#i think the best way to explain it is like the comma is on the wrong section of the sentence

[chiptrillino]

.

#why am i constantly like “oh it could be worse” when i see anything atla life action related. #but then i look closer and i get annoyed by the smallest things... #well also big things... #its not that bad its just the devil sits in the detail for me here and i just... -huffing and screaming and... urgh- #i think the best way to explain it is like the comma is on the wrong section of the sentence #like its fine! i guess? it could be so much better though if we just tweak this little thing to balance the whole design a bit more? #exept aang aang is perfection and so is katara

[neo-my-geo]

Hey gang, it’s your old pal Neo here. If you know me, it’s probably from one of the several very stupid TF2 comics I’ve posted to Tumblr.

However! I am also an English major (unfortunately). One who has read millions of words worth of fanfiction in their life. I have been part of the Sherlock, BNHA, Disco Elysium, and, of course, TF2 fandoms; I’ve been around the block.

The further I’ve progressed into my English education, the more I’ve noticed which mistakes are the most common in fanfiction. Many of them are easily fixable; writers just need to be pointed in the right direction. 

“Neo! Does this mean you think people shouldn’t be allowed to post their works online without a background in formal English education?”

Of course not! I can explain why if you’d care to venture below the cut with me!

Yes, I will explain how to use commas.

It’s important to note that this is NOT a post about formal writing. You aren’t writing an essay. Please, for the love of god, do not write fiction like you’re writing an essay.

There are no stakes to writing fanfic. No one is going to get hurt if an author doesn’t know what a dangling participle is. One of my favourite things about fanfiction is that it’s one of the only art forms left that’s done exclusively for fun! You should write what you enjoy, and share what you make with like-minded people. 

What I want to do is provide assistance as best I can to writers who want to improve their fundamentals without having to take the same university courses I did. Nobody is going to be getting a formal education to write fanfiction unless they’re ridiculously dedicated, and I’m not expecting that of anyone. 

The point I need to stress is that knowing these grammar fundamentals can instantly improve the flow of your writing. Punctuation is a ridiculously important tool for writers, ESPECIALLY in fiction. Commas, semicolons, and full stops (including periods, exclamation points, and question marks) steer the pacing in the reader’s mind; did you notice how your brain stopped for a second after that semicolon? I can show you how to do that.

You may be wondering why I’m going through so much effort to teach all of this to strangers on the internet. The answer is that I enjoy sharing this knowledge with others and helping them grow. By seeing this, my goal is to help you become more proficient at self-editing. Showing this to people who actually want to learn will, hopefully, benefit the community as a whole, and I think that’s very worth it. 

Also, while this post is obviously themed around TF2, the points I’m making can be applied to any fiction. Grammar is for everyone, and the church of the semicolon always has room for more initiates. 

Also also, as an edit, I should clarify that this is meant to cover the more objective facets of self-editing, which is why I'm mostly covering punctuation. Maybe I'll do another post about using adjectives someday.

With that out of the way, let’s get going!

I’ve teamed up with several English teachers (real ones! One of which may or may not be my mom!) and an editor to gather a list of the most common problems we see in amateur fiction. This post is going to be split into three broad sections: apostrophes, commas/semicolons, and other common problems. 

The apostrophe

This section is short, but it holds weight. Other than commas, apostrophes are the most typoed grammatical tool in any fanfiction I’ve edited. This is because, much like the rest of English, the rules surrounding them can be annoying and inconsistent. 

Apostrophes have two main uses: possessives and conjunctions.

A possessive is a word that denotes the ownership of one thing over another. The vast majority of the time, this is done using an apostrophe and an S.

There is, however, one glaring exception to this rule, and it’s the bane of my existence. 

When denoting possession of an object over something else while using the pronoun ‘it,’ you do NOT add an apostrophe before the S.

A conjunction, on the other hand, is when a writer uses an apostrophe to combine two words. The following are examples of common conjunctions:

What’s (what is)

They’re (they are)

It’s (it is)

Conjunctions are not often used in formal writing. Thankfully, we aren’t dealing in formal writing. Go crazy.

Time for a lightning round of the most commonly mistaken for each other possessives and conjunctions!

Your is possessive. You’re is a conjunction of ‘you’ and ‘are.’ When you can’t decide which one to use, imagine replacing it with ‘you are’ and seeing if it makes sense. If it doesn’t, use your.

Their is possessive. There indicates a location. They’re is a conjunction of ‘they’ and ‘are.’ 

The comma and the semicolon

You knew it was coming. I knew it was coming. It’s time to talk about commas.

Commas and semicolons are far and away the biggest grammatical hole in the toolset of fanfiction writers everywhere. They’re often treated like the rules surrounding them are complicated and difficult to understand, but the exact opposite is true! 

The big issue I’ve heard time and time again is that the rules of commas are often explained through metaphor instead of example; this means that writers everywhere have slightly different ideas of how you’re supposed to use them. The fact of the matter is that, yes, there are correct and incorrect ways to use commas. Knowing when they’re appropriate and when they aren’t is easily the fastest way to bring your writing from looking amateurish to sounding professional and experienced. 

In order to know how to use a comma, you must first understand the difference between a dependent and an independent clause. 

An independent clause is a section of writing that functions perfectly well as its own sentence. It MUST have both a subject and an action/verb.

A sentence without an independent clause is known as a fragment, and they’re the bane of English teachers with highlighters everywhere. 

A dependent clause is a section of writing that does not have both a subject and an action; it does not function as its own sentence.

Now, let’s say you want to combine the two. When joining a dependent clause to an independent clause, the order in which they are placed is crucial to whether you use a comma or not. 

When joining a dependent to an independent with the independent clause first, you do not need to use a comma.

When joining a dependent to an independent with the dependent clause first, you MUST use a comma. 

Keep in mind that, if one strives for total grammatical perfection, all narrative sentences MUST have an independent clause. This, however, does not apply to dialogue. Human beings do not think about whether what they’re saying is a dependent clause, and neither would the vast majority of fictional characters. Don’t be afraid to break the rules of grammar as long as it’s contained within quotation marks. 

Alright, that’s the easy part. Time to learn about joining two independent clauses. It’s semicolon time, baby!

If you join two independent clauses without properly using a comma or a semicolon, it is a run-on sentence. You do not want these in your writing. They’re awkward to read and mess up the flow.

When joining two independent clauses, you can use EITHER a comma or a semicolon. You just need to follow these rules:

If you’re joining two independent clauses with a comma, you MUST use a joining word (and, but, so, etc.) AFTER the comma. 

If you’re joining two independent clauses with a semicolon, you do NOT need to use a joining word.

Did you know that a sentence with a comma counts as its own independent clause? This means that you can make a sentence that includes a mix of both without it being a run-on! Just make sure that, no matter what, the semicolon is between two independent clauses. 

Still, try not to write more than two clauses in a sentence too often. Sentences with a lot of punctuation are very attention-grabbing, but shouldn’t be overused. Full stops aren’t your enemy and variety is the spice of life. 

It’s also important to remember that you should avoid using more than one comma in a clause (with the exception of the rule below). That part loops back to the 'avoiding run-ons' bit.

It’s really that easy! 

Commas are also used in informal writing to inject a separate thought or descriptor mid-sentence without breaking the flow by adding a period. This is often used when describing the perspective of a character experiencing something in a story, but not (usually) when using omniscient perspectives. 

The final issue I frequently see with commas in fanfiction is in regards to dialogue. Sometimes you end it with them, and sometimes you don’t. What gives? 

Well, my friend, the answer is, thankfully, much simpler than the previous section.

When following dialogue with a dialogue tag, use a comma instead of a full stop. If you’re continuing the previous sentence after the tag, use a comma after it as well. 

Note that a dialogue tag is a short phrase that identifies the speaker. It isn’t a complete sentence on its own.

When following dialogue with an action that does not serve as a dialogue tag, use a full stop instead of a comma. 

Other common problems

This section is dedicated to putting specific grammatical errors into words, along with how to solve them. 

Not sticking to the chosen point of view

Always choose your point of view before you start. Is it in the first, second, or third person? Is it omniscient or limited? Does the point of view switch during the story?

First person perspective is told as if the POV character is directly describing their experience to the reader. The character uses I and we to describe their own actions.

Second person perspective is told as if the reader is a character in the story and their actions are being described to them. This is the rarest, and the most difficult to write.

Third person perspective is the most common and the simplest to write. The events of the story are a separate entity from the reader altogether and the narrator uses they/he/she/it pronouns for characters. 

Omniscient perspective means the narrator of the story knows all, including the thoughts and feelings of each character. 

Limited perspective means the narrator of the story only knows what the POV character knows. 

Past and present tense

When you decide between writing a story in past or present tense, it is crucial that you do not switch between them unless it is narratively intentional. Reading a past tense story that mistakenly switches to the present tense is like being pulled out of the room someone is telling a story in and suddenly taking part in it yourself. It’s disorienting and gives the reader unwanted pause.

Overly-long paragraphs

A common adage spread by English teachers is that most paragraphs should be at least eight sentences long. This is great advice for beginner essays. You’re writing fiction. 

If you have a new thought, start a new paragraph! A concise and well-read single-sentence paragraph is infinitely better than one that drags a thought for too long. Aim to have a blend of paragraph lengths when you write, alternating between the descriptive and the punctual. 

Dangling participles

A dangling participle is when a word is used to describe a noun that isn’t actually present in the sentence. Much like how a sentence without an action isn’t grammatically correct, neither is a sentence without a subject. 

Malapropisms

A malapropism is when an author mistakenly uses one word or phrase instead of another similar-sounding one. I’m not about to list every single malapropism ever made, but these are the ones I notice most often:

To comprehend is to understand something, to apprehend is to arrest someone, and to be apprehensive is to be anxious or fearful of something bad happening.

Could care less means you do care. Couldn’t care less means you don’t.

A lot means a large amount of something. Alot isn’t a word and you shouldn’t use it.

The only real solution to using malapropisms is to make sure you fully understand any words you use in your writing. Never guess, and make sure you always google it. Having beta readers also helps.

If you made it this far, congratulations! You now know the most common errors in amateur fiction and how to solve them! Thank you for listening to me complain for two thousand words. 

The most important thing to remember is that it’s okay to make mistakes. First drafts are always gonna be a little bad. The real key to success is knowing what your end goal is, and how you plan on achieving it. Here’s hoping this was a helpful tool for that!

Shoutout to @salmonandsoup for helping me think of the list of issues to address! You're a real one. Also shoutout to my mom, who doesn't have Tumblr. Also the third person. You know who you are.

#grammarposting #tf2 #grammar #educational shitpost #writing #fanfic #fanfiction #writing advice #fanfiction writing advice #team fortress 2 #tf2 fanfiction #bro your participle is dangling

[lazuliquetzal]

Comedy Is A Lie: I’m Going To Explain The Joke And It’s Going To Make Everything Worse

A buddy asked me why I cut a good joke from one of my fics and my immediate answer was “it killed the tension,” which, upon reflection, is a pathetic answer that is mostly inaccurate and does not even come CLOSE to how much thought I put into comedy in my writing. So I guess I’m going to write this out and excise the demon of over-explanation. 

Part The First: What Is Funny

The biggest thing I try and keep in mind when writing editing comedy (and anything, really, but especially for comedy) is rhythm. Lots of parts to rhythm! Most obvious is the word-to-word/sentence-to-sentence flow. Timing is a really important aspect of verbal comedy, which is why performance is a good medium to use. You get to control the delivery of every sentence and the spaces in between. But when you’re writing, you have significantly less control over how a reader will interpret the rhythm: all you can do is word your sentences as best as you can and give them rhythm cues via punctuation. (This is why I use so many em dashes and commas… I'm working on that…)

The other part to rhythm is on a more macro scale. There are jokes that will roll along with the flow of a story. For me, these are jokes that don't deviate from the context of the scene too much. They connect one subject to the next, or they build off of each other (a ‘yes, and’ sequence, for example). Alternatively, the joke is delivered in a really understated way. Like passing off something objectively batshit as status quo. Either way, they flow!

Then there are jokes that will halt a scene in its tracks. These are jokes that recontextualize a situation, or make a particularly large leap from the current topic. Or, you've been setting up for this punchline for a while and this joke is payoff. Or the joke is just really, really funny. These are the kind of jokes where you need to give the characters (or the reader) a beat to process them. Sometimes. We’ll get back to that.

Part the Second: How Is Funny

So the point of all that rhythm stuff is that comedy has a flow! If every line is a witty one-liner, none of the lines are witty one-liners! If every joke is a one-hit-KO, you have left your reader unconscious. Basically, if you are constantly being #Funny, you become repetitive and predictable, and that is the death of tension (and humor is a tension-driven element). 

One way to think of comedic pacing is setup (AKA building tension) and punchline (AKA payoff). It’s a balancing act: the more you build up tension, the more satisfying the payoff is going to be, but if you spend too long building up, you start dragging. You want the reader to think, “I can’t wait for the punchline!” and not, “oh my god, PLEASE get to the punchline already.” 

