#and actually i not really completely published there because of you know...writers block and stuff

[gxtzeizm]

that feeling when you found a local drama series that being originated from a local streaming platform in which the plot reminds you of a fic that you wrote 6 years ago

[basilone]

Folks, I hope whichever writing you’re working on today creates joy for you!

Just this past week, I wrote a good 3k worth of words that were born from an idea 2AM me had. 2AM me is a different animal, you know. 😉 2AM me does not really care about what I’m “supposed to be working on”. 2AM me sees my prompt-filled inbox and shrugs at it. 2AM me has never met an outline she can’t ruin, has never encountered writer’s block once she gets going, and has most certainly never given a hoot about if there are going to be people willing to read the thing. 2AM me cares about one thing and one thing only: does writing this vague idea fill me with complete and utter joy?

So. Here I am. 3k words into a mafia AU that will likely not see publication beyond a groupchat with friends. 3k words into a story that features no canon characters from the shows we love, but features several of my original characters instead. 3k words into a story that is, in no particular order, doing the following: feeding my love for particular tropes, allowing me to explore my OCs in a different setting, giving me a better handle on how my OCs express certain emotions and ideas, fueling and clarifying certain aspects of the main fic these OCs inhabit, and taking away all my self-imposed pressures about needing to have a finished and publishable story as “proof” that I have spent my precious free time well by being productive.

And, friends, I’m having a blast. I’ve talked some of my friends to death about this already because I’m so excited. I’ve spent more time working on the outline for my actual fic in this past week than I have in all the weeks of this year so far because writing this silly AU gave me the confidence boost to sit down and figure that out. (That pesky outline that's been eluding me for months? Pretty much complete at the time I write this.) I’ve gained a truckload of stuff to use as special tools that will help other writing later on. And it’s all made possible because 2AM me had an idea and morning me went “well okay why not try it on for size just once”.

So, I’m writing you a permission slip. Work on what sparks joy. Work on something that inspires love in you for an aspect of your storytelling, for your characters, for the world you’re creating in. Forget about your inbox and comments and requests. Forget about your WIPs you’re either rotating in your head or threatening to smack like a piñata until the complete fic rolls out. Forget about prompts, polls, and whatever you think people’s expectations of your writing are. Work on the little idea you can’t shake, the OC that’s bugging you, the ship that won’t let go, the AU that can fit soooooo many tropes in it, and I promise you that all your other writing is going to fall into place too.

Give yourself the opportunity to love and be joyful about your creativity! I’m allowing it! 💙

[sepublic]

            I’m probably late in suggesting this but… King James I published a whole book about witches, a guide of sorts, called Daemonologie. Published in 1597, it saw another reprint when he became king in 1603. James was said to have a fascination with witches and demons, to the point that it’s claimed Shakespeare wrote in an additional scene with the witches in Macbeth to pander to James’ tastes. The thing is…

         James thought witches were evil. And his Daemonologie book explained how to recognize witches, how they worked, the animal familiars they used, all that stuff, ultimately to give witch-hunters an idea of how to find and kill them; Because the main solution to witchcraft in this book was execution. Daemonologie was meant to expose the existence of witchcraft to the common people, and prove it.

         Philip and Caleb Wittebane entered Old Gravesfield in the year 1613. Just a decade after the Royal Re-Release of Understanding Witches (So you can kill them). Philip documents a lot of the stuff he sees in the Boiling Isles, to a scientific degree, cataloguing, categorizing, etc. And in the first diary entry we hear, Philip ruminates on how he wishes humanity could see the Boiling Isles and understand…

         @fermented-writers-block already suggested this to me a while back, the idea that Philip initially wrote his journal as proof of witchcraft and especially the demon realm’s existence, so he could convince people to help him eradicate the alleged threat, and/or prove he went on a successful crusade that saved the world. Granted, the people of Gravesfield seemed like earnest believers by that point, but I can imagine Philip taking real-life inspiration from King James I to convince others around the globe, who may not be as receptive to his claims.

         Anyhow, I think it deeply re-contextualizes our understanding of Philip’s diary entries in a complete 180 way; Most of us were under the initial impression that Philip’s fascination stemmed from a place of genuine wonder, curiosity, and appreciation for the Boiling Isles. But knowing he’s a witch hunter, it seems his interest came from a place of condemnation; Wanting to understand the witches so he could kill them. Whether James actually believed in witchcraft, I’m not sure, but to Philip, it was lore contributing to his favorite game of destroying the Bad Guys; Cowboys VS Indians, basically. The Collector accuses Philip of having fun destroying Grimwalkers, and they’re not even his main target.

         It’s a borderline fetishistic attitude towards witches; Philip is enamored, he wants to know and understand and figure them out. But he’s so deeply committed to dehumanizing and hating them, wanting their utter annihilation. Witches exist as the enemy NPCs in a video game where Philip immerses himself into their lore and in-universe dialogue, even as he slaughters them in droves. It’s a sick and sadistic pleasure at the expense of others he loathes, paradoxical in the way fetishization is; Philip’s previously-shown interest is not a contradiction, at least not from a writing perspective.

         It works as a way to trick the viewer while still making total sense. A brief outside glimpse might suggest to the unsuspecting that Philip DOES like witchcraft, but no, he’s an objectifying colonizer who wants to own and appropriate, not learn and engage with on the same, humble level as a learner. Philip sees himself as a conqueror looting knowledge instead of riches from his victims, and he gets just that from people like Luz and the Collector.

         He doesn’t really understand what he’s playing with and he doesn’t want to; He’s the White Dude who indulges in ethnic stereotypes and cuisine, in the tourist-y commodification of cultures, while at the same time voting for minorities to be outlawed. I would even compare Philip to a trophy hunter, knowing all the stuff about his prey, writing comprehensive guides… all for the purpose of how to kill and destroy them, as part of some big game.

        I get the feeling that Philip ultimately WANTED witches to exist; Because if he was truly genuine about saving the world, about protecting people, it’d be a relief to find out there was no threat after all. But Philip wants for there to be a threat, never mind what it can pose to others, because then he gets to be the hero!!! He gets to be chosen one who goes on a sick adventure beating people up! He goes on rants about a hidden threat beneath our very eyes, not because Philip actually wants to warn people, but because he sees this as his opportunity to be the savior; So really, Jacob Hopkins IS Philip, isn’t he?

[destinygoldenstar]

I think it’s important of a reminder that I personally think it’s fair to critique for what a media DID do, not what they didn’t do. Because what you expect could not be the writers goals at all, and you only end up disappointed when it doesn’t do exactly what you expect.

Cause if I had a nickel for every January release of a third act of a franchise season I’m into that I’ve been disappointed by when the rest is otherwise really good…

Blah blah two nickels.

I already talked about the Total Drama Reboot ending. In all honesty I think the reception is understandably more split than anything else. Either you love the third act or you don’t. I just happened to fall in the latter category. I loved the first 8 episodes though. It’s more of a ‘This was great until it wasn’t’ situation.

And what do you know, there’s another show that also had a January third act that had me sum up that season.

Hirogaru Sky Pretty Cure.

This season was GREAT. Until it wasn’t.

I think that’s the perfect phrase for this season.

Now for context, though I don’t talk about it much in my posts, I follow all kinds of magical girl tags.

Magical Girls are my special interest. I’ve written more magical girl stories than I’ve published online. My OC, GoldenStar, can be classified as an OC if you wanted. Magical Girl shows just press my autistic buttons so much and I can never get enough of them. (Except Magical Girl Site, that show can burn in my memory and never come back in my head)

You don’t know what the genre is, it’s a sub-superhero genre that’s (most of the time) female centric, that involves (usually) a team of girls finding powers, having beautifully animated transformations into superhero personas with big hair not suited for combat, and they, with the power of love and friendship, kick ass and save the day.

Think Winx and Lolirock if you’re western.

So naturally, I couldn’t get enough of Pretty Cure back in the day. As it was basically the perfect ‘magical girl obsessor campsite’. As every season of the show has the benefit of having a brand new cast of characters each time, and therefore different lore that keeps things fresh.

I guess best way to explain it to western users is ‘Power Rangers but magical girls, and animated’

Which is an ironic way to explain it cause Power Rangers is actually an American Adaptation of a franchise called Super Sentai… made by the same company that made Pretty Cure.

I kinda had a falling out with the franchise though. That’s because, and let’s be real here, the newer seasons are kinda lousy.

Now, hold on, it’s not all bad these past five years. I loved Healin Good and WILL defend it. Tropical Rouge was decently fun and had some great episodes. But compare the seasons these past five years to some of the older ones like Heartcatch and… yeah, there’s a noticeable writing dip.

Especially when you get into Delicious Party…

That was the first time I ever downright hated a Pretty Cure season and got angry at multiple points. And if I wasn’t angry, I Aw as bored to tears. Not a good combination. Just so so SO much wrong with this season from beginning to end. (And saying that opinion got me blocked from Fandom.)

But then Hirogaru Sky was next, and yes, wow, it started out PHENOMENAL. I was blown away again and completely invested again. This season seemed like it was doing all kinds of shake ups to the franchise and taking the entire structure in new directions. While also paying homage to the first season with the duo team structure. I loved its main characters and their dynamics throughout the show. The designs are gorgeous. The first half is thrilling and intense and some of the best of the franchise since Hugtto. Back then, I was about ready to call this an S tier season and in my top 5…

This is why you wait till a season is done before you go say stuff like that. I learned that now.

Now, I’m not actually going to dunk on the ending this time. Because bottom line is: It’s one very stupid plot twist after another to the point where it’s like they can’t make up their mind what they want, none of the build up throughout the show amounted to anything, and the final battle is horrifically paced and completely botches the character arcs of certain people. Sora in particular.

Not THAT Sora. That Sora had an amazing payoff. I’m talking about Pretty Cure Sora, not Ninjago Sora. Dragons Rising was really good and actually stuck the landing.

But I do think we’re hating on this season for all the wrong reasons. I know we all made predictions about where the story was headed, and almost all those theories became wrong.

Like, I know we all predicted, myself included, that Shalala was the twist main villain. This turned out to be wrong. But they didn’t have to do that if they didn’t want it.

It’s the same thing with Total Drama. We all predicted Damien was a finalist and that turned out wrong. But I chose not the criticize that show for not making him a finalist because, well, the writers didn’t want him to be a finalist. That’s okay. Instead I criticized how they handled the role in the story they gave him. You know, what they intended.

Just because your theories were wrong, does NOT make it the end of the world. You can definitely claim that your theory would have been the better story route than what we got. BUT fact of the matter is, you’re not the writer. You don’t get to decide what the writers want to do with their story. And saying you do cause you’re a fan is just entitlement. (Go make a fanfiction if you’re gonna be that petty about it)

I keep saying, don’t criticize what the writers didn’t do, criticize what the writers DID do. Try and see what the writers were going for. Not what you wanted.

