#this post was a Lot to just find sitting in my drafts...... hello........................................................................

[thedragonagelesbian]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the cyrus halsin parallels of rising to the occasion of overwhelming expectation, burdens imposed by others and by yourself, through meticulous self-control and repression so easily disguised by your affable, good, giving nature that you cannot even recognize your behavior and your rough treatment of yourself as performances-- it is simply who you are, or at the very least who you should be, and that impossible aspiration has been a part of your self for so long that sometimes you do not know if you are still you when the battle is over.

or, worse, that if you were to let that control slip--if you rage too long, if you succumb to the beast--you might never come back

[greynatomy]

soft launch

ona batlle x reader

had this in the drafts for so long that i forgot abt it. then remembered i only wrote it cause i want ona to myself

prequel here

———

“Ona Batlle and Lucy Bronze share an embrace after Spain’s World Cup Win”

“Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh broke up”

“Wonze is no more”

“Luna - Lucy Bronze and Ona Batlle ship name”

“i just saw lucy and ona walking around barcelona by themselves”

“keira posted a picture with narla. they’re still together”

“Wait, wait. Look at this one. Ona Batlle seen going home with Lucy Bronze after practice. Guess it’s illegal to be in Lucy’s car.”

“Mi mundo, why are you still reading those?” Ona asks, setting a cup of tea in front of where you sat on the kitchen table.

“It’s just so funny. Me and Keira were in the backseat too.”

“I called gunshots.” She shrugged.

“Shotgun, my love.”

“It is the same.”

“Sure.” You stand up from your seat, Ona sliding in to sit, you finding your place on her lap. A familiar action.

“We should tell people now, I think. Slowly?”

“Yes! A soft launch!”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“Like, we don’t hide our relationship but we don’t make a big deal out of it.”

“I like that.”

—

Ona and Lucy are at a meet and greet with some Barcelona fans. One fan, Andrea, stepped up to the microphone.

“Hi.”

“Hello. What’s your name?”

“Andrea.”

“Hi, Andrea. What’s your question?”

“Well, I don’t know if you’ve both are aware, but there’s been a lot of rumors and speculations on the internet.”

“Oh? About what?” Lucy asks with a smirk.

“Luna or Wonze.”

The crowd cheers, also wanting to know all the information.

“Okay, okay.” Ona speaks up this time, not able to stop the smile on her face. “Me and Lucy, we are very close. Only because we don’t really have a choice.”

“Yeah, if we did, I’d stay far away from Ona. Nah, I’m kidding. I met her back in England on Holiday. Wanted to surprise my sister, but saw someone else.” She points a thumb towards Ona.

“You’re dating her sister.” Someone stated, shocked, making the audience laugh.

“Oh, yeah. They are not shy with letting people know.”

“What about all the car rides and stuff.”

“Y/N is usually in the back with Keira. They love to gossip, most of the time making fun on all the edits.”

—

liked by lucybronze, keirawalsh and 57,638 others

ona.batlle soft launch take too long

view all comments

lucybronze those hands are a bit too low for my liking

↳ keirawalsh leave them alone

↳ yourinstagram yeah! leave me alone

↳ keirawalsh @/yourinstagram don’t push her buttons

yourinstagram just couldn’t help yourself huh?

↳ ona.batlle want to show you off

↳ user1 omg that was so cute

↳ user2 i need me an ona

[takecareluv]

hello, maybe some headcanons/concepts on meeting vinnies friends🥺love your stuff so much

she’s the one || vinnie hacker x reader

word count : 873

author’s note : i thought i posted this already ?/? i’m so sorry, nonnie! i didn’t realize it was still in my drafts >.< i hope you like this! i started writing it as a short concept but then it became longer so i turned it into more of a headcanon / blurb ( idrk !) also thank you so much for your kindness <3 mwah !! <3

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

vinnie’s down bad from the moment he met you, there’s no doubt about it. he’d been practically begging the universe for a girlfriend for ages now and finally, after months of sulking and swiping left on the endless amount of l.a. girl that are basically carbon copies of each other, here you are ; everything he’s been searching for — a diamond in a sea of glass.

after just one date with you, he knew you were the one and he wasn’t shy about sharing his excitement. his friends weren’t used to this side of vin, and although most would find it annoying to hear him go on and on and on about this perfect girl he’d been seeing for only a short period of time, his friends were happy for him ; and dying to meet the mystery girl that’s got their best friend cheesin’ non stop.

it wasn’t too far along in the relationship that vinnie would bring up introducing you to his friends. they meant the world to him, and now so did you, of course he couldn’t keep you hidden for long.

you, however, were extremely nervous to meet the infamous group. knowing vinnie’s current living situation, you knew his friends would be around a lot ; so in your mind, if they didn’t approve of you, you could kiss your relationship — also known as the best thing that’s ever happened to you — goodbye.

vinnie assured you a million and one times that wasn’t the case and you had absolutely nothing to worry about. his friends would love you just as much as he did — well maybe not as much as vinnie did, that would be impossible, but a close second.

so here you were, sitting passenger side in vinnie’s mazda, on your way to his house to meet only a few of his closest friends — baby steps, as vinnie called it.

the car ride was filled with vin whispering sweet nothings to calm any and all of your nerves ; his hand on your thigh, as it was during every car ride you shared, giving gentle squeezes as to say a silent ‘i love you’ ; and short kisses pressed to your lips, cheek, forehead — anywhere vinnie could reach while the light was still red. it didn’t take long for you to become a blushing mess and forget all the worries that filled your mind only minutes prior. that was the effect vinnie had on you, and one of the many reasons you loved him — you’ve never felt more safe and happy with anyone in your life.

after a longer ride than anticipated, thanks to the constant bustling streets of l.a., you pulled into the driveway of vinnie’s gigantic home.

the anxiety you were feeling quickly came back to you once you saw just how many cars filled both the driveway and garage of the house — way more than you expected. vinnie could see you eyeing them while simultaneously doing the math in your head. he realized by the looks of it, it would seem as if there was a party going on inside when in reality, as he hurried to explain to you, most of those cars were his own — immediately causing you to let out a big sigh of relief. but wonder, how many cars does one person need?

being the gentleman that he is, vinnie opened the car door for you, holding his hand out to guide you towards the house.

before you made it to the front door, he paused, pulling you into a hug as he placed a kiss to the top of your head. “i love you and they’re going to love you, i promise. you have nothing to worry about, sweetheart.”

and vinnie was right, like always, he was quick to remind you later. his friends adored you.

jett was especially impressed with your knowledge on cars — little did he know it came from all the babbling you heard whenever vinnie visited you after just spending hours at the warehouse.

you originally planned on staying for only a little bit before heading to a dinner reservation, but the boys begged vinnie to cancel it, not wanting you to leave just yet. and how could vinnie say no to that. he was just thrilled to see his favorite people getting along.

instead, he ordered food for everyone and you spent the rest of the evening watching anime and playing games with the group — getting yourself into an intense game of mario kart with jack.

hera even joined the party and cuddled up right next to you on the couch, squishing herself between you and vinnie.

vinnie couldn’t help the smile that was glued to his face. his best friends, his favorite girl and his precious cat all together in one room — it couldn’t get better than this.

when it was time for vinnie to drive you home, the boys were already inviting you back over for a barbecue the following weekend. a barbecue vinnie didn’t even know they were having until that moment.

the following morning they were all telling vinnie how lucky his was to have found you and that you were definitely the one. even commenting on how they’d never seen him so happy.