Fun way to make the tension last longer is to put all those flow-y connector jokes along the way. The reader’s anticipating the Joke, so by giving them little jokes, it meets their expectations in little ways so that they don’t get too antsy.

Hey, what’s tension, you ask?

Part The Third: Why Is Funny

When I read a book, there are two emotions that get me to turn the page:

I don’t know what’s going to happen next, and I’m curious!

I know X is going to happen, and I’m anticipating it!

That’s tension. (Something something semantics—I’ve never taken a creative writing class, I don’t have a vocabulary) 

You can have the calmest, low-stakes fluffiest fic in the world but as long as your readers are experiencing either curiosity or anticipation, Congrats! You have tension! I, however, like putting readers on fast-paced rollercoasters, so that’s the lens through which I’m tackling this section, which is: how do I use jokes in a story structure context? What purpose does a clown serve?

I mentioned earlier that some jokes are bricks to the face: they demand to be processed. Most of the time, I put high-impact jokes in places where I need the story to “reset” in a way: force a beat so the reader can process both the joke and the plot. That’s using humor to release tension. Literally. Laughter relieves stress.

But! You can also use those jokes to make the tension even worse! If you drop a bomb and immediately press forward, no processing allowed, you get stressful comedy. You want to laugh, but also a bunch of other stuff is happening and it feels kind of rude to laugh, so you get stressed. Sometimes humor can undermine a climactic moment, but if you use the right joke in the right spot you create shrimp emotions. If you’ve read DotF ch8 you know what I’m talking about.

Jokes also just make for good plot points? A lot of jokes are built on recontextualization. Everybody loves a good twist/reversal/surprise in a plot. Just make a joke and re-frame it, and bam! You’ve plotted! (Everything I’ve ever written started off as a joke.)

Wait, What Was The Question?

Why did I cut the joke? It was a waste of a brick to the face. It was too referential, it required the audience to know/agree with something completely unrelated to the story, it didn’t build upon what I already established. It ruined the rhythm.

I need to emphasize that, despite all my Thoughts on this, the way I appraise my jokes is 80% vibe-based. I probably could have kept the joke, and it would have been totally fine. But I would know. I would know that my intended rhythm is broken… it would haunt me until the end of time…

#this isn't even getting onto building a Comedic Cast or nailing down a Comedic Characterization or Comedy-As-Action or Varying Your Humor #I'M JUST SAYING #my writing tends toward stupid crack comedy but i take my crack comedy extremely seriously #the short rule is that if it's funny it's valid #the long rule is that the more effort you put into something the funnier it becomes #it's about PURPOSE #writing #lazuli writes #comedy #lazuli talks

[swampstew]

Period HCs with Monster Trio + Law, Killer, and Kid

Ya girl is wracked with cramps, overflowing with emotions, and seriously lacking in chocolate :( enjoy this utter nonsense my blazed brain baked as I curl back into fetal position.

Summary: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Law, Killer, and Kid ranked by how they would handle themselves while you have your period. Implied established relationship♡

Minors DNI.

The worst actually. Not on purpose but Luffy's lack of awareness or self-restraint makes it difficult to appreciate his efforts. Not to mention he eats your snacks. You'd think with Nami and Robin on board he'd have some idea of what you're dealing with. Nope, you have to explain it again, it'll stick this time but it comes with another round of curious/invasive questions.

All your period comfort foods? Gone. The replacements? Also gone. You're lucky if there's a crumb of your favorite snack left over. Thankfully for everyone involved, his crew lends him a hand to make sure you're (eventually) satiated with alternatives and don't go on a murder spree during your cravings. On the flip side, Luffy abuses his power as Captain to have Sanji bring you both all the food when the kitchen is finally restocked. Good luck and bite him back if you have to!

His saving grace is using Gear 2 to cuddle and keep you warm. Giving you heated massages, foot and belly rubs until you're purring like a kitten. Unfortunately, he can only do the same thing for so long before growing bored. He needs a lot of intermittent breaks.

Has no tact, will ask you uncomfortable questions about your "thing going on" or your "comma" because he's so very curious and maybe also looking for ways to "fix you." Once he finds out about period poops, its over for you - there will be hourly check-ins. He'll make sure you're well stocked up on absorption products so there's that (also say thank you Nami, Robin and Franky)!

Zoro is shockingly adaptable but I guess if you spend enough time with one girl for two years - and also live with 2 full time - you're gonna learn a thing or two about having a period. Also, surprisingly reliable at getting you what you need, so long as you don't mind 2 hours to 2 business days to get it. Look he's trying ok?!

Be careful with what you say though. If you joke about cutting your uterus out, he'll take you at face value and have his blades ready. No one is a better slice master than he! Why is Chopper having a heart attack? BRB gotta tend to the younger bro.

Is not phased by your bodily changes or anything you might perceive to be "gross." Bodies are natural and they're just doing what they're meant to do, and for what it's worth he's trying to say things that will make you feel better but they don't always land. This comes from a guy who showers maybe twice a week so take the compliments as you will. He means them with his whole heart!

Out of all the guys, he's the only one who will respect your craving habits in a supportive way. That's to say he'll give you everything you want, but he knows when to cut you off before you make yourself sick. He also has a (terrifying) gift of knowing when your body is flushing itself out and he'll be right at your side with a tampon or pad in his hand at the ready. "I'm very in sync with you."

Ranks third because he's so fucking logical and doctorly. The kind of doctor that expects his medical advice and prognosis to outweigh your personal experience/feelings. Has Law ever experienced intense cramping and a headache while gushing a pint of blood and also pulled a full day's shift? No! "Doctoring" immediately invalid. Unless he gives you paid time off in which case his license is once again formally recognized.

On the OTHER hand, he will always have a colorful variety of options for you to take care of your personal business. He buys all biodegradable products, recyclable ones too! He also offers the best choices in birth control for you. Gynecology wasn't his specialty but taking care of his crew is so he studies and gets his license on the downlow.

Is VERY particular about his time spent and frankly, cuddling in bed isn't something he's entirely excited about. Sure he can do it with Bepo but that's like sleeping with a teddy bear you've had your whole life. Another person is different, especially one that needs his undivided attention and comfort. He'll give it and he won't complain about it, but he's not familiar with it and might be awkward at it for a time. Once he figures out what works best for you and let's himself relax around you, he's got the cuddling and rubbing your belly/lower back down to an exact science.

Questionable palate offerings when he first experiences your cravings. You had to teach him what's what when it comes to comfort eating and nutritional eating when you're in pain and your brain feels a bit scrambled from existing. Ikkaku had tried in the past to broaden the snack closet but it never stuck. With you, Law suddenly remembers to get things outside of his own personal preferences and comforts. It's comfort food for the BEPERIODED, LAW.

It's entirely because he's a chef and a well-groomed cutie that he ranks this highly. Honestly it was neck and neck between him and Law. His resume in the kitchen makes you forget about his perviness and near-infantilization of you.

You'll never have a craving unsatisfied because Sanji will go to the ends of the Earth to curb your hunger. The One Piece and All Blue can wait, his darling needs a rich, velvety chocolate mousse two minutes ago! He absolutely spoils you which may lead to overstuffing you until you feel worse than how the cramps made you feel.

Sanji waits on you hand and foot during your period. Practically carries you from point A to point B if you so wish. It might get annoying after a while if you don't like a hot blonde popping in your face every 10 minutes to offer you something you knew you needed but didn't know you needed right that second and you're kind of annoyed that he got it before you could even vocalize your own needs! Does that happen to anyone else or...? If you're into that pampered lifestyle, Sanji is the guy for you.

He wasn't around women a lot but living with Robin and Nami he did learn about products used and comfort items sought out, which he gives you in abundance. Sanji's weakness - period boobies. The slight swell has him a blubbering mess and he will always try to sneak a peek. He may or may not be able to smell your pheromones - its unclear but he is definitely sniffing you from time to time.

The clear winner out of the others its not even a joke. Is the trifecta of caring, supportive, and intuitive. The Period Manager™ everyone else should go back to their ship. No I am not biased.

Killer is the Chef of Carbo-loading but he knows his way around the kitchen and can make anything you desire at any given time. Desserts aren't his strongest suit but its the effort that makes it taste all the sweeter. You will never be without chocolate, praise be.

You've seen him so you know he knows muscles. Yours will become putty in his hands as he gently massages your aching body. With the help of low dose pain killers, Killer will slay your pain one sore muscle at a time.

Killer is so intuitive that he knows you have your period before you. Has your cubby on the bathroom countertop that includes: pads, tampons, flow-cup, aspirin, fuzzy socks, eye mask, and bottled juice. Your robe is hanging behind the door. He loves you so much.

Haha bitch you though. Kid is the true winner. Killer was the favored winner but you might have forgotten this is me we're talking about and Kid has never done anything wrong in his life ever. I support all his rights and wrongs, and I cheerlead at every speck of effort he puts in.

Where everyone else had mentors or positive authority figures to bond with, Kid had Killer - and Killer tried his fucking best. But not even someone as amazing as Killer can be a single mom and raise a mentally stable, well functioning person in society in a corrupted, gang-ruled regime. HOWEVER - Killer did teach Kid how to treat his period-having partner during their woes and Kid's success is Killer's pride and joy.

Like Luffy, Kid will definitely swipe your snacks and food because he's a greedy, greedy glutton. Prove you can bark back at him to stand your ground and he'll yield to you with a scoff and a pout. He doesn't even LIKE your snacks, he claims🙄 He'll make sure you have enough to satisfy your craving and then have a month supply in the hull of the ship just in case. This is where he'll sneak a few for himself without your notice.

Being the King of Treating Himself, Kid will generously make you things to comfort you. A weighted, heat-controlled blanket; a vibrating teddy bear that hugs your belly; a snack organizer to keep your preferences nearby; a personal cold/hot water cooler; pretty things to make you smile; dirty things to excite you for when its over; the gifts are boundless. So are the period products that he basically just steals from the other women in the crew.

“Captain you better reimburse me for those heavy flow tampons!!”

“I’m busy Quincy. Go bitch to the piggy bank (Wire) about it!!!”

“KILLER STOP THAT MAN!”

In his line of work, he's used to nitty gritty and things better left to the imagination. Also a bit grimy himself on occasion. That said, nothing your body does will ever disgust him. He rolls with whatever you throw at him. Bloodied bedsheets? He'll gently toss you and the sheets in the tub. He'll help clean out your soiled clothes. Buy or steal whatever you need to ease your comfort. Embarrassed by the way you feel or look? He'll give you a reassuring kiss on the cheek and say, "Eh, I've seen/heard/smelled worse."

#eustass kid #eustasscaptainkid #eustass kid x you #trafalgar law #massacre soldier killer #black leg sanji #roronoa zoro #swampstew #swampstew bedtime stories #swampstew stories #killer x you #sanji x you #roronoa zoro x you #monkey d luffy #luffy x you #law x you

[shadamyheadcanons]

What songs do you think that fits Amy and Shadow?

My knowledge about Shadow is only a few so I'm not sure about him

For Amy, it will be Happy Synthesizer and Ikanaide/Don't Go and various bubbly and lively songs

Combining these two for convenience.

First one - I’m glad you asked!

Love your ideas, especially Ikanaide. It sounds pretty upbeat at first, but then you pay attention to the lyrics, and...ouch. Feeling left behind and trying to pretend she’s okay with it? Yeah. That’s Amy. Here’s a link I found for an English version.

And here’s one for Happy Synthesizer.

As for which songs I associate with them, my Song & Dance tag covers the topic pretty well, especially this post.

Given how often I think about these two, though, I’m always finding more examples. There’s one song that I feel fits Amy better than any other. I wrote a headcanon about it on January 7th, 2022. I correctly predicted in that headcanon that a bunch of Amy-related stuff would happen that year--right down to her getting a new theme song, even!

I still think my song idea works better than the one in the Frontiers DLC, though. That one feels kind of bland to me. Yeah, she trusts her cards, but she’s supposed to be a go-getter! She reads the cards and then blazes her own destiny using them as a guide. Her mild Frontiers theme gives off the vibe of someone who’s letting fate happen to them, not the other way around. Amy is kind, but she’s not passive.

Laineybug04 correctly pointed out in this post that “House of Gold” by Atreyu fits Shadamy quite well, and I included “Wait for You” in In a Pinch, but it doesn’t stop there. The more I listen to Atreyu, the more I hear Shadamy, and I’m glad you gave me an excuse to point it out! “House of Gold,” “Wait for You,” “Terrified,” “Super Hero”...and “I Would Kill/Lie/Die for You” is pretty much spot-on for Shadow’s brand of dedication. It’s more romantic than the title makes it sound, haha.

They’re not all necessarily romantic in nature, but it’s very easy to imagine Shadow singing them about Amy.

I want to call special attention to “Stronger Than Me,” though.

The speaker starts by showing insecurity.

Yup.

He fears opening up and showing his entire self because he thinks others will be scared by what they see.

Yup.

He admits connecting with him might be complicated sometimes, but he remains steadfast because the relationship is important to him.

