#and 2 of them are [that character]/[someone else] while 3 are [someone else]/[a third person]

[shadowgast-recs-weekly]

5+1 Fics

This week, we're celebrating a classic format: 5+1 fics! Look underneath the cut for nine (nein) fics that are five of one thing, and then one variation. And always, if you like them, don't forget to kudos or comment!

Tethered Echoes & Resonant Essence by onyxshinigami (18178, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Five stories that Essek told Caleb about Verin (and one he didn't need to)

Reccer says: It's sweet, and the conceit of Essek telling a loving Caleb about the brother he misses gets to me

Dynamic Tension by glittergarbage (7051, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

It's like 5 times Caleb is shocked Essek is attracted to his masculinity (as a trans man) + 1 Caleb accepts it

Reccer says: The exploration of a trans character's way of being a man and viewing himself as masc, and accepting someone else's attraction.

How to Rest by eeveev (17762, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

After Aeor, after making their feelings clear, Caleb is in Rexxentrum and Essek is on the run. Still, they find ways to be together. Or: Six months in the lives of wizards falling in love.

Reccer says: There are many ways Essek and Caleb might begin a romantic relationship and this fic eases them right in, with some bumps along the way, of course. It's tender, it's thoughtful, and it's a very sweet read.

I do, five times over, I do by TormentaPrudii (12896, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Five times Caleb and Essek get married to other people and the one time they get married to each other, kinda.

Reccer says: I liked it!

(we share this) space and time by SaltCore (4155, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Five times Essek takes a long moment and a bit of dunamancy to appreciate Caleb, and one time he gets caught.

Reccer says: So adorable and sweet I love it

for who am I, but where I am? by coffee_hermit (13206, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

5 times Essek gets dressed/undressed + one time he doesn’t have to.

Reccer says: Worldbuilding through clothes and sibling reunions, amazing

We had a few fics recced multiple times

memory in double exposure by hanap (11479, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Four times Dynasty fugitive Essek Thelyss sought refuge with Jester Lavorre, and one time he found Caleb Widogast instead

Reccer says: Shadowgast yearning AND jesties what more can you ask for Reccer says: Jester and Essek's friendship is the focal point, but the shadowgast absolutely haunts the narrative. Includes a really evocative take on using art to process trauma

Bei Mir Bist Du Schön by Defiler_Wyrm (1956, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb has a habit of slipping back into Zemnian when his guard is down.

Reccer 1 says: Love this one! The end is such a great payoff! Reccer 2 says: Fun language feels and the wizards have feelings for each other. Reccer 3 says: Hilarious and so adorable! One of my favorites that I always stop to enjoy. Reccer 4 says: The twist at the end is just too fun!

Then, fittingly, this fic was recced five times:

we never do go over (we always gotta go through) by Chrome (17169, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Five times Essek woke up with levels of exhaustion, and one time he didn’t.

Reccer 1 says: One of the greatest Shadowgast stories to exist, beautifully wrapped in a 5+1 format. I adore the story and the characterization!

Reccer 2 says: So many feelings! I always love Essek experiencing the consequences of Convergent Future exhaustion!. Reccer 3 says: It's some very enjoyable canon divergence with some great takes on magic and Essek and Caleb pining. Reccer 4 says: I love the descriptions of how exhaustion levels feel to Essek and how they slowly alleviate over time, all while Essek gets used to the changing relationship he has with Caleb and showing vulnerability. Reccer 5 says: I had just reread this before I saw the theme for this week! What better way to force wizards to show they care than to give one debilitating exhaustion in ancient frozen ruins? It's very sweet, and the rest of the Nein are also in top form.

This is one of our weekly communally-generated shadowgast rec lists. Every week we announce a new theme and allow anyone to submit a fic recommendation. 

And hey, anyone includes you!

Next week, we'll be featuring another classic trope: Miscommunication!

Any fics coming to mind? Well, then use this form to submit!

[toonedtoons-blog]

I recently discovered your goof troop reboot idea and the designs are super cute! I was wondering if you had anymore headcanons to share?

why yes! i have tons of ideas, i tend to get sidetracked a lot and i haven't done much progress on putting them into words

life, work and all that jazz

(for anyone curious about the Goof Troop project)

first of all! i deeply apologize for the sheer amount of words im about to unload, but i've been foaming at the mouth to tell this to someone

but! i will try to cut the wording with some sketches, old new and concept art✏️

⚠️ a lil bit of spoilers ahead⚠️

i will go in order

1) this is a period piece, i don't think Goof Troop would work in a modern 2020s setting, not that it wouldn't be interesting, but giving Goofy 3 jobs to rent a tiny apartment while trying his absolute hardest to be there for max is a bit depressing to my 30 year old ass.

specifically it is set in 1992, the year the show came out and it would last till 1996 when max turns 12 so there is a gap between this and the events in the goofy movies, i don't want to intrude in the movie canons.

2) Mrs. Goof, it was left in the air what happened to Max's mom, there are implications that there was a Mrs. Goof at some point but it was never expanded upon, this is one of the things i wanted to develop, so in my story she died while max was much younger, around 4 or 5, and now that he is 8 he has questions, he was too young to understand why she is not there and part of him is starting to forget things like her face or her voice and Goofy doesn't know how to even begin to explain it to him is not something always present but it is a subject that both of them have at the back of their minds.

How they move to Spoonerville? i changed things a bit, in this story Goofy inherits the old Goof house and that's why they move there, Max is overjoyed to move actually, he didn't have the best of times at his old school, and wants to restart somewhere else with a new persona, that's why he acts so radical and cool and too good to accept his father's "weird" ways

the house is RUN DOWN, pretty sure they shouldn't even be living in it but hey, that's life, so throughout the "first season" they are trying to repair it, with Goof's limited budget, while Pete wants to take it off his hands by all means necessary (he is a landlord now)

3) The Horsecollars, part of bringing my absolute fav disney character Horace Horsecollar (best boi in the galaxy) was giving him a Goof Troop type story, so just like Pete and Goofy, he is a father as well, i had a lot of fun writing this story for him, part of me doesn't want to spoil it but knowing my life this is my best opportunity to tell it in full

his story actually beings in the 70s, just like Pete and Peg, he was Goofy's friend, no, BEST friend, they were both silly guys, their personalities are quite similar in some areas, and just like Pete, Horace had a big falling out moment with Goofy, but this time it was mutual, 70s disco is in the air and Horace wants to invite Clarabelle to senior prom, he and Goofy were practising all year to have the best dance moves at the party, what could go wrong? Goofy of course

without meaning to! he got in the way and Clara thought he was the one asking her to prom, leaving Horace to be ridiculed by their classmates, in turn Horace doesn't show up to the party leaving Goofy in the dust , they both felt betrayed and after graduation Horace left to LA to become an actor, they never spoke to each other since. (Goofy holds no resentment but he was his own POV of the events)

in LA, Horace always struggled to get a job and never quite became the actor he wanted, but one day at a party he met HER, Helen, who tried to become a screenwriter, they both hit it off but after that they just continued their lives, until a fateful call. (what could have happened??) the two ended up marrying in a bit of a hurry.

they had a little girl, Hayley, the honeymoon quickly ends because neither had a stable job at that point, they juggled odd jobs, their dream future creers and being parents together, that was UNTIL! Helen had the best idea to pitch, a space opera, a hero for the kids, that's right Maximum Horsepower, starring Horace as the space ranger that saves the day! the show was an absolute success, with 3 seasons and movies

what could possibly go wrong? well, if you know Horace as much as i do, he is cocky, a bit too much sometimes, demanding more from the company he worked for, sure that "they wouldn't fire someone as important" he got fired, show cancelled, back to square 1.

so Helen and Horace are not in good terms at the moment, and are in the midst of a messy separation, Horace moves back to Spoonerville to the old Hosecollar home and sometime later Hayley moves to live with him while Helen is putting things in order back at LA

all this to say, Hayley starts as a bit of a bully to Max and P.J., not like Pistol, Pistol is way worse, but Hayley doesn't make things easy either. After an incident she and Max end up in friendlier terms

she is not part of the gang btw, she ends up being friends with Max and PJ but there is a bit of an age gap (she is 4 at the start and turns 5 a few chapters later), so she is kinda just living her own little life, but they hang out often.

who is Hayley as a character? well as i mentioned this is set in the early to mid 90s, expect a lot of old 90s tropes, with a bit of spice added to them, Hayley for example is your stereotypical Girly girl, pink, dolls and more, BUT not in an "ew girls are icky/annoying" kinda way, there was A LOT of putting girls and girly stuff in ridicule back in the day, i didn't like that and i don't like that even today

so she is shamelessly girly.

She is physically strong, because Horace is known to be "the muscle" in the old Mickey gang, makes sense she would inherit some of that

A bit of a tech wiz, Horace is a big showoff

he works on tech related stuff at the mall, of course he would have the latest things at his house, even if he doesn't even know what they do, Hayley has a lot of tech at hand and lots of time to figure them out

and this is 1992, having a computer at home wasn't common yet, and even the internet worked differently, web browsers were just born that year

a lil rebel, a rascal if you will, all dads in this show have different parenting styles, we all know Goofy is best dad, openly affectionate and leaving Max to his own devices often, Pete is all the bad boomer parenting stuff all crammed into his form, leaving Horace to be the other kind of boomer parent, the over protective one, i know this trope has become a bit icky lately, blame girl-dad tiktok for that

but i argue that Horace is going through stuff, lost his dream job and family, knows Hayley could go back to LA at any moment, its a lot for the horsey, there is a bit of a disconnection between the two and Hayley wants to do her own thing, but she is also 4-5.

