#(i can google it but this is tag rambles i don’t need to)

[whatudottu]

In honour of Flat Fuck Friday- have Ra’ad being x-rayed in an Earth hospital. He (and other Amperi) I believe need to retain moisture in their skin to be able to breath so…

Get Laminated.

Based on this haha,

[thefallennightmare]

Moment of Weakness-thirty

*credit to whoever created the gif. found on google/Pinterest *

Pairings: Mob!Bucky Barnes x reader

Warnings: language, smut, angst, fluff, affair, cheating, violence.

Summary: Reader is the assistant to New York's most feared mob boss, James Buchanan Barnes. He had the picture-perfect life: status in the mob, friends, and beautiful wife. So why can't he keep his mind and eyes off of reader?

Author's Note: I know I said that this was going to be a long one but I was able to break it up because what I had written worked a lot better for the last chapter. NEXT ONE WILL BE THE FINAL PART!

Tags(closed): @splendidreads @sebsgirl71479 @mdpplgtz03 @pattiemac1 @unaxv @alana4610 @broadwaybabe18 @themayzittcha @playboystark @raajali3 @ozwriterchick @ragamuffin285 @screamingdying @themorningsunshine @kenziekugler22 @calwitch @sebastianstansqueen @stanaddict @stucky-simp03 @sleyeveryday @loustan90 @lyra-black13 @valsworldofcreativity @cjand10 @tesseract69 @batprincess1013 @subwaysurf45 @arsonfrogger @yoruse @5moremin @lipstickandtanqueray @mandijo17 @joannaromanoff @justsebstan @winters1917 @elizacusi-blog @football1921 @elxvrr

“Let me go!” I thrashed around in Clint’s embrace as he dragged me back into the house. 

“Shut up!” He tossed me to the cold ground. “You’re lucky I only shot you in the leg.” 

My hand was wrapped around the bleeding wound on my leg, the bullet still logged in there. The blood pooled from my fingers onto the dried leaves while I scampered to my feet in trying to escape yet again. Which only made Clint yank me back by the hairs of my scalp, more cries echoing throughout the woods. 

I struggled the entire time as he dragged me to the basement of the small house and didn’t want to risk me running away again so this time he tied both of my hands behind me to the same pole that I had been stuck to for days. 

Clint’s hand was wrapped tight around my throat, oxygen seizing from my lungs. “If you try that again I can promise that you won’t walk out of here alive.” 

I gasped trying to let the air fill my lungs when his grip left from around my throat. 

“Go fuck yourself,” I coughed. 

He bent low, ready to say something, until the door kicked open with Natasha walking in. She was fuming, steam coming out of her ears. 

“Bitch!” She spat while digging her finger into the bullet wound in my leg. 

I cried out in pain, eyes screwing shut with tears. 

“How could you let her pull a fast one on you?” Clint seethed while pulling her back to her feet. 

Natasha scoffed. “Where the hell were you? It was your turn for her break.” 

Through small tears, I watched as they bickered back and forth. 

“This was your idea, you should be the one watching her!” Clint yelled. 

“You’re the one that put the hit on her! No one has been able to follow through with it so we need to take matters in our own hands,” Natasha said with her hands on her hips. 

I snickered, still in pain. “I’m flattered you guys are fighting over me.” 

They both looked at me and Clint ran a hand over his face before pointing a finger at me. 

“She’s your problem. Deal with it.” He said to Natasha before leaving the room, the door slamming behind him. 

There was a thick tension between the two of them and I realized that if I wanted to prolong my life, the only way to do that was to keep her talking about that. 

“So, it was your idea to kidnap me?” I asked. 

The sound of a chair scraping across the concrete floor hurt my ears as Natasha sat on in front of me. 

“I had to get you away from Bucky somehow,” she shrugged. 

“To what?” I raised a brow. “Get back with him?” 

“You don’t deserve him!”

Natasha was on her feet again and began pacing in front of me. 

“He had everything with me! I was a loyal wife, ready to give him whatever he wanted,” she started to ramble.

“Loyal? You were fucking Clint,” I said. 

“Because he was fucking you! I had to get back at him somehow!” she snapped. 

Curiosity got the best of me. 

“When did you find out about us?” 

Natasha’s pacing halted. “His birthday. Bucky kept looking at his phone all night. When he finally stepped away from it, I couldn’t help myself from looking through it. All I saw was texts between the two of you.” 

I sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-.” 

“What?” She kneeled in front of me. “To steal my husband away from me? To sleep with him?” 

The anger in her eyes caused them to go black as she pulled out a knife from her pocket. 

My shoulders didn’t tense this time, like all the other times she did this. After seven days locked here, the fight within me was gone. Especially after my failed attempt at escaping. 

I hissed when I felt the blade drag across the bare skin of my thigh, the one that didn’t have a gaping wound to it. 

“Why haven’t you killed me yet?” I groaned while leaning my head against the pole. 

Natasha wiped the blood from the blade on her sleeve. “Because I want to make sure I completely break you.” 

I gave her a hard stare. “You already have. You said it yourself, no one is coming for me. So there’s no point in keeping me alive.” 

“Steve was so enamored with you,” Natasha ignored my words, deciding to change the subject completely. 

“He would have been perfect for you. The four of us could have gone out together, been the best of friends. Our kids could have played together. We could still have that if you promise to stay away from Bucky when I let you out of here,” she said while sitting down in front of me. 

I scoffed. “You’re delusional if you think Bucky would want you back after this.” 

The knife was pressed into my neck and Natasha yanked my head to the side by my hair. 

“You knew he was married but yet you kept going back to him,” she said. 

Her eyes crossed over every inch of my face but when she noticed the way my breath caught in my throat and how I avoided her gaze, her face fell. 

“You love him,” she muttered, dumbfounded. 

My lips didn’t move, knowing that there was no point in lying to her, so the next best option was to say nothing. Even if I did say something, the commotion coming from above us had gained both of our attention. Voices were muffled and it sounded like a scuffle was happening.

Natasha looked up and followed the noises from above with her eyes so I used this as the only opportunity to do what I had been planning the second Clint tied me to the pole. 

A loud yell erupted from my throat as I tackled Natasha to the ground, the knife and rope that was used to tie me falling around us as we had our own scuffle. My fists collided with her face a few times before I stumbled on my feet to run from her. I didn’t get far, her hands wrapping around my ankle to bring me down to the ground again. 

“I’m going to kill you,” Natasha seethed while digging her finger into my bullet wound that had finally stopped bleeding. 

“Fuck you!” I cried while smacking her hands away. 

This time they wrapped tightly around my throat, cutting off my breath. Everything became weak and clouded as the light around me faded, my hands falling to my sides. My life was slipping away and this was the last fight that I had in me. I was ready to give it up. 

Bucky wasn’t coming for me otherwise he would have saved me on day one. But it was a week later with no sight from him. 

A loud gunshot rang in my ears which caused my eyes to snap open just in time to see Natasha fall off of me in a heap of a mass onto the ground. I had to blink a few times to let life fill my veins once again. 

“Doll?” 

The familiar voice made me sit to my knees, a painful groan slipping from my lips. 

“Oh, fuck.” 

Broken, tired, eyes locked with deep blue ones that I loved so much. 

“Bu-Bucky?” 

My hands shook while they reached for him, unsure if he was actually here in front of me or I actually had died and this was my version of heaven. 

He was staring at the body of Natasha, who lay motionless next to me with blood pooling from the wound in her back. The gun was clenched tightly in his hand as his face shook with anger, lips trembling. He was almost waiting to see if she would sit up so he could shoot her again. 

“Bucky?” My voice quaked again while I stood to my feet. 

Bucky was enraged, my words going in one ear and out the other. It wasn’t until I slowly walked over to him and placed a gentle touch on his cheek. 

His eyes lightened, the gun clattered to the floor, and his strong arms wrapped around me. 

“Doll, you’re alright. I’m here.” 

His reassuring words and soft hands were what I needed to feel safe again, my body crumbling in his embrace. My sobs stained his shirt and he lifted my face by my chin. 

“Your face,” I gasped while running a finger over the cuts and blood. “What happened?” 

“Clint,” was the only thing he said. 

Bucky then cupped both my cheeks as he bent high and low to look over every inch of my body, inspecting all of my injuries. 

“You came for me,” I cried, tears falling again. 

His lips pressed a kiss to my forehead while I grasped hard at his hips. 

“Always, doll.” 

[a-scary-lack-of-common-sense]

HELLO TF2 COMMUNITY :D

Do you like fanmade TF2 AUs? Do you like mysteries? Do you like deep DEEP lore? Are you good at solving riddles?

If your answer is yes to all of those, then yay!! And buckle up.

We're going to play a little game. When you click on the link right above the :readmore: all the way down there, you will find yourself at a blank webpage that looks a bit like this:

This webpage will ask you for a specific password for you to enter. If you get the password correct, you will be granted access to the [TOP SECRET]-CLASSIFIED MANN FILES. If you get the password wrong, you will not be granted access to the files.

The password is a four digit number. I will be giving you a riddle to help you find out what this password could be. You might need to use a bit of google for this one:

A little girl with the last name Won goes to an arcade in Korea.

At the arcade, she wins a pinball game.

That was yesterday.

But the pinball machine was cheap, old and rusty.

So all she got was a single coin from it. It was the lowest currency one could get in Korea.

What did the little girl win yesterday?

I know this looks hard, but I promise, you do not have to be Korean to know the answer to this. All you need to know is that, currency in Korea is won (원). I can't give you more information since it may spoil the game, but if you are not sure about anything, you can easily search it up and it'll pop up first thing

If you really find yourself struggling with the answer, I suggest you try reading the riddle out loud ;)

You will be given 24 hours to find the password and get it correct before I reveal the answer for everyone. The timer starts the moment this post is published onto my blog.

There are only 3 rules you should know:

1. If you find the password before everyone else, please don't make it public!! Don't post about it, or tell everyone else. You can tell your friend if they ask for it, sure, but don't ruin the fun for those who still want to try and solve the password!

2. You can not ask for more clues, sorry, but that tiny riddle was the most thinking my brain could take for the week, and I can't make more mysterious clues and riddle :(

3. If the 24 hour timer goes off and the majority of you still haven't managed to find the password, don’t worry, you can always ask for more time. If I get more than 5 non-anon asks in my inbox asking for more time, I will extend the timer.

Anyways, best of lucks finding the password, and have fun :)

[TOP SECRET] CLASSIFIED MANN FILES- PROJECT DOPPELGANGER

(EDIT: hello all! So it seems that the links on this post are causing some problems for a lot of you guys, and the whole password part seems to work just fine but for some reason if won't show the files properly once you guessed it. So if you managed to get the password right but the webpage you were redirected to only shows you blank pages, please pop me a quick message through either inbox or DM so I can get you set right up with a shared google doc file which actually works. Thank you so much for your patience and so sorry for the inconvenience and this technical error kind of ruining the whole vibe :'(

P.S. if you can, the link works a bunch times better when on PC!)

Now that all that jazz is out of the way, here are all of my rambles!

A brief summary for those who are new:

This post is part of a big lore-drop for an AU of mine called Job Switcheroo Mercs, which is basically an AU where all the TF2 mercs have their jobs and classes switched around. If you want to learn more about the AU, you can go check out my #job switcheroo tag on my blog. You might need it for the context.

