#sorry my vocab is limited

[jackshiccup]

i find it so endearing whenever hookfang teases snotlout by laughing at jokes (even if he doesn't understand) or huffing out hot air at him or knocking his helmet with his tail or giving him a sly smile or rolling his eyes it's like their understood way of showing affection

[ritsukaaoyagi]

*heart palpitations* like to soubi, ritsuka is his sacrifice first and a person second for a while. i know soubi acknowledges him as a child in volume three which for sure kick starts a kind of growth in their relationship (vol 3 in general... sighs wistfully) but still obviously struggles with how to treat and view ritsuka... mostly because he is projecting onto ritsuka and using him to fulfill his own "needs"... or whatever... like he kind of uses ritsuka to unravel. but soubi really emphasizing ritsuka's status as his Sacrifice is still kind of shaky because he obviously does not obey him in the same way he would with like seimei or ritsu. and obviously this has to do with not necessarily ritsuka being a child but ritsuka just obviously treating soubi decently and clearly not taking the fighter/sacrifice dynamic as seriously as soubi does and having no interest in that... so ritsuka is safe to disobey.......... some of it also has to do with ritsuka being a kid but i dont feel like getting into that rn it's clear... AURRMMM LIKE IDK BASICALLY i just think soubi treats ritsuka Like That mostly because he doesn't know how else to treat him obviously like Where would someone like soubi even start with being ordered to love someone.

and with the projection thing it's like. actually no regardless of that they're pretty similar either way like this is literally also soubi's deal too

they are both soooo crazy. crazy dedication to people who are actively hurting them because they feel they need them in their lives and just that alone gives their own existence a sense of purpose or whatever (however "purpose" can be interpreted... IDGAF) and Obviously how this works for both of them is different and clearly soubi is in the process of growing out of this but IMO RITSUKA IS NOTTT!!! Well he's 12. and the denial of it all... for both of them... idk... i don't have much to say besides stuff i've already said i just feel things... hmm and by soubi projecting onto ritsuka it's like clearly they can relate on same things and seimei and yada yada but he also uses this to hurt ritsuka. Not on purpose obviously but you know what i mean......like just read loveless. waaait when he started "training" him My god... dont even get me started on the ear piercing scene and then the scene that's like not directly after but soon after where soubi is talking about how he hates butterflies...... It's okay it's okay omg calm down. that's another example of soubi talking about both himself and ritsuka respectively and together IMO!!!!!!

as for ritsuka's side of things i'll start getting mildly freudian so that's it rn. ritsuka does process soubi as a human pretty quickly though NOT at first but ritsuka person-ing soubi happens much more quickly than vice versa. I mean that's the whole conflict of their shit for a good chunk or even just in general like soubi having given up his personhood and ritsuka kind of wrestling with his own but standing by it while also going a little crazy And also trying to affirm soubi's personhood at the same time. And going a little crazy (looks away)

[presiding]

people doing this with fanfic perplexes me. i see assumptions that anyone creating fics must also therefore ship the characters and are writing for their own perverse enjoyment.

if that was the case - does it matter? we are extremely fortunate to have volunteer authors & fanfic websites. if it's not your thing, find different media to enjoy. or, and i say this with love in my heart, please write your own to share.

(i wrote something about grief and how to live with yourself when you've done something unforgivable, intended for a friend of mine who never got to see it, sadly. i re-read it recently and thought my metaphors were heavy handed but that's fine, people still liked it. it contained a smut scene in a later chapter. since i wrote it, i've seen a few people make sideways complaints about people who ship those characters that implicate my work and i have to wonder if i failed as an artist to get my point across, or if people really have their blinkers on when it comes to transformative work that includes sex, and refuse to think the author may have different intentions.)

as the OP says, if it was an original work, would you be saying that the artist only wanted to ship them or make them fuck?

Arrrgh I already complained about it but man. Fucking hate how weird people are when it comes to sexuality in art. "Ohhh this only exists because the writer was horny it can't possibly have anything deep to say" fucking imagine if we applied it to other emotions. Sorry Antigones can't possibly be about anything meaningful the writer was clearly just sad. Hamlet isn't a good or interesting play actually it was just Shakespeare being angry.

[pininghermit]

Mockery of Errors

Pairing: Alucard x Reader

Genre: Fluff

Summary: Alucard's got a personal idiot to save him decade's worth of therapy.

AN: some nsfw vocab so minors dni

"Omg oh no I am so sorry."

Three pairs of eyes stare at you.

"I can get myself out," you mumbled, shuffling awkwardly. Turning to leave through the broken window you entered by, you paused. "Oh crap," you muttered, glancing at the shattered glass and then back at the golden-haired vampire, who you assumed was the owner.

"I can pay for the damages," you offered, patting your pockets frantically. You desperately hoped you hadn't been an idiot and left your purse at home. You studiously avoided looking at the vampire's bare, luminous legs.

Was that… rope? Your eyes widened at the crimson bundle peeking out from under the bed. Great. You'd just stumbled into some bizarre threesome. Just your luck.

The commotion seems to snap the supposed lord out of his shock. Though you desperately tried to avoid their gaze, you heard the rustle of clothes and felt the air shift as the vampire lord moved in front of you. And much to your dismay a sword.

Your spine felt like jelly, but you forced a wobbly smile as you looked up at the ridiculously good-looking vampire lord. It all clicked into place. Dammit! He deserved a good threesome. Insanely handsome vampire lords with deary castles deserve a good bang.

"Now, now, my lord," you began, your voice betraying a slight hitch. "There's no need for that. I assure you, I'm no robber." You mentally shoved aside the very inappropriate picture that had just popped into your head, desperate to stay alive.

"This is all just a…jest, you see? A silly little bet with friends. Terrible timing, I admit, and terribly sorry for the interruption. I can, of course, make myself scarce." You finished with a weak attempt at a conspiratorial wink, hoping it landed somewhere between charming and utterly insane.

You flashed a friendly smile at the, ahem, occupants of the bed, who (to their credit) did a fantastic job of conveying annoyance through sheer silence. You waved awkwardly, but they weren't having it.

"Ahem," the vampire lord cleared his throat to catch your fleeting attention. "Do you know where you stand?" He asked, his voice surprisingly weak. He sounded young...a young adult vampire? They came in all ages and formats you mused internally.

Focusing on his question, you tried to hide the relief of finding a young master instead of a slithering nasty vampire."Ah, my lord," you stammered, "we, uh, my friends and I…had no idea a vampire resided here...the cutesy garden in the back yard had us guessing this castle was looked after a kind granny."

That was not the right thing to say. Apparently, even unageing vampires were vain enough to detest being called a granny...to your credit, his white nightgown was not doing him any favors.

Alucard felt a furious blush creep up his neck. Thankfully, you seemed too terrified to meet his gaze.

The shattered window was a godsend. A distracting agent that prevented acknowledging the scene you walked in on.

