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inquisitor-gayfax · 1 year

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✨ Fic Planning and Outlining ✨

Outlining is a huge part of my writing process and something I love talking about, so since I’m currently suffering something of a writer’s block, I’ve put together a step-by-step explanation of my process below. It is important to note that there is no right answer or best way to outline; as with most things it’s just a matter of finding what works best for you!

I would love it if other folks chimed in and added to this with their own tips and tricks!

Let’s learn from each other!

Outlining Tools & Overall Organization

To start with, I use OneNote to organize everything, but there are a ton of programs out there, and you could even do this with different .txt/word files! The main reasons I like OneNote: (1) oo pretty colored tabs (2) tab folders for making sense of the giant pile of WIPs:

So, I have all the things I’m “actively” working on out in the open, then squirrel away everything else in one of five categories: completed (yay!), short, medium, and long WIPs, then a catch-all category for everything that doesn’t really fit anywhere else.

The Outlining Process

To demonstrate and (hopefully) have a little fun, I’m going to pick a half-baked idea from the “WTF – Miscellany” category and create a new tab as if I’m actually going to write it! So, without further ado, let’s dive in and begin outlining for a multi-chapter AU fic wherein Rogal Dorn and Perturabo are high school girls’ volleyball coaches!

First Page: Tags ‘n Such

I often hear that tags can be the hardest part for writers, which is interesting because this is usually where I start! Something about seeing my fic in the summary format it will eventually appear in on AO3 is very motivating to me, and helps guide my writing. You can always add/change later.

Here is the template I use for easy copy/pasting!

Title: Fandom(s): Rating: Category: Archive Warnings: Relationship(s): Character Tags: Other tags: Summary:

And here’s a screenshot of my first pass for this WIP:

This gives me a chance to talk about one of my FAVORITE writing hacks, which is… [BRACKET TEXT].

I don’t know about everyone else, but my brain consistently feels the need to get everything perfect on the first try, which is very unhelpful and actively counter-productive! I’ve found that when I can’t get the phrasing of something just right, or I’m still not sure what I’m going for, putting some brackets around the text in question and just scribbling whatever’s in my mind at the moment allows me to move on without getting bogged down.

If it’s in brackets, I give myself permission to be silly, OOC, anachronistic, or messy, and boy is it a lifesaver sometimes.

Once I have the AO3 info fields done, I draw a little line below the summary and start filling in what I call the “brainstorm space” (that inevitable turns into a mini-outline I need to move over to another page at some point). This is another place I allow myself to be messy. I scribble down thoughts on narrative structure, inspirations, setting, key moments/scenes, themes, motifs, stuff I absolutely need to include, and any overarching things that will be helpful to have before planning in earnest.

Here’s what it looks like for this fic:

Not much there now, but it’s a start, and that’s what outlining is all about!

Second Page: Detailed Outline

A bit of a note here – I used to have a separate page for a “mini-outline,” i.e. a less detailed version, but the brainstorm space basically serves this purpose now, so it’s less common.

This is where the actual structural planning starts to take place. I’ve gotten into the habit of using bracket text here, too, to serve as shorthand summaries of each point. For a multi-chapter fic, I’ll also make sure to note where I think the chapter boundaries will fall, though obviously this is subject to change.

So, a barebones one for this fic might look something like this:

There’s not much there right now, but that’s fine, because (1) it’s in bracket text and (2) this is just the skeletal structure for what comes next: filling it in as you get inspiration.

My brain tends to want to write longfics, but never linearly, of course. Sometimes I get raw bursts of inspiration for scenes, so the way I work with this is to scribble (on my phone, on the computer, in a physical notebook) whatever it is down at the moment I get it, then plug it in to the existing outline later. This way, I end up building a pretty comprehensive plan for the fic before I even open a word document, and it’s easier to make big choices like chapter contents, scene order, and story progression without feeling like I need to tear apart something that’s already fairly set in stone.

Here's an example of what a partially filled-in outline looks like, from my Celefax Gothic Mystery AU WIP:

Note that this one is in chart form, which is what I usually go with for longfics for better separation of scenes and ideas.

Pagestravaganza: Additional Pages for Longfics

For one-shots and shorter multi-chapter fics, typically the Tags/Brainstorming and Detailed Outline pages are enough to get me ready to write, but for longfics, there’s a lot more to think about, and additional places to take notes can be helpful.

Here’s an example of all the pages in the tab for that Celefax AU I mentioned above, which has a lot of characters and worldbuilding and all sorts of things that would be difficult to encapsulate in an outline alone:

For one of my other longfic WIPs, I also have a page where I write down revision notes for the parts I’ve already written as they come to me, so it’s easy to refer back to during the editing process (which I could write a whole other post about).

Another thing I sometimes like to do, especially for one-shots or fics that are from only one character’s POV, is write out a paragraph or two about character emotional arcs. Plot is great, but it can be hard to know where that takes you if you don’t know where each character is starting out and where they end up.

To summarize: The sky’s the limit here. Whatever you need to do to make sure everything comes together, however you need to organize it, however little makes it into the final draft, your outlining/planning document is for you, and you shouldn’t get too bogged down into what needs to be there or whether it’s clean and pretty. As long as it’s helpful to you, it is serving its purpose admirably, and even if it isn’t you’re still learning what does and doesn’t work for you. The way I outline is a constantly evolving process, and different things work for different fics. Feel free to play around!

Writing the Dang Thing

This is the end result, the task for which all your outlining has (hopefully) prepared you!

I’ll be honest: I loathe first drafts. (See above comment about everything needing to be perfect the first time around.)

It’s probably for this reason that I outline so fastidiously, because when I plop my bracket text outline and any pre-written snippets into my first draft, it feels so much less daunting than staring at a blank page.

I can start to fill in the pieces I neglected (scene setting, always), figure out where there might be a need for more connective tissue, and tackle the bite-sized chunks my bracket text outline has created one at a time.

I keep doing that until, ta da! A workable first draft emerges, and we move on to editing, my beloved.

Hopefully this has been interesting/helpful, and please please pleeeeease feel free share your own methods and thoughts and funny bracket text!

#fanfiction #writing #writeblr #warhammer 40000 #rogal dorn #perturabo #barabas dantioch #alexis polux #celestine #katarinya greyfax

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illusivesoul · 10 months

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WIP Word Search Game

Was tagged by @marythegizka to find the words LIGHT, FRIEND and DANGER. Thank you :)

I'll tag @quietborderline @drelldreams @judithmactir and @nowandthane to find the words Memory, Darkness and Arrival. Only if you feel like doing this, of course.

My answers under the cut.

LIGHT - From "You Make Me Feel Good Enough" an ME fic of Ashely growing up with internalized homophobia (cause of that line in the game, "I've spent my whole life fighting to get what I want. To get it done... I had to bury a lot of things" just screams closeted to me), and eventually managing to push through it in a rocky process and ending up with Samantha.

