#but the writing style is always so adhering to the book that you have to beg for any change of pace

[htylmg]

i have a subscription to the nytimes and every time i see a think piece i just steel myself to read the most egregious piece of dead serious unironic so-dumb-it-loops-all-the-way-back-around-and-is-still-dumb white liberal opinion that just makes you feel guilty for no reason and ends in a call to action that brings to mind a ninth grade debate team

[deandoesthingstome]

Gothic Fantasy

Pairing: Vampire!August x Reader

Summary: Are you in over your head, little girl?

Word Count: 6.1K

Warnings: 18+, NO MINORS, exhibitionism, oral sex (m and f receiving), spanking, p in v (doggy style), anal toy/anal sex, dom!August, Sir and princess, monster fucking (which involves at least one bite, right?).

Fantasy Hotel Masterlist

You took your time with a little extra research, but the ancient myth vibe of the story you created out of your experience with Sy was a hit and your werewolf!boyfriend tale had been picking up steam thanks to the upcoming holiday. Subscriptions were rolling in which left you both excited and anxious. 

sendmeanangel: i have enough to cover at least two more stays even if nothing more comes in at this point MNstrluvr: how could nothing more come in?  sendmeanangel: look, i’m having a great time, but at some point in my life i should probably stop paying for monster sex and get a boyfriend, right? darkgothnightengale: that time doesn’t have to be right now. Besides, how will you ever go back to some regular guy? sendmeanangel: very funny. This can’t be a sustainable way to go through life. I just worry people will start feeling like they are owed new monster fucking tales every week because they subscribed to read the ones already out there. I don’t want to let people down or make them think they got played somehow MNstrluvr: what if when you get to the point where you think you're through, you make that clear to any new subscribers? And just because you aren’t fucking a new monster at the hotel every week doesn’t mean you can’t keep writing amazing stories that your followers will love darkgothnightengale: you can write whatever you want when you want. There’s nothing on the site that promises content on any kind of consistent basis and people can always stop subscribing if they feel cheated, which is stupid because they are still getting quality content. you have a voice that people like to read. It doesn’t have to be about shapeshifters or vampires sendmeanangel: speaking of which MNstrluvr: YES!!! I’m so glad you decided to try him next. I cannot wait. He looks so fucking hot sendmeanangel: yeah, well walter continues to be completely booked. besides, they all look fucking hot lol MNstrluvr: there’s just something even more dangerous in his eyes. He looks totally unhinged. In a good way. darkgothnightengale: the best way sendmeanangel: you guys are crazy

“It's lovely to see you again. Thank you for signing the T&C online this time. I hope you had a chance to look through the extra restrictions on this room. It's very important that they are adhered to.”

Were you being called out? Did the hotel somehow know your two previous hosts had broken rules for you? Hopefully no one was getting into trouble.

“We simply don't want any mishaps,” as if in answer to the questions swirling in your mind. Though it still didn't tell you if they knew.

The desk clerk handed you another heavy iron key. Where the mechanism to open the forest room last month had been fairly plain and rustic, this one was filled with intricate lacy patterns. You wanted to snap a picture of the antique gothic skeleton key and send it to your online friends but decided it might be too much like bragging. After all, this would be the third fantasy visit they'd talked you into. Not that you needed much prodding anymore. That they couldn't partake in reality was making you feel bad, no matter how happy for you your friends said they were.

You made your way down the hall after exiting the elevator and stopped before the heavy wooden arched door full of intricately carved details that matched the key in your hand. The room was dark when you stepped in, but before you could reach for a light switch, a deep voice spoke from across the room, sending a cold shiver down your spine.

"You're late."

"I only just checked in."

"And no apology, I see. It's five after. We were to start on the hour. I assumed that was clear, but maybe I'll need to remind you of the importance of punctuality during our time together."

A finger snap sounded from the place in the dark where you heard the voice and flames lit up a fireplace nearby. Your eyes were drawn there, hoping the glow of the flame would illuminate your host, but no one appeared. All you saw was the carved stone of the mantle and wrought iron candelabras filled with fat pillars that were lighting one by one as if by magic as well.

As the warm light began to bathe the room, you felt a rush of air behind you and heard the door to the room slam shut. You turned to see nothing again, though you heard the click of a lock.

"Did you at least come prepared?" the voice sounded near your ear, though again, no one was to be seen as you spun once more to face into the room.

"I did," you answered into the space in front of you, even as you peered left and right. Where the fuck was he?

“Right here,” he spoke from behind you again, and this time you could see as well as feel the hands that gripped your upper arms and held you tight against the solid form behind you. You glanced at the fingers curled around your biceps and licked your lips, thinking of where you’d rather have them. Caressing your face. Around your throat. Thrust deep inside…”Before we get there, I believe you owe me an apology.”

And now you had a choice. How would that apology go? Remain standing like an insolent brat or kneel to the man you wanted to dominate you this evening? Not that he wouldn’t dominate the brat as well, but maybe you didn’t need it to be so demanding this first time. His fingers loosened as you began to turn toward him but you sunk to your knees before you saw his face, so it wasn’t until you lifted your chin to plead forgiveness that you had the opportunity to drink him in.

He was dressed in sharp black pants with a crisp crease down the front of each leg. A neatly pressed black button up shirt with french cuffs and mother of pearl links sat behind a black silk brocade vest with mother of pearl buttons. In the light, you couldn’t tell for sure, but the pattern in the vest seemed to match the key as well. A blood-red silk tie paired with a handkerchief peeking from the front of his jet black jacket that set off his broad shoulders nicely and was buttoned at the right height to taper his waist.

But his face. You inhaled to keep yourself steady before you spoke the words requesting his forgiveness. The calming breath helped you take in more of his visage without fainting on the spot. 

His jawline was strong. And unlike the fuller beards of Walter or Sy, this man’s facial hair consisted of a five o’clock shadow and a neatly trimmed mustache. His dark hair was swept back to the side, though you could tell if he hadn’t styled it perfectly, the curl would take over. You’d love to see it sometime. Maybe even tonight.

What caught your breath in your throat was his piercing blue eyes and it took you a few moments to realize he was laughing at you. You had to fight to gain control from his mesmerizing gaze, but before you could ask him to repeat himself, he already was.

“I said," Apology accepted” and you can stand now, princess. Show me what you came with.” He helped you to stand, then drew his hand down your arm as he took a step back. He dropped your hand and motioned toward you before he crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head as if to say “go ahead now.”

You took a deep breath, suddenly unsure if you’d made the right ensemble choice. Though it matched his outfit perfectly somehow, you were hesitant to bare so much to him so soon. But there was no turning back now. Well, of course there was, but you didn’t want to. At best, you could imagine excusing yourself to use the restroom and changing into a different outfit.

You undid the belt on your long, black trench coat, then popped the buttons one by one until you could open the flaps and shrug the coat off your shoulders and down your arms. You were about to let it drop to the floor, but something made you stop and hold the fabric in your hands at your sides.

“May I take your coat?” he asked like the gentleman he was portraying, holding out a hand and you reached it over to him, before smoothing your hands down the body of your black strapless gown, worrying away the non-existent wrinkles. A few blood-red rose embellishments nestled strategically into the delicate embroidery woven along the sheer black lace bodice of the dress, your bare skin visible only in the spots where no design was found. You released the clasps attaching the hem of the dress to the waist and allowed the full length of the black silk skirt to flow to the ground. It sported a trail of matching but larger floral adornments cascading in spiral from one hip across the front and down the other side. With the matching red silk pumps, you were a vision. You felt a rush of air and as you lifted your gaze from your dress back to him, your coat seemed to have disappeared, because it was no longer in his hands. And the look on his face told you you’d made the right choice.

“You look ravishing.” At his words of praise you forgot all about where your coat might have gotten off to.

“Is this okay?”

“If this is the attire you wished to begin in, then it’s perfect. We’ve already lost so much precious time with your late arrival.”

You stood silent, unsure if he was asking for another apology. It seemed like a bad idea to let him actually ask before you offered another, but your voice was stuck in your throat, so taken were you by his demeanor. It turned out you were wrong to wait.

“I don’t like to ask for apologies, but trust that I will whenever they are warranted. Hopefully, you’ll begin to know when you’ve crossed a line. I suppose technically, you have already apologized, so I won’t ask for another. This time.” At the admonishment, you dropped your gaze to the floor with embarrassment. “I also ask your forgiveness for my rudeness. So many lessons you’re learning already and you don’t even know my name yet. Allow me to correct that. My name is August Walker and it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance finally.”

What did he mean by finally? Here, now, in this room when he finally shared his name and lifted your arm to kiss the back of your hand? Or had he heard stories about you too? 

“May I add something to your ensemble?” You could practically hear the subtle tilt of his head in question.

“Of course,” you replied, willing your nerves to allow you to look up at him again.

“It's only, well, you look so delicious. I'm afraid I'll need a reminder, or rather, a deterrent.” His hands raised, something appearing between his fingers as if from nowhere. You noticed a wide band of heavy black embroidered ribbon with metal clasps at each end. Your chin tilted almost involuntarily to allow him room to place the choker around your neck.

“You don’t want to…?” Was he not going to bite you? Did you make a mistake by not actually reading the T&C when you signed, scrolling quickly to the end of the form and checking the box as fast as you could to make sure the room wasn’t swiped from under you before you’d had a chance to complete the online booking.

“I never said that,” he replied, stepping in closer as he traced a finger around one side of your neck, down over your collarbone, and stopping just at the valley between your breasts.

“Is there a rule you’re afraid of breaking with me?” you asked, craning to bring your lips closer to his.

“I don't break the rules darling, I make them.” August returned his hand to your neck, stilling your advancement with the smallest effort.

“Well then, are you unable to actually bite me?” you asked, not sure whether you wanted him to consider this a question that crossed the line.

“Oh, I'm free to bite when and where you want. Many foolishly ask for the neck. In those moments, I usually oblige.”

“But…” you began.

“But there is a sweeter spot, more delicate, most delicious. This,” he let his finger run along the material around your throat, ”will help me make the better choice for both of us.”

You drew in a quick breath through your nose, causing a shudder in your shoulders as you realized you’d been holding your breath while he hinted at where he’d prefer to bite you. You’d chosen the dress specifically because it bared so much of your body near your neck that you’d hoped he couldn’t help but want to taste you. You foolishly never considered how much more bare you’d need to be before he was able to see the spot he wanted.

His dark chuckle unnerved you, but he quelled your apprehension with an invitation to join him at the dinner table. You’d completely forgotten that this experience had promised an evening meal, but honestly you assumed that was just some clever play on words. That you were to be the meal. He escorted you to a corner of the room near the fireplace, where a sumptuous feast had been set, and deposited you on one side of the table before taking a seat across from you.

“Would you care for some wine this evening?”

“Wine sounds lovely,” you answered, suddenly curious if he’d be drinking and eating with you. You watched as he lifted a decanted red and filled your glass, only to replace the crystal container onto the table before pouring a glass of his own from a dark brown glass bottle. He lifted his glass to toast your evening.

You watched carefully as he brought the goblet to his lips and drank, noticing that no obvious fangs appeared as he opened his mouth, though his canines did seem a little longer than you were used to. At least until recently that was. The men at this hotel all seemed to have been genetically gifted with glorious canine teeth and you weren’t complaining in the least.

“Now, what can I offer you to eat?” Cut fruit sat in open bowls alongside a tray of sliced meats and cheeses. He began to lift the covers off several porcelain serving dishes, revealing chicken and beef dishes, as well as vegetables and roasted potatoes. At your hesitancy, he smiled, as if extremely pleased, and continued. “Or would you prefer I choose for you?”

“I’d like it very much if you would recommend something. It all looks so wonderful.”

“Would you pass me your plate?” You obliged and he ladled servings of a few of the dishes. You noted with curiosity that he was choosing everything you would have chosen for yourself and none of the items you’d already determined you didn’t want to try, though you hadn’t said a word.

You thanked him as he handed your plate back and he invited you to begin, which you did. Because he’d asked you to. As you took your first bite, you moaned at the taste in your mouth and you thought you saw him lick his lips. What you didn’t see him do was serve himself.

“Is it to your liking then?” he asked.

“Oh, it’s delicious, thank you August…may I call you August?”

“For now. Now, what shall we talk about at this very civilized dinner we’re having together?” he asked, as he leaned back in his chair, goblet in one hand, as the fingers of the other drew lazy circles on the tablecloth. 

“Can we talk about how it doesn’t appear you're actually going to be eating with me?” You knew it was a bold question, but you still wanted to needle him a little, see where the line was.

“You see, it’s the insolence I mind. Not the question. There is a way to go about asking what you want to know without making it seem like you are trying to anger me. Or are you? Hmm?”

“I’m sorry, August,” you spoke as you placed your fork down. You had a sudden, unfortunate thought. What if you weren’t the only one who could call the whole thing off? What if your hosts had just as much right to pull out a safeword and end the liaison? You supposed, even though you were paying for the pleasure, they had to have a say in things as well. Otherwise, they were just…the thought made you shudder and not in a good way. “I am truly sorry. That was rude of me. Are you able to eat with me?”

“I am not. But I’m more than happy to enjoy your company and a more pleasant conversation while you dine. If you agree, of course.”

“Of course. Please, can we start over?”

“Pick up your fork and take a bite,” he commanded. “Continue your meal. And consider what you would like to talk about.” He took another drink and watched you with deeply penetrating eyes.

The meal was delicious and you finally figured out a topic of conversation that was neither too personal nor banal. When you made him laugh, you felt a small weight lift off your shoulders, as if his heavy and dark demeanor had made you nervous that this choice of hotel hosts was a mistake.

You had always been a bit enthralled with vampires. Loved reading Dracula both as published and in chronological order, as you’d heard about on Tumblr. Enjoyed the myriad of cinematic adaptations of the tale, especially the ones that played up the sensuality of the character. You really never imagined them to be real, but then again, you didn’t think werewolves or minotaurs were real either. For a brief moment, you thought back to your previous visits, letting your fork trail down with a slow descent.

“Finished?” he asked when your utensil hit the plate, eyebrow raised in question as he leaned forward preparing to scoot his chair back from the table. Before you’d even finished your nod, he was at your chair, easing it away from the table and offering you a hand to help you up.

“I think it’s quite time to get started on the rest of your lessons. Would you step to the window please?”

You turned and noticed the thick, black velvet curtains and assumed they must cover a window. You were commanded to open them, and you did, peering out into practical darkness only to see your reflection in place of any scenery. You glanced to the side of your image when you felt the fingertips at the top of your zipper, but though you knew they were attached to arms, attached to a body that was pressed right against you, adding more drag to his knuckles against your skin as he pulled the zipper down, you saw nothing in the mirrored window that would tell you another being was in the room with you.

You gasped, but he mistook it for shyness.

“I like to show off my conquests to whomever may be passing by below. We’re far enough up that no one could make out a face, but the body they’ll see,” he finished unzipping your dress and pushed it down your sides, letting it drop to a puddle of fabric at your feet. “The hint of red from these barely there panties, the silhouette of these curves.” You could feel but still not see his hands running up and down the sides of your body, his hands gripping your thighs before traveling up to cup your breasts. You watched as they bounced lightly in the reflection and smirked back at where you assumed his face would be before licking your matte red lips.

Your concentration was broken for a brief moment at the far off sound of a melancholy howl, but August didn’t let you linger on the thought. He spun you around to him and pressed you back toward the window, where you hissed when your ass came into contact with the chilly pane. How he missed the clink against the window, you’ll never know.

