#i think i am almost done with a scene and i remember to add something else and when i look at the time

[inkskinned]

hey it's nanowrimo. i have tips bc i've done it about 34 times.

Don't edit. Ever. Stop it. If you just decide to start a new project half thru this one with all new characters, no problem. pick up and keep writing as if you'd already written the first half of that.

"but i spelled it wrong" whatever. "but the grammar" whatever. make it exist first. no time for sense. think like you're working on a typewriter. no backspace. only forward go.

Don't re-read further than a paragraph or two backwards. "did i mention the gun before?" listen - it doesn't matter. if you need there to be a gun there, the gun is there. put it back in once you finish the book.

"i forgot the specifics of X thing i already wrote" whatever. change it, make a note/comment to figure it out later, and just write what makes sense for the moment. "no raquel it's legit the characters name and origin" idc that character is now reborn as Claudius from Elsewhere. it's fine.

only you see your mistakes. nobody else knows. one of the ways writing and dance overlap - only you know the choreography. nobody else will know if you miss a step, so just keep dancing and pretend you meant to do it like that.

it's an illusion that you need to write linearly - from point A to point B to point C. Nah; that's just timeline propaganda. I've written a LOT of books out of order and just reordered them once i've finished. if you have a scene you'd LOVE to write but can't get there yet because of plot, just fuckin write the scene. I've always found its easier to establish "point F" "point J" and "Point A" and then wiggle my way between those scenes.

write what you WANT to write. 230 pages of smut? of well-researched discussion on bread? whatever. the point is to strengthen muscles however you can.

if you miss a day, a week, whatever. not the end of the world. we all have dry days. also time is a myth so u can do this challenge whenever u want.

as soon as you try to write for a specific audience, you kill your voice. you are writing for yourself. stop thinking about how people will take ur book. it don't matter. what matter is u, enjoying writing. i luv u.

play to your strengths. i have characters talk so much because i don't know how to write a plot if it kills me but i'm really good at dialogue so.

i love a flight of fancy. write a poem in there. shift tactics and write in code. keep it fun for yourself.

see what happens if you shift something major about ur main characters - gender, wealth, superpowers. or if you change point-of-view. or if you kill everyone in a big explosion. do NOT edit anything before this or after it. often these little weird one-off exercises teach me what interests me about what i'm working on. it is never what i thought. plus it is a fun way to add like 1k words.

stretch.

it's for fun and for practice. stop doing that project if it's giving you anxiety. once my nano was literally 50k words of half-started stories. just things i tried and tried and tried and wasn't able to flesh out. oops. but i am now 50k words of a better writer.

add dragons?

read books/listen to books on tape/etc. people often make the mistake of "buckling down" to just write. you need inspiration. you need to like. fill up on words. you need to remember how it feels to lose yourself in a story.

i don't have the time or space to really talk about this in this post but a lot of creative people turn to drugs/alcohol because it can help you be more creative. this is harmful, and walking a blade that only cuts deep. if you notice you and your loved ones are turning more to substances, please know i love you and i hope you are able to get help soon. i feel like this almost never gets mentioned because it's kind of a hazy underbelly to art. you are always more important than the work.

on that note. drink your fukin. water.

don't talk about a story until you've finished it. once you tell the story, it exists already, and isn't about discovery. i usually have a very canned "haha we'll see" response.

grapes :) tasty snack.

i love you be free.

#edit: the command not to talk about it is from personal experience! #i have heard Otherwise in the tags so i will edit to say: #if you've noticed that you tend to like Talk A Lot about ur piece but never WRITE it - #consider voice-to-text #also #u might be like me and ... need to figure it out on the PAGE and not OUT LOUD #i am often an auditory processor so i wont tell people specifics but i'll be like #huh. so i have a character who is in love .... and they don't know it #and my friend will be like ''oh they should kiss' and meanwhile #somehow #saying it out loud im like #yeah thank u ur right the dress SHOULD be purple that's what the problem has been <3 #idk!!! it's up to you!!! my suggestion is to say LESS until you know for a FACT that saying MORE works better for you #-- always better to slowly unspool in ur exploration of that #than to accidentally talk too much and get Bored Of Project #idk idk idk #i have adhd so every book surprises me bc im like #wait where did any of this even COME FROM #and whatever little gremlin in my brain that writes is like :) #''heyyy girlie.......'' #WHICH IS A LONG WAY TO SAY: #i didn't know about Not Talking About It as an option until i'd ruined a few projects!! #but there are people who need to do the other thing!!! and i love us both!!!! #wow brains are so funny!!!!

[lavender-long-stories]

Writing Advice: Getting Words on a Page

With the 75k word count in November and 90k in August, I have been asked questions like how do I keep focus and what do I do when I get stuck. I am going to compile all the advice I have.

Over the last few years, I have posted 700k+ words of fan fiction and have been posting 3 to 6 chapters every week for the last ten months. This is not how to make your writing better. This is how to get words on a page. 

This is not all my original ideas. This is just a collection of things that have worked for me.

I am not sure I am the person to tell you how to make your writing better, but if people want my thoughts on that. I can make that post too.

When inspiration strikes, write like wild. 

If you have the time and you are bitten by the writing bug, keep writing anything while you are in peak form. You will thank yourself later when you feel like you can’t write everything. I have done the extreme version of this where I have a month (four chapters) written ahead of almost everything on my post schedule (you don’t need this), but this was really nice after I brunt out after finishing out the 90k challenge I destroyed myself with in August.

Write in little pockets of time.

You don’t need to sit down and write for two hours. Write 100 words here and 500 there. It will all add up. When I was struggling at the end of the 75k, I would just open a doc every few hours and write half a page until I got distracted and tried again later.

Change your font.

If you are struggling to edit or even just find yourself drifting while writing, change your font. It helps trick your brain into paying attention. (I like doing a mono font like Courier when I need writing vibes. It looks typewriter-y)

Take a shower. 

Not just for shower thoughts, being clean and fresh helps with focus

Get dressed.

I love being comfy, but something about getting dressed makes me feel like I am working and should finish my task. Extra points for it being fun. (Maybe cosplay a pirate or something.)

Move Locations.

Desk, kitchen table, bed, outside: changing location helps move you out of a brain rut.

Handwrite notes.

I take most of my notes on notion, but when I am struggling with my plot, I write out notes by hand, starting with what happened last and continuing from there, writing even things I know will happen. Then I transfer this to my digital notes so they are easier to move around in order, AND a lot of time, I add details when revising them to digital. Double power.

Always, always write down your thoughts and keep them.

Some of my most popular stories came from me rediscovering a 2 am thought that I wrote down six years ago. Keep a notepad next to the bed if you have to.

Change POV

If something is not working in a scene, maybe it is who you have reacting to it. Try switching POV. It helps you think of the scene from another perspective.

Watch a show in your genre.

I watch a lot of the silliest KDrama’s and get lots of romance ideas. Maybe I didn’t think of sending my character to a park or trapping them in a sky lift. Maybe I should add a stalker that sounds fun.

Take your bathroom breaks.

You should always drink lots of fluids and remember to take your bathroom breaks because the brief moment of walking away always gives me an idea.

Skim through the story and make notes on what HAS happened, not just what will happen.

This helps more with my style of having next to no plot outline. Need your next plot point and don’t know where to go? Remember that time they did x? Let’s build off that. This helps intertwine the plot without losing things.

Just read the story back.

You don’t always need to make notes, but sometimes just reading from the beginning can make you pick up on a detail that was unimportant at the time, and you may not even have meant to put in that could have a lot more meaning now. Then, you can call it clever foreshadowing.  

Explain your problem or the scene you are struggling with out loud.

It doesn’t have to be to someone. It could be a glass of water. This is called ‘rubber ducking. It’s a programmer term (hello, that is my day job). Restructuring your problem in a way you have to articulate it most of the time makes the solution come to you.

Try focusing on the scenery.

If you can’t get a scene to work open with the weather or how the floor is creaking under step, give the world a new feeling. How does the person feel about the weather or the temperature of the room? 

Can’t figure out what is wrong? Rewrite the chapter from scratch. 

Open a new doc and rewrite the chapter from memory. I do this a lot in the beginning of a story that didn’t quite hit the way I wanted it to. I will start the chapter from memory and skim the old one to ensure I didn’t miss anything important. Can’t do it from memory? Read a paragraph and write that from memory. 

Take a left turn.

Sometimes, if you can’t go any further, go back a sentence, a paragraph, a scene, a chapter, and just make a different decision. Turn left instead of right. Change how someone reacts to an argument. It opens a whole new lane to go down.

Excited for a scene that is in the future?

Write it! You don’t have to use it word for word in the future. Sometimes, you can copy and paste it in, and sometimes, you can just rewrite it, and you lose none of those thoughts you originally had.  Writing it might remind you of something that needs to happen first to help you get there.

Have more than one story you are working on.

I don’t think you need to be working on four+ stories like I do, but having something to switch to when your brain really isn’t feeling your main is a great way to keep you writing. Call it productive procrastination. This is the REAL reason I have so many stories uploading.  (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

Other Somewhat Related Advice

Context Switching

I work on multiple projects at a time, and I tend not to mix them up because they have a different vibe to me. It feels like stepping into each world.  If you are struggling with context switching between stories, I suggest finding a song or making a playlist that gives you that story’s ‘vibe’ and keeping a link to it in your writing folder or snagging a section of your story that captures the vibe you are going for and keeping it off to the side to reread when you need to switch.

Don’t edit the same day you write.

You’re not going to catch errors. Your brain is too familiar with what you wrote. Also, I recommend Grammarly or another grammar checker for all your missing comma and period needs. (Word, Docs, and any other text editor simply won't bully you enough.)

If you hate editing, don’t leave yourself with a painful amount of editing.

When people ask me how I edit my work, how many passes I take, etc, I tend to disappoint them. The short answer is one read-through (after using a grammar checker).  I learned a LONG time ago that as much as it would be nice to write a bunch of dialog and then tell yourself you will go back to add all the actions or write without quotes because it takes time, you will save yourself a lot of time and pain if you learn to write it correctly the first time and then editing won’t be as much of a chore. I have been writing for years, and I am used to how I write and edit. If you are newer to writing, give it another pass or two, but try to shift some of that work to the writing process, not the editing process.

Make yourself an editing cheat sheet.

Make yourself a doc or a notion of words you notice you use too much or common words you misspell when writing.  I usually make one when I get back and do a post edit (when the story has been up for a while and I get back with fresh eyes and edit it). Reading through your old work and find things that you don’t like or don’t want to do anymore is a great way to build this list and improve your writing.

