#obviously not the early summary writers make for themselves before begin writing (or even editing post-first draft)

[cigaretteparfum]

anyway, now that am already on supernatural's fifth (and last, for me) season, i have two thoughts about the ships:

i can see why wincest was the fandom's biggest ship. initially i just thought, "well it's a serialised monster-of-the-week typa show; these two characters are pretty much the only constant there is -- makes sense why people latch onto them and, for those that crave shipping material, the brothers are at the top of the list." but with the noticable repeated "they're gay" jokes within the show itself ... yeah i think there's a big other reason why wincest was/is a thing. (was this also another thing the showrunner/producers/writers were accused stringing fans along of? or was that just about destiel.)

speaking of destiel: yea i can get behind them sklfjs. my top pick for dean's ship is still the journalist ex-girlfriend back in racist town, lol. (cassie? i think her name was?) (yea just checked, got that right hell yea.) she was just in one single episode and apparently never showed up again through the entire series :( but damn if their chemistry wasn't so palpable. destiel feels more like a slow burn and hey -- i still can get behind it. then after castiel my third pick would be jo but honestly it's kinda whatever. (but he ended up with the lady with the kid doesn't he. awww. dang.)

shipping unrelated thoughts:

the casual racism is just. haha. lol. lmao. rofl, even. two of the first recurring antagonists were black, dark skinned men? lol. and then they died? aww. lol. and the wishing well episode with the supposedly chinese owner/employee? the second fucking episode of season one?? then the one about bugs, too? i know it's nearly two decades ago but. damn. still they had the audacity to make the vampires' storyline some allegory to racism. (which made the whole thing with gordon even more fucked up???) then several of the demons and a few other supernatural beings saying stuff like, "hey. um. i find that racist." the combination of these two things are. uh. kinda icky, to put it mildly. (am committed to finish s5 tho. lol.)

the monster-of-the-week formula (and am sure this has been said before) really became more of a hindrance and distraction than interest once the overarching plot was properly set up. in s3 it was fine; they're still kinda putting the pieces together and there's that whole thing about dean dying so these two plotlines make any detours feel a bit more of a break and not that noticable either. but in s4 when it's just about waiting the dominoes to fall and there wasn't really any other major plotlines -- it was very noticable. and jarring, tbh.

that whole adam stuff got me real invested ngl. a secret son?? john being a much better father???? YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. and then they'll just resurrect him. hm. well. lessee how that happen.

the "nod" to the fans wasn't really cute. imo.

anyway i'll pro'ly finish the fifth season this weekend. i thought about continuing bc, hey, just because kripke only planned five seasons doesn't mean all the seasons that follow would be bad, right? but then i read the wiki summary of all the other seasons and. uh. no. i think i'll pass. thanks, though.

[obeymematches]

Hi, can I get a matchup? Thank you in advanced and I hope you're doing well despite the current state of the world ❤

(Edit: almost an hour later and I've finally finished writing this. Let's just say this did not turn out the way I expected AT ALL and I'm so sorry in advanced. But at least I got a new story idea)

Introduction (Innocence): At first, I'm extremely shy, timid, and quiet. I have a hard time opening my mouth and starting conversations. It doesn't always bother me since I like keeping to myself because it keeps me motivated and stay focused on my goals. However, if someone approaches me, I try to be as polite, passive, and friendly as possible. The only way to move out of this stage is to constantly interact with me until I feel comfortable.

Chapter 1 (Reality): Now that I'm comfortable, the snark and attitude starts to come through. At first, it will be a few light-hearted teasing that surprise people. Slowly, the jabs grow harsher and my voice grows louder. The dynamic of the conversation changes as I begin to dominate. My voice rises as my hands do all the talking. Sarcasm and eye rolls are regular parts of conversation. A thick cloud of chaos and self-deprecation arises, leading to a storm of endless rangs about my dramatic woes. In the midst of this confusion, you can't help but wonder: what happened to that soft-spoken girl?

Chapter 2 (Chaos): It has become my personal mission to make your life as miserable as possible. My sinister laughter rings through the air, bringing headaches to those around me. Despite all their attempts, no one stop me writing monologues that parody your towards your crush or stealing your phone until you give me your chips. My ego has devoured my self-deprecation; my word is law. My beauty, my hardwork, my intelligence-- me. You absolutely hate it, but you can't leave. The quick-wit, the variety of humor, and the soft crinkle around my eyes when I smile. The smart-assery is almost endearing. You can't help but wonder, what is she doing to do next? It's a game of cat and mouse, but I am always victorious.

Chapter 3 (Darkness): Beneath the madness, lies a small girl fighting against the shackles against her feet. She will not accept any help, she must escape on her own. Doubt constantly lingers in her mind, a consequence of previous endeavors that failed due to pride. She does not care for those who jeer at her as she struggles, holding her head high. There's only one thing in her mind: she will do anything to escape. It will be methodical, calculating, and nothing less than perfection. And when she does, she vows to do everything in her power to take her rightful spot on the throne.

