#Might write a proper snippet of this later

[tiredwriter2003]

Okay so compared to Cass he's a failure. He's been told he's a failure his entire childhood. He's internalised this, it's why he struggles so much with thinking he's as smart as the rest of his family. In this world lets make that known, his parents know he has issues with feeling inferior and had a bad family so had to spend more time with him. They spoke to psychologists, learnt how to help their new baby. They wanted to do everything they could so it resulted in them leanring everything they could about the subject. Ghosts took a break for a month, their baby needed them. This resulted in them taking a hard look at their research with this new information in mind. How can something be planning to overtake the world and be non-sentient? Some of their research didn't make sense. Every scientist makes mistakes, they just need to learn more. This resulted in no rip apart molecule by molecule, and after making the portal they gathered evidence and came to the conclusion ghosts were capable of thinking. Now a new line of study, one specially chosen so they could talk to Jazz about it afterwords. They had spent so much time talking about their interest so now they could link to hers. How does death and the afterlife affect ghosts mentalities and society? Hence the extended trip to the ghost zone.

Danny however, despite being not as good as Cass, is still damn good compared to everyone else. Lets say he is as good at fighting but falls behind in body language reading. This means he cannot predict his opponents like she can and therefore is beaten more often or makes mistakes in fights. He builds on this in the zone, learning new fighting styles in the different communities to bond with his new subjects and learn about them and their culture.

The bats, however, hear about this kid who was abandoned for being a failure in comparison to Cass. A kid who Cain is now taking an interest in as he's lost one weapon, may as well go back to the second choice. So they have it in their heads he can't fight and needs saving, part of the reason they're so desperate to track him down. Cass can barely remember him, they were raised separately so as not to form loyalty to each other instead of David Cain and only really saw each other every few years for a match, which she won. They were still fond of each other but didn't realise they were siblings, just the closest thing each had to a friend. Now she finds out she has a twin who's in danger, who she thought was dead, she wants to add him to her family.

Amity doesn't like these new comers who are after the small Fenton, he struggled so much when he first came here and had that period when the ghost attakc sstarted where he retreated sharply into his shell. He finally seemed to be doing okay again and now this lot was driving his family out of their homes. Combined with their bad experiences with the government and rich people and you get people who are very reluctant to help.

In every fic where Danny is somehow related to the Batfam (via Bruce, Talia, Jason, Dick, etc.) While trying to avoid them he always thinks about hiding out in the ghost zone, but never actually does it. And I crave it. 

Imagine, family trying to find their long lost relative, and he’s fast but they’re faster and they’re catching up and soon /soon/ they will have a reunion and get to know him and he’ll see that they’re really not that bad and be part of the family where he belongs.

But then.

Nothing.

And they search and search, call up old contacts, travel far and wide but every lead is a dead end but they just keep trying because eventually-

And years go by, and occasionally they get an alert or see something in the corner of their eyes during patrol and they run because they can’t miss him what if this is their only chance-

And it’s not him, it’s NEVER HIM. He could be dead for all they know or he’s gone completely into hiding and that’s almost worse because are they really that bad? That awful?

(And Danny has been traveling in the ghost zone for maybe weeks, maybe years now, time is tricky where the laws of nature of different dimensions collide. He’s gone universe hoping and done the ghostly equivalent of a college students gap year to see the world but he’s ready to go home and surely they have given up by now? He’s not that important and he’s sure they’ve realized that after his time away so he leaves the ghost zone and-)

[igotanidea]

The talk : Dick Grayson X reader ( with Bruce Wayne)

A/n : it's a snippet, I might consider writing it fully

Warning: suggestive but not explicit

Summary: it's time for the bees and bird talk with Dick

***

Bruce walking in on a young adult! Dick and his girlfriend y/n getting cosy between the sheets.

Obviously, as a normally functioning adult and a father, even if just a foster one, the batman takes it upon himself to have a talk about bees and birds with his favourite son.

He got it all planned out, schemed, thought out to avoid surprises and misunderstandings.

He actually had the contingency plans from A to Z drafted for a while, only hoping that those would never come to use.

Unfortunately, seeing y/n, with her blouse undone, hair a mess and Dick's hands (and apparently more) on her, forces Bruce to retreat to hide the blush creeping on. The last piece of his dignity is gone and he is pretty sure there's no good way to recover from such a failure.

He had reached the ultimate botttom.

"Hey B, you good?" Hours later Dick found him in the batcave, engrossed in some feigned, quickly fixed work. It was too easy to figure he would hide there to avoid seeing or - god forbid - hear anything.

"Hm."

"You wanted to talk to me about something, didn't you?" He grinned, delighting in a way Bruce seemed to develop an eye twich.

"Hm".

"Great. I got some time before I get back to y/n, so?"

"Get back?" Bruce turned to face his son and immediately regretted it. He seriously wished to erase the sight of lipstick and love bites on his neck.

"Something wrong?" Once more dick flashed a smile, trying to force a reaction out of Bruce.

"hm."

"we're being safe"

"Amazing"

"and she's okay with it"

"Great"

"And I've studied female anatomy so I know a thing or two about --"

Oh dear lord...

"Dick." Bruce was an inch from having a spasm. How ironic it would turn out to be if gotham lost its protector because of certain golden boy growing up.

"hey did you know that --"

"Get out, Dick."

"But I thought you wanted to--"

"I said get out"

"-talk?"

"I believe you got it all wrong. It was Alfred. Yes. Alfred wanted to talk to you. Not me."

"You sure about it B? You want me to talk to Alfred about -"

"yes. Absolutely. Now go. I'm sure time is of essence"

"it is. Though Alfred took some time off, thanks to your generosity, Bruce. So I'll go, sure, but I've already got so many questions that I don't want to search online and--"

"Dick?" Y/n voice sounded dangerously close to the batcave entrance "Where are you? I'm gonna have to go soon and I need a proper goodbye --"

"coming!!!" Dick yelled rushing off the room " great talk, Bruce. We'll continue it later."

Dick left and Bruce was finally able to let out a groan. The masterplanner forgot to acknowledge the fact that sweet kids tend to turn into feral, hormonal young adults and require actual upbringing.

***

"you're so mean to him, you know that?" Y/m muttered, once again with his lips on hers

"mean? Who, me? Ouch! You're hurting my heart here princess."

