#I wrote an askblog in an hour

[bakfoo]

Opening Post:

It’s 1990, we open with Kangaskhan (Kanga for short) and her baby looking quite peeved.

“So you’re supposed to be my new guardian? Let’s hope you’re better than the last.” Hints that she’s a problem and almost refuses help altogether. 

“Ironic, sending a human to protect me when humans have been the ones to take away from me.”

“It’s alright. I’m not a fan of humans either” the human replies. We’re gonna call him Arthur (Art)

Over the course of the open inbox it’s revealed:

The weapon Art carries is from his time in the Kanto Johto war. He hasn’t fired his service weapon in almost a decade

Kanga and her baby are very much self sufficient and Kanga feels that this is an empty gesture from the people in charge

No matter how they try to evade him, Kanga and the baby are always chased down by Art because he’s that good at his job

Team Rocket is very much on the rise and is starting to get eyes on the safari zone

Art is very distrusting of humans, ESPECIALLY trainers

The baby goes a little bit behind her mom’s back to find out more about Art because she was told a lot of things but this is the first time she’s learning about things on her own

Plot point 1: 

Kanga and the baby get into actual trouble

Art goes through great lengths to get them back to the safari zone but at the cost of his health 

Even still, he refuses to fire his rifle

He’s badly hurt and taken to a hospital. 

Kanga has this nagging feeling that this guy isn’t telling her everything so she demands to go with him.

Open inbox:

Art is fine and he makes it clear he’s been through worse

She questions him, others question him, he slowly opens up:

Tadaaaa backstory/flashback time

Art was a “handler,” an officer who sent pokemon in waves to attack Johto to varying success

He was born in Kanto, but others distrusted him for obviously not having a lineage in the country

That pressure pushed him to send his most trusted companion, a Marowak, to his death. That Marowak's skull is what adorns his helmet.

He would’ve been the most decorated officer in the Kanto Johto war if he hadn’t thrown his medals away in disgust

He was a key figure in a coup that is responsible for the rise of the current Kanto government

He is still so dangerous that he’s considered an “Operator” (think of a trainer who fights along side their pokemon in perfect harmony) without having any pokemon under his command

He never wants to fire his weapon again.

Plot Point 2: 

Kanga and baby go back to safari zone while he heals. She’s all “well damn ok I guess this dude is at least trying to make things better” and slowly over time they become friends

Eventually, they develop a working bond and help kickstart the Kanto Preservation Operators Union (KPOU) with help from other people who are very much like Art.

The baby grows up and is anxious to see the rest of the world, Kanga lets her go with a tearful goodbye. She tells him that she’ll send letters to Art, especially. He feels accomplished for what he’s done.

After their time together, Art finally comes to forgive himself and starts to become a better person, coming out of his shell to make friends with more of the safari zone and even other humans who have like minded views.

Kanga starts to feel trustful again, inspired by the trailblazing that her daughter set out before her since the baby was the first to reach out to Art instead of her.

Plot Point 2:

Team Rocket attack again, but this time, they actually want to take out the newly started KPOU so that they can cause trouble without impunity. 

Art finally fires his rifle. This situation is no longer about him. Team Rocket is the embodiment of everything he hates about his past, and he won’t let the KPOU dissolve before it can do any good. With gunpowder and steel, instead of fighting for a wrong cause, he fights for his happiness. 

Since team rocket know know he’s dangerous, they jump his ass with almost everything they have. He’s almost overrun but Kanga is the one to save him in the nick of time. Together, they fend them off 

Epilogue:

Done via article or written docu-series moment. The KPOU is a resounding success, one of the greatest success stories being the restoration of the Lapras population. Its founders are still living strong, doing better things by the day

The inbox is open for one last time, a final send off is had, and the askblog is over

[askthesciencesquad]

i can TASTE the EXASPERATION GASTER!!! and it TAsTES like BLUEBERRY FLAVORED DARK CHOCOLATE!

*Travel Montage!!!

[START]

[NEXT]

[PREVIOUS]

[INDEX]

(@ches-nogat and @lightmooncream)

[weaselbeaselpants]

kind of related but not- I'm genuinely sorry to be posting so much or about Lily Orchard, guys. Prior to Courtney coming on and telling us her story I was mostly just taken aback and angry with Lily as "one of those critic types" in my circle of vision.

It sucks -and yeah I know other critics don't want to hear this+Lily will use this fact as an excuse to discredit ppl's complaints abt her. but I think a lot of us were initially exposed to Lily because they knew of andor were fans of her cartoon criticism content. In my case I knew Lily from her days of Bronydom and have watched her make more and more meanMEAN material even w it's not about internal fandom dramacallouts. Back in those days and up to last year I could say of Lilly the same thing I'd say for a lot of people who annoy me online: I think she's a bully. Which is still bad, it's just not 'criminal', inherent. Comparing her to Rebecca Sugar, Lindsay Ellis, Contrapoints or VivziePop would be stupid as she really doesn't have even half the portfolio or wherewithall as any of those people -or even Zena and Poppy, not that they're angels. Lily was/is annoying because she'd use other people's genuine concerns and talking points. There's a certain takenupbyaltlight-term that I begrudginly would love to use for Lily that REALLY hits the nail on the head with her, be it as a fan, a critic or an activist. But I won't use it. Not because it's untrue, but because it's used by the same people who write her kiwifarm pages and misgender her and clearly couldn't give a crap about her if she didn't make them "lol"

But then, I actually looked at some of Britt's receipts and skimmed bits and pieces of what remains of Stockholm (I think you all already know this but @britts-galaxy-brain the links are missing now). For years, I'd known and listened to others honestly harp on Lily as some kind of counter-initiative for her going after their fav foalcon people. I assumed it was more of the same. It's not. Lily 100% wrote cp and is trying to hide it. No not fiction abt young adults that delves into erotic and sexisms; not stuff with aged-up child characters being big boobied of themselves thru the gaze or r34 artists. She wrote cp.

Essense of Thought's and that one hour long video talking about Stockholm were the first real horrifying revelation. Then I read through Brittney's saved messages from Lily and 'Tara'. Then I saw Patch's video.

THEN, Courtney came out and told everyone on here and her server everything we needed to know. I don't abide by everything Courtney says, especially about her abusers but I mean they're her abusers and please stop asking her to like the children who're valued more than her in the lives of her abusers, or at least maybe vent openly not to Courtney directly about your fear for those kids Cameron has. Yeah, I'm also concerned but idk there's got to be a better way to handle this. Anyway, as previously stated, I believe Courtney, Britt, and Patch. There's no way that those people have faked that stuff. I've heard kind of stretched explanations being true, but there's no way Stockholm was "edited by pedos" like Lily's saying it was I know I'm missing a few folks in there but I believe a lot of people have been genuinely victimized by LO and aren't just acting out of transphobia, bigotry.

Of what I can attest based on what I've seen, I KNOW that Lily Orchard wrote 'fluffy' foalcon and is saying she didn't, and also that the woman hates the word "queer".

Of what has been shown to me, I fully BELIEVE Lily Orchard is an abusive, sockpuppeting predator. Not only that, she's hiding behind other predator's existence to lie to her audience of other abused people to convince both them and herself that she couldn't possibly be a predator.

In 2013, what was 10 years from now, there was a controversy in the MLP fandom where a minor rose a (not undeserved) stink abt the askblog Princess Molestia and how it was making light of r*pe, intentionally or not. To counter this, a bunch of mouthbreathing bronies took it upon themselves to prove they weren't creeps by threatening the underrage sa victim, making r*pe porn of her while other mouthbreathers basically said "yeah put she's [the minor] annoying so it's the same kind of evil we're doing, really". Centrists.

Why this matters to me is (CW. CW. CW) you can find a post from Tara Callie, who was almost certainly one of Lily's alts at the time, admitting she found the r*pe art of Pinkiepony "hot", all the while Lily herself was publicly denouncing Pinkie's treatment by the fandom.

Lily Orchard is an awful human being. She does not have intrusive thoughts or fears of acting on those intrusive thoughts sometimes, like me and other people do. She has sexual and violent urges that she hides enough form the public to not make her followers suspect anything. She's twofaced and takes out her probable self-hate by attacking other predators. She's all deflection and lies. I can not believe a thing that vile woman says. Neither should you.

The biggest means of fighting her I think we all can do of is refusing to use her critical tag w we talk about her. Spam her "own tag". Enough hiding and denying who this terrible bigoted abusive woman really is.

Because really, her thoughts on glubshitto or whoever from Owl House are HARDLY the worst of it. Not even.

[kennothythebard]

Hi hello, random do you have any OC’s you’d like to share about or stories you’ve worked on that you’d like to talk about?

I hope you have a lovely day!

Thanks for the ask! I was about to respond in the negative but then I realized I technically do, it's just I don't usually think of them like OCs which is totally bizarre??? Anyway

(placed under a read more bc this got LONG)

My main medium of choice is playwriting and I have written some stuff. I wrote a musical starting when I was like 16 and finished the first draft of the libretto when I was in college, but I kinda dropped it shortly after that point because when I went off to grad school I just didn't have time to work on and edit it. But it was called losing faith and it's about this girl named faith who goes to a catholic school who accidentally tells people she doesn't believe in god and the fallout that arises from that. It was very much an exploration of being a teenager and feeling isolated and coming to terms with queerness and all that. I actually reread that script recently and its not as bad as I feared it might be, just needs some work. I love talking about them but I could literally spend hours talking about this story (i think i made an askblog at one point? lowkey cringe but eh what can you do we are all cringe) so i'll leave it at that The thing that I've done the most writing for recently has been the SCP Foundation, where I'm like a solid D-list tale author, though I've been off the site for a bit bc grad school. I had a couple of tale series I was really proud of, most notably the stuff in a series I created called UnHuman (which eventually became a canon). The basic premise of the setting was it was a post-apocalyptic world where only anomalous things survived (anything "fully human" perished in the apocalypse, which most survivors don't actually know what it is and call it "the calamity"), and the foundation and like every group basically is gone but tone is fairly light (it's v inspired by kipo and the age of wonderbeasts, fallout, adventure time and the like). My flagship series for that canon is Goodbye Nightflower, which is about two young women of unclear anomalous origin named Mio and Gabriella who know nothing about the world they live in and so decide to run away from home and make a documentary about their experiences, but they run into a zombie "promethean" named Nitro (pronounced with a short i) and a crab monster that, due to eir name being unpronounceable in human noises, the girls decide to dub Sebastian. I only have four tales of that out but i have SO MANY PLANS for these dummies i love them so so so much Nitro is just an absolute stoic only man who's like "in the wasteland... you can't trust no one but yourself...." and sebastian is just this gentleman ball of sunshine who's like "hi nitro and I trust each other with our lives and we would do anything for each other :)" and the girls are learning SO MUCH and the setting!!! I HAVE PLANS IM JUST BAD AT THE FOLLOW THROUGH. if you wanna start reading that you can check that out here or if you wanna just like check out my other scp stuff that's all available here and if you really like my stuff for some reason theres even a cheeky little kofi link at the bottom but absolutely no pressure

There's also like OCs from like little projects. I have this trio of friends from a short play that I wrote where it's a gay enby and the crush they have on their somewhat oblivious bi himbo friend and also the enby's roommate who's a chaotic lesbian and i love her but like after the play was done im like "i wanna follow these folks more" and have fruitlessly been planning follow up short plays and ahhh. and there are even more but they're not quite as interesting but im always happy to talk about them

in fact im always happy to talk about any of my ocs and stories, hence this overly long answer, and if you feel like knowing more about any of this, feel free to send another ask or a dm, i always love talking about things. thanks so much for the ask!!!!

[obsidiancreates]

Where You Belong

Dark feels the shiver that means it knows he’s here before he even crosses the border of it’s power. At least, the former border.

Apparently, that’s expanded. Which he doubts is good news for him, or his mission.

