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incoherentbabblings · 1 year

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Hellooo! Do you still do with the OTP of the year prompts? If it’s not too much, maybe Timsteph with time travel or ‘you’re the only one I could turn to to help?’

You can of course ask for this! I am always open for requests - especially for this year's themes - but I won't lie and I admit my ability to write for DC has shrivelled up and died. Apologies guys for not writing much this year. I hope this makes up for it (a little). I'm sorry it's so short.

This is just an absolutely buck wild au. Don't ask for context... I have none. I went for ‘you’re the only one I could turn to to help’ over time travel if that is okay!

Year of the OTP Requests

She was recognisable even in the dark. Never able to give up that purple hood, blonde hair spilling out like a river of sunlight. Even in the dark gloom of Gotham, even buried away in the darkest shadows, she shone.

Tim dropped down into the alleyway, and she responded by pulling her cloak tighter around herself.

"Eight months since I saw you last - what is it?" Tim asked. "What do you want?"

He wanted her to say she would come home with him. A life without her or Dick or Cassandra was a difficult one. One where he was not allowed (not that he had ever asked, but Tim would know the answer if he ever tried).

Somewhere in the back of Tim's mind, the thought that she would finally accept that her, Dick and Cassandra were fighting a losing battle, and with her first words, he began to believe it.

"I need your help."

"What?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him, more than anything else.

"I need you to get me out of the city."

The hope cracked, and something ugly began to take its place.

"For how long?" he asked, cold heart still splintering with her words. If she left Gotham, that would be that. All hope of a reconciliation would flicker and fade out. He needed her as that bridge.

Shaded under her hood, Stephanie blinked, expressionless and striking Tim as both very tired, and yet very determined.

"Forever."

"No," he choked out, shocking himself at how quickly it flew off his tongue. The strangled look of disgust and surprise on Stephanie's face made him turn away and try to gather his thoughts. "I mean, you're giving up? You would never do that. Not to Gotham."

Stephanie said nothing, and Tim continued to march back and forth, cape billowing out behind him. "No," he said, thinking out loud. "No, because so long as Dick and Cassandra fight, so will you. And you would only leave if they were. And even then... So there's something else."

He noted that she had not moved, her own purple cloak hiding her form from view. He could see however, that her arms were not relaxed, but rather up around around her sternum and stomach.

She stepped backwards, further into shadow.

"I cannot stay," she muttered. "I need your help to leave. There is no-one else who I could ask to help me get off the islands."

Tim followed her. "Why?"

Eight months since he had last seen her. Eight months...

Stephanie shifted, shoulder twisting one side of her cloak back. Tim looked down, and saw she was holding a sleeping baby.

Eight months.

"Not mine," she muttered, immediately killing his accusation dead. "But a friend."

"Where's this friend?" he asked.

"Dead."

Her eyes were frozen solid, daring Tim to be horrid. Instead he looked at his feet, and muttered a very quiet apology. The glare softened, tentative that maybe she was not being as foolish as Dick and Cassandra believed her to be.

"I don't understand," Tim argued. "You want to leave and start anew elsewhere? Leave Gotham to rot?"

"The baby, Tim. He's a meta. Those police you built... you tell me what their programming says about metas in Gotham."

As if sensing the mood, the skies darkened, threatening to weep on the estranged couple hidden in the shadows. A cold wind blew through Tim's hair and settled in his very bones.

"Oh."

The nerves in Stephanie's body language began to show. Nervously, she looked from side to side, cautious of any machine patrolling the streets. They were not impossible to disarm, but she was not prepped for a fight.

"He cannot stay here. But I cannot get him out of the city alone."

Tim's heart sank. "Why did you come to me?"

"Because you still love me," she stated, not even hiding the manipulation. "Because I believe you still want to make me happy and keep me safe. I am protecting this baby. He needs to leave. You’re the only one I could turn to to help. You know of ways out, I know it."

Tim stepped closer, inspecting the baby, and the woman holding him.

The ugly thoughts rose again.

Frightened at his ponderous silence, Stephanie tried once more.

"I do not believe you have fallen so far," she whispered. Balancing the sleeping child, she touched Tim's cheek. Even through the gloves, fire burned down through his nerves, sparking a thumping heart beat. Tim resisted the urge to groan. "Help me," Stephanie urged. "Please."

"What's his name?"

Stephanie bit her tongue, and Tim snorted. "If you want me to smuggle you out, you have to trust me."

Furious at the condescension, Stephanie grabbed Tim's chin, forcing him to look her in the eye.

"I will not beg," she insisted.

Tim jerked his head to the side. "You don't need to. Of course I'll help. He's just a baby."

Her tense muscles did not slacken. Instead, when Tim moved closer, she stiffened even further, as if repulsed by his presence. How far the two had fallen apart.

The ugly thoughts made their way out of Tim's mouth.

"I'll get the baby out of Gotham. I still know where Conner or Cassie are. Don't think Bart would be a very good... Anyway. I'll help him."

Stephanie started to relax, just for a moment, until Tim gave his ultimatum.

"But you have to stay. You come home, with me."

If Stephanie were not holding a baby, she would have slapped Tim. He knew this, and very quickly added, "Surely you see, the use of having someone on the inside, right Steph?"

Her pretty mouth dropped open, and she tugged her hood back so Tim could better see her expression. Even after years of fighting, she was still so soft featured. It did not stop her from looking furious, confused, and, to Tim's relief, hopeful.

He did not blame her. Promising to evacuate a wanted child whilst making a condition her literal and metaphorical imprisonment only to openly offer her a method of being a double agent... No wonder she looked pained.

"What game are you playing?" she hissed.

He could not let her leave. She was the only way he could make the connection to the others. He sighed, staring at the sleeping child. He did not miss the way Stephanie instinctively tilted her hip, angling the baby towards Tim to allow him a better look.

In another life...

"A long one," he murmured, still enraptured by the babe. "You said it yourself Steph. You’re the only one I can turn to to help."

#dc #tim drake #stephanie brown #timsteph #my fic tag

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sword-dad-fukuzawa · 1 year

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hi I am here in your inbox and asking u about ur otps to get more ships in law (not sorry) SO: 3, 12, 27, 38, 45, 51 for plantcest or kniveswood (you can do both if you want to go off - which you should)

ELI I'M KICKING MY FEET TY!!

OTP Asks

Plantcest first :)

3. Do they wear the other’s clothes? (sweatshirt, bandana, necklace, etc.)

I want to say no, their clothing styles are hilariously incompatible once they start developing identities outside of each other--Vash is all leather and punk bondage gear, while Nai likes edgy space-age fashion. This is not to say that Vash doesn't wear earrings that look like Nai's knives as a little reminder of home or that Nai doesn't wear Vash's clothes when he misses him. This is because Nai's love looks like crawling into Vash's skin.

12. Do they have many heated arguments? How do they smooth things over?

When they were younger, not at all. We all know about the middle. When they're together again after so many years of fighting, the arguments are few and far between. Nai knows how destructive his anger is. He knows how it pushes people away. And Vash's own temper is so slow to trigger that unless they get to a boiling point after days and weeks of little slights, he keeps it under wraps.

The fights get physical--of course they do--and in the end, Vash needs to disappear after a while. It took Knives a long time to internalize and trust that Vash would always come back. And once he does return, they talk--and it feels like pulling teeth, usually, but they can't lose each other. Not again.

27. Who is the light weight that needs to be taken care of after a party?

Knives. Vash can drink most men under the table and Knives is "one glass of wine at dinner" kind of guy.

38. Who is more sexually experimental? Who's more vanilla?

You'd think it would be Vash who's the vanilla one. This is wrong. Vash is deep in the BDSM scene withh hardcore masochistic kinks and Nai can and will fly into a panic attack if he hurts Vash during sex. They're still both absolute freaks (adoring) in bed, though. I still need to write about Nai going into topdrop...

45. Can they fall asleep without the other?

Yes, as a matter of necessity. They're used to lonely nights. That doesn't mean they enjoy it.

51. What’s a non verbal way they say I love you?

A gun left in a drawer instead of holstered at the hip.

Aaaand for Kniveswood:

3. Do they wear the other’s clothes? (sweatshirt, bandana, necklace, etc.)

Knives would never wear Wolfwood's ratty suits. He would rather di- HEY GET OUT OF MY CLOSET VASH!! NO THAT'S MINE!! I SWEAR THAT'S MY BUTTON DOWN WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU KNOW IT'S WOLFWOOD'S--

12. Do they have many heated arguments? How do they smooth things over?

All the goddamn time. These two bicker like they breathe. Knives apologizes with actions before he'll ever say the words "I'm sorry," and Wolfwood will find something like all the chores in their apartment done without a word and dinner sitting on the table for him, still warm, when he comes home. Wolfwood begs forgiveness because he's Catholic and because Knives is into it.