“Anyone waiting for you back home, Williams?” the woman asked before letting out a grunt of effort as she lifted the plate. “Is there anyone waiting for you?” “I asked first”’ Pennyloafer placed the metal plate against the wall, giving it a few tugs to make sure it would hold before attaching the small lightbulb into the socket and turning it on, showering that part of the trench in a dim red light. “And you already know the answer to that. Not sure why you keep asking” “Maybe it’s cause I still can’t believe it. I mean, I'd wait for you if I had met you back on Amaterasu” “Right. Very funny” Ashley replied between grunts as she sped up the pace of her pushups, telling herself that it was just the exercise that was giving her that tingling feeling coursing through her body. “I’m serious. Pennyloafer Williams has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

FRIEND - From a wip called BarrisBlackwall, in which Blackwall and Barris get close after the events of Champions of the Just

“Are you alright? You seem troubled” “Just… pondering on the events that transpired. How most of my friends and companions who were alive this morning now are laying on the main garden waiting for the fire of the pyre. And how if it wasn't for yours and the inquisitor’s timely arrival, we would all be crimson monsters marching at the tune of a demon across Thedas, bringing death and destruction to the land. The group that’s supposed to protect the common folk against the dangers of magic being puppeteered by a demon for Maker knows how long fills me with a sense of… I can’t even describe it” “Like realising that your superiors lied, and that the original goal that you fought for has been buried and forgotten by the lies and deceit of corrupt men?” Barris remained silent for a moment before answering “Is that what all of us men of arms have to come to terms with?” “It’s easier just being a pawn and following orders. You were fortunate in that you realised that what you were being told to do was wrong and took actions to stop it. Not all of us soldiers are so lucky”

DANGER - From a wip called Templar Stamina, which started as a small smut piece of Fenris, Carver and Bela but now is getting more deep than that lol. And cheating a little cause i have "dangerous" instead of "danger".

“Orlesians. Can’t build a hallway without turning it into a maze” “Keep going. I’m sure your training will kick in any moment” Fenris said as the templar kept tugging at the gate locking their way. “Still don’t like me? I’ve tried to change” Carver answered as the gate finally came loose from the wall, the man tossing it to the side shortly after. “You have” Fenris answered, his eyes tracing the veins that ran across the muscles in the man’s arms “Now you’re dangerous” The templar turned his head around, just in time to notice the elf quickly move his head, seeming suddenly very interested in the wall of the hall “Let’s go” Fenris uttered, quickly stepping through. “After you” Carver followed Fenris inside, the slightest curve of a smile forming on his lips.

#tag meme #illusivesoulwriting

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winteratdusk · 1 year

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Totally forgot to share this when I first posted, but chapter 2 of my new fic is now up! Some Steve/Bucky hurt/comfort, as always.

It was November of 1941, the air was bright and clear and cold, and Bucky was starting to feel like he was living at the end of the world. Or, with the world at war, responsibility on his shoulders, and the draft looming closer by the day, Bucky's just trying his best to stay afloat. Drinking seems to help, until it doesn’t.

Main, overarching warning for depictions of unhealthy alcohol use as a coping mechanism. More specific warnings are in the tags and chapter notes, so please be sure to check those as well! Chapter 2 snippet below the cut:

Bucky sat slouched over the bar, staring into the depths of his drink.

It was a dive bar close to the docks, one Bucky always glanced over his shoulder before entering, afraid Jack or someone else from work might be passing by and see him go in. Since he and Steve had finally gotten over themselves, taking the plunge into the relationship that, to Bucky, had always felt halfway inevitable, they went out dancing a lot less. It was both exhausting and unfair, inviting out girls just to keep up appearances. They now spent more time out at bars like this instead – places where Bucky could run his hand up Steve’s thigh or link their hands together under the table and know that nobody would bat an eye.

There had been a time when Bucky had loved it, the openness they found in these places when everywhere else they had to be so careful. He was enjoying it far less now that he had to spend his evening listening to Steve animatedly talking politics to the shiny-haired boy sitting next to them at the bar, leaving Bucky to either try and fail to keep up or drink in silence.

“It’s bullying, is what it is,” Steve ranted, that familiar bit of Irish starting to creep into his voice. “Hitler thinks he can push everyone in Europe around, just like he’s already been doing to his own people!”

The boy beside him was nodding intensely, dark eyes fixed on Steve’s face. Bucky knocked back the rest of his drink and tried to subtly flag down the bartender.

“Exactly,” the boy agreed. “It’s not about glory or adventure or anything, like other guys keep saying. It’s about justice. We’ve finally got the chance to do something good. You’re joining up, right?”

Bucky saw Steve deflate for a moment before quickly squaring his shoulders again. “Trying. Wouldn’t take me the first time around, but I’m gonna prove them wrong.”

“And you?”

The boy beside Steve addressed Bucky just as the bartender handed him his next drink. Bucky winced, hoping that neither Steve nor his new friend had caught on to the fact that most of the empty glasses in front of them were Bucky’s already, or that somewhere along the line he’d switched to ordering doubles.

He wasn’t trying to get drunk, not really — it had just felt so good to loosen up a little, and he could hardly fault himself for not wanting that feeling to stop.

“Buck?” Steve asked, expectant.

“I, uh… yeah,” Bucky said. “Yeah, I think I will. Just gotta make sure my folks are taken care of first. And I mean, I already signed up for the selective service last summer when they told us we all had to, so…”

Bucky knew it wasn’t the righteous answer Steve’s friend was looking for. He only hoped he was imagining the matching frown echoed on Steve’s face.

Bucky was saved from having to sit through any more of the conversation when someone sat down at the old, out-of-tune piano in the corner of the bar. As the first off-key notes of a drinking song permeated the room, the atmosphere shifted, faraway problems disappearing in favor of current celebration.

Steve’s new friend had turned around, talking to another man on the other end of the bar, and Steve’s eyes were on Bucky again. They were glassy and framed with long eyelashes. Their deep blue looked dark in the low light, and Bucky’s stomach swooped with a sensation like falling as he felt himself leaning towards them, tunneling into them.

Steve’s lips parted, saying something that could hardly be heard over the raucous music. They were bright pink, glistening with the last sip of his drink, and Bucky wanted so badly to kiss them, to claim those lips for himself. He forced himself to hold back, pressing a hand flat to the sticky surface of the bar beside his drink to keep himself from touching Steve anywhere he could reach.

#stucky #established steve/bucky #pre-war stucky #steve rogers #bucky barnes #wwii #1940s #hurt/comfort #angst and hurt/comfort #fic #writing #ao3 #alcohol use tw #addiction themes tw #mind the tags

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turtle-sister-april · 1 year

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Hey there!

That’s right, your girl’s finally got herself a tumblr. If you don’t know who I am, my name is April O’Neil, and I use she/her pronouns. After seeing how well Donnie’s been taking to this site thanks to convincing from yours truly I thought I should join in on the fun. Since my folks moved out of state and I didn’t want to leave I now live in the lair with the guys.

I’m going to be answering questions (mayhem can answer some questions now too), telling some fun stories, and of course occasionally posting some fun pictures of my favorite pet Mayhem. But of course I’m always open to chat. Whether it be advice, emotional support, you found something you think is really cool and you just have to tell someone about it, you just want someone to listen, or you want to hear something about me, feel free to contact me through asks or dms.

Tags

#turtle net, #ask april, #april chat, #never mess with april O'neil, #mayhem moments

Fam's blogs:

Leo: @neonleonsmessymindpalace

Donnie: @donniesexceptionalmind

Mikey: @angelo-the-doctor-of-feelings

Raph: @raph-a-roni

Friend's blogs:

Xino: @spaceacexino

Vee: @veeswims

Emerson: @emerson-the-psycho

Lop ears: @yuichiiusagii

Dragons: @dragonsmindramblings

Curious Anon: @curious-anon-yippee

! Important note !

Hate in any form will not be tolerated, as well as NSFW, other nasty stuff & proshipping.

Any y’all break those rules, you will get blocked. The others can tell you for sure to not invoke my wrath.

//This is an alt rp blog my main is: @dynogadget//

✨interesting stories✨

How I met the Turtles

Surprise meeting

Nightmare

Me and Leo’s prank on Raph

Names

Mayhem shenanigans list

#turtle net #ask april #april chat #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt april #roleplay blog #roleplay account #rp blog #tmnt roleplay #april o'neil #rise april #rottmnt #never mess with April 0'Neil #mayhem moments

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mothfables · 2 years

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Hello, I’m Moth! This is a sideblog for any writing I do!