Now go write.

Got any advice for me? Reblog and tell me.

#writing problems #writing #writing tips #writers block #writing advice #writer #writing community #writeblr

[pyxilatezero]

Need I say more?

I think the people, objectively, have spoken.

if I were to add in my opinion you’d see that I contributed a few fanfics to the mix

Main reason for my dislike of White Knight: I hate Jaune and Weiss is my favorite character, so I think she deserves better. I know some people won’t say this is a valid reason but Jaune originally and currently isn’t written very well. You basically have to give him his own episode to flush out his plot line, (like in the first season and every season afterwards where he’s important) and he’s not a main character so he takes up screen time. (They do the same with Oscar and the rest of JNPR Instead of doing a JNPR episode, they do each of them individually with sprinkles of plot in between) Honestly, a relationship between him and Weiss would be a bad idea. Case in point:

Volume 1 White-knight Moments:

Jaune unsuccessfully flirting with Weiss (+1)

Volume 2 White-knight Moments:

Jaune unsuccessfully flirting with Weiss (+1)

Volume 3 White-knight moments:

… PYRRHA! (-1)

Volume 4 White-knight moments:

… (No interaction; no points awarded or deducted)

Volume 5 White-knight moments:

Jaune does a common courtesy and saves Weiss’s life (does not count; he would react the same for anybody- ‘nO hE wOULdn’T’ shut up Victoria if any of your friends were dying you’d save their life) [+0.5]

Volume 6 White-knight moments:

…

Volume 7 White-knight moments:

…

Volume 8 White-knight moments:

…

Volume 9 White-knight moments:

Weiss admires Jaune over the fact that he’s mature, and supports him like a good friend after Ruby runs away. He reverts to his old form, and we never hear from them again. (+2)

Total score: 3.5/9 (trying to be generous, I really am)

Main reason for liking Whiterose: Enemies to friends to lovers is an adorable trope, and they get a lot of screen time together in the first few seasons. Also, Monty himself shipped them. While I won’t say Whiterose is objectively better than White Knight, I am going to say that when I include my own opinion, it is better. Weiss and Ruby’s relationship feels more like a slow burn than Yang and Blake’s. We get scenes that could be interpreted that way in almost every season since Volume one. Let me go through them, and to show how unfair this is, I’m not allowed to add more than 1.5 points:

Volume 1 Whiterose Moments

Ruby and Weiss are off to a rocky start, but slowly warm up to each other as time goes on, and they get closer. They have a mildly, could-be considered romantic moment where Weiss makes Ruby coffee so she can stay up to study. (+1)

Volume 2 Whiterose Moments

In the food fight, Ruby dramatically catches Weiss when she falls and pretends to cry over her. (Not really much, but it’s something). Ruby and Weiss consistently pair up to get things done throughout the season, especially when looking into information about Cinder. (+1)

Volume 3 Whiterose Moments:

Supporting each other when Winter gets there (that is Volume 3, right?), excellent teamwork in the first stage of the Amity Arena battle, and Weiss’s concern for Ruby when she disappears. (+1)

Volume 4 Whiterose Moments:

Thinks about each other, but otherwise, nothing. (No points awarded or deducted)

Volume 5 Whiterose Moments:

Weiss remember’s Ruby’s coffee taste. While this could be something any friend does, they spend time together, reflecting over beacon, and Weiss helps Ruby’s sister Yang through an implication that she’s doing it for team RWBY, but especially their eccentric fluffball of a leader. (+1.5)

Volume 6 Whiterose Moments:

Ruby saves Weiss on the train, Weiss saves Ruby in the battle against the mech, and they spend time together in the village with the grim. I should give two points here but I’m loyal to my word. (+1.5)

Volume 7 Whiterose Moments:

Ruby and Weiss sitting together during training, and Weiss supporting Ruby when the team splits up. (+0.5)

Volume 8 Whiterose Moments:

Supporting each other all throughout the volume by working together, and acting as teammates and partners. (+0.5)

Volume 9 Whiterose Moments:

Ruby supports Weiss after her being upset about the fall of Atlas. (Jaune’s interaction with Weiss, -1 point- would have been two, though)

6/9

In any scenario, Whiterose wins. Im sure other people could come up with reasons to disprove me, or say I’m biased (I am, this is in no way objective), but these are the things I saw with my own eight eyes because I own three pairs of glasses, and heard with my (admittedly failing) teenage ears.

I’m sure I’ll get flak for this from both sides of the shipping community, because admittedly, the RWBY fandom can be toxic (but it’s almost any fandom at that point) saying I either graded White Knight too harshly or I gave too many or too few points to Whiterose, and I also did all of this off the top of my head, so I apologize for my many mistakes. I have two last statements:

Rosegarden: 0/9

Oscar is 14 and Ruby is 17. If I, the same age as Oscar as of 2023, would not date Ruby at that time, it’s probably wrong. When it comes to relationships for younger people, it’s best to avoid age gaps larger than 2 years. It’s also best to avoid relationships altogether until you can at least go for a learner’s permit. I rest my case.

edit 3: alright, some people have corrected me on the age part, apparently he’s fifteen. I don’t hate Rosegarden, but something about Ozpin and Oscar being the same person makes me really uncomfortable (again, as someone who is younger). Thats the only reason I didn’t give it any rating- it just feels too close to, well… I don’t really have to say it. Especially when the whole point of things is that Oscar and Ozpin are becoming the same person.

Bumblebee: 8/9

It’s canon, bro. It does feel slightly forced at times, but they’re a strong couple who supports each other and helps each other through trauma. You go girls, lesbians all the way (insert lesbian pride flag here)

edit: got someone sending in a message about neither ever going to be canon. You’re right, but thank you so much for crushing a high schooler’s hopes and dreams. Have a nice day

edit 2: I prefer icerose over whiterose but I’ll get what I can take (canon ruby x ice Queendom Weiss). This is just an overall argument.

#rwby #whiterose #rwby weiss #rwby ruby #rwby jaune arc #weiss x ruby #jaune x weiss #character review #ship dynamics #canon probably deduction #but not really? #anti white knight rwby

[esthermitchell-author]

I Promise...

I promise, promise promise I am almost done with my explicit version of Born of Starlight. I'm just having trouble with this last scene.

In the meantime... This isn't exactly "explicit" but it's one of the scenes I've added that's a little more spicy near the beginning of the book. I might just add this (or part of it, anyway) into both versions of the book. We'll see.

In the meantime... Enjoy! (As always, let me know what you think. Is there something I should change or tone down? Does something not read right? I'm always interested in feedback to help improve things)... And, as always, the story part's below the cut.

Crowley drew a deep breath as he stepped inside the bookshop for the first time in eight months, and blinked in surprise to find it smelled exactly the same as it always had. Like old books, printer's ink, and bergamot, tinged with just a trace of starlight. It smelled, in a word, like Aziraphale.

"Feels like home, doesn't it?" The soft query, from beside him, zapped through Crowley like lightning.

Did it feel like home? Maybe... But no. No, the place didn't feel like home. That title belonged solely to the being at his side, one soft, warm hand currently resting on his bicep.

Turning, he lifted his hand and did what he hadn't dared do in eighty-three years. He laid his hand very gently against his angel's neck, letting his thumb brush back-and-forth over one cheek. He nearly groaned at the feel of that skin -- even softer than he remembered -- and his knees quaked with the desire to drop to the floor right there and beg his angel for even just one night. One night of pure, hedonistic pleasure. One night of giving in to every carnal desire he could think of, had ever witnessed and wondered if his angel would like something like that. Only...

Only, he already knew one night would never be enough. Wasn't that why -- aside from the fact they were both too drunk at the time -- he'd ultimately backed off, in 1941? Even just that one kiss had taught him that when it came to his angel, even eternity would never be enough. And Crowley wasn't quite sure he was worthy of even a night.

Aziraphale released a small breath, scented with the sweetness of the peppermint tea he drank during their meeting, and those pale blond lashes fluttered over cerulean eyes so hazy with desire, the angel looked almost drunk. "Anthony, I want... I need..."

The confusion in Aziraphale's eyes finally broke Crowley. With a small, muttered oath he wasn't even sure he said aloud, he crushed his mouth down over the soft lips he'd been trying not to dream about for eight months, and for eighty-two years before that. There was a small sound from Aziraphale -- maybe surprise, maybe relief. Definitely not protest -- before the angel melted against him, shaking hands latching onto fistfuls of his clothing as if Aziraphale was afraid he might disappear.

No fear of that ever happening. As long as Aziraphale let him stay, Crowley intended to be right here in this bookshop, waiting. He'd had enough of trying to avoid the truth.

For now, Crowley ate up every whimper, glutted himself on every gasp and sound his angel made. Then, on a whispered groan torn from both of them, they broke apart. Crowley rested his forehead against Aziraphale's, unwilling to move any further apart.

A soft, breathless chuckle left the angel, bringing the demon's eyes open to a sight that nearly dropped him where he stood. Pure love radiated from the angel in his arms, even as Aziraphale released his grasp on Crowley's shirt and reached up to gently remove the demon's shades with a murmured, "I thought someone promised me he'd never kiss me again while he was wearing these. That's two you owe me."

Huffing out a small laugh of his own, Crowley snagged the glasses from Aziraphale's hands and tucked them into his blazer pocket, even as a heated smirk crossed his face. "Does that apply to anywhere specific?"

Aziraphale blinked at him in confusion. "You mean outside? But we've never--"

"I meant," Crowley murmured, shifting to nuzzle his face in against his angel's neck, flicking out his tongue to trace the subtle wrinkles and folds there, getting a taste of the skin he'd been going crazy fantasizing about for decades. Aziraphale's scent -- beneath that ridiculous cologne some idiot human talked him into -- had been driving him crazy for... well, probably millennia, if he really stopped and thought about it, but definitely since 1941. "Does that rule only apply to your mouth?"

Aziraphale trembled in his arms. Actually fucking trembled. "I... I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

Crowley lifted his head, searching his angel's expression for any hint he was up to some game. The guileless innocence staring back at him shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did, he supposed. Except... Aziraphale was a reader, and he didn't discriminate in his reading material. Surely, in amongst all the books around them, was one or two books on sex. Maybe even some erotic literature...

He swallowed hard as he realized just how innocent his angel really was. "You're serious? You've never..."

Aziraphale flushed, and the tight quiver of his jaw as he glanced away was a clear message he wasn't just embarrassed. Something about that question was crushing to his angel. He looked ready to...