He towered over you as you sat perched precariously on the windowsill, inspecting the broken glass with an unsettling focus. "Sturdy stuff," you muttered in approval, completely oblivious to the elephant in the room - or rather, the castle.

Not the damn ropes! Adrian groaned silently. He wasn't easily flustered, but this… this was pushing his limits.

Steeling yourself with the air of someone who'd made a grand decision, you rose to your feet. "My lord," you declared, "I can totally replace this glass tomorrow! No worries. Besides, who carries a purse on a ridiculous late-night dare, anyway?"

Adrian let out a sigh so deep it could rival a tectonic plate shift. Clutching his face in his hands, he squeezed his eyes shut. This, he thought hysterically, was worse than a thousand post-nut clarity moments combined. There was no way he could ever face Sumi or Taka again.

He nods. At this point, he would be better off flying away as a bat and never show up to his accursed castle ever again.

Peering out the window, you mumbled, oblivious to the tension, "Yikes, that's a drop. So, about those ropes…" A collective cringe echoed through the room, the occupants unified in their secondhand embarrassment.

"Just use the damn door!" Adrian roared, his voice cracking spectacularly mid-scream.

And thus, with a shattered window, a flustered vampire lord, and a shockingly oblivious mortal, the future of Adrian Tepes, son of Dracula, took a most unexpected turn.

[yinyuedijun]

TOKYO VICE | glossary and notes

hi this is my extended author's note for my unserious yandere suo fic (which will be posted very shortly after this). deeply sorry if you read all that. see below for vocab and world-building delusions!

Disclaimer: I am not fluent in Japanese, have only spent very limited time in Japan’s red light districts, and definitely have no association with Japanese criminal organisations. Thus, I cannot promise 100% accuracy of the below lol. However, I have tried to understand and briefly describe these terms to the best of my abilities. Take it all with a grain of salt!

YAKUZA TERMS/NOTES

yakuza organisations have familial hierarchies in place, so familial terms are often used between members:

aniki – term to address an older brother (or an older male in the organisation, in suo’s case)

anesan –  term to address an older sister; this is used for wives of yakuza members, especially high-ranking members. yakuza do maintain certain principles/ethics, and apparently one is that the wife of another member can’t be touched. this is partly why suo likes to call you his wife (for protection purposes), but he’s also just wants to marry you lol

oyassan – term to address one’s father (or the head of the organisation, in suo’s case)

oyabun –  literally “parent figure” (head of the organisation)

chinpira – rookie yakuza; also used for petty criminals. I got the impression that these guys would be the ones doing street-level grunt work

irezumi – a particular style of tattoos that yakuza members get. they are strongly associated with yakuza membership in Japan (unlike in western countries where people may get them for aesthetic reasons). examples:

han-gure – non-yakuza criminal organisation, which may include delinquents, colour gangs, etc. interestingly, it came up in some of the documentaries that I watched that some people perceive yakuza as necessary evils because they suppress and/or minimise activity by han-gure, which are seen as causing more trouble for civilians.

relating to the ethical code followed (in theory) by yakuza – although yakuza are violent criminals, there are also ideals of chivalrous behaviour and protecting the weak among yakuza. (this is, for example, why yakuza organisations will donate aid/resources during major disasters.) this reminded me quite a bit of bofurin, and I came across some real-life cases where members of the yakuza were previously delinquents, so I thought it was fitting that the yakuza might try to recruit from bofurin in the fic. 

I saw some opinions from older ex-yakuza members that current organisations do not really strive toward these honourable values, and that yakuza are too money-driven these days. I think it made a lot of sense for suo (due to his general disposition and time in bofurin) to adhere very strongly to these ethical codes and endear himself to older gang leaders this way.

one of the reasons that yakuza are nowadays considered less relevant is apparently because japanese policing of petty crime is so strong nowadays. in previous decades, when law enforcement was much weaker, yakuza actually did (or at least, were described to) play a major part in suppressing petty crime or criminal violence toward civilians. this, again, reminded me of bofurin – the police are essentially implied to have given up on makochi, and bofurin formed in order to suppress petty and/or violent crime instead. I assume that this applies to the nearby red light district as well, since roppo-ichiza formed in response to crime on keisei street. it stood to reason to me that this would create a situation where a yakuza family could become extremely socially dominant, and where these old-fashioned ethical codes would actually be quite relevant. this is why suo is so well-known within the red light district and well-respected by his peers.

some yakuza organisations, also as part of an ethical code, do not involve themselves in businesses such as drug trafficking. I didn’t personally come across anything implying that sex trafficking was banned by any ethical codes, but narratively I think it made a lot of sense that suo wants no business with it after what the reader went through. 

on the note of sex trafficking – apparently a lot of sex trafficking and sex work-adjacent professions in japan affect runaway teenage girls specifically, which this reader does qualify as. this is why her backstory got so dark as I was developing the storyline for this yakuza au (I did not initially put her into mizu shobai work for such a narratively significant reason though lol – I just thought the mental image of smuggling three delinquents into the washroom of a girls’ bar was very funny when I was writing Sincerity)

MIZU SHOBAI TERMS/NOTES

Mizu shobai or “water business” – euphemism for certain types of jobs in the entertainment industry, especially those pertaining to nightlife (including girls’ bars and hostess clubs). yakuza are known for their involvement with mizu shobai establishments. 

Girls’ bar – bars where the bartenders are all women, who will make conversation with (male) customers as they serve drinks. 

Hostess bars – bars or clubs where women will accompany individual or groups of (male) customers as they drink, making conversation, singing karaoke, etc. they are not sex workers and are not allowed to have sex with customers (nor is touching generally allowed). in the interest of not misrepresenting this line of work, I want to be very clear that the reader is having sex with her customers not as an industry standard practice, but because something is extremely wrong with her situation (financially, socially, and mentally). 

Douhan – dinner dates that hostesses may go on with customers.

Kyabakura – a portmanteau of “carabaret” and “club”, these are a type of hostess clubs. kyabakura establishments tend to employ younger girls in comparison to high end clubs.

High end clubs – much pricier than kyabakura, with much greater earnings for the hostesses themselves; I got the sense during researching that these tend to be extremely competitive environments for the hostesses.

Mamasan – a “head hostess” who will typically manage girls, and or even manage the club itself. since the reader is working at clubs run by criminal organisations, the mamasans are not the actual owners.

[luxyue]

knife boots — part iv.

xiao x reader, figure skating au

masterlist | previous | next

➥ NEW VOCAB ❝ loop ❞ an edge jump, taking off from a backward outside edge, and landing on the backward outside edge of the same foot.

iv. sigh, they're so oblivious

“Do… I have something on my face?”

A gentle voice interrupts your train of thought, which may or may not have been full of fantasizing about a certain dark-haired man who has literally been in front of your face this entire time.

“Are you okay? You seem, I don’t know, more spaced out lately.”

“Oh, umm...” Oh, if only he knew.

You told yourself that he was off-limits. That you were training together and that was it. That everything was strictlyprofessional.

