#i find that in a lot of stories (and i'm not pointing at fanfics bc even Sailor Moon does it) the og friends of the MCs get kinda abandoned

[maingh0st]

A question did you plot your Taryn X ghost fic aka outline it or just wrote it and let the story come to you?

I'm a methodological pantser (thanks ellen brock for helping me realize my writing process is not crazy ✨) so I started with a very loose idea of: (1) where I wanted the characters to start, (2) where I wanted them to end, and (3) big developments that needed to happen along the way. all the little details came together in the process of writing, revising, re-outlining, restructuring, then rewriting. that might sound wild haha but it's just how my brain works—so yes I had a plan, but my outline was very bare bones to begin with & became more fleshed out as I wrote!

[reploidbuddy]

This is 3 days late im sorry but - if it's open for qs, I'd love ti hear about your shared dreams au if you havent already answered?

No need to be sorry!!! Qs are always open <3

And I'm so glad your asked!!! So far, I've only posted Silver and Espio’s designs with some basic info if you're interested :3 (crazy that when I re-read Espio's I found a few details had already changed. Nothing big but it's still funny to me, stuff change so fast when it simmers well in planning).

But the basic premise/summary-like description is that Espio comes in contact with an odd gem to study it so he can do an important research paper for school (and like, get his degree lmao), but ever since he brought it homes he starts having oddly similar dreams where he meets a mysterious young man around his age (that talks a little oddly and is weirdly dressed too).

The vocaloid song The Apocalypse 30th gave me the basic "two people meet each other in a dream and fall in love" premise along with a few details here and there. So yes it's Espilver, I like them B)

As always, there's a lot of lore that'll come with the story. I get excited when I think abt it but I'm scared it'll turn into yet another really long story ;-; I'm already struggling to write Where the Water Narrows due to irl stuff I don't want to keep 2 audiences waiting and split my already thin focus ;-; but the story itself do be sparking joy to think about so I get to plan it when I'm away from a mechanical keyboard.

[jevilowo]

MY OPINIONS ON VARIOUS TF2 SHIPS

For funsies

SCIENCE PARTY:

fun ship, but they're GodComplex4GodComplex and I fear that would only end in disaster

TOASTED SANDVICH:

if there is one heavypyro fan on this stupid baka planet it is me. shout out to menacing quiet individuals who like violence but have a soft side fr.

BLOODY SUIT:

literally The Original toxic yaoi rivals to lovers red blue combo ship. speeding bullet and napoleon complex fans WISH they had our shared update and corresponding voice lines

BATTING HELMET: (scout n solly)

i just think it's really funny trust me on this one guys. have you seen them in the fourth comic it's a constant "yes, and" bit between the two of them. soldier's love language is choking people out.

HIT AND A MISS: (scout n pauling)

like most ms pauling ships, i'm only into it if scout's a cool lesbian. which he is not most of the time.

RED OKTOBERFEST:

AAAAAAAAAAAAA literally the ship of all time save me heavymedic save me. if they don't smooch in the next comic i will become jay pinkerton's personal sleep paralysis demon.

SPEEDING BULLET:

my feelings on it are Complicated. twas my first love (otp) in this fandom, but the overabundance of twinky uwu scout and daddy dom snoipah has built up some resentment on my part. call me back when people stop making up imaginary life problems for sniper to comfort scout over.

NAPOLEON COMPLEX: (Spy n Engie)

literally just rarjack if they were boys and not horses to me and i'm not even an mlp fan. it's alright, just doesn't really stick out to me.

SPYMA:

LITERALLY THE POWERCOUPLE EVER TRULY A LOVE STORY FOR THE AGES or at least the version that exists in my head is. i have so much made up spyma lore it's crazyyy. bonus points if they're polying up they cule with sniper it's quickly becoming my favourite genre of fanart (i have seen at maximum three)

SUPPORT SANDWICH: (spy n sniper n medic)

in my opinion, it is healthy for everyone to have at least one ship they just like bc they think it's hot. for me, that is support sandwich. not much else to say on that the fics are all banging go look them up.

SNIDOS: (sniper n GLaDOS)

hell yeah.

ADMINPAULING:

i used to like it a lot, but timelining implies ms pauling's been working for helen since her mid teens at the latest so i no longer like it. 4chan leaks my beloathed pleaseee don't make them kiss i think it would kill me in a bad way

URINE SAMPLE: (medic n sniper)

there's a lot of werewolf and vampire stuff for these two on ao3 which is pretty fun. and i'm way more likely to find sniper angst under the medicsniper tag than sb and bs which is always a plus.

FRENCH TOAST: (spyro)

have you seen that one animation where pyro gives birth to spy's child and gordon freeman is there at one point. yeahhhh. the ship's pretty cute tho spy would be sooo soft for pyro they'd light his cigarettes for him.

BOOTS AND BOMBS:

THE FORBIDDEN RED/BLU ROMANCE GOES CRAZY I ADORE IT. same team bnb is pretty banging too. bonus points if they're polying up they cule with zhanna.

SPYPAULING:

HEAR ME OUT ON THIS ONE. imagine. spy x pauling. yuri. that will be all.

SWORDVAN:

SWORDVAN MY LOVE!!! idk what it is about demo and sniper together but HELL YEAH TOP 5 SHIPS FR FR. shout out to the guy still writing monsterous intent, they're like single handedly carrying the swordvandom.

TEXAS TOAST:

I used to think "this is cute" but then my friend got really really into it and that hyped me up into "THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST SHIPS OF ALL TIME" territory. bonus points if they're yuri! shout out to Technicolor California, my current favourite fanfic of all time (it overtook running blind in the interal rankings). oh yeah insert mandatory "no hate to engie and pyro father son dynamic preferers" message here lol.

Ok that's enough I will cover more at some point maybe.

[the-music-maniac]

How fucked up would it be if Sefikura got Hanahaki? Either one of them. That ship is already toxic AF (affectionate) but imagine the HAVOC.

I'm gonna ramble a bit so I can get the brain worms out but feel free to correct me on any plot points, or character interpretations: I've absorbed all this shit from watching walkthroughs (cause I'm broke and video games are expensy) and I haven't finished watching yet. I'm also playing it fast and loose with when this occurs in canon - I have no idea tbh. My interpretations are probably influenced by fandom already cause I've been reading posts and fanfics, and I am aware that this is SO self indulgent, so again. Biased viewpoint here.

Also since I'm aware that sefikura is a controversial ship even with the ship's popularity and age, if you don't like it, that's fine, just block me or scroll on.

I can see the story being more interesting if Seph is the one to get the disease. Mostly because, while I understand his obsession with Cloud is quite complex and not really there bc of romantic reasons (Cloud has S-cells, Seph kinda just views Cloud as his to control I assume, plus Cloud is useful to him, and the fact that Sephiroth has a god complex a mile wide and Cloud was somehow able to beat him as a mere trooper, etc. etc.) I do think for an individual like Sephiroth, that level of obsession is likely the closest he's going to get to love, or at least a blurring of the lines between love and hate. I don't think he really feels that emotion much anymore, especially not after the first time he died, but whatever he DOES feel for Cloud could be strong enough and close enough in shape for something like Hanahaki to latch onto.

Sephiroth's course of action in response would be interesting to see. Hanahaki weakens the individual, which is something Seph is probably not gonna stand for, even if he has enough hubris that he doesn't think he'll die from it. Maybe similar to the degeneration Genesis was experiencing? There's a thought. I honestly think Sephiroth would find it more intolerable if he reaches a stalemate with the disease, not enough to kill him, but enough to weaken him to the point where it hurts his pride and gets in the way of his plans. That seems like it would grate on him more than the threat of death, which doesn't stick anyways.