"you are. He could easily be a DILF, yet is alone and you're tormenting him."

"but if you saw the look on his face --"

"you're only proving my point of you being mean".

"I'm sure he'll get some, some day--"

"but still- mmm!"

"I remind you that you enabled the plan baby.... Played quite an important part in it." Dick started kissing her a little harder, not even trying to hide where he was heading. "Wonder why that is..."

"cause you're also a -- ohh!"

"you were saying?" He smirked, looking up at her.

"-prick"

"Am I?" His hands moved where she liked it "what else?"

"liar..." She gasped. While it was true he didn't tell her why he invited her over and that his father was in, his movements were serving as a pretty good apology.

Even if knowing Dick it was obviously also a way to boost his ego and prove his point and complete his twisted and deranged plan.

"you know what, I've already had one talk, I don't really need another.... Rather keep my lips occupied with something else --"

***

Bruce came out of the batcave only after making sure it was safe.

Mentally cursing himself for having not one, but four boys under his care.

Which meant that this - whatever it was-- was about to happen again.

[guardian-of-time-if]

Final Days with MC Snippet: Gaderous

So it's been a hot minute since I posted the rest of these snippets, but this one was giving me trouble. Gat is one of the harder characters for me to write, and I struggled with this scenario. His will be the last one in the set (sorry Sentinel) because I cannot think of a scene with Sentinel that would fit the prompt as he also has a long lifespan.

An unusually warm autumn breeze swept through the air, brushing against Gat’s cheek. He sucks in the warm air from his spot against the towering oak tree. The weather was perfect for a nice quiet picnic, something so familiar it took little effort to get right at this point. 

He twists a flower between his fingers. If she was any later, he would keep them. He smiles to himself at the thought before setting it back in the place he arranged for it. His smile drops when he notices the flower seems out of place, and leans forward to adjust it again. He shouldn’t have picked it up even if he was bored. Now, he’s never going to get it back in it’s proper place.

“It’s just a flower Gaderous,” a voice calls out, grabbing his attention. “You’re not performing emergency surgery in the middle of a battlefield.”

Gat smiles, rising to greet his lover. “Unlike the healers you’re used to, beautiful, I give every patient my undivided attention, however insignificant they might seem to the rest of the world.”

“Is that why you pay so much attention to me?”

“You are not one of my patients,” he says, as they sit down. “You have my undivided attention because you are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen walk the face of Tarken.”

She laughs. “Have you been reading poetry again, or are you trying to get me to agree to something you know I don’t want to do?”

“Oh, I definitely want something, but I’d bet money, its something you want to.”

She gives him the side eye. “This I’ve got to hear.”

Instead of answering, he reaches over and pulls her into his lap. 

“Gaderous!” She yelps, and he responds by kissing her ear.

“I was hoping for a kiss, but we can eat first since I made the effort.”

“Considering you made the effort because it’s my birthday, I think I get to decide what we do after we eat.”

“It’s your birthday?” He asks, earning himself a brief smack on the chest with no force behind it. 

“You know it is. After this many years you better know.”

“Or maybe I’m just getting old enough to not remember anything.”

She rolls her eyes, and reaches for some of the fruit, but doesn’t move out of his lap. As they eat, Gat tries to keep a perfect balance in the atmosphere between lighthearted banter, reminiscing, and flirting.

“What’s wrong?” She asks after Gat finishes a joke.

“What do you mean?” 

“You’re trying too hard. When you’re trying not to think about things, you occupy your mind with other things like the exact position of flowers.”

“What if I just really want to impress you?”

She rolls her eyes. “We’ve been together for decades at this point. You don’t need to impress me with a date.”

“We could be together for ten thousand years, and I would still spend every day of my life trying to impress you.”

“Gaderous,” she pleads, drawing out his name.

He sighs. “Fine. How long are we going to pretend this is normal?”

“What are we pretending is normal?”

“We celebrate your birthday every year as if it actually matters. You’re not actually getting older.”

“You want to stop celebrating my birthday?” She asks, drawing her eyebrows together.

“No. I-” He gently moves her off his lap. “You’re aging, and I’m not. I didn’t realize how weird it was going to be until we got here.”

“I-”

“Someone actually asked me the other day if you were my daughter.”

Her eyes double in size, and she coughs. “Daughter?!’

He nods. “We have now gotten to the point where I look old enough to be your dad. That’s weird, or at least it feels weird. Even outside of the appearance thing, I’m starting to notice that my mind is slipping. I made a joke about forgetting your birthday earlier, but I have been forgetting things more lately, and I’m not getting around as easily as I used to.”

“Why wouldn’t you tell me that?” She asks, cupping his cheek.

“I didn’t want you to worry, but it has made me wonder, if you wouldn’t be happier without me.”

“Don’t say that,” she chides. “We’re in this together.”

“Before you helped me escape the cult, a lot of our members asked me to check on their elderly family members. Those visits were always rough. People becoming fragments of who they once were. I don’t want you to remember me that way.”

“Gat,” she breathes out his name.

“It would be one thing, if it was reciprocal, and we were both aging together, but it’s just me. I can’t do that to you.”

“Shouldn’t I get to decide that?” She asks, brushing her fingers through his hair.

“Obviously what you want matters, but even if you are willing to, I don’t want you to stay and watch me deteriorate.”

“Gaderous, look at me,” she orders. “Do not push me away from you because you’re afraid of getting old.”

“I’m not afraid of getting old. I’m afraid of losing myself. That aging will change who I am enough that I won’t be me anymore.” He leans his head into the crook of her neck. “I didn’t want to do this to you today.”

“Don’t worry about that,” she assures. “I’d rather know what’s troubling you.”

“I’d rather go back to trying my hardest not to think about it, if it's all the same to you.”

[sclki-op]

hello! thank you very much for contributing to the smozo art and fic!!! your writing is really good - i was literally like :0 no way when i saw your note on your fic about not being a native speaker after reading, and i mean this in the most sincere way!! i was wondering if you had any spare smozo thoughts / AUs that you wanted to talk about / writing or art projects that you are hoping to do but for some reason haven't gotten around to yet!! (i am just nosy and want to talk to another smozo shipper haha and i love your takes on their relationship but no pressure to answer!! hope you have a nice day <3) bonus question: do you have any other favourite OP characters besides smoker and zoro?

