#maybe this should be a new tag for me seeing how i cannot be concise ever 😵‍💫

[suddencolds]

sending u a star!! ⭐️ sorry i wanted to go thru and pick a specific fic but im too sleepy lol but any yvescent piece u had thoughts on :D

[from Fanfic Writers - Director's Cut]

hello!!! THANK YOU N, IT MADE ME REALLY HAPPY TO RECEIVE THIS 🥹🥹🥹

I also realize am responding to this like 2 months late :') I thought for a long time on which fic to comment on, and now that I've posted Atypical Occurrence pt. 2, I thought I might as well write out my thoughts on it while they're still fresh and bc it's close to my heart (I hope that's okay hehe)

—

⚠️❗️ Warning that I will be attaching snippets from my deleted drafts below!! Please read the published installment before you proceed to read this post. This is a little embarrassing... all I can say is that those drafts were deleted for a reason 🥴

—

There’s a grocery store that’s a ten minute drive from Vincent’s apartment. 

I rewrote this scene... 3 or 4 times? It gave me sooo much trouble 😭 I think in the first draft Vincent actually tears up tasting Yves's cooking. (I know, Vincent, I want Yves to cook for me too 😭❗️)

Terrible (ugh 😭) first draft screenshot under the cut (screenshot = old draft, indented quote = current draft):

(Yves pulling up a chair at the end... you can tell he is totally at a loss on what to do 😭 and I, too, was at a loss on what to do)

I wrote this ^, and I was like... this moment just feels unearned? I personally despise outlining + I love going in (mostly) blind. Sometimes the first draft works out of the box, and in this case, the first draft (and the second draft, and the third draft) were all soooo bad that I literally had to take a month-long break to regain my confidence 😭

Anyways! I knew right away that Y was going to cook something for V (it's mentioned here and there throughout the series that he is a really good cook 😭 And in part 3 of Fool Me Twice, Yves promises to make Vincent something more ambitious than hot chocolate. He's finally kept his promise now, 12 installments later 🙇‍♀️ )

From draft 2, there was only one scene which I was sure I was going to include in the final draft, aka, spared from the recycling bin. (But I just checked the final draft and it's nowhere to be seen?? Interesting.)

I would have managed fine on my own.

On this (deleted) scene, and more broadly: I think it's important to me that Yves recognizes that Vincent is self-sufficient in many ways: when Vincent says he will be fine alone, he is telling the truth. Yves doesn't have to stay—he recognizes this too, when he heads for the door in the published draft.

Still, Yves stays, of course—initially, because he insists, and later, because Vincent asks :)

“…You won’t leave unless I eat, then,” Vincent says. He says it evenly enough that it barely registers as a question. Yves smiles at him. It’s not a wrong conclusion. “Exactly,” he says.

It was really, really fun writing the differences between caretaker!Vincent (in Fool Me Twice pt. 5) and caretaker!Yves 😊 I usually don't like to say too much on the end of character analysis, bc I like my work to be interpreted as it is: the text is canon, and everything I'm saying here is just me yapping on about my headcanons. (I have been roasted for saying this by a dear friend of mine, probably rightfully so:)

With that disclaimer: Vincent to me (I can only speculate, etc) is a very no-bullshit caretaker (he likes to enforce whatever will lead most directly to the person's recovery; he actually worries a lot, but his worry often manifests as frustration/snappishness), whereas Yves is a lot more permissive and, for the most part, manages his stress—he is the eldest sibling, after all! I think he does what he can to make it a more tolerable experience :)

“So this is just a Yves thing.” “What? Showing consideration for my friends?”  “Showing consideration is one thing,” Vincent answers. “You could have left after dropping off the files. You would still have been showing your consideration.” “I guess that’s true. But at that point, I was already here,” Yves says, with a shrug. “It seemed logical to check up on you.” “Well, now you’ve checked up on me,” Vincent says. “So you can go.” Yves supposes this is true.

Vincent takes things very literally (and I think he's actually quite aware of the social niceties around these kinds of things, which is in part why he is so skeptical to assume that Yves means anything more.)

There’s a hand on his sleeve, tugging. Yves goes very still. When Vincent notices what he’s done, alarm flashes through his expression, and he pulls his hand away as if he’s burned.  “Sorry,” he murmurs, again. And just like that, he’s back to how he always is—his expression perfectly, carefully neutral, in a way that can only be constructed. “I’m sorry.” But Yves doesn’t forget what he’s seen. “You can go.”

This scene means a lot to me!! It took a loooot of editing to hammer into place (the doc I wrote it on is titled "fixing this scene would FIX ME" haha). I think this is the first time Vincent has actively sought out Yves's comfort 😭 And he regrets it almost as soon as he's said it, because he does not do things without a good justification, and wanting something—even wanting it badly—does not feel like a sufficient justification to him. But give Yves an inch and he will take a mile!! He will take a hundred miles!! That is just the kind of person that Yves is.

I was talking with some friends previously about how I wanted to write Vincent reaching out for Yves. How I wanted Vincent to, through the haze of fever, cross a line that he'd previously not allowed himself to cross :') I think it is a time-old trope to have someone, in their feverish delirium, utter something embarrassing and utterly uncharacteristic of them, or divulge something that has been difficult for them to say.

This whole time drafting, I was thinking, how can I set up a moment like that and have it feel earned? How badly would he have to be feeling? What kind of setup would justify getting past his 590859 mental defenses? (I do not like to outline, but sometimes I do have an emotional beat that I have in mind, and then I have to work backwards to figure out the setup. This took SO much working back from, and I really thought about it for very long). I was almost sure that Vincent would regret it immediately after too 😭

Yves opens his arms out in offering, tries on a smile. “I’ve been told I give good hugs. Good enough to cure all ailments, obviously.”

Ahh, so Y offering V a hug is inspired by a fic I read 6 years ago, where a character offers another a hug as a joke and then the other character surprises them by taking it. Yves is really offering here, but I think he recognizes that joking about it will make it easier for Vincent to accept 😭

Yves has hugged a fair share of people in his life. He doesn’t think he’d be able to list them all if he were asked to. It’s different, though, being so close to Vincent—so close that Yves can reach out and let his hair fall through his fingertips. He can lift up his palm and feel the rigid line of his spine, the slope of his shoulders; he could reach out and trace the dip of his wrist, the form of his hand. Vincent’s chin digs slightly into his left shoulder. His nose is turned slightly into Yves’s neck—like this, he is almost perfectly still. Yves can feel the warm brush of air against his neck whenever Vincent exhales. He is so close that Yves is afraid, for a moment, that he might hear how badly his heart is racing.

I have nothing to say about this paragraph except that I edited it for like 40 minutes straight.

Last thing!!

“We had a habit of keeping the heat off, in the winters, and closing the windows.”

The scene near the end (where Vincent tells Yves about his childhood) is actually the scene which came the most easily to me. I also did not write it last; I jumped around. It took me around 1.5 hours. (By comparison, simply editing the scene before it took 11 😵‍💫)

I did always intend for Vincent to disclose... well, /something/ about himself. (You can tell that when I plan, that's really as far as I plan LOL)

Anyways, when Vincent wakes Yves up (after Yves falls asleep at his desk), I initially wrote it so that Yves wakes Vincent from a nightmare.

But (as direct a link to vulnerability as that might have been,) Vincent would not talk about his nightmare 😭 So I switched gears.

I also specifically wanted to write about Vincent's experience being cared for growing up. I think something that's culturally resonant with me (as an Asian American, and the eldest daughter to immigrant parents) is like, the ways families can and cannot say I love you—the quiet things that are done in place of a more direct expression of it. The way that while unspoken consideration can speak volumes, it can just as easily be invisible. But even now, writing this post, I feel like it's difficult for me to untangle the feelings and experiences I've had into something that feels sufficiently multifaceted.

Vincent has a different childhood from I do (it is probably worth noting that I do not project onto any of my characters, nor do I use them as a vessel to get my own experiences across). I think I'm just drawn to writing tricky/non-straightforward expressions of love, in general :) Sometimes that is the kind of love that resonates with me most.

[stevie-petey]

Hello! I just wanted to start off by saying I LOVE your Come Home series and your writing with it. It has inspired me in so many ways, and in all honesty, I’ve enjoyed it more than I have actually watching Stranger Things! I cannot wait to see where you take the book, and how you navigate whatever comes with season 5!!!!

I was also wondering, how have you found so much success with this series on Tumblr, and do you have any tips for growing fics in general? It has gained so much popularity and I am so happy to see it because you totally deserve it, your hard work is paying off so good!

Have a great day or night,

Anon 🦋

hi dear !! first of all, thank you so much <333 i appreciate the kind words so much and i adore you for being so supportive :’)

long post ahead !!

as for how come home managed to become what it is now: i truthfully cant really say. it still amazes me that its so popular now, but even then i dont necessarily consider it “popular” in my head lmao shes just my lil story !!

i want to start off by saying i never intended for come home to become such a well loved fic. i uploaded the first chapter simply because i wanted to, i liked what i wrote and hoped someone would like it as well. never did i think “cool ok this fic will def become an overnight sensation”.

honestly, one day i was averaging maybe 60 notes per chapter and then the next day i was suddenly averaging 300-400. the fic quickly took off before i could even really process it, and i want to emphasize that this is rare !! so so so incredibly rare. i got lucky, thats all there really is to it :/ sometimes amazing stories dont get the recognition they deserve and sometimes they do. i have personally written fanfiction for 10 years now and i never once had a fic “blow up” how come home did.

i also want to say how fucking grateful that my story managed to find its own community and become this amazing thing. every day i cannot believe any of it is real and i genuinely love and adore each and every person who reblogs and recommends the fic.

what i CAN say is that tags help !! ive noticed some new authors dont know how to tag their fics, which can really diminish their reach. for tumblr, the first five tags are the most important. these are the ones that show up on dashboards !!! i think what also helped me was having a very clear and concise story structure with pretty frequent updates. im fortunate to be able to write and upload a lot faster than i probably should (it concerns many but i find it funny).

and lastly i also just think its super important to interact with everyone !! answer all the asks, reblog all the responses, reply to every comment. i firmly believe its the least i can do if someone has taken the time to read my story and found time to say a quick praise or simply tell me they laughed :)

at the end of the day, its a game of luck and perseverance if anything else, but the general creator rule of thumb is that you should never create something just for the notes/reblogs/praise. create for yourself, create because you WANT to !!! its a slippery slope keeping track of clicks and hit and whatever. i stopped keeping track of come homes own traction because i simply dont care enough to follow it. im happy where i am and i love how the story has grown :)

hope this helped a bit and that ya enjoyed my rambles <3

[the-girl-from-number-4-blog]

I Read the News Today, Oh Boy

Roger Taylor x Reader

On the subject of artifice

Word Count: 7k! (concise? what does that mean?)

(i feel so so so bad that it’s taken me so long to post. also this was a request from @fairlysuitehearts a long long time ago, which makes me feel even worse for putting off - i wanted to get the story down! and it’s probably still shit, but i hope you like it anyway)

“THIS JUST IN: Y/N AND ROGER TAYLOR SHARING NOT-SO-SECRET GLANCES AT ALBUM RELEASE PARTY: PUBLIC DECLARATION SOON?

Y/N L/N and Roger Taylor were seen together at the celebration of the release of rock band Queen’s fifth album, A Day at the Races. 

The couple arrived together and were reportedly seen holding hands as they left the vehicle. Sources say they remained close throughout the night, and.....”

As you read the latest article in the gossip column, you grumbled lowly to yourself, shaking your head. The nerve of these journalists was preposterous and, quite frankly, impressive. You could never bear to be so invasive of another’s privacy, and even if you could, you wouldn’t be able to bring yourself to display such little shame. 

“What’s the matter?” Roger Taylor himself, the man who (rumor has it!) you’ve been dating for about a year (when will they reveal their obvious relationship?), asked you as he entered the recording studio. 

You sighed, tossing the magazine onto the coffee table. “They keep publishing this shit, but they’re just pulling it out of their arses for how much truth there is.”

He approached you, peering over your shoulder to look at the discarded tabloid. “So I see we were quite intimate at the party last week,” he chuckled. “I feel like that’s something you should have told me, Y/N. Why’d I have to find out this way?”

You backed into him purposefully, knocking him just enough off balance to allow you to spin around and face him. “Roger, seriously, this is ridiculous. How can you take this as a joke?”

You and Roger were not in any relationship. You were the band’s assistant and very close friend, but never anything more. You expected, when you took a job with one of the most promising figures in the music industry, that there would be a certain degree of unwanted publicity - but never to this degree, with such little veracity. 

“Nobody believes this stuff, you know,” he dismissed. “Can’t see why you let it get to you.”

You let out a frustrated huff. “You don’t get it. I’m getting calls every night from my family, just begging for details about our relationship - which, might I add, I simply cannot seem to convince them is entirely fabricated! You can’t tell me nobody believes it.”

“It’ll die down eventually,” he waved his hand. “Won’t be too long.”

He obviously didn’t understand how this was affecting you. It wasn’t the same with him; so what if people think he’s got a girlfriend? It gives him more publicity, and the groupies at his concerts certainly didn’t care that he already has a girl waiting (which he didn’t, but who were they to know that?)