Sephiroth's go-to in that situation (upon exhausting other avenues - the first and easiest being, y'know. Murder) would probably be to try the puppet route - force Cloud into feeling that reciprocating emotion. Which like. It doesn't work like that Sephy. And here's where it could get really dark if you were so inclined to write it that way, but I'm not in the mood for that right now so I'm gonna say this - that course of action would bring up a lot of PTSD for Cloud obviously, but a perplexing point would be if Sephiroth just y'know. Succeeded in controlling and forcing that emotion for a bit and then upon realizing Hanahaki doesn't work like that - immediately releases his control. Cloud is left there, sound of mind again and fucked up in the mental health but ultimately unharmed and very confused.

Second course of action, good old fashioned manipulation. Here is where it would probably get convoluted though, while I don't think Sephiroth would go down the full on cracky shit of trying to woo Cloud or anything like that (keep in mind up until now, I don't think the nature of Sephiroth's emotions for Cloud are necessarily romantic, so that's not where the Hanahaki is stemming from, or at least not at the beginning - since we are talking about Sefikura and I do like the romance even if I acknowledge it's a little out there in terms of canon. I'm aware he says some provocative shit, but I think that's to get a reaction - it's taunting more than flirting. So, I don't think it would necessarily occur to Sephiroth to do anything romantic here), I do think Sephiroth would be forced to do shit that's actually helpful. His world domination plans are at a standstill cause he's too weak to enact them, and he's trying to get some sort of reciprocation that's enough for the disease to be satisfied, so even if he doesn't give a shit and thinks it's stupid and a waste of time, he studies Cloud and his friends and their movements and acts accordingly to help. Probably in the most violent way possible, granted. Sending Cloud into more confusion.

What I do find interesting is if Cloud finds out what's happening. Fear in response to learning about possibly romantic feelings on Sephiroth's end is probably unavoidable with how fucked up their in game relations are (Sephiroth's attentions are not exactly kind), but once Cloud realizes the nature of those emotions are not romantic (and therefore not r*pey - while I do have a vested interest in avoiding that, I also don't think it's in character for Seph. He always struck me as someone who either didn't have interest in intercourse for its own sake or just never felt safe enough to try when he was still sane) ironically? I can see Cloud eventually feeling guilty. Because his first reaction would obviously be relief or even happiness at the fact that this is weakening Sephiroth and may potentially lead to his death, and I do believe that would be genuine relief. At the beginning there is no guilt. Just fury at the audacity and a vindictive type of happiness. And then the guilt stems from the insidiousness of a disease like this, as Sephiroth keeps being helpful, and seeing the reality of an individual who no longer acts untouchable like a God, suffering. Not beating the enemy by any honest means but by the simple fact that Cloud despises Sephiroth, and something is responding to that and doing the dirty work for him. And then, feeling guilty about feeling guilty bc he should be happy about keeping Seph contained and unable to hurt others by any means necessary, but he's not. He seems like the type of hero to spiral like that.

And then of course, as time progresses on, the hatred lessening the longer Sephiroth isn't doing any heinous shit, the worry of no longer being able to hold onto enough of that hatred to keep Sephiroth contained, because Cloud isn't stupid, he KNOWS Sephiroth isn't doing this out of anything genuine, but it's still working because humans are humans who have sympathy for those who look like they're suffering and memories that fade and get overwritten with time and new information. And so Cloud knows the second he lets go of that hatred, Sephiroth will go back to killing, but in the same breath he can't help feeling sympathetic. Knowing the manipulation and still falling for it despite yourself is probably uniquely infuriating and seems like the mindfuckery Sephiroth would enjoy.

Here's the kicker though, Cloud's response to that "not-hatred anymore, but not nearly indifferent enough to be neutral" emotion would probably be paired with him treating Sephiroth better than he was treated by any of the Shinra personnel, barring of course Angeal, Genesis and Zack, without even realizing it. Like Sephiroth was dehumanized for so long, both as a weapon to be used and feared and as a public figure to be idolized and adored - none of that was his own to control - so Cloud extending basic courtesies and concern is going to feel different. Maybe it reminds him of Angeal and Genesis, I dunno. It wouldn't be out of the left field, the disease probably already reminds him of the degeneration. So now he's reminded that he was capable of loving people, once. We don't got time to unpack Sephiroth's mile long list of issues in this post but let's say it actually makes Seph come to a couple epiphanies. If Sephiroth's feelings eventually shift to romantic love while Cloud's feelings are shifting to that not-hatred, not-quite-romantic-yet, but not-indifferent, Sephiroth is y'know. Still gonna be stuck with the disease cause it's not technically reciprocation. That would be hilarious wouldn't it. So let's say that happens and Sephy is confused and Cloudy is also confused at the fact that he's beginning to feel charitable towards Sephiroth but he's still not getting better.

On the contrary, I think he would get worse. Because NOW what the Hanahaki is latching onto is real and genuine love. Yeah, that previous weakening wasn't even the disease at full strength, have fun with that.

I can see Sephiroth getting frustrated at this point cause he doesn't seem well adjusted enough to notice his own feelings shifting and put two and two together, so upon realizing that Cloud feels some level of reciprocation and the disease is getting worse, he probably would just. Leave. And at this point in the story I think what would disturb Cloud the most is if he sees Sephiroth give up entirely. Because consistently, the man has never done that before. Sephiroth has never in all the crazy shit that he's done - given up.

Keep in mind, it's only really possible at this point cause Sephiroth has been feeling like absolute dogshit the entire time. Chronic pain wears on you, and for someone who has been inhumanly healthy and then the equivalent of a God, that constant exhaustion and weakness, the choking on your breaths and pain in your chest, and then being so sure of a solution and having hope, only for it to not work and to even get worse - also Seph doesn't have good coping mechanisms clearly - he gives up. And I think this is the push Cloud might need for his own feelings to shift.

And how fucked up would it be if the hanahaki flowers were sent by Aerith though. I don't think she would do that maliciously, but as a way to test if there's any hope for Sephiroth. She maybe didn't necessarily know it would manifest for Cloud, but just some type of reaction. A way to keep her loved ones safe from him? Weakening but not killing him because Sephiroth pollutes the lifestream if he enters it, and he also won't stay dead and everyone keeps suffering because of it and - basically they're at a stalemate. If there is no hope for Seph, then the flowers would do nothing. If there is, then the flowers may be a chance to change things. Imagine that. Whether or not it's in character for Aerith is up for debate but it would be quite interesting.

So Cloud talking to Aerith and learning that? Learning that things aren't as hopeless for Sephiroth as he had assumed? Another point that may cause Cloud's viewpoint to change. It's hard to deny the authenticity of someone's humanity when it's literally killing them.