27. Who is the light weight that needs to be taken care of after a party?

Still Knives. Wolfwood and Vash are old drinking buddies.

38. Who is more sexually experimental? Who's more vanilla?

Knives. While Wolfwood's nerves have long been crossed when it comes to pain and pleasure, Knives is the one who likes seeing Wolfwood tied up and bleeding. Wolfwood's content with kissy missionary even if he enjoys a good session now and again.

45. Can they fall asleep without the other?

Yes. They're very independent people, I think. This doesn't mean that Knives doesn't enjoy being the little spoon.

51. What’s a non verbal way they say I love you?

Wolfwood always shows up when Knives needs him; no questions asked. Knives never lets this go unrewarded.

#kniveswood #plantcest #millions knives #vash the stampede #nicholas d wolfwood #otp asks

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protect-daniel-james · 8 months

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hopefully this isn't a boring one...how about Jamie Jamie Cousin Jamie?

favorite thing about them

The way he looks and presents himself, he's such an easy target. No wonder everyone always makes fun of him (not that I condone it).

least favorite thing about them

When we look past the Lampardverse, where obviously he has a huge role, I do not really find him very interesting. Yeah, he was hot in his old playing days, and obviously, he's still a very attractive guy, he's just very bland and I understand that people don't seem to enjoy his punditry much and consider him to be an eye candy for the 40+ years old housewives, lol. I think he does carry a certain psychological baggage with him, possibly stemming from his unfulfilled career and promise, and the way his mum and dad raised him (and a couple of other things if we take Lampardverse into account).

favorite line

"That's a corner flag there". I this this sums up his football insight.

And a lot of lines from all the mocking of him, mentioning his Daddy Harry Redknapp ("Why were you all laughing when my Dad was called?") . Plus, his meltdowns on Sky, of course, trying to be Tough. If we consider his autobiography a collection of his lines, then there's the "I've got to have a Happy Ending" one, which we both know, and I think that one shows the lesser-known side of Jamie Jamie cousin Jamie.

brOTP

I don't think Jamie Jamie is capable of a brOTP because of his toxicity. He will throw tantrums, get jealous, or want to control the other person. I think the closest to that would be Jamie and Stevie G, who said in his autobiography that Jamie Jamie Jamie took him under his wing in the early days of his England career (Stevie used to be scared shitless at the NT camps, and Jamie was the one who took care of him, which is lovely!).

OTP

Ha ha ha isn't that obvious. Franko, chubby little Franko, and Jamie Jamie cousin Jamie were meant to be. The real star-crossed lovers! Modern day Romeo and Juliet! Them against the world that is so Big and Scary that they just want to cuddle up in a bed and keep each other warm...

Honestly, I have seen a Souness x Jamie ship on AO3, and I loved it. There's so much potential - especially since I headcanon Souness as a deeply closeted gay man who lived through the homophobic horrors of the Liverpool dressing room in the '70s and '80s and has some regrets about living his life the way he did, and never finding the courage (if you look deep in his eyes, you see a broken man) to come out. He also coached Jamie for a bit, did you know that! I think in the times they both worked at Sky, there could have been some...interesting tension (especially in a non-Lampardverse world).

nOTP

I don't really ship him with anyone from ALOTO. I don't care for those guys enough lol.

random headcanon

He's EXTREMELY childish, to the point of being treated by his wife (and previously ex-wife) as yet another child to deal with and driving them both nuts.

unpopular opinion

He would scream "My Dad could beat up your Dad!" when losing an argument. (I don't think it's that unpopular over here haha). Also, he's on the verge of a panic attack during every ALOTO, and I mean - seriously. Not just for the laughs.

He's also painfully childish and immature when it comes to sex (there might be Reasons for this in the verse though).

song i associate with them

Is this even a question?

Under blue moon, I saw you So soon you'll take me Up in your arms, too late to beg you Or cancel it, though I know it must be The killing time Unwillingly mine

Fate Up against your will Through the thick and thin He will wait until You give yourself to him

One of the many anthems of the Lampardverse, The Killing Moon.

favorite picture of them

Old Hairy Times. Also, this was Jamie in Liverpool, the Jamie that Franko had numerous wet dreams about.

#jamie jamie cousin jamie #lampardverse

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qserasera · 1 year

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1, 3, 8, 39 for the fic meme!

wAHHHH thank u friend!! questions from this meme here. 1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?) o w o what a question!! hahaha but im Thrilled!!

if it's genshin fic, i think willow pond, locked in smoke (protective character, Heavily implied relationship, party intrigue!!) is a fairly good representation for my style.

if it was non-genshin fic, i think advance, retreat in three-fourths beat is another good intro!! 3. What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics? ahhhh.........u already are. very Well aware of my love of characters who were once!!! childhood bffs!!--to divorced but never dated--to lovers.....it's so good. the Layers of history. potential betrayal. slow rebuilding of a relationship from ruins :'')))

uhh i enjoy High Drama but idk how good i am at writing that. social intrigue or at least hints of power jockying/social intrigue in conversations! a lot of...side characters/nameless side characters around the cast for worldbuilding purposes??

protective characters for one side of an otp, always an oldie but goodie (or mutual protectiveness). maybe characters who might feel more bitterly isolated but are more coldly resigned to it. luxurious environmental storytelling, as i think one mutual put it ( • ̀ω•́ )✧ ( • ̀ω•́ )✧ 8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

this question is so. Difficult. how dare u ⁺◦ะ ୧(𖦹﹏𖦹)୨ ೃ࿔

in terms of songs that got turned into fic.....i still lose my Mind on a regular basis over the..TWO PARTER fic posts that @blackidyll so brilliantly wrote for my zhongchi masquerade dance fanmix i made....thank u i owe u my life dot jpeg!!

Zhongli grabs the edge of his jaw – the only part of his face left vulnerable by his delusion – and tilts his head to meet his gaze head on. It happens so quickly that Tartaglia can’t defend against it, and they come to an abrupt halt, their stances breaking when Tartaglia releases his grip on Zhongli’s waist to grab at the wrist of the hand holding his jaw.

“You are standing here, facing the world wearing her mask and her colours. What else am I supposed to call you, Tartaglia, Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers?”

Gone is the cool calmness – Zhongli’s eyes are molten now, glowing enough that the gilded edges of his mask gleam with it. And – was that an undercurrent of possession in his voice?

(from that mix tho, i think one of my favorite songs that i feel would Make for a great chili fic would be unsullied - mao buyi. )

for other pairs/fandoms, i think Ritual would make for a Very fun horrible exorcists fic vibe to read in an AU where they became a power couple in sharp suits and Dramatic color-contrasting kimonos who stir up a storm of gossip in the exorcists world but also there are sometimes assassinations against them both >:))) and this song would be pretty fun for them too hehehehe :3 (sink my teeth into what is mine / I hunt and kill so you can wine and dine) 39. Is any aspect of your writing process inspired by other writers or people? If so, who?

maybe, maybe not....im not sure. i did do an a attempt at writing sprints a while back but didn't keep up with it. um. besides brainrotting while listening to bunch of blorbos playlists for an hour, i don't think my writing process has been specifically inspired by other writers ; w ; (i do enjoy a good screaming session about planned scenes if i happen to be sending stuff to a fic beta tho hehe)

#memeity meme #defeateddetectives #long post

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leejiieuns · 2 years

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Maybe if we were different people, she thought as she stared at the home screen of her phone, hating the part of her that hoped he’d call again. Maybe if we led different lives. But they didn’t, and she couldn’t think of him without thinking of Thea, and there was no world where she could be happy with him and not hurt her. And she couldn’t be happy with her and not long for him either. So this was the best thing she could do for all of them, she convinced herself, and she hoped that one day, they would move on, get married, reach their dreams, have kids, and forget about her altogether.

#man ok maybe i'm not remembering this right but i think we talked about noah reaching out to her at one point???#idk if this is like way too au but pls have this akhgdkfg #also the reason why i madde this is bc i just finished watching law school lmao and could on #ly think of angsty things to make #so i mean watch out for a sad thea x lily edit too ahgkdfg #but ok i had the folklore and evemore albums on while making this #and i gotta say #i managed to hurt myself #Also this took way too long to finish and if the texts are wonky and the coloring does not match pls forgive me #and by coloring i mean brightness kahgdfkg #i hate how handsome njh is #makes me wanna cry everytime i see him #idk when this would be but lmao im now just realizing njh is in a car so maybe pre-acccident??#agkdf man idk im rambling at 2am but i hope i'm still making sense #mine*#otp: you were never mine to lose #lily kwon.

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the-iceni-bitch · 3 years

Text

I Wanna Start a Fight

Pairing: Ransom Drysdale x fem!reader (OTP ninja and puppy)

Words: ~3.7k

Summary: Maybe agreeing to let your mothers throw you an engagement party wasn’t the best idea…

Warnings: explicit language, explicit sexual content (unprotected vaginal sex, kinda public sex, car sex, mentions of m/m sex, mentions of m receiving oral sex), misogyny, blink and you’ll miss it homophobia, gross ex boyfriend, Steve’s a dick, Ari’s a little bitchy but in a fun-ish way, fist fight, overbearing families, WASPs being WASPs, SMUT!!! 18+ ONLY!!!

A/N: Welp, as promised, y’all are gonna hate Steve, the man is a massive cunt.

I am no longer doing taglists so if you want to stay up to date on all the latest filth, follow my sideblog @the-iceni-library and turn on notifications!!

“Why did we agree to do this?” Ransom whined into your neck as you kept slowly riding him in the driver’s seat of the beemer, his eyes drifting towards the packed country club until you grabbed his jaw so you could tug at his lips with your own.

“Because I’m hoping if we let your mother throw her big society party now, she won’t try to take over the guest list for the wedding.” You slid your tongue between his lips and purred when he let out a low moan and wrapped his arms around you, rolling your hips into his lap and sighing when he rocked his pelvis up to meet yours. “And if all these snobs want to give us money and expensive presents for a couple hours of schmoozing, after which we never have to see them again, even better.”

“Fine.” He bit at your jaw and chuckled when you dug your nails into his scalp. “Think they’ll still want to give you presents when you’re walking around with my cum dripping out of you all night?”

“Those dirty old white men?” You grinned as you leaned closer to bite at his ear when you felt him starting to lose it, his fingers drawing bruises where they were digging into your hips so he could grind into your clit and bring you there with him. “They’d probably love it, might even try to buy me away from you.”

“Well, too bad for them, you’re not for sale.” Ransom growled when he dragged his tongue up the side of your neck, panting as he throbbed inside of you until he was filling you up with a low groan. “Mine.”

“Just yours, pup.” A shiver of pleasure traveled up your spine as you melted into him, your arms curling around his neck as he planted kisses along the underside of your chin and made soft, pleasant sounds into your skin. “Let’s go schmooze it up…shit!”

“What are you two doing in there?” You couldn’t see Ari’s face through the fogged up windows, but you could hear the smirk in his voice, rolling your eyes as you climbed off Ransom after giving him a peck on the lips and opening the door into the chuckling bear outside while Ran tucked himself back in. “Your car smells like sex, Drysdale.”

“That’s what we were going for.” Ransom beamed at Ari when he rose out of the car and the man gave him a kiss on the cheek, ignoring you when you rolled your eyes at the two of them. “Thanks for coming.”

“Yeah, thank you.” You hummed when Ari pressed a swift kiss to your lips before all three of you started heading inside. “We should really keep this PDA up, I bet the stuffed shirts will love it.”

“Yeah, well my pan, Jewish ass is paying out of the nose for a membership to this place, so they can suck a whole bag of dicks.” Ari shrugged when you gave him a small frown. “But I know you want to appease the future in laws, so I’ll keep it toned down, since I missed the fun engagement party.”

“Well, let’s not make any rash promises here.” Ransom yelped when Ari gave him a smack on the ass right before you started heading up the steps. “If these assholes get on our nerves enough I might need someone to suck my dick.”

“Incorrigible, the both of you.” You couldn’t help but smile at the two of them when Ari gave Ransom’s shoulder a squeeze, grabbing Ran’s hand and kissing his knuckles before taking a deep breath as you headed inside. “Your dick’s already wet, but if you’re good, maybe I’ll let you sit on your boyfriend’s face when we get home. Remember why we’re here.”

“Money, presents, appeasing the mothers.” Ransom kissed your hair and groaned softly when you gave his hand a squeeze, turning his attention to the woman who was scurrying up to you with a strained smile on her face. “Hi Anne…”

“Hey, did you review the guest list?” Anne looked a little frazzled, and it was putting your hackles up.

“No, why?” You looked around when she took a shaky breath, finding someone who looked vaguely familiar across the room that made you pause. “Is that Buck… no!”

“Yeah, apparently your mom had some people she wanted to invite, too.” Anne gave a nervous laugh when the two men with you found what had you looking ready to commit murder and realization dawned on their faces.

“Goddamn it, I can’t deal with this, someone bring me a drink, not you.” You clutched at Ransom when he started to head to the bar, Ari giving you a brief nod before heading in his place while he gave a murderous glare to the giant blonde who was stalking towards you. “I need you.”

“Hey doll.” Your lips pulled back from your teeth in as close to a smile as you could muster when Steve finally reached you, fighting not to snarl when he bent to kiss your cheek and completely ignored the tension. “You look great.”

“Steve.” You relaxed your grip on Ransom’s hand when you heard him give a small grunt of pain. “You really thought it would be appropriate to come here after those messages you sent me?”

“I don’t know what messages you’re talking about.” Like he hadn’t called you a vindictive cunt once you’d posted a picture of the ring. “Been having trouble with my account security lately, they're working on it.”

“Awesome, so you’re gaslighting too, now.” You scoffed and leaned into Ransom when you heard him make a soothing noise low in his throat. “Just keep getting better and better.”

“Don’t cause a scene now, sweetie.” Steve’s jaw ticked with barely contained glee when he saw your nostrils flare at the pet name, his face falling just a little when Ari got back with your drink and gave him a pointed stare. “Levinson, haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Yeah, well I tend to avoid hanging around bastards with fragile egos if I can help it.” Ari stood close to you as he frowned at Steve and crossed his arms, shaking his head when you shot him a scolding glare over your shoulder.

“Sure ya do, you gonna introduce me to your fiancé or are we having a staring contest?” Steve’s grin was predatory when he turned to Ransom and held out his hand expectantly. “Steve Rogers.”

“Ransom Drysdale.” Ransom didn’t like the way Steve’s eyes kept lingering on your face while he shook his hand, swallowing the pained noise he almost made when the larger man squeezed his hand harder than necessary and rolling his eyes.

“Never thought anyone would be able to tie this girl down, she always was a wild one.” Steve was completely ignoring Ransom now, stepping into your space and lowering his voice to a low purr that was making you want to scratch his eyes out. “I always had fun trying to break you though, doll, remember?”

“I remember breaking you a couple times, Steve.” If he was gonna be filthy, you had no problem giving it right back to him. “Didn’t you always beg me like a bitch whenever you had to leave for your training weekends?”

“God, still got a nasty little mouth.” Steve’s fist clenched at his side, his eyes narrowing as he glowered at you and missed the way Ransom and Ari’s posture changed like they were about to jump him. “Maybe I should show your man here the best way to shut you up.”

“Ok, that’s enough.” You felt Ari and Ransom shift when Steve leaned even closer to you and managed to get yourself in between the three men before anything started, letting out a deep sigh when you placed a hand on Ransom’s chest and saw his jaw ticking with barely restrained aggression. “We have other assholes we need to talk to, enjoy the bar, Steve.”

“I’m gonna kick that smug bastard’s ass.” Ransom fought you a little when you pushed him away from Steve, who gave you a dirty wink before finally turning away.

“Ok, let’s not start a fight if we can help it.” You finally got him into a corner and pressed your body close to his, brushing your lips over his throat and humming softly until you felt him relax. “I definitely wanna get the fuck out of here though, so maybe we should divide and conquer the whales so that can happen sooner.”

“Yeah, fine.” He leaned down so he could nuzzle into your hair and breathed deeply. “Should we yell at the meddlers now or at the end of the night?”

“End of the night.” You were going to lay into your mother, you could not believe she invited Steve. “And don’t let that douchebag corner you, he’ll do his best to provoke you into doing something stupid.”

“Alright.” He tilted your head back with three fingers under your chin and gently molded his lips to yours, barely tracing their curve with the tip of his tongue before pulling back and sighing. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” You gave him a squeeze before releasing him, smiling softly when he ran his fingers through his hair as he walked off. “Remember, it’s just one night! One long ass night.”

After the fifth person called you dear you were already over the whole thing, wondering why you hadn’t gone with your instincts and told your mom and Linda to shove it when they had foisted this little idea. You should have known the two of them wanting to work together to do something for you and Ransom was going to be a pain in the ass, those two working in tandem was sure to be nothing but a massive headache. Thank god Anne was there to keep you supplied with gin and tonics and pull you away for some fake thing whenever she noticed your jaw clenching when someone mentioned how they never thought Ransom would have settled down with someone like you, or made some passive aggressive comment about not being invited to the wedding. Ari was doing the same for Ransom, you couldn’t help but smile to yourself when you saw him pull your fiancé away from some blue hair when his face started turning red and his mouth worked soundlessly.

It was a relief you didn’t run into Steve again, you thought for sure he would have just been waiting to corner you and make disgusting innuendos about how much better he would be for you than Ransom.

“Hey doll.” You jumped at the nickname, turning whip fast and being fully prepared to tell Steve to go fuck himself until you got a look at who was speaking.

“Buck, oh my god!” You laughed lightly as you wrapped your arms around him for a warm embrace. “Did you come here with that asshole?”

“Yeah, he didn’t want to listen when I told him this was a spectacularly bad idea.” Bucky gave you a peck on the cheek before letting you go. “I had planned on chaperoning so he didn’t try to rile shit up, but of course that sneaky fucker managed to ditch me almost right away.”

“I still don’t know why you bother, Buck.” Yeah you did, he was hopelessly in love with the douchebag, not that he’d ever admit it to himself or anyone else. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, but it’s not like he seems especially keen on changing.”

“I know. Can’t help but try though.” Bucky sighed as he leaned on the wall next to you. “Look at you, though, getting married. Can’t wait to meet the man who managed that.”

Ransom watched you talk to the brunette from across the room, happy to see you smiling but over having to talk to these stuck up assholes. Your parents' friends were almost as bad as the blue bloods his mother was constantly ass kissing, at least three of them had the nerve to scold him when they found out you two were already living together even though you weren’t married yet. He almost told the last one about the white room just to see if he could get the old bat’s wig to fly off, but Ari had pulled him away with an almost grin before he had the chance.

Now Ari was off using the bathroom and Ransom finally had a second to himself, sinking into one of the barstools and enjoying his scotch. At least for a moment.

“You know, I could smell the cum on her as soon as I kissed that pretty little cheek.” Ransom ground his teeth together when Steve managed to sneak up on him, glaring at him sideways as he took another gulp of scotch and tried to keep from letting this asshole get under his skin. “You fill up that sweet pussy before you walked in here with her, pretty boy?”

“Sure fucking did.” He hated this dude so much, he didn’t care how hot he was, couldn’t believe you would ever put up with his shit. “And I don’t like getting called pretty boy unless I’m getting fucked, you gonna fuck me, Rogers?”

“No wonder you two get along, you’ve got a nasty mouth too.” Steve growled as he stood over Ransom, tilting his head and giving him a once over before running a hand over his beard. “Maybe I should fuck you, only seems right I should ruin you after I wrecked that sweet little snatch for every other man. She even feel you when you’re inside her? Or does your little prick just slide right out? Or maybe you just have to fuck that perfect ass of hers for either of you to feel anything, not that I didn’t stretch that out too.”

“Jesus, you’re just full of class.” Ransom scoffed when he stood to face Steve, who still had a good four inches on him even when he was at his full height, not that he gave a fuck. “Dunno why you think you had such an impact on her, never even heard a thing about you until Anne brought you up.”

“Aww, worried ‘cause she kept me a secret?” Steve didn’t back down at all when Ransom squared up to him, a menacing grin spreading across his face when Ransom just rolled his eyes.

“Don’t think it was a secret, just think you didn’t actually give it to her as good as you seem to think.” Ransom shrugged and tried not to chuckle when Steve grumbled at him.

“Then why’d she let me fuck that tight little pussy exclusively for three years?” That flush creeping up Steve’s neck was giving Ransom life. “Or, at least it was tight when I started.”

“It’s still nice and tight and warm now, and always so fucking wet.” Ransom grinned when Steve’s smile turned into a snarl, taking another sip of scotch as he gave the blonde a smug look. “And all fucking mine, and it’s only been a year. Does that just fucking kill you?”

“What kills me is that that perfect, ripe cunt that was fucking made for me is gonna be wasted on some spoiled rich boy.” Steve stepped right into Ransom’s space as he growled at him, his hands resting on his hips as he tried to get his upper hand back. “Bet she just walks all over you. Shoulda known she’d end up with some soft little spineless pussy who can’t keep her in line when she decided to be Levinson’s hag after she left me.” Steve preened when Ransom hissed at the jab at you and Ari both. “But I’m the only one who knows what she needs, and that’s to get fucked on all fours like the good little bitch she is…”

He shouldn’t have called you a bitch.

You swore when you heard the screams and turned to see Steve reeling back before regaining his feet and snarling at Ransom, you and Bucky both sprinting towards the two of them when Steve grabbed Ransom’s collar and slammed his fist into his ribs. Ransom may have caught him off guard with the first hit, but Steve was fast, Ransom only managed to land a couple more hits before Steve was slapping his hands aside and ramming his head into his face. Ari came out of nowhere and yanked them apart right before you and Bucky reached them and you could have sobbed with relief, if Steve had managed to get Ran off his feet he would’ve killed him.

“Get the fuck off me, Buck, I’m fine!” Steve roared at Bucky when his friend shoved him away from where you were holding up Ransom and inspecting his blood smeared face, Ari standing in front of the two of you with a challenging look on his face that made Steve sneer. “That prick hit me first. You want some too, Levinson?”

“Oh, I would love to kick your ass again, Rogers.” Ari rolled his shoulders with a lazy smirk as he moved to keep Steve back when he took a menacing step towards you and Ransom that Bucky managed to hold him back from at the last second. “You got a hold on your boy, Barnes?”

“Yeah, we’re leaving.” Bucky managed to shoot you a look full of regret before shoving Steve towards the door, ignoring his protests and shaking his head at the man. “Goddamn it, Steve.”

“Baby, why the fuck would you do that?” You took the napkins Ari handed you and wiped the blood from around Ransom’s mouth.

“He called you a bitch.” Ransom winced when you prodded at his nose to see if anything was broken. “I almost had him.”

“You call me a bitch all the time.” You smiled at him softly when he gave you a small pout. “And you did not almost have him, that man could have killed you. What if he’d brought his secret service detail with him? You think I’m gonna wait for you if you get sent to federal prison?”

“What on earth was that?” You rolled your eyes when your mother came scurrying up with watery eyes and an offended look on her face. “This was supposed to be a nice evening, I can’t believe you let this brute of a man beat poor Steve.”

“Poor Steve?” You scoffed at her and helped Ransom to his feet, cooing when he swayed a little and let out a pained groan. “Mom, you know what, Steve called me a bitch. Shocking I know.” You rolled your eyes when she gasped dramatically and put her hand over her heart, your father standing behind her and frowning at your use of the curse word. “Guess what, that is not even close to the worst thing he ever called me, not to mention the horrible things he said about me to his friends after we broke up, I’d hate to see your reaction to those. And yeah, maybe I should have told exactly what happened, but I guess I hoped that as your daughter, you would have trusted me when I told you he wasn’t the person you thought he was and that breaking things off with him was the best decision I ever made, instead of repeatedly trying to force me back together with him. So if you can’t get that through your heads, fine, we’re done. If you can bring yourselves to apologize for the way you’ve treated me and my fiancé, who despite what you may think of him, I am ridiculously in love with, then maybe I’ll consider letting you come to the wedding. Otherwise, goodbye. Ari, could you be a dear and put all these people off? We’re going home.”

“Course I can, gorgeous. Y/M/N, Y/F/N, always so pleasant seeing you.” Ari nodded tersely at your dumbstruck parents before turning to the crowd that was trying desperately to act like they weren’t trying to eavesdrop on your conversation. “Sorry folks, the happy couple is gonna head out, you know how unexpected violence can take the wind out of a good party.”

“You gonna give Linda a lecture, too?” Ransom nodded towards where his mother was watching the two of you like a hawk, grunting when your hand brushed over his ribs and pain shot through him.

“Later, I want to get you home and put some ice on you.” You helped Ransom hobble to the beemer and loaded him into the passenger seat, sighing as you climbed into the driver’s side and started the car. “Keep your head tilted back in case your nose starts up again, don’t need to hear you complaining about blood stains in your precious baby.”

Ransom’s whole body hurt once his adrenaline had gone down, wincing every time you hit a bump or took a sharp turn and it jostled him. He had to lean almost all his weight on you when you arrived back at the house and headed inside, groaning when you got him settled in his chair and went to the kitchen to get some ice.

“Now we’ve both gotten in fist fights at society parties, what a pair we are.” Ransom tried to give you a smile when you got back with the ice, but his face was in too much pain for it to look like anything other than a grimace.

“Uh-huh, one key difference, I actually won my fight.” You kissed the top of his head when you pressed the ice to his ribs, chuckling when he tried to roll his body into your touch and groaned when it hurt more than he’d expected. “None of that, I don’t need you injuring yourself further just because you think you need an orgasm. I’ll invite Ari over tomorrow and we’ll both suck your dick since you defended my honor.”

“Yeah, ok.” Ransom leaned his head on your chest when you sat on the armrest next to him. “Did Ari really kick Steve’s ass? Was it as hot as I’m picturing?”

“It was pretty fucking hot.” You grinned when he let out a tiny noise of arousal as he thought about it. “Now rest, dumbass.”

