#where they discover something super fucked up along the way

[vaugarde]

the plot of sordid souls is basically about a group of unlikely friends trying to seek out a (name pending) shaman to restore their cores so they can do regular magic again and this leads to them discovering a ton of war crimes

[spacedace]

It was the final hour. Doomsday at their door, with only hours left before the world was consumed entirely and every last living thing was devoured right along with it.

Summoning the High King of the Infinite Realms was the only option left, and even then felt more like choosing a firing squad rather than a noose at the end of the day. Pariah Dark might - might - accept the task of destroying the foe they faced, but tmit would come at a cost that was near equal to doing nothing at all. Provided the tyrannical ruler simply didn't let them all die, an entire planet dead was an entire planet to add to his endless armies.

They had to try. Stupid and suicidal as it was.

Zantanna and John worked in silence as they created the summoning circle, hands shaking and stomachs cramping as they worked under the apprehensive eyes of the rest of the League. They all understood that no matter what happened, they would all likely end up dead by the end of it. That the best case scenario meant that death was only the beginning of their problems.

Candles were lit. Insense burned. Blood spilled. Words spoken.

Nothing.

Nothing.

It failed, not so much as a flicker of magic. Which was impossible, they'd checked and confirmed a dozen times that they had the right ritual, that they were following the steps, they had done everything right way wasn't it working? What had they done wr-

"Ugh, gross is that blood?"

Elle Phantom, fifteen minuted late to the site of the ritual with both the boys Super, the most murderous Robin and a sugary abomination of an iced coffee from Starbucks, scrunched her nose in disgust as she looked at the summoning circle.

"This ritual is so out of date, where did you even find it? Wait is that Latin? Who tries to summon someone from the Ghost Zone in Latin?"

John had burned through every drop of alcohol and cigarette he owned hours ago while trying to find this bloody damn ritual and was very much not in the mood for the little hellspawn's color commentary on the process.

"I don't bloody well seeing you providing with any alternatives for summoning the Ghost King." He swore, turning away from the gremlin to tear through the ancient book he and Zantanna had discovered with the ritual inside.

There was a loud slurping noise as the undead hero sucked the last remnants of her drink through the straw. John's brow twitched, even Zantanna - who usually seemed endeared by the chaos goblin - looked at the end of her rope.

Then - "Oh, is that who you wanted to summon? Why didn't you say so?" She drifted over, handing her empty drink off to a disgruntled looking Batman, and began rummaging through the unused magival supplies left over from the - failed - summoning circle. "Here, give me like, five minutes."

John was fairly certain his head was about to explode.

"You know how to summon the Ghost King? You?"

Phantom rolled her eyes at him. "Duh, obviously."

"Obviously." Zantanna repeated, looking like she was half a moment away from having a breakdown. She didn't try to stop the ghostly girl, though, and to be fair neither was John. They were already fucked, might as well let the gremlin try her hand at it.

It took less than the five minutes Phantom had claimed she needed.

When she was done there was a significantly smaller circle on the ground. At the cardinal directions of the circle, written clockwise she'd drawn not any magical runes but instead what appeared to be the Roman Numerals for one, then two, then something akin to a sideways T with an additional mark rising upward from the long horizontal bar, then the letter L.

It had to have some kind of ancient magical significance John didn't know as Shazam made a noise like a dying goose and squeaked out the word Loss like it was a question. Phantom gave the Champion of Magic a sharp toothed grin before adding some words in a language John didn't know before she finally allowed gravity to pull her back to earth and plant her feet on the ground.

She wiped her hands together a bit dramatically, looking pleased with herself, but at that point John didn't care. He could feel the building magic, heavy and oppressive as she had begun her task. Unlike the circle he and Zantanna had attempted, this one was working.

He couldn't help thr nervous swallow he gave as Phantom then declared, with a strange amount of seriousness. "All that’s left are the words."

She took a deep breath, eyes closing for a moment, and the world went utterly silent around them. This, John could feel, this was the real deal. Fuck him sideways the hellspawn was actually doing it.

Phantom's eyes opened, glowing with that bright eerie green light of her power. Another deep breath and then -

"You are my dad! You're my dad!" He watched, any scraps of hope she'd instilled in him dying an undignified death as she gave a terrible little wiggle dance while she sang(?) Off key, "Boogie woogie woogie!"

Every last person on Earth was going to die and one of John's last moments was going to be spent watching the little undead shit do the Macarena. Well fuck him, he guessed.

Then there was the sound of the veil between the world's tearing in two and the fucking Ghost King was standing in Phantom's summoning circle screaming in a screeching falsetto:

"When will you learn? When will you learn that your actions have consequences!"

You know what actually at this point John would rather the apocalypse kill him.

[actualhumantrashcan]

I can understand a silly workplace comedy about pirates not being everyone’s jam but I really can’t understand the amount of queer people I see hating on ofmd.

like for one thing most of the debates turn into gatekeeping queerness (which I think has a lot more to do with the ages of the main couples than actual concerns about authentic representation but that’s another post) and the rest are just hateful because it doesn’t directly name or label it’s queer characters but like why do we need that at this point?? listen I love heartstopper with all my heart but it is exhausting to watch them explain queer identities sometimes (even though I do think it’s super useful for younger audiences I’m just not the target demographic!) and ofmd is an explicit, violent, adult show that doesn’t NEED to explain it’s character’s identities.

queer people past their 30’s are usually very well aware of their queerness and have had (hopefully) plenty of time to go through the arc of discovering that. so why would we need to see Stede or Lucius or Ed going through turmoil because they’re attracted to men when they have already come to terms with that at this point in their lives?? i for one find it so fucking refreshing to watch a show where the characters being queer is not their main arc, they just ARE queer and life is still happening to and around them. maybe that’s just the millennial gay in me talking, but it gets emotionally exhaustive to watch show after show where the queer character’s arc is overcoming homophobia. yes obviously homophobia still exists and yes obviously if ofmd was trying to be historically accurate these characters would be living in a very dangerous time to be queer but it isn’t trying to be accurate!! it’s trying to be fun and diverse and kind!!

and also, they aren’t pretending homophobia doesn’t exist!! it’s just addressed in a different way. Stede was emotionally abused by his father for his entire life for being “soft” and then was chased down by his homophobic childhood bullies, one of which explicitly told him that he “defiled” the great pirate Blackbeard by simply falling in love with the man behind that name. Meanwhile Ed was forced into the world of piracy at a young age and developed the entire persona of Blackbeard (who fits the toxic, violent masculine stereotype of the time) to hide the fact that he’s actually an incredibly sensitive and deeply queer man! and is told multiple times by male figures in his life that sex with other men is fine but it is absolutely unacceptable to be in love with a man. both of their arcs contain homophobic rhetoric that is still present in society today, but its never presented as a problem that they have to wrestle with. they don’t have to come to terms with what it means to love each other, they just have to overcome some trials that go along with the complicated lives they both lead as a pirate and former aristocrat. the homophobia in ofmd is woven into the backstory of each and every character, it shapes them into the people they are at the beginning of the show when all of their walls are up and they are performing the “pirate” roles they are supposed to play. and then we get to see them grow and realize that they are in a safe space, part of a community not just on the ship itself but in the life of piracy (which in the show is pretty much explicitly an allegory for queer lifestyles.)

anyway, I could rant about this all day but just truly why do we have to tear people down for enjoying something? why do we have to find reasons to hate something so obviously created with sensitivity to it’s queer audience and with so much queer joy? if historically inaccurate gay pirates going on silly adventures and falling in love are not your thing, fine! but perhaps just let people enjoy things and find your own things to enjoy.

[homunculus-argument]

Random fantasy story where the protagonist has some Super Rare Cool Special Ability because of course they always do, and their whole story starts with discovering this awesome ability, and it's made very clear from the start that this sort of thing is a Huge Fucking Deal. Like this random peasant kid from a family without a name has got this astonishing inherent ability, the most revered Feared Local Wizard is summoned to come see this, and this guy goes "holy shit my mentor in the big legendary ivory tower will want to see this, that's amazing."

And the protagonist starts getting shipped to the other end of the continent on a journey that's clearly A Huge Fucking Deal, local nobility want to see this kid, they had only heard of this kind of thing in legends and had not ever imagined they would get to see this kind of astonishing gift in real life, with their own eyes.

And somewhere along the way the protagonist and their big shiny entourage that's gotten embarrassingly big end up staying over in some bigger town. The protagonist is left to their own devides and some scrappy kid around the same age starts being rude, and being teenagers, the two start beefing. And by this point being A Big Fucking Deal has gotten into the protagonist's head, and they start going like "do you have any idea who you are dealing with, I've got Cool Awesome Powers" and start showing off.

And the other kid goes "bitch me too you ain't special" and fucking slams the protagonist right back with the same kind of power. One perhaps even more powerful than theirs. And everyone who just saw that is baffled and astonished. The protagonist is shocked. The readers are shocked. The Wizard Mentor who was just about to intervene is shocked. Hold on how the fuck.

So now this new kid is surrounded with curious questions. How the hell did they do that with no training? Wait the fuck do they mean they've always been able to do that? How did nobody know about this? Wait, your parents knew? What the fuck do you mean they knew and didn't tell anyone? Why did they keep you a secret? Hold on how do you not know what this gift you have is?

And the kid is just like "yeah they just told me it's weird and gross and told me to stop doing that." Like this kid's parents saw their child doing something that no other human being is capable of, and simply never bothered to look up what it is or what it means.

[cat3ch1sm]

Alright so I have a HUGE thing for Silva and Zeno to the point where I’d be delighted to have them step on me and call me worthless 😩💖

So would you have the time and energy to write some headcanons on how Killua would react if a friend of his (aka female reader) were to nonchalantly comment about how his dad and grandpa are hot?

