#the haunting expectations of Tumblr will keep me motivated to finish it

[neighborkira]

soooo.... remember that konami kirie sketch i made a few weeks ago?

well, i redid it and started coloring 🙃 here's the wip

[samsayswhatever]

I write on ao3 and wattpad, and sometimes I post links to them it on tumblr (this is a new tumblr for me, so I don't have anything posted here yet.) But some people will write one shots or chapter by chapter on tumblr. I'm also eventually going to publish on Amazon kdp (kindle) if I ever get around to finishing my most recent original fiction

I've gotten readers just by publishing under tags that are popular (Like the mystery genre, or more specific tags like enemies to allies to lovers.) If it's a fandom that's popular or growing fast, then you'll likely do well if you publish competed or quality work, or even just fix it fics. People like reading so many types of stories that whatever you write, there will be people interested in it. But I find that the more you publish under the same username, the more readers you will get

It's not "better" to write fiction over fanfiction or vice versa. But you will have different categories of readers with different expectations. I often find it easier to start in fanfiction, because the readers already are attached to your characters, so you can write almost anything and get views. General fiction readers might be more picky, and want more complete books compared to short fluff pieces

You can profit off of writing, but don't count on it. If you publish on amazon kdp, its free, and then you can make money by selling kindle copies. Thats the simplest way to start. If you do that and you want real money, I'd suggest hiring an editor and cover artist. The people I know who make money that way also need to write consistently to keep readers. They publish 10 books a year, which is one a month (but they take off January and July) and they only write in their sub genre, so the readers know what to expect

My motivation for starting a book is that I like planning out stories, and my motivation for writing the middle of a book is that I've gotten attached to the characters and their flaws, and my motivation for finishing a book is that I can share it and people will read it and comment on it. I use wattpad because users can comment on each line individually, and I love seeing like a million little comments, whereas ao3 you might get comments per chapter, and things like amazon kindle will be comments for the whole book

Long fics do fine. Some readers will drop off, but a lot of readers will search specifically for long fics. I find around 20 ch / ~2k words each has worked best for me. If I write any longer, I think I lose momentum, and the middle chapters don't turn out as good. If I write like 12 ch people often want more (like a more complete ending or resolution), and if I write 1-3 chapters I don't get as many readers or comments

Tip 1: This is the structure I follow for writing a book: I usually start out by writing a one sentence hook (like "two pirates fall in love when lost as sea") then a general plot outline (using the 3 act structure), then I break it up into rough chapters, then write each chapter without too much editing, then edit each chapter, then I edit it all together. I often will plan a book in a day or two, then write a rough outline in a day or two, then write the first draft over the course of a week, then edit two chapters (one first edit, and once second edit) a day, and publish a chapter after each second edit, until I've gone through all the chapters. But I've been writing for a long time, so It's easier for me to write fast. Lot of other people will write more like one chapter a week, and edit one chapter a week, depending also on how much free time they have

Tip2: When I first started writing, I would limit the number of characters in my books, and just focus on two or three characters. That made it easier for me to get through a whole book without too many plot complications, and I could really get emotionally connected with my characters. I would also usually limit the number of settings, like maybe the characters only interacted in one haunted house, or when they were walking home from school. And I would often have the book only cover a few days of time, rather than weeks or months. But that is up to you, and what kind of stories you want to tell

Tip 3: If you want to write something short, like 1-5 chapters, all you need is a goal, and an obstacle (like "I want to date them but I'm not allowed to date" kinda thing). But the longer you want your book, you will need either more or bigger obstacles. I have trouble with creating obstacles, and thats why I often write shorter books

Tip 4: If you are writing fiction, or less popular pre-existing characters, you will want the reader to emotionally connect to your characters ASAP so they will continue reading. To do this, make sure you know what their internal conflict is (Fear vs desire, like "I want to be loved but I'm afraid of commitment") and once you convey that, it will be much easier to relate to the character and get invested in their goals.

Tip 5: Also it's good to think about the question your book is answering. For romance, the question almost always is "will they get together" and murder mystery is usually "who is the murder." Once you have your question, make sure each chapter is taking a step towards answering that question.

Hope this helps! I hope it's not too much info, I kinda threw a lot in here, but let me know if you have any more questions :)

ppl who write fanfiction/fiction, i am asking for your aid!!!

1) which site? ao3? tumblr? something else?

2) how to get readers?

3) is it better to write fanfiction, your own stories, or a mix of both?

4) is it possible to profit on your writing financially?

5) what is your motivation?

6) do long fics do well?

7) what tips do you have for someone starting out?

[sundayswiththeilluminati]

What Cristabel Did

EXTENSIVE SPOILERS for Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth below. If you haven’t read both books, skip the rest of this post. In fact just get off tumblr and go read them instead. I guarantee they’re better than anything else you’ll find here. 

I think I know why John Gaius didn’t tell his disciples about the perfect Lyctorhood, and I don’t think it had to do with sharing power or with AL. I think it’s the same reason why Augustine and Mercymorn hate each other, why Anastasia was the only one to figure out the Eightfold Word, and why Mercy doesn’t want to hear her cavalier’s name.

tl;dr I think Cristabel and Alfred tried to kill some number of the original disciples, forcing them to try for lyctorhood before the ritual was fully understood, and John kept quiet because he didn’t want to tell them they’d killed their cavaliers for nothing.

The handwritten note at the end of the sermon on cavaliers and necromancers says, “valancy says one flesh one end sounds like instructions for a sex toy. can’t stop thinking about that so can someone stop cris and alfred before the sex toy phrase catches on, thanks.” This early in the Nine Houses’ history the entire concept of necromancer and cavalier is still being figured out. It sounds like Cristabel and Alfred were the main drivers behind the idea of the cavalier-necromancer relationship as a formal, sacred oath, coming up with the phrase “one flesh, one end” in the process. Much much later Silas Octakiseron brands the ritual of lyctorhood a mortal sin and heresy as soon as he hears what it entails, because he treats the cavalier-necromancer bond as a sacrament akin to a holy marriage. To trespass against that bond, he declares, was to sin against the Emperor himself. The sermon before the handwritten note backs up that idea, talking about the combination as having all sorts of profound religious symbolism.

Therefore: what if the disciples were working on the ritual of lyctorhood and hadn’t yet figured the cavalier didn’t have to die, when Cristabel and Alfred decided they had to take action to keep any of them from trying? What if, like Silas in Canaan House, Cristabel decided the idea of the adept killing their cavalier was rank heresy and had to be prevented by any means necessary, and convinced Alfred of it as well? Cristabel was from the Eighth House, though early enough that it may not have taken on its hardline personality - then again, perhaps Cristabel’s actions are why it did take on that hardline personality. Augustine calls her an idiot, but also “a fanatic,” and his own brother someone who “regretted that he wasn’t.”

Augustine says that he became a lyctor “under scrambling pressure,” and when Harrow tells the Emperor that she became a lyctor under duress, he replies, “You aren’t the first.” Then when Augustine is talking to John about Alfred, he says, “I have built an entire myriad on the idea that I could’ve made him come around, given five minutes.” That’s in response to John saying, “No one could make him do anything he didn’t want to.” That could mean either Augustine thinks he could have talked Alfred into willingly dying to perform the ritual, or that he could have talked Alfred out of doing something else dire. The way John phrases it makes me think it’s the latter, because in the context of the conversation they’re discussing Cristabel’s influence, and John knows that the lyctoral ritual can be performed even if the cavalier is unwilling. 

So: Cristabel and Alfred decide that they need to do whatever it takes to keep the other disciples from performing the ritual. Either by accident or design, they put Augustine in a situation where he’s facing imminent death - maybe not intentionally on Alfred’s part, but it happens. Augustine chooses to kill his brother and take in his soul to survive as a lyctor, becoming the first to ascend. This fits with Augustine’s loathing of Mercymorn, who in his mind forced him to murder his brother; of his own immortality, since it was gained at the cost of murdering family; and of necromancy in general. He has to convince himself that he could have talked Alfred into making the sacrifice if there were time to ask because otherwise the guilt will destroy him.

After ascension, Augustine’s probably fighting Alfred’s soul, but he’s a powerful spirit magician. Like Ianthe he may be scattered but he’s still present. So now he rounds on Cristabel and probably mortally wounds her. He means to finish the job but Mercymorn intervenes, alerted to what’s happening by all the chaos. She finds her cavalier dying. Cristabel asks her to avenge her and kill Augustine and, since she’s already dying, to use her soul to do it. Mercy finishes Cristabel off and swallows her soul, becoming the second lyctor. So from the very beginning Mercymorn is absolutely set on Augustine’s death and blames him for Cristabel’s death and, in an indirect way, forcing her to become a lyctor as well.

After that it gets a little fuzzy. Events could go several different ways and we just don’t have enough info. I favor the idea that maybe the rampage continues - or maybe Cristabel and Alfred had set all of them up to be in mortal peril (possibly in space, where an adept’s powers won’t work but a lyctor’s would) - because of Mercy’s quote at Cytherea’s funeral: “I never saw her cry except once. The day after. When we put together the research. When she became a Lyctor. I said, There was no alternative. She said, We had the choice to stop.” Mercy saying “there was no alternative” and Cytherea answering with “we had the choice to stop” makes me think everyone was in duress. Mercy saying, “the day after. When we put together the research,” makes me think that they hadn’t fully pieced together the ritual even though six people had already ascended; Augustine improvised. “The day after” also makes me think that most of the lyctors ascended in a single night. If Augustine through Cassiopeia ascended in a group, only Cytherea and Anastasia would be left. Loveday volunteered for the rite in hopes of curing Cytherea, so that’s a non-distress motive for them to ascend as well. That leaves only Anastasia, who now has plenty of time to figure it out on her own.

Where’s John in all this? Remember what Ianthe said when she was trying to regrow her arm? She thought John would tell her to try it on her own first to build her own skill. Maybe John was letting his disciples work out lyctorhood on their own, expecting that they’d figure out the full ritual in time. If they’d planned to try the imperfect ritual, he probably would have stepped in and said, “No, no one has to die, yes now you’re mad at me because I knew the answer all along but it was a learning experience okay.” But because Augustine had to make a scrambling improvisation, John didn’t get the chance to intervene. So before he can do anything, Augustine and Mercy, plus some number of the middle four, have already killed their cavaliers and swallowed their souls (meaning no resurrection). He’s faced with the choice of telling them that those murders weren’t necessary, or keeping the secret and letting Loveday and Cytherea go through with the imperfect ritual. John tells himself that it’ll hurt them all too much if he tells them they killed their cavaliers for nothing, and Loveday’s willing to die already. He stays quiet.

That leaves only Anastasia. With the benefit of time and the others’ experience, Anastasia realizes the ritual can be done without killing the cavalier. She plays this close to the vest, uncertain of her results and unwilling to traumatize the others unless she’s sure. Just in case she’s right, she bans everyone except John from watching her attempt. If she succeeds and Samael lives, they can figure out how to break it to the others. But something goes wrong - or John sabotages her - and Samael dies, leaving Anastasia thinking she didn’t have it right after all.

