#if you see this thank you for putting the imagery in my brain

[spellboundcities]

Is it too late to make this joke

(original v)

[caktusjuice-draws]

you have no clue how happy i am to see someone finally sees the underlying . romantic side of whatever . pokey wants with paul. like a month ago the phantom of the opera paralells hit me and ive kinda been unable to see it since .

Listen to me. We gotta ... we gotta think about the IMPLICATIONS HERE. Some of the things Pokey chooses to say to Paul/make Paul say... Yeah you don't just say those things to someone you aren't trying to put your alien brainwash good into ... as more than a eldritch wasp trying to infiltrate a bees nest friends

And listen cause my husband is big brain. Cause he pointed out...

"You have defied us thrice Paul" No ... no that isn't right, it was five times. The people on the street. Mr. Davidson. Beanies. Sam. Sam and Charlotte. THAT'S FIVE TIMES RIGHT? Unless we are talking about... failed attempts at conquering universes. If THAT has happened three times before...

Paul doesn't like musicals. You would think Pokey would hate him but what if Paul's defiance three universes over has caused Pokey to have an obsession, similar to Tinky and Ted. Pokey wants him cause he is unobtainable. Paul is, in the words of Max Jagerman, forbidden fruit.

The sweetest thing for Pokey would be to finally get Paul to sing.

IT IS ENTIRELY ONE SIDED AND I AM OKAY WITH THAT.

AND THANKS FOR THE POTO IMAGERY CAUSE IMMA HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT NOW

[corn-fanfiction]

SAVIOUR COMPLEX (Pt. 5)

(Pt. 4)

Rated: M

TAGS: language/past abuse/Mark Hoffman being a c*p/sensuality/reader is normal and likes to do normal things/Mark is protective bc it's his job but he's also problematic/because he's a c*p/Terrezanos/dead bodyodyodyody

When Mark comes to collect you, he's in a somewhat nicer suit than usual, but you look drastically different. Yes, you want a nice romantic dinner with this powerful man that keeps you on your toes…but you also want to wear something that will look incredible on a bedroom floor.

His eyes rake over you when he sees your black dress with lace detail, your painted red lips, your legs that seem to go on for miles.

“Ho-ly,” he starts. You shut him up with a tip-toe kiss. His large hands wrap around your waist and he tries to deepen the kiss, but you pull away.

“This is MAC, Hoffman. Don't you dare smudge it.”

“Sweetheart you could put that lipstick all over me and I'd buy you 100 more.”

“Damn you're perfect, huh? Come on. We can ruin my makeup after dinner.”

He hides it pretty well, but you can still see the effect that comment has on him. He grunts inaudibly and his pants definitely tighten. You can picture it, too. On your knees, on the bed (his or yours, doesn't matter), your lipstick is smudged, your eyeliner and mascara streaming down your face. You fight every urge to just drag him back inside and fuck his brains out.

He opens the car door for you and you thank him sweetly. They weren't all bad before Ted, but Mark is different. He's confident, maybe cocky at times, but he's gentle with you and hasn't pushed you too far yet. And he respects you. You don't remember the last time you were respected like this.

“So, where are you taking me?” You ask as you put on your seatbelt. Mark doesn't miss the way the safety fabric cuts between your breasts and he clears his throat.

“Terrezanos.”

You gawk at him. “What? Mark, no, that place is way too expensive.”

“Yeah, well, I'm trying to impress you. Besides, you've always wanted to go there.”

You narrow your eyes. “How do you know?”

“I overheard you telling Gerry one day at the restaurant. If you really don't want to, we can go somewhere else-”

“No!” You laugh. “No, it's just…I don't know. Thanks, Mark.”

He flashes a quick glance between you and the road but when he sees your genuine face, it gives him pause.

“Of course. I want this to be special, you know?”

God, your heart flutters. How do you go from being a horny mess to love-struck in a matter of minutes?

The drive is short and you relish in the comfort of Mark's nice car. Leather seats that are warm, quiet wheels, clean smell. Better than any car you've been in lately. And when you pull up to the restaurant, you're absolutely blown away to see-

“Holy shit, they have valets!”

Mark smirks and parks in front of the restaurant. You unbuckle your seatbelt but Mark puts a hand on your arm to stop you.

“Hold on,” he says, then exits the car. You groan as he comes around to your side.

“Mark! Chivalry isn't dead but I'm starving!”

He opens the door for you and you take the waiting hand that helps you from the car. Mark hands his keys over to the valet with thanks. And as you walk in, a gentle hand hovers over your lower back. You feel like some sort of rich wife walking in for the monthly dinner with her husband.

The sudden and seemingly random imagery shakes you for a moment while Mark talks reservation and walks you to the table. You force yourself to remember that this is good fun. He's nice, he's sexy, he treats you well. You're gonna have a good night- a great night, maybe, as long as you get your head out of your ass.

Expensive wine. It's not your preferred and as soon as Mark sees your soured face that you did your best to hide, he orders a different glass.

You both order steak and you pick at a bread stick during the wait.

“Okay, you know too much about me,” you remark. Mark chuckles. “What about you?”

“Eh, what about me. I live at my job. I don't like running.”

“Family?”

“Mom upstate, dad passed a few years ago. Had a sister, but uh…”

Shit, you're stupid. You're a full fucking idiot. You're just trying to make small talk and here you are forgetting about one of the most tragic things you've ever heard.

“God, I'm so sorry, Mark. I completely forgot. You don't have to say anything else.”

“No, no it's fine. I don't ever really talk about her anymore.”

“Seriously, Mark, I understand.”

“But she deserves better than that. I think you woulda liked each other.”

You watch him for a moment silently, hands folded under your chin. Suddenly, he's disarmed.

“Tell me about her.”

And he does, and he lights up. Angela. Angel on earth. His best friend and only person he ever really trusted. Slaughtered by her ex boyfriend.

You wonder about her. How similar your bones are and the tethers that tie you. You'd seen the crime scene photos on the internet. How similar she looked to the photo on Mark's office shelf. She was the same person, after all.

You laugh through your dinner and start the flirting through dessert. You sigh.

“What's that?”

You shrug with a smile. “Can't decide if I don't want this to ever end or… If I want us to get out of here.”

You slip a foot out of its heel and slide it against his ankle, up his calf, and against his inner thigh. Mark inhales sharply and sets an elbow on the table a little too hard, shaking the glasses.

“You are playing a risky game.”

“Risky? I'm just looking for what was promised me.”

“Promised?”

“I'm collecting.”

“Say less.”

You don't even realize that Mark's going in the direction of his place (or what you assume is his place because it's in the opposite direction). You've got a hand ghosting up his leg and he's giving you the same treatment. If he weren't driving, you'd give him head right here, right now.

You both jump when a crackle comes from his police radio.

“Shit,” he mutters, tuning into the frequency.

“Dispatch, all available units to the factory off third…looks like another one.”

Mark nearly swerves off the road. You pull you hand back as your heart hammers in your chest.

“Jesus. What did he mean?”

Mark stares into the dark ahead, lips parted slightly in some intense thought.

“Another trap,” he breathes. “Fuck. I gotta get there. I'll drop you back at your place-”

“No, it'll be quicker for you to go straight to 3rd. I'll stay in the car. You need to do this, right? Catch this guy?”

Mark is fighting himself. Something within him wins and he nods, puts the car in reverse, and speeds to the factory. It's an old, abandoned place, something to do with manufacturing. But when you arrive, there's already ambulances, cop cars, and people, so many people. Mark practically throws himself out of the car and into the throngs. From your seat, you can barely overhear a conversation.