But, unfortunately for you, the little crush that you had harbored for him during your first few years as a competitive skater has come back. Hitting you hard. Harder than your head has ever hit the ice during a bad practice. Lucky you.

It doesn’t help that he’s been noticeably kinder to you, ever since you begged him to help you. Although, that’s more likely because Xiao is actually kind of a nice person. Over the past few weeks, he’s probably been the harshest coach you’ve ever had… and he’s not even your real coach. But it’s evident that he truly cares about your well-being and progress.

Strangely enough, Zhongli, your actual coach, seems perfectly content with your arrangement, so much so that sometimes you barely see him throughout your day. Leaving you and Xiao alone. For hours.

Boop.

A finger pokes harshly at your forehead.

“What the heck—”

“Do we need to get you to the infirmary or something?” Xiao says.

What surprises you isn’t the fact that he just… poked your forehead, but rather the fact that he sounded genuinely concerned for you. Like, really concerned.

“I’m alright! Um, excuse me, just one second…!” And then you run off, faster than he can say ‘axel’.

Xiao is confused, to say the least.

…

You enter a safe zone that is definitely out of Xiao’s sight (the girls’ locker room), letting out a huge sigh of relief.

“Y/N? Are you okay?”

“Holy mother of—Ganyu! Hi!” you exclaim, not realizing that there was, in fact, someone else in the locker room.

“Sorry if I scared you,” she replies sheepishly. Ganyu also trained at the rink very frequently, although you didn’t see her in the mornings often. You vaguely remember her saying something about how she values her sleep more. You can’t blame her.

“Weren’t you with Xiao just now?” she wonders.

“Well, I was…” you’re not really sure how to explain what just happened.

“Is he being mean again? We all know he’s sort of a grump, but if it’s really that bad, I’m sure you could talk to Zhongli,” she suggests.

“Oh! No, actually, he’s been pretty nice to me, to be honest,” you say.

Ganyu looks at you, puzzled. “Xiao and the word nice don’t really go together. Sure, he’s not really mean either, but… what’s the word… he’s just, aloof. Shenhe, Keqing, and I have known him for years, and the most we say to each other is probably only ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’,” she explains. “That’s why the three of us were so surprised when we realized how often you two have been together.”

You blink at her, unsure of what to say. Perhaps Ganyu’s words would only make you more delusional about him. Who knows.

“I can’t say he hasn’t had his asshole-y moments… but he’s not all bad. He’s helped me a lot, and… I owe him a lot, too,” you say.

She hums. “I can see that. Your triple lutz is looking amazing, by the way! I can’t believe you recovered all of your jumps so quickly. Honestly, I think he probably likes helping you. I can’t imagine what it’s like for him to have gone so long without a friend.”

You hesitate. “I’m not sure if he even considers us friends, to be honest…”

“Hm. Well, if anything, I think you’re the closest thing he has.”

“That’s… thanks, Ganyu.”

…

“Y/N! You’re okay. What was that, earlier?” Xiao exclaims, skating up to you. He’s close.

Like, really, really close.

Luckily for you, he seems to realize, and hurriedly backs away from you.

Luckily for him, you don’t notice the tinge of red on his cheeks, either.

“I’m fine! Don’t worry—and sorry about all of that, I think I was just tired. Anyway, ready to see me face plant attempting triple lutz-triple loop combos? Because I am—”

“Y/N, if you’re really that tired, then you should rest. There’s no use overtraining yourself,” he says sternly.

“Xiao, it’s alright, seriously.” You can’t help but add on, “Plus, I’m afraid my training partner will miss me, you know?”

This time, you do notice the violent shade of red that overtakes his face. You just don’t realize it’s not from training.

“Your face is all red. Maybe you should take a break,” you tease.

“That’s not… I’m fine. Anyway, you left your phone. It was ringing like crazy earlier,” he says, using the excuse to try to change the subject.

That’s odd. You changed your number when you moved here, and most of the people with your new one are all at the rink with you.

Curiosity killed the cat, and you check it. Thirteen missed calls, and a text from an unknown number.

“Is something wrong?” he asks, sensing your fear.

“It’s probably just spam or something,” you assure him.

It’s not.

‘They know, Y/N. Be safe. xx, CAT’

They know.

They know. They know.

Theyknowtheyknowtheyknowtheyknow.

Everything goes dark.

You’re lucky, though, and Xiao is there to catch your fall.

[cpunkwitch]

I'm tired of getting pity from people when I tell them I have chronic pain or I live with any conditions

Please stop reacting to disabled people like it's a devastating change in their life, it /is/ our life.

No matter how much you think we're suffering or how much we actually are suffering

Responding with "🥺 oh I'm so sorry to hear that" "I'm so sorry you have to live/deal with that, it must be so hard/difficult" and sometimes even "I hope you feel better" is bullshit, ignorant and dismissive.

For most of us it's not temporary, we'll have this for ever. We'll live this way the rest of our lives.

You might have good intentions but your pity and patronizing pouts just make us feel like babied objects, I'd rather the jokes you claim are insensitive than you raise the pitch of your voice and apologize for a thing that won't change.

Normalize people having physically limiting conditions at a younger age in your mind.

You never give an old person this treatment because it's normal and expected right? Why is it different if I'm younger?

The default normal for a human shouldnt be fully able bodied, disabled people are normal too. Get it out of your head that the default for a person you meet should be able bodied and not being such is a tragedy or accessory to their character. Change that.

Someone starting to use their aid more shouldn't mean they're forcing themselves to leave the house. Don't tell them they should go home if they're in so much pain they're using a mobility aid. Encourage them to bring it out with them more instead. Chances are they need it regardless of what day it is, they're trying to build confidence to use it in public more, so you saying shit like that is hella fucking discouraging and forces them to mask as able-bodied around you and in public.

I downplay my pain because when I complain for the sake of acknowledging it everyone reacts with unwarranted solutions, pity etc

Just treat me like one of you but acknowledge that I have limits

Ask me to go out but be aware I can't always go to a place of I can't get around there. Take me out with you and others but acknowledge I might have to leave early or won't be able to do all the things you want to. It's not supposed to be a dampener on the mood or a roadblock in your plans, if you treat me and my conditions like a burden on your day and activities I don't want to be friends. You're an ass.

Stop making this face at me 🥺, stop using that pitch and tone, change your vocab and phrases you use

Just

Stop for the love of God I'm a normal person

[vxnillite]

Khro'a birthday drabble!!!

THIS IS FOR @99-kroi !!! The man who sent me down this path of insanity, and I will be eternally grateful for that.

HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY DUDE!!! Just want to say that you're an amazing person, a fantastic artist, and a really fun person to talk to! Really, really glad to have met you and to be able to share all this fun sh*t with you! (I'm a writer, why is my vocab so limited)

Also this is not a ship fic, 100% platonic bc Noah and Khro'a are besties 4 life <33 yippee hAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN KROIIIII

(if there are typos, i'll get back to it. i haven't [edit: HELP ME WHY DID THE REST OF THE SENTENCE DELETE ITSELF I MEANT TO SAY I HAVEN'T PROOFREAD THIS LKSDJFKLSJF])

Sunlight filtered through the wooden planks of the treehouse, shining tiny spotlights on an unusually empty bed.

