#this fic definitely isnt me projecting

[cows-wearing-my-sweater]

"weren't we the stars in heaven?"

word count: 1978 warnings: angst ??? notes: title is from the song linked above -- kinda some fluff in this but mostly just sad LMAO </3 also im using this as an opportunity to say all of the fic writers here are so inspiring i actually get sm motivation from u guys !! ily forever

Water laps at your fingertips. It’s so very cold; you imagine the icy feeling crawling up your arm until it has frozen your entire body. You’d like to be stuck here for the rest of eternity, the late-winter sky covering the world like a blanket. Most of the sounds around you are muffled, save for the occasional words exchanged between you and Matty.

You’re sitting with him at the edge of an old and worn pier. Initials and hearts and expletives are carved into it all over, and many of the boards have fallen apart, but this is your place. You’ve come here often with Matty over the many years of your friendship. A small, quiet pond. A few lilies adorn where the land slips into water, but aside from that, the scene is entirely unremarkable. There was never a spoken reason why you returned here with him so many times. It was a sort of ritual at this point. After the first night you found the place, a night where you were both a little too stoned and the world was spinning far too quickly, it had become a sanctuary.

Matty watches your fingers continue to swirl through the water, spiraling around and around to create little whorls. “What are you thinking about?” he asks you softly.

You hear the words but they don’t seem to register. Matty’s voice is far away, calling you from a universe where things are different. He says your name this time, a little louder than before.

“Hm?” You lift your head and sit up straighter to get a good look at him. A smile is spread across his face, but you can detect the sadness behind it. It’s a look of mourning, the knowledge of the loss that can’t be avoided for much longer.

Matty repeats himself for you. “I asked what you’re thinking about right now.” He nudges you with his elbow, adding, “You seem a bit preoccupied.”

There’s a lump in your throat. He’s pretending not to know and you’re going to have to say it. Part of you wants to be furious, wants to scream over the fact that he’s acting like he forgot that this is his last day before leaving with the band. You find you can’t truly be angry, though. You saw the tears pooling in his eyes when he told you a month ago that he would be leaving. Even then, you had known it was an opportunity he couldn’t miss. The world was ready for The 1975’s first tour, and it would be nothing but selfish to get on your knees and beg for him to change his mind. 

You take a breath to collect yourself before answering his question. “Thinking about missing you.”

His eyes quickly dart away from you. There’s not much time left to act like things are normal. You don’t want to act like things are normal. You want to tell Matty everything, you want to show him every piece of your heart. You want to expose how it beats for him.

Matty sighs heavily, laying on his back to look up at the sky. You do the same – maybe it’ll be easier if you don’t have to face each other. The sheet of clouds is untouched, obstructed only by the occasional bird gliding past. An anomaly within an infinite expanse of nothing. Something about this makes you reach for Matty’s hand. You lace your fingers with his and squeeze. He squeezes back.

He’s still there.

“I just don’t want things to be weird. Or complicated,” you tell him, voice barely above a whisper.

Matty laughs at this. Not a mean laugh, but one of surprise. “You say that like it’s not already complicated.” 

You laugh as well, half from your nerves and half from relief. At least he knows. He knows there’s something clearly aching to be said. You start to wonder if it was wrong to wait until it was far too late to tell him. You ask yourself what even constitutes “too late.” You find that you’re not sure. There’s a pause between your laugh and your next words. “What if we don’t see each other again?”

“That won’t happen,” Matty says definitively. He’s still staring straight up, no turning of the head to drink in your image. His words are a half-truth, though, and you can hear it in his voice. He’ll certainly try to come back, to call you, to pay you visits, to give you kisses that clearly run deeper than “just friends.” However, it’s a slim likelihood that this happens. The ever-present hand of time will push you both onwards, stealing Matty from you. You feel this in your heart. You pray that your heart knows nothing.

You’re acutely aware of the increased pressure Matty has on your hand. You sneak a glance over and see that his eyes are shut. You notice that even his eyelashes are pretty, and this sends a pang through your heart. You never want to stop discovering his beauty. The selfish depths of your heart want Matty to remain your own little secret; you never want to share him with the world. This is not where he belongs, though. There is a long stretch of road waiting for him, and, if nothing else, you would still be there with open arms at the end of it.

Matty shuffles his body closer to yours, finally making the dreaded eye contact. No words are exchanged, but you both seem to understand what the other is thinking. You turn on your side and press a kiss to his shoulder. “This could have been so good,” you murmur against his skin.

“I know.”

You allow your lips to linger for a moment. The sky is darkening now. Maybe hours have passed or maybe you were unlucky and got here just moments before sunset. It doesn’t matter, though; you can feel time slipping through your hands, and suddenly you feel like an idiot. There were so many times you almost did it, almost blurted out, “I think I’m in love with you.” The words feel so natural on your tongue when it’s for Matty. It would have been so easy for your mouth to let the sounds slip out. Now you’re here. You never said it, but Matty knows, and the act of actually voicing it is moot.

Matty’s thumb rubs soft circles on your hand, an attempt to ease the pain. His touch burns into your skin. You savor it. Quiet breathing fills your ears, and you let the combination of this and Matty’s skin on yours ease your mind to prevent your next words from becoming stuck in your throat.

Just as your lips part, however, Matty fills the void for you. “I really do love you, you know. I think I love you in every way imaginable, and in all the ways no one has thought of yet.”

A white hot flash of something sears through you – it’s an emotion you can’t put a name to, although it doesn’t particularly need a name. You know what it’s calling you to do. Without much thinking, you adjust your position to gingerly hold yourself above Matty. Ease of access to his lips.

You intertwine yourselves together. It’s terrifying and it’s bliss and you hope it never has to end. This isn’t the first time you’ve kissed him, but it's noticeably different. This time is more tender, and he’s sweeter and softer than you had remembered. Matty’s hands aren’t greedy, either. He holds you to him and his touch roams your body, but he’s gentle. You’re both starving for each other, but you don’t want to miss a single second of this. You need Matty’s lips engraved in yours – something you wouldn't be able to forget, even when he is long gone.

His chest is rising and falling rapidly and you can feel his reluctance as your skin parts from his. Pupils dilated, his forehead comes to rest against yours. Warm breath tickles your nose and the absurdity of it all hits you. You can’t help but giggle. Matty’s expression shifts from serious to puzzled, and then he’s laughing with you. The familiar sound of his laughter helps to soothe your racing heart.

You push yourself into a sitting position now, no longer laying over top of Matty’s body. He does the same, and while your attention is on getting comfortable again, Matty takes the opportunity to catch you off guard. He uses two fingers to tilt your chin up, forcing eye contact before he begins to press kisses to every feature on your face. First your forehead, then your cheeks, the tip of your nose, your chin, up and down your jaw. Your eyes flutter closed and you hum contentedly. There’s a hesitation before he meets your lips again, but you lean into it deeply when he does. You move symbiotically with one another, souls melting into each other. This feeling transcends the human experience. This must be what a supernova feels like, heat pouring out from the center of each body as a final farewell. 

Your desire hasn’t been fulfilled to completion when the kiss is broken, but you know this cannot go on forever. “I really do love you too, Matty,” you finally respond. A pause, and then, “And I can’t help but feel guilty for not saying it sooner.”

Matty is quiet for a long time before saying anything else. You almost think he didn’t hear you, until he simply says, “I don’t think we ever needed to say it.”

You furrow your brow at this. “Don’t you wish we could’ve been more than this?”

