#writing questions answered

[ahb-writes]

In support of Point #10, a fuller reading experience facilitates a fuller writing experience.

Good literature and bad, complete with engaging characters or boring archetypes, inform one on the many complex or nuanced storytelling strategies authors access. For example, it's hard to consider oneself knowledgeable of different types of conflict if all the novels one reads are of a certain genre. It's hard to acquire the vocabulary necessary to draft historical fiction without widely reading research native to or focused on a relevant time period. And it's hard to assemble a comfort and familiarity with the styles and devices of one's genre of choice without digging into all that genre has to offer.

how do i make my writing more ‘mature’? i always feel like no matter how sophisticated i write and no matter every which way i change it up it always has a sense of being childish or juvenile.

Making Writing Sound More Mature

1 - Better Plot and Story Structure - One of the telltale signs of juvenile writing is a story that meanders, has no obvious plot or structure, has no conflict or has a protagonist with no goal. So, make sure you have a well fleshed out plot, with a conflict, protagonist goal, and which hits the beats specific to your story's genre.

2 - Three-Dimensional Characters - If you're writing plot-driven fiction, make sure your main characters have a fleshed out personality, stakes, motivation, goal, and compelling relationships with other characters. If you're writing fully or partially character-driven fiction, do all of the above, but also make sure your main characters have a relevant internal conflict and a thoughtful character arc.

3 - Well-Developed Setting and World - One common hallmark of juvenile writing is a lack of "sense of place" and under-developed world building. So, make sure you put a lot of thought into where your story takes place... not just the immediate setting of each scene, but the overall world of the story, or at least the parts of it that are relevant.

4 - Incorporate Literary Devices - Juvenile writing tends to be lacking in the use of metaphor, simile, symbolism, irony, themes, and motifs. So, make sure to include those, but also take the time to make them relevant to your story.

5 - Include a Broad Range of Vocabulary - One common element of juvenile writing is a reliance on limited, simple vocabulary. Don't be afraid to use a thesaurus to find more interesting word choices--just be absolutely certain to crosscheck your choices with a dictionary to make sure they are the right choice. Online thesauruses in particular are bad about offering up bad suggestions. Also, make sure to learn and use special vocabulary that is relevant to your story, genre, or setting. For example, if your character is a retired police detective trying to solve a murder on his stalled cruise to Alaska, you need to make sure you know the proper investigative terminology, because he will definitely use it. And, by that same token, you'd want to make sure you know cruise ship lingo as well. And, part of this, too, is getting better at description and the inclusion of emotional and sensory detail.

6 - Use Varied Sentence Structure - This is a big one... juvenile writing tends to use repetitive sentence structure, such as simple sentences (she stood up, she went to the window, she waved at the man), lack of subordinate clauses (Tad Smith, who was a seasoned and retired investigator, had looked forward to this cruise his whole life...), repetitive starts (every sentence begins with a pronoun, for example), uniform length (all short sentences, for example.) So, make sure your sentences are varied. If you read them out loud, you don't want it to sound rhythmic, but more like a complex melody.

7 - Show, Don't Tell... Most of the Time - Telling definitely has its place, but most of the time you want to show rather than tell, meaning that instead of stating things simply and directly (the sun was shining) you want to paint a clear but indirect image (dappled sunlight shone through the trees.)

8 - Avoid Cliche Phrases - Human language is littered with everyday phrases like "to each their own" or "better late than never." Generally-speaking, you want to avoid these phrases in your story, especially in exposition. If you include them anywhere, they're best spoken as dialogue by a character who it makes sense would say something like that. Likewise, be careful of cliche genre or character-type phrases. For example, villains who say things like "we're not so different, you and I..." or "I finally have you right where I want you!" These overused phrases tend to make stories sound juvenile and unpolished.

9 - Avoid Cliche Tropes - Another type of cliche to avoid if you want more mature-sounding writing is cliches of various tropes. Tropes on their own are a good thing, but when tropes are used the same way over and over again in a genre or type of story, they become predictable. For example, the super gorgeous protagonist who everyone is in love with, but they view themselves as plain and not special. Or the broken/hopeless/addict mentor character. It's not that you can't use any cliche tropes at all, just make sure your story isn't riddled with them, and do what you can to put your own spin on the ones you do use.

10 - Read, Read, Read - And I can't stress this enough... the absolute best way to improve your writing style and take your writing from juvenile to polished is to make sure you're reading a lot of fiction, in a lot of genres, by a lot of authors. Audio books, short stories, and poetry count, too. The more you read, the more you begin to: understand plot and story structure, recognize well-developed characters, easily envision complex settings and worlds, learn vocabulary and literary devices, become attuned to varied sentence structure, and learn to recognize cliche phrases and tropes.

