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flowercrowngods · 1 year

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dio. 🤍

ao3 • writing tag • time travel au tag (stories & snippets) steddie drabbles & microfics ☕️ ko-fi vibes only. mostly steddie, sometimes clarkson.

🌷 WIPs & multi-chaptered stories

➤ i’ll try. i’ll try. (but i couldn’t be better) WIP M | 74k | 12/? | time travel au, angst, steve whump Sent back to 1983, Steve tries to save his friends from everything that's coming and takes on the battle against the Upside Down alone with El by his side.

➤ nice to meet you, where you been? T | 12k | 3/3 | tattoo shop au, pure fluff, trans eddie Chrissy sends Eddie to check out a tattoo shop. Little does he know it belongs to Steve Harrington, or that they’ll both be falling for each other at lightning

➤ untitled knight!Steve / bard!Eddie WIP T | 10k | 2/? | tumblr: part 1 | part 2 | ... regency au (freeform), enemies to lovers Eddie is a bard of great renown who returns to Hawkins ready and willing to spite the people who cast him out all his life. He is in search of his muse: the knight Dustin has been writing to him about who has inspired his greatest ballads and poems. Dustin’s Sir Steve is nowhere to be found, but Lord Harrington seems to hold a grudge against Eddie and he wants to find out why.

➤ shattered on the cliff’s edge, trapped by the tides WIP M | 5.8k | 2/7 | tumblr: part 1 | part 2 | ... A steddie ghost story. Steve Harrington, disgraced and disowned by his father for moral insanity, has been haunted by eerie dreams of a mysterious lighthouse ever since he was a little boy. His lighthouse quickly turns from recurring night terror to gruesome reality when his superior delegates him to fix the broken light and be the new keeper. But he soon finds out that it is he who is being kept.

➤ tales of blue | who did this to you? WIP M | 13k | 3/4 | tumblr: part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | Eddie POV, pre-s4, injured Steve, hurt/comfort One summer's day in 1985, Eddie finds a very injured Steve in the boathouse, and even though he doesn't want the kind of trouble that this might bring, he can't just leave him there. So, scared though he is, he takes Steve to the one person he trusts to always make everything better.

➤ untitled kas!eddie / steve WIP M | 5.3k | 1/? | tumblr: part 1 | post-canon, hurt/comfort, enemies steddie The extent of his brain injuries and the intensity of his migraines is something Steve has been keeping secret from everyone. When he goes to Kas to let him feed, however, the sudden blood loss gives him a migraine. Kas decides to take care of him.

one shots & ficlets under the cut (ao3) -> ao3 link in the tumblr fic post

🌷 fluff & floaty

floor time fic (ao3) Eddie POV, falling in love, fluff, neurodivergent steddie

eddie likes Good Words (ao3) Steve POV, stablished relationship, neurodivergent steddie, echolalia

rambly Steve in love Eddie POV, established relationship, love confession

soft insomniacs (ao3) Eddie POV, short trans Eddie, soft Steve, bickering, established relationship

3 am phone call (ao3) Steve POV, soft, pre-relationship

car ride in love Eddie POV, floaty, boys in love, Andante, Andante

stargazing Steve POV, floaty & soft, boys in love

sick fic Eddie POV, domestic fluff & silliness, steve is sick, eddie is in love

first kiss Eddie POV, floaty, boys in love

loving eddie munson (is a full body experience) (ao3) Steve POV, floaty, boys in love, introspection, love confessions

floaty steddie date hours Eddie POV, established relationship, date night, marriage proposals, softness, dancing in the rain

sick fic 2 (woollen bat hat) Eddie POV, sick!Steve, soft boyfriends in love, cuddling, Eddie reads Momo to Steve

🌷 yearning

✨yearning hours (a-side) (ao3) Eddie POV, heart-wrenching yearning, light imagery, (mis)communication, vulnerability, first kiss

✨yearning hours (b-side) (ao3) Steve POV, insecurity, trauma, darkness imagery, vulnerability, first kiss

✨yearning hours (bonus track) (ao3) Eddie POV, light imagery, vulnerability, getting together

summer nights were made for steve (ao3) Eddie POV, yearning, getting together, the stars are pretty but steve is prettier

✨yearning hours (hidden track) (ao3) Steve POV, floaty music, getting together, sudden love confession, pining, A Flock of Seagulls

✨ high yearning make-out fic (smutty) (ao3) Eddie POV, recreational drug use, dry humping, coming in pants, so much yearning, so much kissing, spicy six as friends