As of right now I will not be doing requests of any kind (except for those that have been sitting in my inbox for the past... uh while). This may change in the future, and if it does I will let you know, but for now anything I post is just going to be for me! Also, if something catches your eye, like a prompt or headcanon, feel free to use it! I just ask that you credit me! <3 The ask box is always open if you have any questions or just want to talk :D

This will also be where I’ll link any series I end up doing, so keep an eye out!

If you want to check out my main blog- and see where my current interests are going- check out @iolitemoth!

I’m also on AO3 now! Check @Iolite_Moth!

Specific Tags: #moth’s tales (my writing), #moth art (art by me), #sneak peek (what it sounds like), #chapter notes (notes from first drafts), #fable art (fanart!!!), #fable writing (anything written by other folks), #mod speaks (just me talking, about writing or anything) #gift fic (gifts for folks!!), #snippets and bits (short bits, not necessarily for anything specific)

Skye in the Studio

Part 1

Part 2

Sillyvision Stories

Spell Gone Wrong

Henry’s Transformation

Gender is Boring (Robots and I Agree)

The Plague

Sunstone’s Universal Venture

Hatchlinghood Shenanigans

Trouble with Gossan

Assorted Linked Universe

Violets and Rabbits

♡Bunny Flops♡: Part One - Part Two - Part Three

A Bun in More Ways Than One

In Which Wars Picks a Fight With an Apple Tree (& Loses)

Blushing Bunnies and Rings

Nightmare

Beetle Hunting for Beedle

Thistles and Thorns

War Stories

Winter Chills

Beads and Rings and Other Things

Rabbit in a Wolf Den

Legend(ary) Cuddles

Assorted Legend of Zelda

An Assortment of Kisses

Cuddles and Wishes and Bunny Kisses - A collection of soft, fluffy moments with the bunny duo. Set after ALBW and during LU

Getting Together

First Kiss

Rain

Bunny Cuddles

Growth Spurt

Apples and Bunny Love

Heat Wave

Couch Cuddles

Chore Day

Bunny Fever

Cuddles? ✔️ Kisses? ✔️ Anything Else? ...Nah I Think We’re Good

Strength Training

Scars

Wolves and Rabbits - Legend meets Wolfie for the first time(s). It doesn’t go well

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Snail - Legend is turned small suddenly, leaving the Chain to deal with a traumatized baby!Legend with the Vet’s memories

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Fluffruary

Day 1: Best Friends

Day 2: First Date

Day 3: Cozy Shelter

Day 4: Ice Skating

Day 5: Hugs

Day 6: Small Gestures

Little Bunny - stories about age regressor Legend and his family

Four, Reading

Wild, Baking

The Chain, Storm

Groose, Meeting

Ravio, Thunderstorm

Raviolishipweek

Queering the Chain

Day 1: Queerplatonic Relationship

#mod speaks #moth’s tales #hatchlinghood shenanigans #skye in the studio #gender is boring (robots and i agree)#cuddles and wishes and bunny kisses #bunny flops #sillyvision stories #wolves and rabbits #snail #rabbit in a wolf den #fluffruary #freckles and scars #little bunny #raviolishipweek #queering the chain event

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twyftwyt · 10 months

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I agree with anon stating about the weirdness of BO and Poppy constantly being promoted together.

If Noah and Poppy are dating, I can’t see him approving to have Poppy tagged in the IG photo due to his and her privacy, especially if it’s rather new. And as of right now, the most liked IG post on the main band account on today’s post says something like “why is poppy being tagged?” So people will start to speculate and blow things out of proportion now since she has some involvement. If there’s something going on, Noah better buckle up and be prepared to go public with Poppy soon.

On the flip side, it seems like Sumerian is riding on the coattails of BO and Poppy blowing up together. So they want them together at all times. For instance: The Poppy album release party last month was a good PR stunt to bring both Noah and Poppy around to meet people from the label, fans, and other music industry folks.

Sumerian likes to pair other record label artists with BO for good PR. Granted BO gets a say in who they tour with, but ultimately it comes down to management/record label. I see stars is on Sumerian and have been inactive for a few years until now. So what better way to reintroduce the band and get everyone hyped for a new ISS album? Tour with your biggest record label act at the moment. Not saying Noah and Poppy are a PR stunt but I can see Sumerian doing some weird thing like this to create more hype for both sides.

Sorry this is long just rattling off some thoughts cause I’m over here like 🤔

I can see your point, anon, thank you for sharing it. Sounds very, very logical, so only time will tell if it’s true. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#anon asks

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oonajaeadira · 2 years

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get to know you tag game!

Thank you, @honestly-shite. This has been sitting around a bit as I catch up on everything.

favourite time of year: Now

comfort food: Oh, there’s a list, but for brevity’s sake I will answer with my constant need: cheese.

favourite dessert: ice cream

things you collect: Oh, lots of things. Wooden boxes. Music boxes. Suitcases. Jars. Purses. Backpacks. I purposefully only listed the things you can put other things in. But there are mannnnny more.

favourite drink: Coffee in just about any form or combo as long as I can taste the coffee. Mexican mocha is best though.

favourite musical artist: I don’t have one? I like so many and I’m not a huge music person. I guess at this moment I’d really like to listen to Lykke Li.

last song you listened to: Eye in the Sky by Alan Parsons Project.

last movie you watched: Always Watching: A Marble Hornets Story. Somehow these jackanapes got Doug Jones to be Slenderman and then they ruined it by putting him in too much of the movie. Dole that shit out, yo. Slendy’s scarier when he’s barely seen. Tsk.

last series you watched: Same as you, Maia: Santa Clarita Diet.

series you’re currently watching: Andor, House of the Dragon, British Baking Show.

current obsession: Other than Pedro? I just got my planners and calendar for next year, so I’ve been setting those up. (Our main event at work is in August so in September we plan all the program dates and deadlines for the entire next program year. So I tend to get a new planner and go through month by month and plan improvements and pre-planning strategies because I’m a giant nerd.)

dream place to visit: Right now I want to go to Paris Disney, Halcyon Starcruiser, Venice, and a southern Spain/Morocco trip.

a place you’ve been that you want to go back to: Japan.

something you want: I desperately want my org to get into this program we interviewed for today so we can purchase a property that will ensure its preservation for our constituent community. The interview was stressful enough that I’m still in non-profit speak mode. Basically, I want to buy a theater.

currently working on: Kinktober prompts. I’M SO BEHIND.

Tagging: I feel like many folks have already done this recently, so If you haven’t, please make your own post and tag me!

#tag games

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hijack711 · 8 months

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CHAPTER 6:

Tag(s): fluff, story building, daily life, wholesome moments

The days of rest were over and Rehn had to return to work. Started off with a group interview, things were going as scripted but then a fan shouted to ask Rehn about his love life.

“Well, I don’t know much about my dad’s thoughts as for my mom, I do because I feel like she started disowning me ever since she had Chaeyoung. Can you imagine that?” Rehn

With that answer, the whole studio was shocked and laughed out loud. Before Rehn’s group members and other people at the studio could take a break, he then dropped another piece of TMI.

“Never in my life did I believe that having a girlfriend could lead to having my daily essentials stolen, my shirts, my shorts, and then my mom, like what the f*ck, babe. Folks, please read the contract before signing, okay?” Rehn

“Jinjayo? Guys, this is my time to ever interview someone who is not afraid of roasting their loved one.” The MC

“Roasting each other is nothing, fellas, you guys should have seen what Rosé has done to our lives. Ever since she started dating our eldest brother, she has become the second bully.” Baekgi

“And the worst part is Rosé has backups, strong ones.” Sirene “You guys can just stand up against her, can’t you?” The MC

“Well, it’s not like we couldn’t, the fact is we shouldn’t. Rosé is our eldest’s parents’ favorite now, so if we dare go against her, we won’t get treated to a fancy meal, and Rehn’s mom is an excellent cook.” Ivy

“Cut cut, I think that’s enough of TMI for the day.” Rehn

“Oh yeah, you’re right. Rosé will probably give all of us a good beating after this.” Yuki

“Ok. Moving onto the next topic which is about your upcoming album. Could you give us a bit of a spoiler on what’s the inspiration behind it? Etc.” The MC

...