Chapter 4 (Light): And so she escapes and sets on her path to become queen. Along her path, she befriends villagers who aid her quest. Although she becomes the voice of harsh reason, they heed her wisdom. Her companions know that despite her sharp tongue, she is simply looking out for them. Although she dislikes any form of affection, the cracks of her stone heart shine through her actions. It is here that she finds balance. Innocence, reality, chaos, darkness, and light meld into one.

Conclusion: Unfortunately, the journey is not over. However, the journey itself can teach one a lot about themselves. Thus far, the little girl has learned for her love of novels, often with her head in clouds to escape reality. She's also taken a liking to storytelling, finding solace in writing and storytelling to express the emotions she cannot communicate otherwise. She likes to bathe in her vanity by indugling in fashion and makeup, spending hours to create the perfect look. Despite this newfound sense of self, only time will tell whether she can succeed in her quest.

Adding a summary below because as a fellow matchup writer, I can see how this description would drive you insane. I'm so sorry for the story lol

Summary: At first I'm super shy, but I'm actually a sarcastic smartass that has a large ego and annoys everyone. My only redeemable quality is that I'm funny. Deep down, I'm ambitious, stubborn, and paranoid. With friends I'm the unaffectionate voice of reason that shows love through actions. My hobbies are makeup, reading, writing, and public speaking (aka storytelling).

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Hello! 💎

Thank you for sending in a request, I hope you like the result ! I’m doing fine, everybody at home is still healthy! 🙏

So I really enjoy how you elaborated on your layered and complex personality, because when I do matches I take people’s negative traits into consideration and they boy’s as well. Let’s face it, nobody’s perfect, and I like how the characters have their own flaws. I always look at how everybody could develop. (although it is not complete redemption cuz i’m not sure if that is possible for demons. like in paradise lost that is impossible but at this point it is not known how far obey me will go with that 🤷 but anyway regardless of canon i like to think that the MC has a positive effect on each character because i prefer healthy relationships) 

So I think your shy first impression would actually draw all of them in. I mean like yeah, they all have their prefered types, but they are also very curious demons (not exactly genuine but curious nevertheless) and would compete to figure out your actual personality. (I mean..Belphie probably not that much but deep down he is interested too)

I think by the time you’d show your deeper layers and vica versa you’d have a strong bond with Mammon (he is supposed to be with you a lot so really; it is hard to avoid opening up to him first but it is up to your imagination how far that goes), Satan would appreciate your shared hobbies and intellect, but it is up to you how much you trust him. Asmo obviously because of makeup, you have a shared interest and he can show you some tricks regarding that. I think both Satan and Asmo could influence your writing also. (Satan knows some lit Devildom stories that the human world lacks, and Asmo probably knows so much gossip nobody is prepared for)     

Now obviously, Asmo is not the ideal partner because he would definitely prefer someone affectionate. 

I’m deciding between Lucifer and Satan..but I am unsure what kinf of improvement you and Lucifer would result in, despite the connection that might form between you two. (I mean I don’t think it is a good idea to pair a kind of arrogant character with a deep-down paranoid person.)

But I think you and Satan could work out. 

I already mentioned the hobbies/shared interests and source of inspiration, but there is more than that to it!

He definitely needs some guidance in his life and no way he would ever let Lucifer play that role. 

It’s not that he is not independent, but he should  reconcile with his birth as much as he can  -  you being a dominant voice of reason under the surface is something he can respect.

Yeah he can be pretty dominant and that might result in arguments from time to time, but you are somebody he needs so he will do his best to apologize if he snaps for some reason. 

You both are witty and sarcastic and I think you would kind of point out the other’s flaws like that. No offense taken on either side.

So his aggressive tendencies the others warned you about might cause paranoia in you but I don’t think he would actually be violent towards the MC so if you bring it up to him in a conversation he would reassure you that you really shouldn’t worry about that. (and then he beats up whoever made you think that, behind your back) 

You see, on the surface he is also calm and collected but on a deeper layer he is also insecure and oh boy he has so much flaws that should be fixed.

Again, you being rational, wise, voice of reason proves to be much needed. 

As I elaborated before, in his case I don’t think there is space for complete redemption but he would go a long way with your aid!

He also adores your ambitions and your goals in life. 

He would read all the work you decide to share with him! He would disappear into the night reading your story and the next time you see him he has a copy of your story in his hand; little notes everywhere, underlined parts, several bookmarks, tons of insanely detailed questions, sharing his interpretations... you better be ready because it will be a long conversation. 

This way he also learns so much about you and the way you express your feelings! He would fall sooo hard, especially when he supposes you like him because of some line on page 73′s third paragraph  

He wouldn’t be sure though. (Again, he can be kind of insecure.)

Not until one of you actually makes a move. I think when that time comes, he would absolutely make a reference to one of your stories one way or another. Even if you don’t write romance. He’s smart, he will find a way.

 I think he would also help you “stay on Earth” considering your fears and tendency of stubborn and prideful behaviour. 