"Don't cry, angel. Please, don't cry." Panic stuttered through Crowley. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry."

"We can't all be beautiful beings desired by everyone and willing to bed anyone."

The words were short and sharp, like a stiletto straight to Crowley's heart. Anger welled up inside him. He was done with miscommunication and arguments that ended up with them being at odds for bloody months at a time.

"There are so many things wrong with that, angel, I don't even know where to fucking start. First, no matter what you think of me, I haven't bloody spent the last six thousand years hopping from bed to bed, for Satan's sake. Yeah, I'm the bloody Serpent of Eden, the Great-fucking-Tempter. But I tempt them to do each other, not me. I've never bloody done this before, either. I've just seen enough of it to know the mechanics. I figured... Oh, for fuck's sake, you're the most brilliant being I've ever known, and you read like literally every-fucking-thing, angel! I figured somewhere over the millennia, you had to have read some of that erotic fiction shit. I figured you at least knew as much as me. And second, who the bloody Heaven has been telling you you're not beautiful, or fucking desirable? Do you even know what I'd give to have you?"

Crowley stopped, his breath heaving as he fought the trembling combination of rage and need forming a tight knot in the center of his being. That was the most he'd allowed himself to say in eight fucking months. The most vulnerable and blunt he'd ever allowed himself to be, to anyone. He really wanted to put his shades back on, because he couldn't even bear to look at Aziraphale, right now. Yet, he couldn't tear his gaze away from the angel's beautiful face, those heart-stopping eyes, as radiant joy and love beamed from Aziraphale.

A soft smile flickered at the angel's lips, and he stretched out a hand to lay against the center of Crowley's chest, right above his thundering heart. Crowley could feel the tremble of that warm weight against his chest, and it grounded him, even before the flow of the voice that always soothed him washed over him.

"What would you give?" Aziraphale whispered, his voice full of wonder.

A hissing growl ripped from Crowley, the beautiful violence of the storm within him freed as he snagged his angel by the shoulders and pinned him against one of the pillars. Yanking the angel's bowtie loose and off, he flung it away as he attacked Aziraphale's throat with nipping kisses he fully intended to leave marks. Against the soft, tantalizing flesh, he hissed, "Everything. I would give fucking everything to have you."

A gasp from behind them broke them apart, and it was only then Crowley remembered they weren't alone here, anymore. He swore under his breath, even as Aziraphale flushed and eased away from him like he was trying to pretend they weren't halfway to ripping each other's clothes off.

#Keep calm and ❤️on! 🐍🪽❤️ #good omens #good omens fandom #aziracrow #ineffable husbands #aziraphale #aziraphale x crowley #crowley #azicrow #ineffable spouses #fanfic #good omens fanfic #good omens fanfiction #born of starlight #gomens fanfic #gomens fandom #go fanfic #go fandom #good omens BARELY suitable for work 😏😉

[wisteria-blooms]

Hey! I just finished long hair and tattoos and it's be a lie if i say it wasn't one of the best fics I've ever read! I'm in love with the fic, the slow burn, the sibling banter with Draco (for first time ever Malfoy family was tolerable) the chemistry with twins and everything else!! Also I'm so bummed because I was expecting some steamy smut (not too late to add an smutty chapter don't you think?) But as I said I love it soooooo much and thank you for this amazing fic!! ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you so much!! I'm glad you enjoyed the family dynamics/banter. I love the idea of an uppity family having to deal with their daughter's upsetting choice of.... boyfriend. And having the twins as your supportive but devious best friends is the dream.

So, speaking of smut... I wrote the series before I got around to reading more and realized all/most romance books have an obligatory smut scene. I recently wrote strawberry wonderland (ii) from Bill's perspective. I think it was a horny outlet for me. But I think I can wedge something else in... so stay tuned.

I have two possible Bill Weasley smut fics in the works. I'm happy to share some excerpts but it's all unfinished, unedited drafts... so be warned. MINORS DNI.

The first one is called empty bars:

“Our department’s budget is going up.” You changed the topic, not wanting to know what anyone was saying about you. “You remember that Perce and I work together, right? As soon as we got wind of the good news, we went out for a glass of wine.”

Bill raised his eyebrows. “You got Percy out for wine?”

You did a little shimmy of victory. For once, there was a genuine smile on your face. “I know what makes him tick, I guess.”

When the bartender came back, noticing your drained glasses, Bill called for another round.“You’re quick,” he remarked. “I didn’t know someone like you could handle so much liquor.”

“You’ll have to try me,” you said with a smile. “I’m in the mood nowadays, I guess.”

Bill leaned back and took another sip. You watched his lips tight around the glass, and you wistfully wished they were around something else. Something more receptive.

“How ironic that Percy is the only one with any taste?” he laughed blithely, his tone suddenly sharp and biting. “Besides me, that is."

“What do you mean?” you asked, but you knew what he was talking about. The light overhead did no good in concealing the blush that was spreading over your cheeks.

You were intimidated by his gaze, so you focussed on the spare hand on the whiskey glass. The sheer size of his hand made the glass look like a child’s plaything. He could make the circumference of your bare waist amount to nothing if he wanted. You know what you wanted to.

“You know very well what I mean,” he stated, his right eye creasing into a half-wink as he stared over you. Then he set his whiskey glass down and leaned over to you and whispered, his lip just inches from the skin of your cheek, his voice butter, “Don’t play coy, (Y/N).”

“I am not,” you retorted weakly. His words drew some goosebumps. Was Bill Weasley flirting with you or were you so touch-deprived that you were wrongly assuming so? You turned around to face him, trying to stand by your words but you were unravelling quick. His eyes were so gorgeous. He was so close you could identify hazel specks near the rim of blue.

A delicious smirk unraveled on the eldest Weasley’s face. It looked so good that you wanted to fucking kiss it off him. “Are you the type of woman that likes things spelled out for you?”

“No,” you countered quietly. You were so nervous that you were chugging your liquor instead of cherishing it, but if it meant breaking free of any social constraints, you were happy to almost be done your second.

“Let me verbalize it, then. Look at yourself.” You couldn’t follow his demand. You were too busy looking at Bill still, indulging in his strong nose bridge down to his slightly chapped lips. You were burning, dying, to kiss them. “You’re young, accomplished, hard-working, successful, smart, and beautiful.”

You wondered if he’d performed Legilimens on you, because you’d said the same thing to yourself moments earlier. Now you were more than concerned if he could read your mind because his hand had travelled up the slit of your dress, gently caressing your bare thigh, and your mind was a mess of nervous neurons.

“I could say the same for you,” you complimented. ‘Weak,’ you chided yourself. You were going to lose Bill’s attention with your attempt at flirting and go home alone tonight.

“Unlike some of my brothers, I turned out pretty alright, didn’t I?”

“One is a genetic train-wreck,” you said too quickly. You were immediately remorseful for the comment. Fred was still Bill’s brother—family. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.” You gestured to your bartender, seeking a third round.

“I know what you mean,” Bill assured, his words unapologetic. “The greatest thing he’d ever had this entire life fell right onto his lap and he fucked up because of his own immaturity.” He didn’t even mention Fred by name but there was a shared knowledge that it was him you were talking about.

 His gaze was intense, ocean blue eyes darkening like the storm outside. “Do you know why that is, (Y/N)?”

Your breathing became laboured. “No.”

“It’s the sad state of being a boy,” he explained. You shouldn’t have, but you inched closer, letting Bill’s hand, thinly veiled from public view by a few degrees, travel dangerously higher up your thigh. “Let me show you what it’s like to with a man.”

The second one is called 'paradise potions'. IT'S THE SEX POLLEN TROPE, DON'T JUDGE ME.

He was still ever so handsome, with his soft ginger locks that framed his sharp cheekbones. His blue eyes glinted in the morning sun. You peeked at his chiseled jaw and his--dare you say--kissable lips. His t-shirt barely hid the muscles in his arms. He might’ve been tall and predisposed to being lankier compared to Charlie, but you knew he worked out plenty. 

You were so busy being entranced by Bill that you’d lost track of time and space. It was the best daydream, sitting in front of him, surrounded by faint windchimes and the chirping birds outside to the window. You were imagining a domesticated life with him here when suddenly--

A large explosion jolted you and Percy. You yelped and ducked. The others were unfazed.

“What was that?” you asked, trying to settle your heart. 

“Fred! George!” Molly cried, walking over to the stairs with her spatula still in hand. “What have I told you about your experiments?"

“Sorry, mum,” George said, running down the stairs, a smidge of ash on his face. “That’s it for today, I promise.”

“I don’t want to hear this again, ever!” Molly shrieked. Then, she calmed down when she realized she was in front of guests. “Well, if that’s it, then help out a little bit, won’t you? We have to get going in less than an hour.”

“Sure thing,” George said with a smile. He ran over to the table and to the coffee pot. He gave it a jiggle, letting the remaining liquid slosh around. “Anyone need a top up of their coffee?”

“Mum made that pot, you can trust it,” Percy advised.

“Thank you,” you whispered back, and then looked up at George, “I wouldn’t mind a cup.”

George sauntered over and poured you a cup. “Coffee, Bill?” he asked. 

“That sounds good,” Bill responded.

“You’ll have to wait another ten minutes then,” George said with a frown. He tapped the empty glass container. “I’ve just run out. If only (Y/N) didn’t drink for two.”

“Quit it,” Percy warned with a low tone. 

“I’m sorry,” you said. You were about to offer Bill your cup when Percy held out a hand to stop you. 

“Keep it,” Percy countered as she shoved the white mug back to your side. “I wouldn’t trust anything they put out. I’m glad it’s you that took the last of what mum made.”

While Percy could be harsh on his siblings, you were grateful for his looking out for you. To be fair, you were also skittish around Fred and George. They weren’t as easy to read as other people. A friendly smile could mean something sinister. 

Then...

Bill raised his hips up to help you bring the last bit of his undergarments down. You closed your eyes when you felt something whip out in front of your face. 

Well, Bill was clearly very well-endowed. You had nothing but anatomical pictures and the circumference of your wrist to compare him to, but even you knew he was bigger than average. Not only was his cock hefty and veiny, but his balls were very present. 

“I reckon I was cursed or hexed by someone,” he concluded. “It’s not like me to be so….”

He gestured to his raging erection. “Can you… do you mind?” He attempted to lift his hands, but they gravitated down to the bed. “I’ve tried but it’s made it worse, and now I can’t even manage to move my arm.”

“I’ve never, erm,” you started. A rush of heat kissed your cheeks. You didn’t want to admit to Bill that Fred was right and you were a virgin. You reckoned he would’ve found it uncool. “I’ve never done this with anyone.”