4) and finally The Petes!

starting with Mr. Pete, unlike Goof or Horace, he never left Spoonerville, why would he? his old man had this landlording thing going on and he inherited the business, upper middle class, living the life, now if only he could get rid of that ugly old house across the street! give it the good old landlord special, but uh oh, now Goofy is living there?? unnaceptable!

now you'd think that in this case "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" but on the contrary, Horace and Pete also don't get along

in fact, they could be taken as rivals, everything is a competition between the two, and Horace never misses the opportunity to rub something in Pete's face (and vice versa), all the way down to who has the best grill for the weekend barbecue!

this idea comes mostly because i wanted to see someone give Pete a hard time ON PURPOSE, and not just Goofy's clumsiness and good luck. This doesn't mean that Horace is aware of Pete's shaningans, he just loves to get on his nerves.

Now Peg, she went through the most changes

i gave her a completely different career, she is now an elementary school teacher, she loves children and always wanted to become a teacher.

now this is not to take away from her, she may not be a real state agent anymore but she is still Peg Pete! drill sergeant voice and all.

if you didn't live through the 90s it may be surprising to know but there was a push to go back to that made up 50s americana fantasy, house wifes and all. (yes like the social media trends of today)

and Peg is not really made for the house wife mold, she's rather be doing the thing she went to college for! this is mostly an excuse to have ber for a little bit of season 1, being your stereotypical nosy neighbor, so bored that she just has to show up to her friend's houses unannounced

and yes that is actually something that happened often back then, people just decided to show up at your house one day and you HAD to let them in and socialize

dark times i tell you

she does end up living the dream and work as a teacher a few chapters later don't worry

and you may ask, why a teacher?

well that was actually my friend's idea (Mike, creator of Chucky Chiken on youtube, you should go watch it we are working on that show together) her being a teacher also meant she is very involved in the community, which means she gets to do a lot more than just teaching in the background of the story, she is everywhere! organizing all sort of stuff!

PJ mostly stays the same, he met Hayley before Max and has endured more bullying from the little rascal longer but when she becomes more friendly he is quick to accept her, a sweet boy like in the og show.

Pistol on the other hand?? oh i did promote her from little sister to mean older sister!

it just felt right, her inner Pete in full display

i needed an older character, since i can't have Pete himself bully a bunch of children, and who can be better for that role than a Pete??

simply perfect!

i do have this very old and outdated sketch, back when the ideas were just little scenarios floating in my mind:

OTHER:

clarabelle works as Pete's secretary along with the beagle boys doing his bidding

a bit of a nod to The Three Musketeers (one of my favourites)

i'm still not sure what to do with the weird on/off relationship she has with Goofy and Horace in the Disney canon, all i can say is that Horace likes Clara, Clara likes Goofy, Goofy wants to put his energy on Max rather than dating.

i had the idea of introducing a new horse character in later "seasons" as Helen's new partner and Hayley's potential step father but it ended up feeling a bit wrong to make Horace go through that, i ended scrapping the idea but here is a concept of him

i had plans of giving Bobby an older brother, a *gasp* gen x'er

(please ignore my first attempt to draw Bobby i know he looks wrong)

There is an idea still in development about a pizza place, this is the 90s we talking about of course there is shameless marketing towards children in the form of a fast food chain! jungle playground included

now i was about to claim LOST MEDIA bc i couldn't find my other sketches of it but here they are!

OOP

i almost forgot about the Rovers!

Now im still not sure if Rover is Roxanne's last name but i saw it in a the trivia section of a wiki once, i think it came out in a comic? anyway i decided to take it

Mr. Rover is just like his movie version, a man of few words but with a heart, works at a bowling alley that i will sketch soon because i intend to use the location as much as posible

Mrs. Rover is purely made by me, never seen Roxanne even mention a mom and i was going to leave it like that but then i realized that i already have two single dads... and not many women active in the story i do want more mother figures not just Peg doing all the heavy lifting poor lady.

Mrs. Rover (i named her Linda) is Horace's friend, they started as co-workers at the mall, selling computers and other tech related stuff

i didn't want every single character to have connections to Goofy

+ this also means that Roxanne has a lot of playdates at the Horsecollars' house, a lot of opportunities for her to interact with Max and his gang!

Linda is very supportive of Horace, since he is a single father and needs help here and there, she babysits Hayley often

I have everything down to the layout of the homes of each family

the roundabout is the most important part

makes all homes feel kind of connected in a way, Pete and Goofy's front doors are right in front of each other, meaning that they have to interact every time they leave their homes, while Pete and Horace's backyards are in direct view of each other, also meaning that the two families have to interact whenever they try to spend time in their yards.

and the traffic light in the roundabout helps set the mood of a scene its kinda hard to explain i would need to make more concept art to explain myself but im a big fan of quiet moments in storytelling, and having a moment with the light flickering after an important event is always a delight to picture in my head.

-----

There is much more and a lot more sketches and concepts i cannot show because i reached the limit of pictures noooo

but anyway if you want to know more lemme kno i will make another post with all the stuff i couldn't show

[fructo]

sneaking a peek of TNG because my DVDs arrived!!

1) hearing Picard's recital of the theme was unnerving; it's weird hearing a crew refer to someone else as Captain that ISN'T Kirk. maybe it's because I'm not totally done with TOS yet but I already miss everyone :(

2) Data my beloved <3 He does remind me of Spock in a way, but I'm OBSESSED with androids (see: Detroit Become Human reblogs) so he might quickly grow to become my favorite character of TNG

3) Picard is fascinating (from the words of th Vulcan, the myth, the legend) and I'm excited to see him grow as a Captain with his crew. With Kirk, there was sort of an understanding that he'd been with them for a while, just based in TOS. The differing characteristics we see in the crew were more attributed to the actors and the producers learning the world of Star Trek

4) The Enterprise separating into two parts was BONKERS

5) BONES. McCoy. Bones. McCoy. He's 137 YEARS OLD. He's ALIVE. and I know Spock is too. KIRK??????????

6) Bones talking about the Enterprise and Vulcans was so sad, I did tear up a bit, I will admit. Especially after finishing "The Empath" he's REALLY grown on me and knowing that he lives a long life makes me so relieved

7) i feel like it did keep to the chaotic fashion of TOS. The plot of s1ep1 is completely crazy for no reason

8) I miss the original Enterprise. it'll grow on me eventually but she's not the lady I've come to know and love. I know the series is set 100 years after TOS so the original Enterprise is VERY unlikely to be in operation but nevertheless

9) I'm very unfond of slowburn so I will have to supplement this with fanfic (*cough cough* Riker and Troi *cough cough*)

10) the badges being their communicators is CRAZY WORK. where are the little beepy communicators at

All jokes aside, I am very excited to start a new Star Trek adventure. I still have 12 more TOS episodes that I want to finish before I really get into TNG. I know TNG is set up as a standalone series, but I need to close the next chapter before I can properly enjoy the next one. I have a feeling there will be many TOS rewatches in the midst of my 1st TNG watch, including the movies WHICH I AM SO EXCITED FOR <3 <3 <3

[torydqrius]

“why do you think gwyn and az are endgame?”

HUSH AND LET ME SPEAK.

ex. 1:: azriels shadows

EVERYTIME azriel is with elain, his shadows shrink away or hide (“elain sucked in a soft breath that whispered over his skin. his shadows skittered back at the sound. they’d always been prone to vanish when she was around”) HELLO? azriel has a connection, an emotional one, w his shadows because he’s never really been close to anyone else besides cass and rhys. morr pushed him away for the better half of 500 years, his family rejected him, the illyrians rejected him, so his shadows have been the only constant in his life. IM ORETTY DAMN SURE THEYRE A GOOD JSUGE OF CHARAACTER. so, how do they act with gwyn?? here’s some snippets from the books::

(for context in this one, azriel was heading up to the training rings alone because he likes his silence and it helps clear his mind)

“he found it [training rings] already occupied. his shadows had not warned him.” GWYN WAS AT THE TRAINING RINGS.

“his shadows peered over his wings at her.”

“how was the party?” her [gwyn] breath curled infront of her mouth, and one of his shadows darted out to dance with it before twirling back to him. like it heard some silent music.

“azriel dipped his head in sketch of a bow, something restless settling in him. even his shadows had calmed. as if content to lounge on his shoulder and watch [gwyn]”

“azriel entered the warmth of the stairwell, and as he descended, he could have sworn a faint, beautiful singing followed him. could have sworn his shadows sang in answer”

HELLO?? his shadows are ALAWYS responding to gwyn and always curious about her. they NEVER shy away? she “settles something restless inside him” IM??? NOBODY ELSE HAS BEEN ABKE TO DO THAT..

———————————————————————

ex. 2:: fuckas elain

this is js like my counter claim/rebuttle…

“oh az spends so much time w [fucknuts bitch ass] elain! he has to want her blah blah blah” NO. azriel only spends time w elain bc she’s quiet and he sees himself in her, NOT BECAUSE HE WANTS HER. azriel needs someone strong and reassuring because he’s never felt returned love, atleast some that’s not ‘brotherly’ before. elain is too soft and too PATEHTIC to treat him right. but you know who’s strong willed, smart, beautiful, amazing, sarcastic, and perfect? GWYNETH BERDARA.

this is a post from “thinkmyhappythoughts” on twitter/X whatever dafuq.

“Azriel has always suffered by a lack of self-love. He was rejected by his family, he was rejected by the Illyrians, and he was shuttled off to the side by Mor for 500 years. Azriel has no idea how to love himself. At all. He doesn't not feel comfortable in his own skin.

