#protocol writing guidelines

[dermatology-cro]

3 Tips on Protocol Writing from an Investigator’s Perspective

[mpchev]

Update on fanbinding dissertation: binding the dissertation itself!

After many days and nights of writing and wrangling footnotes and proofreading (where I couldn't convince my laptop that yes, I meant textualisation, not sexualisation), 'twas time to bind the beasts! In three copies, no less! Which I approached with way too much confidence from my one fanbind experience, and came with many fun little surprises due to the format guidelines I had to follow 🤡

This is going to be a long one, so here's my happy unfocused mug to confirm that it all ends well:

First pickle: The typesetting. I absolutely loved typesetting fanfic, but the dissertation had to be A4 (way less fun, boo-hoo), one-sided, with every page numbered. Did you know that LibreOffice won't let you add blank pages and only number the non-blank ones, without skipping numbers? In order to print signatures I could fold into one-sided pages, only numbered on the right-hand pages, I ended up switching to landscape orientation and including the equivalent of a blank page in the left margin.

Second pickle: The imposing, which I couldn't figure out using the amazing bookbinder with my weird landscape 2-page layout. I finally gave in and rearranged all the pages manually, which looked like p. 1 on the recto / p. 10 on the verso, then p2/p9, p3/p8, p4/p7, p5/p8, p6/p7. And because there was no way I was paying print-in-colour prices for all of this, I further split the manually imposed pages into two files, one for the greyscale printer (cheaper) and one for the colour printer (highway robbery). Still came up to ~£70, just for printing.

Very glad I went in chunks of 10 for the signatures, it made both the math and the folding using sheets from two different piles much easier, highly recommend (if for some absurd reason you also want to bind one-sided numbered pages in folded signatures).

Third pickle: Linear time. Had planned on having so much time to print and bind this thing, but kept writing and rewriting and proofing and oops! It was due in less than 24 hours and it was still not out of the laptop. So.

22/09/24, 6pm: Got to the library, started printing.

6.45pm: Found another printer where all the paper was the same shade of white, started printing again 🤦‍♂️ (kept the the misprints to use as scrap paper when glueing)

7.30pm: Started folding the 150 sheets of paper (3 x 100-page dissertation, 2 pages per sheet). Went from the last episode of The Magnus Protocol, to an episode of Welcome to Night Vale, to deciding restart The Magnus Archive, which felt almost poetic.

9pm: Headed back home, trimmed the edges (with a borrowed guillotine), folded the endpapers, stabbed everything. Lack of pictures to be blamed on my inability to mess with linear time, and the eventual sleep deprivation.

10.30pm, I think? Started sewing the signatures together, again with Supernatural (which I started rewatching when I submitted my first dissertation assignment in mid-May, and finished 2 days after submitting the dissertation itself, again, such poetry).

2am, probably? Tipped the endpapers and glued cheesecloth over the spines. Somehow figured out where to set the three textblocks to dry (I don't have a press). Sadly gave up on sewing on (or glueing) headbands, because time.

3am-ish: Cut the missing cover pieces out of millboard (had already cut 4 of 6 covers, since I knew it had to be A4), measured the spines of the three textblocks and cut those as well.

???am: Did some math, because sure, that's the right time for that. Cut the bookcloth to size, glued the cover pieces on the bookcloth. Remarkably only messed up the measurements on one of them! That means one of the copies has a millimetre of millboard showing in the inside corners of the back cover, but not enough time/bookcloth/millboard to redo it, onward we go!

Way past dawn: Took a break for food while the covers somewhat dried. Cased the three textblocks in the three covers, with the endpapers bubbling, which took me by surprise since it was the same paper and same glue I had used for the fanbind without any problem. I'm now thinking that bigger book = more time needed to apply the glue = endpapers getting warped, but I was so exhausted by this point that who knows. Again, no time to redo it!

9.30am: Stacked the dissertations under the heavy reference books I used to write the dissertation. Toute est dans toute hein. Went to bed while they (mostly) dried.

2.30pm: Woken up by my neighbour's dj set. Eventually put all that hard work in a tote and walked to school to hand it in at 4.30pm.

Fourth and last pickle: The titling. Couldn't find paper long enough to do a half-dust jacket like I did last time. Had big cutout plans, ran out of time and couldn't finish testing those. Also had some thicker textured paper I thought of cutting and glueing to the cover as a title card, but it turned out too thin and was warping. Finally resigned myself to submitting it with a blank cover, but one of my teachers asked if I would mind adding the title on with metallic markers to make it easier to identify (one copy will eventually be on the shelf at the Institute), and I'm SO HAPPY with how it turned out. Metallic markers. Why didn't I think of that. (I did, however, think about dressing appropriately for the occasion.)

So, is it possible to print and bind 3 books in less than 24 hours? Yes! Am I glad I did it? Also yes, very satisfying, love being extra! Would I do it again? God no, I've been sleeping for two weeks and I still haven't recovered. Can't wait to start binding something else though, so I guess it wasn't that bad.

That's it! That's over! Aaaaaah! Now waiting for the grade and comments, and hopefully soon I'll be able to share the content as well.

I'll also try to post some more about the research/writing process itself, somewhere between the late nights reading international treaties on income tax and the early mornings spent figuring out how to apply for a phd next.

Thank you so much to everyone who followed along, this was way more fun than I ever could have hoped!

[pilesofnonsense]

RQBB 2025 Writer Sign-Ups Open!

Writer Sign-Ups are now open for the Rusty Quill Big Bang 2025!

Please read through the information carefully to understand what will be expected of you as a participant.

The sign-up link is at the end of the post under the spoiler cut!

You do not need to have decided what you will be writing at this stage, but please consider whether the fic requirements are compatible with what you have in mind, and be sure that you can commit to contacting us on the below deadlines to share your progress (or withdraw your participation if necessary).

Schedule for 2025 (all deadlines at 23:00 BST / 5pm CDT):

Writer Sign-ups: May 12th - 18th

Full First Draft & Summary Due: August 10th

Artist Sign-ups: August 18th - August 24th

Art Draft Deadline: September 28th

Final Fic & Art Due: October 19th

Posting: October 26th

Info for Writers:

Minimum Final Word Count: 15,000

Maximum Number of Fics per Writer/s: 1

Maximum Number of Writers per Fic (collaboration): 2

Confirmation e-mails for sign-ups will be sent out after sign-ups close; if you have not received a confirmation by May 30, please contact us at pilesofnonsense@gmail.com. We ask that you check your email (including the spam folder!) and reply so we can confirm that your registered email address is correct and you still intend to participate.

Participation Requirements:

You must choose whether to join the Big Bang as an artist or writer. You may not do both.

Writers will require an AO3 account; if you do not have an AO3 account, please request one via AO3’s login page.

If you wish to write M or E rated fics you must be aged over 18.

All participants must read and adhere to the Expected Conduct guidelines (see below).