I wanna ruin this gremlin’s mind so much please! <3

OMG if you want to, would you be willing to make Killua’s friend comment that to him but IN FRONT of Silva and Zeno too???

💚~ LMFAOAOAO u guys request the most chaotic shit and im totally here for it. here’s ur request!! merry Christmas guys ily <33 @cocogum

also i can definitely relate

fem!reader

u and killua have been friends for a while. literally probably the most chaotic pair anyone’s ever seen. just constantly doing stupid reckless borderline deadly shit. u are one of the very few who can always keep up with killua and can tolerate the same shit he does

he’s the friend who is always risking his life with the things he does and ur the friend who is always risking their life with the things you say. you have zero filter basically. and he really does not care at all, tbh he thinks you’re hilarious

anyway that’s why killua really has no problem bringing u over to his house. he’s never done it before, but you two aren’t the type to make a big deal of things like that, so whatever he just decides to drop by with u

you’ve never met his parents or siblings, but killua has never been lacking on his descriptions of them. whenever you ask he always makes it a point to tell you how nuts they are. but he sort of knows you can handle it even tho his family doesn’t like that he has friends in the first place, but tbh he doesn’t care much atp

anyway he brings you to his place and you go through the whole shebang of the super heavy doors and getting past mike but basically you two are good to go. the butlers welcome you both in and that’s that

you actually do meet his family who are about as off putting as you expected. his little brother kalluto is the tamest; he acknowledges you with a barely perceptible nod and that’s that. killua doesn’t bother introducing u to milluki and thankfully illumi and kikyo aren’t in the house right now. however, you both do run into silva and zeno.

the piercing glares they give you should be enough to freeze you in your tracks. there’s obviously an aura of dread that comes with their presence that killua had vaguely warned you about. but something honestly catches your eye about them, and you have to bring your hand to your mouth to hide the mischievous smile spreading across your lips. but to your surprise, the two men don’t even come over and bother to speak to you. they just give you disdainful looks and go on their way. looks like you aren’t really worth their time.

but as the two are walking away and you and killua start to head out, you turn and whisper to killua in a voice you very soon discover wasn’t actually a whisper, “wait, kil, your dad and grandpa are kinda hot.”

needless to say, this is the one time killua doesn’t find your lack of filter funny. his blue eyes instantly fly open and he yanks you aside, hissing, “why the fuck-“

that’s all he manages to get out. the zoldyck men have stopped in their tracks. your eyes widen as well and you clap a hand over your mouth.

“oh my fucking god-“ killua doesn’t even turn around to see his father and grandfather, he just yanks you along with him as he basically teleports out of the house. you don’t even have time to process his reaction before you both are suddenly far away from the zoldyck mansion.

you both pause once you’re out of earshot, exchanging wide-eyed looks before you collapse into giggles in the grass and killua slaps both hands against his face. “are you actually out of your fucking mind- never mind, you actually fucking are. what the hell is wrong with you??”

you’re way too busy laughing to answer, pointing at killua’s totally red face. he hides it behind his hands with a loud, exasperated groan.

“i’m going to puke. i’m going to throw the fuck up all over you, you asshole. take that shit back literally right now. oh my god. i’m going to kill you and then myself, you absolute dumbass.”

this goes on for at least ten minutes. you’re basically wheezing at this point, and you don’t stop until killua threatens to leave you behind.

“i am never taking you to my house again, you psychopath. like, i know you have shitty ass taste in guys, but are you serious?? you’re mental. actually insane. seriously?? no, take that shit back, my dad and grandpa are not hot.”

you start to walk away, still laughing, and killua is hot on your heels.

“where the hell are you going?! take that back right now, or i swear to god-“

[goatsandgangsters]

favorite callbacks/foreshadowing payoff in A Power Unbound that made yell "oh goddammit" at my book

MY MOST SATISFYING "OH GODDAMMIT" MOMENT. FULL ON HAD ME PACING UP AND DOWN MY APARTMENT GOING "OH MY GOD THEY ACTUALLY DID IT, THE CRAZY SON OF A BITCH, THEY DID IT"

it wins #1 because this line always made me SO suspicious, but I also thought it was such a longshot. between the suspiciously specific phrasing of "blow up" and alan calling the lockroom easy to misuse in the same scene, my prediction was actually that the bad guys were going to do some fuckshit with the lockroom, because ART introduced us to the concept of "using hair to channel magic" and having a room full of everybody's hair seemed... uh, bad.

so I was just wrong enough to be delightfully shocked and just right enough to feel so satisfyingly smug. 10/10 felt terrific.

"adelaide tapping her ring" is SUCH a sneaky little detail. because she's tapping her ring all throughout a marvelleous light, and then sURPRISE it was the contract piece all along, beautiful bit of same-book foreshadowing, well done everyone go home

so when it showed up again in a power unbound, I was like "aw cute. I like that she's still got that little habit, even though it's not a Plot Relevant Foreshadowing Moment anymore, what a nice detail"

and then adelaide pseudo-flipped me off with her ring finger and went SURPRISE, GOT YOU TWICE, WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT MY PLOT RELEVANT RING?

this one didn't take me by surprise, but it's exactly what I love about reading a careful and deliberate writer.

this is in the same scene where we find out about jack's secretbind. so when I read it, I thought "okay well, we just found out he has A Mouth Thing. but he subconsciously touches his leg as well as his mouth, so probably he has A Leg Thing too." and then did a quick "probably from the war, right? seems most likely" and felt confident I knew that Jack had some kind of leg injury long before A Power Unbound even came out

and it's just SO FUN, because when you have a really good writer like this, you get the absolute joy as a reader of reading One Single Sentence and going "I see you, I know that means something." it's delightful, it's my favorite kind of puzzle, it's so rewarding

the way robin gets super uncomfortable with the penhallick crowd gossiping about what happened to jack and then changes the subject to magical people born into unmagical families who never discover their magic

the way jack and alan are linked together through this one worldbuilding-during-dinner conversation from two books ago. beautiful. profound.

and finally. my grand final of moments that made me go OH!! FUCK!!—

that's the first mention of jack by name, ever, at all, in the entire series.

that is the very first detail we ever learn about him.

AND THEN HE DID IT AGAIN, AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS OF NO MAGIC, AND I WAS SO PROUD, AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH, AND ALSO I HUCKED MY BOOK ACROSS MY BED.

HIS FIRST MENTION AND HIS FIRST ACT OF MAGIC AFTER OVER A DECADE, crying, crying forever, we have come full circle

[georgeweasleyslostearhq]

I have an idea for Xavier, some angst followed by fluff (my favourite genre)

So you know how Xavier can draw and bring his art to life. I like to imagine reader has a similar power, anything she writes comes to life. Xavier and her work together, this like cute power couple who make accompaniments to each others work and its sweet and lovely.

Until when all this hyde business comes along and everyones on edge, she sees xavier getting closer with Wednesday and shes like 'you know what, no, I trust you.' And they do trust each other.

But she comes back to see all her work, all her writing completely torn up, shredded, thrown across the room. Shes distraught. Wednesday and enid hear her crying and they're like, what the fuck happened, enid is comforting, wednesday is like 'I'll make this persons death slow' in her unique comforting way.

However, someone framed Xavier! And after she sees the scissors used to tear some of the paper or maybe a piece of incriminating evidence on xavier, her upset brain puts two and two together. Hes screaming and crying he doesnt understand, sort of picture a more upset Billy in the scene in scream where sidney calls the cops on him

Enid is pissed and ajax is too, and wednesday, they're all super protective and ajax gets to angry he near punches Xavier when hes determined to see her.

Of course we need a resolve so maybe Wednesday finds out that thornhill needed the two of them out of the way, she was sick of them parading around and bearing discovering her evilness.

I just need Xavier fluff to angst with some helpful friends

ok, this took so long but I did it! this is a bit bad.

I DON'T GET IT

pairings: Xavier Thorpe x Fem!reader summary: ^^^^ warnings: swearing.

"go away" you sobbed as you heard a knock on your door. you were in a fetal position, curled up on your floor, looking at all the paper with your writing torn all over the floor.

but the door opened anyway.

-2 weeks ago-

"this is wednesday" Xavier said with a smile, motioning to the girl next to him with a big smile on his face

"Hi, I'm Y/n" you greeted

"ok, so me and Wednesday have something to do. bye babe" he said before dragging her away

you sighed and turned to go to your dorm.

-

you saw them everywhere together, in the halls, in the quad and in class. they were always together

"I bet it's nothing, he wouldn't do anything" Yoko shrugged

And it was true, he wouldn't do anything to hurt you, especially with another girl.

you trusted them, Xavier wouldn't do anything, and Wednesday didn't even seem interested in him. but that didn't stop you from getting Jealous, there was barely a time that Xavier even talked to you that week.

all you wanted was for your boyfriend to come see you. so you didn't really hesitate to write what you wanted.

'I wish Xavier would spend time more time with me' you wrote.

5 minutes later there was a knock on your door, you stood up from your chair to open the door

"Hey, sweetheart" Xavier smiled down at you

"Hi, Xav" you beamed

"can I come in?" he asked, you stepped aside and let him in.

you guys ended up talking for hours.

you were happy about seeing him again, upset that it needed your writing to make it happen.

-A week ago-

you had gotten closer to Wednesday, her gaining your full trust and becoming friends.

Xavier begun hanging out with you more and you happy about that. but then the Monster started putting people on edge and paranoid

-

you sat next to Xavier in Thornhills class. he moved closer and gave his notebook to you, letting you pick a drawing.

you flipped to a page, seeing a drawing of butterfly. you smiled down at it and pushed the book closer to him, he hovered his hand over the page, making it fly of the page.

it circled around your head. you turned your head as it flew around you with a grin on your face

you giggled as it landed on the table you sat at.