Right after the end of the interview, the group spent some time interacting with the people in the studio as well as their fans. The six of them then headed to the headquarters for a meeting. When Unity was having a meeting with the team for the upcoming album, the sound of the notification from Rehn’s phone caught everyone’s attention.

“Sorry, everyone, please continue.” Rehn

“Was it from your chipmunk?” Ivy

“Indeed, it was, and she wants to whoop me in the ass right now.” Rehn

“Hehe.” Damian and Baekgi

...

Moving onto Unity's next task of the day and this time they had to attend a meeting with their team for the next album. The meeting was intense as everyone was deeply immersed in it. For those who had little to no idea how long it took the whole team to brainstorm for just one part of the comeback, the answer was by the time they discussed the concept, part one of the preparation process took about 45 minutes.

Two-thirds of the team had been working on the project since the early morning, and that was not the best part, some even brought their lunch to their cubicle to keep up with the pace.

Forty-five minutes into the meeting, Ivy decided that they should take a break to ease the tension as well as grab a light snack or a drink. A few grabbed a cup of coffee even though some of them were not into it, they had to.

BACK TO THE MEETING

“Don’t you think the first and second concept art are a little bit too bright, from the time of the debut, Unity has stayed loyal to the balance between Yin and Yang. The third one is deep and dark but from what I’m seeing, at the end of the line there’s light.” Jay

“I know that you both have put a lot of effort into this project, but I want to decline. However, both of your ideas have great potential so I will keep them for the future, and I think your ideas will be more suitable for Sirene and Baekgi.” Rehn

“Now that we’re done with the two main group songs, let’s move on to the B-sides.” Mansae

“I’m thinking of having one group B-side and 6 solo ones, each for one member.” Ivy

“I know the 6 of you are capable of handling huge amounts of work but this seems too much. Will it put too much stress on you guys?” Mansae “We’ll be fine, Mansae, thank you for your consideration. The 6 of us have discussed this already and we have a plan for it.” Yuki

“Wow, 6 solos at the same time!” Hanki

“B-sides to be exact.” Rehn

“I thought I understood you guys’ craziness but it seems I still don't, hahaha.” Jay

“Haha, let’s continue.” Ivy

...

Thirty minutes after the meeting ended, Rehn’s phone was bombarded by his girlfriend with multiple messages telling him she wanted to turn him into a punching bag for teasing her in the interview.

“Honey, what the heck? How could you say that? And I don’t fart.” Rosé

“Hahaha, seriously, you don’t? Be honest with me, you do fart, you just do that unconsciously whereas I do that consciously.” Rehn

“Hahaha, eww. Sometimes I'm even surprised at my endurance when loving you, honey.” Rosé

“My dad even asked me “How the hell could you love this punk?”, hahaha. A heads-up here, your mom is quite not happy.” Rosé

“Knew it, having lived with her for a long enough, I am always ready for her wrath.” Rehn

“Hehehe. How was work, honey?” Rosé

“Fruitful but exhausting. Same with you, I know you are tired, especially with your current state so please listen to your health, babe.” Rehn

“Aww, honey, thank you so much. Lisa, Jennie unnie, and Jisoo unnie have been taking good care of me so rest assured.” Rosé

“Speaking of work, didn’t you say you were working on other songs for a singer outside your band? Who are they?” Rosé

“I think you might know her, she’s blonde, a little dorky, Korean, etc.” Rehn

“Wait, I know her?” Rosé

“Hahaha.” Rehn

“Hold up, were you talking about me? … It’s me, isn’t it? … you’re mean, honey.” Rosé

“Hahaha, it’s true, but that isn’t what I want to talk about. I’m talking about your first solo. YG contacted me first to ask if I have any ideas for your solo debut, things got a little bit carried away and instead of giving it to the Black Label, President Yang proposed a collaboration between YG and VST thus here we are, me and you working together.” Rehn

“Omo, yesss … I've dreamed of working with you one day and now you've made it happen, thank you, honey.” Rosé

“So do I, babe.” Rehn

“Rehn ssi!” A VST’s employee called for Rehn

“Ah yes, what do you need?” Rehn

“There is something we need you to take a look at.” VST’s E

“Sure, I’ll be there in a minute.” Rehn

“Better get back to work, honey. I’ll be at your apartment as soon as I finish my schedule.” Rosé

“Bah bye, babe.” Rehn

...

In their changing room, Blackpink was having a break while waiting for the cue to call them out for an interview. During the break, Rosé found it a little bit boring so she decided to pick a fight with Lisa and had Lisa chase her around the room.

“Chaeyoung, be careful, don’t run around like that.” Jennie

“Gosh, unnie, from morning until now, I've heard you nagging at Chaeyoung so much, what are you? A mom? Hahaha.” Lisa

“Aishhh, no. I’m just worried about her.” Jennie

“Well duh, we all know that, but it seems like you took it way too seriously.” Jisoo

“Hey Jennie eomma, buy me fried chicken.” Rosé

“Ouch, you could have said no.” Rosé

“Oppa has given me the right to supervise you as well as the right to intervene so I can do that, and I’ll hit you again for taking my snacks.” Jennie

“Ouch ouch, Lisa, help me.” Rosé

“Ain’t doing that sis, gotta save energy for the interview.” Lisa

KNOCK KNOCK

The door opened to reveal a person entering, a woman with a blonde bob, it was one of Blackpink’s managers.

“Girls, it’s time!” Hanmi

“Got it, unnie!” Jisoo

“Let’s go, hurry up, I’m hungry.” Rosé

“My god, can you keep it in check for at least one hour, please, you’ve been eating all morning like a machine.” Jennie

“Damn, you’re that hungry, no wonder you’re gaining weight like a pig.” Hanmi

“Hahaha, kekeke.” Jisoo and Lisa

“Unnie, you are mean.” Rosé

“Like Snorlax.” Lisa

“Hahahaha. Snorlax, as in the Pokemon?” Hanmi

“Bingo, unnie.” Jisoo

“You are all a bunch of bullies, I’ll tell Rehn after this.” Rosé

Being teased to the point where she couldn't retaliate, Rosé had to use the card she often relied on when being bullied or forced into an awkward situation, which was her boyfriend.

“Go ahead, we will call for backup.” Lisa

“Are you sure we’ll win even if we call for backup? I mean, Chaeyoung got Rehn oppa’s parents on her side too.” Jisoo

“Yeah, right, I forgot.” Lisa

“We can give Chaeyoung’s dad and sister a call, I’m sure they will take our side.” Jennie

“What the?” Rosé

“That’s a good idea, since Chaeyoung often teases her dad and sister, this might work.” Jisoo

...

During the interview, the MC was trying her best to avoid any questions or topics regarding Rosé’s love life. However, it seemed to be inevitable when the fans kept shouting either Rosé’s boyfriend’s name or their funny moments. The smile never disappeared from Rosé's face throughout the interview.

When the four members received the question asking "How long did it take them to train for archery? The fans were curious since Rosé and Lisa seemed to be quite skillful at it.", the Blackpink members then burst out laughing remembering what comments they received from Rehn and Ivy after the short archery clip of Rosé and Lisa went viral.

