#the writers had so many opportunities to fix their mistakes

[nephilimeq]

Teen Wolf and Lack of Character Development - Scott McCall

Incoming Rant: Re-watching the first season of TW I have realised why I never felt that Scott was The Hero of the story even if the writers did not stop hammering the idea that he was pure and perfect and always right. He never sacrifices himself. This is a classic of fiction, the hero will always be the one who makes the greatest sacrifices for the common good and for those they love, renouncing happiness, normality and even their own life. 

But Scott never does that. Even in the first season this is very clear. The first few episodes emphasise that playing lacrosse and dating Allison are things he wants, but are dangerous to himself and those around him. The narratively logical thing would be that, after a period of selfish refusal, he would realise that the right thing to do is to give up what he loves until he has better control of himself and his new powers, sacrificing his temporary happiness for the good of others.

Instead, the narrative rewards Scott with control gained through Deux Ex Machina and not hard work, he gets to date Allison and becomes a Lacrosse star without sacrifices and therefore doesn't grow or evolve at all. This keeps up for all 6 seasons. Meanwhile, everyone else around him is constantly sacrificing their safety, sanity and even life for the common good.  And ten years later in the movie nothing has changed. Scott’s still not the one performing the sacrifice, he's still not the hero yet. He gives nothing, but the narrative rewards him with true love. Meanwhile Derek gives his own life to save those he loves he is The Hero.

So. Yes. To all of this.

I have made a countless number of posts about Scott’s development. Specifically, his lack of development. The writers had every opportunity to make him a decent character -- and Posey could have performed it and done everything at least moderately well -- but instead, they caved into Jeff Davis’ whims.

There were other writers in the room who should have held Jeff accountable and written Scott as a proper hero: a hero who sacrifices his own selfish wants for the greater good.

They do not have the right to tell us not to like characters such as Stiles or Derek more because they were the ones who wrote those characters using the hero’s journey narrative that they very easily could have written for Scott...but they didn’t. When the creator of Teen Wolf speaks up against those fans, he has no one to blame but himself and the other writers, and to say anything to the contrary just makes him look like a hypocrite.

You cannot expect your audience to believe your main character is a hero when you do not give them faults to overcome and make them a better person.

They wrote Scott as never taking consequences for his own actions -- instead, they had everyone else suffer the consequences of his actions and had them clean up his mess and deal with the repercussions. (not going into detail here because I have already done so on many other posts)

But when you show characters such as Stiles and Derek dealing with complex emotional and physical traumas and then doing things to try and improve themselves, while also dealing with their own mistakes and growing from them...but then don’t hold your main character to the same standard, how can you be surprised when no one relates to them? The accountability for Scott’s lack of accountability can be traced right back to the writers’ room.

I genuinely could have liked Scott. In fact, when he was being sweet and helping his mom, I loved him! He had the potential to be a fantastic main character...but the writer’s neglected their responsibility as writers.

To put it simply: the writers suck.

The only reason the show lasted was because they had good cinematography, and they brought on some experienced older actors into the cast, and they had two natural talents on screen: Dylan O’Brien and Tyler Hoechlin.

That’s it.

[physalian]

Plot Holes and How to Fill Them (Or, The Hidden Potential in Your Mistakes)

“But why didn’t they just do that earlier!”

“You can time travel – so time travel!”

“Doesn’t X have Y spell? Why aren’t they using it to escape?”

“You. Have. Telekinesis! How are you this stupid?”

Plot holes! The bane of every writer’s existence. You think you’ve polished your beautiful manuscript, you have it all sent out for the masses to consume and praise and shower with compliments and adoration… and then they start tugging at a thread that may or may not begin to unravel your entire story. You’ve read this thing top to bottom, forwards and backwards and upside down, so many times the letters are burned into your brain. You mumble your monologues in your sleep — how did you not see this? How do you fix this?

See this post about beginning the writing process that might help you avoid opening a plot hole entirely with a solid enough script and outline.

Types of Plot Holes

Your magic system’s established rules have just been broken for TeNSioN

Your Deus Ex Machina really did come out of nowhere and is quite out of character

Why doesn't Character just run away from a fight they can't win?

Characters forgetting they have superpowers, extreme intelligence, handy tools or weapons, survival skills, common sense, or crucial information to escape and/or solve a situation

Characters dying for the above mistakes when said death could have been avoided

The entire story could have been avoided had Character A just told Character B the truth

Character X should have known ___ all along given their profession/backstory/friend circle/education/personality

And variations of the above, I’m sure I’m missing a couple. Fixing plot holes generally come in two camps: Those you can fix by rewriting the existing manuscript that contains the hole, or those you have to work around from a previous manuscript that’s already been published.

Why Plot Holes Happen

Plot holes happen in reality. Expecting your first, second, or 15th draft to be completely foolproof is utter nonsense. Real people forget stuff they’re supposed to know all the time, tools that would be useful are left behind, GroupThink makes very bad decisions.

The difference is: You are writing fiction. Your goal is to be entertaining, not necessarily realistic. A character simply *forgetting* Macguffin X at the climax of the story does not make for an entertaining read, no matter how likely it might be to happen in the real world.

You’re making this entire world up as you go and that alone is an impressive feat millions of others can only dream about – cut yourself some slack, okay? Everything is fixable.

Plot holes also happen because we’re so engrossed in our own story that we forget it’s all made up. You’re 22 chapters into a 24 chapter novel and you’ve just realized your psychic hero would never have been caught unawares like this. “But that’s just how he is!”

No. Stop. That’s not just how he is. That’s just how you wrote him – and you can go back and un-write him. Any excuse you can dream up you can un-write, and unfortunately, you’ll likely have to do a fair bit of it if you still have the opportunity.

Plot holes generally open long after the inciting incident that causes them. If you’re going to fix it, duct-taping together a solution in that very same scene isn’t the way to do it. You have to figure out why it’s a hole at all, then go back and fix its foundations.

Finding Your Own Plot Holes

Sometimes you’re lucky enough to stumble upon them before it’s too late. A fair bit of the time, though, your audience has to tell you. Finding your own plot holes requires stepping back from your work and looking at it like you’re just a reader, not the author.

Read your plot out loud to yourself and keep asking questions like:

Does this make sense for the scene?

Does this only exist to look cool at the cost of logic?

Are these rules I wrote too easy to break or contradictory in any way?

Is there any other way for this character to escape this situation?

Is the only solution here too contrived?

That, and having an army of beta readers who should show you flaws you’ve overlooked. Even then, some things just aren’t obvious at all until someone too smart for their own good points out something no one else considered before.

It’s okay. It’s not the end of the world.

Filling Plot Holes

Fix your broken magic system

A “magic system” broadly describes any type of powers/abilities/supernatural entities that function in your world. They can be in high fantasy, urban fantasy, sci-fi, or any genre really. The Force is a magic system, as much as is bending in Last Airbender even if no one calls it “magic”.

For example: Force users are telekinetic… and yet don’t simply repeatedly spam the “chuck my enemies into a wall/off a cliff/anywhere that is away from me” button. It’s what you’d call a “soft” magic system, it doesn’t have explicit rules on how and when it can and should be used. It just *is*.

Fixing holes in your magic system first demands examining why you wrote it the way you did, why you gave it these specific rules, or why you didn’t, and all the ways characters should otherwise be able to use it when your story demands they get creative.

For soft magic systems — never let the magic system win the day. It invites far too much scrutiny. Gandalf from Lord of the Rings is a Wizard. He can do an undefined number of spells and has an unclear number of abilities and limit to his reach. Gandalf’s magic is never the saving grace of the Fellowship. So asking “why didn’t Gandalf just do X” isn’t ever a question people have because success never depends on Gandalf doing X.

Everyone hates on the time turner in Harry Potter, as they should. Time travel is essential to the plot of Prisoner of Azkaban, without it the heroes fail. And yet, because it is time travel, why it never existed earlier and why they never use it again to solve more massive plot problems is a valid question. As goes with many spells and abilities in the series.

For hard magic systems — remember that you wrote the rules, you can go back and change them at any time before it’s published. Bending in Last Airbender is rarely the focus of any conflict. Yes, two benders will fight each other, but it’s not “who’s the stronger bender,” it’s “who’s smarter with their element”. Who better uses their environment? Which one is racing against a clock before reinforcements arrive and overwhelm them? Which one runs the risk of exposing themselves if they start bending? Whose mental state is crippling their bending today?

These are all character-driven explanations for why certain abilities do or don’t manifest in a given scene… until the finale when it really is just a clash of red and blue aura lasers.

