#I've a few already written that needed a serious rewrite

[ivyblossom]

That thing where I feel like I'm going to have to write fanfiction again

This is a weird one. I just want to say it somewhere, so that I've said it somewhere, but I realize there's there's one person who actually cares about this and she already knows, so. This is just for me, I guess.

Fifteen years ago, I wrote most of a Narnia fic. It pairs of Edmund Pevensie and Bacchus, aka Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of grapes, wine and uninhibited ecstasy. Also theatre. I know, that's a bit weird. Is Bacchus even in the Narnia stories? (Yes, he is. He even has lines!) Why on earth am I pairing him up with Edmund, who is 10 when we first meet him?

It's all the weird memory tricks, I'm a sucker for those. The Pevensies forget about England because they stay so long in Narnia and stop thinking about England, and they can (and do) forget about Narnia if they stay in England too long and don't think about Narnia enough (poor Susan), and I find that really interesting. It offers up so many nooks and crannies to stick story in. They grow up and become adults in Narnia, but are required to forget most of it in order to return to build children in England.

And come on: is Bacchus not also very obviously the god of Narnian orgies? I mean, yes. Clearly. He's also Aslan's default caterer and water-into-wine head tech. If you need buildings destroyed and bullies turned into trees and/or pigs, Bacchus is your guy. He's not big on wearing clothes, and according to Edmund, he's incredibly beautiful and extremely dangerous. Edmund is only 10 when we first meet him, sure, but he grows up, reverse ages, and then starts to grow up again. Bacchus throws them a G-rated orgy in Prince Caspian. There's love there.

Hasn't Edmund suffered enough? Yes, he got addicted to the Turkish Delight that time, but he'd been struggling and was being bullied, he was carrying a lot of self-hatred and shame, give a kid a break. He did get himself heroically killed putting it right, only to be healed physically and psychologically by Santa Claus's magic healing cordial, as one does. Doesn't Edmund deserve a cute immortal boyfriend with quirky friends and a serious green thumb who grows his own grapes, makes his own wine, can manipulate and control the desires of everyone around him like conducting an orchestra, and who will love him until the end of time? There aren't many humans in Narnia, why not hook up with the god of uninhibited ecstasy? I mean, he's right there.

Anyway. It was fifteen years ago.

I wrote 3/4ths of it, I had one part left to go to finish it, I had an idea about what how it would end, but for some reason I never wrote the ending. I don't remember why. So it's been sitting there unfinished since 2009.

And in the last few weeks I started thinking about it again. I had an idea about that ending. I couldn't remember if this idea I was toying with was my original concluding idea or not, it's been that long, but I liked the idea, and I thought, you know, I should write that idea in as the last part and finally finish that thing.

And then I read what I'd written. And a) 15 years is a long time and I have so many criticisms, I was clearly in love with the sound of my own voice (uh...nothing's changed there I guess?), b) I wrote the thing in such a way to exclude my new idea, so apparently that wasn't my original plan, but c) yeah, I should have written this thing properly the first time around. And now I have 104 more ideas and I love them all, so.

I think I have to rewrite it. Or, I suppose, just write another one and replace it? I dunno. Just playing it out now.

I think I'm going to write it. Is this an active fandom? I don't think so. I don't care. This love story needs to be told. Edmund deserves this.

[darkmaga-retard]

Wednesday August 14, 2024 Truth Bomb

Karen Bracken

Globalists Outline World Govt Pathway: 75% Population Reduction, Global Truth Commission, Earth System Currency, Revised Un Charter - this globalist depopulation agenda (in order to control not save people) is the reason why we must understand that DC will never stop this. DC is pushing this. This is why my fight and the fight of my organization TN Citizens for State Sovereignty are fighting to get legislation passed to protect our state from federal overreach/tyranny. DC is no longer where our rights, liberties and freedoms will be protected. If you want more information about what we are doing in Tennessee feel free to contact me. But these guys are as serious as a heart attack. Please take the time to read and understand their plans. They have NEVER hidden their agenda they just bank on the fact that most people have no clue - None of these unelected people/organizations have any constitutional authority in America but our federal government walks in lock-step with them and we need to stand up at the state level and push back. We do not need a rewriting of the UN Charter or a overhaul of the UN we need to shut it down completely - MAGA can never happen as long as we continue to be a part of the UN. It needs to be destroyed - ARTICLE

THIS is a short video embedded in the article that I want to make sure you watch just the first few minutes. TAKE NOTE AT THE 1:50 mark…….at the bottom objective is to reduce the world population (from the current 8 billion) down to 2 billion people. Now how do you think they will get rid of 6 billion+ people??? I have told people their plan for years and in The Global Biodiversity Assessment, WRITTEN IN 1995, it clearly states we must reduce the population to 1-2 billion people in order to maintain reasonable lifestyle. Coincidence?

From the article: Roundtable on the Human Future

Bottom line is not about saving anything but reducing the population in order to have total control. They cannot control 8+ billion people. Look around. You can sometimes drive for miles without seeing a single home or business. The earth is NOT overpopulated and the only crisis are created by world governments to move their plan of total power and control forward. There is HUGE money to be made for these evil people.

Charlie Clark interviews Tulsi Gabbard about being designated a domestic terrorist - I am not a Tulsi fan…….I know a lot of people think she is great but talk is cheap. She WAS a WEF Young Global Leader (although she denies it but she was on their page for 7 years and in 2015 there is a tweet from her bragging how proud she was to be nominated as a YGL) and she was a member of the CFR for 5 years and I have the proof of both statements. Yes people change but people can also be paid/controlled opposition too. But what they are doing to her is not right and she does not deserve to be treated like this and neither does any other American citizen. VIDEO

Kackling Kamala posted a huge crowd welcoming her on the tarmac…..first, no airport is going to let a huge crowd on the tarmac. But it was proven the video/picture was doctored and a person working that aircraft that day said there was absolutely no one on the tarmac. And all these rallies she is having with huge crowds…….these are concerts that were already booked and she weaseled her way in to hold her rally when in reality the people were there to see a pre-planned concert. Gotta give it to these Democrats they know all the dirty tricks. VIDEO (13 seconds)

“Get in the House!” – Tyrant Tim Walz Ordered Police to Shoot Residents on Their Porches with Paintballs During COVID (VIDEO) ARTICLE/VIDEO

I just had to share this…..a friend Rick S sent this to me in email and I think it is awesome.

I've tried to understand why Trump has such a remarkable following. (It's obvious why he probably should not!) Then a friend sent me this raccoon story. It makes no difference about your political leanings, this is just a good explanation of WHY... (or it's as good as any I can come up with).

This applies to both Democrats and Republicans….says it all. You've been on vacation for two weeks, you come home, and your basement is infested with raccoons. Hundreds of rabid, messy, mean raccoons. You want them gone. You call the city and 4 different exterminators but nobody can handle the job. But there is this one guy and he guarantees you to get rid of them, so you hire him. You don't care if the guy smells, you don't care if the guy swears, you don't care if he's an alcoholic, you don't care how many times he's been married, you don't care if he voted for Obama, you don't care if he has a plumber's crack, you simply want those raccoons gone! You want your problem fixed! He's the guy. Period ! Here's why we want Trump, yes, he's an egomaniac, but we don't care. The country is a mess because politicians suck, the Republicans and Democrats can be two-faced & gutless, and illegals are everywhere. We want it all fixed! We don't care that Trump is crude, we don't care that he insults people, we don't care that he once was friendly with Hillary, we don't care that he has changed positions, we don't care that he's been married 3 times, we don't care that he fights with Megyn Kelly and Rosie O'Donnell, we don't care that he doesn't know the name of some Muslin terrorist. This country is weak, bankrupt, our enemies are making fun of us, we are being invaded by illegals, we are becoming a nation of victims where every Tom, Ricardo, and Hasid is a special group with special rights to a point where we don't even recognize the country we were born and raised in; "AND WE JUST WANT IT FIXED" and Trump is the only guy who seems to understand what the people want.