"We must give Rehn oppa and Ivy unnie the credit. We were in awe and curious when we watched Ivy practicing archery, and she did not train with just static shooting targets, it was like watching superheroes like Green Arrow or Hawkeye in action, so we asked her for some teachings." Lisa

"Yeah, and the funny thing is Lisa was doing extremely great until we decided to record it. She hit 8, 9, and 10, but when we turned the camera on, she only got 6, 5, even worse, none." Rosé

"Yah, bruh, you promised not to mention that anymore." Lisa

The friendly quarrel between Rosé and Lisa gave everyone in the studio a good laugh.

"I want to spill the tea here." Jisoo

"Ooh, Jisoo, what do you have?" The MC

"Only a few hours after these two had their archery match, we received a call from Rehn oppa and Ivy unnie questioning Lisa's skills. Lisa got chewed out by Ivy for like 10 minutes, hahaha." Jisoo

Jisoo's words sent another wave of laughter to the already lively studio.

...

When Blackpink came home, three out of four members were still laughing remembering their interview except for Jennie. Two-thirds of the time when they attended the interview, it was hard for Jennie to focus on the MC's words thus leading her to rely on the members. The reason for that was Rosé or more accurately her man, Rehn, Jennie had not been able to concentrate 100% on both work and her boyfriend, Taehyung for many months.

Of course, Jennie blamed no one but herself for harboring such mixed feelings for someone else's man, but not just someone, it was her sister's man. Jennie did not want Taehyung to waste his time on her, however, she did not have the guts to throw away his love, Taehyung was one of the people who kept Jennie going, enduring all the harshness during her time as a trainee.

Tiredly and slowly dragging her feet to her room, even skipping the dinner, Jennie flopped down on her bed. Jennie then brought her hand to her forehead.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Kim Jennie? When and how did you get yourself into this dilemma?" Jennie asked herself

Previous chapter

#fluff #kpop #character building #blackpink #blackpink rosé #blackpink lisa #blackpink jennie #blackpink jisoo #jisoo #jennie #lisa #rosé

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riot-control-camp · 9 months

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WIP Wednesday!

finally starting these! tagged by the mutuals (and others) who put "you, the one reading this" in their tag lists /lh thank you i love you all

i have. SO MANY FUCKING WIPS IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY but the main two i've been working on are as follows!

details under the cut!

1. "Hello My Old Heart"

this is a davey/angel canon-divergence where angel is a wedding planner recruited to assist in the organization of asher and babe's wedding! david did not know about this and he is Not Thrilled that his ex that he parted with under...complicated circumstances is now part of the wedding planning that he can Totally Handle On His Own, Thank You Very Much

Excerpt:

“We haven’t even touched the idea of planning anything yet, because you stubborn shits can’t focus for three fucking seconds,” David points out, smoothing his menu over the booth table. He’s starting to think this is another one of Ash’s half-baked schemes to get him out of the house; they’ve met up to start organizing twice in the past week with no results except a large tab. “We haven’t done that because you can’t stop lookin’ around like everyone in this bar is planning a flash re-enactment of the Ides of fuckin’ March,” Milo says. “Stop bein’ an idiot.” “That’s my best man, saving the day from...well, from my other best man,” Asher jokes. “But, I’m serious, buddy. The second we order, Babe’s fancy notebook is coming out to play, alright?” David growls, because the waiter has come over asking if they’re ready to order at least three different times, only to get waved away without so much as an appetizer to show for it. At this rate, they’ll be here until the bar closes. “Keep lying to yourself, Ash. And you better tip well—we've been hogging the table for an hour and wasting their opportunity to get customers who actually know what they want.” “We are going to tip excellently,” Asher concedes. “As a group. But until then, drink your drink and try to chill out.”

2. "Never Love an Anchor" (which should tell you all you need to know about my music taste and how i title things /lh)

this is a magnus archives wip i've had cooking for a long time without a lot of time to dedicate to it, but the conceit is immortal jon and time traveler martin who's been searching for a cure for his mom.

Excerpt:

“You’re back again?” Jon says, like he’s bored of it. It’s one of the worse acts he’s put on, hiding his smile in the folds of his robes instead of keeping it off his face altogether. “Yes,” says Martin. “In that case, your books are in the corner, and I’ll get your pallet out from storage--though I expect it’s more mildew than anything else at this point. Still, you’re welcome to it.” Jon points to an unassuming crate in the corner, turned on its side as a bookshelf. The spines of the books are all dusted. “You didn’t have to do that,” Martin says, flushing helplessly. “I know,” Jon says as he climbs up to the eaves and pulls the second pallet and its accompanying dust cloud down from its nook. “It just didn’t seem right to let them rot, and it only took a few moments a day to keep them in working order.” Martin crosses the room and wraps his arms around Jon’s turned back. “You missed me.” Jon tenses in surprise, then melts back into him, resting his head on Martin’s shoulder. “Yes,” he admits. “More than you know.” Martin nestles his chin on top of Jon’s head, humming contentedly. For a few minutes, they stand there, taking each other in and listening to the rustling of the trees outside. Martin opens his eyes, not knowing when he closed them and spitting out a tiny bit of Jon’s hair. “So,” he starts a little too knowingly, “are we still pretending that this pallet is actually usable after spending at least a decade up in your attic?” “I,” Jon says primly, “have no idea what you are implying.”

that's all folks! sorry for any formatting chaos as i have Not Done This Before (/lh) take care and thanks for reading!

#wip wednesday #oli oscillates #redactedaudio #tma

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totallyuseless-ugh · 11 months

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Across the Campus

Chapter Six: Not very Stereotypical

The small dorm room was filled with endless sounds of keyboard clicks and the occasional flip of a page whenever Darnell worked on his class paper. Every spare minute, he would spend in some type of way working for it. He would even write through the night if Pico were not always dragging him away from the desk in the evening.

Even on Saturday, Darnell went right back to his desk after the usual morning coffee. Pico thought not much of it until he returned hours later from his basketball training. “Alright, that’s enough for today,” he said and pulled Darnell on his chair back from the laptop.

“Hey, I’m working!” Darnell complained loudly.

“Yeah, you’ve been doing so the entire week. If I had spent all that time on your screen, I would be having a tan now!”

Darnell did not want to hear it. He did not want to listen to his aching back asking for a break either, unless absolutely necessary. He wanted to get the essay done and out of the way as soon as possible. “C’mon, just gimme another hour!”

“Not a chance,” Pico shook his head and closed the laptop. “You’re not enjoying yourself anymore. Get your ass out of that chair and get dressed for the party.”

“We had an agreement! I said I’d come if I got 75 percent of the work done.”

Pico raised an eyebrow as if he were questioning Darnell’s sanity for a moment. “My guy, you’ve written ten pages for an essay with a twelve page limit. Correct me if my math is wrong, but that’s more than 75 percent finished.”

By the time Pico and Darnell arrived at the house, the place was already rapidly filling with people. It certainly came to no surprise that parties supposedly were a regular thing around here. The sheer size of the house suggested two different stories. Either a really cool (and rich) party kid was given the family’s third residence to live in while attending uni, or a group of friends made a (most likely drunken) decision to finance this together for housing and, of course, a shit ton of parties. Either way, the place was already looking very promising.

The crowd of students was a mix of many familiar faces, some more vaguely than others, and a bunch which appeared to be complete strangers. Possibly alumni who had come back to see friends and have a good time. And although the party had just barely started, the mood all around was already great. Everyone was chill, talking and laughing with drinks in hand, and the occasional good song got people to dance around for a while.

“This will be fun,” Pico laughed optimistically as he scanned the area. Darnell nodded in agreement. The small hum he had made was almost fully drowned out by the surrounding noise.