He chuckled suavely. “I figured.”

You wanted to shrivel up and die. 

“But it’s fine,” he said quickly, knowing he’d offended you slightly. “You don’t need to have done it to know how to do it. I’ll guide you."

“Grip your hand firmly down here.” You obliged, holding him at the base. For an usually flaccid body part, Bill was very, very hard and warm. All the blood in his body must’ve concentrated into one area. You were grateful when your thumb overlapped your other fingers, because, well, he was quite big and you weren’t sure he was going to fit in your hand. 

“Move up and down,” he said. When you started shifting your hand from the base to the tip, he let out a low groan. “Yeah, just like that.” Precum touched the skin of your hand as you moved faster and covered more ground. 

You kissed the red and leaking tip. Bill let out an audible gasp that was swallowed by a moan. He was not expecting you to be so brazen. 

“How does that feel?” you asked, batting your eyelashes at him.

“Good.”

You licked the precum--salty, you noted--off his slit. You enveloped your mouth around his tip and focused there. 

“Fuck, (Y/N)!”

His hands were fully entangled in your hair as he guided you up and down. Tears welled up in your eyes when his cock hit the back of your mouth. Your cries were muffled. You shouldn’t be enjoying being used so much, but you loved it, especially when Bill held you in place and began thrusting into your mouth.

Yeah, these are all drafts. I hope to get them up soon!!

#bill weasley x reader #bill weasley imagine #bill weasley smut #bill weasley x you #harry potter smut

[turtlesocksv2]

Liveblogging DFF Ep 2

It's time for Dead Friend Forever episode 2!

Ok I have to say this but it cracks me up every time i watch a Thai show and we get that little disclaimer at the start saying "we do not condone any characters/jobs/actions in this show it is for entertainment only" like what kind of 2003 FF.Net "Please don't sue me i am poor and only playing with these characters like dolls" ass thing to see in front of Mafia Dramas (Kinnporsche), Serial Killer hijinks (Dead Friend Forever) and fucking bittersweet adult midlife crisis vibes (Moonlight Chicken).

Top is absolutely losing it, and they need to leave poor Fluke alone. He is trying his best! What more do you expect from him?!

Oh, Tee is the first to break off from the group. RIP Tee, we'll see how that works out for you.

The mask the killer wears really is very freaky. well done, props department.

Phi the only one awake. I see you. I support you in your killings.

Oh I really thought Top was donefor there. Phi taking control of the group is so interesting. The way he leads everyone down what investigation paths...

Alright just what did you guys do to Non last time??? thank god the 3 newbies to the group are having a little sidebar asking that question. Clearly whatever it was was awful for the group to jump immediately to Non is Dead and his Ghost is Cursing Us and He Wants Us Dead Too for What We Did. But also, i think this rules out All Three Newbies working together to I Know What You Did Last Summer the group, otherwise this scene would make no sense. We'd have another Gossip Girl Dan situation where actions taken when they're alone don't add up to the reveal. So at least 1 of the newbies is not involved.

LOL at Tan trying to get Fluke to spill what the core group knows. If i was Fluke I'd be feeling very very threatened right now. "You think you're going to be next. I'm worried about you." and now Jin is being mean to Fluke too! for the love of god, Fluke is trying! just because he wants to be a doctor doesn't mean he can perform surgery in a cabin in the woods! Leave him alone!

"a good-mouthed and good-hearted man like you doesn't need to remind me" yessss. kill him.

lmao Por has old fucking floppy disks. are these people old enough to have used a floppy disk in their lives. but i know i've got old floppies around somewhere so it makes sense there'd be some at a like summer vacation house that gets used rarely. but also, did i miss that Por hid the footage last episode? because otherwise wouldn't the harddrive that had the footage still be in the room they were all in when Phi hooked it up to the TV?

Was that a mystery medicine bottle in the closet? 👀👀 yeah i'm gonna need someone who can read Thai to to screenshot and tell us what that says.

Oh i really don't need the squelching noises from Fluke tending to Por's wound, please.

Ok, that Por jumpscare with the balcony door got me. and How the fuck does Por have the strength to strangle someone when he's been bleeding out all night?! Obviously a hallucination or something but what caused the hallucination?!

Thank you, White, for bringing back up that they are in the Cult Sacrifice Woods and this might be a Cult Killer or have to do with the cult. a very important thing to remember.

I would absolutely be looking at that footage the second Tee and Top turned their backs, the fuck. No you don't get to act that sus about what happened three years ago and play it off! Phi fighting the fight to keep that footage intact and eventually seen. Tan trying to gently break the idea that the group was bullying Non to White.

oh SHIT the way Uncle Deng got fucking GOT by that wire i screamed! i knew something was going to go down because obviously they couldn't escape the valley mansion in episode 2 but jesus. fucking. christ.

Tee finally remembering he has a boyfriend that he abandoned to the serial killer lmao. Tee and Top keep almost getting away and then going back. they are being herded like cattle. but also, it's kind of sus.

No PhiJin and barely any TeeWhite stuff this episode, which makes sense in that they are busy they don't have time to fuck, but i do find it interesting that PhiJin seem to be on the same page the episode with like no relationship tension between them just situational worry considering Jin was literally biting Phi's dick last episode. Putting aside grudges to stay alive: i'm proud.

anyway that was a really good episode! Tee and Top are the worst. Fluke needs to get the fuck out of this toxic friend group. White needs to dump Tee and get the fuck out of this toxic friend group. Phi and Tan can kill whoever they want i support it. ❤️

#dead friend forever #dff the series

[chaikachi]

I'm thinking about the idea of Oscar joining the "Wants to throw hands with Cinder Fall on sight" squad bc she specifically is the reason things went wrong with the plan. (She's the reason that Ruby fell/died based on what he must be thinking currently.) I can't help it I just love the trope of "character goes absolutely feral when their love interest is hurt" he's already done it once but I want MORE

YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT BUT ALSO LISTEN. IT'S NOT JUST CINDER

Like yes, obviously, but Little Prince in the desert with a venomous antagonist Tyrian?? Little Prince who will have just gotten his rose back?? Also just... they way they have focused on Oscar's protectiveness and attachment to her over the volumes in such specific ways??

Yes, we have the scene at Haven where he gets Big Mad™ when he sees Ruby is hurt (meanwhile Weiss is literally dying in the corner, lmao).

EDIT: I FORGOT THE V6 FINALE

But we also see him pay such close attention to her in the quieter moments too. Standing up for her against Jaune when she's looking down on herself:

Remembering her saying that 'food makes her feel better' and making some for when she and the rest of them get back. WE SAW YOU PAUSE AND LOOK AT RUBY BEFORE YOU FINISHED YOUR SENTENCE OSCAR!!! YOU'RE NOT SNEAKY!!!

The DOJO SCENE?? I don't need to put them all here, y'all get the idea.

But Ruby, this light that has inspired so much of his choices over the course of this story is gone. They reunited at the beginning of v8 for no more than an hour before splitting ways again. Then the same thing happened at the Manor right before RWBYJ fell. You think that boy isn't going to get her back after thinking she was gone forever and be watching her as if she might fall through his fingers again at any moment? When this is how he looked at her before that scare???

That he isn't going to fight tooth and nail to not lose her again?

That there is a very solid argument towards his semblance unlocking in such a moment?

Like, be for real. The kid has been beaten, kidnapped, beaten more, went toe to toe against Salem and not a single one of those instances was traumatic enough for him to unlock it. But both times Oscar's lack of semblance have been brought up? He's been talking to Ruby.

In v5, there's a moment where they focus on Jaune who still hasn't unlocked his and Oz says something about how his journey isn't over, and the same can be said for the rest of them. That unlocking isn't the end but semblances can also evolve we get this framing:

Jaune, who's semblance unlocked that volume finale, Nora, who almost certainly did something to her semblance with her stunt in v8, Ren, who's semblance evolved in v8 as well, and then Ruby... who's semblance and evolution has been teased and talked about for the last three volumes!!

Then in v7, Oscar once again paying such close attention to her that he can tell when she does something differently with her semblance.

I am too lazy to add text to the gif so the convo goes as follows:

Oscar: Have you... always been able to do that? Ruby: Heh, I don't know! I don't normally think it through that much. Oscar: You guys are evolving and I still don't even have my semblance. Ruby: Well, I bet we'll all be jealous when you do.

Like bro, bro, i am shaking you by the shoulders is there ANY OTHER WAY IT PLAYS OUT???? Boy is going to LOSE IT the moment she is in any serious danger and I am so looking forward to it.

#y'all keep leaving me the nicest asks #and i just keep taking them and RUNNING dlksjflk #brainrot go brrrrr #asks #ask #anon #anono #rosegarden #rwby #oscar pine #ruby rose #rosepine #analysis #chainalysis

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

I've been dubbed! To honor this momentous occasion I, Boredom Anon, will let you in on a little something: I am in fact going to go through with writing the memory loss au, rest assured. Sorry I left you with only that small piece to chew on, but I needed a trusted source to give me an opinion on the idea before I got too in over my head.

To answer a few of your questions in your response:

His body is still there, yep, and I plan on this being one of the plot points because technically Spider is still in his body---the avatar up and walking is just a glitchy memory-holder which I thought would lead to an interesting question: where is the line between oneself? Is he even still Spider, in this case? This is something that Neteyam especially will be conflicted by.

The exact details of how he got hurt are something I've been playing with. For now I think having him take the bullet for Neteyam might be fun to play with, but who's to say. I'm willing to hear any suggestions you may have on the matter!

The Sullies are in Awa'atlu when Spider is first on the mend and getting used to his avatar body. The scene I gave you was when they're finally in the clear to come and see him at High Camp.

I didn't add in all of their reactions because I didn't want to get carried away, but you are very close to how I imagined I'd write Jake and Tuk's reactions lol. I plan on putting the elements you mentioned with Neytiri in there for sure though and you're correct Spider is going entirely off of what feels right so that'll be fun.

Another thing to note: one of the main points I have written down right now is that this avatar body is so fresh that everything is new and feels almost overwhelming in some cases. Pair that with his limited memory and you get some potent muscle-memory/instinct type shit going on, almost like how a newborn creature is just going off of what it feels. For example, the first thing he thinks when he wakes up in his avatar body is Neteyam, and this is quickly followed by a deep longing and it just starts to plague him because he doesn't know what it means but he knows he needs this "Neteyam" whoever he is (and he knows Neteyam is a person, he can feel it. It comes to him in broken images: a blurry face, a melodic laugh, "I see you, Spider.") Am I explaining this well? I feel like I'm making about zero sense lol but whatever you'll get what I mean eventually if you don't now.