And while he uses his abilities and shadows as part of his spy work it's almost like he is self conscious of them. He needs to embrace them, and be with someone who embraces them as well, not someone who makes them hide away.”

i could not have explained it ANY BETTER

———————————————————————

ex. 3:: gwyn finds comfort in azriel + they’re always noticing everything about eachother

perhaps this is from the whole saving her from the temple thing, but she literally always looks at him for reassurance during training…:

“we slice the ribbon in two,” emerie asked gwyn warily, “and our training is complete?” gwyn again glanced to azriel, who DRIFTED CLOSER.

HELLO? are you guys seriously seeing this and still shipping elain and azriel. don’t pmtfo. SHE FINDS COMOFRT IN HIM ASWELL AS HE DOES TO HER. which, given what sarah has said about their characters, is MONUMENTAL. they’ve both been through shit loads of trauma which makes them very wary of attachments and trusting people YET HERE WE ARE.

“Gwyn let out a high-pitched noise that was nothing but pure excite-ment. Azriel, on the other side of the ring with the rest of the priest-esses, half-turned at the sound, brows high.”

HELLO? AZRIEL THE SHADOWSINGER WHO NEVER BREAKS HIS FOCUS?? IM!

like guys cmon now OPEN YOUR FOXING EYES.

———————————————————————

ex. 4:: chemistry

ok this is a scene from i believe acosf maybe?? i think so…

He found it [training ring] already occupied. His shadows had not warned him.

It was too late to bank without appearing like he was running. Azriel landed in the ring a few feet from where Gwyn practiced in the chill night, her sword glimmering like ice in the moonlight.

She stopped mid-slice, whirling to face him. "I'm sorry. I knew you all were going to the river house, so I didn't think anyone would mind if I came up here, and—"

"Te's fine. I came to retrieve something I forgot." The lie was smooth and cool, as he knew his face was. His shadows peered over his wings

at her.

The young priestess smiled - and Azriel thought it might have been directed at his curious shadows. But she just hooked her coppery-brown hair behind an arched ear. "I was trying to cut the ribbon." She pointed with her sword at the white ribbon, which seemed to glow silver.

"Aren't you cold?" His breath clouded in front of him.

Gwyn shrugged. "Once you get moving, you stop noticing it." He nodded, silence falling. For a heartbeat, their gazes met. He blocked out the bloody memory that flashed, so at odds with the Gwyn he saw before him now.

Her head ducked, as if remembering it too. That he'd been the one who'd found her that day at Sangravah. "Happy Solstice," she said, as much a dismissal as it was a holiday blessing.

He snorted. "Are you kicking me out?"

Gwyn's teal eyes flashed with alarm. "No! I mean, I don't mind sharing the ring. I just... I know you like to be alone." Her mouth quirked to the side, crinkling the freckles on her nose. "Is that why you came up here?"

Sort of. "I forgot something," he reminded her.

"At two in the morning?"

Pure amusement glittered in her stare. Better than the pain and grief he'd spied a moment before. So he offered her a crooked smile. "I can't sleep without my favorite dagger."

HELLOOOOOO?? THE FOXING CHEMISTRY HERE. they’re so obv into eachother and they’re so compatible, yet he has to walk on eggshells around the skank elain.

———————————————————————

ex. 5:: the mating bond

NOW I KNOW THIS ONE IS KIND OF A STRETCH, but not really..

this comes from @munchkin_readz

"Azriel dipped his head in a sketch of a bow, something restless settling in him."

IT'S THE MATING BOND AZ OPEN YOUR EYES

Okay but seriously, think about how Rhys and Az were just arguing about how Azriel wants a mate and how he thinks it's supposed to be Elain. Then he goes to the training ring to cool down about that argument and he finds Gwyn. And then Gwyn calms him down. Azriel is known to need a physical distraction from things that bother him. He usually sparres with his brothers and he was planning on working out his anger in the ring. But he doesn't need to do that because a simple conversation with Gwyn calmed him down. I think that restless thing that settled in him was the mating bond. It was going crazy because he was thinking about another woman as his mate, but when he went to his actual mate, it calmed down.”

SHE PUT IT PERFECTLY. literally they are both VERY strong, which could put them at being equals, and OMG IF U DONT SEE HOW COMPATIBLE THEY ARE THATS YOUR FAULT. HE KILLED EVERY HYBERN SOLDIOR TO SAVE HER.

———————————————————————

ex. 6:: okay this one takes some background info so here’s a snippet of a ribbon gwyn had to slice to complete her training. she became obsessed with slicing the ribbon but it was EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.

"A comfort to every growing child."

Aznets lips twitched. He refrained from mentioning that he did indeed sleep with a dagger. Many daggers. Including one under his pillow.

"How was the party?" Her breath curled in front of her mouth, and one of his shadows darted out to dance with it before twirling back to him. Like it heard some silent music.

"fine," he said, and realized a heartbeat later that it wasn't a socially acceptable answer. "It was nice."

Nor much better. So he asked, "Did you and the priestesses have a

celebration?"

"Yes, though the service was the main highlight."

"I see."

She angled her head, hair shining like molten metal. "Do you sing?" He blinked. It wasn't every day that people took him by surprise, but ..."Why do you ask?"

"They call you shadowsinger. Is it because you sing?"

"I am a shadowsinger—it's not a title that someone just made up." She shrugged again, irreverently. Az narrowed his eyes, studying her. "Do you, though?" she pressed. "Sing:" Azriel couldn't help his soft chuckle. "Yes."

She opened her mouth to ask more, but he didn't feel like explaining.

Or demonstrating, since that was surely what she'd ask next. So Az jerked his chin to the sword dangling from her hand. "Try cutting the ribbon again."

"What—with you watching?"

He nodded.

She considered, and he wondered if she'd say no, but Gwyn blew out a breath, steadied her feet and balance, and sliced. A beautiful, precise blow, but it didn't sever the ribbon.

"Again," he ordered, rubbing his hands against the cold, grateful for its bracing bite and the distraction of this impromptu lesson.

Gwyn sliced again, but the ribbon remained unyielding.

okay so we see the chemistry, duh, not to mention az and gwyn both sing, BUT u see her obsessing over the ribbon, yes? now read this snippet:

Indeed, Azriel and Cassian had just leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and smiled at them the entire time.

Gwyn threw Azriel a withering stare as she strode past him. "See

you tomorrow, Shadowsinger," she tossed over a shoulder.

Az stared after her, brows high with amusement. When he turned back, Nesta grinned. "You have no idea what you just started," she said. Az angled his head, hazel eyes narrowing as Gwyn reached the archway.

"Remember how Gwyn was with the ribbon?" Nesta winked and clapped the shadowsinger on the shoulder. "You're the new ribbon, Az."

AZ IS GWYNS NEW ONSESSION. and with her spiral to cracking his mysterious behavior, they fall in LOVE! trust me bro IM JOT STUPID. im acc very smart.

okay this concludes everything im going to talk about

[finally-im-home]

Too late to the party. But better late than never.

I finished The Untamed. Not recently but like last month. And just like EVERYONE I'm still there. Rewatching, Analysing, Reading, and Writing my own fix-its.

Anyway, today I had a talk with one of my besties where they asked to list my top 10 favourite characters. I know. I know. Ten is not enough but here’s my completely chaotic, emotional, and very personal list of the characters who either broke my heart, stitched it back together, or just made me want to live inside a lotus pond forever. 🪷

This list includes headcanons, drama, healing arcs, sibling chaos, found family nonsense, and at least two bratty nephews who deserve the world.

1. Jiang Cheng 🍇💜

…like obviously. He's the Love of my life in a parallel universe. And, I don't think I should explain more, because it might never end. (maybe in a different post😭)

2. Lan Wangji 🤍🌩️

…I know JC is the love of my life. But if I could have a partner like LWJ (except that he talks) I wouldn't ask for anything else in this life.

3. Wei Wuxian ❤️‍🩹🪈

…Is there anyone who doesn't love him in our universe? Yeah maybe people like Jin Guangshan and Jin Zixun.

4. Jiang Yanli 🪷🍲

…jiejie🩷 She is a queen in my heart. The softest human ever, made of cotton and stardust. I know I would never have to suffer from insomnia or depression if I could just live with her.

5. Xiao Xingchen 🌙🩵

…nobody and I say, NOBODY can be him. His aura, his beauty, and his heart are unmatched. People don't deserve to walk in his shadow.

I said what I said😌

6. Wen Ning 🐶🥺

…I know he is in a better place now. Loved by Sizhui, adored by WWX, and taken care of by LWJ in Gusu. When I saw the last episode where LWJ had a brief talk with Sizhui before they parted, I always think that's LWJ telling Sizhui to prepare a room for Wen Ning in Gusu and make sure everybody treats him with respect.

I know it. That's canon for me.

7. Lan Sizhui aka a’Yuan 🐥🦋

…he shares the “Best Boy” title with Jin Ling. (bestie was sad because Sizhui still calls WWX, “senior wei”).

So, I told them a story.

It was a day when LWJ along with WWX and Sizhui, went to Yunmeng, because Jin Ling invited them. They had lunch with Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng, and JC hesitantly asked WWX if he wanted to stay the night. He agreed. So, at night, Sizhui, Jin Ling, WWX and JC were lounging at the Lotus pond. Jin Ling was asking them to share all kinds of their shenanigans from childhood. Suddenly in the middle of one of their talks Sizhui addressed WWX as senior Wei, and that's when Jin Ling questions him as to why he is calling his dad, “senior”.