“I think we would have ended up here anyway. ‘Course I wish things were different, [Y/N]. I would travel to the ends of the earth to find you again. But you’re a smart girl, you know I can’t stay here forever. And I haven’t regretted a single moment of whatever this is.” He gestures vaguely with his hands, unsure of the words to describe what exists between him and you. “D’you know what I mean?”

Once again, you find yourself wanting to be furious. He should be crying, he should be miserable, he should be apologizing for never making this easy. You shake yourself back to reality because you know Matty is right. His words hit you with a certain level-headedness that you hadn’t been ready for. You don’t regret any of this either. Despite it all, he was always there. You suppose that’s all that ever truly mattered; at the very least, it’s what you’ll tell yourself until you believe it. “I know what you mean,” you manage to say.

“Thank you, darling.”

It’s truly getting late now. The night brings an impending sense of doom, regardless of all that has transpired. Silence has fallen over the two of you now; there’s not much left to say, anyway. He told you he can’t stay here forever, and you’re proud of him for it. You make peace with the idea of going home, letting the night draw to a close. 

Before you know it, you’re standing with Matty at your parked cars. You cast a glance back at the pond – you’re not sure you’ll come back. Maybe you can when Matty comes back, for old times’ sake. For now, though, you’re faced with the decision of parting words. Of course you’ll see him again tomorrow morning just before he packs up and leaves, but it feels wrong not to say something. Suddenly there’s intense pressure on you; you need to say something monumental, something life-altering that he could never forget. But you don’t. Instead, you leave a chaste kiss on his cheek and say the only words that you can seem to find.

“Don’t be a stranger.”

“I never could be.”

[ghostlynimbus]

I like There's A Rumor, but trying to get back into writing it is, just, so much work.

[boreal-sea]

Yeah people that are interested in stuff exclusively like Lolita or pedophilia fiction definitely don't have an interest in those things and doesn't say anything to their character that that's what they're into in reality at all. Nope just crazy that projecting things onto fiction isnt indicative of inner character at all or a way to explore those things. Certainly wouldnt enable people into making those things real.

You're a joke and a clown.

You have no idea if they have an interest in those things IRL. You have no idea if it's enabling or not. You are listening to your knee-jerk feelings and trusting your disgust about something you don't understand and you are not thinking with your head.

I like noncon in fic. I like rape fantasy in kink. I find it to be incredibly arousing to momentarily pretend a character (or myself, or my partner) is being taken against their will, often by a villain or a beast or something so strong they cannot resist. I like the "sex pollen" trope, wherein characters are driven to feel an uncontrollable urge to fuck someone they normally wouldn't. I love stuff like vampiric mind control. I love omegaverse heats and ruts, where the character is so driven by their biology they can't stop themselves, even if they wouldn't normally consent. I love "fuck or die" scenarios.

All of those scenarios involve a lack of consent or questionable consent on the part of the participants. A lot of those scenarios, if they they were happening in real life, would be outright rape.

Now. According to your logic, all of this means that I actually, secretly, think rape in real life is super awesome, and I either actually want to be raped, or I want to rape someone. According to you, reading that kind of fic and participating in that kind of kink play should turn me into a rapist or someone who wants to be raped.

It hasn't.

I have always thought and still think real rape is in fact a horrific violation of someone's rights and boundaries and is inexcusable.

Because I know the difference between pretend play and reality.

Horror movie script writers, directors, and actors don't secretly yearn to be serial killers. David Jenkins and Taika Watiti do not want to become pirates. Bryan Fuller, who developed the NBC Hannibal show, does not secretly yearn to consume human flesh or murder people.

Authors are not always the things they write. You have got to learn this.

[evereverest2]

Little Monster Q&A + author fun facts !!

hello new followers and fans of Little Monster. first of all, i just have to thank everyone for the crazy support ive been getting as of late. thank you everyone. every like, comment, and reblog just pushes me to keep writing, even when it feels like every word i write is garbage.

so i decided to make this little special! idk if anyone will be super interested, so ill put all the stuff under the cut, but i also wanted to add this little drawing i did of terzomega as like extra content. if you arent interested, thanks anyway and enjoy the art!

—

to everyone who stayed, i have no idea why you’re interested, but thanks lmfao. this shit will be long.

Questions

Is your most recent oneshot about the mirror related at all to Little Monster? (from @ofthemorningstars)

i'm glad you noticed that !! in The Mirror, i very purposefully left two hints at the end of the fic to indicate its connection to Little Monster, which was the taco ring reference and Terzo's use of "mostriciatto". to me, mostriciatto will always be the Little Monster version of terzomega. no matter when i finish that fic or if i write more fics after, i will never again use mostriciatto unless im purposefully writing these versions of terzomega. i havent seen anyone else use it (i hope they dont), so i like to imagine this can be forever my impact on terzomega fics lmao. anyway, the purpose of me leaving those references isnt necessarily to say, "this is a future scene of little monster" bc it isnt exactly that (while i have plans that line up with this oneshot, i cannot anticipate that everything will fit perfectly by the time we get there in the canon). the purpose of doing that was to show u cuties that yes, terzo and omega will eventually have a better relationship, and i will be extending this timeline into papa terzo era. just a fun little teaser for my more observant fans.

also, fun fact about how i came up with that pet name. i was writing the first part of Little Monster (that part is now titled Spilled Wine as featured on my Ao3) and i knew i wanted to give terzo an affinity for using pet names, but i didn't know quite which ones to use. i didn't want to be boring, so i googled some. i have no idea where, but i found mostriciatto, meaning, of course, "little monster." i had yet to even really start writing it, but i knew i wanted it to be DARK with a very unhinged omega, so i thought, perfect. ill talk a bit more about the writing of part one later on

2. How many parts do you currently anticipate writing? Do you have a set ending point, or will this perhaps be an ongoing project for the foreseeable future? (from @ofthemorningstars)

i have 12 major plot points (including the first five parts i have written) that loosely translate into parts. this could mean 12 parts, or it could be more depending on what i write. i kinda plan on expanding this to 18 (6 parts per “era” or “act” [you’ll see what i mean]) though i dont quite have a set ending yet, so really its up in the air. i am, however, planning on having a definitive ending, ergo not an endless project. from there there may be some oneshots in this universe, but they will have an ending.

3. In the first part of little monster you put a disclaimer with something along the lines of "if you're expecting comfort I'm sorry to disappoint". The angst is MWAH but do you like plan on giving Terzo like any sort of comfort or happiness?? (from anon)

before i begin rambling, here's your answer: there will be hope and good times as mentioned above, and you might have even picked up on that in part 5. i may have wrote a fucked up versions of terzomega but whats a good story without character growth?? i havent determined the direction of the ending, but rest assured, if it all burns down, they will hold each other close (for the minute it takes).

but also.... funny story about that disclaimer....

soo i wanted to write ghost fanfic to impress my friend who is a VERY avid member of this community. however, i failed to realize they DO NOT like angst without love and care and fluff, so after i showed it to them, buddy did not like it. i took that as a sign that maybe this shit was a little TOO dark.

but my god, i could not stop thinking about it, as the caption said, and i dont always feel that away about what i write. i had recently started to post semi often to tumblr, and i just thought. well, theres gotta be someone else as fucked up as me, and i posted that shit. that disclaimer was a result of taking my friends reaction seriously and realizing that i needed to make it VERY clear that this fic is NOT for everyone. there was a different og caption that was longer and more grave, but i cut it down for aesthetics bc little monster has already seen more success than i ever anticipated.