We all expected going in that Hirogaru Sky would be this epic hero-ideology season. This big philosophy on what it means to be a hero and the ups and downs that came with it. Kind of like a Kamen Rider Kuuga type of story. There was all kind of foreshadowing that Sora was going to endure quite a bit of an arc upon realizing her hero idealism was kinda trash.

We got that about the first half, then nothing. What we got instead was NOT a morally grey complex narrative. We got a simple black and white world where Sora’s hero idealism turned out to be pretty much perfect from the start, and the villain is literally just as ‘evil for the sake of evil’ as you can get. It became ‘I don’t know if I scan grow up to be a hero’ instead of ‘being a hero kinda sucks’.

So when that wasn’t the theme we got, and it wasn’t this morally complex story that we all hoped for… yeah I can see people getting angry.

But that’s not the problem for me. Because they wanted a black and white story. So they did a black and white story. So we gotta judge it by what they were going for.

Now yes, Shalala being the villain instead of who we got would’ve been preferable, if only cause the villain we got is just awful as a character and fails as a villain in almost every front. The hero role being muddied out would’ve been juicy in angst. But it’s not what the writers wanted to do.

So instead of criticizing what it’s not. I’m choosing to criticize it for what it is. That the villain was horrifically built up and a terrible character, and the final battle is horrific pacing that leaves no satisfying conclusion for Sora because of bad pacing. She gets slapped with dark energy juice and all it takes to snap her out of it is Deus Ex Machina from her BFF? Seriously? You couldn’t think of a better way to resolve that?

Just because it didn’t say stuff about being a hero that you want them to say, doesn’t mean they said anything at all. And if you want to rewrite this season to say the stuff you thought it should have, then go ahead. No one’s stopping you.

Basically, I think the third act distaste for Hirogaru Sky is justified, but people are pointing out the wrong reasons why it’s distasteful.

I said it once, Ill say it again:

You HAVE to have a solid third act. Because that’s what people will walk away from. If you try something fancy and screw up, people are gonna remember the botched ending rather than the whole story. Even if the rest of your story is fantastic.

[ashleyfanfic]

For the fan fiction writer asks! 3. Do you share your fic ideas, or do you keep them to yourself? 20. Do you prefer writing AUs or canon fics? 35. What’s your favorite fic you’ve posted? 68. Are there any fics that influenced you to write the way you do? 76. How do you deal with writing pressure, whether internal or external?

Also I'm sorry you've had only negative asks lately, I hope this cheers you up 💜

First off, you beautiful angle! You put the question in the ask! Second, yeah every now and then you just catch some shit cause people are assholes who feel they can say and do whatever they want behind a screen.

Now onto the questions!

3. Do you share your fic ideas, or do you keep them to yourself? If they are Jonerys, I share them with my soul mate @justwandering-neverlost cause any opportunity we have to write together I’m gonna take. I know I’ve also shared some Dramione fic ideas with my friend, Kim, who used to write fic but now is a fucking publish author! But usually I tend to keep them to myself cause who the hell knows when inspiration will hit?

20. Do you prefer writing AUs or canon fics? AUs. Sigh, case and point, just yesterday we got a comment on our Dragon Dark and Deep fic that was complaining that our military strategy wasn’t good. For three paragraphs. Like, come on, my reasoning for writing that fic is NOT to come up with sound strategy. It was to make these two people start banging before they met in season 7 and make them twisted for each other. I couldn’t actually give a fuck about military strat. You wanna read that? Go find a book written by George Patton. Me, I’m here to make two hot people bang a lot.

35. What’s your favorite fic you’ve posted? The first thing that came to mind was Legends of Winter’s Peak. Not only because I got to write it with JW and made the best friend I could ever hope for/have, but because it’s the most complete story in terms of character arcs, relationship arcs, main and side players. The writing process for that story was hands down the most fun I ever had writing. Which isn’t to say I don’t enjoy writing other things or even other fics with JW, but that one owns my whole ass soul.

68. Are there any fics that influence you to write the way you do? I can’t say there are specific fics but specific writers. I’ve been reading fan fic since I was 14 and I started with X-Men’s Rogue/Gambit. But through all the fandoms, I’ve learned more from writers and their process that makes sense. Kim actually had me planning out stories. I was a notorious pantser before and my stories would have more holes in it than Swiss cheese. So when I started LotB (Love on the Brain) I knew that with so many POVs and relationships, I couldn’t do it that way. @frostbitepandaaaaa has made me think harder about motivations for movements and reactions. Also, I respect someone that tears so hard into something I’m writing that it makes me question why I’m doing this. Because good critique can make you question it but their suggestions can also give you new life because she doesn’t see it the same why I do cause I’m too close. JW is so fucking phenomenal about adding in emotion to blocking dialogue. I’m a dialogue whore so I’ve never really cared about the stuff between, but the way she writes it actually makes me take a step back and go “huh, this can be better. What would JW do?” I don’t get close to how good she can make it, but it does make me think.

76. How do you deal with writing pressure externally or internally? I know this might piss someone off, but I don’t care about external pressure. I have a fic I Ah ent updated in 20 years that I was working on the other day. I write what I feel like writing. Internally, I can feel bad about not updating, but I also know I can’t force myself to write anything. That’s just not my way. I can try and get close but if it come down to me crying because I can’t get the words out, let me tell you that I don’t. I move on to something else like drawing, watching things on YouTube, napping. When I get inspiration, I get inspiration. I can’t force it.

Thank you for the asks!!

[aliteralsemicolon]

You can completely ignore this if you want to, but I'm stuck and needed the opinion of another writer (and I love your writing, so 🥺)

Basically, I love to write, and it's always been a big passion of mine, but I'm always worried to publish my stuff because I know I don't have a particularly 'pretty' way with words like a lot of fantastic writers do here on tumblr, and I just wondered if you had any tips on getting past that worry?

Thank you for listening 💖

Well hello beautiful! Thank you so much for thinking of me!

This is actually a mostly universal thing with writers I think, so the first thing you should know is that you aren't alone in feeling this way. Sharing your work with the world can be so intimidating, but once you cross that bridge you'll settle in to your own flow.

The beauty of writing for me is that I consider it a form of art, and like most art, it's an expression of who the artist is. No two writers truly write the same. There's always a personalised touch added to every story. When it comes to art, there's an audience for everything. So even if you don't write "pretty", there will guaranteed be people who will love the way you write.

Now as far as the mental block in your own head goes, it's honestly an up and down battle. There will be days where you feel extremely confident and proud of your work. Then there will come days where you'll see the way someone else writes, much like right now, and mislead yourself into believing that you're not as good. As we know, comparison is the killer of joy. You're not a bad writer just because you don't write the same way.

I don't have a lot of ground breaking advice for you. Truth is, it really is just a mental game. No one's skill level is truly 0 or 100. Everyone starts somewhere and once you've started, you've already progressed that skill. At the same time, even if you're a professional, there's always room for improvement. Where ever you're at, you have to be mentally secure in your skill. On days you that you have a voice in your head telling you that you're inadequate, you have to consistently remind yourself to not listen to it.

My father once said: "You can not really compare Jasmines with Roses. Both of them are beautiful flowers in their own right. People will have their own preferences when picking between the two, but one is not uglier than the other." (but like in another language). I like to carry this around in my notes app because he's right and I think it's a good analogy for this situation.

Another thing to keep in mind once you start posting is to not get addicted to the engagement. Don't compare your engagement to another blogs engagement. Engagement is not an accurate way to determine the quality of your work. I've seen writers that I consider to be extremely talented but they don't garner much engagement.

I've said this before and I'll say it again:

Don't let comparison rob you of the reasons that made you fall in love with writing.

I really, really hope you decide to start posting your stuff! I wish you the best of luck!

[gallavichthings]

If you’ve been in the fandom for more than one week, you’ve definitely come across the name of this week’s interviewee: Shamelessquestions on AO3, or @goodkwuestion​, as Kay goes by both here and on Twitter, is a household name in this fandom, and rightfully so. With stories that rank among everyone’s favorites, such as Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, Lost in Translation, Pomp and Circumstance. and The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Ian Gallagher, Kay deserves a fandom just for herself, to be honest. I had the privilege to interview them this week and find out a bit more about her relationship with Shameless, Gallavich and fanfiction.

GT: Please tell me a bit about yourself. 

K: I'm not great at this, lol. I'm a young black woman. I've been a part of one fandom or another since I was about 12, I think.I'm usually a part of one fandom at a time, because that's how my focus works. I do have grand plans to become a published author one day, though I quickly get overwhelmed by the idea. I'm currently working on a sci-fi original, but recently got sucked back into Gallavich. I'm a clinician and front line worker in "real life," and I hope everyone is staying safe and making good decisions.

GT: You said you've been part of a fandom or another since you were 12. Is that when you started reading and writing fics? What was the first fandom you read or wrote for?

K: Yes, my best friend at the time actually printed out a Kenshin fic for me to read and it blew my freaking mind. The first fandom I ever actually wrote for was a soap opera called "Days of Our Lives." But those were dark times as we do not speak of it, lol. Those stories were horrendous and I've blocked them out.

GT: Kenshin as in Rurouni Kenshin?

K: The one in the very same. I think the pairing was Aoshi/Misato in that story. My first real love was Naruto though, and that's really where it all started for me as an active fandom contributor.

GT: When did you start watching Shameless and what made you ship Ian and Mickey?

K: I started watching Shameless around 2013, I think. And I just fell head over heels for Mickey and Gallavich almost immediately.Mickey's entrance with his brothers is seared into my psyche. I really got into Gallavich when Mickey returned home from juvie, and Ian (Cam, really) was a little older and had matured.Season 3 was my cementing point. Their character portrayals were amazing and unique, and their romance and it's development felt fresh and atypical. I just loved it all.

GT:When did you start writing Gallavich fanfiction? What made you start?

K:I was inhaling fanfiction by the following year and I swear, Mintsauce is like the gateway drug for Gallavich writers.

GT: THEY ARE. Especially back then. 

K: Word! I read a fic of hers called The Taste of Familiarity and it jumped into my head to write a tribute fic for it, based on the plight of poor Callum. So The Ballad of Poor Callum Scott was born and that was my entry into Gallavich fanfiction.

GT: Reading good stories is really inspiring, isn't it?

K: So inspiring! Mintsauce's stuff in particular for me back then. This fandom is filled with amazing writers; it's mindblowing.

GT: It is, indeed. There's no shortage of fics, of all kinds.

What's the most fun thing about writing Gallavich?

K: I love how I feel no restrictions when writing them. Ian and Mickey have this wealth of experiences and range that you can put them almost anywhere and it makes complete sense, you know? They're crass and messy, but they're loving, family oriented and have all these poignant moments that can meld seamlessly into almost any scenario I can think up.