WWX: dad?😳

Sizhui: um—?😶‍🌫️

JC: 🤯

Jin Ling: I mean I heard Hanguang Jun once telling someone that he came to visit them with his son, while pointing at Sizhui. So I thought…and since WWX jiujiu and Hanguang Jun are married, Sizhui is WWX jiujiu’s son, right? 🤔🫤

WWX: I mean if you say it like that—🫣

Sizhui: Um—😶‍🌫️

JC: SON? Hanguang Jun called him son? WWX you guys..😳 when did that happen?

WWX: you see Jiang Cheng, when two guys reaaaally love each other—(insert a sly smiling WWX’s face)

JC: shut up you brat.

Sizhui: Jiujiu, don't call my dad brat😶😕

Jin Ling: 🤭

WWX: 😁

JC: jiujiu?????

8. Jin Ling 🌟🐣

Listen, usually I don't tolerate brats. But Jin Ling is a brat with a purpose. 🤭😂 He is a baby lion cub who growls to hide his soft heart. And I adore him so much.

9. Nie Huaisang ♟️🩶

It took me Fatal Journey (spin-off of The Untamed), to understand him completely. Now I realise why he did what he did. His grief was so deep that even at the end, after the revenge and everything he was not even happy. He's just detached. It's not about winning. It's not about earning a name. He just wants justice for his da-ge. He loved his da-ge so much and never wanted anything else than to stay beside him.

10. Lan Xichen 🎼❤️‍🩹

…they say he is INFJ, and yeah I agree. Loves everybody equally. Calm, warm, and a little too trusting. I've heard someone say (in Tumblr) that he should've tied JGY to a tree and made out with him(consensually of course) and we could've avoided so much trouble. And yeah I agree.

Okay so, honourable mention includes the:

->rest of the Junior Gang,

->Song Lan,

->Mian Mian, and

->the Peacock (aka Jin Zixuan, he was good except when he behaves like an entitled brat.)

Phew 😮‍💨 Finished.

[logosapathy]

AAAAGGHHHH I SPENT LIKE AN HOUR WHILE EATING DINNER MAKING MY WHOLE TOP 5 AND TUMBLR DELETED IT AAAHHHHHHHAAHHAAHAHAAHAAHAHA I TYPED PARAGRAPHS WORTH OF TEXT FOR IT ON MY PHONE TO!! (going insane) (reblogged a post earlier about cheated's bad luck and how he's just like me fr fr so I definitely jinxed myself) (it hurts to type this lol my limbs burn and foot went numb for a bit) (I'm ok it's just chronic pain or something I kinned cheated too much and got afflicted with the horrors /silly) (apparently it just posted my unfinished draft without TELLING ME and I had to create this new one without the old one for reference until I just found it again?? wtf tumblr??) (oh and it deleted ALL that I typed on Nightmare too, GREAT /sar)

I like a lot of the princesses so it's kinda hard to choose! They're all amazing in their ways even though I'm definitely biased towards a few of them. Don't really participate in tag games much but they're pretty fun so it's all good <3

1. Fury - ROT FOR CLOUT by Jamie Page, Supposed to Be by Icon For Hire

:My favorite princess. We've hurt her, she hurts us! She shows us her deeply buried sorrow, and we can choose to forgive her and leave hand in hand! She's just like us, empty and hollowed out... cold finds her interesting and claims she's just like us, broken sympathizes with her buried pain, and despite everything we've been through together for better or worse, she's still our other half! She may have hurt us, but violence is the only thing she's ever known! We hurt each other, but we can be more than that! The themes of her chapter (agony, becoming something worse, abandonment) and the blood and gore really appeal to me. I love her! She is my beloved, every day I breathe is one I think of her <3

I love the other variations of her route, too, since she's in them, but the ones we're fighting her in HURT. Quantum Beak is the best of those variants, though the contrarian-stubborn duo is very funny on the voice side of things! Know we held her hand, but honestly? Wish we could give her a hug or something :( (Think 8ft or someone else on here said ROT FOR CLOUT was good for Fury? That person is 100% correct. Supposed To Be by Icon For Hire also fits her turmoil to me)

Lyrics:

2. Wild - creature by half-alive

:She's my second favorite and the one I relate to the most! Her route is rather interesting to me, with all the voices you can get in it and the two routes that can get to her. First saw her through Beast with Hunted and Broken! Anyway, the fact she pretends to be put together and alright and ignore her buried pain and hatred because she knows we're meant to BE together and it feels right and the enemy is the narrator anyway so lets ignore all of that hurt is very relatable! Don't always listen to what my emotions are telling me in favor of moving forward, and 'if I don't see it, then it doesn't exist' is a very reliable method /hj /lh

Anyway, the fact that acknowledging the buried pain between us and all that hatred tears us apart immediately is quite a representation of that coping mechanism. The fact that she doesn't even TRY to stop us at all in the slightest from killing her, that even OPPORTUNIST of all people feels bad at the thought of killing her despite firm pushing from the narrator + the hatred & pain we dug back up from our shared heart... it kills me inside every time I see the wounded wild, killing her for the gallery felt so terrible. Was teary-eyed the whole time while doing it, THAT'S OUR OTHER HALF! HOW COULD WE DO THAT TO HER??!! AAAGGGGHHHHHHGHGHGHHHH (I like this song, I don't think it covers everything she is but I do believe it fits her character)

Lyrics:

3. Spectre/PatD -Time Will Change You by Icon For Hire

:A part of the reason I like their route(s) so much is because my favorite voice is in it, but that's not my only thoughts on these two. The themes of redemption and sin vs learning how to accept forgiveness and acceptance really appeal to me somehow? Spectre is amazing in her chapter whether in her harsh or soft variant; it's also really fun when the Narrator get mad about us 'throwing the concept of death away'! I love the harsh PatD princess, it honestly makes the situation so much better imo. She's able to defend herself against oppy/our body! Really like cold getting to call opportunist a disappointment as well, but this is about the princess. Even in the harsh variant she's super sweet, and I love her advocating for herself! That she attacks and takes us back if we say nothing or tell her not to attack us (harsh!patd) but when we say to attack us she hesitates??

I like how things can be a lot more different with our choices from previous chapters besides just a few dialogue choices changing! And depending on the route the feel of her hand when opportunist asks about it is different!! I love it too, when we annoy Spectre enough that she rips out our heart lol. Also, I didn't even know annoying her like this without taking the blade down got Paranoid instead of Cheated in Wraith, I thought Paranoid and Cold was only a duo for that ch3 from Nightmare!! Basically, I like these two princesses. (Time Will Change You is a favorite song of mine rn, and I also associate it with Cold. It just suits both of them pretty well!)

Lyrics:

4. Nightmare - Redemption by Besomorph, Haunted House by Neoni

:: *lost all the writing here rip x2* I love her <3 She's unapologetically herself and shows her heart to another without fear. Her whole End of Everything speech, and what she says about leaving one's heart left unshared in MoC?? Perfection. Sure she shuts down our organs when we're in her presence, but she's shaped by our perception of her! She can't help being what she is, and doesn't even try to actually kill us in any route besides (presumably) MoC! An abandoned doll left to the company of her darkest impulses, a tender heart! Let her out! I also really like when some of the vessels reflect traits of the voices and vice versa, (like Nightmare-Cold in the 'Good Ending') or when a voice and another vessel are complete opposites to a degree (Damsel-Opportunist)!!!

I really like her despite the horror aspects of her route! The routes she diverts into (MoC and Wraith) are rather interesting, and I love how us leaving her behind in the 1st chapter changes her into this version of the princess. When I first got her route, I believe I just went down there without the blade and freed her? The organ-shutting down situation was unfortunate but tbf she IS shaped by our perception of her and she can't shut it off so... Everything about her somehow endears me even more to her character, and I love how she wants to show her heart to the world! I would never be able to get myself to do something like that, so it's admirable to see someone willingly doing so. (Both of the songs I think suit her, though neither are focused on the hurt she feels)

Lyrics:

5. HEA - Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry

:Really like her character and chapter, you can't help but feel for her once you know what's happening... I like all three of the endings here, but I really do hate slaying her (its fucking sad as shit).Love the ending where we dance with her under the stars, or just leaving with her in general, but I find the 'keep the last torch lit' end rather interesting despite the pain it causes us and the princess. Like doing this route with opportunist the most, adds a bit of levity! Very happy with how they did this chapter, and how we can give the damsel route princess more choice in what she wants besides leaving the cabin with us! Took a bit of hurt to get here, but I like acknowledging the goods and bad parts of love (and how we need to recognize our issues and talk through them instead of burying the elephant in the room).

All this endless stagnation, 'everything we didn't know we wanted', it's a mockery of what life is supposed to be. Life is full of change, of highs and lows, sure we linger on some aspects of life more than others but we transform all throughout our lives in meaningful ways! If we got rid of change, of transformation and birth and renewal, life wouldn't be worth living anymore. Nobody is happy here when we slay the princess, hell even opportunist urges is not to kill her in his own way and despite being wary of her neither paranoid or skeptic want to end her either. The Narrator even tells us we don't have to, when we go and do it once the torches are extinguished. HEA didn't deserve to deal with this, they could never make me hate you <3 (Couldn't think of many songs for HEA from my playlists so this seemed like the closest fit)

Lyrics:

+ Special mention to some of my other favorite routes that didn't meet the list; (not in order) Den, Wraith, Burned Grey, Cage, Apotheosis, and Razor.

