#i have too many tags for TFC. why did i start doing that

[mostlymaudlin]

fanfic writer challenge!

instructions:

list & explain the three lines/moments from canon that are most fundamental to how you write your fave character

challenge 3 more fic writers to do the same!

ok i did this for carry on but im doing a separate one for aftg <3 because its fun

it is surprising to no one, but my fave character to write is andrew :) and i gotta put this puppy under a read more because i wrote way too much. i have [clenches fist] SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT ANDREW MINYARD !!!

but first, ill tag: @sillyunicorn @starwarned @takitalks @rainbow-0bsidian @pipedream-darling @otherworldsivelivedin @mrskrementz @fortheloveofexy @seasy33 @jostenminyard

(doing more than three to get the ball rolling lol)

Andrew's smile vanished when the elevator started its slow crawl down. Neil returned his stare, every muscle tensed for a fight. At the fifth floor, Andrew pushed away from the back railing and started for Neil. He reached for Neil's keys, but Neil moved the ring out of reach. Andrew tried again, and Neil had to step back to dodge his grab. He backed right into the metal doors and realized a moment too late Andrew didn't care about his keys at all. He buried the ring in his pocket, feeling pinned in. How stupid, that someone so short could have such a presence. -- (The Foxhole Court, Chapter 2)

ok, a long one to start, but important ! one of the reasons i love writing andrew is because of the way hes fucking nuts. and as someone who is also nuts, this is pleasing to me. and let me make this point without using silly euphemisms: mania is a state in which a person is heightened, but they are still fundamentally themselves. their thoughts are not limited by silly things like filters or predicting consequences. it is impulse and pleasure-chasing. so! when i look at andrew, who is supposedly on some whacked out fake drug that induces mania, i think about how his actions that could be brushed off as "he's just high" actually reflect an andrew without inhibitions. this is especially helpful when looking at andrew in TKM, when he becomes incredibly difficult to read.

this scene is the reverse, though, and that's why it's important to me. andrew is not on his medicine here, but he's not Mr. Repressed either. this is an in-between, where he's choosing to let some of himself shine through (mostly with the intention of freaking out neil, lol). and it's great, because andrew shows us a few big things:

he reads & understands people SO well, even if he rarely caters to their needs. the fact that he goes for neil's keys on day 1 to draw a reaction is like... yep. you got him lol.

he is willing to take drastic measures in the name of.... well, at this point in the story we're not sure, but soon we'll see that its to protect his people

he's crazy???? lol. i just think andrew's dialogue in tfc/trk in his brief unmedicated moments (and even his manic ones!) are so indicative of how andrew thinks. he's so fucking weird. in this scene, he follows his cornering act with "How nice to meet you, Neil," Andrew drawled. that's so weird!! he's weird. his brain is silly and clever and quick. This bit and others like it are the foundation on which ive built my version of his POV.

now, speaking of andrew's brain --

Andrew stared stone-faced back at him. Neil would have assumed it a silent rejection of Neil's veiled accusations if Andrew's hand hadn't frozen midair between them. -- (The King's Men, Chapter 11)

let's set the scene. immediately before this, neil has suggested they go on spring break, implied that there was a this, then hit andrew with his "And I am nothing" / "And as you've always said, you want nothing."

so like. andrew just got punched in the gut approximately six times in under a minute. poor guy. when neil prompts him back into action, he first threatens to kill neil, and then kisses the shit out of him. squeeee, ROMANCE!!!

when i look at this scene, i think of that first quote i pulled. i think of andrews silly and clever and quick brain, and about how much work he does to keep his mask on. there are plenty of times his mask cracks, but this one is the most fun because he is so clearly being overwhelmed by FEELINGS. he is confused by neil, irritated with him for bringing up all these things that andrew long ago decided didn't matter, and furious with himself for wanting it all too. he has to freeze so that none of that slips out of his mouth or onto his face. when he recovers, he deflects thru being mean (which is useless against neil, but still a satisfying way to blow off some steam) and then kissing him :) because really, that's what it all boils down to: andrew wants neil so bad it makes him want to murder him.

and look at this, a nice transition to the final scene!

"Rumor has it I'm pretty interesting."

"Don't believe everything you hear."