Happy writing!

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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

[dippingmytoesin]

The Realm's Greatest Actor

Danny didn't mean to lie. He really didn't. Or, well, he did. But he didn't want to! He had no choice.

He wasn't great at lying, but he was amazing at acting.

So that's what he did. He acted, playing the part of a thousand-year-old king stuck as a kid. It was easy because it wasn't fully an act.

Danny had died. When he died, he was fourteen. His ghost stayed fourteen forever. His human half stopped noticeably aging at 18 or 19-ish. He has been a ghost for... 240 years? 245? Maybe a little more. And he has been the Ghost King for 235.

So, he acted the part. When he was summoned, he pulled out the theatrics. Chill the room, frost the floor and walls, maybe a little of the ceiling. Fancy cape, fancy crown, fancy fantasy king clothes. Presentation of what most expect.

But he was forever fourteen, so he needed a little... something more, if you will. Floating around, randomly appearing behind people, the occasional echoing giggle. A fae-like trickster, if you will.

So was his act. He would get summoned, decide whether to do the thing or not, maybe have a mostly harmless twist. Like making people make him food, or he turning the big bad into a squirrel, or whatever. A childish trickster, with the powers of a god.

He set up some rules for himself he didn't actually have to follow.

Don't go into a room before invited, but after even the slightest invitation, he could go whenever he pleased for the rest of eternity.

Shake hands to 'seal a deal' or, if they're really gross, snap. And when you shake, do way too much; fast and eager.

Whenever someone asks him to do something, ask for something in return. If they say no to what he asked, just huff and do the thing they asked anyway.

Laugh at random comments, and make random comments that make no sense. i.e, "Wow. The walls are so hungry here! You should probably paint them blue.

Sprinkle a little ice on random things, and anything he eats or drinks. Don't explain it, and maybe do it for some people he likes.

Randomly stare at things, and tap/poke a door knob before opening the door.

There were a few smaller things, but that was the gist of it. Random rules to throw people off his scent. Leave them wondering and curious.

So, when Danny is summoned to help with a world-ending threat by a bunch of heroes that remind him of when he was a kid watching cartoons, he helps. And he stays. But how long can he keep up this charade?

(Prompt- you're here!) (part 1)

[audioeidolon]

Reblog and put your rare pair in the tags/comments! I want to see the depths people will go to create, for the most random two characters in the most obscure media.

[somanyfandomsorkinafs]

(I am ~buzzing~ with ideas…. Allow me to release some)

Once Danny was an adult, he decided to join Ellie in her ‘permanent world tour’. It’s better than staying in Amity where the opinion of Phantom hasn’t gotten much better. Besides, the portal caused the veil to get weaker, allow ghost to wreak havoc where ever they want.

He’s met a lot new ghost cause of this too. Old as Mycenaean Greece to non humans who came to Earth and died there. Danny’s learnt so much from them that he’s basically a walking in Encyclopaedia.

So, Danny’s decided “fuck it.” and has it became a part-time history teacher. It’s fun! He knows the details by heart and is able to make it more fun than just droning on about the same old wars and whatever. He enjoys it, the kids enjoy it and the ghosts having their stories told!

Of course, this does cause some problems when people try to correct him. Danny’s argument? “I got them correct sources.”

And when anyone asks him how knows his sources are correct? “My source was there when it happened.”

Cue the dc world thinking that Danny’s just some immortal guy whose decided to use his immortality for good(TM)

[unifybullseye]

Nights after the engine room

[trickstersaint]

i want to introduce you all to a project that is very close to my heart... or lack of one. anyway. for anyone who has ever wanted to play a poem. i'd like you to meet aromanticism

(link opens itch.io - she'll run on html in your browser! please be nice to her!)

[thursdaylast]

happy ptide

[sugurusladyknightt]

➺ suguru x gn!reader

if you set a timer to nap suguru will absolutely sabotage you.

let me set the scene. you're getting comfortable laying on his chest his arms secured around you and your eyes closing with a content hum and then suddenly your like 'oh hold on' and grab your phone to set a timer then promptly explain that you have something to do so you don't wanna oversleep during your nap and end up losing time.

but you're so tired, he knows a short nap won't be enough rest though, he says nothing. you get comfortable on his chest again, your cheeks smooshed against his skin and doze off shortly after thanks to the soothing hand at your back and head and the warmth of his skin. when you're asleep this man will fully just grab your phone and cancel the timer, that way, you get all the rest your body needs undisturbed and wake up when your ready.