🌷 hurt/comfort

insomniac eddie & human weighted blanket steve Eddie POV, developing relationship, comfort

Eddie being inexperienced at relationships Eddie POV, established relationship, dramatic eddie, boys in love, cuddles

spiralling writer eddie Eddie POV, established relationship, comfort, emotionally intelligent steve

‘You’d be a great dad’ Eddie POV, established relationship, insecure Eddie, comfort

steve has seizures (ao3) Steve POV, angst, self-isolation, seizures, post-s3, found family, background steddie

nonverbal steve gets a hug (ao3) Steve POV, established steddie, nonverbal steve, caring eddie, touch starved steve

sensory overload steddie Steve POV, soft boys, building relationship, nonverbal steve, touch-averse eddie, floor time as the cure

🌷 angst & hurt/no comfort

spiralling steve Steve POV, traumatised steve, nonverbal steve, established steddie, eventual comfort

breakup Steve POV, steve is not okay, breaking up

My Boy Steve POV, major character death, post-s4, inspired by My Girl funeral scene

memory wipe musings Steve POV, post-canon, established relationship, breakup-ish

post-breakup steddie Steve POV, a follow-up for @steddieas-shegoes prompt-fill | years after breaking up with steve eddie writes him a letter and they talk, mentions of drug abuse and rehab, starting over, 2nd chances (it's hopeful but it's kinda really sad)

knightmærs Eddie POV, prince!steve, traitor!eddie, lovers to enemies who are still lovers but it's intrigue, brainwashing, torture, eddie whump, manipulation, open ending, violence & threats of death

🌷 smut(ish)

steve wants to hear eddie Eddie POV, established relationship, anal sex

sexytimes in a tent Steve POV, trying not to get caught, established relationship, hand jobs

sub!kas eddie (drabble) (tag for more) Steve POV, good boy kas, soft dom steve

school reunion sex Eddie POV, chubby!steve, dom-ish top steve, belly kink, light degradation kink, multiple orgasms, semi-public sex, reunion sex, good boy eddie

misc. & gen

steve and nancy finally have A Talk Steve POV, apologies, communicating like adults, making up, platonic stancy

steve and mike coming out to each other (ao3) Steve POV, bisexual lighting, established background steddie, mike & steve sibling relationship

why'd you jump? (ao3) conversation at the quarry, coming out (kinda), working through trauma together, steve & mike sibling relationship, big brother Steve | cw: could read as suicidal tendencies or intrusive thoughts

a study in grief: steve and mike talking about barb (ao3) Steve POV, Barb's death anniversary, Barb was Mike's friend, grief, mourning, big brother Steve, Mike character study

stobin arsonist tendencies (drabble) Steve POV, robin wants to burn down steve's car and house, fucked up platonic besties, neurodivergent swag

🌷 i'll try-verse (time travel au) oneshots

steve takes el to see her first meteor shower

el calls steve magic

eddie finds nonverbal steve

tina's party steddie hug

steve meets wayne

clarkson fics

meet-sweet | kids duty (ao3) clarkson origin post with @unclewaynemunson. Wayne POV, first meeting, slow burn, pre-relationship, soft

coursework, caffeine and cuddles (ao3) teacher student!steve, domestic fluff, established clarkson & steddie, found family

if i fell in love with you (ao3) Scott POV, soft, established relationship, domestic fluff, If I Fell

home. (ao3) Scott POV, comfort, floaty, established relationship, after-school car ride, domesticity

quiet. (ao3) Scott POV, hurt/comfort, domesticity, established relationship, wayne doesn’t like how quiet scott’s house gets

don’t let go (i won’t) (ao3) Scott POV, hurt/comfort, found family, post-s4, shared trauma, steddie, established relationship, wayne gets a bad flashback and scott calls steddie for help

ronance fics

snow angels for @thefreakandthehair's spicy six winter fic challenge, Nancy POV, pining, first kiss, getting together

yearning hours (ao3) Nancy POV, pining, yearning, realisations, pre-relationship, semi-floaty

#steddie #clarkson #flowercrowngods masterlist #masterlist #all my fics are just vibes tbh #there are some misc ficlets in the writing tag still but eh these are the ones i think are okay

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mooncello · 24 days

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I haven't posted anything from my COBB yet because it is *highkey* psyching me out. I'm stressin'. I definitely overreached with this one. The first two chapters flowed out a couple months ago, and now I'm staring at my loose outline (chaotic plantser to the max) and wondering how the f*ck I'm gonna do this thing. Write, I guess?