Hello! Aa thank you so much for your kind words!! Haha, I spend numerous evenings editing and fixing even the tiniest snippets so that maybe they end up decent.. trying to learn a different punctuation system and fix my not so great grammar as I go doesn’t add any confidence— so thank you, I’m happy to know that you like my stuff! I really appreciate it

Oh I turn utterly SHY when being asked about these two even though I’m eager to talk hahaha but really, thank you so much for your interest!

I guess my Roman Empire in this ship is exploring the concept of forbidden, in one way or another, relationship. Mostly between two characters that are antagonistic in their core and life courses but that might also gravitate towards each other in their worldviews, personality traits, morals. Something that starts as a cautious, very murky and blurry arrangement, situationship even, and gradually evolves into something so much more complex and multifaceted, something the characters themselves have a hard time navigating, verbalising and at the same time aren’t even allowed to by the circumstances. Between me and my friend we say: “y’know, that indefinable thing”. You can’t call it a shallow, periodic interest, but neither is it love in its common form. The thing. Long distance relationship is also something I like to explore for them. Fun fact is that I don’t really believe in such concept in real life. However, their relationship can be spurred on by so many factors within the context of One Piece’s universe that it becomes a solid possibility. And one could notice that these ideas are soo repetitive in both my art and fics it’s a bit awkward to think about haha

As for AUs— I have so many... But my faves right now are the mer! ones (3 of them, all different… with human!Zoro and mer!Smoker, the other way around and, well, mer&mer), only one of them has grown a proper plot x). Aand the one with asura Zoro. This one’s set within the canon universe, but Zoro meets Smoker before he does Luffy. Also kind of trying to fit the concept of actual demons into op for this one... I’d really like to write a lengthy thing for the asura!zoro au but I think that I’m lacking the skills for that, so it’s a goal for much later

I actually have a lot of things planned and currently in work. A bunch of illust sketches, several short comics, maybe half a dozen ficlets in my drafts? I’ve also set to depict a preface for their relationship because I’ve mostly been showing their future days. And it’s pretty hard to backtrack since they’re married like 5 times in my head by now… the silly stuff, when one’s been shipping the two for several years x) Gotta give people some lore while I’m at it to go with the contextless smooching. However, i don’t have much free time these days with uni and the upcoming internship and attempts at job hunting ouhh… But I will! Get to all my plans eventually

And for my other favourites in OP, they’re Ace, Law, Robin, Monet and Crocodile!

[analisegrey]

So…I only just started writing this, so I likely won’t have it done in time for whumptober proper…but figured y’all might not mind a snippet.

__

It’s with great effort that Vegas tries to set his anger aside. He and Pete were set up, were sent right into a trap with a supposedly-vetted prospective client, and so help him, whoever gave the bad intel had better hope they don’t survive long enough for Vegas to find them. When he does (and he will), he’s going to take them apart. He’ll have the pleasure of seeing what their internal organs look like, and if the person is very lucky, maybe he’ll kill them before that happens.

First things first, though.

“Pete? Pete can you hear me?”

It takes a couple of tries before he gets any kind of response. Pete’s frustratingly just out of reach, and so he has to wait for Pete to come up to awareness, groaning as he starts to move.

“What-”

“Careful, Pete. Easy does it.”

A minute or so later sees Pete unsteadily sitting up, swaying slightly from one side to another as his sense of balance keeps shifting. Every once in awhile his arms will jerk in aborted attempts to catch himself, forgetting momentarily that his hands are bound. Eventually he scoots back to lean against the wall perpendicular to the one Vegas is chained to.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Pete says, face scrunching as he brings his hands up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. “I’ve got a killer headache, but I think it’s whatever they used to knock us out.” He rolls his shoulders, and Vegas catches the subtle movement of Pete’s limbs from top to bottom. “Everything else seems okay, though. Maybe a little bruised, but not too bad.”

Ready to run. Ready to fight. Ready for whatever Vegas may need of him, should the chance arise.

“What about you, Vegas?”

“About the same, really. Headache, a bit sore, but otherwise alright. I could have done without this, though,” he says, lifting his arms slightly to highlight where his cuffs are attached to the wall. “Have a hell of a crick in my neck from being slouched weird before I woke up.”

“Oh please, I’ve seen some of the positions you sleep in,” Pete says, head tilted back against the wall, eyes closed and a smile on his face. “I find it amazing that some of them are compatible with having bones.”

[anneapocalypse]

A snippet of Sad Elf Fic for you this Monday. This is what happens when you leave your wizard unattended.

A moon past, Urianger would have had to do little to prepare, but in truth, in the absence of company, the common room of the Waking Sands had fallen into some disorder. As his research had carried him down myriad avenues, it had seemed a small thing now to leave one collection of tomes and notes on his usual table for later use, while simply moving to a new table to pursue a new avenue of inquiry. None of his comrades had seen fit to object, so long as he left one table unoccupied for them to sit down to meals (the necessity of which, admittedly, he had had to be reminded a time or two). Now, he came unto the common room and immediately uttered an oath to the Scholar under his breath as he beheld what mayhem his sprawling endeavors had wrought. Tomes, scrolls, and loose leaves of writing paper covered nearly every flat surface. At least three—four—gods, mayhap a half-dozen quills lay scattered amongst them, and near as many inkwells, of which he could not be certain he had not by mistake left at least one open to dry out. There was nothing for it; he had made his bed, as it were, and now must lie in it. More than a few bells' notice might have been preferable, he mused privately, yet glad he was to be of use—and to see Master Alphinaud and the Warrior of Light once again. With this in mind, he set about gathering up his wayward tomes, and clearing proper space for company.

[whytheylosttheirminds]

the hardest part for me is definitely just figuring out the plot and how to start it

Soooo relatable!

A few things I would say that might help:

- you definitely don’t have to start at the beginning. I honestly don’t know the last time I started a chapter or blurb with the first paragraph. I would start with the actual moment of the prompt since that seems to be what you can picture more clearly, and try to just build a paragraph around that. Don’t worry how they got where they are, you’ll figure it out later! Tbh in fanfiction, I think the beginning part of the fic is honestly the least important (maybe I’m the only one who feels this way but 🤷‍♀️). I think the individual moments are more important, so maybe try to write a handful of moments, it can honestly be a sentence or paragraph or even just a phrase, and really spend time working on those until you like them.