if it's assignments or notes or anything really that he can do for you, then he will do it for you. taking neat concise notes for you, or finishing up your research paper. no this is not a violation of academic integrity because you are his baby. you are his person and he is yours so to anyone else you may as well be the same person, and anyway he isn't plagiarizing or cheating. suguru does a really good job actually.

when you wake up later, dry eyes slowly blinking away the sleep and readjusting to the light. the skin of your cheek turned pink from how long it's been resting against him softly greeting him in a small raspy voice. when you wake up enough to realize the timer hadn't gone off and reach over to your phone to check the time, the sleep leaves you so fast. you're frenzied, panicked, confused. as if you've been splashed with cold water. suddenly awake and upset about all the time you had wasted what about the timer? how are you supposed to finish everything now?? only for you to find everything done and neatly organized for you to look over, anything with a tight deadline? already sent in.

oh. well.. now that you have nothing that urgently needs your attention (besides him) you can lay back down on his chest and continue where you left off 🙂‍↕️

[inky-duchess]

Fantasy Guide to Building A Culture

Culture is defined by a collection of morals, ethics, traditions, customs and behaviours shared by a group of people.

Hierarchy and Social Structures

Within every culture, there is a hierarchy. Hierarchies are an important part of any culture, usually do ingrained that one within the culture wouldn't even question it. Hierarchy can be established either by age, gender or wealth and could even determine roles within their society. Sometimes hierarchy can may be oppressive and rigid whilst other times, ranks can intermingle without trouble. You should consider how these different ranks interact with one another and whether there are any special gestures or acts of deference one must pay to those higher than them. For example, the Khasi people of Meghalaya (Northern India), are strictly matrillineal. Women run the households, inheritance runs through the female line, and the men of the culture typically defer to their mothers and wives. Here are a few questions to consider:

How is a leader determined within the culture as a whole and the family unit?

Is the culture matriarchal? Patriarchal? Or does gender even matter?

How would one recognise the different ranks?

How would one act around somebody higher ranking? How would somebody he expected to act around somebody lower ranking?

Can one move socially? If not, why? If so, how?

Traditions and Customs

Traditions are a staple in any culture. These can be gestures or living life a certain way or to the way a certain person should look. Traditions are a personal detail to culture, they are what make it important. Tradition can dictate how one should keep their home, run their family, take care of their appearance, act in public and even determine relationship. Tradition can also be a double edged sword. Traditions can also be restrictive and allow a culture to push away a former member if they do not adhere to them, eg Traditional expectations of chastity led to thousands of Irish women being imprisoned at the Magdelene Laundries. Customs could be anything from how one treats another, to how they greet someone.

How important is tradition?

What are some rituals your culture undertakes?

What are some traditional values in your world? Does it effect daily life?

Are there any traditions that determine one's status?

Values and Opinions

Values and Opinions are the bread and butter of any culture. This is the way your culture sees the world and how they approach different life hurdles. These may differ with other cultures and be considered odd to outsiders, what one culture may value another may not and what opinion another holds, one may not. There will be historical and traditional reasons to why these values and opinions are held. Cultures usually have a paragon to which they hold their members to, a list of characteristics that they expect one to if not adhere to then aspire to. The Yoruba people value honesty, hard work, courage and integrity. Here are some questions to consider?

How important are these ethics and core values? Could somebody be ostracised for not living up to them?

What are some morals that clash with other cultures?

What does your culture precieved to be right? Or wrong?

What are some opinions that are considered to be taboo in your culture? Why?

Dress Code

For many cultures, the way somebody dresses can be important. History and ethics can effect how one is meant to be dressed such as an expectation of chastity, can impose strict modesty. While other cultures, put more importance on details, the different sorts of clothes worn and when or what colour one might wear. The Palestinian people (من النهر إلى البحر ، قد يكونون أحرارا) denoted different family ties, marriage status and wealth by the embroidery and detailing on their thoub.

Are there traditional clothes for your world? Are they something somebody wears on a daily basis or just on occasion?

Are there any rules around what people can wear?

What would be considered formal dress? Casual dress?

What would happen if somebody wore the wrong clothes to an event?

Language

Language can also be ingrained as part of a Culture. It can be a specific way one speaks or a an entirely different language. For example, in the Southern States of America, one can engage in a sort of double talk, saying something that sounds sweet whilst delivering something pointed. Bless their heart. I have a post on creating your own language here.

Arts, Music and Craft

Many cultures are known for different styles of dance, their artwork and crafts. Art is a great part of culture, a way for people to express themselves and their culture in art form. Dance can be an integral part of culture, such as céilí dance in Ireland or the Polka in the Czech Republic. Handicrafts could also be important in culture, such as knitting in Scottish culture and Hebron glass in Palestine. Music is also close to culture, from traditional kinds of singing such as the White Voice in Ukraine and the playing of certain instruments such as the mvet.