> Don't think I have anybody to tag who hasn't already been a part of this, so yeah! Despite the misery this was fun to make, should stop kinning Cheated though /j /lh

Breaking through ur window hi hello there hi

5 favorite Vessels and (optionally) a song you connect to each of them, then tag people to answer aswell, joy and whimsy

Bye now, I'm breaking through a different window to get out bye

oohh hell ye! I can't pick a fav so they're all in no particular order

Damsel (she's... she's too real sometimes, also very silly)

Hea (damsel but depressed and I need to care for her)

Apotheosis (big woman but better :> I like her better than Tower cuz of the whole "make her feel what we've felt" and she actually understood)

Thorn (hurt betrayed baby yet still powerful, I like herrrrrr)

Den (kitty. need I say more.)

ugh.. now I have to fix 2 windows...

tell me your faves! @artenjoyingcritter @s1lv3rth0rn @fogbreo @mjlegends @norahtheghost

[elumish]

My data pull instead of sleeping for the day:

Based on data the top 10 shipping tags for 96 characters across six fandoms, Black characters on average both 1) are shipped romantically with fewer characters than non-Black characters and 2) have fewer fics dedicated to their top ship as a proportion of all of the fics they are tagged in.

(fandoms are Marvel, Batman, Supergirl (TV show), Stargate, Star Trek, Star Wars)

[themyscirah]

Complaining abt Suicide Squad yet again but the fact that they have Waller exposing the alien community to space racist attacks and talking abt how she got to her position through deceit and being a terrible person and stuff is just. Ahsfiwueh JUST SAY YOU DONT KNOW WALLER.

Anyways literally the 3rd mission of the Squad ever (and the first framed as smth Waller picked and not orders from above) was the Squad discrediting and stopping a rogue vigilante who was only arresting POC and funneling white people into white supremacy groups (of which he was the most prominent member) in SUICIDE SQUAD #4. and it's explicitly framed as this mission being personal for Waller that she's hiding from the government bc its illegal like. Guys. Please why are we having her incite (space bc comics) racist attacks now

Also the whole "Amanda got her position through deceit and being a terrible person" NO. she KEPT her position through being shitty and playing complicated political games!!! She wasn't always that way like there is a difference and it is IMPORTANT ppl PLEASEEEE. In Secret Origins #14 we learn Amanda's backstory and she used to be a normal, caring person! Like even after she entered into working in government and politics she wasn't automatically morally bankrupt like please people. She was originally given control of the Squad by Reagan (*sigh* 80s comics...) to distract and get rid of her because she was so successful at pushing progressive social policy in Congress. Acting like she's this static pillar of evil is such a waste of her character and so fucking uninteresting and disrespectful to her arc it drives me MAD.

Like I am NOT saying Waller is all sunshine and rainbows, she fucking SUCKS (said w love <3) but like there's a human being there. It's a progression, she has a character arc like please, DC, please!!! They've fucked up Waller so bad and made her so opaque and uninteresting she can't even be the protagonist of her own story for fucks sake!

Like I don't know how many times I have to scream it until DC hears me or remembers but WALLER IS THE MAIN CHARACTER OF SUICIDE SQUAD. ITS HER BOOK. yet right now she's a cutout to be used as the villain wherever the writers please. Even in her book we get none of her perspective really displayed, no exploration of her thoughts with any kind of understanding of the role she traditionally has played and was made to play in the story.

[bizlybebo]

theres something in me that wants to write the exact same au shifted slightly to the left 48269484 billion times

[clumsypuppy]

for like 3 weeks i was wondering why i was sleeping so much and felt listless. and just now I managed to email 3 people and responded to a month old message in the span of an hour because I got back to TAKING MY FUCKIN MEDS..........

[monerelluvia]

Public announcement: the gays have kissed I repeat: the gays have kissed

[icewindandboringhorror]

Various images of things

[aleksatia]

10 Ways You Ruin His Day (and 10 Ways You Ruin His Self-Control)

I originally made this list as character notes for future stories — I love digging deep into their dynamics and really breaking them down. But honestly? I couldn’t not share. Would love to hear your thoughts too: what do you think drives them absolutely mad, and what turns them into helpless fluff puddles? 🖤

🍎 Top 10 Things That Make Caleb Absolutely, Irrevocably Mad

1 He doesn’t know where you are Even when it makes sense. Even when you’re safe. Even when he’s on the far side of a tunnel with no signal and too much time to think. The silence eats at him, turns every breath into a countdown. By the time he’s back, no one on the base dares talk to him until you’re in his line of sight again.

2 You come home with a bouquet of flowers from another man It’s not jealousy, really. It’s… fury dressed in olive green. You’re standing there, smiling, saying some poor man gave you flowers because you saved his life. Great. Fantastic. Caleb’s thrilled that his girlfriend is both competent and accidentally irresistible. But now he has to pretend this isn’t bothering him while mentally comparing the man's face to strategic punching surfaces.

3 You climb on unstable furniture to reach something You know, nothing fancy—just a stack of books on top of a chair that’s on top of a bench. And you? Balancing like a gremlin in fuzzy socks. He walks in and suddenly the war flashbacks begin. You think it’s funny. He thinks it’s a workplace hazard, and you are the HR violation.

4 You rearrange his model planes He adores you. Worships the ground you walk on. Would throw himself in front of an oncoming dropship for you. But if you dust his shelf and dare to reorder his starfighters and aircrafts by vibes instead of model number? He's already rewriting his will. In blood.

5 You do something reckless and then smile about it You say “relax, I had a plan.” He hears: “I almost died, and I’d do it again, because I’m cute and unstoppable.” That smile? That grin you give when you know exactly what you did and you’re proud of it? That’s why he needs stress meds. And maybe a punching bag with your face on it. (Lovingly.)

6 You casually mention the girl he used to date You say it with a smirk, like it’s just some harmless teenage memory. But he doesn’t see her—he sees you. You, standing in the doorway that day. You, catching him with her, both of them half-undressed. And you looking at him like something cracked between you. Back then, you were off-limits. You were the girl he wasn’t allowed to want. So he wanted someone else. Easier. Safer. And now, years later, you bring it up like it’s nothing—while he’s still trying not to remember how badly he wished it had been you.

7 You weren’t his first kiss—but worse, he wasn’t yours It never comes up. Not out loud. But he remembers. Vividly. The hallway. The way your face lit up. The boy leaning in. You smiling. And Caleb—watching from across the room, fists clenched, jaw tight, playing the role of older brother when his whole body screamed mine. You never talk about it. But he never forgot. Never will. Because that moment should’ve been his—and someone else took it first.

8 You walk away during a fight, or shut down emotionally You call it “space.” He calls it “psychological warfare.” You shut down. He short-circuits. Nothing drives him more insane than trying to fix something while you’re actively ghosting him across the living room. He’d rather you screamed. Threw something. Anything. But this quiet? This distance? That’s the one thing he doesn’t know how to fight.

9 You cry—especially if it’s because of him And then he’s done. Game over. His spine straightens like he’s under military command and his entire soul just went through the paper shredder. You cry, and suddenly he’s the villain. You say “it’s not your fault,” but that doesn’t matter. He’s already rewriting the past and taking full responsibility. And yes, he’ll suffer in complete silence. Like a man.

10 You secretly try to uncover what he’s hiding from you You call it curiosity. He calls it a breach of protocol punishable by full emotional lockdown. You think you’re clever. He thinks you just walked into classified territory barefoot, blindfolded, and with a target on your back. You were never supposed to see that side of his world. And now that you have? He doesn’t know whether to yell, hold you, or lock you in a room with military-grade firewalls and a blanket.

🍎 Top 10 Things That Turn Caleb Into a Complete Fluff-Mess

You wearing his dog tags / uniform shirt / flight jacket Instant puddle. No chance. He sees you in his gear and his brain just... shuts off. All he can think is mine mine mine, and he gets this dumb, soft little smirk like he’s trying so hard not to combust.

You falling asleep on him—especially mid-conversation You’re curled into his side, mumbling something about dinner plans, and then: silence. He looks down, sees you asleep on his chest, and that’s it. Whole day ruined. Cancel all missions. He’s not moving.

You bringing him coffee exactly the way he likes it—without asking That quiet, thoughtful act? Hits him right in the soldier-shaped heart. He doesn’t even know how to process being taken care of, so he stares at the cup like it just proposed to him.

You absentmindedly touching him—fiddling with his fingers, tracing scars, playing with his hair He pretends he doesn’t care. He does. He cares so much he forgets how to breathe. Just turns into a warm, red-eared statue trying not to whimper.

You whispering “I trust you” or “I feel safe with you” in a soft moment Core memory unlocked. He stores that one like sacred intel. Will literally whisper it back to himself at 3 AM when he’s lying awake, missing you. It breaks him in the best way.

You clinging to him in your sleep / pulling him closer without waking up Caleb.exe has stopped functioning. He will lie perfectly still for HOURS if it means not disturbing that moment. Bonus points if you mumble his name while doing it.

You defending him when someone questions his methods or past He’s used to being the shield—not having someone stand in front of him. The second you raise your voice on his behalf? He falls in love with you all over again. Might even cry. Secretly.

You gently helping him out of his gear after a long day Soft hands on his buckles. A kiss to his shoulder. A low “You’re home now.” That’s how you make a Colonel melt. His fingers twitch like he wants to worship the ground you walk on.

You surprising him with something dumb and heartfelt, like a handmade gift or bad sketch of him He acts gruff—says “the hell is this, Pips?”—but then puts it in his locker or keeps it in his chest pocket for missions like it’s sacred treasure. Because it is.

You calling him “baby” / “handsome” / “sweetheart” when he least expects it He acts like it’s annoying. It is not annoying. It turns him into actual butter. If you do it with a teasing smile? He short-circuits. Might drop something. Might combust. Definitely blushes.