And, uh...this is from the chorus:

“When I was lost, You were always there, my guiding light, You are my ward, my compass ROSE, my lighthouse in the night”

Do I even need to explain? She’s one comma away from being name-dropped. The song’s title fits perfectly, too. It takes a lot of strength to always look for the best in people and put your faith in the goodness of others. It’s so easy to give up. Shadow would legitimately admire her for it. She deserves to know how special she is for that, and who better to tell her than someone whose entire life was changed by that strength and kindness?

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the song and lyrics. Trust me, you’ll need the lyrics sheet.

Second ask:

Yes, absolutely! I think of him as liking modern rock and metal, and also jazz because it would’ve been all the rage when he was made. I’ve mentioned this before, but if I had to pick one band to be his favorite, I’d say Nine Inch Nails. It’s heavy, intense, angsty, and complex, and it has some of the same electronic, bass-centered vibes as Shadow’s earlier themes. Compare NIN songs like Discipline and The Perfect Drug with Rhythm and Balance (White Jungle’s theme) and Shadow’s original character theme, Throw it all Away, both by Everett Bradley. Trent Reznor also has a deep voice like Shadow and Bradley do. NIN could do a mean cover of Throw it all Away, now that I think about it...

I don’t think it’s the best idea for canon, even the questionably-canon Twitter Takeover, to cite real people/artists. It’s fine for fans like us to do it, but the official franchise is different. Humans are flawed and complicated. When you start including real people, you could potentially do something awkward like, say...connect your series built on environmentalism with someone who uses a private jet.

Y’know. Hypothetically.

That’s why I love what the social media team did with Hot Honey in The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. A fictional band doesn’t carry that risk, and they’re seamless within the Sonic universe. Fans like us can’t get caught on whether or not Shadow would enjoy their music because none of us can actually hear them.

Funnily enough, your ask aligns perfectly with what makes Hot Honey so cute for these two. Shadow canonically doesn’t like Hot Honey at all:

No questions asked, no headcanons needed.

The reason he agreed to go was entirely, 100% because Amy asked him to. I think that’s far sweeter than the Taylor Swift thing. And I’ll be able to prove that when I finish writing Sweeter Than Honey. Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about it!

No offense to anyone who does enjoy Taylor Swift’s music, of course. Different strokes for different folks. :)

#shadamy #amy rose #shadow the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog #not a headcanon #ask #Song & Dance #yumebss #bearfoottruck

[doxypsychlean]

Hello, recently found your tumblr and I really love the way you write!! I have a request for Aegon being betrothed to someone a bit older (late 20s/early 30s) and therefore wouldn't be afraid to stand up for herself and wouldn't take his shit - but at the same time being a nurturing person. This combined with Aegons mommy-issues would just be a divine dynamic that I would love to read!

Oof, sorry for taking this long to post it! Hope ye like it:)

Wisdom

Aegon II Targaryen x Older!Reader

Headcanons

Warnings: mention of childbirth

Thou shan't repost/copy/ translate any of my work or I'll sneak into your home late at night and bite your nose off!

English isn't my first language. I don't proofread. I slap commas wherever I feel they're needed.

Alicent was against it from the very beginning. You were much older than her son. She'd heard all the tales,all the rumors about the monster you were. She believed them, there was no other rational explanation as to why you, a woman of noble descent, hadn't taken a man to marry. But there was nothing she could do. The King had made his decision.

Now that your father was gone from the world, you had taken over as Lady of the Eyrie and Warden of the East.

You were a strong, fierce woman and an excellent fighter.

Why you'd stayed alone for so long, no one could tell.

No one, except you. You'd spent your entire life fighting to secure your claim, so what was rightfully yours wouldn't be taken away from you.

It'd been long since the people had started spreading rumors about you being barren, some kind of a monster, even a man...

You paid them no mind. You knew why they did it. They wanted answers. They had none. So they created their own versions of your story.

You knew what you wanted- power.

Going against the Crown wasn't a safe, nor a wise choice. Though the prospect made you feel less than excited, you knew the next best thing was getting to the damned iron chair through marriage. But to whom...

You received a letter from your king not long after you'd put your father in the ground.

Viserys had heard enough about you. He couldn't afford a rebellion. Not now. So he'd decided you might as well join the royal family.

You didn't even bother with sending a letter back, but instead gathered your most trusted men and headed for the capital.

The Prince was confused. There were no horns and hooves, no spiked tongue, no tail. You were actually quite the beauty, if he had to be honest.

He tried to be smug about it, chest puffed out and all. He truly did.

Except you didn't blush or try to hide your face when he approached you, like most girls did. You weren't some clueless girl, but a woman grown.

"Don't test your luck, boy. You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"I- Well...I-"

He turned into a blushing mess, walking away with his head hanging in defeat.

Aegon had never met anyone like you before.

From that moment on, all he could think about was you.

Soon after the wedding, his mother stopped nagging him.

Scratch that, she avoided him like hell for a while.

Well, the prince also stopped giving her reasons to do so.

The first time he came back home drunk, you sat him down. After one long,long talk in which you explained how you won't stand around and watch him drink himself into an early grave, you sent the prince out of your shared quarters, so he could think about what he'd done.

Yep, he never made that mistake ever again. You made sure of it.

Your feelings for the young man grew with time.

He never left your side for too long, always trailing close behind.

You'd started giving him lessons in politics.

He couldn't deny it, you had experience in ruling.

As well as other departments.

Whenever in doubt, Aegon would run straight to you.

"I can't do it. I'll be the worst king there ever was or ever will be..."

"Not with me around, you won't."

On one particular night, the prince dragged his feet into your bedroom, tears streaming down his face.

You were quick to jump from the bed and take him in your arms.

In a fit of rage, his mother had screamed at him how the only thing you cared for was the Iron Throne and how he was the only one that didn't see it. How you'd toss him to the side the moment he becomes King, for then you'd have what you've always wanted.

Aegon asked you if what his mother had said was true, his voice faltering.

You confessed your love for him that night, your hands wiping at his tears as he held onto you tight.

Not long after, you had to call the Grand Maester to your chambers.

To say you were scared would be an understatement.

You weren't sure if your body could handle it. Maybe ten or fifteen years ago, sure. But now...Most women your age had two or three by now. You weren't old, but you also weren't stupid. You knew how wrong something like this could go.

You'd started considering getting rid of the child that was growing inside you.

And who could blame you? A self-made woman like you to succumb to childbirth would be unthinkable. After all you've done, you couldn't allow yourself to go in such a ridiculous way.

After a few days of contemplating on your side, the Grand Maester's presence was requested to your chambers once more.

"Princess, are you sure? The Prince Aegon-"

"Prince Aegon cannot and will not know about any of this."

The old man nodded, agreeing to keep his mouth shut.

Or so you thought.

That same night, instead of him arriving with your cup of moon tea, it was your husband.

The small teacup Aegon held in hands was shaking uncontrollably, threatening to spill everywhere.

He placed it on the table and stormed out without saying a word.

You were left there to make your choice. He knew he couldn't stop you. It was up to you to decide.

On the next morning you found him in the training grounds, the straw dummy he was swinging at almost completely torn in half.

"I have faced many a foe in battle. I have risked my life more than once, Aegon. And yet, I am not as brave as people make me out to be...I am afraid."

"Then let me be there for you, just like you've been for me."

The boy you'd given birth to months later was a carbon copy of you. He had the same hair, the same nose, the same smile.

The only thing that he didn't get from you were his eyes. They were the same shade of crystal blue as those of his father.

#aegon ii x reader #headcanon #hotd fanfic #aegon ii targaryen #dance of dragons #aemond one eye #aemond targaryen #hotd #game of thrones #requests open #accepting requests

[everwitch-magiks]

I'd like to add my two cents to a topic that I understand some fanfic readers fret about: what to write in a comment on AO3. Many have weighed in on this, and there are useful guides out there (such as this one) to peruse if you find yourself wanting to leave comments on fic but having no idea what to write. This post, however, will not give such a broad and comprehensive overview of ideas for different types of comments - instead, I'd like to talk about what my favourite type of fic comment is, and why.

If you're curious about a type of fic comment that will really make a writer kick their feet and shriek with happiness... read on.

"I see what you did there!" I got a comment on a fic the other day that made my entire week. I've been thinking about it ever since. It was an "I see what you did there!" comment.

The comment was about a subtle element in the story, something that was very much between the lines. The commenter briefly described how they had interpreted that element; all the ways they had noticed it, the subtle mentions they had caught, and exactly how the commenter had picked up on all of those things. The bottom line was, simply put, that the commenter saw what I did there, and chose to tell me so.

And here's the thing: I had, in fact, intentionally put all of those things in the story. I had tried to work that element in between the lines - subtly - and deliberated at length about whether or not it was obvious enough, or too obvious, or so subtle that noone would notice. I had plotted and planned and clarified and rephrased, and in the end I'd settled on a final version - one that hopefully conveyed what I wanted it to convey.

Key word: hopefully.

Writing is lonely. It's you and your doc and your words and your commas, and you're constantly second-guessing whether what you're trying to express is clear enough. Does it work? Does it hit? Is it doing what it's supposed to do? Beta readers do help with all of this - in fact, beta readers help immensely, and they all deserve flowers and a treat of their choice - but even after quizzing your trusted beta about whether that thing you're trying to do is working or not, there is still room for lingering doubt.

The best cure for that doubt? You guessed it: the 'I see what you did there!' comment.

Seriously, I can live on a comment like that for months.

It's the ultimate dopamine hit, the unquestionable confirmation that yes, it worked. The words did what they were supposed to do. All that work trying to get it just right actually paid off.

Hopefully, at this point, you're at the edge of your seat wondering how one actually writes a comment like this? And luckily for you, it is pretty simple!

How to write an "I see what you did there!" comment If you notice any of the following in a fic you're reading:

A subtle parallel

Something that's a metaphor for something else

Something that 'bookends' the story - an introduction that is mirrored by the ending

A line that recurs subtly

Any type of foreshadowing

Anything that is hinted at, but not clearly spelled out

Anything that makes you go "I see what you did there!"

Point it out in your comment. Describe what you picked up on and how you picked up on it. Say: "I see what you did there!"

I think this is the sort of thing you'll know when you see it, and now you hopefully feel confident that you'll absolutely make the writer's day by pointing it out to them! It may seem like you're just explaining the story back to the writer, which may feel a little silly since the writer definitely knows what they put in there, but what you're really doing is confirming to the writer that you now know what they put in there, too. And that's such a cool thing for the writer to get confirmed.

Take care of each other out there in fanfic land, folks! I hope you're now feeling inspired to support your local AO3 author with a good ol' "I see what you did there!" comment! A classic for a reason.

#fanfiction #writing #ao3 #ao3 comments #ao3 comment etiquette #fandom

[pssysht]

semi- colon ~ drarry part 1.

top draco

bottom harry

~ Use a semicolon to join two related independent clauses in place of a comma and a coordinating conjunction

‘but sir!’ harry protests, completely infuriated by snapes decision to pair draco and himself together for a potion assignment.

‘i don’t wish to hear it mr potter.’ snape mumbled as his cloak swished behind him and he sauntered back to the front of the room.

‘now your lab partners have been…allocated…you have 1 week, no more no less, to gather ingredients… and to create Felix Felicis goo… a… perfect… batch..’

harry groaned as snape slowly and painfully talked, rolling his eyes he looked over at malfoy who was already glaring at him. harry scoffed and faced the front again. this is ridiculous. it’s as if snape wanted harry to die, which now that he thought about it, was probably the exact reason they were paired together.

as harry collected his books and scurried out of the room his arm was caught by a strong grip. he turned to see a seething malfoy.

‘ok potter. seen as we have no choice. slytherin dorms at 8’ he scoffed before shoving past harry. harry’s jaw dropped at the sheer audacity of him. ordering him around like he’s his secretary. he shook his head, leaving the room finally to meet hermione and ron.

‘blimey harry, i wouldn’t want to be you right now’ ron laughed as harry explained his painful hour in potions.

‘thanks ron’ harry’s voice dull and unimpressed.

‘well i think you’ll have the best chance at creating the brew as malfoy is the best at potions’ hermione tried to share some light in the situation but harry just groaned and slammed his head against the dining table, unable to see the positives of spending a week after school with draco malfoy.

as it turned 8 o’clock harry stood by the slytherin entrance, waiting to be allowed in as the painting glared at him.

‘what?’ harry whispered annoyingly at the portrait who just turned his nose up and looked away. suddenly the door flew open as pansy parkinson allowed him in.

‘his rooms over to the right’ she sighed before walking away quickly. harry looked over to see a large oak door with the words ‘enter you die’ written in red ink over the wood. harry scoffed before knocking harshly, just wanting to get this night over with.

the door opened slowly and malfoy stood in a simple black shirt and sweatpants, opening the door wider for him. harry slipped in without a word before looking around and realising it to be a private dorm, with only one bed, a dresser, a wardrobe and a small chest at the foot of the bed.

‘of course’ harry laughed before dramatically dropping his bag on the floor and sitting on the chest.

‘so… what’s the plan’ harry asked as he looked back at malfoy who had already sat back down at his desk turned away from the boy.

‘was hoping you’d have the answer to that potter’ he sneered and spun around waiting. harry sighed and pulled out a piece of parchment with a quill.