[magics-neptunes-things]

She dares me

Hello everybody!

I had a lot of request for Lucy Bronze, so here am I trying one with her :)

I have some other writing in my draft tho, I try to decide which one I will post first but I have to admit that I write for the one who inspires me the most according to my mood of the day x)

I hope you'll like it anyway ♥

Resume : You take care of you stubborn and childlish girlfriend.

TW : None

____________________________________________________________

"Lucia Roberta Bronze, this is the worst idea you’ve ever had"

"But baby, she dared me"

You roll your eyes when you hear Lucy whine, before she gets an impressive coughing fit. Sighing, you hand her a tissue so she can blow her nose and you patiently wait for her to be able to speak again.

Sitting on her bed, in her room of her apartment, it’s been an hour now that you’re trying to take care of her. When she missed practice today because she was sick, you knew it wasn’t just a little cold. Lucy isn't the type to miss training for nothing or even to be fragile in terms of her immune system. She warned you in the morning that she was not feeling well, so after finishing your training, you hurried to find her.

After having assured you for a few minutes that it was nothing, she finally confessed to you that following a challenge from Mapi, she found herself all dressed in the Mediterranean Sea. In the middle of winter. Obviously she didn't have any spare clothes and had to make the way back wet from feet to head.

"In the meantime, Mapi only got wet to the calf, so I won."

You sigh again, looking at her with a distressed air. You are obviously in love with this woman, more than anything else in the world. But sometimes you have trouble understanding how she can be so spontaneous and childish.

"She also has a cold and I now understand better why Ingrid was giving her black looks every time she sneezed."

Lucy sneers at the news, probably playing the scene in her head. Despite yourself, you can’t help but smile too.

"But between Ingrid and me, she’s definitely the winner. Her girlfriend is not about to die of pneumonia."

"Not going to die of pneumonia" Lucy mumbles sleepily as she pulls up her sheet under her chin.

"How is it that in our both couples it's the youngest who are the most mature?" you ask rhetorically by putting your hand on her forehead, trying to find out if her temperature is starting to fall.

"Dunno. Maybe because you both aren't fun" Lucy mumbles before yawning.

"Maybe I should ask Ingrid to get in a relationship with me, at least we would be both not fun but happy and healthy?"

You pull your tongue out at her and Lucy slaps your hand, frowning at you.

"Hey! Don’t laugh with that"

"I’ll go out and get you some medicine. Try to get some rest."

Sulking, Lucy gets on her side to turn her back on you and you watch her do it with an amused smile. You kiss her shoulder covered with the sheet and slowly come out of the bedroom. You take the opportunity to tidy up some of the things that the English left behind during the day before going out towards the pharmacy.

The air is fresh and the night begins to fall, making you shiver. You make the round trip with a quick step, the face completely masked by your scarf and the hood of your jacket. It's with relief that you find the warmth of Lucy’s apartment and you decide to make both of yourself tea. You to warm up, Lucy to ease her throat.

A quick passage through Lucy’s room learn you that she sleeps deeply and you decide not to wake her. After preparing a soup in addition to tea, you sit on the couch with your hot cup of tea and your phone. After like one hour, your hear her cough again and made your way to her room.

"You ok?" you ask when you see that she’s awake.

Lucy nods and turn for her nightstand to take her bottle of water. You let her do it, making a quick trip to the kitchen to put on the tray that you prepared and the medicines. With your foot, you push the door of the room to open and you put the tray on the other night table. Then you lie down next to her, on the sheet.

"How are you feeling?"

"Terrible" she answers by dropping on her back on her cushion.

With an empathetic smile, you clear her face of the few strands of hair that block her eyes.

"I’m sorry I said you weren’t fun"

You laugh slightly before you lean over her to put a kiss on her forehead.

"I know, baby." You smile at her again before you put the tray between you two. "Your meds. And I think it would be nice if you ate a little"

You nod at the soup bowl and Lucy looks at it thoughtfully for a few moments before resigning herself to sit in the bed. Once she’s settled, you hand her the bowl and let her eat, telling her a few things that happened during training.

Then, when she’s done, you help her take her meds and drop her half-empty cup of tea on her nightstand.

"Where are you going?" she whines as you come out of the room.

"Do the dishes?"

"Fuck the dishes. I need hugs to get better, it was written on the leaflet of the medicines"

"Of course, I didn’t have to read the little sentence in the end"

You laugh and rest the tray to climb on the bed next to her.

"Exactly"

Her big smile when she answers you goes straight to your heart and you spread your arms so that she can cuddle up against you. After offering to watch something on television, you find yourself stroking her hair while watching Malcolm. When you found out it was Lucy’s favorite show, you were surprised at first, but you got used to it.

Not used to seeing Lucy so clingy, you take full advantage of having her for you in this state. Usually, you're the needy one between you two. But that's ok because Lucy never refuses you a kiss or a hug. And the best part is, you don’t have to feel guilty because the meds seem to be working and she feels better.

And her health will continue to get better, since after three days she is fully on her feet and back to training. The only thing that’s changed is that with Ingrid you promised yourself that you’d never let the two women go out by themselves again.

[hwascripts]

A Yandere Love Letter From Lucifer

Warning: Before hitting “read more”, be aware this post mentions toxic behaviours, threats of violence, blackmailing, unhealthy relationships- over all just dark content. This is just a piece of fiction, I do not support or condone this behaviour in real life. Chapter 20 spoiler

Wanna see more stuff? Hit up my directory

(I had this sitting in my drafts for a good week. I’m finally almost done with the yandere love letter series)

Hello, Beloved

How has the human world been treating you? Surely not better than I would here in the Devildom. Tell me, have you been able to rest easy since you...” escaped” me? Has anything been troubling you, little one?

Honestly, beloved, I find it quite humourous that you thought you could get away from me. Really, darling? You, a helpless little human, escape me? The Avatar of Pride? What nasty little pest put that silly idea into your pretty little head?

Trust me when I say I would have found you a lot sooner if it weren’t for the fact Diavolo kept me busy preparing for his annual ball. While I do see your attempt at “escape” to be slightly amusing, I’m incredibly irritated, little one. Why? That worthless, useless oaf of a “Fiancé” as you called him, was bold enough to steal something that belonged to me.