You, on the other hand, were blacklisted from any other major music production company. After the entire debacle started, you’d looked into getting a job somewhere else (secretly, of course, as you were sure the boys would protest), just so the rumors would stop - but you were now known throughout the industry as the girl who shagged Roger Taylor to keep a position. 

You eyed Roger carefully. He really didn’t know how this impacted your career. He didn’t know to what extent this grounded you to Queen (not that you wanted to leave, per se, but it was always nice to have options), or how much of a bother it was that your mother wouldn’t talk to you anymore, since you’ve been “lying” about your love life for a year. 

You knew that something needed to change; you just didn’t know what. 

It was a chilly January morning, when the sun was hidden behind the heavy London clouds. The coffee holder in your arms warmed your hands a bit, but it was still too cold to be comfortable. 

Roger walked beside you, holding the second half of the order. It was Roger’s turn to get coffee for the rest of them at the studio, and since you usually didn’t go for caffeine but felt particularly drowsy that morning, you decided to tag along. He didn’t look nearly as cold as you, which was maddening. 

For all that it annoyed you to constantly be thrown into the limelight for your completely fictitious relationship with him, you quite enjoyed spending time with Roger. He was a charismatic man; when he was happy, which was often, his enthusiasm for life radiated from him, and permeated your own skin, making you feel the same way. He was a great pick-me-up, a natural and (probably not) unaddictive stimulant. 

Roger looked around as the two of you crossed the street, and you wouldn’t normally notice something so commonplace that, except he kept tossing his head back in the same direction. 

“What is it?” you asked.

He leaned in close to you. Speaking soft whispers into your ears, he sent warm breath which flirted against your neck like the wings of a hummingbird, sending a cascade of shivers down your spine and making the cold seem suddenly a touch more bearable. 

“Don’t look, but there’s a woman with a camera back over to your right.” They were the words of an urgent conspirator, and you knew immediately what he meant. 

You fought the urge to find that woman - who was undoubtedly a journalist, ready to publish her photographs right above some scandalous story detailing your imagined romance - and give her a piece of your mind, and maybe a bit more. “Let’s just hurry,” you grit your teeth and said. 

You’re not entirely sure what purpose it served, but Roger shifted the hold of his drinks to one hand and threw his other arm around your shoulders, as if to guide you back to the studio, to shield you from the capture of the photographer’s lens. You didn’t quite see the need, but you were thankful for the added warmth. 

When you got back to the studio, the others swarmed like bees to get their coffee. It amazed you that such an unpredictable and uncontrollable bunch as they could be made to heel so easily with just the scent of caffeine. 

“Oh, John, this one’s yours - and, wait, no, Brian, don’t take that one; it’s Freddie’s - okay, here, I think that’s all sorted.” You smiled at the boys as you apportioned their drinks, then grabbed yours from Roger. “Thanks.”

“No problem, love,” he said. The pet name didn’t really register; he usually used terms of endearment like “love” and “honey” when talking to you, or (you assumed) to most girls. 

The boys settled into their spots in the sitting area and ingested enough coffee to be fully alert for the proceedings before they all got down to business. Their latest album, just released, was on the shelves, and they had only to wait for the royalties, and to schedule a tour for the album in the coming months. Now was just their period of unwinding; they could never just leave the studio so abruptly, lest they lose all sense of direction and end up wasting all of their off-time, so they had to ween off gently. 

They took this opportunity to discuss tour dates. “I think that March would be a good time to start,” Brian proposed. “It’s only a couple months away, but it’ll give us all time to wind down before we head off.”

You nodded. “That sounds like good timing.”

Freddie turned to look at you. “So are you actually going to come on this one?”

You had always found ways to avoid them before; the constant travelling never seemed like something you wanted to do, since you didn’t know the band to well until now. When you first started your stint as assistant, you wanted to be strictly that, and nothing more. But, now that you could easily call them all friends after this last album, you reconsidered. “Never said that,” you sipped your coffee. “Just that it sounds like a good plan.”

Roger shook his head. “Ah, ah, no. You don’t have a say unless you agree to come with us. We need our assistant.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’m not your only assistant, you know. And besides, attending tours isn’t strictly in my job description.”

He shrugged. “It could be. We could change it and I know you wouldn’t quit.”

Yeah, wouldn’t, or couldn’t? you thought to yourself, but otherwise let the matter rest. 

“WHEN WILL THEY GO PUBLIC? ROGER TAYLOR AND Y/N L/N SEEN AGAIN!

Above is a view of the lovebirds taking a morning stroll to their studio, huddling together for warmth. These repeated sightings beg the question of when....”

You didn’t even read any farther. It infuriated you to no end, how blatant these lies were - and any repudiation or disaffirmation you could make would be seen as “the Lady doth protest too much, methinks” to the eyes of the journalists and the public. 

You began to pace around the studio. The rest of the boys and the technicians hadn’t arrived yet - you were usually first anyway, taking it upon yourself to both open in the morning and close in the evening, and to get the heater up and running before Freddie got there and complained. 

It would never sit well with you that these journalists wouldn’t stop. You did nothing out of the ordinary, and it was still feeding the fire. You couldn’t hold a civil conversation with your mother or siblings, and you’ve avoided talking to your friends from uni because you were sure they’d be even worse. You really hoped Roger appreciated how much you went through just to work for his band. 

The door swung forward with a loud creek and Roger stepped in, finding you furiously paving a hole in the floor. “G’morning,” he said, somewhat confused, but taking it in stride nonetheless. He knew that you’d tell him what bothered you if he needed to know. 

Which he most certainly did need to know. 

“Roger, this needs to stop. At this rate, I’ll be in hiding by next month - and even then, they’ll probably say I’ve gone on holiday to hide a pregnancy.”

You thrusted the new edition of the paper into his face, making him grab it and squint, trying to make out what it said without his glasses. 

He looked at the picture. It was the two of you from behind, taken by the photographer that morning the two of you got coffee together. It just so happened to be the moment when he had leaned in close, as if whispering sweet nothings in your ear. 

A wretched thought ran through your mind: did Roger, knowing that a reporter trailed behind them, lean in to purposely bait them into believing this lie? To give them more evidence? 

“Roger,” you said slowly, carefully, “did you plan this?” He looked sharply up at you. “Do you still think this is some great joke?”

“God, no, Y/N!” He was outraged. “I didn’t think that would be - okay, maybe I just didn’t think. I needed to tell you and I was afraid she’d overhear and take that as some invitation to approach. I swear, I didn’t want her to get that picture.”

You eyed him critically, and you could tell he was hurt by your accusations. In your defense, he always was a practical joker; and, sometimes, he didn’t exactly grasp the concept of boundaries. “Sorry,” you shook your head. “This is just really stressful. I know you’re not doing this on purpose. You wouldn’t.”

His expression softened. “Hey,” he said, coming closer to rub comforting circles onto your back. “It’ll turn out all right, okay? I promise.”

Looking at him, you really wanted to trust what he said. Everything he did was with the utmost sincerity; he truly believed that this could be made right. You weren’t so confident.

The two of you stood for a while like that, each in quiet contemplation over how to handle this great problem. The hand on your back stopped moving, but rested there, providing a much appreciated pressure; it reminded you that, even though it was Roger’s fault you were in this predicament, you weren’t alone.

“You know,” he said slowly, as if anticipating a rebuttal. This didn’t bode well for what he had to say. “The press won’t stop their theories until one or both of us is out of the public eye – which definitely won’t happen anytime soon – or until something happens.”

You tilted your head. “I don’t follow you. Wouldn’t something happening just make them more rabid?”

He shrugged. “Of course, to begin with. But then it’s old news, after it all dies down. Think about it. We give them what they want – say, for a month or so – and they get the full story. You and I, lovers, dating, whatever they want to call it. But eventually, it’ll just become old news. Neither of us can just step down, so we have to give them what they want – what the public wants – until they get fed up with it.”

It almost, almost made sense. “But, Roger, I’m not sure that would work. And besides, we aren’t actually dating, in case you didn’t know.”

He grinned. “And we wouldn’t have to be. We could pretend, just out in public, to be a bit closer than we really are. That’s all it would take.”

You crossed your arms and thought. Could it really work? Roger had admittedly been in the papers longer than you had; he’d probably know with more certainty what the press is likely to do. A part of you didn’t want to trust that he was right, simply because you yourself weren’t sure, but another part of you knew that it may be your best bet.

You would have a fake boyfriend.

“Well,” you said reluctantly. “What exactly would we have to do?”

He settled onto the couch, and you could tell that this would be an in-depth discussion. Well, it would have to be, you figured, so you sat and faced him.

“It would look to everyone as though we were dating,” he said. He watched you, as if trying to gauge your reaction – did he expect you to overreact? If he did, then he should have been there for the very first published story, not now. Now, you weren’t exactly immune, but you could handle it better.

“But we won’t be,” you clarified.

“No, of course not,” he said. “But I’m willing to bet that we’d be pretty good actors.”

And so you drew up specifics. There were certain things you’d have to make sure you do, if either of you suspect that there’s a reporter anywhere near. An arm around the shoulder was the sign that someone was close, so you knew when to really lay it on thick; but other than that, any time that you were out in public, just to be sure, you’d give each other random kisses on the cheek (which you did as friends, anyway) and hold each other’s hands (which would only be slightly uncomfortable.

“What about kissing?” Roger asked.

You were quick to respond. “Not on the lips,” you said. That was something you were certain of – you didn’t want to kiss somebody for show. It was too intimate an activity for you to fake. “Never.”

He whistled. “Never, okay,” he said, and made a note of it. “I suppose they’ll just have to do without kissing, then. May take a bit longer, though.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want to be that obvious so suddenly,” you reasoned.

“Maybe we do, though,” he said. “That’s the sort of thing that they would eat up – they wouldn’t think it’s too sudden or anything, especially since they’re expecting it.”

You shook your head. “No kissing,” you repeated.

“If you’re sure,” he let the matter drop. “A couple more things. You don’t have a boyfriend, right?”

Usually, when someone asked you this question, it was with a highly judgmental tone: you can’t get a boyfriend, right? Though you knew that Roger’s question in no way had the same inflection, the memory of answering so many times before brought a slight blush to your cheeks. “Nope.”

“Well, that’s good, then. ‘Cause it would be hard to pretend to date if either of us is going off with someone else. I know I’ll stop seeing girls, too.”

You laughed. “Is that possible?”

“Time will tell,” he said with faux solemnity. “Just one last thing – the end of this whole deal.”

“Will we need to have a public breakup?” That, you figured, might be easier than pretending to date in the first place.

His eyes widened. “No, no! The opposite, really. The whole point is to get the attention of the press, then to lose it. Let them forget, and just stop after a while. We can’t do any sort of public breakup; that’ll just bring up another mess.”

You felt a bit dumb; his plan made perfect sense. He must have been able to see your embarrassed expression.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. You’re not used to this stuff.”

You leaned back and sighed. “And I never want to be.”

You tell Freddie, Brian, and John later that day, once they all get to the studio. It’s something you can’t hide from them; and even if you could, it would be a terribly great betrayal, and you and Roger respected them too much to let that happen.

You couldn’t tell anybody else, though. Your mother believed that you were getting serious with him – not that you were on speaking terms with her yet, though. Your roommate even believed the publications, despite having seen no proof herself.

It wasn’t as hard as you had feared it would be, pretending to love Roger. That was probably because you did love him, just in a different way. You were completely comfortable holding his hand or leaning against him as you walked down the sidewalk. And he didn’t make it awkward, either; he took it naturally, like this was supposed to happen, and everything that happened before – or, rather, everything that didn’t happen before – seemed wrong.

The first time you really had to act the part in public was their first album gig at a stadium in London, before the tour was really planned out. You’d helped them set up their equipment and directed a few of the handymen who did the heavy lifting; such was your job. You did whatever was needed in the moment.

After the work was done and the band was in place, you took your usual spot off to the side of the stage to watch them perform. You let yourself go away with the music; you were incredibly lucky to find work with a band that was sounded good, with members who were fun to be around. The concert gave you time to really appreciate how good you had it, as opposed to how it may have been.

And though the newspapers hadn’t stopped, they weren’t not bothering you nearly as much anymore. You credit this largely to the fact that you expect the influx of theories and rumors. It’s proof that your – well, Roger’s �� plan worked.

After the band stopped, the crowd milled around and chattered about the gig, how successful it was. Because of course Queen was a great hit. You’d never seen them with an audience not entirely captivated, including yourself.

As you waited for things to quiet down, you felt a warm pressure against your back, and an arm closed around your waist in a secure embrace. You could tell by the smell, of all things, that it was Roger.

“Hey,” you greeted, slightly surprised.

He rested his head on your shoulder and turned to face you. Through the corner of your eye, you saw him smirking.

“This is going to be some perfect publicity, love,” he whispered lowly, and you hadn’t realized how close he was to you until he spoke, and his lips brushed against the tender skin of your neck.

You couldn’t suppress the shiver that racked your body. “God, Rog, you need to stop that!” You made sure to say it lowly, and with a laugh at your lips, but part of you was serious.

“What, you ticklish?”

You were about to say yes, but the words died in your throat as Roger’s fingers splayed against the flat of your stomach, threatening to move. “Don’t you dare,” you said.