🩺 Top 10 Things That Make Zayne’s Calm Snap Like a Microsurgical Thread

You ignore his instructions when you're sick You had a fever of 102°F. He left explicit care instructions—bed rest, fluids, minimal movement. You, sweating and glassy-eyed, decided this was the perfect time to rearrange the furniture. When he came home and found you dragging a bookshelf across the room “because the light felt wrong,” he genuinely considered sedating you. Not as punishment. As damage control. For both of you.

You order greasy fast food instead of going somewhere “nutritionally viable” He offered to cook. You said no. Twenty minutes later, you’re eating fries from a paper bag while half of it spills on his clean table. You grin. He stares. Not angry at the food. Angry because you rejected his precision, then settled for processed chaos.

You leave wet towels on the floor after every shower He’s not sure when it started. Day three? Day five? But every time he walks into the bathroom and steps into cold, soggy cotton, something in him fractures. You claim you “forget.” He suspects a psychological experiment.

You casually mention spending time with male friends You think it’s harmless. Lunch with Caleb. Training advice from Xavier. You light up when you talk about them—and that’s the problem. Zayne doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t raise a brow. But the sudden over-fixation on his email inbox says everything.

You receive a speeding ticket. Forty miles over the limit. You wave it off like it’s a funny little anecdote. He sits in absolute silence, calculating the stopping distance of your car vs. standard reaction time at that speed. You think he’s judging. He’s actually trying not to scream.

You poke his ass. Specifically, between the cheeks. You call it “affection.” He calls it “emotional terrorism.” He flinches like he’s been electrocuted, whips around with murder in his eyes—and you’re giggling like a gremlin. Later, you regret nothing, but your thighs may beg to differ.

When you diagnose him with internet psychology You’ve read one book on attachment styles and watched three reels about emotional unavailability. Now you’ve decided he has "clinical avoidant tendencies with a hint of fear-based control fixation." He stares at you, deadpan, like he's about to perform your autopsy.

You keep spoiled food in the fridge and expired meds in the cabinet You say “it doesn’t smell that bad” or “maybe it still works.” His eye twitches. His gloves are already on. He’s not even mad at you—he’s mad at entropy. You’ve become its agent.

You watch reality shows. About infidelity. Willingly. You claim it’s “just background noise.” But he walks in and hears someone scream “that’s not even your baby, Kyle!” and your eyes are glued to the screen. His soul briefly leaves his body.

You washed his white lab coat. With your pink unicorn pajamas. It’s not just the color. It’s the betrayal. The symbol of his clinical neutrality now smells like bubblegum and looks like cotton candy. You say it’s cute. He looks personally violated by the washing machine.

🩺 Top 10 Things That Make Zayne Soft Against His Will

You bring him lunch at the hospital He never asks. You just appear—arms full of neatly packed containers, face lit up like this isn’t the third double shift he’s worked this week. He complains about the timing. The smell. The disruption. And then eats every bite with frightening focus. You leave. He stares at the empty container like it’s proof someone still believes he’s human.

You quote him back to himself like a philosopher You remember something he said weeks ago—some throwaway line about time or structure or entropy—and you drop it casually in conversation, like it’s wisdom from an ancient text. He doesn’t know how to react. You turned his logic into poetry, and he’ll never recover from that.

You wear the little seal keychain he made He didn’t think you’d keep it. Let alone turn it into your everyday keychain. But there it is—always with you, worn smooth from touch. You twirl it absentmindedly while talking to him, never noticing the way his gaze lingers. Never realizing how something so small can hit him so hard.

You put a photo of the two of you on his desk It appears one day. No fanfare. Just… there. A moment frozen in light, sitting quietly beside his surgical reports and diagnostic schematics. At first, he moves it to the edge. Then back to center. Now it lives next to his pen. He doesn’t talk about it. But it’s the only object on that desk he wipes clean with his bare hand.

His work shirt smells like you You borrowed it that morning, wore it while dancing around the apartment with wet hair and no real purpose. Hours later, when he pulls it on between rounds, the scent hits him like a loaded memory. He short-circuits mid-button. Everything feels warmer than it should.

You leave your phone with him while you shower No password. No hesitation. You toss it into his lap with a breezy “can you clear out whatever’s making it lag?” and vanish behind steam. He sits there, phone in hand, suddenly trusted with everything. He opens nothing. But the fact that you’d let him? That’s the part that shakes him.

You ask for his opinion on minor discomforts A papercut. A weird freckle. A suspicious sneeze. You hold out your hand, utterly serious, asking what he thinks. It’s laughable. Ridiculous. And it absolutely wrecks him. You could ask a dozen others—but you ask him. Like he’s the one who makes things better.

You’re on top He likes control. Precision. Strategy. But when you climb into his lap, all instinct and fire, hands braced on his chest and lips already parted—his brain stops cooperating. There’s something about you taking the lead that makes him unravel. Quietly. Violently. Completely.

You argue with him about complex theories—and mean it You don’t just nod. You push back. You challenge. You quote sources he hasn’t thought about in years. You spark. You flare. And he watches, fascinated, lips twitching with something dangerously close to pride. No one does this. No one dares. But you? You never flinch.

You whisper “I love you” in your sleep It’s not loud. It’s not even clear. Just a faint breath in the dark, like a dream half-remembered. But he hears it. Every time. And though he never says a word in return—not while you're sleeping—his fingers tighten around your waist like he's anchoring himself to the only thing that matters.

🎨 Top 10 Things That Make Rafayel Absolutely, Irrevocably Annoyed at You

You told him his painting was “nice” You stood in front of a piece that cost him three sleepless nights, a minor existential crisis, and two broken brushes—and said “Nice.” Just like that. No gasp, no poetry, no tears. He aged five years on the spot. Somewhere in the distance, a violin cried for him.

You dragged him to a cat exhibit You thought it would be cute. Enrichment. A bonding experience. Instead, he spent the entire time perched on edge, eyes darting like prey. You said “they’re just kittens.” He said nothing. He was too busy making sure none of them came closer than ten feet.

You cleaned his studio You thought you were being helpful. But you moved The Pile. The sacred, unholy, perfectly calibrated mess. Now he can’t find his favorite brush, and also he’s deeply offended by how cheerful you looked doing it.

You didn’t reply to his messages for over an hour He sent three texts, one meme, and a “thinking of you 💭” voice note. You replied 67 minutes later with “sry was showering.” By then, he’d already decided you were breaking up with him, joining a cult, or possibly dead. He had a whole monologue planned. And now you’ve ruined it.

You cut your hair He loved your long hair. Adored it. Worshipped it. You showed up with a sharp little bob and said “it’s just hair.” It is not just hair. It is the collapse of a visual era. He’s still adjusting. And by adjusting, he means mourning with wine.

You made fun of his driving You muttered “technically, you were meant to let the tram go first” He muttered “technically, silence is golden.” His driving is instinct. Vibe. Energy. If you didn’t want drama, you shouldn’t have sat in the passenger seat of a man who parallel parks like he’s in a ballet.

You woke him up too early He went to bed at 4 a.m. because inspiration struck. You woke him at 7:12 like it was nothing, and said “you have that interview, remember?” He does remember. He also remembers specifically telling you that if he ever falls asleep before sunrise, you are to let him die peacefully, cancel all earthly obligations, and throw his alarm clock into the ocean where it belongs.

You hid your phone screen when a message came in You were probably teasing. Just being playful. But now he’s spiraling. Who was it? Why the secrecy? What do you have to hide? Congratulations—you’ve just activated his inner opera villain.

You got jealous Which is absurd. He’s the one who invented possessive affection. But you being jealous? That makes him unreasonably indignant. What do you mean you “didn’t like the way that gallery girl looked at him”? Of course she looked. But he didn’t see her. He saw you.

You burned the bacon You say “it’s fine.” He says it’s charcoal. The entire kitchen smells like culinary war crimes. And now he’ll have to burn incense and replant three garden beds to recover emotionally. Who even let you near the stove? Who hurt you? Was it… the bacon?

🎨 Top 10 Ways You Accidentally Turned Rafayel Into a Purring, Love-Drunk Work of Art

You massage his head He’s mid-rant. Arms crossed. Absolutely furious about the lighting in that gallery. And then your fingers slip into his hair—and just like that, the war is over. His entire body melts like he’s been tranquilized. He’ll deny it later, of course. But the way he leans into your hand? Case closed.

You claim him in public It’s an art gala. He’s dressed to ruin people. And then you slip your arm through his, fingers just tight enough to say mine. You smile like a goddess. He pretends he’s unaffected. Inside, he’s writing vows in ten languages and considering printing matching business cards.

You actually listen to his advice He knows he can be dramatic. Unfiltered. Emotionally volatile. But when you sit there, really listening, nodding like his words matter—you destroy him. Suddenly he’s not the chaos. He’s the compass. And that? That’s love.

You share every detail of your day over dinner You talk about everything—the lady at the store, the funny email, the awful latte. You give him your day like a story, like he’s the only one you wanted to tell. He leans in, listens too closely, files away each emotion like a collector of rare art.

You’re always down for his wildest ideas It’s 3 a.m. He wants to hike 2.5 miles along the beach, take a boat to a tiny island, and watch the sunrise with wine. You say “give me five minutes.” And just like that, you become the only person worthy of his wildest, most beautiful chaos.

You let him photograph you Nothing compares. Not awards. Not praise. Nothing rivals the moment you look into his lens—bare, unfiltered, unashamed. Especially when you’re nude, glowing, and laughing like the world doesn’t exist. That’s when he falls in love with you all over again. And again. And again.

You let him choose your dress You come out in the one he picked. Elegant. Perfect. You spin for him. And the way he watches you? Like he made you. Like you’re the gallery and he’s the only one with the key. It’s not fashion. It’s trust. And he adores you for it.