As was standard routine at every new party, the two friends began scouting the entire house. A couple of rooms were locked, probably for good reason. But the majority were open for anyone to enter. That included a game room which had been set up for Dance Dance Revolution matches. The basement was the unmatched main attraction though, as it was home of a self-serve bar for drinks and a karaoke station not too far away.

Every room they entered had Darnell skip his eyes over the people around. Needless to say, he was hoping to see a certain blonde at the party. Though, admittedly, he did not know what he would do if they were to actually show up.

Pico and Darnell soon headed back for the basement, shuffling past people on the crowded set of stairs. That did not stop the redhead though as he grinned from ear to ear at his friend. “This is looking good! I’m excited to see where this goes.”

“You sure do,” Darnell laughed. “So, any plans on how we start this off?”

“Probably grab some drinks and chat up some folks. I saw a few of my teammates, so you could tag along if you got nothing else planned for now.”

Darnell nodded and accepted the offer. Though he had seen a couple of other students from his courses, he did not really want to seek out conversation with any of them. He hardly knew them, so he had no good conversation starters other than complaining about the essay. Maybe later, when everyone has gotten a bit more tipsy and did not care about an awkward approach for a chat. But not yet. Going with Pico was currently the best idea to avoid the moments of stiffly standing alone to the side and just watch others having fun.

Pico introduced his teammates one by one to Darnell. He could somewhat recognize a handful of the guys. He had seen them around the campus, carrying either their sports bag or even just a basketball from one lecture to the other. It always made him wonder whether they would go to practice right after, or if they just wanted to show off being on the basketball team whenever their jerseys were in the laundry. And although Darnell had not many shared interests with most of the group, he still managed to have a decent conversation with them all.

Time was passing quicker than expected. Before anyone knew it, the colorful lights were the only thing illuminating the entire house. So much for the days starting to get shorter. But the party was far from dying out. If anything, more people started coming in for a bit of fun and drinks.

The evening was coming along well. No fights had broken out so far, nothing gross got to kill the mood yet. Though, for a split moment, Darnell thought that something bad was about to go down, hearing sudden bellows coming from upstairs.

“EYO WHAT’S UP MY MAN!!”

His eyes were fixated on the staircase for a moment to watch if anything would happen. But nobody seemed to care except for him and Pico. It must have been a normal occurrence, Darnell told himself to turn back to his group. People kept on pushing themselves through the sea of other people to get to or away from the basement bar. Some stayed at the sight of the karaoke machine and served Pico and his friends a good laugh over their drunken performances. The surrounding noise of music playing and loud talking had become normal to Darnell’s ears over time. And yet, he noticed a familiar voice shouting into the main room, “I’ll grab us some drinks. Dontcha dare run off!” It was no louder than most of the other noise around him, but it still stood out to him like nothing else.

Darnell looked over to see Rika, laughing as she made her way over to the bar. She was dressed in a white crop top and blue tartan button up hanging down openly, letting her necklace glimmer in the lights around her. Darnell thought she would be back upstairs without even looking in his general direction. But he knew better when Rika’s head perked up before she made a sudden turn away from the bar. She walked straight up to him, her hand reaching out to squeeze his arm.

“Darnell! Didn’t know you came to parties here too,” she beamed at him despite the odd looks Pico and his mates gave them both.

“Ah, well, it’s my first one here,” Darnell explained with an almost flustered shrug.

“You’re not busy here right now, right?” Rika did not hesitate to ask, getting straight to the point as always. He answered her quickly by shaking his head. “Good, then you’re my designated drink carrier now!” Her other hand then moved to also hold onto Darnell before dragging him along to the bar. She quickly put his own drink aside to then shove two different red cups in his hands and picked up two more herself, then nodded her head towards the stairs. At this point, he was in too deep not to follow along. Darnell just gave a small shrug towards his redhead friend to answer the amused, questioning look.

After shuffling carefully upstairs was Darnell back in the main room. The house had filled up significantly more since he had first arrived. Though, the crowd still managed to somewhat evenly distribute itself around the area. And not too far from the basement door was a small group, a diverse mix of people chatting amongst each other and laughing without a care in the world. Pretty much all were dressed in a similar casual style, some wore a simple shirt and jeans combo similar to that of Rika, maybe some accessories to add a bit more detail into it all. But even in the bad lighting could Darnell recognize the deep blue of one of the shirts.

It was a sports jersey. And not just any, but that of the university's very own football team, Sherrington Bullet Sharks. He saw that shirt quite a lot, including the number and name printed on the back of it, ‘21 Ashton’.

Darnell felt his chest burning as CJ shot him a brief glance before recognizing and fully turning their head for a proper look. Their lips quickly curled into a wide grin and their hand came up to wave. He wanted to wave back, but just the slightest twitch of his muscles reminded Darnell that he was still holding drinks in his hands, leaving him to just nod his head at them.

“Hey Nells!” CJ greeted him. “Didn’t know you’d be here tonight. 'specially with how seriously you take that essay thing.”

Darnell laughed a little, hoping he did not make himself sound too awkward. “Yeah, my roomie dragged me here.” He handed out the drinks he helped carry as he spoke. “Like, I love a good party. But I was a bit.. too deep in work mode.”

“Ah yes, I know the feeling. Maybe I gotta take you to a few more of these parties then, get you to relax some more!” Their free hand came to rest on Darnell’s back and rub between his shoulder blades.

CJ was a very touchy person. At every visit, Darnell would get pulled into a hug. Any invitation or offer was accompanied by a loving squeeze of his shoulder. And a good joke earned Darnell a light jab to his upper arm. But even with all this established closeness, he still could feel the butterflies waking up to fly around in his stomach.

“Yeah. Sounds great, I really need a break every now and then,” he accepted the offer with a shy smile. Darnell’s gaze lingered on CJ for a little longer, until one of their apparent friends nudged their side for attention.

“Are we gonna get to know your new buddy now?” The other person gestured towards Darnell with the cup in her hand. CJ laughed bashfully.

“Right, sorry.” CJ apologized and finally introduced their friend group to Darnell. “You already know Rika. And these two are Sunghee and Egeith.”

Frankly, Darnell was not sure what exact type of friends he was expecting CJ to have. But certainly something closer to Rika, with her red dye ombré hair and often extra way of style. However, he was met with two very ordinary, if not nerdy looking people instead. Natural hair in a ponytail or short haircut, no flashy clothes or even just a shirt with some witty line printed on the front. These people were the definition of straight A student poster children. And yet, they were at this party.

Darnell greeted both with a polite wave. "Hey, 'm Darnell."

Egeith and Sunghee gave him the same gesture in response with a light smile. “Nice to meet ya.”

Darnell looked around the group briefly, hoping to find something to talk about. Rika had seemingly disappeared after giving out the drink to Sunghee, and CJ was standing somewhat in the middle as if they were acting as a mediator.

“So.. y’all got here just now or..?” Darnell was desperate to break the silence amongst the group.

All three nodded their heads. “Pretty much, yeah,” CJ answered. “Had to get ready first ‘n all. But it’s not that big a deal to come here when the party’s already been goin’ for a while. There’s not much to miss out on.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Darnell agreed in a small chuckle. He looked around again, this time more focused on the room than the small gathering of friends. “I s’pose you wanna go around and say hi to some folks here?”

CJ’s expression briefly changed to a wide eyed, somewhat clueless face as they hesitated to answer. “Uhm, yeah. Right! Didn’t get to that yet.”

“A’ight, not gonna keep ya from it then.”

“Sure, sure. I’ll see you around then!”

“Can’t miss me. ‘m downstairs near the drinks.” Darnell offered a quick smile. CJ acknowledged his words with a nod and waved as they began shuffling through the crowded room with Egeith and Sunghee. He watched the group leave for another moment before making a quick u-turn back downstairs to Pico.