He chuckled, and just the vibration of that put you on edge. “I won’t,” he said, “if you turn around and kiss me.” This time, it was the words themselves that made you shiver. He could feel your rebuttal coming on. “Or, at least, pretend to. For the camera.”

He spun you around, and you let him. He locked onto your eyes. “Trust me?”

You smiled slowly. “Why not?”

There was a very good reason why not, in fact.

He brought a hand up to cup your cheek, and you knew – thought – that he would use it to block the fact that you wouldn’t really touch lips from the camera, which you suspected was somewhere in the crowd.

But instead of bringing his face so close to yours that you could almost touch, he pressed his lips to yours in a sudden and firm kiss.

The one hand on your cheek and the other on your waist, while neither forceful nor demanding, grounded you and stopped any hope you had of movement. You probably couldn’t have moved, anyway; your body was frozen in a shock that was a mixture of anger and excitation.

At first, it was just a firm, constant pressure. The only thing about it that made you feel like it was a kiss was the pure knowledge of what it was.

Then he started moving.

The pressure wasn’t so constant anymore. He caressed you and tilted his head, then swept his tongue against your closed lips. It was quite unlike anything you had felt before. The shock of sensation made you gasp ever so slightly, but it was enough to grant him entrance.

This, you knew, was a real kiss – not just by the knowledge that lips touching lips was kissing; by the electricity that shot from your head down to your toes, to the tips of your fingers, and across your shoulders. You were covered in gooseflesh, and the room felt hot and cold at the same time. It built up, and up, and up, and he was kissing you and it just wouldn’t stop.

Until he stopped.

He pulled away abruptly, leaving you standing there, eyes closed, frozen in place. Your body stopped, and the potential energy that had built up froze, too.

Your eyes flew open. “What was tha –”

He pressed a finger to your lips and shook his head. “Hush, now,” he told you, shooting his eyes off to the side. “We’ve got company.”

You narrowed your eyes and grabbed his arm, turning around abruptly. It didn’t take long for you to choose a direction and go with it – you couldn’t look like you didn’t have a purpose, now, because you were trying to prove a point. You needed to speak to him, now.

A secluded place was very nearly hard to find, but you eventually settled on a dark hallway behind the main stage, where only two women stood, smoking something that probably weren’t cigarettes, and paying you no mind.

Letting go of Roger’s arm and crossing yours, you spin around to face him. “What was that, Roger? We had a deal! No kissing!”

He held up his hands defensively. “Hey, I had to do something. They had a camera right there – literally right there.”

“You knew the terms!”

“Yeah, well, I thought it was stupid then, and I think it’s stupid now. Look, it only had to be once. Most people don’t get caught off guard like that too often – this’ll be our one and only, Y/N. Trust me.”

You grumbled, “I did, and look what happened.”

“Oh, come on. It can’t have been that bad.”

“I’m not saying it was!” You flinched. “I – I’m not saying it wasn’t, either!” You put your face in your hands. “Just shut up, okay? I’m mad at you.”

He chuckled and pulled you into a friendly embrace. “Oh, come on. It had to happen, and you know it. I just didn’t want to delay the inevitable.”

Part of you so strongly wished to hold onto your frustration, to hold strong to your convictions – but as you remembered the kiss, you can’t say that you regretted it. You were beyond livid with him, with his audacity to assume that he could just kiss you, when you specifically said that he couldn’t, but you told him so when you expected not to enjoy it. Now that you did . . .

No. You shook your head and pushed the thought from your mind.

You found that his hug calmed you down. Even though Roger was the target of your anger, only he could stop you from working yourself into such a fury. “You still shouldn’t have done it.”

“I know,” he said, but he didn’t quite sound sorry.

Moments passed as the two of you just listened to the hum of the crowd outside. Usually, Roger would have been out there, entertaining people and letting them entertain him – and despite your dispute with him, you were thankful that he’d chosen you this time for company.

You ended up sitting side by side, backs against the wall.

“So,” he said, completely casual, “that was your first kiss, right?”

You were taken aback. So what if it was? “Of course not!”

He laughed and shook his head. “Yes, it was.”

“Was not!”

“Was!”

“What makes you think that was my first?”

“Well, for one, your face right now. You’re red as a cherry. And second, the kiss wasn’t the best –”

“Excuse me!”

“Okay, okay, fine. It was just obvious that you weren’t exactly . . . experienced.”

“I’m not a slut like you, you mean.”

He bumped your shoulder. “I take offense to that.”

“You should. You can’t just assume I’ve never kissed before.”

“I really don’t need to.”

You huffed, exasperated, and closed your eyes. “This conversation is over.”

He shifted beside you. “Nope, it’s not. I can’t let you get away from me without imparting some of my knowledge unto you.”

You let your head fall onto your shoulder, looking at him sidelong.

“I’m serious. You’ve never had a steady boyfriend, have you?”

A clipped laugh escaped your lips. “Again, overstepping your boundaries, Rog.”

“Come on. I’m just trying to help. And, you avoided that question – just proves that I’m right. You haven’t been able to keep a guy for so long.”

You looked down, fiddling with your fingers. “Well, it’s not my fault,” you conceded. “They were just . . . poor fits.”

He turned to face you. “That’s exactly what I mean. By the time that we’re through with this dating game, I’ll make sure that you know what a good date is. You deserve to be happy with someone, Y/N, and I do hate to see you so lonely.”

You were about to refute that and say that you weren’t lonely; that you were perfectly happy by yourself. But you weren’t.

“We’ll go on real, proper dates. Or, at least, proper fake dates. We’ll go to restaurants, to films, whatever you want. You need to know how a good date is supposed to go, because judging by your lack of kissing experience, you certainly don’t.”

“You’re being quite presumptuous.”

“I have your best interests at heart.”

That marked a new act in the play that was your life “dating” Roger Taylor.

The very next day, tabloids exploded with three different photographs of your kiss. It was all the press needed to run wild, and you could tell that it would be weeks yet until they ran dry of fuel from the event.

The good thing about that publicity was that it meant no more kissing for you and Roger. You were mostly glad for this; you didn’t like the idea of nonchalant kissing. To you, intimacy was something serious. But a small, rebellious, and suppressed part of you knew that, once you had felt that spark – tasted the fruit, so to speak – you couldn’t quite forget it.

He held your hand constantly in public. It was such a frequent occurrence that he began to do it in private, too, and you found great comfort in the feeling of his skin against yours. You never expected to feel such physical attraction to something like this, but the kiss had brought on new parts of your imagination that you had never entertained before.

You grew attached to this new feeling. You woke up every morning, looking forward to his embrace. You longed for public excursions, so you had an excuse to rest your head on his shoulder and breathe in the scent of his hair. You felt bereft by his absence.

Never could you have known that playing with fire could have these consequences. You never expected to enjoy your role; you never expected to want it to be true.

In short, you’ve found enlightenment and can never forget it.

What made it worse was Roger’s pact to show you a “proper date”. Apparently, that meant taking you on romantic excursions, in or out of the public eye, to set your standards high in the future.

He would take you to the movies, then to a nice restaurant. Perhaps on a stroll of the park. It started as very tame, very friendly dates; you could easily forget the fact that you were supposed to be a couple. But when he started bringing you to secluded places – and by that, meaning places where nobody else will know you’re together – you began to wonder why.

A candlelit dinner at his flat one evening was too romantic and too private to be practical. You really felt like a proper lover, now; you’d been wined and dined, romanced in all the right ways. It was a pity that you weren’t really loved the way anyone would think you were.

The plates were abandoned on the table, the dying candlelight flickering. You had taken the wine and retired to the living room, where you were lounging on his spacious sofa as close as you could possibly be. The alcohol had put a drowsy sort of haze over your eyes, but since you were seated, you found it relaxing.

“Roger?” your voice was quieter than you intended.

“Yes, love?”

“Do you like me?”

You could practically hear him squint his eyes, trying to figure out what you meant. “Well, of course.”

You didn’t think to wonder if he had misunderstood your question; his answer made your heart flutter all the same. “That’s good,” you said, grabbing onto his hand and pulling it into your lap, then resting your head against his shoulder, “’cause I really like you.”

“You should be. I’m your boyfriend.”

You pouted. “But you’re not really my boyfriend, are you? It makes me sad, you know, to think that I have to pretend to have a guy as nice as you.”

He chuckled. “You think I’m a nice guy?”

“Well, no. But I love you anyway.”

You both paused, shocked in equal parts by your words. You were a bit drunk – not enough to ignore the fact that you just said to him something you couldn’t even say to yourself, but too much to think of a clever way to relieve the tension.

Roger wrapped his arms around you and pulled you ever closer. If you had looked at his face, you’d see an expression of serious contemplation. He didn’t know how to react to your sudden, albeit lazy, declaration. He didn’t know if you were serious, or if you meant it that way – it was easier to believe that you didn’t. He wanted to believe that you didn’t.

But did he really?

Eventually, the both of you fell asleep – the awkward pause too pregnant to move on from, but both of you too inebriated to do anything else, you both just closed your eyes against the world and found comfort in the sweet succor of sleep.

When you woke, your eyes were heavy, and it seemed to be a production to try and open them, so you simply didn’t. Your face was cool, but your body was warm, and you felt perfectly at peace. There was a faint yellow tint to your eyelids, which wasn’t out of the ordinary – it was morning light, softly reminding you to start your day.

There was that early-morning fog over your brain that stopped you from questioning where you were and why you were so unfamiliarly comfortable. You just accepted the warmth that wrapped around you on this slightly cramped space, the gentle oscillation lulled you into wanting sleep once more.

The nest that encapsulated you closed tighter around your waist, and it was an accepted pressure. You stretched your legs and let out a sighing yawn, still not opening your eyes, still not bothering to wonder what was holding you so secure.

“Good morning, love,” came a raspy voice from behind you, from around you. You felt the vibration against your back as the voice spoke. You froze.

The sudden rush of awareness hit you like a tsunami, and your eyes flew open.

You were in Roger’s flat. It took you a moment to remember how you got there; you knew that there was a falsely romantic dinner date, and then . . . talking . . . and then something.

“Er, morning,” you replied. Your throat was dry.

“Didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, shifting slightly, but not trying to move you away. You didn’t want to move.

“No,” you said, your heart pounding. “N-no, you didn’t.”

He sighed behind you. “Put your head back,” he said. “It’s too early.”

One of his hands coaxed your head to fall back onto his chest, and it fell with only slight resistance.

It seemed to you that he closed his eyes and fell back into a doze, but you couldn’t do the same. You closed your eyes, sure, but you couldn’t quite relax, knowing that you were laying on Roger Taylor’s sofa – on Roger Taylor – with his arms wrapped about your waist in the oddest sort of embrace.

You knew that Roger wasn’t awake enough to really realize what he was doing. Of course he wouldn’t want to hold you like this if he were cognizant – you were only friends, and this was decidedly not a friendly sort of position to be in.

As much as you tried not to think about it, you couldn’t help but wonder why this made you feel so good. For all it was awkward, it felt more perfect than anything else before it. It felt perfect like holding his hand felt perfect; it felt perfect like kissing him felt perfect; it felt perfect like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west felt perfect.

You betrayed your own attempt at restraint and let yourself fall into a peaceful sort of acceptance. It wasn’t so bad a deal, you figured, to be in this position. At least it was Roger, of all people.

After a while, during which you may or may not have fallen into a light sleep once more (it was quite impossible to tell), you felt Roger begin to stir once more.

One of his hands moved from your waist. The other remained, but you still felt deprived of its wonderful heat. You noticed now that, though you had no blanket of any sort, Roger had kept you warm enough. Your cheeks grew flushed at the thought.

“Roll over, baby,” he said groggily. “Careful, now.”

Slowly, so as not to poke him with your elbows, you twisted around, so that you were facing him.

When you saw the way his hair fanned about his face, the way his eyes were heavy-lidded, and just how relaxed his face was, unmarred by the strain of everyday expressions – it almost made you gasp. Maybe it did make you gasp. “Hi,” you said sheepishly.

“That’s better,” his lips quirked up in a lazy sort of grin, and his eyes found yours. It made your stomach clench. “How’d you sleep?”

He was acting so cavalier, as if this sort of thing happened between the two of you all the time. “You know, it was fine.”

Roger chuckled. “Well, I thought it was bloody amazing. I’ll admit it, Y/N, I sleep better with someone beside me.”

You adjusted your position, getting comfortable again. He didn’t seem eager to move anytime soon. “I’m not used to it. It’s not too bad.”

“Oh, how lonely,” he adopted a tone of fake sympathy, and it made you chuckle. “You’ll learn to love it.”

You tilted your head back. “I will?”

“Once I’m done with you, like I said, you’ll have men left and right. You’ll never have a lonely night again.”

“I imagine I’d get quite tired of people after so long.”

He looked off to the side and shrugged. You didn’t really feel your face getting closer to his, mostly because his eyes weren’t on yours anymore, which didn’t make you so aware of the distance between you.

But when he looked back at you, his eyes were so clear and so close. Everything was so close – your noses almost touched, and your lips, well, you didn’t want to think about your lips. But you couldn’t stop yourself.

You found yourself leaning even further in. It wasn’t even of your own accord. You were like magnets, some invisible force pulling you closer and closer. Roger felt it, too, because you watched his eyes flutter shut before closing your own, as well.