GT: And what's the most difficult thing?

K: Dealing with canon.

GT: lol

K: I broke up with Shameless a while back and it's rough writing when you pay attention to some of the nonsense they trot out.

GT: That is very true.

Are you following the last season?

K: Not really. I haven't really bothered with the show since Ian broke up with Mickey on the porch and I officially checked out. I do watch the Gallavich scenes for later seasons though and I'm listening to see if they get their canon happy ending. I think I might watch the season after I get the happy ending guarantee. I'm a sensitive baby. I would not handle it well if they did them dirty.

GT: Do you prefer writing Ian or Mickey?

K: Mickey is my baby, but I do tend to write Ian's POV more.

GT: Why do you think that is?

K: From a romantic standpoint, Mickey fell so hard and is such a sure thing in his love for Ian, I think I end up trying to equalize it a bit in my writing.For other aspects, I think I approach them a little more equally.

GT: What does your writing process look like? 

K: I don't do outlines or planning, which makes me feel like a bum sometimes. I think about the story until it runs like a movie in my head, then I just write down what I see. I post a chapter as soon as I finish editing.

GT: You don't outline and you still write those amazing stories? That's incredible. What about research? How much do you research when you write?

K: I research a ton. It can get a little obsessive sometimes, especially when I'm just looking stuff up to make a silly one off statement. In TIPDIG, I ended up spending a significant chunk of time just researching the Ferris wheel for their date, for example. I read newspaper articles about its construction, checked maps, looked up what landmarks you might see from it. I'm trained in medical research; we don't play, lol.

GT: What kind of fics do you write the most? 

K: AUs, almost always. Both multichapter and oneshots. I mix genres a lot, but love to incorporate as much humour and sexy times as I can.

GT: Who are your favorite characters aside from Ian and Mickey? Do you write them too?

K: I love Lip and Mandy, and I also have a fondness for Mickey's brothers (that entrance!) even though there isn't really much about them in canon. I haven't written any Shameless fics where Ian and Mickey weren't the center of them, but I do love lots of side characters in my stories.

GT: What's your favorite Gallavich fic that you’ve written so far and why?

K: I'll be obsessed with whatever I'm working on at the time. It's probably the Increasingly Poor Decisions of Ian Gallagher (TIPDIG) tho. It is my most ambitious piece of writing to date. There were a lot of moving parts involved and a lot of stuff to remember and connect. That's the drawback of keeping everything stored in your head.

GT: It's a fandom favorite for sure. But then again, everything you write is.

What are your favorite type of comments to receive? 

K: If someone leaves feedback, I'm the happiest camper in the world. I love the ones where people try to reason out wtf is going on and what I'm planning. I love when people flail at me when I drop the angst hammer. I just love it all. Wait, the angst flailing ones might just be my fave, lol.

GT: You mentioned MintSauce... Are there any other writers you admire in the fandom? Or any fics that are your favorite?

K: Duuuuude! I did a whole tribute section of some of my faves at the end of one of my fics.

So Mintsauce is the OG and Spock, omg! Do not wander and Wide-eyed walker by Spock remain part of my holy grail. Exoskeletons, Ruinmynylons, Milominderbinder... I can do this all day.

GT: What are your favorite tropes?

K: Jealousy, hands down. Soulmate and pining

GT: What are some of your fanfiction pet peeves?

K: Crazy long monologues, sex without preparation, being overly descriptive/detailed on things I feel are irrelevant, ooc behaviour.

GT: What’s your favorite season of Shameless? Do you have a favorite episode?

K: I think season 3 remains my fave, for nothing else because it's when I truly fell into Gallavich.

Fave episode is currently the one that introduced me to bridezilla Mickey. Noel ate that. It had to be fun to shoot.

GT: What's your favorite Gallavich scene?

K: That's a hard one to choose. I currently love their reunion at the docks after Mickey escaped from prison. I will always have a soft spot for the dugouts scene as well. The proposal was also good.

GT: If you could go back and change one thing in canon, what would it be?

K: Oh lord, so much. But definitely the porch breakup. That was just a mess for me.

GT: It came out for left field. 

Ok, so what's next? Do you have and fic plans?

K: Well I recently came out of Gallavich retirement and I'm currently in the middle of my latest multichap, Old Rules for New Side Pieces. I'm playing it by ear after that. I'm also trying to settle down to get to work on my original books.

GT: Best of luck with that!

K: Thank you!

GT: That was it. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this with me! Any parting words?

K: I just think it's great that you're putting time and effort into talking to fandom contributors. It was fun and I'm sure it's appreciated.

And thanks to those who have read my work, offered support and welcomed me right back. It feels good to be a part of the Shameless fandom again. ♥

[the-passenger-if]

Hey gang, how have you been? This is a post to let you know how the beta's going.

First of all, sorry for being so silent lately, my dumb ass thought that I would have more exciting news next week, and then that didn't happen, so I thought the week after that one would be it, and then it wasn't, and then a whole month went by and I hadn't made a lot of progress.

At the moment I'm stuck on the beta stage 0.2--my beta testers have done a great job pointing out the stuff I should rework and what needs tweaking to make The Passenger a better game, now I need to sit my ass down and actually write. Thing is, I'm going through one hell of a writer's block, so I've been trying different stuff to work around said block. At first I tried tackling another story I want to write, and that sort of helped, I guess. I do like the first line because it has a good hook: “Collecting your fee is, without a doubt, the best part about making pacts with humans”. I mean, if I read that I would be intrigued (even if it's a wonky first line xD)

Then, out of nowhere, I had an idea I had to write--nothing interactive fictiony, just a scene that popped in my mind--and that idea just flowed through my fingers, taking me like 30 minutes to write. It was fun and it made me realize that yeah, that's how writing is supposed to feel like. No shit I'm stuck, I had completely forgotten how much fun I had with this.

Now, since trying to go with the flow hasn't done anything for me, this is my new plan: I will attempt to finish the fixes before christmas--talking about a nightmare before christmas. I'm hoping setting a deadline will force me to finish. It's quite obvious that TP will be published on 2021 anyway.

So yeah, this is why I haven't been around. I want you to know I'm really glad you keep sending asks, and I'm happy the hype hasn't gone away. Thanks, gang. I promise I will answer asks once the game is on its way to publishing. There's a bunch of interesting scenarios/char reactions in my inbox...

Hope you're doing alright, remember to wash your hands and wear facemasks.

Hugs!

[aconstantstateofbladerunner]

Read the notes on Moonpaw's Archive post with the “But Ao3 has fics with–”, and the responses made me shake my head so dang hard. I'm sure you as a writer who publishes their content on Archive as well you've also gotten the "It's a bad site" asks?

This is way longer than I meant it to be so I apologize in advance.

I got like one comment like a year ago when I said I wouldn’t cross post any of my stuff to wattpad, which for the record i think is a way worse site it terms of design and culture.  It’s completely reasonable to be uncomfortable with underaged RPF.  I’ve got a whole fic in the works exploring how fucked up it can be.  But that doesn’t then mean other authors should leave the site, or readers trying to pressure them into doing so.  The fact of the matter is that AO3 is the best fanfiction site available right now.  The design is straightforward and easy to navigate; it’s a nonprofit so there’s no adds, no data collection, and it takes optional donations instead of being a payed service.  Not to mention the god-tier tagging and filtering system.  I get to live almost exclusively in the Dad Might tag and block out all a/b/o stuff and just generally have a great time in the only corner of the fandom I actually care about.  That shit didn’t win a Hugo award for nothing.

Like I said before, wattpad is terribly designed with basically no filters and has a clout-based culture of trend chasing and tag scumming, both of which fold in on one another and make it difficult to find any fic not in the top 10.  Also, it’s a payed service where several features are locked behind a paywall.

Fanfiction.net has more search and filter options, but is incredibly restrictive, bad at enforcing its own rules, and not transparent about its running in the slightest.  I’m not sure if this is still going on, but fics would just randomly disappear without explanation to the readers or author, sometimes to fics that didn’t even violate the rules but just got a lot of negative attention.  And back when the site first started doing major purges of questionable content, it was the people being most responsible and leaving clear, explicit warnings about their content who got hit the most.  Leaving the assholes who didn’t care about content warnings to kept doing whatever.

I’ve been doing some personal research about fanfiction in the from AO3 era, and I really do not want to go back to that.  Every fandom had dozens of individual fanfic hosting forums, all of which had petty beefs with one another and drama was everywhere.  Infighting was constant.  Reposting was rampant.    Different forums had different requirements for being allowed to even see what was on them.  Just getting your fic seen was a challenge if you weren’t licking some moderator’s boot.  I joined fandom only just after this era came to a close, but there was just enough scorched earth left to make me know this wasn’t the better alternative.

It’s okay to not like some content on AO3.  Heck it’s okay to find that content morally reprehensible.  I know I do.  But I have it blocked.  People can’t expect authors to jump ship to an alternative that isn’t there because questionable content exists in the same place.  AO3 is a platform, and it’s the best one we have.  And I don’t see the people who complain about it leaving twitter and tumblr, even though that exact same content they complain about is there too.

[lilyvandersteen]

Fic Writer Tag

I was tagged by @forabeatofadrum (thank you, sweetie!)

How many works do you have on AO3?

I have published 33 works on AO3. Not all of them are completed yet, but hopefully they will be someday. I’m not planning on abandoning any of my WIPs, though it might take a long time until they are completed. I’m a slow writer, and I tend to get bouts of writer’s block.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

So far I have published 626,620 words on AO3.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

At the moment, I have only written Glee fics, mostly Klaine.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Puppy Eyes. AKA the fic where Blaine is cursed to turn into a dog from time to time. By far the crackiest fic idea I’ve ever had, but I had so much fun writing it, and I guess the readers enjoy it just as much.

Weave Your Magic. My very first multichapter, and still a WIP, though it’s already 287091 words long. It’s massive, and it’s written in a soap opera style that could keep it going forever and ever and ever. I haven’t updated it in years, because to continue it, I first have to read it all the way through again, and that takes me four days. I will continue it when I can find the time, though.

Stop Flirting! This fic started out as a one-shot, and then I continued it for the first Kurt Hummel Big Bang I ever took part in. It’s a famous Blaine fic, with Tina as a crazy fangirl.

Worth the Wait. I love this verse, and it seems my readers do, too :-) This story is very fairytale-like, with magic rings and quests and challenges to prove your worth.