For those who already know the basic gist of the AU, but just forgot the what the heck this AU is even about, here's a little reminder.

Of course, big hugs and kisses to all my lovely Job Switcheroo AU fans out there. We were a pretty niche group but you guys gave me so much love and support all throughout it and I appreciate it so so so much. THANK YOU <3

[eeblouissant]

tag game :)

I was tagged by @hecatesbroom (thank you!! ahh I love love tag games they’re sm fun :D it’s like free rambling time lol)

Last song: red bone by childish gambino. I needed a certain vibe for a certain something I was drawing 🚶🏻‍♀️

Last book: the little princesses by Marion Crawford. Such a cute read! She was queen Elizabeth ii & Princess Margaret’s nanny (governess) & teacher during their childhood, & was essentially shunned after publishing this book (in 1950-51 I believe? Shortly before the king died). I’m almost finished with it.

Last movie: honestly I can’t remember 😭 I don’t watch many things, I have a hard time paying attention if I’m not reading a book or drawing. I like hands on entertainment otherwise I just fall asleep.

Last TV show: the golden girls, obviously! One of the only tv shows I can watch without falling asleep 😂 although anything involving Bea Arthur tends to keep me wide awake.

Sweet/Spicy/Savoury: savoury for sure. Always.

Relationship status: obsessed with my wife that I also sometimes call my husband, I love my lesbian husband she treats me so well 🥰

Last thing I googled: searched through the deep depths of Pinterest (so, I googled *for* Pinterest, because I don’t have the app on my phone. If I can save storage and use a website why wouldn’t I 🤷🏻‍♀️) for a picture of Blanche in that cowgirl outfit, because I couldn’t remember exactly what it looked like.

Current obsession(s): the golden girls, & of course my special interest because that will just never leave me 😅

Looking forward to: finally finding work again! Just waiting on a phone call from any of the places I’ve applied to :’) it’s rough out here but oh boy I need work. Aside from that, I was invited to a party this weekend and ohhhh I’m so excited to enjoy that. So excited.

I almost never tag anyone in these things (+ a good chunk of my mutuals were tagged in the post I was!) so if you see this and wanna do it, do it! Come ramble!!!

[lacunafiction]

Progress Update: 9 August  2022

I hope you’re doing well! Hello to new and old readers. 💚

I somewhat recently shared the news about Book One being finished and submitted to Hosted Games. 🥳 You can find the submission news and a link to the overhauled demo: HERE.

Seeing your enthusiasm and excitement about returning to Fernweh means so much to me! I’m going to address some asks I’ve been getting so that you all might see the answers. :D 

>Any news about a release date? When can I get my hands on TFS: Book One? 

One anon just sent in: ‘*grabby hands*’, which is relatable. I’m like that too! Hosted Games has a queue for their publications with tentative release dates. I will be sure to let you all know when I hear where TFS: Book One might fall on this list after HG staff approve it and slate it for a date. 

>What platforms will your book be on? I’m hoping for a Steam release! 

Same! :D I’d like to reach PC players. Steam release is at the discretion of COG, so it’s not something I can politely request, though I do hope for it. Based on what I have seen in the past, I strongly feel that TFS: Book One will be out on Steam given its length (600,000 words in total) and the overall plot of the story, but we will have to keep our fingers crossed about it.

It should be available on the: COG website, iTunes App Store, Google Play Store, Amazon Appstore for Android, and possibly Steam.

> Book Two demo when? 👀

Lol, I’m 95% sure you’re kidding with me. XD There will be a Book Two demo, but I can tease and say it will be very spoilery as soon as you start the first page… I’ll need to wait for Book One to release so both new and old readers have some time to find and read it. It may depend on how far I am with my outline to try and stagger content for you to enjoy during Book Two’s wait.

- - -

> Here is what I have been working on: 

- I have been working on finalizing some assets for Book One! I’m not sure how curious some of you might be about the process, but there are things beyond the chapters required by COG. 

- I tend to think of it in three parts: the game files, the textual assets, and then the art assets. I might get more into these in future updates, since I don’t want to ramble too much in this one. 

- The short and sweet news is that the parts are done; the tag lines, synopsis, tags, logo, etc. 

- - -

> Here is what I will be working on:

- Book Two, my beloved! 🥰 

- I have already started the base coding for the second book. I’m working on wrapping up the different levels of recaps since some players might want something condensed, while others may want a more detailed experience. (Eventually, you all should be able to import your Returning Visitor from Book One.) I will move forward with filling my outline; I’m thrilled to continue writing.

Thank you all for your support and patience with me! 💚

[soleadita]

the arospec eddie diaz post

in honor of aromantic awareness week and also me having a lot of thoughts about eddie diaz at all times, i'm going to talk about arospec eddie. sorry but not sorry. it needed to be said.

(tagging @xjustonemoremiraclex because i promised you a post about this a while ago but i had too many thoughts and no idea how to wrangle them. and ty @scattered-winter for witnessing the pure unfiltered chaos version of this unfold over dms <333)

this is sort of a spiritual successor to my queer pepa post, by which i mean it's about the possibilities!! i'm not saying i believe this is canon and i'm not saying i hope this is canon and i'm not saying it's the one and only and correct way to see eddie. i'm just saying the foundations are there, and the possibilities are fun to think about!! (and also ok fine, nothing about this man gives me any indication that he’s got a firm grasp on what romantic attraction feels like.)

disclaimers: (1) this is heavy on the projection; (2) I AM NOT SAYING I DON’T WANT BUDDIE CANON I DO WANT BUDDIE CANON I LOVE BUDDIE. this is just something i think about kind of a lot and i’m always saying i want more aro headcanons and interpretations of my beloved characters (or literally ANY characters, i'll take anything i can get), so i’m just trying to be the change i want to see in the world. (3) i really tried to make this as aro-focused as possible but it ended up being a blend of aroace + autistic because, like i said, this is projection, and for me, those three parts of me are wrapped up in each other in a way that's hard to separate; (4) re: canon and timelines, i did go and google a few things that i wasn’t sure about but other than that, most of this is pulled from my own recollections. if there’s anything glaringly and FACTUALLY incorrect, i’m so sorry, it was not intentional; (5) i tried to organize this in a way that somewhat makes sense but it's a little rambly; i hope the little subheadings help.

pre-canon | eddie & shannon

so ok. consider this:

maybe, as a teenager, eddie is captivated by shannon. she's pretty, and she's so vibrant, and she's interesting to him. he likes talking to her. he likes being around her. they're friends, but his friends, parents, sisters, whoever - they're annoying about him having a friend who's a girl. maybe his friends make suggestive comments and say shit, and maybe his parents start to ask questions, and maybe adriana is like, “oooh, eddie and shannon,” in that annoying (affectionate) way only little siblings can achieve. and at first he's irritated, but then he starts to overthink and wonder. “do i actually like-like her? well, what does that even mean? what does that feel like?”

and maybe he asks his parents or abuela, and they feed him lines that can basically double as a description for friendship: "someone you want to be close to, someone you can talk to, someone you can be yourself around, someone you like to spend time with." (entirely possible that the list would be different for people raised as cis dudes, idk actually, but this is what i grew up hearing.) and what if eddie takes this and thinks, “well...i guess i do feel like that about shannon?” and then maybe they touch a little more—they hold hands, they hug—and one day, she kisses him, and he's like, “well ok this is nice, i guess,” and he does like affection, his dad has always wanted him to be tough but he misses being little when abuela would pull him into her lap, and when it was ok to ask for hugs, and when his mom would kiss him on the forehead before he went to bed.

so he kisses shannon back, and that's just like something they do now? and he rolls with it. and he does care about her and he does love her but he just...? he just doesn't know what it feels like to be In Love. but that's ok, because he's still young, and this doesn't have to be forever, and maybe it's too soon to know anyway. he has fun with her. he likes being around her. and isn't that more important than knowing for sure whether or not he's in love with her?

and eventually they start having sex (obviously because, as we know, christopher exists), and, again, it's...ok? it's not the worst thing in the world, and he’s always heard that the first few times aren’t great, but he really just thinks it's overhyped and he'd rather, like, sit and listen to music with her and talk or something. but again, it's Something People Do, so he does it.

and then, you know, she's pregnant, and he panics, and they get married because he feels like they have to, and maybe it's actually almost a relief. because now he doesn't have to overthink whether or not he's in love with her, because that doesn’t matter anymore. they're getting married regardless. they're having a child regardless.

anyway, i know this isn't necessarily a groundbreaking interpretation of their relationship; i think this is probably how a lot of the fandom would interpret them (although i do tend to live in a little echo chamber, so i could be wrong). and i think this interpretation usually paves the way for gay eddie, sometimes demi/ace eddie. and that's totally valid!!! i love a gay eddie fic!! i am SO grateful for the abundance of ace eddie in the fandom!!

but lately i've been having a fun time looking at this and thinking about an arospec and/or aroace autistic eddie who falls into a relationship with shannon because it feels like an unspoken rule, a logical next step, something that others want for and expect from him. a tactile eddie who wants physical affection in ways that aren't socially acceptable for him to get anywhere else, and because he's not really sure what love in a romantic sense is supposed to feel like anyway, but he likes spending time with her, so why not? a quietly rebellious eddie who has sex because he is sorta curious, and his parents wouldn’t approve, and his friends are doing it, and people generally seem to enjoy it, and he tries it, and he's just like, “hm. whelp. that was that i guess.” an eddie who is not all that great at interoception?? who is not entirely sure how to interpret feelings in the first place??

season 2 | eddie & shannon 2.0

ok, so this is also well-established: we all know that when shannon comes back, eddie isn't thinking about what he wants. or, like, he is ostensibly, but he's thinking about what he wants for chris. he wants chris to have his mom around. he wants to "be a family" (god forgive him he knows not what he says, he knows not of the amatonormativity in which literally everything is steeped). yeah, he falls back into hooking up with her and then some sort of weird tentative relationship, but like: patterns of behavior. masking. once you Are a certain way with someone, it can be hard to Not be that way with them.

and i can't remember how much of this is canonically established or fanon embellishment, but there's the element of eddie feeling some sort of obligation (shannon is still technically his wife, maybe he owes it to her, to chris, to try again?) and searching for some form of absolution? (yeah, shannon is the one who left most recently and most permanently, but he left first, he made the first cracks, and maybe if he can make it work this time, he can forgive himself?)(<- i do not personally think this about him myself but it is something i can see eddie's gorgeous little traumatized season 2 brain coming up with.)

there’s also an argument to be made that maybe he thinks it would be easier for other reasons, too. like, yeah, it would be so much easier to have a household with two adults. it would be so much easier to have more childcare options for chris, less questions from places like chris's school, someone else to help with managing things like grocery shopping and making dinner and running errands and laundry (i swear to god i'm not listing these things because they're like "women's work" and shannon's a woman, it's just those are the things i fucking struggle with so they're at the top of my mind). they'd be a fucking dual income household. like. that shit would be LIFE CHANGING.

