#the writing in some of the older ones could be a bit better imo but i'm biased

[zukkaoru]

sits. hello grace. give me the top five fics ur most proud of

oh this is. so hard uhmm

1. (i am) the whisper of a memory - this has to be number 1. this is probably my favorite fic i've ever written. i don't want to spoil it but i made some risky stylistic choices and i think they really really paid off bc it turned out so good and i've had multiple people tell me it is THE megumi fic of all time and that is a badge i wear with great pride

2. the body i'm in - my akutagawa siblings character study fic!! also known as body dysmorphia: the fic. this fic was actually a really early idea i had shortly after i got into bsd so i'm proud that i not only managed to write it but also that i was happy with how it turned out after daydreaming about it for so long

3. alive & free (look at me!) - i've only had this fic finished for about a month but. wow. i really wrote 22k words about two characters i previously hardcore struggled with in one week. there's something so very wrong with me but at least it's mildly entertaining for a handful of people on the internet

4. the things all come and gone - my geto with sleep issues character study fic!! this got way longer than i expected but i think it turned out so well and i had so much fun writing it

5. this ultraviolet morning light - i think this one has to go on the list bc it's the longest fic i have published sitting at a pretty 86k words and i still can't believe i actually did that

honorable mentions: to know i am real (yuki & riko canon divergence au) brushed pink with false fire (utahime character study ft. shokohime) of all the stars, the fairest (mailee fake dating) a little bit of you & a little bit of me (modern au jinora character study)

[claudthecat]

Writing Young Children's Speech in Fanfiction

I'm a bit obsessed by this topic, and it's a pet peeve of mine when reading fic. I'm hardly a children's speech and language therapist, but I've worked with a lot of kids of different ages, so I feel quite confident to give some basics, if they're helpful to any of you!

Babies.

Newborn - 2 months

These are all involuntary sounds such as grunting, "squeaking", hiccoughing and of course, crying. IMO newborns have a very distinctive type of cry that can be quite piercing and is different from an older child's intentional shouting cry. They usually build momentum, starting as creaky sleepy grunts and then build to short burst noises, then a longer, more continuous sound. It is very hard to ignore!

2-4 months

These sounds are more intentional and social. They are vowels, usually "ah" sounds. Sometimes shrieks or screams in place of laughter when they're quite excited. "Cooing" happens at this age.

4-6 months

There's a stage of self exploration here that brings about some new sounds. "mmmm" "buh" "duh" and etcetera. Crying is also more social here - they have learned that this "type" of noise get's a response, so they can imitate an actual cry for some help with something. You might see some frustrated "uuuuuuh" or "aaaaaaah" cries if they can't reach something, or more angry sounding crying when left alone.

6-9 months

This is proper babbling. "mamamama" "dadada" "gagagaga" etc. It'll be a real PITA to read if you write it out like that too much, but that's the vibe. They can also associate sounds with things, even if they don't make sense to us when they point and babble. Some children acquire language faster than others (the trope is that they might develop motor skills over social skills or the opposite, though this isn't a hard and fast rule). It's around this age that you can get away with a genuine "mama" or "dada" without seeming like you've never met a baby before.

9-12 months

multisyllabic babbling and fast acquisition of words. Think "ah-ba-da-ah!" Nonsense words that could be words. They will have some words (your usual, "mama" "dada" "baba") and they will make up the rest in an imitation of adult conversation.

There will likely be some understanding between main caregivers and the baby about what they're referring to with certain sounds, for example "oh 'baba' is Aunty Marie, don't ask why" (and it actually can be, they consistently use that sound with that person, then they've named them)

(You will also get some gesture and signs between 6 and 12 months such as waving bye-bye or signing "book" even if they can't pronounce these words. Some parents actively teach their babies sign so they can better communicate. There's some evidence it can help with frustration and tantrums, which are often caused by an inability to communicate needs/desires)

12-16 months

Usually, this infant is mobile to some degree. Whether it's crawling, cruising around furniture, actual walking, or bum shuffling. They understand instructions and can carry them out (e.g. "bring me your ball" or "point to 'mama'"). You can have some degree of meaningful conversation at this point - for example "let's get dressed." "No!"

Useful and common words are "No!" "Mine" "Go" "Again/'Gen" etc

Sometimes they will have learned a phrase as a word, for example "One, two, three... go!" becomes "twofreego!" and maybe "twofreego" is now a request to do a specific action or "game" where this phrase is commonly used - maybe being thrown in the air.

If you want to give this infant a speech quirk, pick a sound that they struggle to make, then be consistent. For example, if they cannot make the "th" sound and instead use "d" you can get away with "dis!" or "dat?" Realistically, there will likely be a few sounds children struggle with here, but unless it's really relevant, I would say PICK ONE, because if you're writing all of them out and your fic isn't about a child literally in speech therapy, it's annoying to read.

16-24 months

This child can make sentences! "Who that?" "thas mine!" "go fast!". Some kids that are more advanced with speech might have a few three word strings.

They will make observations about the world and invite the people around them to give a response, for example "big dog!", "it's a train!" or "this my hat." Sometimes kids this age will do some "lalalala" singing to songs they like (it can be quite tuneless) and can learn nursery rhymes more or less - the younger end my only join in to say the last word, or the rhyme word.

2-3 years (Toddler/Preschooler)

This kid can talk! Multi word sentences (e.g. "let's go shops, Mummy!") and can follow more complex/meaningful instructions and grasp consequences ("Hold tight or you'll fall")

(at around 3 years, it's "why?" time!!)

Around here, I'm going to bring up the topic of self awareness and effective communication. A lot of the places I spot unrealistic dialogue in fanfic is a child who is too communicative of their distress. Even though they would be physically able to say the sentence that they author has given them, they are unlikely to have the self awareness to identify the emotion, or the calm rationality to understand that if they voice it specifically, they will get help. For example; you're unlikely to hear a toddler say "I'm sad" to an adult if something has hurt their feelings (some might! but that's quite uncommon!) What's more likely to happen is this;

Whatever altercation, maybe someone took their toy

Child cries

Adult attends to them. "What happened?" Some comforting, maybe they pick them up, or crouch next to them.

More crying, maybe some half baked "justice" based cries of "it's miiiiiiine!" might happen that are not actual responses to the adult's question.

Comforting until emotions are regulated (this is different contextually, but let's say around a minute, more or less)

Adult "Are you sad, or hurt?" (it's handy to teach this distinction!)

"Sad." (probably hiccoughing, hard to understand, but listening and actually attempting to answer questions)

and now they can have a conversation.

4-5 years (Reception/P1/Starting school)

Go wild now, this kid has full sentences. They are telling stories, making up things, lying, arguing, telling you "it's not fair!", showing off "look what I can do!" and can recognise and sometimes reliably write certain words and sounds. Particularly their own written name and short words like "cat" "mat" "sat"

Some common errors are pronouns (some kids will call everyone, regardless of gender "he" or "she"). Another common error is past tenses. They are good at pattern recognition, and so will apply the "-ed means past tense" rule to all words and will have to learn the exceptions manually. For example "I holded all of them". Similar with plurals such as "sheeps" and "gooses"

Here's an excerpt of 4/5 year old Remus Lupin talking to Lyall (child talking to father)

Hope slept eventually, but he knew Remus - who had wormed himself between them in the bed - was also wide awake, listening to the shouting and clanging outside as Rodger and Crouch detained the captured. He could feel Remus’ eyelashes tickling his shoulder as he blinked. 

“Are you scared?” Lyall whispered. 

“A little bit,” he confessed into Lyall’s arm. “But they won’t come in here?”

“No, they won’t come in here.”

“And we won’t go out there?”

“Not tonight. In the morning, when we leave.”

Remus was quiet for a while, long enough for Lyall to start drifting, before he tapped him on the arm. 

“Is the monster out there?” He mumbled, barely audible. Lyall turned over on his side to face him. “The dog monster.”

6-7 years

These kids are really chatty. They have a very vivid imagination and will spend a lot of time playing make believe. Fart jokes, toilet humour and slapstick are VERY funny to them. They can also make puns, particularly if they are quite advanced with language.

Some children around this age are quite able to read and can literally sit and read Harry Potter at seven years old. Other's will still be on picture books/simple comics and this is a fairly normal skill gap. A lot of it is down to concentration. Kids this age like books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid since it looks like a "proper book" and has full paragraphs, but has some comic sections which work as a "break".

They will be writing a lot, even if it doesn't make sense or read well. Making comics, drawing elaborate stories, writing "once upon a time..." and drawing dramatic dinosaur battles.

These kids like to feel grown up, responsible and helpful. They like to do "adult" tasks like chaperoning a younger student or trying to teach a pet a trick.