Months. It’s been months now, since Doc managed to escape. Months since Dark realized he’d fled here.

To The Manor.

Dark swore he’d never step foot on it’s grounds again. But he has several new scars, along with everyone else in the family, and Doc hasn’t been seen outside of The Manor even once since he’d gone missing.

So now here he is, once again. After a century, he’s finally returned to the place where he’d been turned.

He walks up to the front door, feigning confidence as best he can, as though he’s not feeling smaller and smaller the closer he gets.

The door swings open before he’s even in front of it.

As soon as he steps through the threshold he can feel it’s reaction to his return. The air is thick with anticipation, and then... rage. It knows why he’s here, and it does like like it ones bit.

He feels like he’s just gotten back home after a long trip away, and at the same time like he’s stepped into a place where he’s entirely unwanted and will be punished for even daring to enter.

The door slams shut behind him, and he hears it lock.

No turning back now.

“D-Damien?”

He cringes. Ah... right.

“Damien! I-I knew you’d come back! Where’s William, where’s Celi-”

Dark ignores Actor, walking right past him as Actor tries to go for a hug.

“Damien?” he asks, following Dark as Dark begins to search the house. 

Whispers tickle at his mind, and shadows dance around his vision. They’re taunting him, and welcoming him, and screaming at him, and warning him.

He ignores them.

“Damien, you- you look so different. What have the years done to you?”

The years? The years? 

The man responsible for changing his entire life, his entire being, is placing the fault upon the years?

Dark doesn’t reply.

“Whoa, please, slow down, talk to me! It-it’s been so long, surely you aren’t still angry? Damien, please-”

“Stop calling me that!” Dark snaps at him, the shadows reeling back before closing in thicker than before. “I am not. Damien. Damien died.”

“You-you’re right in front of-”

“My name is Dark,” he growls. “And I’m only here to retrieve what’s mine.”

Actor gapes at him. “What do you mean?”

“Doc,” Dark says coldly, looking right into his old friend- old brother’s heartbroken eyes. “I’m just here to bring Doc back home.”

“Excuse me?”

Dark turns around, and there stands Doc where he hadn’t been moments before.

His fists are clenched, and his eyes blaze a bright, hot red. “Mark, I think you should go upstairs for this.”

“But-but- it’s Damien, you- you know-”

“Mark, please, go upstairs.”

Dark hears the whispers from the walls echo Doc’s statement.

Shoulders slumped, tears falling down his face, Actor does as he’s told by his two housemates.

Dark and Doc stand alone, facing each other.

Well. 

Dark stands alone.

The shadows in the room all converge, gathering around Doc. They crawl up the wall behind him, writhe around his feet on the floor, slither across his body like snakes. And Doc stands still, seeming not to notice, but Dark sees his body language relax as the shadows move across him.

“I’m not leaving,” Doc says simply. “And you can’t make me.” 

He grins, his fangs much linger and sharper than they had been when Dark last saw him. “You can’t make me do anything, ever. Not anymore.”

Dark almost shudders. Doc is... different. Colder. More confident.

It’s remind Dark of himself, really.

The shadows seem to cling even closer to Doc when he speaks again, darkening furthers and covering more of his body. “I’m staying here, whether you like it or not.” He steps closer, the shadows around his feet following as he does. “You don’t have any sway over me anymore. No power, no instilled fear, nothing. You’re as at my mercy right now as I was at yours for all that time.”

Dark steps back, the whispers in the air growling louder the closer to him Doc gets. “I’m here to bring you back to the family, to bring you home,” Dark says.

Doc scoffs, then laughs. An ugly, twisted laugh, his expression caught somewhere between a sneer and a snarl. “That’s not my home. It was never my home!”

He grins again, and opens his arms a bit. “This is my home. This is where I belong.”

Dark does shudder this time. There’s something unnerving about seeing act so much like...

So much like him. Like him, and like Actor. His expressions... he hardly even looks like Doc, with the way the shadows flicker across his face, the almost cruel amusement in his bright red eyes.

Is that what Dark looks like? Is that what Doc saw, all those times Dark forced him to go out to feed? Is that the monster that Doc accused him of being?

Is... is Doc that very same monster now?

“This place is not a home,” Dark says firmly, shuddering again as something brushes against his back, stroke the length of his spine. He feels like he’s being examined, a specimen for study. “It’s a nightmare. A living, thinking nightmare, a hellhole that you’ll never crawl out of if you don’t-”

“A nightmare? A hellhole?” Doc comes closer again, and they step out of the light of the windows, which even now is dwindling with the sunset. Doc smile is gone, replaced by an expression of such pure rage and-and hatred that Dark isn’t sure if he’s shivering from the ghostly touch of the shadows, or from genuine fear.

Fear.

He’s... he’s afraid. Of Doc, of all people. The weakest one, the one who cries for every humans he feeds on, the one who’d rather starve himself to near-death than kill one lousy human, the one who usually can’t even stand up when he’s “standing up” to Dark.

And yet here he is, looming over Dark the way Dark once loomed over him, making the older vampire nearly stumble back just because he doesn’t want Doc close enough to reach out and grab him.

“No, no, you’re house was a nightmare and a hellhole,” Doc growls. “You’re house gave me nothing but misery, and pain, and endless suffering!”

“This place? This place gives me joy. It gives nothing but joy, and relaxation, and bliss. No hunger. No-one controlling me or taking away my choices. No you.” Doc laughs, and it echoes around the room. 

“This is heaven,” he says breathlessly.

Dark feels something brush over his neck, right where he was bitten all those years ago. The air of the room feels smug, and not just because of Doc.

“You meant to be back home, part of our family, you’re meant to be with us,” Dark says, his conviction growing weaker and his voice reflecting that. He’s starting to get dizzy, the barrage of conflicting whispers and emotions that aren’t his and the light ghostly touches and the way Doc’s face seems to reflect his own twisted soul back at him-

He doesn’t look where he’s going, and the back of his foot catches on a little step that wasn’t there when he’d entered the room. He falls back with a frightened shouts, hitting his head on the hardwood floor, making it spin even worse.

And Doc is bent down, right in his face. His breath is colder than Dark’s, and it reeks of death in a way that simple blood drinking could never cause. The shadows slide off of Doc, yet the amount on his stays the same. They drape themselves across Dark’s torso, and suddenly he feels weighed down.

“You’ve got it all wrong,” Doc says softly. “I’m meant to be here.”

With me

The whisper is louder, clearer, and it purrs itself in the back of Dark head, tickling his skull.

“I thought you wanted to be cured,” Dark tries, now just hoping he can distract the demon- demons- long enough to get away. “You’re still a vampire, clearly.”

“I wanted to not have to kill,” Doc says, his hand slowly coming to grip Dark’s shirt in his fist. “And I don’t anymore. I have all the pros of being a vampire, and none of the cons.”

For a second, Dark lets his fear overtake him.

And then he swallows it.

He shoves Doc off of him and scrambles to his feet, while watches, some cross between amused and angered.

The walls feel more amused. Doc feels more angered. Dark feels like his legs might stop holding his weight soon.

“You’re just as naive as you were before,” Dark says, trying to catch his breath. God, his chest still feels heavy. “Just because you think you’re meant to be here doesn’t mean you are!”

Doc scoffs, and that’s echoed as well. 

This room shouldn’t have an echo.

“You’re one to talk.”

“You don’t belong to it,” Dark hisses, and Doc goes stiff, and the amusement in the air turns to cold fury, waiting to see what happens next before it reacts.

“You belong to me.”

Doc is gripping Dark by the collar of his suit, seething in his face. “I DON’T BELONG TO YOU!”

HE DOESN’T BELONG TO YOU!

The screams com in unison, and Dark reaches up to covers his ears, gasping in pain.

Doc eyes tear into Dark, red and then black and then alternating and then-

“YOU’RE WEAK!” they both spit out of Doc’s mouth, the voices echoing so much that Dark can’t tell which came first. “YOU’RE A COWARD WHO RUNS WHEN THINGS DON’T GO YOUR WAY, WHO TAKES FROM OTHERS AND RUINS EVERYTHING THEY’VE EVER TRIED TO DO OR BUILD! YOU SNEER AND MOCK AND YOU ACT AS THOUGH YOU’RE HIGH AND MIGHTY, ABOVE ALL, BUT YOU’RE LOWER THAN A BUG! YOU’RE A PATHETIC, WORTHLESS EXCUSE OF A BEING, VAMPIRE OR NOT! YOU’VE NEVER DONE ONE SINGLE USEFUL, BENEFICIAL THING FOR ANOTHER CREATURE, EVER!”

Doc drops him, heaving, stumbling back as the shadows press closer to him. He trembles and squeezes his eyes shut, dropping his head and wrapping his arms around himself. 

Dark falls against the nearest wall, his shoulder slamming into it, but he doesn’t notice the flash of pain, not over the splitting agony in his head. Each word had pierced his ears right though to his brain, and then deeper, etching themselves down into his soul.

Doc shakes his head, lifts it, and blinks his eyes open. They’re still not his, still too bright, too red, too cold. “You... don’t get to control me anymore,” he says, voice shaking but just as filled with malice as before. “And I’m going to make sure-”

He’s got hold of Dark again, this time with one hand gripping Dark’s arm to keep him from running away, the other holding Dark’s head by his hair. Doc looks into his eyes, drinking up the fear, the utter terror, exactly what he’d felt for years while under Dark’s heel.

And Dark looks into Doc’s eyes, seeing nothing but his own mistakes, his own actions, his own foolish decisions that lead him to this moment.

“-that you won’t control anyone ever again,” Doc finishes, the shadows passing through his eyes, behind the red, leaving a smile in their wake.

He jerks Dark’s head to the side.

And then slams it into the wall with all his might.

Dark hears something crack, hopefully the wall, but through the pain he can’t tell. He screams, and instead of being echoed it’s muffled, though he’s not sure if that’s just his own hearing failing as his vision rapidly goes black.

Doc slams his head into the wall again, and this time Dark hears a small laugh, and then a shuddering gasp, and through his swimming vision he sees Doc’s expressions go to war with each other, cycling through joy and horror and rage and regret-

Again. Now Dark is sure it’s him that’s making the cracking noise, he can feel the blood pouring down the side of his face. He can’t hear anything now, expect the whispers which bounce around inside his aching, broken head like they’re his own thoughts, like they own the place.

Soon I will

And when you wake up

I’ll own your “families” as well

SLAM

Won’t they be happy to see Doc again

To learn you’ve found a great new place for them to live

To see their beautiful new mansion

Dark thinks he’s been dropped to his knees. He strains to see anything, anything but the taunting darkness in front of his eyes.

For a moment he catches a glimpse of Doc, fallen to his knees, hands over his mouth, staring at Dark and crying.

Crying?

Maybe he’s laughing. 

It doesn’t look like Doc knows which he’s doing, either.

I’ll help decide which

Now it’s time for you to sleep

And when you wake up

Dark’s vision goes completely black, and his thoughts slow down into nothing.

But the whispers aren’t quite done yet.

When you wake up

You and your little family will all be here

Where you BELONG

[jellymish-art]

Writing Meme

@thatsuittho tagged me for the writing meme! Oh this will be fun!

Name: artsytarts on both tumblr and ao3

Fandoms: At the moment I am indulging in all things James Bond, but Discworld, Good Omens and Doctor Who are also long-time-obsessions.

Most Popular one Shot: According to kudos on AO3 it’s The Theory of Love and Loss, a 12th Doctor & Clara story I wrote years ago.

Most Popular multi-chapter: Well that’d be Short Trips, because it’s my only multi-chapter. XD From @spicydinosaurwings948 and I’s Doctor Who askblog days. Oh the nostalgia. It was fun.

Actual worst part of writing: Dear lord, I don’t know. Actually keeping up writing might be the worst for me. I always make grand plans and then stop in the middle. Or I don’t start or I never finish. I am terrified of multi-chapter fics, mainly for that reason. XD Same goes for long art projects, tbh. I tend to finish them eventually, but sometimes it takes a year longer than I planned, especially when my fandoms change course.

