as I wrote out my first 1987 TMNT fanfic. I didn't know it was called fanfic back then. In fact I didn't know anyone else did it at all and I was just weird. Please understand that when I got onto the web proper in the late 90s and found fanfic sites I was over the moon.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

It's gotta be Underdark. That thing is its own island by now. It's closely followed by the more recent There Is No Gravy, which much like Underdark wrote itself and also ended up far longer than I intended. It was just fun. It was a soft warm hug for the Rise fandom, okay, I love it.

Thank you! This was fun to reminisce about tbh. :D

I tag: @calliopechild, @radishhqueen, and @bobtheacorn ♥ No pressure, have at it if you like

* please note that the author's definition of soon may vary to yours. She has 13 year breaks between chapters sometimes, after all.

[riveranova]

(A/N): Part twooo! I really enjoyed making this - if you want to see more, it's just an ask away! 💙

The IkePri Guys as Roommates x GN! Reader - Part 2

Warnings: Lichts part is a little sad, still mostly crack

Characters: Chevalier, Luke, Yves, Jin, Licht, Leon, Ikemen Prince

Word count: 854

Chevalier Michel

,,you have a roommate? i thought that room was your storage room''

you forget that hes there too

never ever comes out of his room - and if he does its at night

obviously reading smh

when you guys moved in he was ready to murder for the bigger room (he has a lot of books ok? ok)

honestly, always ready to murder

keeps a clean room

has this motherly power to magically make things appear

,,what do you mean, my scarf is in that drawer, i looked there alrea- WHY IS IT IN THERE NOW''

does everything at night

is super fucking tired in the morning

ohhh nooo are those the consequences of his actionssss?

try to wake him up. come on. try it.

doesnt give a shit about school and aces everything

90/100 would roommate again

Luke Randolph

can he be my roomie pls

he smells SO GOOD

i imagine that he smells like honey (duh) with a mixture of grass and other herbs

very outdoorsy and forces you to be too

takes you hiking, swimming or just for a lil walk

makes sure that youre always taken care of

honestly, like a big brother

doesnt give a shit about school and it shows

if youre not making him, this man can and will fail all his classes

,,i'm not school smart - but i'm life smart!''

preach brother, preach

LIVES for your food

he could make some himself, but your food just feels cozy and warm and maybe its just the copius amounts of honey in there but he would murder for your cooking

Loves to cuddle but falls asleep when he does

100/100 would roommate again

Yves Kloss

there he is, my man

i want to live with him so bAD

smells good, looks good, bakes good THE WHOLE DEAL

isnt good with words and gets akward REALLY fast

he may act like he doesnt care about you but behind the scenes--

i wouldnt say hes obsessed but like,,, kinda obsessed lmao

if you let him, he'll do your hair or your make up, your nails - bro would sit in front of your drawer for the entire evening just so he can find an amazing outfit for you

is never satisfied tho, so hes taking you out to buy clothes

hes a fashion major, obviously, so he uses the finished products for some of his sketches

i imagine him to be a pro with perfumes

will throw things at you if you pull all-nighters again (ofc still insisting that he doesnt actually care and that youre just too loud)

,,i made too much tea... and uh, baked too much. you'll have to eat some with me so it doesnt get bad.''

judges you, but like friendly

,,that shirt is so ugly. *long pause* you look good tho-''

80/100 would roommate again

Jin Grandet

sigh

i wrote a oneshot about it but like

dad jokes

BAD dad jokes

has one for every occasion and i BET my left boob that he has a little journal where he writes every single on down

its his little treasure and youre not allowed to touch it, ever (you cant spoiler yourself yk)

player™

not like Nokto tho, hes more of a gentleman

no touching you, just looking (no shame)

besides all that, i think that hes a great roommate to have

because hes a little older, he has great advice for literally any situation

listens and if you want to, he talks too

can be very serious and wants the best for you and his friends in general

do you get why hes one of my favorites

god i love him (this is 100% objective ofc)