Fic Draft Requirements: At the draft deadline (August 18th), we will require a complete draft of at least 13,000 words. “Complete” means that the fic is written from start to finish with no indispensable scenes missing or left as outlines—think, “If I posted this right now, would I be happy with the story it tells?”

Ideally, you will refine and polish your draft in the remaining time, but it can also be your final draft if you prefer.

Drafts will be handed in via a form that will be sent out to you before the deadline. Drafts should be available in Google docs, or if need be in PDF format.

Summary Requirements: A form for the summary will be sent out to you before the deadline. Summaries should briefly outline the general premise, and include rating, ships, triggers and other warnings, and any other relevant details.

Eligible Fics:

Fics of any rating and with any warnings are permitted, as long as they meet the minimum word count (15,000), are centered around at least one Rusty Quill original podcast (The Magnus Archives, The Magnus Protocol, Rusty Quill Gaming, Stellar Firma, Inexplicables, Chapter & Multiverse, Trice Forgotten, Cry Havoc!, Neon Inkwell), and are tagged appropriately.

We encourage authors to take this opportunity to challenge themselves to take on a project that they might not otherwise—though please consider what is realistic in terms of the deadlines as well!

Fics must be stand-alone (requires no knowledge of previous fics to enjoy), complete (resolves all main plotlines within the story, as opposed to being part I of a trilogy, etc.), and previously unposted.

Crossovers are allowed, but the focus should be on the RQ podcast involved. For example: a fusion crossover with the Leverage Team replacing the LOLOMG in the RQG!verse would not be permitted, though the RQG characters in the Leverage!verse would be.

Please be aware that fics with obscure crossovers, common squicks, higher ratings, etc., may be more difficult to match, and thus take a little longer to get snapped up. We will do our best to find you a suitable match, though!

If you have any questions about the suitability of your fic, please contact the mods.

Matching Process:

The artist sign-up will include a list of the anonymised fic summaries. Each artist will select 3 fics which they would be interested in creating for, with additional preferences (favourite show/shows they do not follow, OTPs and NoTPs, Do Not Wants, etc.) indicated in the comment field. Mods will then match writers to artists, taking preferences into account as much as possible.

If fics are oversubscribed or if it is otherwise necessary for matching, they may be removed from the list of eligible fics before the end of artist sign-ups.

If you have an issue with your match, please let the mods know as soon as possible.

Do Not Wants:

In this event, you will have an opportunity to Do Not Want (DNW) the types of content that you do not wish to work on. Similarly, if you’ve had conflicts with certain people in the past and do not want to risk matching to them, you can include this in your sign-up or draft submission, and we will avoid matching you with them (details of these will not be shared beyond the mod team).

The mods will always account for DNWs within reason; however, attempts to manipulate matches via DNWs or otherwise acting in bad faith will result in the rejection of your sign-up or draft. We are also not private detectives, and will thus not be fielding any requests such as “do not match me with anyone who has ever drawn/written XYZ.” Please keep that in mind when considering whether this event is right for you.

Expected Conduct:

By signing up for this event, you agree to do your best to meet the deadlines. If you might need a little more time, please email the mods to explain your situation before the deadline passes. Those who miss deadlines without contacting the mods beforehand may be dropped from the event without further contact.

In order to participate in this event, you must be willing to contact the mods directly in the event that you have a question, concern, or issue with your participation (as in the deadline example above). We are happy to help participants with anything that arises, but cannot accept “telephone”-style communiques on behalf of others.

Be in regular contact with your match—if you’re going to be offline for a significant length of time, let them know. Radio silence from your match in events of this kind can be very concerning. (If you are having trouble getting in touch with your match, please contact us!)

Please take care to credit your artist/writer in your own final post.

Our Discord server has its own list of rules, which are listed within the server. If you decide to join the server, we require you to read and abide by those rules.

Be kind and courteous towards your match and fellow participants. This naturally means that all forms of bigotry and discrimination are prohibited, but even where those are not at play, you are expected to treat others with respect.

We, like Rusty Quill, have an “all headcanons are valid” policy. Harassment or mockery of those with different interpretations will not be tolerated. This does not mean you cannot discuss how you see the characters with others or that your artist/writer should not take it into account at their discretion, but insistence that any one interpretation must be adhered to is not allowed.

If you have concerns that a work or participant may be in violation of the rules, please bring it to the mods directly. Harassment of other participants (including but not limited to callout posts, name-calling, baiting, etc.), either publicly or in the Piles of Nonsense discord server, over their identities, fanworks, or headcanons will result in an instant default.

A full overview of the Guidelines can be found on our Challenge Guidelines page. We also have an FAQ. (Please note that blog pages do not work on the app - you may need to use a browser.)

The writer sign-up form can be found here.

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to working with you!  

[unfamiliar-ghostly-system]

Ideas and notes for system journals.

Find a notebook that works for your system. Depending on your lifestyle a notebook that is portable may be best, if you communicate through art a sketchbook may be better, or an app like Notion could be better.

Figure out what the actual purpose of the journal is. Is the main goal organization or communication? Depending on what you're trying to achieve, a planner, agenda, or bullet journal format could work better. This could also impact what is going to be written in the journal, is it traditional journaling or bullet points of events that happened, or anything and everything? Having a general idea of these things can help when setting the notebook up.

Make an introduction page. Customise this for your system's needs. If memory is an issue having a bit on describing what the notebook is or your protocol for what to do if you find yourself somewhere you don't know could be an idea. You could do a brief introduction of everyone who will be writing in the journal, goals, guidelines, or such.

If you're struggling for inspiration, look at the world of bullet journaling (can be shortened to "bujo")!

[vladdyissues]

Lately Ive seen some awful things about antis and haters making threats and getting artists banned from Tumblr and X. Im new to the Phandom and love pompep but Im scared i'll be targeted if I write and share pompep fics. How do you manage sharing your work so bravely?

Firstly, welcome to the Phandom—and especially Pompous Pep! I have a simple protocol for enjoying a drama-free Tumblr experience:

Preventative Action

1. Find your community. Follow other Pompep fans and supporters and reblog their things. Don't be afraid to leave nice tags; we love and welcome interactions :) You can also join the Pompep Discord server if you enjoy chatting (DM me for details).

2. Turn off anon asks. This will solve 99% of all potential problems, and you can turn it back on whenever you want. Antis are cowards who prefer to hide behind the mask of anonymity. They seldom have the courage to say something with their whole username.

3. Block the obvious haters. This is a big fandom, and at some point you're likely to come across people openly hating on pompep, either on their bio, pinned posts, or comments. Block them. For an added layer of protection, add their username to your Filtering Options.

4. Tag your work appropriately. When posting, make sure your work is tagged correctly (the #pompous pep tag is especially important) so people who like pompep can find it and those who want to avoid it can block the tag. Use Content Labels when applicable.

5. Try to avoid using the platonic tag (#badger cereal) and the romantic tag (#pompous pep) at the same time. Some fans are really touchy about this. I'm not, and I think there are legitimate cases where use of both is applicable, but if you want to minimize friction, just stick with one tag or the other.

If you're not sure which tag to use, ask yourself what your intentions are with your art or fic. Is the goal a romantic relationship? If so, use the pompep tag. If it's truly ambiguous and could be seen either way, use the platonic tag first. You can always add another tag like "okay to tag as pompep", just to let people know they can interpret it however they please.

Responsive Action

If the above guidelines aren't 100% effective, here's what you do:

1. Don't feed the trolls. If you receive any negative asks in your inbox, it's important to NOT engage with them. Delete them, ignore them, don't let them get to you. Antis thrive on attention, so let them starve. Eventually they'll move on when they realize they're not going to get a rise out of you.

The same goes for any negative comment left on your work. Just delete it, block the person who left it, and pretend it never happened.

These asks and comments may come in the form of questions. Example: "How can you ship Danny with Vlad? That's [insert gross accusation here]" Resist the urge to answer these questions. They are not made in good faith. This person just wants to start an argument.

2. Report any harassment. If by some chance you receive a seriously hateful ask, like threats of violence or abuse, take a screenshot for proof/safekeeping, then report the message and the user if they're not anonymous. If the ask is anonymous, use the meatball menu (•••) at the top right to report the message and block the anon.

Final Words

It takes time to develop a thick skin and Don't Give A Fuck attitude, but it can be done. You are a phan. You have every right to be here and enjoy this fandom in peace, just like everyone else. Anyone who believes in harassing others over silly things like which cartoon characters should be allowed to kiss clearly has nothing better to do with their life. The sooner you shut them out, the happier you'll be.

Regarding media: Artists attract a lot more negative attention than writers for reasons I won't get into right now, but if you're mainly a writer, you will enjoy a much quieter fandom experience. Wherever you post your stories—I recommend AO3; DM me if you need an invite—follow the same advice there as I've given here: make sure your work is tagged correctly; support your fellow Pompep fans by reading and commenting on their works, building that community; moderate comments if you're concerned about negativity; block and mute users if they give you any trouble, and you'll enjoy a much more positive fandom experience.

There is strength in community. When you start making new fandom friends, you'll feel a lot less lonely, and that will give you the confidence you need to really have a good time here.

Wishing you the best, anon!

[thicknick19]

Tell No One

Part Two - Eyes On You

The Routine

Time doesn’t pass here. It circles.

You wake when the lights shift from deep amber to sterile white, flickering once like a sunrise that forgot how to be warm. You eat when the tray slides in from the wall, always silent. Always the same food. A little too perfect. A little too you.

Then come the reflection periods.

Twice a day, morning and evening, you’re required to sit in front of the mirror and talk. About what? Anything. Everything. You’re told this is “vital for emotional data collection.”

The Welcome Packet included guidelines:

Face the mirror directly.

Speak clearly.

Be emotionally transparent.

Do not engage in self-harm or acts of deception.

Do not attempt to provoke or manipulate your observer.

That last one stays in your mind like a song lyric.

"Your observer."

You haven’t seen them. Haven’t heard them. But you feel it—eyes, always just past the surface of the glass. Watching. Listening.

At first, you follow the guidelines with distant sarcasm:

“I’m fine. Day one, maybe day two. Hard to tell. Thanks for the food. I’d kill for a clock. Are you bored yet, or is staring at me cry the highlight of your week?”

The mirror gives nothing back.

But you keep going. Because what else is there?

The Breakdown Begins

By the fifth—or maybe fifteenth—day, your sarcasm thins.

The silence seeps in. It fills the corners of your room, winds around your ankles when you sleep, presses in behind your eyes when you’re awake. You start talking to the mirror just to make noise.

“My mom would love this place. Always said I needed discipline.” “I had a dog once. He died in the winter.” “There’s something wrong with the light in here. It doesn’t feel real.”

No one answers. Of course they don’t. But sometimes, when your voice cracks, or when you press your fingers to the glass—you swear the red light pauses. Just for a second.

You tell yourself it's nothing.

But you stop looking directly at the mirror after that.

Protocol Breach (Subtle)

One morning, you skip the reflection session.

You curl up on the bed and close your eyes instead, refusing to face the mirror.

Ten minutes pass. Then twenty.

Then—click. A soft, mechanical shift.

You open your eyes.

There’s a blanket at the foot of your bed. Not the thin, scratchy standard-issue sheet. A different one—soft. Dark gray. Heavy. Folded perfectly.

You didn’t see or hear anyone come in.

It smells faintly like detergent. Clean, but real. Like a home you forgot existed.

Your throat tightens.

“Thank you,” you whisper toward the mirror, unsure if you mean it.

The red light blinks. Once. Twice. Then it holds.

Solid red. Unmoving.

You feel watched. But for the first time… not alone.

What They Don’t Say

The protocol packet never said what happens if your observer interacts with you. It outlined the rules you must follow—but nothing about consequences for them.

You flip back through the manual one night, flipping through familiar pages. You notice something now that didn’t register before.

“Observers are trained to maintain emotional distance for the duration of the subject’s stay. Direct contact is not advised except in emergency protocol scenarios.”

Not advised. Not forbidden.

You read it again. And again.

Your pulse rises.

They didn’t say can’t. They said shouldn’t.

So what happens when they do?

The Mirror Responds

You test it.

You write again on the glass—this time smaller. More personal. You crouch down at the base of the mirror, away from the camera’s angle.

“Are you real?”

The next morning, the message is gone. But your handwriting isn’t smeared. It wasn’t cleaned away. It was… rewritten. In neater strokes. Faint. Careful.

It says:

“Are you?”

You freeze.

For the rest of the day, you don’t speak during the reflection periods. You just stare at the mirror. Quiet. Heavy. Waiting.

And somehow, the silence feels heavier than your voice ever did.

A New Face

You’re escorted to the observation wing again. This time for a different task—walking laps in the corridor, under the guise of light physical therapy.

And that’s when you see him.

Another subject.

Male. Late teens or early twenties. Messy dark hair. Slim build. His arms are crossed. There’s a look in his eyes—like he knows something. Like he’s been here longer.

The guards give you a wide berth as you pass each other.

He looks right at you.

And says:

“They don’t let you leave. Not really.” “Some of us are just part of the test now.”

Your escort yanks him back before he can say more.

When you return to your room, you find something new.

In the bottom corner of your mirror, barely visible unless the light hits it just right:

Don’t speak to him again.

And under it, scribbled in rushed, uneven strokes:

He’s watching everything. You’re in danger now.

You sit on the floor that night, blanket wrapped tight around your shoulders. The reflection session comes and goes. You don’t speak. You just stare at the mirror and ask—soft enough that only the glass can hear it:

“Are you protecting me… or keeping me for yourself?”

This time, the red light doesn’t blink. It glows.

Solid. Steady. Unflinching. He heard you. And he’s still there.

Taglist: @riasturns @poppetbaby02 @johnheart @bells-sturn @user1smvtysturniolo @finnickodairslut @bellxx9 @ariastur9z @sage-burrow @theylovedemi @persephonesluvs @elisebeattie @novalovesstvrz @angelsturniolo @honey-zozo @idek1234567891 @darksturnioloqueen

[sunsetblvdhq]

Hello again, members!

For those of you who wish to stick with us in a more closed setting, here's how we will be operating here at SunsetBlvdHQ from this point forward:

First and foremost, if you wish to stick around, please let us know either via IM or in reply to this post with your name/alias and the celebs you wish to keep in the group. If you do not let us know within the next 24 hours, your roles will be opened and your unfollows will be posted. Should you wish to come back, you are more than welcome to.

There will no longer be any activity guidelines, which means there will no longer be activity checks, but rather interest checks once a month. This will let us know who wants to stick around and continue writing in the closed setting with us.

If you wish to bring in any new celebs, all you have to do is send us an ask with the name of the celeb and their blog for us to follow. No need to send us any applications. This is much simpler for everyone involved. There is also no wait time for picking up and dropping celebs. You are free to pick up anyone at any time!

If you wish to drop any celebs, you will follow standard protocol and send us the unfollow with the blog URL.

We will likely still participate in memes to keep the space fun and entertaining!

We will continue to use the OOC blog for any OOC interactions as needed.

Regarding events and such, we will no longer be holding any events from an admin standpoint. However, if any members wish to hold an event (i.e. a party, birthday party, wedding, etc.), then you are free to do so, as long as you send us an IM to the main. The same thing goes for if you wish to go through with a pregnancy plot.

We do still expect everyone to treat their peers with kindness and fairness, which we will still be heavily monitoring as we have zero tolerance for any bullying, harassment, or hate of sorts. That will not change despite this group changing to a closed setting. If we see any of these things happening, you will be removed from the closed group with no hesitations or questions asked.

With all that said, we look forward to continue writing with those of you who wish to stick around!

[clotpolesonly]

What You Earn

me? posting two fics in a week?? for the first time in literal years?? 😲 yeah, that feels good. that feels reeeaaal good. i've been champing at the bit for trans!Declan fic, so i'm glad i finally got around to writing some. (i'll write some that's not smut at some point too 😂) | Decladam | 4.5k | E | Dom/sub | Anonymous Sex | Public Sex | Dom Adam | Sub Declan | Trans Declan | Fingersucking | Leg Humping | Dubcon | (read on AO3)

.

Adam pulled into the dungeon parking lot at a quarter to ten. He should've been here an hour ago, but he'd been damn near useless at work all week, driven to distraction over the thought of tonight. It had taken him three times as long to get everything done that he needed to. His coworkers had asked him if he was sick, and he'd claimed he was because the alternative was telling them that he was just that excited to go to the kink club tonight.

He'd gotten the email a few weeks ago. He'd almost marked it as spam, but then he'd recognized the name of the dungeon he'd joined in his freshman year, back when he still had the occasional free evening to dedicate to making himself feel good. It had been a long time since Adam had allowed himself that. He was, unequivocally and unapologetically, what one might call a workaholic. Between his final year of law school, the unpaid internship he could never hope to build a career without, and the two jobs he could never hope to survive long enough to build a career without, Adam didn't have a lot of time for leisure activities.

Most of the time, he was fine with that, and when he wasn't, he could usually manage to squeeze in a quick fuck with one of his study buddies. Those encounters were rarely exciting, and they certainly didn't satisfy him, but it was the price he paid for having priorities in his life. He had accepted it.

Until that email. He still had a club membership, technically. And they were hosting a special event.

It was a little pricey, but Adam's finances were in a decent place, and reading that email had sent a flush of arousal all the way down to his toes. He deserved a night off, didn't he? One night all to himself, no work, just the kind of hedonistic indulgence that would leave him thoroughly sated and hopefully carry him through the end of the semester to graduation. He'd earned that.

There had been a surprising amount of paperwork involved. A dozen forms and contracts with verbiage that Adam was more qualified than most to understand. Medical stuff too, verifying his clean bill of health and that he carried no transmittable diseases. Lists of rules and regulations, guidelines for behavior, safety protocols and information on who the floor marshals were and where they'd be in case of crisis. The definition of consent with a place for him to sign to confirm he understood the concept, and a plain text description of the event requiring another signature indicating his understanding of that.

Adam had filled out all of the forms. He'd signed in all the required places. He'd gotten tested and told he was clean. He'd swung by the dungeon on his Monday lunch break to turn it all in and then he'd had nothing to do but count down the days.

Now the time was finally, finally, here. Adam took a moment to breathe, the cool night air in sharp contrast with the fire in his gut. Normally, he doused that feeling with reminders of his schedule and his next paper deadline and just how much he did not have time to deal with it. But none of that mattered tonight.

The front room was misleadingly well lit and normal-looking. The receptionist had changed in the last few years; this one was a chic brunette with cat-eye glasses. She didn't look any different from the receptionist in the law office Adam had interned at the previous summer. She checked him in, verified that he was on the list and all his paperwork was in order, and pointed him down a long, equally normal-looking hallway with a cheery smile.

The dungeon itself was the same as Adam remembered—a sumptuous contrast to the corporate stylings of the foyer, filled with plush chairs and couches, nooks and crannies set into the walls dressed for comfort and the illusion of privacy. Soft, unobtrusive music played from somewhere Adam's one functioning ear couldn't pinpoint. The lights were dim enough to make it all feel, somehow, both cozy and illicit. The only new feature were a half dozen spotlights, all trained on the center of the cavernous room.

Six people; the focal point of tonight's event. Kneeling in a neat line, naked and exposed in the bright lights. Some of them were bound, some gagged. All were blindfolded. As Adam watched, another event attendee stepped up to guide one of them forward until she was on her hands and knees. He shoved his jeans down around his thighs and pushed into her from behind. The girl did not resist. And why would she? It was what she'd signed up for. To be helpless like this. To be completely at the mercy of the unseen, anonymous—though thoroughly vetted and monitored—crowd. Nothing but a hole to fuck.

These people had come to be used, and Adam had come to use them.

God, it really had been too long since he'd done anything like this. Well, he'd never done anything quite like this, but once upon a time Adam had participated in the local scene. He'd had regular play partners, submissives who would give him the opportunity to take them apart and put them back together again. That wasn't the kind of thing he could ask of a casual hookup with someone from his environmental law class and thus it wasn't the kind of thing he got to have in his life much anymore. The craving for it, that itch, had been set aside for a long time.

It reared its head now as Adam made his way around the room. A lot of the people here were regulars who knew each other well and there was a fair amount of comfortable chatter. Plenty of couples had come together and were touching each other while they watched the show. The people on display were quiet, each waiting with varying levels of composure until someone decided to make use of them. Adam kept to the edges at first, observing. He had always liked to watch. He also liked to plan, to gather information before making any decisions. He had options here, in these six willing bodies, and he wanted to make the best choice he could.

On one end was an older man, thick-set and with very red hair, both on his head and everywhere else. He had a spider gag holding his mouth open and drool coated his chin and neck. He wasn't hard, but the way he moaned when a woman put her fingers on his tongue said he was having a very good time anyway. Adam liked the body hair, but he wasn't a huge fan of excess saliva, so he passed this one by.

Next up was the woman who'd been bent over earlier. Her long hair was bunned and another man was currently using it to guide her through a rough blowjob. When he let her up for air, she said, "Thank you, master." That was promising. Adam mentally put a mark in the pro column for her.

The next woman was trussed up like a turkey, rope tight around her arms and her thighs and her breasts. Nobody was touching her at the moment, but she didn't seem to mind. She just squirmed against her bonds, letting the ropes laid over her nipples keep her occupied as she waited, whimpering. Adam appreciated her patience. It made him want to reward her, praise her for being such a good girl. He might come back to her later.

A slim young man with a thick collar around his neck sat beside her, obediently lapping at the hand held in front of his mouth. At a command from the hand's owner, he turned his face up for her to straddle. He resumed his licking. He was obviously good at it, Adam noted with interest, but, as much as he liked collars, actual puppy play had never been very appealing to him.

Adam moved down the line to the next person and stopped. For a moment, he wasn't sure what—who—he was looking at. Then, when he was sure, he still couldn't quite wrap his head around it.

He hadn't known that Declan Lynch was back in Boston.

He also hadn't known that Declan Lynch was submissively inclined.

And he definitely hadn't known that Declan Lynch was trans.

But there Declan Lynch was, on his knees in the middle of the row, a blindfold crushing his trademark dark curls against his scalp, and his thighs spread to show off a bush as neat and tidy as the rest of him. A hint of delicate pink showed through the dark hair, his pussy already glistening with somebody's come.

Adam should leave. That was his first thought, that there was something inappropriate about this and it would only be right for him to go. Declan, like the others, had signed up for anonymity, after all. He'd come here to be handled by strangers, people he did not know who did not know him, not by his little brother's ex-situationship whom he would probably see again in a few weeks when Thanksgiving rolled around. To be here, even just seeing Declan like this, felt like crossing some kind of ethical line. This isn't what Declan had consented to.

Adam thought this, standing still in the middle of the gently ebbing crowd, for several long minutes. As each one passed, the urgency of the thought faded a bit, even as the better parts of himself tried to hold onto it. Because wasn't it what Declan had consented to? Technically speaking, the anonymity in this arrangement wasn't a guarantee that Declan wouldn't know any of the people who touched him. It was a guarantee that he wouldn't know who touched him, regardless of who they were. He'd signed up to be unaware.

Adam watched as a man stepped up to put his hand on Declan's throat. Declan tensed at the unexpected touch, then relaxed into it and obligingly lifted his chin. The man let his hand trace its way down Declan's body, over his chest, across his stomach, and between his legs to tug at his little tdick. Declan's lips parted, though if he made a sound, Adam wasn't close enough to hear it.

Adam looked away. He shouldn't be here, he told himself again. It was weak, though. His conviction was quickly being eaten away at by that itch deep in Adam's gut. It wasn't that Adam particularly liked Declan as an individual, because he didn't, though he'd always acknowledged a certain physical attraction to him. It was the way that Declan ducked his head now, so different from his usual stubborn pride and outward aggression, while a stranger slipped rough fingers inside his body. It was the vulnerability of his covered eyes, the helplessness of the rope cuff keeping his hands behind his back, the invitation of his open mouth.

As the man circled around behind Declan, Adam accepted that he would not be leaving. He stayed right where he was, watching, as Declan was bent forward until his cheek was flat against the floor, unable to support himself with his hands bound behind him. He watched as the man fucked Declan that way, fast and hard and selfish about it. He watched as the man tucked himself back into his pants when he was finished, pulled Declan back up onto his knees, and left him dripping fresh come. He watched the rise and fall of Declan's flushed chest, the twitch of his stomach and clench of his thighs, the tremble that said he'd been right on the edge of orgasm and left without satisfaction.

Adam watched until he was sure that nobody else had their eyes set on Declan. Then he approached, making sure that his steps were loud enough to be heard. Declan's head snapped his way, obviously listening hard. Already attentive. Already eager.

Adam took a moment to think. To plan. He couldn't speak, he knew that much—Declan had known him far too long not to recognize his voice, even if Adam had finally squeezed the last of the Henrietta accent out of his vowels. That limited what he could do here, but he was good at nothing if not working within his means. There were other ways to communicate.

Declan waited, perfectly still, the shallowness of his breathing the only indication of his anticipation. Adam would never have expected this of the boy he'd known in high school. Maybe he should have. Wasn't it a cliché that men with powerful public fronts craved someone to take that power from them behind closed doors? If anyone would embody a cliché like that, it would be Declan Lynch.

Cliché or not, he was being very good. He deserved to be rewarded for it.

Decision made, Adam reached out to run his knuckles down Declan's cheek. The touch startled him a bit, but he stayed still and receptive. His lips parted again, obedient and expectant. Adam traced them with his fingertips, feeling the warmth of his carefully controlled breathing. Then he slid his thumb into Declan's mouth.

Declan immediately began to suckle on it. For a moment, Adam allowed this. Then he hooked his fingers underneath Declan's chin and pressed the pad of his thumb down, pinning Declan's tongue in place. Declan made a soft noise, not of protest but maybe of surprise. When Adam used the grip on his lower jaw to guide his head up, he followed the motion. To the left side, and to the right. He allowed Adam to move him with no resistance, this way and that.

Pleasure curled low in Adam's gut. Good boy, he wanted to say but couldn't.

He pulled his thumb free of Declan's mouth and tapped his forefinger twice against Declan's lips instead. Declan opened his mouth again, wider. Without a spoken command, the gesture could reasonably be interpreted any number of ways, so Adam didn't hold it against Declan that he didn't understand right away. He nudged Declan's mouth closed and tapped his lips again. Speak.

This time he got it. He swallowed and said, "Thank you."

Adam smiled to himself. He ran his fingers through Declan's curls in silent praise, but he tapped against his lips one more time too.

"Thank you, sir."

He really was a very good boy, wasn't he? Adam put his thumb back into Declan's mouth, gripped his chin again, and nodded Declan's head for him. Declan made another of those soft noises—this one was appreciative. Some tension in his body released, now that he'd understood what the rules were, how this particular partner had chosen to communicate with him.

Adam let him sit for a minute, enjoying the view and contemplating his options. The rope-bound woman down the row had found somebody to use her and was loudly declaring her gratitude. Puppy boy was whimpering. A person with a leather bustier and a whip approached Declan from behind, but they backed off with raised hands and an easy laugh when Adam gave them a pointed, proprietary look. Their boots clacked loudly against the floor as they retreated to one of the nearby little round tables to watch.

Adam glanced down at his own boots. Not knee-high and pointy-heeled, but plain and sturdy. Decent quality leather. The dark, scuffed brown of it was a pleasing contrast to the creamy paleness of Declan's inner thigh. Adam smiled to himself.

When Adam tightened his hold on Declan's chin and pulled him upward, Declan followed. Beyond just tilting his head up. Declan had to lift himself up from sitting on his feet. Adam stopped him before he gained his knees properly, halfway between sitting and kneeling. With his hands bound, he may have struggled to keep his balance without Adam holding him in place. He kept him there just long enough for Declan's thighs to start trembling from the effort of holding the awkward position and his breath to start coming faster in warm little puffs against Adam's wrist.

Just when the strain was getting to be too much, Adam let up on the pressure, and as he eased Declan back down, he shifted his foot forward between those spread legs. The toe of his boot fit snugly against Declan's well-used cunt. Declan's hips jerked at the unexpected contact. He settled into it gingerly, cautiously, but Adam could see the way his muscles clenched. A drip of come from his last partner leaked out. His little dick looked achingly hard.

Adam brushed the sweaty curls back from Declan's forehead. Declan leaned into the touch; he was almost sweet in his neediness. When Adam nudged up with his toe, he moaned around the thumb still in his mouth. Adam took his thumb out and did it again, to hear the sound unmuffled. It was a tease, this, just the lightest of contact, a hint of friction from the stitching in the leather, but nothing substantial. Declan had already been played with so much, though, that every touch seemed enough to shock him. How long had he been on the floor? Had he come yet tonight, or had he been worked up over and over but never pushed over the edge?

Adam slid his hand from Declan's hair down to the back of his neck and guided him forward until his face was cradled against Adam's thigh. He shifted again, wedging his foot further underneath Declan's body, no longer a tease but a firm presence from shin to toe tip. Declan gasped wetly against his slacks. This time, when Adam moved his foot against him, it sent a full-body shudder through him.

Go on, Adam wanted to say. Take what you need. You've earned it. Instead, he lifted his foot one more time and pet Declan's curls encouragingly when his hips bucked.

The message got through. Carefully, testingly, Declan began to move. It wasn't easy to get leverage without the use of his hands, and Adam's grip on his neck was largely responsible for keeping him upright and in place, but Declan had enough core strength to get the job done. He ground down against Adam's boot, no longer situated on the mostly-plain toe of it but on the busier texture of the laces. Slow at first, and then picking up speed. His hips jerked and swiveled as he searched for the best angle, overworked thighs shaking with the effort of supporting him.

It was a beautiful sight. Flushed all the way from his cheeks down to his chest, glistening with sweat, every muscle pulled taut as he worked himself over. His lips were red and wet and open, dampening Adam's slacks with every desperate noise he muffled in them.

Adam wanted to hear him properly, though. He tugged at Declan's hair until he lifted his head. Even with the blindfold covering half his face, Adam could tell his expression was blissed to the point of worshipfulness. Leave it to a catholic to find holiness in submission. Adam fed Declan his thumb again for just long enough to nod his head for him—the closest he could get to praise without saying the words. He tapped Declan's lips.

His response was immediate this time. "Thank you, sir."

Perfect.

Adam led him back into position and, this time, Declan thanked him for it. He leaned forward, knee digging hard into Declan's chest, until Declan could grind his dick against Adam's shin. Declan gasped and cursed and thanked him for it. The hem of Adam's pants was soaked through from Declan's cunt. There was no chance of salvaging these shoelaces; he would have to buy new ones. He tightened his grip on Declan's neck, keeping his face pressed tight against Adam's thigh, just a few inches shy of his own erection. Declan thanked him for that too.

Then, breathless and desperate, he said, "Please."

Adam had to bite his own tongue to keep from groaning.

"Can I come, sir?" Declan gasped. "Please can I come?"

Adam wanted to say no. He wanted to pull back and watch Declan writhe, teetering excruciatingly on the edge. He wanted to see if Declan had the discipline and self-control to just stop, if that's what Adam told him to do, no matter how close he was. He wanted to know how many times Declan could be denied before he cried. Most of all, he wanted to fuck Declan's pretty, polite little mouth until he choked.

And he could. He could do those things, right here and now, as dozens of people milled around to watch. He could gag Declan on his cock. He could fuck Declan into the ground just like the last man had and leave his pussy leaking a third—fourth? fifth?—load of come. He could jerk himself off onto Declan's sweat-damp face and leave him sticky and dripping white for the rest of the night. He could do anything he wanted to, and Declan would take it and be grateful.

Adam pressed the heel of his palm against his dick and reminded himself why he shouldn't fucking do that. It was bad enough that he was touching Declan at all, taking advantage of the consent loophole that his unexpected presence here created. Declan wanted to be fucked, yes, but he almost certainly didn't want to be fucked by him. If he knew whose hands he had on him right now…

Declan was begging in earnest, a steady stream of please and god with a few thank you, sirs thrown in like that might help his case. The rhythm of his hips was faltering as he fought against his impending orgasm. Waiting for Adam's permission.

His mouth was open against Adam's hip, soaking through the fabric there with sweat and spit, and he latched onto Adam's thumb immediately when it touched his tongue. He sucked and the feeling shot through Adam like lightning. He grit his teeth against the temptation to turn Declan's head the other way and let him suck to his heart's content. He gripped Declan's chin hard enough to bruise. It was an awkward angle like this, without pulling him upright again, but Adam managed to guide Declan through something recognizable as a nod.

Declan whined. His thighs clamped around Adam's ankle, hips working furiously for the pressure and friction he needed to tip over the edge. It seemed to go on and on, his whole body jerking and trembling with the force of his pleasure. Adam's thumb slipped from his mouth and was replaced with a veritable litany of gratitude.

Adam bit back every curse that wanted to fall from his own lips. He allowed himself one squeeze through his slacks, hard enough to hurt, and then forced his hand away from himself. He would get himself off at home, both to the memory of this and to the fantasy of ripping the blindfold off, letting Declan see just whose leg he'd been humping like a dog. The boy Adam had been back in high school could never have imagined the high and mighty Declan Lynch on his knees for him, begging, pleading, coming at his command. He wouldn't have dared.

Now, as Declan slumped, exhausted, against him, Adam threaded his fingers through his hair. He tugged Declan upright, the better to admire the absolute mess he'd made of the man. Adam's boot was drenched in his wetness and dripping with other men's come, the hem of his slacks plastered to his ankle. He was suddenly very glad that he'd driven to this event instead of taking public transit.

Adam tapped Declan's lips.

He sighed out another thank you, sir, sounding floaty and absent. More than satisfied. Adam nudged his lips apart and Declan opened his mouth wide, most likely expecting Adam to come in it. But Adam just tapped on his tongue—a new command that stymied him until Adam used the grip on his hair to bend him over, nearly all the way to the floor. His nose made contact with Adam's boot, and he understood.

With painstaking care, Declan cleaned up his mess. He dragged the flat of his tongue over the wide leather tip of the boot, licking up all that slick and come, and dug the tip of it into the stitching and seams as best he could. He even pulled the laces into his mouth and sucked on them. By the time he was finished, his lips were red and swollen and shining. He turned his face up, blindly beseeching.

One last time, Adam slid his thumb into that sweet, obedient mouth. He nodded Declan's head. Good boy. Declan suckled on him gently, but didn't protest when Adam pulled away. Beside him, the puppy sub was whimpering for attention again. The person with the heels and whip was back, waiting patiently now that it seemed the scene was winding down. Adam took one more long, lingering look at Declan, committing the pretty picture of him to memory, and then nodded to them.

Declan's attention shifted to the whip that nudged the back of his neck, and Adam turned away. He was so hard it hurt to walk, but he ignored it, making his way through the crowd and back toward the long, well-lit hallway and unassuming foyer. His sock was damp with Declan's come. He wondered if the fashionably bespectacled woman at the receptionist desk could smell it. If she could, she care. She worked in a kink dungeon; she was surely used to the people who passed her by reeking of sex. She gave him another of those cheery smiles and wished him a good night.

Adam slid back into his car, placing his feet carefully to minimize the mess. He slumped back in the seat and breathed in the cool night air. He still thrummed with arousal. It felt good. He felt good, even if he hadn't come, better than he had in ages. He put his thumb, still damp, against his own lips, and let himself luxuriate in the feeling of it all, the memory of Declan's mouth.

It occurred to him that he might've asked the receptionist if Declan Lynch was a regular here. If he would be back in the club the next week or if he, like Adam, had only made an appearance for the special event.

But that would be a wildly inappropriate thing to do. It was probably against the rules for her to give out privileged information about other club members. Boundaries and confidentiality were sacred in places like this. That's why they'd had to sign so many forms to get in the door. He could probably get blacklisted for even asking something like that. No, he definitely couldn't ask. If he wanted to know about Declan Lynch would be here another night, he would have to come back and see for himself.

Adam told himself he shouldn't. He told himself it was a bad idea. He tried to think of his schedule, his deadlines, how little time he had. It did nothing to douse the fire in him this time. What was one more night, really? Just to peek in and answer the question. He'd never be able to concentrate at work again if he didn't at least know one way or the other.

Just one more night off. He'd earned that. Hadn't he?

[ceilidho]

Do you have any experience in research ? Bc as a researcher you’re descriptions are fine don’t worry too much

No lmao not one drop 😭 it makes it sooooo hard to write anything like this. I have to do so so much research and even when I’m reading literal guidelines and protocols on this shit, i get a headache trying to understand it. So thank you so much ❤️❤️ so validating

[writingquestionsanswered]

Questions About Beta Readers

Anonymous asked: I want to have beta/sensitivity readers look my story over when it's finished, but I have questions:

[Ask edited for length]

Question #1 - How many beta readers do people usually get? I want to make sure I have a decent sample size of people to look the story over and make sure it makes sense, check for plot holes, etc.

It really depends. Most people do between 2 and 5. Some people go as high as 7 or 8. It also depends on whether you do one round of betas or two.

Question #2 - I was thinking of outlining exactly what I do and do not want before I send it to them. For example, "I want to know what you thought of the plot and whether or not it was easy to follow." Would that kind of thing be okay?

Yep! That's fine and it's actually standard protocol to send along specific questions or guidelines as far as what you're looking for.

Question #3 - Do beta readers also look at scripts, or just novels? My story isn't going to be in a "normal" novel format since it's the script for a comic. Would they still review something in that format, or do I have to find a specific type of beta reader?

You will need to find beta readers specifically for a comic script, but there are lots of people who will do that.

Question #4 - How many sensitivity readers do I need, and how do I know which one I should listen to if they give me conflicting opinions? I'm just worried one will go, "That's problematic and awful, remove it" and the second will go, "That's totally fine, leave it in". Would I need a third one as a tie-breaker?

Sensitivity readers have specific areas of expertise. While some may have multiple areas of expertise, no sensitivity readers specialize in all things. So, the number of sensitivity readers you need depends on how many things you need vetted, and how many it takes to cover it all. For example, let's say you have a Chinese-American character who is bipolar. And let's say their love interest is transmasc and uses a wheelchair. If you are not yourself Chinese-American, bipolar, transmasc, or someone who uses a wheelchair, then you would need sensitivity readers to cover all of those areas. In other words, as many as four, but potentially fewer if you find some who do happen to cover more than one necessary area of expertise.

While there may be some overlap in areas of expertise (like, two sensitivity readers who both specialize in wheelchair use on top of whatever specialty you specifically hired them for), it's pretty unlikely you'll run into conflicting opinions as long as you hire qualified sensitivity readers. In other words, people who have a business where they provide sensitivity reading as a service. This is important because part of their expertise is knowing the nuances of their specialty areas, and being able to separate personal preference from broader guidelines. This cuts down on conflicting opinions, too, when you have experts who overlap.

On the off-chance that you did have two experts with overlapping specialties who gave you conflicting opinions, I think you can ask questions (using the conflicting opinion as a prompt) to get a better understanding of why the person has that position. If you do that with both experts, this may give you enough data to decide which one has the opinion that's more likely to be widely shared. You may also be able to do research on your own to further understand the conflicting opinions.

I hope that helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[dermatology-cro]

[pilesofnonsense]

RQBB 2024 Writer Sign-Ups Open!

Writer Sign-Ups are now open for the Rusty Quill Big Bang 2024!

Please read through the information carefully to understand what will be expected of you as a participant.

The sign-up link is at the end of the post under the spoiler cut!

You do not need to have decided what you will be writing at this stage, but please consider whether the fic requirements are compatible with what you have in mind, and be sure that you can commit to contacting us on the below deadlines to share your progress (or withdraw your participation if necessary).

Schedule for 2024 (all deadlines at 23:00 BST / 5pm CDT):

Writer Sign-ups: May 20th - 26th

Full First Draft & Summary Due: August 18th

Artist Sign-ups: August 26th - September 1st

Art Draft Deadline: September 29th

Final Fic & Art Due: October 13th

Posting: October 16th- 27th

Confirmation e-mails for sign-ups will be sent out after sign-ups close; if you have not received a confirmation by May 30, please contact us at pilesofnonsense@gmail.com. We ask that you check your email (including the spam folder!) and reply so we can confirm that your registered email address is correct and you still intend to participate.

Participation Requirements:

You must choose whether to join the Big Bang as an artist or writer. You may not do both.

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All participants must read and adhere to the Expected Conduct guidelines (see below).

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Fic Draft Requirements: At the draft deadline (August 18th), we will require a complete draft of at least 18,000 words. “Complete” means that the fic is written from start to finish with no indispensable scenes missing or left as outlines—think, “If I posted this right now, would I be happy with the story it tells?”

Ideally, you will refine and polish your draft in the remaining time, but it can also be your final draft if you prefer.

Drafts will be handed in via a form that will be sent out to you before the deadline. Drafts should be available in Google docs, or if need be in PDF format.

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Eligible Fics:

Fics of any rating and with any warnings are permitted, as long as they meet the minimum word count (20,000), are centered around at least one Rusty Quill original podcast (The Magnus Archives, The Magnus Protocol, Rusty Quill Gaming, Stellar Firma, Inexplicables, Chapter & Multiverse, Trice Forgotten, Cry Havoc!, Neon Inkwell), and are tagged appropriately.

We encourage authors to take this opportunity to challenge themselves to take on a project that they might not otherwise—though please consider what is realistic in terms of the deadlines as well!

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Please be aware that fics with obscure crossovers, common squicks, higher ratings, etc., may be more difficult to match, and thus take a little longer to get snapped up. We will do our best to find you a suitable match, though!

If you have any questions about the suitability of your fic, please contact the mods.

Matching Process:

The artist sign-up will include a list of the anonymised fic summaries. Each artist will select 3 fics which they would be interested in creating for, with additional preferences (favourite show/shows they do not follow, OTPs and NoTPs, Do Not Wants, etc.) indicated in the comment field. Mods will then match writers to artists, taking preferences into account as much as possible.

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In this event, you will have an opportunity to Do Not Want (DNW) the types of content that you do not wish to work on. Similarly, if you’ve had conflicts with certain people in the past and do not want to risk matching to them, you can include this in your sign-up or draft submission, and we will avoid matching you with them (details of these will not be shared beyond the mod team).

The mods will always account for DNWs within reason; however, attempts to manipulate matches via DNWs or otherwise acting in bad faith will result in the rejection of your sign-up or draft. We are also not private detectives, and will thus not be fielding any requests such as “do not match me with anyone who has ever drawn/written XYZ.” Please keep that in mind when considering whether this event is right for you.

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By signing up for this event, you agree to do your best to meet the deadlines. If you might need a little more time, please email the mods to explain your situation before the deadline passes. Those who miss deadlines without contacting the mods beforehand may be dropped from the event without further contact.

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Be kind and courteous towards your match and fellow participants. This naturally means that all forms of bigotry and discrimination are prohibited, but even where those are not at play, you are expected to treat others with respect.

We, like Rusty Quill, have an “all headcanons are valid” policy. Harassment or mockery of those with different interpretations will not be tolerated. This does not mean you cannot discuss how you see the characters with others or that your artist/writer should not take it into account at their discretion, but insistence that any one interpretation must be adhered to is not allowed.

If you have concerns that a work or participant may be in violation of the rules, please bring it to the mods directly. Harassment of other participants (including but not limited to callout posts, name-calling, baiting, etc.), either publicly or in the Piles of Nonsense discord server, over their identities, fanworks, or headcanons will result in an instant default.

A full overview of the Guidelines can be found on our Challenge Guidelines page. We also have an FAQ.

The writer sign-up form can be found here.

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to working with you!  

[wildflockofparrots]

Now it's birth control

The Trump administration required CDC to take down all of their protocols and guidelines around prescription of contraception (like which pills are dangerous for particular health conditions), and for several other crucial topics for those of us who provide reproductive health care. As providers, we rely on something called the Medical Elligibility Criteria (MEC) for contraception. There is nothing there; the page is now a 404.

It's been a devastating week for trans health care, too, and the simple fact is that the actions of this administration are going to kill people, especially trans youth who are being told that they literally don't have a right to exist. But if you didn't care about those folks, if you could turn your head and ignore their suffering, guess what? If you've got a uterus, they are coming for you, too.

I'm writing this for everyone who voted for him *even though* you want abortion rights. *Even though* you want to keep your birth control, or have the life you want, or if you thought "they're just coming for the queers, it won't affect me". They wanted to control contraception all along. We told you. There is more, and worse, to come. We told you.

[briar-the-booknerd2011]

Intro!

Hey! I make art on DeviantArt! Might post on here every now and then! I use they/them pronouns and I am a MINOR. I love the Magnus Archives and Protocol (haven't made art for that yet but I might look into that soon!) and a lot of different books and music. Mostly make Fashion design art, characters and celebrities! EDIT: I will also post book reviews every now and then. Also hoping to post some story editing tips and some of my own stories.

I DO NOT TAKE COMISSIONS but I do take requests for art that I may or may not make.

Deviantart: Briarthebooknerd2011

Deviantart is going to be less up to date so definitely check this blog more.

What you can ask:

For me to draw characters or celebrities

For writing/editing tips

Any questions you have!

Guidelines for asks/messages:

Nothing personal

Not guaranteed responses

No political or similar topics

Please don't ask for donations

Mostly just be kind and respectful!

[arpicityandneed]

Rules & Guidelines

Rules

1. All hate will be deleted. This blog is my space to enjoy myself and you're not going to get your 15 seconds of fame from me anymore. 2. Minors and ageless blogs are not allowed in any capacity. 18 year olds are on thin ice, just be respectful. 3. I am not obligated to write anything you do not pay me for.

Guidelines

What I will write: dom!reader, sub!reader, ddlg/mdlb/cgl, cuckolding, incest, stepcest, age regression & sexual age play, black reader, gn!reader, bimbo reader, pegging, intoxication kink, voyeurism, masculine readers, light humiliation, bdsm, high protocol, piss kink (to a degree), blood play (vampires only), monsterfucking, free use, omegaverse, aus, dubcon

What I won't write: cnc, scat, feederism, people being mean outside of bed, sex that hurts, noncon, heavy degradation, extreme power imbalance, bullying

[thegrantic]

ACCESSING... 📁-Program Files...(rules)

LOADING REQUEST PROTOCOLS...

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REQUEST GUIDELINES

status: [🟢 OPEN]

please read carefully before putting in a request.

WHAT I WRITE:

fandoms/characters: [link to who i write for]

genres: fluff | angst | hurt/comfort | smut (with smut please remember that i am more likely to write it if the person lets me know they are over the age of 18.)

WHAT I DON’T WRITE:

I will not be writing anything to romanticize domestic violence as well as drug or alcohol abuse related things. A large no as well is anything to do with serious mental health issues such as self injury and eating disorders.

Note!: i will not be writing anything that alludes to sexual assault while i may write about cnc, those posts will be tagged as such and will have needed list of helplines always attached.

Note!: I will not be writing smut or suggestive fics about people with ‘*’ by their name

WHAT TO INCLUDE:

Be clear & polite.

Include: person request is about, what the request is (aka plot), and also feel free to add in a song to go along with the type of fic

add anything else you feel you want to be included in the request.

ADDITIONAL SYSTEM NOTES:

Not all requests will be answered if I'm not comfortable with them or not motivated to write them.

Some requests will take longer than others as i work full time so, please be patient.