#answers in the desert

[desertfangs]

Since you write a lot do you have tips for people who want to write more?

Hi, anon! I can sure try and tell you some of what works for me!

Ignore advice that you don’t find helpful (that includes these tips!)

Writing is a process, but your writing process is always going to be unique to you, so if something doesn’t work for you, trying to implement it is only going to make you miserable. Like some people will tell you to write every day, but sometimes the pressure of that is going to be too much. Basically anything that doesn’t work for you, chuck it in the bin. You don’t need it.

Put your word processor in full screen

I write in Scrivener, which has a “composition mode” but you can also just put your document on full screen to minimize distractions. That way it’s harder to flip over to check Discord or Tumblr or whatever. Of course, I still exit out of full screen every time I need to look something up in the thesaurus and then I end up spending 15 minutes screwing around on the internet so you know, it's not a perfect system.

Work on several things at once and don’t be afraid to step away if a story isn’t working

Granted, my writing method is like throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks, so I tend to start a lot of stuff that fizzles out after a few paragraphs (or a few thousand words 😭😭) and I know juggling multiple things does not work for everyone.

I personally usually need at least 2 current WIPs, so I can switch to the second when I get stuck on the first. This means even while I’m ruminating on one fic, I’m writing another. But I have friends who literally can’t write on more than one project at a time or their brains will explode, so again, it’s just about what works best for you.

[BRACKETS]

If you’re stuck on something like a detail or a fact you need to look up or a piece of dialogue (“How the fuck would Lestat respond to THAT?” is my constant refrain, my cats are tired of hearing it), just put something in brackets like [Lestat replies with something flirty or witty] or [Fact check if X] or whatever it is, and then you can move on and keep going and not lose your momentum.

Set a Timer

If you're struggling to make yourself focus and write, set a timer for 10, 15, 25 minutes (whatever increment of time works for you!) and write until it goes off. You can keep going after if you're on a roll, or your can stop for a while, but it will get you into the mindset of writing. And even if that's all you do that day, hey, you wrote for 10 minutes!

Kill your need for perfection and that critic in your brain

I am still working on this but it’s true! You can make your WIP more perfect in editing. The old adage that you can’t fix a blank page is correct. And honestly, a lot of times I will write something and think ‘ugh this is no good’ and then go back and read it weeks later and really dig it. Or I figure out what it needs to make it better. (Or sometimes it still sucks and we just pretend it never happened.) But no one else has to see your first drafts! So don’t stress about making the first draft super good or agonize too much over word choice. Just get words on the page and worry about making it better later.

I hope you find some of that helpful, Anon!

#writing #writing advice #writing tips #answers in the desert #anonymous #thank you for the ask #no idea if this is useful to anyone else but it's what works for me

[bowenoke]

in scott's pov (ep7) he refers to scar as grian's husband. no one tells him this is not the case. this is because traffic!scott decides who is and is not married like some sort of contractually binding arbiter of love. to me anyways

#he never learned how to do divorce so everyone is just stuck like this. #trafficshipping #craftie art #third life #bo's lpcu (lonely people cinematic universe) #the answer to my question about tagging seems to be 'is it even ship art if its in the desert?' which is fair #grian #scott #'op this is not shipping' the problem.is to me tl!g+s are together in a way that is so inextricable to their characters that any depiction #of them is shipping. sorry. it makes it hard to judge if its actually ship by tumblrs standards lmao

[rosy-crow]

This Tweet made me laugh so hard.

This is exactly why Genesis is so hilarious. WHO ELSE DOES THIS SHIT.

#HE JUST LIKE #DESERTS AND THEN REFUSES TO ANSWER HIS DAMN PHONE 💀 #god he is SUCH a bitch and i adore him #genesis rhasphodos #sephiroth #ff7

[isjasz]

Bloody angst? 3L finale mayhaps?