There is never a scene where a character is trapped when they shouldn’t be. Never a “why didn’t you just X” moment, because it’s never about the bending, it’s about the bender.

Turn plot-reasons into character-reasons

This means taking a “why don’t they just do X” and making the reason because one of the protagonists is morally against doing it, not because the hand of the author demands it.

In Last Airbender, Aang is vocally against simply killing the Fire Lord. It would be easier, it would risk far less casualties and carnage, it’s fastest. And yet. Aang doesn’t do it simply because he’s not strong enough or he doesn’t have some magical super weapon, or the stars have aligned and now he’s lost a very convenient ability – Aang doesn’t want to take the easy road because that’s who he is as a person.

He’s been raised as a monk to value the preservation of life above all else (ignoring any accidental casualties over the course of the series). Him being desperate to not simply kill Ozai is central to his character and even when he has the chance in the climax of the fight, he still doesn’t take it.

Now “why didn’t you do that earlier” does, still, concern the “energy bending” established out of nowhere just for the finale so Aang doesn’t have to compromise his morals to win… but the show is so damn good and Ozai’s just desserts so damn sweet it doesn’t really matter.

Making these plot decisions character decisions, so long as they are in-character, gives some juicy potential for schisms within Team Protagonist as fan favorites clash over ideals and morals and whether or not the greater good is worth them sacrificing something so central to their being.

This also applies to characters not sharing crucial information with each other. Make them distrustful of the others, or let them attempt it anyway and have some other consequence for the effort. Anything is better than a character sitting on valuable info simply to maintain the mystery.

Avoid Deus Ex Machinas

The “surprise reinforcement cavalry charge” is one of my favorite deus ex machinas in fantasy. Everybody cheers, it looks amazing, the music is swelling, our heroes on the battlefield realize they haven’t been forsaken by their friends, etc. In Lord of the Rings, yes, Theoden could have arrived 30 minutes earlier and saved even more lives, but we already knew he was on his way moving as fast as he could without exhausting his horses. Theoden’s army also took care of the bulk of the battle so when Aragorn arrives with the second surprise reinforcements, it’s less a decisive blow that comes out of nowhere and more the victory lap.

In “Battle of the Bastards,” Game of Thrones has its third surprise cavalry charge of the series, only this one much more explicitly comes to save the day. The difference between this scene and Theoden’s charge is: Audiences had no idea Littlefinger was on his way, and neither did Jon Snow. Had Sansa told him she had a plan, Jon could have waited. He wasn’t backed against a wall and forced to fight right then and there, he could have stalled an extra hour by just not showing up to the battlefield to wait for his cavalry. With Sansa inexplicably not telling him, she risked his life and the lives of his entire army because the hand of the writers wanted to keep it a surprise. Worst of all, when the battle is over, he compliments her decision, despite all the blood on her hands.

Surprise reinforcements, saviors, powers, and abilities always run the risk of “why didn’t they do that earlier” and you should be asking yourself the same question. If you can’t come up with an explanation other than “because it’ll look cool” go back to the drawing board.

Or, have your very own characters pissed that the savior didn’t just do that earlier. Have your characters ask where this special power was, have it mean something to them and the story at large. Had Jon been angry with Sansa, given their incredibly pyrrhic victory and the potentially avoidable death of their youngest brother, it might’ve made for some interesting character drama.

Give your saving graces deadly costs

“Why didn’t they just do X earlier?”

“Because doing X would have killed Character D, dummy.”

Giving your super special magic, mutant, super, or supernatural powers costs, drawbacks, and limitations forces the characters who use them to not resort to them every single chance they get. Their magic drains their physical stamina, or the demon they made a deal with camping in their brain threatens to overtake their psyche, or the sword is cursed and every time the hero raises it in battle, they lose a little piece of themselves. Or, using this creepy power strains their relationship with their friends or community.

Without risk and consequences, you cannot avoid “why didn’t they do that earlier,” because the only answer you have to give is “because I, the author, said so.” The only time a character is allowed to have selective amnesia about their superpowers is if it’s been established beforehand as a potential problem. Then it’s not “this came out of nowhere.” Then your audience is dreading the entire time waiting for that chekhov’s gun to fire.

Don’t compromise your story for sensationalism

I can complain about ~subverting expectations~ in another post, but what I mean here is this: Are you writing this scene purely for shock value, for the sake of a twist, because a story this grim demands at least one character death, or because it’s going to look epic?

In this post about pacing and this post about how to write tone, I talked about making your scenes pull double duty. You can write a scene for shock and awe, but if it’s at the expense of a character’s integrity or intelligence, come up with another way to make it spectacular.

You want the villain to monologue to give the heroes time to save the world? Then write a villain with an ego and personality that would monologue. You want the hero to be a one-man-army? Then write their personality as the lone wolf type and have it be a flaw of theirs that they keep striking out alone, consequences be damned.

You absolutely need the hero to not take the easy road and fight the bad guy without using their most effective weapon? Give them a reason to stall this fight. Maybe they really do need to simply run out a clock, or they don’t actually want to kill/subdue their opponent, or in doing so, the villain’s death is what causes the Bad Thing to happen.

If I write a character that can kill with just a look, every time I put them in a dangerous situation I need to then justify why they don’t do that over and over again, unless it’s by their own stubborn integrity that they choose not to.

If I write a villainous plan so devious and well thought out, the only thing standing in the way is living protagonists? I need a reason the villain doesn’t just murder the heroes every chance they get. Maybe they’re internally struggling over actually going through with it, or their ego demands the hero doesn’t get a quick or honorless death, or they do actually need a living hero for the plan to work.

Fixing Plot Holes in Sequels

All of the above is advice for issues within the same manuscript. What happens if you’ve already published and have the chance to address a known plot hole in the sequel?

About the worst thing you can do is slap in a throwaway line or hasty explanation to cover your ass. Everyone reading and watching will notice. Saying nothing is better than saying that.

See the duct-tape in Rise of Skywalker when the heroes explained that they couldn't just hypersspace-jump another ship into the enemy fleet because it worked so horribly effectively last time. Doesn't matter that they could have put it on autopilot or sacrificed a droid, or that, at any point in the history of Star Wars, someone else could have and should have done this desperate maneuver. For the sake of "looking cool" it opened an entire sinkhole.

Less a “hole” and more an inconsistency — the pegasus Blackjack in Percy Jackson is explicitly a mare, a female horse, in one book, and then inexplicably male in later books. Why? Well the author made a mistake, simple as that. He did *not* attempt to explain this error away or dig the hole deeper. It just is. Though I’m not sure why Blackjack couldn’t just stay a mare and how he didn’t reference the previous book when writing the sequel is a bit baffling.

If your heroes can no longer use the Deus Ex Machina they used before – have them attempt to use it, and then come up with a solid reason why it’s not possible. Maybe it was one-time use, or the savior simply doesn’t want to, or the cost/risk is too high to attempt it again, or it simply can’t be found and it’s very frustrating.

Have the heroes be morally opposed to doing what they did before, or overconfident, or skeptical that it will even work again only for that choice to bite them in the ass later. Have the magic item all used up, the recipe to recreate it lost to history. There’s a hundred better excuses than the hand of the author simply saying so.

—

If you aren’t going to write a sequel and you accept living with the plot hole unfilled… chances are people are going to love the story despite its flaws. Harry Potter is the poster child of “why didn’t they use X spell to solve the problem” or “they have a spell for X, yet they don’t have a spell for Y?” and how many people love that story?

In the end, a plot hole can be tiny or massive and chances are the story you told is entertaining enough to make up for it. It’s just a story, it’s just fiction. Learn from your mistakes so the next piece you create is even better.

[caseylovefics]

More 2024 Jikook Fic Recs

In A Lonely Place by agustsea

When artist Jeon Jeongguk designs a line of works inspired by a first love that left his heart shattered, his manager takes it upon himself to hire newly debuted idol Park Jimin to model the collection— completely ignorant of that fact that Jimin is, in many ways, the only man for the job.

Lovely fic reflective of this writers style and voice. Really enjoyed it!

One Step At A Time by tessalane

Omega Park Jimin has always dreamed of becoming a police officer one day even though it is entirely unheard of for omegas to enter the police academy. His supervisor alpha Jeon Jungkook makes Jimin's trainee life very, very complicated.

This was super cute oneshot. They affect each other alot and it has a happy ending.

we're holding hands beneath the silver screen by Chimneycricke

The waves crash against the shore, over and over, and he follows their movement, his head pressed against the warm surface of the window. Back, and forth. Back, and forth. He doesn’t get why his parents insisted on coming here. The ocean is more or less the same in Busan.

Sort of felt like watching a slice of life anime. Nice change of pace.