A Shoulder to Lean On. This is a meet-cute oneshot that resonated with many readers. Featuring an obnoxious Rachel, an embarrassed Kurt and a smitten Blaine.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do, yes. I absolutely love getting to talk about plot points or providing some background information that never made it into my actual fic. Also, seeing as I don’t always wait until the story is complete to start posting, I draw inspiration from my readers’ comments to add some stuff they request or to expand certain parts. That’s what I love so much about fanfiction: that it is truly a two-way street. Readers are as vital to the experience as writers are, and I am so grateful to my faithful readers for their help in shaping my stories.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Uhm... I write happy endings, mostly. I have a few fics that are pretty open-ended, but never angsty.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

As of now, I haven’t written any crossover fics. I have written a Pride & Prejudice inspired fic, though (Out of the Blue), but that doesn’t really count as a crossover.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not so much hate, but I’ve received comments and reviews that shook me up and made me stop writing for months. I don’t deal well with criticism, I’m afraid. Fanfic writing is my happy place, so I hate it when people come in and lecture me.

That’s why I stopped writing Never Saying Goodbye to You for so long. One anonymous reviewer raked me over the coals because a movie star I mentioned in passing was wrong for the time period. “ If you want to write a story that is historical in nature, please do your research and get your facts straight.”

Whereas I was just trying to write a fun time-travelling story, and the time period my protagonist ended up was just the background for me. My friend @hkvoyage researches everything meticulously for her historical fics, and kudos to her for that, but I’m not that kind of writer. I have very limited time to write, and I don’t want to spend it doing research, nor should anyone expect me to. I’m not writing a master’s thesis in history, I’m writing a fanfiction story for my own amusement, and sharing it with you so you can enjoy it as well. If I get anything wrong, feel free to point it out and I’ll modify it, but there’s absolutely no need to get angry with me.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I do occasionally. It’s not really my thing. Fluff, I can do, and some angst here and there, but smut is difficult to get right.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

That’s possible.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Oh yes, by the wonderful @klaineship2, one of the few Tumblr Klainiacs I’ve met in real life. She’s absolutely lovely, and she translated one of my fics into German.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I haven’t. I’ve betaed and suggested dialogue or plot points, though.

What’s your all time favourite ship?

Klaine. *Happy sigh*

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Hmm, I have my mind made up to finish all of my WIPs, even Weave Your Magic. It might take me ages, but I will.

What are your writing strengths?

Does writing from several POVs count? You should ask my readers, I don’t really know.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I’m a pantser. I know how the story begins and ends, but the middle is always a muddle, and I need to piece it together like a puzzle.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’ve used French in at least one fic. I’ve also used a sentence in Russian.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Glee. The one and only.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Ooh, that’s a difficult question ... There are bits and pieces of myself in every fic, so I love all of them. I love Weave Your Magic because it’s my first multichapter and just a story I can live in. I love Worth the Wait because it’s so much like a fairytale. I love Puppy Eyes because it’s cracky and fun. I love Out of the Blue because it heavily features the Anderson Bros and because I’m a big Pride & Prejudice fan and it was a great challenge giving this story the same enemies to lovers vibe. I love The Christmas Guest because it’s Fake Dating and that’s my fave trope. I could go on and on, but you get what I’m saying :-)

I’m tagging @hkvoyage @caramelcoffeeaddict @lady-divine-writes @quizasvivamos @whatstheproblembaby and any other Klaine writer whose name escapes me at the moment and who wants to do this. No pressure, though, if this is not your thing.

[not-poignant]

Hi Pia! Love your work and most of your writing advice 🧡

So, I'm a writer myself and I was very curious about how you manage working on so many projects at the same time, do you alternate in between writing and editing? How long do you let your edits sit before letting a beta see?

I know all os these processes vary depending on each person's needs, but as someone who always gets blocked after finishing editing the thing they've been working on, I'd love to read about your process! I hope you have a lovely day 🥰

Hi anon!

*thinks*

For me, writing multiple projects actually helps with writer's block. For other people, it slows them down or hinders them. One of my good friends and beta for my published work (i.e. not the serials but the novels) can only work on one project at a time. She cannot work on multiple projects, but she's a professional, published, award-winning author, and if she tried to do it my way, she'd ruin her method.

Meanwhile for me, I've always had a saying: 'Writer's block on one project isn't necessarily writer's block on every project.' I enjoy working on projects that all feel a little different! They all have different moods, requirements, and require different levels of technical skill.

I usually have 'editing days' and don't like to always write and edit on the same day, but I will do it for Falling Falling Stars, it's not uncommon for me to finish a chapter, edit the chapter on the same day, and send it to my beta on the same day, lmao. FFS has a very fast turnaround.

But for The Ice Plague, that usually has more editing passes (typically 2-4), before it goes to Silvia. And she's behind on betaing for TIP because the pandemic and personal stuff was really hard on her, and TIP is one of those things she could put off, because she's still ahead of everyone else (in the sense of like, I have a buffer of 12 chapters currently, so if she's 6 chapters behind what I'm up to, she's still 6 chapters ahead of everyone else).

The Nascent Diplomat also has a relatively fast turnaround.

I have tried to train myself to let editing and writing brain not be too connected to each other. But I can't always pick up a new chapter immediately after editing another. That's why after editing, I'm normally putting a chapter up instead. Or I'll consolidate time and edit 2-3 chapters on the same day, because I know that won't be a 'writing day.' I never plan to write anything else after editing. And if I start my day editing, I won't finish the day writing.

So I can relate to sometimes feeling blocked after editing! That doesn't have to be an abnormal part of the process. Editing is tiring, and it's meticulous and particular. So sometimes after editing, that part of you that likes to do idea generation and sit in different worlds etc just needs a rest. I play video games, chat with friends, or just focus on anything else after editing. I don't ever force myself to write after editing.

That being said, if I edit all day Monday, I can write again on Tuesday morning. It's a new day, I ignore the chapter I edited (I don't read through it again), and I start with something new. A good trick if you have writer's block, is to always end your current project or chapter on a sentence or paragraph you already know how to complete. So that way when you start in a few hours, or the next day, or a week later, you will look and have already given yourself a head start.

Many writers stop writing when they sort of...fatigue on the chapter or run out of ideas or get stuck or don't know what to do next. I strongly strongly suggest just trying the practice of stopping writing when you do know exactly what to write next. That's not going to solve the issue every time (some chapters are just more difficult than others), but the act of finishing a sentence or paragraph at the beginning of a writing session is way more motivational then sitting there staring at the problem that past you left for your present self, lol.

But yeah, my writing-editing-publishing turnaround is fast. Even The Gentle Wolf only got about two or three weeks before serious edits commenced. And even then, every chapter went immediately off to my beta (in serial format almost), and I batch-sent chapters to my other two betas (i.e. 4-5 chapters at a time). I made all of their suggested changes, and then got stuck into serious edits once the manuscript was finished.

It is good practice to let manuscripts sit, but I don't have that luxury with serials in quite the same way, with the exception of The Ice Plague.

That being said, because I reread my own works for pleasure, I'm constantly editing and tweaking bits and pieces over the years! Even SAL got 10,000 words removed from when it was first published to now. So people who read it now are reading a tighter story than the version that went up week to week. :)

I hope in the mess of all that rambling there's something that might help you anon!

[aboveallarescuer]

Hi, just wanted to introduce myself as a GRRM pessimist. I wanted to defend myself in just one regard: I didn't really mean book!Dany fans with the comment this was obviously directed at. I often encounter discussions with ASOIAF fans who are completely convinced DarkDany will happen who block debates about the sexist implications of that with angry rants of praises of GRRM's writing of fem. chars. and long lists of minor female characters who will prob. survive the story well.

Or cite a "rule happily ever after" ending (which should be unsatisfying for the author if he'd stay true to his words) for fem. characters only marginally involved in somewhat political storylines, not at all in ruling arcs to deflect. These are the people I meant primarily with the notion of premature praise of "feminist credit", not book!Dany fans. IMHO they would still regard it a non-offensive, "feminist" story even with the exact show ending attached to the books. Why I tend to be pessimistic about GRRM has a lot of reasons, not that I don't appreciate your correct characterizations of her book arc and character so far. Love y'all, have a nice day.

Hi, Anon... I’m sorry that my comment in that reblog’s tags made you upset on some level... There was no need for you to explain yourself to me, I’m just a stranger who made a hobby of defending Dany during the quarantine every now and then. 

I will say that I used a harsh tone because I’m still annoyed at the 198119th essay I came across trying to argue that Dany’s storyline in the books is actually about U.S. imperialism. It created brand new arguments (and I probably already read thousands of asoiaf metas at this point after years of being on the asoiaf fandom, so I was flabbergasted to see, once again, how creative people can be when it comes to Dany hate, lol) based on inaccuracies/lies that could have been easily corrected if the person had read the books more carefully. What’s worse is that that essay was written by a PhD student with a background in postcolonial studies in a book published by an American university. So a) this makes it seem that the person actually had something meaningful to say (which they didn’t) and b) it can’t be said that that person is ignorant like it’s often assumed that Dany haters are. No. Well-informed, well-educated and well-read people hate Dany based on inaccuracies (because they have spread way too much at this point) and create entire narratives that seem reasonable if you don’t remember what happened in the books very well. This is important to acknowledge, IMO, because it shows that the amount of vitriol leveled at Dany really is unprecedented, and it has influenced how she’s analyzed in the academic world. This whole situation really, really pisses me off.

So I was ranting because it felt to me that book!Dany fans (who are actually very few, because most Dany fans here talk more about show!Dany) were not even having their points heard in their small Tumblr bubble. I have come across quite a few people that misconstrue what we have to say, after all. Also, while your comment was indeed the one that prompted me to rant, I saw people make comments along the lines of yours before too, so please don’t take it personally (And I wouldn’t even say with certainty that the OP wrote that post specifically because of your comments... I know that we already discussed that issue in private before (because we talk regularly about almost everything Dany related). And I know that she’s a very diligent meta writer that has dozens of metas prepared in advance that will be posted weekly throughout the year. So I wouldn’t be surprised if she had already written that post specifically for Daenerys’s Day a while ago).

All these petty things were annoying me (not just your comment) when I made that rant in the tags and I come to Tumblr specifically to whine about fandom stuff, so... Yeah, sorry lol.

Also, I 100% agree with you when you say that many fans “would still regard it a non-offensive, "feminist" story even with the exact show ending attached to the books”. It is very hypocritical that they spend thousands of words discussing how GRRM’s writing can have misogynistic implications depending on how he treats minor characters that barely have any characterization (and they made some good points, but it’s also worth noting that these characters were deliberately meant to be plot devices) and without bothering to mention how he might end up mistreating the story’s actual female protagonist (because they’re all too happy with her being given a bad ending and getting out of their faves’ way so that they can thrive). Even those discussions are clearly biased.

[seb-owns-these-tatas]

Witcher of the Night (Chapter 13.1)

THIS IS MODERN ERA READER WHO WOKE UP IN THE DIMENSION OF THE WITCHER. 

