#AND IM RAMBLING HERE ABOUT A MC YOUTUBER

[crow-caller]

first off, i absolutely adore your channel. i think ive fully listened through your lightlark review twice every day since its come out. i play it in the background while im doing the dishes or doing homework or writing (its great motivation, really “if this could get published, then by god some poor fellow on Ao3 will like my story”)

i left a youtube comment on your latest video about sweet evil that has the same premise as this ask, but either it just didnt go through or you deleted it yourself (which i kind of doubt, but if it did bug you then please disregard this ask lol) because i cant find it anymore.

your love for angels in literature is a very nice breath of fresh air among the booktube community, and that paired with your love for bad books made me wonder, have you ever read Georgia McBrides PRAEFATIO?

if you have, oh my god i thought i was alone in experiencing this horrendous novel, but if you havent i really do recommend it.

actually. “recommend” isnt the right word. i dont recommend this book to anyone at all. save yourself

the writing is so JUVENILE its painful to read, imagine my immortal but with zero edge and thats almost exactly the writing style of the first few chapters. at some points the book gets so insanely hardcore (like lightlark but the violence is somehow even more unnecessary to the plot) but then the mc is reacting to these things with such eloquent phrases such as “OMG” “WTF” and “OW”

the mc, grace ann miller, is (from my memory) newly seventeen and is also the most specialist nephilim to ever exist because she was actually the will of GOD, so that makes her better than the other nephilim.

she falls in love with a Hot Rockstar Fallen Angel™ named gavin who is absolutely not also 17, after he totally didnt kidnap her and when shes eventually saved— i mean ripped away from her one true love by the police— shes deemed INSANE and a victim of stockholm syndome. the entire book is meant to be her giving her police statement which georgia seems to forget for most of the story.

tale as old as time really.

id love to hear your thoughts on it if you ever get your hands on this garbage fire (or if you have already).

(also, georgia mcbride is totally in love with gavin and its a little weird, you can see her ramblings here)

I def didn't delete the comment, I've only deleted 1 spam comment the entire time I've done youtube, but I probably haven't seen it or it got caught somewhere in the web. I TRY to read and respond to every comment or at least like it to show I've read it, but as I get more videos and views that's increasingly hard to do. I'm bad at time management to begin with and now I have hundreds of comments to respond to!

The name Georgia McBride sounds very familiar but I can't tell why. I have never heard of PRAEFATIO, it doesn't seem very notable or wide spread but you're right in that it looks similar. And sounds bad. And the cover looks.... wrong.

They.... look so wrong. They both look extremely photoshopped and severely uncanny, the girl in particular looks like a doll and honestly, it really really creeps me out. It definitely is going on my list of books to read though because it sounds gloriously bad, and yes, I love angels and bad angel books a lot.

(It's the autism if anyone couldn't guess by everything about me... special interest: angels (and demons). Longest lasting special interest maybe I've had)

[halotopicecream]

🍨things abt my blog/ my writing

My writing is very much my own and I do it differently than others

I mean sun ofc I do everyone has unique writing styles and that’s just what makes it fun— and I’m ramblings again—

My blog is very much just here to entertain whoever reads and myself. I get bored easily, and when I do I daydream— and those day dreams form into new writing ideas and so on so forth

I write everything I can come go with; from drabbles about my thoughts to 20k plus word fics. I’m not new to writing, I’ve done it before, but this blog is still very much new and I’m still learning the ropes of tumblr a bit. Several YouTube videos later of how to make a Masterlist and update links later, here I am lol

I am very… hormonal,, let’s say. So my blog will very much have a ton of fluff and smut that’s very just all over the place spread out

Im not specifically a fluff blog, nor am I just a smut blog— I’m a bling blog✨

The thing about my writing is I prefer to capture the thoughts and feelings of both and/or all the people in writing for. So I will go from writing second person for the mc, to switch so you can see the thoughts and feeling if let’s say Yeosang

People have had problems with this in the past, and have told me it takes out the mystery and suspense of the story of whatever. And I understand that, it’s just how I write

I myself get mired of just reading it in second person for the reader alone sometimes so that’s another reason why I write that way

I won’t always switch point of views. If the story is built on a more mysterious atmosphere then the chances of me switching the povs is less than usual, but I might still do it bc old habits die hard

Thanks for reading all of this mess, and I can’t wait to post my first… anything on this blog. I’ll see you all later, byeeee

~Halo

[captainshyguy]

god i had such a surreal moment oh ‘huh i wonder what that old minecraft youtuber i used to watch back in 2016 is up to these days’ and poking into his tag (expecting nothing, just humouring myself) and getting smacked in the face by fanart bc he won some minecraft tournament or whatever 

[mariesocuniverse]