Anyways, while I'm working on developing this fic I'll be sure to hop on the asks every now and then with updates if you'd like and when I publish it I'll of course send you the link if you want 👍. Your positive reaction has done wonders and since you aided in my final decision to write it I feel it's only fair.

BOREDOM ANON THIS IS THE MSOT EXCITING NEWS. WHEN I GOT THIS ASK I FREAKED, AND I ALMOST BUMPED IT TO THE TOP OF THE PILE. Instead I just went through the others a little quick and used it as incentive lol. I am thrilled to be a trusted source, I'd love to do whatever I can, feel free to dm me of course, or send me all the asks if you want to stay anonymous of course.

-Wow, that is very dark. There's a great opportunity for an examination of what makes one truly themselves. I think the Na'vi would be more understanding at first than the scientists, due in part to all energy being borrowed in their philosophy. They can visit the dead in memories when they are with Eywa, and that's almost like what Spider is. It just is a question as to if that makes him dead or not, kind of. I also wonder, does that mean they expect him to wake up, or will they try to transfer him into his Avatar body permanently once they think he's strong enough? Probably not questions for you to answer, spoilers lol.

-Hmm, well, the bullet is always good, because I've been saying (I don't remember if it was in dms or a public post) that I've yet to see a fic where Spider takes the bullet and I get to the see the direct fallout from that. I think the effect it would have on his and Neytiri's relationship would be fairly immediate. It would also drastically change the ship standoff, and I'm curious as to people's takes on that. He could also always just pass out from blood loss and then when Norm and Max arrive they notice the brain damage from the machine, and that is what makes them put him in a coma, because he isn't stable.

-Ooh, very interesting. I'm sHOCKED the Sully kids let that fucker out of their sight for a second. Kiri and Lo'ak attempt to sneak out with Payakan to go back to High Camp literally every night, Jake has to sleep basically on top them. He'd never suspect that NETEYAM is also a flight risk, the biggest of them all.

-Haha, no, I understand! Well, even if he can't remember much of before, he's never felt his mating bond before in a Na'vi body. The feelings are stronger and different, and he doesn't have the past knowledge to try to repress or ignore them. He just knows what he wants and what he needs.

OBVIOUSLY we'd love updates, but no pressure of course, and of course I want the link!! I am so so glad I helped with the decision, so many of you lately have said I helped inspire you to write and I cannot express how happy that makes me! Fanfiction is a fantastic creative outlet and a great tool and gateway into bigger literary work, so never feel nervous!

#this makes me so happy #miles spider socorro #spider socorro #neteyam sully #nocorro #jake sully #neytiri sully #tuktirey sully #lo'ak sully #norm spellman #max patel #avatar #avatar the way of water #james cameron avatar #we are mindmelding get in #melissa's asks #melissa on avatar (cameron) #boredom anon

[recurring-polynya]

How do you go about planning out your writing? Additionally, have you ever gone into something expecting one or two chapters and ending up with 10+?

There are two kinds of fanfic: some fanfics fit entirely in my head at once, and I can just write them out and do no planning whatsoever. This is the ideal state of writing, the dream. This is generally fics with <10k words, although Portions for Foxes (28k) was written in this manner, and my only excuse was that I was in the grips of hyperfixation.

This almost never happens to me anymore, so I gotta go down the other route, which is to plan everything out with my engineer brain. It goes like this:

I have an idea. Occasionally, the idea will be a very specific scene or a first chapter, and if it's very clear in my head, I may just let myself write it.

Otherwise, I spend a few hours to a few days free-thinking about the concept. What kind of story can I make out of it? What scenes does it include? Will it be fun to write? Do I get more excited the more I think about it, or does it feel like a pain? ->If it feels like a drag, I don't write it ->Sometimes there's just one scene or so that feels fun, so I just write that and throw it in my short story anthology

If it feels like it has legs, I start an outline. The outline must contain the story arc in broad strokes and it must contain a beginning, a conflict, a climax, and an ending before I start writing in earnest. Any time I have tried to start writing without these things, anguish has resulted.

I also often write down notes about character motivations and themes and other stuff I want to remember not to forgot, or that I can go back and look at when I feel like I've lost the thread. I keep all of this in a separate document from the main story, and over time, I also add stuff like links to useful websites, kanji for names of characters or places that I've picked out, useful facts, timelines, etc. Whenever I have a bit of writing I have to cut from the story, I save it and put it down at the bottom of the planning document under a section called DISCARD. Yeah, this is kind of a mess after a while.

Once I have this much, though, I start writing. As I am writing, I often get ideas for things to happen down the line, so I add them to outline. I try to start from the beginning of the fic and write continuously, until I get stuck or don't want to, and then I skip ahead to the next thing I feel like writing. When I run out of things I am excited to write, I refer to the outline, and fill out one of the bullets that I haven't done yet. This is sort of an iterative process of writing scenes and adding to the outline, and the fanfic goes from being a skeleton to getting gradually more fleshed out. Sometimes I write a scene and I'm not quite sure where it goes, so I guess.

(There are sometimes bad times, where I realize that my outline was a joke and my story is a mess and I roll around on the floor for a bit. After that, I do some combination of making new outlines and making new documents where I cut and paste the scenes from the old on in until they make sense. Usually this works eventually. Once, I had to do this, like, three times, and make a color-coded spreadsheet about it.)

Around this time, I will usually make an additional, chapter-centric outline. This lists every scene in the fic, in order, with some formatting to show the ones that still need work, or haven't been written at all. I will write out word counts for each chapter (sometimes for each scene). I can now see the places where I need a connecting scene, and also how big/how much stuff is in each chapter. The scene at the end of a chapter connects to the next chapter in a different way than scene-to-scene. I sometimes use two or three rotating narrators, and this also helps me make sure the POVs are balanced.

I write all the scenes I didn't want to write earlier, but now I have momentum because I can see the end.

I finish the fanfic. Joy returns to the land.

As for the question about have you ever gone into something expecting one or two chapters and ending up with 10+, the answer is no, because, as you can see, my process is specifically designed to gate off that possibility from the beginning. My fanfics regularly overrun their predicted length by 25-40%, but the decision to write a short or a long one is always one I make consciously and with care.

#fanfic ask meme #everything i wrote in my first year of writing was just off the top of my brain and it was so great and fun #and i used to worry 'what will happen when i run out of inspiration?' #and it's this. this is what happened. but hey! i'm still going right?

[raayllum]

So once I got done crying over Rayla’s letter from Through The Moon finally being released, combing over for cuteness and sad tragic parallels and all, I lingered on one of the last paragraphs, which reads: 

You’re starting to stir, and the moon is almost gone. I have to go, but the sky is the strangest colour—purple and gray and gold all mixed together, like there’s a storm wrapped around the sunrise. I’m not describing it right.  It sounds awful, but it’s beautiful. I hope it’s still that colour when you wake up. I hope you see it before you see this letter.

This paragraph struck me as vaguely odd, although certainly not out of character. Rayla is delaying what she feels to be the inevitable, lingering as much as she can (at this point it’s clear she hasn’t slept at all and wants to go before dawn), perhaps more of an artistic eye and appreciation thanks to Callum’s influence. (“It sounds incredible” “Yeah, yeah, it is” boat scene callback anyone?)

But I lingered on the line specifically because it mentioned the Storm, which is such a loaded symbol in TDP with echoes of thunder, Callum and sky magic, even the chaotic calm Callum and Rayla provide each other over the course of the series; Rayla waiting for him once he comes out of the storm, her leaving during one, the lightning strike in 2x04, the rain in 2x07 with dark magic and the fallen dragon.

Then I thought about everything a bit more, and well:

the sky is the strangest colour—purple and gray and gold all mixed together

and well, there are exactly two characters with those specific colour schemes. 

You could also loop in Claudia, although she doesn’t quite have the same grey/silvery white in her design that the other two have. However, I am leaning towards Aaravos partially because he is the unknown storm Rayla is running right at (she wants to kill Viren, but has no idea what storm is actually waiting to be unleashed in Aaravos being freed from his mirror). 

So, with that line of foreshadowing in mind, the passage is saying that Callum will see Aaravos before he sees Rayla again, which seems the surefire way S4 is heading, at this rate.

I am also going to offer up Aaravos specifically because of what Rayla says here, regarding: 

I remember how I felt when my parents left me to join the Dragonguard, like PART OF MY HEART WAS MISSING and I would never feel right again [...] But, if it does—if you feel that soft aching—know that that piece of your heart isn’t missing. It’s not missing at all, Callum: I’m carrying it with me! Always.

Of course, there’s the obvious Ruthari parallel ( “My heart goes out with this one”) but Aaravos is also, very plainly, missing a piece of his star right where his chest (metaphorical heart) would be. 

The kids have also thought powerful displays of dark magic (specifically, Claudia’s tracking spell) were aesthetically beautiful, even if it spelled potential doom for their future: “Dark forces are pursuing you” “Do you understand? We’ll lose everything.” (A tracking spell that was only possible because they had something of Rayla’s to use, I might add.)

Basically a very long winded way of saying I think a kinda otherwise random paragraph in Rayla’s letter is actually stealthy foreshadowing for how Callum and Rayla’s fates individually and together are going to continue to be tethered to Aaravos’ plotline and goals in S4.