"this isn't the time for your animations, Mister Thorpe" Thornhill stated

"sorry" he apologised, bringing the butterfly back to the page. he sighed as he looked at you with a soft sad smile.

you had an idea and opened your book, writing down what you wanted.

after a minute, Thornhill's vase with a plant in it fell off her table and smashed on the floor, glass and water spilling.

you rubbed it off your page, getting rid of any evidence that you were the reason for it.

Xavier laughed under his breath and smiled at you sneakily.

-an hour ago-

you had gone back to your room. you had no classes today and you wanted to clean yourself to find your writing ripped up and thrown all over the floor.

-now-

"what happened?!" Enid cried

"I don't know! I came in here and found it like this" you sobbed, pausing to sniffle

"do you know who it was?" Enid asked

before you spoke, Wednesday stopped you

"Xavier. his ring is on the floor" she states, picking it up and examining it

"I know, I noticed that" you said wobbly

the pieces of paper had claw marks, traced with lead pencils

"not to mention this" wednesday said, lifting another piece of paper, showing the drawing of the butterfly from a week prior.

"I know, I just don't get why he would do this" you sniffled

"don't worry, his death with be painful and slow" she smirked

"what?" you choked on your tears

"nothing" her deadpan expression scared you

"it will be ok, I promise" Enid comforted, sitting down beside you and wrapping her arms around you

------

"Enid told me what happened, are you ok?" Ajax panted as he ran into your room

"No" you shook your head, more tears falling down you your face

"hey, hey, hey. it's ok, it's going to be ok. Xavier is fucking asshole you don't need him" he pressed, coming to your side and comforting you. he looked really mad

"just stay with us for a while" Enid cooed

"you don't need him" Wednesday said

-----

it had been an hour and they were still all there by your side. you had grown tired and started falling asleep on Enid shoulder

there was a rushed knock on the door.

"Y/n! let me in! I need to talk to you" Xavier yelled frantically through the door, all three of your friends looked at each other, angry looks on their faces. Ajax got up from his position to go to the door

"just hear me out!" Xavier yelled before the door flew open

"the only thing we want to hear is you leaving" Ajax said

"where's Y/n?" Xavier asked anxiously

"doesn't matter. she's not talking to you, now leave" Ajax demanded

"No, you don't understand-"

"-leave before I stone you, Xavier. don't make me repeat myself"

"I didn't-" Xavier had tears forming in his eyes

"there is evidence that it was you" Wednesday said, standing beside Ajax

"it wasn't me! I swear. believe me!" Xavier pleaded

"you're going to wake her up" Enid called

"I don't care, she needs to know it wasn't me"

"Xavier, leave" Ajax said through gritted teeth

"please" he begged, he began crying

"is that Xavier?" you whispered to Enid

"they're getting rid of him, don't worry" Enid smiled softly

"Y/n!" Xavier yelled out to you. looking over Wednesday's and Ajax's heads to see you

"let me see her!" he said to Ajax

"she doesn't want to see you" Wednesday replied bluntly

"you know I wouldn't do anything to hurt her" Xavier cried

"Xavier, fucking leave right now" Ajax yelled at him

Xavier pushed past your two friends, entering your room, seeing your tear stained face as you sat on the floor

"baby, you know I would never do this to you" he said carefully

"there's evidence" Enid rolled her eyes

"what evidence, there's no way that I did this!" Xavier screamed before looking in your redshot eyes "you should know I would never do this, I love you"

"then why was your ring and drawing found on the floor" Wednesday questioned, holding the two in her hands

"No, I lost that ring 2 days ago! that drawing is in my notebook" Xavier cried

"show us then" Ajax shrugged simply

Xavier pulled out his notebook from his bag, flipping through the pages, he noticed it was missing

"what? is it not there?" Wednesday asked smugly

"No! no, it was in here! I don't rip my drawing out!" Xavier ran a hand through his hair

"or is that just a cover up?" Enid said

"you guys aren't even letting Y/n speak!" Xavier looked at you, breathing heavily as he started crying "what do you think, what do you want?"

"I want you to leave" You murmured. Xavier barely heard what you said, But Ajax heard clear as day as he stood behind him

"What?" Xavier said under his breath

"it's time for you to leave" Ajax glared at him, grabbing Xavier arm and pulling him to the door

"No! don't fucking touch me! you seriously think I did this, you're my bestfriend!?" he screamed

Enid stood up and stood in front of the tall boy "leave, none of us want you here, asshole" she spat, pushing his back. Xavier didn't exactly stumble back, but he moved his foot back at he shifted

"I'm not fucking leaving, I didn't do it!" Xavier shouted

"hey!" Ajax yelled in his face "leave before I fucking stone you"

"what the hell is wrong with you!" Xavier scoffed

Ajax punched Xavier in the face before shoving him out the door and slamming it in his face

"I think that hurt me more than it hurt him" He winced, shaking his hands.

"I'm sorry you felt the need to do that" you apologised softly

"I would do it again" he said, hugging you

-----

a week after the incident. Wednesday thought that something about it felt odd. So she investigated it further as she helped with the hyde situation.

soon after that she found the claw in Xavier's shed. so she knew that is was him.

But once the information that it was it was Tyler with the Help of Thornhill came to her attention. she felt stupid.

"so, you're saying it wasn't Xavier?" you asked, confused

"that's what I'm saying, yes. I did some further digging and found Xavier's missing ring underneath his bed while I still had the one found on your floor" she explained

"I don't know why we would even believe it was him. why would he leave one of his drawings on your floor? that's just stupid. he wouldn't just rip it out for you to know it was him who 'did' it. besides, he does love you" she finished

"Xavier's going to hate me!" you cried

"he doesn't. I saw him before I came here" she stated

"so should I go see him?" you questioned nervously

"I don't know why you're still here"

you started running to his dorm room to apologise

before you knocked on his door, it opened. revealing a nervous Xavier with a black eye

"I'm so sorry" you sighed

"I'm sorry that happened to you" he replied. you slowly wrapped your arms around his tall figure.

------------------------------------------------

[cherryredstars]

Idk if ur requests are open right now, but if they are, please PLEASE can you do this idea I have rn… ok so, I was sorta thinking about how spider!reader and Miguel go on a mission together to retrieve a spiderman, but in this universe it’s a girl version of Miguel. And, Miguel had like a little (big) crush on spider!reader and in this universe there’s a girl/boy version of us that girl Miguel has a crush on, so, Female!Miguel gets attracted to us and fights Miguel all the time for spider!reader attention 🙏 IM BEGGING FOR YOU TO DO THIS PLEASEEE😭😭 also, I love your fan fics😼😼

(Don’t mind my spelling 😭)

1k Prompts

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x gn!reader

Warnings: Pining, Jealousy, Fluff

Summary: You were his first. 

Word Count: 961 (Not Edited)

Miguel never understood why people were jealous of others. 

The idea of wanting to be like someone else because they looked prettier or did a certain thing better or because they had something he wanted was stupid. He knows that everyone has some fucked up shit happening behind the scenes, and he’s perfectly content to handle his own deal of problems. All in all, being jealous of someone else was a waste of time. And he was ready to die on that hill, until he met her. 

It was supposed to be an easy mission, and in and out sort of deal. The only reason Miguel went along on the mission was because it was in a new universe, and he always preferred to check it out for himself. And, of course, he brought you along. As much as he loved watching the way your body moved in your suit and hearing the soft melody of your voice as you went on and on about your day, he always brought you along because you made everything better. Literally. You seemed to have this calming effect on others, helping newly discovered spider men, women, animals, anything under the sun really, process the idea of the multiverse. It wasn’t a big surprise that Miguel had ended up falling under your spell, absolutely adoring the contrast in personalities. But now, he wishes he can pick you up and carry you back to HQ where he can keep you all to himself. 

You don’t even notice the displeased look on Miguel’s face as he watches, arms crossed over his broad chest and the smallest of pouts on his lips as he watches you interact with…himself. Herself, technically. It was the biggest surprise to the both of you when you had discovered Miguel’s genderbend protecting the city. She had taken an instant liking to you, making it a point to brush her fingers along your arms, fingers twirling your hair as she talked, going on and on about her version of you. Female Miguel absolutely loved whispering things just loud enough for you to hear, a deep flush coming over your face as you smiled bashfully. It was driving him fucking nuts. 

His fingers itched to pull you away from her, to mark you as his and that she could go run off to whatever version of you she had. This one is mine. It wouldn’t count as self-harm if he tested if she had the same pain tolerance as him, right? He promises it’s for research purposes only, no other reason. It definitely is not because he- she- is making not so subtle passes about you staying over and going back to her place. Not at all. Definitely had no correlation to the way female Miguel is leaning in super close to you, lips practically touching your ear as she whispers whatever bullshit she has in her mind. Miguel is practically blind to the way her fingers are ghosting over the front of your suit, circling over your stomach. 

When female Miguel makes a move to kiss your cheek, Miguel gives into his urges. With a low snarl, he grabs your arm and pulls you behind him protectively. His eyes are narrowed at himself- herself?- the entire time, female Miguel doing the same to him. They look like rabid dogs fighting over a bag of food, teeth barred and eyes shining red. Both Miguel’s loose their face as your peak behind him, your hand slowly rubbing at his arm in an attempt to calm him down. Miguel throws a cocky grin at female Miguel, who sports an ugly scowl in response as you try to coax them back to HQ. 

Of course, things don’t get any better on the way back to base. Female Miguel thinks she has a right to your every second, staying attached to your arm as Miguel walks ahead. Miguel makes it a point to interrupt the conversation every few seconds, giving out rules and explanations that make a vein pop at the side of his female version’s head. He finds absolute joy getting in the way of her advances, only for it to be wiped away when he sees how affected you are at her words and small touches. I could do that, he scowls, I could do that and so much more. 