In case you’ve forgotten, little one, the moment you stepped into my office and sealed that pact with me was when you signed your fate. I made that clear when I took you into my bed.

Now here’s how this is going to work, beloved. You’ll return to me, your rightful Fiancé, and you’ll be punished.

Trust me, little one, when I’m finished with you, you’ll understand that you belong to me and that I am your rightful lover.

Do not keep me waiting long, beloved. You won’t like what happens if you do.

Your soulmate,

Lucifer

[blue-thief]

Ok. Thoughts on the Itoshi Sibs / their parallels with Isagi?

HELLO this took forever for me to answer because summer school and the sadness. as you know.

also i went too crazy with tying blue lock into my fixation with japanese nationalism so it got way too complex and i got scared but now i'm just gonna make that its own post (<- said the same thing about bsd. that analysis about bsd's connection with japanese nationalism has been sitting in my docs for a year now i think)

(smh this is what happens when the japanese imperial army almost wipes out your entire bloodline /gen /srs)

anyway. all that waiting to say that rin is... just some guy to me

usually a fw anime boys named rin. esp if they're the sworn rival of the plain protagonist. not necessarily this one though

i have no clue why he doesn't scratch my brain properly. he just doesn't. i need to spend a good three hours staring at the ceiling at night to figure that out

when you first sent me this i didn't really care for sae much either. now i do

that's how long this has been sitting in my drafts 😃😃

(i've written and scrapped thousands of words for this ask sob sob)

(this answer wasn't even formatted this way originally)

i've probably told you the story of how sae grew on me before but like

i don't plan out my fics right

i do play out random scenes in my head to test out if i like them or not

(shivers because updating my fic is another thing that is taking forever.......)

and i was just fucking around with random jokes kaiser and sae could say to each other

then i imagined sae smiling

and i was like "what the fuck... why is that so endearing........"

that was the turning point but it really was a lot of sitting and contemplating sae's character honestly

to really understand him and why he'd be friends with kaiser

and sae is kinda just like me frfr

that guy can't do anything other than soccer/football. he has nothing going on beyond that

and yeah. yeah... i get that.......

it's the reason why i like a bunch of other bllk characters but it's most pronounced with sae yk

(SORRY MR. SNUFFY)

and like. just his inability to be a normal fucking person 😭😭 too real

anyway those are my general itoshi brothers thoughts

now for the parallels part.

(this is the part that killed me and i wanna go more in-depth. but i'm saving that for another post. because holy shit my original idea was so fucking ambitious)

i had other thoughts and god i wish i wrote that stuff down

but the major thing i want to get into here is dependence

isagi is independent. soo independent it's kinda crazy

this was outlined most during the second selection with bachira where he had to learn to play by himself

meanwhile there's rin who seems independent on the surface

however, rin has always been dependent on sae in one way or another

when they were younger, rin was dependent on sae to take care of and guide him

rin also depended heavily on sae on the field

now that they are older, sae's attempt to shake rin off has just made rin's dependence on sae even more intense, just in a different way

rin's only motivation to play soccer/football had been to "crush" sae

...but now he's met isagi

and his obsession has found a new object

with the recent chapters, now we know he places isagi and sae on a similar level in his personal hierarchy, and his desire to destroy sae has bled into rin's feelings toward isagi

while rin has only one rival, the same can't be said for isagi

isagi gains rivals like pokemon, and while they have all played a significant roll in isagi's development as a person and a character, his obsession doesn't consume him. in the PXG vs BM match, he's doesn't fully comprehend the effect he's had on kaiser and rin

and mannn i wish i could find this analysis, but it's gone now

but someone compared isagi's desire to "devour" to rin and nagi's desire to "kill"

I WISH I COULD REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT THEY SAID

but from what i remember, "devouring" someone is temporarily defeating them, but both parties ultimately improve so there's room for them to meet again and help each other improve even more

however, "killing" someone is defeating them completely so they're never able to play/improve ever again

which outlines the fact that while isagi can be a little bitch on the field, he wants his rivals to improve alongside him, and in the end, he wants the best for people (in terms of soccer/football)

which is why he never became overly-dependent on bachira and why he treats midfielders as actual human beings 😭😭

isagi is independent, but he pushes for the people around him to be just as independent

the itoshi brothers are different though

rin is codependent on sae, and you could say his hatred/obsession with isagi is a different type of codependency

but that thing about treating midfielders as human beings...

uh. that doesn't really apply to rin

sae is somewhat similar with how he "tamed" shidou but it's not THAT imbalanced lmao

there's also how the three of them are on different places of the striker-midfielder spectrum

in-universe and within the fandom, rin is perceived as japan's ultimate striker. his raw shooting power + metavision makes him perfect for this position.

however sae, another metavision user, is the perfect midfielder

then there's isagi who's tried emulating rin's play style at first but is ultimately most similar to sae, leading people to say that isagi is better suited to be a midfielder rather than a striker

while rin represents what the ultimate japanese striker is, something isagi is trying to reach, sae's path is one that isagi could easily fall down instead

many people have theorized that sae became a midfielder to improve rin's chances at becoming a better striker. sae may be considered to have a strong ego, but if this turns out to be true, that might not be the case lmao

errm. idk how to end this off. sorry for the wait sob sob

[cripplecharacters]

hi! i saw the ask you recently posted regarding the amount and date of asks currently in your queue, and im not sure if i understand the response fully. as you said your queue currently contains asks from early 2020, does this mean that at the moment the average time for an ask to be answered is about 4 years? this is not a complaint or anything of the sort, i understand and appreciate the massive amount of work you put into these answers - im just asking to know whether i should send in a question myself, as i usually dont work on building a character for several years, so i would just be burdening you with yet another ask that would no longer be applicable by the time of an answer. again i apologize if this comes off as rude and i really dont intend to be demanding, i just want to inform myself on how this blog works so i dont add to your workload needlessly. thanks for all the great work you do here!

Hello!

To clarify: The average time for an ask to be answered is NOT four years.

There isn't really an average wait time per ask since it differs so greatly but I'd say it's usually no more than a couple months? Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong though😅

Depending on the ask, it may be answered almost instantly and chucked into the queue or it may sit in our inbox for a while before somebody can get to it. This all depends on a few factors, including:

What's the ask about? If it's something that multiple mods can answer (Such as questions about autism, mobility aids, etc.), then it will likely be answered sooner. On the other hand, an ask about something more specific that fewer mods can answer (Such as progressive vision loss or albinism) will likely take a bit longer.

How detailed is the ask? If it's a question that's more simple and can be answered without as much effort/energy, it will usually make it's way into the queue quicker than a question that's more detailed/specific to the asker's story/characters, which will take a bit longer.