You would never have to ask him for help, as he will be the one suggesting it all the time. He is good at observing people, he will know if/when you need help. He refuses to be rejected by a human so really you have no chance here. 

He also has his own sense of humour so time spent together would involve joking around sometimes. I mean despite his facade, he can be a little brat sometimes. 

Like a cat he likes his independence so really he is not going to force any affection that you would not welcome. Maybe sometimes he enjoys it, but definitely not early in a relationship. 

He would love to participate in your storytelling activities. Not one occassion he would miss. 

[thewritedisaster-blog]

Some thoughts on process

I’ve been struggling to find my voice in my prose lately, and have been writing kinda aimlessly for a while. So, I thought I’d use this opportunity to detail my writing process, present a unique one, and then maybe together we can ponder over the most effective ways for us as individuals. 

There are a lot of different ways to write. Some authors swear by having outlines for their books, while others much prefer the “go with the flow” approach, and even condemn outlines altogether. Personally, I think that if something works for you then you should stick with it and not let outside opinions shape the way you function. Writing is a highly personalized craft. We need original content in the world and part of crafting original content is doing so in a way that is personal, functional, and original. That being said, I’ll talk briefly about some possible approaches if you struggle to actually crank out your work once you begin. 

My writing process is pretty messy and if I’m being honest, I’m not sure it could actually be classified as a “process”. I begin with an idea, usually a half-baked idea, and then I just run with it. I’ll usually create multiple beginnings based on my idea because I’m almost never satisfied with the first path I take. So I’m sure you can already tell that I tend to be one of the more “go with the flow” type of writers. However, this is also almost always detrimental to me. As I’ve mentioned previously, I struggle with completing projects. I’ll start something, work my way into it, and then come up with an idea for something else and end up abandoning the first. This isn’t something that I’d like to keep doing, so I’m realizing that even if I don’t make a full outline of my projects, I at least need to know where I’m heading. So, my recommendation for starting out a novel no matter which approach you take, is to have an idea of the four main points. This is a self-devised structure based on many other structures, and I don’t claim that it’s the best structure for starting a book, but it seems to me that these four points can at least get you going point A to point Z with all the stops in between. 

First, you need a beginning problem. Something that starts the story, and introduces the purpose of whatever you’re setting off to tell. This should be introduced fairly early in your story. Not right off the bat, as exposition is important, but it should be clear from early on why you’re writing this story. Then, you need to have some sort of escalation. This can be unexpected. What I mean by that is that you could have a temporary solution that for a while seems to make everything better, or solve the problem, but inevitably falls apart torpedoing the situations your characters find themselves in. This could also be a more standard “complication” such as a character dying or changing sides, a new character, problem or caveat being introduced, the paths of your characters being crossed with the paths of a different group of characters trying to solve the same problem, etc. etc. You have a lot of freedom here, you just want to make sure that whatever you’re doing it’s picking up the pace of the story you’re trying to tell. Then, you want to reach your climax. Ah yes, the climax, the part of the story every reader waits for and most writers dread. Your story needs to have some sort of point of no return, or else the purpose of your writing will come across as unclear. If you plan this out in advance, it’ll be a lot easier to stay on track through your writing. Finally, you’ll need to come to some sort of closing. Whether this closing is a cliffhanger or not is entirely up to you, but having some idea of the books actual ending is important, and something that will help you stay on track as you’re writing whatever leads up to it. 

All of this is not to say that you can’t have more highs and lows in your story, in fact you should have more highs and lows. This is just a general structure that you should lay out from the beginning so that you can remind yourself why you’re writing this project in the first place. But remember: everything is up to you. Decide halfway through writing that your climax is going to be entirely different than what you planned? Great! Change that shit up! By having something to work towards and then changing it, you’re giving yourself even more justification for why actions happen. Writing should be your own, so don’t get bogged down by rules and structure. Embrace the fluidity and your products will be even more consumable. 

As a final note, I’ll tell you all about a process I’ve just heard of that is unlike anything I’ve ever known, and maybe you can try it out for yourself. Going into writing a book, this author knew their purpose, plot, and theme of their project. So, they made an outline of the book by writing down a list of chapters and writing a short summary of what needed to happen in each chapter. Every night before bed, they read the summary they’d written down, and then each morning they woke up and immediately wrote that chapter in longhand. Over the course of a month, they’d finished the book. Obviously it took longer than a month to actually finish the novel with typing and editing and re-editing and researching and re-writing, but the draft of the novel was done. Will this work for everyone? Probably not. Is it worth a try? You decide. 

As always, I leave you with my best wishes and hope that you can find your voices this week with less struggle than I’ve been having. And please bear with me as I get used to this blog and actually posting on time. I am a notorious procrastinator and am also leading a terribly busy life this semester, but I hope to become more active on here in the coming months. 

If you’re feeling particularly devoid or inspiration or are in the market for a quick free-write idea, take a few hours this week and write about something that has surprised you in the past. Why was it surprising? Was it a concept, or an object? What kind of character would also be taken aback by it? Is it something you or they will be continuously surprised by, or was it a one time thing? 

~Louise