#natalie writes #no love like your love au #ninja and puppy #ransom drysdale #ransom drysdale x you #ransom otp #ransom drysdale x y/n #ransom x you #ransom drysdale au #ransom drysdale fluff #ransom drysdale x female reader #ransom drysdale x reader #chris evans #chris evans character #eighteen and over #eighteen plus

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serendipitous-magic · 3 years

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What is your writing advice for young people who want to write fanfiction and original stories in the near future?

If this is just Way Too Much, skip to the end (#16). My most important piece of advice is there. I also happen to think #5 is pretty good.

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1) Literally just write. Write whatever you want, and do a lot of it.

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2) You don’t have to post everything. In fact you don’t have to post anything. You can, don’t get me wrong, but it can be intimidating to sit down and think “I will now write something that other people will see and read and judge with their eyeballs.” Because that’s probably gonna lead to nerves and writer's block. Just write down the ideas that you have, the things you want to write, whatever’s in your brain that you want to explore and expand upon and make into something. And then if you want to, share it. Or don’t share it. I have plenty of half-baked ideas and documents and random story chapters and shit hidden away on my Google Drive that will never see the light of day, for a whole number of reasons. I wanted to write it but it wasn’t ~Spicy~ enough to warrant posting, or it’s only like an eighth of a good idea, or it’s like one scene with no story around it, or it’s just something incredibly self-indulgent I just wanted to write for my own enjoyment.

Point being, don’t write for other people. Don’t write so that other people can read it; write what you want, write for yourself, and then if you want to share it, do.

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3) You can pretty much ignore any and all of these for fanfiction. In fact, you can ignore pretty much any rules or guidelines you want for fanfiction. Fanfic is a sandbox. You don’t have to be a “professional writer” to post fic. No one expects you to be Stephen King or Margaret Atwood. Fanfic is just for playing in a fandom and having fun. If you wanna write a 50 chapter slow burn with very little plot aside from the OTP slowly getting to know each other, and no real stakes or central conflict, I guarantee people would read that. Really, fanfiction is the Old West of writing: lawless, wild, unpredictable, and free.

However, here are the rules you must follow:

-Separate your paragraphs. (I’m sure you know this already, but I’m gonna say it anyway just in case.) Do not post one big block of text. Make a paragraph break when someone new is talking, when the characters are in a new place, when a new event occurs that changes the scene, when a chunk of time has passed, and when there’s a major change in subject.

-I know it’s obvious, but... grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. They exist to make writing easy for readers to read, and more people will read your stuff if they don’t have to stop and try to figure out what you meant.

-Use tags and labels, as is possible with whatever site you’re using. Especially if you include possibly triggering content in your story. Again, I know it’s obvious, but it’s common courtesy. Bonus: tagging the themes and content of your story helps readers find it and read it :)

-If possible, limit the use of all-caps and exclamation marks / question marks. 99% of the time, one ! or one ? will do. If you overload the page with a lot of all-caps and long rows of exclamation marks or question marks, it hampers readability.

... That’s literally all I can think of. And, like I said, it’s all pretty basic stuff. You were probably rolling your eyes like, “Uh, yeah, Gwen, I know.” But that’s literally it. You can pretty much do whatever you want in fanfic.

That being said, here’s my advice for both fanfiction and original work...

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4) A quick and dirty rule for coming up with a plot, starting a story, keeping up pacing, or maintaining tension: figure out what dreams, desires, and goals are nearest and dearest to your main character’s heart (see #16). Then set up the main conflict to be directly in opposition to that goal. It doesn’t have to be in a tangible way, though it could be. But, if your main character wants more than anything to reach the ships on the southern coast of your world and sail to a new life, make sure the main conflict immediately prevents them from doing that - in fact, make sure to send them north. If your main character just wants to keep their loved ones safe, kidnap the loved ones. If your main character just wants to date their best-friend-turned-crush, make sure they think they have no chance - or, make them cocky about it, and make sure it makes Person B determined not to ever like them. You get it. Figure out what your character most wants, and then keep them from having that. Boom - your conflict now ties in with your character's motivation. It's like instant yeast for plots.

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5) If you’re anything like me, you want your first draft to be Good, despite all that advice about how the first draft doesn’t have to be good and it’s just to get words on the page, yadda yadda. And if you’re somewhat of a perfectionist (like myself), it’s easy to get stuck looking at a blank page because you don’t have The Perfect Words, and you want what you write to be Good the first time.

Here’s how I cheat that:

Instead of trying to write a Good First Draft from a blank page, hit the enter key a few times, skip a little down on the page, change your ink to red (or blue, or whatever - just something immediately identifiable as Not Black) and just thought vomit. Write whatever the hell you’re thinking, exactly as you think it. Don’t worry about it being readable, don’t worry about narrative flow for now, don’t worry about covering all the details, don’t worry about anything except either a) getting all the details of your idea out onto the page, whether that’s a lot or whether it’s just a sentence or two, or b) if you don’t have an idea yet, finding your way there.

Because this method is also very good for finding your way to ideas when you’re stuck in writer’s block.

Because of how human brains work, getting this stuff out onto the page - in all its messy, stream-of-consciousness glory - will likely spark more thoughts. As you write your original idea about the scene, it’ll likely spark more ideas. Creation begets creation. If you just start thought-vomiting your ideas onto the page, chances are you’ll think of more things as you go, and you’ll start filling out description or dialogue or tone or action or whatever, and pretty soon the scene starts writing itself.

Not sure where you’re going with the scene or which ideas you wanna use? Use a lot of ambivalent language in your “thought-vomit draft.” My pre-writing notes are chock-full of the words “maybe,” “perhaps,” and the phrases, “At some point...” and “...or something like that.” In this way, I don’t tie myself down to one idea; it’s just an idea, and I’m keeping it on the page in case I use it, but I might chuck it in the trash or change it or whatever.

And then, once your ideas for the scene (or story, or chapter, or whatever) are on the page, then go back to the top and start translating them into a “real” first draft. Use black ink, and start copy-pasting chunks of the thought-vomit up into the top part of the document and translating them into Draft 1. Separate out paragraphs where paragraph breaks should be. Add the correct punctuation and whatnot. Change “describe the lobby here - include potted plants, fancy carpet, blood stain, etc.” into an actual description of the lobby. Flesh it out, or condense, or whatever it needs. And if you’re still stuck, change back to red ink and ramble some more until you find a path that feels right, then plug that in. This keeps you from looking at a blank page, and it allows you to generate a kind of Draft 0.5, somewhere between a plan and a first draft.

You don’t have to use every idea. Like I said, jot down whatever comes to mind, put a “maybe” before or after it, and keep working. If the idea grabs you and you wanna keep expanding on it and exploring it, cool. If you just wanna jot it down so you don’t forget it and then move on, also cool. Red-ink draft / “thought-vomit draft” is your time to jump around in the timeline, add or finesse details at whatever point your brain moves to, etc. Don’t try to do it exactly in story order, because you will get tangential thoughts and ideas, and you will not remember to write them down five pages later when you finally get to taking notes on that scene. Trust me. On that note...

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6) Write everything down the moment you think of it. Seriously.

“I’ll remember it when I get around to writing that scene in a couple days / weeks / months (/years).”

You won’t.

Write it down.

Phone, journal, google docs - hell, my family regularly laughs at me for grabbing a napkin during dinner and scribbling thoughts down alongside pasta sauce stains.

And then, once you have it written down somewhere...

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7) Consolidate your writing ideas in one place.

Maybe this isn’t really your style, and that’s totally chill.

Buuuut, if you’re Type-A like me - or if you tend to be somewhat unorganized and you know you’ll lose track of your writing notes if they’re scattered across multiple notebooks, journals, napkins, phone notes, etc. - having one consolidated document of notes is a life saver. I keep mine on Google Docs so I can access it, add to it, and look through it for inspiration anywhere at any time. When I have one of those Shower Thoughts that I jot down on my phone or on a napkin during dinner, I set myself a reminder on my phone to type it up in my Story Ideas document later.

(Or, if the idea I had was for a story of mine that I’ve already started planning / drafting / whatever, I put it in the document for that story instead of the Big Random Story Ideas doc. You get it.)

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8) Have other ways to collect and save writing ideas, besides just writing stuff down. If you like Pinterest, make pinterest boards of your characters or stories or settings or whatever. If you’re big into playlists, make a playlist for your character / setting / story / etc. Or both. Or something else. I’m not good at drawing, but maybe you are, and maybe you like to draw your ideas. Whatever form it takes, having another way to save ideas and think about your stories is invaluable.

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9) Some writers can just start writing with no idea where the story is going, and they just kind of figure it out as they go. I envy those writers. And I do that sometimes for fanfiction, where the stakes are somewhat lower and the audience is reading more for scene-to-scene enjoyment (and to see their OTP kiss) than for a Driving And Compelling Narrative.

But here’s the thing: especially if you’re just kind of starting out, writing without some sort of plan is really, really hard, and will likely lead you into a slow, meandering narrative that will likely frustrate you.

Even if you think you’re someone that just can’t write with a plan (and again, I have the highest respect for pansters out there - I don’t know how you do it, you crazy bastards, but you keep doing you) - even if you think “I can’t work with plans, they’re too prescriptive, I just want to write and see what happens -”

Try at least making the most skeletal of plans.

Even if you have no clue what 90% of the story is, yet. That’s fine. But you need to have some idea of what you’re building to, even if that’s nothing more specific than a feeling, or a turning point for your character. Even if your entire plan for everything beyond Chapter 1 is, “At some point, Charlie needs to realize that Ed was lying to her.”

This is where those Draft 0.5 notes come in handy. Because, more than likely, working on your current scene that way will spark ideas for later scenes, which you can put down at the bottom of the document and save for when they become relevant. In my experience, the line between planning ahead and making a Draft 0.5 is exceptionally thin. One can quickly turn into the other.

If you’re really, really resistant to the idea of planning ahead, that’s okay. It’s not everybody’s style. But for the love of all that is holy, write down your ideas for future scenes, even if you’re a person that doesn’t like to plan and writes only in story order, because you will not remember that idea once you get to that scene.

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10) You don’t have to write in order.

Here’s the thing: I’m a person that can only do my Draft 1 in story order (meaning, chronological order). I just have to be in that flow; I need to write in story order for me to best channel where the character is at from scene to scene, both narratively and emotionally.

But my Thought Vomit Draft is another thing entirely. By using the brain hack of putting my notes in red (or another color, it doesn’t matter) and going down to the bottom of the document / page and taking notes there, and then integrating them into whatever plan I have, and then translating them into Draft 1 once I get there in the story - by doing that, I can get my good ideas onto the page (and expound upon them and let my muse carry me and ride that momentum while I’m in the moment of inspiration) without writing out of order.

Maybe that’s just me. But if you’re a person who really prefers to write in story order, that could be hugely helpful to you. It is to me.

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11) Emotion and motivation will do more for your story than technicalities of plot.

If your characters really care about something, and their journey through the (shaky or weak) plot is emotionally engaging, it will be a much more compelling story than a story with a “perfect” plot and unrelatable or unmotivated characters.

If your characters care about what they’re doing, and it means something to them, and their goals and actions are driven by dreams or fears or emotions that are integral to who they are, your audience will care too. If you have a perfectly crafted plot that hits all the right beats and has high stakes and fast pacing and drama - but your characters don’t connect with what’s happening in a way that’s deeply meaningful or emotional for them? You’re gonna have a hard time engaging readers.

When in doubt, prioritize character emotion and motivation over plot. Emotion is what drives story.

This power is highly exploitable. (Just look at pulp novels and shitty but entertaining movies.) You can even use it to glaze over plot holes or reinvigorate a limp narrative. Use it that way sparingly, though. It’s a band-aid, not a surgery.

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12) Evil villains are hard to write - mostly because there are very few truly evil people in the world. (There are a few. Billionaires and several big name politicians come to mind.) But by and large, there aren’t that many evil people. There are plenty of bad people, but bad people have some good in them, somewhere in there. Trying to write an evil villain is hard, because they often turn very cartoony.

Here’s a tip: it’s much easier to write antagonists who aren’t evil. Even if they’re bad people. Of course, there’s no reason you can’t write a villain that’s just truly evil - a serial killer, or an abuser, or a billionaire, or someone who legit just wants to hurt people or blow up the earth or stay in control of an oppressed population, or whatever. But chances are, it’s gonna be really hard to make them feel real, and even harder to create a plot around them that doesn’t feel forced or contrived.

Instead, try writing an antagonist / villain whose motivations and goals directly clash with your protagonist’s - but not because they want to take over the world or see people suffer. Write an antagonist who’s chaotic good, but whose perception of the situation is completely opposite from your hero’s. Write an antagonist whose only desire is to save people, and who will do anything to achieve that goal - anything. Write an antagonist who believes in the letter of the law, and will hinder and oppose the hero’s methods even if they agree with the hero’s motivation. Write an antagonist who got in way over their head and did some things they regret, and now they don’t know how to get out, and they’re doing their best but whatever they set in motion is too powerful for them to stop now.

Write villains who are human. Write a killer who thought they were doing the right thing by taking their victim out of the equation, who vomits at the sight of the body and sobs over the grave they dig. Write a government leader who truly believes she’s doing what’s best for her people in the long-term, even if it might hurt them in the short term, and is willing to endure the hatred and belligerence of the masses if it means securing what she thinks is a better future for her people. Write a teenage bully that thinks they’re the one being picked on by the world, and they’re just fighting back, standing their ground. Write a scientist who will break any code of ethics and hurt anyone he needs to - in order to bring back his baby sister from the grave, because he promised her he’d protect her and he failed. Write an antagonist who is selfish and self-centered and capricious - because in order to survive they had to look out for Number One, and that habit ain’t about to break anytime soon.

Write villains who aren’t even villains. Write antagonists who oppose the hero because of moral differences. Write antagonists who are trying to do the right thing. Write antagonists who treat the heroes with kindness and dignity and respect and gentleness.

They don’t have to be good. They don’t have to be Misunderstood Sweethearts who “deserve” a redemption arc. They can be cruel and nasty and dismissive and callous and violent and etc. etc.

Just hesitate before you make them Evil-with-a-capital-E. Because evil is hard to write, and honestly, boring to read. Flawed human beings with goals and motivations that directly oppose the main characters’ are much easier to write and much more interesting to read.

Ask why. Why is your villain trying to take over the world? What does that even mean? Are they trying to create a Star-Trek-like post-capitalism utopia, but they know that won’t happen in a million lifetimes, so they’re trying to do it by force? Are they actually super in favor of human rights, but they got very impatient waiting for the world to do anything about poverty and war, so they decided to take it into their own hands? Are they determined to fix the world - no matter the cost? Are they terrified and overwhelmed, but committed to see it through to the end? Or - maybe they’re just doing it on a dare. Maybe they don’t really give a shit about world domination, they were just a mediocre rich white guy who decided to fuck around and find out, and now he’s kind of curious how far he can take this thing. And now he’s kind of an internationally-wanted criminal, so he’s kind of stuck living on his hidden private island in his multi-billion dollar secret base, strapping lasers to sharks’ heads for the hell of it. Gross, selfish, uncaring, and dangerous? For sure. Evil? Depends on your definition. See, now we’re getting somewhere.

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13) It’s tempting to let the plot control the characters. It’s easy to drop your characters into a situation and see how they react. But here’s the thing: that doesn’t drive plot. In fact, it bogs down pacing. Instead, try to build you plot off of your characters’ actions and decisions. Let your character build their own situation. Not to say it should go they way they wanted it to go; in fact, usually, their grand plans should go to hell very quickly. But having the characters take action and make decisions, and letting the plot develop based on that, is much easier to make compelling than making a rigid series of events and then trying to herd your characters into them.

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14) Having trouble justifying a character’s actions? Consider having them make the opposite decision, or having them approach the situation in a different way. For example: you need your character to go meet the bad guy, for plot reasons, even though there’s no way it’s not a trap. If the character goes, readers are gonna be groaning with their head in their hands, because c’mon man, that was really fucking stupid. But he’s gotta go, because the plot needs that. Two ways you might handle this: a) He knows it’s probably a trap. He decides not to go. The plot conspires to get him near the villain anyway. Or, b) He knows it’s a trap. But he needs to go, for (insert reasons here). So, he approaches it in an unexpected way. He brings backup, recruiting a side character we met earlier in the story. Or he arrives on the back of a dragon, because ain’t nobody gonna fuck with a dude on a dragon. Or he goes - early, and ambushes the villain. It may work, it may not. He may get himself kidnapped anyway. But it moves the plot along without having Stupid Hero Syndrome.

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15) This is a legit piece of advice: if all of this sounds overwhelming, literally just ignore it and write what you want. For real. Writing should be fun, and every single writer operates differently. If you’re sitting here like “I’m getting stressed just reading this,” just flip me a good-natured bird and get on with your life. I promise I won’t take it personally. Same goes for literally any other writing advice you see. Lots of rules and guidelines can very quickly make anything thoroughly un-fun. Just write. If you’re passionate about it and you do it for long enough, you’ll start figuring out the tips and tricks on your own.

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16) Here’s the best piece of advice I can give you: know your characters. More importantly, know what’s important to them. Build their personality and decisions off of that, and build your plot off of their decisions.

I see a lot of character building sheets that ask a shit-ton of questions like “What’s their most prized possession?” “Do they like their family?” “What’s their favorite food?”

And while these are good questions, my problem with this type of character building is that if you start there, with the little stuff, you’re building on nothing. IMO, to make a truly strong character (not strong like Inner Strength, strong like effective), you need a strong foundation.

Here are the things you must know about your character:

a) What are their greatest fears / deepest insecurities? And I don’t mean “wasps” or “heights.” I mean the deep shit. I mean fears like “living a meaningless life,” or “turning out just like their parents,” or “that no one will ever love them,” or “being powerless.” You may say, “But they’re really scared of wasps! They fall into a wasp nest when they were little and got stung so much they almost died!” Great! That’s a fantastic bit of backstory. They should absolutely be afraid of wasps, and that should absolutely be an impediment later in the story. But dig deeper. What about that event actually scarred them? Was it the helplessness? Stumbling around, swatting at the air, not being able to do a single thing to stop what was happening to them? Was it that they were alone, and no matter how loud they screamed, no one was coming? Was it the bodily horror of feeling themself turn into an inhuman creature as they swelled up from the stings, unable to move their fingers or face normally anymore?

And don’t forget insecurities, because those factor in, too. Are they deeply insecure about their identity? Do they believe, deep down, that they’re ugly? Did they grow up poor and they’ve always been really touchy about that? Why? Dig deep. Figure out what really, really bothers them.

b) What are their hopes and dreams? What do they truly want out of life? What do they consider the most valuable to their experience here in this thing called life? Is it the freedom to forge their own path and be independent? Is it the approval of their family or peers? Is it a home? Is it knowledge, or understanding? Spiritual fulfillment? Is it deeply important to them that they contribute to their community, or protect those they love? What do they need in order to feel truly and deeply fulfilled in life?

Figure out those two things (each one encompasses several things, btw, you don’t have to stop at just one for each), and then use that to inform how they behave and the types of decisions they make within the story.

It also informs character behavior and personality.

Let’s say we have a character who’s afraid of helplessness. They’re probably gonna be the person that always wants to do something, try something, no matter how hopeless the situation seems. They’d despise just sitting and waiting, probably, because it makes them feel powerless. They might even be the person that makes rash decisions and acts impulsively and puts themself in danger unnecessarily, because in their mind it’s better than being at the mercy of fate. This is one way you could use a character’s personality to inform their decisions, which in turn helps to inform plot.

Or, let’s say we have a character whose greatest fear is being left behind or forgotten. We may have a chatterbox on our hands. They might be obnoxious. They might love the spotlight, constantly vying for attention no matter the situation, because deep down they’re so afraid that they’d be forgotten otherwise. Or, it may go the opposite way. They may be so afraid of people leaving them that they’re terrified of bothering people. They don’t want to do anything that could annoy people, anything that might give people a reason to leave them. They might be exceedingly polite, quiet, accommodating. A push-over, really.

These are two nearly opposite types of personalities, both stemming from the same core fear/insecurity. You can go a lot of different ways with it. But if you build on that strong foundation, you’ll have a strong character, and a stronger plot.

Likewise, the structure of your story can and should inform the design of these character traits. If you need your characters to team up near the end, it may be impactful if you give your main character a deep fear of commitment, an insecurity about being unwanted or left behind, and make them highly value independence and freedom. That could make their team-up for the final battle very meaningful. Conversely, you can use your character’s deepest fears and desires to help design the plot. Is your character deeply insecure about voicing their opinions or taking a stand, because of trauma they faced in the past? Make them face that. Build that into the climactic third act. Give them the big inspirational speech where they stand up and talk about what they believe to be important, what they think the group should do. And then design that character arc to run through the story, giving you more handholds and stepping stones, more pieces of foundation on which to design the plot.

In this way, character should inform story as much as story informs character. It’s a feedback loop.

Bonus: if you build your character and your plot off of each other in this way, it automatically starts to build in the foundations of that emotional investment I mentioned earlier. If your character’s decisions are based on what they most want and do not want in life, you basically have your character motivation and stakes pre-built.

Note: you need to know these things about your villain, too.

-_-_-

I’m genuinely sorry about the length of this, lmao. But you did ask.

Best of luck!

Edit: I forgot an important one:

17) Start when the scene starts and end when the scene ends.

What do I mean by that?

If your notes say “Danny asks Nicole out after school and majorly flubs it,” start the scene when Danny approaches Nicole after school. Better yet, cold-open the scene on “I was wondering if, you know, you’d wanna. You know. Hang out some time?”

Don’t start that morning when Danny goes to school, unless you’re gonna cover the school day in like one or two sentences. Don’t spend whole paragraphs going through the school day, unless it’s to cover other plot points first (in which case apply these same guidelines there), or if the paragraphs are there for a specific reason, like to illustrate how stressed he is and how it seems like every little thing is going wrong. Even then, trim the fat as much as possible. Expounding and describing everything Moment-to-moment is for the meat of the scenes, not the leading-up-to and coming-away-from.

Here’s my rule of thumb: study how and when movies cut from scene to scene. Movies have exceptionally strict, limited time for storytelling; they’re excellent examples of starting a scene when the plot point starts and ending when it’s over. If you can’t picture a movie showing everything you showed, start the scene later and end it earlier.

#asks #anon #writing advice #writing tips #writing #fanfic writing #fanfiction #character creation #plot development #character development #my advice #original writing

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thedeadthree · 2 years

Text

FIVE SONG OTP PLAYLIST

tagged by the darlings @adelaidedrubman, @leviiackrman, @marivenah, @dihardys, and @shellibisshe! ty so much you all! and saw @risingsh0t do this as well!

(x)

TAGGING: @griffin-wood, @aartyom, @queennymeria, @blackreaches, @chuckhansen, @lacunafiction, @pheedraws, @swordcoasts, @virassan, @confidentandgood, @saintsilver, @arklay, @steelport, @celticwoman, @florbelles, @belorage, @rosebarsoap, @multiverse-of-themind, @jackiesarch, @alexandbear, @heroofpenamstan, @shadowglens, @pegxcarter, @inkrys and you!

BAD HABIT // STEVE LACY

kinda mad that i didn't take a stab at it / thought you were too good for me my dear / never gave me time of day my dear / it's okay things happen for / reasons that i think are sure, yeah / i wish i knew, i wish i knew you wanted me

DAFT PRETTY BOYS // BAD SUNS

i don't like you / you look so pretty from afar / i despise you / why you so f*ucking perfect on the outside? / she's dressed in sunrise dressed like dusk / going out she's getting into something / he's going all or nothing

SWEET TALK // SAINT MOTEL

you might want me to drop dead but i don't even care / sweet talk / everything you say / it sounds like / sweet talk to my ears / you could yell / "piss off! won't you stay away?" / it'll still be / sweet talk to my ears

MAKE ME YOUR QUEEN // DECLAN MCKENNA

i know that i mean nothing to you, babe / i'm in your grip from which i can't escape / and i can't help but think that i mean nothing to you babe / so make me your queen

EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED (TAYLORS VERSION) // TAYLOR SWIFT

all i know since yesterday / is everything has changed / come back and tell me why / i'm feeling like i've missed you all this time / and meet me here tonight / and let me know it's not all in my mind / i just wanna know you better

KILLER // FKA TWIGS

dancing in the dark, i can feel it in my heart / you're a killer, but i didn't want to call it / something in the way you put your hands on my waist / pulled me nearer, no, i never wanna call it / didn't wanna call it, didn't wanna call it / took your love for righteous / and now i'm in a crisis with a killer

MARKED FOR DEATH // EMMA RUTH RUNDLE

who else is gonna love someone like you that's marked for death? / who else is gonna be with you when you breathe your last? / who else is going to take my place and hold and keep you safe? / who else is going to stay? who else is going to stay?

DREAM GIRL EVIL // FLORENCE + THE MACHINE

am i your dream girl? / you think of me in bed / but you could never hold me you like me better in your head / make me evil / then i'm an angel instead / at least you'll sanctify me when i'm dead

HIT ME WHERE IT HURTS // CAROLINE POLACHEK

maybe there's something going on, i'm not insane / if i'm already out of time, then make it worse / go on and hit me in the heart hit me where it hurts / go on and hit me in the / blindspot, achilles' heel / vertigo, vertigo / high stakes, popped ears / promise one day / you will hate me

THE LIAR // MARRIAGES

oh mother they say, they say he was made for me / just you wait a while, just you wait and see / he tattooed with the devil's eyes / idle hands so kind / that lies / but he lies / you lie, you lie, and suffer my name / it's mine, it's mine to give or take it

GEMINI // NIGHTS

lust only pops in mysterious ways / sleep over don't get invested / fall in love and then i pay her rent / hustle and hustle and hustle and die

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT LOVE IS // CHET FAKER

you don't know what love is / do you know how lost a heart fears? / the thought of reminiscing / and how the taste of tears / lose their taste for kissing / you don't know how hearts burn / for love that cannot live yet never dies / until you've faced each dawn with sleepless eyes

MONEY // TARA CAROSIELLI

love me like your money / i just want you for myself i put on a show / love you better than the others, you don't even know / tell me why you're never here and always doing road / baby when it's time to leave i don't wanna go / i just want you for myself did i say it too late?

I HEARD (FT. THE DREAM AND VORY) // DJDS

and still i wait up, i stay up, i wake up / i pray about you / i know i f*ucked up, throw my face in this cup / can't live without you / but he lies like i lied, but my lies were sweeter / he lies 'cause he wants you / and i lie 'cause i need you

TRY ME // THE WEEKND

better try me / don't you mess with me / don't you mess with me / the way i kissed your scars / the way i fixed your heart, oh / don't you miss me babe? / don't you miss me babe?

MY TEARS RICOCHET // TAYLOR SWIFT

you know i didn't want to have to haunt you / but what a ghostly scene / you wear the same jewels that i gave you / as you bury me / i didn't have it in myself to go with grace / 'cause when i'd fight, you used to tell me i was brave / and if i'm dead to you, why are you at the wake? / cursing my name, wishing i stayed / look at how my tears ricochet

WHERE'S MY LOVE - ALTERNATE VERSION // SYML

old sheets / but where's my love / i am searching high / i'm searching low in the night / does she know that we bleed the same? / don't wanna cry, but i break that way / did she run away? did she run away? i don't know / if she ran away, if she ran away, come back home / just come back home

WALKIN' AFTER MIDNIGHT (FEAT. MAURA DAVIS) // KI:THEORY

i go out walkin' / after midnight / out in the starlight / just hoping you might be / somewhere walkin' / after midnight / searching for me / i walk for miles / out along the highway / well, that's just my way / of saying i love you / i'm always walkin' / after midnight / searching for you

EXILE (FEAT. BON IVER) // TAYLOR SWIFT

i'm not your problem anymore / so who am i offending now? / you were my crown / now i'm in exile, seein' you out / i think i've seen this film before / so i'm leaving out the side door / so step right out, there is no amount / of crying i can do for you / all this time / we always walked a very thin line / you didn't even hear me out / you never gave me a warning sign (i gave so many signs)

IN YOUR LIKENESS // WOODKID

watch my fears unravel / can you see the truth of me? / i don't want the light required / for this endless walk on wire / i know / i'm not made in your likeness

#only if you want to of course! 🖤#im a bit tardy so please feel free to pass on this if you've done it already! finally catching up on the things I've missed <3 #oc: edelgard vanderweyden #x: edelgard x reese #oc: caitrìona mac cathmhaoil #x: caitrìona x marcus #oc: viktoriya vays #x: viktoriya x jenkins #oc: líadáin talovaire #x: líadáin x leon #my brain is a fried egg or you can BET i would have added #more janskaxn like.. i slept the whole day todayjhabhkjsa. the post con sleepiness i tell ya #but lía and leon had NO BUSINESS taking me out at the knees like this! their playlist GETS me everytime!#i have done EXTENSIVE lore esays on daft pretty boys and make me your queen and how they're literally eddie and reese!#and now theres a new contender! bad habits makes me crazy its them!#SPEAKING OF SONGS THAT MAKE ME CRAZY! killer and marked for death! especially after the recent update! they make me crazy!#GODD like.. his most recent sitch.. the missing chestnut from the fire and how he's quite literally marked for death now?#and in killer? after samhain? and the DANCING..! that song THAT SONG like..! this is fine!#and just the chefs kiss of vika and jenkins I MISS THEM SO MUCH GAHH they mean the world to me!#in honor of the upcoming dlc theyre living in my head rent free again! shes back! return of the queen!#leg.ocs #leg.txt #leg.tagged #TY SO MUCH DEARS <3

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princesssarisa · 2 years

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Character ask: Simba (The Lion King)

Thank you! This should be fun!

These answers are for the original film and stage musical only: it's been too many years since I saw Simba's Pride, I've never seen The Lion Guard, and I have reservations about the 2019 remake.

Favorite thing about them: I don't think I can name just one thing: he's just an engaging, well-rounded character over all. He goes through an epic coming-of-age journey in the vein of stories from the Bible, Shakespeare, and various myths (not to mention Bambi), with poignant themes of grief, guilt, and responsibility. Yet the fact that he's playful and mischievous, even as an adult, makes him likable, and the fact that he's clever but not always wise makes him interesting. More so than if he had just been a wide-eyed innocent. Yes, he's far from perfect – he can be arrogant and reckless as a cub, and he runs from his duty as an adult – but neither are most of the time-honored heroes whom he parallels, like Hamlet, Gilgamesh, Joseph son of Jacob, or Moses. The fact that we follow him from childhood to adulthood also makes him an especially appealing, relatable character for child viewers. What more can I say?

Least favorite thing about them: His refusal at first to go back to Pride Rock and reclaim the throne from Scar. His reason why is understandable and sympathetic, but still, he almost leaves all the animals in the Pride Lands, including his long-lost mother, to starve to death under Scar's brutal reign.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I have light brownish eyes (though mine are hazel, not burnt orange).

*I'm close to my father.

*I sometimes try to avoid my responsibilities.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I'm human.

*I'm no good at fighting.

*Even as a child, I would never have done something dangerous just to prove how brave I was.

Favorite line:

From "I Just Can't Wait to Be King":

"Everybody look left, everybody look right

Everywhere you look I'm standing in a spotlight!"

To Mufasa, when the latter reveals his fear of losing Simba to the hyenas:

"I guess even kings get scared. But you know what?... I bet those hyenas were even scareder!"

One of the saddest moments in all of cinema:

"Dad, Dad, come on, you gotta get up... Dad, we gotta go home.... Help! Somebody! Anybody... help..."

From "Endless Night," the solo he sings in the stage musical:

"You promised you'd be there

Whenever I needed you

Whenever I call your name

You're not anywhere

I'm trying to hold on

Just waiting to hear your voice

One word, just a word will do

To end this nightmare"

Explaining to Nala why he changed his mind about going back to the Pride Lands:

"I finally got some sense knocked into me. And I've got the bump to prove it."

His response to Scar's "The pressures of ruling a kingdom...":

"...are no longer yours. Step down, Scar."

brOTP: Mufasa, Sarabi, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki.

OTP: Nala.

nOTP: Mufasa, Sarabi, or Scar.

Random headcanon: When Mufasa says "One day the sun will set on my time here and will rise with you as the new king," Simba sincerely doesn't realize that this means he'll only be king after his father dies. Children often don't understand euphemisms. He thought Mufasa only meant that one day his time as king would end and Simba would take his place. So when he sings "I Just Can't Wait to Be King," he's not singing "I just can't wait for Dad to die." The fact that just a few hours later, he asks Mufasa "And we'll always be together, right?" shows that he hasn't registered that someday they won't. (This might not be a headcanon, but just plain canon – I'm just tired of hearing people complain "Simba looks forward to his dad's death.")

Unpopular opinion: His journey doesn't "lack a middle": his childhood and his adulthood are two separate journeys in and of themselves. The fact that the film skips over his years in the jungle with Timon and Pumbaa takes away nothing from his character development. If you analyze his character arc based on the template of the Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell, his childhood until his father's death covers only the first stage of the journey ("The Ordinary World," establishing the world the hero has always known). The majority of the stages ("The Call to Adventure," "Refusal of the Call," "Meeting the Mentor," "Crossing the First Threshold," etc.) take place later. I've also written my own analysis of his character arc (which I'll share in a separate post), according to a different "hero's journey" template, inspired by Campbell's but not identical to it: the Masculine Journey from Victoria Lyn Schmidt's 45 Master Characters. This template makes more sense of the length of time spent in Simba's childhood than using the Campbell template does – his childhood scenes and his adulthood scenes each consist of a complete Masculine Journey-style character arc. Each arc includes every one of the stages ("The Perfect World," ""Friends and Enemies," etc.), with his childhood journey ending in what Schmidt calls "Rebellion" and "Failure," while his adulthood journey ends in "Awakening" and "Victory." His teenage years would have been completely irrelevant to include, either (from the Campbell perspective) because his journey really starts in his adulthood and his childhood is only a long prologue, or (from the Schmidt perspective) because the years in the jungle are only a bridge from his first complete journey to his second one. I hope this hasn't been too heady and confusing, but whenever some critic complains that Simba's character arc "has no middle," I want to give them a scholarly essay explaining why they're wrong.

Songs I associate with them:

"Circle of Life," "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", "Endless Night" from the stage musical, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" and the instrumental and choral finale, "King of Pride Rock."

Favorite pictures of them:

#character ask #disney #the lion king #simba #ask game #animated film #fictional characters

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