What topics does the ask deal with? Sometimes there are asks with heavier topics that can be more difficult to deal with. In my experience, I find that I have trouble spending too much time on these asks at once and I'll usually draft an answer and then go back to them after a few days.

This is by no means an official 'why your ask hasn't been answered yet' post, just some clarification and a few of my own observations but hopefully it's helpful!

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

Editing to add:

A huge part of why there’s such a big backlog is also that, for around a year or more, there was really only one active mod on the blog.

As you can imagine, this blog is kind of a lot for just one person to run. So the backlog built as it was much harder for just one person to do it.

For reference, we now have 10-11 mods, which helps us be able to do more questions.

Hope that helps for some context!

Mod Sparrow

[remusawoooo]

anon here, excited to read the essay! i asked you because i really like your takes and i see people in the more canon-adjacent parts of the marauders fanbase to complain about the extremes of the fanon one, though personally ive never really seen anything Too extreme, tho thats probably just tantamount to how well i curate my spaces i suppose (ive seen people say that fanon makes remus really “alpha” or makes sirius “bimbofied” and while ive seen hints of those extremes here and there, mostly it looks like it varies from person to person. ive just seen remus be more assertive than he probably is in canon, or sirius being more dramatic and “fem” than he probably is in canon). from what i know people like exaggerating events (the prank, etc.) or shifting some personality traits, but i dont really think thats a bad thing - i personally enjoy it. as long as they dont completely turn characters into stereotypes (though its a pitfall of every fandom, i fear), then whatever its just camp.

people are allowed to criticize stuff like that though, not taking that away from anyone, i personally just dont really care enough to be totally accurate esp since this hyperfix is kind of the bottom of the barrel for me LMAO. but i ask mostly bc im just curious to see what other peoples opinions are, and bc i think - especially in a fanbase like this - that its incredibly important to be at least a little critical with your media experience and reflect on it. saying “oh fuck canon we’re just having fun” is fine and all, i dont think anyone is stopping you, i think the personalities people have made up for characters that have zero screen time are super fun and the little ships are not everyones tea but like its fine. but even still, people should be way more aware of what characters theyre dealing with and from what franchise, and like reflect on any biases you may have. if youre making shit up for a random DE character, or retconning some sutff, okay, whatever, but be sure to not defend or like suddenly turn to really weird rhetoric. idk i think its the bare minimum in a fanbase like this

i definitely rambled way too much here, super sorry op! i hope this doesnt bother you, feel free to reply or feel free to not. i just really like hearing peoples thoughts on things, and i like your takes and your blog so i hope i didnt catch you by surprise. i really am just an outsider trying to look in LOL

hello anon, I'm sorry I lost your ask. I was writing on my laptop and saved the draft (but apparently had to press on alt, and didn't do it) so I basically lost your question and half of my initial response. Ty for sending in another ask!! Not a bother at all, i find this very lovely :D 

I was mortified to find that someone who isn't really a part of the fandom was perceiving me while I was complaining about fictional characters ahahaha. still, thank you for validating me and asking my thoughts on the mischaracterization of marauders!! I do talk about it daily, unfortunately, and without any prompt too. I'll try to gather all my thoughts here. I don't necessarily come across fanon as much as I did when I reentered the fandom and honestly, I can not be more with you about curating your space !! at the end of the day, I am just here to have fun, and really, pointing out these issues is not a good time at all! But I do post a lot about these, I can't be bothered to bottle up any thoughts lol.

I think the major issue I have with current interpretations is the underlying bigotry that comes along with it. There is a lot of unchecked problematic content that doesn't sit right with me.

Flanderizing characters in fandom interpretations is not limited to marauders fandom obviously. any popular media will face this because so many of us want to interact with one character so their traits are simplified for easier consumption and to find a common ground. this is also not limited to new marauders fandom. even in the older era, leather jacket-wearing, motorbike-driving quintessential bad boy siruis was a thing. so I won't nitpick on silly simplifications.

I just want to say that this isn't about me wanting everyone to have the same interpretations as I do about the canon. I follow so many lovely people and I don't agree with all of their posts. But, we all just simply share the love for these characters in the text and form an imaginary community. So, if we were to remove all the issues I will mention, it is still very well possible to have different personal takes.

Here are some of my issues:

Queerness, Gender roles, and misogyny:

My biggest problem is the representations of queer relationships. the fandom packages these couples in a strange and obvious heteronormative mold where the individuals fit into male and female gender roles. mlm and wlw are now an “f/m”* stereotype and characterization gets affected by the ships. Heterosexual relationships shouldn't have these limitations either, anyway. There is no one way to be a woman or a man. With queer relationships in particular, we have reclaimed the word queer now but it was used to describe the unconventional weirdness in the relationship. We didn't fit into the normal portrayal of a loving relationship. So, it really bothers me, even in fiction, that queer ships are popularly consumed in a way that represents a traditional template. (*this is not about gender itself but the gender roles! f/m can very well be queer!). 

Let's take the biggest victim in this fandom: sirius.

Sirius’ portrayal concerning his gender and sexuality has heavily changed his characterization in the fanon. We have a character who is popularly headcanonned as trans and is it a coincidence that all their traits have changed from the og material? Sirius is suddenly vain, whiny, and dumb. Canon doesn't suggest this interpretation, it has to have stemmed from somewhere. It's the implicit bias. Sirius becomes a caricature of what a woman “should be”. When we focus on sexuality, there is the suddenly short twink sirius who has the same new traits- proving the point of fulfilling gender roles. These characteristics are a stand-in for the “female” role of the traditional relationship and it becomes more clear in the example of new age wolfstar. Remus is now the big alpha stoic manly man- the obvious stand-in for the “male” role. I could go on, it is apparent in the way you can see remus becomes a caretaker and sirius is taken care of.

The point I am trying to make is not to discourage gender/sexuality hc. I love them, keep them coming. But, why is female sirius not tall suddenly? It is not inherently bad at all to have a feminine and masculine pairing! But why do we need to change the constitutions of these characters to consume their relationship?

I'll keep dropping disclaimers because I hate being misinterpreted: I don't obviously mean every single person is doing this or that doing one of the things means doing the other too. 

Race:

It is related to the point above. I was personally so excited to see the popular desi james hc. Even in fanon, I have never seen such a prevalent and encouraged brown rep, it was quite sweet to come back to that. But the problem is the change of characteristics that comes with race hc. Desi james is also a manly dude who is big and buff as opposed to the white petite and delicate regulus within jegulus ship. The melanin is directly proportional to the manliness here. 

This is a propagation of race stereotypes. Maybe jegulus was a bad example because usually there are seen as blank templates. I will raise the argument that this can't be all we can come up with for blank canvases then. Either way, my point about race still stands when you repeatedly design interracial queer relationships so they fall into heteronormative roles. Anyway, same issue with wolfstar when there is a brown remus.