And since my entire reason for liking Sefikura is partially because Sephiroth's backstory upsets me (most of it's because it's just an interesting dynamic, but the fact that Seph was made to be a weapon, abused throughout his entire life with little to no bodily autonomy nor freedom, thought he had been betrayed by two of the only people he loved, and then manipulated until he went insane, and is now never going to be free of Jenova or his anger and hatred because he gave into his worst demons - that makes me sad. So, admittedly I got into sefikura because of time travel fix-its where Cloud goes back and tries to fix things - which often includes people gradually realizing just how much abuse Sephiroth had suffered, and all the factors that were pushing Seph until he snapped. I mean granted, that doesn't excuse the awful shit he did by any means, but the odds were by every definition, against him from the beginning. The romance was just a large bonus of those fix-its) I'm going to give them a happy ending. Cloud stays there and tries to get Sephiroth back to how he was, and in the process with the amount of time they spend together, and the worry he's been feeling at how Sephiroth is deteriorating, helps push the feelings that are there into fruition. The Hanahaki clears, and Cloud expects to need to fight Sephiroth, expects that he would have to kill him. Sephiroth doesn't - not because he now values humanity or anything because I don't think any amount of redemption is enough for Sephiroth to reach that point, at least not that quickly, that shit would be a lifelong battle - but because he knows Cloud, and he knows he would kill him if he went back to how he was. If it really came down to it, to save the world, Cloud wouldn't hesitate. And once he crosses that line after they've had this dynamic, that's the last betrayal and there would be no going back, no returning. That would be the end, permanently. And he actually wants to stay by Cloud's side. There could be a moment where Sephiroth contemplates it, but in the end his better demons win out, if you wanna add more drama.

I have also thought about what it would be like if Cloud had Hanahaki and it would also be interesting, although the disease type wouldn't quite be the same as for Sephiroth, because Cloud does genuinely hate Seph. So, it would probably be more fucked up - if Sephiroth succeeded in keeping Cloud as a puppet, and that results in a manifestation of Hanahaki because of that forced devotion, since Sephiroth is only using Cloud as a tool. And it ironically weakens Cloud enough that he's no longer useful as a puppet and Sephiroth has to let go. Rinse repeat. Or if Sephiroth is somehow able to use his cells to induce a similar disease in Cloud. That'd be pretty damn fucked up, huh. Compels me though.

Anyways, I dunno if I'll ever use any of these ideas for anything, but it was still interesting to think about. Thank you for reading!

[mono-dot-jpeg]

nap time - k. leona

summary; being sent into this world wasn't so bad. at least you found people like you.

genre/extra tags; jaguar hybrid! reader, reader is mc but not really???, grim is their child and reader refuses to accept it, cat habits instilled into humans, fluff, comedy, consensual violence as affection, reader has vitiligo that looks like jaguar spots but i never address it in the story, reader is referred to as mc and prefect

word count; 1.07k

[gender neutral reader] [can be romantic or platonic? idk]

a/n; hey lol, i write for twst now ig. i wont do it often bc i think i havent grasped some of the characters well enough. but i'll take some requests

and im also on a stardew valley grind for this month so... not really playing twst often. but nonetheless, hope you enjoy. i wrote this thinking abt tank the jaguar. love that big cat fr.

anyways insert obligatory leona nap time fanfic.

you were quite glad that you landed in a different world where beastmen/hybrids were just common occurance. it's not like you didn't have them before you got here, they were just not as common in your past home. though, you've been here for a while, can you even call your old world, home?

if you were being honest, you found a new home with the savanaclaw dorm. despite being a more solitary animai, you found some comfort in the other beastman. though ruggie liked to annoy you in your times of silence, you consider him a good friend. jack was nice, he was awkward at times but he meant well. but you were much more interested in leona.

something about being so similar yet so different attracted you to him. and also the fact that grim was more than willing to let you be friends with leona if it meant free cans of tuna and money.

but you really like the moments you had with leona.

it was an unlucky day really. having to wake up to attend class, terrible. having to drag grim by the scruff to wake up, little brat gets an extra 5 minutes while you have to actually get ready. and then losing grim because... why would he listen to you for more than 5 minutes? sounded more like a normal day than you liked to admit.

"hey. herbivore." he chuffs. while it's typically a nice greeting between your shared kind with leona, you can't help but think it's more teasing than usual.

"i'm in the same family and genus as you. who are you calling herbivore?" you grunted. you bat at his arm once, causing the male to snicker.

"i believe you're looking for an annoying little cat?"

"myah! i'm not a cat!" you hear the familiar squeal of your tiny companion. "i don't want to go to class!" he's hanging by his scruff and being held by leona who's looking over at you in amusement.

"well, you cost us half an attendance mark!" you swipe him from leona's grip, pressing a hand against his cheek. "you can't just do what you please all the time! if i could, i would be sleeping right now!" you huffed. you turn to leona, who was watching you as if it was an interesting tv show, "thanks for finding him. i'm getting sick of chasing him all the time."

"ironic for a jaguar. don't you like the chase, being fast and all?" leona chuckles as you give him a pointed glare.

your arms soon cradle grim properly while your hand stays against the back of grim's neck. the loud cat yowls, "stop grabbing me there! myah!"

you ignore the small cat to answer the big cat, "i'm not that fast!"

he gives you a look, "jack thinks otherwise."

"jack is a wolf, completely different species!" you two bicker. but there's a growing grin on leona's face as you both start walking, grim wrapped up in your arms. "you better not leave this time, grim." he grumbles, eventually stopping his twisting and turning and gets comfortable in your arms. "as i said before, we're from the same genus, so naturally, we're gonna be built similar. but you're a big lazy cat who naps all day. of course you're gonna be slower than me!"

"for someone who is a solitary animal, you sure yap a lot. maybe you should be a chihuahua instead." his pointer and middle finger move to pinch your cheek for a second. "you like to scold me a lot. you're starting to sound like ruggie."

"you like being just as troublesome as grim." with a free hand, you push the side of leona's head.

"hey!" the cat shouts, offended.

"you need to relax a bit. i'm sure you're stressed out, right? grim doesn't really do much to help."

"so mean! and why does my henchman get to rest but i can't?!" grim whines. you shake your head.

"i'm not resting anytime soon. i have a lot to do. mostly just keeping grim in line but... no rest for me yet." you give a weary smile. "maybe later, i'll come by the gardens to see you." you hummed.

he huffs, "get someone else to care for grim. you need rest." you can't even say hi to your friends as leona grabs grim and tosses him to your friends, who are just as confused as you are.

"you didn't have to toss grim like that!" you slap the back of leona's head, "and i'll be fine!" you walk over to the adeuce duo, only to get tugged away again. you're tempted to throw hands as leona continues to have the audacity to try to get you to rest.

"the teachers like you anyways, you can skip one class to rest. we all know how biased crewel is when it comes to you." with enough bickering between you two, you make it to the gardens. the sun is warm against your skin as you huffed.

"do i really need to rest during classes?! i could just sleep after school!"

"do you really want to nap in your dorm, prefect?" he's already laying down on a comfortable spot. you stare at the already sleepy beastman, who only stares back as if to challenge you. it takes about two minutes for you to fold. might as well as this point. you grovel over in defeat as leona smiles smugly at your behavior.

you sort of force your way into his arms and rest your back against his chest, to which he presses his face to your neck. you can hear him chuffing. you can't help but comment, "you're chuffing an awful lot. sounds like you care for me. ack-!" his hand reaches over to your face, pressing his palm under your chin to tilt your head up.

"talking too much for a jaguar." your eyes are forced to stare into his own for a moment before he lets go and gets comfy. "just sleep." his face is buried against your head as he starts to fall asleep.

"well, you never denied it." you snicker as you turn to face him. "i don't know much about lions but something tells me you like me." he opens one eye to look at your cheeky smile.

"yeah, i do." he moves to kiss your forehead, "you're stupider than i thought, you should've figured it out sooner."

you can feel blood rushing to your face as you stammer, "y-you can't just drop that out of nowhere!" it's too late to scold him as he's already asleep.