[Day 82]

well wouldn't you look at that i already have a drawing for that 💥

(didnt have time tdy to do daily today so this actually is a wip from another project HASJKHAHE i wonder what it is :))

#dddaily4sherin #grian #goodtimeswithscar #3rd life #3rd life smp #trafficblr #traffic smp #my art #i spent too much of my free time today getting dragged to watch helluva boss with friends HELEPLDEP #guys i miss drawing desert duo its been one day #is.asks #been meaning to answer this ask with this specific drawing HEHEHEHE

[old-desert]

Isat beach episode

#isat #in stars and time #isat mirabelle #isat loop #isat siffrin #my art #desert art #art tag #i haven't drawn them but the hcs for the rest of the gang are: #isabeau is full on bare chest (possibly with boobs. he can have some as a treat) and swimming shorts #bonnie is shorts and shirt because they got sunburns and cannot be stopped from going into water #odile is the same as siffrin. it causes them to go spiderman meme on each other #she is a certified old person. siffrin is an old soul wannabe #the loop swimwear lore is that they didn't want to go to the beach at all (because they didn't want to wear the same thing as siffrin) #but then mira approached them and went oh change you'd look so good in a bikini #and loop went yeah you know what fashion comes with the body stardust #answering the question that siffrin didn't ask #loser (affectionate)

[markscherz]

Thoughts on desert rain frogs?

No thoughts, only meep

#Breviceps #Breviceps macrops #desert rain frog #rain frog #frogs #answers by Mark #anon #anonymous

[thatcoyperson]

Ok it's 4am and I'm going insane thinking about this but I need answers.

So we all know how Mumbo stole Grian's soul back in Season 8 right? Which brings me to my first question: What happened to Mumbos soul? Did Grian's soul just override Mumbos soul OR does Mumbo have 2 souls now? Or did they like somehow fuse together into one soul and just leave Grian soulless? Like just- what happened to Grian's soul after it was eaten

BUT THATS NOT THE PART IM THINKING ABOUT THE MOST

But yknow how in Double Life there were Soulmates? Yeah. What was Scars soul bound to? Was it just bound to nothing or did Grian get like- half of Scars soul during it. If it is the second one DID SCAR GET HIS SOUL BACK? OR IS HE JUST DOWN HALF A SOUL AND GRIAN HAS THE OTHER HALF FOREVER NOW?

IF NOT THEN HOW DO YOU BOUND A SOUL TO NOTHING? WHAT WAS HIS SOUL BOUND TO???

Im so confused. I've been plagued by this for actual months and I'm no closer to an answer. These sound like the ramblings of an insane madman and I've accepted that. I just need answers.

#help its 4:30am and im losikg sleep over this #jk im normally awake at this time #BUT I STILL NEED ANSWERS #grian #goodtimeswithscar #mumbo jumbo #desert duo #waffle duo #buttercup trio #im losing my mind #coy talks too much

[greeenchrysanthemums]

Grian met Scar on a hot, hot summer day.

He and Mumbo had been chasing rumors for months at that point, holding onto every whisper that they could of a man with unnatural eyes and an uncanny smile who brought death with him wherever he went.

They finally got ahold of something substantial just as they were beginning to lose hope: a location. They followed the tip to a tavern at the edge of a small village in a neighbouring kingdom, out of the way and hard to find. Just as what was likely intended.

They spotted him almost immediately, his appearance, as well as the magic that emanated from him, both unmistakable. He was sitting at the bar surrounded by a group of men, dramatically telling a story while he leaned up against the counter with a mug in one hand.

Mumbo was fearful and hesitant, but Grian held no such feelings. He marched right up to Scar and interrupted him mid-sentence, all but demanding that he speak to him in private.

Scar was too amused by the bold display to turn them away right off the bat, so he agreed to talk and followed Mumbo and Grian out. He barely payed any attention to Grian as he explained that he was the leader of a resistance and that he needed Scar's help in order to bring the crown, and those who controlled it, to their knees.

Truth be told, Scar had initially planned to kill the two of them for being so bold and pulling him away from a good time. He was long past his time of messing with mortal affairs, the last thing he cared about was their silly little resistance. He had simply wanted to get a little more amusement out of the two of them before disposing of them, but then Grian showed him something that changed his mind.

In Grian's sweaty palm was a small silver brooch in the shape of an eye, and from his mouth came an offer. "Help me, and I'll help you" is what he told him.

Scar had smiled, all teeth and cruelty, before accepting the deal with the shake of a hand.

They took an oath the same night they left the village together. A deal bound by magic, unable to be broken by either of them until the day that their goals were reached.