Canon, JKR, and hypocrisy:

Refusing to engage with source material is funny when we are picking characters out of it. the interpretations of the characters will be from their book. otherwise, they are just original characters with the same name. you can add onto the traits and a lot of the time fandom comes to a consensus regarding a few things! This is common in every fandom but I don't think I have seen such reluctance to not only critically engage with media but also shame others who do. We are surely in special circumstances with this fandom but I really do think jkr and how we navigate the fanon should be two different things.

Most of us don't condone jkr or even remotely agree with any nonsense she spews on the daily. Most of us can see the problematic nature of even consuming this media and staying in this fandom. It is one of the reasons I even left the fandom. Most of us are simply doing our best to engage carefully while distancing ourselves from her. So, it is quite laughable when some love to take the moral high ground for rejecting canon while still engaging with the same characters. (the rejection of canon in question being sirius’ height, lol)

(Sirius' height is quite a polarising fact apparently. Unfortunately, the point about height is also discussed so disingenuously. When I talk about sirius’ height, it is not really about him being 6 or 7 feet. It will not really impact my life. It is about what it represents. He is bimbofied as he becomes short. It's an issue of "WHY" again.)

Of course, this isn't an accusation of intentional bigotry from everyone here. The problem with this fandom is that the people in it tell themselves that it is progressive and to run away from the problematic creator as much as possible. We are not progressive if all we do is co-opt queer and racially diverse identities on such a superficial level. The bias manifests in subtle forms. I just wish we check ourselves from time to time, that's all. 

There is a lot of hostility when we try to discuss issues in the fanon. Things are interpreted in the most misguided way to just win the argument. Like I said in the beginning, we all just want to have a good time. That also means creating a welcoming space for vulnerable groups (especially when the same identities are used to pat yourselves on the backs for inclusivity points). I didn't even cover everything btw, I just wrote about the issues that concern me. queer and poc also partake in biased representations, I also probably have some biases that I didn't identify yet. I just think it would be super neat if everyone tried to make an effort to unlearn and engage with media without hurting anyone. 

I have other issues but they are all just super subjective opinions and smth I can ignore when others do. ex: I really don't like giving tragic backstories to bigots in the story. Not every supremacist loser has a trauma that forced them into oppressing people! There is also "tropeyfication" of all major ships. Just an overall issue in the reading world I think, though.

Anon, I didn't mean to make it preachy in any way btw. You probably asked for a silly little rant and I went full lecture mode, so I apologize for the tone shift!! I mentioned these because every other issue can be brought down to these imo. Like you said, I also don't have any fixation on everything being canon-compliant. I only complain by asking about the thought process behind certain kinds of changes, if that makes sense! I hope this wasn't a drag really and you can see where I am coming from. If I misspoke anywhere, pls lmk. Thanks for sharing your opinions too!!

This is a long long rant, anyone who read everything, you are wonderful and patient. Thank you for taking the time. This huge post and the content can make you think, “who cares this much?” or “it's not that serious” and yaa it really isn't that serious. The characters aren't real but we all are. the identities projected are real. so, it does matter to talk about this.

Everything said this is a fun place to be once you find your own corner in the playground.

[7wanderingpaws]

Hello after a looong time!

It’s been a very long time since I visited this blog.

As I’ve found quite a few asks sitting in the ask box, I felt like I need to write a post, hopefully reconnecting with everyone who still pays a visit to this precious blog of mine.

I am sure it’s quite obvious I haven’t updated anything at all the past couple of years. It feels a little back-stabbing writing this as I know many are waiting for fic updates 🫠 I am terribly sorry for leaving everyone hanging like that. I am even more sorry to say again, that I haven’t had time to work on anything, nor do I think I can ever manage again. 💔

I always thought I wouldn’t be one of those but here I am. 😔 if you’d like to read more, please open the whole post. If not, I totally understand why you would be upset, sorry again.

My life has changed a lot after I found a job that has very messy schedules. I don’t (and can’t have) any routines and when I don’t work I am recovering from work 🥹. My life changed completely.

And there is something I’d like to share with you 😊

I met someone very special. I know it sounds a tad crazy, maybe even cliché, but this man is everything green flag that I have ever incorporated into my stories (whether shared here or just sitting in my drafts on my laptop). Sometimes it gets almost creepy and I get scared he read my stories. Because how can someone tick off so many things? Say the exact things? He doesn’t do social media, so I know none of my muses are true, which makes the whole thing even crazier.

And the best part, he feels completely the same as me. I feel incredibly lucky and blessed, because for many years I was quite sure I wouldn’t find anyone with whom I can feel as comfortable, as cared for and as safe as I feel with him. Looks and personality are both just perfect for me.

And I think for years that I was writing, I was imagining how I’d like to be treated in a relationship, to have a mature partner who makes me feel giddy and at the same time is intellectually challenging (in a good way!) too. With him, everything just clicked. Turns out, this feeling actually exists, it’s not a complete romance book hoax hehe.

I am not even sure why I am writing this here, but since my stories are all romantic and very relationship focused, I wanted to share this with you. I am good, I’m trying to be an independent woman, completely accountable for her life, spendings, life-style. And now someone who is in love (thought it’s impossible).

If you read all the way here, I am wishing and hoping that you are healthy and well too.

[delopsia]

Hello! Happy Christmas! I just binged all of the Rhett x reader x bob series and plz tell me if I’m wrong but I’m a girl who loooooooooves angst, so. What does my fav thruple do in the event that they have a fight? I know they have a solid foundation but with 3 people together it’s bound to happen… so lmk! Thank you!!

Hello! Happy...not...Christmas 🧍‍♂️ hi, welcome to episode 457 of me leaving things in my drafts and forgetting about them.

They all handle their anger very differently, but there's a general rule that Bobby has instilled one general law for arguments. Take time away to cool off and go into a shared room when you're ready to address what happened.

Rhett blows up all of a sudden and then runs off. It only usually happens when he's stressed; he's akin to a volcano early in the relationship. Though he's recently learned to say something along the lines of, "Hey, I'm one inconvenience away from blowing up, I'm going off on my own, and I'll come back when I don't feel like a ticking time bomb."

He's mostly just loud during times like these, slamming doors and tears off in his truck to get some air, but he's clear in the head when he finally comes back. He's either the first or the last to venture into the living room to talk things out.

Bobby tries to concede at first, give up for the sake of everyone else, but Rhett's very, very good at calling him out on it, which then dissolves into actual arguing. But then, without warning, he shuts down mid-fight. One minute he's raising his voice, the next he's realizing what he's doing and suddenly can't speak anymore. He's very prone to darting out of the room, wide-eyed, unable to speak another word.