[kleefkruid]

Hello, I hope this isn't an awkward or rude ask, feel free to ignore tho, but I've been tentatively interested in polyam, but more specifically being in a relationship with two partners I love and cherish. I've seen a lot of posts say that this isnt how polyam stuff works tho and I have no touch stone other than my own lovey dovey fantasies, but I know you're polyam and I figured I'd ask what I should think of and or expect out of a polyam relationship? How does it all work? I hope I explained what I mean well enough. Thank you for your time!

Hi! I'm assuming by the way you worded this you're talking about a triad, a relationship where you are dating two people and they're also dating each other.

I'm gonna go into a few points here 1. triads and their prevalence 2. unicorn hunting, what is it and why is everyone yelling 3. how to 'look for a 3rd' in a not-terrible way 4. a little something else about polyam relationship dynamics

Triads exist! But it's true that outsiders assume it's the standard, as you'll notice in pop culture most poly people are triads, and also here on tumblr as a fanfic trope it's also very prevalent.

But in reality triads are not too common simply for the sheer statistic probability. You have to find someone you like, they have to like you. You also have to find someone else you like who also likes you. Then that first person must also like your second person, and your second person must also like your first person! And then after all this, you have 3 relationships (you+b, you+c, b+c) and you still have to find a way to make the 4th relationship dynamic work (you+b+c). Personally, none of my partners or other people I was connected with, have dated other people I'd wanna date. It's usually people I think are cool, good looking and I want them in my life, but they're not people I wish to date. All triads I have spoken or read their stories have kind off stumbled into it. Usually someone was already dating person b, starts dating person c, and by happenstance person b and c do find this connection. So, it happens, it's great when it happens, but it's just not likely purely bc of chance.

2. When talking about this, I have to quickly get into unicorn hunters, because you will run into this term, and you have some overzealous polyam people who will throw this at any person walking into the scene (looking at you, certain message boards) You might think allright, I'll start with finding my person B, and together we'll look around until we find someone we both like! And this is a fine idea, truly (*I am pushing a yelling crowd away at this point*) but there is a certain type of couple that have made this method veeeeery unpopular (and are responsible for like, 90% of the shit polyam people get online), and you have to make sure you're not those people, and then you'll be fine. This specific kind of couple is what people mean when they use the term unicorn hunters. Scenario: You have a mono couple. Usually a straight man and a bisexual/curious woman. They decide they want to dip their toes into polyamory. No problems at this point, although going from mono to poly is a whole post on it's own. But the man doesn't want another man in the relationship, he like the idea of having two girlfriends though, and his girlfriend is interested in girls anyway, so let's look for a girlfriend for us both! This girl they are looking for is what is jokingly refered to as a unicorn. Because they're looking for a bisexual woman (already a specific subgroup) who is poly (again, upping the rarity) who likes them both, equially, and who likes to be barraged by two complete strangers who are like "hey do you want to date us both or maybe have a threesome and see where is goes" A lot of these couples can be to forward (hence the 'hunting' part), because they don't know the dynamics of the poly scene they walked in, but they're usually also not knowlegable about the basics of the queer scene. They're the couples that message lesbians, not seeing how that's fucked up. Often the girl will match with someone on lesbian tinder, who's often not even poly, mind you, and then go "by the way, this is my boyfriend, wanna have a threesome?" If someone enters a relationship with those two, they're often treated as an assesory, lower on the ladder, and they're not allowed to date other people. It's pretty much universally a bad experience for the so called unicorn. It's a stereotype sure, but it's a really fucking prevalent one and any poly person has run into them, every wlw, whether they're poly or not, will have to slap they away when they enter any online dating or even when just existing. So that's why just being a couple looking for a 3rd, even if you're being perfectly respectful (which again, possible) will get an aggressive response in poly cirlces, because we all get the flak that's meant for those people. Lot's of people, especially again mono lesbians, don't even want to associate with me when they hear I'm poly bc of these people, while we get ecually harassed, but in their eyes, that's what poly people are, even though they're misbehaving tourists at best.

3. Now, I have talked about probability, what you shouldn't do, but this leaves the question, what should you do?

Firstly, take it easy, what needs to happen will happen. If you're interested in being polyam, just start with that. Dip your toes into the water without having a route or destination mapped out. If you get a better feel about how it is to be polyam and what the dynamics are like, it will be easier to figure out if being poly is something you want to really get into, and what you want from it. It's a learning process like anything is. Mono peoples first dating will differ wildly to the long term relationship they're in years later. It's just like that, again.

Practical, finding people. I recommend looking on poly specific dating websites. I met my current partner on feeld. The fun thing about feeld is that you can connect your current partners profile to yours. So you're matching people on your own, but you can be like: this is my other partner btw. Feeld is open for both people looking on their own, or couples. And people communicate in their bio what kind of thing they're after. You can also connect your partner for funsies without looking for a 3rd, the connected profiles I see are about 50/50. There are other poly or poly-friendly apps but I have not tried them so you'll have to ask around about those!

tinder: If you make a profile for yourselves just start with saying you're poly in your bio. If people give you shit after you were clear from the start, that's they're problem and they're just being an ass. If you're dating on your own, I would also mention this so people don't think some 2nd person will jump in after you match. I have succesfully dated on tinder as a poly person. I mentioned that I was poly, that I was dating one other person and that we were not looking for people together. I didn't have any mishaps with that. If you're dating and looking together: making a couple profile on tinder, I don't recommend, because again, people will take you for unicorn hunters even if you are not. If you're different genders you'll also get into the space of people who don't want to see you, like an m/f couple getting into a women only space. If you're a w/w couple or a m/m couple you can get into those spaces genreally, especially the mlm community is pretty open to open relationships (hehe) but be clear about what you're doing (start your bio with this) and leave people alone who aren't looking for poly/threesomes/whatever. People who are open to this will usually communicate this clearly. (I'm just talking about men and women here and not going into any kind of gender fluidity bc let's be real there's no dating website that has an ideal system in place when you're non-binary, so that's a bit of a case by case situation) If you're dating and looking together nr. 2: Don't walk up to strangers in bars. Just don't do it. Plain. Simple. You can meet irl people, but don't do it with this intent.

4. about polyam dynamics.

When you get into poly dating, you'll discover more relation dynamics (I get into solo-poly and relationship anarchy here, look into that). You'll figure out that a hinge relationship, like this:

is also a relationship between 3 people. You're not all romantically involved, but all relationships (family/friends/romance) are equially worthwile, and sometimes the lines will blur. I have friends I love a bit, I have friends I have sex with, I have friends I'll never have sex with. I'll love a metamour (partner of my partner) for the love they give my partner, but I don't want to date them. Maybe someday I'll have a metamour I do want to date. You can also have 3 people who all are dating each other, but do it sperately and don't want to turn it into a relationship between all 3 of them together. You have people who form a family and live together, but not all of them date each other. You have people who'll always live alone regardless of the people they're dating; Everything is possible, if you just communicate clearly and have the maximum respect for everyone involved.

I hope this little 1.0.1 thing was a bit helpful to you, if you have any more questions feel free to ask. It's a wide subject that can (and has) filled entire books but I'll try to give an intro as good as I can

[anticute-marshmallowmars]

hi! i really enjoyed your fanfic (fate don't know you like i do) and was wondering if you have any plans on continuing the story in the future.?

fact the first: thanks for your interest!!!! i'm glad you're enjoying it! it's wild to me there's still interest lol. when i started this project, i was fully prepared to be drifting at sea, knowing that the fandom would die.

just be prepared to not enjoy it as the fic goes on, bc i do not joke that this is a snailburn and these two will remain frustrating for some time yet.

fact the second: i find it supes comedic personally, the clarification of which fanfic you're referencing to. like, my perspective is that - i have not done a chapterfic in two-ish (?) decades, so the ONLY fic that could have a continue point would be actually fate.

fact the third: i am at all given times constantly burdened that fate has a continue point, at all.

don't do chapterfics. stay in school kids. don't do drugs unsafely. look both ways when crossing the street!

newayz. like. we're in mid-act 4, out of 5 acts. it would be realreal dumb for me to give up at this point. i did not lose sleep and health for nothing, darnst it!!! i REFUSE!!!!!