UPDATES FOR WITCHER OF THE NIGHT WILL BE PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY NOW IN MY TIME (GMT +8)

CHAPTER 13

WITCHER OF THE NIGHT MASTERLIST

Characters: Geralt of Rivia x small!Naive!Reader

Summary: Geralt could feel what you also feel and he was cursing the Djinn for making you both feel this way because it was a feeling that was certainly irresistible for one man to ever control. You were in heat, and it doesn’t seem to be such a good idea for the witcher to try and resist. 

Warnings: This is just a filler chapter for the smut in the next chapter. Ahonhonhon! Kind of Jealous Geralt too? Lowkey? Hehehehe. A cute bard and Cirilla having the period-syndrome (I’m having it too rn and I’m thirsty for Geralt or any of Henry’s character. DAMN IT) I’ve given a name to the Djinn they’ve found because I’ve tried searching but found no name for every Djinn they find in the witcher? I think? Reader being so needy and in heat. (The animal type of heat for reasons..) Also, reader is...a virgin. 

Words: 4.5k

A/N: You probably want to strangle me so hard right now, bb’s. I’m in the phase of a writer where I’m procrastinating stuff but not exactly a writer’s block. Just want to do things besides writing all day or I’m prolly just sleepy with no damn reason since last week. 😅😒 

TAGLIST IS STILL OPEN FOR THIS ONE! Heehee! Don’t forget to REBLOG, COMMENT OR GIVE FEEDBACK IF YOU DID LOVE THIS CHAPTER! IT’LL MAKE ME SMILE! Sorry for the grammatical errors and such because English isn’t my mother tongue! 

Disclaimer: PNG’s used in edits are not mine even the GIF’s too. However, the edits and oneshots are definitely from moi. Characters, places and said monsters aren’t from moi as well. GIF’s INCLUDED ARE CREDITED TO THOSE WHO MADE THEM! I DO NOT OWN THEM!

MY WORKS ARE NOT NOT NOT NOT NOOOOOOT TO BE POSTED ON ANY OTHER WEBSITES. My official username in Wattpad is “TATATHEPOTATO” and that’s the only other site I have for writing aside from Tumblr. Thank you, Tater tots!

"Well, you're in a greater bad mood right now, rat." Jaskier frankly stated, wiping his lute with a cloth.

The night was serene with your heart strings balled up in a yarn. Your emotions consisting of woe with a face as if you lost a shit ton of money. You sat together with Jaskier in the middle of the vast leigh, knees touching against each other as the bard quietly sat with you in silence.

A bright purple evenfall draws nigh along the sky, stars finally becoming visible as you admired how beautiful their skies were. Less pollution and more aesthetic, though a lot more eccentricity happening around more than earth.

You've exhaled one last sigh, mouth in a tight frown as you took notice of the moon that was in replete. A perfect shape of a circle as it shines bright.

"Is the witcher being an imbecile again?" the bard ceased his cleaning, giving you his sole attention as he watched your face contort in utmost upset. But, you chose to just let the sorrow go for a moment, admiring the stars and skies like it wasn't laughing back at you from how delusional you were for having strong feelings for the witcher, "Don't start, Jaskier."

"Your cantankerous attitude shown in your cherubic face tells me that you are gradually adapting Geralt's crabbiness because you accepted the position in being his lover---," Jaskier has managed to bluntly say, carefully placing his lute on the grass as he narrowed his eyes at you, "---Though, it does seem like a sacrifice, small rat. Your kindness shall be missed. I would like to see you try and let Geralt adapt to your naivity and sweetness. The vision is pretty hilarious, if you ask me!"

Your frown even grew tighter when he mentioned the word 'lover', shoulders falling from how dismayed you were from hearing it.

"I'm not his lover."

The bard couldn't help but raise a skeptical brow back at you, remembering what he saw last night. He knew he wasn't hallucinating nor daydreaming, "Oh, so kissing under the moonlight is considered as a friendly gesture in my era now? If so, then this means you wouldn't mind kissing me too!"

He puckered his lips, making smooching sounds as slowly tried to teasingly close the gap between you both as Jaskier pouted to act as if he was about to give you a kiss on the cheek when you've yelped and immediately had your palms over his mouth, gently pushing his face away from you, "Jaskier! What are you even---?!"

He comfortably sat back down and had his knee over his chest prior to the position he had now, which was in criss-cross as he playfully shrugged. His pretty baby blues looking at the darkening sky, "A shame. I've been told by countable lads and lasses that I do kiss like I take their breath away,"

You tutted at that, shaking your head from his teasing and tried to send a hostile sally, "You suck then. Do you want them dying because of lack of breath?"

Your animosity has been curved by the bard. He seemed like he was acting like he didn't hear you as he let his eyes flicker to you again; going on with his jests, "Thank you by the way. I've been sleeping much soundly since the couple of days and you seemed to be having such wonderful dreams every night,"

Bawdy indications were hinted in between Jaskier's words; making you give him a glare that obviously made him grin like he won the lottery; thinking that your previous rendezvous back in Geralt's room when he wasn't around had some provocative explanations.

He didn't know your symbol was hurting a lot more on those nights where Geralt wasn't around.

You brush off his ribald comment, "I didn't do it for you,"

"I thought you were actually asking for forgiveness by calling me a horse's arse minutes ago? You're knowing the blasphemy of our language but totally naive of every monsters and places we have here. It doesn't seem to be such a thing to be proud of,"

Jaskier continued his blathers without even letting you talk, freely letting you give him death glares because he seemed to be more mouthy as days go by. You turn a deaf ear to exhale an exasperated breath, "I'm taking it back. You're still annoying as heck," before unabashedly laying your head down on his lap.

His yakking has been brought to a halt when he'd felt your head fall on his lap, the bard suddenly uttering quizzical gibbers that you continued to ignore as you felt the bracing wind hit your body; appreciating the eventide in quietude.

"Alright, alright! I'm not complaining...Ughm," Jaskier cleared his throat, anxiously scratching his head as he tried his best not to look at you.

The fullness of the moon has been drawing you in again. In a tranquil night, it was as if the stars began to whisper sweet nothings, lately realizing that their soft whispers has actually been your wishes; albeit, you've broken them down together, your whims willing and having no desire for you to actually come back in earth.

With only one thing in your mind, it was to stay with Geralt and his family.

But, do you really mean it? If you would choose earth or their dimension, were you serious that you wanted to stay?

Though, for him; you weren't that sure if he also wanted the same thing. If Geralt wasn't around, you were probably already dead, have been sold by noblemen or eaten by their monsters.

But, the stars seemed to jump out of the sky when you've heard a loud thundercrack of a door that came from the inside of their house, snapping the bard quiet as the noise tugged you out of your happy place; a place that you hoped Geralt came with.

The night has went slower, time ticking a lot more deliberately when one person is probably upset with another. Especially, when the person you were upset with lived in the same house as you and even was the owner of the bed you sleep on.

You were beginning to feel rickety as seconds pass by while Jaskier tried worming out whatever he had asked to Cirilla whom was feeding Kolby with a basket full of obsolete bread.

"Tell me why the back door is now broken off its hinges?" he asked in incredulity, hands on his hips as he had seen the brown, wooden door hanging with all its life, trying hard not to fall.

Hence, as they continued their talk; you couldn't help but massage that aching part of your chest, the one where the symbol laid upon the valley of your breasts as you heavily breathed.

It was attacking again.

The weight and fiery phantom of fingers grasping your heart more severe rather than the nights you had it felt like a rabid monster wanted to come out of cage. Their cold weather suddenly all swelter; as if you were walking on burnt out coals with one person clouding your mind.

Geralt.

You needed him, wanted him and yearned for his presence.

Cirilla gave a blatant shrug of her shoulders; sounding completely phlegmatic as she answered, "I don't know, bard. I didn't scream if that will make you any less more worried,"

Jaskier had his eyebrows furrowed as he keenly pondered as to why their door was broken all of a sudden, "Has there been a beast?" his slim, calloused fingers moved restlessly; dwelling onto what has raided their own home. The bard looked anywhere, continuing to be in distress while Cirilla patted the Hirikka's head with utmost care as she watched him devour everything in the basket, "You mean, Geralt?" she gave Jaskier a once over before turning back to look at Kolby, thoroughly undisturbed that it was the witcher's doing, "---He went out for a second and then came back, breaking the door off its hinges. But, he promised to fix it,"

Jaskier's head veered to where she was crouched in the middle of the living room, his baby blue eyes full of concern as he opened his mouth to tell all his inquiries but was instantly shut closed when he'd seen you hunched in his peripheral vision, palms on your knees as you were breathing like you were being chased by another Alghoul.

The latter took heed of those sweat drops falling on the side of your face as you were heaving deep breaths. Your head was darkening in assailing images of those familiar amber eyes you've grown to be thoroughly fond of; longing to be consumed by those glowing golden aureate.

You've heard someone walking closer to where you stood, seeing Jaskier crouch to give you a scrutiny of his baby blues. Bright azures. You didn't yearn for that. All you wanted was golden. His golden and you couldn't help but whimper, your chest has giving you agony as if you were being pricked in the heart by small needles, "You're sweating like a rabid---rat, are you alright?"

Another deep inhale of your breath; you breathlessly muttered, "I am Jaskier---It's just---" nevertheless, those train of thoughts couldn't be completed by the excruciating pain that ignited a troubled mewl. You straightened your back, making Jaskier stand up as well to scan your face for any signs as to what was happening to you, but only had seen your face painfully contorted in a way that tells him you were in agony.

"It's hot. Too hot," pause. You swallowed the tight knot of confining sensations wanting to be let out, "---Abnormally hot. Hot in two different ways; like I wanna be impaled or something!"

At your most forthright honesty, your statement has made the bard blink rapidly from how blunt it sounded, being taken aback by how outspoken you suddenly become; a thorough change of your bashful self, "You're actually revealing lewd facts that should be kept to yourself. You are certainly not alright!"

You could feel yourself grow hotter, the heat being scorching and aching at the same time. Your legs began to weaken and you can't help but fold like a paper, squat down and the position was utmost impuissant; totally vulnerable with your palms on your ears as you tried to shut down the restless whispering that went on and on; ceaseless as you had no power over it.

Jaskier began to panic; his face brimful of dread, "----GERALT? WE HAVE A PROBLEM DOWN HERE!"

The soughing of breathless whispers were relentless, no matter how you tried to cover your ears; they just keep coming. It was incessant, never ending despite of how they were giving your chest a pain that seem to be unyielding as they went on and on.

Witcher. You wanted the witcher. You needed him, you longed for him.

"Stop saying the word witcher, Jaskier!" you abruptly scolded, sounding too jarring and ear-piercing; void of kindness as you could feel the aggravation going to your head with the additional non-stop rustle of voices. The bard eyed you skeptically as he added, finding your rebuke rather surprising and odd because he never said anything about it, "I wasn't even uttering a word!"