‘what are the ingredients’ harry said, boredom dripping from his voice.

‘4 oz dragon liver ooze, 1/2 teaspoon occamy shell, 1 teaspoon squill bulb juice, 2-3 drops salamander blood, dash of murtlap tentacles.’ draco said way too quickly for harry’s hand to scribble down.

‘you lost me at 1/2 teaspoon’

draco groans before grabbing his wand and casting harry’s quill to pull away from harry’s hand to write the ingredients quickly.

‘ok… so what now’ harry’s unimpressed expression clear.

draco threw his head forward and sighed, he stood up, pushing harry off the chest and opening it up, grabbing a jar from the bottom corner. before he could close it harry saw a stack off old leather notepads, and almost giggled at the obviousness of draco malfoy keeping a diary for every year at hogwarts.

‘this is the squill bulb juice, tomorrow we will have to find a salamander.’ draco holds the jar up to harry’s face, its contents swishing around slowly, glowing in the slight darkness of the room.

‘fine’ harry scoffed before picking up his bag and leaving, there was not a single point of that interaction, he could have been playing chess with ron or watching neville dance around the room in his fancy shoes. anything is more entertaining than that small time spent with him.

the next morning he’s rudely awoken by ron shaking him.

‘dracos waiting for you mate’ ron laughed as harry slammed his head back into his pillow and screamed.

as he threw on his clothes he cursed the day malfoy was born, how if his mother didn’t find lucius the slightest bit attractive he could be sleeping in right now, rather than spending the morning with a blonde slightly attrac- annoying git.

‘why do i have such the pleasure to see your face so early in the morning malfoy’ harry complains as he steps out of the gryfindor dorm. draco rolls his eyes before turning and walking away. is he seriously asking him to follow behind?

either way harry drags his feet behind him, waiting to be told the reason for his early bird morning. draco continues to walk as he leaves the castle, entering the small wooded area, thankfully less scary than the forbidden forest a few miles to the right.

they come across a lake, filled with weird creatures.

‘get in’ draco says his first words, and harry looks at him with his mouth open.

‘you’re kidding’ harry protests, standing back slightly. draco shakes his head and aggressively points to the water edge.

‘we need salamander blood’ he shrugs. potter looks at him in disbelief as he turns his head from draco to the water and back to draco repeatedly.

‘why don’t you get in’ harry is for sure not being woken up before the sun has even really revealed itself and then forced into a cold lake. draco looks at him with his eyebrow raised, of course hes not going in.

‘i have the first ingredient already in my room, it’s your responsibility to find the next.’ he states matter of factly. harry slowly approaches the water edge, seeing multiple creatures resembling the one he’s looking for, as he’s about to turn around draco pushes his rather harshly into the water. harry gasps as the cold water hits his body. he lays in shock until a loud laugh is heard from behind him, he turns to see draco keeled over in a fit of laughter, slapping his knee.

‘malfoy… you’re going to die’ harry explains calmly, before reaching for his wand and forcing draco into the water too. draco’s face forces harry into a fit of laughter too, his hair flat to his head.

harry looks around and notices the ruckus they made entering the water scared all the salamanders away, except for a small one with its tail stuck under dracos leg.

‘draco don’t move’ harry explains calmly, his hand slowly reaching for his leg. draco being draco screams at the unknown and jumps out of the water.

‘what.the.fuck’ harry sighs as the only creature left in this lake rushes away.

and so, draco and harry spent the next hour jumping and diving to catch a salamander, finally capturing an old slow one. as they walk back to the castle, dripping wet and freezing, harry realised this morning had actually been a little enjoyable, minus the fact draco was there too.

‘see you same time tomorrow potter’ malfoy mutters before walking the opposite direction to shower.

‘wait wha-‘

and he kept his promise, the next morning harry is yet again woken up at the crack of dawn to sneak into snapes cupboard of ingredients for dragon liver ooze, which may be cheating but how exactly are they supposed to retrieve it the traditional way without dying?

‘you barely survived the tournament with the dragon, this is easier’ draco whispered as they snuck into the very small cupboard. their backs touch as they search opposite walls scouring for the bottle.

‘you know if we get caught im going to blame this entirely on you’ harry said while still scanning each isle. draco chuckles and suddenly throws himself back into harry, causing potters hand to swipe a bottle of pearl dust off the shelf, resulting in a very shimmery explosion as it smashed against the floor.

‘malfoy! you’re going to get us killed!’ harry yelled, trying to scoop up the substance. draco just smirked before leaning over harry, grabbing the bottle they were searching for and dashes out the door, leaving a very incriminating scene for harry to explain. harry curses and dashes out the room, catching up to malfoy out of breath.

‘we are so gunna get caught’ he says as he heavily breathes, leaning onto the wall. malfoy shrugs before walking away, promising to see him the next morning.

#harry potter #harry/draco #top draco malfoy #bottom harry potter #drarry

[sopebubbles]

Chapter One

Summary: How many men will it take to save you? To be honest, you've gotten pretty used to saving yourself. Even though you're far from a delicate thing, Los Angeles is a dangerous place you can't seem to escape no matter how hard you try. The top 7 members of Bangtan should never have crossed your path, but they soon find they'd do just about anything to help you escape your past and make it safe for you to stay. But will you?

Genre: mafia au, poly ot7, angst, some smut, honestly a lot more fluff than i expected, POC reader/oc

A/N [very important please read]: This story takes place in LA. Reader (AKA Val) is a Mexican national. The members are part of a Korean gang operating in LA known as Bangtan. There's some Spanish thrown in here or there but I think context explains most of it. Dialogue in italics indicates that the speaker is using either Spanish or Korean in order to exclude some of those present while talking to others. Another important thing to note about the reader is that although I typically try to describe the character's body as little as possible to be inclusive, this character has very specific physical traits related to her biography, so just be aware of that. I reall hope you enjoy reading it. I LOVE interacting with the readers so please let me know what you think about the characters, theories, my use of commas, whatever. 💜

Chapter warnings: cursing (as always, but this time in Spanish, too!), mentions of sex, jimin's a hoe, both Tae and reader are orphans so yeah, alcohol

Word count: 6.6k

Masterlist | next->

Taehyung left Namjoon's office feeling rather satisfied. Tonight had been an easy night, smooth and according to plan. He received the shipment at the docks, everything in order and two grand to pad his pockets. After reporting to his boss,  the rest of the summer night was wide open and hot with possibilities. 

There wasn't a thing Taehyung didn't love about his life. And why should he? He had it all. Incredible good looks, money, and power. And if he had to commit a few crimes to keep it that way, what did he care? It was the only life he'd ever known or wanted, to be part of the Bangtan gang that ran LA's Koreatown, among other things. 

Taehyung walked away from the back office, out to the public space on the second floor. Jimin was waiting for him, but they'd both agreed they were looking for something—or someone—else tonight, though a threesome didn't sound like a bad idea, if they agreed on someone. Taehyung met him at the edge of the second story that only extended through half of the club, giving him a view of the large dance floor in the main room below. He gripped the railing and scanned the space below, waiting for something unknown to catch his eye.

And that something was you. 

In the center of the dance floor you were almost impossible to miss. The light beige of your dress contrasted beautifully where it clung against your warm tawny skin. The fringe of your short skirt danced in time with your long black hair as you moved your body to the loud club music. Even from far away, Taehyung could tell your body was fit, but curvy in all the best ways, giving you a beautiful figure. The thought of what you might feel like, how you would fit in his hands transfixed him for an immeasurable amount of time. The only thing that jogged him from his fantasies was your eyes when they looked up and met his. An intoxicating smile spread across your lips before you looked down shyly and giggled. He needed to know what that sounded like.

The song you were dancing to ended and he watched your friend grab you by the hand, pulling you off the dance floor. If you were planning to leave, Taehyung needed to talk to you first, and that instinct got his feet moving quickly. He bumped into a few people on his way down the stairs because his eyes refused to leave you, and he only slowed when he realized you were just going to the bar and not out of Club Seoul. With Jimin following, an amused laugh on his lips, Taehyung made a beeline for the bar. 

"Hello," he greeted with a smile when he sidled up beside you at the bar. 

Your dark chocolate eyes flashed wide for a moment before you returned his smile. "Hi."

"I saw you dancing." Taehyung leaned his elbow on the bar in front of you. 

"I saw you see me," you replied. You turned to your friend, and cringed, but if you were awkward he didn't notice, desperate just to have you looking at him again. Taehyung was used to having girls be shy in front of him, frequently stunned into spontaneous mutism by his uncommon good looks, but right now all he was thinking about was you. 

"Can I get you a drink?" He asked when you looked back up at his face.

You pointed to the bar, where a bartender was pouring out two shots for you and the other girl. "We already have some."

"Two more, please, Doyun. And leave the bottle." The man behind the bar did as Taehyung instructed and then went to get the waters you had asked for.

"You come here a lot?" You asked, noticing the familiar way he spoke with Doyun.

"I practically live here," Taehyung replied as he passed one of the tequila shots to Jimin. He leaned in closer as the music seemed to get louder. "Maybe you'd like to come up to our VIP room." His eyes shifted from you up to the second floor and you felt your cheeks heat. You hadn't even taken your shot yet. 

"I don't even know your name!" You yelled back over the music. 

"I'm Tae!" He flashed you his beautiful smile. "It's nice to meet you-?"

"Val!"

Taehyung clinked his shot glass against yours. "Cheers, Val!" He lifted the glass to his lips and the three of you did the same.

"So, Val, what do you say?" His offer still hung in the air around you.

You looked nervously between Tae and your friend, but she nudged your back. "Can I bring my friend?"

Taehyung nodded happily. "Of course! Follow Jimin!" He pointed to the smaller man beside him, and he led the way toward the stairs while Taehyung grabbed the bottle of tequila off the counter and walked behind you. He shamelessly kept his eyes glued to your round ass as you walked up the stairs behind your two friends. 

Jimin led you into a comfortably furnished room with glass tables and soft red couches. You were taller than Jimin with your wedges on, but your smaller friend looked just the right size beside him when they sat together on one of the couches, leaving you to sit next to Taehyung.

Jimin smiled at her and then looked over at Taehyung. "They're pretty. Good choice."

"I'm not sharing." Taehyung scowled at Jimin as you shared a confused look with your friend, neither of you understanding their Korean. "That's Jimin. He speaks English. He just forgot his manners," the taller man explained with a pointed look.

Jimin chuckled beautifully, a stunning smile lighting up his face. "I'm sorry."

Taehyung turned his eyes from the other man to study your face. "So, Val, where are you from?"

Jimin's accent was thicker than Taehyung's, which was barely there. It was little more than something slightly off about the way his mouth wrapped around certain sounds, the sort of accent one gained when learning a second language as a young child. Jimin's was more like your own, one gained in adolescence.

You looked around as if you were cautious about speaking, but decided it was okay. "I'm from Mexico."

"That's cool!" Taehyung responded with an enthusiastic smile and threw his arm over the back of the couch, moving a few inches closer to you. "I went to Cancun last year with my boss. Have you been?"

You shook your head, holding back a smile. "I bet it's beautiful."

"It is. You'd look even more beautiful there," Taehyung mused, making Jimin's chest bubble with his musical laughter.

"I think we need more shots if we're going to listen to this…"

"Mariana," the girl by Jimin's side told him.

"Mariana," Jimin repeated with a playful tap of his finger under her chin, then he turned to pour out four more shots. You all took them before Taehyung drew your attention back to him, firing off another question before you had the chance.

"Are you just visiting?"

Mariana answered for you, but she was clearly talking to Jimin while the two of them eye fucked each other. "No, we live close by." Jimin hummed as she touched his arm. You rolled your eyes and looked back at Tae.

"You live in Koreatown?"

"Yeah, we both work at Little Bar." You looked over at your roommate but she was fully ignoring the two of you now, talking in whispers with Jimin before he poured them each another shot. 

"That little hole in the wall?" You nodded. "Damn. You should get a job here. You'd get much better tips." He winked and you giggled, a happy sound to his ears. 

"We do alright. It's lowkey but we don't get that many tourists. The pay is alright and the hours aren't bad." 

Taehyung nodded. "Are you a student?" He asked, thinking you couldn't be much more than twenty-one. 

You hummed and continued answering Taehyung's barrage of questions while Jimin and Mariana got closer and closer. Less than fifteen minutes later, the two of them were making out on the couch, and you and Tae were trying your best to ignore them. 

"So, you live close?" Jimin asked when he broke apart for air, perhaps a bit louder than he really intended.

"Yeah, let's get out of here. Val?" Mariana stood and looked down at you.

"Yeah, sure," you agreed a little reluctantly. "Tae, it was–"

"I can drive you," he offered hopefully. 

"Oh it's really not that far, just a few blocks."

"That's okay. It will save me the walk back." He beamed his smile down at you.

It seemed to take you a moment to respond and Taehyung wondered if it was the shots or his smile that dazed you. "Um, you've been drinking."

"Just what I had with you. I'll be fine. And it's not far right?" He pushed. 

"Aish. Just let him show you his car," Jimin smirked and began walking from the room, putting the conversation to rest. 