WHEN is the next chapter, is what i suspect to be your actual question. and honestly, fren - WHO KNOWS? believe you me, i want to be done with the fic too!!!

but lifethingz, and i'm frankly - i am lazebutt. also a perfectionist, which is part of the battle. the other battle is, unfortunates, that the hyperfixation faded a while ago, so - you know, that puts a damper on the energy required to continue in a fandom in any capacity let alone writing a longass slowburn fic.

i CAN say that the next chapter is 15k+. it was originally like, over 20k, but i split it into two chapters bc that's...a lot. also, bc certain narrative/emotional beats are driving the bus for this upcoming chapter. and i don't want the other things that happen to take away from what i'm looking to achieve, in this chapter.

point is, giving up now - when i have a roadmap that i slaved over for HOURS figuring out plot points, and then MORE hours of hefty chunks of chapters; and CONTINUE to spend whatever energy i gots. (being powered by just ice cream is TRAGICALLY not possible.) it would just be a REAL poor investment, to let all my efforts go down the drain.

i also always say worse comes to worst - if i seriously hafta throw in the towel, i'll just post the roadmap of this fic.

if ur not familiar, from my author notes, the roadmap means the entirety of the fic in its raw form.

GOD IT WOULD BE SO EASY TO GIVE UP . whine . mp4

[zelandiangelo]

🦈 🏷️💌 for the fic ask game!! (o^▽^o) <3 

hiiiiiiiii! <333 thank you for asking hehe \o/ hope you're doing well!!

🦈 Which character is the toughest to write?

You know it's funny that you ask because getting into a character's head is actually one of my favorite things about writing! I usually don't have an awful lot of trouble with it unless I've started with an idea that I'm not as interested in as I thought.

So, there's probably been other times that I struggled but the one that I remember the best is Kaeya from Genshin LOL. I was never so super into Gempact but for a while I was playing it w my friends bc it was a Group Activity so I ended up writing a fair bit of fic just because I was so plugged into it. I stalled out on a fic from Kaeya POV that I was writing that I ended up wrapping up at what felt like it Could Be a stopping point and just posting what I had. The trouble with him, I think, is that he has this mysterious backstory that informs his character that's alluded to in events, objects around the world, etc, but I hadn't really gotten an understanding of that backstory. (I could have looked at the wiki I guess but I prefer to use the wiki to confirm stuff that I already knew or look up little bits of trivia; it doesn't feel right to learn everything about a character in a wiki review that might leave out important story or emotional context.)

THIS GOT LONG LOL tl;dr I was writing a lot of genshin fic even though i'm not really built to be a Gacha Lore Understander so i had some trouble with Kaeya!

🏷️ Is there a tag you like to search for when looking for fanfics to read?

>///<

i like sickfic hahaha;;;;;; if I'm being so real unless I get really extremely into something (eg. KNB or Yugioh) sickfic is the ONLY kind of fic I'll even read LOL. I've also written a lot of it myself, when I first got into fic writing I wrote it pretty much exclusively.

I didn't think this was gonna be a long answer but now i wanna talk about it LOL. I just think that when a character is ill (or injured tbh) the Vulnerability that it forces them into can be a really interesting trigger for changed character dynamics. You can have a standoffish or antagonistic character unwillingly in this position be treated gently, with kindness, and soften some of their relationships; alternatively, you can have their soft side come out if they're confronted with someone ELSE being vulnerable. You can have a character who tries to do Everything have to ask for help, you can have just plain fluff between characters with an established good relationship... it's even ok if characters act a bit out of character bc you can blame it on delirium LOL.

Essentially, unless you're getting really funky with it (which you can and it's fun!) a lot of sickfics follow a similar structure/set-up (character gets sick, character deals with being sick, other characters find out character is sick, they are now also dealing with it). Plot and structure is something that I still struggle with even now that I've stepped outside of writing sickfic exclusively, so at the time that I started writing, sickfic offered something of a baseline for me to write what I was really interested in (character dynamics) without having to think too much about the structure! Also it's fun haha >_< even though I've branched out I definitely still favor them quite a bit LOL

sorry for writing u a sickfic essay i am really Normal about it

💌 Is there a favorite trope you like to write?

OMG I WROTE ALL THAT ABOVE AND NOW IM LIKE WHAT DO I SAYYYYYYY I THINK THE ANSWERS ARE THE SAME LOL

let's see. Sickfic Good for the reasons outlined above. I enjoy writing polyamory quite a bit too (character dynamics are so fun!!) but I don't write it as frequently as I'd like bc not all characters are built for it and it can get a bit complex besides.

OH. OH OH OH. teachers/mentor figures. my favorite fic that i've ever written is shockingly not a sickfic: it's called I Accidentally Fell In Love With My Childhood Friend The King And Now My Students Are Also My Sons!? and it's for one of my most favorite animes ever, Oushitsu Kyoushi Haine (The Royal Tutor). (I thought the silly light novel title was funny LOL)

The entire premise of the show is just This Guy Is An Extremely Good Teacher For These Four Misunderstood Students which like. Is lab-grown to be like catnip to me RAAAAAHHHHHHH i've watched the show twice through and cried at the end both times. Anyway. The fic I wrote is technically a ship fic between the royal tutor himself (Heine) and the king (Viktor) who hired him to teach his sons (they get married in this fic hehe >w<), but the focus is really on Heine's relationships with his students, and how they handle their favorite (only) teacher getting married to their father.

I feel like these descriptions don't do the anime or my fic justice LOL all I can really say is that as someone who works with children the anime really touched me and it felt so permeated with genuine love and care for students who are left behind and for teachers who see those students and put in the work to help them. and as for my fic well. now that you've reminded me of it i think i will reread it SKJKDFJSDKFJ

I HOPE THESE PARAGRAPHS ARE OKAY THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME QUESTIONS I REALLY LIKED THESE! YOU ARE VERY COOL!

[creatingblackcharacters]

Hi, thank you! ☺️

First of all, I'm sorry if I use the not correct terms for things. Plz let me know if I do - I'm not USAmerican, and English isn't my first language.

So, I have a batman fanfic I'm thinking about extending. If so, it would be about this OC.

I have her black and thought background and I have thoughts, but I also don't want to be inappropriate. And like, I know not all black people are the same. But this is my thoughts?

So, this has themes that related to Arishas, but I couldn't find if it's okay for outsiders to look at it?

Ok, so part 1 I'm very scared of, is about reconnection/looking for past traditions?

History: her mom is asian (I'm still debating about the origins. The point is that she's got no family in the USA, so even though OC and her siblings are in touch with their relatives, it's a distanced connection. They do love and care about eachother. But that's just life.)

Her dad is black, descendant of slaves, originally Yoruba area. Her family is Christian,

Not sure: she has an aunt who practices Isse (I think it's the name). Might started as a way for reconnecting to roots.

Her dad is (MD/engineer. To be determined later. The point is respected high educational job, that's also very demanding.)