Warm, slender fingers fell on your shoulders; trying his best to comfort you while the witcher wasn't coming down from his chambers yet. Nevertheless, from the moment he'd touch you, the toubadour has received a harsh slap of his hand being pushed away.

"Jaskier!" you harshly spat, your nose scrunched from how discomforting you were feeling.

He was quick to haul his arms up in surrender, stepping a foot away as he looked at you in horror, "Alright---I'm not touching you then!"

Another strained bleat left your lips as you were now fully sat on the floor, holding your chest as you continued to heave, shaking your head from the perpetual torment that tries its best to scream blandishments that sounded abridged. Some were incomprehensible and other words sounded lucid.

Destiny has it's price. It sounded just like a rustle of the winds as the shushed voices continued its onslaught. Two souls, together as one. Bound for eternal rest or a life forever. Zephyr shall protect. You cannot outrun death.

Your whimpers started to gradually increase, mewling in the process when you've exhaled a sigh as the needles seem to turn bigger, "It hurts, I swear it really hurts!" you screeched, body feeling like you were dropped in hot, molten lava as you were hearing foot steps treading in haste, "Geralt's coming, don't worry, rat."

Kolby prowled to where you sat; eternal mewls never ceasing as sexual, pent-up aggression was starting to travel to your head, but you tried to fight them off. Though, it ignited more pain as you struggled. Cirilla suddenly snapped her head to where you were, a tight lipped frown etching her face as she jogged to where you sat.

"Is she okay?" the pretty child asked in worry, watching you battle with something they couldn't see nor feel. Jaskier raised a brow; looking sardonic as he acknowledged, "No, she certainly isn't, Princess Cirilla."

She gave him a lour as she snarled; her riposte sounding a lot like the witcher because of how harsh it sounded, "I'm not in the mood for your sarcastic nonsense, bard."

Jaskier was unfazed as he took her retort like it was nothing, "Ooooh, is this how period--is it called period---does to a lassie?"

They're retaliations had them unaware of Geralt's presence who came marching down the stairs with an unfathomable expression on his face; the trepidation never seen in his features as it was emotionless, never giving anybody the panic that Jaskier, Cirilla and Kolby has been feeling when you've suddenly began bawling your eyes out from the thumping pain.

The witcher hurriedly crouched before you, his glowing amber eyes thoroughly scanning your features if there was anything weird happening; but to his discontent, Geralt noticed none.

He felt everything. Your frustration, pent-up aggression; venereal desires or not, the twinge of scorching ache that can't be relieved due to constraints given from the latter himself when he'd chose jurisdiction over his carnal wishes that you also wished.

But, he'd been bull-headed for his reasons; Geralt was not bargained for the repercussions held because of having no permanent proof that you were also suffering every night.

Just like him. Hence, the both of you needed relief. Corporeal appetites released for the betterment of both.

"She's in heat," Geralt rasped, trying to hear what you've been begging for and he sensed that you were hearing voices that continues to assault you, paining your chest as you were unaware of his presence that loom before you.

"What? Oh, Geralt! Cease the utter balderdash!" Jaskier exclaimed, eyeing the witcher who squat down in front of you.

Geralt's amber eyes has been searching for yours, but you've never let him see as you continued your hushed begging. He had his chiseled jaw clenched so tight, every breath he takes was also giving his chest a potent congesting pain that he can somehow resist. His medallion was vibrating wildly, alarming him that there was magic surrounding him.

Therefore, he knew the pain wasn't just one to disregard because he knew your pain has explanations that is needed to foresee.

Was the Djinn still in there? Keeping you as a host?

No. Impossible. The witcher thought at the back of his head because there were times that his medallion doesn't vibrate whenever he's around you, it only happened now and back then when you were possessed.

It was impossible that the Djinn was keeping you as its master as well. You could die if that ever happened. The seal was gone and never found back in the swamps, meaning to say it was already gone; broke free from its confinement because you already had three of your wishes.

Jaskier couldn't help but notice how clean and fixed Geralt's hair was. Hence, he'd started to acknowledge the aesthetic difference he claimed, "Also, did you just braid your majestic chalky white hair all by yourself?! Or did you do it, Princess Cirilla?" he bargained, utterly stunned from Geralt and his hair being braided, dubiously eyeing the lion cub of Cintra.

But, she only gave a nonchalant negation, "No."

"Oh, the rat did! She did a great job at making you look so feminine tonight, Geralt!"

Geralt paid no heed to Jaskier's teasing compliments, wanting nothing but to roll his eyes but ceased to do so as your fingers began to shake, his mind now in a perturbed fret as his gaze shifted anywhere to see what was causing your whole situation because he sees nothing. A tight furrow of his eyebrows tightly creased his forehead, "---The Djinn has given her effects for whatever the symbol does to her, bard."

Jaskier crouched beside where Geralt is, receiving a truculent glare that made the bard move away for an inch because his bellicose aura was radiating off him too much, "Symbol? What symbol?"

"I'm not showing you her chest." he bluntly chided as a low growl vibrated through his chest, giving Jaskier a hostile look in his glowing peepers.

The toubadour did a double-take, his mouth turning into an offended 'O' as he held a palm on top of his chest as he gestured to your squatted form, "I wasn't even asking you if I could see her breasts!"

"Then, shut up and stop asking."

Jaskier huffed, sulking beside the witcher because of how he'd suddenly become such a grump.  

You've muttered a soft mewl, tightly closing your ears with your palms as you suddenly talked out loud, "I need Geralt. Where's Geralt?!" it was the only name you could hear, echoing inside your head as the heat traveled through your veins, searing and extremely scorching all of a sudden.

Your heartbeat was loudly drumming out of your chest. Sweat dripping down your face as the pain and heat was starting to make you feel lightheaded, his scent crashing through your senses. Earthy, pinewood and a mix of mannishness.

Geralt.

"Don't touch me!" It felt like you were burning; but also finding some aid to the ache as it soothed your heated skin like ice to the fire. You've felt his thick, rough fingers fall on your shoulder, making you jerk back as you looked at him; completely mortified for a second, "I'm here, midget." before the witcher tightened his hold on you, those fingers clasping around your feeble arm as he gazed upon you in deep concern.

"It's alright. Calm down, it's me." Geralt gently hushed your frantic state, softly grabbing the side of your jaw to make you look at him.

When he did, your eyes were dark and dilated, filled with carnal.

"You're having a hot spell," he roughly forced the words out of him, heavily swallowing whatever you were feeling because he's also having the same problems, but chose to restrain himself; doing a better job than any most men would, "A--A literal spell?" you didn't catch his drift and feel yourself breathing deep, his scent soothing your nerves as it also does the same for him.

Geralt shook his head, his fingers strapped on the side of your neck making his hand feel the pleasuring jolt. You've felt his fingers slightly tremble as your eyes were beseeching, those dilated pupils of yours tormenting him, "No. You're in heat, midget." pause. he lowly growled in displeasure, amber eyes pooling in keen, "---which explains your cravings for touches and the need for coition,"

Your face scrunched in pain and a mixture of pent-up frustration, the voices inside your head slowly dying down as it was now drowning in the witcher's unique, baritone timbre of his that was making you feel giddy before a jolt of pain rose up your chest again, "What am I---an animal?! Geralt, make it stop!"

Jaskier and Cirilla listened in silence. However, the bard fidgeted with the hem of his tunic; his mindless frets seeming to come up with such suggestions that will make everyone's mind boggle.

He raised a hand, not before taking a good look at you who had eyes pure of anguish and need which now focused at Geralt before he'd loudly cleared his throat, turning his head to see the witcher in distress from what other methods he could think of other than the impaling,  "I have a proposal and an utterly brilliant idea to make the pain stop!"

Cirilla hushedly snorted, "His ideas are always nonsense. Don't listen to him, Geralt."

Jaskier placed his hands on his hips, pointing a finger at the princess, mouth opening before he was immediately ceased by Geralt himself.

"The princess is right, bard."

The sonneeter noted his lukewarm response, sounding like he actually opposes what Cirilla has reprimanded because all Geralt ever wanted and what clouds his mind is having his way with you, "---Give the small rat what she wants, Witcher. What if the pain carries on as nights go by? Give her the rumpy pumpy since that is always the answer to why an animal is in heat. It wants coitus, or if you've become one soft, romantic witcher; then I suggest to use the word, 'make love'." he emphasized, quoting the word 'make love' with both hands, his middle finger and index one folding as he said the last word with ardor.

Geralt was quick to scowl at that, exhaling an exasperated breath out of his nose as he hummed in protest; giving the bard his meanest glare, "You're saying she's an animal. You want me to take advantage of it?"

"No?" Jaskier quickly shook his head, groaning out; palms faintly hitting his forehead as he tried to act as if he was slapping it from Geralt's unreasonable assumptions. He continued, languidly blinking back at the frowning witcher, "---I didn't even say you would take advantage of the idea, you nincompoop! Then, do you want me to mate with her?"

It took him a second before he'd seen the latter started giving blazing daggers that had fire in it, his words seething as Geralt gruffly barked, "Absolutely not, bard!"

His glowing, amber eyes were boring holes at Jaskier before he lowly rumbled; more so to himself, trying to convince himself that there was another way.

He was dithering the idea of having you; not because he didn't find you pleasant, fetching, alluring or beautiful. Geralt found you in many types of wonderful adjectives he could tell, though mostly was kept inside his mind. The idea of having you, only to himself; ravishing you in ways that he ought to please kept him faltering because of one thing in his mind.

Vulnerability.

The witcher was thoroughly cautious of vulnerability because whenever it happens; once the walls have been broken down, there was always hindrance coming in his way and with the person he'd promised were important, or a person he loved because he knew that once he has you, Geralt was done for no matter how unstable he was.

You'll be seeing things you've never seen nor felt from him as he does the same way.

Especially, that you never came from their dimension and that the feelings he had for you was too strong to even control. But, the voices at the back of his mind was pulling him away from even pouring those emotions down because firstly, he didn't know how to show and second, there was a huge chance that you would also leave.

What if you leave? a person he'd treasured so much begins to leave him again?

Geralt mindlessly gritted his teeth together as he grumbled and grouched, avoiding the bard's eyes as he watched you shakily grab onto his palms that tenderly rested on the side of your face; leaning onto his touch as you looked at him; utterly lovestruck, "We'll find another way," pause. "---There has to be."

Though, it seems like the bard hasn't heard his beseeching and continued with his witful suggestions, "The only way is to impale her to cease the sufferings that the spell has cast upon her by the Djinn," Jaskier promptly stood up on his feet, his anxiety making him blurt out mindless blabbers he could ever think of, "---There is nothing to lose on this one, Geralt. Especially that you're...no offense---"

Geralt cut him off in haste, surly spitting out his words, "There is, Jaskier. Her purity."