He can only really relax when female Miguel finally opens up a portal to go home, a small whine in her voice as she asks you if you’ll visit her real soon. You can only smile kindly and nod, the promise on the tip of your tongue before Miguel all but shoves himself- herself, fuck- into the portal with an indifferent, “oops”. You can’t help but laugh, finally catching onto his irritated behavior halfway through female Miguel’s visit. You smile sweetly at him, patting his arm as you wordlessly follow him back to his office. Before you can enter though, Miguel pulls you towards a small side hallway, pressing you up against the wall before checking for prying eyes. You stare up at him in a mixture of adoration and confusion, breath hitching when his face gets real close to yours. 

His eyes scan your face, a small scowl between his brows that soften as his eyes meet yours. It doesn’t take long for them to wander down to your lips, eyes slightly darkening. You’re completely unprepared when he tilts his head and leans the rest of the way forward. His warm lips meet the corner of yours, the feel of his fangs just barely there. Your world seems to be in chaos as your try to process the action, eyes trailing after his receding form as his whispered words boom in your head:

“Choose me, okay?”

I was supposed to write this yesterday but I had no time and it's so obvious from the way I wrote this. I’m so sorry, I'm always more than willing to redo a request if you don't love it!!!

[eventhorizon081]

As someone who fell hard for Xiangli Yao, I have to say -- words cannot articulate how let down I was by the Moonchase Act IV story, oh my gods. Spoilers below:

In the span of twenty minutes, I went from thinking "maybe wuwa can actually write a story" to so immensely frustrated. I read Xiangli Yao's character stories and I thought this was going to be something about how it isn't worth it to burn yourself away for the sake of pursuing more knowledge but NO they just turned it into some type of fairy tale everyone gets what they wanted in the end story. I thought Pascal was being built up to be a contrast to Xiangli Yao with the whole "I should give up everything for research" belief, while XLY believes in pacing himself and not burning up just to reach higher heights.

It's so immensely frustrating that wuwa's writers got halfway there, and then completely dropped the ball. First off, Abby fully killed the mood in the "circle of doors" room (but that's more of a personal gripe, and not really all that significant). Then, the whole "corruption" in the second half of the sonoro sphere journey was just so underexplained and badly done. I think the story had so much potential, with Pascal and the other researchers finally burning out when their research results yielded nothing. And then...there was nothing more that the quest had to say after that -- at least, nothing that wasn't incredibly muddled. Everyone's looking to Xiangli Yao to save them -- but why? We, as the readers, have zero context beyond "Xiangli Yao is a genius," and I think this scene in particular could have been done better if there was more of a clear invitation from the other researchers to Xiangli Yao -- an invitation to burn himself up in pursuit of research along with them. Yes, subtlety is good, but not in this case.

I'm also really conflicted about whether they should've written Pascal's work as so successful. I think it works, but the way they did it was completely wrong, because it actually teaches the opposite lesson: that we *should* burn ourselves out, because our work will have a legacy beyond us. I think that's a fine lesson to tell, but given that it goes against everything the writers were building up up to this point, it feels a little odd. They probably should've picked one side, instead of trying to do nuance in such a ham-handed way. Also, the lack of build-up to Pascal's big old confessional really felt like lazy storytelling. We went from "it's right to do anything to discover the knowledge I need" to "I was completely wrong and I should've backed off". And yes, I know, time and boss fights and all, but it was jarring to me, at least.

Also, can we fucking talk about Xiangli Yao *defending* Pascal's ideals during the boss fight? I'm actually going to throw hands, because it seems SO out-of-character for Xiangli Yao not to be concerned about Pascal's behavior at ANY POINT in that quest, and while I do think Xiangli Yao would defend Pascal's memory, I think he also wouldn't look up to Pascal as a role model of any sorts, given that they clearly had that fundamental rift in ideals.

Overall, super pissed about that quest because I can personally relate a lot to Xiangli Yao's conflicts (at least in his character stories), and I thought I was going to get a wonderful story where those conflicts were explored. I loved the lighthearted dating sim-esque parts of the moonchase quest, but I was seriously excited when I figured we were finally going to get an insight into XLY's character. Sadly, it was a bit of a letdown. Hoping that this isn't the last we see of Yao, though, because his character stories contain some JUICY facts about the worldbuiling of wuwa as a whole.

[blood-teeth]

hi! any tips for turning an idea into a plot / story?

hiiii sorry this took me so long!! tumblr doesn't tell me when i get an ask anymore for some reason???? idk idk but!

✨✨✨morgan's guide to turning ideas into a story✨✨✨

these may not work for you BUT if you're having a hard time piecing together something then i would give these a shot!

the first thing i do when i have an idea i write it down. USUALLY my ideas for me come in a sentence. For Tell Me If There's A Way Home, the sentence was "cowgirl that has to keep burying a body that pops up along her journey"

for This Grave Calls You Home it was "in the light of a dying star, the last astronaut wakes up"

BRAINSTORMING:

so anyway i immediately write this down somewhere, usually the notes app on my phone and i STOP WHAT IM DOING IMMEDIATELY

for me, i have hundreds of these sentences written down somewhere, but the ones that stick with me always stay in the back of my throat.

if its one that gets me really hot and bothered, then the seed is planted and it needs some water babes....

im RUNNING to find media that i feel fits with the idea ... on that netflix or spotify or library app STAT looking for anything that will help that seed grow inside my head. i need the VIBES and the MUSIC and ATMOSPHERE.

once that's on lock...i'm plotting with my little grimy hands rubbing together...

...and i buy...another....notebook... and i KNOW this sounds ridiculous but hear me out...writing in notebook vs on a computer has genuinely saved my life with writer's block so many times. ideas and thoughts and fragments just flow when i allow myself to write in a notebook. idk what it is. but this is just me, if computers or typewriters or what have you works then STICK WITH IT

by the time i'm done scribbling ideas in my notebook and acting unhinged, i have a decent idea about the atmosphere and the themes i'm looking to write about

IF AN IDEA CAME TO YOU, IT MEANS SOMETHING IMPORTANT. DON'T DISREGARD THIS

you need to figure out what it is about the idea that means so much to you - and whatever that reason is, that's gonna be the fundamental core of your story.

PLOTTING:

i have to admit something. i dont plot my stories. i dont know how to plot. i like to discover the story right alongside everyone else. what's gonna happen next? idk babes you and me are gonna find out together.

BUT i do try to have a general idea of where the story STARTS and ENDS. everything else is trial and error. and if u dont have any idea where the story ends, just know it'll come to you eventually. u have thousands and thousands of words to write before the end, so don't sweat this; it'll happen. even if its really simple!

using Tell Me If There's A Way Home as an example:

Start: a woman doesn't know who she is, only knows that she's looking for something

End: She's Found The Thing

think of it like a question and answer. (also! NOT answering the question is totally valid story telling too)

if u are really struggling, the number one thing i suggest is READING. you can glean so much information from reading its actually crazy. study your favorite books or movies or video games. almost always in western media there is the exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement. (this is super formulaic, so don't feel tied down by this! just a guide line.)

SETTING:

i think everyone gets really tied up in knots about setting. and it shouldn't be like that! this should be YOUR fun!!

setting has very little to do with story/plot itself. it affects the ATMOSPHERE of the story you're telling instead. (except, like, if you're telling an alice in wonderland story or a story about climate change ofc, there's exceptions to everything)

look the locked tomb for example. take out the space aspect, this story at its heart would be the exact same if it were set underwater inside decomissioned underwater research facilities. its just cool as fuck to have a space nun living on pluto.

Take twin peaks and put it in space. the heart of the show works anywhere, but the atmosphere and the mood is enhanced because its in a small, strange town.

you can write a story about generational trauma and put it into the world of jurassic park.

anyway, i hope that you are hearing me say have fun with your setting. it absolutely is a part of the story you're telling, but it is not the heart of it (sometimes)

MISC TIPS:

remember that this is YOUR work. you do whatever you want. it's not up to anyone else.

be obsessed with your own world and your characters!! i literally went to a craft store and made a rosary today for one of my characters and it has actually helped me write a ton today.

you are not stuck in this story. i feel like a pitfall i face often is like "ah man but this writing doesnt make sense in this genre i cant write this" and its like YEAH I CAN. why cANT I . do whatever you want with your story im so serious. you have no idea how many books are releasing now and the common feedback is "man this feels like a book ive read a million times before" and with movies its a remake or based off a book like the entertainment industry DESPERATELY needs new original ideas SO SO BAD. dont be scared to write that book that you're worried is too weird or doesn't make sense trust me.

make playlists! watch movies! play video games! these are all things that count as writing believe it or not.

and remember you are loved !

[cooliogirl101]

Okay I realize absolutely no one asked for this but here are some of the changes I would make to Fourth Wing:

*Spoilers below and warning, this is gonna be a very long post with more or less coherent rambling*

To start with, Violet's mother's motivations for suddenly demanding Violet become a Rider 6 months prior to Conscription never made sense to me and that's something I'd definitely want to flesh out more. She fell in love with and married a Scribe, and was apparently fine with Violet training to become a Scribe up until then-- so what the hell changed, made her suddenly decide to throw her youngest daughter into a death college where she'll start off at a major disadvantage? I think it makes more sense if her decision coincided with the death of Violet's father or something. The pain of losing him, of wanting to avoid all reminders of him, led her to demand Violet become a Rider rather than a Scribe. It's also stated in the book that in the last few months of his life, Violet's father became more withdrawn and was likely looking into venin/wyvern-- she could've forbidden Violet from becoming a Scribe in order to get her away from all that and the possibility of discovering the truth (although granted, sending her away to the same College the Rebellion Kids-- who are very much aware of the truth-- are forced to attend may not be the best way of going about it).

