#this is actually the very beginning of that wip

[classygreydove]

The perfect contradictory character of wei wuxian

i'm writing this as i eat chocolate instead of working on my WIP lol - but essentially i've been thinking a lot about when a fic characterization of WWX just hits the spot for me, and when it doesn't. Now whether this type of characterization is canon I think is always partially a matter of opinion, because by its very nature a fanfic cannot be...well, canon. And it is made all the more complicated by the existence of CQL canon and MDZS canon, and the different MDZS canons with different scenes and levels of censorship, and the way fans and fic writers often franken-canon it together. So this post is only my rambling about characterizing WWX in fic.

Whenever I write WWX, i always find it a balancing act. Talkative, but not too talkative; golden-hearted, but willing to question what society sees as moral; confident, but complicatedly so depending on what point he's at in his character arc; oblivious, but not oblivious; impulsive, but analytical. I'm also constantly asking myself "Is this a personality trait, or a result of his environment? Both? What would impact his character if there are different events or circumstances?

And then there's the appearance of what his character is, which is almost just as important as his actual character. The masks or roles he puts on for others, or the ways those around him willfully misinterpret him. How does this character perceive WWX's actions in this or that context? Do they find him reckless, oblivious, or call him morally wrong (even when he isn't)? Does WWX want them to react a certain way, and does that impact how he acts around them?

In my opinion, writing WWX in a modern setting or genderbend is perhaps the most challenging. Not only do you have to ask yourself what personality he'd have if it were shaped by different cultural standards, gender roles, or backstory, a fic author might also want to do their best to preserve his character integrity as a "classic golden-hero turned dark anti-hero" archetype, but have no idea how to translate that into completely different set of circumstances.

For instance, WWX and gender roles. I really love that WWX is a subversion of the classical masculine hero archetype in cnovels. As a teenager, he's confident, flirty, intelligent, skilled, enjoys having fun and not taking life too seriously. As a resurrected MXY, he has no issue pretending to be a lunatic cutsleeve, so no toxic masculinity there lol - he also likes getting swept off his feet by LWJ, and playing up the "helpless maiden" role, and is very much a romantic with cottagecore dreams, saving his first kiss (traditionally that kind of innocent romanticism is attributed as a "feminine" trait, regardless of whether it actually is or not) - LWJ in contrast falls into many feminine tropes such as being known for his beauty/grace, the way he carries the money pouch (women traditionally managed the finances), can cook, has petty jealousy, etc - while at the same time undeniably also has masculine traits. The way Wangxian subvert gender roles and tropes is wonderful and i love their characters for it.

But then how does one even begin to translate that dynamic into a genderbend? Does teenage WWX still have that masculine classic hero personality? Or does she become traditionally feminine with LWJ the one acting more masc? Do different gender roles and expectations affect how WWX interacts with the world, such as how they react to her flirting, her confidence, her heroic tendencies? I read a fic a few years ago that I thought it a fabulous job exploring some of these very questions in the canon setting. I am still devastated that it remains incomplete.

Whenever I read a fic with Wei Wuxian, I always fall in love with depictions of his character that capture some of this balance, these "contradictions," so to speak (I don't have a better word to describe it than contradictions, even though these traits don't actually contradict. Ig I could say character complexity? But people often throw that phrase around without explaining what they mean by it, so). It's what makes him such a cool character to read about. It's also what makes him so unbelievably difficult to write sometimes. So many fic authors struggle with his character, whether attributing a trait to him that he only appears to have, like thoughtlessness. Or project a trait onto him that he doesn't seem to have that much, like insecurity, or not knowing his own worth as a person/or not knowing the magnitude of his abilities.

WWX to me has always seemed to know exactly how skilled he is and what he is capable of, and he at least intellectually seems to be aware that he is not unlovable or worth less than others, even if he is required to act or treat himself as less than his peers due to classism and society. I've always felt that his attitude towards himself, his own worth and his own ability, is a sort of practicality that would come from growing up as a street kid whose only goal is survival, and who is completely aware of just how little the world cares if he does or not.

Then there's the concept of him being ridiculously oblivious/emotionally unintelligent, which many others have talked about before me. I think this idea in the fandom largely stems from the fact that Wei Wuxian doesn't pick up on a lot of small details that he later recognizes and realizes later on. But there's been a lot of discussion of how much of that was because of comphet, situational circumstances, and LWJ's own reticence that prevented or distracted WWX from making those connections earlier in the canon timeline. This means that this "obliviousness" is likely something that would change if the circumstances are different, such as WWX existing in a world with no comphet, or existing in a timeline where he isn't dealing with Wen indoctrinations or being severely traumatized by the burial mounds and a war, LWJ being less repressed and hot-cold etc, etc, etc.