Then he caught your attention and you lost all concern for how exposed or cold your body might be at the moment. The change was practically imperceptible. One moment, he held your gaze with his dark and stormy eyes. In the next blink, his eyes burned red and held you rapt as he began to grin. Slowly, as his lips drew back, the fangs descended and you could swear you heard a faint click.

You probably let out a whimper when you saw him run his tongue along the sharp points and you definitely tilted your head on impulse, forgetting for a moment that he had already refused to take you there.

“I’d like you on your knees, please,” he asked, a little nicer than you imagined he had reason to be. Once you had obliged, he returned to commands. “Take me out.”

You did so gladly and without delay. Every assumption you made turned out to be right. He was just as well endowed as your other hosts, at least in human form. Which was nothing to sneeze at and you certainly weren’t kicking it out of bed.

You feasted on him as if you hadn’t just already eaten and you were happy to hear the sounds from him that told you he was enjoying it. And then he spoke to you.

“You like sucking on this cock, where everyone can see you, don’t you?” 

Truth be told, it had never occurred to you before. But there was an exhibitionism option on the registration form and you clicked it in a moment of audacity. He was simply giving you what you had asked for, right? It would feel this way for any guest he had in this room, right? That feeling of being out of control while technically being in the most control? You wanted him to take it.

“Yes,” you gasped as you pulled your head back for air before diving forward to take him down your throat again.

“I knew that you would. You like being naughty, don’t you?”

You bobbed your head up and down as you looked up at him, praying he didn’t make you take him out of your mouth just so he could hear you answer verbally. Your prayers were not answered.

“I asked you a question. Would you care to answer? Now? You know how I feel about punctuality, I trust.”

“Yes. Yes August, I’m sorry. I do. I really do like being naughty with you.” 

Another howl sounded, closer this time and you thought you detected the slightest of eye rolls before August got stern again, reaching down to take hold of your upper arm and lifting you to your feet with ease.

“You’re going to call me Sir from here on out and you’re going to be naughty another way now. First, close the curtains.” He spun you around so you could grab hold of the panels and draw them towards one another. You thought you glimpsed a pair of eyes, a deep glowing amber flame in the night before you shut out the world for good for the moment.

August pulled you close and whispered in your ear, “I’ll open them again if you want, if you didn’t get enough of a taste of that. I’ll take that as far as you want to go. But you should know,... he’ll see.”

It both excited you and made you afraid. Afraid of the feelings you knew had been stirring for weeks now. And yet, you were here. In this room. With this man. As much as you thought about what might be, you also knew you wanted to experience what you could. So you’d never have to doubt or question, because you knew you’d be getting the best in the end. Could it really ever be that way? Could he ever feel the same?

“I’m good. Thank you. That’s really kind of you,” you blinked, bringing yourself back to this moment. To August. “Sir.”

“That might be the last time tonight I will be. Are you ready for that?”

“Yes, Sir” you answered, with no more doubt.

August took you in his arms and kissed you deep and hard, one time, before he turned you by your shoulders and gave you a firm slap on the ass. “Into the bedroom.” The ‘now” at your hesitation was punctuated with another sharp crack and you were wet, there was no doubt about it. 

The hotel suite was bathed in sheer red curtains, over the window, over the ornate gothic canopy bed, draped down the black walls. Tall black metal candelabras held glowing candles to light the room. Hooks and straps and rings attached to the walls in various spots held your attention for a brief moment. You hadn’t checked that box, and now you wondered why not. 

You could only see yourself trying a few new things at once.

These things tonight would be a vampire. And you’d already exposed yourself. Only one more to go, and the bondage wasn’t going to be it.

August turned you back towards him when you reached the foot of the bed, then proceeded to undress. You watched enthralled as he unbuttoned his jacket, the vest, his shirtsleeves, his shirt. You watched as it all came off, one piece at a time, designed to torture you, you were sure of it. He was fucking with you. Keeping you from seeing everything all at once.

You bit your lip, but all you wanted to say was ‘i’ve seen your dick already it’s been in my mouth please give it back.’

He finally did, ordering you to the bed on your hands and knees as he stepped his fully naked body toward you, halting at the foot of the bed to grab your head and stuff his cock right down your throat. Like he’d heard what you thought.

You moaned around him, squeezing your thighs together for friction as you gyrated your hips and bobbed your head back and forth along his length. It would take barely nothing, just the slightest touch, if he would just, yeah, just…

“Oh, you did come prepared, didn’t you?”

You moaned again when you felt his fingers slide over your ass and pause to rub against the handle of the largest teardrop plug you owned. It came in a set of three, black silicone with a shiny red crystal in each handle. Up until this week, you'd only ever used the smallest while alone, but decided you needed to be ready and so had worked your way up to the largest just last night. 

“Yes, Sir,” you pulled off and answered quickly, eager to get back to sucking his large member.

“What are you prepared for?” He wiggled the handle a little when he asked.

“For you to fuck my ass, Sir.”

“Good girl,” he slapped a cheek again, then smoothed his hand over the sting and down in the dip to find your aching pussy and just like you knew it would, his touch lit you on fire. He had the wherewithal to slide your thong to the side and angle two fingers so you could press back into them on your withdrawal from his dick and pull away from them, though he’d chase, on your approach. You fucked back into his hand like you were possessed and you came once more because you definitely were.

This man owned you. For tonight anyway. He could do whatever he wanted to you and you wouldn’t say no. No way in hell.

He pulled away and turned you to face the other direction, ass waving in the space directly in front of him as you imagined and wished and hoped he’d just fuck you, please very much. He chuckled and you blinked, imagining you’d seen him now standing at the nightstand, now right behind you again. You felt him pull your underwear all the way off. And you heard the crinkle of the wrapper and you felt him slide two fingers back inside you, felt him rub the pads of his fingers along your inner walls and you felt him find the right spot, the one that released more lubrication which he gladly gathered on his finger and smeared all over his sheathed cock before he pressed himself into you.

He fucked you for a bit before he spoke again.

“I’m going to give you what you want me to give you, and then you’re going to give me what you want to give me.” With a slap on your ass, he pulled out, grabbed your hips and flipped you to your back. You watched him discard the condom before he climbed on to the bed and stepped his knees between your legs, nudging you further up the bed so that he could lay his body on the mattress, his head on your thigh, peering at your puffy pussy.

“Yeah, she’s gorgeous,” he murmured, dipping his head down to take a taste. His tongue trailed through your folds and as his lips closed you felt a hint of the scrape of his teeth against your delicate skin. He sucked at your clit for a moment before he drew back and looked up at you.

“You still want to feel this?” he asked, and you paused for one moment to consider, that yes, yes you absolutely still wanted to know what his bite would feel like. There was really no doubt in your mind. It’s what you came here for. And you knew you needed to answer him directly or it would all be over.

“Yes, Sir. Yes. Please. I want to feel it. I want to feel your bite.”

It was all he needed. In a flash he was at the crease in your thigh, just outside your cunt. You felt his mouth open, felt him drag his teeth back and forth before he finally settled on a spot to sink them. Your pussy pulsed around nothing but the brief rhythmic flow of your blood drawn into his mouth. 

You felt a rush of euphoria, a warmth like never before. A million stars lit up in your eyes and you could feel every molecule in your body and every one of them was in a state of bliss. You felt him take one more pull, a wave rushing across the shore of your imagination. When he stopped, it was almost as torturous as before he had begun. At least now you knew what that bliss could feel like.

It scared you a little. It felt like a drug you didn't want to mess around with. As good as it felt, you could imagine never wanting to let the feeling go. Begging for more. Offering up your body and soul to get one more taste, one more drifting orgasm.

Suddenly you were aware of the softest lick. The smallest peck of the lips. When you looked up at you, a stain of blood still remained on his lips and he saw you moan, saw you begin to writhe and strain up, even against the voice in your head that told you it was wrong, and it was all he could do to turn away. 

“Please August,” you begged, forgetting what role you were in.

“Princess, not for a million dollars. Not for ten million. There is literally nothing you could offer me that would make me break that rule.”

“What rule, August? What can’t you do for me?” you pleaded for an answer, pressing yourself up to your knees, unaware that the rush you were experiencing had nothing to do with the way you thought you felt about August in the moment, and everything to do with the essence he used to ease the pain of the skin break, numb the feeling of loss, and reseal the wound in the aftermath.

“I get the feeling you really didn’t read the T&C, darling. If you had you would know, in this room, this suite,” he emphasized, as if he’d had to make that clarification before, “I cannot feed you. Even if what you’ve scented is your own blood. It’s too dangerous for you to taste it. Full of my saliva. Mixed together, it’s too potent for you.”

You were distraught and he was … was he amused?

“But I’ve given you what you asked for. Are you still ready to give me what you want?” He waited a few moments, allowing you to come to grips with the reality of the situation. You had slipped over a line, though it didn’t sound like this was something he hadn’t experienced before. A naive young thing, determined to play out a school girl fantasy, relive the stories she made up about being ravished and taken by the Count, made to be his bride. 

With a small shake of your head, something cleared its way to the forefront of your mind. Of course he couldn’t feed you and of course you didn’t really want him to. It was a fantasy. That’s it. That’s all. You could only take this so far.

Once he saw you understood where the line was, August's chuckle was sinister. “You can still have something new. I’m more than happy to accommodate that request. As a matter of fact, I think that’s really the only reason you came here tonight, isn’t that right?”

Oh, he was good. That’s for sure. The way he was subtly shifting the priority of the night. Technically speaking, the only thing you’d really wanted was the bite. And he’d already given that to you. So if you were up for one more game…

“That’s right.”

He grabbed your chin and stared directly into your eyes. “That’s right, what?”

“That’s right, SIr.”

“Good girl. Lay back down. I’ll be right back.”

You wanted to kiss him goodbye as he let go of your face and appeared to float away from you. When he returned from the bathroom, his face was fresh and free of any temptation.

“Alright, princess. Hands and knees again, darling. Bring that ass right on over here,” he directed you back to the edge of the bed, ass once again in the air while you rested on your forearms. 

August took his time. Warmed you up with a few more light taps that grew to harsh stings that you couldn’t stop squirming for. And you squirmed again when he tugged and twisted and pulled on the handle, teasing the plug almost all the way out before pushing it back in and then repeating the exquisite torture. You couldn’t hold still until he’d finally pulled it all the way out and pressed two lubed fingers into your puckered hole, and it was only because you needed a moment. Needed to let the sensation settle. Needed to relax to let him in deeper. Let another finger in. It wasn’t long before you were fucking yourself back on his hand again. ‘Same but different’ was all your mind could cobble together.

“Please, Sir,” you managed to gasp out in a moment of clarity. If you never asked, would he have just kept you dangling like this all night? “Please fuck my ass.”

“There you go, princess. You’ve found your manners finally.” He pulled his fingers out and you heard the familiar tear of another wrapper. Felt more lube. And finally, finally had the tip of what you knew was his extremely large cock pressed against your entrance. 

It was easy to relax. He’d been prepping you for this for what felt like hours. It took nothing more than for you to release the deep breath you’d taken and he was past the now-less-tight ring and moving further inside you, slowly and with purpose. That purpose was to get you comfortable with the feeling, loosen you up further, and get you begging for more of him. Faster. Harder. Please, Sir. Please! More!

He obliged and it was not much longer before you felt the familiar coil tightening in a brand new way. It was like nothing you’d ever experienced before. You were breaking protocol and screaming his name instead of Sir, but as he came himself, he didn’t seem to mind at all.

Bonus Edit: Absolutely GORGEOUS headers made for me by my wonderful friend in fic @geralts-yenn:

Everything HC Taglist: (as always, let me know if you want on or off)

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Special tag: @kittenofdoomage (cause sometimes you love my stuff and this one's another monster fucker lol!)

Tags from Werewolf!walter (if you commented):

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[soracities]

oooh please tell us what writing rules are garbage I would love to hear more

it's not that they're garbage, which isn't what i said, just that they annoy me and even then what annoys me is not the "rules" themselves (because i do believe they can be useful depending on what you're writing) but when some of them are put out as the only way to write something as if storytelling is a one-size fits all approach, as if you can reduce the millenia-long history of literature into a fail-proof formula that will work for all writing across all cultures with no room for experimentation.

i think there are as many ways to tell a story as there are stories and how you tell something and the kind of language you use will vary depending on what language actually means to you as a writer. hemingway and faulkner both famously took digs at each other for their styles (even though i think there was a lot of admiration between them) but they are also two very different writers with two completely different approaches to language and how they use that language to say the things they want to say: neither is inherently better, or more right, than the other--their approaches were just right for them; if faulkner wanted to write using the "older, simpler, better" words hemingway loved, he would have. if james joyce wanted to depict dublin the way dickens depicted london, he would have done so. but they didn't.

someone once posted an excellent breakdown by jeff vandermeer of the different writing styles employed by different authors which i was silly enough not to save at the time, but in it he gives an overview of the structure of their sentences, and how complicated or "rich" the language is, without pitting one style against the other. and to be honest, i think writing advice that encourages you to examine and look at that relationship with language, and what it holds for you (and others) and why, is probably more helpful than blanket statements like "stay away from ambiguity" or "avoid long sentences" because neither of those actually mean anything--a sentence is a vessel but it's also a tool, like a hoghair brush or a palette knife; the value of its impact is not an essence that exists in and of itself, but entirely dependent on how you use it, otherwise all literature would just read the same way.

strict adherence to a particular form or structure within a language does not automatically make for better writing, especially not when so much literature actually consists of, and is built from, works and authors actively rebelling against those same traditional forms and structures (but which is also not to say that those forms and structures are inherently useless, either). you can say that long sentences "risk distraction" or are "ineffective" but then where does that leave someone like laszlo krasznahorkai, whose prose runs on like some kind of breathless, hypnotic incantantion for 20, 30 pages without a single full stop in sight? or a book like solar bones by mike mccormack which is made up of a single sentence going on for 200 pages? i'm not saying long sentences can't be boring or tedious, but in all honesty so can short sentences--so can any writing that follows the "rules" to the letter. if something is poorly written, the "rules" matter very little; if it's well written, they matter even less.

all that said, telling people to "avoid long sentences" is not inherently a bad thing because i think the core of it is wanting to ensure your writing remains clear, which is a fair point--but it's an issue, to me at least, when it turns into one of those dictums or pronouncements that actively narrows the potential range language can actually have. clarity is not always about length, or whether or not you cull all of your run-on lines--mihail sebastian drew a very nice distinction in one of his novels when he said "[is] there’s a single way of being clear? A notary can be clear, or a poet, but they don’t seem to me the same thing". a long sentence can be clear, but its clarity exists on different terms to a sentence that is five words long, because its relationship to its content is different. and at the end of the day, that relationship is really what it's about for me and it's distinct to each work and its author.

writers use the language and form they use that best allows them to say what they want to say. no one in their right mind is going to dismiss zadie smith for not writing like angela carter or angela carter for not writing like hemingway or hemingway for not writing like beckett or beckett for not writing like mallarmé. robert frost and sara teasdale were no more correct than the beatniks were. i love pared down, beautifully concise prose, but i also adore books that relish in language and all the various, multi-coloured layers of it, books that eschew (traditional) plot and books that question their own form and the reality of that form, and books that tell a story as straightforwardly as possible.

to be honest i think one of the most formative things i came across, years ago now, was this piece by gary provost, which really sums up the whole notion of "writing rules" for me:

this is not about do's or dont's. it even breaks the first writing rule i learnt in school ("never begin a sentence with 'And'"). but what it does is center an intimate understanding of language, where it can go and how it can get there, and what you want that to do. that's where it's at for me!