Jaskier pointed back at the witcher, completely looking taken aback as he opened his mouth like he was stunned, "Oh." was the only thing he managed to say for the first few seconds before he quietly muttered, "OooooOh. She's a?"

The Ivory haired man gave a brief nod, "Untouched." he frankly informed as Cirilla quietly listened in the background with Kolby howling loudly in the middle of the night like a wolf in disguise, "---Oh! This is an unorthodox for the series of women that you have had, Geralt! Also, she's a rare one indeed!"

Jaskier couldn't help but feel dumbstruck from his suggestions, shamefully scratching the back of his nape as he has given the whole responsibility to Geralt because he could never help. He always never does because of some sorts that he couldn't explain, probably because he wasn't taught with these magical phenomena that Geralt expertly knows.

When the witcher has given you his attention, you've abruptly attacked him in a bear hug, arms tightly wrapped around his thick neck that you wanted to softly pepper kisses. As you were caging him in your arms, his delicious scent wafted through your nose, welcoming how it was indeed mouthwatering for your blazing appetite or carnal greed.

"I want to have you, Geralt. I--I need to have you! These thoughts inside my head...It needs you, I--I need you," you begged, softly pleading like there wasn't anyone around you; not noticing Cirilla, Kolby nor Jaskier as there was only one person in your mind. Geralt of Rivia. Your Geralt. Your witcher. The only person who gives you fluttering butterflies and wild ants inside your stomach and chest.

You've tucked your face in between your arm and his braided hair, breathing the back of his ear like a wild woman as Geralt stood still and heard your whimpers that went straight to his stronghold, his will in finding another method to help suddenly wavering from how soft and provocative it sounded that clouded his mind.

He turned relaxed in your arms, accepting the bear hug and probably loving how close you both were together after hours of not talking to each other. You've felt his calloused palm caress your clothed back, soothing your pained mewls that came after your sensual whimpers as it was unstable. Geralt gently unlatched your arms that surrounds him, his golden peepers meeting your baffled ones before he had no problem in scooping you up in his arms, like newly wed couples.

"We'll think of other ways, midget. Come. Let's help you with the heat,"

Cliffhanger before the smut? I’M SORRY, BB’S. LOVE MEEEE STILLLLLL! 

Taglist: @alyxkbrl​ @himarisolace​ @barkingbullfrog​ @ayamenimthiriel​ @hellodevilslittlesister​ @vania-marie @spookypeachx @grungelovebug @fangirl-inthe-us @nympeth @amirahiddleston @gabethelobster @dreaming-about-starfleet @uncoolcloudyhead @melaninstylezz @psychosupernatural @missjenniferb @dance-dreamer​​ @marvelousell​​ @kingniazx​​ @angelias134​​ @tapismyforte​​ @chook007​​ @covid-donotenter​​ @winter-moons​ @cheesecakeisapie​ @silverkitten547​​ @angelofthor​r @carrieannewaywardson @plantingmum​, @stuckupstucky​, @shesthelastjedi​

[kedreeva]

Do you have any advice on how to write faster? Though I do struggle with perfectionism and am working on letting stuff be mediocre on the first pass (done is better than perfect, etc), I'm more talking about the speed with which I can generate words in the first place. It takes me a long time to come up with what I want out of a sentence/paragraph, and even longer to actually put it into words. I've dismissed it before as a personal brain thing, but I'd appreciate your thoughts in case it's not!

I don’t have any advice you’re going to like, honestly.

Because the thing about writing is that it’s just a skill. You do it faster and easier by virtue of doing it more. Except that it’s a skill that you can’t practice somewhat mindlessly to develop muscle memory like you can with sports, and it’s not something you can pull up references for when you get stuck like you can with art. You just have to, like... do it. Over and over and over and over and over. And then do it some more after that. That’s how you learn writing patterns for yourself. That’s how you learn to recognize what you need to do in order to accomplish X without thinking about it for as long.

The other thing is something you’re somewhat already working on but I want to... like... I dunno how to say this but I see it repeated so very often in writers. It’s not just that people get hung up on things being perfect the first time (which they can’t be perfect the first time, and you’re doing AMAZING working on letting go of that). People get hung up on... like.... Every Story Must Matter.

I don’t... know where this came from, or why I never... I dunno, why it was never something I believed or saw, until I started interacting with more writers. I’ve seen so many people with this idea that every piece of writing must be something publishable. I don’t even mean Real Life Bookshelf publishable, even just publishable in some “finished” way on AO3. But oh man, I can tell you, as soon as you let go of that idea, you get better.

When I was in the TW fandom, I used to do askbox prompts. Just... you know, I’d take little prompts and USUALLY limit myself to 300-500ish words, and I’d slam out 2-3 in a night. The writing wasn’t great. It often had spelling mistakes. I never reread them before slapping them up on tumblr. They were just gifts (or attacks, like the Chimera fic was but Annabeth deserved that for what she SAID to me). But importantly, they were practice. And not just, like... I don’t mean that they were “writing an amount of words” practice. The prompts I took were “give me a pairing and 3 words” and then I had to figure out how to fit those things together and tell a story in under 500 words with no editing, 2-3 times a night. That helped me develop my ability to figure out how to put down what I wanted to say, and quickly (in both the time and the space meaning).

The thing is, I never intended for those to be anything polished. They were the equivalent of an artist doing sketches. Some of them were better than others. Some of them were just awful. I had no intention of putting them anywhere useful (I did, eventually, collect them into a chaptered fic on AO3 just before the Tumblr Purge, as a precaution). Most of them got 10-15 notes. Literally it was just a tool and a way to interact nicely with fandom for a while. They were writing doodles.

But that, too, boils down to “doing it over and over and over again.”

And finish things. I cannot stress this enough. I know people with a thousand WIPs and nothing really finished. The problem with that is... you don’t learn how to finish a thing. Which means you’re missing out on how to develop a complete story; because the ending SHOULD have some kind of relation to the beginning, even if it’s just “this is how things have changed/remained the same since the beginning” or something. Without writing the ending, you don’t get to see the whole picture, and that makes it hard to build. Finishing things teaches you which building blocks you’re holding while you’re writing in the beginning, and that’s a REALLY important tool for writing quicker. Without finishing things to learn how whole stories written by you look, you’re putting together a puzzle with no picture on the box.

Which is just “do it over and over and over again- completely.”

There’s a story about a ceramics class that I feel like I try to tell people all the time to express that sometimes it really is just quantity over quality. There was a post going around that pointed out that like less than 1% of Picasso’s works are considered masterpieces. I wrote around 200 of those ficlets I was talking about, and only ever turned a couple of them into worthwhile stories; maybe like 3 or 4.

So just... i dunno. You’re struggling with perfectionism so I don’t know how much this advice will help at all, but just let yourself be bad sometimes. Let stuff not matter as an end goal, not just a “first pass” sort of deal. Sketch some words sometime, doodle something silly in words and toss it. Make lots of small things just to see what shapes they make or what you can do with them.

Artists don’t polish every line they put down. Neither should you, that’s exhausting.

[submarinerwrites]

25, 4, 23, 19, 15, 1, 13, 21?

thanks so much for the ask, anon! for the end of the year fanfic ask game:

25. a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read

micdropbam has been writing this absolutely fantastic omegaverse tim/everyone series! it's called Building Blocks, and i love it - tim's characterization, his interactions with jason and dick, and of course how bruce has been written as this controlling asshole who still only wants the best for his family. the series is ongoing, and it's focused on tim's experience of trauma in a really fascinating way. highly recommend.

4. total number of words you wrote this year

apparently, i published 65,371 on ao3 (!!!), but combined with everything i didn't publish, original fiction, and coursework/thesis stuff, the total is probably closer to 105,000ish, maybe a little more? idk doing math stresses me tf out.

23. fics you wanted to write but didn’t

lol so for november 5th this year, i had a batman/supernatural fusion i wanted to do. there would've been blood and incest and body horror and catholic jason todd, but alas. i was too busy to make it happen :') who knows. maybe i'll revisit it next year.

19. any new fics to start next year

definitely!! i have a jaytim exchange fic for christmas, and then after that, the first one up is probably going to be the next part of towards the sea, specifically the jaydick interlude, and whatever i end up doing for brudick week (probably day three?). those last two will be published in mid- to late-january.

15. something you learned this year

that i write better when someone else helps me to revise! in my old fandom, i had a beta reader who read literally everything i wrote, and just completely eviscerated it (and me) when it was bad. but, since i'm fairly new to writing batman fic, i don't have a beta reader yet, and i've really struggled with that. i'm actually very good at revising my academic writing, but i literally hate revising fiction, so that's been. an adventure. (as a side note, if anyone reading this wants to beta-read for me? pls just shoot me a message i'm begging). so, i guess i've learned that i prefer writing in a collaborative environment?

1. favorite fic you wrote this year

probably "by slight ligaments"? idk, i have a hard time rereading things i've published because i constantly want to rewrite them and tighten them up and just revise in general, but "by slight ligaments" is definitely the one i can reread most easily - which makes sense, because it's the one i actually worked on for the longest period of time lol. (by the same turn, my least favorite is "with weak hands," probably because i spent the least amount of time on that one).

13. favorite writing song/artist/album of this year

i wrote "Instant Fires" entirely to "Go To Town" by Doja Cat on repeat, which, you know. i think it shows lmao. i also listened to a lot of this band Marietta (link to bandcamp) that's sadly broken up, especially their album Summer Death and the acoustic version of their song "God Bless Eric Taylor". the album is kind of emo revival tinged with math rock, which i realize is a very pretentious way of describing it, but. you know. also, the album Safe And Also No Fear (youtube), by Slaughter Beach, Dog, which is kind of indie rock, but has roots in the same scene as Marietta. also, Megan Thee Stallion, obviously.

21. most memorable comment/review

i can't pick just one!! everyone has been so sweet since i've started writing batman stuff, and i've loved interacting with other readers and writers on here and ao3. that said, on "an accumulation of anguish," the wonderful @lovecinnatwist said that i was amazing and an inspiration which literally made me smile for a whole week! also, on "Instant Fires," someone said that "this is the type of fic that makes me love this ship," which, you know, that's the dream!! but, just in general, everyone's comments have been so lovely, and i love getting them so so much <3

[sleekervae]

The Neighbour [0.3]

Something was irrevocably different with Remington; Emerson picked it off right away. On an early Tuesday afternoon, with the air thick and humid and the sun beating down like a plague (no pun intended), Remington was fussing over himself more than usual. He had changed out of four or five different outfits, playing with his hair, and was it appropriate for him to wear makeup? Eva hadn't seen him with it on, yet. No, it was probably best to keep it casual for now. Then again, he had a fantastic highlight that worked absolute magic under the sun...