Now, one WWX characterization i genuinely have such a hard time reading is manic pixie WWX. The ones where he's just... chirpy. Bubbly. (Usually really oblivious. Never intentionally breaking rules, he just can't help it! he's just too cute and enthusiastic uwu) I can't explain why, I don't even know why, but it grates on my every. last. nerve. (that being said, if u want to write manic pixie WWX, then write whatever u want, seriously. Don't even think about letting my opinion stop u from doing what you like and having fun)

As for depictions I really love to see: a WWX that kind of scoffs at rules/the system. One who genuinely has a somewhat poor opinion of LWJ's character before LWJ proves himself, because I like a good enemies/rivals-to-friends-to-lovers because that's how I believe he sees LWJ until LWJ punishes both himself and WWX and WWX goes "oooh u don't use the system to self-benefit or aggrandize or oppress, you're actually trying to be like, moral. I respect that, actually. Let's be friends and go on bromantic outings in Lotus Pier"

Or when WWX's teasing gets a little mean, because WWX can be a little mean, often unintentionally so, but still (think WWX showing LWJ porn/intentionally pushing LWJ's buttons, WWX making that comment about JL's mom). I think it's a character flaw of his that adds depth/complexity.

Also, WWX trolling people/enjoying mischief and making people question the "system." I've always felt his first-life self had the kind of annoying swagger that a guy who Knew He Looked Like That and Knew Exactly How Smart He Was that would honestly make me so annoyed if I knew him irl. Like, Mianmian, I get it. LWJ, I get it.

Basically, I like when his character is written to make u so mad you aren't sure if you want to throttle him or kiss him silly (especially if it's a LWJ pov). Or when he acts super carefree/silly, at the same time as he shows how scarily smart he is. It's the juxtaposition. The contradiction. *slaps hand on the metaphorical table in emphasis*

[TL;DR] So what i'm trying to say is, writing WWX is a challenge, but one that is so worth it.

Alright I've spent like an hour on this post, so though there's so much more I could talk about, I'll leave it at that for now. For those of you who would still really like a part 2 of that "so i read a comment bashing LWJ" post, i do plan to write more on that, so keep an eye out 👁️

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

How did the Time War start?

How did the Time War start?

Now there is a hot-diggity question, and you won't be surprised to learn it's complicated. The Last Great Time War didn't just start—it brewed, simmered, and exploded.

🔮 A War Foretold

The Time Lords knew a Time War was coming long before it actually began. Legends, prophecies, and ominous stories circulated for centuries. Most dismissed the idea as impossible. After all, meddling in the affairs of other species? Surely not!

Except ... that's exactly what they did.

⚡ The Catalyst: The Doctor and Skaro

The Time Lords foresaw a future where the Daleks would dominate the universe, so they decided to act. They sent the Fourth Doctor to Skaro during the Daleks' creation with three specific objectives:

Prevent the Daleks' creation (if possible).

Alter their development to make them less aggressive.

Discover a weakness to exploit in the future.

But the Doctor, being the Doctor, hesitated when faced with the chance to destroy the Daleks entirely. This act of compassion—or maybe indecision—was viewed by the Daleks as a pre-emptive strike by the Time Lords.

🔥 Escalations Over Time

The tension only grew from there. The Daleks attempted retaliation in increasingly ambitious ways:

Sending a duplicate Doctor to assassinate the High Council (spoiler: it failed).

Davros using the Hand of Omega to gain mastery over time—only for the Seventh Doctor to trick him into destroying Skaro instead. (Davros was not amused.)

Attempts at diplomacy didn't fare much better. Peace talks didn't work. The final breaking point was when the Dalek invaded Gallifrey during the Etra Prime Incident, which shattered any remaining chance of peace.

🎇 The Unavoidable Beginning (Or middle? End?)

By the time the first official shots of the Time War were fired, both sides had been poking each other for centuries. The Time Lords began forming the War Council and resurrecting Rassilon, while the Daleks isolated Gallifrey by attacking its allies and forming the Cult of Skaro.

🏫 So ...

The Last Great Time War didn't begin with a single moment—it was a cascade of events, misunderstandings, and deliberate acts of aggression that lasted millennia.