Kiss of Life by jamjm

Jimin is the god of death, the monochrome counterpart to Jungkook, the god of life. The two have been caught in the universe’s dance since the beginning of time, both at odds and in tandem with one another. So why is it suddenly so hard to resist the way Jungkook's touch breathes life into him?

If you take any fic from these recommendations - let it be this. It is so underrated and an incredibly beautiful story. Please read it!

When the Wolf's Song Echoes by Charmander

When the peaceful Half Moon Lake pack accidentally kills a wandering wolf from the north, they’re forced to make a quick decision to make up for their mistake before it’s too late. In order to avoid the wrath of Jeon Jungkook, the Scourge of the North, they send him a sacrifice: Park Jimin, the most sought after omega in their pack, and a burden to them due to his refusal to be mated.

Stories of Head Alpha Jungkook’s cruelty are widespread and told as cautionary tales. Even rogue wolves fear him, so what chance does Jimin have when left at the mercy of a monster, abandoned by his people to find out whether or not those stories are really true?

Very classic type of ABO story that was an easy read.

Wisteria by RossKL

Omega Jimin has spent his entire life in complete isolation. His family and pack fear his special ability, but at the same time, they want to take full advantage of it. With his wonderful voice, singing, he is able to heal every wound, even if he himself suffers and feels pain because of it. The only thing Jimin dreams of is freedom and love, so when the opportunity finally presents itself, he runs away. Wandering through the dark, cold forest, Jimin is frostbitten, hungry and, to top it off, has twisted his ankle. When least expected, he is found by a group of Alpha hunters from Jeon pack. When he is brought in front of Head Alpha Jeongguk, he doesn't know his life is about to change forever.

This was different to other captive stories I've read and had a good balance of dark and swoon-worthy moments.

wolfed out by carameLIZed_suga

Before surprisingly presenting as a wolf, Jungkook had been content with his life as a normal human, blissfully ignorant of everything wolf-related. There are many things he could’ve lived without knowing. Like the knotting thing. Or worse, that Park fucking Jimin, his work partner and the literal bane of his existence, happens to have the most delicious scent of all.

Great story by this writer as always. They got hacked sadly but it looks like everything has been fixed thankfully!

Other Recommendations

Under Pressure, We're Cracking by ginny_tea

When You Touch Me (I Die Just a Little Inside) by TrappingLightningBugs

it's a bro thing by lilithbts

When Light Catches Your Face by carnalchimes

[thegoldheartlocketandkey-blog]

It’s been made pretty clear by the fandom, not just Buddie Shippers, that we aren’t really fans of who Buck and Eddie end up with in the finale.

The biggest issue I have with the pairings is that they weren’t worked up, they kind of just showed up and we have no reason to care about them.

If these women are supposed to be endgame, at least give us ample reason to support the choice.

Natalia: They really screwed up her character because there was so much potential in making her interesting and someone we would like to get to know. She’s a death dula and Buck died. Instead of having her tell Buck that it’s so “cool” that he died they could of had her play an active role in having him process his death. I mean they still have the opportunity to do that but after they gave us a cringe date, a recycled story line, but with less depth, they gave us too many reasons to dislike her as a character for me to even see that play out.

They made the same mistake they made with Lucy. Instead of having Natalia be a friend to Buck they force her to be a love interest which adds nothing new to bucks character.

But imagine Buck’s character development if Natalia was a friend. He would have gone from Buck 1.0 ( The guy who only does hook ups), to Buck 2.0 (the guy who just ends up in relationships) to Buck 3.0 (the guy who chooses himself and is able to be friends with a woman).

We can also address the fact that there is a lack of chemistry between Buck and Natalia. The kiss in the finale was awkward and not in a cute endearing way. I will say, I love that she doesn’t look like she could be related to Buck. I’m willing to see their relationship play out during season 7, but I just can’t see it being the end game.

Marisol: Where did she come from. What do you mean this is the girl that has Eddie acting like a middle schooler. She came out of nowhere and we know almost nothing about her, besides the fact that she fixes her brother’s mistakes.

I rewatched Season 6, Episode 5: Home Invasion, where we are first introduced to Marisol and after watching the episode, I believe the fan theory that her brother’s rescue was originally written as a boyfriend being rescued. But after the scenes where already filmed, the writers decided she’d be the love interest so they re-recorded the audio of the scene. I’m serious go back and watch her emergency, there is something off about it.

Marisol to me feels like another Ana. No substance, no reason for me to care about her. They both barely interacted, so their phone call makes less sense the more you think about it.

The same episode where Eddie is told he can’t look for love, he finds what he’s “been looking for”. This feels like Eddie is again only doing what he thinks he is supposed to do. Instead of processing his feelings of loneliness, he’s doing what he thinks the world expects him to do and date someone. He married Shannon because he felt like he had to. He stayed with Ana because he thought it was best for Christopher. And he’s settling for Marisol because he doesn’t want to be alone. None of those reasons are good reasons to pursue someone for a serious relationship.

It’s one thing to have Eddie date because he wants to be outside his comfort zone, meet people, and have fun. It’s a completely other thing to have him date because he feels like he needs to.

The only way to make Marisol a good character is by having her be a person that helps Eddie figure that out. She helps him realize that it’s not just about the end game, but his ability to just enjoy her company and not so worried about what the end result. She can just be someone he dates because she was fun to date. A relationship that shows him that you can have someone be an important part of your journey, but not your end game. Like a summer fling.

Given the fact that the actress who plays Marisol recently reposted a transphobic meme and couldn’t even attempt a sincere apology, I hope we don’t get to see her at all in season 7. She can be explained away by Eddie mentioning her once and just saying it felt promising but she just wasn’t the one. I have no interest in see their relationship play out.

Buddie: In my opinion, the best match for Buck and Eddie will always be each other. The writers have their relationship set up as the perfect slow burn, friends to lover scenario. And even though they screwed up the finale a bit, they can easily correct their wrongs. Buck and Eddie’s chemistry is undeniable and having them end up together would play into their individual story lines so perfectly.

I need this relationship that has developed organically to flourish in Season 7.

I will continue to manifest Buddie and let me use this moment to state couch theory is not dead. Buck will just need to get rid of another couch.

[the-kr8tor]

KATY PLEASE HELP PEOPLE ARE SAYING IM PREGNANT IM NOT PREGNANT >:( Daily Hobie HC! Writers appreciation today (sorry artists hobie loves you too i swear) Whatever you write, Hobie's always your number one hype-man. He loves when you show your work to him and enjoys reading it. He'll even go so far as you cuddle with you on the couch with a blanket over your laps as he balances your laptop on his knee, reading intently while your head rests on his shoulder. He fiddles with his reading glasses, taking a break from contacts for the day and beginning to read your work. He'll pitch in ideas for some parts, and is the main mastermind behind the plot twists you two create for characters. You remember one time you managed to bring him to tears in his eyes with one paragraph, to which he buried his face into your hair with adoring praise on how it was absolutely astounding. He will even offer himself to be your personal grammar and spell-checker, reading through your work to point out minor mistakes and just proofreading it. Him pointing out mistakes rarely ever happens though, since Hobie's convinced that whenever you write, perfection is born. During the cold winter nights, Hobie envelops you from behind as he bundles the two of you in bed, his chin resting on your head with his arms covering your entire midsection, watching your fingers work away at paragraph after paragraph of intrigue and wondering, reading along with your words. At times, his hand will drift to yours, gently taking them in his own and massaging your palms, like how you do to him when he's done shredding his guitar. You lean into him whenever he does this, as he relieves the early cramps and spreads his warmth along your body. While he's rubbing gentle circles into the palm of your hand, he brushes his lips against your knuckles with feathery, light kisses, before asking what you had in mind for the plot. Hobie loved to listen to you ramble. You both would often spend hours upon hours just talking about possible plot points to make the story delve deeper into something to scramble a reader's brain or the opportunities for plot twists. Hell, once you both had made a pinboard with ideas and ways to fix minor plot holes, red string connecting them all as if it was a criminal investigation board. If you were writing anything which included minor lovey-dovey scenes, Hobie would be teasing you about it, either pointing out that it used to be him and you, or just randomly whispering 'make them kiss' throughout the day. When you would make the two characters kiss for the sake of just listening to Hobie and not to put in the story, he'd retaliate with a comment about it being pg, playfully pinching your side in response as you both laugh. Hobie chuckled as you slapped him lightly against his chest, deleting the small kiss scene, but not before you caught the words 'we should do that' slipping from his lips. As you turn to look back at him, Hobie's face is already close to yours as he steals a kiss from your lips with a mischievous chuckle, letting you turn back to your laptop screen to hide your flustered expression. If he feels that you've been staring too much at the screen on your desk, Hobie will shamelessly lift you out of your seat and throw you over his shoulder. He'll place you onto the bed, before laying himself across you with an expression akin to a satisfied cat. No matter how many times you protest, Hobie will not let you get up until you've had a break and a nap. Once you fall asleep, he'll pull a blanket over the two of you and pull you close to his chest, carding his fingers through your hair with absent-minded humming. And when you wake up? Hobie's the one asleep, holding you snugly into his arms like a plush toy. Of course, his grip is still loose enough for you to easily get out, but do you really want to know? After seeing how adorable he looks with his cheek smooshed into the pillow and his eyes closed so peacefully. -🐦‍⬛

Put a balloon inside your shirt and pop it in front of them and scream and cry like your actual baby popped inside that'll show them

Daily Hobie HC ❤️❤️❤️

YES OUR TURN!