[telltaleangelina]

Soooo.....The Charioteer? What did you think of it?

I thought it was great! I loved the use of subtext and the non-straightforward way it was written. I know from other Renault books I’ve read that she has a kind of writing style that isn’t always simple or easy, but I don’t ever remember it being this tricky. I had to go back and reread so many scenes in this one but it never bothered me. I thought it was so cool, especially the second chapter!

In terms of the characters, I loved Laurie although I didn't quite understand his relationship with his mother. But I did understand his love for both Ralph and Andrew, because I loved them both too. I think showcasing Andrew’s morals and also his moral-rigidity was an interesting angle and I really saw in him what Laurie did: a sweet young man whose whole life was devoted to notions of love, kindness and sacrifice. I understand why hitting Bunny would’ve driven him to London: he spent his whole life adhering to a very specific code of conduct, which is based on certain principles, and in a moment he betrayed them all. And through that betrayal, he discovered something about himself which drove him further away still... I don’t think Andrew will have a very easy road ahead for the foreseeable future, even if he outlives the war. I’m really happy Laurie gave him the Phaedrus and I can’t get the quote 'even the most exalted paganism is paganism nonetheless’ out of my head. I didn't dislike Dave at all, but now that I think about some of the conversation he had with Laurie and his own history, it makes me more worried about Andrew :( I loved Ralph! — he was someone Laurie could be open with completely, with whom he never had to hide. He was also just generally more suited to him. I remember when Charlot was dying, and Laurie thought ‘Ralph would understand’ after Andrew refuses to impersonate a priest: because he would! Ralph doesn’t see the world like Andrew does, he doesn’t think there is only ever wrong or right and nothing else whatever. He was a soldier, like Laurie and understands necessity. It’s true, he can be a little unkind in some places (like his annoyance with Sandy when he’s hurt himself) and also very snappish, but I think Laurie balances him out well by the end of the book. I think it's easier for him to be more vulnerable and openly kind when he's around Laurie. It was very sweet of him to come to the wedding, simply because Laurie mentioned being uncomfortable at giving his mother away. All in all, I can honestly say I was heartbroken when Laurie rejected Ralph and just as heartbroken when he accepts he will never see Andrew again. The ending made me happy though, and even though I know there’s still some years of the war left and some wrinkles in their dynamic, I envision an ultimate happy ending for Ralph and Laurie.

I'm sorry if this is a lot more than what you were asking for, but I'm so excited about this book and haven't stopped thinking about it! Honestly, I think I need to read it again to better take it in and understand it! There are lots of other elements and themes I want to revisit so I can more clearly get a grasp on their place in the story. But anyway, thanks for the question!

[neoninky]

TWST Fic: 'Her Devoted Shield' Chapter 3

Chapter 3 is heeeere

So far my goal is to write a chapter a week(ish) and it's going pretty well *knocks on wood*

For any new readers who found their way here - hello firstly lol - you are welcome to read this story, but I'd highly recommend starting with the first fic in this series called 'Her Ivory Crown' (you can read all of it and the sequel story on my AO3 and Masterlist). Just so you know who all these non-canon people are and what's going on lol.

Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated, welcomed, and enjoyed by me so thank you!

Chapter 3: A Change of Seasons

A soft breeze entered the windows and tussled Moselle's long locks as she continued to stare at the book in her hands. She had her choice of literature, botany textbooks, and a myriad of genres at her fingertips within the massive royal library. Today, she read from a history book on the Rose Queendom concerning a young girl standing trial. It was history but it was so bizarre that it read like a fairytale to her.

"And Alice stood tr-trial before the Q-...the Q-Queen of Hearts," Her voice was starting to come back more fluidly in time with her reading. She even laughed a little bit when she got to the part about the stolen tarts. 

The dragon paused when she noticed that Tai was looking rather drowsy on the sofa across from her. The fox fae was already leaning on his arm with heavy half-lidded eyes looking glazed over in the warm daylight. She went over to fluff one of the cushions and ease him back into a more comfortable position, "You should r-rest, Tai." 

A yawn cut off any argument he had at the ready as the man slumped back into the soft cushion like a ragdoll, "Sorry, my dear...the daytime is tiring for nocturnals like myself...keep reading to me, please. You're improving rather quickly, well done..." His voice tapered off as his tired eyes shut.

Moselle gave him an affectionate grin and took a seat next to him, propping his feet into her lap as she continued to quietly read aloud. It had been about two weeks since they rescued her and each day eased her back into a peaceful life. The royal tailors were kind enough to fashion proper clothes for her in a style much like the one she wore back home though in much richer fabrics.

The style of the Rose nobility was gorgeous but a bit too much for the dragon. Her style was old-fashioned, or 'cottage core' as Petra said when Moselle was trying to describe it to the tailors. She wasn't familiar with this term, but it seemed to fit her tastes. Normally she settled for cool-toned pastels or more muted colors, but the enthusiastic tailors insisted on experimenting with the palette in the richer tones often. Her current off-the-shoulder blouse was ivory with short puffed sleeves and paired with a long red-violet corseted skirt with black stitched rose patterned along the bottom trim. They even gave her short heeled ankle boots that fit perfectly. For Moselle, the skirt color seemed like a very bold choice, but her companions were up front on their approval, saying it suited her.  Speaking of her companions, each one also adhered to their unique styles. When not in mission mode, Petra wore very casual, practical clothes: t-shirts or a hoodie if the weather called for it, worn jeans, and a well-loved pair of combat boots. Occasionally she wore some jewelry but always something simple and never wore makeup unless she was forced to. Her long, ash brown hair was always pulled up in a ponytail or a messy bun. Simple and easy. The girl was a princess only in title, in her mind anyway. If Petra Revie could avoid all the frills and lace that was often attached to it in place of a more comfortable tomboyish fashion, you bet your bottom madol she would. She might consider it if the offending garment were in a shade of green, but even then, it would take a lot of bargaining.

"You'd have to catch her in a bear trap to get her into a dress..." Tai had said before. The fox on the other hand cared very little about what the established gender of garments were but still adhered to whatever the occasion was. If he wanted to dress casually, he did. Formal? Why not, dressed to absolute nines. Sometimes it was more masculine, others it was more feminine, but mostly, it was somewhere in the middle and most importantly, his. Fabric was just fabric at the end of the day. The only thing he was strict about was when he needed to go into the field for any hands-on reason, stealth and mobility were his priorities. Whether he was hiding in the shadows or plain sight, it didn't matter. In most cases, however, red was a personal favorite of his.

When not in uniform, Astrid leaned into her feminity like Moselle but more calculated. Flowy dresses and skirts were lovely, but in her line of work, Astrid needed to be ready to give aid at the drop of a hat. It's a big reason why she kept her hair short. So the young healer mostly wore breathable fabric tops and modest shorts in the warmer seasons and comfortable sweaters, fitted skirts, and leggings in the colder seasons along with properly laced sneakers or boots to allow for proper mobility if she had to move quickly. Comfort and function were top priorities but personal fulfillment was never neglected either. She also took color psychology into account and often wore soothing colors as a result. Blues were her favorite. 

Having spent more time with them, the trio reminded Moselle of another story she read about three little fairie sisters. Granted, they seemed far more like a guardian and his two charges...well three now, including her. It didn't take long for Tai to take the dragon under his wing along with his other two human 'pups'. Not that Moselle minded whatsoever, it felt so nice to be surrounded by friends. It helped her forget the lingering anxiety she felt each morning she woke up, suddenly afraid that maybe her rescue had been a cruel dream. Bit by bit, Moselle was starting to feel normal again and she didn't want to fight it. So she read to Tai during the day. She went for swims frequently in the crystal clear pools in the garden and did her checkups with Astrid. She watched as Petra often sparred together with her fox guardian on the grounds and sometimes with the royal guard to help each other stay sharp. Occasionally, all three of them would take a stroll around town to get some air and a change of scenery. She ate her meals with all three of them and just let herself heal. It was blissful. Too blissful, the voice in the back of her mind brought up at least once a day. 

It hasn't even been that long, aren't you getting ahead of yourself? Eventually, they'll move on-

"Be q-quiet!" Moselle snapped the book with a little too much intensity, jolting Tai awake and almost crushing the poor book at the same time. The fox quickly sat up with a ready look on his face, his hand on something he kept hidden at his back. The only 'intruder' to be found was Moselle sitting still as a statue, embarrassment filling up at her outburst.

"I-I'm sorry..." Her eyes darted away from him with a look of shame. After a quick survey of the room, the fox relaxed.

"Are you alright?" 

Before she could answer there was a rapid knock at the door. Astrid quickly entered looking like she had run there.

"Moselle, there's an ambassador from Briar Valley here to meet you," she huffed, trying to pull herself back together.

A cold lump of lead sank into the dragon's stomach hearing those words. Petra had given her a heads-up that this visit was coming eventually. Though the exact time was unclear. Now that the day had arrived, Moselle felt as unprepared as she would've had no one warned her at all. She was pulled to her feet by both Astrid and Tai and led out of the library in a daze. Petra met the others halfway to the throne room, looking a bit frazzled herself.

"I thought they were supposed to be here a week ago?!" Her harsh whisper was directed to Tai as she fell in step with the fox. She regretted it as soon as he turned a stern look her way.

"Like any other noble family on the planet, I imagine they and their emissaries arrive 'exactly when they intended to' and not a moment sooner. That goes double for your elusive Briar royalty neighbors or have you forgotten your etiquette training already?" His side-eye nearly smacked Petra upside the head. She was to be on her best behavior today no questions asked. None of them were given enough heads up to dress more formally for the ambassador's arrival but being on time took precedent. 

The group stopped just outside the throne room to prepare, Tai taking the lead. When he saw how nervous Moselle looked, he softened. 

"Now then, we are about to meet an important guest. That's all it is, a meeting. I'm sure the Briar Valley royal ambassador is a lovely person." 

Petra bit her tongue before her sarcasm could make an ass out of her. Anything she knew prior about Briar Valley could be summed in a few particular themes: gloomy, staunchly devoted to archaic tradition, and as intense as the thorns the valley was named for. Somehow, a lovely and kind person didn't seem to fit the bill. 

As soon as the doors opened, Reine announced them to the stranger facing her. The minute the ambassador turned on her poised heel like a trained dancer, Petra ate her unspoken words in a heartbeat. 

"Well, well! Hello, hellooo!" Ambassador Valida's lilted voice rang out like a bell as the group entered. The raven fae greeted them with a refined bow and the tip of her ribboned top hat, "How do you do, friends? I am Hermia Valida, royal ambassador of Briar Valley here to greet you on Her Majesty Queen Malefica's behath! A pleasure to meet you! I do apologize for not being here sooner. I made a couple of stops along the way and found myself a wee bit detained." 

Petra was dumbfounded as her brain registered every little detail about Ambassador Valida from her fanciful get-up and perfectly crafted curled up-do, her bubbly voice, to her exquisite posture. Well...she was intense in some kind of way. She didn't look any older than Petra or Astrid either. The raven fae practically pranced forward as Tai took it upon himself to start the introductions.

"Ambassador Valida, I'm Zhao Tai-Yang," The fox stood poised with a pleasant grin on his face as he half bowed to the raven.

Valida cooed over his general appearance without a hint of sarcasm, "Oh my, my! You're a fox fae, are you not? I have met many a fox fae during a past visit to the Land of Red Dragons. I have yet to see one with such a sumptuous coloring though! How lovely you are, sir!" 

Tai didn't so much as flinch as the ambassador eyed his pale blonde hair and face. He was quite used to being ogled. "You have a keen eye, Ambassador."

"You must be quite the rarity! If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Zhao, how many tails do you currently have? I've heard your kind tend to acquire more than one depending on the mana quality and longevity you have."

He smirked, silently impressed at the ambassador's learned curiosity, "Ah, that has been a well-kept myth for several generations. I'd hate to be the one to spoil the mystique."

The raven laughed lightly and he thanked her for her kind words before she swiftly moved on to Astrid and Petra with a thrilled gleam in her dark blue eyes, making both of them jump a bit. 

"And who are these two darling little flowers?" she giggled, "Oh I just adore humans! Such fascinating and diverse creatures!"

Petra felt her eye twitch at being called a creature. Thankfully Astrid gracefully took the lead, "Hello, I'm Astrid Piperita. I'm one of the royal healers on staff here."

Valida's enthusiasm knew no limits, "Oh yes, yes! Lord Nocturne has mentioned you before! The smart little healer mage. Lovely to meet you at last, Miss Piperita." 

Petra had to fight her urge to bristle as the boisterous fae turned her way. Valida tilted her head as she looked the princess up and down, "And you, my dear?"

"Petra," she said rather bluntly, "Petra Revie." Be cool, keep it together, don't be rude...and other such thoughts buzzed around her mind. 

Upon hearing her family name, the fae ambassador's grin froze to her wide eyed face, "Revie? Princess Revie from Isentor? My stars! What brings you here of all places? Why, the last time I visited our human neighbors on the other side of the mountains-or tried to anyway-your father-"

Petra felt all the anxiety come rushing back tenfold at the mention of her home and her father. She laughed and smiled, quickly cut the raven off before her resolve collapsed on itself, "Oh yup, that's me. Nice to meet you."

At first Moselle's attention was on the human princess. She could feel the nervous energy rolling off of her, hidden under Petra's usually confident air. Before the dragon could translate what the feeling could mean, the spotlight was on her. The raven quickly turned down her lively demeanor to a more critical one as she took a good look at the dragon. There was still a smile in place but there was a different flavor of elation attached to it. It made the dragon even more nervous, being inspected so thoroughly, but she remained as still as possible. Perhaps this was just how these things were done, said the logical side of her mind. The other side, the one that spoke from experience, didn't care for this weird display of 'observing' her at all. Thankfully it was over in mere moments.

"My, what a diamond you are, Miss Moselle!" Valida beamed as she looked especially close at Moselle's horns, "It's so rare that I meet an aquatic species of dragon fae nowadays! Especially from the Shaftlands!"

The more Valida prattled on, the more irritated Moselle started to feel. This bird wasn't any better than the humans treating her like an attraction for years. The thin line of patience Moselle had left immediately snapped the moment the fae ambassador asked to touch her horns. The raven's enthralled nosiness made Moselle see red. 

"There aren't any of us left except for me. So of course you haven't met any. I'm the only one left because of hunters and others like you who look at us like collection pieces."

The entire room froze under the cold snarl that left the dragon's mouth. Not only did she speak clearly, she was baring her sharp fangs at the ambassador who could only stare up at her angry expression in shock. The sound of her seething anger registered in the dragon's head making her suddenly shrink back with a far more mortified expression.

"I-...I-I'm sorry..." 

She wanted to run, to sink to the bottom of the deepest garden pool, and stay there until the dark swallowed her whole, but the raven's cheery expression grounded her back at that moment. 

"Oh no, no, no, do not apologize, Miss Moselle! You have such an extraordinary command in your voice, by all means use it! You are a proud dragon fae after all!" 

Both Moselle and Petra were dumbfounded by how quickly the ambassador bounced back. Valida sighed and once again bowed to the group with her hat to her chest, "If anyone should apologize, tis I, friends. Do forgive me. My enthusiasm does tend to get a bit out of hand at times. I meant no offense by saying too much." 