It's so very different in tone and vibes from lost boys. So that's been fun. (Speaking of, I know I said chapter two would be published this week, but it's getting final artistic touches from @iamamythologicalcreature. Will publish when it's ready for y'all!)

Thanks for the tags @thewholelemon, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe & @shrekgogurt. Love seeing your updates. 🩵

Alright, untitled celebrity AU snippet under the cut.

Simon POV, age 26:

Only the booze made me think of Baz more, not less. And then the weed made me horny and reckless. Then Smith turned up. He’s hot. I’ve always thought so, but never acted on it because of my brand. My straight, homespun, golden boy next door image that Davy created, and now I’m fucking handcuffed to it. Someone at the party started reading Baz's poem—the naff one some magazine published—solo cup in one hand, phone in the other, as she stood on a goddamn table, swooning over his use of simile or whatever the fuck, and I went mental. Found Smith in the empty kitchen and just ... attacked his face. I liked it. I liked kissing a dude.

happy april tags! xo

@best--dress, @bookish-bogwitch, @hushed-chorus, @cutestkilla, @artsyunderstudy, @facewithoutheart, @whatevertheweather, @valeffelees, @ileadacharmedlife, @stitchyqueer, @larkral, @emeryhall, @raenestee, @blackberrysummerblog, @shemakesmeforget & @orange-peony

#wipsday #cobb 2024 #simon snow #baz pitch

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qprstories · 7 months

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Hey guys! So, I wrote a poem a while back that I think fits the theme of this blog :). It's called (queerplatonically) in love

(its uh, under the cut)

hey

i’ve done some thinking

and i think

i’m in love with you

love is a strange thing to be in

vast and unknowing,

stretching beyond the carpets of our imagination

a neverending blanket of stars

(some bright, some dim)

we draw lines between and mark

to make our way in the world

love is a thing to be studied

charted

mapped

scribbled in never-ending pages and woven with endless thread

a tapestry of stars

and freckles

of grilled cheese sandwiches and little moments

of peppermint ice cream and all the things left unsaid

i love you

i want to map it

if the skies of the world above us is love

than i suppose i’m an astronomer

deciphering it

writing it down

making sense of something i can’t even touch

connecting snippets that aren’t even mine

love, you see, i weave it

i take those pieces and weave them together on my own

and hope it will be enough

is it enough?

is it alright?

i don’t know

because one day

the stars came down and said

you are not like us, dear child

the warmth we have will never touch your skin

fill your heart

you must make your own light, little one

for the kind we make is not for you

and then they left

and now i’m here

under their sky

trying to make sense of it

wondering if i’ll feel their light someday

wondering if what i’ll make will ever be enough

can i make it?

can i make something?

can it be enough?

will it ever be enough?

enough

enough?

sometimes

i set my quilts aside

and i wonder

is this real?

do i want this?

do i want this, i wonder

to be blessed by the light the stars told me i could never have

to feel the things i could never feel

to fill my heart the way it can never be filled

or is it just a dream, a fantasy?

what does that light even feel like?

would i recognize it, one day

if it shone down upon me with all its strength

would i know it? would i feel it? would i want it?

is it maybe

perhaps

maybe

what i feel for you?

i’ve done some thinking

and i think i’m in love in with you

when we’re texting i smile so much my mouth hurts

my foot taps

i spin around in my chair

it makes me giddy, i think

like butterflies

(that’s what they always say love is like)

i want to map it

i want to decipher it

i want to decode it

i want to know if it’s the kind the stars told me i would never have

i want to know if it’s real

i want to know what it means

but

maybe i don’t have to

maybe i’ve made my own light

somehow

maybe it’s not from the stars or anywhere else

maybe it means only what it means to me

maybe i just love you

and that is enough of that

#qprthoughts #myqprstories #queerplatonic #queerplatonic relationship #qpr #poetry #man the formatting was a pain #cuz tabs dont work on tumblrs text editor and copy pasting the spaces didnt work #so i had to do it MANUALLY. EACH TIME #anyways enjoy :)

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prince-liest · 14 days

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I am literally checking your blog daily how the backflipping DUCK did I miss the recent snippet!?!?

It is genius. Bestest thing in the entire universe. I am filled with admiration for your skills. If I were home, I would be screaming into a pillow.