For that matter, I'd stop giving Violet so many opportunities to leave. I know it's supposed to show off her determination or whatever, but it makes her motivations and characterization super inconsistent if she's constantly going on about how her dream in life is to become a scribe and she turns down literally every opportunity for her to go and do that. It's also a more compelling story for me if she literally had no choice but to become a Rider but managed to succeed anyway-- and it mirrors the rebellion kids' story as well.

The hair. There's no logical reason for Violet to have natural balayage, the fuck. It's stated in the book that even if she was to cut her hair, it would just turn silver again at the ends after it reaches a certain length, which...?? And there's zero explanation for this. Like, if you're gonna give the MC special hair, at least provide a good story behind it. For example: after Brennan's death 6 years ago, Violet shut down completely. She couldn't stand being around her mother's rage and her father's devastating grief and Mira's absence, so she just picked a direction and...kept going. It took them 3 days to find her and by that time, she was half-frozen and on the verge of death. Borrowing a trope from Chinese dramas, by the time they found her, her hair had turned completely white from stress. Her brown hair grew back in as she recovered but she keeps the white as a reminder to herself to never let herself get to that point again-- to never let herself shut down the same way again.

(To emphasize-- if she cuts it, it doesn't magically turn white again after growing out, that was just a one-time thing. She's not magically gifted with special hair "just because", that's stupid).

Violet's potential as a Scribe. The book continuously emphasizes how smart Violet is supposed to be, how she would've made the Perfect Scribe, and other than her tendency to conveniently regurgitate facts the author wants us to know about the world, we...don't really see much evidence of that. If anything, the book makes the argument that oh actually, deep down inside Violet had always been more suited to be a Rider rather than a Scribe, yadda yadda yadda. Which is just boring to me-- the most interesting thing about her character is the fact that she was never supposed to be a Rider, was never suited for it, and having her turn out to actually have "the soul of a Rider" all along or some bullshit takes away from that. I would much rather have her start off the book with a scribe's skill and mindset and gradually add the traits of a Rider as well for a merging of the two, rather than have her 'outgrow' being a Scribe.

Continuing on that theme, Violet is clearly a very emotion-driven character, which doesn't quite make sense to me given that she was trained to be the Quintessential Scribe. Scribes, after all, are taught to be logical, rational, to always control/hide their emotions: to fundamentally be a "blank slate", without biases or preconceptions, solely dedicated to the preservation of knowledge (emotions only get in the way of that). If anything, it'd make more sense to me if Violet was a little too good at hiding and compartmentalizing her emotions (especially after the deaths of her father and brother), to the point that she was nearly impossible to read and came across as a bit eerie to her peers. This is not to say that she wouldn't feel as strongly or have that same capacity for kindness-- just that she'd become very good at using intellectualization as a defense mechanism ("I'm not helping them because I care, it's because I'm already at a disadvantage and need all the allies I get. It's only logical." "It's only natural to feel a bit anxious watching them fight...they're giving me lessons and it'd be inconvenient if they died. I'd have to find another person to fill their place, which would be...well, it'd be better if they lived. I'm going to make sure they live.")

(The "woman is the openly emotional one and the man is the openly logical one" is also one of the tropes that annoys me the most, so...goodbye to that).

You also cannot convince me this girl was well-socialized growing up, which would cause her to value her relationship with Dain that much more. If he was her only friend growing up, the only person she was close to outside her family, it provides a huge opportunity for character growth as she struggles to learn how to trust, open up to, and rely on other people. It bothered me a little how in the book, several characters (Ridoc, Sawyer) were just suddenly on Violet's side without any actual scenes between them showing how they became friends.

(Ridoc is the first person to make Violet Sorrengail laugh at Basgiath. It wasn't even anything special, just a sarcastic-- but uncannily accurate-- impression of Professor Devera, and he glanced at her just in time to see her hastily turn away, covering her face. Her shaking shoulders gave her away, however.

Hah, he thought, smug satisfaction curling in his chest. So you can laugh. I knew you had a sense of humor hidden away somewhere deep down.

Deep, deep down.

The next second, Violet had managed to compose herself, face as blank and unreadable as ever, save for perhaps the slightly narrowed gaze she aimed at his direction, as if willing him to forget her momentary lapse in Not Being a Robot. He just winked at her, grin widening for the briefest moment before turning back to Sawyer.

Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me.)

Also why is this girl starting her training off making enemies left and right? First off, instead of futilely trying to avoid every rebellion kid out there, it'd be more practical for her to just try and distance herself from her mother as much as possible. That relationship is definitely doing her no favors. And with Xaden/the other rebellion kids-- she, of all people, knows what it's like to be judged for who her parents are. She knows they know what it's like too. It's an angle that she can use to at least try to keep a hundred targets off her back.

("You're Lilith Sorrengail's daughter," Xaden said, studying her through narrowed eyes. It was impossible to pinpoint the emotion in his voice-- but well, she could take a solid guess.

"Yes," Violet replied, just as evenly. "And you're Fen Riorson's son, if we're doing introductions based on our parents now." She gave him a polite nod. "Best of luck on the Parapet today, although from what I've heard about your skills, I don't imagine you'll need it."

When in doubt, there was never any harm in falling back on manners and flattery. That was what Dain had told her, and she tended to trust his advice when it came to dealing with people. He'd always been more likeable than her.

His jaw tightened.

"Your mother killed my father," he said, expression cracking open the slightest bit to reveal something raw and wounded underneath.

And your father killed my brother, she didn't say. It was something they both knew, after all, and she didn't see the point in reciting facts back and forth for no reason.

Violet resisted the urge to sigh. So much for manners and flattery-- it looked like she was going to have to address this now. Directness it was then.

"Yes," she admitted, voice going even more flat. "And I understand you have every reason to hate me for what my mother did. But if you're going to try and kill me, at least have it be for something that I did." She started walking forward-- either he was going to kill her, or he wasn't. Either way, there wasn't much she could do about it. "Everything in my life has been influenced by who my mother is. At the very least, do me the courtesy of allowing my death to occur independently of her."

A pause. She'd caught him off guard.

"So just to be clear, you're not asking me to spare you. Just for some agency in your own death," he said finally. Was that a trace of humor in his voice?

"What I'm asking is for you to stop seeing my mother when you look at me," Violet said, causing Xaden's face to go blank again. "But that's easier said than done. I'm sure you would know, wouldn't you?")

For that matter, I'm also putting Violet on the aro/ace spectrum here (probably demisexual). Not out of any plot-related reason. Just because it was incredibly annoying reading all those descriptions of how inhumanly beautiful Xaden was every 3 pages. 'Lust at first sight' is also one of my least favorite tropes, so. Goodbye to that. (Side note though, I think it would be really funny for Violet 'never-felt-sexual-attraction-to-any-significant-degree' Sorrengail to go find Xaden while their dragons are fucking, completely freaked out about what the fuck is happening, while Xaden (after registering that she genuinely has no idea that the emotion she's feeling is Dragon-Induced Horniness, she legit thinks their dragons might be dying) has a mini panic attack thinking 'fuck am I really going to have to give the dragon sex talk to the girl I'm Definitely Not Crushing On'

One of the things that frustrated me the most about the book was how convinced Violet was that Xaden was out to kill her, despite all of his actions showing he was very much not going to kill her. This from a girl whose defining trait is supposed to be her intelligence. Now I'm all for characters being very smart in one way and dumb in another. But the essence of intelligence is the ability to gather facts and put them together to form a logical conclusion. To have multiple occurrences of Xaden helping her out/saving her life/turning down the perfect opportunity to kill her, and still reaching the conclusion that he wants her dead is...not intelligent.

("What are you doing?" Dain hissed. "I told you to keep your head down and to do everything you could to avoid Riorson's notice!"

That was rather unfair of him, Violet thought to herself. She was keeping her head down, she was trying her best to avoid him, Xaden Riorson just seemed to be annoyingly adept at seeking her out. She couldn't understand why he kept doing so. Surely he wasn't still trying to make sure she wasn't going to spill his secrets?

She felt rather offended at that. Did Xaden really think that lowly of her intelligence? If she reported him, he'd find a way to kill her, simple as that, and she rather enjoyed living. Reporting him would be against her self-interest. At the very least, if he couldn't trust in her word, he should be able to trust in her self-preservation.

She ignored the tiny voice in her head saying that if she was to report him, Xaden Riorson and the other rebellion kids would be dead before they could so much as register the word 'betrayal', much less be in any state to exact vengeance against her.

"If it helps, I really don't think he's going to try and kill me," Violet said honestly. Not as long as she didn't give him a reason to.

"Oh? And why's that?" Dain asked sarcastically. She'd never seen him so discomfited. It was rather...sweet, actually.

"Because it wouldn't suit his interests," Violet stated. "He wouldn't gain anything from killing me, but he does stand to lose a whole lot. It's true that killing me wouldn't be against the Codex-- he wouldn't be formally punished-- but targeting me for nothing else but the crime of being General Sorrengail's daughter...well, it lets everyone know where his loyalties lie, doesn't it? It sends a clear signal to all the higher ups that he hasn't forgiven his father's execution, and he's already on thin enough ice as it is. It would be impractical for him to kill me, and Xaden Riorson may be a lot of things, but he's never struck me as stupid."

Dain stared at her for a while.

"What?" Violet blinked, feeling slightly uncomfortable. He was the one who'd told her that it was rude to stare too long, so why was he doing it now?

"Nothing," he chuckled, shaking his head. "You're just something special, Violet."

"'Special' isn't always a compliment," she said, narrowing her eyes slightly at him. He'd taught her that as well.

"It is when it comes to you," he said, smiling. "Now come on, you have class soon."

"I'll be there in a moment. I just need to head back to my room to grab something." The moment she turned the corner, she paused as she heard footsteps appear at her back.

"Xaden," she greeted, without turning around. "You were listening." It wasn't a question.

"You don't seem surprised," he commented, easily stepping in place next to her as if he'd always been there.