This is what I'm talking about!!! No one is talking abt how lonely it can be to write sometimes :( like I'd write for 3 hours straight in absolute silence (not even hozier can fill the void) and start thinking abt how lonely that was

Man I miss having my best friend read my stuff :(

Nonetheless, I would not want someone right next to me reading while I write lmaooo that sounds nerve wracking!! But if it's hobie tho 🤭🤭

HAHAHAHHA 'make them kiss' me @ myself every time I open my doc

'we should do that' HELL YEAH WE SHOULD HOBIE

Pleaseeee I need Hobie to massage my aching wrists and take a nap with me after writing 🥹🥹

You got me yearning once again!!

[eomayas]

hi! if you're still taking requests, may i request a baekhyun angst writing? i'll leave it up to you as long as it doesn't involve sickness or de*th :) thank youu~

a/n: hi, thank you for the request and your patience, as well as your support! i’m not the best angst writer and don’t really know how good or concise this is, so sorry for any mistakes. hope you like it 💕 (i’m also really bad at ending all of my stories so bear with me)

broken promises • bbh [req]

pairing: idol!baekhyun x f!reader

genre: angst

warnings: angst

“so this is it?” he asks, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped in front of him. his eyes shine with tears that he is trying not to let fall.

you shrug. “i cant keep doing this, baekhyun,” you sniff, wiping under your eyes with the sleeve of your shirt. his eyes stay locked on the floor, as if a solution to fixing your relationship will spew from the carpet.

baekhyun can’t even remember how you two ended up here. one minute, he was walking in the door and the next you were telling him that you wanted to break up. his brain turned off after the word left your lips, and all he could hear was the echo of your voice in his head saying “i’m done”. “done” as in with him, with your relationship, with waiting on him, with waiting for him. simply just done, over it.

he tried to salvage it, begged you to see it through. tried to reason with you that he’d be better, he’d make more time for you, that he loved you. but he’d fallen short on so many of the promises of the past, that his words went in one ear and out the other for you.

you never wanted it to get to this point, but it started to feel inevitable. he was gone a lot—you knew that’d be the case when you agreed to be his girlfriend. you practically signed up for it. and it was fine, you could deal with it as long as he came back to you, and made time for you. he held up his end of the deal, coming right home to you once he was finished with his schedules, reserving time—days—just for you, turning off his phone and ignoring calls from his friends.

he did it all, until he stopped. he got comfortable—all it took was you saying it was fine that he saw some friends once, to let him forget about you completely. those days turned into mere hours turned into quick hellos and goodbyes. you lived alone half of the year, and it started to feel like he was just there to sleep on the days he was back from his schedules. there were barely any signs that he lived with you beyond his clothes in the closest. anyone could come over and assume that you lived alone, and they wouldn’t be entirely wrong.

you gave him the benefit of the doubt every time. you convinced yourself that he’d see you when he got the chance. but he never made time, so the opportunity never arose. it got to a point where you were lucky to even hold a conversation with him for longer than a few minutes.

bakehyun was a stranger in your house. it felt odd to even see him sit in the chair across from you. it’s probably the first time it’s ever been occupied by him.

“y/n, please,” he begs. he doesnt even know what he’s begging for—another chance, reconsideration? understanding?

you shake your head. “no, baekhyun. i cant be with you anymore,” a single tear falls out of his eye and drags down the length of his cheek, curving down his jaw before dropping onto the wood floor.

this day wasn’t supposed to happen. these words were never supposed to leave your mouth. and nothing could have ever prepared baekhyun for it, not even if it was telegrammed to him, or if the signs were always there.

baekhyun sniffs and finally lifts his head to look at you, and feels like crumpling all over again, because you’re no longer his. the woman across from him is now a stranger, somebody he once had and took for granted.

he wants so badly to touch you one last time, to hold and to kiss you to commit to memory. he needs something to hold onto, to remind himself it wasn’t always like this, but maybe it has been and he’s been too blind to see it. “i can be better,” he sniffs, pushing his hair back from his forehead.

you shake your head. you once had better, had the best from him. it’s hard to believe that he could ever be that same man again. “baekhyun, it’s over,” and it kills you to keep saying it, because every time the words leave your lips it becomes more real. your life with baekhyun is unfolding in the worst possible way.

it’s helpless now. any words he says will be like grasping at straws, and he’s run out. he’s run out of chances to make things better. and he’ll curse himself forever for losing the one thing in his life that meant the most, all because he couldn’t read the signs that were right in front of him.

[emotionallychargedtowel]

10 comfort shows

I was tagged by @imlivingformyselfdontmindme for this thing. Thanks! The instructions are simple: "List 10 comfort shows and then tag 10 people." But I'm not a big tagger, and a lot of folks I know have done this already. If you haven't, though, and you're interested, please do!

The instructions said "10 comfort shows" not your favorite 10 comfort shows or the ones you watch the most often. So I made a list and I picked the ten that I immediately thought of something to say about. i'm all about comfort viewing and watching things repeatedly so I had to leave quite a few things off of this list.

Future Boy Conan

I've lost count of how many times I've seen this series. It really is one of the most life-affirming, wholesome (in the real way) pieces of media I've ever encountered. The first time I saw it, I went into it expecting to see a fairly run-of-the-mill anime series with some early glimmers of Miyazaki's aesthetic and themes. But it's a frickin' masterpiece. Themes and visual mannerisms you see throughout Miyazaki's career are already here, full-blown, but it's also distinct from his other work in a way that makes it feel really fresh even if you've gone through his whole movie oeuvre. Mostly it just always has its heart impeccably in the right place.

Pride and Prejudice (1995)

Don't talk to me about that movie. This is the adaptation against which all others must be measured. Faithful as heck to the book in most respects (we won't talk about Wet Darcy either), with an incredible cast, not to mention the costumes, set design, and locations. Watching this miniseries as a teenager could be the reason I'm still obsessed with shows and movies where half of the story is told through meaningful glances.

To My Star (1&2)

I really lucked out having this show as one of my first BLs, except that I nearly squandered the opportunity because I wasn't paying close attention and missed a lot of the subtle details. And this is a show that is full of really subtle details! Talk about telling a story through meaningful glances. There's a lot going on on a nonverbal level in this one. It helps that the leads have such a great, nuanced kind of chemistry together and both just seemed to show up for these roles ready to dig deep and be present. Thank goodness I went back and rewatched this one after that first attempt! I know for some folks the second season premise was really painful, but I found it to be completely worth it in the end. I'd happily watch a third season if they made one. In the meantime, I continue to rewatch both series (sometimes in movie form) regularly and I notice different things each time.

Spaced

This show was there for me at a time in my life when I needed comfort shows the most, when I was rebuilding my life after the abusive relationship that consumed most of my 20s. It's usually described in terms of the various pop culture references it uses, the movies the director and one of the co-writer/co-stars went on to make, or in some kind of generational terms as representing a demographic.

But I don't think those things are what make it interesting and rewarding. I guess the thing it boils down to at the end of the day is that it's very much a found family story. And an unconventional love story in which the two leads may or may not get together--after the series--but no matter what type of relationship theirs turns out to be, it will have changed them both for the better. In the meantime they’re facing their fears, honestly fixing their mistakes, and broadening their horizons, and they’re always lovable while being riddled with personal flaws.

Also, after having been raised on Coen Brothers movies and coming of age during the heyday of The Simpsons, I'm a sucker for a really quotable piece of media.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979)

When it comes to adaptations, I usually have a strong preference for one while writing off the others. In this case, there are things I appreciate about the Tomas Alfredson film that this adaptation doesn't do as well, but this version has a great deal to say for itself too. The adaptation really captures Le Carré's voice, the cast is incredible, and the whole miniseries just has this wonderful pervasive tone to it that's not like anything else. (The soundtrack is unobtrusive but very effective, and it has a lot to do with that.)

I don't know if it's the fact that this series came out when I was a toddler and has the look and feel of a lot of shows my parents would watch on PBS when I was a child (heck, I bet they watched this very show on PBS), but this suspenseful spy thriller makes me feel relaxed as hell. Having seen it a ton of times helps, too. There's never anything resembling a surprise. But even if this type of series doesn't feel like your childhood and even if you're going to be surprised right and left by the plot, I think it's an incredibly well-constructed piece of work that almost anyone could enjoy.

Emma (2009)

I'm very picky about my Austen adaptations. Emma has been adapted quite a bit, and I've found at least something to like about every version I've seen. But this is the best one by a good margin. I always love Romola Garai in anything, and she's lovely here--assertive, vulnerable, annoying when she should be and charming the rest of the time. She does a wonderful job portraying all of the subtle gradations of self-awareness that build in Emma throughout the story.

But I think the decisive factor has to be the screenplay and direction (not to mention other behind-the-scenes aspects). The folks behind this version just seem to have prioritized capturing the subtleties of the novel more than others. There are a few points where this is particularly apparent. One example is how this adaptation treats Frank Churchill. The 2009 version of Frank shows what a capricious, moody, immature person he is, but it also shows his good nature and the ways he tries to be open (in the novel, he attempts to tell Emma about his engagement to Jane Fairfax on multiple occasions and mistakenly believes she understands him). Hewing to the novel makes for a more complex, engaging character than the two-dimensional cad most other adaptations make out of Frank. The portrayal of the Box Hill incident is another example. This version of Emma has the most uncomfortable, unsparing rendering of Emma's insulting comment to Miss Bates that I've seen, but it also tempts us to laugh along with Emma. The scene in the novel is exactly the same way--it's complicated and makes us acknowledge our ambivalence. This adaptation keeps all of these strands alive in the story and the miniseries is better for it.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

It's weird looking back now on how BtVS seemed back when it was new. Our standards were different for a reason. TV really wasn't as interesting or as progressive as it is now, and the range of both was narrower. Having a cishet white dude showrunner who would willingly utter the word "feminism" seemed like a remarkable piece of good fortune. And of course, we didn't know what was going on behind the scenes.

I imprinted on this show like a baby chick back then. It's not really possible for me to be objective about it. If I think it's good, how much of that is its actual quality and how much is the fact that it seemed like such a gift back then compared to what we were all used to? Well, some of it at least was actual quality, but I can't tell how much. So this show is special to me partly because it's grandfathered in due to circumstances and partly because it's actually good.

I remember when it seemed wild to me that there were people who could talk about  a TV show and discuss episodes by title. BtVS was the first show I did that with myself. Eventually, it didn't seem that remarkable. Basically, this was the show that made me into a fan.

This is another show that was there for me after my abusive relationship ended. I remember at times when I was lonely (which happened a lot; not only was I newly single, I also had to start almost entirely from scratch when it came to friendships) I would look at my little dvd binder thingy with my pile of Buffy discs and tell myself, "If all else fails, I have all these shows to watch until things improve."

She-Ra

There’s that found family theme again! How could you go wrong with a story that starts with foundlings raised by a witch and a clone soldier to fight in their evil army, then follows them as they slowly get their consciousnesses raised and find their own identities and meaningful connections? It's a remarkably subversive and deeply queer show. We were in a miniature golden age for high-quality, politically progressive, LGBTQ+ friendly American animated series for a while there, and this show was not only a part of it but a particular highlight. It's been tapering off for a while now and it's sad to see it come to an end, but at least we got shows like this one and we can keep watching them and introducing people to them.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

I don’t know why a series that’s so steeped in existential dread feels so cozy to me, but it does. Well, I guess it’s because the show is about finding your people, your coping strategies, and the unapologetically weird little hobbies that will help you to muddle through war, loss, spiritual crises, and the challenges of long-term love.

That, and it reminds me of my mom.

A lot of ink has been spilled over this series so I won't try to explain beyond that why it's so special. But I will say that it is absolutely the best Star Trek series. It's unpopular with a certain type of fan, but those philistines dislike it for exactly the same qualities that make it so great.

Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger

I'm indecisive and bad at picking favorites, so I'm not sure what I'd consider my favorite tokusatsu series or even just my favorite sentai series. Zenkaiger would rank pretty high up there in both at the very least. But this is a list of comfort shows, not favorite shows or the best shows, and that's a category in which Zenkaiger is completely unbeatable. It's hopeful, funny, idealistic, and more than anything, definitely the sweetest toku show I've ever seen. It's also easy to pick a random episode and watch it out of context because of the villain-of-the-week thing (not that the larger-scale arc of the series wasn't also compelling).

This is yet another found family show. Families of origin are still very important in the series. The central characters are all trying to find, help, or learn about one or more of their family members. But it's also about blending your found family and your family of origin into a group so inclusive that it includes aliens and robots.

I'm only picking one gif for each show on this list except for this one. I couldn't pass up having one for Kaito, one for Stacy, and one for Zox.

(Edited to add: I switched out the three gifs here for a single replacement because I realized two of the ones I originally used were made by someone who requests that others not repost them.)

[fayedartmouth]

I totally agree with 'Because I was totally fine with how dark they took JJ -- and that he was making mistakes and unraveling.  But they completely failed to put him back together' because even with Rudy leaving that could have been a much better closure than how decided to leave it. JJ is - has always been - impulsive and reckless. He's wild and emotional and fiecely loyal, which makes him a danger to himself as much as whatever situations was around him. I always expected JJ to unwind, for dark thoughts and mindsets to throw him off course - he's been rejected by family, he;s been abused, he's lost so much, and was still losing things - things being taken from him. That was always going to mark him, and at some point he was going to break, there were so many missed opportunities , which is really hard to ignore - like JJ seeing his dead mother in the crypt, I mean that is TRAUMATISING, and I just thought , hell- he's being locked in a crypt with a bunch of dead bodies, including his mother??? That's a panic attack right there, I'm telling you.

One thing I will approve of, even if it was such a fleeting moment, was Mike actually sticking up for JJ for once - despite the animosity he usually shows JJ, Mike didn't think for one second that JJ could kill anyone, and I like to think that he's intervention with the deputy and his gun was as much for JJ as it was Kiara. I had always hoped that the writers would have explored more of a dynamic between Mike and JJ. I also held out hope for JJ and Shoupe's dynamic, especially when there were little tidbits here and there - I mean Shoupe genuinely seemed to want JJ to keep out of trouble, after taking John B in, and then with the attention he was giving JJ after, I let myself believe this meant something, that even if it was just a professional attention, it would bring JJ's emotional turmoil to his attention, and like your post/prompt idea about JJ's breakdown during the town council and the resulting riot, I had really hoped that we got to see some understanding that JJ was in need of help. I'm glad that Shoupe got a chance to show them all that he didn't think the pogues, or JJ, were actually responsible, I just wished that we got more of it, and as a result, JJ getting to to know that were older people - older father-figures - who he could trust. I'd like to think that Shoupe, post this season, upon knowing JJ's fate, goes hard for Groff.

Well, rant over, at least I have your wonderful writing and fics to compensate.

I still have to think that killing JJ was a last minute thing that they simply didn't work into anything they established in S4 at all. They started too many plot points -- just to drop them randomly. It made almost no sense.

Because yeah, the set up in S4 was for JJ to finally get over some of his issues and to figure out who he was. You can't put a character through all that and then kill him. And I mean the whole part about his mom -- and none of his friends came to support him. And he was just expected to be okay. After he finds out Luke's not his dad. After he sees his mother's corpse. After Groff tries to kill him.

There's no part of JJ that could possibly be okay. I think Shoupe is going to get the legal stuff all cleared up on the back end in S5 -- and JJ was probably originally supposed to be a big part of that -- until, well, you know.

I also think we were gonna see Mike and Anna come around on JJ but again. Things changed. The writing was so bad that it's the only thing that accounts for the complete lack of logic.

I am glad my writing can help if only a little! The show left so much to be desired and I can't leave JJ behind just yet. So I'll keep fixing him as best I can.

[yuniex07]

but Welch made Tav dialogues choices based on pro ascension is all about seeing Astarion as sex object. That’s the problem. Welch already decided all Tavs who chose ascension see Astarion as sex object. Welch only talked about sex object regarding Ascended Astarion.