(are these things i've thought a lot about in relation to being autistic and aro…who can say…who can say.......)

seasons 4-5a | eddie & ana

i mean. i think this is also self-explanatory at this point, and eddieana has been dissected to shreds. i'll just say that pretty much every piece of evidence for gay eddie in this scenario could also apply to arospec (and aroace) eddie. (and it's not like he can’t be, like, gay ace, but we all know when fandom talks about gay eddie, it’s usually gay allo eddie. and i’m NOT AGAINST that (really, i love all queer eddie headcanons, they're SO SPECIAL), but. you know. it's like this post.)

ok, wait, no. i’ll say a little more. consider this:

maybe eddie was so weird around ana because the way he masked around her was, like, a little stiff and overly formal; partly because the first time he met her it was at a parent/teacher conference, and partly he was trying to perform the role of Good Date/Boyfriend, and then she ended up in his house and around his kid (outside of the classroom context) sooner than he originally planned, putting him in the awkward position of, "fuck, how do i be at-home-with-christopher-me and also trying-to-date-ana me?"

or maybe he just didn't know her well enough to have that basis of friendship he had with shannon (remember i'm extrapolating here, i don't think we know whether or not shannon and eddie were friends first, i think that's just something from the autistic!eddie series of all time that i've integrated into my eddie backstory fanon forever), so he just straight up didn't care about her the same way!! literally just in a “oh, i actually don’t know if i really enjoy this person’s company” way, and then in a “oh we’re not vibing as expected” way. only instead of peacing out once he realizes that, he fucking DOUBLES DOWN.

there's also, of course, the department store panic attack. feeling trapped. trying to convince himself that she is what he wants. that maybe if he stays long enough he'll change his mind. and i know this can all be attributed to MANY things; i'm just saying the entire eddieana arc was really relatable to me, local aroace autistic, who has fallen into Situations not entirely unlike this prior to realizing i am in fact aroace.

season 2-onward | eddie & buck

i don't have TOO much to say here, mostly because i know we all know the buddie moments inside and out, and there are so many beautiful posts that already exist about the depth of their relationship, and i don't really have anything new to contribute.

i guess i just wanted to say regardless of whether or not it's ever a canonized romance, it's SO clear to me that they care SOOOOO deeply for each other and in a way that transcends most people's framework for friendship. and i absolutely do not want to devalue platonic relationships or found family dynamics, because THOSE ARE SOOOO IMPORTANT, but like. okay. chim and hen? platonic soulmates. bobby and buck? father/son dynamic. chim and buck? brothers. hen and athena? besties.

buck and eddie? i look at them and i'm like WELL. it doesn't have to be romantic but it's also definitely not like, "oh yeah we're friends!" or even "we're brothers for life." like. they love each other, and in a different way than the rest of the firefam loves each other. and that's one of my favorite things about them as a ship; even without any elements of romantic or sexual attraction, they'd still like...fight like hell for each other. they're still home for each other. idk. can't think about it too hard otherwise it destroys me but in a good way.

ok that's all. <3

some miscellaneous things that make me giggle

(1) THE WAY EDDIE IS CANONICALLY SOOOOOOOOO DISINTERESTED IN DATING. COULD NOT CARE LESS. WOMEN FLIRTING WITH HIM ON A CALL? ANNOYANCE.* "I HAVE A KID THEY'RE NOT MY TYPE" ??????? SIR????????

*this is really valid, actually, aro or not; like, he's just trying to fucking do his job, please leave him alone!! that said, it also amuses me greatly.

not to fucking mention he's told ana (or maybe ana just inferred?) that there hasn't been anyone else since shannon. which is really interesting and could be interpreted in SO many ways (like...there haven't been any other women, but we all know buck's been there? not to mention the rest of the 118?), but to me, it also sounds like NOT REALLY INTERESTED IN SEEKING PEOPLE OUT AT ALL, regardless of gender. <333

(2) he never so much as LOOKS at maddie. granted, she’s almost immediately paired up with chim, and she's buck's sister but?? jennifer love hewitt is GORGEOUS. i am Looking i am Looking so hard and with no particular motive other than to admire because, you know, ace. but i'm just saying.

(3) he's soooooo embarrassed and constantly trying to downplay his relationship with ana in front of other people. like, the man does NOT WANT HER in the firehouse, he does NOT WANT HER around the 118. RELATABLE!! JUST SAYING!!

people start giving him a hard time about going to the christening because that means "it's getting serious" and he shuts that shit down immediately. "it's not that serious." PLEASE. PLEASE.

(that was fucking hilarious to me by the way because like. straight up denial. that IS serious, eddie, i'm sorry, but you are going to CHURCH with that LATINA AND HER ENTIRE FAMILY AND THEN TO A PARTY AFTERWARDS PROBABLY.)

in conclusion...

i guess i just feel really soft about the idea of characters who did things because they were doing what they thought they "should" do, and/or they didn't realize there were other options, and/or they didn't realize what they were feeling wasn't what other people feel. and i also feel really soft about people having ace and/or aro realizations, especially after struggling through a few relationships and feeling shitty and confused. AND i also feel really soft about eddie diaz.

💚💚💚💚💚

[kafus]

i am deeply appreciative of neocities for making website creating accessible to the common person and also young people/teenagers; it’s really unfortunate just how intimidating the indie web is otherwise, especially for anyone who hasn’t touched a single line of code before. even i still find a good chunk of it intimidating - i am not currently a front end developer, i have not gone to school for this stuff, and while i am constantly learning and growing, i am definitely not at the level many running indie websites are. one day i hope to be when i am mentally and physically well enough to further my education! even if not through the means of college.

that being said, i think if developers are able to take a step back and focus on making concepts and tools available to the general public without web development knowledge, the indie web could grow exponentially. it’s easy to see from the notes on my recent guide post that people WANT to escape the purgatory of social media but don’t know how to start and are relieved and motivated with even just the littlest push from a fellow HTML/CSS noob pointing them in the right direction. it’s not that people are happy where they are, but that they don’t even know where to begin, and googling only to be met with webdev jargon is, well, demotivating for the average person. neocities, at the very least, is overtly friendly and familiar - you sign up for it with an account similar to how you would a social media site and are presented with a cute cat mascot telling you that you can do it in a pre-set up file with HTML tags to give you an idea of what you’re getting into, and you’re instantly connected with hundreds of other people doing the same thing. i wish there was an equivalent feeling from trying to enter the indie web space literally anywhere else. not even basic wordpress services feel this straightforward.

social media is convenient and easy and while i don’t expect indie websites to ever be as straightforward, i do think we need to meet in the middle as a starting point, and neocities does a pretty good job of being that middle ground that anyone can get into the indie web through. it was my starting point, that i am currently still using even if i grow out of it at another time! i am hoping that eventually even more options and resources exist to make the process digestible and exciting to people, because i think everyone deserves to have control over their own space and content. i want having your own website to be more normalized and not some niche hobby that me and only a few other people partake in.

apologies if any of this is poorly worded, it is 7 in the morning and i’m talking out of my half-asleep, just woke up brain hahaha. don’t know what the point of this was, i just had the itch to talk. maybe i’ll put a more cleaned up ramble with a throughline message on my site when i’m on my computer later.

tldr; i think we need to get to a point where making your own website is a hobby anyone can take up without being a professional web developer, and where the basics of doing so are easily accessible for the layperson as an internet usage option even if they do not have an inherent interest in programming

[carlos-tk]

nice ask week

hi D! it's nice ask week! What made you start watching LS and what was it about the show that made you spiral into fandom?

Hi Rae! Thanks for the question! 💗 Apologies for how long this took me to answer. Work took over my life this week 😢 Now buckle in for a stupidly long story 😅

Firstly, I had watched the original 911s first and half of its 2nd season whenever they aired (2018/19 thanks Wikipedia) and then totally forgot all about it because again #life 😅 I did hear about a spin off whenever they announced it but I guess the only info was that it was coming soon. Wikipedia is helping out and it seems it was May 2019. I didn’t really pay it much mind because by then I had already stopped watching the og.

So I move on with my life and don’t think about either series until September 2022. I saw a youtube clip of a scene: the throwing each other against the wall hookup from 1x02. I watched it and I was like.. OH?!👀🔥🥵 Saved it to my YouTube watch later and again forgot all about it because back then I was doing full time shift work and had no time to breathe let alone watch anything new 😂 (kicking myself because I could’ve been here a year ago) 😭

Cut to this year. I can give you an exact date i rediscovered 911 verse. May 17th 2023!! 🥳 All because of the Tarlos wedding.

Twitter is probably the platform I use the most cos it’s got all my sports content😅 Anyway I happened to be on the discover/trending tab and one of the top hashtags was #TarlosWedding which was airing that day. I clicked it to investigate and scrolled through. It was full of pics and fanvids of the wedding and again I was like OH 👁👁. I liked a bunch of the tweets to revisit and moved on with my day. A few days later because I had liked all that stuff, Twitter keeps recommending me more content. So I find myself back on YouTube and watched these:

and then a series of random scenes and I was like... okay I need full context for all of this. Another month passes and it’s probably end of June/early July and I’m like let me see if this is available anywhere to watch in Australia. I find it on Disney+ and they have seasons 1-3. This is finally when I watched the show. And then I could not stop thinking about it. S4 is no where to be found though. So I google and see it’s halfway through airing on Channel 7 here which means it won’t be uploaded to Disney+ for a while. So then I’m like UGH 😒😩😤 I wanted to binge the whole season like I had for the others. I kept tabs on when it would finish airing on TV and eventually the finale airs August 14th. The next day I start it and binge the whole season on 7Plus over a few days.

Now that I had seen their entire story so far, I was full blown hyper fixating. Like they’re on my mind ALL the time. I’m reading a book or watching a movie/show and thinking about Tarlos in place of the characters. I’m listening to a song or reading a poem/lyric and being like oh that’s so Tarlos coded😂😂 At this point i’m like oh no 😅😅 The fandom life is coming for me.

Then the biggest surprise of all I start getting the urge to write fanfic again! Which is insane because I had not written anything in (redacted) years. Like nearly every time as I was about to sleep, I start having ideas and rambling it out in my notes app at stupid hours like 2am 😂😅

Next we have the writers/actors strike and I’m like 👀trust me to find a new obsession and everyone is on strike and I’m gonna get nothing new for ages. Then I remember AO3 is a thing that exists and find my way to the 911 Lone Star tag and start reading fic again. Any spare moment I had I was itching to read whatever I could get my eyeballs on. I said to you the other day that I read your gym!AU first and look I might’ve read a random 1k word one shot or two but nothing I can actually remember like yours 😂🥵 I think the added pictures and texts made it so memorable because 1. I did not know you could do that on AO3 2. Rafael is like the hottest guy I’ve ever seen 😅😅 and 3. It was just so damn good 🥵 Sm*t with feelings and I am there. You teased the feelings a little and if/when (no pressure btw) you decide to revisit this universe just know I’ll be first in line 🙋🏼‍♀️ and the reason I can recall it as the first is it’s the oldest AO3 tab saved to my safari reading list 😅

By this point I’m reading fic through the end of August and September constantly. A few I read had peoples Tumblr links in the end notes so then I remember that Tumblr also exists 😂 I come over and lurk, explore the tags, look at all the beautiful gifs, look at a few peoples blogs and make a mental note to maybe join Tumblr again. I had 2 blogs back in hs, 1 fandom specific blog that got abandoned during my last year of hs and a sports/tv-series one I used a little in the years after hs but then again #life and I didn’t touch it after like 2016.