Kids this age are really quite able and can surprise you. They have a lot of drive and interest, and so if they want to be good at a particular thing, they can actually be average adult levels of good and it's believable. For example, children this age have genuinely trounced me at football (soccer) or have told me facts about space or dinosaurs that I actually didn't know at all.

8-9 years

Very similar to above, but they are now reliably developing emotional intelligence to use for good and evil.

Tantrums are much less common as they start to recognise their own emotions and what triggers them. They can also understand what triggers others, and tease and push buttons on purpose. You can have a philosophical conversation with an eight year old if they're interested and you phrase it accessibly.

10-12 years (hello, HP writers)

These children talk with proper grammar and sentence structure (unless you are adding a specific reason why their speech is delayed or different, like a stammer, lisp or disability). They have decent self control and work ethic/responsibility. Basically, they can keep themselves safe, clean and functional in a school context.

What they CANNOT do, is talk actual adult politics. This is jarring when you write your 11 year old Slytherins talking about blood politics UNLESS they are parroting a parent's beliefs.

Draco Malfoy will always parrot his father, for example. "Father says x person is going to be minister for magic" or whatever. He's not ACTUALLY keeping up with political candidates. He is looking for approval from his peers and is modelling his parents. To get kids at 11 years old accurate, you have to have a good characterisation of whoever looks after them/they look up to. They will basically behave like this person.

When talking about adult topics like war and politics, this will often seem fun, adventurous and exciting to them - they do not understand the gravity of what they're talking about, but like to feel important and as if they know "grown up" things. I'll include an excerpt from my HP fic that I think is a decent example of this.

“He’s incredible. This wizard who just came up out of nowhere and is doing what the Ministry is too chicken to do. My older brother’s going to join him, once he’s done his OWLs. It’s like an uprising. Or, it’s going to be, if he gets enough followers. He’s got the right idea - wizards are more powerful than muggles, we shouldn’t have to answer to them. We shouldn’t have to be held back, or go about in secret. We should have the right to rule.” Evan’s eyebrows were raised, but he did not object. 

Rabastan continued. “And my parents have been saying for years that something needs to be done about the mudbloods. They’re just a different breed altogether. And if we’re to have any hope of getting rid of the Statute of Secrecy, they can’t be part of it. They’re like muggles. They’re just different. Rodolphus says there’s more to being a wizard than doing magic, and he’s right. You can’t just go and buy a wand and turn up at Hogwarts and pretend you’re part of our world. It’s not right.”

Another thing of note is that they have quite a self centred view of the world. Here's an example of Remus talking to a healer from my fic and bungling the interaction. (child talking to a junior doctor that he already knows)

Devon caught his breath for a second and put his hand on Remus' shoulder, smiling benignly at him. “Glad it was you I saw. How embarrassing if I’d been wrong. How were your holidays?”

[...]

“Er, fine, I suppose. Thanks for asking… How was… How was yours?”

Devon cracked a wry grin. “No summer holidays for me, just work!”

Children this age suffer from a horrifying affliction known as Embarrassment. They are easily wounded, shamed and riled up and often quite justice focused (whatever their idea of justice is!)

Here's Severus and Lily in a scene where Severus is embarrassed (but unable to understand that this is what he's feeling, so it comes out as anger) and Lily is feeling unfairly attacked and has her sense of justice triggered. (Friends who are growing apart)

“Well, you know where to find me when you’re finished with your new friend .” He had intended the words to come out unbothered, but even Severus could hear the sneer in his own voice. He resolutely kept his face neutral when Lily reacted predictably. 

“Oh for Christ’s sake!” Lily took an advancing step, testing his resolve. “I’m allowed to have friends !”

He made no comment, simply raising his eyebrows, only serving to fuel her temper. Severus caught sight of Remus unobtrusively dusting off his school robe and leaving towards the Gryffendor common room. [...]

“Are you going to speak to me, or not!?” Lily’s raised voice attracted a few glances from passing older students. “If you’re going to be like that, you’d best be planning to speak to me properly.” 

“Fine!” He matched her, and took a step up to Lily. They were nose-to-nose. “I want to know why you’re hanging around with those boys anyway!? They’re idiots!”

“Hanging around what boys !?” Lily hissed at him. “First of all, who I speak to is my business - I suppose you’d like me to send you a letter every time I’d like to speak to someone from my own house!?” She poked him in the chest accusingly. “Secondly, I’m not hanging around with those boys - whoever they are - I was speaking to my friend . Shame I’m only allowed one at a time apparently!”

That'll do for now I think. Like I say, I'm by no means an expert on writing kids, so take this as a "the basics"!

[mermaidsirennikita]

Hi, sorry if this has been asked before but, regardless of trope, your favourite historicals of all time???? I was gonna say top10 or something but I read and love literally every one of your recs so top100 would work just as well <3

First off, thank you so much, you're too kind. I don't know if I can give you my Top 100 just yet (though I wish I could lol) but I CAN give you a good cluster ;).

It's been a whiiiile since I've thought of this, and it changes, so I'm happy to answer! I'm going to have some repeats, because I'm true my heart and some authors just write a good few bangers.

My top... 28, I think? In no particular order.

Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas—Easy answer, I adore this book, it changed the way I look at romance and it's so, so definitive re: my taste. Beautifully written, angsty (and kinda funny too), made me realize one of my core couple dynamics is "somewhat crazy woman and stern man who just doesn't know what the FUCK she's doing and is totally thrown off by her shit".

Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt—Another easy one, virgin hero (which I love) who's nonetheless quite stern, jaded older heroine (another thing I love—a jaded heroine), it has the Zorro masked man vibes, the high stakes, INSANELY good sex scenes that only Elizabeth Hoyt can write... And perfectly written angst that isn't magically resolved. Gorgeous gorgeous GORGEOUS.

Waking Up with the Duke by Lorraine Heath—Another angst machine, has a scene that never fails to make emotional, a crazy setup that turns out to be deeply emotional. Icy proper woman/secretly deeply pining rake. AINSLEY!!!!

Princess by Gaelen Foley—A recent favorite; supremely angsty, supremely sexy, supremely BONKERS. He feels unworthy, which, please, is crack to me. She's a literal princess, giggly and flirty and horny to the max. He's a good bit older, they've known each other for YEEEEARS (... literally all her life), he works for her father. It's very ILLICIT AFFAIRS. Everything I love.

The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley—Every single one of the first four Mackenzie books is a bANGER and this is the best one for me. I love a second chance romance. I love a growly hero and a heroine who absolutely owns him. I love that they've both been around the block (and have had sex before, three times, as he reminds her). Hart needed a woman who could MANAGE him and match his freak, and Eleanor is that. She boops his nose and he growls! He does a striptease for her! Perfection, even better if you've read the first three books.

A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean—Another one I read early in my return to romance, and I adore it. Bourne is the most dickish hero MacLean has written (imo) and Penelope is such a a sweet heroine who nonetheless doesn't put up with it. He has to work so hard to earn her love, as he should. I adore the childhood friends to at odds vibe, another thing I'm sooo into.

Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale—A pretty dark historical? Allegreto is CRAZY, Elena manages him perfectly. I love a good kinky romance, and this one is so, so sexy? The femdom is perfect, but it's also beautifully written and has a lot of deep themes. The fact that he thinks he's going to hell and she's like "Whatever, I'll go there with you". It has both corruption and redemption vibes.

The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe—One of the books I hyped to a ridiculous degree before it came out, and somehow it delivered on everything. Has a touch of kink (mostly through rough sex, biting, etc) but it's honestly so soft in many ways. Lockwood isn't a pushover or a cinnamon roll, but he does have so much heart and he falls so hard. Nellie being the resistant, rakish one delights me. It has a great world (we need more Gilded Age books). It's another one where everything isn't resolved PERFECTLY, and I love that bit of realism. Just a big sigh ROMANCE romance. "I'm keeping you, Eleanor" PLEEEEASE.

Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall—Definitely tonally an unconventional historical, but my God, I love it. It's so funny. It's one of the only nb/nb romances I've read, and I love that it's a historical. Definitely the only one that has a castrato soprano lead, and we should honestly have more because they FUCKED. Like. Read it up. Castrati FUUUUUUUUUCKED. It's really tender and it has one of my favorite climactic moments. A very unconventional ending that made me smile so hard.

What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long. Just a classic, perfectly written age gap romance. This one doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it hits everything it needs to hit perfectly. Has a great mix of humor, emotion, and heat.

Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas—While there are the classic Kleypas issues with depicting the Romani people and I do dock this book a little for that... Look. The romance aspects are perfect for me. I know that Kev is too angsty for some people, but I love angst and I love the childhood friend devotion and the feeling of unworthiness and Win being ridiculous horny and determined to have her own happiness. Has one of the greatest love confessions of all time. One of the best "the dam has broken and they are FUCKIN'" moments. Just GORGEOUS.

