#paragraph on your favourite teacher

[writingwithfolklore]

How to Nail your School Essays

                Not to brag, but I’m kind of a big deal when it comes to essays at my school. Since I started highschool I haven’t received a grade less than 90% on an essay—so I’m here to share my secret. This works for the classic essay, but you can also use the same advice and fit it to formal reports or other academic writing.

1. Your essay is about 2 things, demonstrated 3 or more times

This is how I’ve always thought about essays. They’re about two ideas, demonstrated as many times as you need to fill the wordcount. Shakespeare + Feminism, Media + Truth versus Misconception, etc. etc. If you’re lucky, your teacher or prof will give you one of your elements. You’ll get assignments like, “write an essay about Hamlet” or “write an essay about the American dream” lucky you, that’s your first thing—now you need to connect it with another.

This connecting idea is my favourite part because you just get to choose a concept or idea you’re interested in. Here’s a tip, if your first/given topic is something concrete, choose an abstract connecting idea. If your given topic is something abstract, choose a concrete.

So, Hamlet (concrete) could be paired with any abstract concept: Loyalty, Truth, Feminism, etc.

However, if your prof gives you something like, “truth” or “race theory”, you’ll find it much easier to connect that with a more concrete thing, like a book, movie, or other piece of media, or even a specific person.

If you are luckiest, your prof will give you both things, “write about the American Dream in The Great Gatsby” in this case, you’re onto the next stage.

2. Stick to the formula

Tried, tested, true. Nothing wrong with a formula, especially not when it gives you A+ grades. Typical essay structure is:

Intro with thesis

2. 1st Body

2a. Evidence that proves it 1

2i. Justify its relevance

2b. Evidence that proves it 2

2ii. Justify its relevance

Etc.

3. 2nd Body

3a. Evidence that proves it

3i.Justification

Etc.

4. 3rd Body

4a. Rise and repeat, you know where this is going.

5. Some may argue…

6. Conclusion

Let’s break it down.

Thesis:

                Thesis completely outlines all your points, or the three+ places you’re demonstrating your connection, and why it matters.

                Here is an intro + thesis I wrote a couple years ago:

“This literature review will explore the impacts influencer marketing has on the children that regularly consume social media content. Specifically, this review will focus on how influencers can impact children’s brand preferences, dietary choices, and lastly, the influx of children taking advantage of this system and becoming influencers themselves.”

Or

“Burned discusses the human aspect of sex work and reverses reader’s expectations on sex workers, while Not in My Neighbourhood discusses prostitutes as victims of a system created against them. Both challenge readers’ perceptions of sex workers, effectively drawing attention to the ethics of displacing sex workers from their cities.”

                So you have your connection (children and social media)/(Burned and Not in My Neighbourhood and sex work), and the different ways you plan on exploring or proving that idea (children’s brand preferences, dietary choices, children becoming influencers.) etc.

                You may also have a more specific stance in your thesis. Such as, “In Macbeth, ambition is shown to be Macbeth’s ultimate downfall in these three ways.”

The Body Paragraphs

                You start out every body paragraph with the point of the paragraph, or what it’s aiming to prove. Such as, “Influencers often include advertisements within their content, which can encourage children to feel more amiably to certain brands their favourite content creators endorse frequently more than others.”

                After this claim, you spend the rest of the paragraph further proving it through examples. This will look like citing a specific source (a book, academic journal, quote, etc.) such as, “The authors claim likeable influencers can associate their likeability with the products they use, influencing children’s perception of brands, referred to as ‘meaning transfer’ (De Veirman et al. 2019)” (super important to always cite these sources!)

                The last part is after each example/proof--you need to justify why this proves your point/is important. So, “This proves children are more influenced towards certain products depending on how close of a relationship they perceive to have with the influencer.”

                Typically, your evidence will all lead into each other so you can transition to the next piece of proof, then the justification, rinse and repeat until you’re finished your paragraph. You can have as many pieces of evidence as you want per paragraph, and the longer your word requirement, the more you’ll want to fit into each point (or the more bodies you want to have.)

                Piece of evidence + why it matters, rinse and repeat.

Some May Argue:

                This is a small paragraph just before your conclusion where you anticipate an argument your readers may have, and disprove it. So, for example, you’d start with, “Some may argue that with parent supervision, the impacts of influencers on children could be lessened or moot. However…” and then explain why they’re wrong. This strengthens your argument, and proves that you’ve really thought out your stance.

Conclusion:

                Lastly, you want to sum up all the conclusions you came to in a few sentences. Your last line is one of the most important (in my opinion). I call it the mic drop moment. Leaving a lasting impact on your reader can bring your essay from an A to an A+, so you really want to nail this final sentence.

                My final sentence was, “Ultimately, it is hard to know in advance how technology and social media will impact the development of children who have always grown up with some form of screen, but until they grow up, parents and caregivers need to take care in the content their children consume, and their very possible exploitation online.”

This sentence is backed by the entirety of the essay that came before it, and usually leaves a little something to chew on for the readers.

Any other tips I missed?

[aphroditestearsofjoy]

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 📜

Before my new schoolyear starts I want to write a guide on how I am going to keep up with all my subjects. I will also include my study habits for this year, since they make sure I have the time and mindset in order to properly study.

𝕊𝕥𝕦𝕕𝕪 𝕙𝕒𝕓𝕚𝕥𝕤:

🪷 I prelearn for every subject (except old Greek and Latin). That means I study the concepts before class, so I can use class for revision and ask all my questions.

🪷 Make a week overview of what needs to be done, then decide every morning what schoolwork to focus on. This way it's easier to adjust to unexpected plans.

🪷 When summarizing, I make sure I understand everything that I write down. If I don't, I will search for more information until I can explain it in my own words!

🪷 Nothing gets me in the mood to study, like making tea. I will make herbal tea or a matcha latte while grabbing everything I need to study after school.

𝕃𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟/ 𝕆𝕝𝕕 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕜:

🪷 The last few years I haven't studied a lot of words, to make up for it, I want to pay a little bit of extra attention to studying words. If I know more words, translating will go way easier since I won't have to search up every word in the dictionary. On school days and Sundays, I will study words for 10 minutes a day for either old Greek or Latin. I will study the words using Studygo (huge recommendation for other Dutch folks).

🪷 Another thing I lack with both subjects is my knowledge about grammar. And this is a HUGE problem while doing homework, translating texts and for finishing tests on time. I know how to use grammar, but I don't know most of it by heart. So I will study grammar for 10 minutes a day for both subjects on schooldays and Sundays until I've caught up. From then on, I will only occasionally memorize grammar. Studying grammar consists of literary saying it aloud like some song or poem until I know it well enough and then writing it down way too many times.

🪷 I also want to practise translating more. Since this is the most important skill for both subjects and I haven't done most of my work for the past years, I will make up for it by practising easier texts. Every Sunday, I will translate an extra paragraph for each subject that I will let my teachers correct the following Monday. I will do this until I am satisfied with my translating abilities.

🪷 This year I want to make all my homework for old Greek and Latin. Past years I skipped most of the work, and now I notice that I need more practise. I will study a few days before a test, but nothing more.

𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕙:

🪷 I love maths (controversial opinion, I know). But I believe that when you understand maths, you will love it! But how do you understand it? You should memorize the basics. When you study about a specific topic, watch or read an explanation and make notes. Make sure to make space in the notes for the basics, like concepts you've already learned that has a connection with your new topic. In order to make sure I know how to properly use the topic, I will solve or write down the solution of a practise question next to an explanation as to who I took that step. If I were to get really lost later on, I can follow these steps, but with the new question. Then the most important thing: Practise a lot! Even if it's hard at first. The more problems you solve, the more problems you get. You don't want to waste time when you don't know what to do. So read the question and start thinking what you need to do to solve it. If you genuinely don't have an any idea, look at the solution. But, you won't just look at the solution, you will study it, you look at the steps they take and ask yourself with every step why they took that specific step. When you are done studying the answer, make the question again. I personally write down the questions I struggled with most, to practise them again for my exam!

ℙ𝕙𝕪𝕤𝕚𝕔𝕤:

🪷 Physics is my favourite and one of my best subjects. I always start out with summarizing the concepts in my own words. The biggest problem I have with physics is understanding all the concepts that I can use them together. To make sure I get everything, I summarize. The parts I do not understand, I will watch a video about. Then I start with making exercises, I will look through the exercises and make at least one about every concept. I will make more about the concepts that didn't go well, until I get them right. To prepare for tests, I read through my summary and make lots of practise questions. I will revise everything that didn't go well and remake the questions that went wrong.

ℂ𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕪:

🪷 When studying chemistry, I mainly try to focus on practise. I would start out with reading the learning outcomes and then actively the entire text. I mark thing I find important, write the questions down that come to mind when reading, and connect information. Then I make a small summary in the format of a mind map. I write down only the most important concepts. Then I start making a lot of exercises about the concept, until I can do them comfortably and without mistakes. Afterwards, I make flashcards using the learning outcomes. By doing this afterwards I make sure I know the best way to answer, and with chemistry lots of question come up while doing the work. When studying for a test, I use the flashcards and remaking the questions I struggled most with.

𝔻𝕦𝕥𝕔𝕙:

🪷 This year I'm preparing for my Dutch finals. To work on my skill, I mainly have to make past finals. I really want to make a summary about all the concepts that come back on the finals. But other that, we mainly have exercises that I can't prepare in advance for. I do really want to expand my vocabulary, because it makes me feel fancy. I should start reading the news more, that way I will also be more informed about the world.

𝔼𝕟𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕙:

🪷 This year I am taking a Cambridge English exam. My goal is to score a C-Level (advanced). In order to do this I must work on my grammar, vocabulary, writings and listening. I will tackle each property with a guide on how to get better at them.

🪷 My grammar is pretty good, my only problem. I don't know the actual rules. When writing, having a grammatical correct structure kind of happens on its own. Most of the time, that's very helpful, but when I have to point out mistakes in high quality or older texts, I can't. In order to work on this, I would recommend using an actual book. The one I'm starting out with this year is "Advanced Grammar in Use with Answers' from Martin Hewings. I will work through it by reading the theory, using it on my own, and then making the exercises in the book.

🪷 To expand my vocabulary I will write down new words I see when interacting with English content and books and study them. The goal is to learn 30 words a week. I will add all the words to an anki list, so that I can keep practising older words.

🪷 During the proficiency exam it's expected from you that you are able to write formal letters, essays, reports and reviews. To practise, I will write one of these a week and ask my teacher for feedback. I will also use the writing site from Cambridge, where they I've you a writing a prompt, and you can submit your text and let them corrected by professionals. For people who are not able to ask their teacher for help, I would recommend using ChatGPT. Although this is not ideal, it will still help you improve.

🪷 By listening to a daily podcast in English, I will practise my listening skills. It's very important to practise your English listening skills without visual guidance. Of course watching movies will help you improve, but if you want to improve in the shortest amount of time, you need to listen to audios.

ℍ𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪:

🪷 I personally find history one of the easiest subjects to study. I study history by chapter and not by paragraph. I always read through the entire chapter and then make a timeline with all the information. So I will include all the concepts, names and everything else in my timeline. Then I will study it by talking through it like I am teaching someone. Every time I miss something while explaining, I will memorize it again. I write down all the most important concepts down a few times, so I will remember how they are spelled and don't make any mistakes on my test! I don't make many exercises since they don't really help me that much. But if I have the time and energy, I make a few of the questions that were asked on previous finals.

𝔹𝕚𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕪:

🪷 Biology is a very information heavy subject, and I find that it's pretty easy to get lost in all the concepts. I have a pretty strict guide for myself, so I can study biology in the least amount of time. I will start out by reading the learning outcomes for the paragraph, so I know what the most important things are. Then I start actively reading through the paragraph. I mark thing I find important, write the questions down that come to mind when reading, and connect information. Afterwards, I will summarize everything in a mind map. Not just one mind map for every chapter, but one for every group of concepts that fit together well. These mind maps are very big and have all the relevant information, that's why you should minimize the amount of topics on a mind map, because otherwise it won't fit. Then I make the most important exercises and start studying the summaries by pretending that I'm giving a presentation about them, everything that I forget to mention I will memorize again. The day before the test, I will write down the explanation of all the learning outcomes from memory and correct them. Lastly, l review all the concepts that I lacked in.

Be sure to like, comment and reblog! If you like my content, consider buying me a book. <3 Sending you all the love, ~ Pearl 🐚

[aintgonnatakethis]

Writing Interview Tag!

Big thanks to @moltenwrites for the tag! I've seen this going around and was hoping to be tagged at some point. *rubs hands together* There'll be a readmore at the bottom with the templates for both desktop and mobile.

About me

When did you start writing?

Very young, around 5-6. I remember there was homework where the teacher gave everyone a list of words and asked us to write a sentence with each word. I would turn in a paragraph for each instead 😂 When I was 14 I was writing a lot of Doctor Who fic on FFnet (I can't believe that was 16 years ago 💀) and during the lockdown I started writing again for something to do.

Are there different genres or themes you enjoy reading other than the ones you write?

I don't think so? Sorry, that's a really unsatisfying answer, I know. It's like when you're asked what your favourite book is and you instantly forget every book you've ever read 😂

Is there an author you want to emulate, or are compared to often?

Is this gonna be weird? Probably. Am I gonna fight through the anxiety anyway? Sure, you betcha! @septembriseur is one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Your Telford is second to none. Thank you.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

Just sitting in my bed cradling my laptop. Despite only being 3 and a half years old it's got a whole host of things wrong with it, the most problematic being a loose connection somewhere inside the charging port. To be able to charge I have to sit in a very specific position and stay still, with a metal water bottle braced against the charging cable to keep it pushed in, another cable tied around it with an elastic band and hooked over the opposite side of the laptop. It's... honestly not the best lol. But it's a gaming laptop so getting it fixed would probably be expensive and I just don't have the money.

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Am I allowed to say drugs? 😂 I'm prescribed ADHD meds and Pregabalin for anxiety, and they both help me focus enough to get words down on the page. I'd be pretty screwed without them tbh. I had an appointment with a doctor today and am getting an instant release ADHD medication added to my prescription as the extended release wears off by mid-to-late afternoon, so maybe I'll be able to get another daily writing session in when I take that!

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and/or places you write about?

Hn. I want to say not really, but it must have influenced me in some way, right? Kids are sponges and will soak up and mimic the behaviours of the adults around them, and often people will reach adulthood with opinions and ideas that they don't even realise were created by an outside influence.

Are there any reoccurring themes in your writing? If so, do they surprise you?

QUEER! And no, it doesn't surprise me at all. 😂 I love writing about self-discovery, characters figuring out they can grow outside of the box society has built for them.

Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

So, uh, I'm just gonna link y'all here, where I ramble on about David Telford from Stargate Universe for fucking ages. He's in my brain spinning plates as we speak. (He never stops.)

Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life?

Well, in real life I wouldn't want to be friends with anyone in the military. While the US military is a special interest of mine because of Stargate, I am very aware that these characters are not realistic when compared to their real life counterparts. Realism in this area is one reason my favourite of the series is Universe, but even then these men aren't... Well, let's just say that - just like in politics - you don't get far in the military if you're a good person.

Which characters would you dislike the most of you met them?

😬😬😬 I mean, the fact they're dislikeable is part of the draw, ya know? I think irl-Young would suck absolute balls. 😂

Tell me about the process of coming up with your characters?

Not super applicable as I'm a solely fandom writer, but the parts of the characters we're not given by the show come to me as I write, like puzzle pieces slotting into place. A good back-and-forth conversation is another excellent way to dig deep into them.

Do you notice any reoccurring themes/traits in your characters?

QUEER! But being serious, I've given both Everett Young (SGU) and John Sheppard (SGA) intrusive thoughts...

My writing

What’s your reason for writing?

Escapism. Creativity. The characters are in my head screaming at me.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment from readers that you find particularly motivating?

Ooh, the long back-and-forth conversations! I'm here to talk endlessly about these little fucking blorbos and I will ramble about them to anyone!

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Taking this very seriously: a man. I know that fandom is typically a woman-dominated area and I've met quite a few other trans people through Stargate, but yeah. I know there are cultural differences with what are generally considered gender neutral terms around the world, but I do not want to ever be referred to as a girl or with woman-coded terms. I've had to fight hard to be able to be myself: man, dude, bro, there are a lot of choices.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Hmm... consistency? I set the New Year's resolution to write something every day in 2022. That year I missed 2 and half weeks because I had top surgery and while beforehand I thought 'awesome, I'll have plenty of time to write!' it turned out that recent wounds almost in my armpits makes it quite painful to move my arms... 🤔 In 2023 I wrote every day and so far I've kept that up in 2024. It's not always a lot of words, but it's always something.

What have you been told is your greatest strength as a writer is by others?

Characterisation. I've been told I've got my SGU boys (Telford, Young, and Rush) down to a tee.

How do you feel about your own writing?

There's a cycle where I look back at stuff I've written and compare it to what I'm currently writing and think 'this new stuff isn't as good', but in 3 months the stuff I'm currently writing will be what I think is good so... There are pieces I'm especially proud of, of course. If you'd allow me to plug for a moment, I think a memory, a distant echo is one of the best things I've ever written. Mind the tags though.

If you were the last person on earth, would you still write?

Yeah sure. I write primarily for myself so I don't see any reason why I'd stop. I wouldn't live long though lmao

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, do you write purely for yourself, or is it a mix of both?

First point of contact has to be with me, always. If something doesn't resonate with me, I can't write it. Forcing things is going to make writing unenjoyable and for me it's one of the most joyous things I do and I want to keep it that way. That said, if there's specific interest in a certain idea I have, that of course does motivate me. Feedback is the nectar of writers!

Tagging: @fortunatetragedy @bagheerita @frostysfrenzy @adriankyte-writes @frostedlemonwriter

@gioiaalbanoart @septembriseur @authorcoledipalo @anonmadsci @the-golden-comet + OPEN

@wolgerrswraith @chaniis-atlantis

About me

When did you start writing?

Are there different genres or themes you enjoy reading other than the ones you write?

Is there an author you want to emulate, or are compared to often?

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and/or places you write about?

Are there any reoccurring themes in your writing? If so, do they surprise you?

Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life?

Which characters would you dislike the most of you met them?

Tell me about the process of coming up with your characters?

Do you notice any reoccurring themes/traits in your characters?

How do you picture your characters?

My writing

What’s your reason for writing?

Is there any specific comment or type of comment from readers that you find particularly motivating?

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Have you been told is your greatest strength as a writer is by others?

How do you feel about your own writing?

If you were the last person on earth, would you still write?

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, do you write purely for yourself, or is it a mix of both?

About meWhen did you start writing?Are there different genres or themes you enjoy reading other than the ones you write?Is there an author you want to emulate, or are compared to often?can you tell me a bit about your writing space? What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and/or places you write about?Are there any reoccurring themes in your writing? If so, do they surprise you?Characters: would you please tell me about your current favorite character? Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life?which characters would you dislike the most of you met them?Tell me about the process of coming up with your characters? Do you notice any reoccurring themes/traits in your characters?How do you picture your characters? My writing: what’s your reason for writing?Is there any specific comment or type of comment from readers that you find particularly motivating? How do you want to be thought about by your readers?What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?have you been told is your greatest strength as a writer is by others?How do you feel about your own writing?If you were the last person on earth, would you still write?When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, do you write purely for yourself, or is it a mix of both?

[kiwiana-writes]

Year in Review: Favourite Lines

Thanks to @anincompletelist for both making up a new game AND tagging me in it!

RULES: feel free to share your top three/top five/however many favorite snippet(s)/line/quotes/paragraphs from your published fics (or wips!)

Tried to keep this relatively short; may have failed. Whatever, just roll with it.

From Empty your heart of its mortal dream:

His name tripping off the prince’s tongue sent a shudder through Alex he couldn’t explain. “I no longer feel cursed,” he said, a deflection and a confession all in one.

From I've carried this song in my mind:

“Looking for Orion,” Henry responds after a moment, and that makes Arthur ache in a way dead actors-turned-dukes should probably not be able to ache. You don’t need to find Orion, Arthur wants to tell him. I’m in every constellation, in your heart, in your soul. I’m here. I’m always here. But Henry can’t hear him.

From Puck It:

Alex is aware that he might be bisexual in the same way he’s aware that he might be allergic to cats; there have been a few brief interactions to make him think it’s probably true, but so far it hasn’t had any impact on his life, so he hasn’t really had a reason to look into it and find out for sure. Now, faced with Henry’s clavicle and the sudden, vivid mental image of sinking his teeth into it, he’s not sure how theoretical it is anymore.

and:

Falling in love with Henry isn’t something Alex does. It’s not even something that happens to him. It’s an inevitability; the earth rotates the sun, winter melts into spring, and Alex Claremont-Diaz falls in love with Henry Fox. With his smile, with his passion, with his grief; with his incredible caring heart and his shockingly subpar karaoke skills.

From The way we get into each other's bones (aka angstapalooza RWRB edition, currently a WIP coming 2024):

No, what Alex will hate himself for the most is that when they fall to the floor, Henry’s hands find their way to Alex’s hips, gripping tight enough that his fingers will probably leave bruises later—and just for a moment, it feels like coming home.

From Years of dreams just can't be wrong (aka Anastasia AU, currently a WIP coming 2024):

The thing about Alex is, he’s always ten steps ahead of himself. When faced with a problem, more often than not the solution will come to him fully formed and he has to pick up the thread and walk it backwards through the labyrinthine pathways of his brain’s logic until all the twists and turns fit together; until he understands the steps to take to get himself from point A to point B. He’s always been this way, to the confusion of most people around him and the dismay of more than one high school math teacher begging him to show his working.

Tagging @affectionatelyrs @cha-melodius @clottedcreamfudge @cricketnationrise @cultofsappho @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @inexplicablymine @myheartalivewrites @orchidscript @rmd-writes @sparklepocalypse and, as always, anyone who wants to play! 

[soleilceirinen]

Renaissance | teacher!Cillian Murphy x fem!Reader - Part 6

Summary: you are an Art History student in your last year at university. Cillian is your teacher. A/N: in this story Cillian is about 20 years older than the reader. Everything happens in an alternative universe where he is not an actor or famous, he doesn't have a wife or kids like in real life. Also, English is not my first language, so sorry for any mistake! Part 5 - Cillian Murphy Masterlist - Part 7

Unlike most people, you liked Mondays. To you, it meant the beginning of a new week, a reset. But this Monday was different and so far, you hated every second of it. 

After your kiss with Cillian last Friday, you decided not to go further that night so he drove you to your flat. Once there, you said goodbye with a bunch of tiny kisses and the promise to talk later but it never happened.

You had spent the weekend staring at your phone, waiting for a reply to the text you had sent him. It just said “Good morning!” and a flushed emoji but he never answered. So, considering his lack of response, you sent him an email with your project progress, to which he didn’t reply either. 

And now, you had been sitting in the classroom for forty minutes while listening to him talk about Margaret of Austria’s portrait collection. Forty minutes in which he didn’t look at your direction at all, as if you were invisible. 

You continued taking notes until the end of the lecture, breaking the paper sheet a couple times due to the pressure with which you were writing. When the other students had left the classroom, you walked to his desk to confront him. 

“Good morning, Cillian.”

He didn’t take his eyes off the papers and books scattered around his desk when he answered you.

“Mr. Murphy is the proper way to address me, miss Y/L/N. Can I help you with something?” 

You looked at him in disbelief. 

“Well, I texted you and you never said anything back, I was worried,” you admitted. He just shrugged dismissively.  

“There’s nothing to worry about. Do you need anything else?”

“Yes, Mr. Murphy,” you said bitterly, “I also sent you a few new pages of the project so you could review them and give me some feedback.”

Cillian sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“I looked over it, it’s okay but be careful with the paragraphs and the structure. If you need something else, my tutoring sessions are Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and Thursdays at 18 p.m., you can find me at my office.” He looked at you briefly, before saying “Have a nice day, miss Y/L/N.” 

You didn't know how to react to his sudden coldness so you frowned and left the classroom with the ghost of tears stinging your eyes.

The rest of the week went by the same way, with Cillian ignoring you and only addressing you to make a comment about your project. As far as you were concerned, you had no idea what could have caused that change in his attitude but it made you feel quite miserable, just to think of what could have been and wasn’t. 

After a long morning of lectures you were finally free to go and have lunch. You and Olivia had met to eat at a Japanese restaurant near the university. Once seated at your table, you noticed that she was quieter than usual. 

“So, how is everything going for you?” you asked. “Are you still seeing that guy, the artist?”

She frowned and shook her head. “No way. At least not after he painted my pussy on a 120 x 160 canvas and displayed it for everyone to see.”

“Well, I can tell you something, it was sold” you comforted her. “By the way, I thought you knew which part of you he was painting.”

Olivia groaned and hid her face in her arms. 

“He never told me, said it was a surprise. His favourite part of me, you know” she added, rolling her big eyes. “But let’s talk about something else, what about you? You look sad.”

You shrugged. “It’s nothing, I’m a bit overwhelmed with my final project but…” You stopped talking when you saw a group of people sit a couple of tables away. 

They were teachers, you realised since some of them had taught you in recent years, plus Cillian was among them. He also noticed your presence, you caught him looking at you but he immediately looked away. Olivia looked at you with half closed eyes and then she turned around to look at the teacher’s table. You grabbed her arm to make her stop.

“Don’t do that!”

“Why not?” she asked suspiciously while you tried to hide the fact that you were starting to blush. 

“That’s my final project tutor” you whispered. “Don’t look!”

Olivia made a face of annoyance at you. “If I can’t look, how am I supposed to know which one is your tutor? I’ll just take a little look, they won’t notice, I promise Y/N”, she assured. 

You nodded slightly, accepting the fact that they would notice anyway. “Okay. It’s the guy with blue eyes.”

After a failed, as expected, attempt to be subtle, Olivia focused again on you leaning on the table so that nobody else but you could hear her. “He’s handsome but he looks like he’s sucking on a lemon.”

You couldn't help but burst out laughing, narrowly avoiding choking on your soda. 

“Olivia!”

She giggled with you, satisfied with herself. 

“At least I made you smile.” 

The rest of the meal was uneventful, just you and Olivia catching up. It had been a long time since you had such a good time with your friend like this but sadly, it had to end. Otherwise, you wouldn’t get on time to work. Olivia led the way to the door, taking the opportunity to look closely at Cillian as she passed their table. You followed her, nodding in his direction as you walked past him. 

“Y/N”

You turned around slowly. Cillian was about to get up from the table, some of the teachers looked at you with curiosity and others with recognition. You smiled at them politely. 

“What is it, Mr. Murphy?”

“I need to talk to you”, he said. You wanted to slap him in the face, right on his stupidly perfect cheekbones. You felt your blood boiling with his audacity after ignoring you for a whole week 

“I’m sure it can wait until Monday, or you can send me an email. It’s very simple but I guess it’s up to you. Goodbye Mr. Murphy, have a nice weekend everyone.”

Later, you were sitting at the art gallery office with your final project opened on your laptop. On calm days like that, you used to take the opportunity and study. Maureen and Laura didn’t care about it. 

A knock on the door made you take your eyes away from the laptop screen. There was Maureen, with her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun while holding a plastic bag. 

“Good afternoon, Y/N. How are you?” 

“I’m fine, everything is quiet here. I was trying to write some more of my research but I think I’ll give up for today. What about you?”

She took a seat next to you and started searching for something in the bag while talking. 

“Don't get saturated, sometimes it is better to let a few days pass and return to the project with more energy and inspiration.”

You nodded in agreement. Then, Maureen took out a small photo album and started flipping through all the pages. 

“We want to make a video for the wedding with photos of us from when we were children and teenagers, you know, until we met. So yesterday I spent all day going through photo albums and came across this, I thought you might like to see it.”

She held a polaroid in front of you. Carefully, you took it and examined it in detail. In a handwriting that you recognised as Maureen’s, it said Summer ‘99. It wasn’t difficult to tell who they were since they looked the same, but younger.

“It’s you and Cillian” you stated. 

“We took that picture the summer after we graduated from university, we were about your age there.”

“So, you and him know each other really well or just as former classmates?” you wondered, still looking at the polaroid. She sighed. 

“We are very close, even though he likes to disappear from time to time.” She took out another picture and gave it to you, putting the other one back in the album. “You can keep that one, since you see Cill more than I do, you should have a chance to give it to him. It could bring back good memories, right?” 

You stared at the polaroid and nodded absentminded. From the corner of your eyes you saw Maureen get up after hearing Laura call her from the gallery, she gave you a little squeeze in the shoulder before disappearing. 

In the photograph was a young Cillian smiling from ear to ear, with messy hair and a sunburnt face, which surely would explain the amount of freckles he had now. Also, the way his eyes crinkled slightly at the corners was still the same, although more accentuated with the years. 

Despite all that had happened, you couldn’t help but feel a certain nostalgia. 

A sound coming from your laptop made you look, there was a new message from Cillian. He wanted to meet you in his office on Monday afternoon. Your answer was concise, just to let him know that you would be there.

Only then you were aware of the knot that had formed in your stomach. You were hoping for things to develop smoothly and go back to normal, as they were before that week. But just like it happened with your roommate Brad, deep inside you had the suspicion that what Cillian had to say wasn't good news.

[my-castles-crumbling]

for the middle schoolers advice gossip collum, as someone who was one not too long ago, i don’t really have advice, but here are some things my favourite teacher(s) did that made me really like them, if that helps:

when we had english, she would pause about halfway through the lesson for a ‘brain break,’ which meant we’d go outside and play a short game, while the not-so-sporty kids could just wander around the beach (the school was right on the coast) for a bit, which was just a really nice way to disengage temporarily.

he would bribe us with food. finish this project and you’ll get chocolate, etc. you should probably use this for big assignments only.

was really nice but didn’t take any shit. we had a 3 strikes ‘you’re out’ system (except the school sucked at enforcing it) and she and my other favourite managed it really well. like, a lot of the ‘popular kids’ especially think being annoying is cool/cute/funny and the teachers made a point to give someone a strike for it.

he gave good criticism but didn’t do harshly; this is good but focus more on x. nice work on the paragraphs, we’ll work on y next, etc,

this might be a me thing, but she had a really pretty fashion sense, which inspired me to branch out with my clothes too, and dw about it if it’s not acceptable in your school (mine was very laid back), but just. wear whatever makes you happy <3

—sincerely, carrot anon

Hi hon!

Thank you so much for all of this, I really appreciate it! Sounds like you've had some cool teachers. I don't know if I have good fashion sense, but I can definitely do the rest, lol.

[thousand-winters]

Ask game 🛼🍄🍬🥐🧩!

Hello, friend!!! I hope life has been treating you kindly lately 💖

🛼 ⇢ Describe your latest wip with five emojis

Going to use literally the last document I opened for this but: 😟🏃🏰🛌😢

🍄 ⇢ Share a headcanon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

I have a little hc that during the period of time between Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, while Ike was kinda getting used to being the leader of the Greil mercenaries in peace times, sometimes he would get too stressed and irritable, so Soren would do something about it.

The "something" in question being going to him like "Ike, I have something very important to report" and while Ike's kinda only half paying attention, immersed as he is in his own head, Soren will just say a shitty joke in a deadpan. "Why did the chicken cross the road?" sort of dumb joke.

He doesn't even think they're funny, but they make Ike snort in disbelief and, since he knows Soren isn't the type to randomly crack jokes all of a sudden, he can tell what he's doing. Those times always end on a smile and a "thank you, Soren".

🍬 ⇢ Post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

I didn't really think this was an unpopular opinion but I see it somewhat often around, the idea that Hunter killed people during his time as Golden Guard and I really don't agree with it. I feel like if Belos had made him do that, Hunter would have cracked so much earlier because his compassionate nature would be at odds with the act itself, even if he had been told they were bad people. He couldn't even get himself to catch Luz in Hunting Palismen, so I think he would have let a shit ton of people go and Belos wouldn't have taken that kindly.

At most, I can see him unfortunately being involved in someone getting killed in the same way he was with the palismen he handed Belos; aka, him possibly capturing people and those people ending up dead or petrified. But I really, really don't think he ever killed someone himself, and in the case of capturing wild witches and such, I feel like that would have to be a very special occasion too (I feel like lowkey Belos probably always had a certain wariness that his grimwalkers would run off with a wild witch or such, especially if Caleb wasn't the only one who did through his messed up story of brotherly murder and clonation)

🥐 ⇢ Name one internet reference that will always make you laugh 

Oh, my god, there was this meme in Spanish (very unsure if it also exists in English because it's from those monkey puppets that are memes but I never watched the source material of that properly so no idea) that went like: student character goes to present their teacher with a medical justification for missing class while saying something like "I got sick but I'm better now", teacher goes "it says here you got hit by a car and died" and then the student says "wow, science really advances, right?"

I don't think it has the same punch with me saying like this as seeing the thing but for some reason it cracked me up so much when I saw it. Now sometimes if someone asked what happened to me for whatever reason, half the time I go "I got hit by a car and died" and then laugh, which is probably not the best thing to say without context lmao 😭 I don't do it unless it's in a silly kind of context tho, don't worry.

My sister also sometimes will explain things by going "science really advances" and I die every fucking time too.

🧩 ⇢ What will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

1st person POVs, I'm so sorry, I just can't do it 😔 It causes such a visceral reaction of second hand embarrassment in me even if there's no actual embarrassing content in the description. I just cannot do it, it's even worse for me than paragraphs with no space between them or such, depending on the day I can power through those but the 1st person? Nope.

Thank you for the questions!!! From this ask game

[renaultphile]

More Jane Eyre/The Charioteer parallels!

@nurseadriansbrother Your Jane Eyre post!  I love it! I've linked to it here.

I had completely forgotten what a wild imagination young Jane has, no wonder all the adults were a little terrified of her (as Ralph is of Laurie!)  I mean that little paragraph of her in bed getting scared so echoes the start of chapter one in TC.  My favourite bit is where Mary says ‘he made the emergency known at once’ (ie that he couldn’t sleep (!)

I’m so glad you said that thing about Rochester being brought low so that they can come together.  That’s always been in my mind as Charlotte Bronte’s ‘solution’ but I thought it sounded a bit over-dramatic, but I do think she feels she has to practically blind and maim him first!!  Very strange, and I suppose there is definitely a parallel with the ending of TC although I always worry about Ralph being brought low because I wonder if he can really accept Laurie taking care of him.  Although I do believe that’s the only way it could work.  Or some kind of equality at least.  And Rochester has the thing about wanting Jane to be honest, I had forgotten about him using that word ‘master’, Wow!  It makes me worry if Laurie is just lying to Ralph to make him feel better, he’s going to have to be so careful about that.  He seems to struggle so hard with confrontation.

God, I had completely forgotten the references to suicide in Jane Eyre.  She is so steadfast.  I remember to this day my English teacher explaining to us callow teenagers in words of one syllable what the societal dangers were of Jane becoming Rochester’s mistress.

Jane’s internal monologue is so interesting, yes, she struggles so hard to be fair and reasonable, and trying to take on Helen’s virtues the way Laurie tries to do with Andrew – that bit after the Bunny car scene where he thinks what would Andrew say…….That’s funny though because when I was looking into Ralph’s childhood and wondering how strict his ‘Christian home’ was, and then I re-read that bit in the ‘break-up’ scene where Laurie says he is like someone suffering for a cause, I immediately thought ‘martyr’ and I haven’t been able to un-see it!  Helen Burns!  And all those horrible books about Saints getting tortured Jane used to read….

And Jeepers – what’s interesting is that Mr Brocklehurst presents his hypocrisy as very pragmatic, and in a way I think that’s Jepson’s excuse too.  I always think of Straike’s reference to Jepson’s hypochronia!

OK and finally – gothic horror!!  You read my mind!  One of my little theories about Ralph is that he is always saying ‘Don’t worry’ to Laurie and although that sounds like kindness, I always feel there is a little wind-up element to it, as in, ‘I wasn’t worrying, why do you think I would be?’ and I have this feeling of Ralph’s power kick (I’m sure entirely unconsciously) being to slightly frighten people and then be all nice and comforting.  Sorry, have I just gone off the deep end or does that make sense?

[wrencatte]

Ask meme!! 🍓🍄 🧩

(asked anonymously because i can’t send asks from my side blog lmao but I’m soft_witch on ao3/saltsprite here)

Hello!!!!

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

Whew, what a question. I have no idea!! I wasn't much of a reader as a kid - some people were convinced I couldn't even read around the ages 7-8 because I just didn't want to - so I wasn't much of a writer. I had a teacher that made me change my tune about reading, but I'm not entirely sure what made me change my mind about writing. I first posted Danny Phantom fic when I was 9 or 10, then psych when i was 12, but I truly don't know what kicked me into the writer lane. No one in my family reads/writes like I do

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

Merrical & Spyscrapper are similar in this because i love it. Merrical hold hands a lot (you can blame Jen for that), they lean on each other physically, there's a lot of touching. Spyscrapper is more leaning than holding, they bump wrists as sort of a short hand for head butting a la tookas (This one is Ray's fault). They're very similar there's a slight difference. (I really like casual touches and whatnot. That doesn't say anything about me ^_^'')

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

I will click out immediately for a lot of common reasons - no paragraphs, first person pov, etc etc. My biggest No Thank You beyond that is censoring swears?? Not like freaking or anything like that but people putting f**k or sh*t and other bullshit like that. Either swear or don't swear, not this half-assed bs.

[bits-and-babs]

-ˋˏ ULTRAVIOLENCE ˎˊ-

laters-gators 6k followers celebration

I cannot believe that we’ve hit a huge milestone again so early. For this event to come at a time where I really needed a pick me up means the world. 6,000 of you little people out there follow me to see my words on your phone/tablet/computer screens, all because you like them. That’s insane to me!

As a token of appreciation, we’re back at it again with a follower celebration! This is a way for me to say thank you!

before we begin, some rules: (Read these carefully or your ask will be deleted!)

➸ Reblog to spread the word! ➸ Please see my inbox rules and who I write for before sending in asks. ➸ You can send in as many asks as you want, but some events will be restricted to non-anons only!

➸ This inbox for this event is open now! I will begin posting on the 24th! Inbox closes on the 26th ❤︎

❤︎ THIS EVENT HAS NOW CLOSED ❤︎

how to send an ask:

The inbox for this event is open now! To participate in this event, please send an ask via the link here, or the ‘Tell Me Something Sweet’ button at the top of my blog, and set out the ask with the corresponding emoji at the start. It makes my life much easier this way!:

“ 🐺 - Blue Jeans. ”

“ ☁️ - 29: ‘Thigh Riding’ with Marc Spector. ”

“ 🗝 - Joel Miller and Teacher!AU!”

open to everyone:

➸ Blue Bannisters [🗝]: Send me a character and a concept/aesthetic and I will make a mood board with a 100 word drabble.

➸ Chemtrails Over The Country Club [🐺]: Send me a Lana Del Rey song and I'll write a drabble with the character it most reminds me of!

➸ Lust For Life [⛓]: Send me any word and I will send you a paragraph from my WIPs that contains that word - if there are any! Choose wisely!

➸ Honeymoon [🐚]: send me the link to a fic you have written and I will tell you my favourite parts and lines!

➸ Norman Fucking Rockwell [☁️]: send me a number from this smut dialogue prompt list here and a character of your choice and I will write a drabble!

open to non-anons:

➸ Ultraviolence [💿]: Send me a number from this smut prompt list here and a character of your choice and I will write a drabble!

➸ Born To Die [🎙️]: Send me your favourite song and I'll ship you with one of my Blorbos!

Event Masterlist:

➸ Blue Bannisters [🗝]:

Nat 20 || D&D!Matt the Radar Tech

Oklahoma Smokeshow || CountryCowboy!Joel Miller

The Reckoning Begins || Gunslinger!Mills

100 On The Dash || F1 Principle!Enzo Ferrari

On the Wild Side || SafariTourGuide!Mills

Precious Metals || TreasureHunter!Mills

➸ Chemtrails Over The Country Club [🐺]:

The Other Woman (Duke Leto Atreides)

Dark Paradise [coming soon...]

Blue Jeans (Mills)

Honeymoon (Joel Miller)

Not All Who Wander Are Lost (Ezra (Prospect))

➸ Norman Fucking Rockwell [☁️]:

Din Djarin || “I didn’t know you were so sensitive.”

Frank Castle || “Are you going to eye-fuck me all night or are you going to do something about it?”

Javier Pena || "I'm gonna fuck you so good that you forget you ever even met that asshole"

Joel Miller || “The only way you’re getting off is on my thigh.” ❤︎ “Show me how you like to be touched.”

Joel Miller || "There's no way I'm gonna let you wear that in public."

Joel Miller || “Do you think you deserve my cock right now?”

Joel Miller || “Look what you’ve done to me. I’ve had to deal with this all day.”

Leto Atreides || “Pay attention to me or I’ll make you.”

Shane ‘Dio’ Morrisey || “Did you miss feeling me around you so much that you’ve resorted to your hand?”

Steven Grant || “Your nipples are so sensitive today…”

Commander Mills || “Fuck me like a starved animal or leave.”

Commander Mills || “Your pussy tastes so sweet.”

➸ Ultraviolence [💿]:

Commander Mills || Drenched

Joel Miller || Frisk-y

tagging a few mutuals who may be interested (you can ignore if you like!): @foxilayde ❤︎ @nexusnyx ❤︎ @psychedelic-ink ❤︎@inklore ❤︎ @charnelhouse ❤︎ @writefightandflightclub

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

Any advice on how I can spot plagiarism as a reader? It’s sad but lately I’m feeling suspicious (not towards you of course!)

The short answer is that you can't.

A longer answer beneath the cut.

First of all, I feel it's important to have a proper understanding of what plagiarism actually is. @em-writes-stuff-sometimes has a very helpful post regarding this, which you can read here.

There is no way to know for certain that a story isn't plagiarised, but for the sake of your enjoyment of fandom, I would not adopt a bad faith take. It's better to assume that most people don't, and just enjoy the stories.

However, if you are reading a fic and think to yourself "this feels familiar", take a few lines and drop them into Google. If it's a story already posted to Tumblr then it will come up within the first few search results. This approach does not work with AO3, unfortunately, so you really have to know the original story to be certain.

I thank you for your lack of suspicion towards me. I have plagiarised before - I was fifteen and my English class was given a substitute for two weeks while our usual teacher was on her honeymoon. I was balls deep in literary analysis of Of Mice and Men and loving it, then became resentful of the fact that a stranger had taken over my favourite subject and was forcing me to write an essay regarding a poem I had absolutely no interest in. So, I took an essay from the internet, switched a few paragraphs around and ran a few words through a thesaurus.

The substitute immediately clocked me and I was given a lunchtime detention to rewrite my essay in my own words. I ended up getting an A for the rewrite, something I could have earned if I'd just sucked it up and written the fucking essay in the first place, instead of being a petulant asshole that ended up losing their lunch break and the respect of the substitute teacher.

I have not plagiarised since. My fan fiction is all my own, though not without riffing heavily from George R.R Martin's source material (sorry, man, but I wouldn't need to do this if ASOIAF didn't have such a woeful lack of pegging)

Sorry for the long as fuck response and tangent. And I am sorry that the state of fandom has made you feel this way. Unfortunately, plagiarists will have us all duped, until their handiwork crosses the path of someone who has read the exact same story before. Keep reading and enjoying. I promise you those that steal are a very, very small minority.

[fictionaltrvlr]

What's your opinion of President Snow as a character in THG trilogy? Was he a great villain?

* Spoiler for TBOSAS *

After reading the novel, what's your opinion about Coriolanus Snow 'transformation' in the end?

Was it his nature or the way he was nurtured that led him to become the character we know?

Thank you :)

@curiousnonny

Thank you for the ask, I love talking about this series!! (Sorry this took me a while, it got way too long and confusing and I had to I break it up, so hopefully this makes sense 😆)

Trilogy

Since the trilogy is Katniss’ first-person account and we don’t see much of Snow, I didn’t really think about him that much. He is definitely a good villain, evil and terrifying.

For me, Snow was just this big imposing embodiment of evil in the trilogy. I didn’t take in a lot of his personality or care about his story. Rereading it now, I find him much more interesting.

The recurring theme of roses in the original trilogy was definitely one of my favourite things about Snow as a villain; the physiological terror of the genetically engineered scent and how that was weaponized was just horrible in the best way. 

So I don’t think he was a boring villain by any means, I just didn’t humanise him at all.

Prequel

I love this book so much! I think it was the perfect choice for a prequel.

I know a lot of people want Haymitch, Finnick, and Joana’s Games. And while I do really like those characters and want to know more about them, I think it would kind of go against the message of the books. It would just be Games for Games sake, and wouldn’t really serve any purpose narratively.

Snow’s origin story, on the other hand, added so much for me! It furthers the messages.

The nature vs nurture debate can be kind of confusing for me; I can never seem to pick one over the other. I guess I agree with Lucy Gray, that we are all born with the choice and ability to choose our own path, and it’s our responsibility to stay on the right side.

I think we can be inclined one way or another, and that our experiences affect us, but ultimately we are moulded by our own choices. So I apply that to Snow as well.

Watching his transformation at the end was very interesting. It was both expected and made sense, while also feeling a bit abrupt. I was getting a little confused as I neared the end and had fewer and fewer pages left and Snow wasn’t just absolutely and completely revolting yet.

He was awful, yes, in the ways he spoke about people, his casual disregard for the lives of people from the Districts, his jealousy and ownership of Lucy Gray, the criticism of her and Tigris’ choices and what they had to do to survive. But he really crossed a lot of lines in those last few chapters.

I think Dean Highbottom and Dr Gaul shaped him, for sure. He was treated unfairly, and that angered him. The Capitol also taught him that he was intrinsically more valuable than people in the Districts and that the Snow legacy was important.

I find this paragraph interesting because it gives insight into how he thinks and how he sees himself. This is in twelve when he is having a conversation with  Sejanus about Dr Gaul:

“I don't know," said Coriolanus. "It's like ... you know how she's always torturing that rabbit or melting the flesh off something?" “Like she enjoys it?" asked Sejanus. "Exactly. I think that's how she thinks we all are. Natural-born killers, Inherently violent," Coriolanus said. "The Hunger Games are a reminder of what monsters we are and how we need the Capitol to keep us from chaos." "So, not only is the world a brutal place, but people enjoy its brutality? Like the essay on everything we loved about the war" said Sejanus.

It reminds me of Mockingjay when he’s talking about the bombs that took out Prim, and he says that he’s not wasteful. I think he has himself convinced that he doesn’t enjoy pain and death, but that he uses them strategically and that somehow that makes him a better person than the teachers of his childhood.

Ultimately, Snow hungered for power and felt he was owed it, so he would take any path necessary to achieve it. He was heavily influenced by his upbringing and finally chose to follow that path as far as it can take him.

In short, I thought the prequel was done really well and fits perfectly with the trilogy. It helped me to understand Snow better and make him a more three dimensional character.

[babblish]

20 questions of fic writers

Thanks for the tag @creativenicocorner!

Tagging: @dreamcrow @renee561 @megan0013 @ihateblocks I know it's NaNoWriMo so feel to ignore this one this busy season, but likewise if you're not tagged and wished to join in, feel free to do so. 🤔 I feel like I'm forgetting several people as it is.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

20 (and 1 draft)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

710,674 so far (it should be 717,602 once the draft is published)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Tales of Arcadia, Dungeons and Dragons TTRPG, and this other one I won't share because I haven't finished the goddamn draft for yet and as such haven't published.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Under the Wave

Primordial Awakenings

Whispers Within

Honey and Lemon

Primordial Awakenings - Deleted Scenes

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

Yes, always, and I try to give out as much as the commenter puts in. So an emoji gets an emoji, a paragraph gets a paragraph, a short essay gets an essay, etc. I do this because I think it's nice balanced response policy and I don't want to overwhelm readers who sent a short sentence of approval with a wall of text over how I think they're great (even though they are, in fact, quite great.)

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

🤔Under the Sun: The White Rabbit.

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

Whispers Within.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not directly, certainly not in the comments of a fic. I know my ships and blorbos are not popular with everyone, but honestly this is how it's always been. I typically like writing the weirdos and cardboard cutout characters who get/got treated dirty in canon.

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

Yes I do now. I put it off for a long time because I wasn't confident writing it enough to share it publicly, but I started publishing that kind of thing last year in attempt to Get Good.

It's essentially a personal exercise routine, highly recommend this to anyone struggling with a particular element of writing. Obviously it doesn't have to be even remotely spicy, I know not everyone is comfortable writing that kind of thing and I certainly expect anyone to read mine. It's just I was struggling with interpersonal physical interactions, choreography if you will, and the easiest way to practice these was either smut or combat scenes, and combat scenes seemed kind of a massive downer.

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

To the best of my knowledge, I have never in my life written a crossover, nor do I currently have any wish to. The absolute closest has gotta be including a lot of OCs to fill roles that aren't quite filled in the canon cast, which as we all know is not quite the same. Full respect to our troops in the crossover trenches, I just don't think I have a brain that works like that.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I've definitely had art stolen (rip that one cute gnome PC I did for a friend), but never a fic... to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No but I've had my grammar and spelling corrected once or twice when I attempted a language I am not fluent in and made mistakes. (I owe you my life.)

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

I have co-written before, back in the day, and I'm not taking about rp forums but the dark fantasy/sci-fi writing project I shared as a teen with my brother and friend at the time. For fic specifically I've only beta'd.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

As a polyamorous multishipper this is a homophobic question. There's room on my top shelf for as many I want. 🤔 Many are Morticia and Gomez Addams shaped, or whatever the fuck was happening in The Road to El Dorado shaped, one has to admit.

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

Eugh probably The Homework Squad (a ToA fic with multiple PoV about Strickler's time as a teacher before he left that position.) Maybe I'll get to it one day, but I have so many other fics I'd much rather be working on now.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've been told that I am very good at character voices and dialogue, and that I have the ability to control the tension of any given scene with pinpoint accuracy and twist the mood like a knife in the reader's heart without it seeming unnatural. This might be my dark fantasy background coming to the surface, ngl.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

These are such things that gets mentioned less in feedback because it would be a dick mood unprompted, but speaking as someone with no beta beyond myself and an ereader, I know that sometimes my prose can be stiff and awkward, and my sentences err towards the unwieldy to the point that reading aloud can be difficult.

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

Sometimes different languages can be important to the plot and characterisation, and in these cases I do write dialogue in other languages but also include translation RIGHT THERE for the readers instead of clumped down at bottom notes of the chapter.

Otherwise I will include a helpful little note in the dialogue tag to indicate if the speaker has switched languages.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Tales of Arcadia.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

It's probably Primordial Awakenings, but again I still have a soft spot for Whispers Within, and most if not all of my fics really. I pour a lot of myself into my fics, so they represent not just the fic themselves, but the particular time in my life when I was writing them.

[marvelstars]

ST VS OT VS PT

Sometimes I think about disney canon Leia and Han who never knew Anakin Skywalker because he is just Vader to them and this is also the reason why Ben only knows Vader and became obssesed with him as part of his adolescent rebellion and to a point Luke ends thinking in a similar way, isolates himself without any real need to hide from his Sister I guess and cutting himself from the force and from his father and teachers as well for most of his life.

While:

Legends canon Leia and Han knew a little more of Anakin, knew him as a slave and as a padawan and clone wars general as a result of Leia doing her own research trying not to hate him so much and be in danger of falling to the darkside and Han wanted kids but Leia didn´t want to have them until she stopped fearing them turning into darth Vader so he got really interested in helping her overcome her fear. This results in them not quite forgiving him but at least be at peace having children and recognize him as a member of their family while Leia explores her force powers with her brother. Two of my favourite moments from this story is Han talking about Vader being in the perfect place to defeat the Emperor and him and Leia seeing an old holo of child Anakin after winning his freedom while Luke becomes the Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order with many new students and even Darth Cadeus(Jacen Solo) isn´t enough to bring it down.

So I just sigh for the missed opportunities and Disney greed trying to break and fix what wasn´t broken.

I personally don´t hate any of the characters in the sequels, I believe Rey is endearing, Ben is fun if a little embarrasing to watch, Finn is fine and Poe was great until disney decided to use him as a prop for feminist general Leia and her friend whose name I won´t bother to remember.

The problem is that in a story you need your characters to change, be challenged, have problems and overcome them and most of them stay the same characters because they are never challenged in any serious way and form, Finn could be challenged in helping his fellow soldiers get freed and never does it, Poe could have been challenged in leading the rebellion after the republic failed to support them and he just becomes a prop for other characters and Rey stays the exact same way in all the movies, nothing affects her deeply because she doesn´t have a deep connection with almost nobody, they tried to link her with Ben but besides both feeling attracted to each other there´s not much more reason given to why they care so much for each other and Ben never explains why he got so obssesed with Vader in the first place, to the point he left his family and killed his father besides the fact he feels entitled to his legacy for some reason.

So the story doesn´t look as a story on it´s own, it looks more like a bunch of plot points taken from the original material without adding anything of substance to the story because they are afraid of challenging their characters and have them make mistakes, loss something or be rewarded, the end is bassically the same of the OT, the only change we saw was the virtual destruction of the Original Trio, Leia, Luke and Han in an effort to try to present the new trio as something new and different but they never quite manage it.

One of the main reason for this as Disney deliberately erasing any connection to the PT and what it added to the story, especially when it came to Anakin being in reality him and not Vader or Palpatine being an actual human being with his own pov if extremely machivellian and manipulative and not just the monster under the bed to the galaxy, seriously I saw a more complete management of Palpatine as a villain in two paragraphs of the ROTJ novel than the entire ST and this because they are incapable of creating a new villain for their story so disney treatment of the characters feels so flat all around.

Which brings me to the pure joy of seeing them bringing back not just Anakin but him and his Vader persona be at peace, seeing them bring Legeds Thrawn and Ahsoka and connecting them with Luke and Leia and the new characters like the Mandalorian but I also find it funny seeing them trying to act as if this was the plan all along instead of them doing damage control after screwing up in a legendary way but being too proud and greedy to admit it. I am just like LOL. Hope this is enough to save and change Luke, Leia and Han fate because they honestly deserve way more than what they got in the ST.

[rhapsodyred-writes]

Thanks for tagging me @rhodophoria! I hope you're okay if I answer this on my writing blog!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently, ten.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

115,657 and good lord that's so much higher than I thought it would be.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, just Undertale. It's been a long time since the hyperfixation has grabbed me hard enough to inspire me to write fic for anything but Undertale.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Across Enemy Lines (256)

When corporate doesn't understand family (35)

this is personal (23)

the Joy in the Slow (21)

Stars and Scars (15)

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

Not really? I probably should, for more interaction. I just get a little hidey sometimes, and I never really know what to say back.

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

Probably When corporate doesn't understand family, but since it's a collaborative work, I can't really take credit for the ending. I don't even think I was expecting it.

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

Hmm, hard to say. Tempted to say Neutral Evil with a Protective Streak.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope.

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

On occasion. I have a strange relationship with writing my own smut, so most of what I write will never be posted for others to read. For those following AEL, though... >:3c

If I'm writing smut solo I try to keep it short and sweet. I have a tendency to gloss over details because I get very embarrassed writing intimate details. With a good writing partner I can be a bit braver though!

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

In high school I started (and never finished) a crossover-self-insert fic of myself and some friends, with all the fictional boys we were collectively hyperfixating on. If I finished it, it would have been a disorganized mess. /lh

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I'm aware of, but I don't think I'd be against it.

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

Yes! I'm co-writing a fic currently! Also, everything on my AO3 is co-written lol. A lot of my solo writing is here on this blog! (Most of it doesn't count as fic though, because it circles mainly around my OCs.)

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

These days, it's almost all character x self. I don't ship characters together as much as I used to, and have been finding much more satisfaction in selfshipping lately!

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

There are any number of abandoned WIPs I'd like to pick back up, but know I won't or can't, for any number of reasons. Sometimes it's hard to do collaborative work on something when the hyperfixation yanks your writing partner in a different direction.

16. What are your writing strengths?

When I get in the groove, the words flow like spilled ink. Sometimes that translates to beautiful flowery prose, or contemplative introspection. I can write paragraphs of introspection and observation and not realize how much I've written where nothing has actually happened.

Also dialogue! I once had a school teacher tell me I was really good at dialogue, and that has stuck with me since.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Most of it boils down to making myself sit down and actually write. If I look at writing as a chore, my brain will refuse to do it, and while this isn't technically a writing weakness, it is something that very often keeps me from writing.

Timing is another thing. Remembering how much time has passed in universe, or what is a reasonable amount of Things to do in one in-universe day.

Also commas. I tend to write like an 18th century poet in that I use way more commas than are strictly necessary.