Come September 2023. I made a new email, signed up to Tumblr again, and requested an AO3 invite. Learning how to use this site again was wild because so much had changed since I last used it. I saw something about getting mistaken for bots so I spent a little time making the blog look nice and like an actual person exists before I bothered to follow anyone or any tags. October rolls around and I finally start using it every day and now I’m here with all of y’all 💗

Sorry for the extremely long story and again sorry for how long it took 😅😅

[harley-the-pancake]

This is just a post to try and keep things organized on my blog. If you want to know my pronouns, name I go by, age, etc, just look in my bio. I just reblog and post whatever I want.

I don’t have an official dni, I just don’t give a fuck half the time, as long as you aren’t a dick to others, you can stay

I also don’t mind people using ideas that I have, making things off of the ideas or fics I have, or tagging me in silly @ games.

I also have a second account I occasionally use as a studyblr, which is Pancake-tries-college.

My AO3 is Pancake_Overlord

My pfp is made by a picrew from @wervty

Important sorting tags:

#vent chai latte - posts that are vents or emotional (I don’t always use it I am gonna be honest)

#diary posting - a new tag I’ll be using when I ramble about emotions, meds or just more personal things that are not about my school or friends (LATER HARLEY UPDATE: It is also becoming a bit of less fun school stuff tag, eg talking with professors, getting homework done, etc)

#Into the datemate pile - a tag that I use just to save & share things with my datemate, who does not have an active tumblr

#ph anon of the opera - my ask tag. It does not matter if you are anon or no, you are all ph anon in my eyes hearts (I also have a tendency of hoarding my asks but be free to still send me asks)

#ask game - just replies I’m saving from like descriptions of me or ask games

#my wife saga - my datemate is studying abroad then researching in idaho so I’m being dramatic. This will be happening for 3 months.

Tell me if I need to tag anything for you

From @hee-blee-art

Posts that I feel like sharing:

A post I made about saving Rats SMP vods and led to some decent archives. I did nothing, but it has the link to the document that has a whole lot of links so!

A post I made with a document that I use to save a whole lot of MCC vods and a few VODs I have saved myself

Not an important post, however it’s a post I love and I want to keep on my pinned for when I want to see. It entails some games of One Night Ultimate Werewolf for my datemate’s birthday

This isn’t a post of mine, but I wanted to save Tumblr fairy tales

A ramble on the life series from my datemate. Read it. This is a threat /silly

A list of things to cheer anyone up ^-^

Candy for any trick or treaters who don’t want to send an ask

Best video ever

Datemate poll

[rosemary-morgan]

Geralt of Rivia X F.Reader - Fear (Part 3)

(Pictures are not mine! Found on Pinterest/Google - Collage made by myself)

Many thanks to @fangirl-ramblings 🖤 she has been beta reading for me 🌹

Summary: Back in hell, you try hard to not lose your courage and you hope to be free again someday. At the same time, the white wolf wonders if he did the right thing or if he made a terrible mistake...

I’m sorry for any mistake. English is not my first language.

This story can be read as a reader or oc. As you wish my lovely bees 😊🐝 If someone wished to be tagged for upcoming chapters, just let me know

WARNING: 18+!! Domestic violence, rape, angst, hurt, violence, suicidal thoughts! Please do not read this if you feel uncomfortable with these topics.

Read Part 1 / Read Part 2

Fear (Part 3)

"Wonderful! You have brought me my wife! I can't thank you enough!" "Mmm. Now, my reward!" Edmont handed over the small bag of gold. Suddenly, a strange feeling overcame the Witcher. Had he really done the right thing? The look Y/N had given him when she was escorted away by the maid had been heartbreaking. So much fear had been in her eyes. Geralt growled softly, looking down at his hand that held the little bag of florin. Something inside him screamed for him to get Y/N as far away from here as possible. "Witcher! Your work is done. Now, if you will excuse me? Gaston!" Edmont called for one of his servants, asking him to escort Geralt outside. "No need!" And with these last words, Geralt left the Count's estate, but not without looking around for Y/N one more time. Yet she was gone. Why was he suddenly overcome with such remorse? He had fulfilled his mission. No more and no less. And yet he felt the need to become the shadow of the young woman. At least until he could make sure that she was safe.

♦♦♦♦

"Did you really think I wouldn't find you?" Edmont approached her and Y/N instantly backed away, but kept her eyes on her husband. "See what you did to me?" He pointed to his scar that stretched across his eye. "And what did you do to me, Edmont?" The marks had already faded on her body, but her soul still suffered. In addition, there were many other things she didn't even want to mention as she was deeply ashamed of it. "Damn you woman!" he hissed dangerously and venomously at her. "You know you are my property! You are worth nothing in this house! You have to obey me!" But Y/N shook her head and looked up at Edmont, looking into his cold eyes, which met her with hatred. "I'm not your property, Edmont!" But Edmont didn't care what Y/N had to say. He grabbed her arm to drag her out of the room, pulling her toward the stairs that led up to the bedroom. Y/N was struggling against it, knowing what was waiting for her up there. She tried to free herself from his grip, but he had his hand wrapped tightly around her wrist. "Let go of me!"

But he continued to pull her behind him. As he walked up the stairs, Y/N tripped over her own feet, causing Edmont to stop for a brief moment. He half-turned to her, growled low, and finally dragged her back up. "Come here! Come on!" "No!" He literally dragged her up the stairs. At the top, Edmont walked straight toward the bedroom, where he pushed open the door and roughly threw his wife to the floor. "I've become a joke because of you! The men and women of this village don't take me seriously anymore! Laughing at me! Mocking me!" And as he said that, he began to unbutton his shirt and move closer to her. Y/N rose, and instantly backed away. "I am the master in my own house! You will not make a fool of me again!" "What are you up to, Edmont? Are you going to rape me again?" But Edmont only laughed mockingly, glaring dangerously at her. "Anything I want, Y/N! You are my property and I'll show you what it means to be my wife!" Y/N immediately grabbed an object near her and threw it at Edmont, but he skillfully dodged it. She screamed at him, threatening to scratch his face into pieces if he dared to touch her again. But Edmont was not impressed by her words. "I'm going to kill you, Y/N! If you dare make a fool of me one more time, I'll kill you!" "You're insane! GO AWAY!" She fought back, but Edmont would not be discouraged from his plan to violate his wife. He reached for her, lifted her over his shoulder, and eventually threw her onto the bed. Y/N tried to punch him and push him away, leaving several scratch marks on his face, but even that didn't stop him. "This is going to be another exciting fuck!" "NO!"

♦♦♦♦

Everything hurt. Her body, her face... She felt nothing at the moment. Except disgust, fear and shame. Here she was again. Back in her hell. She just lay in the sheets that were stained with her blood and she was paralyzed. "Why do you always make it so hard for yourself, huh?" She felt the mattress give way as he lay down behind her. She didn't reply anything, just stared at the opposite wall. "Well, at least you know how much you're worth in this house. Which is nothing at all. And should you disobey me in any way, you will know real pain," he whispered hoarsely to her as he stroked through her silky hair. "The witcher couldn't have made me happier!" And the days that followed didn't get any better for the young woman. Edmont locked her up at home, so she wasn't allowed to go out. Edmont didn't want people to see how he had beaten her up. She couldn't even bear the sight of herself. Her right cheek was adorned with a large bruise that was blue and purple. It hurt like hell. "What the hell did he do to me? I look hideous..." Suddenly an incredible rage came over her at the sight of her own reflection in the mirror. She grabbed the vase that was in front of her and threw it right into the mirror. It broke, but it still didn't change the fact that Edmont was holding her captive here...

The last few days had been very quiet for Geralt. No jobs, no people who asked him to kill any monsters. For this, he had no nerves at the moment anyway. The only thing the monster slayer was thinking about was Y/N. He had not seen her for days. The witcher had been hanging around her house, always careful not to be discovered, but he hadn't noticed anything. It had been quiet, and no sign of Y/N. Perhaps there was some truth in Edmont's story, and Y/N had retreated to secretly pursue her magic. Or maybe Geralt should leave it all behind. After all, their married life was none of his business, but he did not manage to banish Y/N from his thoughts. Geralt looked down at his beer mug, which was still half full. He didn't care much about the noise around him; after all, he was sitting in an inn. He had hardly touched his dinner, he had lost his appetite. And this was going on for two days now. "Hmm..." He grumbled softly. Couldn't she leave him alone for five minutes? Just for fucking five minutes? Geralt had to admit to himself that he had probably made a big mistake. "Master Witcher?" An older woman suddenly stood in front of him. He hadn't heard her at all. Curious, the white wolf looked up at the lady, who was looking at him with concern. Geralt recognized her. She was a maid of Count Edmont. She was there when he brought Y/N back. "I beg your pardon, master witcher," Molly began to speak hesitantly "...but I wouldn't know who else to turn to. I'm one of Count Edmont's maids. I'm here for Y/N." The witcher took a deep breath and exhaled before he moved the stew aside and gestured for her to take a seat. "Tell me," he said, arms folded in front of his chest. "Count Edmont lied to you," Molly started, after hesitantly sitting down at the table with the white-haired man. "What?" Now the maiden confirmed to him that Edmont had made a fool of him. The white wolf felt incredible anger inside him, for he hated being taken advantage of. Molly told him what kind of woman Y/N was and how her husband treated her. She left out no details and told him the whole truth. Everything Molly told him was not to be doubted, because the older woman cried while doing so. For far too long, she had watched the young Y/N being tortured. "I hear her screaming every night, but he won't stop torturing her!" Molly sobbed. No one had been able to do anything for the young woman. Some had tried, but had suffered consequences for it. Even Molly had been pushed down the stairs by Edmont for trying to help Y/N. Molly had been very lucky but she hadn't been able to walk properly since that day, because she had broken her ankle when she fell and it had never healed properly. The facial expression of the witcher became harder, until finally the wooden spoon, which Geralt held in his hand, broke in two with a loud crack. "Please, master witcher. Help her! She does not deserve such a life! Whatever the Count may have told you, he is lying!" The Witcher rose abruptly and was already taking a few steps towards the door. He had heard enough! All the words that had come out of Molly's mouth had been like a violent punch to the pit of his stomach! Y/N, a young woman who had been on the run because she had suffered the cruelties of her husband. Geralt knew he could not fix his mistake, but he would take her away from Edmont. "You should't be seen with me. You should't go back to him either." Should the Count give him a reason to kill him, Molly would no longer have a master to serve anyway. Molly also knew that if Edmont found out about this meeting, she would have to pay with her head. But she just couldn't stand to see Y/N suffer like this anymore. Without another word, Geralt left the inn and made his way to Count Edmont...

