#and if i end up expanding on this in a whole fic. it'll definitely have more gay shit <3 i cant not do that

[camels-pen]

hmmm. Monster trio + Jinbei getting separated from the rest of the crew on an island with enemies using hard or impossible to see attacks and Usopp's the one who's gotta keep his Haki up the whole time and direct the others/keep everyone safe.

Zoro got bored, having been at sea a while, and they were running low on meat, so when Luffy was about to run off, he suggests a hunting competition. Sanji yells at him not to go because he'll get lost. Zoro says something like Sanji's a wimp and ends up goading him into joining them. Jinbei is sent along by Nami to keep Zoro from getting lost. Thus the four left. Enemies showed up soon after.

The crew manages. Not perfectly, but they do. And eventually, maybe hours later, the monster trio and Jinbei (quartet? hmm) finally gets back. Nami's yelling at them as soon as they show up, but after a while the attacks slow down and stop and, despite not finding their attacker, all is seemingly fine.

Seemingly.

Usopp, having been wound up so tight with tension and still very concerned about finding their hidden enemy, keeps up his Haki even after the three had returned. The whole situation reminds him a little too much of Boin, so 'just in case' he decides to stay extra vigilant.

Meaning keeping it up until they leave the island.

Enemy attacks tone down after a while, and are much easier to manage when they've got their other Haki-users with them, so they decide on a quick supply run- Luffy accidentally stumbled on a decently sized town during their hunting trip- before shipping out.

This time, just Sanji, Chopper, and Franky go so that they can get the most necessary supplies. They're told to be quick, just in case their unseen enemy returns.

Some time later, Nami is chatting with Usopp when she pauses. She asks if Usopp's alright, because his eyes look red. Usopp just pulls his goggles on and says something got in his eye, but nothing serious.

More time later, Usopp notes that Sanji, Chopper, and Franky are taking a while. Longer than usual.

There aren't any big commotions or fires or anything though.

He parks himself on the bench around the main mast. He knows that Sanji would see any enemy that came for them. He knows that all 3 of them are capable fighters and can handle themselves. But he needs to check, needs to see-

So he pushes further. Further than he probably should, considering the way something feels like its pulling dangerously taut in his head.

He must've gotten past half of the island when, finally, he saw them.

Chopper, in heavy point, holding back a furious Sanji from kicking Franky. Franky himself was walking ahead of them, unperturbed.

Usopp let out a breath. They were fine, just taking their time getting to the town. He chastises himself a bit for not believing in them and chooses to ignore the relief from letting his range of Haki shrink back to normal. The temptation to let it go completely, to let his other crewmates handle things, was starting to get far too loud.

He brought an armful of mismatched bits and bobs on deck to fiddle with to take his mind off it. It helps with avoiding comments about keeping his goggles on anyway, if he was tinkering with something.

and blah blah blah eventually they come back with all the necessary supplies. Still no enemies have returned. No matter how paranoid Usopp is, he's starting to wane on whether he should just let it go, let the others handle it if they come back, instead of straining himself to the point his brain feels like it'll snap.

Sanji makes dinner. It's late too, so Nami makes the decision to ship out in the morning. She says they're switching up night watch just for tonight, in case those unseen enemies come back. The new schedule consists of Sanji, Zoro, Luffy, and Jinbei.

They get that they need Haki users on watch, but when asked why so many shift switches, Nami doesn't want them getting tired... or something like that, since she doesn't really know about how Haki works.

Eventually she, and everyone else, gets an explanation that properly trained Observation Haki doesn't have to be kept on all the time to be aware of imminent danger and isn't especially draining to use. Usopp is a little frustrated, maybe shows it outwardly, and even though the explanation reassures the others that 2 shifts- maybe 3- is enough, it only serves to make Usopp feel worse. He more firmly keeps up his waning Haki.

Long after everyone has gone to bed and Sanji has started first shift, Usopp was still 'tinkering' against the mast. Sanji comes down for a bit and tries to get him to head to bed or take a break, but Usopp made some excuse that he'd finish up his project soon.

Zoro doesn't say anything as he passes Usopp to relieve Sanji of his shift.