- once you have a solid collection of moments you can start to think about how to string them together, and then ask “okay, how did we get here?” although depending on what type of fic you’re writing, you may not even need a whole exposition sequence. Some of the best fics I’ve ever read, we’re already in the action in the first sentence.

- don’t be afraid of a shitty first draft! Sometimes it’s just about putting words on the paper, even if you don’t like them, just to get them out of the way and you can change them later!

- lastly, I’d make outlining your friend. Outlines are how I solve basically all of my plot problems. If I just start writing in full sentences, the plot will get away from me so fast! I usually outline in bullet points but you can do it however works for you. It’s essentially me talking to future me, telling her how things should go in as few words as possible.

Here’s a snippet of my outline from my last blurb:

• at some point he’ll set the coffee down but not leave

• you say something cheeky (“you can leave the coffee over there” or “Have a nice day, baby” ?)

• he says something like “you like messing with me, huh?” (Not this, will figure out later)

• phone call or text? cancels meetings and tells you while kissing your shoulder

• you pout that it’s still not enough time, he scolds you (lovingly “don’t be greedy” but it’s sweet)

^ this is not good writing lol, but it helped me figure out what I want them to do and write lines I knew I wasn’t going to use but would just be place holders until I found a better one. I always feel ten times better once I get the outline out of the way, it’s basically writing the plot without any pressure that the writing is good, I don’t even use proper grammar lol!

Anyway I’m rambling but I hope this helps some? Lmk if there’s more I can talk about to help you!

What’s most important is that you’re trying something new outside your comfort zone and I’m proud of you!!!

[pompoenwolkjes]

hiii hope you dont mind me asking about your wips specifically fem hyunin and for all us darling aliens 👀 (also im going to answer the ask you sent me soon 🩵)

Hi!! Thank you for asking! I absolutely don't mind, more yelling time for me! hahah

Fem hyunin is actually one that I have changed the plot for two times already and I might switch gears again once I write more hdhd the only clear though my brain had while writing this, was "LESBIAN HYUNIN" and that's it hahaha but I CAN tell you what it's current plot is:

its enganged Jeongin whose slowly falling out of love with her partner. And they both can tell but like each other enough to give it some more time in the hopes that the feelings will return.

And its Hyunjin who accompanies her friend to a family gathering, seeing Jeongin and immediately being enthralled by her.

Likewise, Jeongin is very interested in getting to know more about the beautiful girl who keeps staring at her and who blushes so prettily when she looks back.

Cue lots of Hyunjin pining and Jeongin having way to much fun flustering her, which later turns into Jeongin coming over to Hyunjin's place.

Snippet:

Jeongin blinks at the bottle of wine on the kitchen island. Hyunjin already hurrying over to fill up their glasses. Almost folding into herself, looking small and fragile, nervous. So different to the way she’d beamed when she opened the door to find Jeongin on the other side, unashamed joy on her face before carefully tucking it away. Being so happy about someone else’s fiancée turning up on your doorstep might not be proper, Jeongin gets it, even if she thinks it’s stupid. There’s nothing for Hyunjin to be ashamed of.  Hyunjin’s still fidgeting with the bottle, trying to get the screw-cap off, fingers shaking, eyes downcast. And Jeongin thinks she might know what this is about after all.  Gently she reaches out and puts two fingers on Hyunjin’s soft skin, tilting her chin up to meet her eyes.  “I don’t need to be drunk to like you, Hyunjin-ah” Wide eyes stare back at her, lips parted in surprise, slight blush on her cheeks and god she looks so lovely.

for all us darling aliens is my space au! Chan, Changbin and Minho are a space traveling crew, with Chan and Changbin being humans and Minho a (wild)cat shapeshifter. Changbin and Minho are in a relationship. On one of their travels, Minho gets very ill and Changbin sets out to find a cure for him while Chan stays behind to take care of Minho.

Going through space on your own is not very smart but they can't leave Minho alone or take him on the ship either. Along the way Changbin meets the rest of the skz who are from different planets. Including Hyunjin, who Changbin very quickly catches feelings for while still being in love with Minho as well. And the closer they get to the cure, the more conficted Changbin feels, wanting to get back to Minho as soon as possible but also not knowing what to say about Hyunjin. Main paring is minbinjin (help what are those three called hdhdh) with side seungin, jilix, and Chan joins a pairing but I'm not yet spoiling which one heheh

Snippet:

Seungmin doesn’t try to hide his displeasure when he turns around to face Changbin.  “We don’t have to take this route-” “We need the minerals for Minho,” Changbin interrupts. “It’s not the only planet that has those minerals,” Seungmin coldly points out. “It is the closest one,” Changbin returns, just as blunt. “Finding another planet like this might take us more time than we have. You know that damn well.” Seungmin deflates, looking a little lost instead of the intimidating presence he was moments before.  “Just- don’t make him fight, I- please, I’m not afraid of dying but not him, he wasn’t meant for this.” Hand coming up to protectively rest on the back of his neck like he can still feel the warmth Jeongin’s fingers left on his skin.  “He’d do it if you asked, so fiercely loyal," Seungmin can’t stop the fondness that bleeds into his tone but his gaze is sharp, like he knows his words hit home, knows Changbin isn’t just thinking of Jeongin when he looks over Seungmin’s shoulder, eyes flitting to another fierce little thing. One he’s just as desperate to protect as Seungmin is with Jeongin.

UM SO this is LONG omg sorry I am incapable of making my snippets short dhhdhd

Thank you again for taking an interest in my silly thoughts and letting me yell about them, I had fun writing it down <3

[catb-fics]

I thought the same! It sounds like there's some kind of effect on his voice and I wish there wasn't because I love his voice so much as it is. I hope we get to hear his voice properly on the album and it isn't all like that.

I had loads of asks so I’m just gonna put them in one so I’m not spamming! I’ve listened to it on proper speakers now but it’s still not the best recording although it does sound so much better. I agree about his voice 100% it’s similar to Showtime, and I wish it stood out more.