Neil ignored that dismissal because Andrew was already pulling him down again. They kissed until Neil felt dizzy, until he wasn't sure he could hold himself up anymore, and then Andrew pulled Neil's hand off the beanbag chair. He held it up and away from them for an eternity, then slowly pressed it flat against his chest and let go. Andrew tensed up under Neil's hand but relaxed before Neil could pull away. --(The Kings Men, Chapter 15) (The second Chapter 15) (Because thats something we have to clarify in these dumbass books)

oh my GOD. has a scene ever scened like this scene scened. has a touch ever meant so much. has a character ever tried this hard. ok, once we've all finished banging our heads against the wall and screaming, let's review:

andrew wants neil so bad it makes him want to murder him. but andrew also wants neil so bad that it makes him want to TRY. im actually going to take this apart bit by bit because if for some reason you're still reading this madness, i think you'll appreciate the detail LOL.

ok, first: before this paragraph, neil confronts andrew again with the gravity of their relationship, and andrew plays his usual game of deflecting and bullying. that doesnt work (andrew, has that EVER worked???***) so of course the next action is kissing.

and kissing and kissing and kissing.

and somewhere in all this kissing that is so good that neil is dizzy, something in andrew says: i want more. he takes neil's hand, maybe on impulse, and has to stop to think about what he's going to do. and then he tries to give: he places neil's hand on his chest, LETS GO, and then relaxes under his touch.

its hard to tell how much of this was impulse and how much was thought through. im willing to bet it was mostly impulse, especially because andrew doesnt hit neil with a "i never do anything i dont want to do" when neil acknowledges that this is probably something theyre not ready for. (instead, andrew reacts by deflecting/bullying -- "One hundred and one" -- and then more kissing. so predictable!).

but still! it says so much. it says that he wants and wants and wants, he dreams about things he thinks he'll never have. and neil keeps trying to prove him wrong, and andrew wants to believe him so badly, wants to SHOW neil that he's starting to believe him. scream!!! andrew invented romance. he put neils hand on his chest and LET GO. he said: "look. im trying. i want this too, even if i cant even think the words." he said: "i want to figure out how to trust you."

because underneath it all, i believe andrew is a deeply hopeful creature, and that is the thing he hates most about himself. he wants a home, he wants a family, he wants to belong -- and it makes him feel so fucking foolish. its easier to wrap these wants up in duties and protections, concrete and emotionless things. but neil never actually wanted andrew's protection, yet he still wants andrew more than anyone ever has before. thats fuckin earth-shattering. theres only so much deflecting and bullying and kissing you can do before some of that deeply buried hope claws its way out.

SO YEAH i really didnt need to do all that but i did. if youre still reading then like LOL youre a trooper hope u enjoyed the 2AM Nerd Rory show. but i think about andrew a lot (obviously) and hes such a difficult character to write, so returning to scenes like these three really help ground me in the version of him that lives in my head. so that i can put him in situations :)

***actually wait i just remembered one time where the bullying/deflecting worked, so here's a bonus. in ch 10, the make it to finals and have a party at abbys. andrew and neil are outside, and neil is frustrated with andrews apathy -- "Would it kill you to let something in?" / "It almost did last time." -- and then also starts talking oh so earnestly about how andrew could be court if he'd just TRY. andrew, obviously, gets mad and asks Neil if hes capable of talking about anything other than Exy. which actually hurts neil's feelings, because neil just really likes talking to andrew about exy (the thing hes most passionate about) & deeply values his opinions, and hes upset by the implication that they dont actually have this in common.

and like, you could read this as andrew just being sick of talking about exy lol. but i see it as part of the pattern. andrew is triggered, first of all. and then neil is being a little too earnest about the future and andrew, talk to me. and andrew's fucking overwhelmed !!! he does not know what to do with this! so: lash out. hit neil where it hurts. deflect and bully.

[captain-ozone]

Fic Writer Review

Thank you for the tag, @flutteringdreams-matw​!! I loved reading your review, and I’m stoked to have the opportunity to fill this out myself, too!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?  46. And not all of them have been transferred over from FFN. There’s at least another dozen between multiple fandoms over there, lol. 

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 656,571. My word. 

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?  When one of your fandoms is DC Comics...Does that count as one or several? LOL. xD

There’s been Merlin, Danny Phantom, Batman (Comics), Young Justice (cartoon), Teen Titans (cartoon), Titans (TV Show), Smallville (TV show), The Justice League (movie), The Flash (Arrowverse TV Show), Miraculous Ladybug, Harry Potter, Rise of the Guardians, How to Train Your Dragon, Sword Art Online (anime), Blue Exorcist (anime), The Bright Sessions (podcast). Might be missing some.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 1. Come Alive (Young Justice) 2. life, if well lived (Batman) 3. On Three (Miraculous Ladybug) 4. a million dreams (Batman) 5. Genesis (Danny Phantom)

@redriotted​ should be informed that my top two are fics she requested from me via prompts I’m sure neither of us expected I would ever fill. Love you, dear! I credit you for these fics!