Sanji brings him some tea, the kind that makes you sleepy. Usopp can smell it. He gives his thanks and chugs it. Sanji sighs before heading to the men's quarters.

It isn't long before Luffy passes. Then Zoro. Jinbei, then Luffy.

Before he knew it, the sun was just barely rising and Sanji was standing in front of him.

"Your cup."

"Hm?"

Sanji gestures to the empty teacup and saucer next to Usopp.

"Oh. Sorry." He hands them over.

"Did you finish?"

"The tea? Yeah, it was tasty."

"No, your project."

Usopp pauses. Stares at Sanji between slow, burning blinks. "What project?"

Anyway, Sanji's worried now, but not enough to intervene. Breakfast comes and goes, then they're finally sailing off.

it takes another hour or so to leave the island out of a normal person's Haki range. They all think they're home free at this point, but not Usopp.

He plans to keep up his Haki until the Island is outside his maximum range. It's still just barely reaching the edge of his strained Haki range when he notices it.

Killing intent.

It's racing towards Sunny at breakneck speeds. Usopp doesn't know what it is, but he is not letting that thing hit their ship-

Except, oh, Usopp could almost see the trajectory of this thing, clear as if he'd shot it himself.

It wasn't aiming for the ship. It was aiming for Luffy.

Now, realistically, when it came within his own Haki range, Luffy would just dodge it himself. Even if he didn't, the most damage those unseen enemies had managed was a few slashes here and there. Mostly superficial wounds. It was more that they couldn't be seen without Haki and the sheer amount of them that had everyone on guard.

But Usopp had not slept. Had, at this point, gone a full 24 hours using Observation Haki. Was mixing up common, comforting, sounds of Sunny on the sea with giant bugs and carnivorous plants on an island miles and miles and miles away. Usopp was far past thinking realistically.

So, without any explanation or warning- no time, he thought to himself- Usopp aims his Kabuto just to the right of Luffy. His friends yell at him, when they notice what he's doing. He ignores them. Quiets his thoughts. He has to keep himself steady. Has to fire at just the right moment.

Luffy turns around, staring calmly at him. "Usopp?"

Now!

Usopp fires.

The others yell at Luffy to move. Luffy stares at Usopp. He stays put.

A Skullbomb Grass explodes next to him. He keeps a hand on his hat to keep it from blowing off.

Little bits of something shower down on Luffy's head.

He blinks a few times, then grins, "So that's what it is!"

Sanji and Zoro relax. Jinbei asks, "You couldn't have said something before shooting?"

"Eh? What? What happened?" Nami asks.

Luffy laughs, picking up one of the bits on his hat. "It's-"

"There you are you needle bastard," Usopp hisses, jerking his head towards the island. He turns and climbs to the roof of the crow's nest in record time. He aims high in the sky. "Surekill: Green Star-"

He shoots off his pop green, waiting a good while for the impact to be seen from the island. When the needle bastard's voice had finally shut up, Usopp starts to relax and let up on his Haki. "Skullbomb Grass…"

Usopp sways atop the crow's nest. His friends were yelling something at him, but he couldn't hear them.

With his fuzzy vision and aching head, he mumbles, "Ah, maybe I did overdo it afterall…"

In the next moment, he tips over the edge.

-and then Sanji jumps up to catch him and calls him a dumbass.

Luffy finishes explaining that somebody shot a big needle at him and Usopp shot down said needle. Then the others discuss why the hell Usopp passed out and who threw the needle. And how Usopp saw it coming before Luffy did, if both of them have Haki.

Jinbei explains that some people have wider ranges on their Observation Haki. Though, now, Usopp's is probably the biggest he knows of. Because what the hell that was insane.

Chopper takes off Usopp's goggles and checks him over. He asks the others if they noticed anything weird about Usopp that might've led to him collapsing. Nobody has anything but eventually Nami mentions his eyes being red yesterday after Sanji, Chopper, and Franky left. A few others pipe up about Usopp not sleeping last night.

Sanji is the one to put the pieces together.

He explains to the rest of them that Usopp must've been keeping his Haki up this whole fucking time, which wore him the hell out. He also explains that it's dangerous to do that, especially when his Haki is still untrained.

Usopp gets taken to the infirmary. The others (namely, Sanji) are kicking themselves a little about not having made sure that Usopp knew how to conserve energy with Haki / use it in a way that doesn't hurt him.