1000/100 would (please) roommate again

Licht Klein

ayyy its that other guy

hes really, really quiet

studies a lot, sometimes too much

you sometimes have to remind him that he has to take care of himself

doesnt think highly of himself, so he tries to make it up with academic success

i relate a lot to Licht, so i imagine that you both would have really deep talks about life and everything

like, its 3am on a school day and both you sit in the living room, cuddled up in blankets and just talk

kinda like Yves, he acts like he doesnt care but always listens in the end

you need something and he doesnt want to help? bribe him with sweets and youre good

spends a lot of time with Notko but never brings him back home

mostly to save you some very annoying flirting

100/100 would roommate again

Leon Dompteur

the man, the myth, the one

goes for a walk every morning at 5am sharp

very athletic, yes yes

has zero shame and walks around without his shirt after he showers

did it on accident at first (he just forgot) but after he realized that your reactions to it where kinda funny, he does it just to fuck with you

can be serious, but chooses not to

life is short so he wants to live it to the fullest

he invites you to a lot of his trips

theme parks, the pool - youre always included

has a shit ton of friends and hates when he cant see them for long

hes that one extroverted friend that just runs around and adopts introverted people into his circle

i think that hes a little bit of a himbo tho

gets a ton of chocolate on valentines day and just goes ,,i have great friends, look - they thought of me! :D''

nothing is akward for this man, nothing

90/100 would roommate again

[desceros]

How do you feel so motivated to write all the time? I have a fic of my own that I’ve been working on for a few months and have been posting but I’ve lost all the momentum I once had for it and only have 3 chapters left that I need to write. Whenever I sit down to write it I can never seem to put more than a few words down before I either work on something newer or just give up for the day. Sorry for the small vent I’m just trying to find ways to get back to it 💜💜💜💜

oh, that's easy—i don't! i have really, really bad adhd. motivation isn't something i can count on for, uh, literally anything lmao. which is bad for, like, eating and sleeping with any sense of regularity, but good in terms of me having learned how to do stuff i wanna do without motivation!

the first thing is consistency. i try really really hard to write every day, even if it's only a little. i have a folder in my icloud for daily exercises, and that's where i write little 500-1000 word snippets if i don't have a proper fic or novel that i'm working on. it's just a single scenario, single blip kind of thing. This has made it so that my brain expects me to write, every day, even when i'm not particularly motivated by one plot or another. though don't beat yourself up if you don't write in a day. that's pretty hard for me, but it's very important!

second, kind of part of the first, is that i have a time set aside every day to write. it's actually first thing in the morning when i wake up, because i'm super excited to do it and it gets me out of bed like nothing else!! i don't check my phone, i don't think about work, none of that. i just roll out of bed and sit down at my computer and start writing. because i have a specific time for it, it's very easy for me to go oh. well this is my writing time. the time for writing. i shall go and write now.

third is to have lots of different things that you're very excited about. i'll usually have three or four ideas bouncing around in my head at one time, because it makes me think 'oh i need to finish x so i can get to y', just in case x ever gets too boring for me. but also—don't be afraid to switch projects! if something isn't meshing, don't force it. you'll grow to resent it, and yourself for not being able to create, and that negativity isn't conducive to a fun time. i like to have at least two things that i'm actively working on that are very different in tone. this way, i can bounce back and forth as needed if something isn't vibing one day for whatever reason.

fourth is to kinda... trick yourself a little. if i'm working on a long project and i need to stop for anything longer than getting another cup of coffee, i stop in the middle of a scene—but, very specifically, a scene in which i know what the next step is going to be. sometimes, i'll even go down a line and put what the next action is, if it's really gonna be a while. that way, the next time i come back to it, i reread the scene, and by the time i get to the place where i'm supposed to start writing again, the flow is there. it's much easier to pick up in media res vs having to start a new section.

so yeah. motivation is fake, don't ever trust it, come up with a system that makes it so you never have to count on it ever again!