4. What is your favorite ghost album, and what song introduced you to ghost? (from anon) & Favorite ghost song (or songs) (from @ask-enso-ghoul)

my favorite album is Infestissumam!!! the vibes of the album are so fucking immaculate, even if terzo is my favorite papa.

of course, of course, the first song i ever heard from ghost was Mary on a Cross. it blew up when it did and i loved it. the second song that really made me start getting into ghsot was square hammer, which will secretly also be my favorite ghost song but ive heard it so many times i have to give it now to the future is a foreign land. some of my other fave songs are jigolo, respite, body and blood, faith, twenties, and year zero (there’s just so many)

i want to take a second to say my least favorite album though, which is opus eponymous, or as i call it, pope pussy. it’s ok. it’s just ok. mk. i’m not a fan of that sound. the best song on there is genesis. I FUCKING SAID IT—

5. how do you get into the zone of writing smut-? I’m trying to get into it but it sounds cheesy when I do, so do you do something specific? (from anon)

im gonna level with you. i have been writing for almost a decade, since i was 12, and the first thing i started writing was smut. sex has always been a HUGE creative force for my writing and art in general. as stupid as it sounds, writing smut to me is more than just that. its my art. its my greatest and most inspirational subject. i love being creative with it, bending it to the niches and intricacies of the duo im writing, just playing with it as a medium of expression, of storytelling, of how DEEP it can be.

that being said, one of the easiest ways to get into the zone of smut specifically is being horny ! you imagine your pairing doing some illicit bedroom activity and you pick them up liek dolls and smush their faces together ! let it be fun, and let it be yours. dont write it to please the kinks of your audience, write it to your own taste and enjoyment.

as far as it being cheesy, yeah, it will feel that way. the most important thing is to be confident with your language and don’t shy away from calling a dick a dick, a pussy a pussy, an ass an ass. it feels stupid, but it will read worse if you make up artsy names for them every other line. don’t be afraid to be descriptive either, because that’s what the people want to see, trust me.

apologies if that was unhelpful, ive just been writing smut so long i can hardly tell you how i do it. im jsut super passionate about it and it fuels me creatively….. can u tell lol

6. Favorite work you’ve ever done? (from anon)

so.... ive written many things and that depends. its definitely not anything ive posted on here.

i think my favorite "serious" work is a short story i wrote for a creative writing class, called Abel and Sally. it was an modern inversion of the bible story of abraham and sarah, with a really dark ending (i love to shit on catholicism)

the other work that comes to mind is the first story i wrote about my oc anson, called Anson's Prison. that is something i would potentially post on here, its pretty short but its a good one. its oc content, tho, so i doubt many ppl would be interested lel.

8. will you draw more drawing for your stories in the future? (from anon)

well. heres my thing with art.

ive been drawing as long as ive been writing. but im not an artist; i never learned ANYTHING beyond like drawing itself, i.e. i dont know how to shade, pick colors, do bgs, etc. (can u tell??? do u see that art up there???? can YOU TELL??) thus, i have a sort of love hate relationship with drawing, and i usually dont like my own stuff. i didnt pick up drawing as easy as i did writing and its not nearly as intuitive to me.

that being said, it is sometimes fun when the drawings turn out just right and i get super passionate about something i draw and i can create the image in my head. so if the mood strikes me, i probably will draw more terzomega stuff in the future.

but why do i need to?? feeds you all SO WELL with little monster stuff you dont need my shitty art lmfao

9. MILK OR CEREAL FIRST? (from anon)

cereal. bc the moment the milk hits that cereal u are on a speedy ass countdown to devour that shit before it gets soggy, and brother, u better eat quick.

Things I wanted to share

Little Monster was supposed to be a one shot

so, Little Monster started as one thing and turned to something else entirely. originally, i wrote the beginning of the first chapter (where they are flirting in the church) in about april of this year. in this version, they were supposed to already be in love, though hiding it, and terzo was not drunk at all, just teasing. i eventually scrapped it because i wasnt very passionate about it and got p bored. then, in july, i had the itch to write something dark, but none of my projects at the time had characters i could really write that with. i came back to that scrapped fic and i thought, damn, i could really fuck these guys up, and i did.

little monster immediately became more successful than i thought it would be, and that was only about 10 notes and a comment in. i was happy to leave it at that, but then, i just started writing part two on a whim. if you look at the og post in the comments, i mention that im writing a "follow up". thats bc even when writing part two, this was not going to be a series !! but then, as i kept writing, part two became so long i had to split it in half, meaning there were suddenly 3. by the time i posted part three, though, i was shocked at the sheer amount of attention i was getting. at the same time, part three ended in such a way that i knew this story needed to keep going, to give these two a resolution. now, little monster will be a full fledged story thanks to all the support ive received :3

2. im an english major

yeah, you got me, im a college student majoring in english creative writing. is it obvious? my penultimate goal is to one day be a published author. it’s crazy surreal to me how much people express to me how they enjoy my writing~~ i hope i can one day make my dream come true 🥰 the unfortunate part about this is i go back to college next week and im uncertain how that will affect my writing schedule :p i’ll stick to weekly uploads for little monster tho dw !!

3. this is the first time i’ve written fanfic in several years

when i first started writing it was frerard and peterick fanfics on wattpad in middle school (huge shoutout to the ones that know lmfao). i stopped writing those before hs and haven’t written fanfic since. i think it’s very funny that i have come full circle back to writing band fanfic, altho ghost ofc is way more intricate with its canon

4. I LOVE YOU GUYS

i know i’ve said it a dozen times already on this post, but god it’s crazy. it’s nuts !! i’ve already made a handful of super sweet mutuals who i appreciate with all my heart, and even if you’re just a lurker, I STILL APPRECIATE YOU. EVERY SINGLE NOTE MAKES ME SO HAPPY. EVERY COMMENT AND RB HAS ME BURSTING WITH JOY.

it is entirely thanks to you all that i write terzomega and ive become so passionate about it. if it weren’t for your support, i would probably still be writing my silly little stories that no one but me could possibly understand, rotting away and wondering if anyone would even like my writing. terzo and omega are such a unique pairing compared to what ive written before, and writing them is a really cool feeling. i truly love it, and i hope i can continue to feed this side of the fandom for a long time.

from the bottom of my heart and with all my writing soul, thank you. i want to keep writing for u guys, and i want to satiate ur dirty terzomega fantasies >:) this is such a sweet and inclusive fandom and im glad i’ve been welcomed in so quickly. i hope i can continue to grow my talent here :3

ok that’s it bye teehee

[alviearts]

Hi! I was trying to figure out the least awkward way to talk about Silver gender stuff and settled on this but please don't feel like you have to answer publicly if you don't want. So it's in this series, which basically takes off from the idea of Flint teaching Silver to cook after the pig roasting scene - Silver goes to him and says if you want me to keep up this illusion you have to keep teaching me. There are definitely hints in the second installment, but it's the last chapter of the third one where it really goes all out; Silver ends up dressed in silk and jewels from a prize, and gets treated like the pretty princess he deserves to be 🥰 I'm really interested in Silver's relationship with gender because of how he plays with identity in different ways, and how he sort of refuses to engage in some of the classic hypermasculine pirate stuff, he doesn't claim to be brave and tough and able to fight, that's not where his power comes from, in fact he actively undermines that image with the addresses and such, he gets by being charming and nonthreatening which can be perceived as a more feminine way of moving through the world. And I'm interested in how that interacts with some of the softness we see from Flint in private, even though he IS projecting that hypermasculine image as captain to some extent.

Anyway sorry for rambling, I'm obsessed with that art and I'm convinced it would taste of the same lovely lavender as the shade of the dress <3 Thank you so much for sharing, and I can't wait to see a version with the fancy prosthetic if you end up doing one.

Oh PS that fic also references Flint doing some gender play stuff in London with the Hamiltons... a favorite headcanon, he would love to be able to take a break from the roles he assumes... there is so much potential for both of them.