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

I have conflicting feelings on this. On one hand, I love for people to be able to showcase that a fic is taking place in a certain part of the world based on language. On the other hand it reminds me a little of flipping to the back of a classic novel for end notes that give historical context to what I'm reading. It's good to have that context, but flipping to the back of the book to understand something takes me out of the experience.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The very first? That would probably have been Harry Potter, and I would have been about 12.

But the first fanfic I wrote was about my kindergarten best friend's imaginary friend, who was an anthropomorphic cat who wore his hat backwards, and I thought he was sooooo cool. (Technically I dictated it to my mom, who then wrote it, but it still counts.)

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Across Enemy Lines, and not only because I'm dating my co-writer. Our writing styles flow together so well, and it's been so much fun to work on!

Tagging @lady-of-disdain and @feral-fantic, but no pressure! Only if you want to do it!

[specialagentlokitty]

Mr Evershed x Teen!reader - you’re not so scary

Part one:

Mr Evershed looked at the paper in front of him, he had only been at Ackley a couple of weeks, and he was used to people trying to play pranks on him.

He assumed they did it to all the new teachers, but this took it to a whole new level, what was supposed to be an essay on Romeo and Juliet in English, was writing in a language he could only assume was latin.

“Who would even write this…?” He mumbled to himself.

It had no name, and he didn’t even recognise the handwriting, and he knew there was no new students in any of his lessons.

So it made it even more confusing.

Furrowing his brows a little bit, he attempt to read it aloud, but he could hardly pronounce any of the words, so he grabbed his laptop.

He imputed the first paragraph word for word into google translate, but it never came up with a translation. It did come up with a option to play it out loud.

So that’s what he did.

The automated voice read the words, still not meaning anything to him, so he sighed, setting the paper aside.

He carried on working through the work he had to do, occasionally turning his attention back towards the strange paper.

But the more he sat there, the more he began to feel uneasy.

As if somebody was sat there watching him, so he looked around only to find that there was nobody there.

Turning back to his papers, he couldn’t shake that feeling, no matter how much he looked around it wouldn’t go away.

It’s like his brain knew there was something watching him, but his eyes refused to focus on whatever it was.

Shivers went down his spine, and he set everything aside, deciding to just grab his things and leave.

You watched as the man left, and walked over to his desk, picking up the paper, humming to yourself a little bit as you read over the words.

“How tedious…” you mumbled.

Stuffing the paper into your pocket, you put your hands into the pocket of your jacket and padded towards the door, moving through it as you walked down the hallway.

The people you passed never spared you a second glance, and you walked outside of the school, taking a deep breath and looking around.

“What a dump.”

You looked in a certain direction and you vanished from your spot, reappearing in front of a house and you walked over to the car, jumping on the roof of it to lay down.

You stared at the cloud sky in boredom, not wanting to be there, but you had no choice.

Grumbling a little, you sat up and turned towards the door as it opened.

“I won’t be too long!”

The door closed and you titled your head a little at the man who was beginning to walked down the street, and you jumped up to follow him.

You walked slightly behind him, stopping when he stopped, staring at him when he turned around and seemed to stare right through you.

He went to the shop, and while he got what he needed, you looked around, picking up some things to look at them more before tossing them aside in boredom.

A few people would look, but assumed they fell off the shelf.

It was your favourite things about humans, in places like this they didn’t think too much about things.

But one did.

The man you were following.

He was on edge for the next week, almost paranoid, and you would do things to spook him.

You learned his name, most people called him Mr Evershed, so you assumed it must have been that.

So you began to taunt Mr Evershed.

You moved things, threw things, messed with doors and windows, wrote weird messages on the whiteboard where he worked or sit messing with the radio on his car.

Anything to try and scare him, hoping maybe if you scared him enough it would undo what he had somehow managed to do and you would be able to leave.

But it wouldn’t work.

So you began to intensify what you were doing, you began tripping him, pushing him so he would stumble purely just to make yourself laugh.

It was fun.

So when he was walking home one night, you tripped him up, laughing loudly.

“That’s not nice behaviour.” Another voice spoke.

“Excuse me?” Mr Evershed asked.

The woman smiled slightly, shaking her head at you.

“I’m sorry, not you. I’m talking to the person who just tripped you up.”

You blew raspberries at her, immediately recognising what she was, and you jumped up onto the fence of the church that she was stood in.

She turned her gaze to you then Mr Evershed.

“Are you alright? You seem a bit tired.”

“I just haven’t been sleeping well, thank you for the concern though.” He said.

She smiled kindly at him.

“You know, the pastor is still in if you want to talk to him. We’re always happy to listen at the church to anything that seems unnatural or you aren’t sure about.”

You jumped back down, picking up a small stone, you tossed it as hard as you could at the church, watching as it bounced of the stone wall.

Both the adults turned to the wall to watch the stone bounce away.

“That wasn’t me!” Mr Evershed rushed out.

“I believe you sir.”

You picked up another, and threw it again, laughing a little as it bounced back, nearly hitting one of them.

“Please sir, come inside.”

“I have to get home.”

He began to walk away and you carried on tossing stones.

“It’ll only get worse!” She called.

He stopped.

“They’re bored, and they’ll keep getting worse until somebody gets hurt, we can help you.”

Mr Evershed decided to ignore her, thinking it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

But he couldn’t help but feel scared as it carried on for another week, and he was sure he was seeing someone out the corner of his vision. But then he looked they were gone.

After nearly a month of everything, you began to break things, mirrors, plates, cups, chairs, anything you could.

And that was it for him.

He returned to the church and walked inside.

“I knew you would come eventually.” The pastor said.

“I think I’m going insane…”

The pastor smiled and sat him down, giving him some time to calm down.

You stood outside the gates of the church looking to the main doors.

“How boring.”

Stuffing your hands in your pockets you paced back and forth as you waited.

“Is that everything that’s been happening?” The pastor asked.

“Yes…”

“Did you read anything strange? Stumble across anything?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Think about it carefully.”

So he did.

He though about everything recently, and he remembered how it all started.

“Actually, there was an essay. Latin I think which was strange I teach English. I put it into google translate but nothing came up, but it did have an option for it to read it.”

“Please tell me you never played it.”

“I did…”

The pastor drew a small breath.

“Do you have this paper?”

“No, it was gone from my desk.”

The pastor got up, walking over to the doors he opened them and stared at you.

You stared right back waving the paper in your hands.

Mr Evershed looked over, and he slowly got up to walk over, and he stared at you.

“I’ve seen that teenager before…”

“Our the corner of your eye. Slowly your mind has been adjusting to everything, the veil covering them would have broken down around you.”

“Oh your so clever, you deserve a gold star!” You taunted.

The pastor narrowed his eyes and you narrowed yours back as you looked at him.

“What are you? Poltergeist? Ghost? Ghoul?”

“None of those. You know what I am.”

Mr Evershed looked at the pastor.

“It’s why you cannot enter these sacred grounds.”

With that he closed the doors and turned to Mr Evershed.

“It’s just a teenager, probably playing a prank is all.”

“It’s more than that. You seemed to have been targeted, picked to bring this creature into our world.”

“What?”

“You have summoned a demon.”

“That’s childish! There is no such thing!”

“Isn’t there?” You asked.

They both jumped and spun around to see you sat at the front of the church, tossing a small stone up and down in your hand.

In here, in the light, they could get a good look at you.

You looked human, and if it wasn’t for the glow of your eyes, and the strange pattern glowing on the back of your hand they would’ve assumed you to be just another human.

“How did you get in here?” The pastor asked.

He stood in front of Mr Evershed and you titled your head a little.

“I’m just that clever.” You shrugged.

“Leave this man alone.”

“Nah.”

“What do you want with him?”

You looked at Mr Evershed.

“I don’t know, he summoned me so what does he want is the real question.”

You stood up, and the lights flickered a little bit.

“You’re not real…”

“Believe that all you want, you will have to confront me at some point, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”

With that, you vanished.

“You must leave, this is something I can’t help you with.”

The pastor pushed him out and slammed the doors shut behind him, and Mr Evershed slowly walked away, refusing to accept anything he had seen.

Despite the fact he heard your footsteps fall in line with his, he prayed that it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

He didn’t want to accept that fact that right behind him seemed to be a very bored and destructive demon.

He had to deal with teenagers all day at work, he could do that fine.

A teenage demon?

He refused to accept it to be true, and hoped maybe if he ignored you that you would go away