Relationships: NCT 127

Maeil (aka Daily)

there are two meanings to their ship name

first is, of course, their names mashed together but the second meanings is much cuter and the one fans use to explain their dynamic

When Mae found out their ship name was Maeil her first reaction was “Oh? Is it because I make sure to let Taeil hyung I love him daily?” while cuddling Taeil on a couch

he’s the same age as Mae’s older brother so she treats him as such

her brother is literally like “Are you replacing me with Taeil? I’m your reall brother!” and she’s just there sweating

part of Taeil’s hype squad and will fight donghyuck for the position of president

like the two were on vlive and spent a good fifteen minutes arguing about their positions in the club Mae won but donghyuck refuses to acknowledge it

he could be doing something simple and you can see Mae in the background with a big smile cheering

he’s also like her personal teddy bear whenever she wants cuddles and/or wants to rest

there are just multiple gifs floating around nct twt of Mae tackling Taeil for a hug or her just clinging to him on a couch because she’s either tired and wants to rest or just wants cuddles

absolutely adores his voice

there are multiple compilations on youtube about all the times Mae compliments Taeil on his voice and him just blushing the whole time

Maenny

was lowkey intimidated bc the man is a fucking tree and basically towers over her

but then he saw him play around with some other trainees and that thought disappeared real quick

he’s more like the protective older brother than like a parent like Doyoung or Taeyong

can and has used his height to his advantage when it comes to scaring people who hurt Mae or do something to make her sad

he was one of the first people who found out about her old company and he looked like he was about to storm their building probably would’ve if it weren’t for Mae

one of the first people she became friends with because he always answered questions she had when she was a trainees

before debut there were times people could see Johnny walk somewhere and Mae is just trailing after him like a lost puppy more like running because the man’s legs are long and he walks faster

there was this one time someone asked where Mae was and Johnny just shuffled to the side to reveal her behind him

his large frame was just big enough to hide her from everyone’s vision unless you walk past the two

you know that one vid of predebut nct performing Under The Sea with Johnny wearing the fish head? Mae was supposed to join him dressed as Ariel but the idea was cut last minute

there was this one time Mae couldn’t see something bc she was too short so Johnny lifted her up and put her on his shoulders

okay enough about Mae’s height

during shows he’s always encouraging Mae to talk more when she seems unsure whether to give her input or not

johnny, after an interviewer asks a question: “what do you think Mae?”

absolutely melts whenever she does aegyo because no matter how old she is he’ll always see her as the cute kid who followed him everywhere

MaeTae

honestly it’s hard to pinpoint where Taeyong’s protective parental energy started getting directed to Mae

like it might’ve been somewhere predebut but she doesnt know when

she’s like 50% sure she just blanked out and suddenly Taeyong appeared in her life scolding her for not taking care of herself

it’s not like she’s complaining abt it she’s really grateful to have someone like him in her life

when her family got worried abt her joining a group filled with guys he personally went to her house and calmly explained how Mae will be taken care of and how the group will make sure that she’ll be safe

first person to know if there’s something between SM and Mae that the other members don’t know about

he was also the first member to know about what happened with Mae and her old company

she knows she can trust him with anything

he found her alone crying in one of the practice rooms and she just poured her heart out to him

Whenever they go places as a large group he looks for Mae first before counting the other members

she got lost once and now he doesnt want her out of his sight for more than five minutes

she got him a “world’s greatest dad” trophy as a joke that he has on a shelf in his room

YuMae

you know how yuta acts with mark and winwin? yeah he does the same for Mae

if he isnt giving a hug to mark he’s all the way across the room with Mae giving her a back hug

Mae: does nothing

Yuta: aigoo look how cute she is :)

she doesnt ignore him tho she just returns the affection

likes to jump on his back for a piggy back ride or just run and jump to give him a hug

there was this one clip that went viral of Yuta talking to someone and he just pauses for a moment before turning around to catch Mae, who seemingly came out of nowhere, into a hug and turned back to his conversation

neither yuta nor the other person seemed fazed so this seemed like a regular occurrence to them

he teaches her japanese!

its beneficial to both of them because Mae can learn and Yuta won’t forget any Japanese while living in Korea :D

really really really loves his smile

like real whipped (A/N i wrote this while watching the under the sea performance and now im going through it)

like she sees him smile and that makes her smile and that makes fans smile

Can and has glared at “fans” and other people who make her uncomfortable whether it be at the airport or during their schedules

There was this one time Mae was walking ahead of him when there were fansites following them and he just pulled her back into his arms because he noticed an anti of hers was nearby

It’s like a lion trying to protect a kitten

2Young

again did not know how Doyoung because like a parent to Mae but she just ended up rolling with it