We're sick of politicians, sick of the Democratic Party, Republican Party, and sick of illegals. We just want this thing fixed. Trump may not be a saint, but he doesn't have lobbyist money holding him, he doesn't have political correctness restraining him, all you know is that he has been very successful, a good negotiator, he has built a lot of things, and he's also not a politician, he's not a cowardly politician. And he says he'll fix it. And, we believe him because he is too much of an egotist to be proven wrong or looked at and called a liar. Also, we don't care if the guy has bad hair. We just want those raccoons gone, out of our house, NOW. This is why thousands of people who haven't voted in 25 years are getting involved. The raccoons have got to go.

[phoenixradiant]

Fen Asks For Advice #1 (in presumption that there will be more later): Lassin

So I've been in the middle of "revising" (rewriting) Act I for a very long time at this point, but I'm finally getting to a flashback scene that needed serious rewriting. In the flashback sequence, quite a lot happens. Cellic's leg gets messed up, his father goes missing (presumed dead) and his younger sister dies. During the rewrite, a question suddenly occurred to me:

Should I keep Lassin (the sister) alive?

I don't know, which is why I'm turning to you guys. I'm going to make a list of pros and cons and see what you think.

Pros: - She has "going to die" written all over her, so keeping her alive would make for an interesting turn of events. - Their interactions over the wounds he sustained to save her would enunciate Cellic's selfless attributes - Cellic's entire cast needs a friend who's somewhere close to well-adjusted and Lassin would be the least traumatized - Maiph just needs a friend in general - I could always kill her later if I need drama for a boring part

Cons: - Killing her makes for guaranteed drama, whereas Hjodyr's death is questionable and Cellic's leg gets fixed eventually (and the readers can infer that based on the fact that it's a flashback) - If she dies I can crank up the guilt factor on Cellic - Cellic already has a lot of side characters to keep track of - I don't have a plan for where she goes or what purpose she serves in the narrative - She's younger than everyone save Lutian and handling one child character in a war is hard enough (actually there's another one planned already I just haven't written him yet)

Edit: If you guys could also weigh in on what to do with her if I do keep her alive, that'd be great

Gonna tag a few mutuals who've heard me rant enough to have a good enough (still not great, I'm hardly the clearest but whatever) idea what's going on: @the-ellia-west, @tildeathiwillwrite, @illarian-rambling

[mothmage]

20 Qs for fic writers

Tagged by @monstersinthecosmos , thank you!!!

1. How many works do you have on A03? 31 (and a few anon, i think 2 or 3. idk, when i post a fic on anon i forget about it forever)

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 446,135

3. What fandoms do you write for? currently/primarily vc, iwtv (amc), star wars, and merlin (bbc)!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? A Lovely Little Normal Life (which, honestly, kind of annoys me lol. i know it's just bc it's a huge fandom, but really? the stupid little 12k harry potter fic i wrote in two days is my most kudos? please...); Arthur Pendragon, Long May She Reign (forever pushing my lesbian genderswap agenda); The Face of God (les mis slightly canon divergent javert character study); The Odyssey of Recollection (amc iwtv s1 pov armand); Away From Stranger Tides (potc philip/syrena fic i started ages ago and never finished, lol)

5. Do you respond to comments? yes i love talking to people in comments!!!! i've made a lot of friends through comments!!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? omg. umm. merthur fans don't know this yet bc i havent finished posting but it's arthur pendragon long may she reign (BUT it's part of a series, so it's literally fine). idk, i dont tend to write long fics that end angsty. but my angstiest fic in general is probably Hollow-Boned Boy (armand contemplating his human life in the early CoD era) or Vision of the Damned (daniel's turning from armand's pov)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? i love a happy ending!! my series Odysseus in White Silk is probably the happiest ending, and in such an undeserved way hahaha it's so very AU because i was sad after s1 of the show and just wanted them all (and armandaniel) to live happily ever after

8. Do you get hate on fics? i dont think i ever have, but i tend to read comments in good faith too, so maybe someone out there is annoyed that i interpreted their vague dislike comment as a genuine comment or something, idk. in general though, i'll say no

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? yes but i dont post that often, idk if there's a particular kind, but generally it tends to be a little rougher than is probably appropriate without discussion in real-life situations, but also very...idk my friend described it as very tender, like theyre very clearly in love. which is so funny considering that that kind of tenderness irl gives me fucking hives lmfao

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? oh wow, not in a long time. i do have a wip sitting around rn that's a crossover between london spy and cloud atlas, which is really crazy until you remember that ben whishaw is in both london spy and the cloud atlas movie lol. and cloud atlas is already about weird reincarnations and parallel worlds and stuff, so it isnt too out-there.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? i dont think so!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? yes!! The Face of God was translated into Korean by ao3 user Crescent919 !! i've had a few comments on other fics asking to translate for personal use (always yes, of course), but no one else has asked to share a translation publicly

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? no!! i've been thinking about it lately though

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? all-time? probably merlin/arthur from merlin (bbc). it's the whole fate-destiny-choice thing, it just compels me like nothing else

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? hmmm, i would like to finish Roswell -- well, kinda (agent carter farm girl / alien crash landing au) because i still have all the original notes and outlines and stuff. i also made a shitty conlang when i was first writing it, which is crazy lol. but it would need some pretty serious revisions, and i would definitely rewrite the first few chapters that i posted years ago. i just kind of lost the agent carter bug, but i might return to that fic if i ever get in the mood for it again.

16. What are your writing strengths? ooh, i'm not really sure! i get a lot of comments mentioning characters' voices and/or personalities, so i would say maybe that!!! i also feel that i'm fairly good at mimicking an author's writing style when i want to (notably, i do not mimic anne rice when writing vc fic, lol)

17. What are your writing weaknesses? editing for sure. i have at least a hundred fics sitting on my hard drive fully or almost-fully written that i just need to edit. but i would simply rather die than do all of that. it's also why my whole merlin fic got put on pause while i went down the vc rabbithole, because i just can't bring myself to go edit the next chapters lol

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? hmm, i think it's usually unnecessary and comes off as a bit silly. that said, i did do it once (maybe excessively) in Daniel Molloy, Time Bandit (1984 daniel ends up in 1794 theatre des vampires, it's more of a character study than a time travel fic) BUT, let me defend myself -- i did it because daniel doesnt understand french, it's his pov, and he's incredibly confused and distraught for most of the fic. i felt like the dialogue being in french conveyed this sort of "daniel does not belong in this time/place" vibes. but, also, my french is...a little rough. so i'm sure it's an annoying fic for french readers lmao

19. First fandom you wrote for? warriors cats, a million years ago hahahah

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? ok, i have three different answers for this. the fic i think is the best, objectively, in terms of writing and content: The Story of Dani [...] (r63 devil's minion from armand's pov, starting with lestat's house). the fic i am the proudest of, mostly because it was my first "big" fic (it's funny now, bc it's only 41k) and i feel like i grew a lot as a writer while working on it, and i'm still happy with it: The Face of God (les mis pov javert, character study from childhood). the fic i have the most fun with and think about almost 24/7: Arthur Pendragon, Long May She Reign (r63 merthur, canon divergence, this is like a 4-part series that's currently over 300k lmao)

no-pressure tagging: @aunteat @leslutdepointedulac @butchybats @graygiantess and anyone else who wants to!!

[otp-holic]

When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you’ve written, then pass on to at least five other writers, if you can. Let’s spread the self-love. ♥️

(in case you haven't done this already! 💛)

Hello Minnie, this exercise is really REALLY difficult for me, because I mostly cringe at everything I write, once I look at it with some distance, but I'm trying to do a self-esteem effort today... and I'm bored at work. Also, I was going to say that I hadn't written enough to pick five, and I just realized over twenty published fics for this fandom... I know many of them are short and silly, but, how the heck has that happened? 💛

My list:

I was alone, I took a ride (I didn't know what I would find there)  Just for the sheer amount of hours, the ability to keep working on it despite MANY things, and the fact that I've managed to write 200ks makes it my top one. I know it's still a WIP, but I'm one epilogue and a few edits away from finishing it, so it still counts.

As the days ahead become behind I loved the idea of Bucky's hair meaning something, and I loved that I dared to write despite not feeling as if I was making justice to all the head canons in my head. Just so we can outwit time I loved doing the manips, and working on the idea of them kissing inside a booth. Every time I do something for my Never let us lose what we have gained series, it brings me joy. I feel like I'm giving them back moments that life stole from them, and it's a warm feeling all along.