(I also think her mom is also like that. Maybe the parents met at work? Or university? Tbdl)

They did grow up around his family, so MC grew up a lot with her cousins, eating lunch at Grandma's, etc.

(end of background)

Things I'm not sure/insecure about:

I don't want to be in the "distant/absent black dad". But I do want her dad to have a long hours profession. He still loves and care about her a lot.

Using/mention of Arishas. I don't want to go too deep into it, but I also want to add it. But I don't really have people to ask, and don't know if it's appropriate, and so.

The "reconnect" theme? Mc is sort of

This is not a lot of the story. Most of it is hardly mentioned until the end.

(MC lose her memory. So part of the fic is looking for who is she. This is partly helped when another black person notices her code-switch, and possible spesific, regional phrases?)

Like, my point is that I want to write this a story about recreating yourself, but also reconnecting to the past?

Sorry. I know my thoughts not very clear, I just found out that blog and wanted to ask before I lose courage.

I just.

Family and language and culture are so MASSIVE important. Even with no episodic memory, people would still be highly influenced by how they grew up!

And I want to bring it in. I want to write it. The way that people are their past, even if they don't remember it.

(and there's this subtle theme that it's also the same about cultures and communities.)

Sorry it messed up.

Thank you 😊

I wish we could have spoken about this in person 😭 I also wish this was for an original fic bc it's actually a very interesting premise.

The simple question first: some parents just work long nights. It doesn't make him a stereotypical bad Black father. If he loves and cares for her, then he's fine. Maybe she does seek more of a relationship with him, but that's just story.

The more detailed question next:

So after going over your description here, I'm wondering if you'd be interested in researching Santería as her family's practices, as it is... putting it extremely simply, an Afro-Cuban version with the influence of Catholicism (because colonialism and slavery). They have maintained the presence of the Orisha, though it is not so vast in number as the original Orisha. That would make the connection of her father's family being the descendants of enslaved peoples, while still holding on to their past by actively choosing to be a part of this community.

You have, have, have to do your research on this!! If you want it to be a core part of her community, you'll have to work it in to the setting. The types of worship, the activity of the culture, those things that might seem little in day to day activity to just emphasize that this is something her family does. It's normal to her, so that when she loses her memory, it's still a core part of her. You as the writer will have to know what it is she's searching for. Perhaps there is a specific Orisha that she values more often in her life? Or whose symbolism that she carries, so that when she 'wakes up', she wonders where the connection is from?

I am also of the personal belief that some religious things should remain untouched. So even if you note the existence of a certain ritual, if it's not for you, it's NOT FOR YOU. A good example is of hoodoo; you simply shouldn't say or perform certain rituals for the sake of an aesthetic or behaving as though it's not real. So if there is a closed ceremony in these religions, you could note its existence, but I would not go further in your writing.

You mention that someone might notice her use a specific regional phrase; yeah you'd have to be familiar with the Orisha and/or those practices to note that. Like I can't just walk up to someone Black and mention Shango and assume they'll know who I'm talking about. It would help if she was in a Black community that was already aware of said practices.

A note: you also mention that she is of mixed heritage. Where does her Asian background come into play? Is this going to be important? Because that may also have an effect on reconnection.

Tbh, I don't know how this is going to connect to your Batman fic, or why this is something you chose specifically. But if this is your goal, if you want to emphasize the importance of roots and reconnection, and you want to use these specific religions to do so, then you'll have to study it and how it can be used respectfully as symbolism. 👍🏾

[rollercoasterwords]

Fanfic writer asks — 4, 5, and/or 20!

hi!!

4. Share a headcanon about (character name) in (story title)!

left it open not sure if i'm mean 2 do this for one of my own stories or just any story...suppose i will take this opportunity 2 weigh in on the reg birthday debate & say that i see him as a capricorn. could perhaps be convinced of virgo as well...but that boy is not a cancer sorry

5. Is there a tiny detail in one of your fics that you feel goes tragically unnoticed?

not sure if it's something that's been noticed/brought up before but i don't think it has...i love a full circle/mirrored ending moment so in atydsp the very first line is him being awake + the very last line is him falling asleep <3

20. Is there anything about any one of your fics that you have been dying to discuss but haven’t had the chance to?

oooh idk...honestly zar has been getting quite a few voicenotes recently abt different parts of wfrau so there has been quite a bit i've wanted to discuss lol but some of it is just stuff abt the lily interlude + epilogue that i can't talk abt without spoiling...

i guess one thing i've wanted 2 discuss/one thing that's been interesting to see is (again) the way people have responded 2 the whole james/lily/regulus ambiguity...like i know that much of this fandom revolves around shipping etc but sometimes i've just wanted 2 be like it's not happening!!!!!!!! how can i make it more obvious!!!! but then again that's just part of putting ur writing out there in the world like someone can read something & interpret it completely differently than how u expected regardless of what u do...remember one person commented talking abt how they loved the polyamorous rep w james in wfrau & i was baffled bc in my mind i was writing him as aromantic...also was interesting seeing people expecting jegulily bc i thought i'd done a pretty good job writing reg + lily as platonic lol. also has just been interesting in a broader sense to see the different ways people think abt + interpret sex vs romance...like the idea that james enjoys sex but doesn't find it romantic isn't all that crazy to me bc sex & romance don't necessarily go hand in hand in my own life like. sometimes u just hook up for fun u don't have 2 be in love...but for some people those things r very tied together & it's difficult to conceptualize a guy who just wants to sleep w his friends! so that's been interesting 2 discuss...like the whole expectation that where there's sex romance must follow etc...

one other thing i've been wanting to discuss is like. r&s as they currently stand lol sent a whole long voicenote abt this the other day so have already gotten some of it out of my system but. it's interesting again seeing the amount of feedback from people who really wanted them 2 reconcile + have a happy ending at the point where things currently stand/the conclusion of the main story--or who are holding out for a happily ever after, etc. like to be fair their story has changed a lot as i've written it & i didn't know when i started the fic that the main story would end as it has. that being said ever since the obliviation became a key part of the story i've known that r&s simply would not be getting back together after voldemort's defeat...like sirius genuinely does not love remus anymore bc how could he! he doesn't remember him! they're practically strangers! & remus doesn't wanna give sirius another chance bc why would he! after all the hurt he already went through! knowing that the person in front of him now is essentially the guy who killed the person he loved & took his place! or perhaps more accurately is equivalent to the reanimated corpse of the person he loved...came back wrong narrative etc...u get the point (hopefully). anyway it just seemed clear to me that reconciliation would not be in the cards for them & it felt like brushing past that or trying to patch things up would detract from the emotional impact i was going for...perhaps even diminish the depth of the feelings they did, at one point, have for each other--like, it's only because they cared about each other so much that things are so unfix-able now. of course i do have my interlude + epilogue left 2 play around w but also bc i am mean + contrary + like making people sad every comment of someone being like "please make them happy :((" makes me want to not do that lol

& last thing is just a fun detail abt james that i'm not sure if anyone's noticed...putting it under a cut in case anyone wants 2 put the pieces together themself but a fun little detail abt his death:

james's recurring nightmare abt a bright light + his boggart being that bright light was him seeing his own death <3 bc he lost his ability to see color the 'avada kedavra' didn't look green to him; it was just bright light. & that was the last thing he ever saw! fun <3

fic writer ask game

[ja3yun]

Maybe I’m naive or maybe it’s the brain rot… but am I being completely delusional in thinking that tumblr is almost 99.999% a fan site that artists (especially kpop idols) do not engage with and probably don’t even have much regard for? Like this is a space for the chronically online. Most people don’t use any of their own personal information/faces/identifiers bc this is not a real place; it’s a black hole. That’s not to say that your work here is insignificant (it’s helped me a lot to escape from everyday anxiety and stress so thank you 🙏) but it's not like you or any other adult writer are writing these stories and then spamming them on Weverse or any other platform where the members are active.