When the Duke Was Wicked by Lorraine Heath—Another one that gets me super emotional. I love the horrified realization Lovingdon has as he realizes that he's so attracted to Grace. The intense desire. The denial of his feelings soooo far into the book, even when it's painfully clear to everyone that he's madly in love with her. This book also is one of the best when it comes to dealing with the Dead Wife Question. Of course Lorraine pulls it off.

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall—Another one that's so unique and great and has amazing trans representation (at least to me, as a cis person, I could be wrong). It has this AMAZINGLY romantic moment that I always find SO FUCKING SWOONY. A great mix of old school vibes and modern sensibilities.

Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt—Truly bonkers. Maximus is my ultimate alpha hero; a dick, aggressive, super stern, super resistant to love. Artemis just isn't intimidated. There's a lot of angst in this book, and honestly? I find the fact that he is a dick and Hoyt isn't afraid of embracing that really admirable, from a writing perspective.

Between the Devil and Desire by Lorraine Heath—JACK DODGER I LOVE YOUR WORK. A perfect "rogue meets uptight lady" book (I hesitate to call Jack a rake because he pays for sex pretty much exclusively, but he's definitely roguish). There's a wonderful dynamic here, Olivia being in denial of her attraction.

A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught—A gorgeously written book! You can see the groundwork being laid for other historicals here. A fabulous setting. The way the romance becomes so vicious at points, in a frankly hilarious way. Royce dragging Jennifer to the altar like "I DON'T WANNA BE HERE ANYMORE THAN YOU DO" is amazing.

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas. Classic, everyone loves this book (well... not everyone) but with good reason. It's so very good. The perfectly executed rake/virgin book, with iconic moments, iconic characters, iconic SPIELS. The moment when Sebastian staggers out of bed trembling after the first time they have sex lives rent-free in my brain.

Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. Just a fucking knockout of a book. Another "rake/practical virgin" book, backed by beautiful prose and impeccable historical research (nobody does it like Ms. Bev). There's so much seduction in this book. A great rooomance, but then it has a fun bonkers villain situation (I know some people don't like this... I do, I'm kind of a sucker for this type of controversial and perhaps dated villain). The ending makes me cry a lot.

Scandal's Bride by Stephanie Laurens—Kind of a new one for me, and it's here because it's so fucking bonkers. Constantly entertaining, Catriona is such a difficult heroine who... crosses the line a lot. Has a scene where Richard draws a sketch of her ass birthmark to be like "I WILL SHOW EVERYONE THIS TO PROVE THAT I HIT IT FROM THE BACK IF YOU DON'T MARRY ME". A delightfully fucking weird book and I loved every minute.

Hyacinth by S.M. LaViolette—The more I think about this book, the more I love it. One that I loved originally, and it rose in my regard over time. A scarred hero (who likes it rough). They're both switches. Hyacinth is neurodivergent and very much unconventional, and doesn't even think herself capable of love because of what society has told her she is. The climax of this book? Incredible.

Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas. A gorgeously done book, so ambitious, has an iconically HORRID hero (in the best way), executes the rare feat of offering both an amazing primary romance and an absolutely fabulous, emotionally affecting secondary romance. It just hits so hard, dude. It's so good. It's probably Kleypas's BEST book in terms of general quality (though DoY will probably always be my favorite).

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley—A great marriage in trouble book! That's also super horny! I love so much that though there was a big breaking point in Mac and Isabella's marriage, there were very normal issues beforehand that had less to do with horrible behavior or ridiculous tragedy, but... Like... Them just not being ready for marriage? Especially him. The passion was always there, but passion and great sex isn't enough for a good marriage, and I love that in this book they do have the passion and great sex but also have to build a stronger relationship on an emotional level.

Regarding the Duke by Grace Callaway—Another delightfully bonkers romance. I love that they've been married eight years and she thinks it's enough but learns that it ISN'T. He has to open to her emotionally. There's amnesia. There's VILLAINY. I also love that the hero in this one has to. not only become a better husband, but a better father? I haven't read a lot of historicals where the hero and heroine aren't just married, but have kids.

A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell—Ummmm I read this very recently but it's been sticking in my heart? It's more lighthearted than a lot of the romances I've loved. But i just love this story of a hero and heroine going on a bicycle race lmao. I love how funny it is, and how the villain kind of... grows? I love that the hero is a rake and trans. I love that the heroine is a widow who decides to like, have good sex for the first time ever and go with it (and suddenly there are feelings). It's just really good.

Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt—Helloooooooo emotion. This is one of the best "healing from trauma" books I've ever read. Asa Makepeace is just a perfect rake who's secretly so deep and so gentle. The way he introduces Eve to sex is fucking gorgeous. His patience, his tenderness, his love of what SHE'S okay with it.

A Rose at Midnight by Lisa Kleypas Anne Stuart—This is what I'd call a dark historical. It's true enemies to lovers. The hero is a rat bastard for most of the book. The sex... is very dubcon for much of the book. But man. I think it's so bold, the writing is so good, the story is so different from what I've read in the genre. It just hit a lot of buttons for me. And it has a great secondary romance, something Stuart excels at. Ummm also the fact that the secondary romance is fueled by the secondary heroine wanting to save the primary heroine, her best friend? LOVE THAT.

Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt—Sorry dude, Mickey and Silence are just for Me. He's a ridiculous rake. She's a Quaker widow. There's that element of like "I'VE GOT YOU MY PRETTY". I actually love the baby in this book, and that can be a hard sell for me. (Several of these books include kids lol, but man, it's just this thing where you need to get it right.) It has one of my bad boy/good girl books.

The Earl Takes All by Lorraine Heath—Lol sorry, Gorilla Twins is a banger all the way. It's fucking insane. It's super romantic. It has one of the best "angst horizons" I've ever read. It does that Lorraine Heat Thing where you're like how THE FUCK is this gonna work. And then it does! It's just everything, for me. Edward Alcott, you beautiful idiot.

[l-in-the-light]

Love your account ❤️🥰 What do you like best about Law?

Thank you <3 Sorry for the late reply, I was sitting on this one for a while, because I thought giving it time would help me write a better answer. But this is so difficult, because where do I even start? How can I say what I have in my heart so it doesn't actually just sound weak and pretentious, but also not extremely dramatic?

Maybe let's start from the fact I didn't fall for him at first sight. I totally didn't care about him in Sabaody when I first read that arc. The first moment he truly earned my sympathy was his confession in Dressrosa, I went all whoa, I was hoping for some open show of emotions, but I didn't expect this intensity hiding under the surface. Then Wano happend and he was so cool in Wano. And then I caught up with the manga in Egghead arc. He still wasn't my favourite, but things were slowly changing. I started noticing how much I actually miss him in the story. I started worrying for him. Finally, I gave up and just reread his parts from earlier arcs and damn it just hit differently the second time around. Before I noticed it he became one of my top 3 characters. Soon after, he sneakily took the number 1 spot as well without me realizing.

I love how unyielding he is, especially against Doflamingo, someone who constantly gaslights him. And oh boy I have been in that spot before, when a mentor figure tries to push their own way of seeing things without listening even for a moment to other reasons. I'm always surprised by Doflamingo-Law conflict in Dressrosa exactly because of that; Law keeps pushing in what he believes in instead. Even fandom buys Doflamingo's point of view on Law: yes, he's just a pitiful vengeful ghost, he's just lashing out, he needs to be put back into his place and silenced. But no, Law's not having any of that. It feels like a catharsis for me to see that and it restored my own faith, at least a little bit, because if Law could deal with all that shit and didn't truly lose (technically he did, but it was to his own good heart imo), then inevitably I also feel myself becoming more unyielding, it rubs off.

He's so unbelievably strong, but it's not about his attacks or power, but mental strength. And I wish I was at least a bit as strong as him. Between Doflamingo, Law's traumas, fears and putting up a confident front when he feels anything but that, smirking at those who lose to their own arrogance, I'm really amazed he is as strong as he is. And it's not just about him never giving up, because of course he has moments like that, but he always, always gets back up and it's probably never for himself, but for others that are dear to him.

And there's also his resemblance to Ace (and Sabo) somehow, because they're inevitably all older brother types. But while Ace is rough around the edges but his love is so warm, Sabo's soft and supportive but is also a bit self-centered, Law's something else entirely. He's just so avoidant, but at the same time kinda soothing and gently watching from afar, like the moon, you don't usually see it in the day but you know it's always there. That's his kind of love. It's captivating, but it doesn't exactly warm me up when I think about it like when I think of Ace, it doesn't make me feel the fluff like when I think of Sabo, but instead it's like a strong, tingling light that shines not in the sky but inside the heart, when you need it the most: in the middle of utter darkness.