If you ask the Daleks, it started with the Time Lords meddling in their creation.

If you ask the Time Lords, it started with the Daleks' endless quest for domination.

And if you ask the Doctor, they'll probably just mutter something about having the right, sigh deeply, and stare into the middle distance for an uncomfortably long time.

Related:

💬|⚔️🔒How does the Time War time lock work?: The extent of the time lock and its current status.

🤔|⚔️🧬Could post-War Time Lords have biological hangups from the conflict?

📺|⚔️🪖The Could’ve Been King with his army of … etc.

Hope that helped! 😃

Any purple text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →😆Jokes |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired 😴

[luins]

wip wednesday

a little break from all the spotify wrapped posting to share some of my writing. i've been working a lot on this for past week.

Something is up with Eddie. It’s driving Buck up the wall because he cannot figure out why Eddie is acting like this. He has been gathering evidence all morning to solve this mystery. 

1. Eddie was almost late today. 

Not actually late, because he did make it to the station well before the start of their shift. He was already there and changing into his uniform, in fact, when Buck stumbled into the locker room while simultaneously pulling his shirt over his head. (He had overslept because he went down a Wikipedia rabbit hole on orcas and their fashion trends last night after reading about salmon hats being back). 

By the time Buck had managed to wrangle out of his shirt, Eddie had stuck his head in his (their) locker like he was searching for something. Very intently. He stayed like that for so long that Buck finished changing and made it out of the locker room before him. 

2. Eddie kept spacing out during the morning briefing. 

This basically never happens unless he’s truly preoccupied with something. Usually, Eddie is extremely attentive, quite literally standing at attention with rigid military posture, probably still ingrained in him from his army days. But today, Buck had to nudge his boot against Eddie’s to startle him out of whatever thought he was caught up in when Bobby said his name and read out the chores he assigned to him. 

But the most incriminating piece of evidence was gathered before Buck even arrived at the firehouse, actually. 

3. Eddie used an emoji. 

And not just any emoji, no. It was a heart. This morning, Buck texted Eddie that he was running a little behind (in case Bobby asked) to which Eddie replied with, and Buck is not kidding: 

Okay. Will have a cup of coffee waiting for you. ❤️

Buck had stared at the heart for a good five minutes, probably, which had made him even more late. 

(In the end, Eddie did not have coffee waiting for him on account of taking forever in the locker room. The liar.) 

“Eddie is acting weird, right?” he asks Hen. He’s helping her restock the ambulance and she is holding very tightly onto the clipboard. Buck is not even allowed to look at it, all she’s letting him do is hand her the supplies she is asking for. 

Hen raises an eyebrow. “Weird how?” 

“I don’t know,” Buck whines and throws his hands up in frustration. The gauze in his hand flies halfway across the ambulance bay. He scrambles up to retrieve it before Hen has the chance to turn the full power of her glare onto him. 

“He’s just… being weird.” He drops the gauze in Hen’s outstretched hand. “Like, okay, he’s being quiet but he also isn’t. Not in the way he usually is when he just doesn’t want to talk about something. It’s more like– like he actually wants to say something but just doesn’t know how.” 

Hen considers this for a moment. 

“Why don’t you just ask him about it? If it’s bothering you that much.” 

If only it were that easy.

i'm just going to tag a couple of mutuals for them to see this - and of course also to share something if you guys have anything to share!! <3

@livingincolorsagain @queerprincesseddiediaz @eddiesbian @moonyslesbian @girldadbuckley @cafecitoeddie @4thbrighteststar @housewifebuck & if anyone else wants to share their wip please feel free to also tag me in it!!

[lynn-tged-posting]

something i've been learning again and again recently is that tged has absolutely wonderful reaction image material

i've been using these on my priv twitter account and it has been VERY fun scrolling back and seeing them,,, they work so well

like theyre so silly,,, they fit so well,,, i can use them in any situation,,, and the art expresses it perfectly,,,

they,,, may have replaced my tmnt ones

if i had the storage space i absolutely would go through the webtoon again to get fun screenshots for reaction image purposes,,, alas i do not so i will just use the ones i take every now and then

i love the art in tged so so much im so glad i read this webtoon

[bubbytheliverstealingskeleton]

Y’all I just went insane

I’m gonna import this into csp later and actually finish it but

Yeagh

[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.