5. Which of your fic do you want more attention for?  Difficult question for me to answer. I’ve been gifted with lovely feedback on most of my work. I guess if I were to choose one it would be Locking Up the Sun (Batman)? It’s a Fantasy AU. A fantastic exercise in world-building. I had so much fun with it that I’ve been playing with the idea of spinning bits of it into an original work.

6. Do you respond to comments, why or why not? YES. I try to respond to every review and comment I receive. I understand it takes a lot of time and energy for some people, but from the moment I posted my first Merlin fic in 2011, I needed to respond, even if with nothing more than a little thank you. And I’m not about to stop the habit. I met some of my dearest friends responding to reviews. I still meet wonderful people doing so. :) 7. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?  Uhhhh, I’m not sure? I guess it depends on perspective. Most of my fics end happily, or rather, I am quite heavy-handed on the comfort part of the Hurt/Comfort trope. I do bittersweet more often than I do angst. I wrote a Merlin AU inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray about Uther Pendragon that was pretty angsty? Grief was another one, also in the Merlin fandom. I’m sure there were some in my FFN Merlin oneshot collection Rabbits and Bathroom Breaks that apply, but lord knows I hardly remember half of what I’ve posted in that monster. 

8. Do you write crossovers? Once. I wrote a Rise of the Guardians/Frozen crossover with an Elsa/Jack Frost pairing as a gift for a friend.  9. Have you ever received hate on a fic? Oh, of course. Who hasn’t? I’ve been cursed out more than once, too. It always stings, but it’s a matter of stepping back and asking myself: is this constructive? will this make me a better writer? Once you frame the comment/review that way, it’s a bit easier to see that it’s unproductive to linger on it for long. It’s someone’s personal preferences and/or beliefs not aligning with your own. Or someone who can’t quite distance themselves from fiction enough to realize you are not always what you write, nor are you a reflection of the characters/plot you’re writing about.

10. Do you write smut? if so what kind? Rarely, and only as crack or as a joke. Nothing I would ever share in public. RIP Uther Pendragon/Troll fic of circa 2013-2014. I do so wish I’d saved you somewhere safe. 11. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes, but I have no idea where they are posted or in what language. Most of the requests came over FFN, so I’m sure they’re available somewhere. In some capacity. 

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Not quite. My friend and I wrote every other line of the aforementioned Uther/Troll fic in a chatroom, if that counts. 13. What’s your all time favorite ship? I’m far more interested in platonic/family relationships in pretty much every fandom I’m in. If I were to choose one? Adam Hayes/Caleb Michaels from The Bright Sessions. Or Barry Allen/Iris West in The Flash.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?  *eyes Shift warily*

I KID. I made a promise over half a decade ago, and I intend on keeping it.  In all seriousness: A Merlin time-travel fic I started ages upon ages ago. I hardly remember what the point of it was. There is a fun scene I’ve considered posting as a oneshot more than once over the years, though, just because it makes me laugh.

15. What are your writing strengths?  Dialogue, I think? I love it. 

16. What are your writing weaknesses? Imagery/action. Give me a single scene focused on a conversation between two hopeless individuals that need some TLC and let me forget about where they are sitting or if they are sitting at all or if there are things that need describing around them, please and thank you.  17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?  I’ve done it, in some capacity. I used my knowledge of Latin grammar from old high school classes to try to write spells for Merlin fics. I probably butchered quite a few, lol. I think it’s important to use language as accurately as possible, though, if it were to be used at all. Most of the time I take the lazy man’s route and use dialogue tags and italics, just so I can avoid making ignorant mistakes. As a reader, as long as I have translations in front of me, I’m golden.  18. What was the first fandom you wrote for? Merlin. I owe that fandom everything. 19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? Come Alive. I don’t know that I have ever had so much fun writing anything in my life. a million dreams (my Flying Grayson time travel tear-jerker) and Not a Bit (my MLB Brothers AU, inspired by the original PV) come in close second. I dig my family feels, obviously. 20. What fic are you most proud of?  Shift, my Danny Phantom AU, if only because it’s been seven years since I posted its first chapter. Writing it has felt like pulling teeth at certain points, but it has been with me for a long, long time. Rereading it is like looking at a time lapse of how I’ve developed as a writer, lol.  Heart of Gold (Merlin) is another. Before Shift, it was the longest fic I’d ever written, one, and it was my first time really developing an OC/attempting a redemption arc as well. It was far from a perfect fic, but boy did I feel like a queen when I finished it. I’m sure you might’ve done something like this at some point, @cdelphiki, but here you go! @breynekai-tfc, too! And anyone else who sees and wants to share, please do so! 