Reine took that as her cue to steer the conversation back to its original purpose, "I suggest we continue this out in the fresh air. The tea party should be all set of us." 

The raven practically squawked with glee and that same lively sparkle in her eyes, "Oh I love a good Rose Queendom tea party!"

The group moved outside following the queen and her chatty guest. Moselle still felt embarrassed as both Astrid and Petra lagged to check on her. The dragon looked as if she were about to sink into the floor. 

"No harm done, it's alright," Astrid whispered and offered her a friendly arm, "If nothing else, your vocal practices are paying off wonderfully." 

Moselle laughed a bit weakly and linked her arm with the shorter girl, appreciating her kindness. Petra felt her mantra intensify as she followed the other two. Today was already proving to be a trial in itself.

-

The atmosphere was thankfully much lighter once everyone was outside. Most of the talk between the group was far more casual. Story swapping between the ambassador, the royal couple, and Tai when it came to the topic of experiencing various cultures and cities around the world. Astrid chimed in now and again any time the conversation drifted towards the topic of her family and life growing up in the Rose Queendom. "My parents keep very busy running several tea shops around the Queendom and also a direct supply to Her Majesty. I used to help out before I entered the Healers Academy," Astrid bloomed with pride as she spoke, "Oh actually, the blend being served today is one of their most popular sellers. I have all the notes and medicinal benefits memorized if you wish to know."

"I can see why! It makes a splendid cup. I must take some back home with me before I go! You certainly know your teas, Miss Piperita," the ambassador was delighted at every beat of conversation she smoothly served back and forth like a verbal tennis match. Even to more frosty partners such as Petra. 

"By the way, Your Highness-"

"Petra. Just Petra is fine," she forced a smile to seem less prickly. It didn't work but Valida was unphased regardless.

"-Miss Petra, what brings you to the Rose Queendom?" 

The raven's genuine curiosity was met with blunt deflection.

"Extended holiday."

The ambassador laughed, "Oh I do love a holiday, yes." 

Petra just continued to falsify her smile and sip her tea as the raven thankfully moved on to someone else. After the initial bombastic shock of energy she gave off, Hermia Valida was just a very fascinated and curious fae in the presence of new faces who, as she said, happened to let her enthusiasm take the wheel a bit too far at times. Even Moselle seemed more at ease when the two fae spoke to each other. 

"I must apologize again, my dear Miss Moselle, despite appearances, I did not come here to interrogate or grade you like some show pony, no, no, no," the raven spoke as she elegantly poured the dragon a second cup of tea, "Her Majesty has been informed of your previous plight, you poor thing, and has taken great interest in you. I am merely here as her eyes and ears to get to know you."

"O-Oh. Have y-you served the qu-queen a long time?" Her stutter had returned but Moselle was thankful that it seemed to have lessened at least a little bit.

"Why yes! Well no, not me personally. I'm merely two hundred and two years old...or was it three? Either way, I'm hardly out of the nest myself!" Valida chuckled at herself as if she said something hilarious, "The Valida family has served the royal family for generations. We are a proud family of corvus fae. Our family line reaches back to the glorious Thorn Fairy herself! I merely took the position once my dear father passed, Seven rest his soul. He was a decorated war hero and I'm afraid his injuries finally caught up to him." 

The raven sipped her tea with a slight somber look on her face. One that Petra caught moments before it disappeared behind the bird's elegant smile. 

"Well, history is meant to stay in the past where it belongs. We must look towards the future, friends! After all, why else would I do what I do? Now, Miss Moselle, tell me more about yourself. You come from the Fleur City, yes? I was just there! Part of my delay, unfortunately, but absolutely worth it!"

The human princess watched as the dragon's expression softened as she reminisced about her home before it settled on watching the ambassador listening to Moselle's stories. A whisper to her right pulled her away from the conversation.

"Careful, pup. Your stare could burn holes through steel." 

Tai gently pushed a plate of snacks toward Petra with a look she knew well. It was a mixture of affectionate teasing and actual concern. His human ward made a face at him before taking a few of the treats, "So it's ok if she 'observes' us but I can't do it back?"

"I never said that. I'm just wondering if you are still shaken from her getting under your skin earlier, princess?" 

The two looked at each other, silently waiting for the other to make a move. Petra eventually conceded by shoving another pastry into her mouth and looking away with a huff. Between her and the Great Seven, Petra was starting to feel like a jackass deep down for assuming the worst about the Briar ambassador. All in all, the fae seemed pretty harmless. The mentioned attempt to visit Petra's kingdom and her father did pick at her. It must have been a few years ago when this happened. Tai leaned over to whisper to her in a comforting tone once more to quiet whatever was bothering his ward.

"No matter the outcome, the fact that Briar Valley even attempted to bridge the gap between themselves and your kingdom is a good sign."

"Yeah..." Petra muttered before taking another sip of tea, "Hopefully, they'll want to try again in the future." 

Isentor wasn't known for its equal treatment of fae kind despite Petra's efforts over the past few years. Since her departure with Tai at her side, the name Isentor hadn't reached her ears until today. Had she been able to help it, Petra would have gladly gone another five years without hearing it again. 

Across the table, Moselle's heart was being pulled in the opposite direction at the mention of her home. She missed it terribly but knew that returning wasn't in the cards for her. Even before her new companions told her about Rollo's request, Moselle had a feeling that her old friend would have wanted to keep her out of harm's way even if it meant never seeing one another again. That said, they only told her part of the young man's request regarding her not being able to return to Fleur City. Now the result of the other half was staring her in the face and found a piece of the past that was still tender after all this time.

"There is something else I must know, Miss Moselle. Just before I left for this tour, I was told that your name has come up within the royal family before."

Her words caused Moselle's heart to feel a tiny glow of hope, "I-It has...?"

The raven warmed at the hopeful look on the dragon fae's face, "Yes, yes! Our own Prince Malleus is an old friend of yours, isn't he?"

Hearing the prince's name stirred something in her chest she hadn't felt in a long time. As much as she wanted to enjoy it, it also made Moselle put two and two together rather quickly, "Is he...is that wh-why the qu-queen sent you here?"

The look on the ambassador's face turned a bit coy, "Oh no, no, well I imagine that did inspire Her Majesty's interest in you somewhat, but the queen's intentions are first and foremost altruistic! If our fine homeland can provide a haven for a fellow dragon fae such as yourself then, of course, Her Majesty will extend her aid to you! That's why I'm here naturally! But, uh...my question still stands. Off the books, of course. I'm just so curious."

Valida was brewing in her seat like a schoolgirl waiting for the hottest gossip. The seemingly innocent display amused most of the table. Perhaps she was being a little uptight before...is what Petra was thinking before that moment. Now Petra's reservations overshadowed any previous minute guilt. Something about this bird lady felt off-putting.

Moselle felt her face warm as she suddenly became the center of attention, "O-oh well yes. Mal-ah, Prince Malleus, and I met before in Fleur City. During a festival. We...we danced together at a ma-masquerade."

This was the first time Moselle let the memory play out in full without trying to bury it again. The ambassador gave a soft dreamy sigh, "What a romantic first meeting. You're a lucky girl, not everyone gets to meet let alone dance with our prince! Which is a shame. He is a fantastic dancer. Wouldn't you agree, Miss Moselle?"

The dragon fae's expression grew a bit bashful, "Y-Yes, I think so too." It wasn't so much the question as the implication of their meeting being 'romantic' stunned Moselle. Granted, the raven wasn't completely wrong, at least on Moselle's side of things. This silent acknowledgment unlocked a whole mess of feelings that the dragon hadn't tapped into in several years. Malleus was a good dancer and a handsome prince. Those parts of him were very nice, yes, but...those weren't her favorite things about him.

"Oh pinfeathers, where is my head?" Valida chuckled, "As I mentioned before I made a stop in your hometown before coming here and I have something for  you, Miss Moselle!"

Before the ambassador could even lift a finger, one of Reine's servants zipped to Moselle's side with a box that made her whole expression light up as soon as she opened it. Valida thanked the servant and continued with a giddy grin, "I hope you don't mind me visiting your old stomping ground to get a little more intel on you before coming to meet you personally, Miss Moselle. While I was there, I met your human friend, Mr. Flamme and he asked that I bring this to you, and said it was very important to you." 

Inside were all the letters Malleus had written to her and even the ones that couldn't be sent to him in return. Every single one was accounted for and organized neatly for her. Happy tears prickled at the corner of her eyes as she gently held the box to her chest, "It is. Th-Thank you so much." 

At the sight of her impending tears, both Tai and Astrid looked up for any signs of rain. Not a grey cloud in sight, just warm sunshine. The realization made them melt a bit especially because the dragon looked so happy. Petra felt moved seeing the first real smile on Moselle's face since they rescued her, but still, a bit weirded out at Valida's choice of words. The ambassador inwardly preened and took this as her cue to make her final judgment. 

"Well, that settles it! I'll make all the arrangements! I'm sure Prince Malleus will be thrilled to see you again, Miss Moselle!" The raven was humming with a glee.

The rush of positivity hit an invisible wall all at once as Moselle froze like a startled deer, "...Wh-what?"

"Well naturally the final call is up to Her Majesty, but I have nothing but good, good things to tell her so surely it will be a resounding yes! " The raven wasn't listening or picking up on the rising panic on the dragon's face, "Now the coronation is in, let's see, in about three months from now. Plenty of time to prepare! It will be a grand ceremony and a beautiful ball afterward! I'll make sure you're listed as a VIP on the guest list, of course-"

Moselle began to feel dizzy with each word that shot out of the excited ambassador's mouth. After years of hearing nothing and then suddenly hearing that he not only remembered her but would see her again so soon?! The whiplash from nervousness to joy, and then a hard turn back into anxiety was too much! Moselle felt like she was about to faint right as Petra came out of the blue to her rescue. 

The princess cleared her throat with enough emphasis to stop a stampede and the look she got any time she was about to drop a heavy piece of her mind, "Ambassador Valida? Excuse me? Hi."

The raven verbally stopped on a dime, her candied smile still in place, "Yes, Miss Petra?"

Tai and Astrid sat on either side of the princess in anxious silence. One sipped his tea with a look of dread, feeling in his gut all intentions of being on her best behavior were flung right out the window. The other sat perfectly still, trying her best to look pleasant while feeling like someone stuck in a hostage situation. The Rosehearts were mere spectators to this increasingly tense scene. Poor Moselle was just trying to get her downward mental spiral under control as things unfolded in front of her.

"Yeah I think you need to slow down, actually," Petra's tone was full of sardonic sass, "I get that this is all very exciting, but isn't it too much too soon? I mean, Moselle hasn't been out in the world for years. She's barely been here for two weeks! And now you're suddenly making plans for her in a place, in a society she knows nothing about?"

"Petra..." Tai hissed a warning that fell on deaf ears. 

A confident grin spread across Valida's face as her gaze narrowed, taking in Petra's argument with sharp precision, "Oh? Forgive me, I was under the impression that was the purpose of this entire endeavor. To help Miss Moselle acclimate to a new life, one with fellow fae like herself where she can live a full, abundant life. Was I summoned here under false pretenses, Princess Revie?" The raven turned to extend the question to Reine and Riddle as well, "Your Majesties? Do correct me if I'm wrong."

Before either the king or queen could answer, Petra retorted in a huff, "No, that's not what I'm saying! I just think-"

"Yes, yes," Valida chuckled lightly as she rhythmically tapped her manicured fingers on the table, "Of all the wonderful qualities humans have, thinking and speaking for others who are perfectly capable of doing so on their own is one of the more unsightly ones I've come to learn." 

The smug look on the bird's face cranked Petra's temper up at breakneck speed. She jumped to her feet, slamming her hands on the table, blood heated, "You-!!"

Just as quickly, Petra found herself yanked away from the table. The forced smile on Tai's face barely hid his anger as he held his ward back.

"Apologies. I need to have a quick word with Petra. Excuse us." 

The fox didn't wait for an answer before forcefully dragging the princess further into the garden with him, as far from the tea party as he could get. The air was heavy with silence that Astrid did her best to fix in the only way she knew how.

"A-Ah Ambassador, Your Majesties! I'm so sorry!" the embarrassed healer stood and bowed to them before immediately pouring everyone more tea. Valida just laughed it off light-heartedly as the other three members of the party quietly processed what had just happened.

"Oh you sweet dear, it's quite alright. I do admire Miss Petra's frankness. It's quite refreshing! Ha, ha, yes," the raven quickly cleared her throat and addressed the rest of the party, "That said, I have gotten ahead of myself yet again, I'm afraid. My apologies, friends." 

Moselle exhaled all remaining tension out of her body as the conversation veered back into much calmer waters. Proceeding on a better foot, Valida turned to Moselle with a gentile smile, "Miss Moselle, I just want you to know, though I am excited for you to experience Briar Valley firsthand, there is no pressure for you to accept Her Majesty's possible invitation for permanent residency. It is entirely your choice, dear." 

That was enough assurance to put a small smile on Moselle's face, "O-Of course." 

-

"This is not about you, Petra."

The pair stood in an empty gazebo without another soul within earshot. Tai was staring her down with a burning look, his form standing tall and rigid. She was still fuming but also fighting to keep her mouth shut in front of the pissed off fox.

"This is not about you or those prejudices you have stuffed up in that stubborn head of yours," he hissed. And suddenly all restraint was gone.

"Prejudices that I have?! Did you not hear what she said-"

"OH, I heard the ambassador, yes. I heard her put a very rude human princess in her place when said princess began trampling over an opportunity meant for someone else," his harsh words cut her down but Tai didn't stop there, "Petra, I understand you mean well. I understand that you feel some responsibility for Moselle's protection. But I also understand - better than you apparently - that your personal feelings about setting foot on the same continent as Isentor and all it stands for have kept you from seeing how your words and actions ruin any chance for things to get better. For you, for those around you, and especially for your people who you still represent even now, whether you like it or not."

The singing birds and warm sun were strange contrasts to the bitter scolding Petra was receiving. The fox fae always had her best interests in mind since she was a baby. This meant moments of honey and moments of bitter vinegar in turn and he rarely pulled his punches. He quietly watched his words break through any remaining resistance Petra had left in her. The princess sighed and relaxed into slightly more open body language, signaling to the fox that she was ready to keep listening without a fuss. He, however, didn't drop the strict tone just yet. 

"You need to learn when to speak up and when to be quiet, Petra. Not every occasion calls for a sword and grit. Not every 'castle' needs to be stormed and conquered. Understand?" He kept his hands behind his back as he paced around her.

"Yes, Tai, " Her voice simmered down and ditched its previously heated tone.

"While I don't like everything Ambassador Valida has said and done today, I do agree with one point she made: 'History is meant to stay in the past where it belongs.' That goes for your personal history as well, Petra," Tai finally put a gentle hand on the princess' shoulder, "Understand?"

"Yes, Tai...I'm sorry." 

"You're forgiven. Now....ten laps around the gardens to cool off that temper of yours, starting at that fountain waaay over there."

Petra immediately whirled on the fox, eyes wide with disbelief, "What?! Ten?! These gardens are massive!"

Tai's wily grin was back as he pinched her cheek, "Keep arguing and I'll make it twenty. Once you're finished, you will apologize to Moselle and Ambassador Valida if she's still around. Off you go, pup." 