#goodtimeswithscar #grian #mumbo jumbo #GG rivals au #desert duo #more questions than answers arent there? #what is scar? He's certaintly not human. #what does he need help with? why did the eye change his mind so quickly?

[lowouu]

Have you ever heard of desertduo? I feel like you might like them They're these two guys - one of em is all serious, gets quiet when flustered, and protective of the other though he doesn't like to show it And the other one is an idiot

Little comic doodle bc I thought this was so silly & sweet

#my art #my asks #grian #goodtimeswithscar #desert duo #third life #life series #my doodlins #my panels #Ty anon you’re so goof #and to answer the ask no I have never heard of them and I hate them already

[gladumfdoodles]

Scarian? If not then just Grian? :D

[Day 20]

sleepy fellas

#desert duo #scarian #platonic but I'll tag the ship anyway #grian #goodtimeswithscar #gtws #gladumf does art #doodles #trafficblr #hermitblr #gladumf's daily doodle #gladumf answers #watch me try to remember all my tags

[illusioncanthurtme--art]

For the Kohga requests ... Your Kohga is so handsome in a cartoon villain way, I think he'd look very tasteful smoking one of those long antique Japanese pipes

Anon, I am kissing you a million times on the mouth right now

Don't LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT don't look at me don't look at me you fucking KNEW this was going to happen ok?!??! you KNEW it

#thank you anon for giving me an opportunity do draw something just #REALLY indulgent #he's sweaty because it's the desert and it's fucking HOT OK #don't look at me like that #he's a silly fat old dude and uhhhhh heart eyes??????? #master kohga #totk #totk fanart #botw fanart #zelda fanart #yiga clan #the yiga clan #sketchbook #ask #answered #anon #also in my defense i draw him half naked a lot because I DONT WANT TO DRAW HIS COMPLICATED ASS CLOTHES #He isn't naked ok #just believe me lol

[desertfangs]

“Something raw and tender in the way Armand looked, all composure stripped away”, description of all time of Armand from Daniel me thinks. He really got to see HIM man 🤧 for exactly who he was 🤧 it will never not make me lose it!

RIGHT?? YES. It's so powerful.

The thing about Armand is he's so good at keeping his walls up. He's so full of trauma and pain that he tends to keep his expressions blank or metered, he tries to hold his feelings in. I guess we can even call it masking to some degree (or maybe to the 10th degree, your mileage may vary there). The point is, he doesn't let people see beyond what he wants them to see most of the time.

But sometimes he loses it (Lestat describes this as Armand's face changing and twisting around).

And sometimes he lets his guard down, like here. He's just open and raw and Daniel can see all of his pain. The masks are down, the guards are down, Armand is openly himself. He's been worried for Daniel, terrified probably, and with all of the burnings and stuff going on he has no idea what else might be lost. And now here he is in a car with Daniel, who's dying and whom he's going to make a vampire, which then might kill him anyway because of what's happening... He's overwhelmed and he abandons all pretense. He's scared and he shows it and then he chastises Daniel for running in a way that's made it hard to follow and find him at all:

A strange light in the eye, what was it? Something raw and tender in the way Armand looked, all the composure stripped away. He lifted a tumbler half full of brandy and put it in Daniel's hand.

"And you running from me," he said, "from Stockholm and Edinburgh and Paris. What do you think I am that I can follow you at such speed down so many pathways? And such danger-"

Lips against Daniel's face, suddenly, ah, that's better, I like kissing. And snuggling with dead things, yes, hold me.

And then Armand kisses him and tries to explain what's happening, and his fear is evident. Not just the fear of dying himself or losing the other immortals he knows and loves, but the fear of losing Daniel.

It's so poignant and so sweet, and I love that Daniel is someone Armand feels comfortable dropping the walls for.

Thank you for the message anon!!! I could talk about these two fools all day (and do, much the chagrin of others, I'm sure.)

#armand/daniel #devil's minion #vc meta #queen of the damned #vc quotes #armand #daniel molloy #armand x daniel #vc #vampire chronicles #the devil's minion #devils minion #tvc #answers in the desert #anonymous #anne went hard when she wrote this chapter #and then probably spent her years wondering why people are so invested in these two hahaha

[sainzinnorris]

can carlos pull anything off if he tries well enough? absolutely. does that simultaneously imply that he's the best dressed? absolutely not.

#it is a crime lando didn't mention lewis. #he's literally the fashion icon of the paddock????? #lando hun- #i love you but carlos isn't the answer #upset he didn't answer carlos for the deserted island question 😭 #but I'll take any wins #lando norris #carlando #formula 1

[kneelingshadowsalome]

So~ Arab!Reader has been living in my head and heart for a while now so I wanna share some Reader-isms that are closer to my own cultural experience (ignore this if it's annoying btw no hard feelings whatsoever)

-Her love language is arguing, has not met a hill she wouldn't die on. will sometimes get on the table or ask him to crouch down so they can look eye to eye as she fights tooth and nail over something she stopped caring about like 10 minutes ago but she's having too much fun. calls him "your majesty" or Sultan/Sheikh sarcastically in every argument.

-He told her to just buy candles instead of burning incense that produces so much smoke since "they do the same job anyway", she reacted like he just insulted her ancestors.

-Not a drinker but has a minor coffee/tea addiction, knows every cafe nearby by heart and has a whole set up at home, loves making him try new drinks she found online or from her childhood.

-Will take a million pictures of everything and especially him, doesn't matter what's happening, it must be recorded "for our grandbabies, habibi🥺"

-Desert camping trips!! König can start the fire while she's in charge of preparing tea and coffee. she's mostly excited about finding a dune buggy to rent for a day that's actually comfortable for his size, they ride until sunset when both of them are a sand covered giggling mess. finally they get to cuddle and star gaze, keeping each other safe from the cold desert nights.

-if they ever get married this is an inevitable conversation:

"Liebe, you said we are having a small wedding"

"Mhm"

"the guest list is 600 people minimum..?"

"...yes?"

poor guy, his saving grace is that men have a very small role in weddings here, just sit, take pictures, cut cake, then leave with your bride. no need to write vows, dance, or even kiss in front of people.

-NO PDA!! hand holding is the most they do in public and even that's scandalous sometimes. he tried to kiss her hand in a shop once and she pulled it back so fast he was pouty for like two days after the fact. He learns to appreciate this though because he can clearly tell when she's feeling possessive in public when she clings to his side, loves to tease her about it; "a hand on my lower back, schatz? how indecent of you"

-Cat-calls him as he's going out of the shower but only in Arabic, so he doesn't know how to respond to the wolf-whistles and enthusiastic yelling, the only reason he's sure it's positive is that he gets his face squished soon after, he can at least make out the stretched out word 'Habiiiibiiiiiiii~" Cue flustered mess König

-calls him her Antara, one of the most famous and celebrated warriors in Arabian history, who was also a great romantic and wrote so many poems about his beloved Abla. (Antara Ibn Shaddad, if anyone is curious)

Oh god I'm going feral I’m not even kidding ❤️‍🔥💀

The arguing thing would get soooo interesting because I think that König has an anxious/disorganized attachment style so he’d try to avoid any kind of arguments and disagreements with his woman. If König can’t tame his darling, he’ll just let her have her way so that he doesn't have to suffer from the sudden tightness in his chest.

But... If she’s doing shit like climbing on the table to stare him down, König wouldn't be able to keep a straight face. He'd soon relax into the situation and then start to tease her about her temper. Corrects his posture so that he's still taller than her, and gives her a warm, knowing smile :) His Liebling is so cute when she's angry.

And lol König would be suspicious about the incense, he’s not used to that kind of stuff at all, but he’ll be damned before he says anything. Discreetly tries to open the window sometimes but closes it immediately if darling walks into the room (no use, she already saw him and he's going to get an earful).

But omg no pda??? Very hard for König but he will respect your wishes in this. You can see it in his eyes that he’s being a bit of a sad sulking puppy about it, of course it all dissipates if you put that hand on his lower back... This will be like foreplay to him, you're a forbidden fruit until you two are behind closed doors, and if you “break the rules” while he’s playing nice then whoo. Prepare to get your guts rearranged when you get home!

Still, if König can’t kiss his bride at the wedding he’ll start a war. 600 guests is negotiable, as long as he can kiss her in front of everyone and declare her as his own.

#oh and the Antara part and the desert camping trip have me howling at the moon #longingly #I'M YEARNING #answered

[hopepetal]

If you’re still doing request may we please have a little bit of sky or vampire au? I love them both so whichever you feel like.

A lot of people asked for vampires au so have a little sky au <3 as a treat

-

Let me lead, Pearl had said. It’ll be fun! 

It was not. It was not fun at all. 

Still reeling from flying head first into the giant golden mechanism, Grian honked as they flew at very concerning speeds toward a wall. “Pearl!” he yelped, trying to spread his wings to slow them down. “Pearl, slow–!” 

Ding!

They bounced off the wall and caught the updraft once more, Pearl giggling mischievously as Grian let out a long groan. “Isn’t this fun, Griba?” she teased, holding tight to his hand. “You should let me lead more often!”

“I see why you like to go to the forest now,” Grian muttered, “the one place you really can’t fly in.”

Pearl honked out a laugh. “You’re just jealous of my skill. Watch!” She began flapping her wings again, dragging Grian along for what was certainly about to be one of the most interesting adventures of his time.

“...and that’s why I don’t let Pearl lead anymore,” Grian finished, leaning back in his chair. “She’s a menace, I’m telling you.”

Scar nodded sagely, putting on an accent. “Ah, yes. Compared to Grian, the master of flight, who could ever go up against you? You are just too good at what you do to let anyone else do it for you.”

Grian giggled. “Scar, that’s not– that’s not at all what I meant. And why are you talking like that? I sound nothing like that don’t you start–”

Scar continued with the voice, holding back laughter as he spoke. “I, Grian, am the best sky kid to ever grace the winds with my light! All shall know true mastery of flight when they gaze upon my magnificent wings and majestic fly patterns!”

“Scar!” Grian honked, laughing uncontrollably now, “I do not– stop it!” 

He continued to ramble, becoming more and more dramatic as he did so. “Ah, yes! With my incredibly high flying I will gaze down at all the ski- skiddles– skids! Sky kids! I will gaze down at all the sky kids with judgment if they do not fly as high as I! I laugh in the face of the dark dragon because they’re too stupid to fly as high as I do!” Finally, he broke down into a laughing fit, unable to stop himself. 

It was several minutes before the both of them were able to pull themselves together and calm down enough to speak again. “I do not sound like that,” Grian gasped out, still softly chuckling. “You are being dramatic.” 

“I think not!” Scar contested playfully. “I think Pearl would tell me I’m right.”

“Do not bring Pearl into this–” Grian jumped up from his seat as Scar did– “stop it, Scar–!” 

Scar took off toward the hidden forest’s portal. “Catch me if you can!”

#answered ask #joodles tag #my writing #desert skies au #grian #gtws #pearlescentmoon

[bittsandpieces]

Ever since you uncovered my fauxcest kink, I haven't been able to stop thinking about being siblings, somewhere truly alone. Maybe in some sort of fantasy wasteland, or a post apocalyptic future, but somewhere where it's us against the world.

No one else to keep us company, just the sibling we have always had and cared about more than anything else. The one we depend on to watch our backs, to care for us, to keep us sane. Keeping each other constant company, finding joy in what remnants of civilization exist around us, poking fun at each other and laughing and fighting, making a life amongst the rubble.

Knowing your body like an extension of my own, bathing together in rivers and springs and seeing every inch of you wet and dripping and feeling my cheeks flush. Sleeping together for warmth on cold nights next to a fire and feeling the softness of your skin and the warmth of your body and knowing that the way it makes my body feel can't be wrong, because you're the most important thing in the world.

Tending to your wounds when you're hurt, feeling your skin and the hitching of your breath and wanting to make everything okay but feeling hot at just being able to touch you, fingers always lingering.

Lying together one night and feeling our bodies push against each other, pressing hard and moving before we know what we're doing and feeling so good and knowing that this is what we were both made for, and every day after that being so much brighter

Anyway, does that feel bizarre and hypersexual enough? 💕

Hi do you wanna come over and kiss. As siblings

#bitts answers #fauxcest #anon this worked very very well for me i want you to know #vivid imagery i can see it so clearly and intimately #can it be in like. a semi-desert scifi setting? because thats my favorite #finding little oasises and building a life together piece by piece out of sand and stone and strange fruits