Aww that’s totally okay, I don’t think you should feel bad. Just because you’re a huge fan of a band you don’t have to be crazy about everything they put out. No one come for me but I never really listened to The Car much as I wasn’t keen on the new direction of their music but I love AM still!

I hope we get to find out next year. I really want to hear Van singing them live. Always wonder how they’d do Showtime live with the piano bit - a backing track I suppose?

Me too! Need him screaming “tell your sister to wait” into the mic!

Yeah it sounds like way. I really hope it’ll be released soon as I need to blast a full proper version. He’s got such an amazing voice, when you hear him live singing acoustic with just his guitar it gives you goosebumps so I’m hoping we get to hear it much clearer on other tracks.

It’s a big change for them and I get why people are unsure about it if you’re wanting that huge heavy sound and big guitar and drums. For me I quite like the upbeat and summery vibes, I think it’s going to grow on me massively when it’s properly out and it’ll be a tune that gets stuck in my head. I like that they’re trying something new, it’s a huge thing for Van. It does show how the other musicians in the band influenced their music though. Again don’t feel bad! What did you think of Showtime?

I kinda get this 😂

Do we think it’s going to be a single or just made for FIFA? Feels kinda weird being a single and coming out this way

Yeah it’s not clear but the recording’s not the best either. Anyone tried to make out the lyrics yet? I’m only getting snippets but might try and listen again later and write them down. Can’t wait to hear the whole thing… wonder how it starts!

Sorry if I miss any asks out btw xxx

[carniferous]

honestly dil i’d pay actual money to ask about every single one of ur wips BUT since i guess i must choose one.. im vvv curious about hey girlypop.. please and thank you <3

laurieeee you flatter me so much ily <33

okay so hey girlypop is actually one of my oldest wips that i still haven't let go of bc i love the concept... will i ever finish? unlikely at this point but who knows. she still gets included <3

so around the time i started writing this i was reading harrow the ninth by tamsyn muir and also dwelling by aideomai both of which deal heavily with altered memories, dreams, and the concept of fandom AUs. from this i got inspired to create smth in this vein with jegulus

the story starts out seemingly as a gryffindor regulus au. regulus is in his first year and he asks the hat to put him in gryffindor. but quickly we start to notice something... off. at first it's just characters pointing out that regulus doesn't act very much like gryffindor which regulus rationalizes by claiming he asked the hat to be put in gryffindor when he wasn't best suited to it. but then as james and regulus start to develop feelings for each other + get together it Escalates and things seem more and more wrong. james makes comments that allude to things that happened in the canon timeline but Not in this timeline and then seems confused as to why he said that. for a snippet, here's the scene where regulus gets picked as gryffindor seeker:

“Frank said he’s picking by tomorrow, so let us know when he gives you the news,” said Sirius. “We’ll do a prank in celebration—a proper Marauders prank!”

“Oh, I should’ve known this was an excuse for a bloody prank,” said Regulus, rolling his eyes.

“Oi, you love the pranks! And it’s not like you ever get caught.”

“That’s because I'm smarter than you.”

“Alright, enough,” James said before Sirius could offer his next retort. “You can fight all you want on the pitch.”

Sirius sighed, “Mate, I can’t exactly fight with my own teammate, can I?” 

A curiously blank look crossed James’s face, gone so quickly that Regulus thought he might have imagined it. “Right,” he said. “Can’t jeopardize our chances at winning the Cup.”

"Can I go now?” Regulus asked sullenly. 

“Who’s stopping you?” Sirius replied. Regulus flipped him off.

He spared a glance over his shoulder as he stalked off towards the showers. He caught James’s eyes and saw, for a second, a flash of confusion before it vanished as he gave a little wave. Regulus waved back, heart stuttering in his chest and thinking of Sirius’s assurances that soon he would get to be in the air with them, together, playing for their House. 

and after they get together it just becomes more and more clear that james's memories of the canon timeline are conflating with his memories of this timeline. at one point later on james and reg are canoodling in james's bed and sirius knocks on the door and james is like Horrified to which regulus is like ? okay i don't want him to see us like this but it's not That serious.... (but like. it was that serious. in a different time). as james starts having more doubts about the world around him he starts questioning certain little things that don't make sense in the world + regulus's memories start to come back but he actively avoids thinking about it bc he Likes this world! he wants to stay here! with james!

anyway i never really settled on an ending but like it was going to be something about regulus surviving the cave, sending a message to sirius, but before they arrive he tries to open the locket and destroy it which pulls him into this dream world. and james tries to wake him up but ends up getting pulled into the dream world too. and then sirius and remus wake them both up and regulus is like "everything was so perfect in that world we can never have that here i can never have you in this world" and james is like "you've always had me" or smth cheesy like that you know me...

[dragon-swords-prophecies]

NaNoWriMo 2023 Day 20: Herald At Dawn

***I'm doing half a nano (25k not 50k) cause I have too much other shit to do (school)***

Today's Wordcount/Today's Goal Wordcount: 142/835

Total Wordcount: 16685/25k

Goal Wordcount: 25k

Snippet (this is an older one, because I didn't write enough for a proper one today):

“Fuck,” she said, with an air of rock solid certainty behind it. She stepped off the trolley, climbed the stairs to James’ apartment, and knocked repeatedly. There was a sleepy shout of acknowledgment from inside, light swearing, and James opened the door. His hair looked like a squirrel had nested in it, and he had clearly just woken up. At least he had had the decency to put a shirt and pants on, she thought. “Alex—what are you doing here, its five— Six-thirty in the morning on the weekend,” She held the paper up, and James said, loudly enough for half the hallway to hear, “MURDER?”

Notes: I did not write a lot today, but I did outlining things!!!! which i am very proud of. there is also a cat on top of my arm, which is making it a lot harder to type this. I might try to write more later, but II wanted to get this post done before I forget again.

Taglist (ask to be +/-): @thelaughingstag @gr3y-heron @another-white-void @amethyst-aster

[armchairaleck]

Alright, I am going totally out into the wilderness, away from anything the Dragon Prince fandom wants to read, to write some totally self-indulgent Viren/Corvus post s5 enemies to lovers.. ticking all my boxes but no one else's.. it’s pretty much consuming all my writing hours because I know it will be blown to smithereens by season 6… and I don't have much to say about it here because I also know it's utterly ridiculous.