A loud exasperated groan rang out as the fox made his way back to the tea party. 

The party was back to normal as Tai casually returned to his seat at the now mostly empty table. Valida remained seated across from him, finishing her tea and watching the others begin the afternoon game of croquet. He took a breath to settle back into his manners before addressing her. "Not joining the game, Ambassador Valida?" The raven hummed peacefully in the afternoon light, "Not yet, no. I know it's hard to believe, Mr. Zhao, but even a fae of my vigor needs moments of repose." They both chuckled lightly at the notion before Tai went straight into damage control, "I hope you can forgive my ward. She is out of her teen years though her mouth hasn't outgrown them quite yet, unfortunately..." "Oh, she does seem like a handful. Still, you call Miss Petra your ward? Is she not of age in human years??" Valida wasn't even meaning to sound snarky. Human time versus fae time could get rather confusing. The fox's grin turned a bit sentimental. "An old habit. I've been watching after her for most of her life." "Oh, you must be a very highly regarded family servant then," the bird was eyeing him again like she did earlier, "you're too well kept to be one of the royal ditch diggers. Or are you a family friend...?" "Depends on who you ask. Her late father, King Anselm, would probably echo your previous guess," the fox's smile gave little away though his words seemed to be too revealing. The Ambassador's expression was openly shocked, "Late? Oh dear, I had no idea he passed. Condolences to both you and Miss Petra. When did this come about?" "Just before Petra graduated from Sacred Crown, unfortunately," Tai's eyes flicked over towards the game that just ended with Reine's undefeated victory, "It looks like they're about to start another round, Ambassador. Would be a shame for you to miss out." The novelty of playing croquet with live animals was enough to immediately distract the fae into switching places with Moselle. The dragon joined Tai back at the table with a soft sigh as soon as she settled back into her seat. Moselle quickly noticed Petra's absence. "Is Petra alright?" The fact that the young fae was concerned for the sassy princess instead of offended by her behavior only endeared Tai to the dragon more. 

"She'll be fine. Just needs some time to clear her head. Did I miss anything important?"

Moselle's expression became soft and hopeful, "Not r-...really. I think I want to...t-to go though. If they give me the ch-chance. Miss Valida is pos-sitive it will happen."

Tai felt relief as the warmth and tenderness in her smile latched onto him. The dragon opened her letterbox like a treasure chest and found an old photo. It was a group picture someone had taken of Malleus, Silver, and Sebek during their school days. The way she was looking at it was one of the purest things Tai had seen in a very long time. 

"Good. It sounds like you will have at least one friend waiting for you. Speaking of which," he leaned over to take a look at the picture with his teasing grin back in place, "Is this the handsome young buck in question?"

"Yes," Moselle prayed her face wasn't as pink as it felt as she giggled, "He even has two dashing kn-knights," she pointed to the two boys on either side of the dragon prince, "This is Silver and that's Sebek. I met them at the masquerade too." 

"I see~" The fox's grin widened as he remembered those names from earlier. So those were the two 'friends'. 

The fox passed the remaining golden afternoon, leaning on his arm and listening to the dragon gush about this prince and his friends, not once interrupting to point out how her stutter seemed to disappear with each story, picture, or collected trinket she shared.

-

The sun was almost gone by the time Petra was climbing the outside stairs to the main hall. Exhausted, sweaty, and greatly humbled, she looked a total mess. Astrid and Moselle were sitting on the top step, watching the sunset while they waited. Neither one said a word, quietly waiting for the princess to speak. Easier said than done. Petra steadied herself, hunched over, hands on knees, puffing out ragged breaths as sweat trickled down her face. 

"I....I'm sorry for....for being a fucking asshole...ea-earlier...Sevens above, wh-why are the grounds so huge here?!"

The healer stood with a soft sigh and held out a bottle of water for her tired friend, "I don't need one, but apology accepted." 

The fae showed her forgiveness by placing a cool towel on the back of Petra's neck, "I used ic-ice magic on it so it should keep co-cold for a bit."

Petra felt guilty ten times over at the kind gestures, "Thank you...is the Ambassador still here?"

Astrid's mellow voice was promptly obscured by a boisterous interruption barreling down the hall.

"THERE she is!" 

Petra inwardly cringed as Ambassador Valida pranced down the front steps towards the three girls. She supposed being seen like this was part of her punishment for popping off earlier. Despite her current slobby state, Petra threw on the best smile she could manage.

"Heeeey, Ambassador Valida. About earlier-"

The raven shushed her with a posh flourish of her hand. How someone could be 'on' like this every second of the day was astounding. Still, Petra kept her snark to herself. Lesson learned.

"Not another word, I won't hear of it! Water under the bridge, Miss Petra. In fact, no, from now on, you and I are going to be such good friends," The raven fae was practically sparkling, "All of us are! I want you girls to call me Hermia. There's no need for formalities amongst young lady friends!"

Youth seemed to have a different relevancy to fae versus humans. Moselle and Astrid showed more satisfaction over the notion versus Petra who was suffering even more than before. 

Petra's eye and plastered smile twitched, "Oook. Sure."

"Lovely! It has been such a grand time meeting all of you, but I must return to Briar Valley at once. So much to do," without any hesitation, Hermia gave each of them a delighted hug, "I will send word once everything is in order! Ta, ta, friends!"

The newly initiated 'lady friends' waved in varying degrees of stupor to the limo as it drove the lively ambassador off the palace grounds. All three stood there like statues until Astrid finally broke the stunned silence.

"Well, she was...fun?"

Petra used what energy she had left to drift back into the palace to offer another tired apology to the royal couple before she collapsed back in her room. Neither one seemed all that upset with the punished girl. Had their croquet game been forced to start late because of her outburst, well, then Petra would have been even more trouble.

-

The night was warm and accompanied by crickets as a bus made its last stop deep in the forests of Briar Valley. An equally exhausted Lilia exited the old, beat-up vehicle with a yawn. The bags under his eyes were anything but cute and just as heavy as the large duffle strapped to his back. He took a moment to get his bearings as the bus drove down the road. "Thank Seven for some technological advancement in this country", he mumbled to himself, "back in the day, I'd have to walk from the port town to get back home. Or teleport..." Back when he could still do that. 

Thankfully, his old house wasn't far from the bus stop. Silver had offered to meet him once he returned but Lilia had turned down the offer, knowing his son was busy with full-time duties since he and Sebek were properly knighted by Malefica after graduating. More importantly, it was late and also Lilia had cut his trip short by a few days. He just wanted to be home, in his bed, and alone for a while. As soon he reached the old cottage in the glen, Lilia felt a conflicting wave of both relief and sadness. He did smile at how clean and tidy it was once he stepped inside. The sealed note on the kitchen table revealed the culprit. 

Father, 

Welcome home. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to greet you in person, but we should meet up soon. I want to hear all about your trip- The old fae's spirits lifted a little as he read Silver's note. He and Sebek took time out of their busy schedules to make sure his house was in order by the time Lilia came home so he could rest easy from his travels. In other countries, traveling was far more convenient with airports and the like being pretty common. Briar Valley had come a long way but was still incredibly vintage in comparison. While there was an airport in Isentor, it didn't exactly cater to fae like himself. So when Lilia decided to go to the other side of the world, he hopped on a boat from the southern port town on their side of the mountains and traveled to the closest hub to fly out of. It was far more taxing than he remembered.

"Not so young anymore are we?" 

He decided to forgo a meal and made his way up to his room. The duffle bag was left by the door with a heavy thud as Lilia lazily changed into more comfortable clothes before flopping onto the bed. The immense sigh that left his body sounded like a ghost moaning. Now that he was settled and alone with his thoughts, Lilia felt a lump in his throat. He had been fighting it off as he traveled back home but there was no avoiding it now. The ragged bat slowly turned to his side and reached for his nightstand. Inside the drawer was a small, weathered pouch that he kept close by for hundreds of years. It was his secret treasure, something even his boys didn't know about. Tears started to form as he removed the jade charm kept inside. It was carved in the image of a fox. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't find you and bring you home with me. I think you would have liked it here," his laugh was bittered by a sob, "Wherever you are...I hope you're alive and well."  ------------------------------------------------------------------

Lilia stans don't come at me he's gonna be fine I PROMISE

Soon the whole crew - canon and OC - will be coming together. I have plans for all sorts of reunion feelies lol. Side note about Petra's kingdom: "Isentor" (pronounced aiz-en-tour) is a mash up of the German words for "iron" (eisen) and "door" (tor). More on that later in the story.

If you'd like to be added to the tag list, lemme know!

@foxwitchaine @wysteriadelights @nuitthegoddess @iscarlettappel @1ndigowitch @victoria1676 @yunaemiya @ladyrosemoon @aiimee9

[shadowaj]

Do you have any art tips?

Aight then, a few tips I can give (hopefully these are helpful I kinda do my own thing I'm no professional) 1- Don't be scared to fail: This kinda applies to any skill, since learning is based off of experience, and knowing what you may have done wrong in one drawing can inform you what not to do in your next project, and vice versa. Which brings me to my next point, 2- Keep drawing: Even though learning from art books and tutorials is helpful, you need to keep practicing drawing in order to master those things (like hands and stuff like that). Again these tips are basic but still good to keep in mind. 3- Studying different art: Looking at other people's work is a great way to see what you can do to improve your own work. For me, games with 2D art that appealed to me, such as Danganronpa, Persona, The World Ends with You, and others were helpful for me to learn how to draw unique expressions and poses in unique art styles. Pinterest and Tumblr are also great places to find cool art that you can also take inspiration from. But it's always good to remember to not completely copy those styles in the long run, but to learn from those styles so you can develop your own unique style! 4- The vibe: A bit more of a personal tip that doesn't relate to the actual drawing, but I find it helpful to listen to music that fits the vibe of the drawing I'm making, as it tends to get me in the mindspace of the drawing and makes me feel more immersed. 5- The sketching: When drawing, making different sketches before the final draft is important for more complicated drawings. It's similar to writing a good paper, as you need to create drafts first in order to reach a final product. Starting off with basic shapes of what you want first and then doing the fine details later is key. (I used to try and do all the details first and that led to me getting frustrated and losing time as a result so keep this in mind!) 6- Have fun!: Unless you have a strict deadline to adhere to when drawing, its good to always be in the best mood when you draw, as trying to draw when one is tired or in a bad mood will usually lead to further frustration. If you feel like you aren't getting anywhere with a drawing and aren't enjoying yourself, don't be scared to take a break and continue later, as you will probably only continue to make mistakes in that headspace. If you are having fun with a drawing, then that drawing will most definitely turn out better! Those tips were probably awful but they help me when I draw so yeah Hope this can help you, and good luck on your art journey! :]

[ruby-red-inky-blue]

@ji-ang asked: For the fic ask meme: 4 (TWTaS), 30, and/or 39

4. What detail in [The World Through a Scope] are you really proud of?

Whenever I finally post the last chapter that has been finished for literally six years, I realised like three years in that I've done something very neat with the first and last line on complete accident, and I'm very excited about it. They flow into each other so nicely and I did not plan it. Which actually surprises me, because I pay so, so much (probably way too much) mind to first and last lines. I always want them to be perfect - and I think I got close!

To get to a detail I can actually point to right now:

I don't know if that counts because it's two whole minor characters, but I'm just so pleased with how Draven and Mothma have turned out. I have so much fun writing them, and I like how they relate to Cassian so much. They're both so very similar to him in very different ways, they're actually kind of like two halves of his psychology? Draven is so self-aware in this deeply uncurious way - he's examined every sleeping dog and decided to let it lie, look forward repress it march on - and is so oddly gentle with Cassian (but still enabling him, let's face it). And Mothma is equally sharp but weaponises it, and matches Cassian's aggression tit for tat and actually manages to goad him into dealing with his shit. They're both these very well meaning, kind of toxic and endlessly well-meaning parental figures and I love them to pieces. These are the scenes I'll miss writing the most when this fic is over.

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

Oh, for sure, and it was also TWTaS! I don't do long stringent plot, I'm a pantser! Do you know how hard it is to come up with a conspiracy as you're going along? There's a reason this plot is riddled with holes lol. Also, I never write action, that's so hard! And tame and unspecific as it is, TWTaS contains the only sex scene I've ever written, and I whined about it an embarrassing amount when I was working on it. I *hated* that scene when I first posted it, it was agonising. Looking back now, I think that chapter is the high point of the whole thing, and remains maybe the best thing I've ever written?

It's definitely made me braver to just try shit and see how it shakes out! Most of the stuff I dreaded doing turned out fine in the end - it also turned out very different from how I thought it would go, and it really showed me that the thing kind of comes to you. I'm a decently experienced writer at this point, and if I just take small stabs at it and let things happen, they tend to fall into place eventually, and I usually end up liking what I came up with a lot! (now to learn the same lesson for academia.... alas)

That and any attempt at comedic fic - I've only ever done that for Secret Santa exchanges, I think? But I really, really like the two (2) I did write, I think they actually came out funny!

Also, I did a lot of stylistic experimentation in my tiny three-part mafia AU Against Better Judgement (awful title), especially in "Rome's Still Burning", and it was very fun. I think giving yourself a very different and rigid style or theme to adhere to is a really useful writing exercise because you can't fall back on your usual patterns as much. In the same vein, I think when you write for only one fandom for too long, you get kind of set in your ways style-wise, so I like taking detours into other fandoms. I've found that my style will change up quite a bit that way. Sometimes, that works out really well for me (I'm so proud of my epistolary Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries fic and my The Book Thief crossover), sometimes it turns out kind of weird (my one The Americans fic I really like stylistically, but it's confusing to read - too much plot for the style that came out, I think). But it's always useful!

39. Is any aspect of your writing process inspired by other writers or people? If so, who?

Not really? I don't know that I *have* a process. I just put on music, open a word doc, stare at what I have, and then either add to it or not. It's very inefficient and I don't recommend it, but it's what I do.

Questions for Fic Writers

[draconicsparkle]

Tips and Tricks for Writing Fanfiction by Yours Truly

Hello there, my fellow fandom enjoyers! I have come to pass on some wisdom.

Have you ever had an idea that came to your mind? One that you feel could be an amazing fanfiction? But perhaps you halt right there because you might be thinking you could never write it well enough. Well, I was very much in the same boat a few years ago, so I know how it is.

However, I believe you should still give it a go! And I have compiled a list of advice tidbits that have helped me. And perhaps, they can help you too!

I dunno what sparked this desire to make and post this, but I thought it might help someone out there! Well then, let’s begin!

1: First and foremost, congratulate yourself on coming up with an idea. That part can often be difficult and you have already jumped that incredible hurdle. And it’s important to keep in mind that you should be writing this for YOU. It’s a personal project for you and it does not matter how niche it is. It’s something fun! That’s super vital to remember, to have fun with this idea in your mind!

2: I recommend taking at least a week or two to jot down notes about your au. Write down the absolutes in your world and events you want to happen. Character traits or details, powers, settings, conflicts, banger lines, etc. These ideas can spring into being at literally any time, so be sure to write them down as soon as you can, as your memory might not recall these little things later down the line.

3: For stories, make sure you know where it will begin and where it will end. Smaller details can be changed later down the line as you see fit, but do try and know the end goal and what you want to accomplish. This can also be applied to fics that are more episodic in nature. What do you want to happen by the end? Once you have that squared away, then you can begin to build around that.