When Usopp wakes up many hours later, he's pretty fucked. Like his head is pounding, his stomach is queasy, and when he tries to test his Haki to make sure everyone was alright, he nearly passes out again. He takes some time to force himself to stay conscious, and then pushes himself up to go check on them in person. Sanji's right there though, and stops him. Tells him everyone's okay, other than Usopp himself. Tears into him a little about trusting Sanji, Luffy, Zoro, and Jinbei to pay attention and watch out for the others.

Usopp doesn't apologize, doesn't say much of anything. Some time, and warm food, make it easier for Sanji to wheedle out of him that the whole thing reminded him of Boin. And isn't that stupid? This wasn't the first forested Island they'd been to in the New World where people were trying to kill them. Usopp wasn't being chased down by man eating plants. The only thing he ate was the food Sanji made. And there was no routine 'Island Chow Time' where the island itself folded up and ate everything on it everyday. It didn't make a lick of sense.

But Sanji understood. Sort of. Having to watch over your shoulder for so long and then getting this power that lets you watch everything at all times? If it wasn't for Iva's scolding he would've been in the same state as Usopp while he was doing his own training.

And thus, heart to heart, and then Sanji offering to train Usopp properly in Observation Haki, which Usopp accepts.

#one piece #usopp #nemotime #idk about the 'took an hour to get out of normal haki range thing' i was just writing. like. dont take my word for all that #aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa usopp haki fics/ideas my beloved #also writing in present tense sucksssss im sticking to past tense from now on #didnt explicitly write this as sanuso but like. in my heart it is #and if i end up expanding on this in a whole fic. it'll definitely have more gay shit <3 i cant not do that

[jcforsapphics]

Hsmtmts 4x08:

Ok last episode I am so so scared but I'm so glad it's an hour longg

Good on EJ for being on his last play but babygirl what happened to your face

"Btw, who the fuck are you guys?" LMAO RICKY IS SO REAL

"Are you asking as my son or as my brother?"

I'm loving all the Kourtney appreciation because she desreve that so much

Troyella are getting very personal to rina right now

Jet being the biggest madlyn shipper!!

"I have every feeling for you" THEY ARE HAPPENING

NOT EJ PREDICTING MADLYN?? HE'S SO REAL FOR THIS HE IS US HE IS THE FAN BASE

"I feel like I don't deserve to be as happy as you make me" so I'm getting called out by every character this season, huh?

They are so not staying just friends who are they lying to

MADLYN KISS OH MY GOD THAT WAS THE CUTEST THING EVER I ?? THIS SEASON IS SO GOOD FRIEND FOR THE GAYS

Plot twist Ricky and Mack ends up together

Joshoua Bassest you have the voice of an angel

Full disclosure I actually hate public declarations of love and would not like it at all if he'll confess in front of everyone I'll probably have to skip it I can't handle second hand embarrassments

JET CALLING MADDOX HIS BEST FRIEND I LOVE THEM VERY MUCH

Hey I better get a fic expanding on Ricky feeling like he didn't deserve to get into college because??

Big Red and Ricky hug!!

Everyone singing together might have made me tear up a bit haha I don't want to actually cry I already cried last night when I prepared myself mentally (I'm attracted to this show in a very autistic and not at all healthy way and my therapist told me she's genuinely worried about me and about what will happen if rina won't end up together)

OK FIRST ANTINE IS NOT FRENCH?? ALSO WE WERE ALL RIGHT ABOUT HIM AND RED LET'S GO!!

"My dad knew I was gay since I was two!" Seb I think everyone knew

Ms Jen I'm sorry to tell you this but Gina always looks like a star

I don't have words for Ricky's speech because how dare he

GINA IS BEAUTIFUL

Gina talking about every single person and crying I can't I can't :((

"I really wish the world was as pure as you see it" is actually such a good line

Not Gina calling Jet out on his feelings for Kourtney in front of everyoneee

The camara not finding EJ when Gina is trying to talk to him??

This whole speech is really making me feel like I missed with my horrible theatre group I wish we had what they do

"I feel so seen and so understood and so known" I LOVE YOU GINA PORTER

RICKY TELL HER YOU LOVE HER YOU BITCH

MACK IS A RINA???

RUN RICKY RUN!!

This is literally the most unserious show in the world

THE SEASON ONE REFERENCE!! Loving this

"I'm in love and I know it" I'M COLLECTING MY RINA ENDGAME TONIGHT

This song is so going on my playlist

HOW DOES EVERYONE JUST KNOW THE LYRICS WHAT IS THIS GLEE

I genuinely love this song very much but I need an actual spoken confession for the edits

IT'S HIS FAVOURITE HAT <33

She did not tell him she loves him way back in season one and we didn't know??

"It's been there all along?" "Just like me." You don't know how much they mean to me

LMAO GINA JUST DECIDED THEY'RE GONNA SHOT AT SALT LAKE GO GIRL

Honestly Quinn deserve such a rise after this

MY CHILDREN

I can't believe the show is over :((

Definitely a few things I would change about this season but more on that on a later post! (Mostly the fact there was no chocolate theory reveal obviously)

Overall I'm so so happy with how the show ended but still going to ignore it and pretend it'll go on forever

#hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #hsmtmts season 4 #high school musical the musical the series season 4 #hsmtmts spoilers #hsmtmts liveblog #liveblog #liveblogging #ricky bowen #gina porter #rina #madlyn #seblos #cal's basement

[writingmochi]

what do ur moots remind you of?! (ex. places, color, song, etc)

lissie: hey anon! sorry for the late reply! I'll try my best to answer your question because this will be long...

@kookthief : the setting summer sun that is a body of ocean away going down beyond the horizon from where you can see from the beach. maybe because ellie has mentioned the summer i turn pretty tons of times, seeing photos of the sunset by a beach reminds me of her!

@ujunxverse: the strobing lights in a small concert venue where an alternative rock band is playing. viv's music taste and little mentions of music she listens to give me recommendations for more artists to listen to in the future. i also realize that our music taste venn diagram is more connected than i realized (cassiopea, have a nice life, radiohead, etc)

@heartandfangs: the narrow aisle of a warm-colored old bookstore. i think because of how amazingly P writes her stories it makes me think of that. one shelf is apocalyptic (the world ends with you) and another is erotica (i owe you and not if it's you)

@euphor1a: the smell of freshly baked vanilla cake in a pastel bakery on the corner of the street block. i mentioned to aleyna how she reminded me of sugar cookies before. with this, i'm expanding what i said before to the whole bakery :D

@jeongwins: an aesthetic-looking list on letterboxd. i know it seems random, but the way lin writes reviews for fics they recommend is how a film critic writes a review for a movie. in a way, it also shows the people what kind of fics they like and how others can expect from the fics by their reviews, just like how people on letterboxd make list for movies they like aesthetically or story wise

@s-ngh8n: open parasols on the sandy beach with the glittering waves in the distance. kinda like their name, lemon has a sense of freshness that i can't fully articulate using adjectives. so, here i am using a description to fully said what i meant

@boba-beom: xing fu tang's brown sugar boba milk tea. other than the boba theme being similar, smiles to me seems very refreshing and warm in the way she speaks and interacts with yours truly

@dim-sun: a cottagecore-themed pixel art. probably because zu had one of them for their banner one time, but every time i found a forest pixel art, it always reminds me of them...

@it-rains-blue: a rupi kaur-style book full of short stories. condensed yet emotionally rich, that is what the vibe of yerin's writing feels like for me. her range also contributes to it as short stories in one book can make you feel so many emotions; throwing the book against the wall or seeing tears fell on the pages from how it got you to feel.

@heart2beom: the smell of salted popcorn as you sit inside the cinema seats. another random one but jazmine makes me feel that way. i haven't read much of her work but i know that it'll give me a good time just like a good movie does.

@tyunlatte: a litter of kittens walking towards you as you sit on the carpeted floor of a cat cafe. seeing illustrations of cats reminds me of alex so much + the cafe aspect is definitely the kind of vibe if i open her blog. you're always in for a treat!

@lovejoshua: the colors: rose quartz and serenity. iykyk ;) but in all seriousness, i'm happy to see svt's content in my timeline from time to time because of ilem (literally every time i wake up and check the blr, it's gonna be either josh or seungcheol gifs. and i am in for that)

@junniieesbby: an emoji of a heart. as her previous moniker for her time as anon, every time i see a heart of any kind, both the symbol heart or a heart that looks accurate anatomically, it reminds me of angie!

@hanniejie: the song "can you feel the sunshine?" from the video game sonic r. using the sol as their aesthetic, lex gives of a very warm and optimistic vibe whenever i see their name or username, kinda like this song whenever i play them.

@txt-yaomi: ateez's yunho. ever since i learned that sof ults him, i kinda feel almost the same vibe between the two of them. both can be calm and excitedly chaotic at any time >.<

@talesofyuan: a shelf full of multi-volume manga series. remembering yuan's dream as a mangaka, every time i see a manga illustration, it always reminds me of her.

@choistick: the words "Musik" and "Kunst" . knowing where she comes from, thinking about saph really makes me want to revive my knowledge of the german language after not using it since i graduated high school lmao guten tag saph!

@robin-obsessed: txt's hueningkai being the ningdungie that she is, lee gives off the same vibe as hyuka whenever i think of her + her tumblr banner and discord username don't help either in making me think that she and kai are connected in some way...

#message to the moon #messenger: anonymous #games with the moon

[siswritesyanderes]

In ‘Rule One Don’t Be Afraid’ chapter 12, Sadie’s having a conversation with the wolves on “Werewolf Sunday” and Embry mentions that of all the Cullens to be stuck with as vamp-stalkers Alice and Jasper are the worst because of their gifts. Then he says that his clear choice would be Rose and Emmett in this situation, and Leah begrudgingly agrees. Is it do to their lack of manipulative gifts, i.e empath and seer? Or because they seemed to be the most chill/blasé about the whole Edward & Bella situation as well as Sadie’s?

Also, is this something that you’re incorporating or considering with Emmett and Rose’s story? Will they have a more laidback approach to courting Jacqueline that aligns with how they’re perceived by the other characters of Rule One? Or will you expand on their personalities a bit more to amp up the possessive and obsessive tendencies of the mating bond like we saw from Alice and Jasper?

Hope this all made sense, sorry for any typos. <3

That's a great question. Embry was taking everything into account, so basically, he did the mental calculus of their personalities, abilities, appearance, etc. to arrive at his conclusion.

And definitely, "Lay Me Down..." is going to be looking at the ways in which their comparative chillness does and doesn't manifest, when it's them infatuated with a human. It'll be very different, but I still fully intend for it to be yandere. I'm trying not to say too much about it because I know my plans tend to change as I get to know the characters by writing them more; a lot of my initial plans for Rule One ended up getting gradually reworked, so if you had asked me any questions about my plans for that fic when I was writing the first two chapters, my answers would not still be true today.

#twilight fanfiction #rule one don't be afraid #rule one spoilers #lay me down on a bed of thorns #yandere rosalie hale #yandere emmett cullen #rosalie x reader #emmett x reader #rosalie x emmett x reader

[clockworkspider]

3, 13, 32, 59?

For the ask 👉👈

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

So it depends on whether i'm trying to write a fic or if the fic's trying to get me to write it.

Once in a blue moon, an inspiration will struck, and it'll just bounce in my brain and expand and then i'll have the whole scene playing in my mind on loop and it won't leave until I write it. Normally this is gonna be really good. These little wishes and Changeling are inspiration fics, and are probably the best ones I have recently.

If I have SOME inspiration and wanna write a longer thing for it (multiple scenes lol), but already have a few semi-solid scenes or ideas, then I really gotta talk through it with a friend for it to gain form. (What i'm trying to achieve for Vampire AU. Thank you for letting me bounce things off you.)

If I wanna write but has no motivation or ideas, then I generally ask for prompts. And like... it has to be prompts through the ask box or a comment, not through a challenge. Cause I'll be perfectly honest that knowing at least ONE person will read the writing is enough motivation for me. Cause like... when I have a solid inspiration I know it'll be good, I'm writing for myself. But when I am trying to milk an idea or squeeze water out of a rock I never know if it'll end up good, you know. And if I don't feel like there's a single specific person I'm writing for then I am not as motivated... So then i'll try to marinate on the prompt while walking or falling asleep. Just... keeping it in the back of my mind for a while. And most of the time nothing comes of it these days (it use to be so easy, I use to be able to write something for every prompt, but now my brain is like 'no writing unless you know it'd be decent!' and I'm cursed). But sometimes things come out of it! And it ends up good! I found you was written that way and I'm rather proud of it.

But yeah that's the process.

Mostly it involves staring at the cieling hallucinating a lot. Rambling about characterization and complaining about the characters I'm writing.

13. what’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

Um. I have a hard time following tips.

Oh, the laws of "omit needless words" and "diction" are two tips that I deeply internalized and trained myself to do, and is actively fighting AGAINST whenever I'm writing enstars fic. I'm like "no minimalism, clock, you gotta let it all out, otherwise it'd be OOC!"

32. Name three of your favorite fanfic writers.

Umm... Well I can definitely list my friends again, I think ehyde, greymantleish and kaz knows I love them but we actually haven't been in the same fandom for a while, so I'll go by most recently read.

But i'll go by order of last read. It'd be ivoryandhorn, who write some super great IbaNagi.

4dmemedoggy, who writes really good ibayuzu. (In Chinese, tho.)

And asagiri, also an ibanagi writer.

59. Does anyone in your personal life know you write fic? if not, would you tell anyone?

They literally all know. Except my current co-workers. I don't think I've told many of them because we don't talk much.

#clockchat #dontsteponthatfish

[thetypingpup]

i've never seen a single episode of euphoria... i have a hard time committing to tv shows ksjhd. i've been considering watching it for a while but i probably wouldn't end up finishing it. and yes jeno drabble!!!! i'm gonna be finishing it up and posting it soon because if i don't stop now it'll end up becoming 15 chapters with its whole spinoff fic... it's not even that long but i'm so obsessed with street-racer!jeno that i just Can't Stop.

did you post about this fic idea before?? because i wanna say i somewhat remember hearing something about this. if not then maybe i'm just making shit up but i love this idea. SMOKE BUDDY HAECHAN!!!! i don't even smoke but he seems like so much fun to smoke with. if i smoked i'd definitely share a bowl with him. i know how you like writing high smut so i think that'd be super cool. the whole story of their relationship just sounds interesting. AND THE LIGHTING AND SCENERY!!!! YES!!!! i remember us discussing colors in lighting and talking about scenery and contrasts and whatever!! this sounds so cool i'd definitely hype this shit up forever

euphoria isn't for everyone so i totally get it. i personally have a great deal of affinity for the show, especially from a cinematic and aesthetic standpoint. i could literally cry tears of joy from how that show looks, especially in season one. honestly if you don't wanna commit to the show, just look up scenes on youtube and enjoy the aesthetics they're GORGEOUS. ugh i could talk about it forever.

but street racer!jeno? 👀 anytime i think street racer anyone in dream, i just think ridin' and i'm instantly on board. i feel you on that i can't count the number of things i wrote or drafted and it just expanded far beyond my control. shoutout to the COMPLICATED ASS incubus!taemin idea i had where, left unsupervised with the idea for 30 minutes, turned into something that can be read forwards, backwards, in different parts, and in so many different ways and something can still come from it. on some shit i need to be stopped.

yknow honestly, knowing me, i probably did talk about it before, but probably didn't get into the specifics about lighting. i know i can always count on you to discuss lighting and i really appreciate that. i fully intended to write it a while back. i already drafted the "to lovers" part bc ofc course i did that's my favorite part of any fwb story i can't help it. i also can't help my affinity for smoking weed in fics. i don't even smoke that often anymore, but i did from time to time in college and smoke with my boyfriend sometimes, and it just unlocks a whole new level of sensations and, writing wise, a whole new level of inspiration. that's one form of repetition i usually won't get tired of gimme all the stoner fics please.

[drowsydregon]

Hi! So I'm thinking of making a fanseason for ninjago with my oc Lin and turning it into a fic/comic. Do you have any tips I could use when going about making this? Maybe about character development or season structure or anything else? Any tips you have for writing a fanseason would be very appreciated. Thanks!! :D

ok, first off, I'M SORRY IT'S TAKEN ME THIS LONG TO GET BACK TO YOU. 2022 genuinely has thrown me for a loop so far qjkfjhghf

BUT enough ari personal nonsense, hopefully this ramble'll help some !!

so for my projects, i personally approached them with the thesis of "this would act as the next season -- or in betweener season -- of the main show itself." i rewatched the show relentlessly, studied its episode and seasonal structure, figured out what elements i could expand on or get away with bending a bit. because we're following the current continuity, i really honed in on how wildbrain-era episodes tend to get structured

some ppl prefer to make AUs where they take what they like from the show and leave what they don't, which is valid. but for me personally, i like taking what's given to me and just working with that. makes it more interesting IMO

regardless, when making your project, outlines are going to be your best friend. it'll keep everything more consistent, you'll be able to see flaws in certain plot points and scenes much quicker, payoff and buildup to those scenes in your head will feel more rewarding, you'll be less likely to pick up and then randomly drop certain plot points, and you'll be able to generally write more effectively

there's different ways of outlining that people do, and you can google a lot of different templates. the most important thing is to work out where your characters start, where they end, the climax, and the important plot beats you want to hit in between. it'll make it MUCH easier to fill in any gaps in between and keep your story entertaining throughout

i personally like having my stuff very mapped out. like i have a mega-outline with a breakdown of each main arc, each character dynamic, each individual episode, what characters and audience members will learn each episode, and other important notes that help me approach the two seasons in a more effective way. some ppl may find it too constraining and like having the freedom to change things as they go along, but i am definitely not one of those ppl. whatever works for you will work

AND A BIT OF A SIDENOTE I WANT TO STRESS TO EVERYONE READING THIS: DO NOT EVER WORRY IF YOUR FIRST DRAFT ISN'T PERFECT. IT'S CALLED A ROUGH DRAFT BECAUSE IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE... ROUGH!!! IT'S NOT GOING TO BE GOOD. IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE.

just write your stuff down and don't look back until the whole first draft is done. just... trust me on that. a lot of ppl have perfectionist tendencies that kill their motivation or put them in a loop. but if you have an entire draft done, that sense of accomplishment just might be enough to get you through the dreaded self-edit and second drafting stage

just remember this rule of drafting: make it exist, make it functional, make it effective, make it fabulous!

i know this is all very surface-level, but back to basics does get important to cover. so hopefully this all helps just a little bit !! if yr an artist who's new to writing, there's a lot of research to be done and a lot of things to learn abt yourself in terms of how you approach projects !!

#askhole #transformationloveb

[emachinescat]

Way Back Wednesday #1

Welcome to Way Back Wednesday! Every Wednesday, I am delving into my past as a fanfic writer and reflecting on and sharing one of my stories… starting from the very beginning, 16 years ago, when I was a 14-year-old kid discovering her love for fandom. ❤️

Today’s story is…

An Unlikely Team

American Dragon: Jake Long & Kim Possible

Summary: Monkey Fist and Huntsman have teamed up in order to defeat their respective foes. With Monkey Ninjas, goblins, dragons, nacos, spy gear, magic potion, secrets, regrets, and tears, no one is going to escape from this situation without changing somehow.

Rating: G

Chapters: 18 | Words: 12,353

Year Published: 2005 | My age: 14

Relationships: Jake Long/Rose | Huntsgirl | Characters: Jake Long, Ron Stoppable, Kim Possible, Monkey Fist, Huntsman, Rose | Huntsgirl, Lao Shi, Fu Dog

AO3 Tags: Crossover, Suspense, Humor

My reflections on and "review" of the story are after the break! :)

Oh, wow. It was an adventure coming back to this story! It marked a lot of firsts for me - my first crossover, my first story above 10k words, my first chapter fic. I don't remember a whole lot about my writing process back then, or about the circumstances of writing this story. I was 14, and a lot has happened since then. I do remember that I was still coming off the review-high from my first story, and that I had no idea what I was doing, not really. And it kind of shows.

I guess I should go ahead and say that this story, like the last one, isn't bad. I mean, the plot, if a bit simple and contrived, makes sense and moves along fairly well, and the characters (except for Rose, but we'll get to her in a minute) are pretty well portrayed, and grammatically, there were no glaring errors that I could see. It was interesting enough; it has been probably a decade or more since I last opened this story, but it still managed to hold my attention well enough, I suppose. It has some very positive reviews (and some critical ones), so I must have done something right.

But I've got to go over the issues with this story. Most of them I think are just hilarious. I'd been writing since I was five, but I was new to this kind of storytelling and still trying to find my voice as a writer. Once again, it shows.

Okay, so first, there's the plot itself - super simple, very contrived, and kind of weird. Huntsman and Monkey Fist team up so that M can help H capture and unmask the American Dragon, and in return, H will give M a talisman that will "undoubtedly" make him the Ultimate Monkey Master? Sure, seems legit, I guess.

Then there's the fact that I had to end every chapter - or nearly every chapter - with a cliffhanger, even if it didn't warrant one. I was dying laughing because most chapters would end with a character saying something hopeful to another character, but then muttering under their breath something grim and suspenseful. For example: "'Let us go. Jake's life is depending on us. He is alive for now...' and then he added almost inaudibly, 'but not for long...'" It's hilarious, and I wish I could remember if I was trying to be edgy or just ensure readers would come back, or if I thought being ominous was a hallmark of good writing. Also, the chapters were overall very short. I think I just wrote however much I felt like writing and then posted. Of course, I was having to post between school and the Boys & Girls Club where my mom worked (and being grounded, like a lot), so I guess I just wrote what and when I could.

Some of the dialogue's a bit clunky, and I had a weird thing with time limits. They capture Jake, and then they have to send Huntsgirl out to get a potion that will make him human because they forgot (???) this very important part of the plan for some reason. She says something along the lines of, "My Huntstick will transport me to the magical black market almost instantly. I'll be back within an hour." That doesn't add up, unless she's going to spend an hour haggling with the seller. Then she gets back, amps up the whole evil villain plot, and then adds, "Oh, yeah, it'll take 30 minutes for this potion to take effect." So she and the baddies just stand there for half an hour watching Jake slowly turn from dragon to human. Then when he's been poisoned (another weird plot contrivance), Lao Shi says, "If we don't give him the antidote in 30 seconds, he'll die!" I suppose I did set the scene, whether intentionally or not, by having a clock ticking in the background, but the way that all of the characters seem to have such an acute knowledge and understanding of time is just weird to me.

The only aspect of this story to actually bother me is the disservice I did to Rose's character. In the show, she's portrayed as a pretty strong protagonist-by-day/antagonist-by-night, but in my story, she's pitiful. I don't know if I just consumed a lot of media with weak female characters or what, but it's super cringey how emotional and weak she's portrayed as once she finds out the truth about Jake. She cries, which is fine, but then girlfriend just up and faints! She cries some more, begs Jake to forgive her, acting like she'll never be able to live with herself or forgive herself if he doesn't, then gets mad at him when he needs a little time to process that the girl he has a crush on is also the girl who's been trying to kill him. Then as soon as he apologizes for... being traumatized, I guess? she turns around and starts spouting off stuff about never being able to forgive herself if he'd died or something. I apologize most deeply to her character.

Oh, I just realized I haven't really discussed the Kim Possible side of things, mostly because it's pretty cut and dry. Those characters all seemed to be, well, in character. I especially feel I had Ron down to a T. It was also really funny the way I had Huntsman and Monkey Fist constantly arguing even through their alliance. The fight scenes, with Kim and with Jake, are very minimal. They're usually one step above just saying, "They fought." On that note, there's not a whole lot of detail or description, but a lot of dialogue. I definitely could have expanded more on the world to make the crossover feel more complete.

All that (mostly light-hearted) criticism aside, it was fun to get to go back and read this, and if you think you'd be interested, be my guest. It's a cute little read, and important to me because it marked the second step in my fan-fiction journey.

Next week, we'll be taking a look at one of the cringiest things I've ever written - yikes!

#way back wednesday #fanfiction #american dragon jake long #adjl #kim possible #a blast from the past #my journey #self reflection #reviewing my own stories #fic rec #jakerose #jake long #huntsgirl #rose #lao shi #fu dog #huntsmaster #ron stoppable #monkey fist #crossover #suspense #humor #emcatwrites