A couple of kids from Brooklyn I had TONS of fun writing this. TONS. I'd love to go back and rewrite some parts of it at some point because it was fast and messy,... but Steve going batshit about the lack of Bucky in his story always makes me smile.

Radio Days This wasn't my first fic in the fandom, but it feels like it was. It needs a serious rewrite, but I remember how much fun I had planning it, and how many hours I spent on it... writing it for myself. I still love the idea of the radio show, and of them taking time to heal and be together. I also had LOTS of fun with the moodboard and Steve's journey to find the right shade of blue.

[narvaldetierra]

The betrayal [1/5]

Summary: “I know who Dragonfly164 is,” Tasha suddenly said, without even knowing where she got the strength to do it, “Is Borden. He's alive”

“How could you possibly know that?” Patterson asked, a slight tremor in her voice. 

“Because Atlantic17 is me.”

Tags: Angst. Established relationship. Canon divergence. Words: 2288 A/N: Although this is seeing light just now, this was the first thing I ever write about Blindspot, and it is part of my series "rewriting our stars". This is going to be a short multichapter and I have already written the first three chapters, I just have to finish the translations. Disclaimer: This first chapter has some scenes and dialog from the show. The rest of the story will diverge more from canon but will have some context from the series. Read it too on Ao3

~ What I've done? ~

“You have no idea how hard it was for me to keep that from you.”

“How hard it was for you?!” she replied, facing her “I can still feel his hands on me when I try to fall asleep at night. Because before he beat me, shot me, and put a tracker device in me, he used to sleep in my bed.” She took a few steps closer to the brunette and mumbling so that only she would be able to hear, added, “You should know that more than anyone.”

“I was trying to protect you,” Zapata shortened the distance between them, “I thought it would be better if you never knew he was alive.”

“It tormented me that he died on his own terms! All I wanted was to put him in prison, to take back a fraction of the control he took away from me!” Both were doing their best to keep their composure, but their eyes were filled with tears. “Now not only I couldn't do it, but you've also taken away the little control I had left. You got a second chance, and you should have given to me that. But instead, you chose to work with him.”

“I had to. It is my job.”

Patterson watched Tasha in bewilderment, in complete disbelief “And I was your girlfriend” she said and her voice cracked. Those words stabbed into Tasha's chest like a sharp knife. Was. “You should have cared about me more.” 

Without anything else to say and knowing that she couldn't keep it together long enough, she walked away, leaving Tasha alone. She went straight to the nearest restroom, locked herself inside a cubicle, squatted, and then she released her feelings. Muffled sounds came from her as she sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She tried to make as little noise as possible, while she allowed herself to feel the panic of knowing that Nigel was alive, that he could have paid her a visit at any time, catching her by surprise and off guard. Pain lodged firmly in her chest at the thought that Zapata knew all along and had decided to hide it.

After a few minutes, she forced herself to regain her composure, she stood up, held her breath, and left the cubicle. She went to the sink, wiped her face, and drank some water. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, seeking the concentration she would need, and stepped out, keeping a serious and stoic profile.

However, seeing Borden was something she wasn't ready for. Although she kept her distance and made sure to see him only through the cameras, she was tense the whole time. Knowing that he was just a few steps away made her feel a lump in her throat. Feeling Tasha's gaze on her back every time they were in the same room didn't help either. Work had always helped her to keep her mind busy when she didn't feel able to cope with something, however, this time it was the same job she loved that was stressing her and putting her in a situation she wasn't ready to face. She needed to leave, she needed to go back to her apartment, she needed to be anywhere but there. And yet, she wouldn't leave. She didn't want the team to think she was fragile or to see her differently, she couldn't stand that and she certainly wouldn't let Nigel take anything else away from her.

At the end of the day, despite their setbacks, they had once again succeeded in eliminating the threat to their city, avoiding a terrorist attack. Looking for the last time Nigel while Zapata inform him about his destination, Patterson stood still, feeling Jane's gaze over her, full of questions and worries. 

“Just say it,” she said barely glancing at her out of the corner of her eye. She only allow her, because she was her friend.

“Uhm, what?”

“I know you know about… me and Zapata. She told me a few days ago.” Her tone of voice was serious and subdued.

“I just wanted to know how are you,” Jane said being completely honest. “It was a really rough day.” She was surprised by the way Patterson had handled all, she knew that if she had been in her place, she wouldn't have acted so peacefully.

Patterson took a deep breath, She pursed her lips, thinking of the right words to say. “Not quite good, but I will be.”

“Listen, I know she was wrong but you know Tasha, she would never do anything to–”

“Jane, really, I appreciate the intention, but I can't and don't want to talk about it now.” Her gaze was still glued to the screens, watching very carefully the two people she had once loved and who had betrayed her. “I can't believe this is happening again,” she said in a barely audible whisper.

Jane in no way justified Tasha's decision. Most of Tasha's decisions during the past couple of years generated internal conflicts for her, starting with working not only for the CIA but especially for Keaton. However, she knew her intentions had never been to hurt Patterson, nor anyone on the team. She needed to believe that, and a part of her needed to talk about it with her friend, while her logical side knew she shouldn't interfere in their relationship.

Borden's screams inside the interrogation room caught the attention of the two women.

“Are you sure you have anything you want to say to him?” Jane asked.

“I thought I would,” Patterson was surprised when uttering those words, “In my head, he's become this great mythical monster. But now that he's in front of me, all I can see is a weak broken shell of a man.”

Paperwork kept them busy for the next hours, and before call it a day, Patterson went to Tasha's desk, with a copy of the dragonfly file. She has no idea where she got the strength to see and talk to her.

“Hey… Reade still has some extra cake samples in the fridge, if you wanted–” Tasha said hoping to continue their previous talk in a more private and relaxed space.

“No,” Patterson interrupted her, “this is the only relationship I can have with you right now.”

Those words broke Tasha's heart into so many pieces that she wouldn't even have believed it could keep pumping blood. Tears came to her eyes, and almost begging for a second chance she said “I made a mistake.”

“I don't think you did” She almost didn't recognize this Patterson, she was cold and distant. “I think you are just someone who can see things objectively, without emotions getting in the way. The CIA is lucky to have you” She turned and walked away down an empty hallway.

Tasha followed her, willing not to leave things that way. “Patterson, it's not like that. Yes, I'm constantly trying to keep my emotions or relationships out of my work, but it is different with you. I can't do that with you. What I feel for you is getting in the way all the time, in every decision I make. I truly wanted to protect you and I thought I was doing it. I thought if I could keep an eye on him, he couldn't hurt you.”

“But it wasn't like that. I don't feel cared for, or safe at all.” She turned instantly to face her, making a great effort to control the volume of her voice. “You knew how much it took me to feel safe again, how much it took for me to trust in someone else. You knew about my nightmares every night.” Her teary eyes were fixed on the brunette. “You were by my side in that hospital bed when I told you that, somehow, I felt he could be still alive. You looked me in the eye and you lied to me, you convinced me that it had only been a dream.”

“I wanted to tell you, but–”

“But what? You had countless opportunities to tell me since I returned to New York, and you didn't..”

“Patterson, I–”

“No! I don't know if I can trust you or anything you say. Not right now.” And without another word she walked away, leaving Tasha behind.

She went to her lab, thinking she was ready to continue working, but it was halfway down the stairs when she began to feel the weight of the argument with Tasha. She hoped she wouldn't have to go through that, she had wished to be at home when reality hit her like that. But she couldn't control it. A sharp sensation of being short of breath came over her, she needed to scream but she didn't think she was even capable of speaking. Holding on to the railing, she slid down until she was sitting on the floor. Her breathing was halfway between a sob and hyperventilation, feeling like she was suffocating. Her hands won't stop shaking, was unable to coordinate a thought, and felt as if it would never end.

“Patterson?” 

The voice felt far away. She turned looking over her shoulder and was able to see Rich, bewildered, three steps away. 

“Patterson, what's wrong?” Seeing her, he understood the situation and, determined, hurried down two steps and sat down next to her.

Because of his presence, Patterson wanted to force herself to pretend that everything was fine, failing miserably. 

“It's ok, breathe with me, ok?” Rich insisted, and then he took a deep breath, gesturing with his hand, guiding her in the process. “Is it okay if I put my hand on your back?” he asked and only, when Patterson nodded, he made physical contact, rubbing her in a circular movement. “Come on again, breathe in and out.”