4: So here’s a tip to help save yourself from stressing too much. Don’t set deadlines or make promises about when the fic or chapter will be completed and posted. Motivation comes and goes and it’s often beyond your control. Some days you can write 1000 words, and some you will only manage a single sentence. That’s normal! Don’t force your brain to overwork and stress by wanting to adhere to a deadline. No stress should be involved for something you are doing for fun.

5: Do not pay attention to the word count. A fanfic is a fanfic, no matter what the length is. Don’t beat yourself down if the fic is short. Some people love a nice and short fic! What’s important is that you accomplished what you set out to do.

6: ALWAYS edit. You can do this with a beta reader or by waiting about a day and rereading your current draft. You would not believe how helpful this is. Mistakes are bound to happen. But don’t get discouraged! Even big name authors make mistakes on their works, so don’t worry if you find some in your first drafts. It’s totally fine and easily fixable!

And here are a few other bonus tidbits that might be helpful.

7: If you are choosing to begin a fanfiction with multiple chapters, I would suggest writing at least two chapters before posting. It helps you get a good feel on if you want to continue or have enough steam for it. There is no shame in deciding to put it aside if you don’t have enough energy to do it at that time!

8: I also highly recommend that you go and read books and other fanfictions. It actually helps a lot more than you realize. You unconsciously will begin to pick up on writing styles and see what does or doesn’t work. Perhaps you might also expand your vocabulary!

So yeah, that’s my advice that I’ve accumulated from writing fics by trial and error. I do really hope that you find it useful and helpful! Good luck on your works!

[harmonyhealinghub]

Here We Go, Year Two of Harmony Healing Hub Blog! Shaina Tranquilino July 24, 2024

I can hardly believe it—Harmony Healing Hub is celebrating its first anniversary! A full year of writing, sharing, and connecting with all of you has flown by, and I'm filled with excitement as we embark on this second year together. Reflecting on the journey, I am deeply grateful for the encouragement, suggestions, and engagement from this amazing community. Your input has helped shape the direction of this blog, and I’m thrilled to share what’s coming up in the next couple of years.

Continuing My New Year's Resolution

One of my most fulfilling endeavours this past year has been my New Year's Resolution to donate to a different organization every month. This resolution has connected me with incredible causes and people, broadening my perspective and deepening my commitment to making a positive impact. I will continue to blog about these monthly donations, sharing insights into the organizations I feel called to support, their missions, and the difference they make in the world.

Diving Deeper into Tarot

Tarot has been a personal passion of mine for years, and I’m excited to dedicate more space on this blog to exploring it. I’m planning a special Tarot Blog Edition where I’ll delve into the meanings of each card, both upright and reversed. This series will be a journey through the Tarot deck, offering insights and interpretations that can aid in your personal and spiritual growth. Whether you’re a seasoned tarot reader or a curious beginner, I hope this series will inspire and enlighten you.

Sharing My Poetry

Poetry is another passion I hold dear, and I’m eager to share more of my work with you. Currently, I publish my poems on Instagram as TheTwilightTalesmith and have a few poetry books available on Amazon. This blog will become a new platform for my poetry, where I can connect more intimately with my readers and share the emotions and stories behind each piece. Expect to see a variety of poems that touch on different themes, emotions, and experiences.

Short Stories and Monthly Themes

A friend recently suggested that I share my short stories on the blog, organized by monthly themes. I loved this idea and am excited to incorporate it. Each month, I’ll choose a theme and post short stories that revolve around it. This approach will not only keep the content fresh and engaging but also allow me to explore different genres and styles of writing. From romance to mystery, fantasy to slice-of-life, there will be something for everyone.

A Realistic Approach to Blogging

While I initially considered dedicating one year each to tarot, poetry, and short stories, I realized that life doesn’t always adhere to such a strict schedule. Inspiration strikes unpredictably, and creativity flows best when it’s not confined. So, instead of rigidly sticking to a theme per year, I’ll go with the flow and write about whatever comes to mind that day. This approach will keep the blog dynamic and authentic, reflecting the natural ebb and flow of my creative process.

Thank You for Your Support

As we step into this second year, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each of you for your support, feedback, and engagement. Your presence has made this journey incredibly rewarding, and I’m excited to continue sharing my stories, passions, and reflections with you.

Thank you for being a part of Harmony Healing Hub. Here’s to another year of creativity, connection, and growth!

With love and gratitude, Shaina

[msmargaretmurry]

hi there! you've mentioned one thing you're pretty good at is pacing and i always enjoy the way you talk about craft. would you mind getting a little into how you pace stuff and how you know things are working/not working regarding that?

hello anon! i'm so flattered that you came to me to ask! i would be happy to talk about pacing! ❤❤

i will get the most obvious and most annoying advice out of the way first: write a lot and read a lot. like any skill, you get better at writing the more you practice! in my experience, the more stories you write, the more you just kind of develop a sense for where the beats of a story should go, and developing a narrative arc or character arc becomes more second nature.

with reading, i do honestly think that just reading a lot without even being that critical about it is helpful, but obviously reading with pacing in mind is best if that's what you're working on! i pay so much attention to pacing in books i read because bad pacing is so annoying to me. i have more patience for it in fic, because we're all just having fun here, but in published books i'm like, buddy wtf was your editor doing 😂😭

anyway, reading for pacing! just pay attention to if the story feels rushed (what do you think is missing? what beats don't feel earned and what do you think would fix that?) or feels like it's dragging (what do you think could be omitted from the story without losing essential information or development? are thematic or character beats being repeated unnecessarily?) or if it feels well-paced — finding that balance between keeping you engaged in what's on the page in front of you and interested in/anticipating what's going to happen next — and then you can pay attention to what is happening at what points in the story, and think about how it wouldn't have worked as well if you learned certain information later, or if those characters kissed sooner, or if the story spent more time on x instead of y.

also, read the kind of thing you want to write. if you want to write short things, read short stories! ditto longer stories, read novels or novellas. pacing is similar across the board but the length of the story definitely affects it! when i'm talking about pacing i'm generally talking about my long fics, if that is helpful context.

but i know none of that is really helpful if you're working on a story RIGHT NOW!!! so. some thoughts on pacing while i'm writing!

firstly, i'm not a detailed outliner, but i do keep a loose story structure/beat sheet that i sometimes fill in ahead of time and sometimes fill in as i go, to help keep myself on track and to keep the overall shape of the story in mind. there are a lot of different ways to structure a story, so if you're not familiar with beat sheets, do a little googling and find one that you feel like fits your story and/or jives with your writing style. if you're writing something with a strong romance arc, i definitely recommend specifically looking at romance novel beat sheets or romance plot outline guides! just remember that you never have to adhere religiously to the beat sheet if it feels like it's limiting your story 💖

usually my own writing process goes something like this: i write the first chunk of story (10–20k ish) with little to no planning, then take a break and see how what i have maps onto the beat sheet, and think about how the story i've started might hit future plot beats. if i have concrete ideas of scenes i'll pencil them in, and go back to discovery writing. rinse and repeat every 10–20k words.

a process similar to that might or might not work for you — maybe you're much more of a planner, and that's fine! you gotta find what works for you, and sometimes that takes some trial and error!!

another thing for me with pacing is that if i'm trying to write a scene and it feels forced, or it feels really hard to write, there's probably something wrong with it. often the thing wrong is that i'm trying to get my characters to do something that i haven't earned for them yet. which means i'm either going to have to go back and fix something to better build up to the current moment, or (and this is what i do most often) figure out a new goal for the scene that gets the development a step closer to what the original intent of the scene was, and push that plot beat or character moment further down the line. i do think it probably takes some practice to learn to tell the difference between "this scene is hard to write because there's something wrong with it" and "this scene is hard to write because writing is just hard today" but i promise there is a difference! 💕

i wrote some about keeping track of ideas and plot threads in long stories here, which i think is also helpful for this topic. especially wrt keeping track of subplots and stuff, and ESPECIALLY with the stuff about giving characters the space they need. i truly do know the temptation to push on through so you can finish the story faster, trust me, but having the patience to NOT force it can really help with pacing.

i can't remember where i originally learned about it, but i think about the rule of threes a fair amount when i'm writing. that is, if something is important and you want the reader to pay attention to it/expect something from it, say it or show it or allude to it three times. foreshadowing clues, character traits, etc. not a hard and fast rule but useful to keep in mind!

it also must be said that obviously i'm not perfect at any of this. i do think it's one of my strengths as a writer but we all make mistakes and i am definitely still learning and growing!! so once again this is where having a good and trusted beta reader comes in. sometimes you are truly just so deep in your story that you can't tell that the pacing is wonky and you need someone to tell you so you can fix it!

my final little piece of advice here is that if you're writing something long, don't rush the ending. an abrupt ending can definitely be used effectively, especially in shorter works, but in long stories it often leaves the reader wanting. i've read so many books this year that i was really enjoying and then they ended and i was like, well i would have loved another 30–50 pages to properly wrap all that up! i think this especially happens in fanfic, which is so relationship-centric, that fics end super fast after the couple gets together, when sometimes there was a lot of other stuff going on in the story that could use some tlc in the denouement. or, if it's been a long and feelingsy journey for our lovers to get to their happy place, having just a little bit of them actually navigating that happy place and all the baggage they dragged in there with them can be SO nice and cathartic. obviously once again not a hard and fast rule — all stories are different and need different things and that's beautiful!! — but something i like to keep in mind ❤

i hope this was helpful and good luck with your writing!! 💖

[cupcraft]

My Step 1 Study Guide

Hello! I recently took the step 1 test and passed and I thought I'd share what I did to study and prepare just in case it helps anyone out. Plus advice i'd give looking back on things i didn't do. Hopefully this helps and sorry it's so long. Feel free to send me asks on anything at all!

1: during m1/m2 year -> utilize the Anking deck/study sheets + first aid + things and videos like amboss/scholarrx/sketchy/boards and beyond + pathoma as you go through the blocks. Don't focus on step studying but utilize these resources to bolster your block exams. I used anking & sketchy & first aid primarily but kinda too late and i wish i utilized it earlier. Also, if your school doesn't have step 1 style test questions overall (like mine did for a bit) i'd do scholarrx questions to practice right before a test (it helped me with the tests and also got me to see patterns ahead of time). I wouldn't start using UWorld right away, at least not intensely. If you want a first pass you could start in November/December but honestly for me that was too much so I didn't.

2: Last block/pre-dedicated -> Make a study plan. You can use things like cram fighter or you can do it by hand or in excel/google sheets. If you need mine as an example feel free to ask, though my general plan was review first aid/content review/practice exams and questions/free 120/rest/exam in that order and i did the stuff i forgot first and ended with the info i did in my last block which was msk/derm/heme/onc/ct. It should be noted that you must tell yourself now that this plan won't be adhered to 1000% and you will get behind and you will just say fuck it to some stuff as you go. And be honest with yourself that you may give up studying earlier than you think or sleep in a lot of days. Just be kind to yourself now. This is just a guide to help you, not a strict rule book. For example, i meant to do cardio block review in 2 days and my mental health tanked so it took me like 5 days and i still had a ton of questions i couldn't do.

3: Dedicated ->

Prioritize getting through First Aid srsly and supplement it as you do content review. I read First aid one pass and then i supplemented information from Boards and Beyond videos and some information from pathoma. Mostly, i kept my notes within the pathoma textbook (as i bought a subscription and received the textbook).

As you do content review do Uworld questions and once you get through review really prioritize practice questions and finishing Uworld. You won't realistically finish all questions or blocks but at least try to do as much as you can. I ended Dedicated about 64% through. With Uworld your average will be low and at times will barely improve, honestly as long as you are improving on the net and your average is 40% or higher i think you're doing just fine imo (as that was my experience). UWorld is meant to be harder. When you do UWorld at first do tutor mode and always write down questions you guessed on/got wrong/don't understand in a notebook for review later. I wish i had made anki on them as i went along but i was too burnt out for that realistically for many reasons.

Looking back on it i watched every sketchy but i wish i at least did the anking for the sketchy (as i did no anking during dedicated) to help me remember.

Do practice exams. I did 1 uworld one and 4 NBME tests plus the free 120. the UWorld one in my opinion was not worth it and it lowered my confidence majorly as it was so fucking hard and full of trick questions. The NBME ones were much more useful. The free 120 was the most useful as many of the questions you get may reappear on step, and so it's the best one to do the week of your test so it's fresh in your mind. Make sure as always you review the questions you got wrong because it's so so helpful.

Day before the exam what do i do? -> maybe light review (ie stuff you got wrong a lot, some anki, first aid notes) but otherwise do nothing. srsly just rest, eat, and go to bed!

Remind yourself that you just need to pass. 60% is passing. No one will know your score. It's pass fail!

4: What resources do you recommend? Don't? Etc? ->

Resources I used: Boards and Beyond (videos), Pathoma (videos and textbook), First Aid, Sketchy Micro & Pharm, UWorld, NBME Practice tests (the CBSE), NBME free 120.

Usefulness of the resources: I really found everything I used to be useful but there's some stipulations. I found that neither UWorld nor First Aid prepared me for the biostats questions well other than memorizing equations. Biostats/public health is often a lot more problem solving oriented not just "can you do an odds ratio" for ex, so the NBME practice exams were more useful for that concept. I also did not find every boards and beyond video useful so there were many i skipped, esp pharm videos as i used sketchy! Along with first aid i bought the other first aid book, the clinical reasoning one. TBH it is a useful book (i used it a bit during my blocks) but during dedicated i was so tired and didnt have time to use it so do with that what you will. Sketchy was so so useful esp for micro but like I said i wish i supplemented with Anki. Also, Boards and Beyond cardio was so helpful but a lot of info i skipped through as i found it too detailed for step overall, but it is good to use looking back on it for clerkships i imagine (as there's info specific to clinical practice).

Anki specifically: I stopped all anki during dedicated because I just was too overwhelmed and couldn't keep up with it. Looking back I would've used Anki a lot earlier than i did during the blocks and kept up with it in small amts cumulatively, and then during dedicated done the sketchy ANKI primarily/old reviews/+anki for stuff i got wrong on questions a lot to make it easier. But, i still did well without it during dedicated.

5: test day tips ->

if you have stomach problems like me don't drink caffeine and prioritize sleep the night before (if you can tolerate caffeine then this is fine).

Pack lots of snacks that you know you will be able to eat while exhausted and stressed. I find it hard to eat something heavy on days like that, so i packed things like grapes/oranges/granola/pretzels/pbj/beef jerky. Stuff that would fill me and fuel me but not make me feel sick. Pack lots of water and potentially Gatorade or something.

Go to the bathroom before you enter the exam room.

Before the test day plan how you will take your breaks (this helped me because it was really overwhelming otherwise) and then you'll be able to read yourself on the test day to modify your break time.

Go through all the questions and then review marked ones and then review all of them together. Just know you will mark almost every question and it doesn't mean you got them wrong and failed.

6: other misc tips ->

just avoid the reddit. There are plenty of good advice plus links to resources (ie anking deck/etc.) on reddit and you should use it for that. But often i found the reddit to be a place that made me feel like i was gonna fail just like it was during MCAT/applying to school. I'd be like "is this score good" and they'd be like omg delay your test youre not gonna do well you should be scoring xyz. I just couldn't read that stuff, even if there was good and honest advice in between.

It's okay to push back your test/retake it if you have to (and can! It depends on your situation).

Consult an academic coach/advisor at your school during dedicated!