I guess my point is that we the adults that engage in 18+ enhablr are minding our business and keeping the fantasies in fantasy land and then going to work in the real world. Like we do not know Enha for real. Some people apparently don't have jobs or lives, so they send hate to people online and act like they are personally offended on behalf of adult men they don't know and never will. It's giving desperate fan that thinks going to the airport to get an interaction is more sane than staying at home, kicking your feet, and giggling at imagining meeting and knowing the boys in real life (95% of the time as non-idols anyways which is another degree of separation).

I'm sorry for ranting. I'm just a huge believer that fanfic is a very safe and respectful way of engaging in fandom because we leave the real people out of it. We're not screaming inappropriate things and sexually harassing the boys to their faces, which happens way too often. We're engaging in community fan-to-fan which to me strengthens the fandom. There are things we talk about as Engenes that will never make it back to boys and thats okay. What makes fandom fun is not always the direct connection to the artist, it's the community we build because of them.

I hope you and the other amazing writers on this site know how important you are ❤️ thanks for taking your time to write and engage 💐

anon this is so!! you get it exactly. i think a lot of us post here because why tf would enha know this place exists? and its a safe place really bc if you want smut, you come here or go to ao3.

i think hate to writers is so petty bc it is the one form of media you can easily avoid? like to see smut you need to seek it out yknow? i never write in the general tags or post inappropriately, so for people to find my blog must mean they are looking for smthn 💀

hate comes w any platform, esp to creators of any kind so i kinda knew what i was signing up for. some of it kinda makes me go??? like im not making the boys out to be horrible or bullies like i try and write them as nice as i can so some of the hate saying i 'tarnish' their name is so false lmao

thank you anon, i'm sure every writer here appreciates the kind words and also, just the fact that you understand is enough for us

ilysm <33

[0cta9on]

Would you do a sequel to the eunha piece you wrote? Love it by the way!

Hello anon! Thank you for liking the eunha piece! Even tho it was a short piece, I put in a lot of effort to make it interesting :] I think instead of a sequel, I would want to expand it into a full on story, maybe with a few chapters. Will I actually write it? I'm gonna say not now, I imagine it'll include some heavier themes that I'm not mentally prepped to write about, but maybe some time in the future!

Small little rant below the Eunha :] It's just some thoughts I have about my writing, so feel free to skip if you're not interested

I've had a little epiphany about my writing (mainly smuts) that I realized even more during the small break I had. When I first started writing smut, I was mainly writing based on scenarios (Idol and manager boning, Two roommates boning, best friends boning etc.), but now I kinda wanna write more complex(?) plots and stuff that just happen to have sex in them. It's gotten to a point where I find it difficult to write short smut pieces bcs it essentially boils down to the same actions just with different idols, outfits, "titles", and whatnot. I happen to meet an idol in the streets, and suddenly she wants to fuck me in an alleyway? Obviously, smut isn't inherently supposed to be "realistic" but I think it's more interesting and entertaining if character development and interactions go beyond "I'm so horny, I'll do anyone on the streets." That could be an interesting character trait to have, but I want to delve more into the reasoning why they could be like that.

This might come off as really pretentious coming from some random kpop fanfic writer on tumblr, so I apologize if it comes off that way, but at the end of the day, if I want to keep writing as a hobby, I need to do it in a way that interests me. Also this is my blog and I can post whatever I want on here >:] I could delete everything tomorrow and post about NFTs or something if I want (not that I would, but you get the idea).

Thanks for reading my little rant :] Have another Eunha as a reward <3

[theliteraryluggage]

Common Fanfic Mistakes pt. I: Idioms

Since there was a decent response I decided to make good on my promise to write up some of the most common mistakes I've been seeing in fanfic recently, focusing in particular on homophones (words that sound the same but have a different spelling and meaning) and idioms and idiomatic phrases (phrases that are often used and recognised in combination).

Now, this isn't meant to attack anyone; these mistakes can happen very easily and for me they don't really take away from my enjoyment of a story, even if they do make me pause sometimes. But as someone who has picked up many phrases just by reading, both books and fanfic, I know how quickly it happens that you first read it somewhere used wrongly and you absorb it into your vocabulary without even knowing it's not right.

So! For those interested, I want to list up a few of the most common things I've seen, along with explanations and example sentences. This got pretty long so I'm dividing it up into two posts: this first focusing on idioms and the second on homophones.

You can now find the second part here! Even planning on a third... i'll keep you posted!

Disclaimer: I am not a native English speaker myself, so I'm not claiming to be 100% accurate here, but I did do some research and I have a MA in English/International Literature, so I do know a little bit what I'm talking about.

Idioms

There's certain idiomatic phrases that are very popular in fanfic, I seem them over and over again--but I also see them used incorrectly a lot. Let's get right into it with what might be the most common.

To make a beeline for something

Unlocking the door, he made a beeline for the bed and dropped face-down into it.

This one confused me when I first encountered it in fanfic. I hadn't heard it before, but having seen the kind of bumbling, roundabout way bees fly from flower to flower, I thought that's what it meant: to make a slow, meandering path. Only it didn't fit into the context, bc it turns out, it means the opposite: To take the quickest, most direct way possible. It does actually relate to the bee, the insect, though: it's meant to reference the way a bee takes the quickest route back to its hive. So it is actually a beeline, not a b-line, as I have often seen it spelled. Who knew!

wreaking havoc

He didn't know how the raccoon got in, but it was now wreaking havoc in his kitchen.

a phrase that means to cause mayhem or bring about distruction, I often see it spelled wreck havoc, which doesn't seem farfetched, given the meaning. But to wreak means to bring about or cause, and that's what you do with chaos and destruction: you bring it about, you don't destroy the destruction. Havoc, by the way, used to refer to plundering and pillaging. Also interesting: The past tense of wreak it wreaked--not wrought.

at someone's beck and call

I cannot be at your beck and call 24/7! I have a life of my own, you know?

I often see this as beckon call, another understandable mistake, since the word beckon does exist, means the same as simply beck, namely to wave someone towards you or give a hand signal, and is more commonly used today. If someone is at your beck and call, though, they will cater to your every whim when you beck them AND when you call them.

one and the same

She realised that Lucky and The Hallowed were just titles for one and the same person.

two things so identical it's not enough to say the are one, or to say the are the same. they are one AND the same. That's how identical they are. One in the same, as I sometimes see it spelled, makes me more think of two peas in a pod.

case in point

You need sleep. Case in point: You just watered the plants with cat food.

If you try to give an example for an argument you're making, you bring up a case in your point, as in a case in support of your point, rather than a case and point.

getting off scot-free

We all knew they were guilty, but they got off scot-free.