“You're not supposed to be here-”

“No one gave more to this case than me. Let me through.”

Another car pulls up beside you and two men step out, wearing windbreakers with “FBI” plastered on the back. Shit. Your hand moves instinctively to the handle as though there's anything you can do to help this situation.

You watch as Mark is now in a proper screaming match with someone. They aren't letting him through, and then you see a body being wheeled out on a stretcher. The blanket is pulled up too far. Whoever this poor bastard is, they're dead.

And then you spot the hand. The tattoos on the fingers. The ring you had bought him two Christmases ago.

You have no trouble now leaving the car. You stumble in your heels towards the back of the ambulance. Some notice you and go to grab you away but you avoid them. You only get close enough to confirm your suspicions before Mark has a hold of your wrist, then your arm, then all of you as you realize fully that Ted is on the stretcher before you, dead. A victim to the Jigsaw killer. Bringing you one step closer to a serial killer, and hundreds of miles away from anything ever making sense again.

[creatingnikki]

twenty-six things I’m grateful for at twenty-six 

growing up. the feelings of helplessness and frustration slowly washing away as you gain access to money and information. 

strawberry cream cakes, strawberry cheesecakes, strawberry chocolate brownie cakes, strawberries. 

a good night’s sleep. sleep that is 7+ hours, sleep that is not disturbed or day time sleep. but sleep at the “normal” night hours, sleep that is deep and restful. 

book readers who annotate their books and write the year/place of when they were reading it on the first page because when I come across second-hand books like that my heart.

fleeting intimacies. those brief, beautiful conversations and moments you share with strangers that you will never meet again. at a café, at the airport, at the open mic night. connections that are purely happenstance and a time being in your life. the beginning is the ending. but it doesn’t matter. they add something, if not to your life, but to your energy. even if you can’t trace it. 

the concept of crying. the release, the relief. if I didn’t have this, if I didn’t have this way of letting out my disappointment, overwhelmingness, tiredness, frustration, sadness, and pain, what would I do? what would I even do. 

dog/cat/pet owners who understand that just because they love their pet not everyone has to and some people are genuinely afraid and not horrible human beings for not going awww but uhhh when they see their pet.

translators, more specifically book translators. thank you so much for all your effort into making sure I can enjoy such beautiful literature from other cultures and languages. 

people who realize they were wrong about a certain perspective or life philosophy or stance and then course correct and acknowledge the same.

credit cards and essentially having quick access to credit in times of absolute need (fine line between hating cc and capitalism and using it to your advantage, I know). 

people who introduce me to new imagery which sounds so simple but hits my brain like the freshest of oxygen like my father saying my mother’s face began to glow like the moon when she smiled or a tumblr writer saying something makes their heart beam. 

earrings. long earrings that dangle against my neck and make me feel grown up, sometimes graceful, sometimes sensual. other types of earrings too. jhumkas. hoops. 

sunflowers. filler flowers. flower shops that keep newspaper to wrap flowers in. people who show up to my apartment with flowers. 

emails. I like that emails can be that perfect distance in communication but also so very efficient. they don’t demand instant replies like instant messaging. functional and timely. emails at work that exist in place of long meetings and emails from friends and lovers. my inbox feels like a mix of a treasure chest of precious words and an arcade of advertisements. 

older women who look at me not as competition but with this sentiment of wanting to protect/guide me, with this feeling of fondness, words of advice that aren’t patronizing but so very well meaning. 

good-quality, well-researched, engaging articles/blogs. blogs full of facts and figures that put things into perspective. blogs written in a witty and humorous tone that feel like you’re having a conversation with someone smart and warm. 

my family. my friends. for loving me even when I am difficult. even when I am bratty. for understanding the subtext of my words and actions. for accepting me even when I don’t accept myself. for reminding me of who I am when I can no longer understand the concept of self. thank you. 

clothing brands that have sizes bigger than large. clothing brands that have beautiful clothes and designs for sizes other than xxxxxxs. 

people who know how to make important days about you like your birthday and your first day at work and your heartbreak date idk. just people who aren’t so dense and don’t know what their energy/focus needs to be at what time when with others. 

glitter. glittery eyeshadow. glittery phone covers. glittery everything. all that glitters may not be gold but it does something to my brain and I love it. 

people who can help me let loose. goofy and silly and light doesn’t come naturally to me. my disposition is pensive, internally. even though externally I may seem so exuberant.  

context. the context behind a painting at an art gallery. context behind a meme. nothing is anything without context. so people who give you context, content that gives you context. 

selfies. give me a sense of control over capturing myself and my moments because with someone else behind the camera I am as awkward as awkward can get. 

the moon. stars. the sky. faraway things that are more complicated than just pretty things that make me calm. that make my mind calm. that make my heart feel less lonely. 

space. physical space, emotional availability, mental headspace. in me and in others. required but rare. 

all my past selves, all my younger selves for being. thank you for your wholesomeness, thank you for your resilience, thank you for your pureness, thank you for your decisions, thank you for your hope, thank you for your hard work, thank you for your crazy, your messy, your real, your beautiful. thank you for it all.

today is my twenty-sixth birthday and I wanted to take a bit to list down everything that makes my life lighter. there’s much more but now it’s time to go eat cake and click blurry, happy selfies. 

[chaikachi]

Hey radical spicy hot take but Trapdoor is 100% a ruby song. And. Trapdoor is 100% a oscar song. They are a mirror to each other. They are put on the same pedestal. They bear the same weight. They occupy the same space, simultaneously, impossibly. Do you see my vision?

anono... how does it feel to have such a big brain. all songs are rg songs if you try hard enough. 😤

Yes, Trapdoor is first and foremost a Ruby song, but her and Oscar are 100% mirrors living such similar character arcs. I could talk about all those parallels in a post all their own (one day), but for now a really good example is actually comparing Trapdoor to Sky is Falling (thank you @greenteaandtattoos for pointing it out first).

I'm gonna ramble a bit

Trapdoor is a song about the weight Ruby has been carrying. How she has tried so hard and how it's seemingly done more harm than good. It talks about how she doesn't feel seen or heard or needed, let alone wanted. How she's losing herself. How she feels like a trapdoor, part of the floorboards being walked on and unnoticeable. How one more step is all it might take for her to break and fall further into the depths below. And simultaneously like a trap that will lead all her friends to ruin.

And Sky is Falling (in my opinion) is a song about the weight Oscar has been carrying. How he's struggling with moving forward in light of everything he's been through and everything they've lost. The song itself is cited as referencing the original Henny Penny (aka Chicken Little) fairytale since it's a story that uses the song's title as a cry wolf for fearing the end of the world. But that feels a bit like a red herring to me. Or at least not like the whole picture.

The original myth of Atlas and the weight of the world isn't actually about the god holding the world on his shoulders. It's about him holding up the sky. So whether you read it as Oscar struggling with what to do given Atlas is falling... or struggling with how to move after Ruby falls, (Ruby, who was holding Atlas on her shoulders. So when she fell, so to did the city in the sky) is up to interpretation.

Some examples of how the songs mirror each other a bit tho:

Trapdoor

Though I try to keep the hope alive

Sky is Falling

Lost all my hopes and dreams

Trapdoor

Watch it all Unfold As I Cascade below Frozen In the darkest moment I can't bear the weight I hold

Sky is Falling

Starin' at the casket, hopin' to move past it Knowin' things will never be the same, and that's it Cold soaked as I'm standin' in rain Feelin' nothin' but pain until I see you again

Both of them struggling to hold onto hope. Both of them struggling with the cold of grief. The water imagery in "cascading" and "rain". The feeling of drowning. How to keep moving in the face of it all.