YAYYAY SILVER GENDER TIME

ive actually read that series!! and i love it, its so good! it definitely made me want to draw silver in a dress even more. (tho i'd already designed the dress before reading it)

i love the observation that he doesnt engage in the typical pirate masculinity, or place his worth in his physical strength or battle prowess. some characters in other shows would be highly demeaned for moving through the world this way (cough cough starscream transformers) but silver isnt--he's shown as a formidable enemy, both to flint at the start of the show and to anyone who would oppose him at the end... including, again, flint. who is, like you said, projecting a hypermasculine image as captain. even if that isnt exactly who he is inside, he places his outward worth as captain on his ability to intimidate, his ability in a fight, his success by typical pirate standards. so the fact that silver, who makes his success in a more stereotypically feminine way, triumphs over him is interesting to me. normally feminine men, men who move through the world the way silver does, would be demeaned by the characters and the plot, shown to be incompetent or lesser. but not in black sails <3

and im so glad you like my painting, i loved making it but was a little worried that nobody would like it or see value in it due to the ahistorical nature and, of course, the fact that i drew a pirate in a dress--WITH leg hair which. people seem to think if you wear a dress you cant have leg hair. which is weird lol. i didnt want to play into that. i think hairy men can also be femme and wear dresses and they look good doing it <3

[peach-fiz]

I actually didn't even bother watching the second season of Loki because of the cheap marketing and inconsistent storytelling.

It just felt like the plot was lifted off somewhere it would have made sense, and a character with a similar ego was replaced with Loki and goes through an arc that might have made sense for a blank slate character, but not someone who already has a backstory.

Loki doesn't even feel like Loki after three episodes in S1. The whole point of having a show like that just seems to be about the TVA and Sylvie.

Also the whole genderfluid thing. They 'confirmed' it in the promo and had a line in the script that went completely against anything they just said.

I knew at once that the writers, directors and other parts of production were really just pulling it in different directions and it would probably sound like a jazz trumpeter and a metal guitarist trying to improvise after knowing each other for 15 minutes.

I've been meaning to watch it just so I can have educated opinions on all of it but it's just,, so hard to get into. I definitely agree the marketing was cheap, they did with the 80s McDonald's like they did DB Cooper!Loki and made it centric to the advertising because McDonalds was also getting something out of it which is kinda ass seeing as realistically Loki Laufeyson would burn 6 of them down before he ate in one 😭

I personally don't like either of the major ships in the show but the forced Sylki shit in season 1 really got to me. Like not only did she completely replace him as the main character in HIS show, she's also a variant of him who he wants to make out with and overall it just reads as lazy writing and it's extremely disappointing that Mike Waldron has been put in charge of Multiverse of Madness and The Kang Dynasty since, due to the popularity of the Loki TV show. I was talking to my boyfriend about this last night but it kinda reminds me of the complaints people had ab the last Indiana Jones movie but opposite? Like everyone complained his best friend's daughter was gonna replace him bc she's a Mary Sue and she rlly isnt, she's more reminiscent of Marion in Raiders of the Lost Ark she just doesn't wanna fuck him. But the difference is Indy is a character who's majorly blank for little boys to project themselves onto. Which is great!! It works for those kind of movies, but they're not character development centric like the individual mcu movies tend to be. Loki is characterized in a way that he's drowning in identity issues and family problems and he experiences growth in every installment whether it be positive or negative. It doesn't make sense to take the formula of an Indidna Jones movie where he meets up with a woman who's typically a love interest and has her own issues that are only slightly touched on because that's not the focus, and they go do the plot.

Sylvie is not an Indy Girl, they straight up are trying to replace Loki with Sylvie. And you can tell the character wasn't supposed to have as much importance as she does in the show bc the character was worked on more after the actress they chose was buddies with a producer ( and this is no hate to the actress I'm sure she's delightful everything I've seen her in in terms of interviews has been lovely ).

I also absolutely agree they should've just made a tva mini series to introduce the tva rather than bringing back a dead character who soon will not make much sense anyway because Tom Hiddleston is getting older (and also he deserves to branch out in his career).

The genderfluid thing was a cash grab and it sucks ass, they just want money for acknowledging things already canon in the comics, same with confirming him as bisexual.

My boyfriend is actually writing a fic on ao3 called Find Me that's rlly good if you want Loki content that isn't related to the show.

(YES this is shameless promotion sshhhhshshsh) but fr the loki TV show makes me more confident in my screenwriting bc t h a t got put on disney plus. I'm also working on a Loki show rewrite in my spare time!!

[ceapa-mica]

Thrawn with a Foundling | Chapter 1

And at long last here is the first chapter of the fic I promised months ago! I wanted to get to know Thrawn's character well enough before actually writing fanfic. My headcanons were mere exercises. I hope my dialogue for Thrawn is on point with his "lawyer english" as my friend calls it haha

This fanfic will only have 5 chapters at max, I'm NOT planning on turning this into a big project or something so I remain ✨flexible✨

PLEASE READ THE WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER!

Warnings: death, so much death, death of child, blood, trauma, lots of angst

I will leave you a box of tissues here for good measure.

Word count: 2109

Taglist: @bingbongooo @dance-like-russia-isnt-watching @ele-millennial-weirdo @enaelyork @jesslove23 @thrawnalani @thrawnsboots @twincesskorisoka @davesrightshoe @shoe-bag @tearyeve @blackddarling @obbicrystaleo

Oodu 6 was a hot mountainous desert planet in the Outer Rim. It looked dull on the surface, but it was the minerals beneath that caught the interests of more than one party. One of them being the terrifying Sharun pirates out to raid the mine which belonged to the local population. These pirates were the type who preferred negotiating with their fleet, dropping bombs on the towns to destroy and intimidate, and using their blasters and vibroblades instead of words. The other party interested in those resources was the Galactic Empire, with the Seventh Fleet receiving orders to eliminate the pirates and secure the resources.

One of those resources was a metal called doonium, which was highly valuable to the Empire as it was used to build military vessels and weapons.

Grand Admiral Thrawn, the Chiss warrior who was in charge of the entire Seventh fleet had studied the Sharun pirates’ tactics extensively and was capable of predicting their next moves. To Thrawn this battle was like many others. The enemies’ fire power was no use against the Grand Admiral’s strategies. At the end, the remains of the pirate fleet disbanded, most of their ships had turned into wrecks around the planet. Thrawn ordered a small team of specialists to search for any valuable resources on board of those wrecks while he took a shuttle to Oodu 6's surface to secure the doonium mine.

As the shuttle’s ramp lowered, the hot desert air hit him. He did not show any hints of the discomfort he felt. Coming from an icy planet he didn't like scorching hot temperatures, but he did what his job required him to. At least he wore a white safety helmet that protected his head from the intense sun as well. The next thing he noticed was the dust filling the air – dust mixed with smoke. The pirates had turned the entire mining village into a sea of rubble. No one uttered a word at the sight. It was dead calm. No shouts for help, no crying.

“One team searches for survivors, the other secures the mine. Look out for remaining pirates and traps. Report back to me in one hour.” Thrawn ordered in his ever calm voice. He watched the troopers disperse at his command. This was not the first destroyed village he saw, nor would it be the last. The smell of burnt flesh in the air indicated the kind of massacre that had taken place here earlier.