Work in groups: ie meet up with people at a library and use each other for accountability or if you need group review sessions please do that. All in all, just don't let yourself be isolated. Even do work with friends in other programs, just having ppl there will help you.

Prioritize sleep, food, water. Seems redundant to say but genuinely do this.

Change scenery a lot. Go to a cafe, go to school, go to a library or WeWork, go to your family's house, etc. It really will help you.

Regardless of your schedule and how well you follow it try to stop working at the same time every day. Set a time you will stop work forever and play video games or read a book or just collapse onto the couch. If you study 24 hours a day you will burn out faster.

Accommodations? How do i get those for the test -> this should be a post on it's own so i will just say if you want me to make a post on this I can. I had private room accommodations just to share! But there are many types of accommodations. Just know you really have to do this like a year/many months in advance!

That's really all i can think of. Just ask me if you have any q's! Goodluck ya'll.

[imekitty]

As an irl editor, do you have any great resource recommendations for people who want to improve their grammar or just like general writing ?

Honestly, Google in general is really helpful anytime you want to look up a particular grammar rule, I usually like to check several different grammar sites and see if they all agree or how they differ (because yes, there's a lot of debate as to what's "correct" when it comes to English grammar!). Then I will go with whatever seems most correct to me.

However, if I'm editing for work, I will strictly adhere to whatever style guide the company wants to use, which nowadays is usually AP. And AP has a whole style guide online that I can just search for pretty much anything. But it costs money to access a style guide like that, so resources like Grammarly and Grammar Girl are also good. And I also use Merriam-Webster to standardize my spelling (although I do make some exceptions).

As for general writing, I would go to your local bookstore and look at the writing section there. They always have such awesome writing books! I think it's fun to just browse through them even if I don't buy them now (just because I don't really think I need them anymore personally).

[overtakebrownwren]

Angry Rant about an article.

Wired did a whoops, I guess. In their article on author Brandon Sanderson, they accidentally and sorta casually insulted his fans, his religion, and utah mormon culture (which is a separate thing from the religion, in that the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints has over 15 million members worldwide with a vast number of cultures and local traditions impacting worship styles). 

Firstly, Sanderson responded publicly to agree that the article wasn’t kind but asked that his readers be kinder in their reactions. To that I will try to adhere, since, although it’s been a few years, I really loved Elantris and Mistborn, and I respected his co-writing of the last three books of Wheel of Time immensely. In Wheel of Time, he could have distanced himself from the polygamy aspects (as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints this is a point on which there is always going to be a lot of hard conversations and awkward talks when you are a member) but he kept the characters consistent and respectful in their relationships. So, I will try to be kind in responding to this article.

Read his response here. It’s surprisingly sweet. Read that if nothing else.

https://www.reddit.com/r/brandonsanderson/comments/1200dzk/on_the_wired_article/

Okay. SO the wired article.

Its title is “Brandon Sanderson Is Your God.” This isn’t necessarily a bad sign. Plenty of fantasy authors create fictional pantheons for fantasy worlds. This could be a clever reference or something about the ways that Latter Day Saints show respect in their worship. Or maybe it’s about the belief that heaven is a place where you can (over millennium) grow to become like heavenly father and many of his fans watch his youtube writing lessons to try to become writers like him. 

Then he calls him a mormon. 

Now. See here. It’s not disrespectful. We’ve had a reclamation movement over this term almost as long as people used it to mock and distance us from Christians. So. Okay. He probably didn’t notice that the past few years Latter Day Saints have been pushing for correct terminology- giving us our real name or a part of that (note my own use of Latter Day Saints, part of the title) But since it’s also a term for all of the churches that use the scriptures “The Book of Mormon” it is pretty imprecise. He’s probably missed the movement, or doesn’t remember which sect Sanderson belongs to . . Except, no. By the third paragraph he has to explain that LDS stands for Latter Day Saints and that that means Mormon. . . But this isn’t a lesson on theology or respectfully using people’s names for themselves. He’s just trying to connect to his readers so whatever.

And it’s whatever that he starts by mentioning Sanderson’s sales then saying that Wired worker’s never heard of him. He even says it’s whatever, “Sanderson has millions upon millions of fans all over the planet; it doesn’t matter that some losers at a single magazine (even if it is one of the nerdier ones) had never heard of him,” but then points out that no other big publishers have either. 

Then he comes to his thesis. The reason that Sanderson isn’t a household name- “Could it be, finally, because he’s a weirdo Mormon?”

No comment. I’ll keep reading

Wait. New thesis found! “I find Sanderson depressingly, story-killingly lame.”

… not gonna comment. Gotta be kind. It’s his opinion. It’s his digital paper to waste.

Then, in front of his wife, Jared Kehe of Wired asks, “Maybe nobody writes about you, I say to Sanderson, because you don’t write very well.”

And look. In the early days of his website I remember being able to find and read his first book, one he never got published because it was too awkward of a book and format. It’s not there anymore (here), but it was pretty good- good in the way that I will devour a hundred chapter fanfiction from start to end regardless of the writing quality and all because of the joint enthusiasm of myself and the author over a base idea. His published writing? Much higher quality. Will it turn to shakespeare? Nope- not nearly enough sex and bawdy jokes or gender confusion for it to make the cut. But it’s still fun. His prose has grown, his world building is solid. 

It’s just…

After reading this. After this article. I kinda want to be mean.

See, Jason Kehe, the author, is so critical of everything. He calls the men as the convention, “ men, boys, menboys, blurring together in a mass of pale, fleshy nerdery in Sanderson-appropriate graphic tees.” He says things like, “Sanderson is a bad writer; I’ve already said it.” 

He sees the fandom and criticizes it for being all about worldbuilding over prose. “All this, I think to myself, is not the spirit of fantasy. If it’s worldbuilding, it’s only worldbuilding one thing: the worldbuilder’s world.” As though fun word play with no meaning- or such complex meaning that it takes forever and a codebreaker to discover it, is only important signifier of good writing. He comes off as such an elitist. And maybe it’s the middle school teacher in me, to want books with low entry points for my struggling readers, but not all books need to be super complex to be good. There is nothing wrong with some of Sanderson’s books being blatantly targeted to middle school students, others to adults, and to have a similar level of reading ability. I worked in a struggling school- some of the kids were in 8th grade with a kindergarten reading level. 

Elitism comes through in other ways, too. For example, Sanderson, a successful writer, has a large home. But when Kehe comes over he seems freaked out by all the people there. Sanderson has friends and family over, like, all the time. His kids salt takeout. Sanderson wears a suit jacket over graphic tee-shirts. These are all written about as though the reader should know they are clearly disturbing qualities. Furthermore, there’s even a discussion on weather and how Sanderson feels and reacts to emotion that shows the writer edging towards vilification of the neurodivergent that made me personally uncomfortable (although it was more of a hint then a statement, so I might be overly sensitive).

Then there is Kehe’s demand on Sanderson’s privacy. He writes about several medical conditions Sanderson has, even when asked not to do so in one case. “When I ask Sanderson later to confirm this, he does but asks if I really have to print it. I’m sorry, I say. I really do,” Kehe writes. Boundaries mean little to Journalists. I get that. But finding something medical out from an employee in the home of the author? I’m just saying there are lines, even in journalism, that shouldn’t be crossed. 

Worst of all. Kehe, the author, complains about a lack of a big story for this writer. He whines about it. And even I can see there is clearly, even within his own writing, a really easy bland story. A gimmy as it were. Like. I could do this in two days. 

Quotes from Kehe:

“In the five months or so it has taken me to sit down and write this magazine story, which is 4,000 words long, Sanderson has published two books. “

“Sanderson formed a writers’ group with almost 30 years ago, back in college at Brigham Young University, when he was a nobody and worked the graveyard shift at a hotel so he could write the nights away. “

“Sanderson has lived so much of his life and fame openly, self-promotionally. It’s a major reason for his success.”

Do you see it? Pull themselves up by their bootstraps author! A writer who didn’t let not being a prose writer stop them from being a prolific well published writer! Follow your dreams, don’t limit yourself, etc etc…..

Then, for quality writing, you sprinkle in some disbelief that a “bad prose writer” can still make it- top it off with a few mentions of Sanderson’s time teaching on accessible platforms like podcasts and youtube, his house full of friends and family who he didn’t let success separating him from, his home with three boys and a wife and a religious community, and you have a republican’s wet dream of an author. 

There is plenty of material here for all kinds of stories. Plenty of publications did articles on his self publishing kickstarter. See here. 

Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/03/books/brandon-sanderson-kickstarter.html

Gizmo: https://gizmodo.com/brandon-sanderson-s-message-to-publishing-is-mostly-a-m-1848673821 

CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/04/media/kickstarter-brandon-sanderson-books/index.html 

So Why? Why did Wired do an article about how creepy and bad Sanderson is? Was the assignment to find a hot take? And all they could find was his writing is bad actually? Also weirdo religion? 

What the hell?

In the end, he comes back to the title. And no, the connection isn’t deep. God creates worlds. Sanderson writes worlds. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believe that after a few millennia of learning in heaven, some people will grow to be like their Heavenly Father and become Gods. Thus, Sanderson is a God. Blah.

But Kehe goes about it in as insulting a manner as possible. Kehe’s words italics, Mine in parenthesis. 

When Mormons ask God for a sign, they speak of a “burning in the bosom.” Say you’re a kid, wondering if you should be a fantasy writer when you grow up. You might ask God what He thinks. If there’s a burning in your bosom, that’s probably a yes. (This is a really bad example, since you are supposed to ask for things you need for confirmation and children don’t need to know their future career yet. A more common example would be “Should I call home for a ride or is it safe to walk home in this snow storm?” or the more spiritual and personal, “Is this stuff I’m learning at church true?”)

So I press Sanderson on the moments he has felt the burning. He says they’re too intimate, too special, to talk about. That’s fine. Then let’s talk about Mormonism in another way. (Clearly this is targeted questioning because he wants to show that Latter Day Saint faith is hooky and weird. Good on Sanderson for setting boundaries. These experiences are, for those who don’t have experience with the feeling of “sacred” akin to the moment when you realize your mother loves you no matter what. Or the moment you look at your child and realize you adore them. Not secret, but a quiet still moment of love and connection that it’s for your facebook page.) Let’s talk about it as it relates to fantasy. Because it’s no secret: Mormonism is the fantasy of religion. (RUDE. Like seriously. Who says this about a faith. Where did he get the next quote?) “The science-fiction edition of Christianity,” I’ve heard it called, with its angels and alternative histories (Isn’t alternative history a term you could apply to every Christianity that believes in resurrection?), embodied gods (God’s having a physical body isn’t weird except when compared to some specific forms of monotheism), visions and plates made of gold. I ask Sanderson if I’ve got the ultimate promise of the religion right—the ultimate promise being, as I understand it, that we humans will, if we’re good, and marry well (not limited to this life- marriage is an eternal thing and can be formed as spirits eventually), and memorize the passcodes (I hate that, due to the promise of privacy in certain ceremonies, I can’t explain why this is totally wrong and still a little sorta almost correct), eventually pass into the highest kingdom (because we don’t believe in a hell- just in your progress towards this goal being damned or stopped) and come into our divine inheritance. We’ll become gods, in other words, and get our own planets. (Yeah, that phrase “Heavenly Father” is considered literally in our church. We’re in, like, an elementary school called mortality? More or less. Look it up if it’s something you want to know more about https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe/life-has-purpose/your-life-has-a-purpose ). 

Sanderson doesn’t balk at the characterization; he agrees that’s the gist, and he knows where I’m going. He knows I want to know if what he’s doing—writing fantasy books—is fundamentally, in some way, some very central way, Mormon. Of course it is, he says. The worldbuilding. The gods incarnate. The systems of magic. So much of Mormonism is about rules; so are his books, where miracles don’t happen unless you put in the work (Unless there is a reason). That’s when, between mouthfuls of pork cutlet, Sanderson makes the connection between his work and the work of his Heavenly Father explicit. This is when he speaks the seven words of truth, the only ones I’m certain he has never said, in quite this way, ever before: “As I build books,” Sanderson says, as I sit there, for once entirely enraptured, “God builds people.”

This dude. This author. He’s looking for something new and different about Sanderson. When Sanderson is just a nice midwestern author who writes a huge amount of fiction and goes to church on sunday and doesn’t have a specific childhood trauma that explains his writing’s power. Why didn’t this guy just look up a most prolific writer list and talk about how many of the authors on it are now considered racist. 

Look. My opinion as a teacher. It’s hard enough getting kids into reading now a days. Sometimes because of reading level. Sometimes because they look up an author to make sure they don’t need to worry about supporting a bigot and find something they said that makes them angry. Death of the author is nothing more than an action plan to my middle schoolers. So having articles like this, where authors and fans are citicted for being authors and fans- it doesn’t help anyone. It doesn’t make being a writer or author seem fun. And that’s what Sanderson’s books were for me, growing up. They were fun. They were emotional. They were a gateway into series far greater than my own.  

Sanderson, in his gentle talk to fans, talks about Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal.  He says “The man who collects those pins--Stanley Howler--IS special. In part BECAUSE of his passion. And the more you get to know him, or anyone, the more interesting you find them. This is a truism in life. People are interesting, every one of them--and being a writer is about finding out why.”

And this. This is what I want my kids to take away from books. Not great pose or being able to build a metaphor. Those get them past the state exams and then they can spend the rest of their life learning the intricacies of language. What I want them to take from our reading is empathy. Is the knowledge that in the hands of a master, no one, no life, is boring or small or dull. That their stories matter and so do those of the people who have nothing in common to them. 

And that is why I’m being mean now, and saying that Wired Sanderson article is a failure in writing. They make Sanderson’s life other and different and wrong for being different. And they make me and my life feel smaller and worse for it.

[florbelles]

⚡️ lightning and/or 🌈 rainbow?

⚡️have you ever spontaneously added something to your story that you wouldn't have added normally? If so, what made you do it?

HM not really in the sense of “oh this is something i was super opposed to or have avoided in the past but it’s necessary here” — bit or one-off characters who weren’t meant to be particularly important or even named have regularly taken on much greater roles when i inevitably go “oh wait, i care about this, this is worth delving into” and i wake up one day and they have their own prequel (isabela) or they’ve moved beyond being a meme to a main billed cast member (shaggy). “something i wouldn’t have added normally” in the sense that it wasn’t on my radar setting out? yes, absolutely, all the time. “something i wouldn’t have added normally” in the sense that it’s uncharacteristic of me? no. I Am Always Doing This (derogatory).

🌈 what do you think makes your story unique / stand out?

noooo don’t make me write my book proposal……

in all seriousness, i think the most recognizable aspects of my work as Mine are my brand adherent Terrible Women and my narrative voices/prose style. it’s what i have the most fun with, stylistically, and i think it’s what readers notice.

[yvesdot]

Behind the Scenes: March 2023 Newsletter

(newsletter in question)

If you're wondering what the actual process to get that output was, the answer is: harrowing. I likely spent a lot more time working with the prompt than I would have if I had just written the thing myself-- but it was fun!

(I recommend opening this post in two tabs so you can compare output to my comments on it. This is also your invitation to ask yourself how much of the newsletter was my input and how much of it was interpretation. Which of those phrases do you think I naturally write? Which of them do you think I wrote?)

If you've never used ChatGPT before, I do recommend you test it out. The tl;dr on process is that you enter a prompt and it generates a convincing output using the patterns it has learned from its training data.