A myriad later, John and the other lyctors have yet to allow or invite any other adepts to attain lyctorhood, believing the cost is too high. But now they’re down to four lyctors and three Resurrection Beasts, and those four lyctors are showing the strain. So John invites the heirs and their cavaliers to Canaan House. He knows his first disciples left the necessary information behind to put together the rite - only the imperfect rite, but that’s okay because this time there won’t be anyone making the choice under duress. As he tells Harrow, “I intended for the new Lyctors to become Lyctors after thinking and contemplating and genuinely understanding their sacrifice—an act of bravery, not an act of fear and desperation. Nobody was meant to lose their lives unwillingly at Canaan House.” If the cavaliers are okay with it, he’s not on the hook, he reasons. He’ll keep his secret and get new lyctors without any fresh guilt on his conscience.

Except of course it doesn’t work out that way. As usual, John’s future plans are sabotaged by his past plans coming back to haunt him. He ends up gaining one and a half lyctors at the unexpected cost of one old lyctor, so that’s a net gain of half a lyctor with several heirs dead in the process. And then an even newer plan gets sabotaged by an even older plan, leaving him with one and a half, possibly two functioning lyctors. Meanwhile Camilla and Palamedes are out there probably as a functional lyctor-cavalier pair that he doesn’t know about, because Palamedes has been stuck in freeze-frame hell for long enough to come to the same conclusions as Anastasia. It’s not gonna go well for John, ey?

[anasticep]

Why Julie and the Phantoms is a masterpiece of a show. Part 2. Heroes and Villains or Let that foil shine

NOTE: Thanks again for your kind response to Part 1. I never expected that. It being my first tumblr post and a first meta in quite a long time I was blown away. I read all the tags, some were really hilarious. About having more than one brain cell xDDD I laughed so hard. It means a lot.

NOTE2: Please remember that the gifs are made by me, so don't crop, edit or give as yours.

Part 1.

Before diving into meta, I have to mention that the Villain of the story is actually one of the best in the decade. He’s cool, evil from the start, we understand his motives and we certainly are not supposed to love and make excuses for him. The writers made sure of that. So back to the main topic.

A foil is a character who contrasts with another character; typically, a character who contrasts with the protagonist, in order to better highlight or differentiate certain qualities of the protagonist

Foils in literature are not necessarily antagonists. A friend can be a foil or sometimes even a thing, a song. Whatever can make a good and real contrast to the protagonist. But it’s not very simple to use this author’s device and not fall down a deep hole. Because you have to make sure you did just the right amount of work to make it understandable for a reader, the things you want to contrast are definitely there and still you don't waste a character. On TV it can be even harder given limited air time. And, well, I don’t come across this device being used in full very often nowadays. It’s usually good and evil fighting for the plot. That’s why I personally appreciate JaTP so much.

Caleb is clearly a foil to Luke. As much as I’d love to say that Julie also has one, that’s not entirely true, at least not this season. Carrie is not her foil though it may seem so, and I really think that’s cool as Julie’s journey is being presented through her own demons and I'm going to cover that next. That being said, of course Caleb doubles as an antagonist plotwise, but I personally consider him being written more as a contract to Luke so we could see and appreciate his character and journey better.

1. Origins

Caleb and Luke have extremely similar backgrounds. They are both natural performers. They know how to deliver, because c’mon, “Now or Never” is something and so is “The other side of Hollywood”. Stage is their natural habitat, their element, power. Although they channel this power from completely different places.

Let’s start with our little ball of energy. It’s emphasized TWICE that he doesn’t care about the money aka the physical side of art.

All Luke wants is to make music. Connect with people. He is so happy just to be heard despite him loving to perform. Making music is what makes him feel alive and basically that’s enough. I think if there was no “hologram” magic at all, Luke would have still been extremely happy to make music with and for Julie. Because that’s the way he is.

But Caleb doesn’t know that. He knows, and I’m standing by that, right away that Luke is the one to aim at. Because we always feel the similarity in people. If Luke said yes, Reggie and Alex would have followed. So Caleb recognizes the passion and shoots at them what he thinks is appealing. And, oh boy, he delivers.

“The Other Side of Hollywood” is a perfect song to emphasize Luke and Caleb being foils for each other. Follow me here:

But these lines come from very different places. For Caleb the only thing that matters is himself. He owns the show, he IS the show. It’s about being famous, drowning in applause, admiration. Look at how he performs. Confident, yes, but still very much in control. He must keep his perfect face. No flaws, no real emotions, no real connection (Did you miss ME? I did too // This band is back). Whereas Luke is simply living the best time of his life each time he performs. Is it just jamming? Bring it on. Doing fun riffs? He’s all for it. He doesn’t care how he looks (though who could deny gorgeous sweaty Luke), he owns the show just because he is a natural.

So back to the business. Caleb immediately puts the boys in his own shoes:

On the other side we live like kings // Your soulprint on the walk of fame on the boulevard of your wildest dreams // I got your glamour, got your gold, got all you’ll ever need

And, I mean, he is not that wrong. You can see the appeal on the boys’ faces. They are young, passionate, handsome, talented musicians. Of course they wouldn’t deny fame. Of course they would want all that to some extent. And Caleb is very sure he pulled the right strings.

Watch me make a move, I’m your number one choice

Also I have to mention, as we are talking about TOSOH (IKEA name again) and it being a foil for Luke, thy lyrics still don’t forget about what is important for Reggie and Alex (we’ll talk about that just a bit later):

Welcome to the brotherhood -> Reggie

Where you won’t be misunderstood -> Alex

Then again, lots of foreshadowing in the song, if you listen carefully the lyrics are stressing the true colors of the offer:

A tomb with a view

Man, what a metaphor. I would have run out of there the minute I heard this line. But our boys share one brain cell (I can’t get over how funny this is) and it’s currently taken by Julie, so I don’t blame them.

Disappointment is huge. Caleb read it all wrong. So we are moving to the next point in our Heroes and Villains essay.

2. Recruitment

It’s very cool that Caleb offers the boys to join his band right after Luke offers Julie to join Sunset Curve. They both are going out of their ways to get that (although have different budgets apparently. But look, they live in a garage). Luke made a hit with a bunch of Julie’s not very well structured lines (I love Flying Solo with all my heart as a song, but as a poem it just looks weird to me) to impress her, and we all saw the show Caleb had thrown to impress the boys. Plus food. And fancy dancing. But here is where contrast comes again.

Caleb offers to join the band, yes, but only as backup singers. It’s his show, remember? It’s only about him. He doesn’t care if they are even good. He wants their magic under control.

Share the spotlight with ME / How do you like MY new band?!

Luke offering Julie a spot in the band is a completely different story. He saw what she is capable of. He instantly knows she must be the key to a new sound, a new level. And he, a natural performer, frontman, lead guitarist, steps back and gives the spotlight to Julie. To think about it, he could have just got her magic under control by giving her simple lines, incorporating piano in the songs and that’s all. They would be visible, he would still be a center of attention, and Julie herself wouldn't mind that much. But that’s not who Luke is. Yes, there is a funny scene of “Hey, I’m your lead singer” and “you don’t have to be mean”, but it’s just messing around. Because right after that he finishes Flying Solo, writes several other songs with Julie, seeks her approval of Sunset Curve songs and basically follows her around like an adorable excited puppy.

Moving on and back to the rejection. Again the writers are mirroring them. Julie quits the band & the boys decline the offer. What does Luke do? Well, he tries the way he knows: books a gig, makes Reggie and Alex sing in perfect harmonies and does his puppy eyes thing. And it doesn’t work. And Luke goes to reflect and then probably try to come up with a plan. But something tells me he would not have haunted Julie until she joined them.

What does Caleb do after the initial rejection? Puts a cursed stamp that leaves them no choice but to join HGC. You don’t need to say more.

But in fact the more I think about it, the more I suspect Caleb also not possessing enough mental capacity for a human being. Like, if it wasn’t for Willie, how would they even know? Has Caleb planned to simply show up one day and casually explain? Look, foils in everything.

“You’re in a tough spot… So, you wanna join the band?” | “Looked like it hurt… you know where to find me”

But we sidestepped a bit.

3. Pulling the strings

After the song Caleb comes out to consolidate his success. What he does is clever and, btw, that’s the only time he becomes Julie’s foil. They are stating basically the same thing.

Again, Julie is concerned about the band and the boys, while Caleb is only concerned about having them under control. But they both are pulling basically the right strings.

What is interesting, Caleb actually impressed the wrong person (and that person is our sweet Reggie). Luke follows the string Julie pulled. Although the offer is tempting, he insists twice that they are in a band already directly to Caleb and then in Eats&Beats he says "It's like Julie said, we have a new band, a new sound». No matter what Caleb promised, Luke is not affected at all although Caleb’s offer is a very-very safe choice.

Speaking about using friends as foils, Alex and Reggie also serve as contrast characters for Luke at some points. Luke’s indifference to money is first stressed through Alex who is clearly the chief accountant for the band. His lines about not getting tips, living in a garage and «it’s a little bit about the money» are waved aside by Luke. Reggie is clearly the most affected by the whole Bobbie thing. His lines «I don’t care what Julie said, I’m glad we scared Bobbie», «So we’re gonna forget about getting back at Trevor?» are getting a clear contrast by Luke’s «It’s what Julie said, we have a new band, a new sound» and «He has to live with that guilt».

While editing the article I realised a very cool thing I haven't noticed before. How badly Luke wants to go on tour. And again that's another thing Caleb offers as if reading his mind. That's actually brilliant, to think about it.

Caleb is a VERY good reader. He tests the waters with a speech about disappearing from stage and going around the world and all dreams coming true. Still he doesn’t know the boys and especially Luke, so his phrase “no real connection” doesn’t register that much.

But he learns. Remember the lines I’ve marked before?

Reggie is afraid they will not be together after they cross over. He is in desperate need of a family. So wouldn’t it be nice to spend the rest of your afterlife with your brothers? (Reggie's main insecurity is loneliness, feel of a broken family. That's why he is the most concerned about crossing over. Will his family stay intact?)

Alex is insecure, and not being understood by the people closest to him will always hit hard. So welcome to a place where you won’t be misunderstood. And actually we know there is a guy you like and find comfort in. (Alex's insecurity is growing up in times when he could not truly be himself even with his family and for sure not believing he would ever be able to find someone meant just for him)

That mirrors the whole Luke’s beach speech perfectly. Only comparing them we can truly appreciate why Luke is the leader. He shuts down his own demons to make Alex and Reggie remember that they are not alone (“and I believe in you”. sorry. Olicity fan).

Caleb makes them suffer to get what he wants. But this time he is careful with the words aimed at Luke. Yes, he repeats his words about vanishing and applauses BUT he makes sure that his words about CONNECTION are the key words for Luke. Intense look, calming voice, touching - these are all elements of hypnosis. And Luke is in a daze. (Continuing the parents' thing, for Luke the main insecurity is not managing to connect with his mom. Maybe that's such a big thing for him: through all these people he wanted to find that connection with her)

4. The Hero’s journey

That’s the best part actually but I won’t be saying anything new or that you don’t know. Luke is made of lyrics and music. That’s his soul, heart, that’s the feeling running through his veins. He doesn’t need anything other than that in his life. Playing for eternity is “a gift no musician would ever turn down”. But he actually does turn it down. As well as his dream to go see the world with his band (is there covid in jatp universe?). He is the one who resists the hardest to the pull. Luke, who always has a guitar in his hands, doesn't want to play. Because it’s not only about the music now. He has this amazing girl in his afterlife who was willing to accept them for who they were, helped Luke battle his own demons, eased his pain and made him open up. And it doesn’t make sense any longer without her anymore. “And you’re a part of me now till eternity”.