[just-some-random-blogger]

I know this is late rn (it is here in my country lmao);;; but will you continue the Morpheus X Filipino!Reader???;;; I'm not really sure if there's a follow-up that I'm not aware of sorry... But I have an idea, after the drunk shenanigans, they get a massiiiiive hangover and question if what happened really happened but continue their day. Then after being kicked out, Morpheous just followed them like the lost puppy he is (in this case a lost sad wet cat lmao) like in a work/university(as a student or professor idk). LITERALLY everywhere (stalking but in a cute way if it makes sense?). And Cori visit now and then, for his own amusement lol, just to annoy Dream and make him jealous or watch his "Dad" suffer and be a pathetic love sick puppy LMAOOOOO Also, Matthew gives Morpheus some love and courting(?) tips is quite cute and funny at the same time lolololol

Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyyy have a great day or night~!!!! idk

Oh, Don't Be Like That

Dream of the Endless x Reader + Corinthian x Reader (except its mostly Dream & Cori duking it out AHHAHA)

Summary: There was a battle going inside your mind between a nightmare and the master of dreams... literally.

Word Count: 1k+

Warnings: gender neutral!reader, psychological mind fuckery, corinthian being the nightmare he is, brat!cori, jealous!dream, exasperated dad!dream, angst?, crackfic?, typos, etc.

A/N: hi nonnie, there is actually a next part to it, but lol sige na nga ahsf;lashf i'll write what you want (i hope you like it) only cos i love corinthian so much and i want them to bite each other (in a fight HAHHAHAH) i hope you enjoy it and yeah it was pretty late when you sent this i remember but that doesnt matter cos i got back to you 1000 years later lol This is technically a p4. [p1 "Thorn At My Side"] [p2 "Beer"] [p3 "Not Enough"] but you dont have to read them to understand lol. Tagging everyone from p3!: @cleverzonkwombatsludge @pinksirensong @lexi-anastasia @aralezinspace @emy635 @libra207 @secretdreamlandmentality @deniixlovezelda @shadow-pancake9 @laraackerman @reallystressedhoneybee @farintonorth @shining-yuu @ellooo0ooo i'll also tag @sloanexx even though this isn't the jealous!dream req i was talking to you about lol

I was running. I was running so fast that I was losing my breath. The halls were winding. I reach a split hallway and take a sharp turn right.

"Oh, little bug," the ominous voice calls, "why are you running from me? I thought we were friends?"

I run faster, skin crawling, rising with goosebumps, as I tread frantically down the hall.

I see light at the end. I run faster and faster towards it, as fast as my legs can take me.

All at once, the light is gone and I slam into a dead end. I fall to bottom and scramble. I push myself back into the corner, looking out into the darkness, awaiting my demise.

"Oh, pretty thing," he laughs, "how stupid of you."

My entire body is trembling. I break into an ear piercing, body curdling shriek when I see a figure. A grim, twisted, eerily grinning face comes into view from the shadows.

My head blares because of my screaming, and yet when the figure comes to light and doubles down in laughter. Tears in my eyes are clouding my vision, and I'm curled up in the corner for dear life.

He takes of his shades and leans on his knees. The teeth in his eyes wheeze with him. It takes me a good long while for me to realize just who in the nightmare this man was, with the aid of him introducing himself.

"It's me, doll," he chuckles, turning to me, "your boyfriend Cori."

I recoil, as this finally dawns onto me. Boyfriend my ass. I begin to heave as my frightened tears turn into bitter angry ones. I rise to my feet, chest rising and falling in anger. I point an accusing finger to the blonde, "you are NOT my boyfriend," I step forward each statement, "you stupid, annoying, evil little bitch-ass, rat!"

Corinthian raises his hands in defeat, chuckling once more, proceeding to wipe his glasses on his shirt, looking down as he snorts, "oh, but I am."

When he looks back up as he puts his glasses back on, the grin on his face disappears as he is faced with nothing but darkness.

Corinthian is no longer in the hall, he is only stood alone in the darkness.

"Deceiver."

Corinthian's blood runs still. His breath hitches when he turns and is faced with an imposing figure.

Dream of the Endless glares at his creation with a tense jaw. His eyes are lit with a fury. Corinthian can easily recognize the envy.

He feels a possessiveness, an irksome roll in his gut. What is he doing in my nightmare?

Corinthian grinds his teeth then exhales, adjusting his shades on the bridge of his nose. He feels ire rise up the artery in his neck, but he plays it off with an airy chuckle, "sounds like a whole lot of denial on your part, papa bear."