As Thrawn was overseeing the mission, talking to a few officers, he didn't notice he was being watched. All of a sudden, a trooper who approached him was hit by a rock. A dozen blasters aimed at the place where the rock had come from. Thrawn was capable of seeing infrared with his scarlet alien eyes, noticing a heat signature behind a pile of rubble which looked way too small to be a grown ass pirate. Perhaps it was an Ugnaught? Another rock flew in the direction of a few troopers. This time they fired exactly at the spot the rock had been thrown from. A high pitched scream filled the air that definitely did not come from an Ugnaught but a child. Thrawn raised his hand as a sign for the troopers to hold their fire.

“Sir?” one of his death troopers asked, but received no reply as Thrawn approached the pile of rubble. As he came closer he heard quiet sniffles, then, all of a sudden, a little girl ran straight toward him, hugging his leg tightly. Thrawn looked down, surprise showing on his face for a second.

“And who might you be?” he asked in a gentle yet commanding tone. The girl was crying. At closer inspection he saw that she was Pantoran. Her skin a similar shade of blue as his, with golden eyes and messy wine red hair, the color almost concealing the bleeding wound on the girl's temple which left bloodstains on his white pants.

“Why have you thrown rocks at my men?”

The girl looked up at him, sniffling and still not letting go of his leg.

“Do you understand Basic?” To that question she nodded and Thrawn was relieved. She then looked at the troopers and pointed at one of them. “They're evil.” she spoke in a voice hoarse from crying and the smoke in the air.

“My men are here to help, among other things. No harm will come to you through them.” Thrawn clarified. She let go of his leg and stood before him. By the looks of it she was malnourished and couldn't be older than five years.

“I thwew the rocks because I thought the white armored guys are evil and try to hurt you.” she explained.

“That was very brave of you, but unnecessary. See?” He patted the blaster in the holster he carried with his hand. “I can defend myself should the need arise.”

“My dad has a blaster too… Can you help me? There's something wrong with mom, dad and Rima.” She grabbed his hand to show him the way to her family, but Thrawn stopped. “I have to oversee this mission. I can send a few troopers to your aid though.”

“No no!” She was back to having a tight grip around his leg.

“Sir, shall we remove her?” an officer asked in a rough tone.

“That won't be necessary.” he declined. For a moment he thought and it made sense. The helmets the Sharun pirates wore resembled stormtrooper helmets a little bit. Of course she wouldn't trust any of his soldiers to see her family. And there was of course the similarity. Even if it was just the resemblance of the skin color, to the child it obviously was something familiar. The girl probably thought they were of the same species, as many unknowing people do. Thrawn was used to being mistaken for a Pantoran by new people he met, he never bothered to correct them. However, Thrawn understood this girl was just literally clinging to the only familiar thing to her in this wasteland and made a decision.

“How far is your family's location?”

“Not far! This way!” She grabbed his hand again, and he followed her, along with two of his death troopers. She didn't seem to mind their presence as long as Thrawn was by her side.

Thrawn assumed the place where they stopped used to be someone's home not long ago. Now all that was left of it was rubble with a few flames licking the debris here and there. The bomb that must have caused the destruction had left an actual crater where the house had stood. The girl climbed down and Thrawn carefully followed her down into the mess. She came to a halt at a hole, waving him over.

“They're down there. They don't wanna wake up!” She started crying again. Thrawn looked down into the hole, seeing a woman whose arm covered a girl a bit older than the one he found, and as he looked closer, saw half the body of a Pantoran man crushed under a thick duracrete wall. They were all covered in a thick layer of dust, the blue color of their skin was barely visible anymore.

“Mommy! Rima wake up!” the girl cried. “It's me, Yumi!” She shook her mothers lifeless body, then her sister's. As they didn't move she crawled over to her dad. “Wake up, Dad! Please wake up!”

“Yumi, come out of there. The debris is unstable, you could get buried alive under there.” Thrawn warned. “But my parents.. my sister!”

“They're gone. There's nothing you can do for them.” The scene in front of him pained Thrawn, but he didn't show it. He knew those were the harsh realities in war.

“No! I won't leave them!” She sat down next to her mother and tried to wake her up again. It dawned on Thrawn that Yumi didn't understand that death was final.

“Sir, shall we get her out of there?” one of his death troopers offered.

Thrawn regarded the scene of Yumi hugging her dead mother's body once more before he nodded. “Do it.”

As the elite troopers grabbed Yumi she screamed and squirmed in their grip, trying to get back to her family.

“Mom! Dad! No! Let me go! Help!” she screamed. As soon as they were back on the surface, Thrawn took the girl off their hands. She trembled in fear, hammering her little fists against his chest. “My family needs me! Let me down! No! You must help wem!”

“I will.” Thrawn turned to his death troopers. “Cremate them, this is the least we can do.”

“Are they helping them?” Yumi asked. The tears and snot from crying mixed with the blood from her wound. The way she trembled from the trauma she just endured didn't escape Thrawn. She needed a medic immediately.

“They are doing as much as they can.” Thrawn assured her, not knowing what else to say to a five year old who went through enough trauma in one day. Comforting children was not part of his job and yet there he was, gently patting Yumi’s back on their way to the shuttle.

He noticed the officers’ looks as he returned to the shuttle with the little girl in his arms. There were no other survivors, nor captured pirates by the looks of it.

“Grand Admiral, the mine has been secured. No remaining pirates or survivors found.” the unit's Captain reported and confirmed Thrawn's assumptions.

“Well done. I will ask Moff Tarkin to send reinforcements to secure the mine and to put it back in service. Until then, one batch of troopers will remain stationed there. The ISD-Harbinger shall remain in orbit in case the remaining pirates return with… unforeseen reinforcements.”

Yumi clung tighter to Thrawn as they entered the shuttle. She watched the many new faces and helmed individuals with fear.

“What's your name?” she eventually asked as Thrawn stepped into the cockpit. The shuttle had lifted off, leaving Oodu 6 behind, returning to the ISD-Chimera that was waiting in the planet's orbit.

“My name is Thrawn. Grand Admiral of the Seventh Fleet, at your service.”

“Thwawn.” she tried to pronounce his name. “Where are we going? Are we getting doctors to help Mommy, Daddy and Rima wake up?” she asked with large pleading eyes.

“We will make sure you get medical treatment. That wound on your temple looks like it's getting infected. Your parents would want you to see a doctor when you're hurt, am I correct?”

Yumi thought for a moment. “Hm probably…”

The corners of Thrawn's lips twitched. “I’m sure they would. You are safe now, Yumi.”

The girl was trembling a little bit less at his comforting words and nuzzled into the soft fabric of his uniform’s collar.

As soon as they landed in the Chimera’s hangar, Yumi was put on a gurney, but she refused to let go of Thrawn's arm.

“Don't leave me with them!” Tears welled in her eyes again. “Everything is so big here, I’m scared, Thwawn!”

“The medics will take care of your wound and any other physical ailments you may have. I will leave them to their work and come to see you later.”

“Pinky promise?” She offered her pinky finger to him, a gesture he was not familiar with, but figured out anyway. “I promise.” A bit hesitant he hooked his pinky finger with hers and then watched her being brought away on the hovering gurney. He didn't like how much this little girl's fate got under his skin. He had a job to attend to, orders to give.

After changing into a fresh uniform, Thrawn was back on the bridge where he tasked one of his smartest men to find out more about Yumi’s family and if there were any relatives out there she could live with.

“Sir, I heard about the little survivor you've found. In fact the entire Seventh Fleet knows by now. Stories like that spread rapidly.” Commodore Karyn Faro, his second-in-command, told him.

“I did what any honorable warrior would have done. There is nothing else to say about it.” Thrawn said in a voice void of emotion as usual. Faro tried to hide a smile at the Grand Admiral’s attempt to downplay it.

“Your actions today certainly improved your likability among the crew if I may say so.”