Caleb, being Luke’s foil, completely misses the whole point of connection. It’s not in his nature. His house band are just recruits (Just so happens you’re in luck we’ve got a vacancy). For Luke his band is his family (We are the only family we ever gonna need). The Connection theme is one of the main in the show. And it’s so cool to show it focused through Luke whose best way of interaction is a touch. But not being able to touch Julie Luke has to find other ways, although it’s not that simple for him. And Julie backs that up: We connect in so many other ways. They literally touched each other's souls. Without knowing she put a stamp of her own on Luke, Alex and Reggie. They’ve never felt loved enough, appreciated enough, supported enough. They’ve only had each other. And Julie’s stamp is love. And for Luke (as well as Reggie and Alex) from now on this girl is worth dying for all over again.

_______

So yeah. I hope you enjoyed it, as I for sure enjoyed writing. There is gonna be a part 3 about Julie and a few honorable mentions of parallels of the Pilot and the Finale (I hope at least to do all that). I’ve also figured very very cool connections in the songs and I can’t wait to share.

Also as I was heavily speaking about The Other side of Hollywood, @catty-words has a wonderful meta on rain metaphors here (sorry for tagging, if you don't want to be tagged), check it out if you somehow missed it. It's super clever.

[henryholmesacademia]

Predilection Chapter One

A/N: ahhhhh....I’m so nervous and excited! This isn’t my first time writing and publishing something on tumblr, but it is the first time I write for this guy. Hope you like it, and hope you stick around but please don’t feel obligated too. I don’t like doing synopsis or previews because I feel like it gives the story away, so you’ll just have to feel this one out. Enjoy! Or not, I can’t tell you how to live your life <3

beta reader, co-writer, motivator, and all around love of my life: @lost-aesthetic-of-past​ 

This isn’t a special story.

Might not even be a story at all.

But rather a telling of events that happened in a certain order and have been strung together to create a tale that could cure the boredom of the mind and indulge the land of fantasy.

We won’t start from the beginning. I’ll spare you the boring details and let you come to your own conclusions.

We’ll start our telling of tales in a humble tearoom.

The famous detective Sherlock Holmes had just finished having a somewhat futile conversation with Edith in the search for his younger sister. Come to think of it, it was not much of a conversation as much as it was a reprimanding of sorts. It might even be considered educating him on a subject he knew nothing of and needed a good slap into reality.

“You said she was traveling with a boy?” Sherlock inquired as she was making her exit from the room.

She stops at the doorway. “A useless boy, she called him. I couldn’t help but be reminded of a woman who traveled through here yesterday. We were about to close when she came in. She was wet from rain, but she didn’t seem to mind it at all.” She turns to look at him. “She said you would be here today, and it seems her assumption was correct. She told me that she would be waiting for you at 6 o'clock, Mr. Holmes, and that you had better dress nicely.”

“She left no name?” He raises an eyebrow.

Edith shrugged. “She was very certain that you would know who she was and that you would know exactly where she wanted you.”

Sherlock Holmes has always been talented at keeping his cool. Demonstrating no emotion. His face, some compared it to the likeness of a statue with how unmoved he was in situations.

This would be no different. It had been years since he had last seen the woman who was beckoning him.

And yet, she was always able to pique his curiosity.

“I see you received my message, Mr. Holmes.” Her voice was only accompanied by the sound of her heels. It had seemed that all sound in the bustle of society had come to a stop. No clinking of glass. No servers rushing passed them. It was just her. “And you dressed for the occasion.” Her eyes zero in on his attire. “I do love a man in a tie, as I’m sure you are aware." Oh, how she loved to tease him.

The detective knew basic manners, he was taught right from wrong, how to be respectful toward women, not to mention he had observed enough of the body language and cues of people. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to stand up and pull out a chair for her.

"I thought sending you a message would better prepare you for this, but I see it made no difference.” She sets her bag on the table and sits down on her own accord. She both loved and hated etiquette. There were so many rules and guidelines to follow. However, it did work to her advantage at times. “Tell me, Mr. Holmes, what adventure are you on right at this moment?”

“When did you return from overseas?” He manages to find his voice, though he never meant to lose it.

“I’ve been told that you are looking for someone. Could it be that marquee from the papers?” She stirs the spoon of the tea that a server had set down in front of her.

“You are avoiding my question. Mycroft is not aware that you are back, is he?” He lets out a deep breath. There was never a chance of getting a straight answer from her. She only knew how to respond in teasing and quick wit. Every smile devious, and every word was calculated.

“And you are very rudely avoiding mine.” Her smile, that teasing smile of hers. “Would you like help with the case of the marquee? If you ask nicely, I’ll go with you. Finding people who don’t want to be found is a specialty of mine.” She lifts the teacup from the saucer to her mouth innocently enough, but he knew better.

“But dealing with the damage you leave in your wake isn’t?” His words stop her drink and she places the cup back on the saucer.

“What a pity.” Her face forms a small pout. “I was rather liking our game.”

“You always think of things as some kind of game. There is going to be a day when you will find not everyone wants to join in. Not everyone is a toy who is vying for your attention in hope that you will play with them.”

“I will learn that the day you learn that people are more than answers to riddles.” She challenges. “Indulge me for a moment, why did you come here? You knew it was me who sent for you. You remembered my favorite restaurant, my favorite tea, and if they did not give you this table, I will forever assume that you were the one who asked for the table that was in the farthest corner of the room.”

“You do not want Mycroft to know you are here.” He tries to gauge her reaction and steer the conversation. Like always, she gives a grin. A true Cheshire cat smile.

“No. And you forget, Mr. Holmes, nobody knows anything until I want them to know.” She gathers her purse and stands up from the chair. “Here I was, hoping that we would have a nice dinner. It’s been…” she trails off as she looks for the right word. “Refreshing to see you, Mr. Holmes.”

“Why waste your time having dinner with me?” He can’t help but ask her. Just from observing her, he remembered how she would do nothing if it did not have a motive that she would find useful.

She pauses for a moment as she considers his question and gives him a genuine smile. A rare, but beautiful sight. “Is it so hard to believe that your company might be missed?” As she walks past him, she leans down close to his ear. “As for earlier, this isn’t a game to me, Mr. Holmes. But if it was…you were always my favorite player.” She whispers and leaves him to dwell with the aroma of sugar and spice in the air.

The great detective takes to his pipe that night as he stares into the fire. If you were to see him, you would think that he would be calculating his next move or contemplating his own life. That he would be entirely concerned for the welfare of his sister or mother that has vanished into thin air.

No.

He was thinking about his encounter with that woman. Not even the one from this evening, but all the previous ones he had with her. Each one is more memorable than the last. But none shall ever haunt his memory as much as when he first met her.

He never expected such a woman of high society to be standing in the same room with Lestrade right next to a crime scene. Her voice floated melodiously through the room as he walked through the front door. The smell of spice and sugar leads him to where a woman had her back turned to him while answering the Scotland Yard inspector’s questions.

“Ah, Mr. Holmes this is-” Lestrade begins.

The woman turns to see him, the ensemble on her hat was grand and elegant, but her striking eyes that hide the mischief behind them and her smile, which seemed to match the sentiment, was not hidden or dimmed. They were…quite beautifully complemented by it, as he recalled the words his mother said to him once as a child. She extends her gloved hand. “Miss Harrison.” She finishes for Lestrade with a pearly white smile. “And you are?” She inquires.

He was shocked for a moment as her hand was extended toward him. Society would not have allowed it to happen as a young woman should never extend her hand, and she did not seem to be married. Her glove did not have an outdent from a wedding ring.

“This is Sherlock Holmes, we ask him for consultation, and he comes when he’s bothered to read a telegram from us,” Lestrade adds when Sherlock remains stoic and silent.

The corners of her mouth seemed to turn up even higher at that. “My oh my, Mr. Holmes, the papers do not do you justice.” She looks straight at his eyes when she speaks again. “Tell me, has anybody ever told you how incredibly blue your eyes are? Why, I keep finding myself stopping to admire them.”

“No, miss, I can not say that I have.” He releases her hand and clears his throat while stepping forward to examine what Lestrade had originally summoned him for a routine theft. But from what he could tell, the jewelry stolen was not the woman’s jewelry. For she seemed to not wear any. Women who could afford such jewelry never left their households without displaying a few pieces and any fortune she might have clearly was being spent and invested in their extravagant garments and perfumes.

“I apologize. He’s not - well he does tend to act like that sometimes.” Lestrade finds himself in a very awkward position at the moment.

She turns to see him examining a table, observing his side profile. “There is no need for an apology, inspector Lestrade. He’s exactly as I imagined him to be. He’ll do nicely for this case. My employer would be pleased.”

“Who is your employer again? I never caught the name.”

“Oh, I didn’t say. They would prefer it if they were not associated with what happened at all.” She pauses for a moment. “Is that any problem, Mr. Holmes?” Her voice is a little louder to get his attention.

He ignores her question.

Just as the inspector is about to apologize again, she gives him a grin. “I quite like him, Lestrade. I might just keep him on.”

And keep him she did.

Sherlock takes out her handkerchief that she had slipped into his pocket when she was whispering in his ear, embroidered with her initials and the outline of her lipstick. A color that was almost as bold as she was. He held it up to his nose and, sure enough, it was the scent of sugar and spice.

[yoonia]

Share Fun Facts about Your Fics!

↳ Tagged by @bonvoyagenoona & @kpopfanfictrash – thank you so much! This looks like so much fun and I love reading all your behind the scenes!

↳ Instructions: Maybe you’re proud of a line of dialogue. Maybe you were playing with story structure, and something unexpected happened. Maybe you gave a character an idiosyncrasy that’s based on a person you know. Or maybe you just like something for no reason at all. Inquiring minds wanna know.

↳ Tagging: @randombtsprincessa @softyoongiionly @avveh @yeoldontknow @kookdiaries @jungkxook @kookingtae @kittae @ladyartemesia @hobidreams @jamaisjoons @propinqxity​ @kithtaehyung​

Pick three of your fics and share a fun detail from each!

Wow, I really couldn’t decide which ones to talk about. But here we go:

↳ The Half-Lycan

It all started from one single drabble, and then have the character (werewolf Tae) haunting me during one NaNoWriMo period for me to return to it. Have I planned to have this one become a part of the Shifter Series/somehow connected to Blood Moon Rising? Never. But I was already working on Vampire Jimin while I was planning this one out and I must admit that I’ve had the universe all pictured inside my head before I even began writing this one. I can’t remember if anyone had pointed this out on Tumblr (which is understandable, since I posted this as a monster fic of a whooping 40k words so details might have been off lol), but I’ve had readers from Wattpad pointed a few things that I should clarify here too: 

Age difference: Taehyung was 14 yo when he met OC the first time, while she was 6 going on 7 yo. Which means that she was still a child when Taehyung reached the age of 18 yo, when he was finally able to recognise her as his mate. I had to add this little detail to make it a bit more sense why Taehyung had to leave when she was a teen and to line up the story with Blood Moon Rising

The main goal of this story (together with Of Bears & Bonds and the upcoming The Agile Fox) is to simply show that it’s possible for a shifter to have a mate from a different species, something that will be useful later on Blood Moon Rising

I had initially planned to give the rest of the supporting stories in Shifter Series original characters instead of reader insert. It was unfortunate that Fever came out 2 years before this prologue did and that one had already been written with a reader insert so I had to void the idea

7 yo OC was wearing a red coat and was carrying a basket filled with wild berries and mushrooms for her sick father when Taehyung found her in the woods. Yes, this scene was partly inspired by Red Riding Hood

The scene where adult OC woke up to find wolf Taehyung stuck in the hunter’s trap was a part of my original novel which I scrapped the year before cause I lost all motivation to finish it hahaha I’m glad that I could still use it in the end. And I’m quite happy to put this one in cause it shows the connection to their first meeting. 1) because they keep meeting while Tae is in his wolf form 2) they first met by having Taehyung getting her out of trouble, while it’s OC’s turn to help Taehyung in their reunion

↳ Show Me Something

Ever had a fic that you’ve worked on for like forever and then right before you managed to finish it, all inspiration and motivation to work on it suddenly vanished? That’s what happened to me with this one. This fic was supposed to be released June/July 2020, but we all know what happened since then :”)

I’m not sure if anyone has ever noticed this but there are a lot of metaphors in this story.

The way OC described “using” Jungkook as her anchor to keep her grounded in the tilted tower represents the fact that she had kept Jungkook in her mind through life despite their initial fallout 

The go-kart race and the way Jungkook kept catching up to her represent the same thing happening in real life, how now matter how much she had tried to move on, he’d always be there to remind her that he’s still present

The massage at the beach may have come out of nowhere. It did, actually, but it represents how each time they are alone, they still find the old connection between each other still going strong

There are also the constant competition going on between them and the ferris wheel ride that represents the way their life has been changing at the same time without them even knowing it

↳ Clair De Lune 

I love how it had seemed as if @meispace​ had created this moodboard specifically for me lmao 

The moment I was sent this moodboard for the colab at the time, I was instantly compelled to give this beautiful art some justice by creating something elaborate that could represent this moodboard the way it deserved. I also wanted to give this picture something unpredictable. Yoongi and his piano seemed to be a given as the main factor of the story, but I suppose nobody had truly expected to see an escort OC/reader as the female lead and I found myself loving this story more because of it. 

I never truly encountered any problem while finishing this story. I remember going right into it as soon as I got my assignment, if you will, and made up a whole story that I felt so pleased with in the end. Choosing the title was a different matter, but I think the song Clair De Lune was a fitting title to represent the pace of the story (how it had flowed smoothly at the beginning before it began to rise as it reached its climax) and it made it even more fitting as we came to the scene where Yoongi took OC in their romantic dance under the moonlight while revealing his song, “Moonlight”, to his muse. 

[alghawy7blog]

3 Easy Steps to Fast Lossing Weight(In First Week)

3 Steps to Lose Weight That Last

When it comes to losing weight, I can help you reach your weight loss goals. But you can achieve your goals with these three steps to help lose weight.

Like most things in life, losing weight (a lot of weight) boils down to conscious effort, discipline, determination, and perseverance.

Losing 10, 20, 50, 100 pounds or more is all due to what you do daily. If you do what you're supposed to do (eat right + exercise) day in and day out, then you'll eventually lose all the weight you want.

Click here to start losing weight

However, if you make sure to rest and don't do what you're supposed to do, you may never see your weight loss dreams come true. This my friend is the saddest scenario out there.

If you are bored with obesity, or if you are tired of being overweight and if you are ready to start your new life today, then wait because I am about to give you the simple and highly effective weight loss plan you have been waiting for.

are you ready? I'll tell you in just okay terms what you need to do to lose all the weight you want in 3 easy steps to do. However, for this to work, you must maintain your focus and discipline every day to keep taking the steps until you reach your desired results.

Even if you stumble and veer off your weight-loss path, that's okay. If you are able to quickly get back on track, you will work overtime, reaping the benefits of massive weight loss and improved health.

Click here to start losing weight

And now, without more laughter, here are 3 basic steps to losing weight ...

1. Eat less

2. Eat better

3. Exercise

There they are. What is your opinion? A little bit anti-climate, right? You might have been expecting more ... Well, let me tell you if you are able to understand and implement a safe and robustly effective weight loss plan, there is something essential to help you on your journey here to satisfactory results.

As you can see, your body is a delicate machine for controlling weight loss. If you follow the right plan and give your body only what it needs to survive, it will do all the hard work for you.

If you give enough time and follow the three steps above, you can lose tens or even hundreds of pounds without starving yourself or resorting to dangerous body sculpting procedures.

Now, this does not mean that the path to massive weight loss will be easy or that you will not have to struggle a little to reach the desired results. There will be days when you feel the urge to throw in the towel and give up.

On those days, you might indulge your undeniable cravings and go crazy in your neighborhood, all-you-can-eat at the arterial clogging buffet. But hey, that's fine. you are a human. Sometimes you have to go a little bit to get back on track.

However, if you are really committed to reaching even the seemingly unattainable weight loss goals, you can and will do so by following the plan above. Now, for your sake, let's dive a little bit into each step of the plan.

1. Eat less

There really is no doubt about that. If you want to lose weight, you have to start eating less. You have to create a calorie deficit in order for your body to start shedding the pounds.

If you don't start to limit the amount of food you eat, no amount of exercise will help you reach your goals. Eating less of your favorite fatty foods full of fats will be the fastest way to lose massive weight.

It doesn't really matter how much weight you have to lose. Unless you control both conscious and unconscious eating habits, you will be hard-pressed to lose a pound.

No, you have to start cutting back on the amount of food you used to eat. I've heard stories where people would go to Mc Donald's and collect two big meals from a Big Mac.

Obviously, this is too much. In this case, even cutting back on one super-sized serving would be an improvement. But, as we'll see in our next step, the better plan is to ditch the Super Size meal together and start eating better.

2. Eat better

As the saying goes, "We are what we eat." If we eat crap, guess what? However, if we learn to eat well, not only will our waistlines thank us for it, but we will also feel comfortable about ourselves to boot.

One of the quickest changes you can make to your diet when trying to lose weight is to eliminate all of the junk food that you may be accustomed to eating (chips, soda, pizza, donuts, etc.) and start eating more vegetables.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. You might still be traumatized by your mom who wouldn't let you stand up from the dinner table until you've finished all your broccoli but let me tell you, your mom was right.

If you can fill up half of your plate at every meal with rich fiber and nutritious vegetables, then you are on your way to significant, long-term weight loss. This is perhaps one of the simplest things you can do to truly start your weight loss journey.

While it may not be easy to start eating vegetables at every meal, the sooner you start, the better, and the weight will start to melt away faster.

3. Exercise

In order to start your weight loss adventure on high alert, you have to move your body. I don't care if you call it exercise or aerobics or aerobics or whatever point you need to do to raise your heart rate and sweat glands work overtime.

Exercise is the key to sustainable, long-term, and real weight loss. For every kilogram you lose by eating right and exercising, that's an extra pound that will never come back to haunt you.

Why? Because now you know the "secret" of losing weight safely and effectively. If you ever feel like you're creeping back on the dreaded fat scale, then all you have to do is put these three steps into action and watch as you settle and counter any unwanted weight gain.

By exercising on a regular basis, you are giving your body the energy boost it needs to increase your metabolism rate to start losing weight efficiently and effectively on a daily basis. I don't think of you but that sounds fine to me.

The more you push yourself physically, the faster you will notice a change in your body. You may not have to work out with a personal trainer every day but you do need to do something.

Whether you are going for a walk, run, swim, cycling, hiking, or any other physical activity that you wish to do, start doing it now. Don't spend another night on the sofa watching the latest shows. Get your body moving and start losing weight today.

Click here to start losing weight

conclusion

Losing weight (even if it's a lot of weight) is not a rocket science. So rest assured that anyone can do it, even you. However, it will require all patience, discipline, determination, and persistence that you can muster.

Start slow. Take it one day at a time. You may not reach your ideal weight in a week, a month, or even a year, but stick to it and you will reach it. By following the three steps mentioned above, you can also become a success story like many others that preceded it.

So go ahead and start losing all that unwanted weight that years of uncontrolled living have left behind. Take control of your life starting today and soon you'll be happy. When that day comes there will be no review.

Hi! I am Alghawy and love helping people lose weight. First you have to discover your true motivation for your desire to lose weight, and once you do, you will have all the firepower you need to motivate you when the going gets tough. There will be days when you feel like giving up but stick there and eventually you'll see your weight loss goals come true. I believe in you, you can do that.I have a video for you that will help you implement the plan that I gave you. Watch it all and you will see results from the first week of trust in me. Join now and learn the true secrets of fat burning foods. I'll be waiting for you on the other side on Instagram. Thank you!

Important

Evacuation responsibilaty: Here in this article, do not commit an act that violates the policy and terms of Tumblr

[afteriwake]

fanfic end of the year asks answered!

@strangelock221b sent me a whole lot of questions from the ask on the 31st and I was almost done with my answer when my inbox refreshed and I lost it. So since I still have the ask, I decided to just make a post so it actually goes up with the links and everything without fear of losing it all.

It’s a long post so I apologize in advance!

---

1. favorite fic you wrote this year? I have a lot of love for Chapters In A Life and How Harley Got The Best Present Of Two December Holidays.

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year? “I am the figment, the fancy, and the fully fleshed human whom Amelia only knew as a character in stories written long before her time. I am the partner she hadn’t been looking for, the paramour she hadn’t hoped for, the second chance at love for her, the first chance I’d had to allow my heart to feel. Her history is my future and my past and all around, but it matters not. Amelia Williams is the woman I love, and should this note find anyone fortunate enough to want to know what happened to me after my time in London had passed, she is the happiness I long sought after, and I can leave London knowing it was all for the best. “ - To Whomever May Find This, A Note, Concerning a Mrs. Amelia Williams and Myself, Sherlock Holmes

5. most popular fic this year? Written strictly in 2020, it’s Unexpected End To An Evening.

7. longest completed fic you wrote this year? Written strictly in 2020, it’s Back To The Beginning Of It All.

8. shortest completed fic you wrote this year? Written strictly in 2020, it’s Covers Thief.

11. fandom you enjoyed writing for the most this year? Toss up between the old favorites Sherlock and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and MCU, and a lot of love this year from the assorted DC fandoms I wrote in (mostly DCU and DCEU) or did art in (Batfamily).

12. favorite character to write about this year? Molly Hooper is always a favorite, but I had a lot of fun with Loki Laufeyson this year, too.

14. a fic you didn’t expect to write? More a fic I didn’t expect to finish, but Not A Slayer Anymore. I started it around 1999/2000, I’m no longer in the fandom, but I wanted to finish it and not only did I do that, I started a new series with it.

15. something you learned this year? Chronic fatigue sucks ass. I slept so much this year to recuperate from normal stuff that I didn’t have the time or motivation to write more, which is a shame.

16. fic(s) you completed this year? I participated in two rounds of @wipbigbang (one for short fic in February and then the main round in the spring/summer) so there’s a lot. But they are ...And All The Men And Women Merely Players, Rectifying Past Mistakes, Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures, Not A Slayer Anymore, To Find Oneself, Skull & Bones, To Live Again and Inside A Genius’s Brain.

24. favorite fic you read this year? This Is A Terrible Idea by Galadriel1010. Also I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m loving The Haunting of Garton Hall by ColebaltBlue and this WonderTrev gift for me by @headfulloffantasies.

25. a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read? Anything involving Leland, Earl of Sheffield in @strangelock221b‘s 2005 Pride And Prejudice fics. He’s an amazing OC and perfect for Mary, and @strangelock221b fits him in so well in that universe, whether it’s canon set or modern.

27. favorite fanfic author of the year? @strangelock221b and @glowingmechanicalheart and Galadriel1010.

28. longest fic you read this year? I...have no idea.

29. shortest fic you read this year? Any of @glowingmechanicalheart‘s Sunday drabbles. All of which are good, BTW. She’s amazing at writing short stuff.

30. favorite fandom to read fic from this year? I’ve loved everything I’ve read. I discovered new fandoms this year (Enola Holmes, Game of Thrones), found lovely stuff in my favorites (Sherlock, MCU, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, etc) and keep running into amazing fic all over AO3 and Tumblr and it’s all so damn good. We’re truly gifted in this time of fandom history with so many amazing writers, aren’t we?

[itsthemoofacewriting]

An update

Normally I keep this blog purely for my writing and I do plan to keep it this way, but, this one time, I’m making an exception to write something a bit personal.

I finished my bachelors degree in May 2019 and after four years of being stressed, reading textbooks and finishing assignments at 11pm, I found I no longer had an excuse not to write. Naturally, I procrastinated and didn’t end up publishing anything until December 2019. Soon after though, I’d found my joy again, I loved writing, something I hadn’t enjoyed since 2010.

From there, I’ve taken part in events, written pieces that are huge and really challenged me and some relatively small (that still challenged me) for ZoNami, SaNami and LuNami.

When I started this blog, I wasn’t expecting anyone to follow this blog because I’m a multi-shipper or people wouldn’t be interested in my writing. I started writing for myself, so my brain would finally leave me alone and to put out pieces that I would love to read, but along the way, it’s morphed. I still write for myself, but I also find myself thinking of all you lovely people. The people who leave likes, reblogs, comments, kudos, bookmarks, reviews, favourites, follows and share my work across Tumblr, FFN and AO3. The One Piece community is tiny and there’s only a handful of us between each pairing I write for but I’ve never felt more appreciated. So, really, my previous expectations have been blown away. Along the way, I’ve made friends who I talk to frequently or there’s familiar people I see in my reviews, that leave lovely words and we talk and they spur me on, give me motivation/ideas to write. It’s been wonderful. 

So really, what I’m trying to say so far, is thank you. It’s lifted my spirits in uncertain times and hopefully I’ve been able to do the same for you. I always want to thank you in every story I publish but that gets a bit repetitive, doesn’t it? (and I talk enough as it is in my author notes). So, I figured now that I have the chance, I’m running with it. 

But I’ve digressed. Finally, I’m getting to the point of this post. In a few weeks time, at the end of September 2020, I will be embarking on my masters degree. I’m absolutely terrified but I couldn’t be more excited. However, it leaves me wondering how much time I’ll actually have to write. When I started writing properly and consistently from March 2020, it was because of the pandemic and I’ve been on furlough ever since. I’ve used that time to write because I’d never have this opportunity again to be so selfish and coming out the other side, I regret nothing. I enjoyed every moment of it and I’d do it again if I could. I’m only sad that I can’t do it forever, but I’ve digressed again. What I’m trying to say is, this is not a goodbye. I have zero plans to stop writing, in fact, my notes on my phone are filled with story ideas and WIPS. Instead, it’s a ‘see you as soon as I can’. My plan for the moment is to devote myself to my masters but, hopefully, I should have some down time and it’s only for a year. I’m hoping during this time I will still be writing and posting but just at a slower rate. 

I still have 2-3 weeks left before I start and there’s one piece that I’m adamant about getting out before I go and another piece (that has haunted me for over a year! It’s huge!) that I want to write the bulk of so it’s almost complete and I can finish it off along the way.

So yeah, that’s my announcement and plan. I don’t want you all to think I’m not active anymore or I’ve fallen into the abyss. I’ll still be around and writing, just not as quickly as I have been.

As always, please excuse any errors (I wrote this on my phone).

Until next time.

[myrmidryad]

hi, would you feel comfortable talking a bit about you writing process? I know you have many (pretty meaty) fics, but I'm familiar w/your Shadow Work story and was just So Impressed by how neatly plotted every second was. everything felt totally necessary and the character beats were deeply emotional but still impacted the plot. Just hoping to get a peek into your process/or any advice on plotting/writing a comprehensive story like that because! It really blew me away and I would love to learn!

inasmuch as I have a process, sure! and thank you! :D

I put it under a cut because it got more behind the scenesy than I expected, whoops. I’m just the normal level of narcissistic when it comes to my own writing, right?

edit: I tried to put it under a cut, and that....did not work. cheers, tumblr, this is one of several reasons why I never post anything. 🙄

Shadow Work is kind of an interesting one because I started it with the idea of it being quite short, and while usually my process is ‘sit down, write the whole thing in chronological order, done’, Shadow Work is one of the only fics where it went in a completely different direction which ended up not working, so I pulled back to an earlier point and did it differently. originally, the timeline was shorter, Alex called his mom at one point, the Air Force purchase of Foster Ranch for a base was a Project Shepherd thing where Max, Isobel, and Noah were being kept. Michael and Alex found the Project Shepherd bunker and caught Jesse and Jesse was the one who revealed the Rosa coverup. Alex tricked him into believing he bought the xenophobia and let Jesse take them both to the base before Michael used his powers to break free. there was a firefight and I think Jesse was killed in the crossfire. no Maria at all, far more military personnel, and it didn’t work because there hadn’t been enough time for the relationship between Michael and Alex to develop and there hadn’t been enough time for the world to feel as fleshed out as it ended up being in the final fic.

so process wise, the way it developed was with me needing it all to make more sense. not even emotionally, just in terms of real-world impact. it didn’t make sense for a Project Shepherd base to be on the Foster Ranch land, because that had been an official Air Force acquisition, and Project Shepherd is a secret. it didn’t make sense for Alex to be so easy with confronting Jesse. it definitely didn’t make sense for Jesse to trust Alex was on his side after only one manipulative conversation when he’d spent the majority of Alex’s life thinking he was inferior because of his sexuality. so everything needed to be reworked to make actual sense. no plot holes, no out of character decisions by anyone. Noah had to die very quickly, because Michael had to be free to find Alex and rescue Max and Isobel. if Alex was going to be so confident in Michael, he needed more time to develop that bond.

in practical terms, for any fic that has a Plot, I use Evernote to keep track of everything.

for me that just meant keeping track of exactly what was happening and when. I also made a thing to help me decide how the hell haunts worked, so when Alex referenced the classification system I could keep it consistent.

but yeah, keeping track of things, and editing as I go is kind of the key. originally there wasn’t a Friday at all (as in, the events of that day didn’t exist), but I wanted Alex and Michael to have more time just stewing together, so I made up some shit for them to do. all things that developed the relationship they were building, and developed the world too. they could’ve spent the whole day indoors on their laptops, but it made more sense for the story for them to go out and show off what the world looks like through their different perceptions.

with a fic this long, I noticed multiple mistakes in continuity as I went, and had to keep going back to fix things. I added in the part where Michael and Alex went to get spare clothes for Max, Isobel, and Noah, because I’d just gotten to their rescue and decampment to Kyle’s and realised, oh fuck, they have nothing but the pyjamas they were abducted in to wear, and they’ve been wearing those for about two weeks now so they must be disgusting. a tragedy occurred when Michael took Alex to the pod cave and I wrote a beautiful description of the way the pods looked to him...only to realise as I finished it that I’d written the pods being snatched as well, so there was nothing for Alex to look at. 😂

to get the emotional beats...I’m not sure, it just sort of happens. it might help that I picture each scene as if I was watching it, like it was happening on the show itself. so I imagine exactly how the actors would deliver the lines, what their body language would be like, where they are in relation to everything around them, etc. I think it helps me keep track of the physicality of the scenes. for anything with a real location, like Roswell, I use Google Maps a lot. even if the town as they portray it on the show isn’t what it looks like irl, it’s very handy for describing things like residences and deciding how long a drive from one location to another would take. I definitely went on real estate listings for actual Roswell to see what the houses were like in the neighbourhoods I’d semi-arbitrarily decided the Manes and DeLuca houses were in. interiors, exteriors, street layouts, everything. the lane out the back of the Manes back yard was based off what I was seeing on Google Maps.

oh actually for emotional beats, having a solid handle on what the characters are like and what all their issues are is key, and for that I highly recommend reading meta about the world and those characters. the RNM fandom has some absolutely killer meta, particularly character meta, and it’s really helped me nail down what motivates the characters, reasons for why they act the way they do, and giving extra resources and insight into what life is functionally like for a real disabled vet, or someone whose mother is suffering with undiagnosed early-onset dementia, etc etc.

I hope this was helpful, or at least interesting!

[mr-entj]

Hello, Mr. ENTJ. Have you ever been depressed? How did you manage to come out of the rut and find the will to live on? I realize that this is a personal question, and you don't really have to answer but it'd help in understanding different paradigms and help someone who else who is struggling. Thank You

Combined with the following asks:

I’m confident, but insecure at the same time. I have a history of abuse and I know that this insecurity does not belong to my personality. It is a issue of my childhood that from time to time I repeat again. Depression has deprived me of continuing my development and now I feel that I am a younger person trapped in an adult’s body. I was wondering if you’d know how to help me? - (intj female)

Hey! How are you? Btw it’s always a pleasure to see you active again as you have such a cool blog :) Send your doggo my love :) Just wanted to ask - how do you cope with depression and anxiety? I have a lot of bad mental health spells that I can’t seem to deal with, but I’m wondering if it’s a type issue as I’m an ISFP… Like what do you do when you’re in a rut and feel bad about everything? Thanks 🙏

I feel so stuck, I’m almost 30 and I don’t have anything going on in my life. I got back to school but I have no direction, I feel lost, and I feel like I’ll never make it, like I’ll never become the successful woman that I wanted someday to be. I cannot focus, I cannot think, I feel in a rut. 

Lately, everything in my life is going wrong. It's all snowballing, and it's making me exhausted everyday and mentally and physically fatigued. What so you do to get back up on your feet when you barely have the strength to open your eyes?

Of course I’ve been depressed. Depression isn’t an MBTI issue, it’s a mental health one, and it’s something most people go through at some point in their lives so none of you are alone in this. On failure and rejection, I’ve written about my experiences here. On depression specifically, I didn’t suffer from a chemical imbalance so my triggers were very specific and identifiable (but personal and unique to me). I solved it by addressing the root cause of the issues head on.

First, usual Tumblr disclaimer of: I’m not a mental health professional, obviously go seek professional help if you have the means to, etc. etc. You all already know the deal. Moving on.

What worked for me:

1. Do damage control. For example, if the root cause of my depression was low grades in math then I’d finish the semester and pause taking math classes until I figured out how to do well in them. Even if I didn’t have a solution at that very moment, I could at least stop the bleeding and avoid a bigger GPA drop. This helped me feel slightly better because even if things were bad, they weren’t as bad as they could be. Bad is better than worse.

2. Suffer. I mean exactly what I just said– I suffered– I let the hurt in. The reason I did this is because I’m a stubborn person with the tendency to “power through” obstacles even if I was unwell. I forced myself to have an internal come-to-Jesus moment so that I could acknowledge:

I was unwell and I wasn’t in peak form which was affecting all areas of my life

My current condition hurt, it sucked, and it’s something I didn’t want to stay in  

The more I acknowledged it hurt, the more I was motivated to find a solution. We all can’t be Mother Teresa, sometimes getting fed up with bad shit and getting pissed off is the spark that triggers transformative changes. I ran with that. Wood, coal, electricity, or gas– the fuel of choice doesn’t matter– as long as it propels the vehicle.

3. Reconnect with my support system. Isolation is killer because it leaves you alone in a room with negative thoughts and a compromised mind completely unchecked which is the equivalent of locking yourself in a room with a pack of crocodiles and expecting not to get torn to pieces. I’m a naturally independent person so for me to reach out to friends and family with a, “I’m not feeling well. Can we spend time together?” was a huge signal that I needed help. I spread my time with many different people so that I didn’t feel like I was annoying one specific person with all my crap. This helped do a few things:

It distracted me from negative thoughts and provided temporary relief which gave me a chance to recharge my batteries and regain strength

It gave me a sounding board for my thoughts and feelings which helped uncover previous blind spots and encouraged brainstorming of solutions

It reminded me what “normal” looked like, it showed me what a normal functioning person looked, talked, and acted which gave me a baseline goal to shoot for

4. Gain perspective. I gained insight, inspiration, and motivation from reading about and talking to people who had overcome immense challenges. Their lives and their struggles could be completely different from mine but just to hear that someone somewhere went through a horrible thing and made it through gave me something more important than data– it gave me hope. I read about the Louis Zamperinis and Malala Yousafzais of the world which helped me find my fight.

5. Build confidence and happiness through small victories. The problem with depression is that it drops you in this huge mental ditch and places the exit at the top of a mountain far from reach. It kills confidence, it demoralizes, and it creates despair that you’ll never get out of it. Don’t aim for the top of the mountain in a weakened state; start small, start slow, but start.

For me, that meant doing small and “basic” things that were a struggle when I was depressed, I was able to derive a sense of accomplishment from doing something that I hadn’t done the day before. It was anything from sticking to a basic grooming routine to eating 3 meals per day to beating a dungeon in a video game to writing a new chapter in one of my stories. The point was that if I could do a small thing, I could do a bigger thing, and then a bigger thing, and eventually tackle the biggest thing. Remember that if you can’t run, you can walk. If you can’t walk, then you can crawl. But keep moving forward.

6. Attack the root cause. This is the final boss fight in the game of depression. It’s where you stare down the thing that’s been haunting you all this time, hit it where it hurts, and knock it out. For example, if being overweight is a source of depression, then attack the root cause and make some dietary changes. Eat one less cut of meat per day, trim portions by a quarter, drink one less bottle of soda, etc. Set small goals to win small victories. Losing one pound will become losing two pounds and two pounds will become three pounds and so on and so forth.

Remember that it’s not instant, it can and it usually does take time to fix. If it were easy, it’d be fixed a long time ago. It’s a process, it’s a long-term commitment, but it’s doable. Learn some patience and derive joy from the small wins. The goal is to build momentum to put distance between you and your depression until you eventually achieve escape velocity and emerge victorious.

[jahaanofmenaphos]

Art by the awesome @tommieglenn!

Of Gods and Men Summary:

When the gods returned to Gielinor, their minds were only on one thing: the Stone of Jas, a powerful elder artefact in the hands of Sliske, a devious Mahjarrat who stole it for his own ends and entertainment. He claims to want to incite another god wars, but are his ulterior motives more sinister than that? And can the World Guardian, Jahaan, escape from under Sliske’s shadow?

Read the full work here:

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QUEST 08: MARK OF ZEMOUREGAL

QUEST SUMMARY:

Because of Jahaan’s betrayal of Zamorak during their heist of the Stone of Jas, Zemouregal takes the matter of revenge into his own hands. When Jahaan looks to get even, he enlists the help of his Mahjarrat allies to take the fight to Zemouregal…

CHAPTER 4: DANCE OF THE UNDEAD

Unfortunately, passing through solid objects such as doors and walls wasn’t possible in the Shadow Realm - you would still collide with anything in the ‘material world’ - therefore, opening creaking doors with stealth and finesse was still a real artform. Anyone could hear them, or see the door moving of its own accord, like some bored phantom out for a wander.

Jahaan edged the first door open with a hunched back and a wince that covered his entire face, flinching with every audible groan that the old door made. Alas, though not surprisingly, he didn’t find the teleport beacon beyond the first door. In fact, it took six doors until he finally hit the jackpot.

The study the teleport beacon was in was small and cluttered, books piled in an unorderly fashion next to drab bookshelves after Zemouregal invariably got bored of putting them back where they belonged. From the amount of dust each one had accumulated, Jahaan gathered he wasn’t much of an avid reader. This came as little surprise.

The teleport beacon itself didn’t exactly look like a magical marvel - it was a clunky steel construction, standing tall at about a foot off the desk. Inside it, however, would be an enchanted crystal, and that’s what Jahaan needed to get to. It took everything in his power to resist smashing it against the table. Instead, he used his fingernails to delicately pry the back of the casing off. Reaching inside, he gently nudged the gem loose and knocked it into his palm. The lights on the beacon instantly went dark, but fortunately, no alarms sounded. Jahaan prepared for a roar, backlash, the clatter of undead footsteps… but no. Perhaps Zemouregal hadn’t gotten around to wiring up his security systems properly either? Rather careless of him, or arrogant, depending on your outlook.

After placing the tiny shining blue crystal into his rucksack, Jahaan pulled out the CommOrb, suddenly struck with a bolt of poignant familiarity; he’d seen Sir Tiffy use one to summon Thaerisk to the Ritual Site after the last Mahjarrat Ritual. It was a weird thing to haunt him, and it cut deeper than imagined. With all his anger, planning, running here, there and everywhere, Jahaan had not allowed himself the chance to grieve.

There’ll be time enough when Zemouregal’s dead, he vowed, shaking off the solemn cobwebs from around his mind and activating the CommOrb, tuning it to Azzanadra’s frequency.

Upon a ridge, as far away from the fortress as he could be without being out of spell range, Azzanadra tucked the CommOrb back in its pouch and began to concentrate, hard. A spell of that magnitude wasn’t a walk in the park, hence beacons were implemented to save mages working in shifts to protect homes and castles, such as they did back in the earliest days of magic. The spell’s complexity was no trouble, nor was the duration he’d have to hold it for, not for a powerful battlemage like Azzanadra. No, the hardest thing for him would be sitting on the sidelines while Sliske, Wahisietel and the World Guardian faced up against Zemouregal without him. A large part of him wanted to be there as that Zamorakian filth drew his final breath, after all.

His lips curved into a cruel smile as he muttered to himself. “Not long now, Zemouregal, before you join your wretched cousin in the void… it has been a long time coming...”

After ending the communication with Azzanadra, Jahaan then tuned into Wahisietel’s CommOrb, and within moments the Mahjarrat was standing in front of him.

However, Jahaan couldn’t even get a word out before Wahisietel, looking around him uneasily, queried, “Where is Sliske?”

“We had a... disagreement,” Jahaan groaned, clicking his tongue to the roof of his mouth. He wanted to brush past it, to focus on the task at hand and keep Sliske as far away from his mind as possible. In a time like this, he was a dangerous distraction. “It doesn’t matter right now - Zemouregal would have sensed you’re here, so we have to act fast.”

Unfortunately, Wahisietel wasn’t so easily brushed aside. Narrowing his stern eyes upon Jahaan, he demanded, “Your neck. Did Sliske do that to you?!”

Subconsciously rubbing the bruises around his throat, Jahaan averted his gaze. “Okay, so it was a little more than a disagreement. Here, I know we’re one man down, so if you want to back out, I understand, but I’m not going anywhere. Just make sure Azzanadra doesn’t relent that teleblock for a while.”

Shaking his head, Wahisietel grumbled something in a cursed tongue, a hiss-infused-growl that scraped against Jahaan’s ears. Whatever he said, Jahaan could surmise it wasn’t pleasant, and no doubt in regards to the absentee. Then, back in the familiar tongue, he asserted, “I gave you my word I would see this through, World Guardian. But as soon as this is over, you are to tell me everything. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” a ghost of a smile danced across Jahaan’s lips, his eyes determined as he said, “Let’s do this.”

Zemouregal was definitely in residence - Wahisietel could sense that much. Now came the task of finding just where in this gothic fortress he was hiding. Thankfully, it didn’t take long, for as soon as the pair rounded the next corner, they found exactly what they were looking for - a large chamber door, crimson-coloured ornaments warping their way across the metal in twisted and vulgar patterns. It looked like it led to a grand hall, somewhere defensible that Zemouregal would greet unwanted guests, somewhere he could look down on them with his haughty chin raised, somewhere large enough to summon armies of the undead.

Nodding to one another, Wahisietel and Jahaan heaved the creaking doors open.

When the pair made their way inside, it was clear Zemouregal had been expecting someone, positioned at the far end of the room in a subtly defensive stance.

Zemouregal must have sensed Wahisietel’s arrival, but from the look on his face when Jahaan emerged from behind the taller Mahjarrat, he was not expecting him.

Eyes flashing in shock, Zemouregal sneered, “So, back from the undead, World Guardian?”

“You should have finished me while you had the chance,” Jahaan growled, clenching tightly onto the hilts of his longswords.

After a sharp laugh, Zemouregal broke out into a cracked and haunting grin. “Perhaps, but the temptation to see you burn was too much,” his eyes scanned once again to Wahisietel, beside Jahaan, though he towered over the young man by a good height. “So, you brought this Zarosian scum along to act as a bodyguard - a wise move for a puny human, but I’m not going to entertain you maggots tonight.”

Raising his hand, he attempted a teleportation spell, and his face crumbled into panic when he realised it didn’t work.

With a satisfied smirk, Jahaan presented the teleblock crystal from out of a pocket on his rucksack. “This wasn’t important, was it?”

Spitting a harsh curse, Zemouregal roared, “SHARATHTEERK! TO ME!”

The gargoyle manifested beside his master. “I come at your call, my lord.”

“Summon reinforcements and dispatch of that Zarosian pest, but leave the human for me,” he ordered, and moments later a platoon of the undead appeared behind Sharatheerk, swaying dizzily from side to side like drunken sailors.

Because he was a darling, Zemouragal wasn’t kind enough to allow Jahaan a path through his horde in order to face him mono e mono. Instead, Jahaan got the perfect opportunity to try out his new gear for real, and by the gods did he enjoy it. Charging right into the swarm with his swords held aloft, Jahaan unleashed fury.

Zombies don’t bleed, not requiring the circulatory system one requires blood for. Therefore, no crimson tail was left in the wake of Jahaan’s attacks. Having had the unfortunate pleasure of fighting many a man and beast in his time, Jahaan had become used to the sounds of death. From a man or a humanoid creature, it’s this sickening slurp, sort of like a squelch, that’s usually masked by a groan or shriek of agony. The same usually went for beasts, although they had the tendency to roar through their pain. Zombies, on the other hand, made no protest upon re-death - they just crumbled to the ground and accepted it. That meant that there was nothing to hide just how nauseating blade through flesh and bone sounded, and if it wasn’t for the chorus of moans coming from the sheer number of zombies, Jahaan might have let it affect him.

These types of zombies left a gooey greenish-black slime when cut into, and to be killed they must be decapitated. There were the older zombies, ones that have been dead for many years and decomposed into a near-skeletal form. These ones were absent of much fluid, tumbling to the ground with a low knock of bones and leaving a thin layer of dust upon the blade.

The main worry when fighting a zombie was their resiliency; you can cut all the limbs off one of these fuckers and he’ll still shuffle towards you by shifting his broken ribcage if he must. Their attacks were wild and reckless, but in a group they can overwhelm quickly. If one latched onto you, you’d be in for a struggle to shake off the bastard before his friends joined in the fun. Then, of course, there was the standard zombie bite. Fortunately, the cure for a bite was stocked in almost every pharmacy in Gielinor, and handed out to anyone that requires it free of charge. Jahaan’s armour covered him from neck to toe, so the only real risk came if he was swarmed and they pulled off a glove or boot, but as long as he got the antidote within seventy-two hours, he’d be fine.

Marvels of modern medicine.

And from how his swords cut through these undead cretins, they were marvels of modern smithing.

Jahaan swiped and swung from side to side, top to bottom, sometimes going straight for a decapitating blow, other times slicing inside the gut with one sword and stabbing through the brain with the other. As he fought on and on, he felt his dormant rage come back to him, but this time, he could control it, channel it into his precise attacks, carving a neat little path through the horde on his way to Zemouregal. Patient, making sure the Mahjarrat knew exactly what was coming for him.

In the shuffle, Wahisietel had become lost to the other side of the room, but the constant background noise of spells being channeled reassured Jahaan that he was still in the fight.

Jahaan didn’t even try and keep track of just how many zombies he’d cut down in the melee, but they seemed to keep coming, occasionally knocking into Jahaan’s armour before he had the chance to push them back and finish them off. Letting too many of them enclose on his personal space would be a real danger to him, so Jahaan fought carefully, not irrationally.

He had one chance to end this, and he wasn’t going to let some poor undead sap get the better of him.

In Wahisietel’s battle, he’d been using magic over melee, naturally. However, magic wasn’t always the best strategy against the undead because, as previously mentioned, only a strong and precise strike to the head will kill them. Magic came in blasts, in waves, in spells that could throw a horse back a good few paces, maybe slow them down even further for a while, but they’d keep on coming back. Therefore, Wahisietel had developed the strategy of knocking them backwards with a large blast of ice magic, then using smaller and more deliberate ice spells aimed at the head to pick them off one by one. For once, the Mahjarrat was at a disadvantage over the tiny human with the blades.

However, Sharathteerk was a different story altogether. The gargoyle, who had been waiting in the wings while the zombies were attacking Wahisietel, finally got bored of sitting around and decided to bring the fight to the Mahjarrat.

Big. Mistake.

All of these precise strikes were frustrating the heck out of Wahisietel, so when a large target came along without a specific body part for a weakness, Wahisietel let loose.

It wasn’t long before the gargoyle, so overwhelmed against the flurry of ice and smoke attacks from the Mahjarrat, succumbed to the intense barrage and shattered into fragments that exploded across the room. Jahaan had forgotten about Sharathteerk’s existence entirely until the remnants of his left thigh shot overhead and buried itself into a zombie’s skull. Looking past the swarm, Jahaan fought to see Zemouregal’s reaction, and he wasn’t disappointed; seeing Sharathteerk’s demise, Zemouregal’s face looked increasingly worried now. He summoned another platoon of zombies to fight in the gargoyle’s place, growing even more desperate.

Desperate people make mistakes, Jahaan noted, his own confidence growing.

Finally, after swinging his swords so much he wouldn’t have been surprised if one of his shoulders detached and whirled away like a Catherine Wheel, the swarm began to thin out, only leaving a handful of the undead between Jahaan and Zemouregal.

In one last flurry of blades connecting with undead flesh, the last of the zombies fell.

The adrenaline was suffocating, causing Jahaan’s erratic heartbeat to thrum loudly in his ears. Glaring into Zemouregal’s eyes, there was so much he wanted to say; violent curses, vows of revenge… but words didn’t matter now.

Jahaan charged head on towards Zemouregal. The Mahjarrat quickly summoned up a spell and thrust it towards Jahaan, but Jahaan dodged it, rolling out of the way and continuing onwards. The second blast, however, Jahaan didn’t see until it was too late to evade.

Wincing, Jahaan tensed up and braced himself for the blast of shadow magic to connect. When it did, he was knocked backwards a step, but he wasn’t even winded. Looking up at Zemouregal, the Mahjarrat was just as surprised as Jahaan that he was still standing.

Jahaan’s lip upturned into a defiant smirk, the grip on his swords tightening as he charged again.

Absorbing the next blast was akin to fighting against a torrent of wind, but it was manageable. Each time the magic connected, Jahaan’s armour would tingle even more, like the energy was being absorbed into the metal itself. Once he was close enough, Jahaan swung for Zemouregal’s head. The swipe missed wildly, Zemouregal evading with ease, drawing his own sword to parry the rebound.

Now, Jahaan thought, the fight can REALLY begin.

Jahaan knew that as soon as he could goad Zemouregal into drawing his sword the fight would be a whole lot fairer. The two blades clashed, the sharp metallic ring resonating throughout the chamber. Jahaan had no idea what Zemouregal’s blade was made of; the metal was black, but it was far stronger than anything the black knights carried. Around the edges, smoke seeped from the blade, thin shadows coating the razor sharp metal. For a human the weapon would be held in two hands, if it could be lifted at all. Zemouregal, on the other hand, lifted it in one hand with the ease of someone lifting a quill pen.

Wasting little time, Zemouregal swung for a decapitating strike, but Jahaan rolled out of the way, the armour not hindering his movement or agility one bit. Like a second skin, it moulded to his body, moved with him, allowing him to gain distance from the blade before quickly dashing back in with a countering strike.

“Some fancy armour you have there, World Guardian,” Zemouregal snorted the title like it was an insult. “Much nicer than anything those Temple Knights wear.”

Zemouregal’s comment was as sharp as his sword, pointed and attacking. The rush of blood that rose through Jahaan’s throat made him falter, allowed Zemouregal the opening to slice his blade downwards. Jahaan dodged, but it was too close for comfort - he felt the metal whizz past his face, the cold rush of the breeze scratching his skin. If it had hit the mark, his head would have been sliced clean in half, like an apple being segmented.

Zemouregal’s strategy was an obvious one; Jahaan cursed himself for being swayed so easily. Keeping his breathing steady, he let the words wash over him, focusing everything he had on channeling out Zemouregal’s voice and putting everything into precise strikes.

“Did your dark-skinned friend make it out too?” Zemouregal jeered, all-too pleased with himself. “Such a shame I had to drug him. It would have been so much sweeter to hear him scream…”

Breathe in... breathe out… swing… parry… evade… lunge… breathe in… breathe out…

“Would you like me to tell you that druid’s final words? Honestly, I’ve been laughing about them ever since… you know, he actually started crying! Such a pathetic human... ”

Breathe in… breath out… dodge... swing… parry… strike… breathe in… breathe out…

“Your knight wasn’t any better - he was shaking like a leaf! Stuttering and mumbling about Saradomin, as if that blue ponce could help him!”

Breathe in… breath out… evade… swing… block… lunge… breathe in… breathe out...

The constant back and forth was getting Zemouregal nowhere, and the lack of impact his words were having on the World Guardian really started to grate on him. Indignant, he pushed on harder, fought with an increased desperation and anger, but Jahaan could block everything he could swing at him.

Deducing his blade wasn’t making any progress, Zemouregal started to warm up his palms with shadow energy. His mystic attacks from earlier did no good, but if he could build up the power, attack dead on at such a close distance... 

Jahaan could see the spell being channeled, but figured he could swallow it and use Zemouregal’s recharging time to try and get a lucky shot in.

However, he didn’t realise Zemouregal was giving it everything he had.

Upon impact, Jahaan tumbled to the floor, swords clattering to the ground around him, the metallic ring echoing loud enough to catch the attention of Wahisietel.

“Jahaan!” he called out, moving to assist before he was tackled by a row of zombies who made the most of his distraction.

Groaning, Jahaan saw Zemouregal stalk over to him out of the corner of his eye, that smug smirk of his slashed across his face.

“You should have stayed dead, World Guardian,” he gloated, summoning a spell to his palms. “This time I’ll make sure it’s permanent.”

Before Zemouregal knew what hit him, his vision was clouded by a blinding smoke spell, causing him to cough and splutter as he gained distance from Jahaan.

Jahaan faltered slightly, so impressed that his smoke spell actually worked effectively that he forgot to capitalise. Luckily, Wahisietel had freed himself from the zombies and shot an ice blast from out of nowhere, careering straight into Zemouregal with a vicious impact. The Mahjarrat was knocked to the ground, and that’s when Jahaan charged, scooping up one of his swords and bolting forwards.

He didn’t waste time to gloat, or be smug, or allow Zemouregal even a second to register what was happening to him.

The blade plunged easily into the Mahjarrat’s neck, sliding its way in like Jahaan was making the first carve into a tender chicken roast, but even more satisfying than the thought of a banquette ever could be. Gagging, hoarse rasps of breath were fought for, but Zemouregal never achieved them. Jahaan revelled in the wide-eyed terror glistening in his eyes, like the sockets were going to open up and let the eyeballs escape free. With teeth clenched, Jahaan took a deep, steadying breath, and slowly began to twist the blade inside his flesh, opening up a wound that started to seep ink-like fluid onto the ground below. He relished every second, watching the life fade from Zemouregal’s eyes, the breath from his lungs, the blood from his veins.

Zemouregal was dead before the tip of the blade was removed from his neck.

As soon as Zemouregal was gone, the magic keeping the zombies animated suddenly ceased to be, and they all collapsed in piles of bones of the floor. Wahisietel watched them shatter, dust rising in clouds from their old corpses.

The adrenaline that had held Jahaan up those last few moments vanished as quickly as the zombies, and he collapsed to the ground, clutching balled up fists to his chest. He tried to prop himself up, instead sliding back to the floor, a hoarse groan forcing its way out as his clenched teeth tried to verbalise the pain.

“Jahaan!” Wahisietel called out, seeing the man fall to the ground. He rushed over, kneeling by his side.

“I’m okay,” Jahaan winced. The injury wasn’t anything too serious, just agonising. The severe pain in his chest confirmed his suspicions - he’d cracked a rib, if not multiple. Jahaan had cracked and even broken ribs before, several times too many in fact. Despite being familiar with the feeling, one never gets used to it. Breathing suddenly became torturous, but he forced deep breaths from himself, knowing this was necessary to protect his lungs. His armour would have to go, as would his weaponry, since their heaviness would worsen the injury. Right now though, he needed to get somewhere to recuperate that wasn’t filled with zombie dust and dead Mahjarrat. He didn’t even get a chance to relish in the victory thanks to the blinding pain in his chest.

“Contact Azzanadra,” Jahaan tried to make his way to his feet, but seeing as he was struggling, Wahisietel practically lifted him up. “Let’s leave this place. Fuck, I need some pain relievers…”

DISCLAIMER:

As Of Gods and Men is a reimagining, retelling and reworking of the Sixth Age, a LOT of dialogue/characters/plotlines/etc. are pulled right from the game itself, and this belongs to Jagex.

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[ghoulbrothers]

Hellooooooo and happy show day, babieeees!! I'm hesitantly excited but keeping my expectations real low. If we get to see our faves in clean clothes, that will be enough for me.

If you're reading this it means I've finished the semester without dying, and can now return to tumblr! These selfies are very representative of the past few months: me posing with creepy motivational boulder in a haunted woods, me geared up for diving and ready to freeze in the Atlantic, and me post-finals and not looking like shit for the first time in forever.

See y'all later tonight!! (Also I don't know anyone's url anymore, bear with me here)

@tyronndy @carrieeve @starboybellamy @granger--danger @deadshotbellamy @chants-de-lune @niylah @grumpybell @frecklessbellamy @beachfckerblake @the-most-beautiful-broom @johnmurphysass @aspeckof-stardust @peterstarkss @galaxydanvers @octannibal-blake @tabatharich @clarkegriffintitties @thelittlefanpire @talistheintrovert @marvelscaptainss @starboyholden

[elegiesforshiva]

HOLY JESUS! I just read your fanfic Ghost and let me tell you... I FRICKIN LOVE IT !!!!!!!! Your style is sooo great, the plot, description, drama, angst, all characters are the same as in the Anime, nothing OC. I frickin love it all, even I can feel their emotions and I even cried in some chapters. You really really really are talented. I hope you have not abandoned it pls! It's sooo good and I love mad Sasuke sunsdibdksiahsns I LOVE HOW YOU WRITE OF HIS MADNESS!!!

AJHNFDKLHAEDJKL THANK YOU ANON I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MESSAGES LIKE THESE AND YOU HAVE MADE MY VERY SOUL RADIATE WITH LOVE AND GRATITUDE THANKYOUUUUUU

I’m so glad you felt all this!  There was a part of me that wondered if people thought if some of the characters were too ooc to indulge the fic, especially Sakura considering how strongly she reacts to her trauma and various afflictions.  But this was very reassuring!!!  Also ngl it literally makes my fucking day when I hear people cried from my fic lmao.  That probably makes me a sadist but like omg i can’t believe my writing can move you so deeply, you’ve no idea, it is such a great honor to have you read a work and feel what i’m trying to convey on such a deep level.  Really, this is why writers write, and it’s an absolute privilege to be able to connect with other people in this way.  It means the world, thank you anon!

I haven’t abandoned it!!  At this point, I’m so invested, I can’t even fathom leaving it be.  I could die tomorrow and the first poor soul by an ouija board would be haunted into helping me finish my drafts and posting it lmao

But!!  There will be some time before any update comes.  I made the decision to finish writing the entire fic privately before posting more.  And while I’ve been working on it regularly (shoutout to my fandom/writing buddy @fatalfascination for keeping me motivated!!!  srsly i’ve written so much already thanks to her support ) the narrative is just obscenely long.  i originally thought the fic would be around 30 chapters, but i also thought what has become the first 16 chapters would actually only be written in like 5 chapters. so my inital estimations are kinda complete trash lol

ALSO AADSFJNJSLDNJSDLJ I AM SO ON BOARD WITH YOU I HAD SO MUCH FUN WRITING BATSHIT SASUKE HAHAHAAA I dID NOT EXPECT TO LIKE HIS INSANITY THIS MUCH.  I REMEMBER WRITING AND BEIN LIKE “WOW. DAMN. WE REALLY GOIN THERE????  AW HELL YEA WE ARE g O I N GGG !!!!!!!!!! BUCKLE THE FUCK UP BITCHES”

sorry for the rambles lmfao.  i really get so excited when i get a comment or ask about that fic.  Thank you so much for reading and sending this to me!!!!!!

Also, anyone who’s curious and wants to look at this fic, Ghosts can be found on: 

Tumblr, ff.net, and AO3 !  (Please note the trigger warnings though!  It’s a heavy read!!!)

Edit: sorry, had to make some adjustments. Tumblr mobile ate every paragraph with a heart in it lol

[icedspanishlatte]

Hey!

I am sipping coffee in a local cafe while waiting for my software update to get finished. I've been waiting for almost 2 hours now. It's taking too long that I finished reading three blogs about FSO Exam (My stomach was twitching as I was reading glimpse of their experience during the five-phase exam. Marami pa akong kakaining libro), instead of studying for my class later, which is primarily my goal why I went here. Foolish me.

So, here I am.

I've been visiting my Tumblr since last month. I wanted to delete my account, but I thought sayang naman yung mga blogs ko before. Although it was all jeje and nene, I thought it is worth keeping and to read it once in a while to remind myself how idealist, driven, and motivated I was before. Where did it all go?

Kumusta naman ako? Tayo?

It's been what? 7 years? Where am I now? A lot has happened in between. Traveled to many places. Finished college. People come and go. Pandemic. Some plans happened, other plans didn't go as I expected them to be. Nevertheless, Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah. This is all part of His plans.

I actually miss posting. I miss speaking my mind. Though I learned to control it because I've realized not everything that crosses my mind makes sense and some of my thoughts are uninformed and bias. It's humbling to be surrounded with people of intellect, not only physically, but also virtually. I also miss taking pictures and posting them. The other day, my friend asked me paano ko daw na-tetake na hindi mag-story, I answered sanayan lang. It led me to think that our lives have been tangled with social media which is if not regulated can be unhealthy and toxic. If left unchecked, it could build habits that may be detrimental to ourselves. You know my point.

Well, back to my question. Kumusta? Where did time go?

Perhaps, still confused with where I am now. Is this what I really want? Can't really tell. So many doubts that haunt me and questions that are left unanswered. I'm just going to free fall with tawakkul.

I'm not sure where this is going. I just want to write. The main purpose why I created this account was to write about my exchange year. I wanted to improve my writing, but it never happened.

Salaam!

[mouldyinlondon]

first post!

after fucking around with the editing of custom themes that was made ever so difficult by the tumblr theme, i think im finally done setting up my blog and its theme! i might try to mess around with the html a bit to insert a pic in the header or smth eventually or change the background, but ive been fighting with this website for like an hour and a half now and i am  t i r e d.

who are u!

i’m camille! im 19, an aries and a white queer cis girl (she/her). i have a boyfriend that i luv very dearly and i’m from québec! my university is in ontario and it’s bilingual, as am i (my first language is french, and yes, i do have the french canadian accent, if you’re wondering). i am double majoring art and art history and i love it a lot! i’d love to specialize myself in english medieval history, especially in the fields of christian iconography and hagiography.

so, what is this blog?

this blog will be used to document my student exchange in london and the trip to the uk i will make preceeding that exchange. i’ll also document a bit of the process of applying for the exchange, bc it is quite a long one indeed!!!! i’ve been working on it since last semester and it honestly took a lot more time than i expected, especially because i have to make a preliminary schedule and some uni websites are especially hard to navigate. i might also talk about the planning that’ll go into the trip my boyfriend and i want to have before my semester.

what am i gonna do?

-travel across the uk with my boyfriend

-then study during the fall semester of 2019 in london in history

what’s the plan?

basically, i have quite a bit of money put aside for the trip and the exchange. i will continue to work this summer (im already pretty much guaranteed to have one, but it’s a haunted walk tour guide job and, although my hourly salary is quite good, i have very few hours; ill have to find another job if the one i have at the moment is only seasonal). then, in early august, my boyfriend and i will leave canada together and travel all across the uk. i have already traveled with him to his homecity (manchester, uk) and it was absolutely lovely! we’ll spend around a month/a month and a half traveling together and i’m pretty sure it’ll go extremely well, as our last trip did. we traveled pretty early on in our relationship, so i feel like after around 2 years and a half of dating, this trip will be even better than the first!

after the trip, my boyfriend will go see his family in manchester and go back home to canada. i, on the other hand, will be staying in europe. the university i will attend for the semester is the queen mary university of london. the semester there starts on september 16th, so idk if there’ll be some introductory activities or when i can start living on campus. i might just travel on my own or go see some family friends in france if i have to wait around. all i know is that it’ll be quite lonely. then, i’ll go back to london and try my best to have a great semester.

obstacles

there are a few obstacles that i’ll have to face to first of all be accepted but also to live there. first, there is the language barrier, which i dont think should be too much of an issue but??? who knows???

my first language is french and the accent in english that im used to is like the most basic, neutral, slightly canadian accent. anyone who deviates from that, i might have a hard time understanding. also, handing in essays in english is a bit scary. ive done it before, as my university is bilingual and i attend french and english classes, but it still makes my work a bit longer to do and my english doesnt have the same quality as my french. it also makes the process longer since i have to write my motivation letter in the language of the university ill be attending (so english) and i have to PROVE that i can speak/understand/write english....i mean i get the incentive but also....anyway, i can just basically show ive had more than a B+ in a class in english and it counts as a proof. good thing 3/5 of my classes were only available in english i guess.

also, my university does exchange programs in a way that you have three choices of university and depending on your gpa and your motivation letter, they give you either your first, second or third choice. my three choices are:

-queen mary university of london

-royal holloway university of london

-reading university

of course, reading was a filler. i would have wanted to put manchester as a choice instead, but the choice wasnt available for my program. i have a pretty high gpa (so far i have 3 A+ and 1 A, waiting for my last grade) and im trying to writing the best motivation letter that i can. ill have to upkeep my gpa to be able to participate in the exchange so fingers crossed???

where are you now in the process?

not many things are left for me to do for the application, and that’s perfect because i have until the 22nd to send in my finished application form (and we are the 9th, and my term has started). there are other things to take care off AFTER the application (like some meetings and obviously doing my schedule and booking my dorm room) but im not there mentally now,,, its a bit discourageing when i know how much work ill have during the term lmao.

so NOW what i have left is:

-receiving my last grade from last semester so i can enter my gpa and a copy of my grades’ summary

-take a picture of myself in front of a white background (lowkey waiting to get a haircut for that)

-i had to prepare schedules for each school with like what classes id be attending. i have to get approved my first school choice by my “department counsellor”. that was very unclear so i basically sent a message to two people + my department so like démerdez-vous lmao. when i get the schedule approved, i’m pretty much gucci!

-also my bf and i have to figure out the whole trip, but we’ll prolly start planning in april, after finals and when we have most of the money we want/know what kind of income we’ll be making this summer

-finally, ill miss everyone, especially my boyfriend...itll feel a bit lonely so i rly wanna keep busy so i dnt get too mopey. i always told myself i wouldnt stop myself from going away even if i had a significant other and i wanna stay true to that but it doesn’t mean it wont hurt...i know we’ll last for very long tho so this is just a few months out of many many more and we can withstand it for sure!

so that was a rly big post!!! had fun writing this and im excited to see what’ll happen! i should know if i’m approved in around march, so i’ll probably not update this blog a lot until then... can’t wait to be able to update it with lotsa good news, hopefully!

-camille