Dream's nostrils flare, he steps forward, not willing to lose to his spawn, "I have gotten my answer, nightmare. Bego-"

"You've been following us," Cori cuts in, not wanting to end the nightmare, not wanting to lose either. He watches the strangles expression on his maker tighten. The nightmare's gotten some good footing, "you've seen us walk together," he raises a brow, "laughing, holding hands."

The blonde is excited by the involuntary reaction he gets from Dream. His dark form darkens even more. The king begins to contort into a thing of horror. His form is shifting into fear itself.

If a nightmare had a nightmare, it would be him.

And yet he does a good job of playing it off, Corinthian wills himself to, just before fear overtook him, "it'd be stupid of you not to realize the feelings we evidently share for each other."

Lord Morpheus' frightful and terror-inspiring form begins to dwindle, to lose its edge at the his words. Corinthian was, like the Lord of Dreams said, a deceiver, a master at that, but he was nonetheless true at a point though. That was why a paleness overtook Dream's face, dejected, cold.

Corinthian enjoys the fact he has the upper hand, "I've been spending all my time, frolicking with-"

"And yet," his voice cracks like thunder, "you were denied," Dream cuts, smashes with a sledgehammer. He nears Corinthian. His master feels his shudder, "enough of your games, child."

A shiver runs down his spine. The power of his words over Corinthian was absolute gospel. He felt like he was being drawn back into the depths by his ankles. Cori was not giving up without a fight however.

"I can hear your true intentions, Corinthian," Dream speaks, "cease your childish prods-"

"No," Corinthian snorts. He points a finger to the ground, "no, you're wrong. You can't make me!"

He watches Dream narrow his eyes and tilt his head. He gulps when he hears him say, "can't I?"

Corinthian feels his body vibrate in anger, in annoyance, in deviance.

At the same time, they both feel the stirring of the being's consciousness.

Corinthian heaves, forcing himself to laugh, "there's still something you still don't understand, pops."

Dream is done with him, and yet he decides to humor his Corinthian, "and what would that be?"

"Unlike you, we actually have a relationship, and I'm actually, at least, friends with t-"

I gasp awake, feeling a cold sweat down my neck. I squeal and snap my head to the side when I hear a voice from across my bedroom.

It's Corinthian, taunting me, a blanket on his form from where he was spending the night on my sofa chair, groaning as he shifted, lips curving upward, "nightmare?"

I catch my breath, scowling, grabbing the pillow beside me on my bed, "asshole!" I throw the pillow at him, "I knew it was a bad idea to let you sleep over!"

Corinthian is hit in the face by my unexpectedly good shot. The glasses he kept on slips from his nose and yet he is undeterred, and even chuckles, "that's what you get for playing good Samaritan."

"Rat!" I bark, "cretin! TROLL! GREMLIN-"

"I don't know why you're so angry," Cori laughs, "I'm sure you don't remember a thing."

"That doesn't mean I don't feel the fear in my body, moron! IMBECILE!"

Dream, on the other hand, who manifested his consciousness back in the Dreaming, alerts Matthew, who had been waiting for him, perched on his throne's backrest.

"So?" the raven crows.

Dream ignores him, standing from his throne, and walking off with a dark cloud over head.

Matthew watches him storm away. He sighs, "I told you to just ask if Corinthian was-"

"Silence, bird."

Matthew stops. He sighs. He'd roll his eyes if he could. He gently mocks, "ok then, boss. You're the boss, boss."