Despite Patterson's image of the former cybercriminal, Rich stayed serious the entire time, until the unbearable anguish wore off. In fact, he even appeared to be experienced in the matter.

“That's it, you are ok now,” Rich said reassuringly, “do you feel better?”

“I'm fine…” her breathing became normal as she uttered those words, “I'm fine” insisted, “I'm fine.”

“Say it one more time and I'll believe you” Rich joked, “can you stand up?” Still with one hand on her back, he offered her the other to hold and help her to stand up. “Do you want some water? Coffee? Maybe a drink or an ear? I'm a good listener.”

“I'll just… go home. It's been a long day.”

“You need me to come with you? To drive you? I don't have a car but I could ask for the agents that drive me to the safe house, to take you home first.”

“It's ok Rich,” she went down a step, then she turned around to add "and, you don't have to worry about your job, we already took care of it."

“You did? Thanks." he asked in surprise and Patterson nodded, then he added, "you can text me if you need something, anything.”

“Okay. I would appreciate it if this…”

“I don't even know what happened.”

“Thanks.”

A couple of hours later, Zapata was in a bar, drinking her third glass of whisky, fulfilling the cliché of drowning her sorrows in alcohol. Reade had texted her earlier and she told him to not come to see her. she didn't have the strength to argue with him about why she hadn't said anything about it before. Nas warned her and she thought she was prepared for it, but it didn't make it hurt any less to have fought with Patterson and not be able to talk to her best friend about it. Great was her surprise to see him at the bar, next to her. It turned out that he was a good friend and beyond the issues at work, he was there to support her. 

“You were protecting Patterson the best way you knew how. Maybe one day she'll see that” Reade said trying to cheer her up, “and you know what? Even if she doesn't, it's fine, you still got me. Everything is gonna be okay.”

“No, it's not,” replied. She looked at him silently, hesitating, but she needed her best friend, so she finally said, “because I love her… and now she hates me.”

Reade stared at her in silence, stunned at her words. 

“We...” she sighed, “I told her what I felt for her about a year ago, and apparently she felt something for me too,” she said, feeling that she owed him that explanation, “we had… this kind of ‘long distance relationship’ this last months before we got kidnaped and Jane came back.” She played with the glass in her hands, alternating glances with her friend. “Since Borden she was… She has had a hard time trusting someone else or herself, and about her decisions outside of work. So we decided to take baby steps. we wouldn't be telling anyone until she feels confident and… and now this,” she did her best to not shed the tears in her eyes, “I don't think she can trust me ever again.”

It took a few seconds for Reade to process all, “How it is possible for me to not know–? Yeah, no, that's not the point here,” he cut himself off mid-sentence, realizing how out of line his comment had been. He pondered his words for a moment before speaking again. “Look, Patterson is hurt. Give her space, let her clear her mind. She's a woman of logic. Perhaps, when she can analyze it, she will see that you only wanted to protect her.”

Tasha didn't say anything, just nodded, without believing his words. Reade invited the next round.

---

Next chapter

[mannatea]

Hi! For the ask game: 🌈 💞 🪄

🌈is there a fic that you worked *really fucking hard on* that no one would ever know? maybe a scene/theme you struggled with?

Hoo boy. Yeah. Three fics.

Fireside Dreams. The original was written in 2008 and this rewrite done in 2020. The rewrite was extensive and I DO MEAN EXTENSIVE. In 2008 I was well into adulthood already (lol) but I didn't have a great grasp of who I was as a person yet. I don't mean this in any sort of negative way, but Oscar as a character always spoke to me deeply and it wasn't until I rewatched and reread RoV in 2020 that it hit me square in the face why that was. In my rewrite of this story, I managed to convey a lot of themes I was incapable of putting words or solid feelings to back in 2008, and I wrote Oscar as asexual. I never outright stated it in the story or the notes (because I wanted my readers to feel they could kind of choose that specific for themselves) but that was where my mind was when writing it. Also, I very much wanted to hint at The Incident Scene being as complex as I view it, so I was able to do that too, something I could have NEVER put into words in 2008.

If It Takes a Lifetime. I was actually very happy with the original story, also posted in 2008. The original was more or less a cathartic love letter to the fans; it was my definitive proof that the author knew what she was doing by ending the series the way she did. When I reread it to work on, though, I found that the original was a classic example of what a friend criticized my writing for, once ("too emotional"). I reread it in 2020 as my first foray back into writing after some time away, and it was my first RoV rewrite. I found the story felt underdeveloped and a bit uninspired-feeling, and there was a lot of emotion that didn't really feel real or earned (which is something I've trained myself to notice; I did not have this skill in 2008). I also Get the characters in a way I did not in 2008 which helped a lot. In the rewrite I tried to mimic the manga tone more; the French translation (which is all I had until recently lmao) has this sort of...waxing poetic narration and I needed it for this story to work. I also had to retool basically the whole thing due to the PoV moving from omniscient to limited and the aforementioned issues. Rewriting this damn thing was a labor of love if ever there was one. I was so happy with this rewrite that in my notes I said it felt more like a Rose of Versailles fic than any other RoV story I wrote.

A Rose Is a Rose Is a Rose. I probably should not have labeled this a romance; it's more character study + friendship than anything but sometimes I'm stupid. Anyway, this was the first extensive rewrite I did since 2020 and it was pretty much a complete retooling of the original story, which had a fun premise but was way too short to make the idea work properly. This one was another serious labor of love; the story concept was good but the actual structure had to be tossed out, so I had to more or less just write a whole new story while still keeping the parts of the original that worked for me. And while I was at it I made certain it acted as a bridge to Raine's skit with Regal (where they agree that Lloyd surviving is of the utmost importance) as well as an easier segue into her ending, since I felt the game did a poor job of getting us from "she lied about her identity" to "she's so comfortable with it now she's out trying to end discrimination." (Not that the game did a great job with like, any of the character endings save a few, though lol.)

--

💞what's the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language

This is tough because it depends on the story.

Short pieces: Characterization > Metaphors Make Sense > Technical Stuff > Plot > Worldbuilding

Longer works: Characterization > Plot > Worldbuilding > Technical Stuff > Metaphors Make Sense

Like obviously if the technical stuff is dogshit people won't read the story at all, but if we're just talking a few nitpicky details, they matter a lot less in a long fic than in a short one. In a short story you're presenting a bite-sized (or like, cupcake-sized) piece for your reader, and the things that matter in the short-term have to be the most important (like, it's a short story...please edit it before posting, it takes a few minutes to look for typos). I think having a technically sound story is important no matter what but sometimes in long stories you do miss a small thing here or there.

I don't think a short story needs much or any real worldbuilding to be great. Obviously these details are nice in short bursts and fun to see, but they can also REALLY bog down a story if you include too many or the intention is to present something short & punchy. For a long story though, you DO need it, and depending on the canon you're writing for, you may need a lot of it to keep your readers engaged, to help your characters feel more grounded in the world, and/or to help the world feel real.

Metaphors making sense is ranked higher in the short story section because this is where they are most often encountered. It's very very noticeable if you make a terrible metaphor and that metaphor is the crux of the whole 2,000 word long story you're writing. In a long fic you don't see a lot of metaphors generally (and I find most of them just make the story a slog to read) so it's not that big of a deal because you probably won't even use them.

Plot ranks high with longer works because it's literally the second biggest reason people are reading the story. For shorter pieces it's quite low because there is always an audience for pwp and WAFF, which oftentimes have little or no plot.

Characterization remains #1 because nothing jolts me out of a story faster than characters feeling unlike themselves. I understand that sometimes people do drastic AUs and that's great, but if a character I love doesn't feel like the character I love anymore, then I'm out; it's just a personal preference for me. That said, in most situations, characterization makes or breaks any story. Plot matters a lot in a long story but the characterization will always matter more. I'd rather read a basic bitch plot with great characterization than a god-tier plot with mediocre characterization. Also, I do not think this can be overstated, but this is fandom and people are here for the characters; they should ALWAYS matter the most in this medium.

--

🪄what is your post-writing/sharing aftercare? How do you take care of yourself or celebrate yourself when you've finished a fic?