Thrawn raised his brow. He didn't think much of the gossip among those under his command. He ignored Faro’s comment and gave orders to return to Lothal where his remaining fleet was stationed. He would look after the young guest once his work day was over.

Let me know what you think in comments. I hope Thrawn's dialogue fits his character? I'm not fluent in "lawyer english" so I'm worried it's not written well enough 😬 💙

Thank you for reading!

[edwinspaynes]

give us those Thomas hcs please! he is high school era me fr

YEAHHHH OKAY Alexa cue Hey Stephen

Some of these are just Funny and Cute things that I want to have happened while others have canon basis

Thomas followed Alastair all over the school. A LOT. To the point that Matthew was calling him a little marble that rolls wherever Alastair is. He's standing in the corner of the room talking at Alastair after Clive dies, and they're the only two people there. It seems to me that Alastair did notice Thomas, and per Cassie, Thomas was one of the four people Alastair liked pre-ChoG (along with Cordelia, Sona, and the redhead). But "I didn't see you" and "you were just some boy" make me think that Alastair was like "okay this runt is following me around again but he's kinda sweet and a little earnest and is nice to me so. I like him" and just rolled with that. But Thomas was gone. Totally smitten with Cupid's arrow. And cue all sorts of opportunities for funny interactions.

Thomas keeping his journal about his daily activities and referring to Alastair only as "A". You know, to protect his privacy in case the metaphorical pink glittery lock is broken.

The journal also includes some bad early childhood poems about Alastair.

Thomas's internal monologue was basically the same now and then, though back then it was more innocent and just lacked the horniness. It was just the wholesome bits (that are still copious).

Thomas constantly tries to converse with Alastair and sometimes succeeds. When they talk, it's the highlight of both of their day even if they're not friends.

Thomas has dreams about kissing Alastair regularly. If you want more of this you can check out @vwritesaus fic what's in a kiss. Literally my comfort fic i read it like every week.

Thomas doodles "Mr. Thomas Lightwood" in his journal while thinking about Alastair. Alastair finds it and is largely confused why he's doodling his own name, but hey, alright.

He's also definitely doodled their wedding invitation.

Thomas does things like trip over his own feet and fall up the stairs when Alastair appears. Alastair doesn't get why but finds it endearing.

Not really a headcanon, but Thomas liked Alastair's teasing because he thought it was bold and daring. Matthew notes this in CLS, but I think it's why Thomas loves him so much. He respects it.

After a while, Alastair picking on Thomas becomes something of a joke between them. "Pipsqueak" is a good natured nickname.

Thomas and Alastair get paired up for a project once. They divide the questions in half and copy each other's answers because Alastair "isnt going to talk to the likes of him." But they sit together in a companionable silence the entire time and it's very comfortable, 0% awkward, and neither of them understand why they're so at peace. (I might write this fic sooner rather than later.)

Alastair primarily targets Thomas because he's friends with James, but he also does so to protect him from worse bullying/abuse at the hands of his vile friends of yesteryear. This may or may not be subconscious.

[mike-wachowski]

the kickstarter for my personal project “The King of Running Springs” is live!

link

hello ! (please bear with me i know this isnt fanfic related)

for those of you who are familiar with me you know I’m an aspiring screenwriter and amateur filmmaker working out of LA. 

I’ve been a bit absent as of late because I’ve had multiple projects in the works, specifically my newest short film “The King of Running Springs” !

The short of it: this is a crazy project I definitely should not be doing for the sake of my own health and yet here we are anyways.

The long of it: This short film is a very personal project for me with a lot of love thrown into it (and a lot of weapons. swords. spears. canes. you name it.) and i would be crazy if i didn’t ask for any help. 

There’s a lot more info on the kickstarter page if youre interested ! all i ask is if you’ve ever enjoyed on of my fics or rolled your eyes at one of my memes you consider sending a small donation my way. theres lots of cool rewards for the different tiers of donations !!

Thank you for your time ill be going now

link to the project

[mushr00mfriend]

hi!! i have a question about how you have the motivation to write? ive been trying to write my own slenderverse fic and sometimes i just find myself feeling so discouraged because the fandom isnt as active anymore, and i was wondering if youve ever felt that way and how you actively get the motivation to write?

Hello! This is a fantastic question; I'm going to preface my answer by saying that this is my own outlook/opinion as well as mindset, and that it may not work for everyone. Take what you need and leave what you don't.

(also, this got incredibly long. If there's anything I love to do, it's ramble- thus, a readmore)

For direct motivation, here's a few things I do to get in the groove:

- Chapter summaries. Write a paragraph (4-6 sentences) about what you want to see happen in a chapter. Character interactions, thematic elements, foreshadowing, plot movement, etc. Don't go over a paragraph, however, or you'll end up feeling like you've already written it without, you know, writing it. If there's something tasty, reference it rather than write it all out. You'll remember it each time you read the reference and it'll make you want to get it out in its entirety.

- Bounce around. Write some of the first chapter, some of the twentieth. Finish the sixth before the fourth. Don't feel like you have to write it in the order it's gonna be read in; you have all the power as the author to do whatever you want. If you want to write the ending before you've even got the beginning penned, do it.

- Make a list of 'delicious scenes'. These are scenes that are incredibly vivid in your mind, the ones that you really really want to see in your story. Write them down and think about them often. When you feel de-motivated, start on them. 

- In that vein, daydream about what's not being shown in a chapter, or imagine the characters in different situations. They're blorbo from your shows!! Play with them like dolls!! Make em kiss!

- Keep a project on the backburner. When I feel like I don't want to write for one project, I turn to another and work on that one for a bit instead. It keeps me from burning out entirely, but also keeps me writing, which is the most important thing.

You are correct in saying that the fandom isn't super active anymore. It was already simmering down when I had been working through the legacy draft of Delirium, and compared to the monolith it had once been, the community can seem nonexistent in this day and age. I definitely can relate to the discouragement you're feeling - I felt it all the way up until I was just under three-quarters of the way through Delirium, when there were enough consistent readers that I felt I had finally gotten somewhere, carved out my little niche of a community. Looking at the numbers now, you probably wouldn't believe that I suffered a lot with discouragement and de-motivation...

But I did, especially because I tied my self-worth and confidence in my story to how many views and comments it got. I still feel this, especially with other projects, and especially especially if they don't stack up to Delirium. If I were in the same mindset I was at the beginning, I'd even wonder if making Delusion was really a thing I should do, because there's definitely readers who won't be interested in it anymore.

But the thing is, I'm not making it for the readers. I'm making it for me. 

Delirium started out as an homage to the Creepypasta fics I read as a teen, and somewhere along the way became a way for me to vent my frustrations and trauma regarding my personal experiences with the fandom. The most important part of the story is why you're writing it- what are you trying to say? What are you trying to impart? Who are you trying to reach, and what are you trying to tell them?

You have to sit with yourself, and with the concept of the story in your head, and you have to know that you can't make it for anyone but yourself, because you are the most important part of it. You, your feelings about the setting, the characters, the themes and motifs. Your personal reflection of the situations, opinions about the arcs and plot. And yeah, not everyone will vibe with it, but making yourself palatable to everyone will make your work tasteless and unsatisfying. Even if you write for yourself, there will be other's who appreciate it. I promise. The Creepypasta community is diminished, but not gone. Take a scroll through the tags, follow a bunch of creators. There's still people drawing, people writing, and people reading. Your dash will fill up with others who still like it.

If there's one thing I can say right now, if there's one thing you take away from my words, it's that there isn't a number that will make you feel fulfilled. I promise you that the mental ceiling will only increase. You will not find a love for the story in the views, in the favourites, nor in the comments. You need to love the story first- you need to believe in it first. No one else can write the story you want to tell, and no one can write it the way you will.