♦♦♦♦

Y/N had screamed for Edmont, begging him to finally let her out of this room, but he had completely ignored her. Until finally she had collapsed, exhausted, with almost no voice left. Actually, she could have spared herself this agony. But there was still a spark of hope in her. The fire in her was not yet completely burned out. She felt very weak, since she hadn't eat for days now. But she would manage somehow. Somehow she would escape from this room and thought about crawling out the window. But if she fell, she would hurt herself very badly. And how far would she get with a broken arm or sprained ankle? No, she couldn't risk that. Y/N looked at the shards of the broken vase lying on the floor in front of her. She had some silly thoughts about what she could do with the broken pieces. It would be so easy to end it all here and now like this. "..." Y/N swallowed hard and carefully rose, walking with slow steps to the shattered pieces, and kneeling down to them. Each of them was a large shard of clay, sharp and dangerous. They would easily pierce the delicate skin on her wrists; so easily... As Y/N reached for a shard, she began to sob and then immediately threw it away. She let out a loud, pained scream and only hated Edmont more. He made her do things that would never have come to her mind. Damn him! This monster almost drove her to suicide! And this said monster entered the bedroom the very next moment, finding his young wife kneeling in front of broken fragments. Completely dissolved and crying. And at this sight he was pleased, of course, because he had finally managed to break this proud creature. He went to her and knelt down to Y/N. He stroked through her long hair. "Oh, Y/N. See what happens when you disobey me?" Y/N couldn't even answer him. She was tired of it. She was so tired of his games. She was aware that he was trying to manipulate her, but it wouldn't work. However, Y/N was becoming increasingly aware that she would have to play along if she was going to avoid trouble. Maybe he would finally let her out of the room, since she really longed for fresh air. It was lucky that she had a tub here to wash herself. But that was not enough for her. She wanted her freedom! He couldn't lock her up like an animal! But that's exactly what he did and it was a terrible torture for the young woman. "Come, my dear. You should eat something!" His presence disgusted her, but at the moment she just didn't want any trouble with him. Clearly visible on her cheek was the last outburst of anger from her husband. "Put on something nice and join me. It's been a long time since we last had dinner together." Edmont stood behind Y/N, looked in the mirror and admired his beautiful wife. Y/N turned her eyes away from him, for she couldn't bear that lustful fire in his eyes. "Why don't you put on that red dress? The skintight one? Huh?" He put his arms around her waist, hugged her close and started kissing her face. Disgusted, she closed her eyes, but silently let it happen. "Okay...", she just gave out softly. She would wear the red dress for him, even though she more than hated it. "You and I could have a wonderful marriage. If only you would open up to me, dearest. I don't want to hurt you." Hearing that, she felt the thick lump in her throat. So it was her fault, wasn't it? "Come on, take off your clothes, beautiful. Let me look at you." Y/N hesitated a lot until she finally nodded, blinking away her tears...

"Easy, Roach." Geralt soothingly stroked the mare's face after giving her a juicy apple. The night was rainy and cold. Very uncomfortable. His gaze was directed towards the magnificent house of the Count. It was late at night and the white wolf decided to go to the sleeping quarters of the couple. His thoughts did not let him rest and soon Geralt would see with his own eyes who was really the victim in this story. "You wait here, Roach. I'll be right back!" And that's when Geralt moved away from his horse and pulled his cloak deep into his face to protect himself from rain and prying eyes. The witcher made his way around the building without being seen. He used his senses, trying to locate Y/N by her scent. But the only scent he could detect at the moment was the rain and wet earth. But there was a hint of blood in the air. Not smellable to a normal person, but all the more intense to a witcher like Geralt. "Hm. I don't like this." The white wolf climbed the vines on the wall until he reached the balcony and climbed over the balcony parapet. The smell of blood grew more intense and Geralt glanced through the glass, recognizing everything in the dark, thanks to his mutation. Geralt's heart started pounding like crazy when he saw Y/N. She was kneeling in front of the bed in a red dress, the fabric was torn at some parts. The sight of her was pitiful. He made a terrible mistake...

The balcony door was open a crack and it would be a simple matter to go in. But the white wolf paused in his movement. Y/N cursed him for dragging her back to her husband. But he could not leave the young woman behind. While Geralt was still thinking about how to go about it, Edmont entered the bedroom. Instantly Geralt's attention was turned to him. "Stop crying!" Geralt saw Edmont push his young wife into bed and that was enough for the witcher to intervene. He pushed open the door and entered the bedchamber with heavy steps. Slowly pulling the sword from its scabbard, his golden eyes blazed, keeping the Count in his sight. "What are you doing in my home? Get out of here, witcher!" "You have lied to me, dear Count. Raping and hurting your own wife. You disgust me!" The witcher sounded calm, yet unbridled hatred blazed within him. "Women must be kept on a short leash with a hard hand! Especially when they are as young as Y/N!" Y/N didn't know why the Witcher had come back, but she was grateful for it. Seeking help, she looked at the Witcher and when Geralt looked into her face, he recognized the violet under her left eye and the blood on her lip, which had already dried. "I'll warn you just once. Let her go." Geralt's sword flashed in the glow of the moonlight and Edmont fell silent. He knew it would not be wise to anger the witcher. Eventually he loosened his grip on Y/N shoulders and she immediately got out of bed, tripping over her own feet in the process. She failed to stay on her feet, her body hurting too much. "Come to me, Y/N. I'll take you away from here." The gentle undertone in the witchers voice, made her trust him. In the end, she saw no other way out to escape Edmont. "Y/N! You are my property! Don't forget that!" Y/N wanted to get as far away from Edmont as possible, and the white wolf was her last chance. So she rushed to his side and Geralt stood protectively in front of her, blade pointed towards Edmont. "If we cross paths again, I will kill you!" "You won't be able to protect her forever, witcher!" Geralt approached the man, pressing the blade to his throat, and at that moment, Edmont fell silent. Nervously, he looked at the white wolf. "Should your men get the idea of following us, I won't leave any of them alive. This, I promise you!" And Edmont knew that this threat was to be taken seriously...

♦♦♦♦

The quiet sound of the water in the background had a calming effect on Y/N. They had stopped at a stream and Geralt took care of the numerous wounds on her face. Carefully and gently, the witcher wiped the dried blood from her face with a damp cloth. To keep her warm, he had given her one of his doublets. Geralt could not put into words how much it tormented him to know that he was to blame for what Edmont had done to her. The gold had completely clouded his rational mind. He had not seen that this young woman was helpless. His golden eyes looked into her face as he whispered, "I'm sorry." But Y/N said nothing. Still, she was grateful to him for realizing his mistake and protecting her from Edmont. No man had ever stood up for her like that before. And yet it would take a long time for her emotional wounds to heal. "If you wish, may I take you back to Toussaint? Or to your family home?" But then the young woman shook her head, began to sob. "They are to blame for all this misery!" She burst into tears, her shoulders shaking as she buried her face in her hands. "They sold me to him. They had gone into debt and he wanted me for it!" She was twenty four back then. Now she was twenty six. She had spent too much time with that cruel man. Geralt was shocked. Her own parents had given her away to save their own skins? They had given their beautiful child to a cruel man like Edmont. And Y/N wanted nothing more to do with her parents -not after what they had done to her. "I understand." "No." She looked up at him, her eyes all red and puffy from crying. "You don't understand. You're a man. You can't imagine the burdens of a woman," she said softly and saddened. "You are right. I can't." Geralt had seen much suffering in the world, but the greatest violence came from men. Women and children had always been the ones to suffer. But for the first time in his life, he was part of such a crime, and it disgusted him that gold had been so much more important to him than the desperate words of a young woman. Geralt looked at his own reflection in the water, and he couldn't stand the sight of himself. "Take me to Toussaint, witcher. Back to Vermentino. Where I found my peace." "I will. You have my word."

♦♦♦♦

The way to Toussaint was long and they spent the nights in cozy taverns. Geralt paid all the expenses for the young woman. He tried to clear his conscious and yet he knew that nothing could wash her blood and her pain away from him. They had just crossed the border into Toussaint as the sun slowly descended on the horizon. "We'll be reaching Vermentino shortly." Y/N yawned softly, which made the witcher smile. It had been a long journey and the young woman was undoubtedly tired. She leaned against his chest and Geralt let her do so. The gentle smile on his lips showed how much he appreciated that she trusted him. But at the same moment he was aware that he should not give himself false hopes of forgiveness. Even if one day she would forgive him, he would never be able to forgive himself. "Get some rest. I'll wake you as soon as we get there." Geralt enjoyed being close to Y/N, and the thought of them parting in a few hours saddened him. But who was he in her eyes? Certainly not a knight in golden armor. Geralt tightened the reins, slowing his horse a bit more. But he was aware that it was only a stone's throw to Vermentino and that he had to finally let go of her. In this short time of being together he had come to appreciate Y/N very much and he would be lying if he would say that his heart didn't beat like crazy when he was near her. He would be deceiving himself if he claimed that the sight of her didn't bring him to his knees. The need to protect her was deeply ingrained in him and yet he knew she would never allow it. In her eyes, he was a monster. One who did everything for money and nothing was sacred to him. At least that's what Geralt thought.   Well, she was very hurt and disappointed. She was confused about Geralt's decisions. To see inside the mind of a witcher seemed to be a great challenge for the young woman. But soon she would not have to, because her home was already waiting for her. The vineyard was already in sight, and an unpleasant tugging sensation spread through Geralt's stomach. Strange. A witcher did not know the feeling of fear. But fear of loss was high on the white wolf's list. He was not quite as heartless and cold as some other witchers.

The white wolf looked down at the young woman and at her beautiful sight, he hardly dared to wake her. He just rode on, wanting to enjoy the last moments with her in silence, until he finally entered the courtyard. The humans and elves around him recognized the witcher instantly and were not very excited about seeing him. Many of them had not forgotten how he had carried off Y/N. But they were all the more curious when they saw the young woman. 'Scum,' one of the workers muttered, casting venomous glances at the witcher. Normally this would leave Geralt cold, but in this case he had to agree with the farmer. However, he led Roach on, before stopping in front of the large shelter. The white wolf looked down at the beautiful woman with a hammering heart, admiring her lovely face. The delicate nose, the full lips, the long lashes that cast shadows on her rosy cheeks. Firmly he clenched his jaw, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. She had to get out of his life. What could a witcher possibly offer her? A miserable life, full of loneliness. "Y/N. Wake up. You're..." He almost couldn't say it. "...home." His soft tone brought the young woman out of her sleep and she blinked a few times before opening her eyes to see the sun smiling down on her. Geralt wasted no time. He got off his horse and helped the young woman dismount. The view of her plump cleavage had been unavoidable, but Geralt stopped his thoughts. The young woman's eyes gleamed at the sight of the winery. She was free again and never again should she be imprisoned. Geralt would make sure of that. He knew that his being a witcher would have priority, but he put this woman's life above his destiny. His watched her silently, before he lowered his gaze to the ground in sorrow. He nodded, realizing to himself that she deserved every happiness in the world. Before they were to part ways, Geralt took out from his saddle a small, ornate dagger. Narrow, not heavy, but deadly. "Before I go, I want to give you something." Y/N became curious as he approached her. When she saw the dagger, she instantly stepped back and looked quite uncertainly into his face. But Geralt, much offended by the fact that she did not fully trust him, frowned, shaking his head. "For you. I won't be able to protect you from now on." Even if this was not true, Geralt did not want her to know that he was watching over her. Y/N looked down at the dagger and she finally reached for the weapon. "Thank you." Geralt just smiled and headed for his horse without another word. He gave her one last look before riding off, and Y/N was looking at him, while he leaving her behind. This man would remain in her memory for a long time.

[tsukikoayanosuke]

When??? How????? Why???????

I mean- wow, guys... I honestly never expected this. Another milestone has passed and it’s still kinda surprising that you guys are here with me despite my nonsense ramblings. Thank you so much for the follows, likes, and reblogs. I couldn’t have done it without you guys.