[freeuselandonorris]

hello freeuselandonorris! i’ve asked you for writing advice/ideas a couple of times (POV decisions and something in Nov, can’t remember exactly what it was), and i find your advice so helpful (/srs) so i hope it’s not annoying i’m asking again lol.

i find i can only write when i have extreme motivation, like an idea literally possesses my brain and the words almost write themselves - gonna out myself here, the last thing i wrote was the water inflation fic i appropriated from you; it just took over my mind and i wrote/edited it in like two days (though the speed is for sure because the entire plot was essentially your idea lol).

basically, i have lots of ideas but it’s hard for me to actually think of scenes in specific, and then i just end up not writing at all. do you have a method for coming up with a progression of a specific scene?

i am doing a horrible job of explaining my q lol so for example, my current wip involves interview panels/youtube collabs etc, but i’m finding it hard to write those because it’s so different from anything i’ve tried writing before. what do you do in those kinds of cases?

sorry for the ramble and if this makes no sense, love u 😭

hiiii lovely anon (or semi-anon lmao) you are not annoying in the SLIGHTEST, i love talking about stuff like this and it makes me really fucking happy to know that my self-indulgent rambling about writing is occasionally helpful to read ❤️

SO. i have two pieces of advice on this one, speaking from my own experience because for a very long time i was also like this and would write in fits and starts and felt very like i had to ~wait for the muses to bless me~. it’s actually something i was taught at a writing course i took years ago now and it sounds so blah and obvious when you first read it but if you stick with it, it works. BRIEF DAILY SESSIONS.

aka, you write a tiny little bit every day. if you can’t commit to every day, say five days a week (but every day is better). i do NOT mean write 1000 words a day or spend three hours doing it or freak yourself out or beat yourself up or abandon your social life or your responsibilities! the idea is you just pick a time that feels feasible (i started off with 15 minutes a day and i think this works well) and you commit to doing that every day. it doesn’t have to be anything good. it can be 15 minutes of you describing lando’s eyelashes in minute detail. it can be 15 minutes of notes for a plotline. it can be 15 minutes of dialogue you KNOW is shit and wooden and will be getting deleted the minute you get to the edit stage. doesn’t matter. just do your 15 minutes.

what this does is it breaks the hold your brain has on this idea of “oh no i have to be INSPIRED before i can possibly think of writing”. at my course they compared it to musicians practising scales, or athletes doing training. we could think of it like drivers doing their sim runs. they don’t just turn up on a race weekend and expect to be great, they have to keep their eye in.

side note: it’ll feel horrible at first, you’ll hate it and resent it and everything you write will feel awful. stick with it. if you miss a day, it doesn’t matter, you haven’t failed, just start again tomorrow. if you miss a week, you haven’t failed, start again tomorrow.

this is more of a long-term thing, so for your specific piece and the issue you mention about progressing a scene, the way i get around this is to start by writing the bit(s) i CAN imagine. so for instance here, you’d write one interview scene, or one youtube collab scene. even if it’s just a little bit of dialogue, or a couple of paragraphs of like, oh i can see oscar rolling his eyes and lando sees it and gets annoyed but he can’t say anything because there are cameras on them… or whatever. just write that bit. then leave a blank space in the gdoc and write the next bit. don’t worry about the order or anything.

once you’ve written all the little bits you can think of, read them through and you might be able to see links between them, like — oh that bit could follow on from this bit up here, or these two bits could kind of go together. reorganise stuff a bit, chop it up, get rid of anything that doesn’t work (copy it into another document called ‘cutting room floor’ if you don’t want to fully get rid).

THEN write yourself some notes. go through your bits and bobs and in between them, just write stuff like [SOMEHOW THEY GET FROM THE FILMING TO THE HOTEL ROOM???]. don’t just write [SOMETHING HAPPENS HERE], you need to give yourself little breadcrumbs to follow. so like there you go, okay, so they need to be in a car or a lift or some sort of transitional space (you see these crop up a lot in my fics — lifts, hallways in hotels, the backs of taxis). or if they’ve started off talking about one thing and you want them talking about this other thing by the end of the scene, write [THEY CONTINUE TALKING ABOUT LUNCH UNTIL IT GETS AWKWARD AND THEN THEY SOMEHOW END UP TALKING ABOUT OSCAR’S CHILDHOOD]. okay, so it got awkward. how did it get awkward? write that bit. what happens after it’s awkward? does lando double down or try to gloss over it? write that bit. how does oscar react to that? write that bit. etc.

in essence, don’t try to see the entire thing at once because you’ll paralyse yourself. give yourself a direction to aim in, and a place to start, and then just focus on the next bit until you get from A to B.

and if all else fails, find a nice pithy line to end the scene on, use an asterisk scene break and start again somewhere else 🤷

SORRY THIS IS SO LONG i really hope i didn’t bore the hell out of everyone afkjeskfjkldsj but yes THANK YOU AGAIN and i hope this is useful in some way!! you can do it i know ittttt

[toxicanonymity]

Do you ever struggle with feelings of discouragement or inadequacy if your fics don’t do as well as you had hoped?

