#the writing isn't always the best

[azurecanary]

When How to Get Away WIth Murder is good, it's good.

[llemon-soda]

very VERY self indulgent thing... except you can tell i got lazy

[bebrave-live]

Love the flavor of soulmates that is a main m/f partnership dynamic that's mostly platonic but also romantic but also dysfunctional and yet completely essential - like these characters would not work without each other, but they barely work with each other, and most importantly they know each other carnally better than anyone else, but it's also not about sex at all it's about the partnership and navigating the highs and lows of intimacy and letting someone in, but also maybe they do fuck, but also maybe don't, but also...

[gothamite-rambler]

Zatanna: My daddy thinks we had sex together. I need—

Batman burst into laughter, his ribs tightening from the rare display of emotion. He nearly fell out of his chair, almost cackling at the implication.

Batman (stammering through his laughter): You... you... you and me? In... in... what world would we have had sex?

Batman stood up to walk off his laughter. Zatanna blinked in surprise at first, then furrowed her eyebrows, glaring at her friend.

Zatanna (insulted): Alright, it's not that funny.

Batman (pouring himself some water): I'm sorry, it's just, this rumor and the one about you dating my oldest son always send me into hysterics. Hurts so much to laugh, but it's always worth it.

Zatanna: Keep laughing, chuckles, but I need you to tell daddy that, or he'll be pissed you deflowered me. His words, not mine.

Batman: Deflowered? HAHAHAHA!

Zatanna groaned, hands on her hips, but quickly froze in horror at what Batman had said earlier.

Zatanna: People think I dated your what?! Gross! I knew Nightwing when he was a little robin! Oh my God, that's why he threatened him!

Batman: Yep. I reassured him later that you two never did anything sexual. Seeing as you're my age and I'd go after him if you slept with my son. I don't let the slide.

Zatanna: Totally get it, but as for you I'd be a complete catch for you. I have curves and look like I'm in my 20s, okay? You'd be lucky to have me.

Batman: Zatanna, please, humble yourself. You're not my type. I like women with a bit of an edge. You understand?

Zatanna: Bruce, I'd rather take Constantine over you, no offense taken. You are such an ass.

Zatanna joined in laughing along with Batman while Giovanni began to fade in with his magic. Having heard most of the conversation, he stayed invisible.

Giovanni (whispering): Hmm, seems they are only friends. Thank the gods.

[noxemma]

I'm sure this has already been done, but I was rewatching Two Towers and I could not unsee the parallels of Aragorn trying to return Arwen's necklace and the mix tape scene from 12x19 🫠

[burningcheese-merchant]

i luved ur burning cheese fic on ao3 especially bc no one posts ab them..im somewhat inspired to post my own burning cheese content

Which one? I've written a bunch of them haha. Whichever one it is, thank you! It always makes my day when people come tell me they enjoy my work ❤️

And I understand your pain... Not enough BurningCheese content of any kind, at least on the Western side. Asian side of the fandom is filled to bursting with fanart and stuff. I think the problem is that most people on our side of the fence are terrified to ship it publicly because there's a risk of harassment and ostracization from the others, because boo hoo toxic boo hoo abuser x abused (and then they'll turn around and ship Hollyt4ya and ShadowSp1ce like the cowardly hypocrites they are lol). I'm tempted to assume most of my asks are anonymous for that reason. It's a shame, really. It's all a shame. Shame that BurningCheese doesn't get the love and attention it deserves and shame that anyone who tries to give it is burned at the stake for it

But I really do encourage you to post content! Pretty please! The world always needs more BurningCheese stuff. I'm only one person, I can't do it all alone haha

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

The fans: Ugh Sonic was just so preachy. I mean obviously he's supposed to be the good guy, so any uncomfortableness I feel here and any way I feel like Sonic's choices are framed as being why some other people have shitty lives is just bad writing because he is obviously supposed to be right always, but this characterization makes no sense. Isn't he right for the things he did?