I tried to take a break since I finished writing Break Open the Sky and I've just been bored out of my damn mind, honestly. Started planning the sequel because I can't take it.

Usually when I write something and post it, I just do something else for a while: watch a movie, play a game. I'm an idiot who can't stop working on things to do simple tasks like eat or shower (hyperfocus or die), so usually when I finish something extensive I go look at something that isn't a screen for a while and shower, put in eyedrops, do a load of laundry or vacuum, and get myself something to eat.

Also my biggest writing care tip is CUT YOUR FINGERNAILS. Especially if you're a fast typist like me or if you have arthritis—or there's a history of arthritis in your family (osteo or rheumatoid). Got this advice years ago from @kippielovesyou, I think before a NaNoWriMo; it had never really occurred to me before but now if my hands hurt too quickly I cut my nails and feel like a brand new person again. It's truly wild.

Most touch typists like me use touch so extensively that when our nails get too long we have to use more pressure to feel. To be clear, I'm worse off than most people because I have the aforementioned arthritis + nerve damage in my hands (I have very very little feeling in the tips of my fingers), so I notice the extra pain in my joints very quickly BUT!! It could be a gamechanger for anyone, so I like to pass the knowledge on.

If you DO have the start of carpal tunnel or arthritis or tendonitis PLEASEPLEASE for the love of God don't overdo it. You WILL NOT get your hands back. Please. I'm literally begging. I fucked up my hands and arms in a factory years ago and I am not even 40 and have the hands of a 70 year old woman and permanent restrictions to keep my tendons from rupturing. Don't push through pain; it will not get better. I learned this the hard way and I am passing that knowledge on to you guys. Stretch, drink a lot of water, and give your hands a break when you need it!!!!

[storymaker14]

THOUGHTS WHILE REVIEWING MY FIRST DRAFT [FREQUENT UPDATES]

***

Don't make my mistake, y'all.

If you're going to print off a first draft that you intend to write a bunch of notes on... Don't single space to save paper and printing costs. 😬

***

I was looking forward to a certain line. It was probably my favorite couple of sentences I've ever written.

Still love it.

***

I dig the irony that, despite this being the longest spicy thing I've written, it's also the least spicy thing I've written by percentage (except my SFW stuff). A little bit of spice coming up, the spicy mistake later on, and then The Big Spicy Scene. Should make sure the last one's worth the wait 😁

***

Uck, this part. I expect this to be in serious need of rewriting, but we shall see.

***

Hmm. Not a lot of notes. Sign it's good, or sign it's not engaging?

***

I do feel like I want to rewrite a lot of it. It's sometimes a little obvious it was written in dribs and drabs, which isn't a bad thing, but now that I know the flow of the story, I can make it flow better.

The choice at the end of Act 1 was absolutely correct, though, both for character reasons and story reasons. So that stays, even after rewrite.

***

Now the part that I had nineteen kinds of trouble writing, saved for last, yadda. Let's see how I did.

***

It works. Whew. Still in the "I am going to rewrite all of this" mode, but the scene gets done what it needs to. And I love the next bit.

***

Yup, love that bit. Unfortunately I've just realized the sequence of events doesn't quite make sense behind the scenes, so I might have to putz with it. But that scene stays, I don't care what I have to do to keep it.

***

TMW despite being written weeks or months apart, the phrasing used to describe something in two different parts resonates well.

***

Just finished reading a particularly intense part, and realized I kinda got wrapped up in it. Dude, you wrote this. You know how it turns out.

Still, though, feels like a good sign 😁

***

Y'all. Act 2 is good. Like, not perfect, needs work, but it's good.

Onto Act 3; let's see how that went.

***

Fuck. Just realized the timeline really doesn't work. It should be an easy fix -- in fact, might even make one conversation work even better -- but I'm a math nerd ffs. I should have realized.

***

I was actually starting to worry about how few notes I had. Am I just gliding over it because I know it so well? But then I did manage to notice something that might need to be made more clear, or at least questioned, so I feel better.

***

Aaaaand the thing I noticed was already touched on. Should make it a tad more clear, maybe, but... it's there.

***

Okay, I've finished it. It needs adjustments, it needs work, large amounts of it need rewrites.

But it's good. Like, I like it.

What a relief that I haven't spent that much time writing and worrying about something I don't like.

I'll probably do another pass, say, tomorrow, see if anything else stands out. Especially in those bits where I didn't have a lot of notes. But... I feel much better.

Wish me luck.

[pipermca]

Writing Update - February 2023

I was hoping to get some writing done tonight but the brain didn't want to cooperate, so I guess I'll wrap up my February. XD

Frank talk: my output was absolutely horrendous this month. Last month was about 6200 words; in February I only wrote 3,723 words.

My muse started to wander all around again, which is probably why I didn't write much. The rotation seems to be: 1) Pick away at a chapter on a fic until it's finished! 2) Bask in the glory while I play video games for a week instead of write. 3) Start picking away at a chapter on a different fic. 😐

Anyway, I also did some serious thinking about the TF Big Bang. While I do really enjoy participating in them, I think I'm going to have to bow out this year. There's a couple of reasons for this. First, I don't have many story ideas that I think would fit comfortably in 15k. I have lots that will probably come in around 8-9k words, and a few that I'm sure will probably land around 20k or more. The ONE story that might be suitable is sort of half written right now, but it's also got a load of smut that's going to happen in the middle and I always write smut with glacial slowness. Don't know why. XD

Secondly (and probably more importantly), this summer is going to be absolute hell for me at work, and I am reasonably sure it's going to affect my "fun" writing. I am a writer at work, and while the type of writing I do for work is very different than my fan fiction, it does use the same parts of my brain. And I've noticed that after a really hectic day at work, the writing part of my brain is just worn out and needs to rest. (This is also why I'm reluctant to tackle the 20k+ story idea.)

I might see if I can volunteer my time to be a beta reader, since editing/reviewing is different enough from my work writing that I think I could swing it.

In the meantime, I have been spending a lot of time this month worrying over whether I should attempt the BB even with my work schedule. I'm hoping that having come to a decision will give my muse time to breathe (since it's been frantically trying to figure out how to manhandle some of my ideas into something suitable), and let me get back to working on the stories I already have in progress.

That said, here's how the rest of the month went for me.

Posted

Pet Names. 950 words. A reposted story; it was backdated to its original posting date so it didn't appear on the "front page."

WIPs

These are the stories I actually put words down for this month.

Sun and Moon (working title). 43,000 words. I am really hoping I can get the confidence soon to start posting this soon. I need to stop going back and rewriting the first few chapters over and over. >.<

The King and the Bounty Hunter. 10,100 words. This was my muse's obsession this month. I got through the chapter in progress and then dropped it like a hot potato.

Again and Again and Again. 1300 words. I briefly flirted with the idea of making this my BB fic but I don't think I can stretch it to 15k. Also it's a thing I'm not writing. Really.

[amewinterswriting]

Happy STS!

Looking back, what's your writing-related highlight of this year?

So, I've been thinking about this for a while, and I've been in the middle of a writing/redrafting dry spell while real life has tried to pummel me into submission. (Not to make excuses but just for my own reference: in the last three months there's been my mother's wedding, my aunt has had a serious illness diagnosed, we're currently under a lot of stress over my wife's visa renewal and just the general stress of working in a toy shop at Christmas.) So my initial thoughts were a bit pessimistic, and I don't really want to bring that kind of energy to my writing blog. So I thought about it a bit harder.

I (overly optimistically) wanted to finish the rewrite of Magic's Servant this year; I obviously haven't managed that. But I have achieved about 40% of the rewrite this year alone, and that's honestly good going considering that the 'original' draft is a mess (half script, half prose, some of the prose was in first person, some in third, there's some weird tense shenanigans in places, half of my core characters didn't really have a personality, there are at least three different drafts of some scenes that each convey completely contrasting information...). This has been a top to bottom, utter overhaul of everything, from the very name of the project to the shape of the plot and how everything becomes resolved. It's also likely to be the only project I work on that will need these kinds of big overhauls - my first drafts are now much more consistent and only need minor tweaks due to the years of writing practice I've had since. (The very first draft of anything to do with Magic's Servant was written in 2010 if I remember correctly. At the time, I was pantsing a whole movie script based on vibes and very little else. This story has been written and rewritten piecemeal since then and it's only recently that I feel like my writing skills and life experience are ready to actually tell the whole story in a way that does it any kind of justice. Unfortunately, when your co-writer is yourself from 13 years ago, you have to do a lot of work to get it up to your current writing standards!)

I've also written a lot more non-fiction this year - blog posts, writing advice, Ko-fi updates and a few essays, some of which I haven't shared anywhere yet.

In fandom, I have just finished posting a long-form fanfic (which, admittedly, I've been sitting on for a couple of years in the hopes that I would finish the whole series before posting. Then I realised I keep adding more WIPs to the series and it might never actually be 'done') - it's not fresh writing but it is a great way for me to practice my editing skills and also weed out my worst habits ("really" for emphasis outside of dialogue is now in my sin bin...and now I realise I've used it in this very post already. I am nothing if not consistent!)

And of course, I've managed to keep this blog active and managed to stay at least vaguely connected to this little corner of the Writblr community. Seeing everyone's WIPs develop over time and getting involved in tag and ask games has definitely been a writing highlight of my year, and so very helpful in keeping me motivated.

So while the year might not have been ideal in terms of getting everything I wanted to achieve entirely done, I feel like I've done what I can with the tools and time I've had, and it's a very solid foundation to launch myself into 2024 with.

[mrbexwrites]

Happy STS!

At what point do you consider your first draft finished? Do you ever leave comments in square brackets or other gaps for the second-draft you? And do you ever show the first draft to people?

Hi Sam! Happy STS! :D

I consider my first draft as finished when I've written the last line of the story.

I write my first draft as one big story- I don't break it up into chapters, only paragraphs and scene breaks. I'll then go through for a quick read through, breaking up the WIP into chapters, and fixing what spelling mistakes, continuity errors etc that I catch on my first read through.

I'll then take a break for a couple of weeks, and then have another read through (always finding more errors/mistakes that need fixed!), then just rinse and repeat. I still consider this my 'first draft' even though I've been meddling with it, as I don't tend to make considerable changes.

Normally, I'd just continue this cycle for years on end, gradually changing scenes, as I'd not really considered sharing my WIPs, or doing anything with them, other than just letting the characters run around in my head from time to time.

It was only during lock-down that I serious considered actually doing something with my works. I mean...I still don't know what my long-term plan is with any of my WIPS, but you and a few other very kind people have read a first draft of one of them!

And I've already gushed about how awesome and helpful it was to have beta reader input in another post, somewhere further back in the dusty corners of my blog !

(Although, Confession Time: you guys were actually alpha readers, and I tricked you into reading my deranged draft. Muahahaha)

In fact, I only really consider something a 'second' draft until I make rewrites; I'll open a whole new blank document, and start again, referring back to the original for structure, and to copy/pasta over sections that I was happy/proud/really liked.

I think, mainly because, I have had no plans for my WIPS over the years, I've not really built up a 'process' for editing, like other, better writblrs have (although, I'm forever grateful for you guys sharing your knowledge and experience, which I will happily steal and use to my own benefit!)

Until I know my ultimate goal for my WIPS, I'll probably just keep picking away at my first drafts forever, although a few have made it to second draft stage, but never really beyond that.

tl;dr- I consider a first draft finished when I've completed the writing part, but will keep editing away, like Sisyphus, so the first draft is never *really* complete, and lives in purgatory forever.

[sanerontheinside]

*sets laptop on lap* *grabs coffee* *leans back* *throws feet up on desk*  *carefully wiggles into semi-comfortable position* 

right, I’m just gonna vent a little here, don’t mind me

@deadcatwithaflamethrower pls come laugh at me? 

about 5 yrs ago there was this fresh new show, had some great ideas. the premise goes, Magical Characters From All Your Favourite Fairytales Get Dropped Into Our Horrible, Horrible World. where they get no happy endings (because apparently happy endings begin and end with meeting your Intended Mate but w/e noI’mnotsaltyatallhbu) 

(That aside...) they mixed fairytales in a kinda fun way and a whacked up family tree, but it was cool when they started. so I decided, hey, why not write a fanfic for it. nobody ask me why I started with the Real World part of the show tho, idk, for the Angst probably. Modern AU with a lot of angst. 

but also, this was the first time I was coming back to writing after a decent break. it was kinda about throwing ALL the ideas and tropes I could at the wall to see which ones stuck, or just... make all of them work somehow. 

the fic quickly turned into ‘how about I write a history of this fantasy world’ of about 300 years (why?) and then became more like 1000+ years (WHY?) with a consistent mix-and-match of fairytales and popular stories with bits and twists. there’s One Thousand and One Nights, there’s Arthurian Legend, there’s the Princess Bride and Legend of Zorro and pirates and Dragons and Shakespeare’s plays (idek bro). 

i really don’t wanna do greek mythology..... that shit’s weird for me on a good day....... ugh I’m probably gonna have to do greek mythology tho, it was, like, one of the possible explanations for the origin of Mad Eye Moody’s Eye, man

WHICH BRINGS UP ANOTHER POINT. I never actually intended to pull HP into this fic, but there are all sorts of hints and nods to other universes/popular works of fiction as you go. 

this tho. this is the part where brains are actually horrible. because Brain one day up and said, well, this doesn’t have all that much to do with the show you started with, so, uh... you could... well in theory, you could profic it....

me: NO. too much to change in the parts that are show-based. and also, how do you explain Princess Bride references? am I supposed to change all the names of the characters who appeared in BBC Merlin?? (oy yeah—it became a fusion fic, too) how on Earth am I supposed to deal with the modern world characters and their storylines? 

Brain: ok

.... 4 months later ....

Brain: okay get this: Arthurian legend has been fucked by everybody six different ways, calamity and incest. it’s completely public domain. let’s not talk about The Princess Bride just now, tho. and get this: there’s enough difference between your stories and the original tale or movie that it probably isn’t easy to recognise. you’ll be fine. 

me: ... why don’t I believe you... oh right, because you give me bad ideas, like Let’s Write Profic! No.

.... and a month after that ....

Brain: hey look so Dragons, right? they’re people, but they’ve essentially created a magical form for themselves for ‘protection’, yeah?

me: I’m making lunch, please don’t make me burn it

Brain: well, why would they need a gender?

me: ...th’fuck... you’re telling me they go dragonform to have clutches of eggs and solve any incompatibility problems thusly?

Brain: well, yeah. I mean if you had magic and wanted kids and adoption wasn’t exactly totally an issue for a population that likes to raise its young in nontraditional, sprawling families, why not? gender identity could be pretty flexible for them

me: cool, cool, very cool. nice. I like this thought, please keep going. 

Brain: wouldn’t it be a shame if you didn’t fucking write it tho

me: BITCH NOT NOW

.... and a few days after that ....

Brain: ‘sup

me: ceiling. 

Brain: yeah I know you think you’re funny. but I’m funnier. question: your dragonfic, it’s kinda historical, right? ish? I mean when you picture the geography you’ve literally set it around the mediterranean, and your Dragonfolk cross the region from fantasy-Italy to fantasy-Egypt and then plonk themselves in the Sahara where nobody else lives atm, to survive after a damn volcano blew them off their mountain? 

me: your punchline better be worth this set-up

Brain: base your timeline loosely on world history. pull in fairytales not just from Europe and mythology not just from Greece. they’re living in Africa, use that. go around the world, maybe check out Norse mythology. figure out what the deal is with how Dragon magic affected Agrabah, and then explain what it did to places between their city in the damn Sahara Desert and all the damn way into Agrabah, IT’S A DECENT DISTANCE—

me, three years ago with fingers in my ears: lalalalalalalalalalalalala

.... last week ....

Brain: you know, you could frame it as a meta!universe thing

me: what even the fuck are you on about now. 

Brain: okay, you basically explained the One Important Wise(ass) Person for your civilisation as a holdover of how they were created, i.e., one day an author sat down and wrote something, then decided to ‘step in’ and basically never left, which is how they get to see all directions any moment or event can theoretically sprawl off into?

me: I give up. 

Brain: you could frame it as a story about a fanfiction. at some point you reveal that your main characters are actually written characters, and you’re really telling the story about someone writing it. There’s the Modern AU, there’s the Pirate AU, there’s the Princess Bride crossover, and so on

me: convoluted. probably still illegally infringing on something or other. kind of a hopeless premise? like living in a dreamworld? that’s... that feels... fake? unsatisfying? like happiness only happens there. you know that’s a lie.