You sing when you don’t know he’s home Wearing socks and earbuds, dancing with a broom, serenading your way through burnt pancakes. You’re off-key. Glorious. Real. And he stands in the doorway, silent, just watching. Because in that moment—you’re not posing. And he’s never loved you more.

You take care of him when he’s sick He has a fever of 99°F and insists he’s fading. You bring tea, stroke his hair, whisper that he’s “very brave.” You don’t mock him. You take his dramatics seriously. He will never forget it. He may also write you into his will.

You join him in the bathtub without asking He’s already halfway submerged, music playing, steam curling in the air—and then you slip in behind him, no warning. You nudge your legs around his hips, hand him your shampoo, and let him wash your hair while you giggle. He tries to act unimpressed. But when he starts kissing your toes? Yeah. You win.

✨ Top 10 Behavioral Anomalies That Triggered Xavier’s Internal Alert System

You break an agreement—even if it's “just a small one” It’s not about control. It’s about structure. You promised. And when you bend the rules—just slightly—he doesn’t react outwardly. No visible shift, no sharp breath. But something behind his eyes goes cold. Because for him, even small deviations mean recalculating everything. And that means risk. To you.

You create drama “just to get a reaction” You push. You poke. You escalate. And he gives you… nothing. No outburst, no flinch. Just that flat, unreadable stare while he mentally exits the room. He doesn’t get angry—he just shuts off the part of himself that wants to stay.

You refuse his protection—on principle You call it independence. He calls it a strategic vulnerability wrapped in pride. He won’t argue. He’ll just be one step farther back the next time, quietly cataloging how to stop caring just enough that it won’t kill him if something happens.

You call him cold—especially when he’s holding himself together for you You see stillness. He feels restraint. You accuse. He remembers what it takes to not become the darker version of himself. If only you knew how much energy it took to stay composed. If only you knew it was for you.

You’re late Five minutes. Ten. No message. No explanation. And his pulse ticks upward—not with impatience, but with pure, trained alertness. He starts looking for signs. Traffic reports. Emergency alerts. By the time you arrive, he’s smiling. But it’s the tight kind. The kind that says never again.

You skip training You’re tired. You had a long day. You say you’ll make it up later. He doesn’t argue. He just recalculates survival probabilities and mentally adds you to the list of people who might die because they were unprepared. And he will blame himself for letting you get soft.

You pull away from his touch when you're angry It’s not the rejection. It’s the meaning behind it. He reaches out—small, careful, calculated—and you shut the door in his face with a single backward step. He doesn’t try again. He doesn’t ask why. But the space you leave behind? It echoes.

You use a photo of Lumiere as a bookmark You think it’s cute. Maybe even sweet. He sees it—and freezes. He’s not jealous. Not exactly. But the idea that you might admire that version more—the legend, the mask, the sharpness—it unsettles something deep. Something he can’t name.

You secretly believe you’re not good enough for him You never say it out loud. But he sees it—in your deflections, your nervous jokes, the way you doubt his love like it’s a glitch. It doesn’t anger him in the usual sense. It just…hurts. Because you’re the only one who never had to earn it.

You throw yourself in front of him during a mission It’s instinct, you say. Split-second decision. You didn’t even think. And that’s the problem. He does. Always. Every variable, every movement, every risk is accounted for—except you breaking formation to protect him. You think it’s brave. He sees it as catastrophic miscalculation. Not because you acted without logic. But because you decided his life was worth more than yours. And that? That’s the one conclusion he refuses to accept.

✨Top 10 Things That Quietly Break Xavier’s Walls and Leave Him Unreasonably Soft About You

When you start reading the same book he’s readingYou don’t announce it. You just show up with the same title, a few chapters behind, and start casually asking questions. He plays it off. But inside? He’s spiraling. Because this—this—is how you speak his language. Silently. Precisely. Together.

When you knock on his door like you’re trying to break it downIt’s loud. Impatient. Inappropriate for the hour. But he knows that knock. That rhythm. That you. You need him. Not his solutions. Him. And somehow, that chaos pounding on his door feels more like home than anything else.

When you hug him from behindYou wrap your arms around his torso mid-task, face pressed between his shoulder blades, palms splayed across his chest like you’re anchoring yourself to something ancient and steady. He stills. Every time. Like someone just whispered a secret to his bones. He never asks why. Never moves away. He just tilts his head slightly—listening, as if your silence said everything he needed to hear.

When you touch his sword (the actual weapon, calm down)He never lets anyone handle it. Not even for cleaning. But your fingers skim the hilt, gentle, curious, reverent. And somehow… it’s okay. You’re not just touching steel. You’re touching him. And he lets you.

When you act like a little girlYou scrunch your nose. Say something ridiculous. Blush like you didn’t mean to. And he watches—utterly disarmed. Because he knows exactly what you want. You want him to carry you. Wrap you up. Keep you safe. And he will—without hesitation.

When you join him on a morning runYou complain. You lag. You swear this is “not your vibe.” But you still show up. Same hour. Same route. And when you match his pace for those few precious minutes? He doesn’t say it—but he’s proud. Painfully proud.

When you share your dreams—and say “we”You’re rambling. Light spilling from your words. Talking about the future, the maybes, the next steps. But you don’t say I. You say we. And that sound? That tiny shift in grammar? It settles deep. Irrevocable. Permanent.

When you make matching braceletsYou say it’s silly. Handmade. Slightly uneven. There’s a charm shaped like a rabbit. He never takes it off. Not in combat. Not in sleep. It rests against his wrist like a pressure point—and grounds him better than anything else.

When you remember his habitsYour shopping list always includes his cinnamon. His brand of shampoo. The exact instant noodles he pretends not to love. You don’t make a show of it. You just know. And that knowing? It destroys him in the softest possible way.

When you trust him completely in bed—even when his darker side surfacesThere’s a moment—quiet, charged—when the softness shifts. He waits. Watches. Braces for resistance. But you don’t pull back. You open your hands. Arch into him. Let him take control without fear. That? That’s what breaks him. Not the pleasure. The trust.

🖤Top 10 Things That Push Sylus Into Maximum Sarcasm and Mildly Homicidal Disapproval

Your outdated, unreliable weapon Yes, he gets it. It’s vintage. It’s “standard issue.” It’s approved by the Hunters Association. Congratulations. That won’t matter when it jams and gets you killed. Every time you return one of the sleek, upgraded firearms he hand-delivers like he’s your personal armory concierge, he has to resist asking if you've already made a draft of your death wish. Alphabetically sorted. With floral headers.

You chew gum—and pop it It’s not the gum. It’s the snap. The sudden, violent pop of sugary air bubbles that hits his trauma response like a trigger. He knows it’s just a noise. His shoulder still twitches. He’s this close to reaching into your mouth and extracting the gum like a gentleman. A very sarcastic, deeply annoyed, half-feral gentleman.

You try to shake your tail (him) You use stealth tech. You block your signal. You go dark. Adorable. You’re forgetting that the very system you’re relying on was developed by his own syndicate. The only person who ever really evades Sylus is Sylus. And maybe the cat that lives under his car. But not you. Never you.

You don’t introduce him as your boyfriend to your old classmates You panicked. He gets that. You called him “a friend.” And now he’s deeply committed to the bit. For the next seven days, every time you said anything, he replied with “Of course, as your friend…” in front of waiters, dealers, and one extremely confused ambassador. You only managed to shut it down by hastily posting a photo of you two with the caption “my boyfriend and the love of my life.” Acceptable recovery. Barely.

You refuse to use his resources His private jet? Untouched. His cars? Collecting dust. His black card? Sitting unused like some kind of insult in your purse. You say you’re “independent.” He says you’re actively offending his entire lifestyle philosophy. Do you have any idea how disrespectful it is to ignore an entire walk-in wardrobe prepared for you in his estate? Honestly, it’s almost admirable. Almost.

You once smoked a cigarette, and he saw it He didn’t say anything. At the time. Just looked at you. Silently. Like someone had drop-kicked a kitten in front of him. He’s not judging. He’s just picturing your lungs in an ashtray. And adding another page to your death wish list.

You speak in riddles and expect him to “get it” You want something—time away, a trip, his attention—but instead of asking, you sigh dramatically and murmur, “It’s fine. I guess some people just don’t want to escape the city with their girlfriends…” He blinks. Slow. Dangerous. “Was that a request, a riddle, or an emotional booby trap?” If you want something from him, Kitten, try using nouns and verbs. Not cryptic guilt puzzles.

You suggest another woman would be “perfect for him” It’s a joke. Offhand. Barely a breath. But your voice wavers—just slightly—and that ruins it. He doesn’t want her. He doesn’t want options. He wants you. And now, thanks to your charming lapse in self-worth, he has to waste the rest of the evening reminding you that this face, this power, this entire empire already belongs to someone. Guess who.

You sneak up on him You never mean to. But somehow, you're always the one person who slips past every alarm, every trained instinct, and ends up whispering behind him when his brain is still in kill mode. It takes everything in him to not react on pure reflex. You think it’s cute. He thinks it’s potentially catastrophic.

You don’t believe him when he says he’s fine Yes, he’s bleeding. Yes, his shirt is soaked. But he said “it’s a scratch,” and when he says that—he means it. His body heals like a myth. Your worried face? It makes something in him ache. Because the real wound isn’t on him—it’s in you, for thinking he’s anything less than unbreakable.

🖤 Top 10 Things That Make Sylus Dangerously Soft for You (And Yes, He’s Keeping Score)

When you finally spend his money It started with coffee. Small. Harmless. But the alert hit his phone and, for a moment, he genuinely wondered if his card had been stolen—until he saw your name. And something in him shifted. Not because of the cost. Please. He could buy the city it was brewed in. No, it was the fact you used it. You. Willingly. Now? You’re bolder—little dresses, shoes, jewelry you don’t need. And every time you do, he rewards it like you just proved you understand the assignment: what's his, is already yours.