So, I think this calls for a celebration...

TA-DAA! Our very first fic raffle!

(can you see my passion in graphic design? XD)

To celebrate this milestone, I’ll be writing some special fics for you guys. Now, I know my writing is not the best, but I’ll try my best. 

What will I write:

For the Twisted-Wonderland fandom. Starting from small and since I think some of you guys are from this fandom, also technically this fandom is where I was born in. The fics will be tagged as TW:OPT Gaiden, but this is just to make my job easier in archiving.

One-shot. We’re here to have fun. so something light will do the trick. I’ll be writing at least +1k per fic depending of your request.

Canon/Canon, Canon/OC, My OC/OC. I know you guys are romance lovers, so this might be our rare chance to make a special lovey-dovey fics, right? I’ll try my best to write close to canon, but personal interpretation might be leaking a bit. For OC request, I’ll be asking for said OC profile.

Any genre you want. I love to try many things, so writing in a difference genre will be a challenge. There will be some exception which I will explain bellow. [This also include smut or NSFW, however, I’ll need confirmation if you guys are 18+ and only available for Canon/OC option.]

Alternate Universe. Whether it’s a sleeping beauty au or mafia au or song au, we’ll find an agreement to fit our TWST cast into this massive universe for one chapter. However, if it’s a not well-known au, or personal au made by the requester, we’ll need a further discussion because sometimes have a hard time understanding things.

What I won’t write:

Multichapters fic. This raffle is for a celebration, yes, but I can’t write another multichapter fic on top of my WIP.

Crossovers. Now this is different with the previous alternate universe.I won’t be writing TWST cast meeting other characters from different fandom, even if it’s Disney related like Kingdom Hearts or Descendants. Mostly because I probably don’t know much about the new characters and really want to avoid mischaracterization.

Canon/Reader & My OC/Reader. I’m not used to and comfortable with ‘x Reader’ fic, mostly because I’m not comfortable in generalization. So, I’ll be writing for a specific OC, not general reader.

Bulletpoints headcanons or headcanons in general. For a simple reason of I just can’t. Plus, it’ll be leaning heavily to my personal opinion which I know will cause some clash.

Some kinks. For smut/NSFW, while I’m mostly open for any kinks, there are some that I’m not comfortable with. So we’ll be discussing this further in private.

Historical & political subjects. Not only I’m not versatile in those genre. It will take a lot of research and this supposed to be a fun time. And those are some touchie matters, so I’ll avoid it while I can.

How to enter:

Followers reblog this post. New followers are welcome. This is just to make the selection process easier. Likes won’t be count.

This is a lottery process. I’ll be picking seven winners to fill the slot. I’ll use the wheel of names to pick the random winners. Unless we only have seven reblogs or less.

When the winner is picked I’ll either announce it or message you directly. Also a confirmation of age just in case.

You can give me a prompt for me the write and your OC if you want them to be featured. I might be asking more questions if I needed.

When the fic is halfway or nearly done, I’ll send through the chat the google docs for checking and revision. 

Once we have the agreement, I’ll post it on Tumblr and AO3. I’ll be putting them under the TW:OPT Gaiden for easy archiving.

The raffle will close at 13th November 2022.

Good luck everyone! And once again, thank you for the 500 follows!

[serendipetite]

ooh new tag game!

tagged by the ever-lovely @pjm-1 thank you so much!! <3

🎄What book are you currently reading?

-> i just punk 57 by penelope douglas and i’ve just started archer’s voice by mia sheridan

🎄 What’s your favorite movie you saw in theaters this year?

-> the only thing i’ve seen in theaters in the last two, three? years is the bts concert 

🎄What do you usually wear?

-> usually these really comfy black pants with a pretty blouse or an artsy tee with a cardigan but lately it’s been so, so cold you can usually find me in my heavy windbreaker lol

🎄How tall are you?

-> 157cm

🎄What’s your Star Sign? Do you share a birthday with a celebrity or a historical event?

->i’m a capricorn, and uhhh...according to google, chr*stopher col*mbus “discovered” manatees that day. i’ve honestly just spent far too much time on “today in history” scrolling and there’s so much dark stuff and obscure music history, so i’ll go with the manatee fact.

🎄Do you go by your name or a nick-name?

-> usually just my name

🎄Did you grow up to become what you wanted to be when you were a child?

-> lmao nope but that’s okay! things don’t always work out the way we plan, and sometimes better things are in store. 

🎄Are you in a relationship? If not, who is your crush if you have one?

-> no, and currently right now just celebrity and fictional crushes. anthony bridgerton i’m lookin’ at you.

🎄What’s something you’re good at vs. something you’re bad at?

-> Good - i’m a fast reader, and a pretty good writer when i actually try. i’m bad at managing my time and getting myself motivated and kicking adhd in the ass lol 

🎄Dogs or cats? both, but i have three cats. 

🎄If you draw/write, or create in any way, what’s your favorite picture/favorite line/favorite etc. from something you created this year?

-> i don’t really share my writing here currently and i don’t really post anything either beyond just me rambling in text posts lol

🎄What’s something you would like to create content for?

-> bts, the book i’m working on (slowly). 

🎄What’s something you’re currently obsessed with?

-> bridgerton, as problematic as it is. and trashy romance novels. i’m kind of in my trashy romance era and absolutely thriving in it lol as long as you can be critical of what you consume i think it’s okay to embrace some of these things. there’s just something i find fun in fully embracing stuff i previously cringed away from. 

🎄What’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year?

-> i guess the bts concert movie. not that it in itself was disappointing but i found the whole movie theater experience really upsetting since everything. i haven’t been to the movies in years because of it all and when i went, my sensory overload was in overdrive and i had to step away and leave because of it so that was really upsetting because i’d been so excited for it!! 

🎄What’s a hidden talent of yours?

-> reading fast and being able to actually take in what i read. i realized today i’ve read five books this week and i can sit down and read one an evening, depending on what it is. and not just skim it, but actually really take it in. 

🎄Are you religious?

-> i grew up very religious but i’ve kind of been trying to figure out my own thing. 

🎄What’s something you wish to have at this moment?

-> i want to find a perfect little job for myself that i’ll be capable of doing and that will be understanding of me and my needs. i want to work on my writing more, and feel more confident in sharing it with the world. 

thank you so much lovely!

i’m tagging @sunshineggukie @minieggukie @fandomfairyuniverse @thoresque @starlostjimin @thornedswan @boopskoo @stay7 and anyone else that wants to do this <3

[bluewinnerangel]

Larry on top anon back again. I was also wondering if you changed your settings to ensure that only people who follow you can search for you? Or something like that? Because I read your blog like my morning newspaper and now I can’t search for you anymore 🥲 (I mean I can, I just need to type your url fully and then go to posts which is a lot more work than before where I typed blue and there you were). Alsoooo I promise it’s okay if you did that you don’t even have to answer this it’s embarrassing to even send it but I’m just curious and I want to know

I didn't like that my posts showed up on Google or my . tag rambles in tumblr wide tags and I still don't really get what option does what so I just turned everything to the more private option basically, for now.

[brot-writings]

I always dreamed of creating something magnificent. Something that people would lay their eyes on and marvel. a lighthouse draped so bright amongst the starscape of everyone else that no one could ignore it even if they wanted to. They wouldn’t want to though. 

But magnificence and marvels and masterpieces require time and dedication and craft that I long since realized isn’t me. I can’t even look at this screen long enough to purge my thoughts out in one sitting, much less hone a skill to the level of attention. I know that, but it hasn’t stopped me from clinging to trying outshine the stars anyway even when it falls apart before the scaffolding is even in place over and over again.

My drafts folder has three beginnings of stories or poems or ramblings or something or other that have been eroding to the tides for well over a month. I’ll think about them all the time, losing the smallest bits and pieces to the waves until the the spark that brought it to life is doused out.

There’s a drawing tablet buried in three months worth of dust sitting on the desk next to me that I spent way too much money on five months ago. A folder on my desktop that has twenty three files that I can’t bring myself to delete even though they laugh like thunder barely visible on the horizon.

I’ve got a package of Origami Paper in the little keyboard drawer with four hundred and sixty three pages inside watched over by a clan of nine nuns, six butterflies, four cats in various poses, three ducks, two mice, a jumping frog, and twelve lost souls deformed by shaking fingers. 

I don’t even want to think about all the outlines and first chapters sitting in my google docs. 

I still pull out the jumping frog every so often though. His name is Gerald. Every time I try to see how many jumps it takes to get from one end of my desk to the other. I just took a break to see and it only took three this time! usually it’s at least five. maybe I'll make him a friend to race with. I’ll name her Gertrude. 

When I logged back into this account for the first time since January 1, 2021 I drew a new profile picture for myself using that tablet because I wanted something cute and fun and I’ve had the nickname “I love bread” or “Bread man” from my internet friends for so long I needed to finally tangibalize it somehow. I really love the way the smile and the eye highlights turned out.

And now this little rambling that I started three months ago with just “I used to dream about being important” is actually something. and I definitely am not important in the sense I meant when I wrote that beginning but I think this collection of words and phrases can be. If I got the point across in the way I wanted to, I mean. I might not have though I’m still pretty new to this whole writing thing. (I’ll leave it in the tags if I confused you just to be sure.)

I just ordered one of those glass dip pens with a bunch of colors of ink and a leather notebook with an owl on the cover. I’ve always loved owls, they look so silly. I think it’ll be fun for a bit, even if no one sees it. Maybe I’ll draw a starscape inside. 

[scintillasofbeomgyu]

hiii aisha!! this is a kind of personal inquiry i hope this is okay but i love all of your works so much that i really wanna start writing too. i was wondering if theres a special program you use to write or if you just open a word doc and type away, im also curious about your general approach to writing if its not too much hehe ilysm i hope you have a great day <3

hey!! ofcourse this is okay, i love when people pop into my askbox for just about anything really 😭 and thank you so very much for liking my writing 🥹 it really means the world to me!! and i’m thrilled you wanna have a go at writing 😭🫶🏻

as for having a special program, i really don’t have one at all 🧎🏻‍♀️believe it or not, but sometimes the parts of particular pieces i’m writing are scattered in different places. like i’d start maybe on the notes app on my phone, then some would end up on google docs, some would end up on a word doc on my laptop and sometimes i’ve even got things written down in, not one, but several journals 😭 it really is a big fat mess and i probably need to start working on being more organized in that regard (maybe it would even help some of those drafts accumulating get published 💀).

i’m not very sure what exactly you mean by my “approach to writing” so forgive me if i don’t give you the answer you’re looking for ☹️ but, provided you mean my process, it varies. sometimes i’ll get an idea and just immediately start writing and see where it takes me. other times, especially with longer fics and smaus, i like to have some planning down first. like more or less the plot/storyline, the characters, etc. i don’t like to plan too much, because i find mostly i’m harder on myself when i do, but i plan enough so that i don’t stray too far from the characters and what the plot actually is. i also try not to compare myself with other writers, or to think too much about whether or not what i’m writing will gain alot of traction and blow people’s minds. i get way too caught up in my head if i do that, and the potential of whatever i was writing gets lost because i’m no longer thinking about it, i’m thinking about how i can be the next Emily Henry 😔😭.

in the end, everyone really has their own manner of and approach to writing. and i really hope you find yours 🥹💓 when you write your first pieces, you should definitely tag me or send me the link!

ilyt! and i hope all the gibberish i just rambled helps you atleast a little bit! i hope you have a wonderful day and weekend too 🥰

[serendipitous-magic]

What is your writing advice for young people who want to write fanfiction and original stories in the near future?

If this is just Way Too Much, skip to the end (#16). My most important piece of advice is there. I also happen to think #5 is pretty good.

-_-_-_-

1) Literally just write. Write whatever you want, and do a lot of it.

_-_

2) You don’t have to post everything. In fact you don’t have to post anything. You can, don’t get me wrong, but it can be intimidating to sit down and think “I will now write something that other people will see and read and judge with their eyeballs.” Because that’s probably gonna lead to nerves and writer's block. Just write down the ideas that you have, the things you want to write, whatever’s in your brain that you want to explore and expand upon and make into something. And then if you want to, share it. Or don’t share it. I have plenty of half-baked ideas and documents and random story chapters and shit hidden away on my Google Drive that will never see the light of day, for a whole number of reasons. I wanted to write it but it wasn’t ~Spicy~ enough to warrant posting, or it’s only like an eighth of a good idea, or it’s like one scene with no story around it, or it’s just something incredibly self-indulgent I just wanted to write for my own enjoyment.

Point being, don’t write for other people. Don’t write so that other people can read it; write what you want, write for yourself, and then if you want to share it, do.

_-_

3) You can pretty much ignore any and all of these for fanfiction. In fact, you can ignore pretty much any rules or guidelines you want for fanfiction. Fanfic is a sandbox. You don’t have to be a “professional writer” to post fic. No one expects you to be Stephen King or Margaret Atwood. Fanfic is just for playing in a fandom and having fun. If you wanna write a 50 chapter slow burn with very little plot aside from the OTP slowly getting to know each other, and no real stakes or central conflict, I guarantee people would read that. Really, fanfiction is the Old West of writing: lawless, wild, unpredictable, and free.

However, here are the rules you must follow:

-Separate your paragraphs. (I’m sure you know this already, but I’m gonna say it anyway just in case.) Do not post one big block of text. Make a paragraph break when someone new is talking, when the characters are in a new place, when a new event occurs that changes the scene, when a chunk of time has passed, and when there’s a major change in subject.

-I know it’s obvious, but... grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. They exist to make writing easy for readers to read, and more people will read your stuff if they don’t have to stop and try to figure out what you meant.

-Use tags and labels, as is possible with whatever site you’re using. Especially if you include possibly triggering content in your story. Again, I know it’s obvious, but it’s common courtesy. Bonus: tagging the themes and content of your story helps readers find it and read it :)

-If possible, limit the use of all-caps and exclamation marks / question marks. 99% of the time, one ! or one ? will do. If you overload the page with a lot of all-caps and long rows of exclamation marks or question marks, it hampers readability.

... That’s literally all I can think of. And, like I said, it’s all pretty basic stuff. You were probably rolling your eyes like, “Uh, yeah, Gwen, I know.” But that’s literally it. You can pretty much do whatever you want in fanfic.

That being said, here’s my advice for both fanfiction and original work...

_-_

4) A quick and dirty rule for coming up with a plot, starting a story, keeping up pacing, or maintaining tension: figure out what dreams, desires, and goals are nearest and dearest to your main character’s heart (see #16). Then set up the main conflict to be directly in opposition to that goal. It doesn’t have to be in a tangible way, though it could be. But, if your main character wants more than anything to reach the ships on the southern coast of your world and sail to a new life, make sure the main conflict immediately prevents them from doing that - in fact, make sure to send them north. If your main character just wants to keep their loved ones safe, kidnap the loved ones. If your main character just wants to date their best-friend-turned-crush, make sure they think they have no chance - or, make them cocky about it, and make sure it makes Person B determined not to ever like them. You get it. Figure out what your character most wants, and then keep them from having that. Boom - your conflict now ties in with your character's motivation. It's like instant yeast for plots.

_-_

5) If you’re anything like me, you want your first draft to be Good, despite all that advice about how the first draft doesn’t have to be good and it’s just to get words on the page, yadda yadda. And if you’re somewhat of a perfectionist (like myself), it’s easy to get stuck looking at a blank page because you don’t have The Perfect Words, and you want what you write to be Good the first time.

Here’s how I cheat that:

Instead of trying to write a Good First Draft from a blank page, hit the enter key a few times, skip a little down on the page, change your ink to red (or blue, or whatever - just something immediately identifiable as Not Black) and just thought vomit. Write whatever the hell you’re thinking, exactly as you think it. Don’t worry about it being readable, don’t worry about narrative flow for now, don’t worry about covering all the details, don’t worry about anything except either a) getting all the details of your idea out onto the page, whether that’s a lot or whether it’s just a sentence or two, or b) if you don’t have an idea yet, finding your way there.

Because this method is also very good for finding your way to ideas when you’re stuck in writer’s block.

Because of how human brains work, getting this stuff out onto the page - in all its messy, stream-of-consciousness glory - will likely spark more thoughts. As you write your original idea about the scene, it’ll likely spark more ideas. Creation begets creation. If you just start thought-vomiting your ideas onto the page, chances are you’ll think of more things as you go, and you’ll start filling out description or dialogue or tone or action or whatever, and pretty soon the scene starts writing itself.

Not sure where you’re going with the scene or which ideas you wanna use? Use a lot of ambivalent language in your “thought-vomit draft.” My pre-writing notes are chock-full of the words “maybe,” “perhaps,” and the phrases, “At some point...” and “...or something like that.” In this way, I don’t tie myself down to one idea; it’s just an idea, and I’m keeping it on the page in case I use it, but I might chuck it in the trash or change it or whatever.

And then, once your ideas for the scene (or story, or chapter, or whatever) are on the page, then go back to the top and start translating them into a “real” first draft. Use black ink, and start copy-pasting chunks of the thought-vomit up into the top part of the document and translating them into Draft 1. Separate out paragraphs where paragraph breaks should be. Add the correct punctuation and whatnot. Change “describe the lobby here - include potted plants, fancy carpet, blood stain, etc.” into an actual description of the lobby. Flesh it out, or condense, or whatever it needs. And if you’re still stuck, change back to red ink and ramble some more until you find a path that feels right, then plug that in. This keeps you from looking at a blank page, and it allows you to generate a kind of Draft 0.5, somewhere between a plan and a first draft.

You don’t have to use every idea. Like I said, jot down whatever comes to mind, put a “maybe” before or after it, and keep working. If the idea grabs you and you wanna keep expanding on it and exploring it, cool. If you just wanna jot it down so you don’t forget it and then move on, also cool. Red-ink draft / “thought-vomit draft” is your time to jump around in the timeline, add or finesse details at whatever point your brain moves to, etc. Don’t try to do it exactly in story order, because you will get tangential thoughts and ideas, and you will not remember to write them down five pages later when you finally get to taking notes on that scene. Trust me. On that note...

_-_

6) Write everything down the moment you think of it. Seriously.

“I’ll remember it when I get around to writing that scene in a couple days / weeks / months (/years).”

You won’t.

Write it down.

Phone, journal, google docs - hell, my family regularly laughs at me for grabbing a napkin during dinner and scribbling thoughts down alongside pasta sauce stains.

And then, once you have it written down somewhere...

_-_

7) Consolidate your writing ideas in one place.

Maybe this isn’t really your style, and that’s totally chill.

Buuuut, if you’re Type-A like me - or if you tend to be somewhat unorganized and you know you’ll lose track of your writing notes if they’re scattered across multiple notebooks, journals, napkins, phone notes, etc. - having one consolidated document of notes is a life saver. I keep mine on Google Docs so I can access it, add to it, and look through it for inspiration anywhere at any time. When I have one of those Shower Thoughts that I jot down on my phone or on a napkin during dinner, I set myself a reminder on my phone to type it up in my Story Ideas document later.

(Or, if the idea I had was for a story of mine that I’ve already started planning / drafting / whatever, I put it in the document for that story instead of the Big Random Story Ideas doc. You get it.)

_-_

8) Have other ways to collect and save writing ideas, besides just writing stuff down. If you like Pinterest, make pinterest boards of your characters or stories or settings or whatever. If you’re big into playlists, make a playlist for your character / setting / story / etc. Or both. Or something else. I’m not good at drawing, but maybe you are, and maybe you like to draw your ideas. Whatever form it takes, having another way to save ideas and think about your stories is invaluable.

_-_

9) Some writers can just start writing with no idea where the story is going, and they just kind of figure it out as they go. I envy those writers. And I do that sometimes for fanfiction, where the stakes are somewhat lower and the audience is reading more for scene-to-scene enjoyment (and to see their OTP kiss) than for a Driving And Compelling Narrative.

But here’s the thing: especially if you’re just kind of starting out, writing without some sort of plan is really, really hard, and will likely lead you into a slow, meandering narrative that will likely frustrate you.

Even if you think you’re someone that just can’t write with a plan (and again, I have the highest respect for pansters out there - I don’t know how you do it, you crazy bastards, but you keep doing you) - even if you think “I can’t work with plans, they’re too prescriptive, I just want to write and see what happens -”

Try at least making the most skeletal of plans.

Even if you have no clue what 90% of the story is, yet. That’s fine. But you need to have some idea of what you’re building to, even if that’s nothing more specific than a feeling, or a turning point for your character. Even if your entire plan for everything beyond Chapter 1 is, “At some point, Charlie needs to realize that Ed was lying to her.”

This is where those Draft 0.5 notes come in handy. Because, more than likely, working on your current scene that way will spark ideas for later scenes, which you can put down at the bottom of the document and save for when they become relevant. In my experience, the line between planning ahead and making a Draft 0.5 is exceptionally thin. One can quickly turn into the other.

If you’re really, really resistant to the idea of planning ahead, that’s okay. It’s not everybody’s style. But for the love of all that is holy, write down your ideas for future scenes, even if you’re a person that doesn’t like to plan and writes only in story order, because you will not remember that idea once you get to that scene.

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10) You don’t have to write in order.

Here’s the thing: I’m a person that can only do my Draft 1 in story order (meaning, chronological order). I just have to be in that flow; I need to write in story order for me to best channel where the character is at from scene to scene, both narratively and emotionally.

But my Thought Vomit Draft is another thing entirely. By using the brain hack of putting my notes in red (or another color, it doesn’t matter) and going down to the bottom of the document / page and taking notes there, and then integrating them into whatever plan I have, and then translating them into Draft 1 once I get there in the story - by doing that, I can get my good ideas onto the page (and expound upon them and let my muse carry me and ride that momentum while I’m in the moment of inspiration) without writing out of order.

Maybe that’s just me. But if you’re a person who really prefers to write in story order, that could be hugely helpful to you. It is to me.

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11) Emotion and motivation will do more for your story than technicalities of plot.

If your characters really care about something, and their journey through the (shaky or weak) plot is emotionally engaging, it will be a much more compelling story than a story with a “perfect” plot and unrelatable or unmotivated characters.

If your characters care about what they’re doing, and it means something to them, and their goals and actions are driven by dreams or fears or emotions that are integral to who they are, your audience will care too. If you have a perfectly crafted plot that hits all the right beats and has high stakes and fast pacing and drama - but your characters don’t connect with what’s happening in a way that’s deeply meaningful or emotional for them? You’re gonna have a hard time engaging readers.