“Do you remember what you said last night?”

He said it so softly, reluctantly, like he didn’t really want to say it in the first place.

“I’m sure I said plenty. Can’t remember it all.”

“Please, try.”

You paused. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Roger.”

He looked at you, eyes narrowed, hardly looking sleepy at all. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t.”

You felt him shifting, to prop himself up against the arm of the sofa, so you scooted down, sitting more on his lap than lying against his chest.

“Last night, did I – did I do something wrong?” You almost didn’t want to know the answer. You hardly ever allowed yourself to drink for fear of what you might do.

He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “You couldn’t ever do anything wrong, Y/N,” he said. “You couldn’t.”

“Then what’s the matter, Rog?” His sudden change in demeanor simply didn’t fit. “I really don’t get you. Sometimes you’re about to . . . then, you just change, like that.” You snapped your fingers. It wasn’t quite the resounding effect you were looking for, since you never were very good at it.

“It’s really nothing, love. Now, let up, I’ve got to shower.”

You shuffled over to the end of the sofa to let him get up and trod over to the bathroom. You fell back against the cushions, perplexed.

You didn’t exactly lie low the next few weeks, but nothing more escalated like it had before. You and Roger went back to the routine outlined by your deal in the beginning, and it was an easy, if unsatisfying deal.

The press was finally getting tired of reporting about the two of you, anyway. What interest was there in a stale, stagnant relationship, amid the scandalous termination of EMI’s contract with the Sex Pistols or the not-so-shocking disclosure of Elton John’s unconventional sexuality?

“There hasn’t been an article about us for weeks,” you said to Roger one afternoon as you all prepared to leave the studio. “That’s practically a century.”

He nodded, not looking up at you; he was shuffling through a few tapes. “Yeah, you’re right.” More shuffling. “You want an end to this, don’t you?”

You always had a natural inclination against lying, so you couldn’t automatically respond with the affirmative. “I mean, well – we really needn’t bother anymore, right?”

Roger turned around slowly, setting down the tapes and leaning back against the soundboard. He crossed his arms. “You’ve got to admit, it was fun, wasn’t it?”

You looked down to hide the smile on your face, but you couldn’t keep the laugh from your voice. “I’d have to say yes.” You covered your mouth with your hand as you giggled. Once he saw your laugh, you noticed his demeanor lighten. “I mean, we just fooled the entire press into thinking –”

“Into thinking exactly what they already thought,” he held up a finger for emphasis. “You see, that’s the beauty of the plan. We didn’t fool them into anything, not really. We just didn’t resist and they ran with it.”

He caught your eye and gave you a kind, happy smile.

Catching your hands, he held them in his own, and looked down at you. “Is there any chance that you’ll miss this?”

“Yes,” you say, because it was easier than trying to lie. “There’s a big chance.”

“I’ll miss it, too,” he admits, and it makes you feel something to hear him say it. “I’ll miss holding your hand.” He took a step closer, dropping one hand to grip your waist. “And I’ll miss holding you like this.” He pulled you closer and closer. “I’ll miss kissing you, most of all.”

You swallowed. “That only happened once.”

He let out a breath. It fell against your cheeks, making your skin tingle. “It really didn’t have to.”

Tilting your head to the side, you asked, “Roger, what are you saying?”

He didn’t shy away from your gaze this time. He held you with his large blue eyes, and you felt like you should look away, this time, but you couldn’t. “I’m saying that I don’t want to pretend anymore.”

You knew what he meant, somewhere in the back of your mind, but still, you said, “Then we can stop. We don’t need to, anymore.”

“That’s not what I mean, Y/N, and you know it.” The grip on your waist tightened as his other hand went there, too, holding you closer. Your noses were touching. “I want to kiss you so badly.”

Your eyes flickered down to his lips. “I think you should,” you say softly. “No more pretending.”

He captured your lips in a searing kiss. You brought your arms up around his neck, pressing your chest to his. It was much more intimate than you’d ever been with him, and the kiss, combined with the thousand other points of contact sent the most wonderfully violent shiver throughout your entire body.

“Roger,” you said in between kisses, “I think I love you.”

He chuckled. “I know.”

[seenashwrite]

The Fall ‘18/Winter ‘19 Edition of…

It’s a better-late-than-never situation, but it’s finally here!

*~* New to The Nail? *~*

The Nail isn’t about perfection. It isn’t about award-level contenders. It isn’t for highlighting certain genres of fics or specific ships. It’s about seeing real effort and hard work radiate off of the screen - the sole focus is quality. Character dimension. Writing with clever readers in mind. Well-built worlds. Killer starts and clutch endings. Crazy crisp dialogue. Incredibly tight plotting. More shows, less tells. Big emotion.

Find past editions HERE. Find what factors are considered when constructing this rec list, and learn how to get your recommendations to me HERE. Find info on the structure of these rec posts HERE, with answers to FAQs such as “Why did someone make up a title for my piece?”, and more.

>> The Basics On What’s Below <<

- All from the world of SPN (unless otherwise noted, i.e. cross-overs), across all genres; these are organized by length for the most part, so you’ll need to click thru to see if it is a theme of your preference; I aim to not have too much that’s of the same genre/length in a given edition, and limit the times a writer can appear on a given list (if they had more that fit the bill, I’ll chuck ‘em to next edition’s list); when applicable, unique projects, original stories, and any anecdotes/personal essays/family stories/etc. are near the end.

- You’ll see icons throughout…

If it has NSFW elements / walks an NSFW line - ⚠️

If it features / blatantly alludes to a specific ship - 🚢

If it has less than 100 notes (at time of this post) - 📌

And that last item is very important.

- A main priority of The Nail is to have at least 50% of these one-and-done SPN stories (so, drabbles and one-shots) be those which have less than 100 notes (give or take a few self-reblogs by the writer, and not counting mine) in each posting, and for this edition, out of 36, these comprise 26 so the goal was met!

Highly encourage you to at minimum hit the heart, ideally reblogging along with a note of feedback if you enjoyed. To do my part, I’ll be queuing these low-note fics one per day after this edition is published.

- Reblog of this rec list by “big blogs” (let’s say 1K followers and up) is especially appreciated, and not for my sake; it’s to get these wonderful writers with low note fics as much exposure as possible.

- Writers, make sure you scroll - you may be on here more than once!

- “Notes from Nash" at the very bottom of the post.

- For your mobile convenience, here’s The Nail Master Post of Editions

- And finally, shameless plugs....

 See Nash Write: Master List

You Totally Made That Up podcast - @youtotallymadethatup

Note: Just a line or two excerpt to paint a little picture - no specific feedback on these drabbles because each writer nailed it in the entirety - all are poignant, well-structured, thoughtful, and they did it all in a limited amount of words. Well done, all of you. 

181 words

The Wishes 📌  -  @sixtysevenandwhiskey 

It’s a lot of nothing, until nothing is all there is.

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182 words

Stars 📌  -  @covered-byroses

She loved looking at the stars.

.

223 words

Storytelling 📌  -  @always-keep-writing

He shouldn’t be surprised that it ends up being a story.

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230 words

A Long Forty Years  -  @babybluecas

Sometimes, he’d wish he was so much older.

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352 words

Control 📌 -  @idreamofhazel

If only Dean knew the other, more biting things he holds under his tongue.

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370 words

His Hair 📌 🚢  -  @gabrielfallstonight  

He often wondered if, by spending as much time on Earth as he did, he was growing almost human.

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427 words

Topper  -  @alleiradayne  

Coffee. He just needed a cup. Or four. Okay, maybe the whole pot.

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483 words

Tedium 📌  -  @smi727  

This situation was something Michael simply could not abide.

555 words

Kids These Days 📌  -  @revwinchester  

A little behind-the-scenes interlude wherein Dean has an interaction with some kids in town. In medias res, OCs developed in a short amount of space, thoughtful/nice message without being preachy.

.

560 words

Four Months Expired (But Still Good) 📌 🚢  -  @bendingsignpost

A delightful scene based on a premise that could've gone saccharine but stays the just right amount of sweet and humorous.

(I cannot tag this lovely, if someone would be so kind as to try to do so in the comments, it would be appreciated!)

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570 words

Black 📌 - @sculptorofbeginningslibrary  

An introspective look at Dean in the time between waking up with his demonized soul and when he left the bunker; doesn't merely recap what we know; nice take on the physical changes; excellent characterization.

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633 words

Smoked  -  @ameliacareful

A snicker-worthy tale of what should be an ordinary shopping trip, but as we know nothing can ever be simple for the brothers; well-structured, solid characterization, concise  descriptions that put you right there with them.

(I cannot tag this lovely, if someone would be so kind as to try to do so in the comments, it would be appreciated!)

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664 words

Last Night  -  @atwistoffate

A brief interaction between you and Dean that is a perfect balance of snarky and cute, and (thank Chuck) Dean is portrayed realistically, and I personally salute the writer for not uttering a single Y/N or sweetheart (it can be done, folks). I'd also be remiss not to highlight this beauty: “You know what? I don’t even care,” Dean says, caring deeply.

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714 words

Stay  -  @there-must-be-a-lock

Absolutely beautiful moment between you and Sam that doesn't get weighed down by over-dramatic pining, in part thanks to a sandwich. In medias res; descriptions that paint the picture without diving too deep; lovely from beginning to end.  

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812 words

Carolina 📌  -  @atc74

A first-person, introspective tale of an interaction Dean has with a stranger. In medias res; sets the stage from the opening paragraph, putting you right into Dean's shoes; well-developed OC in short amount of time; great closing lines.

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841 words

Strange Gifts 📌 -  @lastactiontricia  

Michael gives you the "gift" of knowing your potential fates. In medias res; great structure/descriptions that convey the mood without being belabored; clutch open-ended ending.  

1.1K words

Syruped and Feathered 📌 -  @mrswhozeewhatsis

A snicker-worthy on-the-hunt tale where you and the Winchesters get in a... well... a sticky situation. Ahem. Sorry, couldn't resist. Oh, and there's a surprise guest star that'll make you grin. In medias res, nice flow, creative use of prompts.

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1.2K words

Don't Panic 📌  -  @koedeza

Beautifully written, somber tale about what eventually happens in the lives of hunters. In medias res, excellent structure/flow, fantastic characterization, clutch ending. Keep an eye out for this writer - they are consistently solid and do not disappoint.

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1.3K words

'Til It All Falls Apart 📌  -  @lipstickandwhiskey

Angst done right in this story about what Dean might've gone through after Michael was cast out. Good flow, no laborious explanations of what we already know, reasonable actions/reactions from all.

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1.4K words

Bite Me, BitFit 📌  -  @shy-violet-soul

Exactly what you think from the title - a funny story about Dean's battle with healthy living. In medias res, nice structure, great characterization, several killer lines.

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1.4K words

Eggshells 📌  -  @hunenka

A coda to Nightmare Logic, this tackles Dean's internal processing of life as he now knows it, Sam in charge and what feels like a million people in his home. Beautifully written, Dean is as accurate as it gets, excellent flow, plausible scenario.

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1.7K words

Told You So   -  @there-must-be-a-lock

How to do hot and sultry without smut - read and learn. This is a story about what should have been just an ordinary post-hunt night back at the bunker, when it turned to something more. Great opening paragraph, easy flow, trifecta of snarky-sweet-sexy.

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1.8K words

Brother 📌  -  @sixtysevenandwhiskey

An exquisite look - to use the writer's words - at Dean over the years, through Sam's eyes. Excellent structure/verbiage, no unneeded repetition of things we already know, good use of song inspo, plausible within canon, feels genuine throughout.

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1.8K words

The Lie 📌 -  @sophisticated-angel

Stunning tale (and add this to the pile of "Why the hell doesn't this have more notes?!" stories) about what happens to those who are left behind after a loved one dies - but as always in the Winchester world, nothing can ever be routine. In medias res, creative plotline, moving and heart-grabbing that leaves you with both a sense of rightness and a sense of unease.

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2.9K words

The Unexpected Guest  -  @crispychrissy 

Per the writer's summary - "A day of researching takes a turn when you see something from your past that leads to some interesting discoveries." But, wait - this is so much more. Pay attention as you read, because the writer has left you clues along the way (starting with the title), and it's done quite deftly. In addition - nice blending of humor and drama, time taken to research the creature featured clearly evident, clutch ending.

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3K words

Easier To Be Me 📌 -  @alleiradayne

A Sam + Reader story labelled "floof" by the writer, but it's sweet without bending saccharine; in medias res; great opening/closing lines.

[Nominated by @atc74 who said - “So I have read a couple things of hers, this I read a while ago, but it deserves some love, because it is just that good. Hope you like it This was so wonderful. Well written and beautiful."]

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3.1K words

Teeth 📌   -  @lastactiontricia

Do you want to read something spooky that’s based on a true story, with a fantastic plot that has roots in a true story, which features well-developed characterization/accuracy in characterization, and is - in case I didn’t mention it - based on a true story?!

Read this. Find you a cozy corner, grab the drink of your choice whether it’s bourbon or hot chocolate, wrap up in a blanket, and Read. The. Story. It is unique, it is well-written, quality top to bottom, and it’ll give you the feels, tips to toes. Stop wasting your time on the same ol’, same ol’.