How you choose your titles: I get inspired by songs or proverbs most of the time or I pick a sentence or a word from the fic and use it as the title.

Do you outline: Well... kind of. I find that when I outline too much, I get lost in details and stress myself out so much that I won’t write. But if I don’t outline, I’m utterly lost and won’t write. So I do a touch of outlining and fill in the rest on the go. That seems to do the trick.

Callouts @me: Stop holding yourself to an impossibly high literary standard and let yourself have fun. Not everything has to make sense and most of the time, you’ll be the only one who notices anyway. Also: Canon is canon and fanfic is not. You don’t have to make your fanfics line up with canon. Go wild!

Best writing traits: I'm quite good at dialogue, I think. And with characterization through dialogue. My fics are usually built around conversations because most of my plot bunnies present themselves with the conversation first. 

Spicy Tangential Opinion: I guess when it comes to fanfic, my spicy opinion is... be nice. If you don’t like a work or a characterization, walk away. Don’t bash a fanfic writer because they don’t write what you like. I’ve seen it happen and it can really hurt someone when they’ve put hours or even days into a fic. People pour their hearts into their work and it’s not fair to trample all over it because you don’t like it. When you critique, do it in a constructive fashion that doesn’t hurt the author.

I tag @spicydinosaurwings948, @hexiva and @ivyontheholodeck for this challenge. And anyone who sees this and wants to do it too!

[druid-for-hire]

Hadestown AU where something goes wrong & Orpheus fails to sway Hades, so he does indeed get locked away to work “where no one can hear you singin” in the toughest & hottest & cruelest part of Hadestown & now Eurydice has to save his ass before his fragile poet body snaps in half 

edit: (part i) (you are here) (part ii) (part iii) (part iv) (pt. v) (epilogue) (askblog)

more under the cut:

so i don’t actually know what it is that gets orpheus in such a deep mess

either:

1. orpheus somehow gets framed for some nasty stuff; eurydice obviously knows 100% he’d never, she knows him too well--but hades doesn’t. i don’t know if this would be hades’ fault or the rumor mill’s.

2. he’s sabotaged somehow or otherwise fails to sway hades because something goes wrong, probably with his voice

but either way but he gets locked up somewhere in hadestown with the coldest shackles in the farthest-off, toughest hottest cruelest part where no one can hear him sing, and now eurydice has to go save his ass before his fragile poet back snaps in half from the exertion or something

his guitar was torn from his hands and probably smashed by the workers under the order of hades. i haven’t fully decided if he keeps the whole thing as a trophy or just one string, and the rest of it scattered in splinters across hadestown

whenever he can he's constantly going out to the edge of where he’s been sent to sing & call out to eurydice for help or something while all the workers around are like, 

“yeah your voice is pretty, but you're kind of bumming everyone out here and nobody out there can hear you anyway so please stop”

(they don’t really ask him to stop though, just deal with getting bummed because his voice is. very pretty)

if this were a musical this would be some version of Wait For Me

meanwhile eurydice--can hear him, just so, so faintly, the barest occasional wisp of it, if only because the walls carry his song and she's so familiar with his voice that she can pick it out through the din of the factories

but also because idk Poetic Lover Connection and she just, knows intrinsically that he's calling out for help from wherever he’s been imprisoned and she needs to find him

speaking of which: where orpheus has been sent to is essentially the hadestown of hadestown, the downest and dirtiest, toughest work and the oldest mines and factories

it’s not very safe

i don’t know where this place is in relation to hadestown. neither does almost anybody else in hadestown, apparently

in my mind i call it “the pit” but it might not even be a pit, it’s just a fitting name for the kind of atmosphere it has

the other workers in the pit are the strongest and most scarred of all. you have to be tough enough to work in a place like this or you’ll eventually wind up dead

they look at orpheus and shake their heads and say, “he isn’t gonna last”

eurydice keeps her head down, always listening and undercover. she gets information from the people who know anything and plans her way to orpheus

unfortunately: almost no one knows anything about the pit, and those who do know, can’t give her much. eurydice spends every scant spare hour she can scouting out places in hadestown, trying to find orpheus without hades being notified of her “excursions”

it takes far longer than she’d like.

hadestown is big, it’s crowded, there’s a million abandoned areas, and eurydice barely has any time to search at all. suddenly orpheus has been trapped for months.

also his memory of her wanes like eurydice’s did in Flowers before Orpheus arrived in the underground

when he finally forgets her name, he’s suddenly just singing to a lover he knows but can’t remember

EDIT: on TOP of all that, i forgot to mention: as the days pass by eurydice starts to hear his voice begin to fail. she can tell he starts to struggle more and the pauses between each scrap of his voice she catches grow longer. she needs hurry before his voice drops altogether and it becomes much, much harder to find him.

ok get ready because i wrote out this One Part

Eurydice has found him at last.

When he hears her voice, Orpheus secures his work as fast as he can and meets Eurydice’s running embrace, and oh, his heart is so light. Relief and grief and elation all at once swarm him and tears fall down his face and—Gods above. He loves her. He cries her name and sings it into the cave walls, he chants Eurydice, Eurydice, Eurydice, and they echo his refrain. His voice scrapes and scratches weakly. She doesn’t care. He’s been singing so hard for so long, after all. 

Orpheus hugs her tight and she, him. 

The first thing Eurydice notices though, is despite how strong and desperate his embrace is, how exhausted it feels underneath. The second is how hot and sweaty (ew) he feels. How acrid his scent is from the factories down here. It’s nothing like the forest ice and flowers she knew before; it’s as if all of it was burned off his skin. It’s all ash and soot.

Once they finally pull away she kisses his cheeks and his tears, one under each eye. The third thing she notices is the bloodied bandage around his bicep.

it’s a good and tight bound, but dirty cloth, and the blood shows through

“orpheus, you’re hurt,” she says and he, who hasn’t taken his eyes off her, says “that doesn’t matter.”

“what are you talking about—of course it matters! you’re hurt!” 

“you’re here,” he says, breathless

she looks at him, glaring, then... laughs because of course this dumb and bright poet she loves would say that

dumbass

“okay, but really, tell me what happened.”

orpheus shrugs vaguely. “you know. the factories and mines up here are too old to be safe anymore.”

eurydice frowns

“okay.”

she stands up and takes his hand. “well, c’mon. it’s time to go.”

tune in next time for more on this au that i don’t have a name for yet, suggestions are welcome

edit: part 2 is now Here

(part i) (you are here) (part ii) (part iii) (part iv) (pt. v) (epilogue) (askblog)

[evienyx]

Fractures just murdered me...……. I mean I haven't even seen Atla yet, (just done my weird thing where I get into a fandom, ask questions later), but that doesn't mean I'm immune to murder.... I've been checking every few hours and the only reason I'm not dead is that the fic updated a few days ago... (this isn't even coherent at all but rest assured I think you're cool)

Here’s the thing: that’s the only way I get into fandoms too.

For example, I’m probably one of the biggest Percy Jackson nerds you can find. Like, it’s a little excessive at this point, but I only got into PJO because of the musical, which I first listened to back in like October, and only because my vocal coach was friends with the guy who wrote it and wanted me to listen to it. I enjoyed it, but there weren’t any good bootlegs out so I just had to go for it and figure out what the hell was going on. Tumblr was the next resource, and every time I found a new character, I looked em up on the wiki. Then kept going. Read a ton of askblogs (the best of which is, of course, @deadangelos).

Then, for Christmas, I got literally every series and read every book during quarantine. I only read the series after I had already read all the fanfics the fandom had to offer (granted, few of them are good, but that’s whatever), and decided who my top characters were, and once more declared that I care only for canon ships. Then I read the books.

So, like, I get it, man.

Welcome to the club. We have angst, and you don’t even need to know the characters to be affected, apparently.

Good luck figuring who’s an OC and who isn’t before you watch the show, though. hehehhehehehe-

[tyranttortoise]

*Really long combo ask about SSLL, positivity, and date suggestions under the cut.  I finally caught up on a bit of my askbox.  <3

@happylittleorc

I’m so glad you liked it!  Axe’s jacket was 100% just because I thought, “damn, he’d look cool in one of those galaxy jackets, and his is dirty anyway.” xD   Thank you, hun.  This makes me so happy to hear.  <3  Things aren’t quite better, but they’ve reached the point where I can get back into the groove of writing again, I think.  Putting that chapter together really helped me.  I really appreciate you coming by to wish me well!

In love with all of them, you say?  Heh, I’m doing my job and dragging you into my hell where I can’t pick just one.  xD  Same tho; I never thought I’d be into either of them romantically, either.  I never really liked Black, but now, I really like him.  The more I write them, the more I like them, it seems.  And Blue on a motorcycle sealed the deal for me.  Thank you for reading, and for taking the time to type up something so sweet for me.  <3  

@ruby-the-wolf

AHHH I’VE MISSED YOU, TOO!!  -catches and hugs, twirling her around- <3

Thank you so much, sweetheart.  I’m so happy that any of my writing could help make your rough days a little better.  <3  Today was a good reprieve, so I’m hoping things become less chaotic on my side soon, but I really appreciate you coming by to leave such kindness in my askbox.  It really does help so much.  ^^

I’m so glad it could help, sweet anon!  <3  Thank you for leaving me some love in my askbox.  I’m happy you enjoy my imagines!  =D

@ anon 1:  I had to google Sherbrooke because I assumed it’d be somewhere in England.  xD  Wasn’t expecting Canada!  I’m sorry this is such a belated response; I had a lot going on.  But I really do appreciate this, and I’m glad you’ve come around to talk to me!  <3  Thank you so much for reading, hun!!

@anon 2 : Thanks so much!!  I’m happy you’re enjoying it! =D

@badchubbybunny

(The boi in question is Haida from Aggretsuko  for those curious) HELL YEAH, I LOVE HIM!  AND PFFFFT, I’m a mega fan of your entire blog because you always find the best content.  Seriously, you make my dash a fantastic place; I love scrolling and seeing your posts.  <3  We have a ton of the same interests!  

Also, I always meant to tell you that I was scrolling like... what?  Two months ago?  And I saw a Papyrus askblog talk about having a bunny crush or something??  And then they tagged you??  And I just bounced in my seat, fangirling over the ship sailing.  xP

Ahhh, my heart goes out to you; being a caregiver in that kind of situation is a seriously thankless job where you often get taken for granted.  Take care of yourself, too, and try not to let them burn you out too badly!  As difficult as that is.

My family deal is, well, a lot like Lady’s--only it all revolves around my sister.  The part I took out in SSLL was that she had a sibling that was the cause of a lot of her strife (well, that her parents were always calling and giving her hell for whatever was going on in her sibling’s life), but I had a couple of people tell me it was too unrealistic/unrelateable for everyone in her life to be somewhat toxic toward her.  So rather than write a sibling that ends up helping her, I wrote the sibling out entirely.  Call me bitter lol.  I just get tired.  I went to bed to try to sleep late for a nightshift, got woken up at 9am, then again at 10, then more calls at 11 while I was trying to sleep.  (Turning off my phone isn’t an option; I tried that, and they just come over and rage in-person)  Stayed up, went to work, got cussed out by my dad the entire way there without even getting a word in, worked til 8am, drove an hour home to find my dad at my house (he’s helping repair the hail damage), got cussed some more, took three sleeping pills so I could sleep through my dad and hubby working and talking, got woken up three hours later by my sister wanting to talk to me privately, so I went and ate lunch with her, and we talked for the first time in 5 or 6 years.  Then I bought her clothes and shoes, and later, groceries. 

Sorry, I went on a rant there.  But damn it felt good to tell someone, even if it’s just in a combo post where it’ll hopefully get scrolled past.  And as for the date suggestion -- hell yeah, I’m so down for the skeles and Readz in a cat cafe!  I’ve always wanted to go to one, even if I’m super allergic.  