[stellarsightz]

🌠wip whenever🌠

Tagged by the lovely @priafey 🫶 thank you for the tag and sorry for replying so late hahah

I think my cicerlyn hyperfixation is starting to leave me, but i keep thinking about them all the time lol. Enjoy a handful of snippets i particularly like that i found in my notes app

Tagging: @azures-grace @cicerosfavouritelistener @abstractredd @vestigme @rustyram035 @v1ctory-or-sovngarde + anyone who wants to join <333

1a.

Fire and smoke. Long wooden beams snapped in half, crumbling to the ground. Lynwallyn gritted his teeth and dragged himself up, fighting off the sweet lull of unconsciousness as it threatened to claim him. He couldn't afford to pause.

He dragged himself out of the rubble, barely stopping to inspect his injuries. He wrenched a sword out of the nearest corpse. He snagged a pile of clothes he found in what he assumed were the barracks. He took anything his bruised and charred arms could carry. He left and didn't look back.

Days blurred. He found an abandoned shack in the middle of a forest. He used the bedroll, took everything he could and left.

Rinse and repeat.

He slept through most of the day. At night, he prowled the forest and searched for unsuspecting prey. He let himself get lost in the hunt, savouring the feeling of warm blood running down his hands. A few stray dogs tailed after him as he walked back to his camp, licking their teeth and eyeing the mangled corpse of the poor animal he just caught. He snarled at them and watched with satisfaction as they whimpered and scuttled away.

He took what remained of his meal to his hideout and skinned it, slicing it into smaller parts and making what passed as a meal for the next day.

He was gone as soon as the sun rose. He soon found a small village, River something. He sold the few pelts he got from the animals he caught. He ignored the curious, if not apprehensive, looks the locals cast his way.

He exchanged the stolen sword for a set of daggers at the local blacksmith, humming appreciatively as their familiar, comforting weight settled in his hands. His last stop was the general goods store where he purchased a single healing potion and some rations. He left without a word.

[Lynwallyn travels for a while]

1b.

Cicero whined for what must have been the fiftieth time, fists clenching and unclenching as he paced.

It wasn't fair! The cruel, awful farmer refused to help in spite of Cicero's pleading and begging. Oh yes, he had done lots and lots of pleading and begging, he had even offered coin! He had seen that look in the farmer's eyes when he produced his purse, gleaming and scheming. Trying not to show just how much he wanted to reach out and snatch it. And yet, he refused to even lift a finger. Anger coiled in Cicero's stomach, burning so bright it made his hands shake. He let out a strangled groan.

"Awful! How awful! Cicero and his poor, poor Mother are stuck! Oh, how will Mother get to her new home now?"

He spun on his heel, shaking a fist in the direction of where Loreius' house stood.  "That damn farmer is of no help! So are those stupid guards!"

1c.

The Mer stared at him with a strange expression. His brow creased, eyes flitting over Cicero's face. "You could have killed me. But you didn't. Why?"

Why didn't he indeed, Cicero pondered. He remembered his fingers tingling as he reached for his knives, but something stilled his hand. He still has no idea why.

"Cicero is just a poor, humble jester, he knew a beast such as you would look for something different to eat. Yes, yes, Cicero imagines he would not be very tasty," he lied smoothly, giving the other man a wide grin. The Mer laughed softly.

The rope fell around his ankles before Cicero could react. The Mer closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. Cicero yelped, wriggling, as he was lifted off the ground and slammed against the nearest tree.

The man's eyes were even more impressive up close, his gaze almost burning into his skin as he leaned forward. Appraising. Analysing. Hungry.

[felixravinstills]

re: tag game

i think you already know which doc i'm going to ask about haha

felix time travel au 👀👀

How could I have ever suspected that you would ask this? lol. No way for me to have known. None at all.

Anyway, remember this post/conversation? Yeah, still jumping off that. I also vaguely mentioned working on this AU to you many months ago, and it honestly hasn't moved too much since then. It's at 2.5K, and it would probably have to be a chapter fic to accomplish what I want to accomplish, but so far all I have is Felix realizing he's actually back in time and plans for him to basically become the most responsible adult in any given situation, and the frustration of being that but also being perceived as like a child.

I get kind of sad for him, because through time traveling to his childhood as an adult, he kind of gets to see how the adults failed him. (And also all his classmates and friends are all slightly different in reaction to him, so they aren't really the people he knew). It's like... he almost thought he was getting a happier childhood, but it's not that... it's him picking up the slack for his great-uncle and supporting other people, and I think it's just so... sad.

