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I love weird women

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Stuart Armstrong post match interview v Watford, FA Cup 28.01.24

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Myrtle is not enjoying this

SUPERSTORE

2x16 - Wellnes Fair

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fanfic ask game - 7, 8 and 17? 💜

Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it. I've already answered this one but I can do another!

"Death stood placidly by as Pearl picked herself up and readjusted her grip on her axe. The hellhound barked and crouched, staring her down. It wanted her closer, probably so it could maul her. But there was no other way to injure it, so Pearl ran, axe held high above her head. 

When she got close, she swung down, axe biting into its left paw. It only seemed to get angrier at that, and snapped its fangs at her arm. Pearl stumbled backward, managing to haul her axe with her, but her right forearm was cut up and bleeding badly. It hurt like absolute hell, but that's what she got for being careless. She grit her teeth and hefted her axe up again, watching as the hellhound crouched down again. 

This wasn't going to work. Just charging in blindly and hoping she hit something. She needed a fatal hit, to the heart or the neck preferably. If she somehow could get it to charge her again she could try something, but putting it on the defensive would make things harder. 

Pearl shifted her weight, holding herself at a more defensive stance. She kept her eyes on the hellhound and slowly started backing away. It growled, low and ancient, before flinging itself at her. Pearl let herself smile as she watched its approach. By the old gods, she'd missed this thrill. 

She held her stance until the hellhound was near breathing down her neck, then dropped to her back and pushed her axe up into its stomach. The hellhound just about screamed as it tore itself open on her blade, hot blood gushing out over her. 

The hellhound collapsed, shaking, onto its side and Pearl was quick to stand up and bring her axe down on its neck. The moment her blade cut into flesh, it vanished into smoke."

I like this from "how queen pearl almost defeated death" which is also an empires smp fic (season1 though!). I like Pearl's character a lot in empires sigh. I wrote a decent amount of fighting/action in that fic, which is something I don't usually do so it took a lot of mental finagling. Short action sequence, but I was very deliberate with how I wrote it so it made logical sense and was possible to do, especially because the character involved is a pretty good brawler.

Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

"“This isn’t ‘cause you still feel sad I got shot, right?” Jack pointed her cigarette at him accusingly. “I’ve had just about enough of people trying to be sweet and nice about that all at work, I don’t need it from you.”

Atticus sighed dramatically and took a bite from the cake without bothering to slice it. “One, you were meant to take the whole week off for recovery. Two, I don’t need ulterior motives. I genuinely just thought this would be fun. Stop being paranoid that people care about you and eat the stupid cake. It’s marble.”

“They needed me at work, no one in that station can do a damn thing.” Jack grumbled, but put out her cigarette in an ashtray and grabbed a fork. “And it’s not like my work is really that demanding. I just sit around.”

“You’d show up to work if you were a stuntman and the bullets went through your skull.” Atticus grumbled and opened her fridge. “Why do you only buy shitty alcohol? You need taste.”

“I have taste. Sorry I don’t exclusively drink hundred year old Italian reds.” She wanted to tell him she only went into work because she was losing her mind in her apartment, head filled with the memory of the dead man and the slow, precise gunshots. Because Atticus was put-together and at work and wasn’t around to take her mind off it. Because those six dead men were her responsibility. “Anyway, I think the case might actually be over soon. I’ve got two solid leads, we’ll see where they end up.”

Atticus nodded, still rummaging through her fridge. “Really? That’s nice. Here, I’ll be a barbarian for tonight.” He turned around holding a bottle of bourbon. “Doesn’t look half bad, except I goddamn know you got it at the gas station.” 

“It’ll do fine. You know where cups are.” She smiled around a mouthful of cake. “But yeah, we’re getting somewhere. We’ve gotten into the phones of the victims, they all messaged Whoever Finch about meeting to hook up or buy drugs. No idea who the hell that is, it’s fake names anyway. But today, got an email from Ashton and Sons, car rental. Give it a day or two and I’ll be able to see who got that rental car the killer had.” She pointed her fork at him. “That’s when we go out and celebrate so hard we throw up. I’m sick of this case.”