Edge would be perfect for one, just saying.  That could be where he gets Doomfanger.  

Except for the fact that Doomfanger is UF!Burgerpants 100% as far as I’m concerned.

 --   Date Suggestions

I’m always down for star-gazing dates with the skeles.  <3  In fact, I’ve got something planned like that for the next date.  Which I will say won’t be with Crooks.  ;D  Gotta fit another date in before his.

@thefloatingstone

Man, C-Puff, everything about this date sounds absolutely divine to me.  Hammocks?!?!  You’re speaking my language!!  All of this sounds wonderful, as well as the cuddling under a huge blanket and just talking through the night with a warm drink.  I feel relaxed just thinking about it.  <3

@kamari3

I’m all for some shameless cuddle sessions and those half-asleep truths that just slip out, hell yes <3

@bulle-black-hole

Thank you so much, hun!  <3  And as for the date... oh yes, we definitely need some more time with Mutt.  He’s lagging behind the others.  An aquarium trip would be cool, too!  I’m always down for the aquarium when there’s turtles involved, and I can pet something lol.  

[thatcrazygloryfan]

So one of your artworks kinda inspired me and… With some help from an odd dream the other night, I present to you my effort at a QZGS fanfic (though this is more of a oneshot?) I don’t use tumblr or any fanfiction sites, so I guess this would be the best way to send it. (with my

really 

old askblog, at that.. It’s.. It’s embarrassing, I know.)  I told myself not to do this but I did it anyways so now that essay is just gonna have to be incomplete just a little bit longer. (I didn’t want to do it anyways :’) so I guess this saved me…) Here are my potato writing skills portraying my own potato idea. I’ll try and keep this short… ———————————————— 

Never Abandoned

————————————————  Silver flakes drifted down from a cloud-colored sky as the ever-silent, now-exiled Battle God stepped out onto the cold streets that criss-crossed the city, intertwining between the many lit buildings as if it were an intricate, delicate spiderweb. He gently pulled at his coat as he turned away from the brightly glowing headquarters of Excellent Era, the crimson glow of the leaf-shaped emblem bringing thoughts that he would rather be without. He walked. Striding through the winter was certainly taxing on him, since the frigid cold bit at his exposed skin, and the only clothing he owned were the ones on his back. A faint jingling came from his pocket, due to the account card that still rested there.  Continuing through the city, enveloped by the artificial light of the lamps and signs, he picked up his pace and made it to the oceanside. Reflecting off the dark waters were the brilliance of the landscape behind him, twinkling and shining as if they were man-made stars. A sigh escaped his mouth as he contemplated the circumstances of less than an hour ago. The shaking of his hand. The cold voices of his former teammates. The tone of the one who had uprooted his authority and made his own hand sign his name upon a sheet of paper that would strip away his passion and living for an entire year.  A mist escaped with his breath and floated into the air, and disappeared like a vapor in the wind. The god’s gaze darted around, looking at the empty streets, devoid of activity. It was only him, several lone lampposts, unoccupied benches, and the cobblestone sidewalk below. No.. It wasn’t completely empty. There was a single individual standing a short distance away, their shadow illuminated by the pale, ivory-colored glow of the wrought-iron street lamps. His eyes narrowed ever-so slightly, the details jumping out at him.  Clothed in a long black coat ornamented with sharply outlined contrasts of angular golden trims and patterns, the silent figure stood there alone, much like himself. The only thing that stood against the ebony color of their entire vestment was the scarlet cape that hung from their shoulders, bearing a single, brassed tassel at the end. They looked.. Familiar.

Too familiar.

Driven by his curiosity, Ye Xiu, otherwise known as Ye Qiu, stepped forward. His single step rang out against the muted hustle and bustle of the night city, seeming abnormally loud when compared to the dimmed sounds of chatter, machinery, and the softly sloshing waves of the nearby sea. Within only a few strides, he had approached this mysterious silhouette, and he was about to say something, had they not turned around first. Staring back at him was.. Almost the spitting image of himself. Except he knew it wasn’t. He was very familiar with this person- his companion for the last ten years of Glory, where he had basked in fame, reverence, mystery, and the wild cheers of his supporters.  A light breeze tossed the wine-colored cloak that was draped across their back, causing it to snap and furl in the chilling air. But the individual.. The same facial structure and blank look, their only difference in that aspect was the eerily empty eyes of the being who he knew was his avatar. Had he hit his head too hard when he left the Excellent Era building, only to completely forget about it? Or had the shock of the events warped his mind to the point he was hallucinating him? One Autumn Leaf could not, and would not have been standing before him. Sun Xiang owned him now, didn’t he? The thought raced through his head as Ye Xiu stumbled backwards a single step, slightly taken aback by the sight. “It’s me.” The voice that rang out was identical to his own, except that it lacked almost all emotion, except for the barest hint of hurt. And for some reason, that slight, almost nonexistent touch to the sound of his otherwise-steady voice struck him to the core. “…One Autumn Leaf. Ye Qiu, have you already forgotten about me?”  “…No, I..” He was surprised, blinking a few times before this manifestation of what was formerly just a construct of pixels. Within a moment, Ye Xiu steadied himself and looked eye-to-eye with the Battle Mage, who stood as still and unmoving as he did in Glory. “Come on, it can’t be you.” The player tried to laugh off the situation, keeping the nervousness out of his tone. “I.. Maybe I whiffed something on my way here, and you’ll just disappear-“ Clamping down on the retired gamer’s shoulder within the next instant was a firm hand, steady and still from the years of finely tuned practice with a heavy spear. “I’m very much real.” The supposedly imaginary being answered, his gaze still unbroken. “…I understand the circumstances in which I was handed over to a little brat, whose first action was to try and tarnish my hair. I do not blame you and I hold you in no contempt.” “Ah.. Suppose I’m really not imagining all this, and you are indeed corporeal..” Ye Xiu touched the avatar’s outreached arm, indeed feeling the cold, dark metal and the absolute solidness of his form. Yep, he was real alright. “..How are you here? Why did you come to find me?” “Glory cannot hold me when I have enough drive in me to shatter an invisible barrier.” That was the response given by One Autumn Leaf, who retracted his hand as to not threaten his former master. “And I came here to find you because I could not stand to see you leave. For ten long years, you have been at my side. And I am not so willing to go.” “I handed you off. Your new owner is Su-“ The banished deity of Glory began, but was cut off by the character stretching out his other hand, clasping something in between his fingers. A Glory account card. “This rightfully belongs to you.” He said, and Ye Xiu was taken aback for the second time, staring at the object. Shined, black and gold much like One Autumn Leaf himself, with the word Glory emblazoned on the front, embraced by a pair of segmented wings and crossed with dual blades. For a moment, Ye Xiu had to contemplate just how flipping weird it must have been for an avatar to hold such an item- wouldn’t that be handing over their own, beating heart to someone? Or on an even more extreme spectrum, their very soul? The essence of who they were, that represented all of them, and sustained their existence? The thought was so strange that even he had to shove it aside, his shaky right hand reaching out to accept the card. As his pale fingers grazed the smooth surface of the card that he had been forced to surrender a mere hour ago, he looked up at One Autumn Leaf, who now bore a faint smile upon his previously expressionless features. “Don’t leave me, Ye Qiu. You are still my master. Take me back to the battlefield.” He dropped his arm once the Glory card was safely given back to the gamer. “I could not bear to leave, even if I were forced. Sun Xiang is not you.” The dark-haired, exiled professional looked up to the avatar in silence before nodding, unable to help but crack a slight grin of his own. “…I’m glad, then.” The feeling of the simple object in his hand.. It was possibly the most thrilling, exhilarating flood of emotion he had experienced since his first official tournament. The excitement, the adrenaline, and the sheer joy all came rushing back like a tsunami. He looked out at the still-glowing city landscape, coruscating with the resplendent shine of the modern world.  Somehow, his mind almost seemed to be synced with the near-identical individual besides him, who had been his representation on a stage that met and drew the eyes of millions. Together, they turned from the glossy, yet dull and dusky shine of the ocean beyond, and looked to the shimmering stars that dotted the night sky. And together, their voices rang out.  “

Glory never fades

.”  ———————————————— This potato will now silence themselves as they have no flipping clue what they wrote at 1 AM in the morning and it doesn’t make sense. And I’ll probably feel massive regret too.. What have I wrought.   (I hope you enjoyed it somewhat nonetheless ^^;)

---

AKJSDHJSFLFDKJFKSJDJS DEM FEELS THAT WAS AMAZINGGG Hey I’m gonna make an amped up, more serious comic to go along with this bc a) I love this and b) I’ve been wanting to draw some sort of comic for something for a while now xD

I’d say maybe in the beginning, you could improve on making the details flow more smoothly? (it got better towards the end tho :D) But idk bc I suck as a writer like this is better than anything I can do so great job and I’ll let the other fanfic writers give some advice if they have any haha

[fountainpenguin]

I have quite a few ideas for fanfics and original stories, but I get so bogged down in worldbuilding and analysis that coming up with a plot for people to actually read is much more difficult. Given your extensive headcanons for "The Fairly OddParents", how do you manage it? How do you snap out of Worldbuilding Mode, get into Storywriting Mode and stay there long enough to accomplish anything?

That… is a good question. Well, let’s walk through this together. This is gonna be a VERY BIG one (over 10k words because I’m just that extra), full of behind-the-scenes tidbits for my fanfics, but nothing I’d call super interesting for those who aren’t writers, so feel free to skip this one~

TL;DR: I’m weird. I work best when I choose how to manage my time. Spring break? Time to draw and watch cartoons! But adjusting my schedule so I can do homework AND study AND talk with friends AND answer Tumblr Asks AND research AND write? I will stop procrastinating in an instant, because suddenly there’s no time to lollygag. Why do you think I created the Mikey askblog? I was balancing my time suspiciously well and it was legit having negative effects in my life. I needed to add more pressure to my plate to force myself to work. I’m bizarre. You gotta make the time and have the right environment, I guess!

How to Write More Good: It’s Getting Drafty In Here!

(AKA, Riddle giving general advice on writing early drafts!)

.:: STARTING WITH AN IDEA ::.

(+ Basic Worldbuilding and Character Design)

My first FOP ‘fic was Baby, You’re a Rich Man. It came to be because “School’s Out! The Musical” was (and still is) my favorite episode of the series. After rewatching it half a dozen times, a few things occurred to me:

H.P. and Sanderson were moving away from the sunset in the opening scene, towards Kansas.

Flappy Bob grew up in an orphanage in Dimmsdale, California.

H.P. and Sanderson couldn’t use magic during that opening scene.

It would be more rational for them to take Flappy Bob to Pixie World and get new wands than it would be to drive all the way back to California.

So, that’s how I got the basic idea of, “How did that caring for a baby on a magic-free road trip go?”. While my headcanon base was not as extensive as it is now, I had pinned down the Pixie Wolbachia headcanon. That gave me the starting point I needed to strive into writing this ‘fic with confidence.

As for where my worldbuilding came from in the first place, my personal preference was to break the mold I saw. For example, I chose to focus heavily on real-life insect biology and science in my fanwork. Here are a couple of worldbuilding questions to get your gears turning:

How does society feel about expressing emotions in public?

What are society’s views of marriage?

Bathing? Eating? Taking vacations?

Greeting one another? Holidays? Schooling? Calendars?

Work hours? Who has jobs? How many? How does one get a job?

Living with those you’re related to? Aren’t?

Addressing figures of high status?

Look for basic, “obvious” things that we do in our lives and twist them, and maybe make something that would startle us totally acceptable in your work. It sounds like you’ve made good progress, but I thought I’d toss some thoughts out there for anyone who wants to write, but is lacking ideas in this area.

When writing fanfics, I would ask yourself questions like:

How closely do I want to stick to canon?