Taehyung had gone home after finishing his job for the night to get Jimin and switch his company car for his personal one, a sleek 1966 red mustang convertible in perfect condition. He was thrilled to see that you looked at least somewhat impressed when he led you to see his prized possession. 

"Hop in," he encouraged you. You glanced back at the other couple, already clinging to each other. "Let them take the back seat and ignore them," he shrugged. 

You smiled and slipped into the passenger seat while Jimin helped Mariana into the back by lifting her over the side of the car, making her squeal gleefully before he jumped in with her. Once everyone was settled, Tae pulled out of his spot right in front of the club and followed your directions to your apartment complex. It really was so close you didn't have time for any more conversation than that, but you could hear kissing sounds from behind you and it made you a little red. Taehyung had barely come to a stop before Jimin was jumping out of the car and bringing Mariana with him. 

"Quédate, Valentina," your roommate said firmly just as you were reaching for the door handle. You stopped your movement and tried not to sigh. 

"I'll call you to come get me later," Jimin told Tae at the same time, sending him a wink. Then the two rushed toward the gate to the courtyard. 

"What did she say?" Taehyung asked as you fidgeted in your seat while you watched them go up the stairs to your apartment. 

"She told me to stay, but don't worry once they get inside I'll just go sit in the courtyard."

"Or you can stay with me," he offered, just as shyly as you had spoken. He wasn't sure why you made him nervous, maybe he was just feeding off the energy you were giving him. He wasn't usually this shy and awkward with women. 

"Oh, you don't have to entertain me."

He blew you off, pushing air through his teeth. "It would be my pleasure. Besides, they're gonna be a while."

"How do you know?" You followed his gaze up to your apartment door where they were finally walking in.

"Because Jimin makes it last forever."

"How do you know?" You repeated innocently. 

"Jimin and I are kind of together. I mean, we sleep together. Sometimes," he admitted but wished he'd kept his mouth shut, in case it freaked you out. 

You sputtered for a moment, not quite sure how to respond to that information. "But he—are you upset?" You finally asked, brown cheeks turning red, although it was hard to tell in the darkness. 

"No. I mean, it's not a big deal. We're both bi and we're open. We agreed to look for other partners tonight, and he only found Mariana because I picked you so…" he trailed off as your eyes went wide.

"You picked me?" Your voice rose an octave.

"I–no–I…wait!" He stumbled frantically over his thoughts trying to find the right thing to say.

"I'm not-" you were clearly equally at a loss for words.

"I didn't mean like that. Just, I noticed you first and it just so happened that Jimin is the one getting laid but-"

"I'm not gonna fuck you!" You interrupted. 

Taehyung chuckled. "You sure? The back seat is very spacious."

You stared at him for a moment before laughing genuinely and he sighed in relief that you knew he was joking. 

"I'm sorry. I'm just not that…casual," you said timidly. "I know it's weird but…"

"No. It's fine. Honestly. I shouldn't have assumed." His voice is gentler than it had been earlier in the evening, soft and deep now that he wasn't trying to talk over music. It allowed him to feel more open.

Letting the information sink in, Taehyung found he liked your innocence, how soft and shy you were. It was a change from the women he usually met, and the men too. Maybe it was just a corruption kink but he wanted to know what it would be like to break you out of that shell and make you his.

"Are you a virgin?" He asked abruptly. You choked on your spit, too surprised by the question to be able to give an answer before Taehyung tried to fix things. "I'm sorry. That was a stupid question. Forget that I asked! Forget I said anything. Um…are you hungry?"

You took a deep breath before answering. "I am a little. But you don't–"

"Do you like arcades?" 

"I- I've never been to one," you shrugged. 

Taehyung smiled and shifted into drive, pulling away from the curb. "I know just the place. I think you'll like it."

He turned up the radio and you leaned on your elbow against the car door, letting the wind flow through your hair as he drove you through familiar streets. He looked over at you frequently, catching glimpses of your face when you passed under street lights. He couldn't tell at all what you were thinking, and that only made him want to know more. 

Taehyung parked outside a pub with arcade games inside. He didn't make it to your side in time to open your car door but he held the door of the restaurant open for you like a gentleman. 

"You like burgers?" He asked when you were both inside. And you nodded quietly. "This place has the best. Go pick a table and I'll order for us. You want a beer?" You nodded again, watching his smile grow boxy before he turned to step up to the counter and then you went to find a table near the back wall.

Taehyung placed your order and found you once he had your beers. He sat at a ninety degree angle to you at the four top table and sipped his beer in a comfortable silence while he tried to think of something to say. He'd been carrying the conversation for most of the night and you were both starting to feel a little self-conscious about it.

"Are you from LA?" You finally asked, after a couple of minutes had passed.

"I've lived here most of my life. But I was born in Singapore."

"Like crazy rich Asians," you blurted out before you slapped a hand over your mouth and mumbled 'sorry.'

Taehyung laughed loudly. "Yeah, just like that. My parents were Korean, though," Tae explained.

"Were?" You repeated softly, and he nodded.

"They died when I was five, so I moved here to live with my godfather."

You gave him a weak smile under your wide sympathetic eyes and touched your fingertips gently to the back of his hand on the table. "I– I lost my parents when I was young too. I don't remember my mother. And my dad died when I was fifteen."

"Before or after you came here?" He wondered. 

"Before."

"Then you came all alone, just like me?" You nodded. A heavy silence hung in the air for a moment while you both drank.  "Your roommate called you Valentina?"

"Yeah."

"That's pretty. Sweet. It suits you." Your cheeks darkened at his compliment and your eyes flashed with a strange emotion, something close to satisfaction before it disappeared. 

"Is Tae short for something?"

He licked the beer off his lip before he answered with a smile. "Taehyung." He kept smiling as you did your best to get your mouth the syllables. He broke it down for you bit by bit, but the nuance eluded you. "I like Tae just fine," he assured you.

You continued to share mundane details about your lives until the food came, taking a little less once you started eating. Taehyung watched each of your features shift as you talked, trying to parse out the signature of each emotion as they crossed your face. He listened patiently, trying to decipher some of your words or waiting for you to find the right one, amused even when your Spanish slipped into a phrase uninvited. 

"Do you know how to drive?" Taehyung asked once you'd both finished eating. 

"No," you admitted, and he noted the little bit of terror in your eyes.

"That's okay. Let's see how much stuff you can hit," he suggested cheekily, pointing to the game in the arcade room next door. You agreed eagerly and followed him.

It turned out you could hit a lot of stuff. But those games were always much harder than actual driving and in your second race you beat Taehyung by a hair. He got more and more excited as the competitive nature he shared with you came out of you more and more with each game you played. You were both good sports about it though, evenly matched, both winning and losing until you'd played every game in the arcade and it was closing time. Just as you were leaving the bar with light heads and lighter hearts, Taehyung's phone rang. 

"Come get me!" Jimin started before Taehyung even said hello. 

"Yah! I'll be there in a little bit," he replied and hung up. "Let's get you home," he said to you, opening the door this time. 

He knew Jimin would be annoyed if he took a long time, but he could walk to Club Seoul and get a ride from someone there if he was really in a rush. Taehyung wasn't in a hurry for his night with you to end and he drove deliberately slowly back to your part of town. Halfway there, he got the courage to reach one long arm over, just brushing his thin fingers against yours where they rested on the bench before yours twiched toward him, and he laced them with a blissful smile. When he finally pulled up in front of your building, Jimin was standing with his arms crossed, tapping his foot in annoyance. You placed your hand on the handle, but Taehyung tugged on the one he still held. 

"Wait. Um–" You looked at him with your big eyes and he almost lost his words. "Are you free tomorrow? I'd like to take you out again."

You frowned at him. "I work every night this week. Maybe next week," you added when his face fell. 

"What time do you work tomorrow?" He pushed. 

"I start at 5."

"Then I'll pick you up at noon, and we'll go have some fun. Dress comfortably," he instructed without bothering to wait for your response.  

"Okay," you smiled, and he finally released you. You left the door open so that Jimin could take your spot, and Taehyung waited until you were inside the gate to pull away. 

"Was she good? What do you have that dopey grin on your face for?" Jimin teased.

"No. We didn't have sex," Taehyung admitted.

Jimin let out a disbelieving laugh. "What?"

"Jimin, I think I'm falling in love."

Jimin wove his fingers into the hair at the back of Taehyung's head and tugged gently. "Aish, Taehyung-ah. Just drive." No sooner had Taehyung pulled away from the curb than Jimin's phone began to ring. "It's Namjoon hyung," Jimin informed the driver after fishing his phone out of his pocket. "Bet you twenty bucks he needs us to drive him home," Jimin quipped just before answering and putting the phone on speaker. "Hey, boss."

"Are you with Taehyung?"

"Yeah, we're just-"

"Come pick me up at the club." Namjoon's voice was firm, an angry edge in his tone, not a drunken lilt like they had expected. 

"What's going on?" Taehyung asked as he sped up. 

"There was a break-in at the warehouse."

"We're right around the corner," Tae told him as he made the turn. He didn't even have time to put the car in park before Namjoon got in and they were driving again.

"A bit ostentatious for business, Taehyung," Namjoon commented as he settled into the back seat. 

"Sorry, hyung. I thought I was off the clock."

Namjoon made a deep, dissatisfied sound in his chest. "It's fine. Just drive carefully. Don't need to draw any attention to ourselves."

"Triads?" Jimin asked, turning over his shoulder. The boss hummed an affirmation.

"Getting pretty fucking bold," Taehyung grumbled as he scanned the streets, making sure he wasn't breaking any traffic laws.

Namjoon's jaw flexed as he ran his thumb over the cool steel of his handgun. "We'll just have to teach them a lesson they'll remember."

Normally your mind was empty while you worked out, lifting weights in an almost meditative state, but today your mind was filled with Taehyung. His perfect dark hair you were sure would be angel soft if you ran your fingers through it. His goofy, boxy grin you would try anything just to see. It was just a shame that practically everything you told him was a lie.

It wasn't him. You lied to everyone. It was just second nature now, the way the name Valentina rolled off your tongue as if it had always been yours and not just for the last two years. There were three Valentinas in your class in elementary school. You thought it sounded like the name of someone who nice things happened to. Not someone like you.

Someone like Taehyung, or so you thought. Maybe it was the fact that you were so wrapped up in your own little lies that you missed the obvious signs of who he really was. But those would come later. Today he was just the cute boy you'd met yesterday, who was going to pick you up in—oh shit you were going to be late.

You rushed home from the gym to shower and clean your body of sweat, to make sure you smelled fresh and perfect, the way Taehyung should see you. When you got out of the shower you dried off and dressed quickly in a pair of jean shorts and a loose t-shirt. You stuck your head out the front door to see him leaning against his car in light slacks and thin, silky, flower patterned shirt, sunglasses covering his eyes. You tiptoes onto the landing to call out to him.

"Tae!" He looked up at you from whatever thoughts he was lost in. "I'm sorry, I'm running a little late. Give me five minutes?" 

You couldn't see his eyes, but his lips spread into a giddy smile. "Take your time, baby. I'll wait all day."

You smiled back at him and skipped back into the apartment. You would invite him in, but the place you shared with Mariana was really a one bedroom apartment she had shared with her ex and was desperately seeking a roommate for when you showed up, equally desperate for a place to live, so you'd accepted the living room that served as your bedroom. You changed your t-shirt to one that was a little nicer and tried to get as much water as possible from your hair with a towel since the blow dryer would just make you hot on an already hot day. After dragging a brush through your damp strands and slipping into sandals you were ready to go.

"I'm so sorry," you apologized as you skipped down the metal steps toward the gate. "I was at the gym and I completely lost track of time."

Taehyung smiled as he scanned your body up and down. "That's okay. You're worth the wait." Your cheeks darkened as you waited for him to move away from the car so you could get in, but he was still admiring your body. Although you were slightly more covered than the night before, he was taking advantage of the daylight to get a good look at your body. After a moment you cleared your throat to get his attention.

"Shit." Some mixture of a cough and a laugh came through his throat as he realized he was caught. "Sorry, you just look so good." He got off the car and opened your door. 

You whispered a thank you as you sat in the passenger seat and waited for him to walk to his side. "When are we going?" You asked after he started the engine. 

"Santa Monica pier. I wanna see what other games I can beat you at." He smirked as he pulled into the street. 

"In your dreams," you laughed as he drove away too fast. 

"As long as you're there, it will be," he grinned and you both laughed at his cheesiness.

At the pier, Taehyung bought you both wristbands so you could go on every ride after you assured him you weren't scared. In between, you stopped at practically every carnival game, trying to best each other as much as you tried to win the prizes. Taehyung was better than you at shooting games, but you beat him at darts. You could both throw balls and bean bags equally well, but neither of you were good at basketball, and you agreed no one could win ring toss games. Between the two of you, you won too many prizes for you to carry, and when you insisted to Tae that you couldn’t take them all home, you watched with a warm heart as he handed out your smaller toys to little kids as you walked up and down the pier. You only kept the large teddy bear that he won for you and held it close to your chest. 