I'd also say sit with it for a looooooong while. Like, figure out how it ends, find the major plot beats, bullet point the snippets you really want to see, write it halfway, sit on that for a month, then reread and edit it. Delirium is- I just checked it, over eight years in the making, including that legacy draft (which was more of a false start, if anything). You don't necessarily have to take that long- I'm just slow- but make sure you have 80% of it figured out before you go on and post it. If there's anything that kills motivation, it's internalized deadlines when you have no backlog to fall back on. Several of the months-long hiatus' between chapters were because of this. It's also the reason why Delusion isn't being published until next year.

Anyway, this got ramble-y, but I also want you to know that you got this!! I believe in you!! And if/when you ever publish it, please give me a link, I'd love to read it :]

[itsmarsss]

hi hi!!!! i commented on the stolas fic on ao3 and ran to tumblr.

i wonder, will you let stolas come to the conclusion that he kinda is a bad person?? kinda the same deal with blitzø?? idk how really to explain my thoughts, but having him be a bad person while in his mind he thinks he is good because he is comparing himself to stella is such a good premise, and in addition making him realize that he is barely a father to octavia.

ALSO I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT PART FRL!!! there isnt a lot of helluva x reader content and even less of stolas x reader or even stolas x reader x blitzø ☹️☹️ so i can’t wait for this frl

heyyy!!

oh i think even in the show stolas is getting more and more self aware about everything he’s been doing that he’s not proud of

i don’t necessarily think he’s this terrible person (I mean they’re kinda all bad people they’re demons and in hell but you catch my drift) but he’s definitely been doing bad things and he’s for sure going to have to confront the reality of it! i also don’t necessarily think he does see himself as like good though, only that initially he doesn’t exactly grasp the whole picture of how much what he’s doing is negatively affecting other people, especially Octavia and blitz

(as someone who relates to stolas an absurd amount, im projecting a lot into him in this fic lol but I know even though I worry about my impact on other people all the time i sometimes find it hard to really get out of my head and really grasp what’s going on with other people, so what I see for stolas is him realizing and getting scared/disgusted at himself that he’s been hurting people that he loves by acting selfishly)

that said, i am not the person who goes ‘blitz doesn’t deserve stolas boohoo’ (I am a blitz apologist you caught me I love him) BUT he has his whooooole amount of issues too he ain’t innocent either lol these men need to understand they’re dumb and hurting people

sorry for talking so much i get excited lmaoo

[burntblueberrywaffles]

Fic tag game

got tagged by @fangeek-girl ❤️❤️

How many works do you have on Ao3?

I have 7 works but 3 of them are fanfic lol

2. What's your Ao3 word count?

1896 words total. Your girl is definitely one for brevity LOL

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Wednesday, that one drabble I made for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and I've been writing for Star Wars (though I haven't posted anything yet) and Mrs maisel (i wrote a whole short fic for that almost a year ago but I forgot about it completely until I found it in my notes apps, I should get around to posting it)  

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I don't have 5 fics total but here's my current count in order:

1-Lies

2-The world's a little blurry

3-Pretend

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes always! the fact that people are READING my stuff and taking time to comment has me 🥺🥺🥺

My writing ao3 isnt linked to my main email adress though so sometimes it takes me a while to respond because I wont see it until I periodically check my fic stats

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

.....Probably The world's a little blurry let's be real (I'm going to fix it it in the next one in the series, I promise!!!)

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

akdadhjgsjgd hard to say all my shit is angsty, I guess Pretend?? kind of, it's less of a downer than the other ones. The final part of Come a little closer will have a happy ending though I promise! (already finished writing the end, I just need to write the beginning lol)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No ❤️ I don't think any of my stuff has gotten enough attention for that lol

9. Do you write smut? What kind?

NO my ace ass has no experience with that so I wouldn't know how 🧍‍♀️🧍‍♀️🧍‍♀️(I might need to in some future project, fortunately a lot of my friends are perverts (affectionate) so I could probably ask for some guidance if it comes to that LOL)

10. Do you write cross-overs?

No, I'm not a big fans of crossovers in general so certainly have never felt compelled to write one.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No

12. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No

13. What WIP you would like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

So many ugh I cant even choose, it's more rare for me to actually finish something than the opposite, that's why I'll never post anything unless the whole thing is finished (only exception is my current series, but that's because I felt like each fic making up the series were self-contained enough that they didn't need to follow up immediatly to work? if that makes sense - plus the first one was a one shot and only thought of how to follow it up after posting it)

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

ANIDALA MY BELOVED

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm really good at imagery and emotion (being a poetry writer goes brrrrr)

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

DESCRIPTIONS oh god I'm so bad at it. My fic are vibes only lmao, what are they wearing? where are they? what movements are they doing? NOT IMPORTANT how about I offer you 12 metaphors on how this character is feeling instead. (though I'm forcing myself to work on it haha)

I also struggle with any longer story arc... there's a reason all my stuff is so short lol

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

If it's in french it would be pretty fun since it's my ✨first language✨ hehe. For other languages I'd see if one of my friends speak it but otherwise idk if I'd include it bc I don't want to butcher another language, I've seen too many english authors put french through the ringer it's painful 😭

18. First fandom you wrote for?

I guess Julie and the Phantoms? I never posted it but I had a pretty advanced fic for that. unless you count the 13 reasons why fic I posted on wattpas when i was early teen but we dont talk about that

19. Favourite fic you've ever written?

right now it has to be The world's a little blurry, I just love how it came out hehe

20. What fic would you want to rewrite one day?

none right now.

Anyway tagging @nonamemanga @beri-allen @unlifeira @realmermaid333 @suchaladyy @witchysith @king-crimson-works @theycallme-thejackal and anyone else who might want to do it!

[owlf45]

when it comes to unfinished fics, i actually found i prefer instead of a writer forcing themselves to slog through and finish the fic, just a chapter summarizing the way the story was going to end. like where the plot was going, what was going to happen to the characters. it could even just be a bullet point list tbh.

a couple people made this point. i think it's definitely a good middle ground for sure

not to be contrary, i really do enjoy when authors do that, but ill give my own perspective since i complained about no one giving theirs and i have yet to contribute to my own conversation.

for my smaller projects, especially the ones that only got a chapter or so in and could easily be read as ambigious/open ended— leaving those unfinished worked fine.

for my longer projects, like imaginary and indefinite, even if its like pulling teeth, it is fulfilling to return to them. I'm not as passionate about the works, but also being in the middle of passion can instill paralysis— you cant write because you're too damn excited. writing now can be exhausting, but it satisfies that little version of me that dreamed about updating the last chapter so many years ago.

of course, i dont think this would be possible if i didn't have my notes and a rough direction i was heading. some stuff still slips past me, but generally the direction is the same. i don't think my writing and execution is as strong, but most people don't seem to notice or don't say as much, to be honest. even if my grasp on the characterization isnt as strong, even if my passion has cooled, as long as i have that direction i intended so many years ago, i feel good about what I'm posting.

i used to be deathly afraid of mediocrity and disappointing people, of not capturing that original glow that made my work so fun to begin with— but that saying 'either do it, or do it scared' holds true here. and i can add something aged and different to my work. also, i think focusing so hard on quality makes you lose yourself in creation rather than creativity.

but of course, that's only my journey, navigating with my 5 year-old-fics. they're old loves. i think if you're sick of a work, or if you're coming back to a work with genuinely no direction, it can be very hard to write and you'll be lost and frustrated. old-me already did all the heavy lifting, i just have to do my job and put words on paper.