#rayllum #aaravos #they need a foil tag hmm maybe #devil and the lovers #bc of the tarot associations?? #tdp #the dragon prince #tdp shorts #tdp spoilers #analysis series #mini meta #probably not as impressive as i made it out to be but listen i was losing my shit #parallels #cube hostage exchange theory #adjacently as always #not at home with the dead or the living #predictions #dear callum

[paperstorm]

i understand that if you really convinced yourself of something you start seeing "clues" everywhere without being able to look at those "clues" neutrally. happens to everyone doesn't it? and if those rumours about sierra end up being true forget everything i said and tell me "i told you" and it's alright but i looked a bit through the things people took as evidence for sierra leaving and.. i don't see it?

i did some research and the summary and short version basically is: there are no bts pictures of sierra, sierra hasn't been seen on set in any of the casts posts and gina made a post for her birthday wishing her well for the future

neutral explanations: it seems like so far the focus is more on rescues and fire/ems stuff rather than family/relationship stuff. obviously sierra won't be on set for those. it's similar to rafael. besides the one pic from his trailer that he shared we haven't seen him either. we only know tarlos scenes are happening bc ronen talked about it at the convention but press season hasn't started yet so there is no place for sierra to talk about the show. and she's never been big on social media documenting everything she does so she wouldn't put out random statements or teasers about grace's storyline in the new season on there. in the past she would post a pic from her trailer every once in a while but she never really shared stuff while filming so that's not new. also grace isn't in all the episodes so my neutral explanation is she literally just hasn't been on set much and hasn't had any scenes with the others yet. and if they're filming grace/judd stuff then jim isn't sharing anything either for obvious reasons. (btw there are more recent posts about grace/judd on the official ls account than there are about tarlos for which it has almost been a year since the last post)

and i read gina's birthday post as genuine and normal birthday wishes. celebrating the person and wishing them well in life. that's what you do isn't it? sierra also commented on the post and said she was excited to see everyone at her party which again i am just going to put under the "she hasn't been on set much sharing scenes with the others yet" file.

something else i've seen a while ago that i just remembered was someone said that filming started and sierra still had braids and grace doesn't have braids so she isn't filming. which? gina had so many different hair styles as tommy why can't grace have another hairstyle in the new season as well? but again even if it is just sierra's hairstyle then i am going to add that to the "she hasn't been on set yet" file.

so as i said i fully understand spiralling. been there - done that. and it's what happens in fandom spaces isn't it? looking for little crumbs and drawing conclusions. but at this point i think people are mainly stressing other fans unnecessarily by creating these rumours. and again: if they turn out right forget everything i said and i'll apologise. but i'd wait for official statements or other proof that sierra is or isn't part of the new season. ya'll are giving yourself ulcers otherwise.

Yes all of this! I understand speculation is natural especially when we've all gone so long without any information but it's just bad science to draw a conclusion based on a lack of information or to find patterns out of gaps that you think should be filled. Nobody would accept a hypothesis proved by 'well it can't be disproven.' I see no reason at all to suggest Grace won't be in season 5 other than fans missing their fave and spiralling.

#911ls asks #911 lone star spoilers

[lottiecrabie]

hey! im actually really interested in your writing process tbh. i know you have a graveyard full of fic ideas, but how do you go about it when the inspiration strikes? do you stop what you're doing and write it down straight away? or do you let it process in your head for a few days?

whats happening up there in the lottiecrabie control room?

🖤 lastnightwaskindofablur (this is my second account and you cant send asks from it so i have go to anon-mode? literally why?!)

i am rubbing my feet together like a cricket after reading this ask Oh i love talking about my writing process. thank you for asking!!

it depends, but in general if i have an idea even if it’s vague i note it down in my Hot Sauce List which is just. a collection of ideas i keep if i don’t know what to write and also to have the satisfaction of checking a wip. for example you might recognize some of these titles lmao

most of the ideas in hot sauce are things i am almost 100% sure i won’t actually get around to writing, but i like to keep if i ever lack inspiration. i already instinctively know which ones i'm interested in actually writing and i start them by just going at it. every single one of my graveyard fics was just something i sprouted out of my brain quickly with little plan beyond the vague lines or themes or faraway scenes i might have thought of. galatea, take one started as just this jack and lorde inspired fic with the theme of cheating, and i wrote the first few scenes completely aimless. i didn't find the overarching plot until, as i've said, i randomly stumbled onto the concept of galatea for a song. pfms1 and pfms2 i wrote in a sitting with just Religious kink in head.

but then, if i write it more or start daydreaming about it regularly, i end up with very precise plans. they're always changing as i delete the parts i've written and add new ideas as i think them. for example, here's a few of the evolutions the linecook smut went through.

the paragraphs i make is something i do to separate the smut into mini-scenes and tell myself i'll write this small part today. it makes it a much more manageable endeavor and a lot more motivating. it tends to happen when i am in the homestretch and know i am almost done and have a much clearer view of what the fic would look like and how long each part is.

with fics that have been hauting my brain for a long time —cough pfms cough— you can imagine that the series is very precisely planned. especially when i start writing a specific part. i'm kinda always thinking about my own aus bc i have a Rich mind palace so i am always noting down ideas. i have been Burned too many times with a fickle memory to not do it. if i think of the dialogue of a scene or even the entire prose of it, i write it down too, though i do often get convinced by my falling asleep brain that i'll 'remember tomorrow' and i, indeed, do not.

hope this was interesting to more than me lmao! thanks for the question again my sweet friend

#if u guys ever wanna know more about my writing process i Will ramble #ask

[mrs-gauche]

So, on the new cinematic that was published yesterday, without going into a deep analysis here (because people have already done an amazing job at dissecting every piece of visual/symbolism, like the Golden/Black City, what appears to be the origin of the Blight, the recurring symbols in the seven semi-circle spheres/Evanuris imagery in Trespasser etc etc), I just want to write down some of my general thoughts that I had already put in the tags under the video, but there are also a few things I'd like to add. 🙂

Ok, so generally speaking, this cinematic is basically a recap for anyone who hasn’t played Trespasser/ is new to the series / doesn’t remember every single detail from a game that came out almost a decade ago. I always wondered how they were going to (re-)introduce new people to the lore and the big revelations that were sadly concealed in a DLC and after giving it some thought, I’m actually very pleased with the way they’re doing it. 😁

So in regards to Solas, this is everything you need to know before going into the game. (Though I still try to look at this from the perspective of someone who’s only played the DAI base game and therefore only knows the after credits scene with Solas and Flemeth.. So you would still be kinda lost about as to how Varric even knows about all this stuff with the creation of the Veil/what Solas plans to do and all that, so.. I would hope this still gets addressed in some form, especially if fan speculations turn out true and there will be a ten year timeskip since Inquisition, so regardless of Trespasser, in any case, it would be nice to learn what the Inquisition has been up to these past ten years. lol)

So for anyone who is now like "Ugh, another trailer about Solas?? Don't we had enough???", I get it, I really do, but I also need you to understand that this is *not* another trailer, it's an in-game cinematic, probably part of the very beginning of the game and I feel like people tend to forget that the majority of players will NOT be people like us, who have been sitting here analyzing every single frame and syllable of new content under a microscope for the past eight years. 😂

Most people who've played Inquisition maybe once or twice a decade ago will maybe have a vague memory of who Solas or the Dread Wolf are and what his story is. Of course we know all this stuff, but that's the point, it's supposed to be a recap of everything you need to know before going into the game.

Though I can understand why you would be frustrated that they chose to show this as yet another part of marketing that's solely centered around him. (Heck, even I as a fan of his character am honestly surprised how much focus there is 😂) But even though BioWare’s blog post ended with the phrase "close out this year with a little treat", the fact that this was now a general "reintroduction" to the lore, gives me a little hope that they might not wait another couple of months now to show something new, since this is still fresh in people's minds. They're building momentum and I would hope they would use this to kick off the marketing for a wider audience (and the Game Awards are by far the biggest platform to show something).

That being said, let’s talk about the visuals for a second!

Simply put, they’re drop dead gorgeous! As expected from the great Nick Thornborrow, who also did Solas’ frescoes in DAI (and who sadly left BioWare some time ago). The art style and the way it’s presented/animated reminds me a lot of DAO’s intro or those transitional scenes between acts in DA2 or even those little animation bits from the Keep (which were also narrated by Varric!). So it’s definitely true to the DA formula/getting back to the roots even. lol

So even for those of us who knew about all this stuff, it was still amazing to see it visualized and summed up in such a beautful way. And additionally, it contained hints and symbolism that seem to confirm everything I’ve been thinking for the past seven years. lol (Again, not getting into details here, because people have already done a far better job than I could do to explain all that. 😂) I loved how the visuals transitioned seemlessly into the each other with gorgeously smooth animation! I also love how you’re getting almost blinded by the way it’s portraying the destruction of the Veil. lol Like, it get’s all dark and quiet for a second and then BOOM, spotlight ON lmao, I was instantly reminded of Sandal’s prophecy in DA2, when he’s like “The shadows will part and the skies will open wide, when he rises”.

But we also need to talk about the music and the sound design, because GOSH, this was so GOOD!

I would highly recommend listening to this thing with head phones, because WOW, there are so many different little components build into this one minute track, it’s amazing!! I looove how the music starts off with this anticipation and a single violin and then shifts into this more ominous melody supported by these faint “marching to war” drums when the visuals transition from sun to moon/Solas to Fen’Harel, like the music perfectly encapsulates this feeling of ambiguity, like he’s neither a villain or a hero, and it’s up to you what to believe.

Then there’s that beautiful wolf howling in the back right as Varric says “Dread Wolf”, before the music gets more sinister, followed by this big booming “shutting the gate” sound when the Veil is formed and whatever you call that sound of magic as the gods are sealed away and this creepy whispering as the shadows are slowly spreading from the Black City and consuming everything, when it gets all quiet. And then, if you’re wearing head phones, you get knocked off your feet by that enormous explosion sound as the Veil is shattered, like you can practically FEEL the impact of this wold-altering magic in your bones. lol And then the music culminates in this grand dramatic orchestral piece that is SO reminiscent of Inquisition’s main theme??

And as the title is shown and the music breaks up, there’s that simple melody again played by this traditional string instrument (I’m no expert, but it reminds of like, ancient greek?) that was also in the 2020 teaser trailer!

Like, huge props to whoever did the sound design and I can’t wait to find out who does the score! <333

Lastly, can we talk about how Varric’s talking in the PAST tense, when saying “But now, he wanted to tear down that Veil, and destroy the world”??

It almost sounds like whatever Solas wanted to do, something happened, but as always, it didn’t go the way he intended and now we have to deal with the consequences? lol It sounds like that line was cut off too soon there, like Varric was going to add something like "But now he wanted to tear down that Veil and destroy the world.... but he f*cked up spectacularly (again) and now we have to clean up his mess." 😂

So are we maybe already playing in a post-Veil world right from the start? I hope not, because I would have loved to actually SEE how Solas tore down that Veil? 😂 It makes me think that maybe this narration isn't the final version and it will end up being different in the game, like this was edited for marketing purposes/to avoid spoilers? lol

Also, again like in the 2020 teaser trailer, I wonder who Varric is even talking to? Who is "we"? And why are WE "the only ones who can stop him"? What is it about "us" that's able to stop him?