His loyal love to Cora-san, his unobvious but gentle ways of showing affection, his good heart, his sharp smiles and unyielding spirit, reckless and petty paybacks, his shitty and brooding attitude, his serious but trolling sense of humour, I definitely like all of this about him. And sometimes he's just simply insufferable and I enjoy that about him as well. Every time I discover a new thing or detail about him, I like him only more.

[juanabaloo]

predictions HOPES AND DREAMS for the new BTVS Hulu sequel:

(i have no sources just my brain for this, this is all speculation. i have zero connection to the show and don't do any professional writing for TV or movies.)

the new show will largely ignore ATS, vampire soul lore (which was already a mess of inconsistencies), and details of BTVS plots.

======

SMG enters in the second half of ep 1 to explain some lore / hand off the baton metaphorically

SMG also has some good screen time in ep 2, but after that is just in brief scenes. think Do Revenge, or slightly more than Do Revenge.

SMG is not in every ep, but is definitely in the last one.

S1 is only 8 eps and besides a very brief cameo the show is very focused on the new cast (as it should be IMO)

more including my Fuffy incredible hail-mary longshot under the cut

the brief cameo is by Amber (as Tara or someone else) or Michelle (as Dawn). less likely are Emma (as Anya or someone else) or Charisma (as Cordelia or someone else). if people return as their original character (that canonically already died) there is ZERO explanation for it. they are not zombies or vampires or ghosts. it's as if they never died in canon. something something Buffyverse multiverse (which i hear is a thing in the comics)

neither James (Spike) nor David (Angel) make a cameo. [i actually wrote this before David's tweet which seems to imply he is not involved with the show at this time.]

Buffy's personal life (and dating life / relationship status) is not mentioned on the show. think Giles in S1 pre Jenny.

there's a few easter eggs / jokes thrown in for fans of the original cast. the show steers clear of original shipping wars (namely Bangel vs Spuffy).

i'm rooting for a joke about Buffy and cookie dough.

======

the show is well received. there are rumbles of a better HD remaster for the original BTVS. ratings are good. S2 is announced partway through S1, with 10 eps.

======

partway through S2 we get a little more about Buffy's personal life. maybe one of the younger Slayers needs some guidance that requires Buffy to share.

there are 2-3 more cameos by original cast.

IF James or David make a cameo they are not de-aged and they are not their original characters. one of those "perhaps in another life" type of appearances. attraction, maybe some lingering looks, but no kissing or anything.

======

S3 is similar to S2. a few cameos but nothing wild.

Buffy reveals that she is bi sometime in S3. we get a few more glimpses of her personal life.

(if you haven't read this prediction for Buffy in the new show, you really must)

behind the scenes during S2-S3 there's a push by the showrunners for Eliza to come back as Faith, just for a cameo. she is focused on her new career (PAT therapy work) but very very (VERY) graciously agrees to be a voice on the phone. she could talk just to Buffy or to the younger Slayer(s).

BONUS POINTS if Faith and Buffy have their trademark snarky flirty banter. think S7 vibes. [i will lose my mind for 40s Fuffy]

[as an Eliza superfan i must explain that Eliza looks incredible so the voice thing is not bc she looks bad. she looks her age and also gorgeous.]

the voice appearance by Faith is warmly received.

[i don't think Faith would ever become a real therapist, but i can see her being a helpful older mentor type to younger Slayers. there are some fics that do this really well.]

around the same time as the ep with the voice appearance airs, Eliza does a little bit of press. she is promoting PAT (psychedelic assisted therapy) and/or a book and/or her autobiography and/or something else amazing.

a new decent HD remaster for original BTVS is officially planned.

======

S4 with 10 eps is announced as the last season partway through S3. a spin-off might happen, focused on the new cast. there is a LOT of talk about a movie post S4.

ratings are good, so S4 being the last one is more about studios renegotiating contracts than the show doing poorly.

the show realizes that none of Buffy's canon romantic guys (not gender neutral) from original BTVS make sense for new show Buffy.

(and again, Spike and Angel are not available, for some hand wavy reason in show. IRL it's bc they look too old and de-aging costs too much money for the show budget. and also the show doesn't want to re-ignite the Bangel vs Spuffy shipping wars)

as part of S4 (not the last ep) we get one brief Fuffy scene. [i promptly lose my mind]

brief Fuffy scene is not the last ep or the last scene of an ep

======

off the top of my head here's the scene:

Buffy is chatting with younger Slayer(s) and realizes she needs to pick up important item X from her place

(is it a cottage? rustic cabin in the woods? sleek modern condo / apt in the city? a motel room? choose your own adventure!)

Buffy texts someone as they head to her place

younger Slayer waits in the car / limo / taxi for Buffy, who says she will just "run in and grab it"

Buffy gets to her front door and someone opens it

(possible cut to commercial for maximum buildup)

Faith in relaxed / loungewear opens it. maybe even full on pajamas? [i don't think Faith would ever wear sushi pajamas for the record] the way they smile and talk to each other you KNOW they are sleeping together. chemistry off the charts!

BONUS POINTS if Buffy's jacket opens a little and you see she is wearing a Red Sox shirt. or maybe after she gets back in the car she says it's hot and unzips her jacket and reveals the Red Sox shirt.

MORE BONUS POINTS if Faith seems to be wearing something of Buffy's. like a UC Sunnydale shirt or - if Buffy graduated from college, like University of Cleveland - have Faith wear that. or have it be on her coffee mug.

not sure if the item Faith gives to Buffy at the door is Faith's original knife or just some random thing but Buffy is in a hurry so she needs to leave immediately

i can 100% imagine that Buffy is very aware of the younger Slayer(s) watching and will NOT kiss Faith bc of this

[i mean, don't get me wrong, if they gave us kissing 40s Fuffy i'll probably have a heart attack, in a good way. i just don't see it happening, esp since the focus of the show is on the younger Slayer(s)]

Buffy gets back in the car / limo / taxi and looks back to Faith. Faith is in the doorway drinking a mug of coffee, smiling and waving at the younger Slayer(s). Buffy looks fully in love. Closeup on Faith's face, she's smiling. She raises the mug in like a toast motion, and does the 3x17 Enemies "Don't worry big guy" half wink thing.

or it that's too cutesy then just have her look lovingly back at Buffy

honestly they could be clearly in the middle of an ongoing argument and be all snarky with each other and i would still lovit

AND SCENE

Fuffy Nation collectively breaks into singing dancing applause!

if Eliza has any involvement in the new show that will be fantastic. but she doesn't owe us fans anything. she has every right to retire in peace. if she were to do anything i wrote above i would be ecstatic, but i have no expectations that she would do it. she has said she is retired from her acting career.

i would be forever grateful if she did return, but give her zero grief if she does not.

[arithmonym]

20 questions for 20 writers!

thanks to @accidentallyadorable for tagging me! this was fun. :3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

30! only 20 are visible from my profile, though. my older fics and drabbles are quarantined to a separate account, and a few things are posted anonymously.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

113,190 words.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

it’s mostly the locked tomb these days. i also have a few old works for the penumbra podcast, the magnus archives, and the adventure zone—and a few even older works for harry potter and percy jackson, but those are on ff.net so i can pretend they don’t exist.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

it’s familiar (but not too familiar) - fluffy griddlehark time travel fic. this was my first attempt at writing them and i could definitely do a better job now, but the prose still holds up.

alive, barely breathing - post-canon griddlehark first time fic that’s fucked-up and sad. sometimes i look at the comments when i want to feel good about my writing. :3

bring your hunger - post-canon griddlehark grief/relationship study. also a WIP. (honestly, this one might go on anon for a bit—it’s vulnerable in ways i don’t want to explain, and i’m shying away from writing the next chapter because the Fear of Being Known got to me a little.)

it’s not unusual - fluffy modern AU where team 69 go to a bar and play catan. palamedes has an oral fixation, because of course he does. this one is campal with background griddlehark getting-together, but i might write a sequel from harrow’s POV someday.

bad idea right? - modern AU chatfic inspired by this post by eskildit. it’s about camilla dealing with the paldulcie situationship™️ & enduring so much dyke drama thanks to the nature of her friend group. it received a podfic recently, which is fun!

(… i also want to write a camdulcie sequel for this one. i’ve been rotating the idea frequently.)

5. Do you respond to comments?

almost always. there are a few scattered comments i haven’t replied to yet, but i like responding! it’s an excuse to drop more lore about the fic and the writing process, IMO.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angiest ending?

the ace cam fic i haven’t finished yet, which will probably be posted on anon. (i feel like people are going to attack me for poor representation or something, but it’s inspired by my own experiences, so. can’t win them all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

something sweet is pure, uncomplicated fluff, so i guess i’ll go with that!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not really. i’ve blocked a few people for being rude, but i haven’t gotten hate in years.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

occasionally. i’ve only posted 4 explicit fics, but so far it’s a pretty even mix of f/f, f/m, and other.