Food and Diet

The way a culture prepares or intakes or treats certain foods are important to a culture. In some cultures, there is a diet yo adhere to, certain foods are completely banned. With Jewish culture, pork is prohibited along with fish such as sturgeon, along with shellfish and certain fowl. Meat must also be prepared in a certain way and animal byproducts such as dairy, must never be created or even eaten around this meat. This is known as kosher. The way one consumes food is also important to culture. In some cultures, only certain people may eat together. Some cultures place important on how food is eaten. In Nigerian culture, the oldest guests are served first usually the men before the women. In Japanese culture, one must say 'itadakimasu' (I recieve) before eating. Culture may also include fasting, periods of time one doesn't intake food for a specific reason.

What are some traditional dishes in your world?

What would be a basic diet for the common man?

What's considered a delicacy?

Is there a societal difference in diet? What are the factors that effect diet between classes?

Is there any influence from other cuisines? If not, why not? If so, to what extent?

What would a typical breakfast contain?

What meals are served during the day?

What's considered a comfort food or drink?

Are there any restrictions on who can eat what or when?

Are there any banned foods?

What stance does your world take on alcohol? Is it legal? Can anybody consume it?

Are there any dining customs? Are traditions?

Is there a difference in formal meals or casual meals? If so, what's involved?

Are there any gestures or actions unacceptable at the dinner table?

How are guests treated at meals? If they are given deference, how so?

[bluerosefox]

Paying a Price.

I want more Dad!Tim stuff. (And once again a deaged Danny and Ellie idea)

So let's go do that.

So you know those DPxDC AUs where Tim makes a deal with either Clockwork or Danny to carry Ellie? Or Tim is a reborn Danny whose carrying Ellie instead (love these btw) in order to get Bruce out of the time stream.

Well what about instead of just Ellie, it's both her and Danny.

Danny and Ellie who were badly hurt by the GIW that they both had to revert into their cores. They are saved by their friends/family and are taken to Frostbite. There they are monitored and looked after only until they can finally the reform but they run into a problem. The two can't return to their home dimension due to the GIW activity and they cant stay to long in the Infinite Realms cause they are still halfas. Then one day CW appears to speak with Frostbite over something important about the two.

Meanwhile in the DCverse.

Tim might have figured a way to save Bruce from the timestream. A being known as Clockwork might be able to help him if he manages to summon the powerful 'Ancient'.

However he knows summoning and requesting it's help he will have to pay a price.

If it means getting Bruce back he'll do it...

[ahb-writes]

Solid, foundational perspective for exploring description writing. I think a lot of scenic and environmental detail comes down to organized research.

I may not immediately reference some 300+ photos I have stored on period-specific clothing styles and armor styles, but by searching out the art, photos, artists, and photographers, and organizing them, I have a very strong grasp of the aesthetic my story demands.

The same goes for the language used throughout. Reading books or research papers focusing on certain cultures or academic fields puts me in the right mental space to craft a story that's familiar with the lived-in needs of the characters who occupy those spaces.

Do you have any advice for writing description if you don’t really have a “mind’s eye”? I really struggle because I have a really hard time thinking/imagining things visually. (I know visuals aren’t the only type of description you can include when writing, but I’d still like to improve at them.)

Three Quick Tips for Describing Visuals

Your character has just stepped into the throne room of a medieval castle. You have a vague mental image of what this castle and its throne room look like, but you have no idea how to go about describing it. So, what do you do? Here are three quick tips that will help you with your description:

1 - Gather Inspiration Images - Inspiration images are a great way to refine the picture in your mind's eye and keep details straight. Just go to your favorite search engine and plug in your keywords, then scroll through the results to find images that speak to you. Save them in a folder on your device so you can refer to them as needed. You may even want to create a "mood board" collage or a Pinterest board.

Example: "fantasy medieval throne room"

2 - Gather Your Vocab - Once you have your inspiration images in hand, you find it hard to put what you're seeing into words because you're missing the necessary vocabulary to describe what you're seeing. Fortunately, you can search for lists, diagrams, and labeled images that will tell you what things are called. If you need the door into the throne room, try looking up "door styles" or "types of doors." If you need to describe the throne, try looking up "chair styles" or "parts of a chair."