Just how do you make snippets this good?!?? Hahah♡ /pos

Backflipping duck got me, HAHA, thank you for that. Honestly, this entire chapter has been sitting solidly in "there's a lot of emotional fallout here from the previous installments of this series, and it is making me very paranoid about pulling both of them out of character," so I'm really glad people are enjoying the bits of WIP that I've been posting! Now that I've made it through a night out followed by an all-day party, I can sit, relax, and edit the shit out of it prior to posting so that I feel solid about it, hahaha. Anyway, thank you so much! <3 These kind messages have been fueling me amidst all the chaos, ehehe.

More replies specifically on the snippet under the cut! <3

okay I'm DYING over that snippet, alastor is going through a crisis not feeling comfortable with what they've been doing any longer and trying to figure out how to express that and one of the first things vox says when he breaches the topic is "I'm gonna dress up valentino as you and fantasize about fucking you anyway" like buddy!! all horny no brain asdfg they're both killing me omg - ✨

Vox was allowed like two seconds of healthy, genuine communication prior to the snippet I posted before I was like, "Hm, one sec, gotta remind everyone who he is," hahaha. He was, to be fair, mostly trying to be glib in that moment in a way that just didn't land.

Vox says "well it doesn't have to be literally you if you don't want" and Alastor hears "I've objectified the idea of you to such an extent that I'm going to go to such length to still realize my desire to fuck you" and oof.

Hi, anon who loves your writing snippets here 👋 Reaction summarized: “The Emotions They destroyed their cage Yes YES The Emotions are out” In other words: I am ready to be utterly obliterated. Hit me with the emotional weightlifting these two idiots are about to do. I’m rubbing my hands vigorously like a little creacher, a raccoon or common housefly, perhaps. On another note, so happy you’re getting off to a good start in your residency! As someone who’s been below the poverty line for most of their life, I know how thrilling it can be to look at future housing prospects. There’s nothing I love more than decorating a new space to make it feel like home :). I hope for the best for you these upcoming months!

Ehehehe, what a GREAT use of that poem. >:D The emotions really have finallly destroyed their cage. Time to face the music!!

And ahhh, thank you! Yeah, I've moved around a lot throughout my life (including switching houses weekly between my parents most of my life) and I feel like one of the ways I adapted to it was just being very gung-ho about decorating and home-ifying a place I'm staying, so I'm so excited to finally have a space that is All Mine To Do With As I Please without being concerned about roommates, etc, etc. And it won't be permanent, but I'll be there three years, and that's a decently long time!!

#ask #personal #aska234 #sparkle anon #anonymous #thank you guys all! :D <3 #was lovely to look through these between busy moments the past day and a half or so #hazbin hotel #(also to be clear I enjoyed myself immensely it was just A Lot esp as one of two primary organizers)#t

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words-after-midnight · 8 months

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Writeblr (re-)Introduction | words-after-midnight

Hi, I'm Nico (he/him)! I'm a 32-year-old Tio'tia:ke (Montreal)-based writer of crime fiction (mostly thrillers), literary fiction, and horror, as well as the occasional poem.

Current WIPs

🌙 LIFE IN BLACK AND WHITE | Psychological thriller

[GIRL ON THE TRAIN x THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS (Nemerever)] A troubled young man attempts to overcome a dark, growing obsession with his estranged former lover after the twisted relationship that uprooted his life is catastrophically interrupted.

Status: Line edit, preparing to query. Tags: #libaw, #call it midnight (inspo reblogs) WIP intro // Excerpt // Playlist // Moodboard

💀 THE DOTTED LINE | Psychological horror

[A CLOCKWORK ORANGE x SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION] A young inmate nicknamed after an Al Pacino movie navigates the chaotic, dangerous world of a medium security American prison while plotting his escape.

Status: Drafting (slowly and intermittently) Tags: #tdl, #the jungle (inspo reblogs) WIP intro // Playlist // Moodboard (cw: gore)

(More under the cut!)

🔵 SUPERNOVA | Dystopian/Speculative

[FRANKENSTEIN x BREAKING BAD] What if you held the key to the Earth’s salvation… and its potential destruction? An eccentric chemistry professor's PhD students decide to investigate her rumored discovery of a highly dangerous theoretical compound, and inadvertently ignite the spark to an unstoppable chain reaction of passion and pride, power and corruption, and unintended consequences they never could have anticipated.

Status: Pre-production (outline/zero draft) Tags: #sn, #hexa (inspo reblogs) WIP intro

Additional notes

I do not maintain any WIP taglists at this time. You can follow/track my project-specific tags if you want updates on them.

I am open to critique/constructive criticism on any snippets/excerpts I post, for any WIP, unless otherwise specified.