[nocturnal-phantoms-fandoms]

Fic Writer Questions

Tagged by @squintclover - thank you so much!! Loved your response!!

🍓 How did you get into writing fanfiction?

By loving the story so much I wanted to be in it, lol. My first few attempts at writing ff were with self-insert OCs, but that was in my native language and mostly unpublished. Im trying to recycle some of those ideas, but Im not sure how will it go.

As for fics written in english and without OCs - like everyone else, by reading other fics.

🍇How many fandoms have you written in?

If we count the first few attempts - I took a look at my docs and counted 7 fandoms. Some parts of those were published somewhere on the web but I genuinely forgot about their existence.

If we count fics published recently on tumblr/ao3 - only HP.

🍈 How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

Technically? A decade. But idk if that counts if it wasnt published and probably never will be and had self insert OCs.

I started writing my first fics in english after I got into that one fandom which was during the pandemic, so that would be around 3-4 years - but posting since… December 2023.

🍎 Do you read or write more fanfiction?

Definitely read.

🍌 What is one way you've improved as a writer?

Im not making the characters as OOC as before? I hope

🍑 Do you have any bad habits as a writer?

Trying to fit too many things into one project that do not fit bc they are too self indulgent or just bad writing bc require sacrificing either plot or characterization. Being too ambitious, having too much plot that needs too much effort to make it make sense, and will not pay off bc nobody will read it (bc idk if i will ever finish it. and if i do it will not be written in english).

🍍 What's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Just one? There are so many weird things Ive been researching or googling.

Did they have 3-in-1 shampoos in 1979. Language of flowers. What the ancient roman beds looked like. Names and their meanings. Ancient roman’s attitude towards (homo)sexuality. Phosphorus and phosphorescence (this was literally to check if this one sentence in canon is factually correct). Did ancient romans have pets. Different gems’ looks, usage and meanings. Ancient Roman dog names. Different astronomical events / discoveries in years 1975-1980 and in year 1957. Layout of certain types of houses.

🍉What's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Any comment is a nice comment <3 tho I like to be let known the person felt something while reading bc its still so abstract and bizzare for me that it happens 😅

🍐What's the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

As you can see from the research question I have an ancient roman au wip. I was genuinely surprised there were only a few ancient roman aus in the marauders fandom.

This one published wip is about a surprise pregnancy that isnt immediately regarded as great news and celebrated (which i think isnt a common way of approaching the topic.) I also wanted to write sth about abortion and miscarriage but i dont know if I will get around to actually writing those.

And Im trying to recycle my old OC-focused long fic which also is deeply unpopular (i understand why but also i feel like im fighting in the trenches)

🥭What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

Thats about something. Has a deeper meaning and everyone in the comments talk about how deeply they were moved by it. Or how clever the plot was. Or how the deeply and insightfully the characters are analysed. Or how beautiful the language is. Or. Like. Is written and finished and publishable.

🍏What is the easiest type?

All I know is funny dialogue, self indulgent fluff and this one type of hurt/comfort that is also super self indulgent. Also putting all the effort into fitting in as many references / easter eggs as you can that i know nobody will notice.

🍑Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

On my laptop, usually sitting at my desk, or on the balcony if the weather permits, whenever I feel like ignoring the things im supposed to be doing instead, I guess.

So far I’ve been using google docs but I’ll be probably moving on from them in the nearest future. For organizing ideas/wips and short fics I use Notion - its good for organizing but not that good as a writing program.

🍋What is something you've been too nervous/ intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

Smut, lol. Also more taboo topics like abortion and miscarriage mentioned above.

🍇What made you choose your username?

I translated my first ever username to English. ok, no, my first ever username was Leila Moonlight and i still think its pretty but now i also think its cringe. Tho I was - what? - 11? 12? So maybe I can be forgiven that it looks like a HP character. Nocturnal Phantom - the username actually use now - is still a bit cringe, I picked it bc I was a night owl (lol) and tried to lean into this nighttime-spooky aesthetic, but also its tumblr so im embracing it. I recently picked a nickname Nyx for my mutuals' convenience - and that is the greek goddess of the night. I commit to the bit.

No pressure tagging: @polaroidcats, @hiddenmoonbeam, @soloorganaas

[uriekukistan]

for the writer ask: 🛼 💌 🔪 and 🥐

hii bre :) thank you for the ask !!!

🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis

ooh i'll do the beach au since its coming soon: ☔️🏄🌤🏖❤️‍🩹 (a healing process)

💌 ⇢ how many unread emails do you have right now? 

......at least 3000, im scared to check tbh. most of them are spam but going through and clearing them feels overwhelming :')

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

i dont know if its weird, but i've definitely looked up some hyperspecific questions about disposal of dead bodies and acquiring supplies for said disposal. i feel like many writers look this stuff up though.

in terms of most obscure, it was definitely difficult finding the material on kenyan folklore i wanted for my reincarnation fic that was not meant for missionaries 🙃

🥐 ⇢ name one internet reference that will always make you laugh 

"road work ahead? uh, yeah, i sure hope it does." if i ever go by a road work sign and dont say that, that isnt me, i've been replaced w a body double

hope youre having a good night :))

send me an ask :)

[tamelee]

Okay maybe controversial opinion: I dont like seeing ocs in fics. Isnt ur story about sns? Why wuld we need ur ocs? I think it is just a way for people to selfinsert into their story through an oc no one knows. It kinda sucks because I was excited for ur story too. So yeah thats just how I feel

I don't think that is so controversial. That's just your preference and that is fine. You don't need to read anything you don't like, right? I'm not sure whether you meant me in particular or in a general sense so I'll just answer for myself why I needed an (/a few minor/background) OC('s); It IS a story about Naruto x Sasuke but I personally like story a lot. Meaning that events, conflict and even things like Setting are connected to convey a message. With that also other characters.

These elements can be used to enhance all that. (If done correctly though, it CAN become muddy.) To me that is a lot more meaningful than going from scene to scene "just because". BUT, I do enjoy fics solely for the fact that we can experience SNS through an authors mind in infinite different ways and AUs even if they only write about Naruto and Sasuke and whatever it is they're doing at that moment. A clear linear story that brings you from A to B. I can understand when people then especially don't want to read entire paragraphs about a character they don't know (or care about) and want to skip to the reason they started reading in the first place. In my case, I'm not very good at writing/describing things the way I want to. Not even in my own language. I think I have a better chance of conveying what I want to tell visually which is why I choose to create a DJ instead. But then "show don't tell" is different as it is literally shown. Every panel matters. And I feel like I need a new character to help me do that and create conflict for the sake of telling a more interesting story regarding my message. I think it would be boring for me if everything is well, rainbows and happiness right from the start because what is left for me to do? And with Canon-compliant stories, it's not very believable to me. (Again, not saying these stories aren't good, this is just for me given the trouble I'll put them in anyway. Fics are often already well-established for good reasons as we already know the characters, like fluff for e.g. and I can enjoy them.) But any existing characters don't really fit here you know? It definitely, for me, isn't a self-insert but it is inevitable that there can be relatable elements because of my chosen Theme. Hm~ you can see it as a (fanmade-)movie arc, but then placed during the blank period. Those arcs always have new characters and at the end of it you don't really (or ever) see them again. But here I tried to weave them through the OG-story nonetheless. I may be a bit self-indulgent though as this will be a very long project. I was actually thinking of uploading some sketches of the OC in a bit and introduce.. him 👀 But of course, you don't need to read it at all. In fact, it's very likely that many won't considering the heavy subjects. But I do hope this clarified it a tiny bit Nonee.