My family used to have this giant bucket of honey that said on the side, “Nothing added, nothing taken away”. In my case, I stick as close to canon as possible, and try to act with a policy of “everything added, nothing taken away”. That’s my personal preference, and it makes things easy because, with a few exceptions, no one has to try to remember which episodes are canon in my work, or who is on good terms with who in an AU.

What plot holes will my story address, avoid, or answer?

As mentioned above, I was curious about how H.P. and Sanderson made it to California, why they picked Dimmsdale, and how a magic-free road trip for people who rely so heavily on magic might have gone down. I had the opportunity to explore character relationships and the magic system of the FOPverse.

What worldbuilding elements did canon give that I can expand on?

Wands, Pixies Inc., godchildren, memory wiping, other species, fantastic racism, pixies all looking alike, magical creatures getting drunk on candy and soda, Da Rules…

What is my take on Character A?

I see Sanderson as loyal and devoted; he’d sacrifice himself for H.P. and can’t be convinced to betray him. He craves recognition for this, and is desperate for H.P. to refer to him as his son. He doesn’t know why this is so important to him anymore, just that it’s always been something he wants. He’s also an envious sort who is bitter because he’s head of the complaints department and isn’t vice president of the company.

Someone else might see Sanderson as a suck-up who flatters H.P. beyond belief in the hopes of taking over someday. Or perhaps as a bumbling idiot who only keeps his job through nepotism. Or perhaps H.P. is grooming Sanderson to inherit the position of Head Pixie and treats him like a puppet for political reasons.

My works would be very different if any of these had been my angles. The great thing about headcanons is, we can all have our own!

How have A’s interactions with B changed from canon?

My Sanderson has separation anxiety. I based this off canon, because he always follows H.P. around despite having the lowly job of working in the complaints department. However, his separation anxiety isn’t confirmed by canon.

Someone could say he was only working in complaints in “Pixies Inc.” because the company was transitioning now that they’d bought out Fairy World, and that in reality he is (or was later promoted to be) the vice president, and I would support this interpretation even though it differs from my own.

Do I know how they speak?

I wanna write some “Bunsen Is a Beast” one-shots, but it’ll take some time for me to get a solid feel for these characters. To stay in character, you have to understand their background, vocabulary, facial expressions, body language, movement, eye contact, tics, what they do when they’re flustered or startled, how they laugh… 

I fell in LOVE with BIaB’s use of hand gestures and body language, because FOP and DP always came off a little lacking in that area to me. Like. If there is any body part I find attractive, it’s hands and the way they move, just- Hhhhhh asdfjhslfsdfjs bury me in this JUST LOOK-

Keeping characters in character is the make-or-break point of enjoying fanfiction for me. I’ve read long ones that use (mostly) proper grammar, but disliked them because characters were OOC. Likewise, I’ve read pieces with less-than-stellar conventions, and loved them for the believable character portrayals. Sometimes I get lucky and manage to find something that scores high marks in both areas.

Some people don’t mind a little OOC-ness! But I don’t like it (Might be an author thing, being a writer of original works myself). I like fanfics that contain references to CANON DETAILS. Research. Thoughtfulness. Love and care. Expanding on what the creator brought to life, not twisting it so much that it seems like you wrote your OCs and are calling it fanfiction just so people read it.

I mean, I like the show because I like what canon gave me, right? I drool over characters like H.P., Youngblood, and Mikey because I sit there with my chin in my hands and think, “You are such a great character. I wish you could be my character. You are a dang fine character.” It just kinda bothers me when people stray too far from that (I totally support portrayals that differ from my own, but I do favor the guidelines of “everything added, nothing taken away”).

Speaking of characters, characters might change as you write more! Freaking Gavin certainly comes to mind.

My pixie character Longwood was going to be my serious fellow. He was written that way in every scene (of which there weren’t a lot for him yet). But then I wrote the “Solo” prompt (the proctoring of Rosencrantz’s latest placement test) before finishing Baby, You’re a Rich Man.

The very first scene to mention how much of a sucker he is for kisses was the “You have a lipstick stain beside your ear” line, and how Longwood’s hand flashes to the exact spot on his cheek. I was going to leave it at that. But then it slipped into Rich Man, and I couldn’t resist. It took off.

Not only did this end up influencing Origin, but it majorly affected Frayed Knots, Rich Man, and the 130 Prompts project. Bit of a flanderization, but he never lost his other traits (kleptomania, phobia of blood) and it’s unlocked so many wonderful opportunities and plot points.

The entire concept of gynes stemmed from around this, for example, as well as some conflict with Sanderson and H.P. (Longwood wanting to marry despite H.P. telling him not to, along with Longwood’s habit of trading company secrets in exchange for kisses). I can’t see him any other way.

Then Wilcox was going to be my serious character. He ended up with a physical addiction to shapeshifting, loves to be a rabbit, and now wants to marry a rabbit. Well.

Characters can change from your original plans for them. Let them go. It’s their story before it’s yours. The piece will almost certainly be better for it.

TIP: Don’t leave yourself sitting in front of a blank screen. Put something down. I usually keep a collection of town names on hand if nothing else, because I work MUCH better when there are words already there.

These notes have been sitting under the table of contents of Origin of the Pixies since the beginning. If you’re as familiar with my work as I am, you may notice that those four town names have never come up yet. I grew fond of them and wanted to save them for either a really good town, or for original projects.

Here are some other notes up there. The first one is a list of people who are immune to magic, as mentioned in “Crock Blocked” (though it’s supposed to be “new wave”, not “new way”). The second is a deleted line from “Rain Dance” that I really like, but haven’t been able to use yet.

Here are some notes from the beginning of Knots:

Use ‘in which’ subtitles

Maternity colonies

Group of huddling baby bats = creche

“It’s a bit dear” = It’s expensive

“I’ve got the right hump” = I’m irritated

“Plump for something more like…” = Use something more like…

“I’m easy” = I’m laid back; I don’t mind

“All right, darling?” = How do you do?

Chips = Crisps

French fries = Chips

Lift = Elevator

Using “You know what I mean?”

Knackered = Exhausted

Gutted = Broken up about

Gobsmacked = Completely shocked

“I cocked up” = I badly messed up

Blinding = Incredible

Cheers = Thanks

Ace = Expert at

A damp squib = A failure

Chunder = Throwing up; for drunken nights

“Oh, mate, that’s brilliant!”

Fortnight = Two weeks

“She gave me a real bollocking” = She scolded me

“Nice one, really” = Sort of sarcastic; “Great job” or “Nice going”

Dodgy = Not very good (Items / thoughts / actions / people)

Scrummy = Tastes very good

Kerfuffle = Skirmish

“That’s a load of tosh” or “Don’t talk tosh”

“He tried to skive off work” = Sluff

Yup! Stereotypical British slang I’ll probably play around with! I don’t plan to use all of it, and I don’t want to use them too much, but I jotted them down.

I also have a list of symptoms for the iris virus STD, but I don’t think that’s appropriate to share here. Here are some notes from my “Danny Phantom” ‘fic about Youngblood, No Anesthetic:

I used to have his sisters up there, before I moved them to an Excel file:

Excel and such can be a great tool for writers to keep their character notes. Stay organized. Once you get your notes written down, you can stop thinking about them so much (I’ll mention the brain’s response to saying “I can move on now that this is noted down” later in this post) and free up space in your head to think through stuff that hasn’t been finished (aka, the story).

The point of me showing all these is, this is something I always do. You just have to start somewhere. Don’t sit at a blank screen and procrastinate. You’ll get analysis paralysis. The first draft is supposed to be a DRAFT. It can change later. If your first draft is perfect, you have bigger problems to worry about, because you probably have magic powers and a world to save. Write more than you need to in this stage- figure out what to cut later.

Need ideas for what to jot down? Figure out more worldbuilding basics:

Where are people getting their food? Water? Shelter?

Social interaction?

Money?

Materials to do the job to get the money?

Books, toys, writing materials, entertainment?

Eating utensils?

Rights?

Addictions?

Love?

Pets?

What about your protagonist? Main personality traits? Quotes? 

Family, alive and deceased? Family history? Heirlooms?

Neighbors?

Nervous habits? Embarrassing habits?

Things they’d lie about?

Things they’d never want anyone to know about them?

Deep dark fears?

Things they would share on their Tumblr blog?

I would easily be able to answer all of these for my FOP work, and several of them for my fantasy novel (currently nicknamed “Stars and Finches”) too.

Now, how can you hint at these things in your story? What happens if you take one of those away, or threaten to? Answering the question of “How would THIS character react?” is thrilling for me, and something that drives me from worldbuilding mode into writing mode.

We all know that it’s common for characters to not be mentioned as needing to go to the bathroom. But remember, your characters are mortal too (or, they’re not!) If they have needs, keep that in mind.

In the first draft of Rich Man (not the outline, but the actual draft), there was no mention of Sanderson being thirsty in the early chapters. I added it later because I realized how long he had gone without drinking in hot and dusty Kansas, so then we end up with these scenes:

Chap 1:

I pulled myself together, licking at my dry lips.

Oil dripped in silence, and I remembered how dry my mouth was, full of dust and maybe a bit of blood.

Chap 2:

Water. Water. Water! I hadn’t wanted to get my hopes up just in case I was wrong, but as I approached the small army of metal animals encircling the watering hole on Hole 8, I felt hope swell within me. I knelt between a hulking elephant and a slender zebra near the little wooden bridge. Hugging Flappy to me with one arm, bracing myself with the other, I drank until all the dirt and corn dust had washed from my mouth. It tasted like whipped cream. When I next licked my lips, actual wetness spread itself over the cracks.

Characters needing to meet their needs can be a great plot device if you’re groping for ideas! In fact, I said one time that my tip for overcoming writer’s block is as follows:

Your character is either hungry, thirsty, exhausted, second-guessing themselves, learning a new skill, overcoming a naturally-formed or man-made obstacle, or that really great plot point you’re excited for is coming up next and it’s time to dialogue your way in that direction. Rinse and repeat.

(On the subject of writer’s block, I sometimes record myself reading the dialogue I’ve already written. Bonus points if you can get the voices right, though I sometimes find it difficult to switch between multiple ones. If you can get really into it and carry on a long conversation with yourself, perhaps you can transcribe some of what you say to your writing.)

.:: THE FIRST OUTLINE ::.

Confession time: I’m not awesome at plots myself (That’s why I tend to write long, drawn-out pieces, because the plot then becomes “development and discovery”). But Rich Man’s road trip idea came with a built-in plot. It was supposed to be pretty quick and done.

Like. A sixteen-page long one-shot. Not an 85,000-word novel. So, what I did was, I just started writing and let the story unfold as I went. This is what I knew was going to happen:

H.P. and Sanderson find Flappy in the cornfield

Sanderson gets shot in the wing so he can’t fly for the rest of the story; the stakes have been upped because his ability to escape is limited.

Sanderson and H.P. get separated in the field and Sanderson panics because of his separation anxiety. He tips over the edge and H.P. scolds him for this when they meet up again.

Everyone goes to the minigolf course. H.P. puts Sandy in charge while he plays golf by himself. Sandy is torn between staying at the course or leaving for food, because he and Flappy are hungry. He also ends up losing Flappy, but he’s found again later.

In the morning, everyone leaves and they get back in the car and start searching for food. Flappy needs baby supplies.

H.P. and Sanderson disguise themselves with a trench coat or something from the back of their truck and get supplies from a gas station. While outside the station, they get backed into a corner. Sanderson ends up running inside the station with Flappy while H.P. got caught and dragged off.

Sanderson tries to balance Flappy’s needs with figuring out where H.P. is and how to rescue him. He feels alone and miserable, but eventually he manages to reunite with H.P. somehow.

H.P. and Sanderson make it to the base of the Pixie World Bridge just as it starts to rain, and manage to get Flappy above the clouds, and arrive in Pixie World to dry off.

In the conference room, H.P. explains the loose outline for his plans, and Sanderson is put in charge of watching Flappy for the night.