Ask/tag game friendly (but please note that I'm very busy and may take a while to answer)

I'm okay with minors following me, but please be mindful of the fact that my work is written primarily for an adult audience and you will be blocked if you interact with any post tagged #minors DNI.

You should not follow me if you're uncomfortable with fiction that addresses dark (ie. potentially triggering) topics. This being said, I always provide content warnings as needed.

#writeblr #writblr #writeblr intro #writers on tumblr #contemporary fiction #crime fiction #horror #thriller

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grapehyasynth · 11 months

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Wille and Simon are good friends and housemates, living together after studying together in university. Simon is making inroads in musical instruction; Wille aspires to be a poet but is struggling to make ends meet now that his parents have cut him off.

One day Simon is taking out the recycling when he notices scraps of paper with snippets of handwritten text on them, like abandoned lines from a poem. He always loves reading Wille's work, so he tugs it out. It's all heavily romantic, some of it bordering on cheesy and sappy - things like "you're under my skin but I like the itch" and "I thank the stars every day for you". He pockets it, not quite sure what he's feeling, and it's only later that evening when he unfolds it in his room that he can admit he's jealous. Wille is writing overdrawn romantic poetry for someone - someone who is not Simon.

He tries to casually ask Wille what he's been working on lately, and Wille is extremely cagey, all but confirming Simon's suspicions: Wille has a crush.

Several days later, Wille comes bouncing through the front door, tossing his things aside and grabbing Simon's hands for a poorly-executed waltz. Wille is wearing a suit and Simon's stomach sinks. Is this it? Has Wille just been on a date with his mysterious crush? Does Simon have to slowly descend into madness as he watches Wille fall h love?

Then Wille announces he's finally gotten a job - with a greeting card agency. "It's not ideal, but it'll pay the bills while I work on my - why are you laughing?"

Simon pulls out the scrap of paper. "I saw this the other day and thought-"

Wille hides his face in embarrassment. "Oh no. You probably were trying to think of a nice way to tell me it's all awful."

"No, I just assumed you were writing it for someone specific," he laughs, trying to tug Wille's hands away from his face. "That you had a secret lover."

Wille somehow manages to go very pale and blush at the same time. "Unlikely."

"Why is that unlikely?"

"Because - nevermind," he says hastily, and he snatches the paper from Simon and hurries away to his room.

Several weeks later, there is a card in Simon's mailbox. A card from Wille. Who shares the mailbox. Who in fact shares their apartment and could have just hand-delivered the card to Simon. He opens the card in the lobby of the building. It's from Wille's company, and inside it says you're the subject of all my best poems and that's no secret, lover. Wille has handwritten below that, I know it's bad. I hope you'll still go on a date with me.

He texts Wille, should I respond by post as well?

#wilmon #young royals #this...was supposed to be short

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blood-mocha-latte · 21 days

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what is this webgott pulp fiction au you have spoken of

welcome to my messiest wip!! she's about a year and a half old and i keep tweaking her because she drives me CRAZY. however, about a month ago i had a plot breakthrough (via luztoye)! anyways, she's crazy she's fun she's flirty she's morally ambiguous and inspired by sylvia plath poems. slay

~snippet below the cut~

Joe’s knee jittered under the table, and Webster had his eyes pinned to him like he knew how uncomfortable he made him.

“Is there a specific reason you dragged me out to some old-fashioned diner, or do you just not know what to do?” He asked, arms crossed and resting on top of the table.

Joe leveled a glare at him, but it dissipated as quickly as it came as Web huffed out a stupid little laugh, shifting against the red plastic of the diner seat.

“I’ll let you know this place is plenty fuckin’ good, Web, just so ya know.” He said, both affronted and warmed by the others ridiculous grin. Web widened his eyes at him, something between sincerity and mockery.

“Yeah?” He asked, like he was playing a game. “So I can get anything?” Joe shrugged, leaning back in the seat and spreading out his arms. He sure as hell didn’t have enough money for anything, but.

The boss’s boy, and all.

“Sure.” He said, and Web grinned again, like he was going to call him out.

“I like milkshakes.” He said lightly, and shifted against the creaky leather once more.

#rie answers #webgott #band of brothers #web and mia vibes save me. web and mia vibes. save me web and mia vibes #anyways. this is what you call don't watch pulp fiction while drunk

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laxmiree · 2 months

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[CN] MLQC Lucien's Lyric Poetry Event Translation (Prologue + Day 1-3)

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️

This post contains a HEAVY SPOILER for the event that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

Lyric Poetry Free SSR Event | Prologue+Day 1-3 | Day 4-6 | Day 7-9 | Day 10-12 | Day 13 (Ice Flowers Date)

[lyr·ic po·et·ry] (抒情诗)

—typically a short poem meant to express personal emotions and feelings inspired by life

Translation under the cut!

✧ [Prologue] ✧

Delivery Person: Here is your package, please sign for it.

Lucien: Thank you.

I hear a sound at the door, pulling myself out of the sea of planning and peek out to look at Lucien.

MC: What's this?

Lucien: Recently, researchers from the Bioultima Research Institute went to South America for exchange. This should be the gift they sent.

MC: Wow! South America! Shall we open it and take a look?

Inside this package that traveled across half the globe, there is a postcard and several carefully packaged butterfly specimen materials.

Lucien: Looks like they swung by a butterfly farm while they were there and brought back some souvenirs.

He smiles and hands the postcard to me.

The postcard, adorned with three or four signatures, briefly recounts the experiences of this exchange trip.

MC: Receiving this gift feels like experiencing "a snippet of travel". It's as if you've journeyed along with them.

Glancing at the specimens in the package again, I just feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Lucien: Do you want to join me in making butterfly specimens and be part of this mailed journey?

MC: This is the journey that everyone from the research institute wants to share with you. Would it be okay if I join in "midway" like this?

Lucien: Don't worry, they won't mind at all.

Lucien: But what you said makes a lot of sense too.

Lucien: Since crafting them feels like sharing bits of experience, I really hope that the specimens we create together will contain only our unique "life snippets".

MC: (smiles softly) Looks like the Great Professor is sneakily changing gears?

I lightly poke his cheek, earning a well-intentioned raise of his eyebrows and lips in return.

MC: But now that you've put it that way, it does sound quite romantic to encapsulate our everyday lives into a specimen!

Lucien: Then let's get started on making one.

His tone is so natural that it catches me off guard.

MC: Huh? Are specimens something you just make on a whim like that?

Lucien: Broadly speaking, any object that has been processed and can be preserved for a long time fits the objective definition of a specimen.

Lucien: For example, a dried aromatic leaf placed in a sealed plastic bag could also be considered a specimen.

His words instantly scatter my thoughts in all directions.

MC: So… if we turn seashells into resin ornaments, would that count as specimens too?

Lucien: Since the purpose of making them is to record our lives, it's fair to say it counts.

Lucien: Looks like this lady is already starting to plan ahead?

MC: How about we start tomorrow and take turns bringing home something that can serve as material for summarizing our day?

MC: With more and more specimens, we can have our very own unique "calendar of specimens"~

MC: How many days should we collect for...

Lucien: Thirteen days.

MC: Hmm? Is there any significance to that number?

A gentle chuckle envelops me along with his warmth.

Lucien: Because the display case I'm planning to buy has thirteen compartments.

He holds his phone up to my eyes, and on the screen is a beautifully designed small shelf in the checkout interface.

MC: Pfft… So even you have those moments when you've resigned yourself to fate~

Lucien: But it really is the best-looking one.

Lucien winks at me quite innocently, causing me to burst into laughter.

I squeeze his palm, snuggle up to him, and together we pick out containers for storing individual collectibles.

Thinking about the next few days, where we'll be condensing our lives into tangible collectibles, fills my heart with unstoppable anticipation.

✂———————–

✧ [Day 1] ✧

I grab the little package that Lucien brought back, my heart brimming with anticipation.

What did he bring as our first specimen?

After undoing the straps, I open the packaging, and a hint of emerald catches my eye.

Lucien: Considering this is our first specimen, I've opted for something easier to make.

Lucien: These are leaves I picked up separately from the botanical garden, on my way home, and around the apartment.

Lucien: With each leaf I pick up, it feels like spring draws a little closer to you.

Lucien: If I were to describe what kind of life snippet it encapsulates…

Lucien: I suppose it would be “I can't wait to see you”.

Lucien's note: Leaves are one of the most common and easiest types of plant specimens to make. But beyond the convenience of making them, I want to share this exuberant vitality with you.

✂———————–

✧ [Day 2] ✧

The sunshine seems particularly bright today, so both Lucien and I wake up a bit earlier than usual.

After washing up, he goes to the kitchen to prepare breakfast using the bread maker, while I take care of our little garden.

The morning air still carries a hint of coolness, and there is a faint fragrance of green tea and bread drifting from the kitchen to the balcony.

I fill the watering can with water, and as I lift my eyes, I catch a glimpse of a faint purple hue.

MC: Lucien—quick, come and see!

MC: Our hydrangea has bloomed early!

MC: Lucien, do you think it's really okay for us to cut down the first flower to make dried flowers?

Lucien: If you're worried about not being able to enjoy the flowers in the short term...

Lucien: There are several flower buds around it waiting to bloom. I believe your concerns will be dispelled in a few days.

MC: That's good to hear. I was worried we might strip the hydrangea bare.

Lucien: It's more accurate to say that our actions are helping to "lighten the load" for this hydrangea.

Lucien: By properly removing small flower branches, we can allow other flowers to receive more nutrients and bloom more brilliantly.

Lucien: When the hydrangea is in full bloom, would I have the honor of inviting this lady to set up a small table on the balcony and enjoy the flowers together?

Lucien's notes: Harvested the first hydrangea flower in the garden this spring. Hopefully, the other plants on the balcony will also catch up soon.

✂———————–

✧ [Day 3] ✧

I place the soft and fluffy feathers in my palm, gently poking them with caution.

Lucien: Lately, there have been many birds visiting outside the Bioultima Research Institute, but unfortunately, most of the time we only hear their chirping.

Lucien: They just left this clue on the windowsill.

MC: Pfft, is Professor Lucien inviting me to join him in searching for the true identities of the springtime songsters?

Lucien: Mm, and I also want to use it as a token, inviting you to my office later to listen to a "concert" together.

Lucien: With you around, perhaps the mysterious little birds would be willing to show themselves and interact with the "audience".

I smile and bring over a transparent storage box.

MC: Then I hope to have the honor when the time comes~

Lucien's notes: Thanks to these unknown songsters, they've brought everyone at the Bioultima Research Institute closer to nature.

✂———————–

Collect the beauty around you and him together and fill the shelf~

#mlqc lucien #mr love queen's choice #mlqc cn #mlqc spoiler #mlqc #mlqc translation #mr. love queen's choice #mr love lucien #mlqc xu mo #mlqc spoilers

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harri-etvane · 1 month

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WIP game Dear Harriet, of course I'm intrigued, especialy by these numbers in titles - Thirty-two and a third and 3am!

hello darling!

I've posted about the 3am one earlier - so for thirty-two and a third:

Inspired by this poem - snippet under the cut ✨️

She can hear him breathe, and somehow her very self is all the lighter for it. She would listen to the sound for hours, if she could - if they'd let her; the steady insistent note of I am here, so implicitly tied to the own ache of her heart, the flickering of her own pulse. Olena swallows, her hand gripping the edge of the table until her knuckles are white.

"I--"

"You--"

They speak at the same time, a unity forged deeper than any of this chaos around them; thicker than water, than blood, than terror.

"You're safe-" she hears the crack in his voice and feels her heart break open.

#Thank you as ever dear Daria 💙💛#WIP ask game

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eddsworld-the-masquerade · 10 months

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New music themes for our main characters, starting with Tord. Hoping all subsequent pieces will be easier to make XP This one features a genre I never wrote in before, and a language I do not speak in and neither does Teto. Jazz said it is legible at the very least so, hooray. It's far from perfect and I hope Norwegian people can forgive me for that hahaha.

I'll be posting this, as well as "No Rest For The Wicked" (aka main theme) on my YT channel in July. Since I need some cover art for the music videos. Same will be true for the rest of the songs I'll write. Edd is next btw.

Like last time, lyrics and some ramblings under the cut

There was actually a different version of this song that I ended up completely scrapping as I couldn't come up with a chorus

My biggest sources of inspiration were early Korn, Slipknot and, surprisingly, "Ima's Tower", from The Void OST. The chromatic downstepping mostly. It really does create some angsty atmosphere. When I think about it, the characters themselves do have certain things in common, hm...