[hermitcraftheadcanons]

Hello Internet, welcome to GAME THEORY!

As you all may know, Grian recently started one giant EVO Reference: Let's make an unsuspecting victim mayor for no reason other than my own amusement.

However, Mumbo isn't actually mayor yet. So that begs the question, if Mumbo doesn't become mayor, who will be?

We can do this pretty easily through process of elimination.

Immediately, we can get rid of Grian as he's the one setting it off. That leaves us with 22 hermits. Next, as much as it pains me to do it. I reckon we can also take anyone with under 300K out. Although I love my smaller-subbed squad, they usually don't end up taking main roles in the server. If anything, I'd say the people who end up taking main roles in the server are DocM, Ren, the Architechs, the Convex and sometimes but not always Tango, Xisuma, Impulse, False, Keralis and Bdubs. So the hermits with under 300K at the time of me writing this and are out are Stress, TFC, XBCrafted, Zedaph and Zombie Cleo. Joe Hills is also in this club but he's got such a good case I have to make an exception for him.

You see, Joe Hills goes about Hermitcraft pretty uniquely. As you may know, Joe Hills has sworn off diamonds for the season due to his belief, 'whenever he carries diamonds, something goes wrong.' This means he can't be bribed with them. It also means he'll probably burn all the diamonds on the podium while I'd personally love to see because it will be funny. Not only this, but he's been trying to keep infrastructure since the very start. He was the first to try and establish roads, so if Joe becomes mayor, the 'places with inconsistent or sometimes no roads,' will hopefully become consistent with their roads. Also, Joe always naturally puts the community before himself. So many of his builds in season 6, (the ministry of truth, the community brewing stand, ect) were community focussed and not personal use only. This pattern continues into season 7 where the first thing he did was set up boats and basic, early game starter loot on the spawn island. A few episodes later and he makes sure the nether portal there is safe from ghasts. Personally, Joe would be my pick. Yes, he's anti-diamonds. But I highly doubt he'll force that economic system on the whole district, right?

But let's backtrack a second. What about that list from earlier? "I'd say the people who end up taking main roles in the server are DocM, Ren, the Architechs, the Convex-" perhaps this could help us find an idea of whom it may be? We can already substitute 'the Architechs' with Mumbo and Iskall as Grian is confirmed to not be doing it. I feel like we may also be able to knock the Convex out too. Scar because he's helping to build the Town Hall and, I mean come on, who would vote for a wizard who sells coloured glass and claims it to give you magic powers? He doesn't even wear pants! I feel like we can also knock Cubfan out too as he's more or less settled into the roll of a newspaper boy with Cleo. That's a big job so his hands are pretty full.

So this leaves us with Mumbo, Iskall, DocM and Ren. As much as I'd love to see DocM become mayor, I feel like the Goatfather may already have his hands full. But Ren on the other hand, would be an interesting case. Remember when he took to doping before a wrestling match? What if that comes back to bite him whole he's mayor and everyone has a revolution? That seems like a Rendog plot to do. Not only that, but he's also used to working in a leadership setting. (Ahem, Bob the accountant.) Speaking of Bob the accountant, perhaps he could get all his alts to 'help him with his mayor duties.' However, he may also have his hands full with dead cow and necromantic magic.

However, I feel like Iskall would also be a good candidate for mayor. Perhaps a 'El Mayore Iskall' plot mark 2? Hermitcraft is no stranger to referencing past seasons, whether it be the return of Concorp, NHO Reunions, Xisuma referencing Logfellas at one point, Tag 2 electric boogaloo, ect. Not only this, but Iskall is also within Grian's inner circle.

'But TomPat! What is 'Grian's inner circle?'" I hear you ask. Grian's inner circle is an unwritten pattern that played out throughout season 6.

Here's what it stated:

"All server wide events have to either be started or won by Grian or someone within his inner circle."

I first saw it noticed by ZloyXP so I give him the credit for this.

Each server wide event in season 6 was either started or won by Grian or a close friend of Grian.

Tag? Started by Grian.

Grian head hunt? Started by Grian.

Prank war? Arguably started by Grian.

Civil War? Won by Grian's team.

Jangler Mystery? Solved by Grian.

Sahara VS Concorp? Won by Architects.

Buildoff? All tied with Grian.

Hermitland? Started by Grian.