“Jack, I love your morbid career choices but can we please discuss things that are actually interesting?” Atticus snapped. He was frowning at the mugs of bourbon. “Sorry. Long day. I’m going fucking crazy.” He handed a mug over to her while downing his own. 

Jack nodded slowly and sipped her drink. He’d probably been stressed out tonight and she hadn’t noticed. “Alright. Sorry I pushed it.” She said softly. “What do you wanna talk about?” 

Atticus smiled and refilled his mug. “I dunno, I’m just tired. Mind if I crash here for the night?” 

“Yeah, that’s fine. If you don’t mind the couch I’ve some spare blankets and pillows.” She knew she’d never get to the bottom of what was bothering him so bad, he was never an emotional person like that. And maybe it was hypocritical of her to want to know, because she barely liked even thinking about what bothered her. She just wanted to comfort him. 

“Thanks.” He nearly whispered it. Atticus packed the cake into her fridge, which apparently meant the little event was over. Jack felt a bit bad about ruining the mood, but there was nothing to be done about it now."

I'M CHEATING BECAUSE THIS ISN'T TECHNICALLY FANFIC ! It's my own original shortish story BUT it's on ao3 so it counts in my heart. This one's also very long but hey, I have to get the whole thing. I love the dialogue and general interactions between the two characters. This is from a later chapter but I honestly think someone could understand their relationship from just this interaction. This part in particular because it's just very soft and sweet, I love it a lot. Ah, I love these two characters so much, they're like my awful little babies. Again, I really do think someone could get what their relationship is like and even a bit about their personality from this bit of dialogue which I'm really happy with. I love all their interactions but this is my personal favorite

Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

I have to do it start to finish. My organizational ass would die if I had to do it out of order, because I end up improvising a lot when I write. So if it goes Scene A - Scene B - Scene C, if I write Scene C first then there might be something I end up writing in Scene B that changes things so I'd have to go back and change what I already wrote, etc etc. Easier to do it all in order.

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not to be controversial bc I know this is like…not in line with shifting opinions on fanfic comment culture but if there’s a glaring typo in my work I will NOT be offended by pointing it out. if ao3 fucks up the formatting…I will also not be offended by having this pointed out…

‘looking forward to the next update’ and ‘I hope you update soon!’ are different vibes than a demand, and should be read in good faith because a reader is finding their way to tell you how much they love it. I will not be mad at this.

‘I don’t usually like this ship but this fic made me feel something’ is also incredibly high praise. I’m not going to get mad at this.

even ‘I love this fic but I’m curious about why you made [x] choice’ is just another way a reader is engaging in and putting thought into your work.

I just feel like a lot of authors take any comment that’s not perfectly articulated glowing praise in the exact manner they’re hoping to receive it in bad faith.

fic engagement has been dropping across the board over the last several years, and yes it’s frustrating but it isn’t as though I can’t see how it happens. comment anxiety can be a real thing. the last thing anyone wants to do is offend an author they love, and that means sometimes people default to silence.

idk where I’m going with this I guess aside from saying unless a comment is outright attacking me I’m never going to get mad at it, and I think a lot of authors should feel the same way. ESPECIALLY TYPOS PLZ GOD POINT OUT MY TYPOS.

#screaming this from the roof tops #imo any comment is a good comment #praise = yay happy dopamine #criticism = i know how to improve to make people happy = yay happy dopamine #hatecrimes = haha loser suck my dick taylor taught me to shake it off

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One of my least favourite dialogue tropes is when a man tells a woman, “You can’t do that” or “I wouldn’t do that if I were you” and she says, “Why? Because I’m a woman and therefore too weak to handle this/can’t take care of myself?” or something to that effect and the guy replies with, “No, because everyone who tried that ended up with a bullet in their brain” or something equally reasonable and not gender-specific that paints him as the rational not sexist guy and the woman as an irrational paranoid feminist who searches for sexism in everything. This whole scenario is built on the idea that sexism is over and women’s fears and suspicions don’t have a leg to stand on. It’s also self-congratulatory pseudofeminism bc it’s supposed to make the viewer/reader/listener feel that in this specific work of fiction women are treated respectfully and as equal with men.

#this is a big issue #and sadly very true #but all i can think about is david mitchell’s qi stephen fry bully two brains thing

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I'm sick of internet negativity, so let's combat it: reblog this and saying something nice/pay a compliment to the prev in the tags.

#always shows up with super cool art/drawings on my dash #everyone you reblog/post is super cool

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40 Questions — Meme for Fic Writers

Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.

Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?

How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?

Share one of your strengths.

Share one of your weaknesses.

Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Which fic has been the hardest to write?

Which fic has been the easiest to write?

Is writing your passion or just a fun hobby?

Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

If you only could write one pairing for the rest of your life, which pairing would it be?

Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines?

Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a muse?

Describe your perfect writing conditions.

How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

Choose a passage from one of your earlier fics and edit it into your current writing style. (Person sending the ask is free to make suggestions).

If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why?

Have you ever deleted one of your published fics?

What do you look for in a beta?

Do you beta yourself? If so, what kind of beta are you?

How do you feel about collaborations?

Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

Do you accept prompts?

Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?

How do you feel about smut?

How do you feel about crack?

What are your thoughts on non-con and dub-con?

Would you ever kill off a canon character?

Which is your favorite site to post fic?

Talk about your current wips.

Talk about a review that made your day.

Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?

Write an alternative ending to [insert fic title] (or just the summary of one).

#send asks #ask game #britcom #mcyt #cats #anything go

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this is the funniest thing I’ve read in my LIFE

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three things we will stick in any fanfic if we're given half a chance:

polyamory

plurality

forgiveness

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ask game !! which one am i?

REBLOG PLEASE I SPENT AN HOUR ON THIS

#ask game #send asks

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i know everyone thinks the whelk saga and gloryholegate are the most off the rails this show has gotten but imo this is UP THERE they literally can't breathe 😭

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massive update!!!

i have not been this excited in a hot minute!!!

apparently, an anonymous source has managed to acquire clean archival copies of the first 12 series of never mind the buzzcocks, so we now have amazing upgraded video files for so many OG episodes!!!

look at the difference!!!

i mean how insane is that!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHH

i updated all 12 series with these pretty files on my drive, and you also have the option to t•rrent them from the above link if you prefer — but either way WE ARE SET!!!

time for a rewatch 😍 EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!!!!

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David Mitchell and Victoria Coren Mitchell better stay married and ridiculously in love FOR EVER

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want your favorite author to update but don’t want to be too pushy in their comment section?

here’s 5 things you can do to encourage them:

Reblog their fic link on tumblr (bonus if it’s with tags)

Bookmark the fic with a note about what you’re excited about/love in the fic

Recommend the fic to your friends or local discord channel

Draw art or create other media for the fic (as indicated by the author’s comfort level)

Leave them a comment when re-reading about the parts of the chapter/story that stood out to you the second time

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want your favorite author to update but don’t want to be too pushy in their comment section?

here’s 5 things you can do to encourage them:

Reblog their fic link on tumblr (bonus if it’s with tags)

Bookmark the fic with a note about what you’re excited about/love in the fic

Recommend the fic to your friends or local discord channel

Draw art or create other media for the fic (as indicated by the author’s comfort level)

Leave them a comment when re-reading about the parts of the chapter/story that stood out to you the second time

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want your favorite author to update but don’t want to be too pushy in their comment section?

here’s 5 things you can do to encourage them:

Reblog their fic link on tumblr (bonus if it’s with tags)

Bookmark the fic with a note about what you’re excited about/love in the fic

Recommend the fic to your friends or local discord channel

Draw art or create other media for the fic (as indicated by the author’s comfort level)

Leave them a comment when re-reading about the parts of the chapter/story that stood out to you the second time