Also, I've seen people saying he's holding a wand in that last visual? 😂

Guys, for seven years I've been trying to mentally (and emotionally) prepare myself that Solas (like all returning characters in any BioWare game) is going to look significantly different in a sequel that’s released a decade from the previous one, and my biggest fear remains that he's gonna look like Voldemort with a nose, so I can't say I'm overly thrilled at the prospect of seeing him walking around with a damn wand. 😂

Though I’m curious if it’s like some other people are saying and it could also be a weapon/blade like the one that was produced by the red lyrium idol in Tevinter Nights/the Blue Wraith comics? 👀

(But to be completely honest, my main takeaway from this whole thing was actually “OMG, they kept the CAPE for Solas’ ancient elven armor design from the early concept art???” lmaoo I was sure they got rid of it after seeing the 2020 teaser trailer. lol I’m sorry, but for those who don’t know me, I’m the biggest sucker for capes and coats in character design 😂 Give me ALL the capes! All of them!! Edna Mode hates me. lol)

Anyway, this is all I’ve got for the moment, I’m super thrilled! Even though I totally get everyone who desperately wants to see something other than Solas lol, if only to finally get a sense of confirmation after such a long time that there’s a game that’s actually.. real and playable, you know. 😂 Though tbh, I think I’ll only be able to fully realize this the moment we get an actual cinematic trailer with in-game footage and stuff. lol Fingers crossed (and clown wig ready) for the Game Awards! 😁

#da4 #dragon age 4 #solas

[sxx-exchange]

Guess what's only one week from today? That's right, assignments are due at 11:59 p.m. EST on December 10! If you need to check the exact time, you can find our countdown clocks here.

If you know you won’t be able to finish on time, but are determined to have a piece turned in before reveals, you can request an extension—we have grace time built into the schedule on purpose. We've made some small tweaks to the process to streamline things behind the scenes. Request an extension using this form, and be sure to read everything thoroughly.

If you won't be able to get your assignment done at all, there is really and truly no shame in defaulting. Life happens! We get it. Please default as soon as possible to give us time to find a pinch hitter for your assignment. To default, go to your assignment page on AO3, find the assignment for Songxuexiao Exchange 2023, and click the "default" button.

Please note that if you have not requested an extension and do not have your assignment submitted by the deadline, we will default you and assign a pinch hitter instead. The absolute latest deadline for requesting an extension is 11:59 p.m. EST on December 10. Please do not make us chase you down. Ghosting your daozhang is very rude; Xue Yang won't like that.

Remember that all you're required to submit for the exchange is one complete art piece or story of at least 1,000 words. Your gift does not have to be an epic! If you're feeling overwhelmed by the scope of your plans, consider cutting things down to one illustration or one or two scenes and creating something smaller. You can always come back to a concept to expand on it later.

Now, about the grace time! If you're very nearly done, don't stress out. There are six days between the due date and reveals, and your piece does not have to be polished to a perfect shine to be considered "complete by the deadline." Here are some examples of works your mods would consider "complete" if they are submitted by December 10:

✅ My story is finished and I'm waiting for comments from my beta before I make my final edits. ✅ I've uploaded a photo of my traditional art piece, but won't be able to get to the library to scan it cleanly until Tuesday. ✅ My story is complete, but I need to fix my formatting because I copied it directly from Word and my line breaks got scrambled. ✅ My art is ready to go, and I'd be happy to post it as-is, but if I have time I want to make some small refinements. ✅ Everything else is done, but I still need a summary and a fucking title.

If this is the approximate state your piece is in: congratulations! You can complete your final polish on your own before reveals, and don't need mods to check in with you. You do not need to request an extension.

Here are some examples of works that would not be considered "complete":

🚫 I've only posted one chapter of a three-chapter story. 🚫 The art piece I have submitted is clearly a work in progress, and I would not be happy to give it as a gift. 🚫 My fic draft is theoretically finished, but it still has [bracketed notes] about things I need to add or change. 🚫 I've finished the art for my comic, but haven't added any of the necessary dialogue or effects yet. 🚫 My story is "finished," but I'm not happy with it and am planning to do some major rewrites before reveals.

If this is the approximate state your piece is in, you must submit an extension request and commit to the new due date.

We're sure you're all working hard, and we're cheering you on! We're almost there, you can do it—just think about the feast to come! Good luck!

#songxuexiao exchange #songxuexiao exchange 2023 #sxx exchange #sxx exchange 2023

[fourth-dimensional-thinker]

The “Time Is a Flat Circle” Mega-Post

I’d like to start by saying I really don’t know how other people read fan-fiction. I, personally, tend to just be a one-and-done kind of person. Unless I forgot what happened, I don’t constantly go back and re-read chapters of a multi-chapter work whenever it gets updated. I also don’t know how every fic writer works. I know some people plan meticulously and others will just add chapters on a whim.

I am a thorough planner (mostly).

Time Is a Flat Circle took me months to write, but also weeks to plan. It was made with the intent to be re-read. I wanted there to be a different experience for when you re-read it after you learn the information revealed at the end.

So, I made a very, very long guide to all those details to look out for if you ever want to re-read it.

Foreshadowing of the time loop

1) The photograph of Marty with Copernicus

This scene from Chapter 19:

The teenager reaches out and the terrier lets himself be scooped up off the ground. Copernicus licks Marty as thanks for lifting him. Marty grins broadly from the canine’s affection and moves to find a high surface to deposit Doctor Brown's dog. Just as he turns around, the flashbulb blinds him. He blinks once, twice, and then places Copernicus back on the floor so he can rub his eyes.

“That’s going to come out really blurry,” he tells the doctor.

“I’d still like to keep it; something to remember you by.”

was foreshadowed in Chapter 2:

“We’re debating if this guy looks like you.”

Marty squints at the black and white photo that he’s holding. The image shows an older teenage boy holding a dog in his arms. The picture appears to be taken in a moment in time where the boy was fidgeting around with energetic joy instead of being in a ready pose. His face is left blurry, but from what can be made out, his features aren’t too distinct from Marty’s.

“Kinda,” he tries to say nonchalantly. Marty puts it back on the shelf and walks away from it; the photograph unsettles him deeply.

2) The family portrait in Doc’s home

This scene from Chapter 13:

He also notices how, in all the portraits and photographs in the home, Erhardt Brown’s face shows up in none of them. If the judge originally appeared in any pictures, his face was cut out or painted over– and using his first impression of the man, Marty doesn’t hold the vandalism against Doctor Brown.

was foreshadowed in Chapter 2:

Marty stares at a family portrait while the other boys move on to the next room. In this photo, there are three bodies: a father’s, a mother’s, and their child’s. However, only two pairs of eyes look back at him; the father’s face has been completely painted over in the portrait.

3) The initial pain from flux capacitors

This comment from Chapter 2:

“You’re not going to want to be awake for this process, my boy,” Doctor Brown explains as he picks up Marty’s unconscious body, “it’s going to hurt tremendously.”

becomes relevant again in Chapter 17:

Marty almost gasps once the bandages fully come off; there are Y-shaped scars rooted in both of Doctor Brown’s palms.

“You have them too…”

“Yes, and I cannot express how painful they are,” he rasps. “Please tell me–don’t actually– that you weren’t conscious when you were given these.”

4) Doc and Lorraine’s phone conversation

This bit of conversation between them in Chapter 3:

Lorraine seethes. “You're beyond delusional if you think scarring my child was anything but an attack.”

“Those are a gift,” he claims. “It pains me that you think I would hurt your son, Lorraine. Don't you remember all those years ago when–?”

“I didn't know what you were back then.”

...is a reference to Doc’s meeting with Lorraine and baby Marty in all of Chapter 21.

5) The wooden horse that Marty gifts Doc

This scene in Chapter 8:

“And– oh! I also wanted to give you something too.” Marty rustles through his bag.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I saw it in a store.”

Marty offers the horse carving towards his [Emmett’s] free hand.

and this scene from Chapter 10:

Marty spots the horse carving posing proudly on the credenza. The wooden animal has been coated in dark paint with an even darker mane, tail, and hooves. The eyes are detailed with the illusion of having life.

“You painted it,” Marty notes once Emmett has cautiously brought himself next to him. “It's a nice job– really nice.”

were foreshadowed in Chapter 4:

Across town, the mad scientist puts back a small carving of a horse on his bookshelf. The little wooden figure is decades old, but has an incredible sentimental value that makes the Hope Diamond look worthless.

6) The little canary nickname

This scene in Chapter 16 (which also titled “Canary”!):

“I can make jokes, too, little canary.” [Doctor Brown says]

Marty pauses for a moment. The smile fades.

“That’s an, um, interesting thing to call someone.”

was foreshadowed in Chapter 5:

“If you try to come near me again, I’ll hang up and call the cops on you,” Marty threatens.

“This town’s law enforcement community won’t be helping you, little canary,” he says matter-of-factly. “They’re too inept to do anything but distribute parking tickets at this point.”

7) The title

I think it speaks for itself.

Hints that Doc has not turned good

1) The investigation team

When Needles mentions the rumor of the four murders that Doc is supposedly responsible for in Chapter 2:

Needles grabs his arm before Marty can fully make it out the door. “So soon? We’re in the home of a man who killed at least four people. We have an inspection to finish.”

it’s a reference to the investigation team in Chapters 24 & 25:

What was just described to the teen was the investigation team of 1978, a staple of his childhood stories. Albert Wickham was a senior police officer with over twenty years on the job under his belt. Nicole “Nicky” Newton was a budding librarian and the youngest of the bunch. Nathan Baran and Caroline Snider were both staff at the local newspaper. No one from Marty’s time has seen them in years.

2) The glass of water chapter

As we have established in Chapter 25:

“Don’t move,” he [Doc] orders. “This is the danger of quickly changing the temperature of a room.”

Emmett steadies his hands, takes a quick breath, and yanks away the heat of his kitchen.

A harsh wave of cold knocks into both of them. A faint crack is heard before the glass violently shatters asunder. Shards of ice and glass whizz in all directions. The broken pieces rain down on the floor and table top with a twinkling clatter. Underneath the table, they stay safe from the precipitation of ice and glass.

They don’t leave the shelter of the table long after the last shard landed.

“Woah,” Marty gasps. The exclamation leaves his mouth as a puff of vapor.

“When water freezes, it crystallizes, causing it to expand and break its container. What we can do with our power can match the abilities of a freezer more than tenfold,” the doctor says as they emerge from the table. “Do you understand why I don’t want it to leave our hands, Marty?”

But, before that, when Doc is meeting with the investigation team, we see them all close to some sort of glass container that’s filled with water:

Snider is huddled by the windows, next to the small collection of limp yellow plants that sit in overwatered glass vases. Newton and Baran stand on guard at either side of a long side table. The only object on the table is a large glass fish tank that houses no aquatic life.

[...]

Wickham then returns to his original spot with a full glass in his hands.