Ian Flynn, using Kitsunami to say the (barely even at this point) quiet part even louder: Hey it's almost like ever since the Mr. Tinker event we've been purposely running with the critique of Sonic as being more selfish than he appears. Sonic is upholding a system of Eggman v Sonic that currently benefits him and shuts down talk of how to improve the current system because he likes his own personal enjoyment and he's attached enough to Eggman that he'd rather Eggman pretend to be a good person than be stuck in prison for life. He doesn't even quite practice what he preaches. We are trying to show that the current hero v villain system and Sonic's recklessness currently affects some people poorly and that Sonic isn't a perfect hero.

[yandere-yearnings]

do u have any writing tips dar??? Ur stories are immaculate

nonnie?? that's so sweet of you to say, thank you😭🩷 in general, a lot comes to mind bc there's so many different components to writing (i.e dialogue, characterisation, structure,, even mindset!!) so if you want to hear abt anything specific pls lmk🥺 for now tho, i've summarised a few across the subject that i think are helpful, and they will be below the cut bc i'm shit at explaining things, so i ended up writing a lot hhh

i also wanna point out that these are just things that i've personally made note of over the years from my own experiences + being friends w/ other writers, but that doesn't mean they will apply to everyone!! more than anything, i always believe that you shouldn't let other ppl dictate how you do and enjoy things, so if smth works for you and you like it, there's nothing wrong w/ that even if it contradicts an opinion you got from some rando on the internet (a.k.a. me😔💔)

Know your game

I'd like to say that in writing, there's a vein of liberty that isn't echoed in very many other creative fields; a lot of the times you can go in blind, and still make something of it because the nature of fiction is liquid — if you can imagine it, it can work. So to say, I find that nine times out of ten, room for improvement doesn't necessarily lie in the content of someone's writing, and more so its execution.

You could play a desultory game of chess without knowing all the rules, but if you wanted it to be your best match, you'd have to be aware of every move you could make, no? What you do from there then becomes a matter of choice, and choice is a landmark divider between doing something and being good at doing something. There's a difference in omissions due to lacking the technical knowledge, and omissions made because you are aware they are optimal.

Knowledge on the fundamentals of literature will always serve you, and that isn't to say you have to study all forms and contexts, but if you want to write a story, for example, it will always help to know the common elements of one. Grammar, punctuation, structure — brushing up on those things will build your toolkit, and once you've got that, you have the self-autonomy to decide what to use from it. My three favourite writers only use commas and full stops, and their works are, on all levels, spectacular. Still, if you asked them how to use a semi-colon, they'd be able to tell you.

Appreciating the basics will also tie into your creative exploration as a writer, which is a cornerstone in developing your distinctive writing style. I doubt a person in any type of craft hasn't heard a variation of know the rules before you break them, so studying until you do, inside out, remains beneficial to both new and old writers alike.

2. Have a starting point

This tip is fairly applicable to a range of different types of writing, and how one would practice it depends strongly on individual preference and styles of working. Some people like to plan things out thoroughly whilst others, including myself, like to dive in headfirst, and there's nothing wrong with either approach. The commonality between both types of writer is that regardless, they will have at least a vague idea of where to start from — a scene that they've bullet-pointed prior, a lyric that resonated with them, a mental image, an emotion or even just a single word that everything branches from. What all these details achieve is writing that has motion, because you have something of substance to piggyback you to an end point (the establishment of which is also important, but I will not be covering in this post).

3. Decide a structure

Again, this can be done both comprehensively or as simply as just having the thought to adhere to a certain method. As you gain more experience as a writer, you'll begin to understand what works best for you and create a system of your own, but starting out, there are a number of templates that have already been established by writers that you can follow, and find by researching. What matters most is that by using one — whichever it may be — you're turning your text into a story.