Example: "parts of a castle" & "parts of a throne" 3 - Gather Your Other Atmospheric and Sensory Details - Next, you want to consider the atmospheric and sensory details, then gather your words. What can the character see? (What color are the stone walls? Is the air hazy? Are there flickering candles in wrought iron torchieres?) What can they hear? (Are voices echoing through the cavernous hall? Is there lute music playing?) What can they smell? (Is there wood smoke from the torches on the walls? Is there the smell of roasted meat wafting from the kitchens?) What can they taste? (If they're nervous, do they taste bile in the back of their throat or salt from their sweat?) What can they feel? (Is the throne room warm from all the people? Cold because it's cavernous and stone?)

Example: "shades of the color gray" & "words to describe smells" Have fun with your story!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

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!

Learn more about WQA

Visit my Master List of Top Posts

Go to ko-fi.com/wqa to buy me coffee or see my commissions

[jodoesnew]

On the other end

A small dcaXy/n idea I had

Premis: Y/N works part time in the daycare but doesn't really interact with the dca which doesn't mean the dca didn't notice them there.

Start of the story

Y/N gets messages from an unknown number and decides to answer

They start messaging thinking that they don't know each other at all

They notice that the tone and wording in the messages switches completely throughout the day but get used to it way too fast

Y/N's life is a complete mess right now so Unknown is a pleasant distraction

They never tell each other their real names but use nicknames instead

Both share how they feel often and text about life and just anything that they think of

Someday y/n just calls their unknown friend to share some great news because they have no one else they want to share it with

They don't pick up but call back later

A male voice they have never heard answers. A pleasant one. They talk for hours.

But the voice tells them to only call at night bc he can't talk on the phone while working. But texting is fine

Y/N falls in love over late night phone calls and long text convos

They ask if they could meet up and hang out

He doesn't answer

The connection goes silent

The last thing he sent is "I'm so sorry. But I can't" written only a few minutes after their question (in the middle of the day)

Hours go by and they get no answer from him anymore

Hurt and worried Y/N is in a daze of crying and starring at nothing for the rest of the week

This is when Y/N misses their break bc they stayed in the daycare closet to cry

As they step out the daycare is dark sth that Y/N was never there to see

Then they hear it. The voice of the person they love singing from where the kids are sleeping.

Y/N stumbles through the dark until they reach the kids and lock eyes with the daycare attendant

Moon goes quiet and his eyes betray him and show his shock

Y/N is stunned

"It's you?"

Awkward

P2, P3

[urdreamgirls-dreamgirl]

part one part two

there’s an incessant & incredibly annoying sound coming from the kitchen when eddie finally drags himself out of his massive bed & down the stairs the next morning. he’d just gotten off a long phone call with chrissy that should have taken ten minutes & ended up taking a full hour, only for her to come to the conclusion that he needed to be there when both teams met this afternoon to discuss the logistics of the joint public appearance she had finally talked him in to over the course of two very late-night phone calls the night before and dozens of increasingly desperate text messages. eddie was an asshole, but he wasn't about to ruin everything that he and the band had been working toward for years. so he’s already deeply annoyed & a little pissed off as he makes his way to breakfast & it takes him a moment of standing in the hallway, face scrunched up in confusion, but it almost sounds like… jingling.

he sets his mouth in a straight line, takes a deep breath, & drags his still-tired body through the doorway into the kitchen for breakfast.

a breakfast that’s being made by assistant steve, who’s wearing… the most hideous sweater vest known to man.

“what the fuck are you wearing?” eddie blurts out before he can even think twice about it. not that he would’ve, anyway.

steve looks up from where he’s cooking at the stove to glance at eddie before looking down at his own torso. “you don’t like it?” steve frowns, as if he actually cares about eddie’s opinion. “i know it’s a few months early, but it’s one of my favorites. i found it at a goodwill a couple of years ago, can you believe it? someone just gave this away?”

“uh, yeah,” eddie rolls his eyes dramatically to make sure that steve can see. “i can definitely fucking believe it.”

because steve is wearing the most disgusting christmas sweater vest eddie has ever seen. hand-knit, if the crooked & misshapen santa head is anything to go by, & absolutely covered in… jingle bells.

“come on,” steve says, returning to his task of cooking eddie’s breakfast. “surely even you don’t hate christmas.”

“i do,” eddie lies. “and this is a strictly non-religious household. it’s against company policy to bring christmas into the building.”

“what company is that?” steve asks, not even looking at him.

eddie scowls but doesn’t respond, noticing a green gift bag on the counter. “what’s this?”

steve turns. “what’s what?”

“this,” eddie gestures toward the bag.