10. Do you write crossovers?

i have a tlt/w359 fusion AU i want to pick up again! i need to untangle some threads of the metaplot, though.

(also, the first fic i published on ff.net was a harry potter/rise of the guardians crossover. yes. it was cringe. yes, it’s probably still posted on the internet if you want to find it.)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nope.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes, actually! a few of my old hp fics were translated into spanish or chinese.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

i wrote a round-robin fic with the campal server once. i also started co-writing a fic with quinn a while ago (before we both got busy with school) that i’d like to return to at some point, because the concept still makes me vibrate with glee.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

i’m not sure that i have one, actually? i’m a multishipper to my core.

15. What's one WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i have so many WIPs in my google docs that i’ll probably never finish.

i’d like to revisit my fic about necromancers & dysautonomia some day, but my writing style has changed so much since then. i might have to rewrite what i’ve posted.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i’m frequently complimented on my worldbuilding. i’m good at examining the implications of things that other people might not think about, so my plots are original even when i’m writing a fandom trope. (i can’t wait to post my harrow nova AU for this exact reason.)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

sigh. pacing. i write from very close POVs, but sometimes i get too far into the character’s head, and it drags the story down. i’m trying to write sharper prose, but i’m going through an awkward growth phase as a writer—i know the structure i want, but it’s a struggle to get there concisely.

also, i over-edit instead of writing new words, which does me no favors.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i guess it depends on context? i have a pretty good grasp on code-switching from being bilingual but not quite fluent, but the memory of that one klance fic haunts me.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

i mentioned my first published fic earlier, but the first fic i wrote was a percy jackson self-insert fic when i was twelve.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

indelible! cam and pal figure out that dulcinea isn’t who she says she is at the fifth’s anniversary party, but it doesn’t change anything. <3

///

tagging @harrowharkwife @friendamedes @cindthia @logicbutton @thewinterstale @sluggydrabbles & anyone else who wants to participate!

[skullytotheark]

Clear Skies 75

Setting: Different states of America

time setting: late 20th century, From 70s to 90s

Why I made it: Hehe creepypasta but oc au

Inspiration: 70s and 80s slasher mixed with creepypasta characters / creepypasta characters set in the 80s

goal: Possibly make an ARG series, But for now it’ll be in silly writing i do every now and then. Similar to creepy hornets

Description:

The Rot of the woods is slowly but surely making it’s way pass the treeline, The Horrible reality where monsters and things that go bump in the night are more common than you could ever imagine.. Deep in Montana and Colorado these nightmares hide within the woods, Awaiting for any lone hikers and the innocent to walk into their sight. For they hunt for sport and to survive…

Ever Since the start of the 70s, More and more of these creatures and psychopaths are beginning to crawl out from the bed to strike. Their goals and motives being a mystery to people like you and I… There’s only a burning ember of hope that there is good amongst the bad, But then again. who says they’re any better than those they fight??... Only god can save you from whatever is tapping at your window, The strange towering silhouette standing in the corner of your room or the sound of heavy footsteps heading straight for your bedroom door.

Welcome my dearest of friends and stalkers of the night!!!

Allow thy to introduce you to a World of many nightmares and terrors beyond your imaginations.

Clear Skies 75!

For a good while you've might've heard me just ramble or mention this AU in at least one or two of my posts, But Allow me to show you what I've been brewing for awhile!

For a good while I've been sitting in my little snowy room, Thinking of different scenarios and plotpoints involving these characters! Now personally I'm not ENTIRELY SURE, If I'll do as much "fanfics" or writing as much as I would do for Creepyhornets but You'll def probably see me write about this au Every now and then! I more or less really wanted to just, Have characters based off of some of the pastas or characters i've come to love growing up in this silly community!!

Introductions.

The Watchman.

"A Modern Tale for those who go wondering in these woods son. They say it's a Eldritch God of sorts or a "angry spirit"... Me?? I think it's a force of nature, Not something you can fight... But you'd have to adapt to.. trust me, I know..."

The great watchman! The Slenderman of this canon as you can tell and the main "big bad" of this canon, I more or less imagine that this entity is not your sterorypical slender that we're used to seeing in writings. Returning to the older versions such as the Operator and when Slender was simply a being of unknown nature and sudden movements...

"The Butcher"

"I had a run in with that fucking freak. Cackling and getting a kick out of my fear as he chased after me with a fucking machete.. One day he'll fucking learn what's it like when the roles change... One day..."

The Jeff The Killer stand in for this canon! More or less depicting him as a cruel but sloppy killer, Although he has a big reputation, He's a amature and a prime example of "human scum" in this canon. No goals or motives, doing it for the fun of it. Also im just thinking of naming him "Geoff" cuz it'd be a really funny bit imo

"The Pyromaniac"

"I remember when he was still young.. A cheerful little boy who still needed mommy to tie his shoe laces... But then things changed... He never got along with his stepdad... But then he went missing one day and.. I get a call that My husband was killed... Then I knew.. He wanted to get back at him for everything Frank had done to us... But it should have never ended like this.."

The Ticci Toby stand in for this universe!!!. Felix/Cody robinson is a child of abuse who is short tempered and rash, Often acting and thinking later. Although he's a valuable assest to The Watchman's following. Even though He hates it and wants to go home.

"Doll-Face"

"I still remember when "Bryan" took me up to that cabin... God I should've known I was just another lamb for the slaughter.. How did this end up like this Ma?..."

Doll-Face is of course the Masky inspired character! His story heavily follows the idea of "get away at the Cabin goes wrong and now all of my friends are trying to kill eachother" trope.

"Null"

"I'm alive... I shouldn't be but I am... After everything I've done.. I'll make things right this time... I'm so sorry Tommy.."

Null is a combination of both Hoody and Skully into one character! And is also the "Alex" of this scenario. Bryan's family was haunted by the watchman for generations, When he was older the entity began to pick away at his sanity and commanded a blood sacrifice for his family using 'it's children' for resources when building their cabin / property in the woods.

"The Stalker."

"I could've sworn, He was standing right at my bed when I was asleep. I don't know why but he was... He killed dad but... Why not me?... Was he... Taunting me?.."

And the final member of this cast [ATM] the Stalker! The eyeless Jack stand in for this series who draws heavy inspirtation from the og eyeless jack design. Atm I had the idea that he was a journalist in diguise pretending to be a demon of sorts who profits off of his crimes by taking photos of the aftermaths. Buttt I do also like the idea of him just being a demon. His story is still a WIP atm.

Until next time!

Sadly that is all the characters i have so far :(

But I do plan on making more characters such as Zalgo, Jane, Nina and a whole bunch more!! Ofc I plan on making a word doc for this au that'll have links to each of these characters butttt i gotta finish Stalker and "Geoff" before i do!

But until then keep an eye out on my tiktok *COUGH* Skullytotheark *COUGH* for a bunch of arrttt and wips of more characters!!!

See you all next time :)

[mythoughtsandrandomcr4p]

Life is Strange: Double Exposure- Initial thoughts

So. I bought the early access version and want to give my initial thoughts on this game, having played Chapter 1 and some of Chapter 2.

PLEASE DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET SPOILED!! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

First of all, the biggy. The huge issue everyone on social media and who has seen spoilers/played the game is ranting about right now. Some people (actually, a lot of people) are even choosing to refund their purchase, or to not interact with the game at all anymore due to this...

Deck Nine have seemed to dismiss the player's major choice from the ending of LIS 1, where we either chose to sacrifice Chloe or Arcadia Bay. The way they chose to (pretty lazily) write in how Max and Chloe broke up- (via a letter from Chloe, if we chose the 'we broke up' dialogue option at the start of this game)?.....a pretty shitty decision, and, for the majority of fans, seemingly a deal-breaker. A lot of fans are also disappointed in Chloe seemingly not being in this game at all...but I'll write more on that in a sec.

As for my opinions so far...I'm not gonna lie, yes I was a little disappointed and I can fully appreciate why so many people are hating, but it was something I could personally look past (even though I chose bae over bay). Firstly, the trailers and teasers leading up to this early access release pretty much set my expectations for this going in- that Chloe would likely not be a main part of the storyline at all, and that the major choice made at the end of LIS 1 wouldn't be, either. Okay, yes, the writing connecting this game to LIS 1 could have been a lot better. But...

Max is much older, and the story is centred on her time at Caledon, with new friends, a new setting and a new storyline. I went into this game really excited about all of these new things, instead of having my heart set on a game centred around the continuation of LIS 1.