Brain: ok, maybe. but you could try. 

Brain: maybe you can even do it better. 

me: oh, fuck you.

tbh I really think Brain might’ve won this round. 

So if you’ve gotten this far in my tale of woe, pls feel free to rec me any sources for ancient myths and fairytales from all over the world, and some good history sources, because today I’m looking up whether Cinderella is based on a French fairytale from the 1700s or the 17th century, and also travel in the 1600-1700s (was it reserved to nobles/high-income folks? where did they travel to?)

Anyway, chances are it’ll be another 5-10 years before anything comes of this. 

but Dragons. 

[zoeygraygubler]

can you do a jimmy darling nsfw alphabet? thank youuu <3

Ofc!!! Thank you for requesting. And for those who have requested things, I'm getting to it and writing it as fast as I can. I like being proud of what I post and sometimes that means rewriting what I've already written. Thank you for understanding. I promise, I'm getting through it.

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Jimmy isn’t the absolute best with aftercare, but he’s decent. He really likes to rub lotion on your thighs and tell you how good you did for him. Sometimes, he’ll even get you some water but that’s on a good day.

B = Body Part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partners)

Jimmy’s favorite part of his body is definitely his face. He’s always been ashamed and embarrassed because of his hands and he thinks his face makes up for the horribleness of them. Of course, you tell him how much you love his hands and how beautiful you think they are but he’s never really had anyone to say that to him, it’s all so new.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum, basically)

Jimmy absolutely LOVES cum. Yours, his, it doesn’t matter. He loves cumming inside of you but he loves pulling out and cumming on your back even more. He loves cumming on your tits too. Seeing it drip down to your nipples right before you swipe some up with your finger and put it in your mouth. I wouldn’t swallow it though, his diet isn’t that good. Jimmy loves making you cum, loves the feeling of you shaking from his mouth and skilled fingers.

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Jimmy secretly has a thing for feet. You can’t tell me otherwise. He wants you to tease him sitting across from each other, wanting you to rub your foot up and down his thighs while everyone else is around and unsuspecting. The thought gives him chills.

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

Jimmy is more experienced than anyone would have thought, more than you for sure. Since Jimmy technically is a ‘sex worker’ he’s had his fair share of pleasing women but it’s never been all the way. Really, he’s only experienced with his hands.

F = Favorite Position (This goes without saying)

Jimmy’s favorite position is definitely you riding him while he’s sitting up. He’s deep in you AND he gets to see your face, it’s a win-win situation. He likes being able to hold your waist and just pounding into you until your throat hurts from screaming his name.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment? Are they humorous? etc.)

Jimmy is pretty goofy during sex. That being said, he can have serious sex. Most often though, he can’t stay serious and can’t help himself from cracking a few jokes.

H = Hair (How well-groomed are they? Does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

If I’m being honest, there is no way Jimmy cuts his hair. Sure yeah, he’ll clean it thoroughly but he has never seen the need or appeal of shaving or trimming it. He’s never been insecure about it and it hasn’t bothered you. Sure you can get a hair in your mouth here and there but it adds character.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment? The romantic aspect.)

Even though Jimmy is pretty goofy, he is very intimate. He likes taking the time to make you feel good. He likes to set up dates wherever he can, to tell and SHOW you just how much you really mean to him.

J = Jack off (Masturbation Headcanon)

Jimmy doesn’t jack off as much as he would if he were single, but he still does it occasionally. He’ll do it if you’re ever away or just not around. He likes to imagine his hand is yours, and his head between your thighs. The thought of tasting you makes his mouth water and always helps get him off quicker.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Jimmy doesn’t have as many kinks as one might think, but a big one is defiantly choking Just the trust and love that’s put into it makes him love it even more. The feeling of his hand wrapped around your throat makes him crazy, but he’d never do it to intentionally hurt you in any way.

L = Location (Favorite places to do the do)

Jimmy’s favorite place to do it is in the comfort of your shared caravan trailer. Sure he likes risk, but he’d much rather do it in the safety of his own home. That way he can worship you in the way you should be.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

It really turns on Jimmy to see you in heels and skirts. He’s pretty old-fashioned in that way. It doesn’t matter how big or small you are, if you’re wearing heels, he’s turned on.

N = No (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Jimmy would never degrade you. He loves praise but degrading off the table. He knows it wouldn’t be real, but he just can’t talk to you in ways people have REALLY talked to him. In ways that people have made him feel worthless.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Jimmy loves both but prefers receiving. The feeling of your lips wrapped around his cock puts butterflies in his stomach. Despite this, he is very skilled at giving and you definitely think he should do it more often.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

Jimmy is rough but slow. He pounds into you at a slower pace, making sure you can feel all of him. The whimpers that come from your lips just egg him on.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Jimmy is super into quickies. He likes them before shows for good luck, in the morning before breakfast, and even in the shower. He doesn’t necessarily prefer them to normal sex, but he isn’t opposed to them like others.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment? Do they take risks? etc.)

As I said before, Jimmy likes risk but doesn’t go out of his way to be risky. He does though, like to experiment and has a very open mind about things.

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for? How long do they last?)

Jimmy can’t last too long, but he makes up for it. He can cum 3 or 4 times before he’s high and dry. Even just hearing your voice can turn him on and that’s the excuse he gives when he cums really early.

T = Toys (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

Jimmy despises toys. Why use one when he can just make you cum himself. He likes to make it a competition to see how fast he can make you cum just using his tongue.

U = Unfair (How much they like to tease)

Jimmy likes to tease you. He loves to see how much of an effect he really has on you. He likes to trail his fingers in between your folds, spreading your wetness around before bringing them to his lips, spreading it around like lipstick, kissing yourself so you can’t help but taste yourself on his lips. It makes you go crazy.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Jimmy is louder than he’d like to admit. It’s mostly grunts and whimpers coming from his lips, but it can get louder depending on how rough you guys are going.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Jimmy loves your chest. He doesn’t care how big or small it is, he loves it. Seeing your cleavage gets him instantly hard but he doesn’t care. He likes to worship you like the goddess you are and you absolutely love it.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Jimmy is pretty average, not too big or too small. He definitely knows how to use it as well. He’s good at using it and he knows it. His dick may only be 6 inches, but he somehow makes it feel longer than that.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Jimmy is always horny. Always. But he likes the feeling, he likes chasing you and playing these little cat and mouse games all day. Like seeing who can go all day without touching the other person. It makes him lose his mind but he loves it,

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterward)

Jimmy usually likes to make sure you’re good and situated before he falls asleep, but he isn’t always as tired right after an orgasm.

[newathens]

the wait was worth it actually dw !! and i have some thoughts, provided you don't mind me ranting. first things first i'll admit that toa is a grey zone for me nowadays. loved the first 3 books, especially the 3rd one where you'd think it's finally getting real and serious. 4th one, um, i've shamelessly spoiled myself the ending. didn't like what i saw at all, yet i still read it out of curiosity and because ngl, i liked the 2 emperors apollo was facing as characters. caligula was the one who did the deed and made shit hit the fan with jason and all, and for a sec it looked as if we're getting a villain who's actually a threat to be taken seriously for the first time since like... luke? kronos? since pjo, basically. commodus... yeah i don't think i have to explain this one, i enjoyed his backstory with apollo and hoped to get more on that. the 4th book's ending was predictably shit, of course. kind of lost my interest there & skimmed through the 5th book when it came out just to get it over with. wasn't impressed whatsoever. and that's when my opinion on toa went from "has the potential to be pjo but better" to "everyone was right. it sucks".

however. i in fact 100% dig your theories and think them coming true could've explained the 4th book perfectly and tied all the loose ends. think about it. the emperors who seemed so powerful going down like that? plot armor for everyone but jason, the son of you-know-who who conveniently offended you-know-who beforehand? python being an absolute dogshit antagonist that barely had any presence other than "i'm a big bad snake and i'm big and i'm bad"? as of right now this is just shit writing but if zeus was the mastermind all along then it wouldn't have been. it would've went from bad writing on rick's part to bad writing on zeus' part, if this makes sense. it would've concluded the series in a befitting & memorable way that aligns with the themes we were presented with since day 1.