Darnell pushed himself past increasingly drunk people to reach the redhead. “Damn, you look fucked,” Pico commented at the sight of his friend. “The fuck have you been doing?”

Darnell scrambled for words to say. “I was- I- Rika made me-” The laughter he heard after his first attempt made him remember that almost half the basketball team, near strangers were still close by and listening. He stood straight, clearing his throat as if that would help with his nervousness. “You-know-who is here.”

“Naww, someone got a crush?” One of the players asked. He swung the red solo cup in his hand in Darnell’s direction as he laughed.

“Who’s the lucky lady?” Another one asked straight away.

Pico did not need Darnell to say something. The just barely hidden annoyed face he made was enough for the redhead to understand. Now was really not the time he would want to explain to a bunch of drunks that bi people existed.

Darnell closed his eyes and took a slow breath. But instead of taking the hint, the team only continued to push on with their questions.

“C’mon! If you like ‘er, go out and talk ‘er up!”

“Yeah, don’ waste yer time with us here!”

Darnell pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers in frustration. “How the fuck do you imagine it to go down then? I just approach and fail to keep up a good convo for five minutes, if I’m lucky?”

“‘f course not! Y’gotta ask her ‘bout shit she likes, obviously!”

“And if ‘t goes nowhere, y’gonna see whether she likes you ‘r not. It’s ‘bout if she starts talkin’ herself or just leaves ya.”

Darnell glanced over to Pico again. His face was equally surprised. They had expected a lot, but not genuine and sort of useful advice. Perhaps, Darnell would thank the team for the help some day, when everyone was sober again. But surely not now. As much as he may have appreciated the help, Darnell was not going to find out whether they were the clingy type of drunks. “A’ight, imma keep this in mind.”

The guys grinned as if they were proud of themselves. Perhaps, this was their way of telling people they were ‘womanizers’, since they seemed to ‘understand the girls and what they want’.

Darnell did not spare them much more of his thoughts though. Even over the noisy mix of chatter and music, a voice stood out to him once more. He turned his head to see how CJ was trying to make their way into the basement, apologizing on their way for bumping into people. And once they had safely reached the lower floor, CJ briefly scanned the area before their eyes met with Darnell’s. The soft smile on their lips quickly turned into an excited grin, and his eyes grew wide before trying to hide his adoration with a flustered smile.

They both slipped past the other people in the room to stand in front of each other again. “Hi.” Darnell felt his heart skip a beat as the two spoke in unison. He laughed along with CJ over it.

“Glad to find you here,” CJ said.

“Oh- wait, really?”

CJ paused for a moment, only now seemingly realizing what they had said. “.. yeah! My friends are kinda inseparable from the dance thing upstairs right now. And I just.. didn’t feel like joining in.”

“Makes sense. So you were looking to spend time with me then?” Darnell hated himself for asking this question. But he was too curious as not to ask anyway.

“Exactly,” CJ answered, their grin lighting up briefly again. “I mean, I don’t wanna tear you away from your friends of course, if you’re-”

“Oh! No no, I’m not really..” Darnell took a quick look back at Pico and his teammates before turning back. “Yeah, nah. I’m very much free.”

“Great!” CJ’s chime had Darnell’s heart fluttering inside his chest. “Then I’ll just grab a drink before we go. ‘Cause.. this place is getting a bit too full for me.”

“Sure thing. Any ideas where to go instead?” Darnell asked while CJ quickly poured themself something from the bar into their cup.

“I was thinking outside. Get away from all the noise for a lil’ while.”

He nodded in agreement to the idea and received an amused grin in return. Before he knew it had CJ hooked into his arm, dragging him through the mass of people and out the front door.

The streetlamps were already illuminating the neighborhood and dozens of cars parked near the house. Only when the two finally stood outside noticed Darnell how much he actually needed this break. Hearing the laughter and loud, overlapping music become muffled made him feel much less on edge again. CJ seemed to share that feeling based on the change to their look. They were still smiling. But it was less strained, more genuine.

CJ let out a small hum and nodded their head to the side. That was the only warning Darnell got before being dragged further away from the noise and hectic. The two passed a bunch of smokers huddling together for a chat and other folks that were out for a break as well, until they found a good spot nearby to sit down in the grass.

Darnell looked over at CJ. He could feel his heartbeat all the way up in his throat, and he was unsure whether it was the nervousness or the alcohol that made his palms sweaty and his body heat up. All while the blonde sat there silently with their eyes still on the house they had just left.

“So, Egeith and Sunghee..” Darnell mumbled eventually. He did not know himself where he planned on going with that opener, let alone if he actually should start a conversation.

CJ seemed to catch on regardless, chortling and nodding in response. “Trust me, you’re not the first one to be surprised. But once you see them on stage, you’ll understand the type of person the two are.”

“Woah, wait- they’re in your band?”

“Yeah. Sunghee does second guitar, and Egeith the drums.”

Darnell took a moment to process the image this had prompted in his head. “These goody two-shoes? Nah, no chance. I can see it in Rika, and you kinda too. But them?” He shook his head and grinned.

“You kinda see it in me?” CJ could barely hold back their laughter throughout the sentence. “Please tell me, what does Rika have that I lack about looking like I’m in a band. Enlighten me!”

“I dunno! She just gives off that vibe, the ‘Don’t care, didn’t ask’. But you..” Darnell vaguely gestured up and down on CJ as he looked at them. “.. you are just giving too much frat boy. The hair helps a bit with breaking that, but the whole football thing really isn’t doing you a favour.”

The look he received scared Darnell for a moment. He genuinely thought that his words had sounded a bit too serious, that CJ was offended and now he had lost any bit of a chance of getting with them ever. Then that silly, toothy grin spread across their face as CJ began to laugh. "I’m sorry, Mister Teacher. I’ll make sure to look more ‘punk rock’ in the future.”

Darnell tutted, rolling his eyes. “It’s Mister Hodge. You should be able to remember it by now, with all the lectures we had together.”

CJ raised a brow at him. “As if I remember everyone’s name in our course. I rather use my brain power for more important business.”

“Right, you got other things to care about. Stuff like your music, or working out to tackle people for some pigskin.”

“Don’t be so high and mighty now.” CJ glanced over at the other, a subtle smile showing they knew not to take the banter seriously. “You got other business too, like… your family.”

Darnell figured that CJ had only brought it up for a lack of knowledge on his interests. And yet, he still was surprised by the accuracy of their guess. “I mean, yeah. Sorta. My mom just got a bit too much time on her hands, so she likes to check on me.. a lot. And to be honest, I don’t complain about all the good food she sends me.”

“Who could ever complain about free food?”

“I know. But it’s not just free, it’s homemade. You haven’t had a real feast unless you put yourself in a food coma during hanukkah.”

“Not sure if I should feel weird now or ask to be invited next time,” CJ said half jokingly, and Darnell chuckled along.

“As long as you’re free the whole day, I could definitely arrange an invite.”

“Alright. I’ll be looking forward to it then. But I’d like a small crash course first on what to do and to not do.”

Darnell just had to agree to that. How couldn’t he? It was perfect, not only inviting CJ to celebrate an important holiday together, but also having a new excuse to meet up more. He wanted to pinch himself for a moment, thinking this was too good to be true. But it did not take long for Darnell to be brought back to his senses.

Just as their conversation had ended in a comfortable silence came another partygoer out of the house’s backdoor. She stumbled her way across the porch before catching her own fall on the railing. It was seemingly a miracle already how she had managed to get out of that full place on her feet and not crawling on all fours.