TBH, neither the correct phrase nor the version that I often see in fics, getting off scotch free, made much sense to me before I looked up the origin. It has nothing to do with the people of Scotland or their finest whiskey--apparently the scot was a tax that people living in a town or village had to pay. If you lived outside the bounds and were able to avoid the tax, well--you were scot-free.

a shoo-in

With her charisma and eloquence, she was a shoo-in for chairwoman.

not a shoe-in, as you might think. This phrase, refering specifically to someone sure to win a competition or election, does not relate to having a foot in the door. It's a term originating from horse racing, referencing the action of driving the horse in a certain direction with gestures and noises. Shoo! Originally it was used to refer to rigged races, but it has lost most of that negative connotation today.

getting down to brass tacks

We don't have any more time to waste, let's get down to brass tacks!

this phrase, meaning getting down to business or cutting to the chase, doesn't have anything to do with taxes, thankfully. That's all we can say for sure, unfortunately. There are several theories on what the brass tacks are referencing (e.g. a tool to measure lengths of cloth in a shop or the practice of spelling a deceased person's initials in brass tacks on their coffin) but apparently nothing's confirmed.

bald-faced lie

"We're doing this for your own good." He told the bald-faced lie without so much as a wince.

rather than being bold-faced, as in, perhaps, cocky or strong, bald-faced used to refer to an open, unconcealed face, and now means the same in reference to a lie. It's an open, obvious, impudent lie told with a straight face.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading, I hope you learned something!

Second Part: Homophones!

[thatstheproblemwithnapkinman]

Canon vs Fanon with the BatFam

being someone that has only recently started reading comics, i find the discourse between canon and fanon super interesting

bc there's a few different camps when it comes to what people think and i'll try to go through the groups i have personally encountered

Fanon is wrong, toxic, and is bad for the characters

not going to fully disagree but i feel like there is a perspective thing in play. not everyone can afford to read comics and a lot of people don't want to go to those dodgy websites that attempt to track you and give you a million viruses. also, a lot of people will start with fanfics and then progress into canon characterisation. AND some fic writers actually write in canon characterisations (i'm trying to for mine anyway)

Webcomics are bad because they aren't the same as canon and people thing they are

ok, look, no one reads WFA for hard hitting batman stories, we read it for the fluff. some of s just want super light-hearted stories about the batman having a snowball fight, or playing vigilante bingo, or who can do the most 2 finger push ups. and we get bonus stuff like jason having a flashback/panic attack (im so sorry i'm tired and i can't remember the proper word) and bruce helping him ground himself AND TELLING HIM HE'S PROUD

we just want the fluff ok, we know it's not the full character on display

i know red hood outlaws isn't well loved too but it's a fun introduction to the characters (and we got dick and babs wedding and it was beautiful)

Fanon confuses new canon readers and can make it hard for them to enjoy it

i agree with that fully. luckily i started with dick and he's basically the same, if not better in canon that fanon. but i know characters like tim get butchered by fanon purely bc its the things that are fun and easy to write about that stick and so he just became a shell of himself.

dick was a fun one bc you actually got to see him be a badass in the comics as opposed to the golden retriever he is in fanon. the dude is unhinged and that's so much more interesting

People don't read the comics bc they can just read fanon works

see point 1, but i think a lot of people (like me) get super interested and then start to read canon. i started with DC through a Percy Jackson crossover fic years ago that i recently re-read and it sent me down the rabbit hole. now i'm waiting for my copies of nightwing vol 2 and 3 to arrive having read vol 1 and fear state today

fanon is a gateway

am i saying that fanon is amazing? no

but i think we should work more on educating about canon instead of antagonising, as it will make the community a better place

[cerealmonster15]

OH BOY ASK GAME!!!

😈🎢👀🧠(for uhhhhhh JACK!!!!!)💥

OH BOY EMOJIS WITH CORRESPONDING QUESTIONS!!!!

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

HMMMMM. i feel like usually no just bc the nature of what i do is more lighthearted lol. i like bullying the characters but in more of a comedic way so i dont really get "how dare u" reactions to things cuz we're just goofin. for now.

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

HMMMmmmm well probably kalim and the great relationship rescue, not because it's a particularly wild fic in and of itself, just bc it's my first time writing a multi chapter fic and im fighting for my LIFE trying to work it out decently jkflJKFLDJKLFJ

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

well i could tell u about the kalim ^ one bc i have part of the next chapter in progress. BUT i will instead tell u that i am still also writing a cater/trey fic that ive had in the works for a while... it's one where u kinda get a look through their relationship through the years at nrc and their friendship/complexities of a relationship / trying to work out their feelings for each other / cater and trey's avoidant tendencies.... also riddle is there. i am taking my time with it bc houghghhgfh theres a lot i want to say and i want to say it RIGHT!!!! heartslabyul means everything to me i have to do right by my sons...

🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them.

oh my god jack my big son jack howl. i think he has a lil baby crush on riddle jkfdjskfjskl based entirely on his ceremony robes story when ace brings jack back to heartslabyul and cheats at cards to try and get him to do laundry lol, and riddles like "hi" and jacks like oh my GOD it's riddle rosehearts senpai....... and he gets all flustered and ace is like HEY JACK WHY ARE YOU SWEATING. HEY WHYS YOUR TAIL WAGGING. HEY WHY ARE YOU BEING SO WEIRD JACK. and jacks like I REALLY ADMIRE YOU RIDDLE SENPAI!!!!!!!!!!! oh my god. it's soooo cute lol.

💥 How do you feel about criticism?

ougghghgh. im kind of a weenie little bitch. in my field of work, which is not fanfic, it does require a lot of constructive critique which is fine, HOWEVER both in the case of work and also writing or anything else, i'm more receptive if it's something ive like, asked for? like if im posting / showing someone something Just For Funsies then im probably not looking for critique and it would stress me out if someone started pointing out flaws or ways to improve if im just like, hanging out. or if im not even done fkjldsjdfksl.

but also sometimes i find typos and im like OH GOD IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN!!! but i mean people dont really say much about my fics anyway so i guess i dont know LOL

[questions!!!!!]

[hannie-dul-set]

Don't feel bad for being a fanfic elitist, trying to read something that has your writing icks, it just isn't worth it. I read long fics and smaus, and nothing gets me to stop reading quicker than text talk in an actual fic, putting u instead of you and r instead of are, unless it's an smau just no. It also gets me when they have to specify everything about the main character instead of just leaving it ambiguous, not everyone is a petite small 5'1 pale skinned girl with long blonde hair and dazzling green eyes; as a writer myself, I never specify the main character, and if I do it's usually the gender and that's only it's a crucial part of the plot, since that is one of quickest ways most people will drop a story. I sometimes just find the lack inclusivity just ridiculous, like it's not that hard to write a gender neutral and/or race neutral character. What gets me even worst than a lack of inclusivity, if a false sense of a inclusivity. I have seen fics where they tried to write the main character as a person of color, and even I a white person can tell they did no research. Like no you can't run your hand through 4c hair, don't use food to refer to their skintones, like you wouldn't call a white person milk so why are we saying their skin was the shade of caramel and as dark as dark chocolate, adding common cultural stereotypes isn't being divsere and inclusive, and so many others.

so well said, anon!!! i try to be understanding really when using ulzzang pics/kpop face claims as the reader when they're supposed to be reader inserts bcs when i returned to tumblr earlier this year, i noticed that a lot of the writer population has become relatively young compared to like a year or two ago. so i'm hoping they'd learn and do better.

i myself mostly write gendered fics esp when theyr're longer, and most of the time i indicate the reader's age as well, but so long as you indicate these exclusivities in the tags of ur fic, i think that's completely fine!!! just don't mislead people and say "x reader" generally but.....the pfp is a korean girl from pinterest and the you read to find that the reader is drowning in insert kpop idol's clothes.

i have these same issues in my older fics, and sometimes i may slip up here and there (and wehn i do pls don't hesitate to point it out) but again echoing what anon said that it's not that hard to write inclusive fics, so let me link @thepixelelf's guides and discussions on inclusivity bcs she talks about it better than me.

inclusivity in fanfiction. how to make smaus more inclusive.