It was around eleven thirty when Remington finally came down, dressed down but still presentable in a simple pair of ripped skinny jeans and a t-shirt. Emerson and Shy were sat on the couch as they watched Netflix, Pepper situated between them. Remington stopped short when he saw the pair cuddled up on the couch, he smiled deviously.

"Eugh! You guys are so flippin' cute it's gross!" he gushed, putting on his diva voice.

Shy chuckled softly, "Hi Rem,"

Emerson's attention diverted to his older brother, intrigued to see him all ready to go out somewhere.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Coffee with Eva," Remington replied simply.

"The neighbour with the cat?" Shy said.

"Yeah," Remington nodded, "Emerson tell you she gave us a loaf of bread last week?"

"He did," she smiled, "Poor thing, I felt for her. She looked so flustered at the pool,"

"Well, moving is a bitch already. Throw in Covid 19 and you got a real thorn in the ass," Emerson said, then turning back to his brother, "You gonna' be social distancing?"

"We're going to drink our coffee and walk around in the park," Remington replied, "She works from home anyway,"

"So, who asked who for the coffee?" Emerson asked.

Remington shrugged, stopping at the hallway mirror to fix his hair again, "She brought up how she hasn't had a chance to get around the neighbourhood, so I offered, she accepted. She has our vinyl too,"

"Which one?" Emerson asked.

"Boom Boom Room,"

"Side A or B?"

"A,"

"I'd approve either way,"

Shy couldn't help but subconsciouly squeeze Emerson's arm, a glimmer of excitement bursting behind her eyes, "So, she's a fan, too?"

"Took her a minute to figure it out. Didn't even bring up Em or Seb, so clearly she pays more attention to me," the blonde smirked.

Emerson glowered at his brother, "Yeah, yeah, go for your cup of fuck-off-ee," he grumbled.

Across the street, with her room strewn in discarded clothes that just didn't make the cut, Eva finally felt confident standing in her denim skirt and black tee. On any other day she'd have paired the ensemble with her pleather jacket, but it was too damn hot out. Even with the window letting in a cool breeze, the air was uncomfortably humid. What did she expect when moving from the Emerald City to Los Angeles?

Eva made sure to close and latch the window shut before she left, not eager for Pluto to go off on another reign of terror. Stopping to grab a fresh face mask, her phone suddenly began to vibrate in her purse. She figured it might have been Remington sending her a text, but the screen flashed to the Blocked Caller ID. Eva rolled her eyes and denied the call.

Stepping out into the humidity, Eva waved her hand over her face as she stepped out of the complex courtyard, just at the same time Remington was locking the door to his house. As soon as she caught his eye, he was all smiles.

She was glad to see him; a little relieved, even. He looked cool, cool enough to appear on some grungy magazine cover. All he needed to complete the look was a cigarette and maybe a skateboard, too. The messy blonde hair, the glimmer in his eyes brought back the warmth she associated with his presence and as she came to meet him at his car, his spicy cologne danced up her nose and imprinted itself in her olfactory memory.

Remington had never been more wary of how his hands shook, his left hand he stuffed into his jean pocket and the right he gripped his car keys with a vice-esque grip. He found himself mesmerized briefly by the fit of her skirt, her black t-shirt tucked in smoothly but not too tight to over expose her figure, but just enough to give Remington an idea. Her short brown hair fell delicately over her face, one side pushed back behind her ears and exposing her stormy blue eyes to the sunshine. She was the embodiment of innocence and grunge wrapped into a perfect five-foot-six package.

"Glad you didn't stand me up," he grinned.

"Well, I kind of happen to live right over there," she drawled, pointing to her balcony, "It'd be kind of awkward and hard to hide if I tried,"

"You look really nice," he nodded after a brief moment.

"So do you," she agreed with confidence, "Where we off to?"

There was a forested park not far from where they lived. Despite the pandemic, the fields were filled with older kids playing games of soccer and basketball, there were vendors out trying to sell their ice cream, a couple girls were scattered across the grass and sunbathing. It almost all seemed so normal, if not for the fact that the kid's jungle gym had been fenced off so no child could climb upon it.

The pair walked side-by-side, him with his iced black coffee and her with a green tea frapp -- no whipping cream. The gravel path they walked was shaded by a canopy of lush green trees, providing some relief from the hammering heat. Remington kept his gaze locked on her, worried to miss a moment where she'd crack a smile or briefly run her tongue over her lips. Her fingers appeared so dainty yet he could spot the small calluses at the middle joint of her thumb, and some paper cuts on her middle and index fingers.

"So, how does a ghostwriter get hired?" Remington asked, "Do you just openly advertise 'hey! If you're a lazy author, come hire me'?"

"No," Eva shook her head with a giggle, "I used to write articles for the newsletter at my college, and then a friend of mine forwarded me an email about a client who was looking for a ghostwriter. I didn't know much about it but the money was pretty good. It was a grant application for requesting financial aid for survivors of residential schools,"

"Sounds depressing," Remington said.

"It was pretty heavy shit," Eva admitted, "But, I did get fifteen-hundred for a six page application. Well worth it, I'd say,"

Remington blew an impressed whistle, "So you make pretty good money off of this?"

"Let's just say my student debt has decreased significantly since I took up the profession," and she took a brief sip of her drink.

"You ever publish anything under your own name?" he asked, "Eva Kuznetsov is a cute pen name. Evelina sounds more mature, though..."

Eva shrugged, "I think about it sometimes... but it's just easier to write under someone else's name and let them have all the glory. Say, if they happen to do something stupid to forever tarnish their career, that won't come back to bite me in the ass,"

Remington smirked, "Like a particular fantasy author who's made some pretty heavy comments concerning the trans community?"

"Let's not even talk about that, my heart still breaks when I think about it," Eva sighed, "To answer your question, however, if I got confident enough I may try to publish something in the future,"

"What else do you like to write?"

Eva opened her mouth but closed it quickly, pressing together her petunia pink lips as she visibly swallowed whatever words were about to pass through them. When she looked up at Remington again, his brown eyes dark like soaked coffee grinds that sent her into a caffeinated headrush. What would he think if she actually told him...

"I write poems, some short stories," she somewhat lied.

Remington's smile grew wider, mischief glimmering over his face like light beams reflecting over windchimes in a saturated dusk, "You hesitated just now," he spoke curiously, "What else do you write?"

Eva glanced down at the ground, a nervous giggle bubbling out and knocking the air out of her lungs, "Okay listen, don't judge me, it's just a hobby of mine,"

"Oh God!" Remington gasped, "Do you write porn?"

Eva laughed again, her pale cheeks flushing in red, "Well... I do happen write some naughty shit... in my fanfictions,"

Remington stopped dead in his tracks, taken aback by her answer. He totally thought she would say something along the lines of erotic fiction on a platform like Literotica. For understandable reasons, he had some mixed emotions about fanfictions.

"What kind of fanfiction?" he asked, somewhat bordering on the third degree.

"... Um..." she glanced at him again, the smirk on his lips compelling more giggles to burst from hers. She pressed her hands together over her nose and mouth, and Remington laughed as well.

"Okay listen, I promise," he put his right hand over his chest, "I promise I will not judge you for whatever smut you write for whoever," he assured her.

"It's not... yeah, I guess it kind of is," Eva chuckled nervously, "I usually write for stuff like Criminal Minds, but more lately I've gotten into writing for Euphoria..." she trailed off, timid as she waited for his response.

"Alright, that's actually not bad," he nodded, "I'll be honest, you didn't strike me as somebody who write fanfics,"

Eva glanced timidly at her scuffed sneakers, kicking up pebbles and dust, "Are fanfic writers supposed to look a certain way?"

"I don't know, actually," he simpered.

"I don't tell a lot of people that I do it, mainly because their first impression is either 'what the fuck' or 'OMG we should collaborate' and I'm just like," she hung her head back, "Nooo!"

"You're more of a soloist then a team player, then?" he teased.

"Let's just say I tend to work better alone," she replied, shrugging her shoulders as though the comment should mean nothing. But Remington found it odd that Eva was out here all on her own, never brought up her friends or family. He didn't see many personal effects in her apartment, neither.

"Is that why you're out here by yourself?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she replied.

"Well... don't take this the wrong way, but I haven't really seen you with anybody. You don't talk about your friends or your family,"

Eva shrugged again, "They're all back in Seattle. Besides, opportunity was drying up over there and I just wanted a fresh start," she said, "Besides, Pluto's my friend,"

"Well, that's a given," he replied, "Are your parents up in Seattle?"

"My dad is," she nodded, "I don't know what my mom's doing," Remington's silent was her cue to go on, "I um... we haven't really spoken, her and I,"

"You have a falling out?" he asked suddenly.

Eva glared down at the gravel again, "You can call it that. She's a pilot and she's always flying, and so you know, I never really got to see much of her growing up. And then, she suddenly shows up for my college graduation and expects us to be one big happy family, like she has it in her head that she can make up for all the birthdays and shit she's missed. And I just didn't know what to say to her. I don't know who she is, but she's my mom," she glanced up at Remington again, "And I don't know why I'm telling you all of this,"

Remington wasn't bothered by her unloading, it seemed as though Eva needed to get things off her chest more than she realized. Her smile was sardonic and her voice petty like a comedian on stage, putting on the brave 'I don't give a fuck anymore' face.

"I find sometimes it's easier to unload to new people then it is to your friends," he said, "What does your dad do?"

"Chem professor. Which is ironic because I seriously sucked at chemistry," she replied.

"Show me a kid who didn't struggle in chem, honestly," he said, "But do you get along with your dad?"

"For the most part," she chuckled, "He's still confused as to why I choose to write anonymously, but that's his problem. What do your parents do?"

Remington chewed on the inside of his cheek, "My mom's kind of like our manager. Does a lot of production and behind the scenes stuff. And I haven't seen my dad for nearly twenty years,"

Eva was silent for a moment, studying him. He spoke with a firm grin, yet still trying to shadow that flicker of sadness within his face.

"So we both have parental issues... that's nice to know," she put on a teasing grin, "Maybe that's why we make such good friends?"

Remington swallowed thickly, "So, you are indeed confirming we are friends?"

"I am," she smiled, "It'd be nice to have whatever few I can scrape up,"

"That fact that you also live across the street means that you're now stuck with me," Remington grinned with pride.

"True," Eva hummed appreciatively, taking another sip of her drink, "Somehow, I don't think I'll mind, though,"

When Remington drove her home she gave him a sweet and polite goodbye, a hug which made his confident exterior falter for a second long enough for her to witness it through the flush in his cheeks and his lack of response. His words tripped over the length of his tongue when he tried to flush out a proper goodbye and he felt his hands began to quiver again.

And when he went to open his door, he took one last glance. The small brunette turned at the same time and met his gaze, but he was too far away to hear her sharp inhale. And when he finally went inside he fall back against the door, staring into space with the biggest grin he'd had on since... well, he couldn't remember when he last felt so excited.