He's generally the most upset afterward, teary eyed as he apologizes and needing a good, long snuggle to truly calm down. There was a big blowout argument that ended in Rhett and the Reader needing a lot of cooldown time. But Bob came around incredibly fast and spent hours sitting on the couch, waiting for them, and dissolved into a mess of tears. He's a little bit fragile when it comes to arguments, and it's a big reason why post-argument times are so soft and quiet.

That being said, most disagreements are just small bickering. With three, there's almost always someone around to intervene or find a solution that the other two didn't initially see. It's a bonus of being vastly different from each other; there's a variety of perspectives brought to everything.

[twistedwonderlandimaginesblog]

HELLO!! I hope this isn't a rude question as keeping up a blog like this must be time consuming but I wondered, is there an order to the requests you write? A first come first served deal? Whatever sparks inspiration first or seems easier/more fun to write? Again not meaning to be rude and there's no rush whatsover, just curiosity.

Love your work <3

I'm more of a 'mood' writer so it's generally the ask that strikes my attention or that I find inspiration for when I read it over, sometimes it can be inspired purely by the characters bc I'll get in different moods and want to write for different characters

Sometimes an ask sent in the same day gets my brain going and I immediately finish the asks, other times there are requests that sit a bit longer. I try to go back and forth (like keeping a variety in the characters that are being posted for as much as I can), and I'll go look at older asks and try to focus on them.

There'll be times where the blog hasn't had a post in awhile so I'll go through and find one that's easiest to write/has less characters requested so it'd be easier to post just to get something out.

Mostly, I write parts of requests at different times, character based inspiration. If an idea is something I feel really fits for a character and I have an idea right away I'll type it out but it doesn't always guarantee i'll finish the ask, there's a lot of partially finished asks in the drafts that I'm trying to figure out good ideas for the other characters requested.

[nspwriteups]

Pehla Nasha | Kundavai x Vanthiyathevan OS (Modern AU)

A/N:This had been sitting in my drafts for weeks... finally found the confidence to post it. Happy reading 😊

Kundavai = Keerthana , Vanthiyathevan= Vaishnav, Aditha = Adithya and Arulmozhi= Amal

Keerthana stood at the return section of the public library, glancing at the news channel in the tv mounted on the wall. She waited for the staff to return her library cards and made her way to the book section. She scanned the stacks for the book she had been searching for weeks. It was too boring for her to use the Web Opac on the library computer to get the book of her choosing. She preferred searching through the long rows of paperback until an interesting title or an attractive book cover caught her attention. But try as she may, she wasn't able to find THAT book yet. She looked around for a minute. Maybe because it was almost noon or maybe it's because it was a Sunday, there were only two people in the book reference section there - she and another guy,who seems to be in his own world - whistling an unrecognisable song and staring at the books ahead of him with hands in his pocket. She was again too lazy to go all the way over to the staff section to enquire and so she briefly glimpsed at the seemingly oblivious guy again. Her friends always called her out on her introverted nature. She wasn't really introverted, she just preferred to listen and observe others over talking non stop. She slowly walked over and tapped the guy's shoulder. He was taller than her and when he turned around she noticed his brown eyes meet hers in a look of confusion and curiosity. 

"Hello. I was wondering if you know where I can find Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan novels?" She put on her friendliest smile and politest tone. He looked around for a moment before turning back to her with an embarrassing expression. "I am not the library staff.. I'm just browsing books like you" 

She knew that. Of course she knew that but still she couldn't help but feel awkward all of a sudden. Maybe he noticed it because he quickly added "But I have time to kill. I can help you find the book". She gave a quick nod and together they went to the Tamil literature section and started digging from the opposite sections. As she searched, she couldn't help checking out her helper of the hour - his olive green jacket fitted him well and his entire body language gave him a laid back demeanor. He looked like a Wattpad male lead character with his tall frame, boyish outfit, silver chain peeking out of his jacket collar and striking brown eyes. She saw him turning slightly to look in her direction and quickly turned her attention to the books in front her. Get a hold of yourself Keerthana! She thought to herself.You are a research scholar for God's Sake! Don't act like an infatuated teenager. Keerthana prided herself in being clever, practical and disciplined -  a complete opposite to her brothers who were prone to spontaneity. Even though her friends teased her for shooing away even the slightest chance of a relationship coming her way, she never told them the real reason she wasn't willing to give her heart away. She had her moments of checking out the cute guys she met now and then (like now for instance) but deep down she was waiting for a romcom version of love - an unexpected meeting followed by a series of chance encounters until the hero says something like "You have Bewitched me body and soul" (She absolutely loved Pride and Prejudice) - that was her secret, that behind her calm,composed and strategic facade was a girl yearning for a silly and magical romance. She was snapped out of her thoughts with a book waving in front of her."Found it" He declared with a grin. She smiled and said "Thanks a lot. You were such a great help". It was true, he was such a friendly person."How can I not help someone as beautiful as you" He replied with a smirk. Huh, friendly and flirty then. "I am Vaishnav. And you are?""I'm Keerthana" She said as she made her way to the book issue section. He caught up with her easily, a book called Exploring the World tucked in his arms. So a wattpad-ish looking person with a love for reading travelogue? This guy seems to be the dream vision of many of the reader girls out there. "Keerthana as in Keerthana Viswanath? Adithya's sister?" He asked and Keerthana stopped on hearing her older brother's name. "Yes. How do you know?""I'm in the same football team as him. He always talk about you and your brother Amal. It's so nice to finally meet you" He said with the same grin as before, looking at her amusingly. Aah, so that must be why she felt a familiarity with him. They exited the library together, both unintentionally walking at a snail's pace, engrossed in their conversation. She learnt that his favourite colour is green, aspired to become a travel writer and was best friends with her brother. He got to know that she was a bookworm with a love for classics, loved boat rides and was as impressive as her brother. They faced each other once they reached the parking lot.

"So.." He began, not knowing what to say despite the fact that he prided himself in being a sweet-talker.

"So..." She also initiated, feeling the awkwardness climbing back up

"I hope I can see you around. Maybe another encounter at the library? " He joked

"We'll see" She joined in on the joke, with a playful smile and a thumping heart.

Later, when she was in her room, already pages deep in the first book of the Ponniyin Selvan series, she imagined him to be Vallavaraiyan Vanthiyathevan and herself to be Ilaiya Piratti Kundavai. Because she couldn't picture anyone else to be the flirty and enthusiastic Vana Kula Ilavarase. And the more she imagined, the more she felt as if maybe there is something about this boy that is pulling her towards him, a sort of feeling that somehow he will come into her life as more than Adithya's best friend. She placed a hand over her heart beating faster than usual at the thought of such a possibility. "Silly heart" she whispered with a soft giggle.