I’m struggling with that myself. I try not to get so hung up on it but it’s very hard, especially when something I’m so proud of doesn’t do as well as my other works.

I don’t even feel motivated to write bc I don’t wanna set myself up for disappointment

Discouragement, sure, I think that's natural sometimes. But I really don't feel like stats have anything to do with adequacy. Baring my soul, yuck. But fuck it we ball. Sorry it's a long answer.

I don't think I've ever answered a serious ask aside from the time i created Dr. rock which hardly counts but I've seen a lot of people struggling with this lately and hope this might be idk comforting to a person or two without leading to debate/discourse.

You mentioned something you're proud of isn't doing as well as your other works, and I can see how that would be disappointing. For laughs, I'll compare 2 of mine. These fics are impossible to compare (as are most, I think) but I def understand the urge to measure yourself against what you see as the potential. Aches: <1k popular trope I banged out in no time, wasn't sure about it, literally thought "people don't have to like it" before I hit post. >4 notes per word. Left in Lincoln: >22k posted so far, challenging, writing it for months. Has possibly driven me crazy bc I had this passing thought the other day and not about TLOU. (I didn't feel like re-reading it all): "I should just rewatch the movie. . .wait." 🤡 The whole Lincoln series combined has fewer notes than Aches lmao. But it's far more rewarding in getting to see it come to life, quality of engagement, and stretching myself 😏. It's not for everyone, for various reasons. Surely would have better stats without the twist I went with. But at what cost??

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Often, if people don't read or like something, it's a reflection of their own interests, limitations, and assumptions. And the right "fit."

I don't rly read much in general, but specifically, I rarely read long stuff (if I do I prob scan a lot tbh). I normally only want, if any, just enough plot/premise to build sexual tension. I don't read fluff or angst. I don't have the attention span / commitment to get invested in original characters. I tend to avoid stuff similar to what I'm working on. I make assumptions - If there's no word count, maybe it's too long. I know a lot of the fics I skip for these reasons must be fantastic. Assumptions I experience - I've seen very popular fics in the wild that strike me as dark, creepy, or pervy but aren't tagged that way. So some things that are tagged dark, etc., including plenty of mine, might not be dark in the way people assume based on their own ideas, or based on what others do tag. Also some people think I only write dark when sometimes it's just horny (see master list).

I've sometimes found myself thinking "It sucks more people don't read this bc i bet they would enjoy it" (not just my own fics). It might sound egotistical but I think it's often true.

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Of course I want engagement because that means more people reading something which can mean more interaction, discussion, learning what you liked, what you think, etc. that's what I love.

But notes aren't rly near the top of what I care about, even though it does feel great to get them and I truly appreciate every single one.

Night walks doesn't get nearly as many notes as some of my other stuff, especially these days, but it's fun to write and I like to feed his feral fans who only get more into him with time. Same with raider: among those who do read and engage, I sense rising enthusiasm, thirst, and rate of falling in love with him (my bad). That's all worth more than 1000 likes to me. I have a good time writing these guys, so I write them more than other ones that get way more notes 🤷. I'm not saying notes don't matter at all, I know they affect exposure and engagement. But if just did what gets notes, I don't think I'd have such high quality engagement bc I'd just bang out more stuff with the most popular tropes instead of our fave Joels and those destined to become our faves bc they offer something special.

My outlook was the same before I had so many followers btw. Rock Bottom (22k) was what I felt like writing, still more ambitious than anything I've done in the Halloween fandom. I was disappointed it got way less attention than my one shots, but I know it's a banger, just certainly not for everyone lol.

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I'm sorry for what you're experiencing and feeling, but I think it's very common and hope you can reframe it to not feel inadequate. I especially hope it doesn't discourage you from writing. ❤️