"I've come to the conclusion it's easier to just assume you're there anytime there are shadows present," Violet responded, voice a touch dry.

"It's flattering to know you think I'm so omnipresent," Xaden replied, a touch of smugness in his voice. "You gave a very convincing argument to Aetos about all the reasons why I shouldn't kill you. You had a lot of faith in my...practicality." He seemed amused, although his expression didn't change. "Has it ever occurred to you that not everyone is as rational about these things as you are?"

"Of course. That's why I figure it never hurts to provide a reminder that it costs you more to kill me than to keep me around." Violet glanced down at her planner. "I figure I'll schedule the next one in another two weeks or so."

"No need. You remind me every day." He grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to a halt. "Kairi Stevenson. You helped her before her match yesterday. Why?"

Violet looked down at his hand pointedly. He ignored her. "If you're asking how I learn about the match lineups beforehand, I'm not going to--"

"I don't care about that," Xaden interrupted. "You helped her, even though her father--"

"Even though her father participated in the rebellion, yes," Violet finished. "I've asked you-- all of you-- to judge me on my own merits, rather than my parentage. It would be rather hypocritical of me to not do the same for you."

His grip on her shoulder tightened.

"There's a difference between that and going out of your way to help us," he said, voice low.

"Is there? All I've done is treat her the same way I did the rest of my squad," Violet replied. "She's part of my squad, so I helped her. End of story."

It had been the first thing she'd done since arriving, work on establishing herself as an asset to her squad, rather than a liability. She'd known from the beginning that she would need to build allies in order to survive, given her physical limitations, and her squad, the only people bound by Codex to not kill her, seemed like a good place to start. It started with secret notes passed around in Battle Brief containing hastily scrawled answers. It continued with tutoring sessions and, after discovering Brennan's gift, hushed whispers regarding the next week's sparring lineup. Anything to establish herself as someone who was worth more alive than dead.

She'd spent her entire life under the disapproving eyes of her mother attempting to justify her existence, that she had a right to exist. This was no different.

Xaden's mouth curved up in a sardonic smile.

"So what, are you saying you helped her out of the goodness of your heart? How very...altruistic of you."

"Hardly," Violet said dismissively. Xaden blinked, sneer fading. "It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. She's been offering me help on improving my accuracy with my daggers, did you know? Like Sawyer helping me with weight training and Rhiannon with sparring. It's not like I don't get anything out of it."

"And Anderson?" Xaden questioned. "He's not even in our wing; yet I hear you helped bind his ankle after he twisted it last week. What benefit did you get out of helping him?" The corner of his lips twitched. "Or is he helping you with weight training too?"

"Well," Violet hesitated, unexpectedly flustered. Eli Anderson was a scrawny, hopelessly awkward boy who was quite possibly the clumsiest person she'd ever met. How he made it across the Parapet without tripping over the edge was beyond her. "It's always good to have allies outside of your own wing. It just means one less potential knife in the back some day."

Xaden hummed, studying her for a moment. "I'd worry about yourself first, Violet, before spending your time nursing other students back to health. Someone like Anderson won't make it in the long run anyway. It's better that someone take him out now before he gets someone else killed on the battlefield in the future."

Violet's eyes flashed, lips twisting into a scowl despite herself. Xaden's gaze sharpened and he leaned in, something almost hungry in his eyes. "Something the matter, Sorrengail?"

"I'm fine. I disagree with your argument, that's all," she said stiffly. "How do you know that Eli won't one day become an amazing dragon rider with the proper training? All this focus on 'weeding out the weak' and 'killing off the weaklings' with absolutely no emphasis on actually helping people become strong-- how does that make sense? We live in a world where the war is getting more dangerous by the day, where more people are dying by the day, and what are we doing here? Learning how to kill each other off," she scoffed. "What's the point in waging a war to keep our home safe, and then turning around and tearing ourselves apart inside it? The biggest threat here at Basgiath isn't the gryphons or Pomoriel-- it's each other. How sad is that?"

"All day, every day, encouraged to attack each other, to kill each other. I understand that killing is a necessity on the battlefield, but here?" she continued, tone scathing. "That's not training. That's not learning. That's just...that's just senseless cruelty and it serves no purpose. All you end up with then are people who won't think twice about stabbing a comrade in the back if it serves their own self-interest. It's meaningless, it's illogical, and it's...it's stupid."

Violet said the last word with a particular viciousness, as if it was the most scathing indictment she could imagine. Despite himself, Xaden found himself fighting a grin.

"It's better to get used to killing here, where you're in a relatively controlled environment, than it is on the battlefield," Xaden murmured. Violet shot him an unimpressed look and he had to press his lips together to keep the corners from twitching upwards.

"Are you volunteering yourself as a subject?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"As entertaining as it would be to see you try to murder me, I'll have to decline," Xaden replied, flicking her on the forehead just to see her scowl deepen. He coughed to hide a laugh as she reached up to swat his hand away. "Try not to die coddling some random stranger, Sorrengail. It would be a horribly anticlimatic end to your life."

"I'll try not to disappoint," Violet said, voice dry as the desert. She'd never coddled anyone in her life; at most it could be said she lent the occasional helping hand. And as she'd already established earlier, that was hardly altruistic in nature. The nature of things as they were was hardly conducive to her continued survival-- the current system was designed to swallow people like her whole. Obviously then, she needed to act differently from the established social order.

A favor given meant a favor received. Helping someone else now meant potentially being helped in the future.

That wasn't kindness. That was just common sense.

(Rhiannon, at some point in the future, after seeing Xaden and Violet interact:

"Oh my god," she said, mouth dropping open. "I thought he hated you because of your mother and that's why he wouldn't leave you alone, but...holy shit, he's just been pulling your pigtails this entire time, hasn't he?"

"I don't have pigtails," Violet frowned, even as Riorson shot her a warning glare. Rhiannon had to admit it was a fairly menacing one.

"Fine, tugging on your braid, whatever," Rhiannon waved her off, fighting a grin. Since discovering he was likely crushing on her best friend, the Wingleader suddenly seemed much less intimidating. "The point is, he li--"

"Matthias, I can and will give you double chore duty for attempting to spread untoward rumors about your Wingleader," Riorson growled.

He didn't say inaccurate, Rhiannon couldn't help but notice.

Violet tugged at Riorson's sleeve, brow furrowing slightly. Riorson's expression instantly softened a fraction and Rhiannon had to suppress a snort.

"What was that about?" Violet asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about," he replied. "Let's get back to practice, shall we?")

This post is getting wayyyy too long so I'll stop but one last point: not gonna lie, I was pretty disappointed by Violet's signet power in the book. It seemed to signify that deep down, she was the quintessential rider all along-- it's not a power that honors her intelligence or scribe background at all. Not to mention the whole her wielding lightning seemed to be a pretty deliberate counterpoint to Xaden wielding shadows, like come on, you couldn't come up with a less obvious metaphor to state they represent light and shadow? If I were to give her a power, it'd be something like probability manipulation or hyperintuition-- both abilities that compliment and highlight her intelligence.

[fandomfluffandfuck]

I was scrolling through your tags and links last night and i will never stop being SHOOKT of the way you right Steve and Bucky JAHFOWJDORJEI

So I present to you- fresh faced Steve x twunk Sebastian x WS!Bucky

During endgame, they made a joke about the hot tub time machine movie and that implies the existence of one Sebastian Stan in the marvel universe and I'm reminded of that discovery when I read your selfcest drabbles/fics Nghhhhhh

So like, imagine a movie night with the avengers and Steve's all chilling when he suddenly sees the younger face of his dead best friend (ehem lover ehem) on the screen. He loses his shit, quietly, and Steve's captivated, he can't take his eyes off the man in front of the screen, animatedly talking and playing his character

Natasha's the first to notice of course and she quietly tells him that he's just an actor that happened to have an uncanny resemblance with the late sergeant. Steve nods along, heart aching behind where he's squeezing the pillow to his chest. When the movie ends, he returns to his floor and googles Sebastian Stan and basically spends the rest of the night stalking him

Do you see the potential angst!? The 'he doesn't want me as me but because I look like someone he loved' trope on Sebby who falls in love with Steve but can't really act on his feelings bcs he knows he only reminds Steve of his lost love???? Or.... STALKER STEVE AJDBWKRBWOHFIE

as an actor, being stalked is nothing new for Seb but good lord he's never been stalked by a 6'2, blonde man built like a brick houseeeeeeeeee; and his stalkers' weirdly polite and charming too, flowers and chocolate and lots of other gifts-

Then we get the events of the winter soldier and maybe instead of leaving, Bucky stays around stalking Steve and he discovers Steve's massive obsession with this actor who looks exactly like him. Another identity crisis for Bucky because is he even real? Or just another version? What if he was just modelled after this man? He needs to know more about this man

It ends with the two of them stalking Seb, watching from afar, leading to possible dub-con EHEM AHSIWHEUWHIEJRJF

I WANT TO WRITE THE PORN PART BUT I FEEL LIKE IVE GONE LONG ENOUGH ABIUT THIS UGHHHHHH bcs can you imagine poor regular Human Sebastian trying to keep up with two ravenous super soldiers who are nearly twice his size!!? Overstimulation and marathon sex would go crazy!!!!

That's all 😘 hope u have a good day Sir S!!

-🫠🫠

Aw, thank you!! I'm touched 😘

Oh yeah, I always forget about that. Timeline shenanigans are fun, aren't they?

Oh. Oh. But that's devastating. Can you imagine how wrecked fresh-from-the-ice Steve would be? Seeing his lover's face on another man? It would be like being jostled from his sleep by an explosion on TV--his heart races the same. Shit.

The stalking that would go down. Holy fuck. Yeah. Stalking and pining. I can only imagine the hours Steve would spent staring at his laptop screen, longing to reach out and touch his face. He looks so, so similar!