CJ briefly shot a concerned glance at Darnell. They opened their mouth as if to say something, but were quickly cut off by the woman herself. She was leaning forward and retched horribly until she puked down into the bushes below.

“Yikes..” Darnell muttered. He was already holding his hand before his mouth and nose, wanting to keep the smell away from himself.

CJ cleared their throat as they pulled their eyes off the sight in an almost reluctant manner. The situation felt just like witnessing a car crash. Horrible and disgusting, but still making it impossible to look away. “Guess this means the party peak has been reached,” they chuckled hesitantly to lighten the mood.

Darnell nodded with an equally awkward smile. “I guess there’s not much more for me left to see here then. Not exactly a fan of.. that, after all.”

After CJ had stood up themself was Darnell offered their hand for help. “Did you at least enjoy the party a bit?” they asked him on their way back to the front of the house.

“.. yeah, I’d say I did,” Darnell answered. “Had some drinks, a few chats.. I guess I’m not that insane type of party guy as I used to be in my hometown.”

CJ laughed softly. “I didn’t know you were once like that.”

Darnell grinned at the other as they both stopped at the front door. “I guess we both don’t really look our part.”

“Touché.”

Looking inside, Darnell caught a glimpse of what looked like Pico pushing through the crowd towards the exit. He chose to stay waiting outside, while CJ seemed to be heading back into the noise and chaos.

“You’re gonna stay a while longer?” he asked.

“Yeah, but not that much probably. Just gonna keep an eye on my friends and bring them back to campus before anyone overdoes it.”

“Good luck then,” Darnell saluted CJ. “I’ll see you on Monday, soldier.”

CJ grinned and saluted him in return. “‘Til Monday,” they replied and slid past Pico to go back inside.

The redhead looked after them for another moment before giving Darnell a confused stare. “Is- are they insane?”

“Don’t think so,” he answered and shrugged. “Where’s the rest of your gang?”

“They discovered the beer pong setup, so I thought it was about time we’d bounce.”

“Perfect. I am ready to hit the bed.”

Pico scoffed. “You’re getting old. Seriously.” He put his arm on Darnell’s shoulder as they walked off the property and on their way back to campus.

“Careful there, kettle. You’re walking back with me.”

“I don’t think the saying works when I’m a white piece of paper, Nells.”

Pico was silent for the rest of the walk. He sometimes forgot how harshly Darnell could hit his shoulder over his stupid attempts at making jokes.

#cj #darnell #pico #across the campus #chapter six #alternate universe #non trauma au #rika #egeith #sunghee #it took an eternity to write #so excuse any mistakes #i read the whole chapter as beta once

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bookishdiplodocus · 3 years

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How to convey information through dialogue without shoehorning it in

So you have information you want to plant into your story, and you would like to do that through dialogue. Naturally, you'd want to make the dialogue look natural, so that it doesn't scream -> This Piece Of Information <- Will Be Relevant To The Plot Later!!! I never saw any writing advice about this subject, so I thought I’d write up a post about it.

Say, for example, you want to plant the information that Barney is afraid of fridges. Fridges? Jup. That's weird. Jup. Which makes it all the more difficult to bring up in a scene. And what makes it even more difficult, you decided you want this dialogue to take place before the Thing With The Fridge Happens later on, so you're in a pickle. How do you bring up a fear of fridges, when there are no fridges around?

First, I'm going to show you how shoehorning the information in a dialogue would look like.

Don't do this:

Annie and Barney are in a scene that has nothing to do with fridges.

Annie: "By the way," she asked casually, "have I ever asked you what your worst fear is? Since we’re on this quest together, we should know these things about each other."

Barney: "Fridges. They scare the bejeebers out of me."

Annie: "Fridges?" She laughed incredulously. "How come?"

Barney: "Well, one time my brother locked me into a fridge, and I've been afraid ever since."

Annie: “That makes sense, Barney. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Try to avoid using things like “by the way” or “suddenly” in this part of the dialogue, because that’s a shoehorn red flag.

Instead, you want the conversation to flow from something inconspicuous to the information you want to plant and then into at least one other topic.

Do this:

Annie and Barney are in a scene that has nothing to do with fridges, for example they are thrown into a snake pit during their quest.

Barney deals with venomous snakes without a second thought.

Annie, in the corner, trying to get a hold of herself: "I can't believe you're not afraid of those snakes."

Barney: "You just got to know how to handle them."

Annie, in awe: "You're fearless."

Barney, laughs: "Trust me, I'm not. You should see me around fridges."

Annie: "Fridges...?"

Barney: "My brother locked me into one when we were little. I almost suffocated. Never trusted them ever since. Nor my brother, obviously."

The conversation continues about his relationship with his brother, making it seem like that's the important bit. You sneaked the information about Barney's fear for fridges into the dialogue about snakes and his brother.

Let’s break that down, shall we?

This conversation has three topics: snakes, fridges, and Barney’s brother. The snakes and Barney’s brother don’t really matter. They could just as well be completely different topics. (I'll show you later.) Their only function is to ease into the conversation about Barney’s fridge fear and ease out of it without drawing the reader’s attention to its importance.

Topic 1: Something present in this scene that has a thing in common with topic 2

Discussing the snakes feels organic and natural, because they are kind of hard to ignore in this scene. Make the first topic something related to what the characters see, feel, experience in that particular scene… Write a piece of dialogue about topic one.

Topic 2: The information you want to plant

Then transition into the topic switch. How? The topic of fridges and the topic of snakes have one thing in common: fear. Specifically, Annie is afraid of snakes and Barney isn’t, but he is afraid of fridges. Bringing this interesting bit into the conversation changes the topic again, because how can you not go into a sentence like this?

Topic 3: Anything related to topic 2 you can latch onto

The topic is changed yet again after the information you planned to plant. Just let this part of the dialogue run its course. It doesn’t matter much what you do with it, as long as you don’t stop the dialogue right after the moment you delivered the line you needed to deliver. The trick is to make the conversation flow to and from your chosen topic.

Let’s look at another example, something more realistic. You still want to convey the fact that Barney is afraid of fridges, but this time, Annie and Barney are not on a quest, they are in a romance novel.

Barney and Annie are looking out over the ocean. She brought a bottle of wine, a light breeze cools their skin, in the distance, a cargo boat slowly glides along the horizon. It seems like a perfect moment.

Barney raises his glass and compliments Annie: “You pick great wine.” (topic 1)

Annie: “Thanks. I did a wine course last year in my local community center, a series in which we learned all about the different kinds of wine and what to pair it with.”

Barney: “Sounds like fun. You should teach me sometime. Did you get to taste everything?”

Annie: “Yeah, of course. That was the main reason I joined. What about you? Which wine do you prefer?”

Barney: “Oh, I’m not a connaisseur. I like anything but white wines.” (change of topic)

Annie: “Why not?”

Barney, embarrassed: “Red wines are usually kept at room temperature, and white wines go in the fridge.”

Annie, after a second: “I can’t see the problem there.”

Barney, embarrassed: “Ah. Well. I don’t like fridges. Like, not at all. My brother once locked me into one, and – well, let’s say it was a hugely traumatic experience.” (boom, there it is: topic 2)

Annie, confused: “But – How do you keep your food fresh?” (change of topic) (doesn't necessarily have to happen so soon after The Line)

Barney, still embarrassed: “I go to the supermarket every other day.” (topic 3)

The conversation continues about going to the supermarket every other day and foods that Barney can't eat because they spoil too fast outside of the fridge. Annie is surprised to hear how many things can be kept at room temperature for a day or two. (topic 3,5)

That's it, folks :)

I hope this was helpful. Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions, and happy writing! This post was inspired by a question from @therska.

Follow me for more writing advice, or check out my other writing tips here. New topics to write advice about are also always appreciated.

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