LIS 1- related things aside for a sec... I LOVE the new setting, it's really gorgeous, I love the design of the university and all the new characters we get to meet, the soundtrack is amazing, and I'm just having such a blast playing this game. It's so cosy. And it certainly keeps the charming, cringe-at-times but hilarious dialogue and vibe we get in every other Life is Strange game, and I love it so much. The characters are all pretty unique, too, and I am quickly growing attached to some (and already hating others...lmao). Max's new ability to switch between universes is really well-done. I love using it and seeing all the, often subtle, little differences that really add to the atmosphere and the story-telling of the game imo.

So...personally I am really enjoying Double Exposure so far!

Back to the whole 'Max and Chloe' thing... it feels as though the game could (take this with a pinch of salt) go a certain way in regards to Chloe. I have a theory (a VERY far-fetched one, but a theory, nonetheless). If there is a chance of them actually having Chloe be in this game in Chapters 3, 4 or 5, it might just redeem a bit of respect back from the fandom. I don't think they will, but something in the back of my mind, a slither of hope, if you will, is saying that they might just do this...

So, in Chapters 1 and 2, Max finds polaroids that neither her in the 'Dead World' or her in the 'Living World' have taken. Suggesting that there aren't only two alternate universes. Now, all of these other alternate universes may have only 'opened' to Max in the present, but surely they aren't only influenced by what has happened to Safi. What if an alternate universe, perhaps the one that these mysterious polaroids are from, had Max and Chloe's relationship (or breakup) happen differently? Who's to say that we won't get a sudden, unexpected change in a future chapter where Max and Chloe meet in an alternate reality, where they didn't break up, or where they did break up but differently, or something like that?...I don't fucking know. I'm rambling lmao. I don't want to give false hope. Maybe I'm clutching at straws atp. But in LIS 1, remember when they (Don'tNod) completely baffled us with the whole, sudden 'polaroid time-travel, William being alive and Chloe ending up disabled' reality? If Deck Nine really wanted to take that kind of route with this game, this would be a hell of a way to do it. Take a sudden turn in a non- early access chapter, have people fooled, and all that. But this is Deck Nine- they have a 'reputation', and maybe they just fucked up.

Unless I've missed a crucial point of LIS 1 or LIS: DE where this just would not be possible (?), I just can't help but think that there could still be a little bit of hope for the people who wanted to see Chloe, or who are immensely effected and disappointed by how her and Max's relationship played out according to this game.

Probably not gonna happen, though. Just food for thought. If nothing close to this happens then I'm still going to fully appreciate and love this game either way, as I already currently am.

This is a hell of a waffle, but I just wanted to get all my thoughts down. Would love to hear anyone else's opinions on this whole thing. Do you like this game? Are you avoiding it now after hearing 'the news'? Do you hate Deck Nine? Are my thoughts on a potential turn-around completely wacko? lol. Any and all opinions welcome!

(also, I stream on twitch occasionally. I've been streaming some LIS:DE early access, but I play all sorts of games. if thats your thing and you wanna check out my twitch, my channel is 'splritwolf') :)

[no-goodbyes-no-regrets]

⚠️If you are still fragile about Tommy & Buck, please don't read this.

I just watched 911 Season 8 Confessions episode and Tommy Buck beak up made ZERO sense to me!! 🤷‍♀️ Honestly, did Tommy break up because he was weirded out by Abby & Buck? Or did he get cold feet when Buck asked him to move in? Or was the ghost of Eddie and Abby too much for him? Like couples who basically love each other and have been together don't just break up with one sentence!!! They did have the option of scale back a bit.

Also, Buck had ZERO reaction to Eddie in his underwear and without a moustache. So, are we to assume that it has happened before?! 🤷‍♀️😳

Also, they made Tommy sound a lot older with Josh's pre Glee post Glee comment!

And the priest knew Eddie from his voice? He has no other preoccupation than to peer over people's shoulders to see what others are buying? Also, we know Eddie at some point is going to have a wet dream about that priest.

Anyway, imo it is hilarious how Shannon and Abby keep showing up as ghosts to prevent Eddie and Buck from getting too serious with anyone else. 😂

Btw what do you think of Josh and Tommy? I want Josh to have a good solid romantic partner. And they are both strong personalities and both kinda pedantic. Might be interesting to see if they are THE PERFECT COUPLE because they are SO SORTED. Or are they a complete disaster because they can't agree on anything!

I am still fragile but I'm kind of healing myself with Lou on SWAT (i never thought I'd actually enjoy that show) and Lou's movies and bucktommy fics (bless fic writers in ANY fandom tbh 9/10 times the fics are better than what's on screen)

and yes THANK YOU - see even a buddie shipper (affectionate) thinks that break up made no sense! Like we've had a few weeks to think/obsess over it and I think the general opinion (Lou included) is that it was a) shit writing and b) Tommy got scared because he's been hurt before/ has been left by a guy who he (thought) he really loved because he was 'just' the first and not the last/not the guy to settle down with/not enough. And then there was Buck saying he admired him and making him out to be some gay hero - which he doesn't think he is at all (big beefy man, zero sense of self worth) and he just ran so Buck wouldn't see who he really is and decide he wasn't enough and leave him xx amount of time down the line.

I think Abby was more of a problem for Buck (at first) and Eddie is Tommy's friend too (he was his friend first and his ankles paid the price) so that wasn't a problem either.

Tommy is 40 (according to Tim) and Josh (assuming he's the same age as Bryan) 45 - so the pre/post glee does kind of make sense I guess. Though I would have gone for pre/post Will & Grace - but that's not a Ryan Murphy show and I suppose he just wanted to pat himself on the back there.

And yeah if I showed up at my best friend's place and he was dancing around in his underwear and had suddenly shaved the pornstache he'd been rocking for *mumbles amount of time* I would have at least been a bit surprised. Even if my boyfriend of six months had just broken up with me out of the fucking blue.

And that priest was fucking weird. Like sure he might have recognised Eddie's voice but then to randomly go "ACTUALLY your pornstache is a mask and you won't let yourself have joy because you don't buy juice" dude - what??

As for Josh/Tommy - maybe. In a world where Evan Buckley doesn't exist. Because #TommyLovesEvan (thank you Lou) I think people like Josh with Eddie more really. Since that time Eddie spent at dispatch and they basically had daily (verbal) bitch fights. I can see it - though I don't think show!Eddie is into guys, but fic!Eddie could be.

[ctrl-lupin]

I was looking back at the ending of Castle of cagliostro and the bit where Clarisse de Cagliostro asked him to bring her along on his journeys even when she admits she doesn't know how to be a theif now when I looked at the hug and kiss I never really saw it as romantic more like he doesn't want to leave but he also doesn't want to jeopardise her life either. The fact we never got to see her again after this movie surprises me apart from a cameo in part 5 episode 1 in your head cannon what do you think happened to Clarisse de Cagliostro as it seems she has feelings for him

Man, oh man. There is enough things to say on the topic to write an entire essay. Personally my interpretation is that

1) Clarisse had some form of misplaced crush on Lupin - he saved her, he's cool and mysterious, he's her knight in shining armour. So of course she wants to follow him, be a thief like him, be a part of his life. Cagliostro's also full of bad memories, she just got freshly traumatised, and while we don't know her age she's probably too young to be ruling a country. It's no surprise she wants to get out of there.

2) Lupin, who is older and knows better, is having none of that. He's very attached to Clarisse and I'd say that the affection he feels for her is probably akin to an older sibling's (I can get into my headcanon of how they're related in another post if you're interested). He wants what's best for her, and he knows that he'd be a bad influence on her, no matter how much he wants to stay with her/for her to stay with him. Maybe he also wants to give her space to grow out of those feelings (we've seen how awkward it can get with Ami Enan... 😬) and out of her desire to be a thief like him.

3) About Lupin wanting to stay (as opposed to taking Clarisse with him), there's also the whole interpretation of Cagliostro as an older Lupin who's considering retirement, which I won't get into for personal reasons (but I'm sure you can find more about that if you dig a little, especially if you look into Miyazaki's own interpretation of the movie).

As for why we've never seen her again, imo that's just because of the franchise's statu-quo - all secondary characters aside from the Main Five are one-off characters who only exist within the bounds of their respective movie or season (admittedly the more recent seasons, P4, 5 and 6 have been breaking that pattern a little). It's the same reason we've never seen Murasaki again despite her being literally married to Goemon (for like 10 hours, but still). I'd like to imagine that Lupin still keeps in touch with Clarisse (and with many others), maybe even visits her. We just don't see it onscreen for Doylist reasons.

(My personal self-indulgent headcanon is that Clarisse is now the ruler of Cagliostro, she's still in frequent contact with Lupin, and she made polyam marriage legal just so he could legally marry his partners there)

[justagalwhowrites]

oh and you don't have to this post obvs but even macfrogs post contained points that were blatantly rooted in ageism. What do you mean the fandom is mostly twenty year olds? Do you not see the other groups that are thirsting after this man? I personally see a ton of "older" women and some men in this fandom. What do mean that personality traits like being frivolous are limited to twenty year olds? I wasn't aware that your personality completely changed at midnight on your 30th birthday. That response while well intended proved the OPs point by being ageist.