READ THE STORY

(Part of a collection, all are fantastic, so see also: Halloween Horror SPN One Shots Masterlist)

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3.3K words

Lay Me Down 📌  -  @stusbunker

A solid case fic here that balances itself with some cheekiness thrown in amongst the drama (and a bonus for me, not a "Y/N" in sight - it can be done, folks). In medias res, moves at a quick clip, great line here: "The spell spread quickly, like spilled water on a tabletop..."

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4.9K words

Shadow's Edge 📌  -  @saenalife 

A story of what happened one night when a routine retrieval of an item goes sideways. In medias res, excellent opening line/paragraph that perfectly sets the scene/mood (I mean - "Dark seems like too shallow a word for this. It goes beyond the absence of light - more like the light has never existed here at all..." - hello), creative plot, great structure (specifically: flashback/forward done right), and bonus kudos for switching things up with a feature not seen with regularity, that of a gender neutral lead.

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5.6K words

The Wonders of Modern Technology ⚠️ -  @littlegreenplasticsoldier

If you aren’t familiar with Greenie, she’s another one of those rare writers ‘round these parts who gives us consistently solid stories with a unique style that’s all her own, and this one is no exception, a humorous tale of a piece of equipment that doesn’t exactly malfunction, but we’ll just say there’s, ah, user error [wink]. 

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5.7K words

Like Ocean in the Desert 📌⚠️  -  @saenalife

Borrowing the writer's summary - "Baby needs some work before Dean can get back on the road. He went to the salvage yard for parts, but what he found was a human connection." In medias res, well-developed OC, nice premise, great structure/flow.

[Nominated by @littlegreenplasticsoldier who said - "Here’s a prime example of notes misaligning with quality. Pfft. Criminal. This is the third time I’ve read this."]

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6.4K words

The First Bite 📌  -  @shy-violet-soul

A story from the way-back-when, and as for feedback, I’ll let the curator take it away....

[Nom'd by @mrswhozeewhatsis who said - "Confession: I love Weechesters. So, this fic was already up my alley from word one. Add in pie mentioned just in the author’s note, and I was already a happy camper! Imagine my surprise when I was sniffling halfway through because wee!Dean was just killing me! The OCs are very well fleshed out, without being distracting, and the whole story was just so well-written I finished it just wanting to hug everyone. The grammar and other technical stuff was at least flawless enough that I didn’t notice it, and the whole story just unfolded in front of me like a cootie-catcher. I think I’m in love, and I might go read it again, even though I should be writing. *swoon*"]

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6.8K words

Gutted  -  @idreamofhazel

A case fic with some Dean + Reader sweet-n'-sultry on top. Nice opening paragraph that sets the tone, solid characterization, very creative plot/creature featured, excellent structure.

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6.9K words

About Dean's Dreams   ⚠️ -  @fanforfanatic  

This writer has yet to disappoint - and this story is damn near pristine from start to finish. It’s an actual, on god, Dean-in-character dive into the woman of his dreams. Sound fluffy or angsty? Nope. You’re wrong. It isn’t either. What it is, is just right. I’m not telling you any more - when you next have time to sit and read and really absorb an introspective Dean piece, make this your first choice.

Say hello to a new (-ish!) writer, @salt-n-burn-em-all !

Doors 📌

You will not believe this is just her 2nd SPN fanfic - captivating and moving, and even if you're swiping a tear away, I think you'll find yourself with a smile at the last three words.

East of Nowhere ⚠️  -  @thecleverdame 

You and Sam are strangers trapped in a desolate mountain town where you live alone, isolated from the outside world, for five years.

Very creative scenario that takes you on an intimate journey and - most importantly - has quite the satisfying reveal.

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How You and I Will Be  -  @katehuntington  

When a hellhound case in the mountains goes sideways, Dean and you find yourselves trapped in a small cabin, miles from civilization. Rescue is on its way, but will it be in time?

Opening paragraph sets the scene perfectly, you'll find yourself there immediately, and it's a plausible scenario of a hunt gone wrong. (We do love our case fics here at The Nail!)

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If This Is A Dream  🚢 -  @wendibird 

Sam receives a tip about a restless spirit haunting a particular patch of woods in South Carolina - one who has asked for him by name. He must now deal with the thought of putting to rest someone he once cared for, but will things go that simply?

Phenomenal opening line/paragraph that puts you in Sam's headspace from the jump, and boy howdy can we all empathize with him, and it's a plausible scenario, one I personally haven't seen tackled til this.

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Men of Cold Cases  -  @smi727

Sam had uncovered hundreds upon hundreds of cases the Men of Letters had never closed, [and the] idea was to investigate what those stodgy old nerds never got around to. Given the cases were at least 60 years old, the chances that any were still active were slim to none. They should all be milk runs…

Fantastic concept, completely original, and well-written to boot. Bonus? The writer has based the plots on actual cold cases and mysteries, and provides you links to the stories behind the story so you can learn more.

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The Ellison Lane Legacy  -  @sixtysevenandwhiskey 

Sam finds a case. You’re reminded of a past you want to forget.

Cheers for a well-rounded original female character who is tough and vulnerable all at once. Interesting and creative story that's heavy, yes, but thanks to skilled writing the flow keeps it moving vs. getting mired down.

Wrath 📌  -  @waywardjoy

Shakespeare gets a run for his money here with a small fic inspired by some of his words. Beautifully composed, from the title to the usage of the lines, flows like a dream, evokes big emotion, and puts you right there in the action, breathtaking from start to finish.

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The Runaway Vessel 📌  -  @butiaintgonnaloveem 

A creepy re-working of a popular children's story that will stay with you after you read it. Killer first line, clutch ending, and a detailed, stunning piece of artwork to boot from @lostmymuseagain, what a match made in heaven. This one dug deep, and definitely read like a cautionary fairytale about fate and choices that grandparents would tell/read to the children on a dark night around the fire, give ‘em a bit of a chill in spite of it. 

Ring-A-Ling  -  @winchester-writes & @littlegreenplasticsoldier & @mrswhozeewhatsis

To think, it all started with an innocent post about a tiny bell - get ready to laugh.

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Ten Years Gone  -  @cinnamonanddean  

This is a short-and-sweet, most worthy exception to a The Nail rule that no RPF will be on the list, wherein Jensen reflects upon his time on the show.

Carriers  -  @violetwolfraven 

Daddy Loves To Be Murdered   -  @gabesnonnie 

Slay Ride  -  @bendingsignpost 

The Awakening  -  @rmeisel 

The Chosen One  -  @copperbadge 

The Night  -  @later0varies

Bedtime Stories & How Chad Got His Name  -  @lostmymuseagain (also see the artwork related to the Chad story here)

The Author  -  @thebibliosphere

Notes from Nash

The document with my little summaries and personalized feedback for each of these got eaten - basically, I had to re-do the list and time’s been scarce, so forgive me for the lateness.

Also, there was a good handful of stories that disappeared due to what I presume was the purge/people deleting or losing their blogs. I did make effort to check AO3 but I’m afraid some stellar work has been lost for good.

There were a lot of repeat writers and folks I’m friendly with in this edition, more than I typically feature - I strive to highlight mostly lesser known writers and, as noted, mostly fics with <100 notes - but they earned it (and I even chucked a few more from some of these peeps into the folder for the next edition, that’s how hard they’re rockin’ it). That’s why it’s so important y’all let me know about the unsung writers and their undiscovered jewels - submit the story links and your reviews to me (links to your reblogs with your comments is perfectly fine) any ol’ time. 

That’s it! What’re you waiting for??? Get to reading!

[clumsyclifford]

(2/6) onto my playlist review: first of all thank you 😊 and no i'm very attached to being called fiancee 🙈 i'm in the mood to discuss music with you in detail again so have fun 😅 (this got long my apologies) maybe - these lyrics hurt my feelings. i feel called out but the song is very beautiful and lewis capaldi's voice is so so niice. i found a girl - i vibe with it a lot though i'm a bit wary about the friendzone-y vibe of the lyrics but it's catchy as fuck.

(3/6) catastrophize - so amazing. but like has noah kahan written a bad song? i don't think so. apropos noah kahan i think i might be in love with him bc i watched the music video for mess and like. yes. that's what a music video should be 🙈 happy - I JUST WANT TO BE FUCKING HAPPY. i feel that song so much julia michaels truly has a way with words.

(4/6) everyday life - again love the lyrics sooo much. look what god gave her - what a bop. this song makes me like ridiculously happy? also i don't get the hate country music gets like i personally don't listen to it but that's only bc i'm not really exposed to it. lonely girl - also a bop. gotta love a kind of aggressive break up vibe. edge of tonight - i cannot put my love for this song into words. might just be my favourite of future hearts (okay no not favourite but top 3 bc i can't choose)

(5/6) and bc i love your recs i listened to the songs from the tags as well: lucy - a vibe. did not expect to like it when it started but turns out i like it a lot actually. living on love - only one i don't really vibe with it's a bit too much for me, sorry ajr (great lyrical content as usual though) i believe you - i can't really deal with this song. i love that it exists but i couldn't listen to it all the way through once i paid attention to the lyrics.

(6/6) are there other songs you can recommend by fletcher though? bc it really did sound lovely. life changes - ADORABLE. love the kind of story vibe? also life goals. i could use a love song - same. biiiig same. come hang out - really dig that one. oh especially like the little clicks at the end -fiancee

RIGHT i am gonna put my answers under the cut because i have Things to Say but this is long

u know what that’s fair enough about i found a girl i just think the song does a decent job of taking responsibility and him being like “it’s on me, i’m the one who assumed something that wasn’t there” like in the bridge he’s like “i can’t believe that i just think like a man” like yeah buddy you did but at least you own it!!! so that’s why it doesn’t really bother me about the song but i totally get what u mean

KHJSDFKLGMKDFGJ correct noah kahan has never written or made a bad song in his life <3 GKJFKGMFLKJ FAIR ENOUGH that’s the one w the dogs right...........points made. points indeed. have you seen the false confidence video? i like that one

bro happy just FUCKING hits different. like?? julia michaels really does have a way w words like somehow she always manages to concisely phrase very specific thoughts and feelings. and like saying “i just wanna be fucking happy” ??? i just feel like nobody else in the world would have written it that way. and it’s like. it’s so real. “sometimes i think i kill relationships for art” LIKE HELLO HOLY SHIT ??!?!?!?!!?!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!

mate ive had my ups and downs w country music but have ultimately decided it has some GOOD stuff in there. starting point i recommend thomas rhett (new album is called center point road it is lovely but the one that life changes is from is also good can’t remember the name atm) also side note i shuffled my music today and look what god gave her was the first song that played <3 love that for us <3 it’s just so good like thomas rhett is chugging that loves-his-wife juice all day every day

re: lonely girl that whole album is !!! really good !!! i know i just rec’d a fuckton of shit to you so i shouldn’t keep giving you stuff but i have to just say that from that album (which is called the other side), my favorites are say please, you don’t owe me anything, hell and back, and come home. oh and the other side (the song). okay it’s a really good album what can i say. plus bonus for female-fronted pop punk band

that is honestly fair enough the energy of edge of tonight is really. it’s. yeah. i get it. like i get it. 

babe omg u are amazing <3 yeah simple creatures is alex gaskarth’s side project (with mark hoppus!) when they took that year off from all time low and it is self-described by them as “trash pop” but i absolutely live for it. fair enough about ajr that one hurts but i respect your taste especially since you’re so amenable to literally everything else i listen to. however MAYBE you would like dear winter since it doesn’t have the Really Produced vibe of literally every other ajr song. and maybe turning out too BUT IM NOT RECCING YOU MORE AJR SINCE YOU JUST SAID YOU DONT VIBE

ok true maybe i should have given you a warning w that one sorry love <3 but YES i will happily rec more fletcher how about strangers, princess, if you’re gonna lie, you should talk. i really really REALLY am in love w fletcher i listened to her because she was gonna be opening for niall when i saw him (along w lewis capaldi!! like what a fucking trio !!!! but anyway) and i am very sad that i won’t be seeing her anymore but she’s got some TUNES i tell ya

OKAY!!! i loveeee life changes so much seriously the lyrical fucking brilliance......idk what thomas rhett is on but i want some. hes SO good. i could use a love song reminds me of my sister which is like 70% of why it’s so close to my heart but it is a lovely song tbf. and. you LIKED come hang out !!! oh god refraining from telling you to listen to the entire album the click because im. im not gonna do that. but oh my god do i love ajr

anyway.........it really means a lot to me that you actually listened to all the songs and ??? thought about them ???? and TOLD ME YOUR THOUGHTS ???? like have i mentioned lately how much i adore you because i don’t think you understand. like. sharing music w someone, recommending music is such a, like, i dont know. it feels really intimate to me? and sometimes people will just not pay attention when u play em a song and that sucks so anyway not to get all sappy on you i just feel really strongly about the emotion of sharing music and the fact that you take the time to listen every time i recommend things, and tell me your thoughts about them. yeah. love you a whole lot.