You saved the ferris wheel for last, and as you stood in line to get on, you knew exactly what you liked best about Taehyung. His carefree spirit brought out your inner child, one you would've sworn you didn't have, since you'd barely had a childhood at all. He allowed her to walk in the golden sunlight that danced in his tan skin and feel the breeze that whipped up his thick, dark hair. Taehyung made you feel what you'd always wanted: an unquestionable freedom.

As you first approached the top you both sat quietly, though Taehyung slipped his hand into yours as he had grown more and more comfortable doing throughout the afternoon. He watched your face as you looked out at the ocean. 

"Qué hermosa," you whispered and he didn't need to know what you said to know what you meant. He brushed back the strands of hair that the wind whipped across your face and left his hand cupping your cheek. 

"It's prettier in the evening, but I think it's still pretty romantic now," he murmured, his thumb stroking across your cheek. You watched his eyes flicker to your lips and found yourself doing the same. Closing your eyes as he leaned in, you waited for his kiss. It was chaste, soft and gentle, everything Taehyung was to you. It only lasted a moment but your heart swelled so much you couldn't help feeling satisfied, with the hope you'd do it many more times. He kissed you a couple more times before you settled into his side and rested your head against his shoulder until your ride ended. 

"Oh, I guess we better go," he sighed when he looked at his phone. You'd be cutting it close for work. 

"It's alright, just take me straight to the bar," you told him as he took your hand and hurried you to the car. 

You couldn't seem to get the smile off your face as he drove too fast through the city streets, arriving outside your bar with a couple minutes to spare—minutes he would fill with more kisses after he dragged you closer to him on the bench. He started off softly at first before his teeth gently pulled at your bottom lip, prying them apart so he could slip between your lips, catching just the tip of your tongue with his own. You gripped the back of his neck with both hands and kissed him deeper, pushing your tongue against his as you melted into his arms. 

"I could kiss you all night," he mumbled against your mouth. You smiled as you pulled away. 

"Not this night," you reminded him, trying to create a little distance between you, but he just tightened his arms around your waist and pecked your lips again before he released you. 

"What about your new friend?" He asked, tilting his head toward the oversized bear in the back seat. 

"Maybe you can keep him for a little while, and give him back to me later."

"I'll bring him back to you tonight, when I come pick you up. What time do you get off?"

"Two a.m., but…" You looked at him dubiously and he shook his head.

"I'm not trying to sleep with you. But he should. I just want to make sure you get home safe." After a moment of thought, you nodded. It wasn't like you could stop him from showing up if he wanted to anyway. You pecked his lips one more time before getting out of the car. "One last thing," he pleaded, leaning dramatically over the front seat. 

"What?"

"Give me your number," he asked, handing you his phone. You put your number in quickly before tossing it back to him. 

"I gotta go!" You called before you disappeared inside the bar.

"How was Prince Charming?" Mariana asked sarcastically as you slipped behind the counter, hurrying into the back room to put away your purse and change into the tank top you wore for work. You adjusted your bra to push up your breasts so they showed better in the low cut top. You slid on some lip gloss and put your hair up before checking yourself out in the mirror to go out. 

You'd give you a tip if you had any cash to spare. 

You did your best to avoid your friend's gaze as you started moving around behind the bar. But of course she wouldn't let you off that easily. There weren't very many people in right now, just a few tables and one regular sitting at the bar. 

"You let him fuck you yet?" Mariana grinned. 

"Oh my god, no!" You hissed back.

"Why not?"

"Because maybe he doesn't just want me to warm his cock."

Mariana scoffed. "Why would I want a man to do anything other than warm his cock in me? What else would I need him for."

"Tae just isn't like that, okay?"

She made another dismissive sound. "If he's anything like his friend Jimin, I doubt it."

"Well, then maybe I'm just not like that. And maybe he's being respectful." 

Mariana looked at you doubtfully and clicked her tongue. "You need to lighten up and live a little. It's just sex."

You snatched a towel from her to dry the glasses you'd just rinsed. "I had the time of my life today, so I think I'm doing just fine." And the easy smile you wore was hard to argue with.

It wasn't as if you were intentionally lying about being a virgin. You hadn't actually answered Taehyung's question before he walked it back. And any assumptions Mariana made based on the fact that you hadn't slept with anyone since you'd known her were made up in her own head. But just because you weren't a virgin didn't mean it wasn't a delicate issue for you. One that you didn't have to explain to anyone. At least that's how you justified it to yourself. 

Taehyung knew that, to some extent, what he was doing with you was dangerous. A man in his position would put anyone in danger if others saw his affection. But he couldn't stay away from you, so his only choice was to make sure you were safe himself. That's why, after he dropped you off at work, he went to pick up Jungkook and took him back to your building to case the place—see what weaknesses and dangers he could find, if any of your neighbors were suspicious. After looking around your block for a little while he seemed satisfied enough. 

Next was meeting you after work, when you found him much the same way you had in the afternoon, although he had changed his clothes. When he saw you this time his expression tightened. You hadn't bothered to change since your shirt needed to be washed after having beer spilled in you earlier. He made a disgruntled noise when he saw the way your tits pushed out of your shirt and he could see a sliver of your tummy.

Tae didn't know he had a possessive streak. He never had before with any other partners, not even really with Jimin, who was his most serious relationship. But it was different with you. The idea that other men had been looking at you like that all night unsettled something in his stomach. He groaned as he hooked a finger into your belt loop and pulled you between his legs. 

"Do you have to dress like that for work?" He pouted before kissing your lips softly. 

You giggled, and it was almost enough to make him smile. Almost. "Yes. Gotta get those tips somehow." He groaned. "Shh. At least I'm not taking anything off."

"Don't even think about it." He squeezed your hips in his hands. 

"Oh. You wouldn't like that?" You teased. 

He pushed you away an inch. "I am trying to be a gentleman here. Please don't test me."

You smiled as you put a piece of his hair back in place off his forehead and then kissed his lips. "Okay, gentleman. Take me home then?"

Taehyung smiled and swept you off your feet to set you inside the car, appreciating your squeal when he did so. Your apartment was even closer to the bar than it was to the club, but in the opposite direction. On other nights, Taehyung would park at your apartment and walk you home, holding your hand. One way or another, a night never passed where you walked home alone again. 

When he parked in front of your apartment that night he followed you to the gate, where he pressed you against the bars and kissed you breathless. He rested his hands on your hips, and it took all his self control not to let them slip any lower. But he couldn't stop himself from exploring the little patch of skin between your shorts and your tank top with his thumbs. You moaned into his mouth at the feeling of just a little skin on yours, and your body felt alert and gooey all at once. Your free hand twisted into the front of his shirt, pulling him against you while your other held the bear he had won for you. After a few minutes he pushed your hips away, against the gate, making the metal clang. 

"You should go before I lose my self control," he breathes, only an inch away from your face.

"Okay," you responded in a daze. He stood in front of you a minute longer, making it impossible for you to move, even if you wanted to. Then finally he sighed and took a step back so that you could unlock the gate and get inside. He didn't follow you in, even though you half hoped he would. You took a few steps toward the stairs before you turned back and put your face between the bars, gripping one like your life depended on it. "Tae?"

He hadn't moved until you called his name and then he stepped forward until he was standing right in front of you again, but didn't say a word.

"I had a really good time today. Thank you for everything. It felt really…nice to be with you." Your eyes started on his face but slowly drifted to the ground as you got shy. 

Taehyung lifted your chin with his hand so he could look into your eyes. 

"We can have so many more days like that," he promised. 

"Yeah?"

"Of course. I loved it, too." Then he bent his face to yours and kissed you through the bars. This time you didn't let it linger so long, and you pulled away before he could get lost in you again. 

"Goodnight," you whispered before you turned away and hurried noisily up the steps. Taehyung watched you go with his face pressed against the bars, until you gave him one last smile over your shoulder and entered your apartment.

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[tsaricides]

on the topic of “all the ways to stay away” i was surprised to see you mentioned the all-caste since a lot of jason fans tend to the ignore that part of his canon. what were your likes and dislikes about how the all-caste was handled and how you would go about it?

also absolutely obsessed with this conversation in chapter 3 of black out days, “You’re a child, she wants to reply. It’s a child’s job to be needy and to cry out for love. It’s a parent’s job to provide and never stop loving. And it’s a mourner’s right to stop the mourning when they believe that the dead have found peace.” this whole conversation was lovely, and your Jay and Talia voices are so good!! i think it’s my favorite line of yours ever

there is nothing that makes me happier than people pointing at specific bits of my writing that resonated with them, so you can only imagine how delighted your ask made me! thank you so much. i'm also very glad you liked that conversation, as the whole fanfic was actually a set up for it; it was quite literally the starting point for this work, as i was looking for an alternative version of the story in which such vulnerability and self-awareness could be afforded... which is to say, i was quite concerned people would read it and think "they would not say that"; but my whole point was that i was trying to alter the canon for it to become realistic.

which is, i think, a good opening to say that the way i use all-caste in that story is also purely instrumental. not only talia, but also the narrative, needed him in a place both removed from the league and gotham, and out of all places jay finds himself in canon, that was the most obvious one. i was not planning to expand on that in the series at all, but you are making me want to write an interlude that would explain both what happens in there in an au, and what i think is the only interesting thing about all-caste in canon...

i don't think canon needs all-caste at all; it is a hindrance to the style of storytelling that we see in the lost days, and it comes way too close to the "chosen one" idea for my liking... and many people point out that jason getting these magical swords that materialise only in the presence of evil is an anti-thesis to his character, because jason is supposed to be at least to a degree wrong. but i honestly think this ignores the best element of the storyline... which is that jay is forced to constrain his anger in order to fight that grand, ontological idea of evil... and then he rejects it. of course, lobdell unfortunately does not leave it that mere comma that is supposed to fit somewhere in the lost days, but i think as such it would not be all that offensive. because it makes sense for jay to deny that divine sort of judgement. he is given the ability to transcend the human matters and emotions in a crusade that would, in its justification, outrank that of batman; but it is of no interest for him, because for him killing is not holy, and his sense of morality and righteousness come from the most basic notions of interpersonal and societal relationships and an attempt to deal with ordinary cruelty that come with it. not a successful one; but this is what makes him who he is. so i might not like the all-caste for many reasons, but i don't think it outright goes against the bare bones of his characterisation. i would even say it's more of a world-building issue and asserting what type of setting jason belongs to.

in all the ways to stay away, unlike in canon, the world becomes a bit wider as jason tries to let go of his past; and like in canon, he rejects that ontological right to kill, but rather than reverting to more... down-to-earth motivations, it is a stepping stone for him to realise that it is not a responsibility for him to take at all. just as all-blades draw from his soul and demand his blood sacrifice, the ideology powering the red hood mission itself is also a form of self-harm. and with talia as an example there, jason starts looking for a third way, in between that detached and mighty path, and reducing himself to a bundle of pain driven by the opposite. this is also an additional push for that self-awareness that makes the story what it is -- an attempt for jason to do something he never does: let go.

#outbox #and a reminder that my boyfridged askbox is now back on! #<- i know this one sent before:) but for people who see it now.

[snugglesquiggle]

Any tips on using fonts in ao3?

going to assume you're familiar with the basics — creating a new workskin at Dashboard → Skins → My Work Skins, and selecting a skin on the Edit Work page. if not, AO3 has a tutorial for this

(though skimming the tutorial, it doesn't seem to mention the <span> tag, which is your best friend when it comes to applying styles to a bit of text within a paragraph)

now for the more specific part of this question. also, be warned i'm going to be embarrassingly technical before i actually answer your question.

this is going to sound funny, but i am by and large not a fan of manipulating fonts as a stylistic device. my personal opinion is that what font a text is displayed in should be for the user to decide, both for preference and for accessibility reasons (e.g. there's fonts designed for dyslexic readers). i also tend to find most font changes to be a a bit goofy and immersion-breaking

it's different when i do it, but i'll explain my cope in a second

anyway, the style property you want to change to set in your work skin is font-family. e.g. font-family: monospace will give text a code/"typewriter" look, and on my own site i use "font-family: Newsreader, serif;". (the comma there essentially says 'if you don't have Newsreader installed, any serif font will do)

but as mentioned, i don't like messing with fonts, and in fact, there is no font styling as such in my fic at all. what gives?

(note: im going include mildly spoilery excerpts from my fic, Hostile Takeover)

but basically, i wrap cyn's dialogue in <code> tags, and most browsers will make that monospaced by default, but it leaves the door open for custom userskins to add their own flair to code blocks.

for example, my site puts little boxes around them

but with all that said, i think i might be taking this question overly literally. i think it's likely you aren't talking specifically about just fonts, and most of the interesting things people want to replicate from my fic aren't about what shape the letters are.

my secret weapon for styling this fic is the humble text-shadow property.

what it does is simple: it creates a copy of the text, and you have four knobs to turn: you can shift it over horizontally or vertically, blur it, and of course change the color

text-shadow: 1px 2px 3px red

this gives you a copy of the text shifted to the right 1 pixels, down 2 pixels, blurred 3 pixels and colored red.

text-shadow: 1px 2px 3px red, -1px -2px 3px blue

same deal but now there's another in the opposite directions colored blue, like a chromatic aberration.

you don't have to include the color or the blur if you dont want color or blur.

now i'll run through some real examples

the "pain" effect is what you get when you stack text vertically

text-shadow: 0 -3px 0px, 0 3px 0px;

the "beyond the grave" effect is text stacked horizontally

text-shadow: 2px 0px 0px;

the famous "i want you destroy you" text is of course colored, and here i offer an actual tip

you can predict the offsets, but the color is special

text-shadow: 2px -1px 0px #da38;

full explanation here, but basically, when you write a color with four values, the first three are RGB, but the last is the opacity. i think this matters because, if the earlier part of this post didn't make it clear, i care about readers getting a good experience no matter how they choose their custom styles (within reason, ofc)

by making the color slightly transparent, it blends with the background color, means whether you read with a light them or dark, it meets you half way

(try removing the transparency on that shade, and it's a pretty harsh contrast on both modes — though part of that might be that i made it super saturated to compensate for the transparency.)

i have some complaints about how ao3 handles css, and one of them is that it forbids you from using the very convenient filter: blur() function. to work around this, i cooked up a very "we have blur at home" solution

text-shadow: 0px 0px 6px, 1px 1px 3px, -1px -1px 3px; opacity: 50%;

(it looks much better on my site, where i can filter: blur all i like)

one of the reasons this sucks is that without a doubt the biggest limiter on doing really complicated stuff with text shadows is that they don't stack.

you'll notice that when the "pain" effect shows up, the "blur" effect disappears.

this matters most for what is definitely the most striking and involved use of text shadows in the work: the big man himself

the basic principle here isn't that special. the illusion of depth is accomplished by increasing blur and opacity the 'deeper' the text is supposed to be. the biggest trick here is that instead of the 'px' we've been using everywhere before, the offsets use 'em', which is a unit that relative to the font size.

but there is a nuance. you see:

text-shadow: 0px 1px 0px, 0px -1px 0px, #fd64 2px 2px 2px, #fd68 2em 1em 3px, #fd65 4em 2em 5px; text-shadow: #fd64 2px 2px 2px, #fd65 2em 1em 5px; text-shadow: #fd6 2px 2px 5px, 0px -3px 0px, 0px 3px 0px, #fd68 2em 1em 3px;

the "translate" looks like a combination of the new effect and the pain effect, but i had to give it a special style, specifying both by hand.

if you want to layer things, it will get out of hand, and if you ever opt to revise the specific colors or values, solver help you.

also, this doesnt show up anywhere in HT (yet), but i've used it in the past — only setting the blur of a text-shadow lets you give words an 'aura', and it's a neat and simple effect

(excerpt from Eifre Quest, an original work of mine from years ago. i have mixed feelings about it)

sorry if that was a long ramble or self-indulgent, but hopefully something there was new or helpful.

thanks for asking!

#ao3 #ao3 formatting #ao3 tutorial #hostile takeover #my answers

[vulcankin]

Quirk Mimicking

What is a Quirk?

Quirks in the context of Homestuck (and especially trolls) are a distinct way of typing that expresses the personality, interests, and individuality of a, well, an individual.

For trolls in particular, your quirk is as much a natural preference in speech as it is a traditional action related to troll culture. It’s as important as hemotyping (typing in a particular color, typically and traditionally the color of your blood/hemocaste) or the choice NOT to hemotype/go hemoanon.

While humans may naturally type in a particular manner, or choose to express themselves through a particular color medium, it often does not carry the same cultural connotations as a troll’s hemotyping and quirk usage.

For these reasons and others (comfort, habit, etc) dropping or breaking quirk can range from a little weird or awkward to upsetting or anxiety inducing for a troll.

On rare occasions [x][x] a troll will either drop or partly drop quirk for MAJOR emphasis or to show something is very important to listen to.

Quirk Examples

Sollux Captor:

TA: iim not 2ure why, but ii thiink iit2 liike...

TA: fulfiilliing 2ome requiirement for a true prophet of doom.

TA: iin order for the vii2iion2 two be riight, that ha2 two happen, and the uniiver2e wiill make 2ure iit wiill.

Sollux’s quirk has various elements.

First and foremost, he never uses capitalization unless for emphasis or when typing out his nicknames for people, and he only capitalizes those when in a good mood. There is a distinct lack of emojis or emoticons, outside of rare occurrences/duality puns. His speech is very straightforward and short, being sent in multiple pieces. This shows important aspects of his character such as aloofness, bluntness, and a lack of care for convention.

The use of double ‘i’s, his replacement of “to” or “too” with “two”, and ‘s’s with 2s are all both personality aspects and tradition aspects of his quirk.

The traditional reasoning is that they are a reference to his sign, Gemini, which is similar to the roman numeral 2.

Personally, they have a number of meanings. His dual colored eyes. His bipolarity. Referencing binary in connection to his skills with programming. His vision twofold.

He also types in traditional hemotyping for his bloodcaste, typing in gold.

Combined, these aspects all show parts of who he is, without needing to explain them, and make his unique mark in interpersonal communication.

After he dies his quirk changes (no double ‘i’s, no 2s, no ‘two’s; instead all ‘o’s are 0s) to show that he’s now “0kay” and no longer associates with his prior traits. However, his hemotyping remains gold.

Nepeta Leijon:

AC: :33 < *ac twitches her friendly whiskers at ct*

…-…

AC: :33 < i can tell you like to play games, d33p down you are a guy who likes to play games! 


AC: :33 < i can smell a guy who likes to play games from so fur away with this nose, you have no idea X33

Nepeta’s quirk is slightly more focused around her external connections than Sollux’s, but still expresses her individuality.

The header of her quirk is “:33 <”, which references her catlike nature/affinity, as well as having two mouths like her cat lusus, Pounce de Leon. This carries over into her emojis as well.

All of these relate two her sign, Leo, as relating to big cats.

Nepeta also does not use capitalization, and often does not use most ending punctuation. However, she makes liberal use of exclamation marks, comma and emojis. Her sentences tend to be compound, rather than short and simple. She uses cat puns whenever pawsible.

She also frequently roleplays in her speech, having a personal interest in it, and uses asterisks to denote roleplay actions.

Together, all of these things show her personality as creative, high energy, and fun-loving.

She also types in traditional hemotyping standards using her blood color, olive.

Karkat Vantas:

KARKAT: AND AFTER A BREAKNECK WARP SPEED JOURNEY IN WHICH MY BEST FUCKING FRIEND *EVER* PSYCHED ME OUT INTO THINKING HE DIED *YET A FUCKING GAIN* BY EXPELLING LITER AFTER GRUESOME LITER OF GRUBSAUCE FROM HIS EVERY ORIFICE

KARKAT: WHAT DO I FIND HERE?

KARKAT: WHY, IN ADDITION TO A PAIR OF HUMANS DRAPED IN CIRCUSWEAR AND ALL THEIR FLIPPANT GIBES LOCKED AND GODDAMN LOADED

The main aspects of Karkat's quirk are the use of all-caps, run on sentences, general aggressive tone, and explicit language/gratuitous insults. He also types hemoanon, or in a light grey color that does not represent or reveal his blood color.

Asterisks are used sparingly for emphasis, and he occasionally "whispers" in parenthesis.

Karkat's quirk trends slightly away from the traditional, instead breaking tradition.

Use of hemoanon color typing is both a purposeful and practical rejection of Alternian tradition, to keep his mutant bloodcolor a secret and prevent himself being culled.

It can be argued that his all-caps, aggresive speech is "traditional" in keeping with his ancestor's rage in his final moments as well as his Vast Expletive, however it would be unintentional as Karkat is unaware of his sign's meaning/who his ancestor is.

More so, it's a representation of Karkat's generally heightened emotional and defensive state- usually angry, irritated or panicked. Living life under constant threat of death, he tends to the aggressive/defensive in his behaviors and speech. He is also constantly thinking of things that can go wrong, have gone wrong, or how much things/himself suck(s), and therefore has a habit of venting and speaking in a very ranting-like manner, even in general conversation.

What is “Quirk Mimicking”?

Quirk mimicking is a phenomenon in which a troll (or occasionally a human) will either purposefully or subconsciously adopt quirk traits/habits from another troll.

Similar to mimicry among humans, there are two basic forms of quirk mimicry among trolls- negative mimicry and positive mimicry.

Positive Mimicry

This most frequently happens between quadmates/couples (moirails and matesprits in particular), but can also occur between close friends.

Positive mimicry can latch onto any aspect of another troll’s quirk (or a troll latching onto a human’s typing style) but does *not* include mimicking their hemotyping.

This does not mean completely changing their quirk to match another’s, but more often incorporating small bits of each other’s quirk into their own. It can also be expressed by slipping near full into another’s quirk when in a particular mood state or when saying something in particular associated with that individual.

Examples:

When Sollux and Feferi are matesprits, Sollux occasionally uses fish puns in his speech regardless of who he is speaking to.

Eridan also often uses fish puns when speaking with Feferi, but only with her.

Adjacent:

While not part of quirk mimicry itself, quirk matching is a related phenomenon when two trolls in a quadrant together alter their quirks purposefully to match each others.

The main example of this is in the moirallegence between Nepeta and Equius.

The beginning/“header” of Nepeta’s quirk reads “:33 <“.

The beginning/“header” of Equius’s quirk reads “D - - >”

When the ends of these headers are put together it forms “<>” or a diamond, the symbol used for moirails.

Negative Mimicry

There are many nuanced aspects to negative mimicry.

For humans, negative speech mimicry is typically repeating what someone said in a nasty tone, or mocking someone’s speech patterns.

And while this can also happen in trolls, that’s not quirk mimicry in particular.

Much quirk mimicry is psychological in nature, with one troll mimicking another troll’s quirk in a way that a partner or close friend would, while knowing fully that they are not close enough to do so.

In this way, it’s being done purposefully to both make the other troll uncomfortable as a form of taunt or emotional harassment, almost in a gaslighting or sleezy sort of manner.

This sort of negative mimicry can also happen accidentally, though this is typically with other species outside of trolls, in a manner that is intended to be positive.

If a human (or cherub or otherwise) that a troll was not close enough to tried to mimic them in order to match their energy, or be cute, or thinking it’s something more casual like picking up a friend’s turn of phrase-

The troll they’re mimicking can experience the same negative effects/emotions from that mimicry as they would from a purposefully malicious troll negative mimicking.

(There are occasions where trolls who are very close with other species do appreciate mimicry from their friend/partner, namely when they are close as two trolls would need to be to mimic.

This can be seen with Vriska appreciating John picking up her penchant for 8 vowels and exclamation marks. [x])

***Please note this is not a complete explanation of quirk mimicking in its entirety, just a general overview.

***This is based on the experience/memories of me and a few other trolls (kin and fictive alike.) This may not be accurate for all.

#sol says a thing #homestuck #quirk mimicking #quirk #trollkin #homestuck troll kin #homestuck trolls #homestuck analysis #homestuck kin #long post /

[mustangs-flames]

how do you go about writing dialogue? deciding when is too much and too little? i often find that i want characters to have long important conversations, but i get nervous that it's too much dialogue and not enough description

Honestly? There's no such thing as too much or too little dialogue. The best approach is to take into consideration how a character is currently feeling and what kind of character they are. In INWCT, I made Mark the chatty one (linking it to his anxiety and how he can't bear awkward silences most of the time) and Cesar the more reserved one. So Mark had more dialogue whereas Cesar was more of a 'no more words than is necessary'.

Dialogue can be really helpful as it allows you describe things from a character's personal perspective rather than just explaining how they feel to the reader. Think of dialogue as a vessel for breaking up periods of description.

And dialogue doesn't always have to be 100% meaningful or eloquent - real people don't talk like that. Make use of punctuation when you can to convey the tone, like in ch.2 when Mark is having a panic attack. I didn't outright have Mark or the descriptions say that he was having a panic attack, but writing his dialogue as fast, unfinished ramblings with hyphens to break it up instead of commas and periods gave the impression of gasping for air and the racing thoughts you get when having an attack like that.

I think people are afraid of using dialogue a lot because a lot of writing courses (from my experience) seem to put so much emphasis on writing all this flowery description. Dialogue is great and can set up the pace of a scene really well in a way that description can't. It also gives your characters more characterisation than simply telling your reader that they are a certain way or have certain opinions. Dialogue makes a character more real to readers and to you as a writer. If you allow your characters to talk and react to things by talking then you get a way better feel for them and writing about them or as them becomes so much easier. There's no right way to write dialogue because real people don't speak to a rigid set of rules.

Also, dialogue is a fun thing to play around with and can make for some really impactful scenes. If you look at Andrzej Sapkowski's The Last Wish, there is a section where one character talks for 5 straight pages. No descriptions of the surroundings, just a monologue where he expresses his frustrations about the world and his experiences to a nun who has taken a vow of silence. It's honestly a genius way of exploring the character and it doesn't drag because you get invested in his mindset - you find you want to understand him better.

So there's no such thing as too much or too little dialogue! Play around with it and see what your characters like! You might find a style you really like and end up writing a piece entirely in that format. Don't worry too much about it because the best writers (in my opinion) are the ones willing to play around with language in their storytelling. The rules are honestly just guidelines and ignore anyone who tells you storytelling has to conform to a rigid framework. Writing is meant to be experimental and fun!

Hope this helps! :D

#mustang answers! #mustang's writing advice!

[lokifanatic1]

It would be a great fanfic where Loki is part of the Avengers team, during a game night Loki suggests playing hide and seek but with the difference that if he finds the players, he can tickle them for as long as he wants. everyone refuses to play that game, fearing that Loki doesn't know when to stop, so the reader who is Loki's friend agrees to participate in that game, both to see her friend happy, and to show the team that there is no reason to fear some how many tickles

I think my own writing isn’t that great but I will try and come up with something fun for you. Thank you for the prompt , mari2akary! Sorry if there’s spelling or grammatical errors! They don’t call me the comma queen for nothing! Hope you enjoy!

(Loki, female reader and Avengers fluffiness, SFW)

Loki was now an Avenger and had been absolved of all his past wrongdoings by the team. It had taken a while for the Avengers to warm up to Loki. Especially Tony and Steve. But in their own ways, they began treating Loki as an equal and a friend. That’s when he met you.

You loved being an Avenger and designated “little sister “ to nearly everyone one the team. You were only older than Peter and you loved teasing him like only an older sibling could. You’d play pranks on each other, whilst trying to up one another’s game to see who the champion of pranks would be.

You always won the prank wars because of course, you had the God of Mischief himself, on your side. You had become fast friends when Loki moved to the compound and helped you break out of your shell of shyness. Everyone would always tease you because you were the quietest of the group, so Loki took it upon himself to help you loosen up. He was drawn to you for some unknown reason and you didn’t mind having the prince’s full attention almost all of the time. Maybe it was because you were so quiet from the rest of the Avengers. He didn’t really know but he found a kindred spirit within you. You were sweet, kind and caring. Who knew a prankster lived just under your adorable surface?

One reoccurring “team building “ exercise that Tony would orchestrate at the compound was game night. Mostly they were silly games like “tag”, “charades” or “capture the flag”. However, Loki had another idea for a game. “Hide and seek.” He knew he wanted his playful side on full display for the rest of the team. Especially you.

You see, one day when you were sitting in the living room of the compound watching t.v., Loki unceremoniously walked in and plopped down right next to you on the couch. “What dreadful filth are you watching, love?” You didn’t move. You just kept staring mindlessly at the program you were watching without a word. He looked at you again and poked your side to get your attention. He had never known you to be so ticklish because you’d always acted so stoic around Loki and the team when needing to be. “I never knew you were so, “sensitive “, darling. You know that’s not something you want the God of Mischief to find out. Because I will exploit it to the best of my abilities, leaving you a giggling mess and screaming for mercy.”

You tired showing no emotion but Loki could see a smile creeping it’s way on your face. “I think I have the perfect game for what you mortals call, “Game Night.” He had found out your secret that none of the other Avengers had much privy to and you know he was for sure going to blab. This would come in handy that exact night.

That night, the gang all gathered in the living room so the game could be explained. However, Tony wasn’t the one leading the game this time. It was Loki. You see, Loki had gone to Tony the day before and explained how you inspired this interesting version of “hide and seek.” Tony grinned back at Loki and agreed that would definitely make the game more interesting. “Okay. Listen up. “Reindeer Games” is going to explain how this game works, so pay attention because he’s only going to explain this once.”

With a ready clap of his hands, Loki explained the rules. “Alright. We’re going to be playing what you mortals call, “hide and seek.” A rather childish game but our young Miss (y/n) has inspired me to change the rules up a bit to make it more “fun” for everyone. Since I am the most dashing one amongst us, I will be the seeker.” Well, this came with some playful “boos” and “no fair’s” at Loki’s expense.

He waited in silence for a moment before putting a finger to his lips to “shush” the group. “The game we are going to play involves a specific torture once I have found you. All thanks to (y/n) here.” You blushed and smiled shyly as everyone looked at you in complete confusion. “When I catch you.” He paused for dramatic effect. “I will tickle you for as long as I see fit.” Well, at that point, everyone decided they were out of the game and protested Loki’s way of torment once someone was found because of course, the God of Mischief never knew when to stop once he got a hold of someone. You had only been privy to this a few times so you didn’t think much of it when he rained down ticklish torment upon everyone. But by the sound of it, everyone was fully aware of what kind of ticklish agony Loki could in fact, inflict. They knew the feeling of being held down and tickled until no breath was left in their lungs.

“I’m not scared of you, Loki,” you bravely confessed. The Avengers gasped in surprise as you stood up to the god. “I’ll play.” One by one the others finally gave in and the game started. They could hide anywhere in the compound as to not be found by Loki. He started counting down from ten as everyone dispersed and tried to find a good hiding place. “Ready or not…Here I come”, Loki yelled to anyone who was still trying to hide. He searched the floor they had been on and to his surprise, most of the team had hidden themselves on that floor, so (y/n) could hear the screams of laughter whenever he found someone. As they slowly returned, one by one to the living room, Loki had realized he had not yet found you. As quietly as he could, he stalked around every room he had been in to see if he’d missed you when finding and tickle torturing your other team mates.

You tried staying as quiet as you could in a closet close to the living room. Putting both hands over your mouth so Loki wouldn’t be able to find you. He started yelling out threats of what he was going to do to you and the biggest feeling of fear and excitement overwhelmed you as you hid from the trickster. You wanted to be found but also, you wanted to leave the game in one piece.

You liked this playful little game of tickling. You’d enjoyed it since you were a kid but knowing Loki, he’d show no mercy until you’d had more than enough. You loved the thought of being playful and acting silly every once in a while. After all, being an Avenger came with some pretty dark days so these instances we very much welcome.

“Where, oh where could my little (y/n) be?” Loki inquired to himself as he calmly walked around the area. Hands behind his back, yet ready to strike. You on the other hand, couldn’t help but softly giggle as he got closer to your location. The anticipation was mounting. Your heart pounded. You knew you’d be caught at some point and be forced to laugh your little heart out. After some time, you thought Loki had moved on to another area of the first floor, so you quietly opened the closet door and peeked your head out. No sign of Loki. You were safe. Or so you thought.

All of a sudden, Loki jumped out and tackled you from behind. Sealing his grasp around your waist. “ Gotcha!” he exclaimed in villainous laughter as he dragged you from the closet. “Thought you could hide from me and be unscathed by the consequences, huh?!” Your entire body went limp as you let go and laughed out in pure joy and excitement of what was to come. He pinned you down and sat on top of your waist with ease as you were giggling at the realization of being caught. “Nahahaho! You’ll never take me,” you screamed as Loki pinned your wrists with his hands. He paused and so did you. “It looks like I already have, love.” He evilly wiggled his fingers in your face to make his point. “All I want to hear is your laughter my darling.” With that, he skittered his fingers under your arms as you burst out laughing from the ticklish sensation. He put his lips to your ear as he struggled to hold you still. “Aww. Ticklish are we?” He playfully sneered again as he switched things up and went for your belly. Not before using his magic to cement your wrists to the ground so he could do his absolute worst. Loki was undoing your sanity but by bit. You couldn’t think , nor act so you laid there taking your ticklish punishment.

Tears clouded your eyes as you finally came up with an idea. Get Loki back at his own game. The only problem was getting out of his vice hold on you with his magic. So you came up with the best ploy. Puppy dog face included. You were trying to make Loki feel sorry for you so he could let you go and you could exact your revenge tenfold. You gave him your best sob story, puppy dog eyes included. Well, he fell for it as he had a soft spot for you in his heart. He released you and began trying to hold you to comfort you when you pounced. You squeezed your legs and flipped Loki over so that he was on the receiving end. “Oh, how the tables have turned,” you smirked as you looked the god dead in his eyes. “I will exact the same torment you inflicted on all of us!” The group cheered as you got your ticklish revenge on the younger brother of the god of Thunder.

Loki laughed his head off as you splayed your fingers across his ribs and down to his tummy’s. “T-This is madness!” he laughed out wildly. “This is revenge!” you replied with a satisfied smile. After a few minutes, you could tell Loki was at wits end so you slowed the scratching and tickling over his body. He greedily sucked in air as he finally admitted he’d been had and that he actually had the same weakness as you. Oh, were you going to have fun now, knowing the God of Mischief was indeed, ticklish. If not maybe more than you. You didn’t mind sharing this weakness with him because now you knew how to take him down a peg and made sure the other Avengers knew. It would become a game to you two. Tickling and retaliating on each other as long as you could. Who knew this simple game of “hide and seek” brought out the best in not only Loki and yourself, but the entire team as well. This “team building” game was definitely going to be more than a weekly thing around the compound.

#loki tickle

[apparentlynotreallyfinnish]

I found post which mentions, that, while english is your second language, you write insanely good fiction in it.

As a fellow non-native English speaker, and an aspiring writer, can I get some tips at how you started writing in English, and how you get to the point, where you are good at it?

Like, a process, please? Thank you very much, off to explore your blog now!

My friends are exaggerating a bit. I'm definitely not anywhere near insanely good. But I do think I've progressed a lot since I started writing in English in February 2019. (Before that I'd only written in my native language Finnish.) Here are my two cents anyway since you asked so nicely!

Read! Literally the most important thing you can do is read in English and not just read for pleasure (which is obviously very important and will help you learn, too) but read with the purpose of learning. Look at the way the authors use language: how they form a paragraph, how they vary sentence lengths, what kind of metaphors they use, where they put the commas and em dashes. Also, take note of any words you're not sure you understand completely and go look for the definitions. Investigative reading is the jam!

I know this is super obvious, but just start writing in English and do your best. It can be daunting in the beginning and you'll probably make mistakes, but that's totally okay. Fic writing is an amazing space to learn writing, because the story is more important than the grammar and you'll get positive feedback even if the language is not 100% correct.

If you can, find a native speaker to beta read for you. If they are willing, ask for them to explain their corrections. That way you'll actually understand what was amiss and there's a better chance you'll remember next time.

If you can't find a native speaker there are some AI helpers you can try. I used Grammarly in the beginning. It's a good help but leans more into business-type language rather than creative writing, so I wouldn't take its corrections at face value. Another one I've heard people using and liking is ProWritingAid.

Read what you've written out loud to yourself. We tend to hear the mistakes better than see them. If you don't want to/can't read out loud due to sharing a space with someone, you can use AI again. I use NaturalReader.

Don't get too caught up in the small stuff. Even native English speakers make grammar mistakes and everyone makes typos.

Write as much as you can. Write in different styles. Write drabbles. Write long fic. It doesn't really matter just as long as you keep writing. The good and bad news is that the best way to learn is to put words on paper (or a screen). (My first year of writing in English, I wrote over 500k words of fic. I still have no idea how I managed that. Hyperfixation is a super power, I guess.)

After a little while, go back and read stuff you wrote before. I bet it won't take long for you to start noticing a difference in your abilities.

Have fun with it!

#sonyawix #writing #writing advice #writing in your second language #Appa's writing advice #feel free to reblog and add your advice!

[insecateur]

i was skimming through a book translated from english to french out of curiosity and it gave me some Thoughts About Writing that i'll try to retranscribe and expand on here (idk if this is interesting to anyone else but i like having a place i can write down thoughts now tbh. very freeing)

since i got back into writing in french last year, i've been really mindful of writing in french. this is going to seem silly but let me explain: basically, what i didn't want especially as i was just getting back into it, was for my writing in french to sound as if it was written in english first and then translated. (which, funnily enough, some of it was in a way, but the same can be said about my writing in english sometimes)

the way i write in either of my main languages is going to cross-contaminate no matter what, i think, but there are some things that are huge tells imo, at least from english to french. (my tendency to go on long asides with sentences using multiple commas and semicolons are probably my biggest french tell when writing in english lbr) the big one is starting sentences with a gerund clause. e.g. (quoting my own writing so i don't have to make one up on the spot as i am bad at that):

Holding back the urge to sigh, Augustine sat down right next to him, with no regard for whether or not Lysandre minded the proximity.

this isn't something you would do naturally in french, so both when writing and translating, i try to avoid the turn of phrase whenever possible. however, skimming the translated novel, i noticed that they'd seemingly translated a lot (if not most; i can't actually know since i don't have access to the original) of those as is. so that was really interesting to me. i don't even know if i would even notice it if i wasn't hyper aware of it from juggling between writing in french and english; obviously it wasn't changed or edited out by whoever was in charge of the book so i guess it's fine.

i've seen a lot of writing advice in french saying to avoid doing this (and avoid gerunds, especially gerund adverbs in general) because it's clunky and feels too english, which is probably what got me to try my best to avoid doing it also. obviously rules for translation and original writing are different, but i still thought it was interesting...

uhhhh i guess there's no real point to this and it's just rambling about something i care about, but if you read this and found it neat/learned something from it, that's good

#samtxt #i feel like a nerd for using words like 'gerund clause' but i guess i am a nerd. sorry #i want to write in french this month but inspo hasn't been coming to me... sadly... maybe soon