The owner was in the middle of the room, crouched on the floor. Khro'a whistled as he fixed his travel packs. Today was going to be uneventful, but he'd decided to go flying—didn't know where to, exactly. Khro'a would decide on the way.

He'd just tied up the last pack when he heard an ikran cry. Weird—that wasn't his, though. It cried again, sounding much closer to the treehouse this time. Khro'a had a second to recognize that particular call when—

"INCOMING!!"

Something crashed straight into Khro'a. It knocked out almost all the air inside of him, and, had he not been bigger than the intruder, they would've crushed him.

"Ay, puta—you were fucking right under it! Sorry!"

Khro'a felt himself get yanked up onto his feet, then into a tight embrace. From over the person's head, he processed first the rapidly swishing tail, then the triple braids—one black, two an unnatural purple.

Noah was jumping on their toes as they exclaimed, "Happy birthday, Khro'a!!"

Excitement rose like magma in his chest at the realization. Khro'a grinned and hugged them back. "Noah! I thought you wouldn't be back until a few more weeks?"

Noah pulled away to look up at Khro'a, and their arms went from his waist to his hands. "And fucking miss your birthday," they scoffed playfully, "You think I'm gonna be stupid like that? Of course, I was gonna come home early!"

Finally, confusion arose as well, and Khro'a asked, "How is it my birthday—wait, how are you keeping track of this?"

Fangs bared, Noah giggled through their teeth. "Well, it's been exactly one Pandoran year since you got transferred to your Avatar by Eywa. I did the math some time ago, and turns out your terran birthday happens to fall on the same day this year," they explained, "So, technically, two birthdays!"

It took a few seconds for Khro'a to process, and he chuckled as he did. 

Noah cocked their head to the side. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just," he stifled a laugh, "You really counted all that?"

"What, like it's supposed to be hard?"

Khro'a couldn't hold it in anymore, the affectionate laugh he was caging in his chest. "Spoken like a true nerd."

Noah slapped him on the chest. Their lips scrunched into a pout. "Gago, it's simple fucking math!" Then, infected by Khro'a, they started laughing, too. "Of course, I've been counting. It's your birthday, after all. I keep track of everyone else's, too."

Khro'a let his laughter dwindle down first. "So, it's been a year, huh," he mused. Then, he looked back down at Noah. Their bright eyes looked up at him curiously, waiting on his words. He sighed contentedly, "Thank you, Noah."

Noah's lips curled into a softer, still toothy smile. A little chuckle wisped through them as they pulled Khro'a in for another hug. It said everything that couldn't be put into words.

The moment passed in comfortable silence until Noah spoke up. "Oh, also, I stopped by the village, and I told the entire village and the other RDA people. They're all waiting for you at High Camp."

Khro'a sighed, placing a hand on their head. "Of course you did."

"But you seem to have plans." Noah peeked behind him from under his arm. "Going somewhere?"

"Meh, I wasn't really planning on it," Khro'a shrugged, "I was just bored, so it's a 'wherever the wind takes me' kind of plan."

The reaction to that was somewhat violent, as Noah pulled away only to grip Khro'a's arms, eyes glinting with excitement. Their tail was whipping like a tornado behind them. Teeth that bit down on their lower lip caged their words flimsily. Khro'a had a feeling he knew what those were.

"Go on. What is it?"

"Can I come with you," Noah asked giddily, like a child, "It's been months since we went somewhere together!"

"I don't know~ Didn't you say there are people waiting at High Camp?"

"Yes, and we can go after that! C'mon, don't fuck with me, Khro'a."

Some things just never change, he thought. Then, Khro'a smiled. "Alright, but I really had no plans of where to go. Do you?"

"'Wherever the wind takes us' sounds like a good plan. Now, come on! I'll help you with your things."

Khro'a perked up as if a switch had been flipped in his head. "Wait, Noah, you've been travelling all night—have you had any sleep?"

"Shhh! That's not your problem to deal with, okay?"

"That's not my po—Noah!!"

Too late. They grabbed two of the biggest bags in their hand, jumped up onto a large branch—an exposed structural beam of sorts for the treehouse—then flung themselves through the roof chute. They looked down at Khro'a, jerking their head as if to hurry him up. Fortunately, he'd already followed suit.

Khro'a emerged through the chute mere seconds after Noah did, throwing the other two bags onto the roof as he pushed himself up. With his tail, he flipped the chute door shut. Khro'a put his arm out just in time as he saw a familiar stingbat coming to land on him.

"Hey, Kev!" Khro'a chuckled as the stingbat pecked him affectionately. It shrieked as he scritched its neck. He dug a fruit from one of his bags and gave it to Kev. It cawed gratefully as it flew back to hover over its owner.

Then, the two avatars mounted their ikrans, but before they took off—

"Oh, and Khro'a?"

He turned to them innocently. What he saw was a figure cast in the morning light and a delicate smile. Noah's gaze softened as their eyes met.

"Happy birthday ulit." Their eyes smiled, too, pushing a few tears through the corners. "Thanks for everything. I'll never forget any of it."

[enhypendiaries]

quick question, im really interested in poetry and stuff like these.. but i dont know where to start. my vocabulary is a little limited, (mostly because English is not my first language and im still learning) so how can i expand my knowledge on vocab and things like that? did you take classes or?? im aware that some do take classes but how can one learn without taking classes? (saying that bc there's nothing like poetry classes where i live) do you recommend any poetry books?

I think your works are so amazing and they just make me more interested in poetry, they're so beautiful. idk i have so much to say and ask but it's disappearing 😭

(sorry if i asked too much🙏)

hi~ first of all, thank you for reading my works and appreciating them! it means a lot. i'm happy seeing people getting interested in poetry.

expanding my vocabulary was for the most part cultivated through reading and reading and reading. i also often use the dictionary app to better understand words and/or find synonymous or related terms that might be better for the context i'm using it for.

i actually didn't take any poetry classes (it's more of i couldn't bc it's beyond my means). i did have english classes in school and they helped me exercise my writing. but mine was largely self-cultivation.

you can start with simple ideas, exploring figures of speech, employing your experiences/learnings as metaphors for example, read, and exercise your writing! the first few tries wouldn't be perfect or satisfying, but what matters is growth. above all, put your heart into your writing. hopefully this helps even a little ♡

[tumblasha]

a review of the first week of cabo verde

so i've officially landed in the praia, cabo verde, airport seven (7) whole days ago, and i want to share my initial thoughts. this will be long, so here's a numbered list :)

1 . i feel like i'm a kid back in brazil but also a 21 y/o tall kid

so caboverdians speak portuguese (bc it's taught in formal schools) and they also speak kabuverdianu (creole, different across all the islands). being someone that can translate / speak at the store for the person they live with [1], it just feels like i'm a kid with a limited vocab

living in a beach town where everything is at a slower pace and is within walking / bus / taxi distance made me feel happy :) vacation!dasha is alive and well

2 . cabo verde is also a tall kid (but 48 y/o)

this one is sorta very much on me.

so i did the classic American Tourist thing and never actually learned anything about the history of the country i will be traveling to (sorry). since coming here and asking my co-workers and friends-of-misti about the general vibes of this country, i've learned so much! a lot of which Make Sense, a lot of which Confuse Me

older caboverdians tend to see themselves as not-african. i also learned that some ppl in some countries in mainland africa also don't consider themselves african bc of the way that the label "africa" comes with various histories, most of them negative bc of europe. this is why "kriolu" / "creole" are such popular words ! also younger caboverdians acknowledge that they are african / black if that applies to them

race is phenotypical here. which is what i expected (closer to how latam sees race ig?? more like how brasil sees race ig??). what i'm trying to say is that if you introduce yourself as "from the usa", they'll always say "no, where are u Actually from" and won't rest until u say something like "peruvian, chinese, etc." bc a lot of ppl outside of the usa don't believe that the usa has "actual indigenous ppl anymore" [2]. it also means that speaking english in the street invites ppl to ask you ur race

being east asian (chinese) in cabo verde is sorta .. rough. the microaggressions that i've seen in the two (2) days that my chinese-american roommate face is kinda Wild. when the person leading our cultural training said "oh sometimes ppl will call u 'china'" to my friend i thought that it meant that it would replace "ma'am" in the usual "yes, ma'am" / "no, ma'am" conversations with strangers, not that random ppl will yell "china!" multiple times to my friend when we're sitting on the sand. this has ties with macau and the rest of the chinese gov't building universities, casinos, and having a Business Presence in the country. but at least we got tourism industry students to invite us to clubs bc my friend is chinese-american??? [3] it's just really weird to me bc i haven't faced any racial / appearance-based ... acknowledgements ... even tho i clearly look like a foreigner in a sorta-racially-homogenous place (talking abt the mostly black island santiago)

independence day is not really celebrated here : ( ppl have conflicting opinions on the independence of the country. most of the country likes the day (july 5) bc it's a day off from work. other ppl say that it's hard to be a country with growing pains and would rather have portugal's gov't deal with building the infrastructure. other ppl are putting in the work to ease the growing pains. kinda sad since massachusetts, rhode island, and brazil (afaik) have big celebrations (fireworks and everything) rather than just a random ceremony where the president speaks for a bit and everyone goes home

a lot of the night life is european. someone pls teach me how to vibe to edm and house music and general non-lyrical music fjewiaofj but also shoutout to that club with brazilian funk. if only i learned the dance that my são paulo friend taught me </3

3 . the food is sorta fantastic here ngl

yes, i'm behind on the foodposting, and idk if i'll ever catch up lmao

for my lovely friends who eat meat, cachupa / caxupa is one of the loveliest things to eat. it's a meat-based (with veggies!) soup dish ?? it usually has either fish or pork tho. it's the national dish for a reason <33 also the seafood is good. sola-approved!

for my lovely friends who don't eat meat, i found a vegan place like 8 min away from my apt! also bc i'm in a City, it's easy to ask for things to be made vegetarian (plus there's always couscous and salads lol). also veg cachupa exists

for all my lovely friends, the food isn't Too too varied. i feel like the most common foods are pizzas, pastas, burgers, and shwarmas. also chinese foods are translated in an interesting way: noodles are pasta / spaghetti, dumplings are pastels (the empanada-esque brazilian translation), etc. there are also a bunch of brazilian churrascarias and one (1) indian restaurant

also i tried to be Cool and add some hot sauce to one of my pastas and i had to pretend i didn't want to kill myself in front of the Adults on the table

4. kabuverdianu is a cool language

i learned duolingo's haitian creole to get the vibes of a creole language. though this is attached to portuguese instead of french, a lot of the characteristics are the same. the words borrowed from the european language are spelled in a way that makes sense (maybe in a way that makes more sense to spanish-speakers?). i also like how gendered things tend to just be made gender neutral (usually defaulting to the masc way). i can hear it and understand it if spoken to me slowly, but after that ... oof!

5 . marcha do orgulho made me v happy

what if i change my "go to carnaval in every continent" goal to "go to pride in every continent" hehe. i think it was so Good how the pride that had 30 ppl last year exceeded their goal of 100 ppl this year by A Lot. even though there were a lot of ppl from the EU who backed the event (logistically spread the word i think??), the ppl who showed up were mostly black and made it such a fun time :,)

i also met a trans woman who claimed was the only trans woman in her island :,0 [5] she traveled all the way to santiago for pride

6 . overall i'm excited for the summer

i think that i'll spend a lot of my time reading a book by the beach and learning kabuverdianu while telling myself that i can maybe be an immigrant like my parents [4] or at least work abroad for a few years maybe. i'm excited to be an adult. i went to the beach (one on the other side of the island) today, and i just feel refreshed. i got to swim in the water like if it were a pool and hang out with the fish lol

---

[1] my parents as a kid, my roommate as a taller kid (now)

[2] overheard at a bar in barcelona

[3] my roommate will prob talk abt it more since she's doing the indentityX blogposts that misti hosts lol

[4] for those that don't know, there's at least a two-gen moving maternal history in my family line. my grandma moved across the country after high school. my mom moved across the continent after college. i wanna Continue that somehow bc i feel like it'd be cute

[5] lots of gays and lesbians, according to her, but being trans is a whole different thing there

[wormybabi]

MUST READ BYI!!!

There is no tolerance on this blog for:

Transphobia, Homophobia & Any Other Form Of LGBTQIA+phobia

Racism

Ableism

Sexism

Islamophobes or any other anti-religion stuff

& Any other forms of bigotry I might have missed.

Anyone in DDLG, ABDL or similar communities even if it is not shown on your blog

MAPs, MIK, Zoos, etc are all banned too!

Any form of NSFW content

Bullying

Anti-furries

& Finally Anti-agere or Anti-petre!

But now, moving on to my introduction!! :3

I go by Seth or Worm, I’m a 16 year old trans dude who regresses due to trauma. My regression is sometimes involuntary but also can be voluntary! I do babytalk (sorry if that annoys anyone!) & have a lovely CG. I pret regress n also age regress! I enjoy warrior cats, DHMIS, plushies, colouring, minecraft, animals, music, backrooms content, wendigoon and a lot more! :3 I’m also a furry!

I regress from anywhere between the age of 0-8! My pet regression n age regression can sometimes mix too :3 Pet-wise, I regress to a wide range of species! Deer, dog, hyena, cheetah, cat, red panda, lion & even a gecko! :p In some of these headspaces (e.g deer, cheetah n gecko) I’m entirely non-verbal! While with some I have a limited vocab (e.g lion & red panda). The rest of the time I’m verbal but might talk differently (e.g as a hyena I tend to laugh a lot more n also elongate words! :3). My likes n dislikes tend to also change with the headspaces n so can my temper (I do apologise!<3 I never intend to hurt anyone’s feelings but when little or in certain petspaces my feelings can be hard to regulate n I can be quick to throw tantrums if overwhelmed!)

I’m also likely autistic (I’ve not been diagnosed but from in depth research on my behalf, I’ve related to many autistic traits, experiences n such. I’m currently unable to try get a diagnosis due to an unsupportive family but when I’m 18, I plan to get an assessment! I’m using this self-diagnosis as a way to help myself cope better - I know better than to try educate others on something I could be wrong about<3) so please don’t be too upset if i miss tone or come off too blunt n try to be patient with me.

Anyone is free to DM me! Just be respectful! :)

[wonwoonlight]

hii im the one that asked about the romantic trope for the svt member OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANSWERED ITTT & WHEN YOU SAID YOU LOVE THAT KIND OF ASK I WAS LIKE KDNJDBDDBJD (indescribable because im so happy i guess & i have limited vocab im sorry) I FEEL ECSTATIC BECAUSE MY FAV WRITER LOVE MY ASK 🥰 and i swear IT REALLY MAKE MY DAYYY 😆

(how i really want so bad to attach memes but cannot 😔)

HIII thank you for asking it and for dropping by!!!!! I truly enjoyed answering that question and it's you who made my day🥹🥹🩵🩵

I have limited vocabularies too it's ok this language is trash and we don't need to perfect it to speak it😗 your feeling is much appreciated anyway!!!!

[ruckis--rookie]



Hi can i write to you? just sad tonight. You are aware of mini-me from the "Austin Powers" movies? In real life being baby/toddler sized isn't as funny as Mike Myers script makes it out to be. Especially with additional medical problems and the permanent legacy of imperious neonatal doctors of the several years ago.

...this is a Hardee's

Jokes aside I'm going to assume that based on the fact the blog was deactivated just as quickly as I got this ask it was deleted soon after this was sent or this is a bot. (Edit: It says its anon now. first it said it was sent by a burner blog, then a deactiveated one, now anon. Tumblr is a functional website).

Either way I'll humor it because clearly you're new to this blog and I can't imagine being sent this other than one of my starring characters Geragera being 3ft. After careful consideration have decided not to delete such an out of nowhere ask as this is someone's lament and I feel bad for just leaving it up in the air. Because I do have some genuine thoughts about this, albeit maybe not directly in relation to. I have not seen the movie so I can't say for sure.

I consider being short or small as a trait of endearment. Disclaimer: that isn't to say that people who are actually that size don't have it harder than others or are portrayed in a harmful way, this isn't to bash them at all or romanticize it, but note that Geragera is not human and is cartoonish in nature. For several years this blog followed a race called Beanish which a lot of people including myself headcanon averaging at about 3-4ft naturally. Heck, I have a starring character named Roxie who is even smaller at a 2ft mark and I portray her as being a badass most of the time.

That is to say sometimes art reflects real life, but sometimes it really doesn't. In most cases fiction doesn't reflect reality at all. I myself am short for the average human. Not toddler sized but that's why Gera *is*, to reflect the fact that you can be small but you can be very strong despite the fact. If any short jokes are made its in a playful manner.

If this derailed from the og topic its because I genuinely have NO idea what to do with it considering I haven't watched the movie and I dont know wtf an imperial neonatal doctor is, nor do I have the patience to look it up right now. All my short characters aren't human and weren't entirely made with that in mind. I think its a matter of separating exaggerated features from fiction and reality. This isn't just about people who are that small, this is about all... I guess all stereotypical characters is what I'm looking for, my vocab is limited and I have a hard time finding the right phrasing.

But no, short is endearing here. Sorry if that offends you in any way but I like poking fun at my own second sona because he has a best friend/duo dynamic with my first sona who is outrageously tall and is more prone to expressing playful bullying. Little man /pos wants to wish you a good rest of the week 💖💫

[shubaka]

dang that's a lot of languages to have studied! kudos to you just for tackling mandarin and japanese 'alphabets' 😳 may I ask how you would rate/rank your proficiency in all those languages? were you able to retain the previous languages when learning new ones? (if yes, how? lol) also unrelated question and sorry I'm asking so many questions, but is university/college referred to as "school" where you live?

no worries if you're busy, no need to respond

"school" is usually used for anywhere from up to and including post-secondary (university/college). some people are very adamant about only using university or college when talking about it, but overall a lot of people still just say school when referring to post-secondary.

ahahaha it looks more impressive than it actually is. :') i unfortunately don't use the other languages much, so in my opinion, my retention isn't that great. it's important to keep using languages that you're learning! (i say, and then proceed to not do that haha) but i think if i actually sat down and focused on reviewing them for a few weeks, it wouldn't be too difficult for me to pick things up again.

french i learned from grades 4-7 because it was mandatory in my school in grades 4-6. unfortunately i had a very ... let's just say prejudiced teacher in grade 7 so i didn't continue after that. i still remember some phrases and vocabulary words. for more basic/casual conversation level stuff, i'd say i could understand maybe a quarter of it? sometimes i can kind of guess based on context haha.

i learned mandarin in grades 10-12. i'm definitely better at listening than speaking. although sometimes i trip up because i'll think of a word in cantonese first. i think basic beginner/casual is fine. on a side note, when i had cantonese lessons as a kid, we learned it using traditional characters, so the simplified characters end up confusing me half the time hahaha. (when i was 6-8 years old my parents made me take classes on saturdays. it was mostly for reading and writing because we speak it at home so it wasn't exactly "learning a new language")

i took one semester of korean in university... unfortunately my teacher wasn't the greatest at explaining some concepts (to my understanding, at any rate) and i'd often find myself asking the TAs (who were all korean exchange students haha) to clarify... it didn't go very well haha. i can only remember a handful of phrases and vocabulary.

japanese.... ahhh, i actually majored in it in university, so i got to an advanced level, but since graduating i haven't really used it at all -- so it seems like a waste *sobs*. hmm if we're basing my proficiency right now with no extra review to brush up on things, my speaking and listening might be at an intermediate level?

and not mentioned in that poll because i learned them outside of school for fun is ASL and thai (which i am currently trying to learn via self-study).

ASL is great but also one that you need to keep practicing -- if you can get the muscle memory, even better. i took it for a year (evening classes as an adult) and i'd say i'm at a beginner level. this, like everything else, i need to practice more to retain.

with regards to retention of other languages while learning new ones, i think it's mostly a matter of how much you continue to engage with and use the other language. and it can be helpful if you compare grammar structure, vocab, etc with the language you're currently studying and the old one. it can be fun/interesting when you notice similar patterns or words across different languages and that might help you remember things more easily as well.

i love learning new languages but oh god am i terrible at continuing to practice it afterwards :') there are just so many things i want to do and learn and there are only so many hours in a day -- and there's definitely a limit to how much i can think in a day before my brain turns into mush

[sonicenvy]

Ok, so @dunkenbartend, since you made this response I have been toying with whether or not to respond to it. After this post blew up and lots of people started responding to it, I figured I should dignify you with a response. I am really sorry that lots of people used this post to start being mean to you; that's not fair to you, since it seems like you genuinely are having a misunderstanding here, and are being sincere in your response.

to both you and @yareadyfreddie I mean this in the absolute kindest way possible:

Since it seems like the both of you were not understanding my point here, I'm going to pull the thesis of my original post out in a list for you to both read it. I think both of you responded in offense more to my tone, which I'll admit was somewhat inflammatory with words like "scourge" and whatnot. I'll be real with y'all I was very salty when I wrote this post. But, let's put aside the discussion of whether or not "placeholder fics" are annoying.

Before I get to my listed repetition of the thesis of the original post, let's get a few definitions out of the way so we're all on the same page with respect to language.

Placeholder "fic": A "fic" posted to AO3 that contains little to NO content, despite having a "summary" and tags. These "fics" contain only things like "a fic I will write soon," "an idea I have," or "coming soon." Some of these "fics" are also marked as complete! They do not contain any of the actual text of a fic. That is to say they are not, for example, a 100 word drabble (which is a fic), or short prologue, or the first chapter of a fic. They may contain a short description of a fic that does not exist, but are not in and of themselves a fic. Archive: Any website or library dedicated to preserving content, artifacts, books, images, etc etc. Like all libraries, archival libraries whether online websites or physical buildings have collections policies that are publicly available for ANYONE to read. Collections policies are the defined rules that describe exactly what kinds of materials a library or archival library does and does not collect. All libraries MUST have these, as they are central to the mission and strategy of the organization, and because all libraries have limited space, whether digitally or physically. A collections policy also defines to patrons/users what it is that that particular library does/is designed to do. Archives exist to store and share a collection, they are NOT a space for promotions or advertising. (Though to be fair there are archives of vintage/antique advertisements). TOS (Terms of Service): The rules that a user agrees to when they sign up for a service or create an account on a website. These should be easy to find, and define what actions are allowable and what actions are not in the context of the service. A TOS is the rules that you MUST abide by when using a service. Typically a TOS also defines what rules the service must follow in relation to you and what actions they will take when the TOS is violated by either users or employees/volunteers who are members of the organization. Often a TOS is a legal document. In the case of AO3, the TOS outlines the responsibilities of users and of the OTW. It also contains AO3's collections policies. You can find the AO3 TOS here. I encourage everyone to read through it. If you don't understand something, feel free to reach out and ask me; I can help clarify something for you.

OK, whew! Now that we are on the same page vocab wise, let's get back to the reiteration of my thesis:

Placeholder "fics" as defined, violate AO3's collections policy/Terms of Service. Specifically, they violate TOS IV.H or "inappropriate content". I am not making this up. This is what the AO3 mod told me when I did report such a "fic". For further proof of this, here is a screenshot of the email that I got in response to my report (names and email addresses redacted for privacy):

As a subpoint, you may be wondering why these "fics" are considered "inappropriate content." The archive was designed to be an archive for fanworks. Fanworks are generally defined by OTW/astolat/AO3 as being fanfiction, fanvideos, podfic, certain kinds of extended meta, and fanart. An exception that you might see is a formatting guide for AO3 workskins. Those are also permitted. A description of an idea for a fic that is not a FIC in and of itself, thus doesn't count a fanwork or fanfiction. I encourage you (and anyone else reading this) to read my other post on this topic and the primary and secondary sources that I linked in the post, especially the original brainstorming session on astolat's livejournal for the creation of AO3/OTW which can be found here. Obviously, you'll note that some of the ideas in the original brainstorming session didn't come to fruition and some did.

2. Because placeholder "fics" are not acceptable content for archive collection under TOS IV.H, you CANNOT post them on the archive. I further encouraged readers to report them when they see them, because, again, they ARE a violation of TOS IV.H and should not have been posted to the archive. Reporting TOS violating content is an important part of helping maintain our community resources, and is something that helps the AO3 moderation team with their jobs.

3. AO3 is an archive, not social media. That is, it is not the place to communicate with your following about your fic beyond the permitted commenting on a specific fic system that exists on the site. Communication with your following/readership is best done via your social media accounts, whatever those might be. It behooves you, if you use these accounts to link them in your AO3 profile or the author's notes in your existing fanfictions.

Whew! Now that we're done with that, I am going to address your point about finding motivation, and getting better at writing your ideas, since that's not something that was a part of my original post, but is an interesting motivation for this TOS violating behavior that I did not consider. I get it, I really do (I have ADHD and struggle with this myself), it is hard to motivate to write sometimes, but placeholder "fics" are not the way to go.

Here are some great tools for you to help with writing:

Cold Turkey Writer - A writing program that you can download to your computer for distraction free writing sessions. It is especially good for initial word vomit writing. Features of this program include: an ability to block out ALL other things on your computer until a certain amount of time passes, or until a certain number of words have been written. The program also does not have many different distracting extras. It is free with an optional donation of a single $9 USD payment for the extended features (soundtracks and night mode afaik).

Scrivener - A program designed specifically for writing longer stuff, like, novel length packed with a bunch of features from integration of research, to writing in disconnected chunks and rearranging them. You can read about the full features here. Scrivener is a program that a lot of professional writers use. It does have a one time cost of $60 USD, but allows you to download a free trial to see if you like it first.

Infinite sound generators/background noise: mynoise.net, purrli.com, RainFor.me, Coffitivity, RainyCafe, Soundrown, Rainymood, lo-fi hip-hop radio beats to study to, TableTop Audio.

CRD Reading Room's Worldbuilding Checklist - a great resource for everything you need to get better at worldbuilding.

Online Etymology Dictionary - the free version of the OED, where you can get definitions for words and the history of those words!

Word Hippo - useful online thesaurus.

OneLook Reverse Dictionary - look up the definition of a word to find out what that word is.

Vulgar Conlang Creator - we can't all be JRR tolkien, this website helps you create conlangs (fantasy/made up languages)

thebetafile - connect with a beta reader!

Some tips:

try out starting with shorter fics like oneshots or drabbles. You can always post a new fic that is an expansion of an old oneshot, or add a second chapter to a oneshot. Plus, you don't have to post a complete fic. You can post the first chapter or so. There are lots of incomplete fics out there. There are wips that haunt my dreams, but even if they get abandoned, they are still a gift to fandom!

create a fic that is a compilation of all of your incomplete ideas for a fandom, where you write 500 words to 1.5k words of each idea and make that idea a chapter. I did this here if you need an example. Here is another great example of this. This is good because you actually write and share some of your fic (thus making it a fic), but don't need to worry about having written a whole big fic. Be very clear in your summary what this fic collection is. Lots of people do this, and I think it is a great alternative to what you're doing that has a similar effect. Some writers that make these end up posting a chapter of it that becomes a whole fic as a new, separate fic. This is nice because you can share your ideas, even if you're not ready to fully commit, and you can get a taste for how people feel about them. Just make sure that you're actually writing the idea rather than "this is an idea I want to write about". Just go for it. Write 500 words of the fic.

Join a writer's discord for your fandom/ship/character etc. There are lot of them out there and you can connect to other writers in the fandom and discuss ideas/get motivation/participate in challenges etc. Fandom is a community; engage in it and have fun!

Write stuff down when you have an idea -- wherever you are, with whatever you have. Record yourself speaking out some of the lines on your phone, write them on a napkin, open up your phone notes app, carry around a small journal for ideas, post it to your tumblr, create a dreamwidth journal and use that, do whatever works for you. If you're an ideas in the shower person, get some kids shower crayons.

Commit to writing a certain number of words of anything everyday (ie: 500 words). This is something that I think Steven King or George RR Martin recommended, someone correct me if I'm wrong on the attribution.

Make some fandom friends to message about ideas with. Tumblr is a great place for this, as are fandom discord servers. A sympathetic fandom friend is something that can actually be so great.

Walk away from an idea that isn't working out, at least for a little while. You don't have to stick with something if it's really not jiving with you anymore.

Learn to write first and foremost for yourself! Write exactly what you want to read -- what the source material makes you think about. Part of this is writing stuff that you never publish. Write self indulgent mary sue stuff for only you in your notebook, notepad app etc. If you want to know how much of that I write, i have 200K words of it junking up my computer at any given time.

Don't worry about having to write everything in chronological order. Write what comes when it comes and then skip around to whatever comes to you next. On paper you can write scenes on post-it notes and rearrange them around to your heart's content. On your computer, simply type. ***something happens here** after a bit you finish and then go somewhere else.

Getting hung up on research, or misremembering canon? Just type what comes out of your brain and stick a little thing like [research this] or [re-watch/re-read canon] next to stuff that needs clarification and keep going.

Stuck editing when something's typed up? Walk away for a few days, change the font in your document to a new one and then come back.

Another editing trick can be changing the font and printing your fic out. Edit it on paper like you did in school with those peer reviews.

Read more published books, read poetry, read newspaper articles. Just reading more stuff can help you improve your writing. The public library is free and you can get all of this there.

Get an accountability buddy! This is a person who can check in with you about whether or not you are doing the thing that you are struggling to do. This can be good if you find another writer to do this with, where both of you check in on one another.

Don't worry about having your writing be perfect. It's fanfiction, and readers are often a lot more forgiving of simple errors than you might think. If you write passionately, readers can tell. At least for me, fics written by authors who are clearly passionate about the fic are the most enjoyable, even if they have some minor errors.

That said, make sure that you are using PARAGRAPHS, and line breaks between paragraphs. This is a top sin that makes many readers click away. Paragraphs help divide your text up and make it easier for readers to read. Make a new paragraph every time the topic, time, place or speaker changes. (every line of dialogue should be it's own paragraph. That is, each speaker's dialogue is a separate paragraph, and dialogue is separate from the narration). You can even have paragraphs that are 1 word (for emphasis) or one sentence long, if it makes sense.

Just use the word said. Use other words like "shouted", "murmured", etc intentionally to tell readers more about the tone, volume or sense of a particular speaker's words. Otherwise, use the tone neutral said. Make love to said. It's a good word to use.

The other big writing thing to keep in mind is correct use of epithets. (such as "the blonde woman", "the tall man", etc). Typically, you want to stick with using a character's personal pronouns and their name and only use an epithet intentionally to tell readers more about a character. Don't use them to use pronouns/names less. Just don't. Make your epithets a stylistic and intentional choice.

Other writers following me feel free to add more tips and resources!

Whew! That got long (as always, I am incapable of shutting up). I hope you find some of this helpful and you understand my original point better. Again, I really am sorry that people used my post to be mean to you. It's a feature of tumblr that can suck sometimes. I hope that you can go forward from now not posting these TOS violating things, and work towards feeling better about your writing and writing process. Writing should be fun and engaging and so should fandom. As a writer you're not a content farm; you're an artist and creator and when you write keep that in mind!

Take care of yourselves friends, and be kind to someone today!

there is a new scourge on AO3 that I discovered recently...

that scourge is "Placeholder fics". This is thing, where someone posts a "fic" on AO3 with a summary and tags (and sometimes even a complete tag), but when you click on the "fic" the content of the "fic" is something like:

"coming soon" or "in progress" or "an idea I'll write someday"

This is a scourge on AO3 tags that directly violates TOS Section IV, as it is spam (sect B) and inappropriate content (sect H) (not, strictly speaking a fanwork).

If you see these "placeholder fics" on AO3 REPORT THEM. It is easy to do.

Link the fic in report and in the description, you can write something like this:

The linked "fic" is a so-called "placeholder fic" where the author posts a work to a tag and the only content is the words "In progress". The "fic" appears in tags, yet contains no content, so I would consider it to be spam. Thank you!

(This, btw is the actual thing that I wrote to report one of these a few weeks ago)

If you want to get jazzy you can even mention that you believe the "fic" violates TOS IV.H (which is what the AO3 mod told me in the email response to my report) or TOS IV.B.

You can report anonymously if you want afaik. Once you submit a report the AO3 moderators will get back to you at some point to update you on that report and action taken.

This is a simple way that YOU can make AO3 better today. If you see a "fic" that violates TOS in any way, REPORT IT. There are literally millions of fics on AO3 and the moderators can't possibly go through all of them without YOUR help.

I suspect that the people who are posting these "placeholder fics" are probably very young people who are very new to fandom and fanfiction and do not know better. If you are reading this post, and you are one of these people, know that I don't hate you, I just want you to know that what you are doing is a violation of the AO3 TOS and that it fills AO3 tags with spam, preventing readers from finding actual fic to read. There can be (and certainly are) MANY fics on AO3 with the SAME names, if that's what is motivating this.

AO3 isn't a social media site, it's an ARCHIVE for fanfiction. If you want to communicate with your following that you are planning on writing a new fic, use your tumblr, your reddit, your dreamwidth, your substack, your pillowfort, your livejournal, your bird site or whatever the fuck you have to do this. Link your socials in your bio on AO3 if you must. Mention it in the author's notes on your latest work. IDK, just don't post empty "fics" on the ARCHIVE.

[1-scara-a-day]

Thoughts on Ayato?

HE'S REAL !!!!!! HE'S !!! HERE !!! :DD

(fr I quadruple-checked the genshin account to make sure it was the Official one) I think his design is elegant! The suit/kimono is kinda cool and I like his droopy eyes + eyeliner + mole. I like that his colour palette is lighter in comparison to ayaka. Next to thoma, I think the white/blue and black/red would also be fun.

If he works well in a team composition with ayaka, I think that'd be cute :) super excited overall !!!!