Area77 Vs Hippies? Won by Grian and Co.

Demise? Started by Grian, won by someone in the inner circle.

(This is why if you only have time to watch one hermit for season 6, Grian is the safest option. You don't really miss anything.) Thankfully, this seems to be changing for season 7 with The Goatfather arc, Ren's Star Wars arc, The Hermit Wrestling arc, ect.

But who's in the inner circle? It can vary between person to person. But personally, I'd say the people in the inner circle are Grian, (obviously,) Mumbo and Iskall for Season 6 with Scar joining for Season 7. And this is why I'd say Mumbo or Iskall have the best chance of winning.

I'd say Iskall has the better chance of winning. I have no evidence why, it's just a hunch.

But that's just a theory, a GAME THEORY.

[mfackenthal]

The MFackenthal Show and @maxattack-powell!

banner by @whenyourheartskipsabeat

Hello all!  Welcome back to the MFackenthal Show!  I am so glad that you are here today.  If you’re new to the show, I encourage you to go here to find past episodes.  There are only a few.

The MFackenthal Show has officially been green lit for more episodes!  We used to only be able to afford to run the show every once in a while, but the people have spoken - they want to see the show more often!  The funding came through and we hope to give the people what they want!  Do you want to be on the show?  Do you have someone that you want to see on the show?  If so - reblog or comment or send a message to let MFackenthal know!  We’ll see what we can do!  We have this show and two others lined up for you!

I could not be more excited to bring you this next guest.  She has been with the fandom for quite a while.  She was one of the first people I started communicating with on a regular basis.  She has talked me up, supported me from the beginning and though she hasn’t written much lately - when she does drop a chapter - it’s long and it’s worth it!  Please welcome to the stage @maxattack-powell!!!!!  (Insert Cheering here!)

(Megs greets Max with a hug - which means that Megs essentially runs and leaps into Max’s arms.  Max is fairly tall and Megs is barely 5′3″) 

Megs:  Max, I am so happy that you are here!  Can you believe that you’re here today?

Max:  Haha, yes - I can.  But I am honored to be here.

Megs:  Max, sit with me.  For those in the audience who may not know you, tell us about when and why you joined the fandom.

Max: Yanno, I always made my best guess at this before, but I knew you were going to ask me this - so I looked it up.  Did you know that now there’s this Official Tumblr blog called @memories, and it knows down to the minute when someone joined? Let me go check it… *digs through the blogs posts* Okay, it was apparently 07/31/2017 at 1:17:15 PM, which means it must have been on the weekend because of the time of day haha.

As for why ... hmm, well… I found the Choices app one day, when it only had like… three series I think! Anyone else remember that time? 

Megs:  I do!  Because I was playing Hollywood University I think I downloaded choices the day the app came out.

Max: Awh!  Well, I fell in love with The Freshman Series. Mostly because of Chris Powell and Zack Zilberg, and a long time ago I was in another fandom that had tons of fan fiction/art… so I googled “Choices Chris Powell” and any other combination I could think of looking for possible fanfiction. The fandom was almost non existent at the time. There was actually one person, who has long since left the fandom due to fandom dramas - we all know the kinds I’m talking about - but a few others had started posting their works as well… and I got hooked. Eventually I felt the bug to write how I felt TF should play out as well, and here I am *looks back at the “joined tumblr timestamp”* uhh… 20ish months ago!  Haha!!

Megs:  LOL, when you put it that way it doesn’t sound like that long ago ... lets call a spade a spade - that was almost 2 years ago!  That’s amazing!  You have to have seen so much in this fandom!  What is it that keeps you around?

Max: There are so many awesome people in this fandom, in this world we’ve all created for our pixelated loves lol. Soooo many creative minds to follow and enjoy. The content people share, original or repost… it’s great. 

... Unfortunately it is also a double edge sword ... the drama, the jealousy, the rumors, the hate, etc. I’ve sadly seen far too much and it comes in so many forms… it’s unnecessary.

Megs:  I couldn’t agree more!  If you could tell the fandom one thing - what would it be?

Max: It would be that we’re all here because we want to have a good time. No one came here to get ridiculed, to be scrutinized or chastised for their opinions, their likes or dislikes. Real life has enough of that going on. We are all individuals - if you want to be treated nicely, fairly, etc. you must also do the same to others. There is no reason someone must agree with you or anyone else. Live and let live. Embrace our differences as it makes us who we are. Most of the issues I see stem from a simple difference in opinion. That is ridiculous. Everyone’s entitled to their own thoughts. We must build each other up, not tear one another down. No one here owes anyone anything, now go have some fun.

(The room stands up in applause!)

Megs:  You should definitely stand up and take a bow, Max! 

(Max does just as Megs suggests - but she also makes Megs stand up and do the same. Laughing, they both sit back down.)

Awh, Max ... okay, let’s get back to you.  We know that you’d fight anyone for the position of The Chris Powell Appreciation/Fan Club.  And for those who don’t know, Max has been retelling the full The Freshman series, interweaving dialogue and plot from PB but also adding much of her own content.  MC and Chris get a backstory.  Chris gets best friends from back home.  What is your favorite piece that you have written?

Max: Oh geez hahaha. Um… can I just say The Freshman Chronicles as a whole? I’ve written for different fandoms, and I have original WIPs but I’ll stick to the Choices fandom for this answer. I’ve put a lot of time into TFC. Tons of additional story work, research on characters and their backgrounds, PBs and my own OCs. You should see my file folder setup haha. It’s crazy… I have so many docs, pictures and gifs. Most organized by location (Hartfeld, Boston, New Haven, Cherryfield, etc.), then by character… and on some I get more detailed and split them by emotion and situation.

Megs: By what again?

Max:  Emotion and Situation ... Yeah. I warned you it was crazy! *laughs* TFC was the reason I joined tumblr really. Instead of staying a Nonny and only reading others posted works. I wanted to comment, like and reblog what I enjoyed, while I also worked on my own contribution to the fandom. I had a vision for Chris and MC that had more than the game could give, and I wanted to see if i was still any good at writing since it had been years and years… it’s funny to see how different my current posts are from my first over a year ago. Makes me want to go update a few because they could use a little help *awkward laugh*

Megs:  I’m sure we can all relate to that!  Hmmm ... I’m starting to get a feel for this, I think, but what is your writing process?

Max:  Lots of planning, mostly in my head. When I feel like I have a decent concept I might type out some notes or work it into my outline (another crazy thing I have going for TFC because it’s so big haha). But usually, once I hatch out a basic plan on where I’m going… I just start typing. Keeping the general plot and main points I want to hit in mind, I simply start typing… keeping it as organic as possible. It usually works out well. 

Megs:  Do you have any advice for other writers?

Max: First, and most importantly… do it because you enjoy it. Don’t do it for likes, reblogs, popularity, etc. If you’re having a good time dreaming things up and typing them out, that’s what’s important. The rest is just an extra bonus. Also, don’t give up. It’s easy to become discouraged, frustrated, distracted and more… but remember - your creative cells can’t be running all the time. They need to rest just like your body. Take breaks… go read, play games, hang out with friends/family, watch a movie… whatever. Just do something to help you relax, to reset and you’ll very probably find inspiration and/or motivation to continue. Remember, this is for fun. *wink and finger guns*

Megs: So what do you do for fun?

Max: I actually have a few things I do regularly. A big one is making costumes/props for conventions, small productions, etc. I also train and show horses. I do the same with my dogs, but more for competitions and not really any shows. I’ve always drawn, sculpted, painted since I was old enough to hold things with my hands… and about a year ago I started learning how to do it digitally as well. I run (not at all for fun haha) and play hockey (totally for fun), follow comics and watch anime. I've restored houses, cars and old furniture. I like to read as much as I can - that’s an important one. I also play video games. Something I’ve done since I was young… I've even competed, and won, a few gaming tournaments.

Megs:  You don’t know how to be bored do you?

Max: LOL, Megs.  Yeah, um, so there’s a “few” *makes air quotes* of my never ending list of interests haha. Gives me a lot to talk about with people, eh?

Megs: Not that I can understand how you’d have time for this ... but what do you do to help pay for your many activities?

Max:  Oh like, my job? Well that can be a simple answer… like “I work in software” but the more interesting way to say it is I use my MBA, experience in business, the financial industry and technology to improve and stabilize my customers environment through technological solutions that fit their specific needs. *presses lips together* I solve problems by designing solutions. Bored yet? Hahaha.

Megs:  No!  That sounds wonderful!  Who doesn’t want their stuff to be designed better?  Any chance you could start working for tumblr?  Some of us have a few complaints ... tags ... mobile losing our work ...

Max:  I’m not sure they could pay me enough to help them with all of their problems!  But, tumblr, feel free to send me an offer!

Megs:  Seriously - send her a 6 figure offer!

Max:  Okay, Megs, well now I have a question for you.

Megs: Uhhhh, Max, that’s not exactly how this is supposed to go. 

Max:  Yeah, don’t care.  Your fans need to know ... Hoooow do you find the time to read and review so much?! And I know that’s just in this fandom.  I know you read books and you may read for other fandoms!?  Seriously, it’s awesome. We need to clock your page flipping speed haha.

Megs:  *blushes* Oh my gosh, you have to stop!  Here’s the key to how I do it ... I wake up at 5:30am and read for about 30 minutes.  Then I workout and start my day.  I read in line at the grocery stores.  I read on my breaks at work. 

Max:  Oh my gosh - you’re such a nerd and I love that!  Okay, nerd, what is your favorite thing to do, besides reading all the things of course?

Megs: This show, of course!  And, of course, getting people to do silly things on this show with me.  For instance - with as athletic as you are, I hear you can’t jump? 

Max:  Megs, shhhhh.  You told me you weren’t going to bring that up.

Megs:  I did no such thing! (Meg says while laughing) I said I might not bring it up.

Max:  Uh huh.

(Kris Kross’s “Jump” starts playing in the studio)

Megs:  Come on - show me what you’ve got! 

(Megs starts “singing” along and jumping along with the song. Max stays seated.  Megs finally pulls Max up into a standing position. Max plays along and “jumps” next to Megs - getting no air at all.)

Oh, come on Max - put some real strength in to it.  Jump! Jump! Jump!

(Max jumps and gets the smallest amount of air time.)

Max:  *laughing* Megs - I’m tall!  I don’t need to jump to reach things!

Megs:  *laughing* That must be nice.  I got good at this type of jumping because I had to learn to jump up and gently grab things from the grocery so I didn’t knock everything down.

*continuing to jump around the audience - getting everyone to join her* And that’s all for the show today today, folks!  Thank you for watching!!  Have a great night!

[realphan]

lalvarez meet ugly au

this fic is for @magnesiumeternity for the tfc femslash exchange! @tfcfemslashnet

it’s 1.6k words and ive never written for this fandom before so I hope you like it!

Laila Dermott seemed like your average 18-year-old – excited to finish high school and preparing to go off to university. However, while all of her friends were partying and celebrating graduation, Laila was working. USC had offered her a scholarship to play exy, which she was incredibly grateful for, but that didn’t change her dire situation as much as she had hoped.

Her parents had tried to help as much as possible, but they both had minimum wage jobs and didn’t have much to offer. As thrilled as Laila was to be moving to California, she first had to somehow make enough money for the travel, accommodation and all living expenses once she was there. This meant accepting any job that she was offered, and doing whatever hours possible.

She had been fired from her first job but she couldn’t even bring herself to be sad about it since it had been to stock the shelves in a warehouse at night. She was fired when her boss saw the security footage of her both cowering in corners and jumping whenever there was a noise, and blasting loud music to try and distract herself. (She stood by the fact that the warehouse had been trying to kill her.)

Her current job could have been worse, at least that’s what she told herself when she was waking up at 11pm for her night shift. Before starting the job, Laila had no idea that there were department stores that stayed open 24 hours (who could possibly need to visit a department store in the middle of the night?) and even though it would be another night shift job, the wages were higher and they had offered more hours so she happily accepted.

Essentially, Laila was working harder than she ever had in her life when she should have been celebrating her youth and freedom.

Two nights into her new job, she realised why there were vacancies. It turned out that some people did, in fact, use department stores in the middle of the night. One customer in particular had been driving her crazy since she had started.

Most of Laila’s work was tidying up displays and clothing that had been messed up during the day, as the idea was that there wouldn’t be enough people to mess them up in the night. This mentality was challenged by a girl who looked to be around Laila’s age and had dark skin and flowing, curly hair. Laila would have found her incredibly attractive had she not spent the entirety of her time in the store picking up shirts that Laila had folded and dumping them back down.

Every night, the girl turned up at 2am and headed straight for Laila’s section. She never made eye contact with Laila, or interacted with her, but she passed by her every night. Her routine consisted of picking up one of each of the different shirts from the display, holding it up to her chest, then putting it back in a heap without a second glance.

Laila had no idea whether the girl knew how much she was bothering her, but she didn’t see how someone could coincidentally enter the same store at the same time every night and mess up the exact same display each time.

One Wednesday night, Laila was fed up. Wednesdays were the worst days anyway and it appeared that the girl was happy to exacerbate the foul mood Laila was in. Her manager had shouted at her for five minutes straight about the lack of effort that she put into her displays and she was fed up. Extra time had been spent on the shirt display and she was just praying that the girl would go easy on her tonight.

Clearly, this opinion was not shared by the girl. Laila turned her back for just a minute and she appeared, immediately heading for the shirts. After she had picked up and dumped three shirts, Laila knew this was it.

“Hey! Could you please put the shirts back properly?” Laila wanted to be polite, in case this was some sort of misunderstanding. However, the girl just smiled and dropped another shirt. That was enough. “Are you kidding me? Every night you come in and mess up my display and I have never said a word to you. You have no reason to be doing this – you never even buy anything! I’m in trouble with my manager and it’s all because of you!”

Laila was almost panting – she was the most even-tempered person that you could meet and that was the first time she had ever voiced her anger like that. Her anger grew as the girl smirked back.

“Hi, I’m Sara Alvarez. I was wondering how long it would take you to snap.”

“What?” Laila knew her confusion showed on her face.

“Well, you’re really cute so I thought, what better way to get her attention that to annoy her every night?”

“There’s no way that you’re telling me that you’ve almost made me lose my job just because you have a crush on me.” This was all far too much for Laila to comprehend, it made no sense.

“Yeah! Well, I didn’t want you to lose your job, I just wanted to annoy you. I’m sorry about that though, I wouldn’t have wanted that to happen.”

“I’m in shock.” The situation was so bizarre that Laila burst out laughing and soon Sara joined her, “I can’t believe this! Even while you were frustrating me, I was still hoping you liked girls!”

“There’s definitely one girl I like, her name’s Laila, and we got off to a bad start but I’m pretty sure she’s in love with me now.”

“How do you know my name?”

“You wear a name tag, I’m not psychic. Also, that’s the part you pick up on?” Laila blushed. She had practically forgotten all of her annoyance from the past few weeks. Sara was gorgeous, and she was funny and liked her back? Laila must have been dreaming. After a few more minutes of flirtatious banter, Laila remembered that she was at work and she did actually have a job to do.

“Before I leave, could I get your number then? I’ll text you so you have mine as well,” Laila eagerly typed her number into Sara’s contacts and even put a heart emoji next to her name, locking the phone before Sara would notice.

A week later, they went on their first date to see a movie, musing about how they could finally meet each other at a normal time. They spent most of the movie throwing popcorn at each other and giggling as they mimed the bad acting on the screen. During a kiss between the two main characters, Sara turned to Laila, “How did we end up coming to a straight film?”

Laila giggled and mumbled, “We could improve it if you want?” Sara’s grin grew as she leaned over the arm of the seat and held her face in front of Laila’s. Laila tilted her head forward until their lips were touching, and both girls felt like they were on cloud nine. The kiss was short but when they pulled back, Laila’s hands were cupping Sara’s face and Sara’s hands were in Laila’s hair.

There was another three weeks of flirting, sweet kisses and dates around the city before Sara dropped off the map. She hadn’t responded to Laila’s messages or posted on any social media. Laila didn’t have time to worry though – in a week she was flying to USC to join the Trojans and she was fitting in as many hours in work and in exy training as possible.

Laila spent the majority of the flight thinking about Sara. She was really sad about the fact that they would now probably be on opposite sides of the country, and she hadn’t even had the chance to say goodbye. Live in the moment, Laila thought, it’s not every day that you join one of the best exy teams in the nation, you should be happy.

The captain, Jeremy Knox, was there to meet her at the airport with Coach Rhemann. Jeremy hugged her as soon as her saw her and from the huge smile on his face, Laila knew that they were going to get along amazingly. She had a firm handshake with the Coach whose smile was genuine and warm.

She was confused that they weren’t leaving when Jeremy explained that there was someone else getting off the same flight as her. As she turned around to face the people spilling out of the gates, Jeremy shouted to someone in the distance, “Alvarez! We’re over here!”

Laila couldn’t believe her eyes as Sara emerged from the crowd and hugged Jeremy. As she stepped back, their eyes met.

“You’re a Trojan?” they both said at the same time before Sara started laughing.

“I wanted to distance myself as I wasn’t ready for a long-distance relationship. I know I should have explained but I guess it all turned out well in the end!”

Jeremy looked confused, “You two know each other?”

“Yeah, Sara’s my girlfriend actually.” Alvarez raised her eyebrow and smirked.

“Girlfriend, huh?” All three started laughing, although Jeremy still wasn’t quite sure what was going on. Coach Rhemann smiled and guided them out, not at all surprised that this was how the meeting had gone.

Laila was happy – she was playing her favourite sport and she was even dating the girl who had done everything she could to make her hate her. It felt like nothing could go wrong.