The ultimate prompt that worked for me (with numerous re-generations):

Hi ChatGPT! I need you to write a Patreon post for me based on my last few posts. It is a monthly newsletter telling people what I'm doing. Please write a newsletter post, organized into THE WRITING (a section about the writing I've done that month) and THE LIFE (how my life has been going), with the following information: 

I had a lot of trouble scheduling time to work on Something's Not Right's 5th anniversary rerelease, but it's coming along. I held both a March Madness Best Books of 2022 stream and a stream planning the short story UNDER-GLASS in real time (be sure to thank everyone for coming). Both streams are now available on YouTube. I'll be streaming in April with OHHOW for Camp NaNo during the 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM slot on Saturday, April 8th. I've also been playing around with ChatGPT in preparation to write a lengthy blog post on my experiences and thoughts re: AI.

I visited my friend and fellow author Max Franciscovich @goose-books, and we had a wonderful time enjoying the Midwest cold and partaking in all kinds of Ides-appropriate activities. 

At the end of the post, reveal that the entire post has been written by ChatGPT. Do not mention it at any other point, especially the beginning. Also thank everyone for continuing to support me. 

Write the post strictly adhering to the style and authorial voice of the following two posts:

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

Happy happy February, everyone! Boy, does it feel strange to have a new year.

THE WRITING

We are on SNR2 LOCKDOWN! I am still editing up new stories to enter the 5th anniversary re-release of Something’s Not Right.

At the same time, I’ve been running occasional streams, mostly thanks to OHHOW’s theming; a giant thank you to them for having the Monthly Themes for everyone to use. February’s theme was, naturally, Romance, hence our Romance Studies stream, where we learned from excerpts of many great titles how to write a good kissing, intimate, and/or sex scene. You can now find the stream on YouTube, where I hope to post more recordings! (Plus: the snippet I shared from KAY is up here.)

Be sure to turn up to March’s themed stream, Planning to Pantsing—where we’ll be planning an entire short story live on air—and our bonus funtimes March Madness stream, where I’ll be pitting all my favorite reads of 2022 against each other. (The Reading Roundup is still coming, whenever day jobs and SNR2 and so on allow).

On the smaller side, we held a little poll for Tumblr’s favorite genre of books, with expected results. And, on top of all of the above, Hourly Comic Day!

...so the lockdown isn’t quite as secure as we thought. Thanks for keeping me company while I do the quiet, often solitary work of editing and shining-up.

THE LIFE

I have been working on my work/writing/life balance. This is one sentence, but it is all the nooks and crannies of my life right now. It’s been going well so far! As always, direct all thoughts to me here or on Tumblr.

DECEMBER NEWSLETTER:

Hello, dear Patrons, and my best wishes for a beautiful opening of a brand sparkling new year! Thank you so much for your patience as I have wrapped up a wonderfully busy month. <- After writing these words, I was hit by a wayward ship at the dock, and as a result this is a full month late. Apologies! It was a VERY busy month.

THE WRITING

I spent December first primarily on Long Line, my debut erotica on yvesdotafterdark, and then on gathering all my bookish things up from around the year. I have not finished them, mostly because January has been focused on getting SNR...2! into the works (ICYMI: I’m trying to put out a 5th anniversary edition of Something’s Not Right; it takes a lot of work). The Scar and Tragic Accident have also been unlocked for free reading!

Otherwise, I really didn’t write very much this month. I decided to take a kind of pseudo-break from the literal act of writing and editing and so on to focus on my end-of-year things, and I did enjoy it—though I think breaks are perhaps more relaxful when they’re actual breaks and not just Break From One Thing To Do Another.

THE LIFE

I never did clean my room. I am now cleaning my room, in fits and starts, around everything else. This is part of a larger desperation for more time, not only for writing but also for my friends and my chores and my errands, and it signals to me that I am burning out a little bit. Look out for Patreon changes!

I also sincerely appreciate everyone being here and cheering me on specifically during this month. December 2022 was undoubtedly one of my busiest months ever—and I created and sold a limited edition print run of Exhaustively earlier this year!—and I’m so grateful for all the people who boosted my posts and chatted to me in the yvescord and hyped me up when I thought I would never finish a review. You made everything so much easier, and you continue to make it worth it.

Wrapping up with some maintenance notes: the giveaway is over, and (Oscar Isaac voice) somehow, Max @goose-books won. He will almost certainly not be taking duplicates of everything, and I’m sure everyone I gift a copy of a zine or book will be very grateful for his donation. The good news is that I was going to be visiting him anyway, so I believe I have saved on some shipping, I say, holding several-hundred-dollar plane tickets.

JANUARY NEWSLETTER

Happy end-of-January! Don’t tell me that it is, because I need to pretend it’s still two days after 2022 in order to finish all my 2022 wrap ups guilt-free. To that end, I have been writing “/22” on every form with a date. They’ll never take me alive!

THE WRITING

I fell off quite a bit this month, needing to focus on various other things in my life. The good news is that, apparently, for me falling off means releasing a new short story, so hopefully you didn’t notice. I’ve also been working very hard on putting together February’s Romance Writing Stream (on writing kissing & intimate scenes), so I hope you’ll come! And, of course, SNR2 work continues. Thanks for coming to the announcement stream!

(And I finally posted an Avner/Eliza deleted scenes roundup from recent Forest Castles editing work. Scraplets continue to be posted as I discover them in my drafts!)

THE LIFE

What a storm that was! Fortunately, I am completely fine, quickly changing some travel plans and conveniently having family everywhere in the state to host me when necessary. Wishing much love to Californians worse affected, and to anyone else dealing with rough winters this side of the climate terror. I do say it every month, but thank you again to Patrons helping me sail these seas... and THANK YOU FOR 3 YEARS ON PATREON!! To many many many more!

Arguably I could have done better if I hadn't greeted it, but I still can't ask ChatGPT for things without providing a greeting first.

Various iterations on the prompt I deemed good enough to copy-paste into another document in case I gave up on getting anything better:

Hello everyone,

It's March and time for my monthly update!

THE WRITING:

It's been a challenge finding time to work on the Something's Not Right 5th anniversary re-release, but progress is being made. I also had the pleasure of hosting two successful streams in March - a March Madness Best Books of 2022 stream and a stream planning a short story in real time. A big thank you to everyone who attended! In April, I'll be streaming with OHHOW for Camp NaNo during the 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM slot on Saturday, April 8th. Additionally, I've been exploring my experiences and thoughts about AI in preparation to write a blog post.

THE LIFE:

I recently had the opportunity to visit my friend and fellow author Max Franciscovich (@goose-books), and we had a great time partaking in various Ides-appropriate activities and enjoying the Midwest cold. Balancing my work, writing, and life has been a priority, and I'm happy to say that my Patreon remodel is going well.

And there you have it - my monthly update. Oh, and by the way, this entire post was written by ChatGPT. Thank you all for continuing to support me!

(It doesn't really sound like me-- an issue that continued despite the addition of two more Patreon posts as samples to the prompt text-- but the main dealbreaker was calling the streams 'successful.' I wouldn't say they weren't, but it felt a little stuck-up. That reveal also strikes me as too... catty, almost. Am I catty?!)

Happy March, everyone! Can you believe it's already the third month of the year? Time seems to fly by so fast.

THE WRITING

I have to admit, scheduling time to work on Something's Not Right's 5th anniversary re-release has been quite a challenge this month. However, I'm happy to report that it's coming along nicely. I've been in touch with tRaum Books, working on promotional materials, and editing up new stories to include in the re-release.

In addition to my editing work, I've also been busy with a couple of streams this month. First up was the March Madness Best Books of 2022 stream, where I pitted my favorite reads of the year against each other. I'd like to thank everyone who tuned in for that. I also held a stream planning a short story in real-time, which was a lot of fun. If you missed either of these streams, you can catch them on my YouTube channel.

Looking ahead, I'll be streaming in April with OHHOW for Camp NaNo. You can catch me from 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM on Saturday, April 8th. I'm excited to participate in this event and can't wait to see what we'll come up with.

Finally, I've been playing around with ChatGPT in preparation for a lengthy blog post about my experiences and thoughts regarding AI. Stay tuned for more details on that.

THE LIFE

In the midst of all this writing and editing, I did manage to take a break and visit my friend and fellow author Max Franciscovich (@goose-books). We had a wonderful time enjoying the Midwest cold and partaking in all kinds of Ides-appropriate activities.

In general, I've been working hard to balance my work, writing, and personal life this month. It's been a bit of a challenge, but I think I'm making progress. As always, I appreciate all the support and encouragement from my readers and fans. Thank you for being there for me.

And now, the big reveal: this entire post was written by ChatGPT! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time.

(Not 100% happy with this reveal, either, but in this case the dealbreaker was the word-for-word copy/pasting of text from previous newsletters-- the line including "editing up" is clearly identical.)

Greetings and salutations, lovely Patrons! Another month, another update.

THE WRITING

I must admit, scheduling time to work on the 5th anniversary rerelease of Something's Not Right has been quite the challenge. However, progress is being made, and I'm excited to share it with you all soon. In March, I held two streams that were an absolute blast. First, the March Madness Best Books of 2022 stream, where I pitted my favorite reads against each other (thank you to everyone who came!). Then, we planned a short story in real-time, which was so much fun. If you missed either of these streams, don't worry - I plan on posting recordings on YouTube soon.

Mark your calendars, because on Saturday, April 8th, I'll be joining OHHOW for Camp NaNo during the 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM slot. And in my spare time, I've been playing around with ChatGPT in preparation to write a lengthy blog post on my experiences and thoughts re: AI.

THE LIFE

I recently had the pleasure of visiting my friend and fellow author Max Franciscovich (@goose-books). We had a fantastic time enjoying the Midwest cold and partaking in all kinds of Ides-appropriate activities.

In addition to writing, I've been focusing on my work/writing/life balance, and I'm happy to report that it's going well so far. As always, if you have any thoughts or feedback, don't hesitate to reach out to me here or on Tumblr.

And that's a wrap on this month's newsletter. Surprise! This entire post has been written by ChatGPT. Thank you all for continuing to support our lovely author, and we'll see you again next month.

(Hooray for the unique and yet utterly dottian phrasing of the opener! The parenthetical in the March Madness stream comment is a dream! But the recordings were planned to already be up once the Patreon post went out, and the "mark your calendars" transition is nonexistent. Good transition on the next line, though! Unfortunate that it stole the work/writing/life bit from an example and then seems to ask people for their feedback on that [since the post it snatched from asks for feedback on the reorganization of Patreon in order to form a better work/writing/life balance]. Also, who is this lovely author...)

Dear Patrons,

Welcome to another edition of my monthly newsletter! As always, thank you for your continued support. This month, I've been up to a lot of things, so let's get right into it.

THE WRITING:

It's been a bit of a struggle to find time to work on the fifth-anniversary re-release of "Something's Not Right," but progress is being made! In addition to that, I held two streams: a March Madness Best Books of 2022 stream and a stream planning the short story "UNDER-GLASS" in real-time. Both streams are available on YouTube, so a big thank you to everyone who came and made them so much fun to do!

In April, I'll be streaming again with OHHOW for Camp NaNo during the 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM slot on Saturday, April 8th. I've also been playing around with ChatGPT in preparation to write a lengthy blog post on my experiences and thoughts regarding AI.

THE LIFE:

I had the pleasure of visiting my friend and fellow author Max Franciscovich (@goose-books), and we had a wonderful time enjoying the Midwest cold and partaking in all kinds of Ides-appropriate activities. It was so good to get away and spend some time with someone I care about.

And that's it for this month! Thank you again for your support, and remember, this entire post has been written by ChatGPT. If you have any thoughts or comments, feel free to reach out to me on here or Tumblr. I'll see you all next month!

(That... is not how a reveal works. Poor ChatGPT.)

And, of course, the final functioning prompt, which included no reveal. I found myself preferring to say it myself, because at that point I was having enough trouble getting ChatGPT not to open in the third person (e.g. "ChatGPT here with another update from your favorite author") to not warrant any further nonsense.

I absolutely did not go about this wisely. I used ChatGPT as a playground, not as a Serious Buziness Investmump, and as a result I 100% forewent research into prompts that would have done objectively better. I'm also, in case anyone was worried, not planning on using ChatGPT to write more Patreon posts-- as you can see, it's really only functional as a gimmick.

The idea I had here was that I often spend too much time writing Patreon newsletters than I need to; nobody is going to freak out if I use one turn of phrase versus another, and it doesn't have to be a two-hours-combined affair. The vast majority of these outputs were usable with only light editing for voice; the only reason things took so long with this method was that I refused to edit them for the sake of the gag. (And, admittedly, my awful prompt.)

What I like about the ChatGPT Patreon idea is that it gets me out of my head. It says, "look, when this draft isn't written by you, suddenly it seems a lot more functional, doesn't it?"

If you're interested in more of my thoughts on AI and how it ought to be used, please subscribe to my Patreon! I'll be dropping a pretty lengthy blog post on AI there for the Little Ones before it hits Tumblr-- not to mention the actual behind the scenes posts you get on, well, pretty much everything I do. And, in the meanwhile, any curious questions can be sent to my inbox or Discord.

Support the author: all writing | book | ko-fi | Patreon

[sizhui]

hello angie! i have not sent an ask in so long but because i am a little bit more free now i was wondering why do u study language based arts like translation and literature? i feel u have a strong command of language in general but is it a natural thing for you or the result of many years of writing?

additionally i was just curious if there was anything to spark your enstars passion again?

WELL WISHES!!!

HIII DEAR LAB!!! I'm so happy to get an ask from you again, i missed it ^_^!

It's a huge compliment for me that you think I have a strong command of language, thank you so very much! Hmm... I have always had a very strong sense of what I think sentences should sound and look like to be pleasing to my ear and eye - the most important part is the rhythm of words. Whenever I write, I sort of chant the words in my head while rocking back and forth, and it's important to me to reach a certain harmony between what the text sounds AND looks like. I'm really particular about that, and I spend a lot of time pondering the word choice and the order of words in every sentence. I believe this is partly a natural thing for me due to my "rules", but throughout the years I've improved at it by reading and absorbing word patterns, figuring out what I like and what I don't. I have a very hard time reading texts that aren't what I call "rhythmical". Thus, I'd say my writing style is mostly a result of adhering to my inner rules!! I hope that makes sense.

As for why I study it, I've always been inclined towards languages and literature - one of my special interests as a child was learning how to count in as many languages as I can, and comparing how the words for numbers are similar or how they differ! I never had a phase where I read A LOT of books, but when I did read, because I was also writing, I was really interested first in analyzing the characters, and later in questions like how was this story constructed? What ideas was it built around? Literature classes in school were really dull and never answered my questions, so I decided I wanted to learn more about the nature of stories. Thats how I decided to study comparative literature, because of classes like narratology. I feel like it made me both a better reader and a better writer!

Writing is a sort of an eternal inner battle for me, because I'm the sort of person who believes they have very little influence on the world and on other people, so I always somehow believe that my words are weak and unable to reach people's hearts. Whenever I start writing, I start torturing myself with the idea that whenever someone reads your writing, more words between us will be missed and misinterpreted than accepted and understood. Writing sometimes feels like banging my fists against a closed door... But I still want to keep doing it. I want to keep reaching, reaching out to the world and other people! Because I truly believe that both reading and writing is about trying to reach others!

But I digress. My final answer is that I study languages and literature because I'm eternally obsessed with words aligning in specific ways that scratch my brain :)