When you give orders to his men like you're the boss You don’t ask. You instruct. Calm, certain, completely in charge. One of his men hesitates—just once—while you’re directing them to rescue a terrified kitten stuck in a tree. Sylus doesn’t interfere. He just watches, arms crossed, a grin tugging at his mouth as armed professionals scramble to obey you like you're the patron saint of lost animals. Somewhere in his mind, he’s already fitted you for a crown. With tiny cat ears.

When you secretly pet Mephisto The mechanical raven used to drive you insane. Now? You’re sneaking him treats and absentminded scratches under the jaw. Sylus sees it. Says nothing. But deep down, he knows: if you’ve accepted the bird—you’ve accepted all of him. And that’s lethal. To him.

When you make him a playlist You never explain them. Just send a link and say nothing. But he listens—every time. Alone. In his car. In the bath. Eyes closed, calculating your every choice like it’s encrypted intel. Each track? A hint. A mood. A coded message from you to him. He doesn’t ask for them. He just waits for the next one. And when it arrives, he treats it like gospel.

When you leave a trail of chaos in his car Your hair on the seat. Your gum wrappers in the cup holder. The seat so close to the wheel he practically has to fold in half. And the music? A full-volume love ballad ready to ambush his eardrums at ignition. It's obnoxious. It’s inconvenient. It’s perfect. His life, now featuring you.

When you eat from his plate You swore you weren’t hungry. You said “no carbs this week.” And now? You’re stealing fries from his hand and dipping into his steak sauce like it’s your birthright. He doesn’t stop you. He just watches you chew with that look that says: mine. forever.

When you talk and talk and talk Something happens. You spiral. Words spill. Thoughts tangle. You’re not even aware you’re rambling—but he is. He listens to everything. Stores it all. Because there’s something magical about your voice when it’s unfiltered. You don’t realize it, but he falls a little harder every time you forget to censor yourself.

When you crawl into his lap while he’s working He’s in the middle of paperwork. Calculating things. Dangerous things. And suddenly—you. Right there. Knees on either side, arms around his neck, like the world’s most beautiful interruption. He tells himself he needs to finish. But his hands are already on your hips.

When you call and ask for help A jar. A stuck zipper. A ride. It doesn’t matter. You’re a trained hunter—you’ve faced things with claws, fangs, and no name. But you still call him. Because you want him. And that? That wrecks him in ways he’ll never admit. He’s already on his way before you hang up.

When you scream his name right before you come There’s a lot he’s proud of. His empire. His power. His record. But nothing—nothing—satisfies him more than the moment your voice breaks open with his name. Like prayer. Like surrender. Like he’s the only thing in your world. Which, of course… he is.

[mccallhero]

#scott is his impulse control. like that is a canon fact #scott says actually we’re befriending all of these werewolves with morally dubious backstories :)) and he begrudgingly stops thinking about #drugging their food #stiles is just a guy. who got dragged into supernatural shit. because he really really liked his best friend. and if you want a charscters #who’s a selfless mother hen THE WHOLE SERIES REVOLVES AROUND SCOTT MCCALL. #he doesn’t trust because scott trusts too much. scott says jump he says how high etc etc #EVERYONE CALLING LIAM HIS SON. DO YOU FORGET HOW MUCH HE VISCERALLY HATED THAT FUCKING KID 😭 - jjkyaoi

speaking of stiles stilinski, the way the entire fandom like. warped his character completely for so many years is still one of my favorite talking points because what do you MEAN pack mother. what do you mean he’s this selfless hero who would sacrifice himself for his supernatural found family…???????????? girl. 90% of the characters we’ve met he’s either distrusted and theorized as killers (most of the time being right to some length but that’s beyond the point) like a cat who hisses when their owners friends come over, and the other half he’s like. made multiple comments about wanting to kill or been. unnecessarily catty to. like . that motherfucker CRAVES violence. the entire show would’ve been completely fucking different if he was the main character. why did the fandom take these things from him when they make him SO interesting

[jonnywaistcoat]

I'm really glad to see that everyone seems to be having a good time with The Magnus Protocol, and my heart is very full with all the wonderful comments people are making, but I do need to flag something up.

For some of these episodes, a lot of folks are giving me credit for stuff I did not actually write. The cases for episodes 3 and 4 were both by guest writers, Graeme Patrick and Cole Weavers respectively, and they really deserve some love thrown their way.

That's not to minimise my own part: me and Alex certainly do editing work on them, and add in a few bits here and there to make sure everything cohesively fits in with the overall story and tone of the show, but if you enjoyed these episodes, then Graeme and Cole are the ones to thank for it.

And for that matter, Alex wrote episode 2 and deserves more of the accolades for how good that one was than I think he got (my edits just made it a bit... squishier).

Protocol is much more of a team effort than Archives was and so while, in a broad sense, you can still lay most of the blame for bad things happening to characters you love squarely at my feet, it's genuinely important to pay attention to the "written by" section of the credits this time around, 'cause often it's not gonna be my name there, and someone else deserves the thanks for giving you a horrible treat.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

🧩 How to Outline Without Feeling Like You’re Dying

(a non-suffering writer’s guide to structure, sanity, and staying mildly hydrated)

Hey besties. Let’s talk outlines. Specifically: how to do them without crawling into the floorboards and screaming like a Victorian ghost.

If just hearing the word “outline” sends your brain into chaos-mode, welcome. You’re not broken, you’re just a writer whose process has been hijacked by Very Serious Advice™ that doesn’t fit you. You don’t need to build a military-grade beat sheet. You don’t need a sixteen-tab spreadsheet. You don’t need to suffer to be legitimate. You just need a structure that feels like it’s helping you, not haunting you.

So. Here’s how to outline your book without losing your soul (or all your serotonin).

—

🍓 1. Stop thinking of it as “outlining.” That word is cursed. Try “story sketch.” “Narrative roadmap.” “Planning soup.” Whatever gets your brain to chill out. The goal here is to understand your story, not architect it to death.

Outlining isn’t predicting everything. It’s just building a scaffold so your plot doesn't fall over mid-draft.

—

🧠 2. Find your plot skeleton. There are lots of plot structures floating around: 3-Act. Save the Cat. Hero’s Journey. Take what helps, ignore the rest.

If all else fails, try this dirt-simple one I use when my brain is mush:

Act I: What’s the problem?

Act II: Why can’t we fix it?

Act III: What finally makes us change?

Ending: What does that change cost?

You don’t need to fill in every detail. You just need to know what’s driving your character, what’s blocking them, and what choices will change them.

—

🛒 3. Make a “scene bucket list.” Before you start plotting in order, write down a list of scenes you know you want: key vibes, emotional beats, dramatic reveals, whatever.

These are your anchors. Even if you don’t know where they go yet, they’re proof your story already exists, it just needs connecting tissue.

Bonus: when you inevitably get stuck later, one of these might be the scene that pulls you back in.

—

🧩 4. Start with 5 key scenes. That’s it. Here’s a minimalist approach that won’t kill your momentum:

Opening (what sucks about their world?)

Catalyst (what throws them off course?)

Midpoint (what makes them confront themselves?)

Climax (what breaks or remakes them?)

Ending (what’s changed?)

Plot the spaces between those after you’ve nailed these. Think of it like nailing down corners of a poster before smoothing the rest.

You’re not “doing it wrong” if you start messy. A messy start is a start.

—

🔧 5. Use the outline to ask questions, not just answer them. Every section of your outline should provoke a question that the scene must answer.

Instead of: — “Chapter 5: Sarah finds a journal.”

Try: — “Chapter 5: What truth does Sarah find that complicates her next move?”

This makes your story active, not just a list of stuff that happens. Outlines aren’t just there to record, they’re tools for curiosity.

—

🪤 6. Beware of the Perfectionist Trap™. You will not get the entire plot perfect before you write. Don’t stall your momentum waiting for a divine lightning bolt of Clarity. You get clarity by writing.

Think of your outline as a map drawn in pencil, not ink. It’s allowed to evolve. It should evolve.

You’re not building a museum exhibit. You’re making a prototype.

—

🧼 7. Clean up after you start drafting. Here’s the secret: the first draft will teach you what the story’s actually about. You can go back and revise the outline to fit that. It’s not wasted work, it’s evolving scaffolding.

You don’t have to build the house before you live in it. You can live in the mess while you figure out where the kitchen goes.

—

🛟 8. If you’re a discovery writer, hybrid it. A lot of “pantsers” aren’t anti-outline, they’re just anti-stiff-outline. That’s fair.

Try using “signposts,” not full scenes:

Here’s a secret someone’s hiding.

Here’s the emotional breakdown scene.

Here’s a betrayal. Maybe not sure by who yet.

Let the plot breathe. Let the characters argue with your outline. That tension is where the fun happens.

—

🪴 TL;DR but emotionally: You don’t need a flawless outline to write a good book. You just need a loose net of ideas, a couple of emotional anchors, and the willingness to pivot when your story teaches you something new.

Outlines should support you, not suffocate you.

Let yourself try. Let it be imperfect. That’s where the good stuff lives.

Go forth and outline like a gently chaotic legend 🧃

— written with snacks in hand by Rin T. @ thewriteadviceforwriters 🍓🧠✍️

Sometimes the problem isn’t your plot. It’s your first 5 pages. Fix it here → 🖤 Free eBook: 5 Opening Pages Mistakes to Stop Making: