#the AMV brainworms are going

[wirtsauce4020]

! FLASH WARNING AND FAST CLIPS !

and spoilers for The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

*taps mic*

Any Tintin enjoyers on this website?

[tvrningout-a]

i’m giving y’all some amv’s i love bc why not 💜

mp100 - everything sucks

soul eater - dive into the madness

kh - the light will guide you home

eiga daisuki pompo-san - final final, an autobiography

katanagatari - twin blades

yuri on ice - this promise on ice

fate series - abyssal grail

kny - hellslayers

bnha - waving through

bnha - pure white gold

various - contemporary dog

modest heroes - invisible

[variantoutcast]

I've got to watch more House

[castielsprostate]

I have a question. You kind of appeared out of nowhere to me so I wonder if you had another url before or if your blog just exploded and you're very active on here

hey! yeah i used to be a different blog completely!! ive gone through 6/7 different blogs since 2012-ish and i made this one at the end of 2020? i think? i do remember having this specific blog on Nov 5th, fun sjonnie trivia fact

i never really went to the spnblr side, sometimes id just browse some tags, like some things, but the brainworms didn't get to properly root until earlier this year. i did watch it on and off (aka, when, and im gonna go out on a limb here, and say it was RTL7 ((MeEr vOoR MaNNeN)) was streaming it late at night so it was utterly sporadic and i saw the pilot. many. many. times.) when it was airing, but idk, i was hovering in different fandoms (mainly youtubeblr, 1dverse etc) and being rabid over there hehe <3 i recently left the latter fandom due to some.. things.. and i felt kinda lost :/ and then i saw something in my queue that was destiel related when cleaning it/organising it aaaaaand yeah, then i fell into the spnpit for realsies, rewatched the entire series + the anime (i might've. might've watched this one first i am sorry..?) + a bunch of amvs and then i started rabid posting about it :3 so yeah. i didn't really explode? i don't think so at least.. i just really like this fandom and it's been a while since i actually felt at home in a fandom :v so i went a bit (going still) insane with it tehehe

sorry for this length-y-ish response, but i hope i explained it well enough :3

[bluebudgie]

Snatching this character ask game to answer it in its entirety bc I'm currently sick in bed and this sounds like good distraction.

Here's your chance to read some lab rat character snippets.

Answering for Lahpp bc the brainworms got me bad the last 2 years.

A. What nicknames do they get called?

None, really. Unless employee numbers count as nicknames. I've made a joking comment about how Petthri would start calling him Gecko for absolutely no logical reason other than me being amused that the man's voice claim actor played a character with that name in a super niche musical. This isn't canon. But it makes listening to relevant songs funny.

B. Describe their family dynamic.

Non-existant. Didn't even have an official legal guardian until Rata Sum authorities required related paperwork for school stuff. There was the subkrewe that handled surveillance of his 'progress' and the head of the project was sort of 'in charge' of him but whatever relationship they had was nothing remotely comparable to a family. I think to this day he's got the hardest time wrapping his head around the concept of family relationships, other than of course the purely biological explanation.

C. What’s their weirdest habit or quirk?

Does consuming more coffee than anyone feasibly should count? I'm not even sure this man drinks anything else. Probably, but seriously unsure. Just don't question it, it hasn't killed him yet.

D. What was their high school college experience like?

This is one of those "20k essay; 1000 different amv scenarios" topics. In short: difficult, exhausting, but not as bad as it could have been.

On a social level he always felt like the odd one out and didn't have much contact to the other students, but he was never actively disliked or anything of the sort. Him being generally rather distant and observant probably intimidated a few people, as well as him being Inquest. Group projects went smoothly though, and interactions were superficially friendly. Just comparatively rare.

Work-wise he had to put in so much more effort than many others because of his disabilities, all while trying to be as stealthy as possible about it so noone would notice. He excelled in many challenges, didn't manage to hide all of it however; some things he simply couldn't do. Uncomfortable for him.

He was a really good student overall.

Also as a side anecdote, he got the typical "can you speak up please" a lot even though he was a front row regular. Soft-spoken guy.

E. What is their love language?

He's the "invite someone to go out for dinner" type. Spend some good quality time. He might get invested in the relevant person's interests too. Ask about them, enable some rambling, or ideally an interesting discussion.

F. How do they handle conflict?

That depends entirely on the kind of coflict and who or what is involved. Can range from "take the lead and try to find the most efficient solution" to "remove himself from the situation and just not deal with it at all".

G. What’s their greatest talent?

Developed mad acting & pokerface skills. He can smile through the most annoying social situations and you wouldn't guess he hates every single second of it. If he actively wants to give you that impression, that is. Sometimes he just doesn't bother.

H. Where is their favourite place to be?

Not sure if he has a consciously picked favourite place but he's comfortable enough in the small studio room connected to his lab. Made it a decently livable place. It's tiny (very tiny) but that's fine, he doesn't need much space. It's a place of peace and quiet, and that's what matters.

I. What makes them feel safe?

Good question! Next question.

J. What is their greatest weakness?

He's a coward who resigned himself to a life in a corrupt, hateful, criminal system. He was target of that very same system's bigotry for ages but he turns a blind eye on it out of fear and a lack of willingness to change anything. He's content being a simple cog in the machine, not caring about what its greater purpose is. is this what Camus calls philosophical suicide

Maybe one day he'll overcome the cowardice to face some difficult truths. Probably not.

K. What is their greatest strength?

If he says he'll get shit done, he gets it done. He's got an incredible amount of perseverance.

Especially in his teenage years this often meant choosing the path of more resistance simply to spite the people who would assume he wouldn't manage certain things. Even if those people would never actually know. He had to at least prove it to himself under the guise of acting out of spite. Is that even a strength anymore or actually a flaw? A strength born from flawed thinking?

L. What is their secrets to happiness?

Don't have anything change, find comfort in living the convenient lie. The illusion of happiness is good enough.

M. How do they handle competition?

If it's the kind of "who wins the monthly nonfatal pool by putting the most life subjects in a vegetative state" small-ego-competition then he simply doesn't care. Not because he has any moral issues with it but because he think it's a waste of time and just distracts from the actual tasks at hand.

If it's "the events in Cantha have put you in a physical and mental state that prevents you from working; and staying away on sick leave for a prolongued amount of time will eventually get you replaced despite decades of dedication" sort of competition then he doesn't handle it well at all. And he doesn't even believe anyone else could do his job better than him. Somehow that actually makes it worse.

N. What are their hidden talents?

Music. Got curious about the general topic in college. And in true spiteful (big fat disclaimer: asshole statement) "Oh you're severely HoH so this is clearly not for you" fashion, he decided this is exactly for him to get invested in. He got really into the theory part especially but also picked up an instrument (undecided which one. the decision has been haunting me for months.) to play.

Later when he met Luqqah they found out it's an interest they have in common so they spent a lot of time just either discussing or analyzing theoretical concepts or actually making some music. Luqqah taught him how to sing over the years! It's something he had wanted to learn well before he met her but very much lacked the confidence to start on his own.

He hasn't lost that passion over all these years, even if he didn't get to share it with anyone in a while. Post-EoD music trio incoming?

O. What motivates them?

In the past: Mostly fear with a good portion of spite.

Now: Mostly habit. Some underlying fears.

P. What advice would they give to their younger self?

If he could look past his own facade he'd likely tell his younger self to keep kindling at least a bit of that spiteful fire he had.

He does sometimes feel like he's lacking more "bite" the older he gets.

Q. Do they have a signature look or fashion?

Always got that eye piece on covering his left eye. You'll not encounter him without it. If you do, something's either wrong or you've somehow invaded into private space.

He spends the majority of his time working which means the majority of the time you'll find him in a labcoat. He also keeps his hair tied up for practical reasons.

His "casual" outfits are still surprisingly formal looking. He wants to leave a decent impression, you know. I'm awful at describing clothes so I'll skip this one until I one day inevitable draw it, but he's big on waistcoats and likes different shades of brown.

R. How tall are they?

Listen friends I'm really bad at understanding the gw2 race heights and putting them in perspective, but I assigned him a confident 98 cm (3'2") which in my world view is somewhere in the average middle. Not super short, not tall.

S. What’s their relationship like with their parents?

Somewhat answered in the family dynamics question. As for his biological parents, he never knew them. His -on paper- legal guardian wasn't much of a parental figure. Did it fuck him up growing up without any real guiding figure to look up to? Sure. Did it take time for him to understand that this is not the normal experience every child has? Unsure if he actually ever fully understood. Rationally he does, but emotionally this is a different matter.

T. What are their favourite foods?

He's really gotten into wasabi.

U. What do they like to do in their spare time?

See the music answer. Also reading an interesting book in a quiet environment is always a good pastime.

V. What’s their biggest pet peeve?

So he's generally really good at keeping his cool but he's got absolutely zero (0) patience for several people talking over each other in the same time. There's a reason he demanded his own lab space when everyone moved over to the CoE.

W. What’s their favourite sport?

If dancing is considered a sport (I believe it is?) Petthri might eventually get him to be interested enough as a spectactor. Let that be a future arc.

Otherwise literally no interest in any at all.

X. What’s their biggest fear?

Death. And I don't mean it in a 'most people find thinking about their own mortality uncomfortable' way, I mean it in a seriously phobic way. It keeps him up at night. He's had numerous seriously bad panic attacks over it. Based important decisions on it.

There was a time of his life it got somewhat better but it's catching up to him again recently.

Y. What physical object do they value most?

Whatever omious instrument I'll decide on that he owns will probably be valuable to him. I have no idea otherwise.

Z. What’s their relationship status?

Officially single (and it will stay that way). Unofficially complicated.

For the really curious: I suppose their current relationship is best described as "friends with benefits". No they have not kissed yet. I'm gonna first have to figure out when and how and why and if at all and

That said I have this shitpost scene-that'll-never-happen in my head of Luqqah meeting Lahpp and Petthri during the whole EoD disaster and in a moment of quiet she and Lahpp sit together. And she looks him in the eyes and goes "So are you two boyfriends?" And before he can even try to defend himself she continues "You break up with me because you figure out you're gay. And then you're gay for that?" Poor Petthri.

[e-n-t-r-o-p-i-c-f-r-o-g]

Guys 😭😭😭 I wanna make an amv so bad, but for so long, I've been wanting to expand my skills by buying a pc and learning adobe after effects. But the brainworms are eating me alive nOW and I need to make SOMETHING even if it has to be with my Mac laptop that sounds like it'll fucking blast off if I have one tab open (whenever I need inspiration for what an overwhelmed cyborg Xie lian might sound like I just use my computer for five minutes then voila).

I've been listening to the choir version of Like a Prayer on loop today, and you know what. I might just pull the plug and do it. I'm going to be smashing my head on my desk the whole way through. It'll be great, it'll be horrible. Will I post it? I don't know. Maybe. Depends on how jittery the screen recordings are through lack of fucking ram ahhaahahh.

(On that note, does anyone know anywhere I could get clips of tgcf without screen recording?)

[agentmika]

just learned that pretty little head by Eliza Rickman is on the official Hera playlist made by Gabriel Urbina, don’t text—

[angstywildcats]

lol hey, I know this blog comes off as a “for content/art” blog and I generally intend to keep it that way but this evening the warrior brainworms are back in town and I don’t have many places to share my thoughts for this kinda stuff,

this isn’t an official post or trying to push people to get to agree with me (I am not enough of an elegant speaker).  dfnjsdfn read if you want, but don’t feel inclined. I’m not trying to be groundbreaking or anything.  I think it’s just a lil vent about how I feel about how squirrelflight as a character is approached

CW: I discuss a little bit of the abuse, but not in detail

I AM so very glad we are past the early 2010s of Warriors amvs for sure at least. Back then “Ashfur did nothing wrong” was a common thing to say and everyone just went along with it, not knowing better from being young teens lol. But man the sexism still sticks and it sucks that Squirrelflight and what she went through is still debated. At least its going in the right direction?? But whew. It’s best to ignore and just go along my day, but seeing a random commenter or even someone who has Ashfur apologist as a name still bothers me more than I want LOL It’s hard to figure out how to consume a book series which... is pretty badly written and has many many many loose ends and issues, and I don’t really wanna police or judge on how people consume stuff. (As long as you’re not being a Freak. This is not a proship defense post get out) BUT I GUESS sometimes the way Ashfur is still perceived makes me uneasy? Like don’t get me wrong. he sounds like a pretty cool villain when he possessed Bramble, and while I personally don’t feel its true to his character to have?? Done whatever he did in the later books (I have . only read One chapter of ALITM and done no other warriors reading in a WHILE) it sounds kinda cool as a premise ig. And like many situations its easy to twist characters into their fanon, I think it’s just.. a little. Just a little. upsetting to have Ashfur to be seen as Such a Cool Character (tm) or whatever.

I think it really stems from the fact that. Ashfur’s decisions and actions all start from the fact he was the rejected love interest that went too far after Squirrelflight very maturely told him that she wasn’t interested. Just because of this, he assists in a murder, threatens Squirrel’s family and even after death seeks revenge and Succeeds when he targets Squirrelflight again. 

So far I don’t think there’s been any levity or relief from Squirrelflight having to go through grief or sadness and it really sucks at this point. I think the thing drives me insane is that Squirrel’s situation of getting such a backlash over a rejection is. Something that still constantly happens IRL. And Squirrelflight is almost Never acknowledged as a victim. Not by the other characters, and I don’t think the authors really grasped the weight of her situation they wrote her in either. It’s exhausting, really. I think i should really focus my blame the Warriors writing team for not approaching it better, but as someone who mostly hangs around for the fandom, it does feel like it’s sometimes thrown around too lightly :(

This is probably just a nitpick, and I’m not harshly criticising participants, hosts or artists of any kind who create the content, but a lot of AU or just, general projects and videos I see revolving squirrel is often about the miserable events of her life, either twisting them maybe to be Worse as a bad end or just. Highlighting them. 

I don’t blame anybody tho lol, it’s not like the source material has given much else but then again, we’ve had AUs and explorations of other background characters that end with brighter outcomes, so what’s stopping that from happening to Squirrel? It’s sometimes just a bit sad that there isn’t much chance to give anything else JDNFJNDFN

animal media huh. lets authors write dark things in Childrens books. And get away with poorly writing dark and sensitive topics.

[supernatural-jaeger]

2, two 💙💙 days……. It’s happening besties. Can you feel it? One year of our lives thinking about this, devoting time and love to two characters. Many of us have done it for a lot more than just this year, but the confession created a spark that (re)lit so many people’s heads, the destiel brainworms have never been this high in population since the era that shall not be named.

Today’s song got discovered in a deancas amv. I’ve looked everywhere for it, but no luck 💔 if any of you know which one I mean, pls send it to me and I’ll link it here!

Today I’m giving you this by @chapeldean! It’s a bullet journal au where Sam forces his family to write about their week. It’s the domestic parts of spn we never got. Until now. The format makes for a very entertaining read! Go to the bujonatural, go!

Playlist masterpost

Day 3 <- -> Day 1

[santostrife]

I asked nekropsii this so now I'm gonna ask you this! if you want at least. sov characters you could be roommates with comfortably vs sov characters you couldn't even share a room with if paid

Heya!! This question is so fun so thanks for sending!

Most of the crew is pretty unanimous with our opinions, and I'm much of the same, but it's a fun hypothetical! so here we go,

WARNING: LONG AS HELL

[PLAYERS]

[ Cynical Itinerant - Cytin - Tintin ] Abso. Cool-o-rama Over Here. Would absolutely love to be a roomate with this dude! Learning how to say shit in Latin would be FUN.

[ Dynama Zarrow ] Nope. Either the religious talk would drive me stir crazy or I'd drive them stir crazy with the fact that I make several jokes About God, and various other things.

[ Tejuri Kromab ] Hell yeah! Granted our Southern-Hospitality might collide a bit, but not in anyway negative! I'd be interested in what she's writing just out of pure curiosity. I am sharing some sweet tea with her.

[ Presae Covnul ] Split. Doesn't know half of the electrical appliances I'd be using, and would probably tear them apart. But otherwise seems like a pretty chill roomie! Would make a mean soup that would cure me of all diseases.

[ Pardus Rubato ] Split. Would probably blare the music she's working on at 2 am. While the music in itself is impressive, but I'd be tormented with unwarranted AMV's every time I take my headphones off. But I must also consider that, 1. is kitty 2. PARKOUR.

[ Retris Morage ] Wouldn't Mind! Having a decent place wouldn't be out of the question, and a pretty nice guy once you befriend him! Probably would pester him with too many questions though given his knowledge.

[ Ajax Barrett ] I don't see why not! Watching shitty or good movies sounds like an absolute TIME with him, plus I'd like to take him to a rage room and absolutely Wail on a TV.

[ Emeric Sargas ] Split. We'd need an entirely separate ventilated room so I don't get attacked by fumes that could kill me, but otherwise would be a fun roomie! I think they'd be interesting to talk to, even if my brain would get melted a little. But I'm pretty sure it's already halfway there on it's own.

[ Kausat Stolar ] ...Split, but leaning on yes. Got the same interest of Weird Houses. Although he takes it a bit more... Seriously then I do. Would absolutely not go with them on a Abandoned House exploration, but would absolutely make him Worse by showing him the game "ANATOMY".

[ Tomiei Aerras ] Eeeehhhh...... No. She's hilarious, no doubt, but Hardcore Tiktok People scare me.

[ Annomi Errata ] Absolutely not. I think I'd knock him out cold out of pure reflex if he even breathed at me wrong.

[ Pleome Alrium ] 100% Yes. Sweet guy!! Cool Hobbies!! Beach trips sounds like an absolute Blast with this guy!! What more could you want!

[NPCS]

[ Inaniloquent Commander - Inaco ] Split, leaning on no. On one hand, the garden would FLORISH. On the other, no leniency on rules would probably jack up my anxiety real bad.

[ Argebi Kromab ] Unsure... I'm sure she's wonderful, and the package deal with Khanda doesn't bother me too much, but it's a living situation where it'd drift more into "You do your thing, and I do mine". Can't really say for sure why!

[ Meseri Covnul ] No, but for my own safety & sanity. I'd like to keep my skeleton, thank you.

[ Khanda Morage ] Split. He'd tell me something Entirely Untrue, and the worst part is that I might believe him if I have no knowledge of the subject in the first place. Would be embarrassing in the long run. But, is hilarious, and probably plays a mean DND game.

[ Arsine Sargas ] Running so so far away. She'd get a wiff of my brainworms and use them to her advantage. No thanks. + The apartment would smell like wet cigarettes' 24/7.

[ Ochosi Stolar ] Split. High energy would probably get me pretty exhausted after a while, but in moderation would be pretty cool! Would give me near heart attacks though with the kinda stunts he's doing.

[ Dulvyx Errata ] Nope. Absolutely not. A thousand times no. Self Proclaimed "Empaths", scare me.

[ Atrisa Alrium ] HELL yes. Seems so sweet. And our grocery list would include a gallon of Women Respecting Juice. I wouldn't allow myself to get dragged to a bar, but small socialization events would be healthy for me I think!

[astermacguffin]

ASTER HELLO I'M HERE TO JOIN YOU IN YOUR DODIENATURAL AGENDA!!

thoughts on "Intertwined" please? I've been obsessing over the insane potential that one tiny lil song like it's such a brainworm inducing piece of work!

OHOHOHOHOHO. INTERTWINED IS SUCH A GOOD SONG. Making a destiel amv out of it would definitely be a part of the "toxic evil gay rights" agenda I have in this blog.

An "Intertwined" amv for destiel would definitely highlight the darker side of their "profound bond." However, I think it would be more interesting to look at the song in dialogue with certain fanfiction, because canon wasn't really brave enough to dive into the nitty-gritty of this side of their dynamic.

The song only has a few words, and that seems to be by design: in dodie's analysis video, it becomes clear that the word choice and the distance between words were chosen deliberately. Reading the lyrics alone evokes the feeling of reading poetry. The musical dimension of the song does a lot of narrative weightlifting in conjunction with the very concise writing of the lyrics.

The song (and the music video) also evokes a strong feeling of imprisonment and claustrophobia; the house certainly doesn't feel free. It is very reminiscent of two fics that haunt me to this day: (1) the inexhaustible silence of houses, and (2) with understanding. (The second one shouldn't surprise anyone who follows me for a long time because I am a self-appointed apokteino scholar.)

This particular lyric certain brings to mind certain scenes in the first half of WU:

"Oh, I'm afraid of the things in my brain // But we can stay here // And love away the fear"

Using the song to frame destiel becomes not just a creative/conceptual move, but an analytic move as well. We've discussed this before in this blog but some fanworks do function as extended analysis of the source material, and this is one instance of that. Dean's control issues and the way he isolates Cas from the world has been explored in a number of fics.

ANYWAYS. Going back to the amv concept. If I were to make an amv out of it, I would juxtapose the scenes where Dean and Cas are beating each other up and scenes where they're hugging each other in key words like "Skin // Heat" and "Intertwined // Free".

An amv of this sort would not be as reliant on lyrical storytelling, but in the visual (particularly the way in which the scenes would be stitched together) and the musical dimensions.

Being a song with so few lyrics, I think such a hypothetical amv would highlight the editing as the "authorial arm" that moves the narrative machinery of an amv, the same way a "narrator" is the receptacle of the author in print media.

This sounds jargony and weird, but what I'm trying to say is that The Narrator and The Author are two distinct entities in literary analysis, and the same logic can be applied in media studies (or, for our purposes, what I call "spn amv studies"). The Author and The Editor are two separate "entities", but the latter doesn't reveal themselves as much as opposed to The Narrator.

What I mean when I use the terms Narrator/Editor is "the mode in which the creator decided to unravel their creation unto you." There is no literal narrator speaking the words when you read, the same way that there's no literal editor arranging the sounds and images in front of you every microsecond, BUT. The way we experience texts as cohesive and whole is a function of the way in which we engage with them as if they were being "told" by a singular "voice."

(For example, when you read a book—especially with no POV changes—even if you were made aware beforehand that it was written by a team of people, you read it through a singular "voice." The "Author" and the "Narrator/Editor" are conceptual entities we make in our heads to make sense of texts.

OKAY. I GOT LOST AGAIN. I'M SORRY THIS IS TOO RAMBLING & STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS.

Here's the bibliography:

- The music video (everyone watch this it's soooo good)

- dodie's analysis

- a video on the distinction between Narrator and Author (a.k.a. one of the most influential videos on my way of thinking about and analyzing literary and philosophical texts)

[fuckspn]

you think YOU’RE unwell? try watching the falcon and the winter soldier and feeling like you’re cheating on your other brainworm-inducing queerbait show. literally it’s like omg destiel baby i’m so sorry she means nothing to me you’re the only one i want to queerbait me i just had a moment of weakness when she implied bucky barnes was matched with men on dating apps. i’m so so sorry baby i’ll go reblog the bite the hand and soldier poet king 3.0 amvs again if that will make you feel better

[kbsd]

(1) i couldn’t fall asleep last night after watching your “somebody to love” amv like 4 times, possibly the best music video i’ve ever watched, i get fucking chills during the bridge transition in hell (2) not sure if you’re into 91 Whiskey by komodobits but i’m currently listening to “army dreamers” and DYING thinking about wee t4 sergeant winchester going off to war (3) i have massive brainworms about wuthering heights and the self-destructive relationship between heathcliff and cathy and gothic romances in general and those angsty-ass scenes with post-purgatory deancas, but also brainworms of cas in The Red Dress dancing and singing about “let me in your window” and. well. i needed to share these thoughts

1) thank you so much!!!!!! the bridge of that video is my baby so i’m thrilled to see so many people react to it so strongly!! :’)

2) i haven’t read 91w bc i’m not super into war aus but army dreamers IS on my dean kate bush playlist so respect!!!! maybe i’ll do that when i finally put my money where my mouth is and make a spn kate bush amv lmao

3) YES STREAM FERN @gracelands2 WUTHERING HEIGHTS AMV!!! cas WOULD rock that red dress i could have sworn i saw art of that once? someone help me out

[atlascas]

watching same mistakes spn amv gives me SEVERE brainworms but like. on a technical level. like im observing how lucifer!sam flashes on screen and that jerky motion gives him like. a really chilling effect when paired w the chorus coming back w a vengeance. AND. and the cut from s5 dean to s14 dean saying yes. like there's a cut in the middle of the line "the answer is yes" to a shot of michael!dean's wings expanding while the camera moves out. basically i think the shots in motion are especially cinematic and they stand out ESP in conjunction w the last verse of the song which 1D did NOT have to go that hard on!