And then the meeting ends on this sentence:

Emmett smiles coolly. “Now that we’re all here,” he says, fidgeting with the hem of one of his gloves, “I believe your explanation is due…”

3) The guppies

As an extension of the glass of water scene, one of the investigation team member’s guppies ends up in Doc’s house after his meeting:

He turns towards Baran. “You own a fish tank with no fish,” the scientist observes. When the other man silently stares him down, Emmett defends, “I’m only trying to make small talk, Mr. Baran.”

“I’m cleaning the tank later,” Baran gruffly answers. “The fish are in another container in the kitchen.”

“Are they difficult to care for?”

“Guppies? No.”

[...]

“Hey, when did you get fish, Doctor Brown?” “Last night,” he shouts back, “I was inspired by the meeting to take them in.”

4) Adelina, Doc and Sara’s pet cat

Adelina is a symbol of the future Doc in 1940. They share white hair, a deep interest in Marty, and a “love language” that comes off as disturbing to Marty.

As seen in Chapter 10 & 11:

Adelina strolls in. Marty glances down at her and she returns it with a deep, interested stare.

[...]

Across the room, Adelina is resting, coiled up near the fireplace. The glow of the hearth dyes her long white fur to a golden orange. She peers pointedly at him again with her big and inquisitive eyes. Marty turns on his back to look at the pale ceiling instead; their cat’s potent stare bothers him.

[...]

“What the hell?!” he shrieks, recoiling on the sofa.

Emmett comes back over and glances down at the tiny corpse. “Oh, Adelina’s already leaving you gifts.”

Still tightly curled on the couch, Marty asks incredulously: “That's a gift?”

“Yes, I know it can seem cruel, but it’s her way of showing affection.”

[...]

When he steps out of the bathroom, Marty almost steps on Adelina. The white-haired feline is sitting right in front of the doorframe, looking up at him with hopeful eyes. She trots after him when he passes by her and goes to the kitchen.

[...]

Adelina leaps onto his lap in a fluffy blur. Marty lifts his hands up slightly in a half-surrendered gesture to avoid touching her. The teenager has never been a cat person; he’s heard tales of horror from his aunt about what obnoxious menaces they can be and has witnessed the proof of her clawed forearms. Adelina decides to curl up on him, a white ball with hair held up with static electricity.

5) The painting scene in Chapter 22

So, in this chapter, pretty much everything related to painting is representative of either Doc or Marty’s emotions. I’m not going to talk about everything, since it would involve copying and pasting almost half of the chapter in here. But, one of the ways of showing that Doc hasn’t changed is with deserts. They’re used to show his inner personality, with both of them considered to be dangerous and hostile to life. Doc finds beauty and application in deserts while Marty is weary of them:

“So, why deserts?” Marty asks.

“They’re common settings for Westerns– excuse me.”

“Yeah, but some of them don’t have any horses or people in them,” the teen notes, then quickly moves aside to let Doctor Brown have access to a cabinet.

“I’ve also learned to appreciate the hidden beauty of the environment itself. Most of what lives in the desert comes out at night: jackrabbits, tortoises, toads, owls–”

“–coyotes, mountain lions, scorpions.”

“Yes, all native fauna of that habitat. Many people see the deserts as a harsh, barren landscape– would you fill up those two jars with water?–but underneath all of the thorns and storms is its rich life.”

“Most people would still die in them.”

Doctor Brown gives him an amused look. “That’s a likely fate to the inexperienced wanderer. However, I’ve read stories, tales of adventures, where someone determined enough uses his will and wits to make it through the night– especially at the skepticism of others.” He rolls out a long, thin sheet of paper over the table before turning back to Marty. “Could you see yourself surviving in the desert?”

The other one is color symbolism. The most prominent one for Doc is using red for his hidden anger. Him using that color shows up after Marty talks about his not-so-good relationship with his family:

“It’s just– it’s just that we– we fight sometimes and don’t really get along a lot of times. I don’t hate my family, Doctor Brown, but…” he [Marty] confesses, “...it'd be nice to get away from home every now and then…”

Marty glances over the scientist’s canvas. An aggravated, angry, bull-enraging color is dominating the canvas.

“You’re using an awful lot of red,” he comments.

[...]

He checks on Doctor Brown’s progress. The outraged red color had been masked well and blended into the other hues in with his horizon.

And just to hammer things home, Doc ends the chapter with this line:

“[Do] Whatever the hell you want; it’s art. You could make it complete nonsense or plan something so intricately complicated that people can’t see the hidden messages right under their noses.”

Misc things I just wanted to point out

1) In Chapter 21, when Doc tells Lorraine:

“I remember almost every conversation I’ve had. I can recall things back from when I was twenty-nine, twenty, seventeen, you name it.”

those are all the previous ages he was when Marty visited him in 1937, 1940, and 1949. I used 1920 as Doc’s birth year for this fic

2) This line from Chapter 4:

Despite his best efforts at cramming, Marty can’t distinguish a secant from a cosecant or remember which president was blamed for the Great Depression or draw a force diagram or remember the prefixes for scientific units or conjugate irregular verbs in Spanish or remember what polysyndeton is.

is an example of polysyndeton.

3) This minor mentioned character from Chapter 1:

When he [Marty] joins The Pinheads, he hears about Doctor Brown again. He's sitting in the bed of a pickup truck with his bandmates and Donnie, their drummer's older cousin and acting roadie.

is an oc I made for a writing request.

Other fun facts

I rewrote Chapter 5 & 6 each three times

Older versions of this fic had chapters were Marty went to 1941, 1953, 1960, and 1969

Marty breaking into Doc’s house, the flux capacitor scars + taking in outside energy, and the glass of water scene are the only elements that have survived since draft one

That being said, I had started working on the glass of water chapter months before it was published

I have even older concepts of a darker Doc before I came to the version of him in Time Is a Flat Circle

In the older versions, Doc is still affectionate and protective of Marty in his own unhinged way... but was also just straight up murdering people on behalf of his best friend

After that, I added a “no killing rule” to him and ended up liking that twisted version of him better

I also wrote a snippet of a “sequel” fic while I was still writing “Time Is a Flat Circle”. It involves... a grave misuse of spiders...

A full, planned out sequel is still in the imagination phase. I currently have nothing actually written down yet

#bttf #writing tag

[marypsue]

16 and 21 for the fic ask meme

[from this meme]

16. At what point in the process do you come up with titles?

There are two possible times I come up with titles: either as soon as the premise lands in my head, or when I am staring down the draft on AO3 and about to post it. There is no in-between.

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why?

Here's my little secret: I don't delete anything anymore. Anything that doesn't work where I'm trying to put it gets copied and pasted into the very end of the document where the story lives, after about half a page of blank space from the last line of 'real' writing. Then I have it, preserved in amber, for if I get another twenty scenes in and realise that I need something and that thing that I cut out twenty scenes ago is exactly the thing I need.

(This happens more often than you might think. I completely cut about 2/3 of the final chapter of the road goes ever on, thinking I'd have to rewrite it from scratch. Nope! Just had to chop up those 2/3 of a chapter that I cut, rearrange it like a maniac with a corkboard and some red thread, and write a handful of interstitial sentences. And now it reads like it was always meant to be that way, and I can't even remember where all the stitches are. Ain't writing neat?)

To answer the spirit of this question and not the letter, though: yeah, all the time. Part of that is because I keep scenes that I cut, and if I really love them, I'll often find a way to work them in somewhere else (or into something else), so it doesn't feel like quite as much of a permanent sacrifice as it might. Part of that is because...well, have a story.

I'm a fresh baby adult. I have just recently graduated high school, and now the full weight of everyone's expectations of what I'll do with my 'potential' and everyone's disappointment that I don't have a clear, safe career path planned out yet are resting directly on my shoulders. I'm in a university art class. I'm very, very nervous, because I don't feel like a 'real' artist, because I don't feel like I belong here with all the good artists, and because I have a nervous perfectionist streak almost as wide as my entire body.

We are doing a unit on sculpture. I have never in my life done any sculpture, except for a couple of (extremely ugly) clay crafts in elementary school. We are assigned to take a rectangular block of styrofoam, and make an animal shape out of it. The kicker - we can't add anything to the block, only cut away.

I manage to make a reasonably decent-looking animal shape in my rough draft. But as soon as I try to translate it to the big block, it's immediately obvious that my design...lacks something. It's blocky. It's bulky. It's ugly. It looks...close to the shape of an actual animal, close to photorealism, but the fundamental rectangular-ness of it is so overwhelmingly strong. I'm carefully whittling away at the edges and the corners and the curves, scared to wreck it by making a big change, but nothing I do is helping at all.

Luckily, I have a very good art professor. Luckily, I have limited patience for fussing around with things that aren't working. (Luckily, I've been listening to MCR's Danger Days on repeat and it, especially the idea of 'Would you destroy something perfect to make something beautiful?', has been setting little fires in my brain.) Luckily, somehow, for whatever reason, I get fed up with nibbling around the edges and seeing no results. I get brave.

And I cut a deep curve into the side of my sculpture, cutting nearly half of the material away in one stroke.

The sculpture comes to life. The change is instant and obvious, and, more importantly, it's good. It's not anything resembling photorealistic anymore - if an actual animal was shaped like that, it would be very, very uncomfortable or possibly very dead - but it looks more like an animal than it ever did when I was going for 'realistic'. It has motion. It has visual interest. It carries the eye through the sculpture. And this massive improvement on the one side makes it suddenly extremely obvious where the rest of the sculpture needs similar cuts and angles to balance it.

I think I ended up getting a B or a C+ on that assignment. The sculpture turned out kind of wonky, with some angles that still didn't sit right. It was not a piece of timeless art. But that wasn't what was important. What was important was that I took a big risk, and got rid of what wasn't working, and it made something good. Something compelling. Something interesting. Something that, for all its flaws, I was much, much prouder of than the dull, safe thing I had been working on.

Sometimes, especially when you're just starting out as a writer, just starting to find your voice and feel confident in your work, every sentence feels precious and it feels dangerous to move or remove them, because what if you'll ruin it, what if you'll never make anything that good again. But if you're writing, it means you care enough about telling a story to try at it. Trying, and continuing to try, is how improvement happens. As Annie Dillard so beautifully put it, these things fill from behind. You will write something as good as that again. Many things, even. And even better things, so long as you keep plugging away at it.

And...you know your story. You know when something doesn't fit or isn't working, way deep down. The worst thing you can do for yourself is leave it where it doesn't belong anyway because you're scared of making a mistake.

#chatter #/descends from soapbox #writing #sorry this got long