ANYWAY sometimes I need a break from two guys discussing the nature of fate and existence around a camp fire (yep, fun times when I go all in on the indulgence..) so I’ve also started to write bits of King Atticus is an utter bastard AU (haven’t really thought of a proper name for this yet…)

Here’s a snippet cut below. I don’t even know if it will make it into the main plot, it's really just a little study of Atticus and Kpp'Ar plotting somewhat dubious stuff for Duren...

“Mmm” Atticus lifted the goblet of red wine to his lips and smiled. “Here’s to new ventures.”

Kpp’Ar did not drink straight away, he swirled the wine a little and let its scent settle in his nose first. The wine would undoubtedly be some of the best the five kingdoms had produced. He might as well savour it.

The first sip didn’t disappoint, rich and heavy on the tongue, mountain wine, grown in the foothills of Del Bar, he could almost taste the sweetness of the first winter frost that they’d allowed to settle on the grapes before harvesting. An excellent vintage, he let it roll slowly around his tongue and watched the king.

Atticus sat regarding him, eyes narrowed. It was often the king’s policy to sit until a silence grew so uncomfortable that it was impossible not to break it, and Kpp’Ar decided to oblige him before it reached that point.

“You seem to have already decided on the mage you want as my successor.”

Atticus leant back in his chair and rotated his goblet slowly between his fingers so that the candlelight glinted off the gold.

“Well, he has certain admirable qualities the others don’t possess. Very dedicated to the kingdom, and my son Harrow seems fond of him, they’re fond of each other, no? You can’t pay gold for that sort of loyalty.” He laughed, and Kpp’Ar felt his usual slight revulsion at the cold, metallic ring of it. “You’ll have time to indulge your other pastimes, research, those puzzles that you like. You can let someone younger do the more mundane magic and worry about politics.”

Kpp’Ar shrugged, it wouldn’t do to let the king see his true emotions, he was like a snake that way, he would swallow them now and digest them slowly later, add it to the list of all the other information he kept locked away inside his head.

This latest move, his retirement, was simply the king rearranging his chess pieces on a board. Kpp’Ar knew he had outstayed his usefulness, there was no point in arguing his case.

“It would be nice to have the time to explore other avenues certainly.” He smiled back at the king.

“Precisely, council meetings were never really your scene, and Viren has a strong sense of… justice.”

“Indeed.”

Kpp’Ar gazed down at his glass, he didn’t particularly want to look at the king, to see the knowing look on his face, the unspoken things that lay beneath his words. There were many things he found it prudent to keep to himself, but he could never be completely certain that Atticus hadn’t already sniffed them out somehow.

“You’ve invested a lot of time in Viren, it must make you proud to see how far he’s come.”

Kpp’Ar took another sip of the wine. There it was, the little flash of the blade. The way Atticus would hold it in his hand and let you see for just a moment before striking.

“Of course.” He let his finger trace the patterns etched around the goblet, finest Neolandian gold of course, and he feigned absolute indifference. Even if Atticus had an inkling of just what Viren meant to him, of the odd complexities that their relationship contained, he was not about to expose that in front of him. “I suppose I’ve grown… fond of the boy.” He wasn’t a boy now of course, he was a man grown and yet sometimes there were moments when Kpp’Ar could still see the burning drive of Viren’s younger self, awkward and eager and full of passionate intensity.

“Yes, you always seemed unusually invested in that one.” Atticus gave him a slow smile, like a wolf it was, all barred teeth. “Don’t worry, he’ll do well, achieve far more than most men of his station. Do you know, I’m even considering giving him a title? Lord Viren, I expect that would sit well with him. You were never much moved by titles were you Kpp’Ar? But then, you came from money, what does a little word mean then?”

Atticus knocked his signet ring against the rim of the goblet in his hand and the sound reverberated in the silence.

“For what would you give him a title?” Kpp’Ar kept his voice merely curious but he knew there would be a cost involved commensurate with the reward. Common boys like Viren did not simply become lords in Katolis.

“For services… rendered. I mean, that’s the usual reason for giving out titles, no?”

Kpp’Ar stilled his features and took another sip of the wine. There were very few angles to playing Atticus, once he had made up his mind about something there was very little dissuading him. Kpp’Ar knew he himself was an aberration, tolerated only for his unmatched skills in dark magic. Of everyone at the court he alone said no to Atticus, everyone else bent the knee, and so here he was, nothing but a piece in a game that could be quietly removed now. There was a new piece to take his place, one that he himself had trained and honed to perfection to suit the king’s needs. In a way he’d always been playing Atticus’s hand, had moved his own pieces exactly where the king had wanted them.

“What service will you be asking of him? It would be better for me to know, in case I need to advise him.”

Atticus placed the goblet back on the table.

“Yes, of course, you might be right. The ambassador from Duren… she’s been getting a little… insistent lately, harvest failures, a blight that’s been spreading year by year. Of course Duren don’t keep a high mage, strictly speaking there are no mages at all in Duren, they see themselves as… above that sort of thing. Enlightened, talk is Del Bar are thinking of curbs at least. Imagine that, soon all the kingdoms might start considering dark magic unacceptable, you know how they love to frown on anything they don’t understand.”

“I’ve heard some rumours.”

Kpp’Ar did not keep in particularly close contact with any dark mages other than those he has trained himself, and yet this news had already travelled to him from a disgruntled trader in Del Bar. It’s true that Duren by advantage of their geographical location have not had to resort to dark magic in quite the same way the other kingdoms have. Most practitioners there are simple healers who keep to the shadows and are recommended only by word of mouth. There are no great mages, no one of the calibre that Kpp’Ar would consider worthy of the title.

“Quite, and yet now that their harvests can’t feed the population, to whom do they turn?”

“To you I suppose.”

“To me.” Atticus’s voice cut like cold steel. “Suddenly their moral high ground is not so lofty after all, suddenly our aid is acceptable. I intend to let them see what a few more years of blight does. Let them come to the pentarchy when their backs are really against the wall. Then we can negotiate.”