@ramcharanobsessed @dumdaradumdaradum @vibishalakshman @harinishivaa @hollogramhallucination @kovaipaavai@rang-lo. @willkatfanfromasia@thelekhikawrites@thegleamingmoon@deafeningflowercat@yehsahihai@whippersnappersbookworm@itsfookingloosah@gemsmusings@chiyaanvikram@elvenladysakura. @matka-kulfi. @madatdisney@bumblebeeskywalker@vahnithedreamer@nkarti@dosai-maavu@utterlynotperfect@winter-birds@happy-bookworm @tumbledout @anabanana4115 @freeunknownwasteland @bhataktiatmacore@rapunzels-stuff@celestesinsight@mairablue@rationalelderberry@existenceiswhateven@arachneofthoughts@spider5884fan11 @cara-2003 @nirmohi-premika @stella12

[azus-reyan]

Day #1: I feel as If I should reintroduce myself

Hello world, I still have f*ck all Idea on what I’m doing

At the start….. To begin with…. Oh god! I don’t even know what to say!

After much thought, I decided to shed some light on my life and what brought me here. 

I was tired of the conventional path everyone seemed to follow – school, uni, job. So, I said, 'I think not,' and chose to go my own way.

It felt empowering, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Turns out that taking control of your own future is a heavy burden. It comes with enough challenges to make you question, ‘What the hell was I thinking?’

After high school, I took a month off and spent a long time searching for anything that could bring in even a little income—something I could proudly show my naysayers and say, ‘Look what I’ve achieved.’

But it wasn’t all light and rainbows. It was a trial and error, followed by a swift disappointment. A lot of procrastination. And when things didn’t work, I’d get excited about something new only to watch it fall apart a few weeks later."

My so-called efforts were half-assed almost all the time. I was never all in, and patience? I had completely forgotten there was such a thing. If something wasn’t an instant success, it was over. 

Finally, feeling frustrated and lost beyond any hope of being found, I went for a last rush.

During that period of inactivity, I wasn’t just sitting around. Instead, I wrote short stories—some pretty amazing, others downright ridiculous. But they did improve my writing a lot. I still held onto the hope of making a living from writing, but I knew short stories alone wouldn’t cut it. And writing a book? Too much work. Lazy, I know.

But there was something I could do. Something that wouldn't require as much effort as a book but could be a lot more profitable than any short story. at least any I could ever come up with. 

A blog

The idea was simple enough: write a post ranging from five hundred to three thousand plus. Promote the post to ensure enough people see it, then wait for the money to rain on my head. 

But before that, my dear boy, before that, you just have to….

Choose a niche. What is a niche? It could be anything but you have to be specific enough to build an audience around. Too specific? No, you'll soon run out of things to say. 

After that, building your website comes next. You can simplify this process by creating it with a simple, drag-and-drop website builder. Think…WordPress! There you go. But did I tell you it will take at least a month to get things ready? Oh well. 

No rest for the wicked. Come up with a post idea. Research about the idea. Write about the idea. The first draft sucks, why don’t you try again. It sucks even more, how is this possible?! 

Use AI maybe? No, that would be criminal. Plus, people don’t like AI content although that post you made a few months ago is doing well for some reason.

At last, you have your first post ready. It won’t blow Perez Hilton out of his wits, but it’ll do.

But here comes the fantastic part: People have to actually find this poor post or…. Well…. Who would even care? So, do some SEO optimizations. What is that? Well, how about you spend 20 hours learning the technical foundations?

Alright, now you’re a master at this. Do some keyword research, and splash some keywords and their synonyms around your post. Look for the H1’s and H2’s while you’re at it. There you go, you’ve hacked the Google algorithm!

Now share your post on social media, but which one? 

Twitter will do, for now. Click share, write something interesting about the post then come back after twenty hours for some developments. In the meantime, try writing another post. And kind of do all that you’ve done again. 

Finally, you’re ready for your second post Check the analytics. Crickets. It’s alright, check for Twitter, there’s bound to be some engagement there, 0.

Well maybe if I post more?

10 aggressive posts later, no improvements. It’s the website, I can’t bring people to it. Maybe it would be easier if I went to somewhere that has an already existing base. Guest post? No, I'm allergic to favors. Medium, Substack? Yeah, why not? 

Try both, and have little to no success. But I’ve tried Medium before, there was at least some engagement there. Why don’t we focus on it for now?

But before that, delete that AI-written post that’s still doing better than anything you’ve written so far. Makes you question the point of writing yourself.

Prepare the post. Click publish after doing everything [as you should]. Share on Twitter, and share on LinkedIn. Buzzzz….fiddle your fingers around while you wait….buzzzz…. 

A day has passed. Surely things will be better. Check Medium. None. Twitter, it has to be Twitter: 😂Loser! LinkedIn: Professionals only, you unsophisticated fool. But I am sophisticated? 😢, I think. 

Ten days later, 

After 10+ days of consistent effort, I’ve concluded that I will never be found through Medium. Believe me, I did more than I ever thought I would through the platform, but it’s clearly pay-to-win.

Hello Tumblr

Before now, the only thing I knew of Tumblr was through my back alley transactions, if you know what I mean.😏 But I recently heard it’s a good blogging platform, so, what the hell right? 

My expectations aren’t too high but I’m willing to give it a serious shot. Before I chuck it over the side, that is. 

The point of this rant has been to let you know that not everyone out there has it figured out.  Reaching your goals takes effort, consistency, and yes, a little bit of luck. If you’re feeling like I did—wondering, ‘What the hell should I do?’—don’t panic. Just start with the easiest thing you can, and take baby steps until you find your way

And with that, I say hello to you, Tumblr, and I hope we have a better time than my previous experience suggests. 

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more of this and that.

[zdux]

League headcanon idea: the Morally Corrupt Skrunglies™ (aatrox, kayn, sett, sylas, viego, vladimir, yasuo/yone, etc.) Working at a host club/maid cafe

Bestie.... This is so horny you were so not kidding that you unhinged. I see you there, bribing me with Aatrox,,, and I'll take the bait.

Aatrox

Why is he here

This man is a physical embodiment of evil who's soul is a giant fucking sword

But yanno what in this economy, being a demonic sword just doesn't pay like it used to, huh

He will NOT be found in your like, traditional host cafe, he's going to the most like, 2009 black butler emo one he can find

...which of course ends up being the one the rest of these shit heads end up because not a single one of them knows how to stop being edgy for more than 5 minutes

He is annoyed to find Sett as the head host/manager, but at least he lets him wear basically whatever he wants. Which results in this being his regular fit. (See below)

He is,, very surprised when a certain *ahem* group, who shares a passion for uh,, yanno,, ;) ends up finding him

He actually becomes quite popular, especially with his thick, german - European accent. (Idk man it sounded German to me)

Kayn + Rhaast

Ah yes, the pretty boy

Like we said, being a demonic weapon just doesn't pay these days

Kayn has been working here as sort of a side hussle, just putting those good looks of his to use

He and Sett are buddies of course, so unlike most of the hosts who are put on pretty regular schedules, Kayn has it worked out where he can just come and go when he needs, as he has to manage not only his life, but Rhaast's too. He gives me double major college student vibes.

He's actually kind of a sweetie, like, he looks very very mean, and can be, but when he's hosting, it's up to the customer if they want him to just hang out and chill or put on the "bad boy" vibes

Sett

The cat boy host himself!

Dear lord was he popular because of tiktok, this man made BANK

He puts on a very friendly "Hello, welcome, ;)" sort of vibe where he seems very open and welcoming, but obviously it's Sett, he does what he wants

He is so not afraid to have a customer removed if they are treating someone poorly. He doesn't want the hosts catching shit for it but he will totally grab someone by the back of their shirt and throw them out

Has the cafe organized by like "soft boy ----> emo" as you walk through.

But it doesn't matter a lot since most of the hosts are in the "emo" section

Wears basically this but with a little name tag

I literally haven't worked on this in over a year, it's dated May 4th, 2022. I doubt I'm going to finish it, at least not on this post because it's just been sitting in my drafts for so long, so fuck it, I'm posting it, and MAYBE if I feel like doing the rest of them I will. But for now: here.

[pluralprompts]

Hello! I was wondering if you had any resources for reading about or writing systems?

A few of your posts have really inspired me and I wanna make sure whatever I put out as more "serious" work is a better representation than just "what this one headmate thinks plurality might be like", especially for other system types/origins!

Thanks :3

Hm... Well, I can't recommend @writing-plurals enough for advice, honestly! As for my own advice, here's three posts where I've given advice before:

Post 1 (general tips for writing plural characters)

Post 2 (general tips for writing plurality)

Post 3 (avoiding stereotypes and challenging the fears that come with creating representation)

I think the best thing to do in order to get to know a certain group better is just to talk to people of that group (or at least, read their posts and works about what their lives are like). Especially since no two lives will be exactly alike; the more people you talk and listen to, the more patterns you'll be able to notice, and the more material you'll have to use as inspiration (which is especially useful, since you never know what will or will not work for your story until you actually sit down to write it). Plus, most folks are happy to answer questions about their system and how it works! Or at the very least, most will correct common generalizations they've seen that don't actually apply to all systems. It's better to ask and risk getting rejected than not give yourself a chance to get any input at all, in my opinion.

On that note, it's alright to write things clumsily, so long as they're genuine. Plurality can be difficult to portray all the nuances and details of, as I've found through my own experience. It's alright if your work sounds clumsy or cheesy at some points – trying to talk about one's identity and personal experiences often is. As annoying as it is, such personal topics just aren't always going to translate perfectly into seamless prose, especially if you're trying to introduce the audience to new information about something that occurs in the real world. Finding that balance between informative "nonfiction" and the plot and flow of a fiction story is difficult (I think that's why a lot of language education videos have just fully embraced that awkward in-between and refuse to apologize for it, and honestly, all power to 'em for that, at least they've found a way to own it). Don't give up on a scene or idea just because it sounds clumsy, especially if it's your first few drafts. Sometimes, clumsy writing is the only way through the muck of it all (even if only on your first few attempts).

If you need references or examples, we have a lot of works on this blog under the pluralprose tag, or you could go to Ao3 and search under the Multiplicity/Plurality tag (they have longer works there than we get, so I definitely recommend it if you want an example of how a longer story could work). Reading – and giving yourself time to analyze what you're reading (what you like, how the author does something, any stylistic choices you might want to implement into your own work, etc.) – is important as a writer, after all! Especially here, where those works can double as resources for understanding other systems and how they might like to be written about.

I hope this helps!!

[shai-manahan]

Hello!

I am a person who is writing his own Interactive Fiction game. I currently have about 50k words written for it and will probably be making a forum thread soon. But I really need some advice from you as your game is one of my favourite.

The thing I am struggling with is my plot seems a bit bland to me and I just don't know what to do about it. Like I at the start only decided my game is going to be very reactive to choices and I have loads of meaningful choices and lots of variables remembering lots of things. But when I read through what I have written so far it feels a bit meh. Like your game is soooo intriguing as a reade. So my question was how do I make the plot more intriguing?? Sorry for the long ass post

I'm probably not the best person to ask about this; I go through cycles of self-doubt at least a few times a month 😞

But I'll do my best to help!

First of all, 50k words for an initial demo is impressive! HM had around 28k words when I first uploaded a public demo (which was just the first version of the prologue), so you're doing very well!

I think it would help tremendously for you to sit down and figure out what themes you wish to put focus on. It doesn't mean that you can't tackle a few others as you write, but it's always good to set goals like this to maintain consistency and make their presence strong in the story. It doesn't have to be something "grand"; it just needs to be clear in your head.

It's cool to aim for your choices to be meaningful, but watch out for scope creep. Not that I can talk; I have way too many variables tracking the MC's actions/dialogue choices as well as routes that not many will ever know about. And they can be fun! Just remember that fun doesn't always remove the stress attached to those boosts of excitement. I'd say try to focus on choices/variables you're sure you can deal with, particularly those that can enhance the quality of your plot, and you can decide to add more once you're certain you can handle them.

I have no way of knowing you're not already doing this, but well-developed characters help the impact of the plot grow stronger. Their fears, motivations, what they need to see vs what they have currently. Humans are complex beings, and for me, it's always interesting to try and explore that complexity. I love exploring it.

Try to talk to a friend about what you have at the moment! It helps to have some who'd never mince their words and are willing to give honest feedback while being helpful at the same time. In a way, it can be encouraging to know you have someone to depend to, and I hope you can find them if you haven't met such a person yet.

It's a first draft!! This is something I also keep telling myself, though it doesn't necessarily help me clear out all doubts all the time. But you should at least be aware of it. This is the first time I'm creating an IF, but I did a lot of film screenplays before, and my first drafts always sucked. It's why rewrites are not a foreign concept to me, and why I know HM might go through a lot of changes before I settle on its final version. But I do think both readers and writers should be aware of the fact that first drafts aren't supposed to be perfect; and WIPs, no matter how long they are, shouldn't be expected to have no flaws at all.

I cannot stress this out more, but taking walks outside or even doing the most mundane of errands can help to clear your mind! Try to take some rest; it might even give you some perspectives you haven't thought of before :))

I think that's all I can give for now, and I hope you're having a great time writing so far! I do want to remind you that you'll have to find methods that personally work for you as well, whether you're a plotter, a pantser, or something in between. It's why I haven't been too specific with the things I said; it's best for you to try and see what actually works for you as a writer. Best of luck <3