The way this writer tried to " teach " a lesson was pointless from the begining tbh. From the begining Astarion makes a lot of induendo to the Player character, offers, and pushes for the player to agree to have sex with him. His double meaning banter/aiding lines. EVERYTHING about the character is sexualised. It makes sense this person was only in charge late in the development of the game because the way your character react at that point of the story makes no sense!

Personally, my experience was this one:

Got interested in baldur's gate from tiktok videos, and some mentions of the game from my FC companions in FFXIV. OFC i got moslty non context thristy Astarion videos on tiktok and you know what? i was not interested in him at all . I was like, "why are people simping for him? he looks old, ugly, the guy with a beard looks better, but isnt my type either, might go for one of the girls first" (oh that poor past version of me would probably laught at my present version)

So i played the game without context, and not even liking Astarion's looks. I consider myself a pretty impartial person leaning towards what i consider fair and just, having no experience in DND, my character would be more like a neutral good character of sort? (tbh, i don't see the point of having aligments when the choices of a person will depend on soo many variables. The trolley dilema anyone? )

Anyway, i fell, HARD for this pixelated man, because of his charisma, his sassy comments and his attitude. As he was undercovering more about him, i was more and more facinated, I was struggling with his approval, because even tho i wanted to romance him, i was still making the choices that i considered right! (which people usually relate to being a good character) Long story short, he did proposed at the party and i was able to romance him. My character wanted to help everyone and she did. The game portraits the ritual as somehing that will realy improve his life with no downside for him(not talking about the cost here).

So when getting into the ritual, analizing all the information the game game me up to that point, not knowing what will happen after, and thinking on all the posibiliies of this decision. I could only conclude that 7000 spawns were too dangerous to be liberated, Astarion would be free from his master and from all the vampirism downsides, and he had wanted from the begining the power to take his own decisions and mistakes, own his life and his body. (the persuation check being only for Astarion and non of the other companions was interesting... i would not try to persuade him to do something he was asking for from the begining) He had the full support of my character. And i was happy after the ritual, he sounded confident and finally able to act without fear.

So when the long rest scene played i was put off by the dialog choices and TAV's expressions(they fixed them now but not during that time) my character seemed like trying to lecture him and put the blame of a decisison they BOTH agreed only on him(same from the companions like what?? i did it too you know?? why are they angry at him but not me?) then the "spicy" scene happened (it was a pleasant surprise for me i had no idea it was from this route so it proves once again that not everyone Ascends him just because you want to sexualize him) If you think about it, is not even THAT sexual when compared to other companions is pretty tamed.

In conclusion, that writer has some several issues that needs to be addresses and tried to use the game to try to feel better with themself or scape remorse from all the social opportunities they missed for not been able to socialize properly and idealize fiction over reality durning their younger years.

[yanderelovlies]

✨Galaxy Anon ✨ here!

*sees requests are open and slams hand down* Vivi! I want a order of that one prompt that I made that time of reader in love with Joseph and Joseph dates them only for reader to find out Joseph only done it for peer pressure, reader saves him and dies, reader recarnted and Jack appears through tape and tries to win reader love but reader knows it’s Joseph and refuses. Optional if Jack finds out later or when they meet reader again immediately if he finds out reader old identity years from years ago when he was Joseph. Angst and Fluff endings included. * fixes table* sorry for the rash action it’s just a rare opportunity for me. But take your time on this one I know it’s a long one. That’s also why you don’t have ten requests from me right now lol.

Vivi don’t make me cry! You’re gonna make me cry waterfalls!

Yeah I felt the same, I felt there was something maybe it lacked but nothing to that degree that it had a fucking hashtag. I hope so too and we gotta respect sauce decision not to go after those people since they don’t want that and wants to leave it behind.

Pfft that would’ve scared me since unless they looked and acted so good and sweet I wouldn’t ask since I be petrified to seem stupid.

Makes sense, old habits die hard and I’m living proof of that. Happy to make your goal achieved!

I felt more it was like I couldn’t talk to my mom about it and I was very naive so I wondered what happens on social media and I got into my first serious phase fandom that time and wanted to talk to people about it. Yeah I made some mistakes and glad they never truly bit me in the butt to this day though it could’ve have easily been otherwise. Same we both swimming in our tanks, with horrible memory that fails us.

Oh yeah, I heard of those friendships. They sound bad and unfortunately knowing how long you been friends for until breaking it off yeah I can see why it take a toll on you. Yeah I’m glad you rejected it though you need to stay away if they’re affecting you that badly. I can feel you on friend trouble just I was the expendable one. It felt more like I was an outsider looking into a group of friends rather than my own. It really affected me later in life and why I was so scared and even clingy to people I made friends with online since I was scared to be forgotten. Vivi you’re making me blush awww!

Galaxy my love you can send as many as you would like I don't mind 💕 I'm having a bit of writer's block, and seeing everyone's prompts really help me 💕

Would you like some hugs?? I love giving hugs 💜.

IT HAD A HASHTAG?! THE FUCK?? I don't like that at all. Aaahhh poor Sauce! Criticism is one thing, but to make a hashing??

She was one of that cool teachers who was strict when she needed to be, but most times she didn't care as long as your work was done.

Oh trust me too. 💕💕

Young me took advantage of the that I didn't have parents around. Along with my older siblings being bad influences. I saw things a child shouldn't have, and other unfun things. It never bit me too hard, but it did leave an impact. Also it's a good thing we have a spacious bowl! .....I think.

I know that feeling too well. When we got out of high school we had plans to move in together, but thanks to bad decisions I had difficulties getting a job to help pay for it. So without talking to me they got the apartment,and moved one of their brothers into my place. After that it never felt like I was their friend anymore. I was just watching them have fun. I have to remind myself that people don't wanna talk to me 24/7. I haven't balanced it out yet but I'm getting there. Being forgotten is my second biggest fear. It gives me panic attacks.

I'm only telling the truth 💕

[douchebagbrainwaves]

STARTUPS AND CHARACTER

Thump, thump, thump. If they seem to be a mistake. Apple's not going to get tagged as spam. The word is used more often in the former than the latter sense, probably because ugly solutions are more common than brilliant ones. Don't have multiple people editing the same code, because it changes too fast for that to be possible. Either it's something they felt they had to do was wait, and the doctors figure out what's wrong. The best notebooks I've found are made by a company called Miquelrius. But all art has to work on a recipe site began by asking should we fix payments, or build a recipe site? If you want to buy a nice CD player, you'll probably be disappointed, because it's an artifact of the way to the press, but other founders hear about it, but my guess is that it also means there's no such thing as better, it doesn't seem American.

If you want to know what they're going to get tagged as spam. And yet bullshit does have a distinctive character. They're not very common, but the word madam never occurs in my legitimate email, and whatever was found on the site could be included in calculating the probability of the containing email being a spam. That will tend to bet wrong. I read was so electrifying that I remember exactly where I was at the time. And the reason so many people think of property as having a single unchanging definition is that its definition changes very slowly. In either case, repulsive or idiotic as the spam seems to us, it is not entirely good��that what I need them for is distraction. The trick I recommend is to take yourself out of the default grind and go live somewhere where opportunities are fewer in the conventional sense, but life feels more authentic. When someone from corp dev, is the group within companies that buys other companies. One cooperative project that I think of all the things we could have done that we didn't.

First, this mail probably wouldn't get through the filters. Let me conclude with some tactical advice. 9027. The culmination of my career as a writer of press releases was one celebrating his graduation, illustrated with a drawing I did of him during a meeting. No one would know what side to be on this list, we can get the response rate is abominably low at best 15 per million, vs 3000 per million for a catalog mailing, the cost, to them, because I wasn't looking for it. There are no shops on the island and you won't be able to try out software online. You don't have to choose? Now the results seem inspired by the Scientologist principle that what's true is what's true for you. There is such a thing as Americanness. But by works I mean something more subtle than when they can get away with being nasty to.

Thanks to Geoff Ralston, Sam Altman, and Paul Buchheit for their feedback on these thoughts.

[sassypotatoe1]

So today I got a verbal warning because of how I've been messing up a lot lately, and because I'm like capital s Struggling™ and don't know how the next few months will go after I get my meds adjusted tomorrow, I've been fantasizing of different career paths that isn't journalism because how things are looking now, I might not have a space in this industry for very long because of my health and disability status, and not in a discriminatory way either like just genuinely I can't maintain this job long term based on trends over the last two years, even when I'm managing my health perfectly.

I'm not going to be stupid and just quit and give up, it was a verbal warning and my boss and her boss are incredibly understanding and supportive people, but I no longer see a future for myself in this industry because of the way that it is structured, and I don't have the energy or ability to enact reform on a large scale.

So I will continue to work for this job until I physically can't anymore, or get fired because I messed up too many times, and in the meantime I'll explore other options. As side jobs I can bake, which means I can sell to home industry stores and make some money. I can garden if I have the time, so I can sell excess vegetables and propogate house plants and sell them to the local grocery store. I can make clothes, so I can tailor and mend. I can both make art and teach it, so I can do art classes and commissions. I am still a writer, so I can pursue a career as a fiction author, and maybe even as a non-fiction author if the inspiration strikes.

If I'm doing really bad and get fired and the side jobs don't work out, I can work as a waitress or secretary while I work on my books and art, and I can keep working while they are reviewed by publishers until they are approved for publishing and I start making a large enough income off sales.

I have options, and it's incredibly sad that I might have to leave journalism behind, but I have to consider the sustainability of a career in journalism, and based on the last few months it's really low. I love the job for the most part. I have a unique opportunity to support and uplift my community through my journalism, and I get to meet and know so many interesting people, but if it's going to come at the cost of my health and with the constant panic and fighting over mistakes that happened because of my disabilities and health issues, that to me is not a big deal but to everyone else seems to be the end of the world, I don't know if I even want to keep doing it.

I had dreams of becoming a press ombudsman one day, but now I see that the industry cares more about the bottom line and keeping readers happy than actually doing any sort of good, and it's not a flexible industry with room for mistakes, and I'm becoming decently disillusioned. I have other ways that I can make a difference, I don't need to be a journalist to help my community or inspire people or provide information that empowers. I can do private citizen journalism if it gets down to it and I feel like taking it up again, but the way I'm feeling about it right now it might be a long time before I touch the industry again if I quit or get fired.

And again, I'm not going to be stupid and hand in my notice now, it's a fixed job with an admittedly terrible but secure income, and I'd be going from employed but horribly depressed and unhealthy to unemployed with no guaranteed income if I do, so I'd rather work on side projects while I keep trying to do this job and quit when those projects prove fruitful.

There's also a strong possibility that adjusting my medication will make me functional again and I'll be back to not wanting to kill myself every time a reader gets pissed and calls me unprofessional because I got the time keeper at a race wrong, and I won't be as forgetful and dysfunctional to get it wrong in the first place, but I do feel I have to at least consider other possibilities and options.

And I'm writing this half to organize my own thoughts about this whole situation, and half to let others know that there are always options. If you're struggling, there are other things you can do if something doesn't work out. It's not necessarily the best course of action to give up on one thing without a guaranteed fallback, but if it gets down to it you can do something else. Passions change, dreams change, your needs change and so do your abilities. There is no shame in giving up one thing, as long as you don't stay down and give up on everything forever. You have options.

[bangfantanfic]

Bring The Fire: character intro

Warnings: Mentions of blood, theft, mutilation and violence. 

Princes; Hoseok & Yoongi

others; PJM&KTY // KNJ // KSJ // JJK 

chapter one

“I didn’t realise our standards seemed so low, Hyung.” The younger prince frowned playfully, making the elder roll his eyes. 

“I told you, if you want it done right do it yourself.” The scarred boy reminded, his feline shaped eyes narrowed at the well dressed man ahead. 

The two perfectionists stood with arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Despite their high status, the brothers had worked hard to get what they wanted. They could have easily ridden on their fathers coat tail and got what they wanted, but they had decided they wanted to be praised for actually doing well. 

And yet, here they were losing all their glory to a stable boy. 

“I didn’t think he had the guts to go against us.” Hoseok admitted, fascination coating his words. 

They had struck up a deal with the young boy, but it wasn’t going the way they had wanted it to. Not only did the boy mess up and change their work, but he took all the credit. The peasant couldn’t even read, how in God’s name was he writing poetry? 

“This was all your idea.” Yoongi sighed, licking his lips as he watched the peasant lap up the attention. “You fix it.” 

The younger sighed dramatically, but agreed. He was younger after all, he didn’t get to deny his elders. Besides, it was true. This was his mistake, he should be the one to take care of it. 

Besides, he knew his brother would be there helping him. The marred boy could never turn down the opportunity of violence. 

“You did well, stable boy.” Hoseok praised, a warm smile on his lips. 

The young boy shrank back, his malnourished body quivering. “T-thank you Sir.” 

Hoseok nodded, leaning against the wooden posts.The stables was one of his favourite places to go, once he could get past the smell of shit.

 He waved his fingers, silently telling the boy to go back to his job. He quickly obeyed, the teen rushing to clean out one of the many horse stalls. 

“A shame you didn’t mention anything about the writers.” The prince sighed, playing with the ends of his long dark hair. “You’re very lucky I’m far more lenient than my brother.” 

The boy turned, eyes wide. He attempted to spit out an excuse but his tongue betrayed him. Instead his head dropped in shame. 

“But unfortunately, not lucky enough.” Hoseok continued, pushing off the wall and sauntering over to the short boy. “My older brother saw it all.” He admitted, tsking. 

The stable boy wheezed, seeming to have lost the ability to breathe as he dropped to his knees. His back crumbled over, laying in a bowing position as apologises spewed past his dirty lips. 

Hoseok rolled his dark eyes, glancing over his shoulder with a grin. “Oh dear boy, it’s far too late for that now.” 

Yoongi traipsed into the stables, a disgusted look painting over his usual disinterested expression. The shorter brother rarely ventured to the stables, or outside at that. He rathered the comfort of his room and bed. 

Hoseok glanced at his brother, quirking an eyebrow at the small blade in his pale hand. The elder shrugged, holding the handle out. 

“I want his tongue.” 

[bluiex]

Well if you want angst I can give you angst, as I am a chronic writer of hurt/no comfort I will never post.

Scar and Grian never recovered from double life, members of Hermitcraft were always used to their joking dynamic and frankly healthy relationship. No matter how many pranks Grian pulled or how many times Scar got them both killed, everyone around the duo would always know their relationship could never so much as be touched. Ever since the trust they built from the ground up in third life was formed everything between them seemed perfect. The couple even building their bases next to each other in every season, always around each other in general. Hermitcraft members joking in chat whenever they’d accidentally catch Grian and Scar sharing a romantic moment together thinking nobody was around.

Yet despite all of this, everyone watched it crash and burn after the two returned from double life. BigB and Grian’s little relationship had effectively shattered everything Scar had. He had thought everything was perfect, but the first night he caught Bigb and Grian in the games he could only find himself thinking through every mistake he possibly could have made to lead to this moment. Not once did he think that Grian was possibly in the wrong. Maybe Scar died one too many times, said the wrong thing and got on Grian’s last nerve, maybe he was too clueless and Grian got fed up. So many possibilities and yet it took finding Grian looking at BigB like he was the last person in the world to realize- maybe Grian did something wrong. Maybe Scar loved too hard and it finally caught up. Maybe Grian dove head first into an untruthful love burning their relationship, and left Scar behind with the ashes. It hurt and Scar had no goddamn idea what to do, it’s not like he could avoid his literal soulmate in a death game.

The second they got back to Hermitcraft though? Scar had the time to be spiteful. When he wasn’t fighting for his life and the man he loved at every turn, he had time to seethe and think and feel so many emotions he thought he’d never have to experience in a relationship with Grian. Grian realized a mistake too late when at every opportunity Scar was dodging every interaction possible with him. The man who he formerly would wake up next to every morning was instead doing project after project just to avoid him. Scar never dumped him directly, but Grian decided he didn’t need to verbalize it. Mumbo wouldn’t even comfort the avian, he knew he fucked up just as much as Grian did. And Mumbo wasn’t about to comfort a cheater, as much as he cared for Grian he knows there was nothing left to fix. All trust formed had shattered and they both knew Grian caused it. There wasn’t any laughter after a stupid prank or kisses of apology after Scar led them into an accidental death. Grian had realized after enough glares from practically everybody on the server, and enough nights in his cold and strangely empty bed that, well, there was nothing left for him to fix. -🎻

Im.. im not crying theres just somthing in my eyes *sobbing* breaking my heart in such a good way.. I love it sm. just Grian being so in the wrong and regretting every second of it. Scar getting to be sad, getting to be angry and upset about it. And everyone having his back for it. and Grian this time can't fix it, because he knows what he did was awful. So he isolates himself, for a long time, no one sees him. and when they finally do he is a fucking wreck. But people cant find it in themselves to care as muc has they should.. sure they're like you ok? and all that but don't offer help

[ejzah]

Can you write something about Deeks running into Whiting at the boatshed after she talks to Rountree? Opportunity missed by the writers.

A/N: Once again, this is long overdue. And yes, it seems strange that Whiting was brought back without ever interacting with Deeks. This takes place during episode 13x15, Perception.