All the OP was asking for was writers to either show a 🌟little bit of respect 🌟 for older readers or simply leave them be.

Why is it so wrong to say stop with this don't worry this 30 year old doesn't have wrinkles so she's actually pretty (a real authors note btw) nonsense.

Because if it's fine you and other people to respond to OP, it should be fine fot her to express her opinion

Hi again!

When it came to the fandom age comments, that’s largely been my experience in this fandom. The vast majority of fandom spaces I’m in, I am one of the oldest if not the oldest one there at 34-years-old. That’s OK! At least in the spaces I’m in, no one is ever unkind about it, it just means I spend a lot of time on discord with people 10 years younger than me lol I don’t think the fandom is ENTIRELY young people but, by and large, most of the people I encounter here are in their 20s. Maybe I’m just in odd spaces, but that statement just seemed factual to me.

While I don’t think being frivolous specifically is limited to your 20s, I’m a very different person now than I was when I was in my 20s. That’s a good thing IMO! A lot of my interests are the same but my priorities have greatly shifted in the last 10 years because I’m at a different stage in my life. When I was 21, I remember feeling so stressed and anxious about going on a camping trip with friends and whether or not I could skip it because I was broke and still be a core part of the friend group. At 34, it’s a very different calculus because fitting in with a friend group just isn’t my number one priority now. I know myself better because I’ve had time to explore who I am as a fully realized person. In my 20s, I was still figuring that out. That period of time where you’re coming into your own, truly discovering what you want out of life and how you’re going to get it IS a unique time in my experience! I get the fantasy of wanting an older, wiser person (who also happens to be hot and great in bed) there to help you navigate it. Even though I rarely read fics where the age gap is the point (it’s just not my thing - and that’s OK!) I definitely understand the appeal.

I do agree that, if you’re going to write an older reader you should just write an older reader. Maybe I’ve just gotten lucky and not encountered content like that but, even if I did, I’d just roll my (ancient, 34-year-old) eyes, assume it was written by a 19-year-old who would know better in a few years, and move along. That teenaged creator isn’t going to change the way society views women, all that will be accomplished is making some random person online feel bad or dig in their heels even more. I think we can have these conversations (and should have these conversations) without throwing creators under the bus.

Sorry this was so long! Again, I hope it helps shed some light on my thoughts 😊

Thanks for reaching out!!

[mytardisisparked]

Tagged to do this Fic Writer Q+A by @more-better-words! Thanks!

1. Why do you write fanfic?

Because if I don't do something creative on a semi-frequent basis I will shrivel up like a little raisin.

2. Which of your posted stories do you think about the most, even though the story is “finished”?

I think about "And Still, The Sea Is Salt" a lot. It's a Pikeuna fic which, while I still ship them, I don't really think about them frequently these days. But this fic is still, IMO, some of my best work and so I think of it often.

The other fic I think about a lot is "The Ghost of You," which is an MSR fic. It's another one that feels like some of my best work. I feel like this, and "Salt" are fics that I am constantly trying to replicate in terms of quality.

3. If you could give yourself fic advice from when you first started writing fic, what would that advice be?

Take your time. Chew on it. Let it simmer.

4. What’s your relationship to fic stats?

I love looking at comments but, otherwise, I don't pay attention to stats. I always appreciate comments and kudos and bookmarks but I'm not aiming for a certain number or anything. I appreciate them on an individual basis, I guess.

5. Is there a pairing or scenario or friendship you miss writing? If so, why? If not, why not?

Hmmmmm sometimes I miss writing JC or Obitine, but I am totally at the mercy of my hyperfixations so I am usually content writing whatever pairing or friendship I am currently obsessed with.

6. What motivates you to write?

The gremlins in my head. Also whenever one of my writing or art buddies goes "hey that's a good idea" when I pitch a fic to them.

7. Why do you write for the fandom(s) that you write for?

I'm currently writing for the X-Files because it makes me feel insane. I also still love writing for the Voyager Threshold!AU because it's SUCH a tasty story and it's full of great people to work on said story with.

8. If you’re stuck writing a WIP, what do you do?

I usually let it simmer for a bit and then come back to it. If that doesn't work I typically go paw at @singeart's door and bounce ideas around with her.

9. What do you wish people knew about comments?

I cherish every single comment - no matter how long or short - like someone just left me a vast fortune in their will. Also PLEASE don't stop yourself from leaving comments on older fics. Getting a comment on a fic I wrote 4 years ago is like getting willed a vast fortune and then finding out it grew a ton of interest at the bank. Fic writers love comments on old fics.

10. Maybe there’s a question you wish had been on here. What’s that question (and answer)?

Will you wear wigs? Maybe.

No-Pressure tagging: @singeart, @thursdayinspace, @jellybeansarecool, and anyone else who wants to because I am having a heck of a time figuring out who has and has not been tagged to do this lol

[renamusing]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤

aaah mack, thank you for sending me this!! im a bit embarrassed to answer because im not as prolific as i wish i was, and my confidence in my stories tends to diminish with time since im never satisfied and always think i could have done better (imposter syndrome my old friend), but here are what i consider my 5 favorites in no particular order:

how fools fall in love 126k | ginhiji — somehow this became a classic in the ginhiji fandom despite the time it took me to finish and my terribly irregular updates. i reread it recently and it made me cherish not only the characters but my fandom friends so much! always a sure read when in the mood for slowburn and angst.

ceremonials 29k | ginhiji — my post-canon ginhiji fic has some of the best character writing i've ever done imo. it's also a breather for me because i get to write ginchan and toshi being properly together, leaning on each other and healing.

when silver turned white 32k | ginhiji — one of my favorites because of its structure and plot. it's not too long but i managed to cram all my angsty headcanons and fit them into the plot of bfy movie. i also LOVED to write ginchan and toshi in other timelines/ages, which i plan to do again soon!

beware the desert 15k | skysolo — occasionally i go and reread this one and can't believe i wrote it because it hits every beat, it contains every single thing i love about skysolo and depicts so clearly the han solo i have in my head i could cry. honestly, im so glad i took the time (a year if i remember correctly) to write this down because it's made specifically for me and i don't think anyone else could have done it.

give heartache a name 25k | sterek — im so specific about stiles' characterization in fics that i had to write my own because after the movie came out this year the dormant sterek part of my brain came alive after a decade and i needed to put down my love for both these idiots. i think i've reread this story at least 50 times because i wanted it to be canon so much. i know i sound like a loser but i get so giddy about older stiles and derek. as the kids say nowadays, i am cringe but i am free.

im also nuts about my ginhiji zombie au which i fear i may never finish because im always thinking about expanding the plot instead of tying it all up and finish so i can start taking my og writing seriously. oh well.

tysm for tagging me <33

[n0wav]

Pinkerton appreciation

HELLO CHATTERS!!!

Today i did what i do on almost a weekly basis, which is to listen to pinkerton. i was in a good mood listening to this very awesome album... UNTIL! i noticed something that somewhat upset me not really but its really interesting.

you see back in the 90s pinkerton wasn't loved as much as blue album because it's messy dark and emo and not silly fun power pop like blue. it wasn't till many years later that pinkerton the the love and appreciation it deserved. Although it isn't nearly as popular as blue, green, or even make believe (really only because of Beverly hills), it is still very loved by weezer fans now.

Today while looking through the deluxe version i realized that "I just through out the love of my dreams" is more popular than any of the songs on the normal non deluxe album. Now don't get me wrong its a really good song (although this cover of the song is kinda better imo :3) and i do really enjoy it, i do feel like its a repeat in history.

now if you don't know what i mean by this repeat in history, i will shift the attention for a short moment to another band, PAVEMENT!!!

one side note i think is funny is that back when weezer started, people called them cheesy pavement rip-offs... just something i remembered!

pavement is an awesome band and they will get another post out of me at some point of me writing on this tumblr blog, but in the mean time... Pavement has always been relatively popular in indie rock circles, but nothing exceeds the popularity they got when harness your hopes blew up like crazy on tiktok, making it their most popular song on streaming services by a very large margin. AND Just like i just threw out the love of my dreams, harness your hopes is also a B-side that randomly got popular from social media.

Don't get me wrong I'm not upset at all, to be honest i don't care that much like it really isn't that deep, i just think its interesting how common this is, where a song from an older band gets big thanks to social media, more specifically tiktok.

The only thing i do wish is that people listened to more of the bands music rather than just listen to the one song they know, but then again i just realized not everyone is as obsessed with music as i am lol.