[siirensung]

Hello :) My name is Dani and first of all let me tell you that I LOVE your writing. I literally sit and read how you interact with others for HOURS and seeing you and a couple of the people you write with gave me the inspiration to create an indie blog for my bb Reyes. That being said, I've never had an indie rp before but I've figured the basics with the rules, verses, etc. Could you please give me some suggestions on how to approach people or get this thing started? I'd thank you forever

asldkfh that’s so sweet of you omg what the fuck

HELL YEAH OKIE DOKIE first thing first: the best way to learn how to indie rp is just to follow a bunch of people and sort of pick and choose the different techniques you like to resemble. that what i did. i came from a long experience of closed group rping with no formatting, and just sort of floated with the indie trends that came and out, and kept the ones i like. i’m gonna tell you how I consider indie rping, which isn’t law or bible or anything, but this is what i look for when i’m looking to follow people!

first, the technical shit

RULES. i’m gonna go over things you say you already know, because there are some. hidden things that people sort of silently expect. in your rules, you must have your name/alias, your pronouns, your age (the terms ‘minor’ or ‘18+’ are sufficient, you don’t need to give your exact age but you NEED to tell people if you’re a minor or not), and your triggers (again, no detail necessary, just tell us what we should tag for you). these are the necessities and the rest is up to you. make your rules clear and concise, and on the short side. it helps to bold important things so people can skim and find them easily. personally, i like seeing people’s shipping policies. bc i’m a shipping slut. are you single ship? multiship? do you prefer not to ship? are you exclusive?

SELECTIVITY. on that note. let people know about your selectivity. do you want to play with anyone who follows you? do you only want to play with mutual followers (people you follow who follow you back)? i, as well as (almost) everyone i follow, are mutuals only. don’t feel guilty if you want to follow this route, and don’t let people talk you into playing with people you don’t want to play with. this blog is yours and your time is yours. spend it how you choose.

EXCLUSIVITY. along the same vein, let people know about your policy on exclusivity – which basically means that there are certain blogs of characters and theirs is the only blog of that character with whom you will play. this is entirely up to you. personally, i don’t do it and i never will. but be sure to let people know if you do! make sure to be honest. make sure you’re comfortable with your rules.

then, the aesthetic shit

REPRESENTATION. the first glance. the first eye contact. generally, this is the mobile preview. have a cool looking mobile banner! it attracts the eye! you don’t need to be a photoshop god for this, either. minimalism is in. a dark screenshot of your character that blends in with the color of your mobile background is hella neat. make sure the color is eye-friendly. black, white, cream, soft tones. if a mobile preview is lime green or shocking blue, i won’t give it a second look. My Eyes, They Bleed. then make sure you have SOMEWHERE on your mobile preview the bare minimum of your blog’s explanation. it doesn’t need to be long. in fact, i tend to like short ones. minimalism, man. for example, mine: ‘multimuse rp blog: dragon age and mass effect canon and ocs’. i’m saying what this blog is: an rp blog. i’m saying what KIND of rp blog: a multimuse. what fandoms i cater to: dragon age and mass effect. what characters you expect to find here: canon and ocs. sometimes people will put their name, too. (also, warn people if you have an autoplay. just write ‘ap’ or ‘autoplay’. people know.)

REPRESENTATION PART 2. piggybacking on all that: promos. gotta have a promo. this is how people find you, and how you can spread the word about your cool new blog. (tag it with the audiences you want to attract. such as: mass effect rp, mass effect roleplay, bioware rp, bioware roleplay, star wars rp, etc etc. the mass effect fandom isn’t all that huge. consider expanding with crossovers to other space fandoms, such as star wars and star trek. we’re buddies.) it can be as simple as the icon promo trend, where you have a horizontal line of icons of your character followed by ‘like/reblog if you’re interested in playing with (character name)! written by (your name).’ it can be that chill. sometimes it can be dramatic. just make sure it’s tasteful. try to avoid gaudy. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS (this is my pet peeve) INCLUDE YOUR CHARACTER’S NAME AND THE FANDOM NAME. i die inside every time i have no idea who this promo is for.

THEME. the second glance. your blog’s handshake. first – and sometimes last – impression. same rules as the preview and the promo, make it tasteful or make it minimalist. make it easy to follow. if you’re not confident in your aesthetic or ps skills, the white blogs with a simple pic of your character in the sidebar is in right now. leave it open to interpretation. theme-hunter is where i get all my themes, for the most part. if you want some cool theme suggestions, let me know! you may end up interested in html through theme aesthetic and wANTING IT TO BE PERFECT. like me. hehe. anywho – you’ll see a lot of Hyper Aesthetic Themes. try not to get worried about them. the most important thing is that your links to your rules, verses, dossier (if you have one), and ask are clear. the writing is easy to read.

also, the replying shit

FORMATTING. okay so formatting is a Minefield right now. personally, i really enjoy formatting! my formatting trick is: twenty spaces before each paragraph to simulate tabs, bolding quotation marks and putting a space between the marks and the dialogue, ( doing this to parentheses and quite frankly using Way too many parentheses ), BOLDING AND CAPSING emotive words or phrases, italicizing things for emphasis, using small font (and sometimes tiny font). but DON’T overdo it. still, the point is legibility. it’s your choice to use formatting at all. i like it a lot, it helps me Feel the writing and reply. it’s also your choice to use small or tiny font, but… i’ma be honest. i really really do prefer when people use small or tiny font. people are pushing back against tiny font bc it can be really hard to read, so i tend to just use small font (unless my partner uses tiny font). to small font (on pc): select all the text, ctrl shift minus sign. to use tiny font: use small font, then ctrl comma. 

ICONNING. again, another minefield. as we speak, rp icons are getting smaller and smaller. my icons at 80x80 with a 2px border, and i often times use a psd. if you get your icons from somewhere, credit that place. i frequently make my own, but not always. as a personal favor, don’t go smaller than 75px… the icons… they’re shrinking…

SPEED. go at your own speed! i cannot stress the importance of this. i’m currently suffering from depression and some Shit, so i may be on the dash a lot, but my reply speed is frequently outstripped by passing snails. don’t write if you’re not feeling it. don’t feel pressured to do it. personally, the majority of the fun of rping is plotting with your partner and obsessing over your character. people love to see people enthusiastic about their kid. that’s why they followed you. bc they love your kid, too. if you have a thread you’re not feeling, be honest! TALK TO YOUR PARTNER.

COMMUNICATION. on that note! get to know your rp partners. love them. cherish them. tell them they’re wonderful. tell them when you’re not feeling a thread. don’t suffer in silence. drop threads. treat yoself. also, follow ALL THE PEOPLE. they may not follow you back. don’t tug at them if they don’t. follow people and make sure you have examples of your writing on your page, even if it’s just a long headcanon or drabble. like a cover letter. 

WRITING. third person. i think i can be pretty confident about this: only third person. i use present tense for the most part, but present or past tense. sometimes there are oneliners (replies that are usually just dialogue, maybe with a lil but of narrative for actions, usually spur of the moment and dropped after the moment is gone). there are short paras (generally 1-3 paragraphs of varying sizes). there are long paras (4-6 paras, usually for plotting). there are Novella (6+ for the Intense Future Tolkiens i can’t do this i’m a dr seuss). 

TAGGING. can be pretty simple. as a multi, i have too many characters to have thorough tagging systems. a lot of people have different tags for like. aesthetic, musing, visage, headcanons, etc. mine is simple. each character has an in character thread tag: * ｡✧ ━ ⦅ character: scott. ⦆. also, a musing tag: * ｡✧ ━ ⦅ musing: scott. ⦆. a headcanon tag: * ｡✧ ━ ⦅ headcanon: scott. ⦆. sometimes a ship tag: * ｡✧ ━ ⦅ scott & liam: just frame the halves and call them brothers. ⦆. and you MUST have an out of character tag, where it’s just you talking, and you must tag every post of just you talking with it: * ｡✧ ━ ⦅ out of character. ⦆. it must be clear. you can make them fancy and pretty like this. i like them. it’s not necessary. also: tag any triggers. important. search your partners’ rules for their triggers. if someone asks you to tag a trigger, do it without a second thought.

lastly, the important shit

HAVE FUN! we’re all here for the same reason. we love mass effect. WE LOVE SPACE. there will always be aggression and elitism and hurt feelings in the indie rp community. always. try not to let it bring you down. play nice. kindergarten rules. enjoy!

let me know if you have more questions/want more detail!

don’t reblog this

[riisinaakka-draws]

It has only been a little over a year since I started watching the show and joined the Black Sails fandom. I posted my first fanart exactly one year ago and it was the one above. Thus far I have drawn over 100 of them. I tried different mediums and styles, both for practice and for capturing the essence of the things I wanted to share. Some of them are great, some are silly, some are a bit out of character or not so good in other ways and some ended up surprising me in many ways. All are nonetheless very precious to me.

Under the read more there's a list of all my doodles thus far. Most of them feature Flint, Silver or both of them (there will be more of the other characters in the future, no worries). I have to admit I laughed quite a lot while going through these again. This is a really long post.

This is a list to show what sort of things there are and also for my own amusement and archiving purposes. The list is in chronological order, from first to the latest.

I tried to make this as concise as possible, but the tag/navigation page is here if you want to find something specific or don’t want to go through all this:

- Flint takes care of Silver's leg in the darkness of the captain's cabin.

- Some quick doodles of Flint, ballpoint pen

- Sharkdate cuties (really scrappy doodles of Silver gazing at munching Flint)

- Progress. A continuation to previous pic. Silver holding a cup, covered in blood and looking affectionally at Flint. Here’s a giffed version.

- Silver and Flint go for a night walk in winter and Flint finds the streetlights amusing. Modern Au, beanies and the BS logo

- “See any treasures, Capt'n?” Billy to Flint who is looking at something “shiny” with his spyglass.

- What if Silver stole that certain ponytail and made it into "a rabbit's foot"? And what if Flint had a medallion with pictures of the Hamiltons and later a lock of dark curls... I returned to this idea several times after this, lol. (still secretly wishing that anyone would write a ficlet about this).

- Overload of Blackbeard - several doodles of different adaptations of BB

- Shark hunting. Flint has the shark on his lap and Silver stands in front of him. Composition inspired by that infamous Wolwerine and Nightcrawler cover.

- A gif of Blackbeard with flowers in his beard (I share a birthday with Ray Stevenson, that's why).

- a quick sketch of displeased Jack

- The Red Lollipop. Flint eating candy which is distracting to Silver, inspired by this awesome post (x). Silver steals the sweets and peels some potatoes. Bonus: Randall and Betsy the Cat.

- Draw me like one of your quatermasters... Flint doodles sleeping Silver in the Captain's log.

- Random sketches of Silver and Flint. Learning to draw their faces

- Flint with a horrible mustache and Silver with a long braided beard. (I should redraw this someday..)

- Flint takes Silver for a ride (modern Au with motorcycles). The Walrus gang follows "the flagship"

- Black Sails moomin AU, part I (I had so much fun with these).

The domestic modern beach au serie with 15+ doodles, various characters, inspired by this hilarious post (x). - Jack takes pictures of everything and Vane ends up buried in the sand - Silver puts some lotion on Flint (Billy tosses people up in the background) - Max and Anne Bonny enjoying each other's company - Rogers is going to get hit by a beach ball "accidentally". Anne, Max, Vane and Jack in the background - Ben Gunn shows his ship kite to Billy Bones - Vane and Flint swim butterfly. Silver (*.*) - Vane flips his hair like a merman, Eleanor is drinking and enjoying the view. - Mr Scott and Mr Gates enjoy their drinks at the bar while others fight in the water. Max and Eleanor gossip together. Anne and Jack hold hands like otters on swim rings. - Silver and Flint sleeping on the sun, Flint has a book on his face - The Ranger Crew swimming. Jack is slathered in sun lotion, Anne waits for him and Vane makes a joke. + Mysterious swimming trunks. - Silver is the sneakiest shit and likes to creep underwater and drag people down by their legs. - Silver and Flint eating ice cream + some early sketches in a gif - the Fucking Warship (minivan) rides to sunset, Vane is forgotten in the sand but do not worry...

- Silver and Flint sing the song "Dynamic Duet" from Starkids' Holy musical B@tman!

- Nooooooooo! Flint shaves his head, Silver doesn't take it well.

- Silver's character development. From little shit to actual scary fuck

- A HUG. (silverflint, done before s4. I really needed a hug)

- Bloodthirsty Bunny & Squinting Squirrel, (furries, i am so sorry)

- Flint brings water to Silver, a scene from the show. <3

- Sweetness of touch. Flint gets his hair/head touched by his loved ones.

The Walrus crew acquires some chicken. A lot of them. And a parrot. - Billy and Joji are tending them - people playing board games and ignoring the chickens - a coc- I mean a rooster between Silver's legs - Silver holding some chickens and Flint meeting "the Captain Flint"

- Flint gets his ginger crown back...sort of

Chickens, part II. Flint sends his regards. Teach has taken Anne and Jack to fishing and they get a surprise "gift" from the Walrus.

Fanart about Silverfin, a thrilling and unbeliavably funny (nsfw) silverflint fic by @jadedbirch and @zoinomiko (can’t tag u for some reason..).

Go read it :D I made some (sfw) fanart inspired by it (spoilers). - a comic of the tragic night - reunion and crowns (˵ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°˵)

- (a recap, not really a tutorial) about some of my messy work methods.