Now, anyone who’s read Rich Man will realize instantly that something is very wrong. This doesn’t look much like the finished project. Where are Eunice and Quincy? Where’s the candy and the fence? Where’s Anti-Naelita? What happened to the soccer field? Jorgen? The sugar bar? The will o’ the wisps?

Simple: my outline was loose enough to give me wiggle room. Some writers prefer a strict outline, but I’m not one of them. You might not be either.

As you can see, I had a decent outline here. I had a good starting point, even if it was rough and many details were fuzzy. I got to this point by first marking general notes, and then asking questions and adding more notes:

I need to get from the cornfield to Pixie World.

What is the cornfield like? What time of day is it? What’s around? Who’s around?

What happened to the guy they hit with their truck when they spun into the corn? And how much did the collision / spin / impact jostle them?

How are they going to take care of Flappy?

They don’t have magic.

A baby will need to be fed and changed

There’s no way they have baby supplies in their truck

Where and how will they get supplies? How will they get the supplies to get the supplies? Who will they meet when they get it? What are the dangers?

I want H.P. and Sanderson to get separated.

How can we up the stakes?

I can take Sandy’s ability to fly, and discuss the ways magical creatures can die, and put Sandy in or near those situations so we can see him fret

Even if the audience knows that the main character survives (especially when writing backstories), the writer should strive to keep them on their toes with physical and emotional dangers

I love the idea of Sanderson having separation anxiety, so I’d like some of the focus on the story to be on that

I should foreshadow this by separating them in the cornfield for a short period of time.

What happens to Flappy when they separate?

How does H.P. take care of Flappy vs. how Sanderson takes care of him? Who is more capable: H.P. who has much more experience but is strict, or Sanderson who is more compassionate but makes many mistakes?

How do they get back together?

An injured wasp releases pheromones. I based pixies off wasps. I could do something with this.

I like the idea of Sanderson putting himself in harm’s way to trigger his pheromones, because it drives home how desperate and lost he is.

What’s my end goal? Why am I writing this?

I want to share my portrayal of these characters that I like, and maybe others will like these portrayals and characters too.

I’m interested in exploring the worldbuilding and magic system, and trying to bring all the scattered bits of canon that seem to conflict into a single consistent magic system with strengths and flaws.

There’s not a real moral here, or at least not a good one. It’s just sort of slice-of-life, and shows how much H.P. means to Sanderson compared to what Sanderson means to H.P., and just sketch an idea as to what their overarching relationship is.

I wanted to point out the Kansas/California disconnect and play around with a magic-free road trip.

This was enough for me to get started. Just keep asking and answering questions! At this point, I had no other ‘fics to refer to, so I threw in worldbuilding as I went along (Hint: Reference past experiences that helped one grow or made someone nervous. Compare things to something that belongs specifically in this world when describing colors, expressions, body language, or facial features. What reminds a character of their past? How can you make those things related to your ideas or to canon worldbuilding?).

I made things up as I went along, and tried to slip in worldbuilding:

What’s so special about this minigolf course?

Apparently Sanderson was born here

What was H.P.’s life like back then?

What is the course decorated like? Why?

I really wanted the tree Sandy climbs to be a maple. But how did a maple end up in Kansas? Hmm.

As adorable as being born at the golf course would be, how does that work with the time differences?

How the Big Wand works

How magical creatures breathe

Lines can get tangled

What wand providers do

Undoing magic (reversal fluid and signature codes)

Limitations on magic

Why wands are important

How wands work

In a magical sense

In a physical sense

Legal jazz and paperwork junk

Magic lines

Magic doesn’t work well in poor weather conditions

Tingle-fritziness

Snapping lines

How do babies get lines?

Tying lines

Three is preferred; too many or two few can compromise one’s health.

Magic dust

Non-magic users see what they expect to see if there is magical residue around (basically sweat; aka fairy dust)

Healing

Ability to fly

The energy field

Field-sight

Species variations

Magical politics

Mind wiping

Fantastic racism

Rules about interfering with neutral / evil parties on Earth

Court cases

Anti-Pixie society

Sanderson is reserved, likes singing, and is loyal to H.P., but Anti-Sanderson is boisterous, likes dancing, and usurped H.P.’s counterpart

What even was the previous 37-year plan anyway?

And how important? What did the Fairies think of it? Anti-Fairies?

Sanderson hates it when girls flirt with him when he’s just trying to fix the copy machine; it’s distracting and confusing

Inspiration back-up is maybe a thing? This is a really iffy subject

How did the Pixies become involved with Gary and Betty? Why THEM?

Sanderson is taking care of them because he grew fond of their parents after meeting them in this ‘fic. When the plan called for more human children to raise, Sanderson knew who to look into.

Sanderson is not company vice president, and is bitter rivals with the pixie who is

Who gives pixies milk? Foster mothers

Who was Sanderson’s milkmother? How did H.P. meet her? Does Sanderson remember her? Why isn’t she still around? Did she have kids? Are they his siblings? Why aren’t they around?

… Basically, if you have the choice between slipping in a world-building detail or falling back on an old cliche, the former is probably the better way to go. Of course, I myself hit a snag when I couldn’t figure out what Sanderson would know about H.P.’s past, so I started to develop Origin of the Pixies seriously.

Write the stuff you’ve already come up with. Try to see things from the perspective of someone who can’t see the inner workings of your head:

Is your logic sound?

Do you contradict yourself?

Do you think you’ve avoided plot holes?

Are your explanations confusing?

What questions might people ask? How would you answer them?

What if this story was written with different characters?

How would they try solving their problems? What would they know? Why DON’T the characters you chose to use react that way?

My advice is, don’t be stubborn with your outline. Be flexible. I mean, look at this note I added to Rich Man 8 when I originally posted it on deviantArt:

Idona’s presence, I think, might be worth a little explanation. First things first, I would like to throw out that I did not invent an OC to ship Sanderson with because I find romance necessary. I’m really not much of a shipper in general. This was always supposed to be a story about Sanderson, his boss, and a baby clown. So if you’re anything like me, you can breathe again.

[…] Idona was not supposed to be in this story. She isn’t in my original outline whatsoever. Even when I started thinking I might have Sanderson run across a will o’ the wisp, I was going to use one of the random ones. Literally anybody but Idona, because knowing her the way I’ve learned to [from writing Origin of the Pixies], there is no way she wouldn’t bring up romance, and I didn’t want that to even be a question in this story.Problem being that if we’re perfectly honest, based on Origin of the Pixies canon, most wisps would have either A) confused him with Longwood and attacked out of frustration (and I was really done with Sanderson getting physically beat on), or the more likely B) smothered him in kisses and such right then and there, O'Weskar v. Pixies Inc. notwithstanding, seeing as they know they have the time to have their way with him before he dies. And no way was I going that far. Either I had to change Origin of the Pixies, I had to invent pointless new wisp characters and introduce plot holes, or I had to adjust a scene in Baby, You’re a Rich Man that I wasn’t happy with.Using Idona surprisingly led me to the least possible romance and the best balance of sanity, if that makes any sense. Because she’s the only one who would ever see him as a person and respect his refusal, and not just take advantage of him. And I got to show Sanderson doubling back in desperate search of the only wisp he actually dislikes rather than has more neutral feelings towards. That was nice. Not that… it means much to you all, not having read Origin of the Pixies yet. So, yes, I’m entirely aware that this scene probably still seems out of place with the rest of the story, but I assure you, every word Idona says, her fascination with Sanderson in particular, and the fact that wisp damsels come out in the rain nowadays makes complete sense. And, for those of you who actually were itching for romance, take this and sit tight. Next time we’ll talk with Longwood and someone’s gonna get busted.So if Idona weren’t here at all then their conversation would have been replaced with more of Sanderson’s rambling which, while it was my first intention, did not go as well as I hoped. It really went on for about ten pages and I kind of. Pushed him. Over the brink of reality and had to start over. There was a lot of grass-eating involved. I had to stop when I ran him into the ground because I had little choice but to make Jardine stumble across him while he got his dirt, and that rang like a cop-out. It was all much too OOC even for my take on Sanderson, I realized when I sat back and took a second look. So now you get Idona and I’m 100% certain the story is better for it. It did fix a major plothole in a later scene, after all.

This is just what, after twelve years of trial and error, seems to work very well for me. Some people might be driven crazy by an outline that said, “I don’t know how they meet up again, but I’ll figure that out when I get there”.

Personally, I let the characters guide me. If you’ve read Rich Man, you know that Sanderson is actually the one who gets captured, and that he ends up bonding a bit with Thomas over music. I came up with that love of music idea when I reached that scene.

That’s what works! Alternatively, if I were more of a planner, I could have drawn up a character sheet for Thomas in advance, and I might have written, say… “Flattery is the way to his heart”, and gone into the scene with that character detail in mind, and Sanderson could have flattered his way out.

In the latest chapter of Origin, I had the scene where Sanderson hugs the yoo-doo doll and the scene where H.P. stabs the arrow into it written out months ago, but I didn’t figure out where or how they got the dolls (or who was guarding them) until I actually made it to that section of the chapter.

Just remember: Better to have a rough draft than nothing at all! If you feel paralyzed, start asking questions and trying to decide how you can answer them in your piece without infodumping too much! Unless you infodump the way I did when Sanderson went on his rant(s) in Chapter 1, I guess?

.:: FIRST WORDS ::.

Okay, let’s back it up. We’re pretty far into this post now, and yet the first thing I ever do when actually writing a story is, throw down all the scene snippets I’ve been keeping in my head before creating the document.

Ex: In Frayed Knots, here’s one scene I scribbled downvery early-

The glimmering of her translucent wings cast rainbows across the squares of light leaking over the otherwise dark floor. My core twisted in a knot. I covered my mouth and nose with my fingers, choking on literal butterflies because the sight was so sickeningly pretty and good and pure that it made my head spin and the blood thump in my neck. It went against every Anti-Fairy instinct, every Anti-Fairy cultural norm, every Anti-Fairy schooling lesson, every Anti-Fairy wands and wings talk-

And I liked it.

Wanda placed her hand to my forehead. “Are you all right? Your face is flushed purple, but your forehead doesn’t seem overly cold.”

- and I moved from stuff like that onto the next chunk, which was writing the scenes that appear in both Knots and Origin from the viewpoints of Anti-Cosmo and H.P., respectively, and making them each distinct. For example-

Origin-

Against his best efforts, Anti-Cosmo pulled a more amusing face than he would ever admit to and handed me back my mug. “Blimey! I really don’t know how you can drink this putrid stuff all day, old sport.”

I slid his tea cup and saucer across my desk with the end of my pen. “And I will never see the appeal of this sickly sweet water, either. I can hardly function without my morning coffee dose.”

“All the more reason we should align forces, I think. The coffee is yours, but all the tea in the universe shall be mine. Ahahaha!”

“And the sugar?”

My door exploded open as Anti-Cosmo was working through his, “I say we split the difference”. He yelped and dropped the cup he had just picked up, and it spilled steaming tea all over his lap. Brown dots splattered across the papers on the desk between us.

“Sanderson,” I said, trying not to focus on the bead of sweat creeping down my forehead. “This is definitely not a good time to make a fool of yourself.”

He surveyed the situation fast and pinged up a handful of small towels for Anti-Cosmo. To me, “Longwood and Smitty are trying to kill each other down in the food court.”

“Oh, blitz.” I shoved my chair backwards and pushed past the anti-fairy. At the door, I turned back to him. “I would suggest you remain here, Anti-Cosmo. For your own safety.”

“My own safety?” he repeated, utterly perplexed. He had his handkerchief balled in his blue hand, even though tea was still splattered across his prim shirt and dark pants. His green eyes narrowed with glinting suspicion. “I’m not certain this isn’t a clever attempt at a trap, H.P.”

Knots-

I fiddled with my wand beneath the edge of his desk. I’d seen what that stuff did to him the morning after we’d spent that night together during the war. “Hot drinks don’t appeal so much to anti-entities.”

“Just taste it, tea-drinker,” he coaxed.

So I did. It stung the cuts along the roof of my mouth, just as I’d expected to, but I did not spit my swallow out, and I’m very proud of that. “Blimey,” I said mildly as I lowered it. Struggling to maintain an even expression, I passed back his mug. “I really don’t know how you can drink this putrid stuff all day, old sport.”

“And I will never see the appeal of this sickly sweet water, either,” he said as he returned my teacup. “I can hardly function without my morning coffee dose.”

I smiled and lifted that softly-steaming cup of sweetness to my nose. “All the more reason we should align forces, I think. The coffee is yours, but all the tea in the universe shall be mine!” My proposal ended in a small cackle.

He tilted his head. “And the sugar?”

“I say we split the difference.”

The door burst before I finished. Tea spilled down my shirt and over my legs. I flinched and probably let slip a squeal as I grabbed at the insides of my coat. The Head Pixie’s face bled into mortified white.

“Sanderson, this is definitely not a good time to make a fool of yourself.”

I rotated my chair partway around, squeezing the wet front of my shirt in my fist. The flustered pixie kept one hand pressed to his hair, but he spared me a fleeting glance. As he pinged up an unsteady stack of gray towels above my head, he blurted, “Longwood and Smitty are trying to kill each other down in the food court.”

Spitting unprofessional curses, the Head Pixie launched himself over his desk, caught his foot on the edge, tripped, and slammed hard into the ground beside my feet. He scrambled up again and flew through his door. Then he poked his head back in. “I would suggest you remain here, Anti-Cosmo. For your own safety.”

I cocked my ears forward. “My own safety? I’m not certain this isn’t a clever attempt at a trap, H.P.”

Of course, I guess you don’t really have that luxury, huh? Having another story to refer to? So sharing these blocks was kind of pointless.

Some scenes may get cut. Even ones that you thought you liked. If you’re a writer, I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “Kill your darlings” before.

That’s especially the case when trying to publish, as you’re bound to a certain length. Fanfiction is nice because you can be as long as you want. But still, I would advise you, if something’s not working? It’s hurting. Drop it. Keep only scenes that contribute.

Could I have written several more chapters in Origin about H.P.’s life in Kalysta’s burrow? Heck yes. Could I have written about the years he spent as a servant / butler to Cattahan? Definitely. But they disrupted the flow, and really, the audience didn’t need them. Wield the timeskip wisely.

.:: DIVIDE AND CONQUER ::.

Okay, so you know I scribble down what I can think of at the time, right? What if I don’t know a detail? Should I stop and work it out? Spend an hour or two researching right then and there?

Nah. I throw down an underscore and keep moving. Later, I can use the search feature to show me all the underscores and fill them in during the second draft, when I have more time for fact-checking like that.

This is my favorite example of the underscores, from the “Think Positive” prompt, because every time I find this scene again it just makes me snort:

“-pixies over the millennia. Surely you can loan me some advice to raising mine? I don’t know the first thing about raising a child. I��ve never held a pup in my life.”

The Head Pixie scratched his chin. “Aren’t you Mr. Genie Conservation Program?”

“_.”

“Right. _.”

Anti-Cosmo shoved back his seat and lifted his wings. “_?”

“_,” he said as he took another sip of soda.

“_.”

“Wasn’t that the very first thing I said?”

“But do you even know how Anti-Fairy rrreproduction works?”

The most interesting conversation.

Anyway, I knew that I wanted these two to bounce off one another. I knew A.C. was acting high-strung, and H.P. was more relaxed. I wrote everything for this prompt that I could think of at the time one night. It’s been sitting around waiting for me to finish it, which I haven’t yet because there were other prompts I wanted to get to first.

I do the same thing with Origin. Heck, I even do the same thing when writing school assignments-

I even did it when writing this post! What I know, I pen down while I’m in the flow. Once you get the outlines of the puzzle down, you can go back and fill in the gaps!

Just for fun, because I work on other projects besides fanfics, here’s me doing the same thing in “Stars and Finches”:

“We’ll have to turn back. The waves are picking up.”

From the upper deck, I called, “Can’t you use magic to make it fly?”

She squinted at me. Then she squinted at _. The _ came out of her mouth. “Does this elfblood even know how _ships work?”

“I’m Allard Krindan.”

“And I’m annoyed.” She made the six-fingered Sikhorian hand gesture for “You’re not worth my time” and marched off. I folded back my ears and stared after her. Were all the Sikhorians going to treat me with such blatant disrespect?

_

“Listen, kid.” _ put his arm around me. “Ever wonder why no one steers the _ships across the mountains even though _they’re capable of traveling over land?”

“That never came up in my ambassador-in-training lessons, no.”

“Ambassador, huh?” His eye roamed to me as he popped the _ in his mouth. “Well, _. That’s why it’s so important to have the canal.”

This is a very rough draft I haven’t looked at for a bit because fanfics have been sapping up my attention. But my parents and I agreed that for my “summer job”, they’ll let me write, as long as I’m writing like it’s my job. So, I’ll become more scarce around that time as I try to finish my original novel

I think I’ll scrap the idea of the ships hovering over land. That seems too easy. They’ll stick to the water, I guess. Hmm…

.:: TABLE OF CONTENTS ::.

Unless I’m writing a one-shot or something else that’s relatively short, I always keep a table of contents at the beginning of a piece (I didn’t create one for No Anesthetic, but I left my entire first draft outline up there, even though it’s already drastically different from the way the final piece has been going). As I complete each chapter, I scratch it off with the strikeout tool.

As you can see, I’ve now finished with Acts 1 and 2. Origin got so big that it was taking the Google Docs app on my phone a painfully long time to load the story, so the second list is in my second document, and the third in the third. The asterisks symbolize the four different Acts-

Act 1: The transition from H.P. living on his own to officially accepting Sanderson

Act 2: H.P. struggling with questions, lifestyle choices, and little kids; being abducted by the cherubs and studied

Act 3: The development of Pixie World, the war over godchildren, the study of the Wolbachia bacteria, and the aftermath of the war

Act 4: Tying up loose ends; H.P. dealing with his pixies growing up and aging himself

This table of contents is pretty important to me, since I tend to write scenes as I think of them and jump up and down the story. This list helps me keep my facts straight (although tbh I can keep 99.99% of the order, mood, and timeframe of scenes straight in my head because that’s just the way I am. I can accurately keep track of hundreds of characters without double-checking their info constantly. Can I recognize somebody new in my life that I was introduced to the day before? No).

I have the kind of personality that enjoys completing things for the sake of completing them, so scratching them off is very reinforcing to me. Look how much I’ve done! Origin of the Pixies is easily the longest FOP fanfic on the Internet, and only halfway done! I did this! Isn’t that awesome? I wanna finish this puppy! I’ve poured so much of my love and time into it!

Here’s a snippet of the table from my Total Drama fanfic, The Lyin’ Queen:

The chapters are all named after Simple Plan songs as a reference to Staci listing her favorite band as Simple Flan. In this table, you can see I have small notes next to each chapter. That can be helpful too! Origin actually had notes like this back before I memorized what happens in which chapter.

Now, remember that I noted down everything I could think of. To create the table of contents, I calculated in my head where in the story I wanted things to fall (hence the notes in parentheses), and where I envisioned chapter breaks. In Knots, for example, my chapters are divided like this:

I picked this part of Knots rather than Origin because you can see that “Grand Day Out” has nothing in it yet (whereas all my Origin chapters have more content). However, I know that it exists. I went ahead and wrote it there so I wouldn’t forget; when I’m in the mood to write the ceremonial send-off scene or anything else about the upper planes of the Deep Kingdom, then I’ll scroll down to this section of the document and add it in. “Pretty Boys”, though, already has quite a few scenes written already!

Fun Fact: The Faelumen were originally designed to exist in Knots alone, and weren’t mentioned at all in Origin. It was supposed to be a big, fun surprise reveal… but after I wrote some scenes with Dame Head, I loved her too much. Plus, I thought it was something I should talk about with the whole “pixies reproduce asexually thing”, and answer the questions about why she wasn’t in Origin when Anti-Fergus was. Then the religion thing happened… Yep!

If you’ve been keeping up with this blog and Origin, you know that I unexpectedly split “Fruitful Fruition” in half to create “Snowflake”, even though the latter wasn’t in my outline. That’s okay! This is why I like to write as I go along rather than planning out too many details. It’s easy to be flexible!

TIP: Generally speaking, I write rough draft scenes as I think them up. They stay that way as rough drafts; I don’t worry about them too much. They’re full of underscores, and even in some cases, blatant mistakes.

Originally, Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda had their first kiss upside down in a tree. The draft scene is written that way. Now it’s in a petting zoo, because really, why would you not?

Point being, there are still several references later in the story about them being in a tree that I haven’t yet corrected. I’ll do that when I actually write the chapter from start to finish and decide what to cut.

 When I really sit down to write the story, though, I go in order. From the start of the chapter, with maybe a few pops forward when something comes to mind, but mostly, I go in order.

Otherwise, you might have a great scene, but it doesn’t fit the flow or mood of the story, or - worse - something came up and now the scene doesn’t make sense at all, after you put in so much effort.

If I’m in the mood to write a scene, I make time to pen the draft down as soon as possible. I do NOT say, “I’ll just hang onto that thought and write it all when I get there”. Use it or lose it!

At this time, Knots has all the scenes loosely written that I first thought of (bringing the document to approximately 200 pages). These are main scenes: conflicts with Mom, coming-of-age ceremony, Wish Fixers therapy, lots of Anti-Wanda stuff, basically all the Anti-Sanderson stuff, scenes from the war…

The next goal is finishing my outline and how I want to pace things / jump around, then figuring out the drafts for main scenes I haven’t finished yet (the opening scene, A.C.’s wedding, Anti-Bryndin, more war stuff, the bake-off, etc.) Once those main roughs are done, I’ll start writing the final version of Chapter 1, and eventually post it! Then I’ll begin work on the final version of Chapter 2, with occasional pauses to add more draft scenes later in the story if I think one up.

.:: MOTIVATION ::.

Aside from scratching off chapters being reinforcing, talking about my work on this blog helps a lot too. Although no chapters have been posted, I can’t very well back out of Frayed Knots; you know too much and I won’t make a liar out of myself now. It might take me weeks or months, but I’ll get to it!

NOTE: Revealing TOO MUCH can be severely detrimental! You may trigger your brain’s response that, “Oh, I talked about this thing? I shared it, my task is complete, I can be satisfied and stop now”. You may notice I try to only share stuff from Knots that I’ve already written, and keep my lip buttoned on stuff that’s still up in the air.

For some people, something as simple as crossing a chapter off their list may not be satisfying enough. You could always reward yourself with a bit of ice cream or candy or another treat, say, if you finish a chapter, or if you wrote a certain amount of words each day. I usually reward myself with more writing.

The NaNoWriMo community has been very supportive to me in the three years I’ve participated in National Novel Writing Month (the goal being to write 50,000 words between November 1st and November 30th).

On that site, when you make an account and sign up for the event each November, you get a purple bar underneath your username. It announces how many words you’ve written so far. If you write just 1,667 words a day, you’ll reach 50,000 by the 30th this post is almost six times that oh my gosh. 

Again, being able to update my wordcount and see how well I was keeping on track was very rewarding to me, and I’ve met the 50k count for 3/3 NaNovels (Courtesy, Silverfish, and Protagonist For Hire, which amazingly somehow got its 50,000 but is very poorly written and not close to done)!

You can also win promotional codes and stuff. I got five free self-published copies of my 2012 novel Courtesy of Number 124 when I finished and formatted them, among other benefits! It depends on the year, I think!

Again, I like completing things. I like HAVING things. After many hours of searching the web, I was disappointed in the lack of Pixie ‘fics. Although there were some, it wasn’t enough for me. I didn’t want Pixies putting another 37-year-plan into action, or getting revenge on Timmy. I wanted serious backstory.

As previously mentioned, by establishing that H.P. had written Origin, I was at a risk for writing Sanderson as dumb for not knowing something H.P. had mentioned in his book. Sanderson has read and studied Origin extensively, so I had to make sure he didn’t “conveniently” forget a fact he should know, and when writing Origin, I have to make sure not to contradict Sanderson, or give the answers to anything he stated in Rich Man that he doesn’t know

Fact: In the Origin Act 2 finale, I used “breathed” as a said tag for the first time in this story. One of the underlying things in Rich Man was, Sanderson didn’t fully grasp the concepts of how humans breathe. The word “breathe” doesn’t come up much in Rich Man, until the closing lines, like “He never stopped breathing”. I have been IN PAIN not using “breathed”, so I finally bit the bullet because forget this.

And of course, as a result, that means H.P. shouldn’t have taught him anything about humans breathing. This I… slightly retconned, because breathing turned out to be more important for Origin than I had previously expected. 

Though, in Rich Man, Sanderson never explicitly says he doesn’t know what breathing is (Obviously he has to know, considering he finally said the word). It’s just, I was subtly trying to hint in Rich Man that he truly recognized the nature of his own self - a being who could technically be called half mortal, half immortal - at the same time he began to understand Flappy’s human nature.

ANYWAY, figure out how you’re motivated and then play to your own wants and needs! Passion and a love of the work is arguably the best way to be, because it’s simple. But if praise is reinforcing to you? Share what you’ve done with me, and I’ll give you many pats on the back!

That… would have been the only three sentences required to answer this Ask, but I wrote this giant post instead. YOU KNOW WHO I AM, DENISE!

.:: OTHER WRITING ADVICE  B/C IDK WHY NOT? ::.

You’re writing for two audiences

The first is of course your readers. That’s the easy answer. But, you ought to love what you’re doing. The second audience you write for is yourself. What have you always wanted to write, but haven’t gotten around to? 

For me, I love extravagant coming of age ceremonies! I’ll take any excuse to dress characters up in something they wouldn’t normally wear, force them to participate in things they otherwise wouldn’t, or shove them in a situation where they’re horribly embarrassed but can’t escape.

And, I love inventing fantasy religions! Religious beliefs can be huge motivators for characters that can explain being “out of character”. Take advantage of this!

For a third example, Origin of the Pixies gave me the chance to write about marsupial pouches and the embarrassment of one’s offspring crawling into said pouch while in public. That’s been a joy from start to finish.

Write the scenes you “can’t afford” to write

Well, uh… so, here’s a little secret I was never planning to share… I’ve written make-out scenes and yes, even some more intimate scenes while working on Origin and Knots. They’ll just never appear, and you’ll never get to read them. It’s not something I EVER would have done just a year ago, and yet here I am.

I am a sex-repulsed aromantic asexual. I have no business nosing my way into this area. And yet I did. And it was very interesting. 

I was mostly curious to see how well my skills held up trying to describe scenarios I know little about, and it turns out that mostly, they held up extremely well! I think. It’s kind of refreshing to just let yourself write and know that no one will ever judge you on it.

Obviously, don’t write something that makes you uncomfortable just because I said here that it’s something that helps me in my writing.

Really, I didn’t focus so much on writing intimate scenes per se so much as the situations that led up to them (BOY, let me tell you how many of these “sex” scenes I have with a bunch of flirtation and set-up, and then they just… go blank, because I already had all I needed to know about how the characters would act when being romantic in private). Situations are really interesting. Emotions, dialogue, lack of one or both… Different people act in different ways.

I have H.P.’s kissing scene under the stairs with a random girl, squished between four other couples, from the party in Chapter 4- That one was REALLY fun, and recently I ended up recycling most of that scene as a sort-of flashback early in Origin Act 3 (loosely down as falling in “Cotton Candy Oatmeal”). Very teenager-y and full of hormones, which was the point. Seriously, that scene came out SO DANG WELL, and I’m very proud of my aro/ace un-kissed self. Oh man, I’ve written so many nice behind-the-scenes scenes full of character fleshing that I wish I could share.

I have Ambrosine and Ilisa Maddington (Ambrosine admiring her shampoo and giant white bathtub is adorable to me, for some reason). For crying out loud, I even wrote “‘Stars and Finches’ AU where most everything’s the same in this scene but Gavin and Ethel try to be flirty b/c I need to know how they act for research” Answer: They are super, super clueless and awkward and in this AU they DEVASTATE their relationship this way it’s so hilarious to me because “Let’s shatter these two emotionally” generally isn’t what you’d expect to get out of “AU where this story has romance / making out and jazz in it”.

Idk this is just really fascinating to me? I can still keep them 100% in character even in situations they wouldn’t normally find themselves in? I’ve explored their personalities just to understand them better, not to impress readers? I love it!

SO! The reason I wrote these things is simple: Character fleshing. You’re the author! Characters’ personal lives are completely your business. It might help to know how these people act when the audience isn’t supposed to be watching- and then draw inspiration from that to use in the actual story.

Case in point: One thing that absolutely shocked me was the way cute and sweet China acts behind closed doors. Freaking China. Apparently she’s really nice and casual by day, but she’s super specific at night, and will pitch a fit if things don’t go her way. She guilts the heck out of H.P. It’s her little way of getting control, being a selkie… 

Basically, she did a 180-flip in my mind after I wrote the dialogue exchange and narrative reflecting on their relationship, and I loved it. Almost all of the lines from those few paragraphs ended up in Origin.

And given how many relationships H.P. makes and breaks over the 700,000 years this story covers, going behind the scenes this way allows me to compare and contrast his girls. Whereas China is specific and decides when they sleep together, Kalysta is easy-going just as long as he’s there. Very, very interesting and very fun for me!

Of course, don’t do anything you’re uncomfortable doing. But maybe break out of your comfort zone and write scenes that will never make it into the story. Not just kissy-kissy scenes, but other scenes too:

Those shady deals behind the best friend’s back

The moment the villain realizes someone’s out to stop her

Midnight snacks

Doctor and dentist appointments

Birthday celebrations

What happens when they’re out of their favorite breakfast

Being stuck in traffic / going to work

Relatives coming to visit

Grocery shopping

A situation where they are the only one stressed

Trying a new recipe

Cleaning the house

Ordering at a fancy restaurant

Ordering from a drive-thru

First cruise vacation

Service for a friend or stranger

Multitasking (TV, phone conversation, and food?)

Big homework assignments

Interview / performance review

Visiting a museum

Going to the pool / waterpark on a hot day

Visiting a sick friend or relative

Attending a funeral (for someone they either know well, or don’t)

Take your kid to work day

Caught in the act of an embarrassing habit

Accidentally set something on fire

Can’t find an item (either dumb or important)

What happens during timeskips

Before the story begins

After it comes to a close

Stuff that happens in daily life, but the reader doesn’t need to know because it doesn’t add enough to the story. Or, maybe some of these will turn out to be crucial, and you can work them in. Writing about what your character sees in a museum is a great way to worldbuild, and then you can sneak hints of what you learn from writing that prompt into the actual finished work. Hint at a world that keeps getting deeper. Treat yo’self- you might just be surprised.

… I realize that we’re straying from the original topic, but I’m on a roll here. Hmm. I’ll make a separate prompt list for all of these things and post it later.

Google Docs is a good way to go

Google Docs is free to use, the only stipulation being that you need a gmail account, I think. If you have an iPhone or something, download the Google Docs app. It’s free too.

Whatever you write on one will sync to other devices automatically. Take advantage of this and, if you’re not socializing or keeping an eye on your surroundings otherwise, write everywhere. Write when you’re a passenger on the bus, write between class changes, write while you’re eating with the other hand, and if you have enough self-control to still get to sleep on time, you can keep it beside your bed.

I’ve only had Docs crash on me once in two+ years, and since it saves automatically as you work anyway (and saves your past edits), I didn’t lose anything. I used WordPerfect for almost a decade, I’ve often used Microsoft Word for school papers, and I have Scrivener, but Google Docs is my favorite to write with because I can walk up to any computer, log in, and access my 85+ files in an instant. Dropbox syncing used to take HOURS back in the day.

(The one thing I might mention is that if I remember correctly, the Google Docs app is extremely hard to log out of on the iPhone, if there is even an option. It’s been some time since I checked, however, but may be something to keep in mind for those who share phones with people they’d be embarrassed to have reading their work.)

Take your time

Seriously, timing is everything. I could name numerous pieces that would have been vastly different had I submitted them as soon as I thought they were ready. It was seven months after I “finished” “Bells and Whistles” before I was able to post it, and it changed a surprising amount after all those revisions!

It’s okay not to have your worldbuilding fully worked out when you start. In fact, I’d even say it’s better that way! When you worldbuild as you go, you’re truly immersed in the world and the work!

And lastly?

Find the good in everything, and accept the bad along with it. You gotta, bro.

Don’t compare yourself to other writers. You’re all working to entertain and have fun. It’s not a competition- you’re just here to be better than yesterday. Look to other writers to study and admire and learn from, but don’t let their years of hard work make you feel less about your years of hard work.

Hope I helped ya, and thanks for asking for my advice! Keep me posted on how your work goes!

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TAGGED BY: @voiddxd TAGGING: @axroomfulxofxmuses, @goldendorito, @diviisus, @mooncaped (if any of you have already done this you don’t need to do it again), and anyone who wants to

NICKNAME: Natsumi GENDER: Cis female STAR SIGN: I have no idea haha *looks up* Leo, apparently. HEIGHT: 5′6 HOGWARTS HOUSE: Hufflepuff! FAVORITE ANIMAL: Barn owl, but axolotls are amazing too. AVG. SLEEP HOURS: Around nine. DOGS OR CATS: Dogs! I have a puppy and she is amazing! # OF BLANKETS: Currently two but that’s cuz it’s winter. Sometimes I’ll go none in the summer. Also depends on room temperature. SONG YOU’RE FEELING: Anything upbeat, catchy, and with a strong beat. Especially fansongs. I’ve been listening to the Invader Zim fansong Alien Freak by komodochords a lot recently, but that’s mainly cuz I’m drawing an amv for it right now haha. I loooove the Undertale fansong Renegade by Sharax. It’s just. So good. DREAM TRIP: Definitely going to Japan. DREAM JOB: Storyboard artist? Tho I’m currently majoring in zoology haha. Then again I love animals, so . . . WHEN I MADE THIS ACCOUNT: Account or blog? Cuz I’ve got one account and five blogs under it. I made this account June 26, 2015, and the only reason I know that is cuz I wrote it down. That was between my junior and senior years of highschool. When I made this blog . . . I forgot to write that one down when I made it, darn it. Um. *looks up first ooc post* . . . Well the first time Gaster was open for interaction was apparently 10:17 pm May 21st 2016. Has it really been almost two years already? Doesn’t feel like it. WHY I MADE THIS ACCOUNT: Account? Because I was getting back into the Danny Phantom fandom for like the third time and I heard about roleplaying and was suggested by @mooncaped and a few others to make a blog for him, and I am so glad I did. Blog? Because I was seeing posts of a strange skeleton I didn’t recognize despite being tagged undertale on my dash and was like who the heck is that. I asked someone about it (don’t remember who unfortunately), researched him, fell in love with what little we know of his character and all the theories floating around him, and was like yes I must roleplay him. He’s still the muse I most like to play and is still my go-to for art. And now I have an askblog for him and his best friend (the Doctor, @howdidhegetin, but the mun is currently on hiatus), at @askthedoubledoctors. I love him.

# OF FOLLOWERS: 59 at the moment. Which is weird cuz I’ve got like 500 on fullyphantom and like 500 on what used to be thepinetree, and I’ve had those only slightly longer than this one. I had some trouble getting this one up and started in the first place, too . . .