As an example, I'll detail two that I use regularly, in their simplest forms for the sake of brevity:

A linear narrative moves from point A to point B, and from point B to point C, etc. and all subsequent points build on the previous ones until your goal is reached. It's a system that works well for shorter pieces because it has a definite structure, like a length of spine and its individual vertebrae (and although we're talking about writing here, I think Newton's Third Law of Motion sums it up very well: every action has a reaction.)

A coalescing narrative considers all points as separate elements that may or may not always interact, but all contribute to the end point to different extremes. It's a useful template for creating depth in a piece, but due to its complexity, is better applied to longer projects.

They are visualised respectively below.

4. Iterate

If you think of your first draft as a block of clay, everything you do to it will equate to it being moulded and shaped, and if you think of your first draft as a skeleton, everything you do to it will equate to flesh being put on the bones. If you want your piece to be the best it can be, there's a sort of detachment you must have from it, where you won't have the fear of changing it until it is in the image of what you have intended. Write and rewrite, add things, take them away, make a separate copy for every edit if that makes it easier for you, but keep working it until you are happy.

Iteration doesn't just apply to drafts — chapters, paragraphs, sentences and even singular words can be given the same treatment. When you pick up the habit, the process becomes second-nature and you'll find that the first lines you put down are the ones that make it into the final piece, and that is in light of sorting through the renditions unconsciously. Additionally, you don't have to do things in one sitting; sometimes taking a break and coming back to your writing with a fresh outlook is valuable.

5. Analyse and apply

One piece of advice I always see given when someone asks how to improve their writing is to read more, and though it is — at its core — a tip worth acknowledging, it always comes across as unserviceable to me. There is nothing that reading will change for you if you are not actively practicing the things you learn, or even actively learning to begin with. So to address it as a matter of semantics, I feel it's best put as studying the writing of others, as opposed to reading.

If you have a favourite author, go over their works twice — once as a reader to identify what you like about them, and then again as a writer to identify why you like those things. To put it into context, if I read something and decided that I enjoyed how clear and easy to understand it was, I'd do a second pass to figure out the attributing qualities. Perhaps it's the use of punctuation, chosen sentence forms or even the simplicity of words used. My first tip of knowing different literary fundamentals is complementary here, because it makes the analysis and application of isolated features that much more smooth, and also means you'd be able to adapt them into your own style instead of just copying the other writer, which is what you want to avoid.

(Some writers I personally recommend studying are @ozzgin, @monstersholygrail, @aayakashii and @urprettylildoe for readability and clarity in execution, @moyazaika, @carnivorousyandeere and @purerae for characterisation and dialogue, @suiana and @unhappy-last-resort for engaging plots and concepts, and @sabotsen and @lirational for word choice.)

[its-a-me-mango]

yknow the adult version of Telly reminds me- wonder what they'd be like when they're a teen? Going through any silly phases?

(rubs my evil devilish hands together) oh boy, I got that all planned out too, I can imagine anything.

I've mentioned before that Telly goes on to become a movie director as an adult, but I skipped over the whole shit storm they went through to get there. Telly's always been interested in film because of their dad and always wanted to grow up to be just like him, however Mr Puzzles SUCKS at accepting that people don't always want to work for him or that they need his help.

Because Telly is his kid, he basically thinks that Telly getting into film is just to help him with his projects, and he would likely employ Telly once they become an adult. The idea that Telly may want to go on and make their own films doesn't really occurred to him. It's not out of malicious intentions or anything, if anything its the opposite, he genuinely thinks he's helping them out and setting them up to work with him when they're older so that they never have to worry about their future.

Telly doesn't want that though, they want to be able to make their own movies by themselves, but because they can't communicate well, nor do they want to hurt their dads feelings (he's already overly emotional), they don't say anything about it and just let it build and build into resentment.

In short:

Don't worry it does get sorted and Telly gets to make their own stuff by themselves in the end (it actually ends up being better than Mr Puzzles stuff), it is basically just a phase they don't hate each other at all, just you know, growing up ain't easy for anyone involved lol.

As for actual phases? Uhhhh

Well no ponies perfect.

[good--merits-accumulated]

going through some old left-for-dead projects and just found this one where I was like. INTENT on dissecting jeff's brain on the operating table (i.e. google docs) but only from todd's weird skewed pov

[professor voice] it's about brothers as eternal combatants and it's about being so convinced of your own goodness you excuse your shitty actions. it's also about comparing yourself to a dog because you feel less fully formed than your brother. lol.

[arthursfuckinghat]

His back against the earth, cushioned by grass, oh how much Arthur longed for stars above to reach out and ask,

"What do you yearn for?"

He envisions their silent presence, with all burdens they store.

Perhaps they have a haven where his secrets sleep, only to be awoken when the yearning's deep.

But with no stars to ask, his heart remained back, tucked away in the confines of inked pages, bound by leather and secrecy.

𑁦𐂂𑁦

[solradguy]

Interlude 08 was such a drag but it had to be done. Interlude chapter 09 is happening already. Can you believe it? I am putting that bad guy back into more situations and it hasn't even been 6 months between updates yet. There are going to be women. There are going to be guns. Someone might die. Things might get lit on fire. I'm hoping there might be an explosion but you know what. Do you want to know a secret

I haven't planned a damn thing that's happened in this fic. I'm just making this shit up as it goes. What's gonna happen next? I dunno, but we are going to find out together

[rainintheevening]

Narnia, grief

Grief was a strange thing, Erah discovered.

For weeks after the Four vanished, carried as he was by the power and hope of his dream, he felt no pain, no sense of loss; indeed, he was the one to whom many turned for comfort—he, the unicorn who could not speak!

Yet the day the first snow fell, he found himself starting at every whisper and footfall, always listening, always searching his surroundings, but for what?

For the call of his name, of course, for the ring of familiar love and joy; for the flash of golden hair, and crimson cloak, and laughing bearded face; but more, for the brightness of spirit, the gentleness of hand, the warmth of the blue eyes that saw and the great heart that spoke like none other ever had, save Aslan himself.

He wanted Peter...

but the sun set into the quiet hills, and Peter did not come.

[orphiicheartd]

Bruh, I am prolly slow on the uptake, but I'm realizing that, considering their magic is heavily influenced by imagination, it's no WONDER Kalim's magic, especially his defensive magic, is so weak.

Because he's always had everything handed to him or done for him by others, especially Jamil, of course his imagination would never compare. Bc he's never HAD to long for anything, never had to think of anything for himself besides what he was told/given, outside certain circumstances!

Is it a wonder he was able to manifest his magic at an age when Jamil was attending another school away from him? When Kalim himself WANTED to and tried so HARD at something, likely for the first time in his life, to manifest his magic to be JUST LIKE Jamil?

Tbh, the best thing that ever happened to Kalim was not really Jamil. Bc incidentally, the way they were raised, it only served to limit Kalim both in life experiences and magic, having Jamil do everything for Kalim. He never needed to work on honing his magic when Jamil could take care of potions, when Jamil could defend him and take the brunt of the grunt work.

Thus, the best possible thing to have happened to Kalim really having to make his own friends outside of him at Night Raven. Like when he used Oasis Maker to entertain Crowley with excellent control and skill ( likely something he learned to do for shows with the Pop Music Club, I bet! ). Or how when he had to make a party without Jamil's help, Ruggie let him learn how to cook with only using magic and the food STILL turned out to be a hit despite it being Kalim's first shot at it! Or how he was able to surprise Jamil by making the river to bring Octavinelle, himself and Yuu'n Grim back to Scarabia after the boy'd dismissed his Signature Spell as useless.

[astralleywright]

thinking about "murder is okay" still. more than anything i think a lot of people just say shit in meta bc it sounds evocative and vaguely gestures at an actual point

[liquidstar]

a friend who'd wait :)