#learning to write again

[watercolouredpoet]

The garbage cans are aflame. Again.

My bedroom smells of toasted plastic and summer night.

I cannot stop taking my medication. If I abstain I will for death. If I take them I cease feeling.

The fireman came. One fewer problem

[heart-songs]

Block

I place one word slowly in front of the other, like learning to walk again after an illness. But the blank page with its hospital corners tempts me. I want to lie down in its whiteness and let myself drift all the way back to silence.

- Linda Pastan

[choccy-milky]

seb about to learn every language there is 📚📚

[tommygotwrittenoff]

i literally do not care about big emergencies on abc's 911. i want to see my characters talk to each other and have stories that are parallels to small, everyday (everyday for first responders) emergencies

[oooocleo]

Do you have basic info abour your characters?

this was hard !! narrowing down the 50.000 character/worldbuilding notes i have floating around into little blurbs... but i wanted to make it digestible for Those Not In The Know (=everyone bc im a bit shit at talking abt my characters lol..... still, it feels very special when ppl seem curious about them or even just recognize them at all!)

also i do have other characters besides these four but theyre... the ones i draw/write for the most 🫡

patreon

[sylluvschoso]

down boy! (choso kamo x reader)

cw: afab reader, dubcon, choso is metaphorically described as a puppy but he's biologically human, somnophilia, choso is the goodest boy, there's no sex education in tengen's barrier

The worst part of dating a cursed womb is having to teach him right and wrong when it comes to things that only humans know about.

It's almost like adopting a puppy. His desires and instincts have to be curbed to fit the mold of how he should be, and it's your job to teach him how to be good.

Unfortunately, this means that Choso usually has to make these mistakes beforehand, so he can then learn that he was being bad. Similarly to all of the people that he killed in Shibuya, it wasn't until after it happened that he learned about morality and what it really means to be human.

Sexually, things can become pretty dubious. Choso is laying awake in bed as you're sleeping soundly beside him; soft, plush legs on full display, pretty face so calm with your mouth slightly open. You've left food on the table again and expect your new puppy to just know not to steal it! You've given him permission to have the treats before... how is he supposed to know that it's not okay right now?

He's not trying to be bad, he's really not. He kisses your shoulders and rubs your hips with his big hands. He does all of the things you taught him, making sure to get you nice and wet with his tongue and work you open with his fingers. He's being so careful to be good, taking such extra care not to hurt you.

His eyes roll back into his head as he slips into you, soft and warm and so inviting. He did everything he was supposed to, so when you sleepily stir, your voice thick with sleep as you utter out, "Cho?" of course your puppy's ears perked up, so happy that you're finally awake because there's nothing he loves more than your attention!

But when you fully come to and your voice rings out, disgusted and upset, "Choso, what the fuck are you doing?" you must as well have just kicked your puppy. His eyes widen as he flinches back. "I- I-" his deep voice starts but can't seem to find the words. He's unsure as to what he did wrong.

"Choso?! While I'm sleeping?? What are you doing?" You seem closed off, almost fearful of him as you cover yourself up with the sheets.

Choso chews on his lip so hard that it might bleed, eyebrows furrowed, tears brimming in his pretty eyelashes. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

You sigh deeply, exasperation wearing off as you see how sorry your pretty puppy really is. He really didn't know any better. Of course there weren't lessons in consent during his 150 years locked away from society. Despite how emotionally mature and intelligent he is, there's no way he could've known this. Your gaze softens as you reach a hand out towards his face. "I'm sorry Cho, I didn't mean to get mad at you. It's just not okay to do things like that while I'm sleeping."

He continues to chew on his lip, committing the new rule to memory. He nods and looks up at you. Your puppy, tail between his legs, slowly wagging while he tries to figure out if he's still in trouble. Silently asking if he's still a good boy.

You huff out a small laugh as you reach forward to kiss him slowly. His relief is palpable, his entire body relaxing into your touch. You glance down at his cute flushed dick and you become aware of just how gentle and sweet Choso was with you while you were asleep, you can tell by how wet you are and the lack of pain that he did his best to prep you just like he was taught.

Choso really tries so hard to be a good boy, and good boys deserve treats. You lay back and spread your legs for him again, "Well, I'm awake now," you tease with a grin.

[crabsnpersimmons]

Clip: well maybe it would be easier if you didn't have big meaty claws! crabs: well these claws are only good for attracting mates* *cute robots

so while i was struggling with my creative block, i was trying out new hobbies to fill the void and i decided to try out crochet

i

have not yet learned to enjoy crochet

but hey, Clip's here to be a... support? (show off?) at least he's surrounded me with amigurumi plushies of dear friends. see if you can recognize them all!

i'll put the tags under the cut

from the left to right, top to bottom:

@linafoxoficial - purple fox sona plushie

@inkydoughnut - crochet donut

@itsmuffiiee - sona plushie

@cacaocheri - cherry sona plushie

@eggcromancer - egg sandwich sona plushie

@normal-about-the-dca - beetle sona plushie

@scarredlove - blue mug plushie

@starriegalaxy - star sona plushie

@divinit3a - Pomeranian plushie

@enduu115 - sona plushie

@random-tail - kie kie plushie

[zoe-oneesama]

You seem to have a dislike for Chloe…you also seem to not know how to write stories due to the fact that you (just like Thomas) use Chloe in the story ……

Yeahhhh that’s just sad…

What's truly sad is that I have no idea just what point you're trying to make here.

[mimideeznutsinyomouth]

"Like a small cat..."

Sypnosis. ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴅʏɪɴɢ, ᴘʀᴏʙᴀʙʟʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴇᴍʙᴀʀʀᴀꜱꜱɪɴɢ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴇᴠᴇʀ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪɴᴅ ᴜᴘ ɪɴ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ᴏᴛᴏᴍᴇ ɢᴀᴍᴇꜱ, ʀᴇɪɴᴄᴀʀɴᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇꜱꜱ'ꜱ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ! ᴏꜰ ᴄᴏᴜʀꜱᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴡɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ꜱᴇᴇᴍꜱ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴇᴀꜱᴛ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀꜱ ʜɪꜱ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ...

𖹭 Isekai! Darling, who is very in love with the Princess in their game otome game, "Lovely Thornes"

𖹭Isekai! Darling, who dies the most embarrassing death over choking on a goddamn fry and slipping on the floor, hitting her head harshly.

𖹭 Isekai! Darling, who is ecstatic to be reincarnated as her favorite character's best friend. Even if technically, they are just a friend, it's better than being that god-awful villainess who hurts her!

𖹭 Isekai! Darling, who tries their best to win the Princess' heart, but always gets overshadowed by that stupid prince! So annoying!

𖹭 Isekai! Darling, who hates the prince for all their worth! He barely breathes, and their lovely princess is fawning over them!

𖹭 Isekai! Darling, who thinks the prince is taunting them! I mean, what else could he be thinking other than bullying him and smothering the Princess's attention away from them?

𖹭 Isekai! Darling, who is unaware that the prince is staring in adoration, even if he doesn't seem like it.

𖹭Yandere! Prince, who is one of the most popular bachelors in the kingdom. A true chad, who's on his way to becoming one of the greatest knights and the future monarch the kingdom has ever had.

𖹭Yandere! Prince,  who literally doesn't care about the princess. Sure, she's beautiful, she's the daughter of another powerful king, and she has powerful connections. So, what? But you're prettier and definitely smarter.

𖹭Yandere! Prince, who has that resting bitch face almost everywhere he goes. Yet, he tries to keep it that way, even when thinking about you.

𖹭Yandere! Prince, who is jealous as hell about your crush on the princess. She doesn't like you. Even you can see that, but you don't care anyway.

𖹭Yandere! Prince, who wishes to steal you away from that wretched Princess. She doesn't deserve you, anyway.

𖹭Yandere! Prince, who just admires your face while you glare at him like he killed your family. He can't help but smirk a bit, which caused you to scream at him more.

"You're cute." He suddenly said, making you freeze. Did he really just say that? He smirked right after. You felt yourself flustered. Not by excitement, but by embarrassment. Was he really insulting you right now? "Shut up, princely prick." You narrowed your eyes and stormed out of the room. The prince couldn't help but smirk at your exiting form. Those pouty lips and pretty flushing cheeks, he couldn't help but smirk at your beautiful face. He can't wait to surprise you.

𖹭Isekai! Darling, who gets ecstatic at the news of the Princess finally being of age for marriage. Poor darling, thinking that the Princess wants to marry them.

𖹭Isekai! Darling, who could physically and mentally feel their heart drop to their stomach when she proposed a marriage proposal to the prince. It was over. It was so over.

𖹭Isekai! Darling, who was so heartbroken that they didn’t even hear Yandere! Prince's refusal of the marriage and the gasps of the nobles surrounding them.

𖹭Yandere! Prince, who walks to Isekai! Darling, with love, surprising them as he ignores their protests while he picks you up in bridal style.

"Sorry, Princess," he smirks and kisses your cheek, despite your cute little hisses,

"I've already given my heart to another."

[confettimothz]

hey so. do u remember that blurrbee angst i mentioned this one time. bc i sure do

[bluerosefox]

That Good Ol' Fenton Charm

Hmmmm

Single dad Danny (to deaged Ellie and Dan) meets his neighbor Selina Kyle after one of her cats get into their apartment and he finds his kids playing with it.

Cue meet cute where Selina at first is just flirting like always but Danny charms her (aka being a bit dense but somehow adorkable, its charming)

[s0fter-sin]

one of my favourite aspects of supernatural that you very rarely see in paranormal shows is that sam and dean are already versed in the world they live in. there’s no sudden discovery of ghosts and demons and now they have to learn about them along with the audience; they are born into it and already know all about it. it allows the audience to follow their personal story instead of also trying to figure out this new world and its rules

the first season is full of knowledge we never see them learn; “w*ndigoes are in the minnesota woods or- or northern michigan. i’ve never even heard of one this far west.” […] “great. well then this [his gun] is useless.” (1x02), “you don’t break a curse. you get the hell out of its way.” (1x08), d: “it’s a god. a pagan god, anyway.” […] “the annual cycle of its killings? and the fact that the victims are always a man and a woman. like some kind of fertility right.” […] s: “the last meal. given to sacrificial victims. d: “yeah, i’m thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some pagan god.” (1x11)

almost every episode in the first season is a monster they’ve faced before that they then explain to the audience in a way that should feel patronising; like it’s the same speech given over and over again but instead, the audience almost feels included in the knowledge. it’s stated with such an innate confidence and comfort in said knowledge that it feels like we already knew it too; “spirits and demons don't have to unlock doors. if they want inside, they just go through the walls.” […] “the claws, the speed that it moves; could be a skinwalker, maybe a black dog.” (1x02), “it's biblical numerology. you know noah's ark, it rained for forty days. the number means death.” (1x04), “no no no, not the reaper, a reaper. there's reaper lore in pretty much every culture on earth, it goes by 100 different names.” […] “you said it yourself that the clock stopped, right? reapers stop time. and you can only see 'em when they're coming at you which is why i could see it and you couldn't.” (1x12)

they already know and, at least in the first season, already have what they need to kill whatever they’re hunting; already know to salt and burn bones for spirits, fire for a w*ndigo, exorcisms for demons, a silver bullet to the heart for shapeshifters. there’s only three times in the entire first season that they run into something new to them; 1x14 when sam gets his first vision that leads him to another psychic, 1x16 when dean calls caleb for help on the sigil he put together and he tells him about daevas, and 1x20 when they find out vampires are real- and they only don’t know that bc john thought they were hunted to extinction and not worth mentioning

(there’s also technically two half instances if you count one of them knowing something the other doesn’t - sam figuring out the tulpa in 1x17 and dean already knowing about the shtriga in 1x18 - but those still rely on sam and dean having prior knowledge)

even when they’re uncertain about facing something, it’s not bc they don’t know what it is; it’s precisely bc they know what it is and acknowledge that it’ll be a difficult hunt (“i don't know, man. this isn't our normal gig. i mean, demons, they don't want anything, just death and destruction for its own sake. this is big. and i wish dad was here.” 1x04)

so much of the tension in paranormal shows typically comes from the main character(s) not knowing what is happening to them/the people around them and having to find out how to resolve it. supernatural is unique in that it operates more like a police procedural. the tension comes from solving the clues and identifying patterns to figure out who (what) the killer is and intercepting before they can take another victim

it’s such a different tone to go for when compared to other shows that came both before, during, and after its run. it sets sam and dean on even footing with each other since they both have the same knowledge going in, and it puts them in a place of authority usually reserved for an outside character

the shows i compare spn to most is charmed, buffy and teen wolf; every main character in those shows are brought into the paranormal world knowing nothing, putting them on the same level as the audience, and they have their mc interact with others already knowledgeable about that world in order to overcome their problem/monster of the week. the audience organically learns about this new world as the characters learn about it. it’s a sound writing strategy that prevents “as we already know”-style exposition but something that complicates it is if your world building isn’t unique or intriguing enough, this slow introduction can become boring

we’ve seen shows like these before; sitting through the same tropes of characters learning to use their powers, struggling with no longer feeling normal/relating to the regular world around them, and not knowing how much they can trust the people already involved in this new world gets repetitive. all three shows eventually reach the same level of comfort with their new world that spn starts with but if the characters aren’t enough to draw you in, you can end up dropping it before they reach that point (and often, before the overarching plot can really kick in and evolve the show beyond the villain of the week format)

it’s the superhero origin movie in tv format; dragged out and overplayed. dropping the audience into an established world of course comes with its own problems but you also have the benefit of pre-existing established character dynamics that let the audience slot in like they’ve always been there instead of just getting to know all the characters while the characters also get to know each other

sam and dean already knowing about the supernatural lets the audience immediately get to the core of the story; the conflict between sam and dean, the search for their father, and the mystery of what killed their mother

[a-most-beloved-fool]

Not too long after Captain Spock's miraculous resurrection, Montgomery Scott approached the freshly-demoted Captain Kirk, PADD in hand.

"What's this?" the Captain asked, taking it.

"It's a wee schematic I was hopin' you'd approve, sir. For the Enterprise," Scotty said. He tried not to look too evasive, but acting was never one of his strong suits, and Kirk had long since grown wise to his tells, so he wasn't terribly optimistic.

Sure enough, "I can see that, Scotty," Kirk said, raising both his eyebrows in mild amusement. "I'd like to know what it's for."

For a moment, Scotty was silent, debating how to broach the topic. The Captain was much improved now, after Spock's return (and the return of the bulk of his memory), but for a while there-

Well.

Scotty could understand how the death of a husband could tear someone to pieces. The wound was still raw; too recent and too fresh. That kind of grief didn't just up and disappear, even if the cause for it did. It lingered. If one paid attention - as the crew of the Enterprise did - it was easy to catch the deep weariness that crept into Kirk's eyes when he thought no one was looking, or the way he tensed up every time Spock was out of sight.

He'd been avoiding Engineering, too.

Scotty could understand. Sometimes, he wanted to, too, when the memories rose too close to the surface. So many good officers had died down there over the years, and Captain Spock was the best of them all.

Still, as sensitive as the subject may be, this was important.

"It's a proposal for changes to the warp core," he said. He kept his voice steady, hoping it would keep Kirk steady, too. "To make it safer."

For a moment, the Captain just stared at him, a tangle of emotion just barely visible past that mask of command he so often wore.

"This-" Kirk's voice wavered, and he swallowed before continuing. "This is... for Spock?"

"Aye, sir," Scotty said. He'd started work on it the very night of the Captain's death. "No one will e'er have to suffer the same fate. The fact that it happened in the first place-" Scotty shook his head, mournful. "I could hardly forgive myself. I should 'ave seen the risk."

"Scotty," Kirk breathed, "this is..." Awe and gratitude filled his face as he paged through the files on the PADD. His gaze snapped upwards, meeting Scotty's. "Approved, Captain," he said, clapping Scotty warmly on the shoulder. "And... thank you."

If the Captain's eyes were brimming with unshed tears, Scotty politely ignored them.

"Aye, Captain," he said, beaming widely, then went to get started.

[crow-caller]

I really do think looking at bad writing is one of the best ways to learn about writing in general, especially for beginners.

the thing is, writing in general is highly subjective- a good sentence will be good in different ways to different people, or not impress someone at all.

a bad sentence? most people can spot bad sentences easy, especially if it is presented to them as 'here's an example of a bad sentence, let's unpack why.'

bad writing can also be very funny, which I think is again often more engaging than 'here's a work of literary genius go analyze it'. Like here's some bad writing from lightlark3:

The moment it was out of Horus’s grip, his body became bones. The flesh turned to ash. He became a corpse.

it's dumb as hell, but I think could foster a solid discussion when you ask 'why? what is the author intending to say? what about it makes it feel 'clunky'? How would you write the same idea?'

[mamawasatesttube]

something i like to think about sometimes is that. man. you could really create some kind of perfect storm with the combo of tim's post-infinite crisis fear of losing kon again + kon's intense, but generally passive, suicidality. guy who was so convinced he had to die a hero that when it happened he didn't even seem bothered by it (because he can't be traumatized by his own death if it was what he was literally made for, right?) x guy who has developed a whole new type of mental illness out of the survivor's guilt 100x combo. put them both through the wringer at the same time with one easy trick (make tim think kon will try to sacrifice himself for something) (and kon very well might!)

[mohabbotein]

home

˙⟡ mohan x abbot, wc: 375, fluff

the first time jack overhears samira speaking with her mother in her first language, he’s surprised he can already understand a few words. he must’ve picked them up when he was deployed, but it had to have easily been years ago. 

when she hangs up, he proudly says, “i understood ‘like,’ but couldn’t tell you what you said you liked.” 

she laughs, sitting herself down beside him on the sofa. “i was just telling her that i’m still liking work and i’m learning a lot.”

“oh, i bet you’re learning a lot.” 

“enough,” she chastises. “soon enough, i’ll be the shen of day shift.” 

“wouldn’t you want to be the me of day shift?” 

“no, because i want to be with you during day shift, but a girl can dream … during normal circadian rhythm hours.” she pauses. “maybe i’ll be the ellis of day shift.”

“nah,” abbot says with a frown. “you guys are pretty different. i wouldn’t compare you to shen either. guess you’re stuck with me.” 

she hums, stretching her legs out and resting her head on his lap as she closes her eyes. “fine by me.” 

the second time jack overhears samira speaking with her mother, he’s able to pick up on a few extra words - like work, cooking, and home. 

it’s the third time he finally takes matters into his own hands, single-handedly slowing the progression of his brain age by picking up a new language. he’s proud to say he already has a few up his sleeve, but learning this one means a little more to him (and his neural plasticity) - so much so that he goes out of his way to sign up for an online tutor and hit the local library for a copy of the ‘dummies’ version. 

when samira comes home that night, she hears him talking to himself. 

“jack?”

“mira,” he says excitedly, stringing together a choppy “welcome home” in her native tongue.   

she’d always known she had a home in jack abbot, but now, she’s more excited to bring him home to her mother and finally call him family. 

(she gives him a homework assignment that night: an indian cinema. unbeknownst to her, he was already a long-time fan of the industry).