Kpp’Ar nodded, Atticus had always been politically ruthless, it had left Katolis almost as powerful as the other four kingdoms put together. The Katolian army is a well-oiled machine, it greatly exceeded the needs of a few border skirmishes that erupted from time to time with Xadia. He ruled with an iron fist, and yet he was one of those rare leaders who can also put on a show of relating to the common man. Kpp’Ar had always been impressed watching him in action, from the humblest peasant to the richest lord he ingratiated himself effortlessly, like some street hawker peddling false cures.

He himself had always struggled to bond with anyone, he had very few friends, and yet for some reason over the years he has known him Viren alone had become something else to him. Something he chose never to quite quantify with words because it was fraught with hidden danger. They have blurred the edges of their relationship in so many different ways now and it was increasingly apparent that these feelings he had have allowed him to be played. He can see no way for Viren to avoid the web that Atticus has spun.

“So you want Viren to put her off?”

“No. I want new ambassador, someone a little more amenable, or better still, no ambassador from Duren. She simply has to meet with an accident, it would be unfortunate, but… well these things happen.” Atticus spread his hands and shrugged.

“What will you tell Viren?”

“Just that, nothing more, he’s a bright enough lad, ambitious, he’ll figure it out.”

“I don’t think you know him that well, he won’t kill someone, not even for a title.”

“Well, the title is only an incentive, a man like Viren has plenty to lose though doesn’t he? That beautiful wife, the son he seems so fond of, a baby daughter too.”

There is a dark look on Atticus’s face now and it is that moment that Kpp’Ar can see how easily he’d been played, how utterly out manoeuvred he had been, and that he is now expendable, he too could meet with an accident if the king willed it. He took another sip of his wine, swallowed it impassively as his mind worked around the problem.

Atticus thought that he knew him, thought he knew every person and all their weaknesses, but he isn’t infallible, he’d always been greedy for magic, for the power that it gave him but also for the knowledge of it too.

“I have a solution that might work, something I’ve been wanting to test for you actually, something I believe you’ll like.”

“Oh yes?” Atticus looked at him, face impassive, but he can see the glint of hunger in his eyes. Kpp’Ar knows something about human weakness too.

“Old magic, elven, I picked them up in Xadia, I had to pay a considerable price.”

Kpp’Ar reached into his cloak and dropped a soft fabric bag on the table, Atticus reached for it, undid the string. He is a man who had always been inordinately interested in dark magic and all its trappings. A small pile of coins dropped onto the table and the king stacked them, one on top of the other, before picking up the top one and spinning it slowly between his fingers.

“What are these?”

“Prisons, very old I believe, they trap the soul, hold it in an different plane. Far more elegant than murder.”

"Hold it how?"

"Trap the soul, transmigrate the body. No trace."

“Alright, so the ambassador is gone, we say she’s been taken by Moonshadow elves. Create a little division with Xadia. Duren could send a hundred spies to scour our kingdom and they won’t find a trace?"

"Correct."

Unlikely another ambassador will be keen to come after that.”

“I'm sure you have ways of getting your wish, Sire.”

Atticus flipped the coin and caught it easily, regarded his own reflection in the polished gold.

“Heavier than a normal coin.”

“Yes.”

“What magic?”

“Star they told me when I bought it, but that’s only because it increases the price considerably. I should say moon, perhaps some corruption of the moon primal. Hard to be sure without more research.”

“Interesting. Fine that plan is acceptable, can you reverse it?”

“Theoretically, I haven’t quite worked that part out yet, there are very few records of this sort of thing. Perhaps if Viren and I could use the castle library I might find something there.”

“As you wish.”

The king placed the coin back in the sack, pushed the others back in carefully and tied the string.

“I think perhaps I’ll let Viren have a few more months under you, so he can get used to the new role, he can attend the council meetings, but I’ll still consult you on the magical side of things. How does that sound?”

“Very good your majesty.”

Kpp’Ar bowed his head so Atticus couldn’t see his expression.

“Oh, and Kpp’Ar, send Viren to me later will you? There are a few things I wish to discuss with him.”

———

What are the complexities of Kpp’Ar and Viren’s relationship?

Viren and Kpp’Ar are carrying on a clandestine affair behind Lissa’s back… I mean maybe.. when I get into the planning of this AU Viren has a lot of affairs, clandestine and otherwise..

[axl-ul]

Writer Q&A Tag Game

Thank so much for the tag @mthollowell-writes (the og post here) and @dyrewrites (the og post here)!This was so sweet of you^^

And if you have time, please, read their posts, they're so beautiful and motivational.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What motivates you to write?

Pretty much that I get to share a piece of myself. I'm not sure how to put it...but when I write I can sometimes feel my body relaxing and that I get to create something, anything from all the chaos that's sometimes in my head.

2. A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

It's a snippet from The Lakebed, an episode from Ulfrika's youth while she was still under the care of Master Kogar.

“Yes, Majstre. Hm…Majstre? Did you truly want to shoot me down?“ He paused, “Never, my disciple.“ He patted the young head before diving into a quick lesson about proper fishing methods and life in lakes. In the meanwhile, the sun started to come out. Unable to resist the sunlight for long without the proper clothing and skin treatment the master and his disciple decided to come back. For the last time, the Man with No Eyes looked behind where the ice was cut out. He found the right successor. Even though she’s not the typical demon nor that it’ll be an easy path. But he sensed the potential. And she deserved to get the second chance. With unusual happiness settling down and unaware of the doom he brought upon himself on that fateful day he returned home with Ulfrika.

3. Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

This might be a pretty easy answer - Princess Mei from The Flight of the Western Crane. She starts out as a shy young woman who's prone to fear and crying and she gets overwhelmed pretty easily. The more the story progresses, though, she gets more self-confident and comes out of her shell to reveal what she really is like - joyous, a slight jokester with heart of gold and even a bit of a fighter (until then she was like this only around her advisor and best/only friend Lady Wolf Witch a.k.a. Márgerdra). Mei's like... such a breath of a fresh air because I don't remember writing a character like her before. Oh, did I mention she likes hugs, too? Well, if not, then be prepared for her to hug your soul out of you. Then she'll pull you away to the nearest shop because t r i n k e t s.

4. What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

Hopefully, you won't get mad at me but the outline and coming up with the plot ideas and characters. The very begining when it's up to you how the heart and soul of your story shall look like.