Back to pinkerton

i LOVE pinkerton, i def like it more than blue album, which isn't much of a hot take since the weezer fandom has been split on which album is better for prolly 2 decades at this point. For me the album is just more up with the kinda music i listen to, while being very different at the same time. the way the album starts with the synth, and you automatically hear the raw and underproduced sound this album has.

aside from the sound, i just personally kinda relate to some of the songs, maybe not the weird parts... but def many of the bit more normal ones.

With tired of sex, I have definitely grown tired of having relationships with people where there's no actual relationship or connection at all. for a long time i really didn't know who i am (weezer reference).

getchoo is hard for me to analyze or related it to anything so i will skip that one (good song tho)

no other one hit pretty hard home for me. i've been in pretty shitty relationships with people who treat me like shit, hence the shittiness, and for some reason i didn't leave because i didn't think i could do any better and that nobody knows me like her, that we're all we got and we don't wanna be alone (weezer reference).

why bother? is me when I'm scared to make relationships and friendships with basically anyone because of my fear that whoever i talk to will eventually not like me and abandon me, to where in my head i will think "why bother? its gonna hurt me. it's gonna kill when they desert me. It's already happened to me twice before. it wont happen to me anymore." (weezer reference)

i only semi relate to across the sea because i've e-dated as a young child on discord.... next song (still a good song)

the good life is me too because i used to be really cool and leave my house a lot and play shows and have lots of friends and just do things that aren't me sitting at home doing nothing being a pig and a dog (weezer reference). it is def time i got back to the good life (weezer reference) But to be fair i don't really want to go back to that time i just wanna be a normal person again.

i don't really relate to el scorcho much but its still an awesome song.

pink triangle is me because I've dated girls who turned out to be a lesbian but trust me i didn't turn them, they were already lesbian before we started dating i don't know why they started dating me maybe because I'm not very masculine so they thought it would be fine. (note that i didn't know they were lesbian till after we would break up)

i put falling for you in a mixtape i made my ex. whenever i would hear that song i would think of her because its how i felt about her. i was afraid of falling for her, but in the end i just wanted to settle down with her (weezer reference)

I don't relate to butterfly either but it is a really really good song

as you can see i really like pinkerton and relate to it very much. it is prolly one of my favorite albums of all time no doubt

this is the end of the post

we love pinkerton

pinkerton is our everything

here's a song rec from the album pinkerton by weezer

thanks for reading my weezer rant! idk what i will post about next but we will see!

Goodbye!!!! :3

[rollercoasterwords]

do you have any advice for someone who wants to start writing but is terrible and has never been good at it? or translating what’s in their head into words?

yeah my advice is to stop trying to write well and instead just try to have the most fun possible. standards of "good" and "bad" in writing are all entirely subjective anyway, and there's no god in the sky waiting to smite you if your writing doesn't meet their standards. if you're not where you want to be writing-wise, that's fine! writing is a skill just like anything else, and you'll only get better as you practice. and the best way to stay motivated to practice (imo) is to not put too much pressure on yourself to measure up to a certain standard and instead just try to have a fun time making up stories!

the other piece of advice i have is to read a lot of books, and try to read books from a variety of writers with different styles. maybe annotate a bit--underline or highlight the parts that you like, the sentences that really stick out to you. then go back and look at those sentences and think about why you like them--is it the word choice? the arrangement of sentence structure? is the writer doing something stylistically that surprised or intrigued you? the more you read, the more you'll begin to notice nuance amongst different writers' styles, and the better you'll get at recognizing what you might want to try implementing in your own writing.

writing is not a skill with a linear trajectory, where you start out at square zero and eventually reach the finish line of being A Good Writer and stop there. it's a skill that you develop over time and with practice, and that you continue to develop for as long as you do it. i genuinely think that the biggest block to most people who want to start writing but are too worried about the quality of their work is not skill, but that worry--the worry of not being "good enough." but who gives a shit if your writing is bad (<- again, totally subjective measure)! do you wanna know what the first story i ever shared on the internet was about? it was called "kidnapped by dragons" and it was about a girl who got kidnapped by four (later i added another one, so five) handsome men who could turn into dragons, and also she had secret magical powers and needed to save the world and there was a mermaid living in the lake in the garden who became her bestie (i was twelve). by my own (current) standards it was Not Good, and now i laugh about how cringey it was. but you know what? there were a handful of random tweens on quizilla.com who ate that shit up, and i had the time of my life writing and posting it, and that mattered so much more than any other measurement of quality. and it wasn't until i got older and started worrying about writing "high quality" work that i stopped sharing my writing and wrote less and less, because i was paralyzed by my own preoccupation with arbitrary standards.

so...yeah there's my advice lol. if you want to develop your writing, try to stop worrying about how good it is, pick something fun to write about, and just write. and when you need to get inspired, read some other writers and think about why you like the way they write!

[keepmeinmind-01]

Hello! So interested in exchange student AU and the dogs, but I HAVE to ask about plug in baby because that is giving me a weird image in my head.

thank you so much for asking @tina-mairin-goldstein :D

I'll go through them! I did a little too much writing last week and haven't managed much at all this week. No idea whether I need to rest and recharge or just get a bit more inspired LOL. But I can share some snippets—I write in chunks in the first draft stage so they're a bit everywhere, and these bits might not even make it into the final :')

Exchange Student AU

This is actually the prompt you gave me about a little Newt seeing Theseus and Percy together and being his accepting self!

A Second Person? Visiting the Scamander household?  Well—Second Person wasn’t trailing in. He seemed very confident and self-contained. In fact, Newt has always thought Theseus was exactly like that; but next to this shorter, dark-haired stranger, Theseus suddenly looked coltish and far too smiley. Newt clicked through the settings and accidentally zoomed in far too much on the stranger’s expensive-looking scarf.  Why does he want to spend time with Theseus? Newt mused, as most seven-year-olds with older siblings sometimes do: sure that his brother could hang the moon and stars if he tried, but chagrined by the pure bossiness their relationship seemed to entail enduring. 

Thesival Dogs

It's a one-shot (with several chapters LOL, I don't know if that stops it being a one-shot anymore). I started drafting this in a frenzy over four days because I felt bad about how kmim Theseus never really finds a partner he's comfortable with again. Losing those feelings of intimacy and trust forever hurt me. So, it's set sometime after the end of the election in kmim and kind of diverges from the rest of the outline I have planned for that long story. Theseus and Percival get into a sort of casual-sort of not relationship complicated by their respective traumas. When Percival accidentally triggers Theseus while they're working on a case together, they have to get through it and figure out how to re-negotiate the physical stuff. It goes well—well enough that Theseus accidentally summons his Patronus (a borzoi). But after Percival summons his (a German Shepherd) too, as a joke, the dogs stick around, so they spend the next day figuring out how to make them dispel and thinking about their relationship.

Nearer the start:

Each like a damning indictment—because of him, it could never be long term. Because it’s you, Theseus imagined, because it’s you, and it’s me, they could tangle their broken bodies together, but they couldn’t fix them.

Nearer the middle:

"Tell me how you imagined it," Percival demanded, voice roughening.  "I, ah..." Theseus faltered, uncharacteristically flustered by the heat kindling behind Percival's eyes. Get it together, Scamander. “Mmh?” “Er…” Theseus racked his brains, but it’d been weeks since he’d had a vaguely sexy thought. I thought it’d be nice seemed like a mood killer for someone as skilled in talking filth as Graves. And I love you was all of the steps too far. “You…hmm. You would…um. Or maybe I...or maybe not.”

Plug in Baby

This is named for a song by the band "Muse", because I always end up doing song lyric titles. I do have four other songs that fit wayyy better with the themes, plot points, etc, but even though Muse said they forgot what the song was about because they were high (LOL), there's something particularly good about this as a title imo. This is my dark!thesleta fic, where Leta joins Grindelwald at a rally and Theseus follows her. It's set in a world where Grindelwald and Dumbledore are much more organised and there are very partisan 'sides'. Theseus is less certain, trying to convince her to leave, but when something happens that makes him fall apart, Grindelwald has enough and brainwashes/reconditions him using a mixture of drugs and magic. The 'character is turned into a weapon against the ones they love' trope, basically. It goes downhill from there, and involves Newt, Tina, Grindelwald, and Dumbledore, focusing mostly on Theseus, Leta, and Newt. The ending is a bit bittersweet, but I'd say positive, given what happens. I'm curious what the image in your head was! Hopefully, no actual babies? XD

I have no big chunks of text for this one. Even though it's all planned in detail, it's being written in spotty chunks, so here are a few lines I've jotted down:

"You're getting better at this," Gellert said, removing the needle. His voice was approving, almost fond. "Hardly even a flinch anymore." How much did he require tonight? Surely his tolerance was not increasing this quickly.

Power still crackled through his veins like lightning seeking ground. He felt half-feral, drunk on destruction. Unstoppable.