She just has this aura to her that makes you want to care of her and give her love

whenever they go eat together with the group he always put food on her plate, regardless of whether the managers glare at him or not he glares back anyway so they back off

“doyoung she’s been put on a diet-” “she’s going to eat whether you like it or not”

one time Mae got sick with a fever and he just burst into her room with medicine and soup

if taeyong has the “world’s greatest dad” trophy doyoung has the “world’s greatest mom” trophy that he says he’ll throw it away but has it perched on his desk

Mae’s also one of the members who like to clown him

she’s the one of the reasons he already has gray hairs

Mae has a folder of embarrassing photos of Doyoung’s childhood that his brother sent to her and refuses to delete it

she cant do anything about them tho bc Doyoung got his own folder of babie Mae pics courtesy of Mae’s older brother

Haechan has tried and failed to gain access to either of those folders

MaeHyun

major sibling energy

but not like the bickering kind of energy but more like very soft and uwu

there are a lot of people asking them “are you sure you’re not related?” during interviews and fansigns

Fans are just waiting for the two to do a duet bc come on SM you have a real life Disney prince and princess here

Let Mae be the Jasmine to Jaehyun’s Aladdin and perform A Whole New World together

She likes to poke his dimple

There’s this one vid where Jaehyun and Mae are sitting together and she just pokes his dimple and Jaehyun’s smile gets bigger

joked about if he could let her meet yugyeom and bambam bc of 97line and he just went no <3

when jaehyun was inkigayo’s mc nobody could approach her with the infamous inkigayo sandwich bc she was always with him not like anyone could try considering mae has several bodyguards wherever she goes

you know how jaehyun won the alpaca plushie in nct life? he gave it to mae bc he know how much she loved plushies

Honestly the majority of the plushies in her room were given to her by jaehyun

She has a bear named after him uwu

MaeWoo

Loves the energy he gives and thinks he’s so funny

He never fails to make her laugh whenever she needs cheering up

they used to be shy around each other when he first joined the group but they caught each other having a midnight snack so they just talked at 3am eating ramen until doyoung found them and told them to go to bed

now it’s just tradition for them to go to a convenience store together and eat ramen or whatever snacks they decide to get

nobody is allowed to join them its only a MaeWoo thing  

Mae has natural aegyo but Jungwoo has taught her to use it to her advantage which she does but not often

Another one of Mae’s cuddle buddies

She just thinks he looks so soft so she just clings to him whenever he’s nearby

Major uwu energy over here when it comes to the two of them together

idk why but i dont see him as the type to be protective when it comes to her dating

he’s more like

“you dont have a boyfriend yet? damn people dont know what they’re missing”

or on the other side of the spectrum

“good luck to your future boyfriend he’ll need it if he’s gonna date you”

2Ma/MaeKyung

Older brother that doesn’t feel like an older brother

Majority of the time he kinda just feels like they’re the same age or younger so newer fans get shocked when they find out she’s younger

Like there was this one time Johnny the two were playing Smash Bros and Mark was whining because he lost and Mae was jumping in the background cheering it was his fourth loss in a row but he won’t say it

they were kinda awkward around each other at first so johnny literally had to stick them in a room together and didn’t let them leave until they talked to each other

it worked and they just vibed and rambled about different topics like trainee life and what mark’s life in Vancouver was like

speaking of Vancouver

one time during their stay in Vancouver they wanted to have a friend date but he lost her at a mall and took twenty minutes trying to find her until she used the announcement service to call him

he wouldve ask his Vancouver friends to go with them but some of them had a crush on mae so no <3

When she first starting writing songs and her own lyrics she went to Mark first and asked if the lyrics she wrote were good

They were amazing and Mark made sure to tell her that :D

mae’s reaction to his dream graduation was one of the saddest things czennies have seen so when she found out he was coming back she would not let go of him

Literally could not stop smiling whenever mark was with the rest of dream filming for Resonance

It’s just very wholesome and czennies are willing to riot if SM decides to separate them

Maechan

You know how I said Maehyun was the soft and uwu type of siblings? Well Maechan are the bickering type of siblings

You know the ones who like to bicker over minor things but still would protect each other for life

they have so much dirt on each other on trainee days lmao

Haechan to Mae: lmao what a loser

Haechan when someone insults Mae: listen here you little shit

The only person allowed to clown her is him and the rest of NCT

he heard a trainee talk shit about her once and they still can’t look haechan in the eye

he’s only a few months older than her but he uses the “i’m older!” card whenever he can

“i’m older therefore i get to go first” “excuse me sir but you’re only three months older than me” “but im still older”

they fight for the title of the favorite 127 maknae but they both know that can do what they want