[unseeliekey]

do you have any writing tips for ?intermediate? writers (been writing awhile, know basics but still feel like im missing something)? your fics are so so so AMAZING and i look up to you as a writing icon

first of all thank you so much??? that's literally so flattering omg??

also!! I actually have another ask I'm working on about my writing process specifically and i was going to write a bit about how i block out plot there, so I'll just do general advice here!!!!! I actually haven't been in an english class for about 5? years? (dropout club ✌) but i DO study theater and I borrow a lot of character techniques from there!

my first piece of advice is to enjoy what you're doing. my second is to know where you're going with it- I actually make up a lot as i go along and make last minute edits, but I tend to have an idea of the vague theme of the piece- if not when I start writing, at least before I post.

I'm a big fan of foreshadowing and recurring themes!!! idk I just think they're neat!! at the beginning of a story, I usually set out what themes I want to explore, and then pick out some specific imagery that I think fits in with that? (for example- you've got the right was coffee, rooftops, tending wounds, greed; therefore you and me was tv, memory, plants. and that was what I initially mapped out, the way I handled those changed and i added more throughout the stories. kattar shuffle, so far, is: cards, eyes, morality. spoilers.) I think having little bits of imagery that repeat semi-frequently throughout the story can really add to the overall theme and tone? (and they're good filler if you're stuck for descriptions or pacing.)

ummm hm. I try to be conscious of how I'm beginning my sentences? this is baby stuff but I sometimes rephrase things to get a little more variation. I also think repetition can be really useful if applied deliberately! I sort of. try to view my writing as being very like. sort of the characters' internal monologues? which I think helps with the flavor a little!!!

OOOH and. get a good soundtrack!! I curate my writing playlists VERY carefully and I usually end up listening to one/two songs for about an hour while I work on a specific scene, because you gotta have the Tone. you may have noticed from the fact I steal pretty much every title from a song (I'm bad at titles) that I rely on music quite a bit! I steal soundtracks from movies, tiktok, my parents. the music I listen usually makes me feel more confident about me carrying the tone of a scene which makes me feel better about my writing which! maybe makes it better who knows!

um! write poetry for a while! read poetry! im definitely very inspired by confessional poetry- I read a lot of plath when I was younger and now I read things like hes so masc and i thought we'd be famous and! I think poetry is hugely helpful!! good poets (particularly in "modern" or confessional poetry which isnt really constrained too much by traditional rhythm and therefore is a little closer to prose) are really excellent and condensing down a lot of emotions and ideas into a handful of lines. I dont think much has ever hit me as hard as "warm and human, then their pink light / bleeding and peeling".

be overdramatic and pretentious! push at reality. I dont CARE that chloroform cant gas a whole room full of people and that general anesthetics are hard to dose and potentially dangerous!!! i do not care about realistic amounts of alcohol or the timing of music! be wrong with confidence! most people won't mind as long as it doesn't conflict with the world of the story as a whole.

get a solid grasp on your characterization! I watch and read a lot of meta and also a lot of other fanfic, but at the same time I... dont entirely let other people's interpretations define my own? I think it's good to come to your own idea of how a character acts! (this is. for fanfic specifically but also! play with the characterization of your ocs, too! mine have gone through a lot of changes after I've received feedback from other people and adjusted/doubled down on their behaviour.)

I guess uh. the best thing I can say is to really devote yourself to a story! make a playlist. make a pinterest board. imagine amvs and other people's reactions!!! I. spend around four hours writing daily and SIGNIFICANTLY more time thinking about my current brainworms. I fall asleep listening to music and thinking of an amv I would make for kattar shuffle if I were. able to animate or draw consistently. the more you think of it, the more scenes or imagery pop up, and the more little snatches of dialogue and interactions you want occur to you. note these down!! I have a lot of notes that wont be relevant for chapters and chapters but I note them anyway and when I do get to write those scenes it's always so fun.

uh also. I recommend roleplaying. not even for fandoms theres a lot of servers you can join to play with OCs. roleplaying definitely made me a better writer. it's also definitely helped my characterization for fanfic.

anyway!!! that's all I can think of now I'm sorry!!!! tbh I. just vibrate with it really but i think all this stuff is what i find personally helpful!!!!! sorry this is so long!!!!

[luwupercal]

oh yeah i was trying to do shills every so often for Songs that Give Me Warhammer Brainworms

here ya go

the most horus heresy song ever fuckin’ made. i have a whole Imaginary Brain AMV to this song 

here’s some choice lyrics