OH I FEEL THE ANGST. But I wasn't thinking about it like that! Oh my fucking god, Sebastian falling for Steve--who wouldn't?--but knowing the whole time that it's not him that Steve wants. Oof. And while Steve's heart is big, maybe he could learn to love Sebastian for Sebastian... that's not going to happen when he's so locked up with grief. He can't move on from Bucky by being with someone who is his twin. All he can do is yearn for Sebastian, who looks so much like Bucky that he can't resist, but doesn't act like him. He isn't Bucky. It hurts. But it's all he has.

Oh my GOD, there's something darkly comedic about Steve becoming a stalker because while my immediate inclination is a stalker in the traditional dangerous, threatening way and not an unwanted, too-intensely-earnest infatuation. Huh. That would be so interesting! And how would Sebastian react to that because Steve is very handsome and sweet but... boundaries. Jesus Christ. They need to establish boundaries.

Oof. A stalking triangle? A love triangle? We're getting wild, lmao. The identity crisis would fucking TAKE BUCKY OUT. Yeah. What the fuck. Who is he? Who is this man? Has Steve entirely replaced him with this lookalike? Does Steve not want him? Does he not need him? Who is that, and what's happening? I feel like it would probably make Bucky crazy jealous, right? He's unsteady at that time, and so I feel more than stalking he would turn to threatening poor Sebastian.

And maybe it all ends up with Steve explaining himself, standing between them, physically buffering them with his arms spread and his hands up. Then, well... why turn down an opportunity like this? Steve has forced his way into their lives (back into Bucky's life), so, he deserves what he gets--two lookalikes, two loves of his life, taking it out on him. Using him. 😏

This would go hard as a long form fic!! You're so fucking right 💥 💳💥💳

And thank you so, so much for sharing!! I enjoyed reading and thinking about this!

[just-french-me-up]

hey hi i'm buzzing with the need for dreamling fic recs if you would be so kind as to point me in your favorite direction pls pls pls

Oh friend, you asked and I shall ✨ deliver ✨

DREAMLING FIC RECS 🌻✨

of my misery make thy use by @qqueenofhades (Explicit - WIP - 129k so far - In Universe, but with some tweaks, Rescue fic) Dream is Roderick Burgess' prisoner, in all his silent, sullen, naked glory, and has given up on the thought of anyone ever helping him out of there. Even Hob Gadling. Especially Hob Gadling. In fact, he's quite sure the man never wants to speak to him ever again, regardless of his current predicament. A bummer, really, because he also happens to be married to him. (Listen that fic has slain me EVERY WHICH WAY, it has EVERYTHING, it will take you PLACES (literally), it's rewarding as fuck, has OCs to die for, just... just read it, ignore the WIP status, what's there is absolutely chef's kiss)

the unknown and static strange by @qqueenofhades (yes, again, listen, if i loved you less i might be able to talk about it more bla bla bla) (Mature - WIP - 69K so far (nice) - Dubious AU status, Memento mets Academia, Modern day with a twist) Professor Robert Gadling, under cut rocking, weird dreams having, and trauma suffering, discovers a strange piece of undocumented art that seems to follow him everywhere he goes. The Regis Somnorum won't leave him alone, and as he tries to follow that thread, a whole mysterious tapestry unfolds, putting everything he knows, or thought he knew, into question. (This fic is a fucking delight, it's just KEEPS feeding you "oh shit" moments and suspense and revelations and the pacing just keeps you on the edge of your SEAT. Again, IGNORE the WIP status I BEG OF YOU, read it, devour it)

This Rough Magic by @avelera (Mature - WIP - 36k so far - Rescue fic with a twist) Hob Gadling never fancied himself a mage or a warlock, but dabbled enough in the occult to pick up a few tricks over the years, all in the hope to communicate with his Stranger. A stranger, he later discovers, who is trapped under Roderick The Fucking Magus Burgess's manor. Now, he may not be the best magic wielder there is.... but Burgess doesn't know that, does he? (There are some VERY clever things in this fic, everyone is written to a T, I love a fic where my loathing of Burgess can burn from the brightest flame and at the same time have him not like a cartoon villain but a full human being! Can't wait to see where that goes!)

if you just let me (have you, love you) by Lost_Elf (Explicit - 25k - Human AU - Adult Film Actors AU (I see you tumblr, restricting words these days, I see you) Both very prominent in their own niches of the Internet, Dom-BDSM-oriented Dream and Vanilla-centered Hob cross paths and plan what could be (or so their managers hope) the collab of the century. And they might learn a thing or two along the way. (Listen, I read this on a whim, I wasn't too into Human AUs at the time, I was up for some smut that day, and this fic is a LOT more wholesome than the subject lets on and really gripped me! Lots of very nice details in there! And also, you know.... smut)

by the minute by @issylra (Explicit - 11K - Human AU, Sex Phone Operator Dream) Dream has a bet with Desire : he has to manage a phone sex line for some time. He's not thrilled by it. Callers are... unimaginative and unoriginal, to say the least. Except one. He has a very nice voice. He's funny. And he sounds just about as lost as he is, in life. (The tags make it sound super raunchy but it's more about developping attraction through someone's voice and getting to know someone through the phone and falling in love and.... it's just lovely, it's very sweet, it's like a little blanket with a warm cup of tea, really)

Now I KNOW this is not what you EXPLICITELY asked for but.... dare I suggest..... something with an OC thrown in the mix? Cause that's just adding a fun player to the game, with added stakes, really!

as heart for heart, for loving me by @kittttycakes (hello darling) (Explicit - WIP but soon to be finished - 151k so far - Canon compliant - OT3 if there ever was one - How to polyamory, a guide for Dream of the Endless, a primordial being who needs to use his goddamn words) When Dream finds Hob at the New Inn, he's ready to open up a little. Be a friend. Be a little more than that, though he can't quite articulate it. The only issue with that is that Hob has a girlfriend. A live-in girlfriend. A very much serious girlfriend. Dream tries his darnest to hate her, and finds he can't quite bring himself to. (It's soft, it's lovely, it has angst, it has smut, it has fluff for days, it has developping relationships GALORE (plural) and it's just a nice read to switch up your rotation, cause the potential for situations is tripled now!)

[queenlua]

Writer interview game

tagged by @ultrakatua , hello thank you i’m a slut for attention

(if you're reading this you should feel free to consider yourself tagged, even/especially if you feel like you don't know me that well!)

When did you start writing?

Since I was pretty little… my 1st/2nd grade teacher had this thing where everyone had to write something in their journal every morning and I was SUPER tryhard about it, and when she told us we didn’t have to write about our lives, we could write about ANYTHING, I definitely started making up wild stories n shit

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

I read anything and everything. I guess I wouldn’t be a very good writer of big nonfiction history tomes, but that’s mostly because it requires, y’know, knowing a lot of history first; if I had that knowledge it seems like it’d be fun to try!

I used to say “I could never write a mystery” but then I read Tana French and was like ooooh maybe mysteries are cool actually so. huh. i guess i can imagine myself trying to write just about anything once. (in practice i mostly end up writing a combination of moody litfic and shlocky scifi/fantasy)

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

I’ve occasionally tried to actively emulate a specific author’s style, but that kind of thing feels kind of hard to sustain for more than the length of a writing exercise. it's kind of like trying to talk with a different accent. like, sure, you CAN train yourself to talk a different way… but i like how i talk fine, i’m too lazy to change :P

i dunno if i’ve heard many ppl comparing my writing to Actual Authors! and i lack the objectivity to figure it out myself haha

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

i do the Truman Capote thing where i mostly write lying down (but on a couch instead of in bed b/c partner is an extremely light sleeper and i do most my writing between midnight and 4am lol)

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

god i wish i knew!!! then maybe i’d be able to muster it up on demand!!!

(in fanficland i seem to tend to glom onto a specific character and then just write ten fics Examining That Character From Every Angle. in origficland it’s that but usually with some sort of archetype or folktale or something that i’ve become briefly obsessed with)

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

…I did have a moment earlier this month where I typed a line of dialogue, thought to myself “that sounds faintly familiar hm,” did a ctrl+f on my computer, and discovered I’d used a very similar line of dialogue in an abandoned WIP from seven years ago, in a scenario VERY THEMATICALLY/SITUATIONALLY familiar to the WIP i was working on, and i was like. oh my god. i so have a Type why am i like this

(in this particular situation the Theme & Variation was along the lines of “doing a Horrible Thing under duress but also none of these other fucks are willing or able to do it so i guess i gotta, jfc.” skimming over my past few pieces, inasmuch as there’s any commonality between them, i think i can point at, like… “feeling trapped by a mostly-internal sense of obligation that is nonetheless *experienced* as though it were external,” “people talking past each other for very good yet nonetheless tragic reasons,” “clueless rich guys,” “angry women contemplating murder”)

((wait, also: awful dinner parties and awful sex. fuck, why didn’t i lead with that one. i want to write awful dinner parties and bad sex for the entire rest of my life))

What is your reason for writing?

passes time between now and the grave

(less glibly: i get pretty unhappy if i go a long time without Making something, and of all my creative-ish abilities, writing is the one i find most satisfying)

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

Once I finished playing a game, thought to myself “that was good but I really want backstory for [character] and actually I’m pretty sure I have the only correct take on said backstory,” and then proceeded to write that fic. A commenter came in saying “hey I came here because I was really craving backstory for [character] and now I can stop reading because yours is clearly The One that I was looking for, thanks." That felt really good! how often have i had to write a fic, not because I wanted to, but because NO ONE ELSE had written the one I wanted to read??? Glad to spare you some trouble, random internet person.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

for origfic: the author is dead babey. do not perceive me. i am not here

for fanfic: i still don’t mind if the reader simply Does Not Perceive Me; the work itself is the thing i care most about. but, y’know. if someone reads my fic & is like “i’m insane about this character in the exact same way Lua is, i’m-a slide into her DMs,” i’m very down for that, lol. it’s like whale songs. i’m out here singing my goofy tune and maybe i never hear anything back but if i do that’d be a sweet bonus