Also just on the topic of them being mirrors, it's interesting how many of these songs can so easily link back together. Trust Love's "open up your eyes" to Sky is Falling's "cover up your eyes". Then Sky is Falling's direct parallel, Touch the Sky. In my opinion, this song talks about both of them. The first verse is very Oscar "Little Prince" Pine, but especially this part:

I'm soarin' like I never have before Flying self-assured and free And I somehow feel I finally feel like me I looked in the mirror and I gotta say It's been a long, long time since I felt this way Right now, I'm just a bit surprised 'Cause I feel just fine and I might just touch the sky

And then directly towards Ruby's ascension in the second verse:

Open doors and so much hope in front of me Full of confidence, every challenge crushed My heart's electric, racing endlessly Feeling like the stars have all aligned Illuminate the darkness that was blinding me Now I'm positive that it's my time to shineI will explode, you'll see me rise You may not even recognize I just can't wait for this reveal

But also... very strong argument can be made that both verses apply to both of them. Finally feeling like themselves, the people they've wanted to be, the ones they're meant to be. These kids and their identity issues... But especially cause, um, Ruby isn't the only one that explodes.

So to summarize, Oscar looked in the mirror - not the mirror that showed Oz's reflection, but the mirror he sees in Ruby - and he became more like himself. Influenced by the hope she inspires.

And Ruby, like Alice, fell through the looking glass. But in the Ever After the only Oscar that was there to stare back at her wasn't a reflection of hope, it was was one of fear.

So she had no choice but to fall further and looked inward. Until she found the hope that was always inside her. The hope Oscar always knew was there because he sees her.

And the fact that Ruby's hope, her motivation, has always been "the people she hasn't lost yet". And how Oscar is the only living companion Neo 'kills' to hurt her. I'm getting so off track here but...

The Parallels. It's CINEMA.

They make me UNWELL.

Edit: I ended up just talking a bit about how they're mirrors through song and not so much Trapdoor from an Oscar lens. It is so strongly a Ruby song to me that it's hard to apply to him, even if it does fit him in some ways as well. All alone in crowded rooms and all that.

[whatgaviiformes]

i'm absolutely windswept

I started Thunderteers in May of 2019. I remember very distinctly being out to dinner with Hubs, coordinating the AU concept almost entirely for a long, epic first story. We were at a Chili's and I had my usual indecisive platter of appetizers as my meal. As of today there's only been 3 chapters of what mapped out that day. Some of it made it to paper. I've never been great at those long epics - I love reading them, but my writing brain is most solid with the 1K-6K word length.

So I started building the world with fic. I wrote about Virgil playing the violin, and how he made music. I explored Gordon's accident, and what it could've happened in place of a hydrofoil. I reached for Military!Bros instead of my usual FishTank, and explored the truth behind legends. I forced myself to make and break OCs, spent way too much time researching when songs were created, recipes of the time, if certain animals were classified the same way, and what name a city may have had in 1774.

Other things I decided not to research at all.

Above all that, before I posted a new story or fic, I asked myself if the imagery was there, and was it something I was proud of? Because I knew - the only way I could get others to set sail with me, was to make sure I was taking you on the journey. Not if it was historically accurate, but does this feel like our boys, and are they interacting with the environment in a way that feels like it would still be them? Is it possible to still see Gordon? Still see Scott?

That was my first AU.

Naturally, in asking myself this, I've had different images in my head all this time, and I was lucky enough this month to have the chance to ask the amazing @chenria to bring one of them to life for me. You can find the post below:

Sailor Gordon by Chenria.

Go like it, reblog it, send her support, consider joining her patreon if you can. She knocked it out of the park, and in so doing - inspired me along the way.

If you decide to read Thunderteers, just know - it's not always beautiful.

But this one - it's all love and heart. I've written the snippet for Windswept as a thank you to chenria's amazing work, to everyone who puts up with my reblogging posts for the age of sail (#ships ships ships) or who tag me in things to see, or have Wellerman living rent free in their heads and let me play along. Thanks to those that have read the story, maybe cried along, or sent me words of encouragement.

Thank you for letting me experiment with language and story, and sometimes - when I get really lucky- for the words I've written to matter to you.

*****

Windswept (~500 words)

As far as clouds go, Gordon is among the strangest. The wind tugs at his clothing, hanging loose and informally on his silhouette, and at his hair where he stands aloft amidst the sails. The seabirds close to shore weave their dance between the ropes above, circling him curiously. Even though his form is strange to them, he’s not unwelcome in their home in the air. If anything, he’s just a part of the flying clouds that make up the rigging of their ship.

The gulls’ calls sound like laughter, and he smiles with them. The birds will accompany the ship for a time, darting towards the quick meal at the bow where the front of the ship often disturbs the sea life below. If the voyage is to be a lucky one, they’ll grace the wood of the ship with a gift or two that’ll be left to wash away only with the next rain.

Gordon can feel the sway of the ship stronger from above; though with the Thunderbird still anchored close to shore, the waves are gentle as they lap against her firm hull. The movement is a tease for the voyage ahead, as Gordon has always found himself more comfortable in their journeys out to sea than he’s ever felt in his tentative steps on land. The ship has watched him grow and come of age, from awkward limbs racing up the rigging, to strong shoulders heaving her lines and helming her wheel. She’s given him the freedom to roam, to explore lands and seas unknown, and even with the thrill of adventure, Gordon feels most safe in the comfort of her embrace. If that isn’t a home, he doesn’t know what else is.

He knows her in the early morn - the way the sunrise paints cotton and how the mist tingles at the fuzz on his arms at the start of his shift. He knows the echo of their shanties within her oak beams, and the squeak of her joy when the creatures of the sea ride along with her bow waves upon them really catching the wind and when the tang of citrus remains on his tongue from breaking fast.

He knows her in the rain, the smell of wood and cotton when burdened with wet from above as well as below, the crackle of lightning in its brief and staggered illumination of her flags. He knows her in the cold, when the puff of his breath is visible and the wind cuts into his skin. Among whales, massive and elegant as they groan their song into her hull.

He knows her in the evening – Virgil and John’s cooking and their different nuances for flavor and spice, the vibrato of Virgil’s violin paired with the warm timbre of the Scott’s cello pulsing along her foundations. The way she creaks below Alan’s eager footsteps.  He knows the soft glow around flame-lit lanterns in the darkest of night and the hush of melodies uttered in multiple languages up towards twinkling stars. The way his hammock rocks him to sleep with her movement.

He knows her in both fair winds and motionless skies, in the brightest of sunlit days and the most cloud-covered of nights. Through doldrums, archipelagos, and the far reaches of the seas, and along coastlines, he knows her.  

And his soul trembles just as she does, her unfurled sails shuddering in anticipation of catching the wind.

TBC..?

[elphael]

hiya! I really appreciate a lot of your takes on D&D and DMing, and was wondering if you have tips or advice for the more improvisational/spur-of-the-moment aspects of being a DM? I'm interested in DMing a campaign but I'm worried about being able to respond to players' whack-ass choices on the fly in a way that's organic and non-railroad-y -- it feels as though the best DMs I've had are able to "improv" on the spot and come up with imagery or encounters or things for players to do if/when needed, and I'm not quite sure if I'm cut out for that, if that makes sense 😅 thanks for any advice!

spur of the moment / improv is something that was really hard for me to learn and to be honest i still don't think it's one of my strengths. i have a few tips and suggestions but i also just want to say, there is no real thing of "rail-roading" unless your players are unhappy, if you tell people "hey i actually don't have something prepped for that" above table there's a good chance they'll go "oh sorry" and you can nudge them in the direction you DO have preparation for so they have a story to engage with. i think above table conversation is just important as in game signposting as a dm

that being said here are a few tips that i think could help what you're getting at:

i don't prep a session or a linear plot, i prep an area. i've made a post here about what it looks like on a Storytelling level but this is sort of what it looks like in my notes:

specifically i learned that writing descriptions IS important for me but it's also important to be able to improv them and not work entirely off of a script, which is why you can see my descriptions is a blend of descriptive writing and then also actual lore.

i also have done this in the past and will probably bring it back for longer projects where i create a little box that has sensory descriptions that fit the setting and tone that i can refer back to

let your players describe their characters actions and spellcasting, especially in combat. you can encourage this by asking "what does x look like?" it's really exciting as a player to get to take that into your own hands and it is also one less thing to worry about while running combat.

throw out everything you think you should do. your favorite actual play dm's style? who cares, your cool dm's style? throw that one out too. you can take as much advice from people, can emulate other people's styles, take in as much information as you possibly can, but part of dming is figuring out what works for you. i am still constantly figuring out better ways for my brain to dm and different ways to organize information. i share the way i dm because i think it's WORTH putting out there, not because i think it will work for every single person. but even if there are a few things you see that a dm does that you like, That's Enough to start building your own foundation. don't be too hard on yourself.

if you need a second to prep something in the middle of campaign that you weren't expecting, you can SAY that. in the middle of combat on my halloween oneshot my players wanted to do something that was CERTAINLY not RAW but it was cool enough that i was like "yeah give me a second and i'll figure out how i think a fair way to do this mechanically is. this is going to be high risk high reward and might really fuck up your characters though, you good with that?" and everyone gave me the okay, so in the middle of session i spent about 5-10 minutes coming up with rules for a VERY difficult combined skill check and the tiered consequences that may occur depending on how poorly the party did. you're allowed to take a second to go say "hey i didn't think you'd pick a fight, lemme go get some statblocks. i don't have a map, we're doing this theater of the mind"

i know this was my first bullet point but because i'm talking about it at the end again above table communication is just as if not more important than in game signposting, hoping your players will recognize the hints you're dropping, if you think they're not getting it, just say it out right.

improv is super daunting and its still something i get stuck on occasionally. don't be too hard on yourself and find what works for you. dming is EXTREMELY fun, it is also work, but i think one of the things that makes dming harder than it needs to be is this expectation for perfection. you're a player at the table too and you're managing MORE than the players are. it is okay to have to take a second and to not have a perfect answer for everything.

just like 9/10 dms aren't trying to be malicious when they do something that accidentally upsets a player, 9/10 players aren't trying to be a pain for their dm and you can say 'hey i don't have an answer' or 'can we get to that later'

happy to lend my opinion if you have any questions about dming and i'd also direct you to my dm tag which is my own misadventures in dming and my own posts about dming

[wynnyfryd]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

tagged by @thefreakandthehair @stevethehairington @wormdebut @just-my-latest-hyperfixation and @morningberriesao3 thank you loveliess

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

27 dresses starring katherine heigl and james marsden

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

138,103

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stranger Things <3 My fics are all pretty exclusively Steddie or platonic Sstobin as the main focus, but I like to play around with the background ships - the best part of being super into a show with 14000 characters is you have so many opportunities for weird pair-ups

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

No Son of Mine

relax (lay it back)

TITS! magazine

Monsoon Season

relax (that's that)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I try to answer every comment I get because like, thank you for taking the time to let me know you read and liked my story you didn't have to do that and I love that you did

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

mmmm. I don't- HAHAHAHA okay wait, I was about to say "I don't really do unhappy endings" because I don't, but I did do a single angsty ending microfic as a personal challenge back in July

at the bottom you'll find all our friends

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

weirdly enough I think it was the sex tape fic I wrote for @inklessletter lmao that fic turned out so much more 'aggressively married' vibes than I originally planned. Just absolute sap city

Satanic Ritual: DO NOT WATCH!!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Hope not lol

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

ADHD crack smut with a heart of fluffy gold

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I have written exactly one chapter of one crossover, which is a modern Stardust AU where Eddie is Tristan, Steve is the star, and 1980s Indiana is on the non-magical side of the wall. Also Eddie was trying to find the star so he could grab a chunk of it and barter it for a new electric guitar lmao. I really loved the premise I came up with and thought the first chapter was great; unfortunately the fic is fuckin cursed and will never be finished (by me. if anyone wants to take a swing at the story where I left it off feel free!)

stupid fucking star stuff

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

See #8

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't think so!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

yes! @gorgeousgreymatter-x and I co-wrote the first installment of the yogi steve vs adhd eddie series as a birthday gift to @flintandfuss <3 we broke each other's brains with our linear vs non-linear writing styles lmao but it was a really fun project

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Steddieeeeeeee

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I started working on this goofy little crack fic forever ago where Steve was a member of the snooty grandmas-only Loch Nora Gardening Club, and he was all stressed out because the ladies had beef with the neighboring town's club and had somehow put Steve in charge of operation "publicly humiliate them by throwing a better annual fundraising party"

and then Eddie, being the impulsive horny dumbass that he is, was jokingly like "hey, you could come to my garden party some time" and Steve's like "you're in a gardening club?" "yeah, technically! sure!"

then Eddie drives him to Indy and pulls them up to this shady little sex club called The Pleasure Garden and Steve gets gently bullied by a drag queen lmaooo

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue dialogue dialogue. Also I think in weird synesthesia (some words taste bad, some memories smell like cinnamon, ya know what I mean) so I feel like my imagery toward the fun and funky side

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

All the silly important shit that goes around the dialogue. And writing a seamless big group scene - more than four people in a conversation and the pacing gets so ssx tricky

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Mmmm. I mean, I tend to avoid it unless the fic/character actually requires it. Like I did a Robin POV fic where Robin would think certain curse words in different languages because it seemed fitting for the girl who's fluent in four languages, ya know? Ooh, I do also love a good "character royally botches what they're trying to say" moment so foreign language phrases are fun for that

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Twilight

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I'm really just unreasonably proud of myself for writing almost 30,000 words of continuous story in 30 days. I've been trying to do that for years and never even come close

okay sick thanks for letting me ramble incessantly about myself this was fun!

as usual I'm late to the tag party but tagging a couple people anyway <3 @steddieas-shegoes @thisapplepielife @wormdebut @aidaronan @gorgeousgreymatter-x

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by the amazing, sexy, incredible @wormdebut - thanks, love! ❤️

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Eighteen and and a whole batch of new ones incoming for the @steddieholidaydrabbles - so excited, weeeeeee!!!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

308,387

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stranger Things

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Hic sunt dracones 

Someone who cares

Possession

See you in a crown

Just add water         

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, always! (Well, except for the rude ones but I can count those on my fingers, thank God!) Every single comment is so fucking precious to me. You didn’t only take the time to read my story, but you liked it enough to go to that little box and tell me your thoughts? Kissing you, kissing you, KISSING YOU!!! 😘

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I’m a happy endings gal all the way! If I’m gonna put them through the horrors for hundreds of thousands of words, I damn well wanna give them their happily ever after! That being said, I have this little microfic where tentacle lake monster Steeb enthralls Eddie to lure people to him so that he can eat them. Sorry, Eddie! 

(He’ll absolutely bring him O’Donnell and Principal Higgins, so it’s fine.) 

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hic sunt dracones! I mean hello? They are mates and Steve is King and everyone is happy and my boy gets flower crowns and apple pie and hot, hot dragon sex forever after! 

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Someone once felt the need to leave me a very passive aggressive comment on how my Brit slips were “completely ruining the vibe” of my fics (and then I wrote a microfic about British!Steve, I’m still laughing). 

Oh, and then there was that one time I was accused of racism. 

But apart from that, everyone has been lovely and fantastic and supportive and I really love it here. I’ve met so many more lovely people than assholes. 

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Ummm … I’m the person with the 100k dragon porn fic. Hell yes, I write smut! I love writing smut, all kinds of smut!

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

No, sorry, my brain doesn’t do crossovers. XD 

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope. 

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I’d be thrilled to see it happen. Any and all transformative works are always welcome, just be sure to tag me because I’d love to see them and you will have my sword and my axe for eternity and I will scream about it forever!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I once co-wrote an original work with a friend when we were like 15? We had no idea what the fuck we were doing and it never got finished, but it was a blast!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Steddie. I love them, I’m obsessed with them, I think I’ll be writing fic for them for the rest of my life!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I’m committed to finishing all of my WIPs, that’s why I’m a good girl and only ever work on one large fic at a time with smaller projects on the side, but there’s SO MANY I WANNA WRITE STILL!!!!

16. What are your writing strengths?

Several people have told me that I’m really good at scene setting and evoking imagery, at painting very vivid pictures in their minds …  so I guess there’s that. 

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I wish I could write stunning, creative metaphors like @wynnyfryd . The river Styx one from the trailer park AU? Blew me away! I could never come up with that!

I also admire @wingedquill for being able to be concise and still so fucking intense in their fics! I'm a wordy bitch myself and always in awe of that skill.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I’ve never been in a situation where I was faced with the decision, but I think I’d rather describe it instead of typing out the actual words? Such as “they exchanged a few sentences in Spanish”. I’m only fluent in one language besides English, so I feel like I’d either need to get help or include a horrifically mangled Google translation and end up being unintentionally hilarious.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The first fandom I published for was Stranger Things. 

The first fandom I wrote for was Harry Potter, back before it went to shit (Wolfstar shipper of the very first hour here)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Hic sunt dracones, my beloved! This fic is everything I ever wanted, both in terms of writing and the echo it received. I still daydream about these two (and have another bonus drabble coming in December). 

Zero-pressure tags: @cranberrymoons, @gorgeousgreymatter-x, @lexirosewrites

[gamerbearmira]

The Magical Group AU has once again taken over my brain, so I decided to give everyone magical girl/boy names, these names were all given to them by the townspeople

Isabella: Guardiana de la Selva- Jungle Guardian. At first, she was actually called Guardiana de la Flor, Flower Guardian, but once she started experimenting with her powers in battle, people quickly realized she could do a lot more than flowers and was a LOT more powerful than they first thought, I like to imagine Isabella is the secret powerhouse of the team, so she was renamed, she got her new name after they fought a particularly strong enemy and she ended up defeating it by growing massive jungle trees all around it to form a cage

Dolores: Guardiana de la Melodía- Melody Guardian. Dolores got her name from the sound her weapon makes, I imagine as her boomerang flies through the air, it makes a high-pitched sound akin to a whistle, the different ways she throws her boomerang makes the sound a different pitch, so when she's fighting it almost sounds like she's playing a song, the sound also doesn't hurt the ears of any bystanders, but it does hurt the ears of the enemies they face

Luisa: Guardiana de la Fortaleza- Strength Guardian. Her name comes from not only her physical strength, but also her ability to buff the other's abilities, the townspeople see it as her lending her strength to her teammates, being the support or "strength" of the team

Camilo: Guardián de la Espejismo- Mirage Guardian. His ability to disorient and confuse is interpreted as illusions and mirages by the townspeople, so his name is fairly obvious, they also considered calling him Guardián de la Embaucador, Trickster Guardian, but due to the negative connotation of the term trickster, mirage is what ended up sticking

Mirabel: Guardiana de la Mariposa- Butterfly Guardian. Another obvious one, her outfit has butterfly imagery, though Guardiana de la Curación, Healing Guardian, was also considered, butterfly ended up sticking due to the golden butterfly being the symbol of the Miracle, and Mirabel, with her purifying power, is considered the leader of the Miracle Guardians by the townspeople, weather or not she actually assumes that role in the team dynamic remains to be seen

Antonio:Guardián de la Salvaje- Wild Guardian. Antonio got this name not only due to his ability to summon animals, but also due to his somewhat wild, fun loving, and rambunctious nature, when you're a three year old with magic powers that fight monsters alongside your siblings and cousins, you tend to be a little overzealous,

Some of the townspeople actually theorize Isabella and Antonio are siblings due to their similar nature-themed powers, though that is only one of many theories the town has about the potential relations of the group, some theorize they are cousins of the Madrigals, and others theorize they are beings made entirely from the miracle, the favorite theory among the townspeople is that they are six siblings who fled to the Encanto together after a group of raiders, similar to the ones who attacked Alma's old home, killed their family, the miracle provided entrance to the scared children and offered them their powers so they may keep each other safe from harm and now use their powers to protect the Encanto as a thank you for saving them (somehow no one has come up with the idea that the group might actually be the grandkids themselves, either by magic or ignorance)

REAL THOUGH. SO TRUE. Honestly I love hearing your (and others) ideas whenever an AU over here gets on your mind. I think it’s so fun 🌚 (MAMI SAREUREUREU‼️‼️‼️)

I. Love all the names <333 I do agree with Isabela being the powerhouse; while Luisa is essentially the backbone, Isabela can charge and take head on enemies, kinda doing knock bacK?? AND YES. Dolores weapon pretty much works like that <33 basically the more force she puts behind it, the more she alters the sound barrier (when in super forms, she can break the sound barrier). Luisa def makes sense. I mean duh. But yeah, she’s kinda like Mercy 😭

Camilo, I’m glad the villagers went with mirage, I think that’s so rad. Camilo likes it at least 🤧 Mirabel, she does step into the leader position, but only after a major battle where she was the only one with a plan and was able to pull of the max purification (with the others help obvi). Antonio, yeah, that one makes sense. Lil bro is much more open when he’s fighting with the others 🤞🏾

First time they transformed they were so confused. And then they had to fight. Luisa learned she could buff from a distance, and since Antonio couldn’t summon a weapon yet, she took it upon herself to watch him and make sure he didn’t get bodied 🚴‍♀️💨

I spent too much on this. Like an embarrassing amount of time. And it didn’t even turn out how I wanted 💀

Towns people having theories is so fun. I love that idea <333 Like. They just don’t connect the dots 💀 they don’t realize mostly out of ignorance, but the more they know about the Madrigals, the more magic is placed on them. Like the other Madrigals themselves? 100% don’t know their identities because of magic. Without it, they would have most definitely realized 😭

Out of any of the theories, I would say the most popular is the favorite one of them being fro:Alma’s home town and they protecting the Encanto. People have definitely tried to ask them about it, but they were never successful. So in came the rumors and theories. Another question that gets a lot of talk is where in the world do they come from when they fight, and where do they go when they’re done. Cause no one has seen them.

[sebsxphia]

the motel sex with Rhett brain rot is taking over I fear

You woke up to the sound of a lighter flicking. Rolling over you see Rhett, hair disheveled and sweat glistening on his chest with nothing but a thin sheet covering him.

He rested his head on the headboard letting out a ring of smoke. He thought he’d never seen such a pretty sight. His little Bambi, tangled up in motel sheets with swollen lips and hickeys littering their body.

“Rhett,” you look up at him.

“Mornin’ sweet girl.”

You roll over once again, straddling him, taking his cigarette out of his mouth and putting it in your own. He could do nothing but stare. Stare at his little Bambi whom he’d corrupted so far beyond return.

Without saying anything you start rocking your hips against his. Rhett grabs the cigarette from your mouth and puts it in the ash tray, because he wants to ruin you properly.

“Oh little lamb, how far you’ve strayed from the Shepherd.” He says in a low tone.

MY DEAR ANON THIS THOUGHT HAS COMPLETELY TAKEN OVER MY BRAIN AND THE BRAIN ROT FOR THIS THOT IS TAKING ME OVER!!!! I SERIOUSLY CANNOT WITH THIS BEAUTIFUL AND INCREDIBLE PIECE OF WRITING, PLEASE LEMME KISS YOUR BRAIN!!!

the imagery you have created for this truly makes my heart swell and gives me a million and one butterlifes. when i think of rhett, this is what i see and feel so fuckin’ clearly.

the smoking of the cigarette, taking it from rhett, the sight of his disheveled hair and sweat glistening on his chest, “his little bambi” tangled in motel sheets with swollen lips and hickeys littering their body, “mornin’ sweet girl”, THE CORRUPTION KINK BUT YET HIS LOW TONE STILL SHOWING HE LOVES YOU, wanting to ruin you properly, i just- oh my fucking god.

(also the fact you used they/them is so personal to me. i truly love you so much 🥺)

seriously, dear anon thank you so, so, so much for this. i’m going to re-read this every single day. you’ve captured something truly perfect and spot on and i’m so grateful you’ve sent me this!! i hope you have a wonderful rest of your day and i’m sending you so much love and forehead smooches, mwah!! 💖💗💓

[wormdebut]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @thefreakandthehair and @wynnyfryd You’re both so hot and cool and talented it’s unreal.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Fifteen

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

88,773

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stranger Things

The only other fandom I’ve ever considered writing for is Good Omens, but I’m so obsessed with Steddie I don’t know if I can peel myself away.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Cut It Loose, Watch You Work The Room

2. I Like Playing Dumb Until You Figure Me Out

3. Tell Eddie He Looks Sexy With His Hair Pushed Back

4. All You Have Is Your Fire

5. Comb The Crowd, Pick You Out

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Abso-fucking-lutely I Do. Why? Because I am in shock and awe that anyone anywhere appreciated the goofy thing I wrote so much that they commented to tell me that. Thank you thank you thank you for commenting on fics. It means everything.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I’m incapable of not writing a happy ending. Happy Ending are GUARANTEED IN THIS HOME. However, Wynn noted I did write a bonus microfic that was posted to Tumblr only that was angsty. Fun fact: it was based off a very un-angsty IRL experience with Wynnyfryd herself.

‘If They Won’t Call You Wynny Baby, I Will.’

Anyway, read Drunk Words—Sober Thoughts if you wanna.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All of…All of them I—yall you know my Steddies are so fucking in love with each other it’s stupid.

But Comb The Crowd, Pick You Out is especially cheese.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, and I’m blessed for that, but even if I did…all my buddies know how truly dedicated I am to the fact that We are responsible for our own online experience. Don’t let goofy goobers who have nothing better to do than put you down, get to you. If yall ever get hate and need someone to tell you you’re fucking worth it—cmere.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Me? Write Smut? Oh my god I could never—

Yall what haven’t I written, be so fucking for real.

Requests? Drop ‘Em in my Ask Box.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nooo. I do not. Obviously I have a mess of a good omens X steddie AU rattling around in my brain, but it will never come to fruition

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, but where I largely write Rockstar dom daddy Eddie it’s very easy to see different variations of similar plot lines. Alas, Two Cakes

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No! But I would cry if one ever was.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No! My writing style is so chaotic I think anyone I wrote with would be shook and terrified. HOWEVER, I may have something coming with @steddieas-shegoes real fuckin’ soon.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Steddie. My angels. The loves of my life.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oh god. The first thing I ever started writing for Steddie was a Rockstar AU. Shocked looks from the lived audience. Where Steve and Robin moved to Chicago and Eddie covers Head Like a Hole by Nine Inch Nails. Fuckin’ Woof. May it rest in slutty slutty pieces.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Writing seventy two miles of really spicy foreplay…and dialogue 😂

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Some authors are so fucking incredible with imagery and beautiful descriptions of scenes and I just don’t think I’m one of them, but I would like to be one day.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I can barely speak English so I would never write a fic where Eddie speaks French when he fucks…

Anyway stream Tell Eddie He Looks Sexy

19. First fandom you wrote for?

That I published? Stranger Things.

That’s buried in the back of my closet, handwritten in a notebook? The Backstreet Boys.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Kiss Your Knuckles (Before You Punch Me In The Face) It is everything to me.

Well that was fuckin’ fun as heck. Tagging with absolutely zero pressure a couple buddies 🖤

@messessentialist @steddieas-shegoes @just-my-latest-hyperfixation @aidaronan @sourw0lfs @t-boyeddie @scarcrossdlvrs @runninriot @cuips-not-cute @onirislanding @thisapplepielife

[jazzyblusnowflake]

Out of curiosity may I ask for your thoughts on hazbin hotel? I’m not the biggest fan of it. I do like nifty and sir pentious though.

Also I enjoy your murder drones art. I love the way you draw uzi :)

Ehhh, the relationship with me and how i feel about about HH is a long one, considering ive been following viv since her deviantart days lol. well i wasn't ever that much of a fan, mostly cuz ive never been too into that stretchy cartoonish artstyle she used to use for her comic "Zoophobia" buuuuut i had to hand it to her- she def managed to accomplish something a lot of us wish we could do with our world buildings huh? so ill give her that much lmao. but I'm gonna say that i haven't watched the show YET.

tho as far as controversies surrounding her uh... religion imagery goes- even as someone whos been brought up as a religious muslim- i don't really care tbh. you need to have a certain level of capacity for satire like this and if you don't, its really not for you //shrug. mostly to say you need to really know your own rights and wrongs to not be affected by a cartoon made by people who have their own beliefs yknow?

but as far as the story has gone so far in Helluva boss im not really.... ANYWAY- its fiction, and i don't have to like EVERY aspect of it, i don't think the writing is GREAT i don't think its AWFUL- currently I'm in a very big MEH area towards it lmao-

but i can say for certain that i absolutely LOVE the songs and adore them- especially thankful of having found one of my favorite artists eVER through HH- "SILVA HOUND"- there is almost no work that he has put up that i don't go crazy over- when the beat drops i feel my soul ascend yall don't understand 😭 <33333333

and well finally the art i guess? i like it, not bad, kinda tired seeing so many people trying to imitate it to a tee- i agree that imitation is the highest form of flattery lmao but it gets old when everyone's trying to be similar yknow? but character-design-wise, again, i feel like the character designs are amazing? but.... misplaced i guess.... we all know that these characters are vivzies old ocs, but lore wise- none of the characters look like what they are supposed to be... like we all know the issue with Beelzebub, sigh, that was weird for my eyes to behold as someone who remembers queen bee from zoophobia- and im not even sure if Vaggie is a moth anymore considering her uh... new backstory??? was she even a human at some point anymore? is Adam a human? are half of the heaven population wearing masks? why do they look like characters from monsters inc. that got a yassified by James Charles?? im... so confused lmao. why do angels have horns and hell sinners have wings?? looking at husker- skipping the Alastor controversies- yada yada yada- is Charlie supposed to be a goat when neither of her parents are- yeah okay im tired never mind.

short version: its interesting on the eyes, confusing to the brain XD

overall my final comment is: its fun as long as you don't take it religiously serious ;p

and thank you so muchhh :D

[sophietv]

The Multidimensions Of Taylor's Art

I wrote this piece on Twitter back in May when people were very loud about the fact that trying to attribute a song to a muse was disrecpectful and was diminishing Taylor's art.

I think today is a good day to repost it:

Taylor Swift's art is multidimensional. She said it herself and as we keep repeating over and over again, she's a Mastermind.

The message she conveys with one song is larger than just being a good song with beautifully written lyrics.

I see a lot of people talking recently about how when people talk about the muses of the song they are "reducing" Taylor's art to her muses. And how gaylorism was somewhat "better" before because the focus was less on this.

(I would like to differ on this, but it’s a whole other conversation). 

But Taylor's art is multidimensional and intentionally directed to her fans. ALL her fans.

In one song, she manages not only to create a masterpiece with incredible lyricism.

She also manages to include deep queer references, ingrained in queer history. 

She also managed multiple times to reference queer arts, books, poems, artists etc.

Acknowledging all of it and appreciating it is, yes, very important. I mean, it's the core of her art and a beautiful part of gaylorism.

Who hasn't learned a lot about our own history all thanks to Taylor?

But while this part is very true. Taylor also manages to make sure in every song that we can identify the muse.

It has always been an important part of her artistry. Remember liner notes from Debut to 1989?

She even decided that it was not enough, and starting with reputation, she started including Taymojies, making sure you knew very well who and what that song was about.

But she doesn't even stop there. For most of her songs starting with 1989 all the way to Midnights, she's also making sure that you can identify said muse through her lyrics.

Ever wonder why, for most of her songs there's parallels you can easily make with social media posts, articles, interviews, videos etc?

She's making sure that she references things in her songs that will point to the muse and that you'll be able to track back with some simple google search. 

All of this is very very clearly intentional.

She also uses the same imagery that she knows very well her fans can recognize since 1989 while talking about her muse.

Using recurring themes that she's well aware her fans (us) will associate with the person (Sun, gold, New York, daisies etc.)

But the depth of her work doesn't even stop there. She'll even use timestamps in her songs to communicate certain messages or references to certain persons. And this is when the length of the song is not simply intentionally referencing one person:

Ex Sweet Nothings: Karlie's birthday

And so much more…

This can clearly be qualified as pure genius. But she pushes it even farther. 

If we take Midnights for example she even samples her songs to older ones to help you identify the time, the event or the muse this song references.

Lavender Haze - I Think He Knows

Question…? - Out Of The Woods

Maroon - King Of My Heart

And it's not even the end of the massive amount of information that she manages to put out in a 3-4 minutes song.

This is simply astonishing. 

Her brain truly is amazing.

Her lyrics videos are made to help you identify what and who the song is about. With visual clues and very intentional uses of capital letters and comas.

For example: "Your Midas touch"

Making sure you know she's referencing king Midas who turned everything he touched into gold (gold again, interesting).

Or: "some name dropping sleaze tell me what are my Wordsworth"

From The Lakes, referencing the poet William Wordsworth.

And it still goes further. She will include small details in her songs that you'll pick up on if you pay attention but will fly right past most listeners. A sort of secret message for those who really pay attention.

Ex: in Getaway Car, when she sings.

"Ain't a circus, ain't a love story and now we're both sorry (we're both sorry)"

This is two girls singing "we're both sorry. Meaning the relationship she was trying to protect with this getaway car was with a girl. Once again pointing to the muse.

I already wrote a novel and I haven't even touched the music videos and tour visuals…

But her genius in songwriting doesn't even end there.

Because, if you don't know the muse or refuse to see it. She'll also manage to buy some plausible deniability in her songs so it kind of points to her PR relationships too.

Not much, just enough so that if you really want to believe those Hollywood stories, you can hold on to these lines/visuals and be happy.

But she manages to do so, while staying true to the real muse and not so much to the PR relationship.

A good example is Invisible String and the famous Yogourt shop line with the wrong shirt color.

If your life depends on Toe, it's enough to make you happy and you won't search much further.

However if you search a bit, you'll find out how she intentionally messed up the lyrics.

I could still go on and on about the depth, the genius and the complexity of her songwriting, but I think you see my point now.

She said it herself, her songwriting is painfully autobiographical. And she puts an immeasurable amount of effort in it to make sure you get the story right.

Dismissing the muse of the song to not reduce her work is just as bad as dismissing her queerness and all the references she does to it, to not "speculate" on her.

In both, of all the multidimensional approaches that she uses in her art. You are keeping yourself from enjoying and dismissing about 50% of her hard work. If not more when you include music videos.

Acknowledging her muses to the songs is not reducing anything but more embracing as much as you can the genius and hard work she puts behind every song and every artistic decision she makes.

And I'm not saying that you HAVE to acknowledge the muse or else you are not a true fan. Art is meant to be enjoyed differently by every person and at the end of the day you take what makes you happy, simple as that.

My point is to say that acknowledging the muse in her music is not reducing anything. Quite the contrary. 

[hypnoneghoul]

Can you give advice on storywriting? I love the idea of it but I cant do it properly?

Struggling with wording and like how to make each character their own/how to make a well written character??

Aandd how do I know what information to keep and what to tell? I always rush to tell things and I struggle with "show dont tell"

And pacing lmao😭 I dont know how to pace my stories well

You seem to be really good and I read your book (I litterally.. tried to learn polish for the sake of reading it lmao;;; its so good) and a few of your stories too.. any tips would be appreciated

first of all, oh my gosh, I'm literally honoured hshshsh you tried to read my book??? gonna break down right here pleaseee thank you😭

okay I'll try to get to it as well as I can, I hope it'll help at least a bit. you can always message me or send more asks <3 under the cut because its long

making the character be good, have a personality that's actually theirs is probably the hardest thing in writing. it's a bit easier in fanfiction than original work because you see them acting on stage and you see the headcanons so you have a base for it, let's say. but it's still hard. id say there are three ways of approaching this. going off vibes, projection and careful scheming and planning.

going off vibes would be just "okay he does on stage that, so i think he'd act like that off stage", pretty simple, going mostly with your guts yk

projection can go a long way. two ways actually. you can write a character that similar to you or you can write a character that is something you're lacking. of course you can mix it all, but thats the best i can describe it. my rain is me, my dew is me, my swiss and mountain is what i wish i had. caeril is me, neithan is me, etc.

careful scheming and planning is also a good way but if done wrong the character is not gonna feel real, its gonna be dry and just fake. what i mean by that is finding a character sheet with physical characteristics as well as personality traits and thinking it all over, carefully planning what you want the character to be. i myself don't do that, it feels too... artificial for me. if used correctly, tho, it can really slay because then the character can be very well thought over

you gotta try different things, u dont have to write a big 10k word fic right away. you can if you want of course but id say start with one shots, make them your character sheets. do some character study, create them and then put them into a biger picture. it takes time and practice, as evereything

the thing with show dont tell is also a thing of practice. theres no rules as to what info you should keep and what is unneccessary. show dont tell doesnt mean just show, never tell. telling isn't wrong, but writing should put the reader's brain to work, they should be seeing what you saw when you were writing. the best way to do this is basing on the senses. when writing a sentence and you doubt if its necessarry, ask yourself "okay if i was a reader what does this sentence give me? does it give me anything? what senses does it influence? does it help me paint the scene in my brain?". gotta go with feeling and overtime youlll find the perfect balance between showing and telling descriptions and that'll be your style. i make my works pretty descriptive and easy to imagine for the readers because i started with tolkien. i aspired to be like him which is of course impossible but slivers of his writing style can be seen in mine. one of those slivers is rich descriptive imagery

pacing the stories is also really hard. main rule is to not make it boring, but how to achieve it? lmao its not that easy fr. if you do an oneshot you can keep a standard introduction-main part-conclusion structure. first paint the situation, paint the place where this is happening. main part should be the longest, this is what IS your work, the most important thing. conclusion can be slow and short. tell the reader how the main part of the text changed something from the introduction, just nicely close it out. of course you dont have to, we love open endings but this is the easiest thing, id say

with bigger fics, multichapter, go wild. introduction is important but you dont have to put in on the beginning. you can start mysteriously and explain what the fuck its about in te 3rd chapter or even at the very end. build some tension but also give the reader a moment to breathe. the longer the text the more possibilieties you have but overdoing it is not good either, plan it, sketch a storyline. as everything, its a thing of practice and finding your style

and doing all that never forget about the technical bits. good story that has a terrible formatting automatically becomes a worse story because its not nice to look at. learn the proper ways to format a dialogue, work on punctuation, dont forget to capitalize (says me without a single capitalized letter and the worst grammar punctuation and typos in this whole post lmao im trying to type it in quickly sorry). dont be afraid of clicking enter, make space. formatting can also be helful in building tension, short sentences do that. you can highight an information by putting the sentecne with it alone in a line. a lot of things, also style, but you still should keep to the actual rules. treat your work as something great, dont do it half assed. treat it like it'd be supposed to be published, yk?

okay im done this is so long ugh i hope anything here is at least a bit understandable sorry but also if u or anyone have any more questions feel free to hit the ask box/dms hehehe

[wutheringmights]

2023 Reading Wrap Up

I tried starting this post about 20 times already, and no introduction is really hitting. I am quite a bit hungover, and in dire need of a rest. But alas, I want to talk about all the books I read last year.

So I had the goal of reading as much as I physically could last year. Why? After finishing my degree, I was having trouble reading for the sake of reading. I wanted to be someone who read a lot, but my self-motivated reading habit was in the dumps. My sibling and I ended up making a bet to see who could read more in 2023, and I was determined to win.

I did win, but that's besides the point. My importantly, I am now back in the habit of reading again.

I really enjoyed starting my reading tag and making little write-ups summarizing my thoughts. I really appreciate everyone being so patient with my book-posting, especially as I gradually went from writing a sentence or two to rambling bullet point lists to well-thought out reviews. If you ever interacted with one of those posts-- thank you so much! I hope to continue in this upcoming year.

So to wrap up my year of reading, I figured I would rank all of the books I read. If I read an entire series, I'll count it as one entry on the list. Also, the ranking is going to be determined less by quality and more by personal enjoyment.

All that being said, let's go~

Ranking My 2023 Reads

#17) Breaking Time by Sasha Alsberg - This was my first read of the year, and my worst. This book is near unreadable in terms of prose, and features one of the most infuriating lines I have ever read in my entire life:

Add the most unoriginal plot I have ever seen, and this makes for one bad read. I knew it was going to be bad going on, but the levels of incompetency on display here was mind-boggling.

#16) Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan - Is this the worst book I read this year? No. But it definitely pissed me off more than the others. I didn't need this book to be good; I just wanted it to be fun, but it couldn't commit to a plot line long enough to do so. I will give this book credit for having one of the unintentionally funniest villains I have ever read. That man failed upwards and it was GREAT. No notes.

#15) Ariadne by Jennifer Saint - I don't think this book is terrible, but its flaws are the most glaring to me. Structurally, it's a mess. The prose tries to use imagery to cover up how much telling it's truly doing. Both hampered an overall decent plot.

#14) Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - This book wasn't really for me. It was an entertaining read, but the references to pop-culture were more cringey than humorous. I also could not stand how the book was ashamed to be escapist literature and tried to uplift itself with shallow critiques of American politics.

#13) Lightlark by Alex Aster - That I am putting this book so high on the list is a crime and an insult against every book ranked below it. If I was ranking off of quality alone, it would be the second worst book I read this year. Unfortunately, I started an inside joke with my friends about how I'm Lightlark's #1 Fan, which ended up increasingly my enjoyment of this very stupid book exponentially. #TeamOro

#12) Garrison Girl by Rachel Aarons - This book really isn't anything special, but its place in publishing and anime history tickles my brain. It's not bad but it's not all that good either.

#11) The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack - Someone with a more thorough baseline on science would probably find this book more enjoyable than me. As is, I didn't understand half of it.

#10) The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - A fast, enjoyable read. I think it reveals its hand a bit too quickly, but the plot overall is really fascinating. Lacking on prose, but it didn't need a lot of it. This is a book begging to be made into a movie (which will probably be better than the book itself).

#9) A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes - What this book lacks in originality and plot, it makes up for with comprehensiveness. As much as I enjoyed reading all of its varied perspectives, I am still peeved by how Penelope's perspective was wasted and how Haynes had no interest in writing from Helen's perspective.

#8) The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin - A prime example of a book series that is objectively excellent, but was simply not for me. My interests didn't align with what the narrative thought was important. However, the characters are fantastic and what there is of the central conflict between mother and daughter is earth shattering.

#7) The Poppy War Trilogy by R.F. Kuang - An incredible fantasy series with some excellent characters and ideas. While I do think that the series is a little simplistic, it makes up for it by being endlessly entertaining. Except for the last book, which leaned too heavily into its grimdark flares.

#6) Beowulf by Unknown (Translated by Seamus Heaney) - A reread featuring a fantastic introduction from Heaney that connects the text to his Irish roots. The translation itself, while good, prioritized brevity a bit too much for my taste.

#5) Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - A long overdue reread that reaffirmed why I found this book life changing when I first read it in junior high. Lyrical, brutal, and surprisingly funny, this book paints an honest picture of depression and trauma in adolescence.

#4) In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado - A lyrical, dreamy exploration of an abusive relationship. I love how this memoir pushes the limits of its own medium as it also tries to establish a canon for abusive queer relationships. Machado's imagery is insane, and I devour it every time.

#3) The Catcher In the Rye by J.D. Salinger - My last and most surprising read of the year. I did not expect to love this novel as much as I do. I will never forgive the world for insisting that Holden Caulfield is an archetypal male manipulator when he's a traumatized kid (albeit a bratty one) who desperately wants to be feel happy.

#2) Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price - An incredible, comprehensive look on the history, culture, and legacy of the vikings. Price parses through popular fiction to bring humanity back to a historical group of people every subculture wants to claim as their own, for better and for worse. This book broke a damn in my head that was preventing me from doing world building for a piece of original fiction I want to write.

#1) The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas - I have been haunted by this book since I was a little kid, promising myself that I would one day gather the courage to read this behemoth of a story. As long as it is, every word was worth it. It was both parts entertaining and stimulating, and I ended by the book knowing why so many people call this the best book ever written.

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And that was my year! Please feel free to share what you read this year. Let me know if there's anything I should try to read in 2024. You can also fight me about any of my opinions lol