i know what it's like to be the tinfoil hat wearer of your fandom (i am also like that in a few fandoms unrelated to this conversation) & i admire the way you keep your agenda up despite the fact that it already ended and ended like that but like... i don't even think you're that much of a tinfoil hat wearer tbh. you're literally just right about things sorry not sorry girl. i don't wanna give RR more credit than he deserves but he can't be an absolute moron, can he? in fact i am now convinced that he did want to end things that way, like that's too many hints and clues for them to be there just because.

to throw my 2 cents in, i do think it was in fact rewritten, and with how shitty it is i'll go as far as saying that it was because the rewrite was a last minute one. either 1. he had a few endings in mind, yours & the one we have both included, and he placed the clues in there in case he decided to commit to that lane and needed something to back it up. then he for some reason went with the shittier one 2. he did write it like that originally, then his editors or publisher or whoever saw it and thought it might be offensive/too much for kids to handle and forced him to rewrite it or 3. both options combined. rick himself took a step back, decided that the ending might be a bit too much, especially considering that it was written around the time people were calling him out for all the weird shit he's written, remembered that he has the whole tv show deal coming, and thought that it's best to play it safe, even at the expense of storytelling.

who knows tho. tl;dr you've managed to convince me & i'm in love with you & i definitely think you should've written the series instead of the man. much love 🫶

you and i are telepathizing we are on the same astral plane i am giving you the biggest hug and ily too !!

[finnlongman]

If you don't mind me asking, as a writer, is there anything you do to motivate yourself/stay focused on one particular idea/project? Like, keeping yourself from having another idea mid-work and having an "ooo shiny" moment, and leaving the old work to be an Emer to the new idea's Fand (to make a clumsy Ulstsr Cycle joke)? I've been trying to get a bit more serious about writing recently and this is an issue I've been running into. Thank you in advance if you do answer this ask.

I always have multiple projects in my brain, but I generally have a one-track mind when I'm actually working on things. It's why I'll obsessively edit a novel in three weeks and then go back to doing academic work -- my brain won't let me do both at once, so I have to give them all my focus for a short period of time and then switch.

I'm trying to get better at juggling multiple things, but it's still my weak point. This summer, I had to split focus between two novels, a thesis, and an article, all in the space of about 2.5 months. The result? I completely abandoned my thesis, and indeed, any academic work, for the whole of August, in order to focus on fiction, because the deadline was more urgent. Sometimes you have to prioritise, and knowing you have to switch tasks at a certain time and that this one has to be finished first does wonders for making you focus.

However, if you don't have deadlines and if nobody is expecting you to hand anything in, it can be a lot harder to do the finishing part, and it's easy to go off chasing new ideas. I think we've all done it. For the first 10 years of writing fiction, I didn't have any deadlines either except those I gave myself, and I definitely abandoned projects and hopped around. Even since I signed with my agent, there's been at least one project I had to put aside unfinished and I don't know when or if I'll come back to it, though that was less a case of being distracted by something else and more a case of being too depressed to write. If it had been under contract, though, that would have been more difficult! So I'm glad that it wasn't.

Part of the way I avoid it is by writing fast. This is unhelpful advice, because either you write fast or you don't, and if you're not a speedy writer, it's probably not very useful as a tactic. But if I write fast enough, not only do I not give myself time to get bored, I also have the drive of knowing the sooner I finish something, the sooner I can move on to something else. If it's only another 3 weeks of work, there's less a sense of the new idea being impossibly distant. I always leave first drafts to stew for at least a few months before I edit them, so once they're done, hopping between projects is a good thing -- as long as I got to the end first. But not getting to the end can be a killer.

I also try not to take breaks while writing first drafts. Again, doesn't work for everyone, hasn't always worked for me. But the books where I take days/weeks off while drafting are the ones that are hardest to finish, and every time I've stopped long-term and said I'll come back to it later to finish it ... I never have. If I ever do, I'll have to rewrite the whole first half before I can continue. This is partly because I'm not an outliner, so first drafts are precariously balanced in my head and setting them down can mean losing sight of something crucial. If I had a set outline to follow, it might be easier to dip in and out.

Having said that, I do have some books that have been written far more intermittently with lots of days off... but they were definitely harder. The continuity and speed is a fairly crucial part of maintaining my train of thought. Like I said -- one-track mind. That's why it's so hard for me to balance multiple projects.

Over time, I've learned that ideas are really the easiest part of writing, but they often don't go anywhere. I keep note of them, often in my phone, but an idea is not a plot, and it takes time for them to turn into a book. I like to let them mature on their own for a while. I knew I wanted to write TRWTH from about 2015, but I didn't draft it until late 2018; I knew I wanted to write a Bisclavret retelling since about 2016, but didn't draft it until late 2019. I gave them time to figure out what shape they wanted to be in before I started actually working with those premises directly. So that can help me resist the temptation to jump on something new -- it's not necessarily ready yet. Writing it down feels like scratching the itch ("I'm not ignoring it, I'm just setting it aside") and means you won't forget it, but also means by the time you come to look at it again, you have a better sense of whether it's worth writing.

Having said that, I'm easily distracted by the temptation to *edit* something other than the book I'm currently working on; I'll reread an older project and see how to fix it and since editing doesn't require the same single-minded focus (for me) as first drafts, I can be lured away quite easily. Deadlines are usually the main thing that helps there.

If I'm honest... deadlines in general are the only things that keep me on track. Otherwise I'm always hopping between things and never focusing on anything long enough to get it "finished". It's where things like NaNoWriMo can help: setting yourself a goal of writing a certain amount of a book within a window of time can often keep you on target long enough to pass the point of no return (i.e. the point at which you're more invested in finishing the book than in starting a different one). I never finished anything until I did NaNo for the first time; it turned out what I needed was a deadline and an excuse to write quickly.

Two final things. One is that I try to only write things I really care about. If I'm ready to abandon a project and never come back, I probably wasn't invested in it in the first place. Two, if an idea is constantly popping up while writing something else, it might be related. It might explore the same themes, or develop on one of the ideas. It can be worth poking at it for a minute to check if that's the case, and if it is... it's not a new story. It's a new part of the story you were already writing, and can be woven in.

It's possible absolutely none of this is applicable to those with a different writing style to me, and it's also incredibly rambly, but quick summary:

deadlines help. knowing someone is expecting something from you helps.

writing fast enough not to get bored gives you less time to get distracted.

ideas need time. write them down and let them stew instead of rashly chasing them; they may not be able to carry a whole story on their own

they may not BE a whole story; consider whether they're part of what you're already writing

Did this make any sense at all? I have no idea. I've actually been switching between three projects (two fiction, one academic) this week, so my brain is utterly melted because, as I said, I suck at doing that.

[theliteraryarchitect]

Hello! x I'm having some trouble with my wip... I'm in the thick of it, third draft, hyped about getting it done, but I keep changing things, and after some serious deliberation, I think what it needs is a major structural overhaul and bare-bones reassessment. I'm worried I'm overreacting, and kind of want to be, and it's a scary thing to contemplate as I've been writing it for sooo long and have others excited as well. Do you have any advice on how to pull it apart well, or not to?

Doing a Structural Overhaul on Your Story

Hi there! I feel for you. I’ve had to do this with a few of my stories and it’s always a discouraging realization. My personal experience has been that if you smell a structural problem, you’re probably right. It’s likely a character/plot issue, which will bring you back to the outlining stage. Here’s what I’d suggest:

Create an outline of the book you’ve actually written. Not the one you were trying to write, but the one you actually wrote.

Assess the outline for structural issues of point of view, character, and plot. For a quick overview of what to look for in a story-level assessment, you can download my Pocket Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers for free on my website.

Decide whether you want to fix what’s broken and rewrite, or outline an entirely new story and start from scratch. Either way, you’ll have rewriting on your hands. Try not to choose the “easy” route, but rather pick the story you’re actually excited about writing. This will make rewriting feel fun rather than like a chore.

Do what you can to destroy your allegiance to what’s already written. Being attached to what you have and refusing to part with it because you’re worried about “wasted time”--even when it’s fundamentally broken--will stall your progress. Be willing to scrap everything if need be.

Hope this helps! Good luck to you :)