“oh,” steve smiles. “well, since you gave me such a great ‘welcome to the team’ gift yesterday,” steve gestures to the pink cat collar eddie hadn’t noticed that he’d looped through one of his belt loops, “i figured i should get you something too.” eddie makes no move toward the bag on the counter. “go ahead,” steve goads, still smiling. “everyone loves presents, right?”

eddie, not one to back down when challenged, pulls the bag toward himself & stares at it for a moment, as if it might bite him. steve has gone back to plating eddie’s morning omelet for him, like he doesn’t even care if eddie opens the gift or not. eddie discards the green tissue paper & pulls out… a set of black plastic tongs. the cheap kind you get at ikea for 39 cents when you finally move out of your parents house & have your first ever apartment. clearly used, if the melting on one side is anything to go by, like whoever owned them had left them resting on top of a hot toaster for too long.

“what the fuck?”

steve brings eddie’s breakfast plate over to where he’s standing at the massive kitchen island. “i thought they’d be helpful.” he’s still, infuriatingly, smiling.

“helpful for what?” eddie demands.

“to pull the stick out of your ass.”

~*~

eddie had fired vickie for less. he’s still stewing on it, the insufferable way steve had grinned at him as he’d thrown the tongs across the room & stormed from the kitchen, leaving behind the omelet he’d actually been looking forward to. he’d retreated to his basement studio without a word, pretending as if he’d try writing or even just playing mindlessly in the hopes he’d strike gold, but so far he’s just been sitting in silence with his guitar in his hands, replaying the events from the kitchen in his mind.

the thing is, eddie knows he’s an asshole. and he knows it’s gotten worse since… well, he knows he’s gotten worse in the last year. since everything happened. since wayne.

he knows it & he can’t stop it, even if he really wanted to, which he doesn’t. he likes the power rush, the adrenaline, the superiority he feels when he’s nasty to someone & they just have to take it. it feels good, after so much bad. as long as he doesn’t really consider the feelings of the person on the receiving end of his ire. as long as wayne isn’t there to give him that disappointed sigh & those sad hangdog eyes of his.

because wayne had been his moral compass. wayne had been everything. and now that he’s gone, eddie has no way to check himself. no reason to. it just doesn’t matter anymore.

so he’s mean & he knows it. likes it. won’t stop for anything.

he startles when there’s a knock on the glass that separates the booth from the control room & looks up to see steve waving at him & then point down at his watch.

eddie waits until steve retreats back upstairs before following.

~*~

the car ride to nancy’s office is silent. eddie wears his noise canceling headphones & sits in the back seat, doesn’t even acknowledge steve when he jumps out of the car at the valet stand, just shoves past the security guard at the door & makes his way toward the elevator where chrissy’s waiting for him.

“hey,” she greets him, sunny smile on her face. eddie wants to say something biting, wants to hurt her because he knows he can, but he doesn’t.

“hi,” he grumbles instead & follows her into the elevator where she hits the button for nancy’s floor. he leans against the back wall, folds his arms over his chest & stares down at his boots.

“so like we talked about, his team it here. doesn’t look like he’s with them,” she tells him. eddie looks up at that.

“then why the fuck do i have to be here?”

chrissy sighs. “he was supposed to show. that was part of the deal. that you’d both be here to work out the details of the appearance.”

“if he’s just gonna make this a joke—" eddie can feel the anger rising in him.

“i don’t think that’s what this is, eddie,” chrissy levels him with a look. “i think he’s in real trouble with his label.”

“chris, i don’t need this. i didn’t do anything wrong,” eddie tells her, anger flaring.

“you started a brawl at a club that damaged twenty thousand dollars worth of property, eddie.”

eddie rolls his eyes. “there’s no way anything in the hideout is worth twenty thousand dollars. the land it sits on isn’t even worth that much.”

chrissy sighs again. “what’s the issue? seriously. i thought you guys hadn't even seen each other in over a year. i know he was shitty back then, but i thought everything was fine. how did this even start?”

if it were anyone else, eddie would just ignore the question. but since it’s chrissy, he takes a deep breath and says, “he talked about wayne. said shit that was private, between us. stuff that was said behind closed doors. stuff that shouldn’t have been brought into a fucking club in front of a bunch of drunk strangers doing coke, for fucks sake.” he slams his fist into the elevator wall, too angry to stop himself. chrissy doesn’t even flinch, too used to his outbursts at this point.

chrissy just looks at him & he can feel himself squirm under her gaze. “okay,” she says, like that’s all there is to it. and maybe it is, because she loved wayne too & she was there for it all. wayne’s illness, the funeral, the fallout. she saw it all. “why don’t you go home? he’s not here. we can do this without you.” eddie tries to interrupt but she cuts him off. “we won’t agree to anything without talking to you first. i promise.”

the elevator dings. they’re finally at nancy’s floor.