When in doubt, prioritize character emotion and motivation over plot. Emotion is what drives story.

This power is highly exploitable. (Just look at pulp novels and shitty but entertaining movies.) You can even use it to glaze over plot holes or reinvigorate a limp narrative. Use it that way sparingly, though. It’s a band-aid, not a surgery. 

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12) Evil villains are hard to write - mostly because there are very few truly evil people in the world. (There are a few. Billionaires and several big name politicians come to mind.) But by and large, there aren’t that many evil people. There are plenty of bad people, but bad people have some good in them, somewhere in there. Trying to write an evil villain is hard, because they often turn very cartoony.

Here’s a tip: it’s much easier to write antagonists who aren’t evil. Even if they’re bad people. Of course, there’s no reason you can’t write a villain that’s just truly evil - a serial killer, or an abuser, or a billionaire, or someone who legit just wants to hurt people or blow up the earth or stay in control of an oppressed population, or whatever. But chances are, it’s gonna be really hard to make them feel real, and even harder to create a plot around them that doesn’t feel forced or contrived.

Instead, try writing an antagonist / villain whose motivations and goals directly clash with your protagonist’s - but not because they want to take over the world or see people suffer. Write an antagonist who’s chaotic good, but whose perception of the situation is completely opposite from your hero’s. Write an antagonist whose only desire is to save people, and who will do anything to achieve that goal - anything. Write an antagonist who believes in the letter of the law, and will hinder and oppose the hero’s methods even if they agree with the hero’s motivation. Write an antagonist who got in way over their head and did some things they regret, and now they don’t know how to get out, and they’re doing their best but whatever they set in motion is too powerful for them to stop now.

Write villains who are human. Write a killer who thought they were doing the right thing by taking their victim out of the equation, who vomits at the sight of the body and sobs over the grave they dig. Write a government leader who truly believes she’s doing what’s best for her people in the long-term, even if it might hurt them in the short term, and is willing to endure the hatred and belligerence of the masses if it means securing what she thinks is a better future for her people. Write a teenage bully that thinks they’re the one being picked on by the world, and they’re just fighting back, standing their ground. Write a scientist who will break any code of ethics and hurt anyone he needs to - in order to bring back his baby sister from the grave, because he promised her he’d protect her and he failed. Write an antagonist who is selfish and self-centered and capricious - because in order to survive they had to look out for Number One, and that habit ain’t about to break anytime soon.

Write villains who aren’t even villains. Write antagonists who oppose the hero because of moral differences. Write antagonists who are trying to do the right thing. Write antagonists who treat the heroes with kindness and dignity and respect and gentleness.

They don’t have to be good. They don’t have to be Misunderstood Sweethearts who “deserve” a redemption arc. They can be cruel and nasty and dismissive and callous and violent and etc. etc.

Just hesitate before you make them Evil-with-a-capital-E. Because evil is hard to write, and honestly, boring to read. Flawed human beings with goals and motivations that directly oppose the main characters’ are much easier to write and much more interesting to read.

Ask why. Why is your villain trying to take over the world? What does that even mean? Are they trying to create a Star-Trek-like post-capitalism utopia, but they know that won’t happen in a million lifetimes, so they’re trying to do it by force? Are they actually super in favor of human rights, but they got very impatient waiting for the world to do anything about poverty and war, so they decided to take it into their own hands? Are they determined to fix the world - no matter the cost? Are they terrified and overwhelmed, but committed to see it through to the end? Or - maybe they’re just doing it on a dare. Maybe they don’t really give a shit about world domination, they were just a mediocre rich white guy who decided to fuck around and find out, and now he’s kind of curious how far he can take this thing. And now he’s kind of an internationally-wanted criminal, so he’s kind of stuck living on his hidden private island in his multi-billion dollar secret base, strapping lasers to sharks’ heads for the hell of it. Gross, selfish, uncaring, and dangerous? For sure. Evil? Depends on your definition. See, now we’re getting somewhere.

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13) It’s tempting to let the plot control the characters. It’s easy to drop your characters into a situation and see how they react. But here’s the thing: that doesn’t drive plot. In fact, it bogs down pacing. Instead, try to build you plot off of your characters’ actions and decisions. Let your character build their own situation. Not to say it should go they way they wanted it to go; in fact, usually, their grand plans should go to hell very quickly. But having the characters take action and make decisions, and letting the plot develop based on that, is much easier to make compelling than making a rigid series of events and then trying to herd your characters into them.

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14) Having trouble justifying a character’s actions? Consider having them make the opposite decision, or having them approach the situation in a different way. For example: you need your character to go meet the bad guy, for plot reasons, even though there’s no way it’s not a trap. If the character goes, readers are gonna be groaning with their head in their hands, because c’mon man, that was really fucking stupid. But he’s gotta go, because the plot needs that. Two ways you might handle this: a) He knows it’s probably a trap. He decides not to go. The plot conspires to get him near the villain anyway. Or, b) He knows it’s a trap. But he needs to go, for (insert reasons here). So, he approaches it in an unexpected way. He brings backup, recruiting a side character we met earlier in the story. Or he arrives on the back of a dragon, because ain’t nobody gonna fuck with a dude on a dragon. Or he goes - early, and ambushes the villain. It may work, it may not. He may get himself kidnapped anyway. But it moves the plot along without having Stupid Hero Syndrome.

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15) This is a legit piece of advice: if all of this sounds overwhelming, literally just ignore it and write what you want. For real. Writing should be fun, and every single writer operates differently. If you’re sitting here like “I’m getting stressed just reading this,” just flip me a good-natured bird and get on with your life. I promise I won’t take it personally. Same goes for literally any other writing advice you see. Lots of rules and guidelines can very quickly make anything thoroughly un-fun. Just write. If you’re passionate about it and you do it for long enough, you’ll start figuring out the tips and tricks on your own.

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16) Here’s the best piece of advice I can give you: know your characters. More importantly, know what’s important to them. Build their personality and decisions off of that, and build your plot off of their decisions.

I see a lot of character building sheets that ask a shit-ton of questions like “What’s their most prized possession?” “Do they like their family?” “What’s their favorite food?”

And while these are good questions, my problem with this type of character building is that if you start there, with the little stuff, you’re building on nothing. IMO, to make a truly strong character (not strong like Inner Strength, strong like effective), you need a strong foundation.

Here are the things you must know about your character:

a) What are their greatest fears / deepest insecurities? And I don’t mean “wasps” or “heights.” I mean the deep shit. I mean fears like “living a meaningless life,” or “turning out just like their parents,” or “that no one will ever love them,” or “being powerless.” You may say, “But they’re really scared of wasps! They fall into a wasp nest when they were little and got stung so much they almost died!” Great! That’s a fantastic bit of backstory. They should absolutely be afraid of wasps, and that should absolutely be an impediment later in the story. But dig deeper. What about that event actually scarred them? Was it the helplessness? Stumbling around, swatting at the air, not being able to do a single thing to stop what was happening to them? Was it that they were alone, and no matter how loud they screamed, no one was coming? Was it the bodily horror of feeling themself turn into an inhuman creature as they swelled up from the stings, unable to move their fingers or face normally anymore?

And don’t forget insecurities, because those factor in, too. Are they deeply insecure about their identity? Do they believe, deep down, that they’re ugly? Did they grow up poor and they’ve always been really touchy about that? Why? Dig deep. Figure out what really, really bothers them.

b) What are their hopes and dreams? What do they truly want out of life? What do they consider the most valuable to their experience here in this thing called life? Is it the freedom to forge their own path and be independent? Is it the approval of their family or peers? Is it a home? Is it knowledge, or understanding? Spiritual fulfillment? Is it deeply important to them that they contribute to their community, or protect those they love? What do they need in order to feel truly and deeply fulfilled in life?

Figure out those two things (each one encompasses several things, btw, you don’t have to stop at just one for each), and then use that to inform how they behave and the types of decisions they make within the story. 

It also informs character behavior and personality. 

Let’s say we have a character who’s afraid of helplessness. They’re probably gonna be the person that always wants to do something, try something, no matter how hopeless the situation seems. They’d despise just sitting and waiting, probably, because it makes them feel powerless. They might even be the person that makes rash decisions and acts impulsively and puts themself in danger unnecessarily, because in their mind it’s better than being at the mercy of fate. This is one way you could use a character’s personality to inform their decisions, which in turn helps to inform plot.

Or, let’s say we have a character whose greatest fear is being left behind or forgotten. We may have a chatterbox on our hands. They might be obnoxious. They might love the spotlight, constantly vying for attention no matter the situation, because deep down they’re so afraid that they’d be forgotten otherwise. Or, it may go the opposite way. They may be so afraid of people leaving them that they’re terrified of bothering people. They don’t want to do anything that could annoy people, anything that might give people a reason to leave them. They might be exceedingly polite, quiet, accommodating. A push-over, really.

These are two nearly opposite types of personalities, both stemming from the same core fear/insecurity. You can go a lot of different ways with it. But if you build on that strong foundation, you’ll have a strong character, and a stronger plot.

Likewise, the structure of your story can and should inform the design of these character traits. If you need your characters to team up near the end, it may be impactful if you give your main character a deep fear of commitment, an insecurity about being unwanted or left behind, and make them highly value independence and freedom. That could make their team-up for the final battle very meaningful. Conversely, you can use your character’s deepest fears and desires to help design the plot. Is your character deeply insecure about voicing their opinions or taking a stand, because of trauma they faced in the past? Make them face that. Build that into the climactic third act. Give them the big inspirational speech where they stand up and talk about what they believe to be important, what they think the group should do. And then design that character arc to run through the story, giving you more handholds and stepping stones, more pieces of foundation on which to design the plot.

In this way, character should inform story as much as story informs character. It’s a feedback loop.

Bonus: if you build your character and your plot off of each other in this way, it automatically starts to build in the foundations of that emotional investment I mentioned earlier. If your character’s decisions are based on what they most want and do not want in life, you basically have your character motivation and stakes pre-built.

Note: you need to know these things about your villain, too.

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I’m genuinely sorry about the length of this, lmao. But you did ask.

Best of luck!

Edit: I forgot an important one:

17) Start when the scene starts and end when the scene ends.

What do I mean by that?

If your notes say “Danny asks Nicole out after school and majorly flubs it,” start the scene when Danny approaches Nicole after school. Better yet, cold-open the scene on “I was wondering if, you know, you’d wanna. You know. Hang out some time?”

Don’t start that morning when Danny goes to school, unless you’re gonna cover the school day in like one or two sentences. Don’t spend whole paragraphs going through the school day, unless it’s to cover other plot points first (in which case apply these same guidelines there), or if the paragraphs are there for a specific reason, like to illustrate how stressed he is and how it seems like every little thing is going wrong. Even then, trim the fat as much as possible. Expounding and describing everything Moment-to-moment is for the meat of the scenes, not the leading-up-to and coming-away-from.

Here’s my rule of thumb: study how and when movies cut from scene to scene. Movies have exceptionally strict, limited time for storytelling; they’re excellent examples of starting a scene when the plot point starts and ending when it’s over. If you can’t picture a movie showing everything you showed, start the scene later and end it earlier.