***

Integrity

“Detective Whiting,” Deeks drawled, strolling into the boat shed where Ellen Whiting stood, one arm crossed over her chest, as she typed on her phone with the other.

He’d been surprised to hear that she was IA’s pick to represent the cops who stopped, cuffed, and pepper sprayed Rountree given her reputation. Though he knew you didn’t often get a choice as a public servant.

She glanced up, mouth morphing into a sarcastic smile. “Deeks. When they told me an agent would be escorting me out, I didn’t think they’d send you,” she said, sliding her phone into her pocket. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks. But, uh, it’s investigator, not agent.”

“Still an upgrade, right?” She shrugged.

“I suppose it is,” Deeks agreed with a soft chuckle. “So, you been keeping busy? Hunting down LAPD’s worst offenders?”

“It’s been kind of slow lately, but I could always bring you in for questioning, Deeks,” she said fake smile. “You know, for old time’s sake.”

Deeks drew a sharp between his teeth. “Yeah, as much as I enjoyed our…special talk, I’m gonna have to pass on that one. Besides, I imagine this case is going to take up all your toke for a while.”

Whiting grimaced at that, looking uncharacteristically ill at ease, tucking her already neat hair behind her ear.

“Hopefully not,” she said. “IA wants this dealt with quickly and as painlessly as possible.”

Now that did not sound good. How many times had his superiors swept Boyle and Steadman’s crimes under the rug? Rocking his weight onto one foot, Deeks faced Whiting seriously.

“You know, I saw Agent Rountree on my way in here. He wouldn’t say what you guys discussed, but he didn’t look very happy,” Deeks told her, examining her face for any tells.

“I asked him to meet with the officers in question and he refused,” she explained in a neutral tone.

“You asked him to talk to them during an open investigation?” Deeks shook his head. “Ellen, you know that’s blurring the line.”

“They made a mistake and you should know better than anyone what that’s like.” She gave Deeks a pointed look, perhaps expecting him to immediately shy away from the topic. “You were given a second chance and so do these men.”

“You’re right, I did make a mistake, but this is clearly different. Even if there was no malicious intent, these guys can’t just go around pulling over innocent people and treating them the way they did Rountree,” he insisted and she lifted her chin, unrelenting.

“Don’t you think that’s a little hypocritical?” Whiting asked, challenging him. Deeks just nodded.

“Maybe.” He let his agreement hang in the air. “But the Ellen Whiting I know would never take the easy or safe route. I know you to be someone who asks the hard questions and searches for the truth. You have integrity,” Deeks said softly. Whiting jerked slightly, eyes widening in surprise.

“Those are pretty flattering words,” she murmured. It was strange to see her anything less than caustic and uncompromising, but he didn’t back down.

“I mean it. Don’t let it change,” he urged her. “Keep that integrity and need for justice.”

Whiting looked down for a minute, then to Deeks surprise, she chuckled, she sound a little sardonic.

“Damn, I’m glad I never had to go up against you in court.” She nodded towards the door. “C’mon, I have some apologizing to do.”

***

A/N: I hope this was something like what you were looking for. I didn’t want to have Deeks run in as the hero to fix everything, but I feel like despite their tumultuous interactions, Whiting does trust and respect Deeks, just as he has some respect for her.

Thanks for the prompt!

[theweekinarrowfic]

Completed Arrow Multichapters on AO3, December, 2022

NOTE: I’m now crossposting to https://theweekinarrowfic.dreamwidth.org. Need more Arrow in your life? Why not try one of the multchapter fanfics recently completed by our talented fic writers?

Olicity

I get the sweetest feeling (that this is the start of something new) by StarlightDreamer21 (Oliver/Felicity, 3/3, 2022-12-01) - Felicity Smoak just moved to Starling City to start her new job at Queen Consolidated. It doesn’t take her long though to learn that her best friend, Thea, is the sister of the CEO. She moved here for new opportunities and adventures, but will she also find new love from the CEO who doubles as a 5 star chef?

I Object! by mindramblings (Oliver/Felicity, 2/2, 2022-12-25) - Oliver and Felicity were high school sweethearts, but they were torn apart by the distance adulthood brought to their lives. Despite the hurt and pain that it brings, Felicity is determined to face her past years later. So, she returns to Starling City...just in time for Oliver and Laurel's wedding. Memories bring out an emotional confession.

Other Arrow Ships

Arrow: The Paths To Tomorrow by HRwriter897, Onyon23 (Sara/Oliver, 23/23, 2022-12-09) - After the Crisis of infinite earths event, everything you thought you knew was changed. With the help of the one called The Specter, two individuals from Oliver’s life are given the chance to fix many mistakes and rebuild the world to be better prepared for what comes ahead.

Batgirl Sucks Cock by Batman_Batgirl_XXX (TottPaula) (Barbara Gordon/various including Barbara/Oliver, 4/4, 2022-12-22) - Batgirl thinks creatively to earn extra money to help finance her crusade in Gotham. She utilizes her best skill to earn a few benefactors. So how much cock could Batgirl suck if Batgirl would suck cock? Enough to finance her mission in Gotham as needed. Easy peasy. What millionaire would deny her request? An Arrowverse/ Batverse crossover. If Batman gets to eat pussy, Batgirl gets to suck cock!

What if...? by coldtime2000 (Rip Hunter/Leonard Snart, Sara/Leonard Snart, 33/33, 2022-12-15) - What if...? Fic What if...Would Rip have been married to Snart and not Miranda? After watching his husband die at the hands of Vandalo Savage, Rip Hunter decides to assemble a team to kill Vandalo and save the man he loves. But what if one of his team members is his husband? Only...this version of his husband is not yet his husband.

You can't be serious?! by Victoria832 (Natasha Romanov/Skye | Daisy Johnson; Felicity listed as character, 9/9, 2022-12-24) - When Skye gets the message that a friend of hers passed away Natasha is there to comfort her, to the surprise of her own team. May is starting to grow suspicious of their behavior. And then the two women just leave, leaving the team of three agents short and with lots of questions. A lot of Skye/Natasha

Touch Like a Memory by moonbeam (Oasiis) (Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Oliver and Dinah Lance listed as characters, 8/8, 2022-12-16) - Dick Grayson, an unclaimed Omega living under the protection of Alpha Bruce Wayne, spends most of his nights as Nightwing, protecting the people of Gotham from numerous threats. His life is relatively simple considering he's yet to break through his first Heat. But his entire world shifts when Dick stumbles upon an Alpha fighting/breeding ring and locks eyes with the mysterious Alpha 'Red'. He's determined to save Red, even if he doesn't fully understand why the urge is so strong, and with his family at his back to help him, he's sure to succeed. However, Bruce Wayne has had his eye on Dick for years in the hope of becoming his bonded Alpha and he doesn't take kindly to anyone that gets in the way. Notes: Set in the Gotham Knights (2022) game universe. This is a standalone AU in the series so feel free to skip to the next one if it's not your thing! <3

Altering The Calm by Phillipe363 (Sara/Oliver, 3/3, 2022-12-18) - Instead of the Olicity driven episode we got and starting so many issues, what if events went differently? What if the show followed a path of Oliver and Sara focused? How does one tiny difference along with other stuff making sense like Oliver caring about QC, change things? Find out.

Waverider Down by legendsstan19 (Sara/Ava Sharpe, 2/2, 2022-12-01) - Summary: When an SOS call goes out to everyone on Prime Earth they are confused why it’s the waverider when all of the sudden the waverider comes crashing down. Read as they help each other get the legends out and figure out what happened.

Любовь под названием «АваЛенс» by Bernyce_Kiuberty (Sara/Ava Sharpe, 28/28, 2022-12-15) - Какой будет жизнь, после свадьбы Сары Ленс и Эвелин Шарп? Единственное, что все знают точно - она не будет спокойной.

Sorry if you can by Bernyce_Kiuberty (Alex Danvers/Sara, Sara/Ava Sharpe, 2/2, 2022-12-15) - Всё началось с драки и закончилось свадьбой. В этом вся я. Хотите узнать кто моя избранница?

playboy, playboy by kapiushonnn (Oliver/Slade, 2/2, 2022-12-15) - Oliver Queen era el playboy más peligroso. hasta que se fijó en Slade Wilson. o pequeño estudio de Oliver Queen y algún que otro carácter en cuánto amor y Slade Wilson.

It's a Super Xmas Tale by AllyBP (Kara Danvers/Oliver, 4/4, 2022-12-22) - This is my annual SuperArrow Xmas story the introduction of a new crackship I believe many people will enjoy. ave fun and happy holidays.