“fine,” eddie says, leaning back against the elevator wall & crossing his arms again as chrissy moves to hit the button for the lobby before getting off.

“i’ll call you, okay? and we’ll talk about it,” she says, before walking down the hall to the conference room.

~*~

the elevator ride seems to take forever & by the time eddie makes it back down to the lobby, steve has somehow managed to park the car and find another smoothie, the same purple as yesterday’s.

“let’s go,” eddie grumbles as he passes where steve is sitting. steve looks up in surprise.

“that’s it?” steve asks, getting up from the bench he’s sitting on. “i thought you had a meeting?”

“canceled. i wanna go home,” eddie pushes through the glass doors out into the LA sunshine.

steve doesn’t say anything, just hands the valet their ticket & they wait several minutes before the car is brought back around.

eddie knows he shouldn’t. knows it’s mean. but he can’t help himself. as he brushes past steve to climb into the backseat, he knocks the smoothie straight from steve’s hand, where it falls to the sidewalk, sending splatters of purple all across steve’s clean sneakers & the bottoms of his light wash jeans.

“oops, sorry. no liquids in the car,” eddie says, shrugging in mock remorse as he slides into his seat.

eddie watches from inside the car as steve stands on the sidewalk motionless in surprise as the valet scrambles for tissues. and honestly, eddie feels better than he has in days. he almost smiles.

[strangersatellites]

I owe you a black eye and two kisses

933 words | idk M adjacent I guess

The interviewer’s name is Brooke. Steve isn’t sure who she’s with, he wasn’t paying that much attention.

She seems like a nice girl. Really, she does.

Steve is a little distracted though, trying his best to be earnest when he answers her questions.

“How did it feel when Jeremy told you he wrote the character specifically for you?”

“What was the most meaningful scene for you to film?”

“What was it like working with Nancy Wheeler? She’s my favorite.”

He thinks he does a pretty good job all things considered.

Well- considering that all he can hear is “Eddie! Over here” from the wall of paparazzi to his right. As kind as Brooke seems, he would much rather be hanging off his boyfriend while the crowd screams his name and begs for autographs.

Dating another famous person is all fun and games until work calls you both at the same time.

He looks over his shoulder between questions and catches Eddie throwing him a wink. He’s stood on the red carpet with the other Corroded Coffin boys and they’re all joking and laughing and acting like they don’t have a care in the world.

Steve knows that’s not true. They were all but shaking in their boots on the car ride over while their manager threatened them each on their lives to behave themselves.

He laughs under his breath and tears his eyes away.

“Okay! Now for some rapid-fire fan questions!” she says.

Perfect, this will be a good distraction until Eddie’s done being a goddamned model behind him.

Steve claps his hands together and furrows his eyebrows.

“I’m ready, let's do it.”

“What’s your favorite cereal?”

“Frosted Flakes, obviously.”

“When was the last time you went to the dentist?”

He snorts a laugh. “Uh, about a month ago actually. I chipped a tooth on set.”

“Yikes.” She looks down at the card in her hand. “Who is your most played artist on Spotify?”

He smiles, doesn’t need to pull out his phone to know the answer to that one.

“That would be my boyfriend.”

Brooke smiles at him and leans in conspiratorially, “If he isn’t really, I won’t tell anyone.”

He laughs. “He really is! If you wanted some juice though, Sabrina Carpenter is my second.”

She laughs and nods. “That’s perfect. I so see it. Okay, last one, what is your favorite snack to eat in bed?”

Oddly enough, he doesn’t really have to think to answer this one either.

“Pretzels, easy. We’ve been watching “How to Get Away With Murder” before bed every night and I’ve probably been through three bags this week. Honest.”

Brooke breaks her professional character to laugh and it spurs him on.

“It’s one of those things, I probably haven’t thought about a pretzel in three years and now that I’ve remembered they exist, I cannot put them down.” He notices now that even the camera guy is nodding and laughing. “You know when I was a kid, I used to love dipping a pretzel in my Coke can and hearing it fizz. That shit-”

He cuts himself off with a smile when he feels a warm hand slide around his waist.

“Hey hot stuff,” he giggles.

Eddie smacks a dramatic kiss to his cheek and squeezes his hip. His pretty smile taking over his face once he gets a good look at the blush that paints his cheeks.

“Hey babydoll. What’re you guys talking about?”

Steve’s head whips back around to Brooke. “Ooh! Ask him! I want to see if he says the same thing I did.”

She smiles and points the mic towards Eddie.

“What’s your favorite snack to eat in bed?”

Eddie puts on a faux contemplative look, puts a hand on his chin. He hums.