- Anne Bonny, without her hat, ready to kick your ass, season 3

- A portait of Max

- Every fashionable pirate captain needs a hat! Silver buys some silly pirate hats. Inspired by @vowel-in-thug​'s fic (part V, nsfw) and the CBeebies Bedtime Story etc.

- "Support". Silver and Flint approaching the Maroon camp.

- A portrait of Long John Silver on his way of becoming the legend

- Swords and time. James McGraw - Captain Flint. Sword placement comparison, gif experiments etc. (I really like this one)

- A canary. Flint finds a sad-looking caged bird aboard a merchant ship and then reads books to it in his cot. Inspired by @old-long-john​'s sweet and beautiful fic (x). Also thanks to @captain-flint​ for spotting the bird cage in s1.

Inktober 2016, 20+ doodles, various characters - Silver, a sad little face doodle - A bringer of death and destruction (Flint as an angel of sorts). Quick doodle with a brush - Silver and Flint. A little doodle with an ink-dipped cotton swap - "Hungry", Silver and Flint find the whale and prepare to hunt sharks. - "SAD?" NOT TODAY! There's always Silver Lining. Silly and shitty puns. - "Hidden", The treasure has been buried. - "LOST", Silver and Flint look for a bird on board the Walrus. - "ROCK", Ben Gunn and Billy Bones play rock-paper-scissors. (sorry, still no better doodle of them) - "BROKEN", Benjamin Hornigold misses his chair. - "Lock the door", Flint on the floor of his cabin when they were becalmed ;_; - "TRANSPORT", Anne Bonny takes Jack Rackham to safety on a horse. - Madi, a little sketch - "Dufresne admires his new tattoo" - "TREE", What difference does it make? Captain Naft shares his insight. Froom and Crisp agree. Morley and Randall (+ Betsy the Cat) are not impressed (for obvious reasons...). - "RELAX", A nice afternoon at the seaside with some of the brothel girls - A little sketch of John Silver again, because I cannot resist him. - "Flint has a meeting with Death". - "ESCAPE", Flint has retired and Silver still sails the seas. Occasionally he visits James and steals some of his baked goods (with some help from his crew and birdies). - "FLIGHT", a sketch of a parrot on a napkin - "SQUEEZE", Jack Rackham enjoying his bath - "LITTLE", a little sketch of Max and Anne kissing in little rain, under Anne's huge hat. - "Surprise", Charles Vane lurking in the water - "And then! You won't believe what the.." Hal Gates and Billy Bones spend their free afternoon gossiping and having fun - "Forget-me-not" / "one dozen", Miranda finds some familiar flowers and thinks about Thomas. - "BURN", Thomas, James and Miranda, just eyes. Inspired by the powermetal duet "Wish I Had An Angel"

- Oooh, What does my reflection shoooow ~. (Lovable) Little shit.

- Accidents with the spyglass. Flint acts like an asshole, Billy and Gates are having none of it, Silver is yet to learn.

- Death builds a raft and follows the Walrus.

- Portrait of Eleanor, the Merchant Queen of Nassau

- "long johns and puns". Silver is looking for a new pirate style and Billy offers to help.

- Black Sails Moomin AU - part II

- Silver at the wrecks, light and visual practise

- Eleanor Guthrie and James Flint, looking in / out. visual practise, parallels and contrasts

- My Heart Will Go On, but I'll keep your ponytail and get a parrot for my duets. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

- Muldoon's tattoo ;_;

Some of the following have season 4 spoilers:

- Eleanor does some embroidery (of bees and fuck-yous)

- How Silver gets his new crutch (Israel Hands is handy)

- Flint and the Wanderer above the sea of fog

- Flint's mouth saying FUCK infinitely, a gif experiment

- "That's my wee lad, Gimli." Berringer's locket and asshole Rogers.

- For a moment there was a Hat Trio. Teach, Jack and Anne

- Silver and Madi, canon kiss

- The Spare Ginger. Silver doesn't like Eleanor's plan. Madi and Israel Hands try to comfort him.

- Eleanor Guthrie, a green portrait

- Long John Silver must make a tough choice, while Flint enjoys his capture at Eleanor's expense

- All those extra spyglasses in 4.08. Maybe the answer was Israel Hands' hoarding.

- Fresh air on the balcony of the Walrus. (a drawing of the ship at night). There're celebrations on the deck, Flint and Silver have a private talk.

I find it endearing how this list ends with the balcony one. Like a parallel (ha!) to the first one, where Flint and Silver are having a private moment on board of a ship, although it is a different ship and at a different time. A year ago I had no idea where this all would lead me and how much I would learn and get to experience *pats my past-self in the back awkwardly and fondly*

Looking back at them (doodles) I feel both proud and slightly embarrassed of my enthusiasm. I have never done anything like this for any other fandom. I have never felt so much and had such an urge to engage in this sort of thing.

This show, its creators and crew, this fandom. Just something unbeliavable.  I cannot find the words to say how much I appreciate you all. The brilliancy, the humour, the love in all kinds of forms. I am so glad I stumbled on this show (it was a gif or a fanvid about ep 2.05 that made me aware of this show, btw. I cannot remember it clearly anymore and for a moment I thought Crossbones was a pilot for Black Sails and almost missed everything, but that's a story for another time...)

Know this: I have loved sharing this experience (the show, the fandom) with you and I appreciate everything you have given to me or shared with me. I will treasure this. (I apologize not thanking more people individually, but this post would’ve never reached its end otherwise).

*throws hearts and forehead kisses to the best and inspiring fandom and the greatest show that broke my heart and healed my soul so many times*

All the possibilities and love to you. Thank you <3

(This is not a goodbye, btw. There’s still so much more to come!) (◠‿◠✿)

P.S. All this started as doodles so that’s why I have kept using that word eventhough it doesn’t really apply to many of these anymore...

[strivesy]

7 Productivity Power Tools for the Busy Educator

Dr. Frank Buck on episode 227 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Become more productive today with these seven tools from Dr. Frank Buck. Automate what you can and save time.

Middle School Science teachers should get the FREE Xplorlabs Fire Forensics kit.Solve a mystery. Meet Next Generation Science Standards. Have fun!

Go to http://ift.tt/2CRu9h7 today to get your Free Fire Forensics Kit.

Listen Now

Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

***

Enhanced Transcript

7 Productivity Power Tools for the Busy Educator

Link to show: http://ift.tt/2qM6oSa Date: January 9, 2018

Vicki: Today we’re talking to one of my dear friend, Dr. Frank Buck @DrFrankBuck. He’s really a productivity guru for education leaders.

We’re going to talk about seven productivity power tools for the busy educator.

So Frank, what is your first tool?

Tool #1 Toodledo

Frank: First and foremost, Toodledo.

That’s my task manager. That’s where everything that I have to do “lives.” And I’m surprised that it doesn’t get nearly as much press as it deserves. It is a free tool. It is web based.

I can add to it with my voice. It includes a large notes field for each task, which is free whereas a lot of other tools you have to pay for that. I can forward emails to it, so that helps me keep my email inbox empty. I can move unfinished tasks en mass to a future day.

It is a great tool; it’s sort of like my brain, I couldn’t live without it.

Vicki: Wonderful. OK, what’s your second one?

Tool #2: TaskClone

Frank: Well, my second one… most people would say Evernote, but I’m not going to say Evernote because everybody knows Evernote. But for everybody out there that’s either using Evernote or they’re using OneNote — Taskclone.

This is a wonderful tool,. It’s about $15 a year, but it integrates either Evernote or OneNote with your digital task manager.

So let’s say that I’m in a workshop, and I’m taking notes in Evernote. As I’m taking notes, I think of some things that I want to do, following that workshop. Well, I just continue to take notes right there in Evernote, but I put a little checkbox in front of those things. Before I close down, I just tag that note “taskclone.”

Magically, those things with the checkbox beside them appear on Toodledo on the day that I want to see them, and then the little attached note is a link that takes you right back to the note in Evernote.

Fabulous tool! It’s a must-have if you use Evernote or OneNote.

Vicki: It is truly a remarkable — in somes ways, secretary. It just takes care of putting things where they need to go.

Frank: Oh gosh, absolutely.

Vicki: OK, what’s your third?

Tool #3: IFTTT

Frank: The third one is IfThisThenThat (IFTTT). In the world of productivity, one of the mantras I keep hearing is, “Eliminate. Delegate. Automate.”

Teachers are pretty good at the first one — looking at things that just don’t need to be done and getting rid of them.

Most teachers are also pretty good at delegating, especially those master first grade teachers. You go in their classroom at the end of the day, and twenty kids are doing twenty different jobs. Everybody helps.

But the third one, automate, is really our opportunity for growth. IfThisThenThat does that. It allows different services to work together. For example, Instagram and Twitter — when I put something on Instagram, I’d like the same thing to go on Twitter. But instead of having to do double duty, I just have a little applet that I’ve created. This is an applet that says, “If I post to Instagram, then post to Twitter.”

Some other things that I have on there — on Twitter, when I see really good articles, I’m usually reading those on my phone, and I’d really like to read the articles when I get back to my computer desktop. So how do I hang on to all those little links? Well, I just have a little applet that I created that says, “If I “like” a tweet, then send it to Toodledo.” So all I have to do is click the “like” button, and then there’s a task that’s sitting over on Toodledo, so I can just forget about it, work through my Toodledo list, and there it is for me.

Some other things… “If I add something to my Google calendar, then send my wife an email.” That automatically keeps her updated on some of the things that I’m doing.

So it has so many features, does so many things. I used to not teach it in workshops because I thought it would be too difficult for people to understand, but I have been dead wrong. People eat it up.

Vicki: Well, and if you’re looking for home efficiency, I actually use it. I have Philips Hue at my house. It takes sunset times, and it starts powering down one of my lights because I tend to work too late. So at sunset, I know that I have about another 30 minutes. And that changes throughout the year, and I just love it because it kind of helps me keep my internal clock straight.

Frank: (agrees)

Vicki: OK, what’s our fourth?

Frank: OK, the fourth and fifth help me with my writing.

Tool #4: Hemingway App

The fourth one is a website called HemingwayApp.com. Hemingway, like the writer. So this free site does more to clean and tidy my writing than anything I can think of.

You copy and paste your draft into that site, and then just check your ego at the door, because it turns all these sentences colors. It flags sentences that are hard to read. It flags passive voice. It flags words that it suggests that you simply eliminate.

When I start working through that, and start resolving the suggestions it’s making, my writing actually really is a lot, lot better.

And then the next one… Vicki, I don’t know about you, but I cannot proofread my own writing.

Vicki: (laughs)

Tool #5: VoiceInstead

Frank: My brain tells my eyes what I meant to say, not what I said.

And even if I read my stuff out loud, no. My eyes… they see what I meant, and not what I wrote.

But I have a little Chrome extension called VoiceInstead. So while I’m there at that HemingwayApp, and I’ve got things cleaned up, I just highlight the whole thing, right-click, and in the little menu will be VoiceInstead.

And it reads it back to me. When I hear someone else reading it, I catch everything. It’s just a simple little Chrome extension called VoiceInstead that you can just get from the Chrome store.

Vicki: Those are two great tools, and we’ll just add one little caution. HemingwayApp does not like GoogleDocs. It does not save it for you. So if you close the web browser…

Frank: (laughs) Exactly!!!

Vicki: … without copying it… as my students have learned, because we love Hemingway. It’s a fantastic way to teach, making writing more concise.

OK, what’s our sixth?

Tool #6: igHome

Frank: Number six is igHome.

Several years ago, a lot of us used to have those personalized Google pages as our home pages. I loved it! But then Google discontinued it.

Right about that time, someone created igHome to really fill that void.

So here’s what happens. When I open my browser, right there, staring me in the face is my Google calendar, Toodledo, and Gmail — side-by-side. Right below it is the weather forecast for the day, the local news and the national news beside that. I have an electronic sticky note where I just need to paste something electronically. I have commonly used bookmarks.

I really think of it as my internet organizer, because really, all of my internet-based tools are in some way connected to that igHome.com homepage. I can get to it from anywhere. I love it. Couldn’t live without it.

Vicki: So we don’t have to complain about iGoogle going away, we can use this. Of course, there’s Netvibes and Pageflakes, but I’m really intrigued by this.

Frank: I have used Netvibes. I liked it, but really the igHome I like even better.

And what I tell people is, “Good tools come, and good tools go. But usually good tools are replaced by better tools. So don’t worry about it, because something better is coming along. Just watch for it.”

Vicki: OK, what’s our last one?

Tool #7: Spreadsheets (like Excel or Google Sheets)

Frank: The last one, Vicki, is spreadsheets.

If I had to point to one tool during my professional career that is the biggest game changer, it would be that. I’m so glad that back in 1987 — that long ago, 30 years ago! — I read some little chapter in a book about using Appleworks spreadsheets, and I had this epiphany.

I thought, “I could put my gradebook on this thing!” And suddenly, I was no longer spending one Saturday out of every six, hand-averaging grades and getting them ready to go on to report cards. Huge gamechanger.

And the thing that I would say to that busy educator is not that you necessarily have to go out and become the Excel guru — because I’m certainly not — but just start to formulate the question…

“Here’s the problem that’s in front of me. I wonder if maybe Excel or Google Sheets would do XYZ?”

Because once you’ve got the question, there’s probably a sharp student who can find the answer for you.