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

hmmmm. i’m never quite sure how to think about this sort of question… people often answer with something like “dialogue” or “descriptive imagery” or whatever, but that started to feel kind of weird to me at some point? like pointing at a symphony piece and being like “the low winds were especially good at staying in tune,” like it may be a correct observation, but also the whole orchestra has to be in tune to *some* extent for the piece as a whole to work, and when it *is* working the thing you point out as a strength isn’t gonna be something ticky-tack like that

…but i’m not sure what i’d specifically point to as a higher-order thing haha. i guess, last time i reread some of my own stuff, i was pretty pleased with how much interpersonal *tension* there was in various “ppl talking in rooms” scenes (see: awful dinner parties), so maybe something along those lines

How do you feel about your own writing?

arguably the main reason to write fanfic is so I can go back and reread it 2+ years later and be like “damn this shit rules, bitch was really onto something there”

(i like it! it’s pretty fun good stuff! a pleasing mix of action/plottiness/gratuitousness and, like, actual character and narrative work)

[moonyeclipses]

Rant(?) incoming I’m just gonna be talking about my fav boy and how much I hate his mischaracterization

But am extremely excited for the new season and maybe it’ll happen less cause I think a good chunk of the fan base probably just, view him differently from being anime only?

Hopefully lol (also manga and light novel spoiler warning!)

Excerpts from my priv twitter (but slightly altered to get my point across more):

Of all the bsd characters I think I could write the most about Ranpo and his characterization and how ppl completely fuck it up

Like- it’s hard to read a lot of fanfic with him cause they don’t portray him right? Like just the ‘UwU sweets loving boy who knows everything but is still oblivious’ OR ‘self centered arrogant man who acts too childish for his age and thinks he’s better than everyone’

LIKE NO‼️‼️

I know we haven’t really gotten to it in the anime yet but his whole thing is the fact HE DOESNT KNOW EVERYTHING- but he’s also aware that he knows a lot more than everyone else so people view him as this all-knowing unbeatable person when it’s simply not the case

Like, he puts himself on such a high pedestal cause he knows his family puts him on such a high pedestal, they expect him to be able to do everything and to know everything, and that’s why he fights so damn hard for the agency - he doesn’t want to let his family down

He’s always feels so isolated cause of it, and he’s so scared of messing up and he does mess up and it RUINS him

That arrogant front he puts is cause once your the best of the best there’s no where to go but down right? He keeps trying to prove himself and prove himself - he also doesn’t want to give anyone the idea of otherwise because he feels he has to be the one to keep everyone safe- if he shows weakness their enemies will find the loopholes and unfortunately for him that did happen

And yes he’s childish! He was literally sheltered from the entire world besides his also super genius parents for the first FOURTEEN YEARS of his life, he genuinely believed the world was out to get him and didn’t understand it once he was shoved into the outside world alone without the guidance of his now dead parents

They planned on raising him as a normal child to be a good person and not use his genius skills for bad, but they died early into the plan so he just, doesn’t know, doesn’t know any different

He thought everyone could see what he could and just refused to acknowledge it, and every time he would call something or someone out HE would be the one punished for it, it wasn’t till Fukuzawa came along and told him that he’s the only one to do that

AND, he knew to protect him at the time he told Ranpo his deduction skills were an ability, and Ranpo held onto that for protection, cause he refused to believe he was different for no reason, Fukuzawa knew he would be isolated from both normal people AND gifted people because of it

Please read the Untold Story of the Founding of the Detective Agency if you haven’t, it’s the third light novel and it’s about Fukuzawa’s and Ranpo’s meeting when Ranpo was only 14 years old and how Fukuzawa took Ranpo in and eventually created the Agency - it really helps you understand him more and why he is the way he is

Also! Once he discovered he is different, his first reaction wasn’t to use it for this benefit, his first reaction was “the people in the world are like infants, I understand now, the world isn’t cruel, it’s just stupid, and I need to protect them!” This has been his mindset since them, if no one else can see it, then he can and has to save them

It’s like having a pet and calling them stupid in an affectionate way whenever they do something dumb and taking care and nurturing them

Even if he’s not all that emotionally vulnerable and caring, he shows how much he cares through his actions - he’s different, he knows it, he states it like the fact it is, he brags as a manipulation tactic, but he still is a man who’s childhood was cut short, and grew up thinking murder is normal and a everyday casual thing, he loves praise and sweet things because he just simply does, he acts childish I believe as a way to keep a happy front and to stop others from worrying

“Alls well that’s well for me” he means it in the sense of, “if I’m happy, if I’m not worried about something, then no one else has to be, because I have the situation handled” and we see the opposite of this during the DOA arc, when he’s trying to outsmart fyodor and suddenly he gets dead serious - everyone is unsettled by it, they realize how serious the issue is

Idk guys I just, yes he’s a man child at times, yes he acts arrogant and self centered, yes he loves sweets and a lot of things children love but I hate it when people see it as his only traits

They don’t realize how deep his character is and how much he knows. His deduction isn’t just towards mysteries, he can read people in an instant, figure out their life story and more

He may not be a manipulation expert like Dazai but I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves in his other skills and how just, aware he is of everything happening around him - and how normal he tries to perceive himself and live his life in other non serious situations

And people don’t tend to realize how much he cares for everyone, all the innocent people in the world, and especially the agency who is family to him - he’s sacrificed himself on more than one account to protect them

He also puts his trust in the world even though he knows not everyone is as smart as him, because he knows he doesn’t know everything like when he did the press conference to prove the agency innocent

And you can see how relieved he is when some of them do, even if there’s a book that change reality to point all fingers at him

Anyway yea, I sincerely hope with the fourth season (and praying they animate the untold origins for the first couple eps like they did with the other light novels) more people will appreciate Ranpo, and the true Ranpo and not just some simple aspects of his character traits

Thank you for coming to my TED talk LMAO

[libraryofbronze]

So, You Wanna Write A Sex Scene?

So, one thing that I have seen a lot when people try to write sex is that they tend to focus on the physical over the emotional. Now, now, I get what some of you might say. ‘’Bronze, what a girly thing. Who cares about emotions? Just get to the fucking!’’

But, hypothetical person, what if I told you the emotions are important? They help you to invoke the scene, they build the characters and the momentum. The fucking - the physical act - is the climax of the story but you need to make your readers want it.

Think of it like this. There are only so many ways that you can write ‘’They fucked and it felt good.’’ As a commissioned writer, I swear I’ve done nearly all of them by now. when you do it a lot, you start to realise how, well, limited it is. You find yourself writing the same things again and again because there are only so many ways to convey the pleasure, the spikes, the peaks and valleys of the act. By focusing only on the actions, you deny yourself an avenue of description and flavour that you can use to break up the direct action of the scene. Added to this, grounding your readers via the use of emotion is sexy!

For some kinds of writing, it can be downright vital!

Let me give you two examples:

‘’Davis reached over to her, running his palms along her naked body. Sarah shivered; her body crying out for more. She shifted, spreading her legs for him, showing him how wet she was. How much she wanted him in a way that he couldn’t miss.’’

Now, the above passage works. It’s what I’d call passable. I mean, I wouldn’t show it to a client, but for a first draft? It’s solid enough. It gets to the point pretty well and tells you that these two are about to fuck.

Now let’s do it again with a splash more emotive writing!

‘’Sarah trembled, excitement and dread corded her muscles. She couldn’t believe this was happening! The air caught in her throat. Her face burned, and she wanted to look away. Davis leaned over her, his palms tracing her naked body. Discovering and exploring, his touch sent little sparks of heat flashing through her mind.

‘’She swallowed. She wanted to speak. She wanted to beg for more. She wanted him to fuck her like he never had before. She felt like a schoolgirl exploring herself for the first time. When words failed her, Sarah spread her legs, exposing herself to him. Embarrassment washed across her face, the dripping wetness of her pussy made her want all too plain.’’

You can see that it’s basically the same scene but with the added emotive flare, it draws you in and locks you down. You can feel how desperate Sarah is, how turned on she is. The fact that she is conflicted, torn between want and confusion. Unable to ask for more but desperate to take things further.

That’s the power of emotive writing. A lot of erotica that I have seen online - and I don’t mean specifically here - focuses super hard on the the actions. On the solid. The fucking, the motion, the scene. But the really good erotic blends both emotion and scene. By laying out how your characters feel, you heighten the sexuality.

Humans are emotional beings, we respond to emotions. Emotion is a tool that any writer should learn to use. When someone comes to me to ask how to write better sex scenes, I always say that this is the first step.

Don’t just tell, show.

Now of course, just like any literary technique, this can be taken too far. The dreaded purple prose waits just down the road and if you don’t control yourself, you can drown out the action with the emotive language. You need to strike a balance, find exactly where you should perch. Too little emotive work and your sex scene is dry and uninteresting. too much and you never actually get to the sex.

Want to know what makes it even more bullshit? Depending on the type of scene, the optimal mix will change! For example, if you’re doing someone’s first time or something that’s supposed to be highly charged, emotive writing should skew way to the fore. It gives the impression of how supercharged they are, how they are in turmoil, or so excited that they can barely think. But if you applied that sort of detail to every scene, it would quickly get annoying!

You gotta do you. You gotta find the right balance for your own particular style and for the genre and type of scene that you’re working on.

All right, that’s a big enough post to test the waters. If you’re interested in more, let me know. If this helped you at all, let me know. If you wanna offer advice of your own? feel free to do it!

Next time, I’m gonna talk about the other side of sex scenes. The action side, and how I’ve found to make it work.