“Hm. That’s a tough one. God, I just don’t-”

Steve cuts him off, wraps his own arms around Eddie’s frame and gets in his face with a laugh.

“Oh come on, I know you’re thinking it! I want to be right!”

He makes himself giggle into Eddie’s shoulder thinking back to a few nights ago when Eddie had stuck two pretzel rods in his lip and pretended to be a walrus. So his confusion as to why Eddie isn’t answering only grows when he sees the filthy smirk on his face.

Eddie leans back far enough that he can see the mic flag.

“Who did you say you were with again?”

“E! News.”

Oh good. Steve had wanted to know that.

Eddie chuckles and Steve figures out what’s happening as soon as he feels Eddie’s hand shift. He can’t move his own fast enough.

“Well, Brooke from E! News, my favorite snack to eat in bed is my baby,” he punctuates it with a smack to Steve’s ass, “what else?”

Steve buries his blushing face in his boyfriend’s jacket and rushes to smack a hand over Eddie’s mouth before he can get out a, “Have you seen his-”

“OKAY, that’s enough out of you,” he looks back toward Brooke who is laughing hysterically, “I’m so sorry. He’s an animal.”

Steve is going to beat him up. Really, he is.

Eddie grabs his wrist and pulls his hand away from his mouth and settles it over his chest, bare under his studded jacket.

“Can you blame me? Look at him. Never tasted anything better.”

Okay, he’s done for real this time. He grabs Eddie’s arm and pulls him away, back toward the boys and more importantly away from the cameras.

“Thanks so much Brooke, you’re a gem, I am so sorry, again.”

Eddie cackles behind him and he just knows that they’ll never live this one down.

(He doesn’t really want to.)

[becca-e-barnes]

Bucky pinning you down so you can’t squirm and he’s just sitting inside you while he tortures your clit feeling you clench around him. He makes you cum over and over until he finally cums.

Overstimulation + super soldier stamina = …

- 🍯

Dear God, I know I just don't have it in me to behave during cock-warming. When it comes down to it, I genuinely have no patience at all 😵‍💫

"You..." Bucky begins, pressing you down onto the bed before gripping your ankles and forcing you to flip over onto your front. "Have a problem with control."

With your face turned away from him, you can't help but smile to yourself. No one has ever said it out loud but you know he's right.

Being in control is where you're most comfortable. No hands are safer than your own. Except maybe his. You know he won't fuck this up.

"And you..." He continues, gathering your wrists behind your back, holding them tightly with one hand. "Need to learn how it feels to have control taken from you. Do you understand?"

As soon as you begin to nod your head, you feel him start to tape around your wrists, holding them together behind your back. Once he's content they're secure, he sits on the edge of the bed, facing the mirror before he pulls you onto his lap.

"Legs spread over the top of mine." He orders and you do as you're told, not because you have to but because you want to.

You notice the way your cunt is already glistening in the mirror and you're almost embarrassed because he hasn't even touched you yet.

"Fuck, you're made for this." He groans, lining his cock up to your slick entrance and you wonder if he's holding his breath too while he slides into you, as deep as your bodies will allow.

You're obsessed with the sight in front of you; your own naked body, with your legs spread so far apart you can see how your cunt is stuffed full of him.

Being shorter though, your feet can't touch the ground like this. There's no way you'll get enough leverage to fuck yourself on him but as soon as you start to tell him that, he silences you with two thick fingers between your lips.

"I'm not letting you fuck me." His free hand roams over your body, squeezing your breasts, pinching your nipples and then settling between your spread thighs.

"I'm going to play with you. I'm going to see how much you can take. I'm going to work out exactly how you like your clit stroked and I'm going to do that until your legs are shaking and your body won't let you cum any more. Maybe then I'll fuck you but sweetheart, that will be hours from now." His breath is hot against the side of your face, his fingers slipping from your mouth to your waist while he starts to flick gently against your clit.

"I'm going to start slowly. I'm going to do everything I can to drag this out as long as possible. I can feel every clench and flutter of this pretty little cunt and I'm going to enjoy it until you're dripping over my balls." At this rate, it won't be long until you're dripping onto the carpet, never mind over him. You dreamed he'd want to take control like this but you never imagined the way your body would respond.

"And then, when you've cum more times than you can handle, I'm going to tell you that I love you while I fuck you like I don't."

Update: Part 2

[moshaeu]

I've never heard of a haunt/anchor AU before, if you're interested it would be lovely to hear you explain it or tell where I could learn more about it 👉👈🥺

this really came about from a number of my favorite tropes (supernatural + power couple + hurt/comfort) so the au isn’t super concrete nor does it have a name…

i’m sure a similar concept exists out there somewhere but for the rundown here: