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waitmyturtles · 1 month

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Turtles Catches Up With Old GMMTV: KinnPorsche, and Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist Edition (Part 1)

[What’s going on here? After joining Tumblr and discovering Thai BLs through KinnPorsche in 2022, I began watching GMMTV’s new offerings -- and realized that I had a lot of history to catch up on, to appreciate the more recent works that I was delving into. From tropes to BL frameworks, what we’re watching now hails from somewhere, and I’m learning about Thai BL's history through what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC). Starting with recommendations from @absolutebl on their post regarding how GMMTV is correcting for its mistakes with its shows today, I’ve made an expansive list to get me through a condensed history of essential/classic/significant Thai BLs produced by GMMTV and many other BL studios. My watchlist, pasted below, lists what I’ve watched and what’s upcoming, along with the reviews I’ve written so far. Today, in a two-part series, I offer my thoughts on KinnPorsche, my very first Thai BL, and the impact that I think KP has had on the Thai BL industry since 2022.]

Hot damn! It has been a MINUTE since my last OGMMTVC review, so I'm glad to be back. I've been very much looking forward to writing my thoughts about my recent KinnPorsche rewatch: I enjoyed this ENTIRE process, especially in regards to watching KinnPorsche in the context and chronology of past Thai BLs, and man, did I ever see KP WAYYYYY differently than the first time I watched it.

Why's that? Welp -- *KinnPorsche was my first-ever Thai BL*. (Not my first BL drama ever; that award goes to the GOAT, Kinou Nani Tabeta?/What Did You Eat Yesterday?)

But when I joined Tumblr officially in July 2022, just about a year and a half ago (in the heat of passionately obsessing over Old Fashion Cupcake), my dash was awash, AWASH, in KP posts. AWASH.

I had no idea what the fuck the algorithm was telling me.

I went into KinnPorsche knowing absolutely NOTHING about Thai BL tropes, the history of the genre, the actors in the roles, what made KP so innovative by way of its storyline, NADA. Dudes -- I'm half-Malaysian, and I had never even watched a show from the Southeast Asian region, let alone Thailand, and I was unaware of how prolific the Thai drama industry was (at least compared to the Korean drama machine).

When I first watched KinnPorsche, my perspective was that I had watched a pretty good show, and I was left surprised back then in particular by the No Homophobia Bubble (well, almost no homophobia, Big) that I now know is so much more common in Thai BLs than I realized.

It was through KinnPorsche that I discovered Thai BLs, and it was subsequently through Bad Buddy that I realized that I NEEDED to understand the development of this national genre -- so back to the history annals I went, through my OGMMTVC project, starting from 2014's Love Sick, and here we are at this moment of the timeline, the hot hot late spring and summer of 2022, enjoying the ✨vibbbeeezz✨ between Mile Phakphum and Apo Nattawin, and leaving me wondering why there was a national shirt button shortage in the midst of a Thai mafia crime drama. I'm glad I have history on my side now as I think about KinnPorsche as a standalone drama, and as I also think about the impact it has had on the Thai BL genre and fandoms prior to its premiere, up to today's moment in time.

I took my time to draft this piece partly because I was busy watching Be On Cloud's second and latest serial drama in Dead Friend Forever. I think BOC is doing something very interesting by way of their acting and contracted scripting choices, which I want to ponder by way of the context and aftermath of KP's airing. As such, while I had intended to write just one post about KP, I have a bunch of thoughts that'll spill over to tomorrow. So here we go, a quick overall outline for the lovers for today and tomorrow on my ruminating thoughts:

1) My critical thoughts on KinnPorsche as a standalone drama in the context of the history of previous Thai BLs, 2) My thoughts on how new arrivals to the wider Thai BL fandom shaped the perception of KP vis à vis older Thai BLs, 3) How I think KP has impacted how other studios approach, market, and write Thai BLs now, and 4) A quick passing thought on BOC's own continued influence on the Thai BL genre and industry since 2022, particularly by way of Dead Friend Forever.

I'm going to concentrate on numbers 1 and 2 in this piece, and they're actually going to be a touch conflated, because I want to lean into a now-obvious fact that the BL Elder community knew all along about KP when it first aired in 2022: there was not much that was new about what KinnPorsche was doing. (This is not necessarily a bad thing, as I’ll get into below.)

When I was a newbie on Tumblr, and the algorithm was feeding my dash, I remember seeing posts about how Be On Cloud, the studio behind KP, was doing things differently than the rest of the Thai BL field -- I recall posts about the studio hiring the best acting coaches, how the cinematography was nothing like what we had seen in other shows, and how Be On Cloud was committed to creating safe environments for its actors, particularly Apo Nattawin, who had reportedly faced discrimination in his past acting career, reportedly leading him to leave the Thai drama industry for a number of years.

While some very early Thai BL studios were known to not have the safest or friendliest environments (the filming of What The Duck comes to mind by way of this lore), by the time of KP's airing, GMMTV had strongly established itself as the leader of Thai BL productions, and other players, including New Siwaj and Cheewin Thanamin, had produced quite the number of dramas under each of their respective studio outfits. The industry, by 2020 and 2021, when KP was in its development origins, wasn't new anymore. Acting coaches, such as Aof Noppharnach, were now also regularly writing, directing, and producing original shows, and major BL studios had introduced workshopping as a regular step to production. On the artistic end, studios and writers had established expected artistic tropes -- 2018's Love By Chance is the first example that comes to my mind of when the Thai BL genre crystallized in a structurally derivative piece of art by way of containing and using prior trope references and dynamics.

Be On Cloud, in picking up the KinnPorsche script from Filmania during the pandemic (I use these posts here and here for my non-primary sources of KP lore) clearly knew it had something innovative on its hands by way of producing the genre's first mafia-based BL romance.

But 2020's Manner of Death had already introduced crime and mystery to BL, and 2021's Not Me continued a multi-genre perspective somewhat successfully around romance. And regarding sex and heat: KinnPorsche didn't do that first, either. MaxTul brought it first in 2017's Together With Me, and MAME has owned this corner since 2018's Love By Chance and 2019's TharnType. (Props to MaxTul for being in both Together With Me and Manner of Death; MileApo owe those dudes some beers.) By way of cinematography, which KP does extremely well: we had already begun seeing prestige cinematography in 2020's I Told Sunset About You, and 2021's I Promised You The Moon and A Tale of Thousand Stars.

It was natural, I think, for much of the KP fandom to think that KP was innovative in a lot of these categories, because, like me -- KP was our first-ever Thai BL. By way of money clearly spent on the show, the directorial purview of the show, the utterly gorgeous cinematography (man, that nighttime pull-away shot when the guys are in the roof pool, oof, why couldn't I find a gif), a new fan might think, geez, this has never been done before! But it had, and not just in Thailand, but for years prior in Japan, and more recently in Korea.

This is ALL not to say that KinnPorsche “suffered” because of what I'm uncovering by way of KP's misunderstood innovation. I think a perception of KP being entirely “new” in the BL field has contributed to its lore and enduring influential status. On this rewatch, I appreciated the mafia-based storyline as a support system to the central KinnPorsche romance. Yok being centered as an important mentor to Porsche, played by the inimitable Sprite Patteerat, was refreshing to see. Porsche accepting his bisexuality, especially with Yok's support, without the typical BL head-spinning queer revelation, was a welcome element to the show. And, frankly -- I had, on my first watch, missed, of course, the clear references to Thai BLs of the past in this show, references that I really loved seeing this time around.

From the old school, we got Kob Songsit, the OG BL dad, no longer Tong's dad in the seminal movie, The Love of Siam, nor Dean's dad in Until We Meet Again. This BL veteran is now a damn dad don, weapons and all.

We've also got Na Naphat, who played important side characters in IPYTM and UWMA. We have former BL lead guys in Jeff Satur and Perth Nakhun. We've got guitars and singing, we have underwater smooching, we have a cute-cute first date. We arguably have questionable kabedon in Kinn's and Porsche's first intimate moments. We have cooking for your lover, we have feeding your lover, we have the towel-drying of the hair. KP, by 2022, keeps up with Idol Factory's Secret Crush On You in prominently featuring a femme-presenting side character in Tankhun, PHENOMENALLY ACTED by Tong Thanayut, who we had seen previously in TharnType.

KP was, in part, directed by Pepzi Banchorn, who served as an assistant director on 2019's Dark Blue Kiss and 2021-22's Bad Buddy, and had a quick guest spot in 2022's The Warp Effect. KP was also, in part, directed by Khom Kongkiat, who played Uncle Tong in Bad Buddy, and subsequently directed The Promise in 2023. AND, finally, one of the KP screenwriters is Bee Pongsate, who has co-written so much flippin' BL: Last Twilight, Bad Buddy, Dangerous Romance (😬), Vice Versa, My School President, A Tale of Thousand Stars, 2gether and Still 2gether, and that's not even scratching the list -- you get it.

KP's supporting cast and crew was simply stacked with BL vets, who clearly knew the scene, and who helped to support Mile Phakphum's rookie acting and Apo Nattawin's return to the screen. I'd posit that this group of people knew EXACTLY what references they were putting into KinnPorsche, from actors to tropes, and also knew when, where, and how to innovate around those references to still make this show unique.

Certainly, KP's approach to sex and heat -- by way of Kinn's and Porsche's first drunken encounters (hi again, MaxTul), the uncut intimate scenes between them, and Vegas's and Pete's union by way of, well, semi-torture and/or kink -- was bold enough to be overall quite notable. But again: Thai BLs had been pushing that envelope for years past, and it has continued to do so in shows like MAME's Love In the Air and GMMTV's Only Friends.

In other words: after this rewatch, with the history of the older Thai BLs I've watched under my belt, I don't see KinnPorsche as firstly innovative. But I appreciate the show differently now, in particular for how very obvious it worked to include past Thai BL references in its production, and I actually gained a different appreciation for it.

I also want to made a quick tangential note about Apo and Tong specifically by way of innovation. Dr. Thomas Baudinette, a long-time BL fan and academic researcher on Thai and Japanese queer media, notes in his book, Boys Love Media in Thailand, that an ideal trajectory for a Thai BL actor is to debut in BLs in order to transition to more popular primetime het Thai dramas, as Gulf Kanuwat of TharnType, and Ohm Thitiwat and Kao Noppakao of UWMA and Lovely Writer, respectively, are notably doing at the moment. Apo Nattawin did this the other way around: he had established his career in het lakorns, most notably in 2015’s major hit drama, Sut Khaen Saen Rak, and subsequently left the Thai drama industry after reportedly being discriminated against for his skin tone and fashion choices. And his way back to the industry was through BLs. Taking the lore of Mile Phakphum recruiting Apo for KP out of the picture for a moment: I think this indicates a shift in how BLs are increasingly perceived in Thailand, and even globally, as being a career-worthy genre of content on its own for actors. (Apo's exploding fashion career is proof of this.) And BOC has now recruited another lakorn vet in Jes Jespipat for its third upcoming drama, 4 Minutes.

As well, Tong Thanayut’s very public coming out after the conclusion of KP’s airing is notable for how Be On Cloud has continued to center Tong in its productions after that fact, most notably in 2023’s film, Man Suang, while other out BL actors are not as lucky by way of guaranteeing and attracting future work.

I have a lot more to say about KinnPorsche's and Be On Cloud's impact on the current Thai BL industry, and how I think that impact has affected the marketing and creation of more recent shows like 2023's Only Friends, and 2023-24's Playboyy. But this first post has gotten long, and I actually haven't written much about the actual show itself, HA. So let me say this:

I think it's notable that the first shows that played around with themes outside of romance, like 2020's Manner of Death, and 2021's Not Me, were not perfect shows. We see now how multi-genre BLs are just exploding, what with Dead Friend Forever and the upcoming slew of vampire BLs that are going to drop (and let's not forget the first omegaverse BL drama in Pit Babe -- or should we forget it, I dunno). Not all of these shows are perfect, but the genre has only been around for a decade. There's a lot of time, and a tremendous amount of interest and funding, that upcoming shows can leverage to become better, especially these multi-genre shows that we're seeing more of.

KinnPorsche as well, was not a perfect show. I have some thoughts particularly on VegasPete to offer tomorrow, and I think, overall, that KP could have easily been a shorter series with more impact.

But I'll still give the show some of its flowers, because I think, unlike MoD and Not Me, that KinnPorsche did a better job of centering the Kinn and Porsche romance for dramatic effect, particularly by leveraging comedy. Were there many moments of hibbly-jibblies? Oh, totally. Dudes, also, Kinn fucking forgot about Pete! Pete coming back to the house and reminiscing about Vegas while holding his neck? Eeeeyikes, no thanx. There were a number of these weird bumps that I think could be explained by way of intentional camp (which I think KP did pretty well), but I do believe the show could have been tighter with more editing.

But, I gotta admit: I had a great time re-watching KP. That says something. Was it the heat that tiddled my dopamine cycles? Probably, somewhat. (No shame in my game.) Or -- a more reasonable theory, ha, is that Apo, as a veteran actor, demonstrated more range than I originally remembered. He can really do comedy well, and he timed his comedy perfectly for the absurdities that peppered KP through the series (the bread crawl, the constant throwing of hands, the jumping-on-Kinn when the ghost of Pete showed up, oh shit we're in the forest now, etc). Apo and Tong, in particular, stayed true to the bit many times during the show, and I think the series benefitted greatly from their collective comedic talent and timing -- which I thought was nicely refreshing for the genre.

With that, I'll have more ruminating tomorrow about the show itself, about how I think the impact that KP and BOC have had on the genre after KP's airing, and other thoughts about the cultural moment that KP demarcated when it aired -- see you tomorrow!

[MORE MORE MORE KP tomorrow! And I'll have more thoughts about the watchlist then. But for now, here's the classic OGMMTVC list for you to chew on!

1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) (review here) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) (and notes on my UWMA rewatch here) 21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (review here) 25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (re-review here) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review here) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) (review here) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) (review here) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) (review here) 31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) (review here) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch (Links to the BBS OGMMTVC Meta Series are here: preamble here, part 1, part 2, part 3a, part 3b, and part 4) 34) Secret Crush On You (2022) (review here) 35) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here) 36) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For the Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist

...interrupting the OGMMTVC list here to watch War of Y (2022) (watching) in chronology to decide if it gets listed...

37) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 38) The Eclipse OGMMTVC Rewatch to Reexamine “Genre BLs” and Internalized/Externalized Homophobia in GMMTV Shows 39) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) 40) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 41) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 42) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) 43 La Pluie (2023) (review coming) 44) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here) (I’m including this for BMF’s sophisticated commentary on Krist’s career past as a BL icon) 45) Wedding Plan (2023) (Recommended as an important trajectory in the course of MAME’s work and influence from TharnType) 46) Only Friends (2023) (tag here) (not technically a BL, but it certainly became one in the end) 47) Last Twilight (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as Thailand’s first major BL to center disability, successfully or otherwise) 48) Cherry Magic Thailand (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as the first major Japanese-to-Thai drama adaptation, featuring the comeback of TayNew) 49) Ossan’s Love Returns (2024) (adding for the EarthMix cameo and the eventual Thai remake) 50) Dead Friend Forever (2024) (thoughts here) 51) 23.5 (tag here) (2024)]

#kinnporsche #kinnporsche the series #be on cloud #mileapo #mile phakphum #apo nattawin #kinn x porsche #porsche x kinn #tong thanayut #bible sumettikul #turtles catches up with old gmmtv #turtles catches up with thai bls #turtles catches up with the essential bls #the old gmmtv challenge #ogmmtvc #pond krisda #dead friend forever #kinnporsche meta #kinnporsche the series meta

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twistedmusings · 3 years

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Congrats on 600+ followers! May I request fluff no. 18 with Azul with a g/n reader who works on campus catching him off guard because they're naturally suave? Love your works btw >w>

A/N: Ah thank you for the compliment! And the writer is going to be perfectly honest...I kinda went rouge with this prompt request. I didn’t expect to be so into it but I’m an Azul simp so maybe its just in my blood q wq.

Warnings: None! Unless you count Azul embarassing himself as one.

Azul Ashengrotto

Azul hated everything about this.

It was just a simple question. Were you free tonight? Azul had planned out a perfect excuse to get you to drop by the Monstro Lounge as well as a brand new appetizer set that he had put on the menu that would hopefully keep you in the Monstro Lounge and in the company of Azul.

And then maybe, just maybe, Azul could believe that he had a date with you.

The plan was flawless in his eyes

He knew you weren't doing anything tonight, had planned each appetizer based on what you usually ordered when you went over and handpicked an array of conversational topics which were all ordered based on how interesting you would find them.

All he had to do now was just...set it into motion. Which is good! No plan this good should be kept in the dark.

So why did he hate every single aspect of this?

Ever since your little 'hardworking' comment back in the Atlantica museum, Azul started drafting what ended up being a five page outline on how to get you to be his friend. After spending more time with you he extended the outline to ten pages in order to include how he would get you to visit Atlantica and his parent's restaurant. Followed that came several more hangouts as well as you offering to work for Monstro Lounge for some extra madol and Azul didn't necessarily know how a five page outline turned into a fifteen page outline complete with color coordination on events he deemed important in your relationship as well as future events he had already planned out that would get your feelings for him to change into something with a more...romantic overture.

"Oh. Hey Azul!"

This was it. No turning back. Every single muscle in his body was tensed despite how relaxed and poised he looked on the outside

"[Y/N]-san. Lovely seeing you here."

"Feeling is mutual." you smile, "Need help finding a book?"

First hurdle. Reply with a flirtatious comment or state his intentions clearly.

"No,I am just here...to check out books..."

Oh Great Witch, he wouldn't be able to pull this off would he?

Azul needed to call the whole thing off, needed to go back and draft any other scenario that didn't start with him stating the blatantly obvious--!

"Oh well good! Do you need my help?"

Or maybe not? An excuse to stick by your side had presented itself and Azul would be damned if he didn't take it.

"I need a book on human's thoughts on Atlantica before the start of the 21st century. I thought it would be an interesting read for both me and Jade."

Azul can't help the softness he feels in his heart as he watches you think to yourself before placing a finger on your lips.

“Twisted Wonderland history...that should be over in the next couple of shelves. Wanna follow me?”

Yes. YES!

“If that would be alright with you.”

Sky blue eyes take in your form, letting his mind wander as you talked about...well he wasn’t necessarily listening. With you being this distracted Azul could take all the time he wanted staring at way your lips moved and how your eyes looked when staring at him--

“Azul? Did you hear what I said?”

He blinks when your words reach his ears, blushing when realizing that he had been staring so much he truly had no idea what you were talking about. No need to panic or get carried away, however, this was perfectly normal in conversations.

“I apologize. I have been a little out of it.”

You stop walking beside him, halting Azul’s step as you looked at him.

“Are you alright?”

Damn you. That was the sort of thing that Azul loved and hated about you. You were in a world that wasn’t your own and were almost pushed to take up odd jobs here and there to make ends meet and you were asking about his well-being? Friendship or possible romantic relationship be damned, Azul just wanted you by his side constantly.

If he could rope you into a contract that would assure that it would be so much easier than having to plan out an entire situation to get what he wants, but you at least were worth the trouble.

“More than alright. Even I tend to get distracted.”

Your cheery smile comes back as you both keep walking, you speaking up after a few seconds.

“I asked what had brought you here.”

You.

“Just the book I suppose...and the company that came along with it.”

First flirtatious comment made and the small look of surprise was his prize. Catching you off guard was one of the goals he had set for himself in this conversation so he could promptly check that off.

“And you?” he adjusted his glasses before smiling his practiced charming smile, “Do you come here often?”

“Well considering I work here...yes.”

Azul can almost hear a pin drop when you say that, his eyes somehow abandoning his tunnel vision and realizing what you looked like.

A small name badge on your uniform, a lanyard with several keys that he guessed would help you open several library doors and a trolley (how did he miss a trolley!?) full of books that you were currently pushing.

“Right...of course...I knew that…”

A small chip cracks off from his pride, the whole thing coming tumbling down as you laugh. How did he miss such a BIG detail?

“Did you really not notice? I was even putting books away!”

All he can do is open and close his mouth like a fish out of water, face turning an embarrassing shade of red as he tries to excuse himself from your presence. He just wanted to hide in a pot and never come out! The moment he got to the dorm he would tear that outline in half because what was the point if he missed something so little! Why would you even want to be friends with someone like him when he didn’t even know the more basic things about you!

Stars, he just wanted to die.

You wipe a tear from your eye before putting a hand on a shelf, “Oh my goodness...that was really funny. You should find the book you want here, ‘zul.”

“...thank you…”

Azul sighs and goes to look for whatever title he had told you he wanted but stops when a hand tugs on his wrist.

“Well don’t leave me alone just yet. I have a question for you.”

You pull out your phone, “I get off at six today. Do you mind if I drop by the Monstro Lounge to hang out?”

His heart does a little flip as his entire posture straightens out.

“I--”

“Yeah I know you guys close at five and don’t open until eight for weekends but I thought we could just hang out in your office. We clearly need to catch up if you didn’t know I work here now.”

You move closer, the little flips in Azul’s heart turning into major acrobatic leaps as you smile at him.

“Sounds like a date?”

Azul doesn’t necessarily remember what happened after that, all he remembers is nodding far too quickly that his glasses almost flew off and then tripping on air when you finished helping him check his book out.

#twisted wonderland #twst #azul ashengrotto #azul x reader #twst mc #short prose #//also I am living for a more than ready to flirt their heart out MC!

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todaydreambelieversfic · 3 years

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Author Spotlight: Heartsmadeofbooks Day 2

Author: @heartsmadeofbooks

Share one of your strengths.

I like to think I'm good at writing angst. At least it feels like I'm at my best when I'm writing it.

Share one of your weaknesses.

The language, probably. It's gotten better with time, but at first it was so difficult to write in English, as it's not my first language. I'm very lucky to have a wonderful beta who hasn't yet killed me when I make the silliest of mistakes over and over again. So shout out to Christine for that.

Which fic has been the hardest to write?

There are two, I think, if not three. Syrup and Honey, because it was one of the first, when I felt like I was at the worst when trying to use the language to craft something decent; Quicksand, because it deals with some personal stuff at some points and it was really hard to get it out; and Hidden in the Deep, because that first chapter sat in my drafts FOREVER, and I hated it every time I went back to it, but I was determined to write that story even if it felt so different from anything I had written before.

Which fic has been the easiest to write?

Flowers in the Window, I think. It was like going back home after a very, very long time away, and the whole story was written in a month and a half (probably because of quarantine, but also because I just wanted to do nothing but write all day every day) despite being a rather long and complicated story.

Is writing your passion or just a fun hobby?

I think it's a bit of both. For most of my life I wanted to be a writer, but I never fall in love with any of my original stuff. I think I still haven't found that one idea that makes everything fall into place, the way I feel about writing fanfiction. But hey, why can't writing fanfiction be my passion, as well?

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

Most of my stories are AU, so I don't focus much on episodes, but I do love writing blangst. I'm so sorry, because Blaine Anderson is nothing but sunshine and rainbows and he certainly deserves all of the good things in the world, but there's something about seeing him broken that makes my inspiration flow like a damn river.

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

Don't stress about every word being perfect right away. Just make sure you pour it all on the page, and you can always come back and fix it later. It's really liberating.

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

Write about what you know. I'm sure it works perfectly for others, but in my case, it would make for extremely boring stories.

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

I'm pretty sure most people would say Syrup and Honey (and wouldn't that be a dream come true?), but I've always really loved Sitting, Waiting, Wishing. It would make for a great rom-com, I think.

What’s your process? 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? What are the perfect writing conditions for you?

I start with an idea and I make a doc with all the details and an outline of chapters and characters. Sometimes that initial doc has a fragment of a scene that will later be included in the story, if that scene was a big part of why I wanted to start writing the story in the first place. Then I write the story from start to finish. I can't do it out of order, I just make a mess of things and get constantly lost.

My perfect writing conditions include silence, preferably, but I can work with some music on, mostly instrumental or in some way related to the story. Otherwise, it's distracting. A cup of tea is always nice, if it's cold weather season, or even a glass of wine. If I plan a long writing session, I usually have a candle or flowers on my desk, too.

However, if I really, REALLY want to write and none of those things are available (not even the silence), I can write anywhere. I've written at work and on my phone in a crowded train, and in the middle of the night after waking up from a particularly inspiring dream.

***

Check out Heartsmadeofbooks’s Fics!

The Awakening - Kurt Hummel has put his perfect life together carefully, making sure all the pieces fit exactly how he wanted them to. But all it takes is one name from his past to make all his hard work go to waste - Blaine Anderson.

Flowers in the Window - This is the story of four men - Cooper and Blaine; Burt and Kurt. This is a story of heartbreak and loyalty, of pain and hope, of loneliness and family. This is the story of how, even when the sun stops shining, love finds a way to bloom.

Solid Gold - Ten years after breaking his engagement to Blaine, Kurt's life isn't the fairy tale he once hoped for. Forced to leave New York, he goes looking for a second chance, not expecting to find it in the town he always wanted to run away from, or with the man whose heart he shattered.

#author spotlight: heartsmadeofbooks

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sinkix · 4 years

Text

~ Haikyuu!! Boys baking with reader - Ft. Ushijima, Tendou, Oikawa, Hinata & Nishinoya ~

YO! SO UHHHH... I’M BACK??? I GUESS?? MAYBE??? After a little break I had this in my drafts for a while and realllyyy wanted to complete it since it’s such a cute concept. Honestly at this point my posting frequencies are so sporadic and random pls forgive me lmao.

@deathcab4daddy gave me the inspo to include Ushi and it was so funny coming up with ideas for him, he is no.1 country boi chef

Dude I’m listening to the Mario Kart soundtrack ‘Coconut Mall’ while I continue writing this someone save me. Like u think I’m joking. UR WRONG.

Ushijima:

The most straightforward yet idiotic baker you will ever come across.

Before you even THINK about performing step 1, he will read the entire fucking leaflet like it’s a Shakesperean monologue.

INGREDIENTS INCLUDED.

LIKE SIS I DIDN’T NEED TO KNOW IT CONTAINS MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE THANK YOU.

I’m surprised he doesn’t count every single particle in the brownie mix.

You bought him a frilly cupcake-printed apron stating ‘best wife’ not expecting him to actually wear it

But since he’s secretly a big softie and treasures anything you buy he wears it proudly.

His stoic and dignified disposition is a comical contrast to the words printed on the front lmao.

Ushi best wifey bro.

The tight fit of the apron is pretty hot since it outlines every ridge of his pecs and tightly toned torso.

Gotta resist groping your mans while stirring the brownie batter.

tbh he’s more likely to grope you, he can’t resist that a$$.

And let’s face it he’s def an ass/thigh kinda guy.

Can and will try to casually initiate some form of unholy activities by lifting you up onto the kitchen counter, goading you to slowly lick the spoon and locking gazes before pulling you in for a deep, open-mouthed kiss to get a taste of the incomplete creation himself.

Ushi’s lips and brownie batter are a knock-out combo js.

Literally has the most serious face when he’s cracking the eggs into the bowl

The amount of concentration is equivalent to that of when he’s performing a serve at match-point.

HAS to set the temperature to the EXACT degree stated on the box

Everything is done by the book if you do one thing out of place he will pull you up on it lol.

“(Y/N) you were supposed to stir it for 5 minutes, not 7.”

When its done you feed him some and he can’t help but smile its so ADORBALE AHHH.

You end up eating most of it since Ushi doesn’t strike me as much of a chocolate/junk food lover.

STILL A VERY FUN BUT F R U S T R A T I N G EXPERIENCE.

Tendou:

The complete opposite of Ushi

Does everything wrong and the unconventional way.

Absolute disaster but doesn’t even sweat it since Tendou basically thrives in chaos and the disorderly.

To him instructions are purely equivocal, will read them for five seconds then toss them away.

Step aside Gordon Ramsey, Chef Tendou is here.

Despite doing everything the unorthodox way it still comes out amazing.

Like??? how???

Will cheekily place a dollop batter on your nose then lick it off fh3jkeffefds

Or if he’s feelin’ a lil freaky, he’ll swipe it off with his long ass finger and make you suck it clean, smirking at your submission as you coat his finger with your saliva.

oop-

Constantly cracking jokes and shitty food puns, pretending to drop the bowl to make you go into preemptive cardiac arrest before you can swat him with the spatula.

While you’re waiting for the timer to ping, Satori being the schemer he is will use this as an opportunity to pull some fuckery and tease you in any way he can.

u better be praying like bodhisattva TanaNoya rn because he is MERCILESS.

Suggestive comments, the brush of his fingers against your thigh, it’ll leave you A C H I N G in frustration by the end of it.

Unholy activities aside, once your baking session is completed you finish it off by feeding PHAT forkfuls of brownie to each other and giggling like dorks when it gets all over your mouth.

The jackass actually got a fingerful and SMEARED it over your cheek and forehead, drawing a little cross and snickering when the crumbs fall onto your nose.

Tendou was smart to draw a cross bc he gonna need jesus with the ATTACK you launch on him after that, which promptly leads to an all out food war in your kitchen that neither of you want to clean up after ward.

Don’t worry though it’s Tendou, he’ll somehow find a way to make such a mundane activity fun.

Nishinoya:

stirs WAY TOO VIOLENTLY

IT’S LIKE AN ELECTRIC WHISK ON OVERDRIVE.

IT WILL SPLATTER OVER THE COUNTER, CUPBOARDS AND EVERYTHING YOU HOLD DEAR WITHIN A 1 MILE RADIUS.

You best believe he will try and eat some of the batter and you have to swat the spoon away from his mouth since he has NO REGARD FOR THE FACT HE COULD GET SALMONELLA.

Plus you know what Noya’s like once he starts eating something the whole thing will be gone in a matter of milliseconds.

He somehow managed to get Baking powder EVERYWHERE and even gave him self a little moustache with it.

The white substance kinda looked like something else but you didn’t really wanna say lmaooo.

could explain why he has so much energy all the time oK ILL STOP-

While you’re putting the mix on the tray he is SO extra and will do fancy lil swirls and over extend his arm like a swan to gracefully spread the batter

until he nearly fucking knocks it over.

During processing time since he is so excitable and impatient you best believe he’s gonna suggest a game of ping pong or something because my guy can well and truly never sit still.

ping pong match with the spatulas, kitchen island and a hard boiled egg.

Pls be careful he will rolling thunder that egg and pimp slap it so hard with the spatula it’ll damn near give you a concussion, not intentionally, but like protect your noggin. Wear a helmet.

For the remaining 5 minutes of baking time y’all just sit like kids in front of the oven and watching it rise like starved hyena’s observing it’s pray before demolishing it into sad particles of cocoa.

And lemme tell u, once the timer pings, that baking tray is free real estate for Noya. Half of your creation will be devoured before you can even put it on a plate and marvel at your handiwork.

He kicked your ass at spatula ping pong btw I’m sorry sweaty but short kings stay winning.

Oikawa:

Such a dramatic bitch like he got the whole she-bang going on.

Strapped with a pink apron, a whisk at his side and standing proudly with both hands on his hips.He is prepared like a greek gladiator going into battle.

You better believe he gonna make some snarky remarks and tease your method of doing things.

“Ah-ah-ahhh (Y/N)-chan you’re doing it all wrong, let me show you how a PRO does it.”

Proceeds to drop entire bowl on his foot and yelp like a little girl in pain.

Well and truly embarrassed with himself, you put a band-aid on his toe and he piped down after that.

Shattered big toe and mixing bowl aside, actually a really good baker??

He is a PRO at decorating, y’all decided on cupcakes since its literally his forte to make them look aesthetic and pretty.

You almost don’t wanna eat them from how good they look.

jk almost

You take it in turns breaking bits off and placing pieces into each others mouth with a loud “aaaaaahhh!”

Places a piece in your mouth, leans forward and locks lips with you in a soft, passionate kiss before pulling away and uttering the words “It tastes even better coming from your mouth ;)”

hnnnNNGGGGGGggGg.

You both whine and bicker over who cleans up after.

“You cleaaannnnn!”

“no Toru YOU clean!”

“but I made the cupcakes look pretty :(”

“not as pretty as you <3″

He did the cleaning after that.

Like just stroke his ego with some compliments and he’s whipped with a smug grin on his face for the next 30 minutes.

You decide to save the rest and bring them to his next practise.

Literally on the verge of tears when he sees you beaming and holding the platter of treats, Kiyotani mauls half of them in a matter of seconds to which Oiks gets salty over LMAO.

Hinata:

So excited oh my god he’s so precious please protect him I will CRY-

Has a little sunflower apron on and JBJKNDDDKDW IM SMILING JUST IMAGINING HIM FIDGETING IN EXCITEMENT OVER THE THOUGHT OF BAKING COOKIES.

Yes you decided on cookies bc he goes rabid for some choc chip biccies.

You have to guide him v carefully because of how easily confused and clumsy he is.

Cannot for the life of him crack the eggs without getting a quarter of the shell in the bowl so you have to do it instead.

Has a surprising amount of strength and forearm power bc holy shit boy can stir FAST.

Hums a little tune while he does it and bobs up and down with a wide grin on his face it’s so adorable, he has such a gentle singing voice I can’t-

Attempts different shapes with the batter when pouring it onto the tray but fails pretty miserably lol.

he tried ok???

Once they’re done he takes the tray out of the oven and since it was heavy, subconsciously propped it with his knee and nearly dropped the entire tray from the pain. (I’ve actually done this before when making chicken nuggets I do not advise being that brain dead)

Had to put some burn cream on the bbies knee :’((

When you decided to dig in, he handed you a cookie that looked like a crooked circle and said he tried to make that one a heart and insisted he feed it to you.

Blushed VERY hard at the moment of silence and intense eye contact while he fed it to you.

Nearly short circuited when his fingers brushed against your lips.

Moe moe x100000000000000000000000000000

You offer to do the cleaning after because he hurt himself and you didn’t wanna make him do any work, but he still offered to wipe the surfaces for you bc he’s an angel <333

literally just wanna marry him.

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the-golden-ghost · 2 years

Note

prime numbers for the fic writer ask game!

2. How do you spend your time when it comes to fanfiction? Are you primarily a fic reader, writer, or a perfect 50/50 split of both?

I definitely write it more than I read it. I tend to only read those that grab me or that have good recommendations and I'm very picky lmao

3. Are there any fics that inspired you to write what you do?

I'm not sure what this means? None of my current projects were inspired by other fics, no.

5. What are your fanfic pet peeves? Do they have a huge effect on whether or not you decide to read something?

Already answered!

7. Do you prefer to read short fics or long fics?

Short ones cause I'm lazy lmao but if I can find a long one that I really enjoy I'll bite the bullet

11. How do you come up with your fic titles?

Uh... badly? I really don't like most of my fic titles. Mostly they sound corny and stupid from my estimation and half of them don't Vibe. I just kinda pull something out of my ass last-minute

13. Do you outline your fics? How much of a headache would someone get if they just looked at an outline of yours without reading the fic?

I do outline them if they're longish. My outlines can be everything from a meticulous play-by-play to "and then THE THING happens!!!11!one!!!1" so it's a toss-up whether they'll be decent or completely nonfunctional.

17. How obsessively do you sit and stare at your fic after you’ve just posted and wait for feedback?

TOO MUCH

19. Do you edit your fics after you write them, or do you prefer to just hit post and run (because it’s someone else’s problem now)?

Wait, people are out there releasing first drafts into the world with no polishing whatsoever?!

Bro

Yeah no, I do at least 3-4 editing runs before I publish. I don't do full rewrites, I'm not THAT intense, but yeah.

23. What’s your absolute favorite trope to write?

Already (barely) answered!

29. Have you ever written for an exchange or event of some kind? Which one(s)? Did you enjoy it?

YES I've done it three times.

Two were for the History Ficathon that runs every year in the Shakespeare fandom.

Precious Deceit was my first one. I don't care for it and I still don't think I had a good grasp of the actual prompt (nor do I have enough historical knowledge of the time period to know about transgender identities in the late Middle Ages) but I gave it a go. Somehow it got 300 hits, to my chagrin.

Request and Requisition was my second, and this one I initially REALLY didn't want to write but I ended up having a blast and loving the result. Also to my chagrin, it has less than 50 hits. I cannot win.

The last was for a TKLUTS gift exchange and it's called A Game of Art. I had fun writing it. It's kind of goofy and light.

31. Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

Already answered!

37. Give an update on your current WIP - if you don’t have one, give a sneak peek to a title or idea that you have and would like to write.

I have four WIPs.

A Deltarune fic involving Kris running into Gaster (in which they talk and it doesn't just end with Kris getting The Egg)

A supposed 3-part fic about Goemon (of Lupin III fame) and his first romantic encounter with each of his three partners. Going nowhere fast, but I refuse to let go of the idea

The infamous Ghost Fic which isn't actually infamous and goes from exciting to overwhelming and back. Was actually kind of a Vent Fic/Passion Project and I still am not wholly convinced that it isn't an Exceptionally Dumb Idea

Chapter 2 of a fic called "Two for the Show" which I wrote and posted and said "maybe I'll do a second chapter someday lmao who knows" but I didn't plan to do one and it got more hits than any of my recent fics and several requests for a second part so now I'm like. Well damn. Guess I Gotta.

41. What’s your most popular fic (with the most notes on tumblr, most hits/kudos on ao3)?

My most popular fic is technically one called A Terrible Conflict but since it's a collab I don't really consider it wholly "mine" and therefore don't really count it as my most popular fic. I mean I didn't even write half of it.

My most popular fic that I can take full credit for is called Measuring the Depths. Someday I hope to break 4 digits on my own, but it's never happened before. *sighs wistfully*

Still, 800 ain't bad.

43. Talk about a positive experience with fanfiction or the fanfiction community that you will always remember.

Any time someone leaves a nice comment on my fics it's a positive experience!

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bestworstcase · 3 years

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How exactly do you keep track of all your ideas when brainstorming and writing? Cause I can't imagine making it otherwise than with a giant corckboard and a ton of word documents, and in your writing all just goes together so smoothly. Do you have any methods/tools you're using?

okay so i have AN answer but it’s not a very good one if you’re looking for like, advice. because every time i have an idea i write it down but i use… ulysses, google docs, and the ios notes app and there is no rhyme or reason to which one i write any given idea IN and there’s no organization just three big messy stacks of notes and a half-finished world anvil and rambles to a couple friends on discord and rambles on this blog that i search through whenever i need to refresh my memory gbfjcjdbsh i have “a system” in that there are notes but the system is just

and then for the stories themselves my planning stages go kinda

1. ruminating on plot points

2. jotting down notes like this:

0 - xaviers big book of lore

1 - vardaros / the baron & stalyan / kiera & catalina

3. think about the structure of the narrative and how best to arrange plot points along that structure

4. start writing synopses of each basic section like this (you can see how much vardaros changed from my early thoughts!):

Bounce from Alcorsīa, heading east to Eldora and Vardaros. Things are weird between Cass and Rapunzel and Cass feels weird about it. She sticks close to Varian, glad to see that the flying ship has pulled him out of his funk a little bit, and he thanks her for trying to find him at Ghisa. Eugene and Lance are excited about Vardaros; Eugene is hoping to show Rapunzel the sights and hopefully get her to talk about Janus Point a bit. Moira testily reminds them that this is not a vacation, which makes Rapunzel dig in her heels a bit. When they get to Vardaros Moira flatly is like if you’re not back by nightfall I’m leaving without you.

Cass opts to stick with Rapunzel, Eugene, Varian, and Lance (henceforth Team Corona) while Moira and crew members set out to take care of business/buy up supplies (Vardaros is right on the border of Marne, so they land in a Marnese lake near the border and walk into the city). Cassandra is keenly aware of the risks here: she’s a Coronan traitor walking around in a city of one of Corona’s closest allies. Eugene and Lance try to entertain Raps and Varian with a tale of youthful misadventures in Vardaros.

They are, of course, ambushed by the Baron’s goons. Eugene and Lance are captured, Cass and Rapunzel get pretty banged up, Varian (at Cass’s command) bolts back to the ship to get help.

Rapunzel and Cass reconvene at the Zampermin. Moira is pretty unsympathetic and kind of like rules are rules, we’re leaving at sundown, but Rapunzel loses. her. shit. Screams that they are going after Eugene and Lance and Moira is going to help because we don’t leave the people we love behind!! Moira sneers but Cass steps in and is like, Moira, they got kidnapped, it’s not like they’re off being irresponsible, come on. So Moira is like fine. Twenty-four hours.

Rapunzel is like we should go to the police and Moira just laughs. Asks for a description of the muggers, says they sound like the Baron’s boys and the watch isn’t gonna do a damn thing. He’s a crooked noble and Rodolfo loves him. Nobody messes with the Baron; even Moira is wary of him. Cass remembers Lance mentioning him before and is like oh shit. They agree to sniff around town in the morning; Moira theorizes that the Baron is gonna use his authority to have Eugene and Lance executed.

5. junk draft! this is just a speed write a la nanowrimo of a kind of hybrid very rough first draft / very detailed final outline. a lot of narrative troubleshooting happens here (this was the stage where i went ‘oh cass should go with moira instead’ for myriad reasons and also decided to toss abraham into the mix)

6. and then the revision/full writing stage is when i go through and separate everything into chapters and write it out as like. a real story. sometimes troubleshooting continues to happen (eg the lance pov scene in uh. 6 was originally planned to be eugene pov but when i went to write it i was like ‘…this section is a lot more about lance so let’s write it through his perspective actually’)

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

it’s all a bit chaotic and kind of about…slowly feeling out what ‘works’ for the story.

i will say that imo thinking about ✨narrative structure✨ is extremely important - HOW am i telling this story. i have these blocks of characters, plot points, settings. and i have certain plot and character arcs i want to build. what is the best way to put the blocks together to achieve the shape i want in the sturdiest, most coherent way? what is the core purpose of this scene and what other functionality can be layered into it, what other jobs can it do? how are these events being framed, through whose eyes, and why? etc. narrative structure will make or break a story so it’s good to keep it in mind as u plan and write 👍

#bitter snow

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scullysexual · 4 years

Text

Time Can Heal (2/ )

Season Two | Abduction Arc | Canon Divergence | Angst

Chapter One |

Mulder realises his quest for the truth costs too much.

CHAPTER TWO

Read these tags if you’re interested in knowing what my plan is with this fic. If you don’t want to basically the version you get here is a first draft kinda thing. I’m posting as I write. Ao3 will be a more refined, final version which you are free to read as well. I’ll post the ao3 links onto here when it’s time so these chapters you read won’t be perfect but it’ll be something and you can all be my betas. You can read this, wait for the ao3 version, or read both- it’s up to you.

- - -

Dana lay awake in the darkness. Wrapped up in her cocoon of blankets, staring at the ceiling. The clock ticks on beside her but the sound of it just sets her on edge, the repetitive noise doing nothing but irritate her yet she’s too drained to reach over and turn it off.

There are no more tears left to cry. Crying can cure insomnia, your body beyond exhaustion that it finally stops fighting and lets you fall asleep.

Of course, one needs to cry in order for that to happen.

Mulder would call her when he couldn’t sleep. Not often but sometimes. He would tell her stories of past cases before she was assigned, or tell her some obscure fact about some obscure thing and she would listen, her eyes closed, occasionally muttering something in a sleepy response. She would hear a faint smile in his next sentence as he jokingly asks if he’s keeping her up. Maybe she should call him now, repay the favour…

NO!

She rolls over, staring towards the wall. No, she won’t give him the satisfaction of chasing him, of pining after him. She won’t beg him stay again, not after her post-mortification after doing that the first time had turned out to be for nothing. If he cared about what she had to say he would have listened to her and stayed then, not just upped and left like he did.

She wants to hate him. She does hate him. How many times did he ditch her? Left her to deal with the consequences of their various trespasses. Or all the paperwork he would dump on her counter for her to deal with? How many arguments he would get into with local law enforcements because they didn’t agree with what he had to say and her name would be dragged into the complaint made by them to the Bureau when she did nothing wrong.

Or how about never putting her name on the door? Never giving her a desk? Never giving off any indication that there were two of them fighting this.

Mulder was right. He had done her more harm than good.

But you chose to stay with him. You should’ve asked for a transfer if it bothered you that much and you never did.

Mulder gave her an out after the Bellefleur case. He said he wouldn’t take it personally if she decided that another field would be more suitable for her. She stayed because it excited her, challenged her, made her realise that these were the victims she wanted to protect. The real people hurt by monsters that nobody believed in. Real people who wouldn’t be given justice because most looked at the statements, saw the words ‘abduction’, ‘UFO sightings’, ‘mutants’ and toss them into a filing cabinet never to be looked at again.

And now Mulder had done the same.

She kicks the sheet away in frustration, pretends its him she’s kicking over and over again until she’s pushed the bedding onto the floor, huffing with anger and exertion.

The coldness of the room covers her as Dana switches onto her other side and curls up into a ball. Wherever he’s gone she’ll find him. They’re FBI agents, their whereabouts are always on a record, he can’t run from her.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Missy visits on the Saturday. Dana makes an effort to get out of bed, forces painkillers down her throat, and sit downstairs.

She knows Melissa isn’t here on her own volition. Maggie had called her, asking for her to come round. Dana knows this because she listened to the phone call. Melissa may love her but she has never been able to stay still for very long.

It doesn’t matter. Sometimes Dana found it stifling with just her and her mother in the house. Maggie knew something was up, knew Dana was spending too must time trapped away but Dana could never talk to her mother like she could her sister. Maggie would try to offer some help, some way to resolve the problem when she didn’t want that, she just wanted someone to listen and Missy would listen.

Missy was good at that, at knowing when it was time to offer advice or time to listen, to be a soundboard and absorb information.

Mulder had been good at that, too.

Her head falls back against the side of the couch in frustration. Does everything she think really have to lead back to Mulder?

Melissa arrives, Maggie goes out, and Dana is finally free to talk.

She confesses everything; Mulder telling her that he was leaving the X-Files, leaving Washington. How shitty it’s made her feel, how she doesn’t sleep, doesn’t eat anymore and as predicted Melissa listens all the way until Dana’s finished.

“He just left?!” Missy’s furious herself. Equally as confused to his motives.

Dana nods, feeling the pang in her stomach at the thought of going back to work and not seeing him. It was so stupid. They are separated, the X-Files were closed and they were reassigned. Why is this bothering her so much?

Because there was always the knowledge she could see him whenever. A day trip to the Hoover Building and she could say hello like she did the first week they were reassigned. That had kick-started it. They were no longer working together but he still called her, still asked for her opinion, for her expertise. They would always be a team even if higher ups tried to keep them away from each other.

But this wasn’t the higher ups decision. This was Mulder’s. Mulder’s choice to leave, to get away from her.

Can’t you see I’m giving you a way out? A chance to get away from me?

He had said that to her but now she feels like he was getting away from her.

Was it because they took me, Mulder? Am I a hinderance? Something you need to keep out of arms reach so it doesn’t disrupt your mission?

It didn’t matter if he said he was leaving the X-Files. He still had his badge and gun, he still had his sources, he didn’t need the cases in the drawer, his quest could still be completed with or without them. He’d proven that in Arecibo and he hadn’t needed Dana there either.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Minnesota. He was moving to Minnesota. Minneapolis to be more exact and what was in Minneapolis? The Metrodome was in Minneapolis, that could have its bonuses.

Other than that, Minnesota was a far-cry from Washington DC but maybe that was what Mulder needed- get away from the dregs of this city and start anew in that city.

Anyway, he didn’t have a choice. He asked for the transfer and a transfer was what he was getting.

Guess it was time to start finding a new apartment in Minneapolis.

His eyes do a sweep of his current apartment. He’d have to find someone to lease it to. Scully? Scully doesn’t have an apartment anymore, maybe her?

Don’t be stupid. She’s not going to want anything from you.

Maybe The Lone Gunmen then. Surely one of them could use their own place rather than all sharing the Den. It wasn’t like he had any other friends he could lease it to anymore, he burned all those relationships some time ago.

His eyes move across the living room, landing on the X taped on the window. He sighs, striding across the room towards it. His stubby nails scratch at the tape, fighting to get it off the pane. He scrapes and scrapes at it, cursing, getting frustrated as only tiny bits off tape come off and get stuck to his fingers until finally a corner comes loose and he’s able to pull the rest off in one go.

No need for that anymore, Mulder thinks as he scrunches the tape up into a ball and throws it into the bin.

He turns back to the window, only the faint outline of an X in its place and it suddenly dawns on him what it means, what removing it signifies. His chest restricts, he becomes overwrought with emotion, tears pinpricking in his eyes and why? It’s just some damn tape, nothing but pain and lies and anger.

Still the tears come, he cannot stop them and Mulder collapses onto the couch, cries into his hands and wonders why.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

He’s half-asleep on the couch, TV playing loudly to drown out his thoughts while he tries to go to sleep. His neighbours hate him; the downstairs neighbour hates him for bouncing his basketball, his neighbours either side of him hate him for how loud he has the TV. Not that it matters anymore, he’ll be gone in five days.

There’s a knock on the door. His sleep-addled brain gets excited. For some inexplainable reason he thinks it’s Scully but why would it be? Scully hates him and she’s never knocked on his door in the year he’s known her.

There’s a mind to ignore it. He’s not home even though the TV can clearly be heard. He’s asleep, then.

But the knocking is persistent.

And what if…

Mulder gets up from the couch, his bones protesting as he moves but he pays them no heed. He deserves the physical pain for the pain he’s caused other people. He’s not deserving of a bed when there’s so many people who will never sleep in one again.

He drags his self-hating, painfilled body to the front door and unlocks it.

His heart leaps at the sight of the person behind it. In the darkened hallway he thinks it’s her and he can barely believe it. She doesn’t hate him after all…

Until the old hallway lights flicker on and his heart deflates inside his body. It’s a Scully but not his Scully.

It’s Melissa Scully and she looks pissed.

“Can I help you?” Mulder asks wondering why Melissa Scully would be paying him a visit at this time.

“Can I come in?” Her voice is hard, like it was when she told him to drop his cynicism on her last visit

“Sure,” Mulder says moving aside as Melissa steps in.

He closes the door, switches on the light, mutes the TV, and sits down on his couch.

Melissa stands.

She doesn’t take her coat off.

She’s not here to stay long.

“So,” says Mulder breaking the silence. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“Dana told me everything,” she tells him.

Mulder’s heart sinks. Of course she did. He’s not angry. Scully let’s nobody in. Nobody but Melissa. What did he expect?

“Did she send you here to try to convince me to stay?” He keeps his voice levelled, controlled. He’s not angry, he’s really not but this is his choice, and whether Scully wants to believe it or not, it is to keep her safe, keep her alive. “Because if that’s the case my mind is made up. Nothing she can say or you can say will change it. I’m doing it to keep her safe.”

“Dana didn’t tell me to do anything. I came here on my own.” She regards him coolly. “Dana used to speak highly of you. She tell me how brilliant you were, how grateful she was that she had someone as caring and thoughtful for a partner. Someone who put others before himself yet since I met you I’ve not seen any of that. I mean, look how long it took you to put your gun down and just sit with her.”

Mulder looks to the floor. He can’t believe it. Scully’s really said those words about him to someone? When was the last time anyone has ever referred to him positively?

“You can’t even look at me, can you?” Melissa says and Mulder moves his eyes from the floor to the woman.

He has nothing to say. He’s being all those things right now. He’s doing this to protect, why is everyone refusing to see that?

“It’s to protect her,” he says.

“How? How is this protecting her? Please, tell me.”

Mulder looks away again, towards the window. Through the light, at the outlined X.

“Because this is my fault,” he mumbles. “I didn’t tell her the consequences.”

“What consequences?” Melissa asks, thoroughly confused. “The consequences of being an FBI agent? I think she knows the consequences, Mulder.”

Mulder shuts his eyes, breathing heavily. People still think her abduction was some FBI related incident. Scully probably believes it was too. Nobody believed Duane Barry, only Mulder and that will be everyone’s downfall.

“It’s more complicated than that.” He looks away from the window, and the X, to Melissa. “And Scully knows that, she just refuses to see it.”

Melissa sighs, looking down at her feet before looking back at Mulder.

“She needs you right now. Whatever it was that happened to her, you’re the only one she feels that can help her.”

I am helping her. I’m helping her by getting away from her before I cause more destruction.

“But you’re not going to, are you?”

Mulder swallows. “It’s for the best,” is all he says.

Melissa scoffs. “Fine. If you think so.”

She stuffs her hands into her pockets and walks herself to the door. Mulder’s eyes fall back to the floor but they follow her shadow.

“She loves you,” Melissa says, hand on the door handle. “Did you know that?”

No, he didn’t.

“She never said it outright but I heard it. And I think you love her too.”

Yes, he does.

She yanks the door open. “I hope you figure out your life, Mulder, before you lose her forever.”

She leaves then, the door slamming behind her. Mulder sinks into the couch, his hand rubbing down his face.

Maybe losing her is the best way to show her he does love her.

- - -

Tagging: @bevh78 @mypanicface @weseeusinthefall

#txf #time can heal 2 #season 2 fic #canon divergence #i write

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iron-touch · 3 years

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Author’s Notes: Chapter 7 (Ghosts in the Rearview Mirror)

What? I’m posting twice in one month? I know, unheard of.

If you’re wondering what happened to chapter 6, it was a bonus chapter that went over Cab’s backstory. These bonus chapters won’t receive author’s notes, but they will be considered part of the chapter order just to keep consistent with how they’re organized on AO3.

If this chapter feels segmented, that’s because the two parts were going to be their own, separate chapters in my original draft. There would have been a fight scene placed between them where the group fought an enemy Stand user at a restaurant that tried to poison their food with his Stand (think reverse Tonio). He wasn’t going to be a Masquerader or anything, he was just very racist against French people and tried to poison Michelle as soon as he heard her accent. The fight was cut because it ultimately accomplished nothing in the overall narrative and the Stand itself was severely underdeveloped. So long, racist Belgium chef, you will be missed.

That being said, the first part of the chapter where the group crosses the border was also heavily reworked from my initial outline. In order to circumvent border control, Michelle would’ve hidden in the trunk of the car under all of Sara’s bags (we also would’ve seen the guitar here rather than at the hotel). At the border itself, the group would’ve been pulled over by an uptight border control agent who insisted on investigating their trunk. This would’ve ultimately lead to Iron Maiden shield bashing the border control agent, knocking him unconscious. This scene was cut because apparently, yeah, there really isn’t much border control in that part of Europe. I knew it was much laxer than it is in the US, but damn, no passport check? So I ended up reworking the whole scene. I’m glad I did, honestly, this much better shows how Michelle tends to overthink things when she doesn’t need to.

The date of Rumor’s first diary journal entry is dated January 6th, which was the same day that the first chapter of Iron Touch was posted!

Again, I’m aiming for locational and cultural accuracy, but I have never been to Belgium and am only going off of the internet for details. If I get something wrong, please let me know.

The second half of the chapter is also interesting because it’s technically the first part of Iron Touch that I wrote. I wrote a scene of Michelle and Sara talking about their respective families as I was conceptualizing them all the way back in September. While not much from that first draft made it back into the final product, some moments did, such as Sara deflecting Michelle’s questions by pointing out the pony-shaped cloud.

Trust me it is absolutely essential that Sara mentions how buff Polnareff is trust me guys I’m the author I would know 🙏

On a more serious note, this chapter should really start to highlight the duality between Michelle and Sara. It goes a lot deeper than just introvert vs. extrovert. Michelle is stuck living in the past, while Sara encourages her to leave it behind and move forward. Yet Sara herself ignores her own past the best she can and gets agitated whenever it comes up.

The way Sara wears her hair in every scene she’s in is symbolically relevant.

Music references:

None this time! Don’t worry, we’ll get a bunch of new ones in the next chapter.

#iron touch #author’s notes

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merigreenleaf · 3 years

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Here's an update on Camp NaNo for the first week. (I meant to do these more frequently, but hey, an update is an update lol.) I've been doing at least a tiny bit of brainstorming each day for the first draft of Flashover (book two). Having a general outline above my desk definitely helps! My goal by the end of the month is to have as close to a full outline as I can get. I'm also trying to write at least a few scenes so I can get words flowing again. It's been literal years since I wrote new story words! Today I wrote part of a scene and it was simultaneously frustrating and wonderful. Wonderful in that I did it. The writing itself is cringe worthy. But I'm letting the tap flow again and that's what's important, or so @elliot-orion keeps reminding me.

The three notebooks are the ones I'm using today. The blue one is a mini binder so I'm using that to organize general series and character notes. The book takes place in two realities (the main one and a parallel reality that had recently split from the main one) so I figured it would be easier to keep the scenes separated into two notebooks. Ya know, rather than than try to figure out weeks or months from now which Dray scene goes where.

Speaking of Dray, I wasn't sure what notebooks to use. I'd been putting off using the sequin ones because they remind me of bad memories of when I got them, but none of the other notebooks I have called to me. Dray got all pouty and was like "it's my damn book, if you don't use the red sequin notebook, I'm not going to talk to you." Tempting, but I really do need them as the main dork. That left me with dark blue, teal, or purple for the other half of the book. Ametrine chimed in that he's a POV in the one reality and he'd really really like the purple sparkles. Dray is already rubbing off on Ame. I'm doomed. Ame, I'm begging you, please take after literally any of your other parents.

#writing #my writing ramblings #writeblr #camp nano 2021 #camp nanowrimo #unexpected inspiration series #I already know that personality wise Ame picks up traits from Addy and Etri most #(it helps that I've written him as an adult before for short stories)#Skia on the other hand is a hellion even before meeting Dray #I don't even want to think about what eight years of Dray's influence is going to do to Skia lol

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ommsims · 3 years

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story process challenge

i was tagged by @xldkx to do this challenge, created by @herpixels , like a month? a month and a half? ago and it’s been sitting half finished in my drafts for nearly as long. *sigh* (regardless, i love stuff like this so even if it takes me forever to get to it, i appreciate the tags! 💕).

i decided to answer all the qs because it took me damn long enough to get to this, so i might as well put some extra elbow grease into it (plus it was fun!). btw it’s all going under a cut b/c it is long. i apologize in advance.

1. My Writing Process - used to be a hot damn mess. literally word docs strewn throughout my pc. However, I recently switched to using Onenote (it’s what i use to organize my d&d campaign notes) and hoo-boy is it so much nicer. this is how it’s set up and it’s honestly night and day. i can have a page with outlines, a page to organize & order screenshots, and a separate page for drafting text, and i can easily toggle though them without having to switch windows? a big thumbs up from me.

When it comes to actual writing- I used to write my drafts in novel format, which i enjoyed but it made “converting” them into tumblr posts time consuming and frustrating. I ended up scrapping most of the text in the process, retaining pretty much only the dialogue.

Anyway, nowadays I write in more of a screenplay format: dialogue only + key scene information with the occasional note to self.

I do keep a master “arcs” page with key events and each individual character’s arc from beginning to end and secondary “outline” pages with slightly more detailed outline for each leg of the project. No screencaps b/c spoilers galore!

My typical work flow process for a scene goes: (1) brainstorm scene ideas, (2) take screenshots, (3) organize screenshots into a rough storyboard, (4) add 1st draft of text, (5) edit photos, (6) edit text, (7) upload to "drafts” here on tumblr, (8) let sit for a bit (9) take a final look at things/proofread and edit as needed. It may sound counterintuitive, but i find it much easier to write dialogue for a set of images rather than attempt to take images based on prewritten text. I feel more comfortable editing and tweaking tone and content in the text this way. Otherwise, I get frustrated when I “can’t” shoot a scene exactly as it appeared in my head.

2. How I build my scenes - A lot of what i do is rooted in gameplay, therefore my sets are usually (a) play-tested and (b) not super pretty. I’ve certainly improved at decorating & building over the years but more often than not I download lots off tumblr and the gallery because I don’t have the patience, aptitude, or time to build all of my own sets. That being said, I frequently gut builds only to build a number of completely unrelated mini sets inside to reduce the number of times i have to replace lots. I also keep a list of “important locations” and where certain characters live / will move to, to help keep this all straight as there aren’t nearly enough lots per neighborhood or even per world in this damn game...

my least favorite part of scene building is actually decorating. lol. Don’t get me wrong, I love clutter. I honestly do. but fuck me if i expect myself to spend hours meticulously decorating a set, spend another 3 hours toggling back and forth b/w BB & live modes adjusting things to get rid of the damn routing errors. (yeah, yeah, i know i could ignore them, they’re not important, especially in those scenarios where i’m using a set for screenshots and nothing else, but idk. it really grinds my gears.) and then have to replace the lot like a week later because there aren’t enough lots in the game. *sigh*

3. CC/Pose Making - i do not consider myself to be a cc creator nor a pose maker but i do dabble occasionally. And to be completely honest i’d much rather spend my time doing other stuff, so it’s not high on my list of priorities atm. plus there are so many talented cc creators in this community; i can usually get by with what’s already out there.

4. Getting in the zone - Honestly, I do a lot of brainstorming for plot & dialogue in the shower. I don’t have any particular playlists to get me “in the writing mood” but I do enjoy listening to music as I work. Either instrumental stuff or simply artists/songs I like. If something just so happens to “fit” a scene I’m working on, one i’ve got planned, or even just gives me vibes for a certain character or group, I add a quick note to the top of said scene’s draft. Most of the time I stick it in the recesses of my brain and add a quick link when I finally get to the point of posting the draft to tumblr. For whatever reason, when I have one of those “oh this song is perfect for X” moments it’s essentially ingrained in my mind for the rest of eternity.

5. The screenshot folder - this will most likely give some of you out there major anxiety. but i swear it’s an organized chaos. :)

yep. 32.9gb of screenshots & related things...

So with the raws from a single random scene selected, you can see i take roughly 10 screenshots per image posted. not terrible i guess but i’m working on it. Typically I take screenshots and once I’m done editing a scene I’ll move them from the general folder to a more specific project folder.

6. Captions - I’ll answer this in three parts:

for my townie story. not really. I prefer using the text box. I tend to write (& re-write) the dialogue for each one of these scenes several times over as I add more “scenes” into my drafts. It would be incredibly inefficient, time consuming, and would waste a lot more space on my pc to have to save .psds of each image just so i could edit dialogue when I decide: “oh hey maybe so and so needs to bring up X in this scene” and then change my mind an hour later.

for niko, noor, & co. I’m a text on image type gal here. don’t really know why, but it gives the project a different energy. ironically it makes it feel more laid-back to me. which i guess makes sense, it’s a much more light-hearted “story” than my townie project. which is, imo, very soapy haha.

for legacy stuff. all text goes below the images in the text box. reasoning: it’s gameplay, I don’t brainstorm, outline, or pre-write for this. I play the game, take screenshots, plug ‘em into my drafts and write some commentary / dialogue to go along with it.

7. Editing - i am a creature of habit and have not majorly changed my editing process in probably a year and a half (when I began using reshade and had to adjust my color correcting psd). it’s a super basic system:

drag & drop my “color correction” psd.

run actions in ps. (i made my own “all-in-one” actions to really streamline the process; i have different “actions sets” for my premades’ story and for other things that get posted to tumblr. even if no one else notices it, i like the little details that keep my projects separate and “identifiable”.

voila. all set to upload.

sometimes i crop images, add “text effects”, or do more in depth editing (i.e. editing a phone screen or adding rain etc.) but overall i try and keep it simple for myself.

8. Throwback - i posted an image of one of the first (but never posted) scenes I’d written for my townie project up above. but as for how would i redo a scene i’d already posted. well i’m currently re-doing my townie story so i guess i’ll just say you’ll see how it’s redone when i get to part 1! 😉

anyway, no tags because i’m so embarrassingly late to this party but if you hadn’t gotten around to this tag, wanted to do it but didn’t get a tag, or started it and left it to sit and now you’re thinking “oh god that was months ago should i even post this anymore?!?” consider yourself tagged by me and go ahead and post it for all to see!

#tag train #story process challenge #it's long. it's rambly. but that's me.#this one was a challenge! a challenge but fun.

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katehuntington · 5 years

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Title: Ride With Me (part six) Fandom: Supernatural AU Characters series: Reader, Dean Winchester, Bobby Singer, Ellen Singer-Harvelle, Jo Singer (Harvelle), Benny Lafitte, Ash Miles, Garth Fitzgerald IV, Castiel Novek, and many more. Timeline: 2008 Pairing: Dean x Reader (eventually) Word count: ±1900 words Summary series: Y/N is a talented horse rider who is on her way to become a professional. In order to convince her father that she deserves the loan needed to start her own farm, she goes to Arizona for six months, to intern at a ranch owned by Bobby and Ellen Singer. Her future is set out, but then she meets a handsome horseman, who goes by the name of Dean Winchester. A heartwarming series about a cowboy who falls for the girl, letting go of the past and the importance of family. Summary part six: Y/N is getting lost in the feelings that she’s developing for Dean, and it doesn’t take long before Jo takes notice. Warnings series: NSFW, 18+ only! Fluff, angst, eventually smut. Swearing, smoking, alcohol intoxication, alcohol abuse. Mutual pining, heartbreak. Crying, nightmares, childhood trauma. Description of animal abuse, domestic violence, mentions of addiction. Financial problems, stress, mental breakdown. Description of blood and injury, hospital scenes, character death, grief. Music: Check out ‘Kate Huntington’s Ride With Me playlist’ on Spotify! Author’s note: Thank you @kittenofdoomage and @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish for helping me. You girls are awesome betas.

Ride With Me Masterlist

Okay, maybe the tequila last night wasn’t such a good idea. Neither was that margarita the previous night, or the drinking game the night before that one. Or was it the other way around? Y/N cannot seem to recall, but today is Friday, so at least tomorrow she can sleep her way through the headache. Never ever did she drink as much as she did this week. Normally that would bother her, especially considering she’s not here on Spring break. But when the drinks are offered in a time when she needs a little something to stop thinking about that damned Dean Winchester, she couldn't care less about the increase of alcohol consumption.

She found the balance quite quickly, too. Intoxicated enough to let go of the complexity that comes with growing fondness of the head wrangler, but sober enough to stop herself from doing anything stupid. The consequence is, however, that on this morning ride, her brain feels like it’s trying to expand beyond the size of her head. Thank God her stomach isn't acting up, because Joplin is trotting under her nervously. Seems like Y/N is having trouble finding the ‘walk’ button this early. The hot-blooded mare fails to respond when her rider asks her to slow down by saying ‘ho’ with a calm voice, but when Y/N breathes out, relaxes her legs, and shifts deeper in the saddle only by a fraction of an inch, the black horse transitions to walk.

“Good girl,” Y/N compliments her.

Three days without riding were more than she could handle. Meadow needed some time to recover from the long journey and to get used to her new home, but Y/N needed to restrain herself from climbing on the mare’s back anyway. She imagined this was a glimpse of what it would be like to kick an addiction cold turkey, going into withdrawal from the lack of her drug. As if not being able to train her own horse wasn't enough, it took another extra day before Y/N got onto any horse at all. It wasn't until yesterday morning that the supervisor decided that she deserved a shot at proving herself as a wrangler. She had to earn that by mucking, shit scooping, cleaning tack, and turning horses in and out. Which she gets, of course. Dean and Bobby wanted to see what she is made of before they let her ride one of their animals. But boy, was she frustrated. She even got to the point that Garth almost caught her muttering a promise to herself that if she had to clean up some horse’s massive dump one more time without a reward, she would be out of here.

Yesterday she finally got to accompany a few guests on a trail. It was amazing to feel the horse move under the saddle again, the experience of the communication that she established within a second, and how the perfect fit on his back felt like home. Apparently, she did well, because on this morning ride, she is allowed to come along too.

Content, she looks ahead at the large group of inexperienced riders, who find their way down the hill with some difficulty. The respect Y/N holds for the trail horses has grown, because their patience and ability to keep their clumsy passengers in the saddle hasn't ceased to amaze her. Bruce, a draft horse mix, has halted several times already, waiting motionless until his overweight German load has pulled himself back into the saddle after slowly tipping to one side. It's quite entertaining to watch.

As she smiles at what’s playing out in front of her, the sound of hoofsteps close by on the rocky surface reaches her hearing. When she glances over her shoulder, a beautiful buckskin is just about to transition to an easy walk after catching up. Her eyes glide up until they meet his rider.

“So, how are you this morning?” Dean wonders, a playful smile on his face. It takes a short moment for her to answer, taken aback by her body’s response to the sight of the wrangler. A whirlwind starts to twist in her stomach, yet the headache suddenly doesn't seem as tormenting as it was a minute ago. “I'm okay,” she claims. He grins. “Sure about that? You had quite a few drinks last night.” “I can handle myself,” she returns defensively, narrowing her eyes at him a little. “Oh, I’m sure you can.”

He chuckles, the warm and low sound rumbling deep in his throat triggering Y/N to peek at him from the corner of her eye. Was that a nervousness she detected? Did she just make him uneasy? He looks down, his lips drawn in a small smile. The sun from the east outlines the sharp lines of his jaw, edged by a scruff; apparently he didn't take the time to shave this morning. Boy, is she glad he didn’t.

“Okay, I'll admit,” she says, trying to take away his insecurities. “My stomach might be a little… unsettled.” Y/N isn’t lying, although alcohol has nothing to do with the butterflies that came to life inside of her. He doesn't know that, thankfully, yet he keeps a hold of his intern’s gaze for a little while longer, reading her. As if Dean’s horse wants to help love a little, the Quarter sways closer to her horse Joplin, the two of them now riding stirrup to stirrup. His knee slightly brushes against hers every other step and despite that it's barely a touch, she’s highly aware of the physical contact.

“Don't throw up on your horse if you want to leave a good impression with me. Believe me, it ain't pretty,” Dean half jokes, half flirts. She throws her head back in a laugh. “Don't worry, I won't. But please don't tell me you have seen that happen.” “More than once, I'm afraid,” he remembers, turning in his saddle to face his younger cousin. “Ey, Jo?” The blonde cowgirl, who is about thirty yards behind them, throws him a confused look, since she hasn't picked up a word of their conversation. Puzzled, she watches, inducing the riders further up to laughter. “No way!” Y/N cries out. “I ain’t kiddin’,” Dean sniggers. “I'll save that story for another time. Y’know, when your stomach isn't ‘unsettled’ by the same tequila that started Jo’s tale.”

He spurs his horse, who canters forward to meet the group of guests up ahead. She observes Dean as the morning sun portrays the cowboy and his horse in a romantic light. Out here, away from the city, the Arizona landscape would have anyone believe that they traveled back to the time, when the Wild West was still the real deal. Cacti surround them, peculiar mountain peaks shaped by ten thousand years of wind erosion obstruct the far edge of the world. And in this perfect portrait rides a handsome cowboy, one with his horse, clouds of dust in their wake. An amused smile allows a glimpse of Y/N’s true feelings to shine through. There it is again, that tingly sensation in her belly. Sure, Dean. Blame it on the tequila, she thinks to yourself.

“What the hell was that?” Now that Dean left his spot next to her, Jo has caught up, gently pulling the reins as she sits back to bring her horse’s pace down. Feeling caught, Y/N looks at her, brought off balance by the spite in the cowgirl’s voice. “What do you mean?” “Oh, c’mon, Yankee. I wasn’t born yesterday, and neither were you. You just completed your master in business, don't act like you're stupid,” Jo counters. “You and Dean, what’s going on?” The cowgirl eyes her in shock, her jaw dropping unpleasantly surprised. Was it really that obvious? How is she going to talk herself out of this one? “I - I don't--” she stutters, blood rushing to her face. “There - there's nothing--” She’s not sure if it’s her shameful expression or the fact that she lost her tongue, but Jo knows enough. She closes her eyes and sighs deeply. “Y/N…” her friend starts, a mixture of disappointment and pity present in her voice. “Please don't go down that road. He will hurt you so bad you're gonna wish you never gone on that flight that got you here.” Now the intern sighs too. Denying will not do her any good. Jo is smart enough to see right through it. “Listen, I really like having you around. You're good company, you're a hard worker, you're great with the horses, and I don’t wanna lose my sis,” the ranch owner’s daughter says genuinely. “I would hate to see you leave because of my heartbreaker of a cousin. I've seen this play out so many times already, don't walk into that trap.” “I think that ship has sailed,” her friend admits out loud.

The words startle the woman who speaks them just as much as they stun Jo; she didn't intend to share that with her new friend already. But now that the comment is hovering between them without a way to take it back, a part of her is glad it’s out there. Dean has been about the only thing on her mind since she first saw him. Not being able to talk about that with anyone was driving her mad. She needs to vent to someone, someone she can trust.

Shocked by the bombshell that Y/N just dropped, Jo turns her head to orient her big eyes towards the man in question. That son of a bitch.. “Well, that didn't take long…” The cowgirl shakes her head, then looks her in the eye after her confession. It's clear she feels sorry for her friend. “I'll talk to him.” “No! Jo, please don't. Look, I didn't forget about your warning and I’m surely not going to act on these... feelings,” she guarantees, barely able to get out the word. “But I can't shut this off. It caught me by surprise as well.” “He tends to have that effect on women,” Jo mutters. “I won't do anything stupid,” Y/N assures her. Jo glances at the intern from under her hat. “Promise?”

She looks backs at her new friend. Honestly, she isn’t sure if she’s strong enough to resist Dean, but this agreement might help her stick to the plan. The plan to complete her internship successfully and return home to start her own ranch. It's all she ever wanted, it has been her life goal for as long as she can remember. Is she really going to let some cowboy stop her from fulfilling that dream? A very handsome, sweet, and utterly irresistible cowboy, but nonetheless. She will reach for the stars and she will have her wish, nothing will stand in her way, not even him. And so a reassuring smile forms on her lips.

“I promise.”

Well, the cat’s out of the bag. Thank you for reading. I appreciate every single one of you, but if you do want to give me some extra love, you are free to like or reblog my work, shoot me a message or buy me coffee (Link to Kofi in bio at the top of the page).

Read part seven here

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katedrakeohd · 4 years

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Cordonia 1885

Chapter 2

This is a TRR Fanfiction in the genre of the supernatural. Some characters belong to Pixelberry, and I'm just borrowing them to use as my macabre puppets.

Notes and Warnings: This series is Rated Mature for its grisly, bloody content, and may feature sexual situations. This chapter mentions Child Abuse and paranoia based on Fear of the Dark.

Word count: 1269

Catch up on previous chapters:

Prologue / Chapter One

Drake hated the dark, but would never admit it to anyone that he was afraid of it. He had Sister Agnes from the orphanage to thank for that. As a young boy she had punished him for soiling his pants and then locked him in a cupboard. He had battered the doors and cried to be let out until his throat was sore and his fists were bloody. Being trapped in there with his own dirty smell had made him even more miserable. When he had been set free that evening, he’d endured the extra punishment of having his backside scrubbed with a harsh brush during a cold bath. He'd gone to bed shivering, learning his lesson.

Now sitting in the dark, on the cold floor with his knees drawn up to his chest, he was reliving the indignities of childhood over again. He felt dirty, ashamed and helpless. It was a cloudy, moonless night and although he had a window there was little to dispel the gloom. The dawn would come eventually, but he had no idea how many hours away that was.

Blinded by the dark, his other senses were working overtime. Every rustling, creak of floor board or scratching noise he heard sounded like it was in the room with him. Covering his ears didn't help either, trapping the sound of his own panicked heart and restless breathing inside his head.

Get a hold of yourself, and quit acting like a frightened child. Think about a way out of here.

Leaning his head back against the wall he blinked in the dark, waiting for his eyes to adjust. He could make out the shapes of the furniture and the outline of the window.

Open the window and climb out? At the very least I could get some fresh air. It's starting to smell bad in here.

Crawling carefully along the floor, his shoulder bumps into the corner of the bed. The musty smell of the mattress causes him to wrinkle up his nose. Reaching up he uses the bed to help himself to his feet. Although the room was cool, the exertion of standing up causes him to break out in a sweat.

What's wrong with me? This doesn't feel like the result of a night of overdrinking. I feel so tired, like I've been running for my life.

As the sweat trickles down the side of his neck it stings the itchy spot he'd been scratching at. Wincing, he wipes away the sweat on his brow with his sleeve and then tilts his head to scrape his neck against his shoulder. Shuffling along the end of the bed he uses it as a guide. He can smell the basin of bloody water on the dresser to his right. Taking a tentative shuffle step he reaches out with his hand and touches the corner of the dresser.

Ok. Now if memory serves me right there shouldn’t be any more obstacles between here and the window.

Glancing to his right he's startled by his shadowy reflection in the mirror. With his hair matted on one side of his head and sticking up on the other, his wide terrified eyes and the roughened state of his beard it’s no wonder the housekeeper screamed at him. He looked horrible.

Taking a deep breath to try to calm the rapid beating of his heart he holds his hands out in front of him and walks over to the window. Running his hands along the windowsill he feels for a draft. Looking down at the street, he sees a shadowy figure in black looking up at him.

Is that Bastien?

Drake angrily pushes up on the lower half of the window frame, wanting to vent his frustrations on the other man for getting him into this mess. The window won't budge. Groaning with frustration he rattles the frame and tries to dislodge a window pane.

I could break it. But I'm in enough trouble with the housekeeper as it is.

Panting with defeat he leans heavily against the windowsill, pressing his forehead against the glass.

Damn you Bastien. Get me out of here you smug Bastard.

Wiping the window with his sleeve he looks down at the street again, but the shadowy man is gone. Slumping down to the floor, he leans against the wall and closes his eyes.

I feel so tired, maybe sleeping will bring the morning faster.

As his mind starts to drift toward sleep, he swears he hears a soft whisper.

“Draaake….”

His eyes snap open, and he looks around in the dark, “Huh..Who said that?”

But he was alone.

“Draaake,” he hears again in a soft sing-song voice.

This time it sounded like Elizabeth, or whatever her name was. Now he knows they're teasing him. But were the whispers real or just in his mind?

Getting up and stumbling across the room he goes over to the door. Pressing his ear against it he strains to listen but hears nothing. Nervous sweat blooms on his brow as he rattles the door latch.

“Is somebody out there? Please let me out?”, he pleads.

His rising panic and the erratic thumping of his heart were making it increasingly difficult to breathe. He bangs his fist against the door. Maybe if he woke somebody they'd come to his rescue.

This was like being locked in that damned cupboard all over again. Except this time he was facing more punishment than a scrub brush and a cold bath. What was he going to tell the police?

I was drunk and don't remember what happened. No, I don't think I killed anybody. Sorry I don't know who she really was.

The side of his neck started to itch intensely again, and he was starting to feel an uncomfortable itchy sensation in more private places too. He hadn't properly bathed in days, and the fact that he didn’t have soap to clean the blood off of himself made him feel more dirty.

Leave it to me to choose a hotel that probably has fleas. But wait! I wouldn't have chosen this hotel. I have no money, so either Bastien or Elizabeth would have had to pay for the room. But who signed the register when we checked in?

“Draaaaake,” that phantom whisper again.

“Stop it, stop it! You're not real.” Drake whimpers, clamping his hands over his ears.

Bastien and his female companion make their way up the stairs to the second floor. Although the hallway was devoid of light, they had no problem finding Drake's room.

Drake backs up and then sits down onto the corner of the bed, his head hung low and his elbows resting on his knees. The creak of floorboards out in the hallway, makes his ear twitch involuntarily and he raises his head.

Somebody's coming.

Bastien reaches for the door latch, giving it a rattle. “Drake are you alright in there? Can we come in?”

Drake feels relief wash over him like a cool ocean wave as he calls out, “Yes please. But the door is locked from the outside.”

“Not a problem,” Bastien replies.

Bastien grasps the door handle firmly in his hand, giving it a hard twist to the right, the groan of splintering wood can be heard. He kicks the bottom of the door forcefully and it pops open.

Drake blinks with surprise. "H..how did you do that?"

The door creaks as it's forced open wide. Drake can just make out the vague shape of two figures in the dark doorway. "No time to explain. Let's get you out of here."

Chapter Three

----

Tagging:

@texaskitten30 @janezillow @hopefulmoonobject @dcbbw @cora-nova @pedudley @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @indiacater @kingliam2019 @jovialyouthmusic @walkerswhiskeygirl @emceesynonymroll @speedyoperarascalparty @mfackenthal @xxrainbow-princessxx

#cordonia 1885 #drake walker #bastien lykel #vampire #long post

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aaron-rdr2 · 4 years

Text

Friends in verry low places

Chapter: 1/2

Pairing: Morlawny (Arthur Morgan & Josiah Trelawny)

Rating: Teen and up audience (I guess)

Warning: I changed the mission a bit xD And maybe there's a hint of Smut, maybe not or maybe there is Smut. Who knows 🤷🏻‍♀️😉

My boyfriend Josiah and I are on the way to the Rhodes station. After a while we are there. It was quiet on the way. But it was a good scielence.

,,Should I come with ya, or you think they get a heartatack when they see me." I giggle.

,,Let's find out." He says.

Then we go inside.

,,Hang back a bit dear boy."

So I wait where the clerk can't see me. The Englishman is talking to someone who is called Alden if I got it right.

,,My friend Arthur here has a present for you." I suddenly hear Josiah say.

Dann him! I join them, and lay down one hundred bucks for that now surprised looking Alden. Then they talk a bit longer.

,,Okay, I guess I have something for you Josiah." Alden says.

Meanwhile he writes something down. Then Josiah takes the piece of paper.

,,Thank you Alden adieu." Josiah says, while he takes a bow. As always.

On the way out he hand me the papers.

,,Here take a look at that." He said.

I almost hit my head on the door frame, because I taked a short look at that piece of paper, but luckily I ducked my head in time. Then we ride to a clearing. There we stop. I give him the paper back, and check my gun before I holster it again.

,,Hopefully we don't need those." he says.

,,Better safe than sorry." I say.

Then he read the paper.

,,Misses dammsen. Jolly good." He giggles.

,,The coach should be here soon. I put on a little show, you sneak to the back, open the strong box and take the money then you sneak away. It should be easy." He says.

,,Easy!? How do I open the box silently? And did you forgott, that I'm a fucking huge centaur Josiah? How will they not see me? Even though I am quiet." I almost yell.

He flinch a bit. But then he give me a lockpick. I have a Blond Chestnut colored Belgian draft horsebody. It is huge. You will see me from miles away.

,,With that you can open it silently, and a compete silence will not be necessary. You wish you had your ear plugs. Belive me."

Then it is silent. After a while the coach is passing by.

,,I ride ahead. Keep your distance."

He spurs his horse in a trot. I start to trot behind him with a good distance. Then he puts on his show. And he somehow managed to make the coach stop. I stop to, hiding behind a big tree. I can see how my boyfriend lure the lady out of the wagon, and brought her to sing. Oh my! It's poison for the ears that opera singing. As the two guards are away, I slowly sneak on silent hooves to the box, open it and take the money. Then I slowly and quietly sneak away. I hide again behind a tree.

,,Oh Misses Damsen that was wonderful. " He start.

And then he says something else I don't quiet catch, but some time after the lady goes back into the coach, Josiah steps back.

,,I'm so sorry for the interruption Farewell." He says.

Then the coach start moving. After they are a bit away, I walk over to my boyfriend.

,,A little Finesse for once. Well done Arthur."

,,Well you did the most work." I say.

,,Teamwork my boy! Team work."

I give him his share, and put mine in my satchel. He count it.

,,Jolly good." He smiles then.

,,Come here." He whispers.

I bent down, and then he kiss me softly. I love him so much. But then I feel his tounge brush against my lower lip. I open up for him. Of course. He invites my tounge to play, and as they touched in a soft fight full of love, I hear Josiah moaning in our kiss. Shit. That sweet moan of his went right between my hind legs. After a while we separate for air. His eyes are dark of lust and want. His pupils are blown and I can see the outline of his half hard cock pressing against his fine linen trousers.

Damn he looks hot. He always does, but now.... Shit. It's almost to much! I have a hard time in controlling myself.

,,How about we take Gwydion back to camp, and then we two make a trip?" He whispers.

,,Sure."

I know what he means by trip. But I'm nervous. We're a couple for one month now, and I always gave him a hand or blowjob. But he never did something like this for me. And it's fine og course. I mean I'm half horse, and not a human. So I'm nervous. I mean what if he wants to do something to me this time to? I'm afraid that I maybe loose control about my body. That wouldn't be great. After a while we're back at camp. I give the camp it's share, and then I go back to Josiah. I reach him my hand, so that he can mount up easier. And then I feel his light weight on my strong horsebody.

And then I start to trot out of camp. His arms are around my human belly. As we reach outside of the camp I start to Galopp towards Rhodes.

,,Where do we go?"

,,My caravan? It has enough privacy if we close all curtains, and the bed is strong enough to hold our both weights." He says.

,,Alright." After some time we reach his caravan.

We go upstairs, and inside. I have to duck my head while going through the door, but I can stand straight and as tall as I am inside. Luckily. He lock the door behind us, and start to close all curtains. I'm so damn nervous now. I don't want to hurt him!

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leviathiane · 4 years

Note

SHOW US YOUR WROR RAW UNPROCESSED WHOLE GRAIN ORGANIC NOTES

this is going to be a long-ass post i am so sorry to Everyone! i take a lot of notes.

So, as You specifically know (as well as all of my lovely Soggers) I take a LOT of notes. Obsessively. I write fucking everything bc i have very little memory and very much paranoia. This results in literal Piles of notes. Raw planning, on paper, on my phone– doodles of scenes im brainstorming, bulletpoints, entire SCRIPTS– it’s all there but scattered (I’ve got scenes planned in the margins of my goddamn anthropology notes and deciphering it was a NIGHTMARE)

I won’t even upload all the photos of my writing notebook, because itd be like 50 pages of illegible nonesense. but heres a couple of planning phase pages. (may be hard to read, I dropped this notebook both into some tidepools, into a creek on campus, and accidentally leaked my waterbottle onto it in my backpack :/)

if you can’t tell already, yes they all look exactly like this. Some are even more illegible, because I wrote them with the notebook half under my actual class notes. Because i wrote most of them in class. During lectures. And pretending very badly that i was not doing exactly that. (pay attention in class please i got away with this bc i was filling up elective units)

I’m also flat out MISSING a large portion of my notes bc some of it? isnt even in the damn notebook. its on a sheet of binder paper, or on the empty back of an assignment. I’ve now lost most of those notes, but the ones i do still have are just as (even more, actually) indecipherable chicken scratch:

Wow, how clean and tidy and easy to follow! i am in hell.

and this doesnt mention the PAGES and PAGES of outlines that are on my laptop, and the pages of outlined scenes that are on the notes app of my phone. if i put them all, you would have entire chapter spoilers up to the very end of the story so i cant post a lot of them– and also theres just a goddamn lot of them. currently i have 16 pages of outlining. There are no spacing breaks. It is a solid 16 page block of text. Looking at it gives me a migraine.

some assorted notes which i have dredged up from the deleted parts of the main draft google doc go all the way back to when i started Wror in June and they are Barely more readable than my handwriting on sheer account of: articulation is not my strength. These include:

“Ch 8 plan: sabo gets trained specially, awakens his armament haki, beats ace in a bunch of spars and proves himself to be anything but vulnerable. The boys are like “we fucking recognize that technique ryu taught you before us!!” and goad ryu into finally starting them both on basic haki training, just to awaken it, since sabo already has. Also this is the chapter that ace finally confronts ryu for his devil fruit after ryu confirms that some devil fruit users can’t be hurt without haki and ace immediately catches onto that and tries to slam his pipe through ryus head. It doesn’t work, ryu catches the weapon with a haki covered hand, to avoid turning to flame with hit and ace just gets frustrated and accuses ryu of hiding his devil fruit, because he remembers what he saw in grey terminal and that now that he has seen haki he can distinguish it from what he saw and he’s sure no one could do what ryu did. He calls ryu a hypocrite for coddling them even after telling them to stop coddling sabo and ryu has to sit them down and explain that yes he does have powers and he has been hdiing it and explains his reasoning. However instead of understanding th eboys just get fired up and say they don’t wnt to be scared of fire, especially not when it means ryu isn’t taking them seriously in a spar. Ryu finally agrees to start them on desensitization training for fire trauma. Fire desensitization training happens on the beach, so that they have water nearby in case things get out of hand. At some point ace gives ryu a considering look and is just like “if you have a devil fruit that means you can’t swim either right?” and ryu is basically just like “lmao yeah” and then ace immediately attempts to drown him. Lots of murder attempts in ace’s department toget his older brother to be less of an idiot with little success lol(extra: ace tried to attack ryu earlier both to confirm that ryu has a devil fruit that would force him to use haki to hide it, and because he now knows that he CAN’T hurt ryu without haki and as thus can’t beat him and make him admit he’s awake without being good at haki.)” [chapter 8]

“Small sabo lost his hat and goggles in the incident and while he doesn’t remember having them future sabo notices he looks uncomfortable and keeps touching his hair and head. Ace yells at him for it thinking he bandaging are bothering him and that he can’t touch them but little sabo just comments that something about it feels wrong. Luffy blurts our that he had a hat, like luffy does, But he doesn’t now ace begrudgingly mentions that they can’t get a new one in town. Future sabo doesn’t even hesitate and just plops his own hat onto his younger selves head. It clearly too big for him, and almost falls over his eyes but he grins up at future sabo and is like “wow!! Thank you! I’ll take care of it till I have one of my own” and creates a paradox like Luffys own hat. The footsteps younger sabo has yet to fill. This HAS to happen AFTER the talk where they explain that future and past sabo are both the same person, to give little sabo that pressure.” [chapter 9]

“(Right after this older sabo takes them down to the ocean so that they can play a little and desensitize themselves and immediately fucks himself over when he goes weak in the water bc he somehow fucking forgot his own devil fruit again and now even younger sabo is on his case about not letting him near the fucking ocean that little goddamn HYPOCRITE—) )” [for chapter 9]

“Ch 9 plan: they finally leave dawn island. Starts with the boys getting a haircut after training and luffy mentions how long it’s been since they’ve last needed a haircut, giving sabo and ace time to point out that it’s been 2 months now since ryu joined them, and that sabo was completely healed by now. The boys are now aware of the basics of haki, and while luffy hasnt awakened either yet ace and sabo both have a little bit of weak armament haki. (sabo won’t awaken observational haki until he gets his memories back) ryu tries to sneak off into the city to steal a boat but his brothers refuse to leave him behind and keep sneaking out after him, not wanting him to go alone and saying that since he’s been training them they’re clearly stronger and he needs to let them do this. Ryu eventually just lets it go because why the fuck not it’s a dream and they make him feel better. They get the boat out on open ocean and finally fucking sail out, cheering loudly, ryu struggling to make them all calm down but also not really trying. He’s happy as shit, and they’re all so excited and happy and sabo dips a hand into the waves and then smiles so fucking wide and tackles ryu so violently they both nearly tip into the water and it’s just very very good. “ [also for ch 9]

** I flat out dont Have any outlining from before chapter 6, because i only started actually outling chapters after that. i tend to just sit down and Write up until i hit a plot point or writers block and then am forced to actually think it through and plan rather than letting it come naturally. thats also why the quality and editing is better in later chapters despite everything being written within the same time frame.

besides entire chapter outlines, there are the scene specific phone notes like:

“(ADDED) Right after they leave dawn, when sabo is sure they’ve gotten enough of a head start, he calls Garp. He doesn’t say who he is, but that all of the boys are safe and happy with him and has them all talk into the phone to assure him that they’re fine. Garp is honestly just pissed off he doesn’t know who’s calling and when he asks sabo just laughs and says a disobedient brat before hanging up. “

“(ADDED) TO EXPAND ON CH 3: sabo gets offered the chance to go with dragon, and he hesitates on the offer to go through with his previous life with the family he’s made in the revolutionary again. He almost agrees, because the bought of losing them in this lifetime is near excruciating but reminds himself swiftly that it’s no place for his brothers and not what they’d really want, and he wants selfishly to be with them as long as he Can until he “inevitably” wakes up. The boys are visibly relieved by this, especially ace. (Sabo gets asked who he is by dragon, who wants to know more about the stranger with his son, but dragon has always been quicker to make connections no one guessed and he just smiled knowingly at sabo and tells him he’s sure the other will have no trouble finding them if he’s in need. Sabo in turn warns him to keep Kuma close, and to look for a slave girl named koala.)”

I have…. many of these. I have Many of Everything.

finally, i have scene doodles. if i hit a bad writers block it usually helps me to sketch scenes or the character designs to regain my grip on what the hell is happening in the plot– Breach of Intention has character design sketches, pakcbond has MANY scene sketches, even some of my nsfw has some sketches. my wror skecthes arent Good of course, I am an art teacher for children and that means i am more often explaining the color wheel and brush techniques over drawing perfect human replicas– and i just dont really make a lot of fanart? ive never drawn sabo before but i sure have a bunch now. i wont include close ups because they genuinely suck but heres an example pic

So… yeah thats about everything. this is a VERY long post and yet i only included like maybe ¼ or 1/5 of all the notes i have dbskhjgfkjadns lmk if anyone wants more (or notes for my Other stories, which contain NO WHERE the same absurd amount of shit that wror does.)

#depths' ask #response #idk what to even tag this honestly?? this post is such a mess abhdsjfgdkjn #thanks mido love u dear 💕🎉 im gonna want some damn notes on second chances heads up #wror #wror stockpile #touchmycoat #i started this response at goddamn 3:52am and its now 4:40am #it took me. almost an HOUR #oh my god

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ngame989 · 5 years

Note

I'm new to writing fanfic, and always work solo, so when I saw you have a whole team at your disposal, it blew my mind. I've got a list of questions about that: 1. How did you guys find each other and get started? 2. How does your work flow look for a story vs. a page/chapter of the comic? 3. How much do you love having an editor? 4. How does your work change from draft to final? 5. The quality of your prose is very consistent, is that just you as a writer, or is it your team keeping you good?

1. Seddm, EA, and Dino were all good friends of mine from the fandom from before or during Season 3 (I started watching the show between 2B and BFM). Toxic started watching the show sometime in late 2018 and messaged me on Tumblr for some sort of formatting help, or tips and tricks for getting posts more noticed in the fandom or something? I don’t remember and Tumblr DMs are awful to navigate, but we quickly bonded over what really matters most.

Lawchan had been a longtime follower of the show and fanfic author who inspired me to get into it back after 3A and we started talking and became friends at some point in the last year or so. BMC popped into my askbox when I opened it up to headcanon suggestions and ended up sending me over 100 in a span of 3 days that were all wonderful and creative so we started talking more. This really is a “team” in a loose sense, I just have a ton of awesome and creative and supportive friends willing to help out with this.

Oddly enough, this project started less than a day after (and was inspired by) Lake House Fever. I had already been thinking about getting back into fanfiction writing after S4 ended and we were pissed and salty and just needed good Starco thoughts so I hit him up and we started chatting and thought “huh wait a Star and Marco section of a family photo album would be a cool concept for some sort of series” and it evolved from there. We’d planned out a lot of the basics for the comic before the show ended and were waiting on the canon resolution before going any further, and Cleaved shook a lot up for what the postcanon status quo would be, so my whole aforementioned group all sat in a Discord channel on and off for literally 8+ hours the day after Cleaved and roundtable’d the entire backbone of the Earthni timeline for almost every major character (so if there’s people in the credits for TGG that haven’t shown up directly in any works yet, that’s where they contributed).

2. Overall I’m the project lead and head writer so the majority of specific ideas, what should this page have or where is the story going, etc, come from me although anything we do gets signed off on by at LEAST me, Toxic, and Seddm first. For comics, I usually plan the concept (Star goes here, these people are talking to each other, happy or sad, etc) and then let Toxic do his thing - he’s great already but is SUUUUUUUUPER amazingly wonderful at reading my mind and making visuals that represent my thoughts even better than the visuals in my head for them. He’ll do a rough page layout and sketch, we workshop that, then he does line-art, we look for any issues or revisions there, then he colors as I make the dialogue. Usually takes a few days of back and forth.

Honestly my workflow for writing fics is absolute ass and you should not learn from us (ESPECIALLY me) if you’re getting into the game, hahahaha. Every day that I say I’m gonna write something, I usually end up dicking around at my computer until 1 AM and THEN decide to write a little bit and lose sleep over it. A lot of Glow was written between 2 and 6 AM on a Saturday night. I’m ridiculously nitpicky of my own work and half the time before I even finish typing a sentence I’m already erasing it because I decided it was dumb or did something wrong, which makes drafts take F O R E V E R, but the silver lining is that my first draft is already very polished by the time it’s done.

Overall, we play to our strengths - Seddm and I are general idea guys, “wouldn’t it be funny/cool if X” or “we should tell a story about Y” etc, and Toxic is especially wonderful at coming up with fantastic visual designs or gags or whatever else. So there’s plenty of times where I’ll give him the rough outline for a comic page and he’ll slip in some goofy background thing that makes it so much better, or I’ll give him a joke idea and it’ll work amazingly. I also like to call Seddm my “internal debate moderator”. When I’m struggling to figure out what to do for something, I’m often torn between a few ideas. Getting outside advice on it can obviously be really helpful, but there are times that it leaves me even more confused about what to do. But because my and Seddm’s understandings of the characters and senses of design and humor are so damn similar, he can basically serve as both a neutral voice and still part of my own thought process at the same time, which really helps me get my own personal ideas in order before running them by others.

3. Editors are great and wonderful and perfect and I love my friends to death for graciously helping week in and week out with this when I ping them with “hey guys shat this out, sun has been up for an hour so im gonna go fucking die now bye”. As stated earlier, perhaps my need for one isn’t AS high because I self-edit so compulsively as I go, but it’s soooooooo easy to get caught up in your own head and intentions and not spot obvious issues with your own writing that outside voices help a ton.

4. Whoops I guess I answered already. Very little.

5. Given that edits don’t change much about the structure of my writing, I guess it’s me - thanks! But my team is great about keeping me in line with my own vision in editing and hitting any lines that just seem out of place. There was one particular cut line in Glow that I won’t post here that was easily a full standard deviation of naughty greater than the rest of the fic’s tone (unintentional, it was very late -_-) and that got caught and shot down real quick lmfao.

#tgg svtfoe #answered #aphantaray

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