Mae is more lenient towards the hyungs during yaja time than haechan is tho so she just vibes whenever they go to scold him when the games over

they do team up a lot so they’re a menace when they do something together

especially in games

their competitive nature plus their brain power together? its over it even started

50% of the time they have to be separated from each other when it comes to choosing teams

the other 50% is someone choosing both of them because they want that easy win

Those two are willing to risk it all even for a bag of chips

[ghostpajamas]

GOD. GOD. YOUR THIRD LIFE ANIMATIC HAS ME IN SHAMBLES!! The editing of the music and the voice clips flow so well together. And I love how you show how happy everyone else is. How it all gets so much darker and more sinister when scar hits red. THAT SHORT OF GRIAN LOOKING HORRIFIED AS THE HEART SHATTERS ON THE GROUND,,, “there’s a room where the light won’t find you, holding hands as the walls come tumbling down” and Grian’s respawn room. GOD GOD GOD KABSKSBWK IM IN SHAMBLES OVER IT

I love the shot of Grian and scar covered in blood— and their expressions are just so good and show so much about their feelings about the whole affair— as it focuses on the friendship pass IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY THE “YOU CAN KILL ME” CLIP???? YOU KILLED ME

The image of the darkness slowly overtaking Grian was so just… it was beautiful, and it was horrifying. I loved how it started with his eyes when Scar first died— then it covers his hands and face after he’s red. When he realizes just how much blood is on his hands. And how you tweened the eyes!! The tweening in their entire video is so phenomenal and the “I don’t feel good” clip with Grian covered in blood and crawling to the edge was just JAGSKEHKWEH GOD GOD GOD ITS SO GOOD!!!

The warping of his figure as he begins to fall is so good and I love the ending so much and just KABSKWBKWHW GOD I hope you know now how much I adore it

AUAJAHSJAJDGK I HADNT ANSWERED YOUR YOUTUBE COMMENT YET SO YOU COME TO MY ALTAR (ask box) NOW THATS DEVOTION... thank you for sending it here, there r so many heartfelt comments on youtube that i want to answer sincerely but that means i must take my time about it and not ramble like a FREAK about every detail. i WILL do that here though

i am so so so so so glad you and so many other r enjoying that video to the degree that you do and finding so much meaning in the few things that i did not plan for LOL i did not even notice a tonal shift when scar turned red. so many of the events i drew are out of chronological order that it didnt even register, hell one of the opening shots shows grian at the top of the cliff

see the darkness overtaking him thing (throughout the whole animatic i mean) was a topsy turvy road in my brain. because like, i draw grians eyes fully black normally. i just think it's neat, it matches his mc skin. so stuff with his eyes being black is negligible unless we're looking at his scleras which do get a bit darker when the blood is spreading. the black irises do expand a bit too. (the shot where he sees scars 2nd death, the black eyes made him look not 'stricken with panic and grief' enough so i left them out)

but the blood coating him? from the fight and then his bound wings finally breaking free now that hes safe and alone, only to be twisted and wretched forms of what they couldve been with care ? well yeah that was on purpose. i sketched that sequence during a 2 hour kikuo bender. i was thinking a lot about that 3l comic with the line 'all that blood was never beautiful, it was just red' too. warping his figure was fun i wanted to make it look like he was wobbling on the balls of his feet and staggering but WOW he looks inhuman goopy in the final product

(also the shot with scar and the friend pass, the other guy is bdubs not grian, that why grians sword swings down above them and bdubs isn't looking in the direction it comes from. this is also why the friend pass in the intro is crumpled and with a bloody handprint.)

ahhhh the grian respawn room...the first time in the video i hint at grian going his own way and where that road ends for them...im messed up in the head about being alone in the world, compelled to kill the person who you stayed by, who you killed, who killed YOU and now theyre. gone. and you dont know what to do without them. and it hurts (literally and metaphorically)

okay i have gone on for a while goodbye <3

[beardedhandstoadshark]

Info, tags, side blogs

This blog is a mess, check them out (or not, go wild, who am I to stop you. Would be cool if you did, though! Some stuff here‘s a bit important, so if something here comes back to bite you don’t say I didn’t warn ya!)

General info:

-DNI list here (not that the people you’d want to ni would actually care in most cases, but still. These are here for you, not for me, so please don‘t fill the inbox cuz you didn‘t like what you saw here!)

-IF I DONT SAY THANKS ON AN ASK ITS IMPLIED I SWEAR IM THANKFUL FOR ALL OF THEM

-Posts are sometimes queued, no queue tag tho.

-Don’t really reblog donation posts. Sorry.

-I generally refer to people as pals, no matter if we actually know each other or not. If you’d rather not be called pal/buddy/friend/etc, and instead prefer something else/nothing, please say so.

-the blog description is accurate. There will be lots of posts and they WILL mostly be random thoughts. Yea

-I don’t live in the US ; in fact, I live on the other side of the planet (Hi! :D) so while (I like to think) I‘m pretty fluid in English 95% of the time, there might be some grammatical mistakes (as well as cultural diferences!) in this blog

-time zones are funky but so is my sleep schedule, and they somehow manage to cancel out each other most of the time.

-social skills are not unlocked yet. So if I happen to talk too much in the tags/about myself/too directly, or can’t keep up a conversation, I swear it’s not intentional. Feel free to call me out on it (kindly)!

-if ya need something to be translated from/into German for whatever reason I can provide

-if ya need vaguely Mediterranean to Middle Eastern food recommendations, I can also provide!

-if ya wanna see something under a super old microscope, I can especially provide! (Seriously. Please ask me to look at stuff under a microscope)

Tags on Posts:

-reboggels: reblogs

-another anon ask: anonymous asks. (99% aren’t actually asks but they’re sent via ask button into the ask box so. y‘know).

-toastshark rambles: used to be toastshark lore before I changed to this one cuz it’s more generalized. Random rambles that aren’t specifically irl stuff, I guess…?

-original character do not steal [tm]. My oc tag across all blogs. Yeaaa I‘m one of those people.

-ingame journal entry [number]: little reaction summaries of new/old games I play. A list of all games and their tags is here. its toast plays [game in question] now!

-bhts recommends: stuff I think is way too underrated/unknown/I just think is neat. Seriously check some of these out please

-pixel doodle: Pixelart made by someone whose only experience is loving games of the art style and watching too many YouTube tutorials, using mostly dotpict. (if you see stuff from this blog on an account called [InsertName], that’s mine!)

-​another day in the life of a toadshark: irl-posting

-cheese saga: the adventures of Cheese the moth that woke me up by flying into my face at 3am, and all the other lil moth pals that have since come to visit me

everything else: mostly videogames

and also me just rambling a lot

(Lotsa tags ik but mobile doesn’t have archive)

Sideblogs:

(toastshark) (toast not toad), drawing aka main side blog. It’s not as chaotic and screamy there as in this main blog, so please go check it out. I do requests too!

tocstshark, super self indulgent sideblog to dump my oc lore. Yeaaa I‘m one of those. Sorry. Might be cringe but at least I‘m free- the tag original character do not steal [tm] is my oc tag across all blogs.

mm-in-mc, a “recreating Clocktown in Minecraft Bedrock” blog. Technically in hiatus because I can’t be bothered to important all those screenshots all the time lmao-

randomgamesIhave, a sideblog where I catalogue a bunch of random games I have on my phone because we all know how easy it is for mobile games to disappear without any warning…or just because I think they’re neat

stuffedpeppershark, zombie apocalypse diary but instead of zombies it’s plants slowly taking over my room and mind

[luci-cunt]

hi im super sorry to bother you! but i was wondering if you had any writing tips? im like really bad at writing, like fleshing out ideas and then building on them? and i see your writing and im always amazed because everything is so put together!! also there's no pressure to answer this if you dont want to! 😊

asjfd;lsakdj why are all nonnies so worried about annoying me?? I love you guys??? especially when you say shit like thsi??? my brain is leaking out my ears aldskjf;lasdkj <3333

also: jasl;dkfjasd oh my god you think my writing is put together?? aslkdfj;asldkjf <333 ajsd;fasjdlfkjaljdf

This got a little away from me so here’s a TL;DR:

Hoard your writing

Realize it probably doesn’t look as bad as you think it does

GET INTO YOUR WORLD!

Characters make worlds

You’re your own carpenter and other peoples writing strategies probably won’t 100% work for you

Writing’s kinda like acting well: get in your characters heads! (and I mean ALL of your characters--even your villains. ESPECIALLY your villains)

My writing process is a mess don’t follow it XD

WRITE

I think one of my favorite pieces of advice is the fact that creators are ruined by all the answers XD. Like, idk if that makes sense but basically: as the author/ artist/ creator you see everything that goes into making your work work which means you can’t really ever know what the polished piece looks like.

I mean, if you want visuals being a creator is only seeing the back of your cross stitch, while your readers/ consumers only see the front final image.

(this wonderful Elizabeth Cady Stanton found here is a great example but Tumblr is being stupid and won’t let me post it in the actual answer XD)

To us, it’ll always look a bit unfinished or wonky, because we know just about all the details!!

The point I’m trying to go for is that: as the creator you can’t really know whether or not your work makes sense or is “put together” it’s why I love getting feedback so much--I’m an addict. For one: it’s hugely encouraging to get compliments and reactions (+ a nice boost to the ego ;) XD) but, at least for me, I’m always terrified nothing in my stories makes sense!

Having aid that, fleshing out details/ building on them is still important and I think it’s one of the most important things about writing. I’m assuming you’re meaning just general ideas, in which case--write it down. al;ksdjfajk I know that seems obvious but at least for me I write everything down OBSESSIVELY, and I delete NOTHING. I have a whole doc where I copy paste sections that I want to remove just so I have all of it, becuase you never know when it might make sense later or come back to you!

I guess what I’m trying to say is--HOARD YOUR WRITING!!! Even the stuff that’s cringy and stupid and kind of makes you wanna throw up because oh my god did I really write liek that??? One of the first things I ever wrote was basically a rewrite of this one youtube minecraft series I liked, I think I was like 12 and it was cheesy and all over the place and just utter garbage nonsense. Everytime I look at it I cringe because oh GOD, but I kept that shit! BUT! One of the side characters was a stroke of accidental genius and I’ve been trying to replicate it since! XD

K I got a little away from myself but also: building and fleshing out ideas is...... a unique process. It’s not like physically building something, because at least with that there’s specific ways to go about doing it, but it’s more like.... idk taking pieces from other people until you get the strategy you want.

I’m a dumbass with ADHD so my strategy is the Jack Karouac. He was a classic american author known for his book “On the Road” which he famously wrote all in one 3-week sitting. He used a roll of ticker paper so he didn’t have to change it on his type writer and just wrote.

When I get an idea I sit down and just write everything out, my strategy is usually to frame it like I’m writing a letter to someone--YES snarky commentary included! XD--it just helps flow things.

So say I have an idea for a story, first I write an into something kinda stupid like “Ok I just came up with this like four seconds ago and now I need to write it out” and then I start with the most vivid details and go from there. Usually that means characters, I’ll describe them only as they pop up in my head (sometimes this means everything from name down to the way they tie their shoelaces and sometimes it’s just ‘best friend of mc’), then I work my way out from there, asking questions and writing the plot out.

Questions are worldbuilding things like “is this world like earth? is it in this time period? if it isn’t what time period? why that time period? this persons job is x, why? when did boy-next-door move in? why is there that scar on her face?” and usually while this is happening I’ll come up with little dialogue snippets that I just dump into a “Snippets” pile XD. Again--those are sometimes full pages of scenes I’m thinking of, or just dialogue bits I want to use or just more character quirks.

Once I’ve done that I drop it all and leave. Go for a run or a walk or make some food or whatever and DO NOT touch it or even THINK about it for at least a day. Then, come back and read over what you’ve got and fidget with it until you’ve got something at least resembling a story XD.

K wow this got long but lastly: Characters make worlds! If you’ve got kinda iffy world building or a plot you’re not very happy with, as long as the characters are enjoyable and real people will like it. Idk if you’ve read the All For the Game series but the world building is GARBAGE. lakjdsf;klj that’s not an exaggeration: a kids dad is a mob boss who works for the Japanese Yakuza who also run a fictional sport called Exy and regularly torture/ brainwash people. That’s just wild right there--BUT people adore it because the Characters are interesting and real.

Another example is the Green Creek series: I love those books to death but I stg Klune just recycles the same plot/ character drama every book and I STILL go back and reread them because the CHARACTERS!! And a LOT of people love those books despite the fact that they’re all basically the same.

Characters. Make. the. Story.

Idk, maybe I put too much weight on characters and I don’t know what I’m talking about, but--at least for me--I put the MOST effort into making my characters real and something people will be interested by and hopefully connect with, and I think it works out ok XD

Sorry this is rambly and long, I like talking. :) I hope this helped!!! Maybe?? ajs;dflajk

[jacnaylor]

tv recs: happy shows edition

I haven’t done this in a really long time, so here are the older editions. (If there’s overlap then I’m sorry, also these are shows that specifically make me have that cozy, happy feeling or that are comforting. all tv rec posts, including ones previously mentioning a couple of these, are here. if some of these i haven’t said as much about it’s probably because they are repeats. also there’s only so many times you can say ‘it makes me happy’)

1. The durrells (aka the durrells in corfu)

a slightly hapless, chaotic british family go and live in corfu in the 30′s. absolutely wild. there’s animals. there’s people falling in the sea. screaming out of windows. it’s fun, it’s silly, it’s gentle and gorgeous. keeley hawes is magnificent.

2. call the midwife

starting in the 50′s and now up to 1965, this follows the trials and triumphs of midwives (some of whom are nuns) in the east end. it covers hard topics as well but mostly it’s that lovely mix of sweetness, compassion and great characters. it’s really just lovely. there’s so many female characters that i love. makes you feel warm and cozy, especially the christmas episodes which air every year 

3. lewis

so this follows two police men solving crimes in oxford. they’re opposites but they end up working well together. lewis is the boss, he’s a gentle man from newcastle mourning his late wife. the young dc is james hathaway - a clever, ex priest turned police man. they ramble around, soft oboe music is playing. they solve crimes, they quote poetry. it’s not a gritty police drama. it’s a subtle show. it loves and showcases oxford. honestly i repeat: the police officers are not ‘gritty’ or ‘hard men’. they’re sad, sure, but in a nice, sensitive sort of way. they want to help people. they care. they aren’t afraid of showing emotions. hathaway talks about his faith and how it affects his work. it’s just not what you expect from a mystery show and it really is worth a watch.

4. good omens

an angel and a demon slowly become friends. they are perfectly happy living on earth, eating sushi and driving old cars. they are slightly perturbed when the anti christ is born and therefore is set to bring about the end of the world. silly, funny, beautifully shot. david tennant and michael sheen are wonderful. it’s absurd and it’s just so great and self aware. and british. 

5. gavin and stacey

one of the best british sitcoms of all time. it’s about an essex boy who falls in love with a welsh girl, and their families and friends coming together. hilarious, heartfelt, incredible. still funny to this day. one of those shows you can watch a hundred times and still find something new. like coming home.

6. derry girls

5 teenagers living in derry in the 90′s. the most chaotic group of people alive. they act like real teenagers, they love each other a lot but they also get themselves into a lot of scrapes. it’s just such a good show to bingewatch and curl up with.

7. galavant

a medieval musical comedy show. diverse cast, great songs, im so bitter it got cancelled but it got a great end so don’t worry. 

8. buzzfeed unsolved true crime and supernatural

so i wasn’t sure about this one but i adore this show so its here. it’s a youtube show with ryan begara, who definitely believes in ghosts and shane madej, who definitely doesn’t. there’s also the true crime edition. it’s HILARIOUS. it’s just these two guys talking like normal people about crimes and ghosts and its just so funny and wonderful and interesting. ryan is having a break down over an empty chair. shane is inviting demons to inhabit his body. it’s a good time.

9. anne with an e

one of the best recent period dramas. following orphan anne shirley and living with her adopted family in green gables. it has hard topics but its also about finding people you love. it’s about family, acceptance and imagination. wonderful!

10. ashes to ashes (and life on mars....i’ll explain)

life on mars is the first in two shows. it follows a police officer who is involved in a car accident and wakes up in 1973. I personally love this show but since ashes to ashes, the continuation (the sequel, if you like) has a happier feel because its set in the 80′s (and the mc is a female police officer.) ashes to ashes is funny, a bit bolshy, but its so fun. it’s a time travel/sci fi cop show that fully leans into the absurdity and is all the better for it. im my opinion it’s best to watch lom first because it’s all one big continuation of the same story. honestly it just makes me happy. 

11. miss fisher’s murder mysteries

phryne fisher, in the late 20′s is a single woman of means. she decides she wants to solve crimes and look good whilst doing it. she also flirts with a police man. her best friend is a lesbian doctor who lets her look at dead bodies. it’s honestly the best. phryne is the most charismatic lead!! includes the line “men. can’t live with them, can’t kill them with an axe.” so worth it just for that

13. great british bake off

a group of contestants bake in a tent in an effort to win the bake off. unlike american competition shows it really is about friendship and the love of baking. they all help each other out! they get very stressed about custard! gorgeous

14. hustle

cheesy, silly, fun 00′s show about a group of con men who decide to only con people who deserve it. i mean. whats not to love. it really does feel 2000s if that makes sense. in the best way. these shows aren’t focusing on being shocking or slick, it’s just telling a fun story. 

15. car share

this one is a comedy, a slice of life, a romance all in the setting of a car. it’s about two work colleagues who are made to join in their works car share initiative. it’s so funny but it’s also just. sweet. its about two normal people. they sing to the radio. they have to jump out to post cards to their nan whilst stuck in a traffic jam. it’s about them connecting and it’s just. it’s so good.

16. miranda

follows miranda, who is about 5′9 and socially incompetent in the extreme whilst she tries to navigate her chaotic life. honestly one of the loveliest shows ever made. 

bonus: the mallorca files, santa clarita diet, strictly come dancing, last tango in halifax, brooklyn nine nine, monarch of the glen

[jisokai]

Hello hello! If it isn’t a bother, could I request the RFA+V w/ an MC that they had been a fan of? Like MC is a popular comedian, YouTuber, actress, etc that they liked. Oof I hope this isn’t like,,, way confusing. Thank you so so much and have a nice day/night!

thank you for sending this!! this is actually such a cute idea,,, thank you for being patient with me, i know i’ve been slow with catching up to requests……. but here we go!! i tried to make it relate to their interests, but not too similar..? if that makes sense,,

rfa+v with an mc they were a fan of

yoosung- gaming youtuber!!!- when you logged onto the chat,, your username looked oddly close to the one he was subscribed to on youtube…- he just took it as a coincidence, maybe you were just a fan?? - yeah, that must be it.. that explains how you know all the games he plays and liked to nerd out with him right???- he kind of tricked himself into that mindset really well and kind of forgot about it- until the day of the party,,,- he sees you and wHAA???- is-is that the same person i asked out…?- he starts freaking out oH MY GOD ITS ACTUALLY THEM????- hes so amazed and blushing bc ohny god i knew your voice was familiar i used to fall asleep listening to it omg i hope that wasnt creepy- but,, he feels so guilty,,,, hes such a huge fan and knows so much about you - he apologizes so much and ur just like wtf??? youre just super supportive thats all i can ask of you- hes literally just in so much shock when he finds out like IM DATINGA THEM??

zen- musical performer!!- its been his dream to meet you, you were one of his biggest inspirations- you managed to be so talented at such a young age, hes always wanted to interview you and get personal advice- when you logged in, you used your real first name instead of your performing one, so he just thought you had the same name by coincidence- but when you came over to his house and he opened the door to see,,??- you just smiled and went “zen!!” and he..- his heart went doki doki,,- he just stuttered and let you in, asking if you were the same mc from the chat- when you explained you were in fact the same mc (you just used your first name to avoid extra drama/suspicion), he just starts rambling about how big of a fan he is and that youve always been a huge inspiration- hes cautious about advancements after that, he doesnt want you thinking its just because youre famous- youve offered to help him out, but he refuses and says he wants to earn his fame on his own- will take a while to tell the press about your relationship but POWER COUPLE!!!!!- he really praises you so much and is constantly asking for your validation and opinion.. hes swooning

jaehee- music artist!!- i think she really likes more soothing and mellow music, and youre a bit famous in that genre because of your singing!!- she came across your music one day and just fell in love- youre voice is so beautiful and it calms her so much,, she so thankful- like the others, she just ignores your username and plays it off as a coincidence- when she calls you for the first time, shes really surprised because okay THAT sounds familiar- but shes still denying it skskd- but when she meets you for the first time she ?? UHH- yeah ok no denying it now- shes telling you how much your music helped her and how talented she thinks you are- she,, will ask you to sing her to sleep oh my god please….

jumin- kdrama actor!!- we all know how much he watches and,, he saw one in particular that got him interested- hes never really checked out certain actors before, but there was something about how you spoke and reflected your emotions that captivated him- hes watched all your films and loves every single one- when you entered the chatroom, he makes a small comment about liking an actor with the same name- “haha i get that a lot..”- cue seven smirking behind the monitor- but when you showed up at his door, hes shook???- *runs to tear down poster in his room* “h-hello mc *cough* w-welcome”- youre the first celebrity hes ever gotten into and now youre here at his door??- are we in a simulation?????- bro sarah cant even try to compete now lololol- that scene he recited to her? yeah, those were your lines- he insists you watch your films together with him and he makes comments during romantic scenes about reenacting them- c&r has suddenly taken an interest in using celebrities for marketing and collaborations….

seven- comedian!!- he secretly steals your jokes and says them in the gc - but when you log in the chat and he does the background check hes so shook??- when all your messages are funny one liners and puns,, hes smiling so big- will have joke-offs with you- you call him out when he accidentally recycles some of your well known lines - when you meet irl hes so IN LOVE by how quick you are with your wit,,- he will counter your roasts with more roasts and its an endless cycle- comes to every show and is so supportive god can we appreciate him- nobody can stand being in the same room as yall fr

v- artist!!- he found you on social media when you were a smaller account, holding less than 2k followers- and he watched you grow and get famous, now with half a million- when you entered the chatroom, you used your real name instead of the online alias, so he didnt think anything of it- but he noticed a familiar speech pattern, brushing it off as just a common trend and coincidence- youve never shared your face online, so seeing you (not blind i guess…) wasnt a big deal- but he came over once and what???? - he walks into the studio and recognizes almost half the paintings- youre mc the artist online wHAT??????- hahahahahahhahaaaaa- you try to brush it off and belittle yourself but hes not having it- he bought prints of that one painting right there so stfu- he takes his time to tell you about how much he loves your work and how long youve been a fan- … and you explain how youve been a fan of his work for a long time too- this obviously means POWER COUPLE!!!!!!!!! (yall know me so well)- youre the inspiration that helps him start painting again and hes so thankful and proud of you

thank you for reading!! check out my masterlist for more!!