5. What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

I dare to say I'm pretty good at descriptions of the nature. As in the rich vocabularly and how I play around the words. I like coming up with metaphors and poetic prose sort of grew on me over the years.

6. What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

People around are truly trying to help each other. I'm still lacking quite a lot of contact but it's mostly due to me not being good with starting a conversation. But whenever I talk to is truly nice, sweet and polite which is admirable.

7. A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

I'm going to be the basic bitch and say Google Docs and partialy Microsoft Word which I'll probably use sooner or later since Google Docs have problems with big files and there's also been the debate about the AI. Apart from these I also use Thessaurus a.k.a. Word Hippo and an unnamed internet dictionary. This is due to the fact that English is my 3rd language and I write my current projects in it. In other words, I sometimes can't exactly remember the word I actually want to use. So I either go and translate it for myself or I use the word hippo to find a synonym I know but I just couldn't think of in that moment.

8. A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

I came t like the Blackworld itself. In short, it's a non-physical place filled with eldritch horros that can manifest in the real world and from time to time some cultures came to worship these beings as their saints, gods or patrons mostly because of the slow corruption of their minds and souls. It's not only the concept of a place that's not real but also there's so many mysteries about the Blackworld - is it just a place that's a sphere for all those entities to linger? Or is it actually an organism of its own that's capable of giving birth without being exactly alive (at least in our way of understanding)? Why does it shape according to the subconscience of those who enter it? How does it know when somebody alive enters it? Just so many questions and so little answers and those answer then spark another ten new questions.

9. What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

I know this might go against the general rules but it's worked for me many times. Whenever I struggle to write I find myself a playlist, listen to it and while listening I'm re-reading my past chapters and re-editing some little details. When I can read a chapter after a chapter it's easier for me pick up on the more consistent vibe and feel of the story. And if this doesn't help either, I just take out another wip and focus on that other story.

10. Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters

I've already mentioned the duo who tagged me so here's the follow-up: @arijensineink @minutiaewriter @rbbess110 @rubywrite @jgmartin @faelanvance @angie-j-kay (I know you can't respond right now but I wanted to mention you since you've been such a great support, thank you^^) @anthros-vanitas-archive @your-absent-father @sam-glade

[auncyen]

7, 8, 9

7. How many ideas for fics do I have right now? Actually if we're not counting fanfic already partially posted, not that many. There are some vague ideas about a post-game ISAT fic dealing with intrusive thoughts and nightmares. These could be separate fic or the same fic. I'm not really sure.

also because "interactive fic" is the perennial idea that I've never done but keeps coming to me in every fandom, it is kind of tempting. Okay this much isn't spoilers because it's part of the premise. In ISAT you (Siffrin) are in a time loop. You are trying to escape the time loop and meanwhile not let your companions know you are stuck in a time loop. There's a "WENK"/"sus noise" that dings every time you do something that might tip off your companions that uh. Something weird's going on with you.

And so this is a VERY vague idea so far because it just came to me yesterday but like. I wanna turn that around and play with the thought of an ISAT-related fic where the PoV character is the one catching the suspicious actions. I'm still not sure how exactly that'd work. It's either like, "choose your adventure" where the narration outright tells you something suspicious happened and you decide how to respond to it--maybe all the choices could be in-character for, say, Isabeau, but depend on how on edge he is--or maybe a slightly different mechanic where you, as the reader, have to catch what's suspicious for the character to react appropriately (with consequences for jumping on too many innocent things/missing too many red flags).

...anyway outside of that amorphous idea and that vague idea I actually don't have many ideas. unless you count all the wips. please don't count the wips.

8. What projects am I currently working on? well alright we're counting a good few wips anyway--an AU of ISAT's act 5 that STILL doesn't have a proper name, a fic based on a fanon theory for the Head Housemaiden, I want to get back on Overcast and Cat & Trickster, and I really wanna figure out a chapter 2 for Of Stars and Longing because like there's a dramatic scene living in my head rent-free but the problem is it's like. at least chapter 4.

9. I don't write every day! I would like to but I have yet to get there! I...have not written yet today. I have enough time that I really should but we'll see if I do. I'll probably post a snippet later if I do just for this.

[daintyduck99]

What's "digging up the grave another time"?

Also tagging @jmrothwell, who asked about this one as well

!! This one is inspired by the 1, which is, as one might guess, a one that got away song.

Basically, Reggie ends up living with the Molinas for a while (through the tail end of high school and into his early twenties). He's very supportive in return throughout Rose's illness, and when she dies (Julie's nearly done with college at this point). But Sunset Curve starts to take off, and Reggie's hesitant to leave, but Julie pushes him to go (she doesn't want to keep him bogged in her grief and even thinks she might get over him if he goes). She quietly quits college.

Years later, when the story starts proper, she's doing much better overall, but for one thing: Reggie still haunts her, even though she hasn't even spoken to him in ages. And why would she? He's a huge rockstar now and she's...doing OK. But her therapist encourages her to let herself write the song her muse wants to write about him.

I have Julie's song and the beginning written, but I still need to puzzle out the ending, so I'm a bit stumped at the moment 😅

Here's a snippet (via a photo because I've been experimenting with the formatting):

[sergio-para-siempre]

❔📝👻

How did i instantly forget about this? 🙈 Anyway, thank you love, for the questions 😘

❔Choose a random WIP and talk about it - I started a short oneshot all the way back in winter when Keylor left PSG and it was mostly inspired by Sergio's outfit in the farewell video he posted because he looked somehow both absolutely ridiculous and really cute and somehow (as usual) it's way over 10k words now and still not close to being finished. Idk it's kind of the Serard version of Starts as a whisper

📝Share a snippet of an unposted WIP, with or without context -

So when he watches Gerard walk into the team hotel on his first day of international duty. Tall and handsome and so very much Sergio’s type that it makes his heart flutter and his palms sweat he half expects his name to show up on his wrist right then and there, desperately wants it to.

Instead he finds his football shoes glued to the floor of the dressing room half an hour later.

Might or might not be from a soulmate AU i'm working on 😇

👻Is there a scene that you find intimidating that you have yet to write? - Not necessarily a scene but more an entire fic. I desperately want to write a Division 2/dystopian AU, but i want it to be more than just a lovestory in a dystopian setting and the whole process of world building and coming up with a proper plot scares me.