Fun fact: Livia doesn't hate him in this world, because mentally 35-year old Felix is like "well, I'm not gonna beef with a child" and just goes along with her demands, so she only finds him annoying at times (everyone thinks he's patronizing). Felix misses her hating him, because he misses his old life...

It's a very lonely existence. He learns to care for the people of this new world but there's a lot of baggage thinking about the old timeline

[midnightfangz]

There's something about silly cafe AUs that soothes my soul so much

[windor-truffle]

"Yup, I'm right here! See, you can touch me and everything!"

--

Richard and Pascal friendship is something I didn't know I needed to write

[bluberimufim]

My brain keeps telling me to rewrite "Black and White" as one of those novels that are more like a collection of documents (whatever tf it's called) and I'm like!! Bestie, writing a novel as a series of documents is exactly what made me write the second draft as third person in the first place!!!!

(ok technically it was just Darius's normal POV + Diedrich's diary for some reason, but still!!)

[drowninginthoughts27]

Title tag

Thank you sm for the tag @theicarusconstellation and @bellaxisworld <33

Rules

1. list the titles of your top five priorities for WIP updates

2. an upcoming scene, event, or detail in each fic that you're looking forward to writing

3. make a poll for your followers to vote on which top 5 WIPs they're most excited to see an update on

4. tag 10 writer friends

Titles

[title pending] Jeggy 👑 au - Jegulus royalty au

The Things We Never Said - Jegulus ex’s au

The Angel Of Small Deaths sequel - Jegulus one night stand pt.2

Lost in You - Friends with Benefits Jegulus

Details

[title pending] Jeggy 👑 au - so so so much angst

The Things We Never Said - the big reveal of why they broke up in the first place

The Angel Of Small Deaths sequel - Regulus being two steps ahead of James at all times and Regulus moving closer to Sirius (and James)

Lost in You - James revealing his feelings

Poll

Tags

I think everyone ik has been tagged so if you see this and wanna do it pls tag me, I’d love to see :)

[muffintonic]

I know the feeling! I love collecting figurines and toys so they can get dusty pretty quickly, some moreso than others (no idea why). I have his amiibo as well! He's being guarded by Falco Lombardi's amiibo. I wish they would have made something for Teba, Kass, and Tulin.

I don't have room for a lot of figurines, but it's definitely a hassle keeping the ones I do clean! Hahaha, that's so perfect since he and Falco are similar in a lot of ways! I'm surprised they didn't for at least Tulin and Teba since they were featured in HWAOC and played a larger role in TOTK.

[themyscirah]

Started thinking about the Amanda Waller + Ben Turner relationship again.... fuck, I'm gonna need a minute

[iridescentgleam]

I've finally got a device I can write on effectively, so here's a sneak peak of a WIP I have completed! I still have a lot of editing yet to do on this bad boy, but I am very happy with how it's turning out so far. It's official title right now is "Hylia's Most Beloved" but it's affectionately called "Legend (Unknowingly) Proves He'd (Reluctantly) Fight God for the Chain," and it is, admittedly, incredibly self-indulgent lmao. This idea was born because a) I love Legend b) I love Hurt/Comfort, and c) I wanted to explore a scenario in which Legend would reveal how much he cares about the Chain without it being super out of character (i.e. him admitting it without any outside influence lmao). Here are a couple of snip-its for you, if you're interested! Please ignore the few instances of inconsistent verb tenses being used! This was originally written in the present tense and I've changed it to past tense writing this second draft, but I'm sure there are things I haven't caught yet lol.

Also, TW for: manipulation and allusions to death

If you're curious about the plot, I'd be happy to answer your questions in the comments, but I'm trying to leave things purposefully vague for now! lol

(Also, I don't feel like it has to be clarified, but all uses of the word "love" in this fic are not of the romantic kind [except from the implication that Legend loved Marin].)

[h-i-raeth]

I'm a sucker for people getting to live and how the narrative resolves around that. Could I get Barb Lives Side A for WIP Wednesday?

From WIP Wednesday

There are a few things that might have tipped the scales of Barbara Holland’s death.

It might have been the radio, music playing low but audible from where Barb sits to dangle her feet into the pool. It might have been the pool’s heaters, disorienting the creature that hunted her.

But mostly, it was that Barb was a girl scout. She knows how to dress a wound. There’s blood in the water, and blood on the deck, but it’s not soaking through the bandage.