And I’m still running into situations where I don’t know the formula or if there is a formula to do the particular thing that I want done, so all I do is just Google it.

I put the word “Excel” in the Google search box, whatever it is I’m looking for, and somewhere in the world, somebody else has had the same problem, the same question, and has posed it on some bulletin board. And somebody else, somewhere else in the world, a lot smarter than I am, has come up with the answer. Just copy and paste it, and change the little cell references, and you’re good to go.

So that’s my number seven, spreadsheets.

Vicki: Well, remarkable educators, I think it’s important that we all have productivity power tools.

Do our students have power productivity tools? I’m amazed at how many students don’t know how to set a reminder, or set a calendar appointment, how to put things on a list.

These are some great tools that Frank has given us. Frank tends to pick things that are very, very reliable and rock solid. So if you need a place to start, these are awesome.

But the big thing is — do you have a place to put your calendar? Where are you going to put your notes? Where are you going to have your reminders, and your To Do List? We all need these essential things so we can be productive in today’s modern world.

Thank you, Frank!

Frank: It’s been a pleasure. Thank you, Vicki.

    Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford

kymberlimulford@gmail.com

  Bio as submitted

​​

Frank Buck is a veteran school administrator, public speaker, productivity coach, and author of Get Organized!: Time Management for School Leaders. He has spoken to audiences throughout the United States and internationally to help busy professionals achieve total control over their time and the peace of mind that nothing is falling through the cracks.

Blog: https://FrankBuck.org

Twitter: @DrFrankBuck

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post 7 Productivity Power Tools for the Busy Educator appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

7 Productivity Power Tools for the Busy Educator published first on http://ift.tt/2yTzsdq

[growthvue]

7 Productivity Power Tools for the Busy Educator

Dr. Frank Buck on episode 227 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Become more productive today with these seven tools from Dr. Frank Buck. Automate what you can and save time.

Middle School Science teachers should get the FREE Xplorlabs Fire Forensics kit.Solve a mystery. Meet Next Generation Science Standards. Have fun!

Go to http://ift.tt/2CRu9h7 today to get your Free Fire Forensics Kit.

Listen Now

Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

***

Enhanced Transcript

7 Productivity Power Tools for the Busy Educator

Link to show: http://ift.tt/2qM6oSa Date: January 9, 2018

Vicki: Today we’re talking to one of my dear friend, Dr. Frank Buck @DrFrankBuck. He’s really a productivity guru for education leaders.

We’re going to talk about seven productivity power tools for the busy educator.

So Frank, what is your first tool?

Tool #1 Toodledo

Frank: First and foremost, Toodledo.

That’s my task manager. That’s where everything that I have to do “lives.” And I’m surprised that it doesn’t get nearly as much press as it deserves. It is a free tool. It is web based.

I can add to it with my voice. It includes a large notes field for each task, which is free whereas a lot of other tools you have to pay for that. I can forward emails to it, so that helps me keep my email inbox empty. I can move unfinished tasks en mass to a future day.

It is a great tool; it’s sort of like my brain, I couldn’t live without it.

Vicki: Wonderful. OK, what’s your second one?

Tool #2: TaskClone

Frank: Well, my second one… most people would say Evernote, but I’m not going to say Evernote because everybody knows Evernote. But for everybody out there that’s either using Evernote or they’re using OneNote — Taskclone.

This is a wonderful tool,. It’s about $15 a year, but it integrates either Evernote or OneNote with your digital task manager.

So let’s say that I’m in a workshop, and I’m taking notes in Evernote. As I’m taking notes, I think of some things that I want to do, following that workshop. Well, I just continue to take notes right there in Evernote, but I put a little checkbox in front of those things. Before I close down, I just tag that note “taskclone.”

Magically, those things with the checkbox beside them appear on Toodledo on the day that I want to see them, and then the little attached note is a link that takes you right back to the note in Evernote.

Fabulous tool! It’s a must-have if you use Evernote or OneNote.

Vicki: It is truly a remarkable — in somes ways, secretary. It just takes care of putting things where they need to go.

Frank: Oh gosh, absolutely.

Vicki: OK, what’s your third?

Tool #3: IFTTT

Frank: The third one is IfThisThenThat (IFTTT). In the world of productivity, one of the mantras I keep hearing is, “Eliminate. Delegate. Automate.”

Teachers are pretty good at the first one — looking at things that just don’t need to be done and getting rid of them.

Most teachers are also pretty good at delegating, especially those master first grade teachers. You go in their classroom at the end of the day, and twenty kids are doing twenty different jobs. Everybody helps.

But the third one, automate, is really our opportunity for growth. IfThisThenThat does that. It allows different services to work together. For example, Instagram and Twitter — when I put something on Instagram, I’d like the same thing to go on Twitter. But instead of having to do double duty, I just have a little applet that I’ve created. This is an applet that says, “If I post to Instagram, then post to Twitter.”

Some other things that I have on there — on Twitter, when I see really good articles, I’m usually reading those on my phone, and I’d really like to read the articles when I get back to my computer desktop. So how do I hang on to all those little links? Well, I just have a little applet that I created that says, “If I “like” a tweet, then send it to Toodledo.” So all I have to do is click the “like” button, and then there’s a task that’s sitting over on Toodledo, so I can just forget about it, work through my Toodledo list, and there it is for me.

Some other things… “If I add something to my Google calendar, then send my wife an email.” That automatically keeps her updated on some of the things that I’m doing.

So it has so many features, does so many things. I used to not teach it in workshops because I thought it would be too difficult for people to understand, but I have been dead wrong. People eat it up.

Vicki: Well, and if you’re looking for home efficiency, I actually use it. I have Philips Hue at my house. It takes sunset times, and it starts powering down one of my lights because I tend to work too late. So at sunset, I know that I have about another 30 minutes. And that changes throughout the year, and I just love it because it kind of helps me keep my internal clock straight.

Frank: (agrees)

Vicki: OK, what’s our fourth?

Frank: OK, the fourth and fifth help me with my writing.

Tool #4: Hemingway App

The fourth one is a website called HemingwayApp.com. Hemingway, like the writer. So this free site does more to clean and tidy my writing than anything I can think of.

You copy and paste your draft into that site, and then just check your ego at the door, because it turns all these sentences colors. It flags sentences that are hard to read. It flags passive voice. It flags words that it suggests that you simply eliminate.

When I start working through that, and start resolving the suggestions it’s making, my writing actually really is a lot, lot better.

And then the next one… Vicki, I don’t know about you, but I cannot proofread my own writing.

Vicki: (laughs)

Tool #5: VoiceInstead

Frank: My brain tells my eyes what I meant to say, not what I said.

And even if I read my stuff out loud, no. My eyes… they see what I meant, and not what I wrote.

But I have a little Chrome extension called VoiceInstead. So while I’m there at that HemingwayApp, and I’ve got things cleaned up, I just highlight the whole thing, right-click, and in the little menu will be VoiceInstead.

And it reads it back to me. When I hear someone else reading it, I catch everything. It’s just a simple little Chrome extension called VoiceInstead that you can just get from the Chrome store.

Vicki: Those are two great tools, and we’ll just add one little caution. HemingwayApp does not like GoogleDocs. It does not save it for you. So if you close the web browser…

Frank: (laughs) Exactly!!!

Vicki: … without copying it… as my students have learned, because we love Hemingway. It’s a fantastic way to teach, making writing more concise.

OK, what’s our sixth?

Tool #6: igHome

Frank: Number six is igHome.

Several years ago, a lot of us used to have those personalized Google pages as our home pages. I loved it! But then Google discontinued it.

Right about that time, someone created igHome to really fill that void.

So here’s what happens. When I open my browser, right there, staring me in the face is my Google calendar, Toodledo, and Gmail — side-by-side. Right below it is the weather forecast for the day, the local news and the national news beside that. I have an electronic sticky note where I just need to paste something electronically. I have commonly used bookmarks.

I really think of it as my internet organizer, because really, all of my internet-based tools are in some way connected to that igHome.com homepage. I can get to it from anywhere. I love it. Couldn’t live without it.

Vicki: So we don’t have to complain about iGoogle going away, we can use this. Of course, there’s Netvibes and Pageflakes, but I’m really intrigued by this.

Frank: I have used Netvibes. I liked it, but really the igHome I like even better.

And what I tell people is, “Good tools come, and good tools go. But usually good tools are replaced by better tools. So don’t worry about it, because something better is coming along. Just watch for it.”

Vicki: OK, what’s our last one?

Tool #7: Spreadsheets (like Excel or Google Sheets)

Frank: The last one, Vicki, is spreadsheets.

If I had to point to one tool during my professional career that is the biggest game changer, it would be that. I’m so glad that back in 1987 — that long ago, 30 years ago! — I read some little chapter in a book about using Appleworks spreadsheets, and I had this epiphany.

I thought, “I could put my gradebook on this thing!” And suddenly, I was no longer spending one Saturday out of every six, hand-averaging grades and getting them ready to go on to report cards. Huge gamechanger.

And the thing that I would say to that busy educator is not that you necessarily have to go out and become the Excel guru — because I’m certainly not — but just start to formulate the question…

“Here’s the problem that’s in front of me. I wonder if maybe Excel or Google Sheets would do XYZ?”

Because once you’ve got the question, there’s probably a sharp student who can find the answer for you.

And I’m still running into situations where I don’t know the formula or if there is a formula to do the particular thing that I want done, so all I do is just Google it.

I put the word “Excel” in the Google search box, whatever it is I’m looking for, and somewhere in the world, somebody else has had the same problem, the same question, and has posed it on some bulletin board. And somebody else, somewhere else in the world, a lot smarter than I am, has come up with the answer. Just copy and paste it, and change the little cell references, and you’re good to go.

So that’s my number seven, spreadsheets.

Vicki: Well, remarkable educators, I think it’s important that we all have productivity power tools.

Do our students have power productivity tools? I’m amazed at how many students don’t know how to set a reminder, or set a calendar appointment, how to put things on a list.

These are some great tools that Frank has given us. Frank tends to pick things that are very, very reliable and rock solid. So if you need a place to start, these are awesome.

But the big thing is — do you have a place to put your calendar? Where are you going to put your notes? Where are you going to have your reminders, and your To Do List? We all need these essential things so we can be productive in today’s modern world.

Thank you, Frank!

Frank: It’s been a pleasure. Thank you, Vicki.

    Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford

kymberlimulford@gmail.com

  Bio as submitted

​​

Frank Buck is a veteran school administrator, public speaker, productivity coach, and author of Get Organized!: Time Management for School Leaders. He has spoken to audiences throughout the United States and internationally to help busy professionals achieve total control over their time and the peace of mind that nothing is falling through the cracks.

Blog: https://FrankBuck.org

Twitter: @DrFrankBuck

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post 7 Productivity Power Tools for the Busy Educator appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

7 Productivity Power Tools for the Busy Educator published first on http://ift.tt/2xx6Oyq

[nicolefiona]

How To Nail It

I am not sure what you thought this post would be about… BUT, what I have noticed, is the new demographic of young readers to my blog, and with recent experience, I totally saw this to be an area that a lot of people could benefit in !

So today, I wanted to talk to you about, HOW TO NAIL THAT JOB. One the past several months, I have been in a position of accepting applications, and contacting people for interviews, and to my surprise - It’s been pretty shocking to see how many things that I thought to be pretty common sense happen. So I thought I would give you FIVE tips, on how to nail that job, and or interview spot. So, let’s get into it. 1. Dress the part. I cannot believe how many people I have seen recently going to apply for a job, in sweat pants, and looking super disheveled. Now, I am totally not judging, because hey, I am SUPER thankful, that I had an aunt and grandma that always looked out for me in this area, and made sure that i was appropriately dressed for interviews. However, I do feel that some of this needs to be common sense, and maybe a reminder needs to be put out there, that even though you may not be applying to a doctor’s or lawyer’s position, you should still take pride in your appearance and dress appropriately for the job. Trust me, you will be taken SO much more seriously. 2. Don’t go and apply with friends. Another thing that I have been seeing recently that has me pretty dumbfounded. I also have been seeing this from young, and old(er) people. But, it is not necessary for you to go and apply for jobs with someone else. And if you are making a day trip out of it, ask the person that is tagging along with you, to stay out of the store / environment you are applying at. It comes across as you are not independent, and not capable of the job at hand. 3. Have a clear and concise resume. I am not sure if everyone is a aware of this, but spell check is TOTALLY a thing. Quickest way to have your resume discarded, is to have it full of spelling and grammatical errors. And i know, i know, no need to always be the grammar police - shoot, i know my grammar isn’t always on point, but this is your RESUME we are talking about, you are trying to put your best foot forward, so why not take the extra five minutes to make sure all is well before you hit print ! 4. Don’t go and apply at peak hours. Chances are, if you go into an establishment to apply when it is their busiest time of the week / day, management won’t have time to talk to you, and or, it will show that you don’t have a proper understanding of how that type of business runs. 5. Do your research about the company. Business places often get more than one application, and or resume, daily, stand out from the crowd and do your homework learning up about the company so you can shine bright like a diamond to make an impression on the management when they receive your resume ! I hope these tips help you in applying on your next job adventure ! Do you think I missed any points ? I would love to hear your input and or extra advice! — Nic