youtube

LYRICS

Dypt nede helt nederst Av en endeløs grop, Glemt og råtten, Legger min ødelagte kropp. (Deep down at the very bottom Of an endless pit, Forgotten and rotten, Lays my broken body.) En pendel uten snor. Et verktøy, en gang så nøyaktig Kan ikke gjøre en eneste sving Med all makt stjålet. (A pendulum without a string. A tool, once so precise Can't do a single swing With all its drive stolen.) I'm nothing but a shell. (Trapped in a prison cell) A ghost in the machine. (Living off adrenaline) Hope springs eternal, But not for my chest. Burning inferno Is all I have left. 'Cuz I am no longer human. Jeg er ikke lenger menneske. I am no longer human. Jeg er ikke lenger menneske. Sigaretten min sin glør Lyser i mørket, Som jeg prøver å huske Hvordan å puste inn. (My cigarette's ember Glows in the dark, As I try to remember How to breathe in.) Lukter nitrat og svovel Fyller luften. Røyk og krutt Legg igjen et hull i hodet mitt. (Smells of nitrate and sulfur Filling the air. Smoke and gunpowder Leave a hole in my head.) I'm nothing but steel. (It's all so unreal) A cog in the wheel. (YOUR PERFECT IDEAL) Hope springs eternal, But not for my heart. Learn to comply, And play your part. Go metal! THIS IS MY RIFFLE, THIS RIFFLE IS MINE! THIS IS MY BURDEN, THIS BURDEN IS MINE! Hope springs eternal, And mercy divine. Burning inferno, And poison for mind. I am no longer human. Jeg er ikke lenger menneske. I am no longer human. Jeg er ikke lenger menneske. Got nowhere to run, Ingen steder å løpe 'Cus I was never human. Jeg var aldri menneske

For the Norwegian parts, I've put italicized english translation in the brackets underneath. Except choruses cuz those just repeat the english lyrics.

Featured references and idioms:

First spoken verse is a reference to Edgar Alan Poe's "Pit and the Pendulum".

Ghost in the machine: Human consciousness and thought as an entity distinct and separate from the body.

Hope springs eternal in the human breast: People can always find a reason to hope, even in the bleakest situations. The phrase comes from Alexander Pope's poem Essay on Man.

Second spoken verse has words breath in and sulfur. This is in reference to Slipknot's song "Sulfur".

A cog in the wheel: Someone or something that is functionally necessary but of small significance or importance within a larger operation or organization.

This is my riffle, this riffle is mine: in reference to "Full Metal Jacket".

Mercy divine: not a direct idiom, but inspired by to err is human (to forgive is divine) Being fallible and making mistakes is inherent to being a human, and forgiving such mistakes is a transcendent act.

So it's mostly your typical nu metal angst XD Lots of parallels between being human and being a machine. Lots of self-imposed lies and false beliefs. Don't worry, we'll get 'em

#eddsworld au #eddsworld vtm au #music #emo tord era fr #volume warning? cuz u know...metal...#music to feel passive aggressive to #Youtube #as always answering the question in advance. made with fl studio and synthV #oh yeah this is technically his battle theme but i'm still deciding #if i should use this or just the instrumental

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kakagaievents · 1 year

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NEW EVENT!

It is a pleasure to present the first KakaGai/GaiKaka Valentine's Week 2023, which will be held from February 12th to February 18th 2023.

Please check out the prompt list and the rules for participation, and feel free to follow this blog to keep up to date with all the wonderful content that will be published during this event.

PROMPTS

Day 1, February 12th

Royalty AU / Love confession

Day 2, February 13th

Hanahaki Disease / First kiss

Day 3, February 14th

Valentine's Day / Free Day!

Day 4, February 15th

Love potion / Soulmates

Day 5, February 16th

Arranged marriage / Flirting

Day 6, February 17th

True love's kiss / Hurt/comfort

Day 7, February 18th

Sex pollen / Love language

GUIDELINES AND RULES

Starting February 12, 2023, you can start sharing your work. On Tumblr use the hashtag #KakaGai Valentine's Week 2023, and/or you can mention @kakagaievents.

On Twitter use #kakagaivalentinesweek2023 and/or tag @/kakagaievents. Don't forget to use the tags "kakagai or gaikaka" and the character tags.

For AO3 works, can be added to the following Collection: KakaGai Valentine's Week 2023 | AO3 Collection and tagged under #KakaGai Valentine's Week 2023

Any original works are welcomed, it can be: fanart, fanfiction, gifs, original edits (poem edit, lyric edit, quote edit), AMVs, fancams, etc.

You are free to choose the days and prompts you wish to do (you can do one or both prompts per day), as long as the guidelines are respected. And remember that it is a week focused on KakaGai/GaiKaka, so it should always be the main ship.

You can put your entries outside of Twitter/ Tumblr (ex: Instagram, Wattpad, Pixiv, FFN, etc). Please put snippet on your Twitter or Tumblr and attach the link of your work to share it.

Late submissions or submissions after the date of prompt are accepted.

NSFW works are allowed, but must be tagged clearly and have warnings included, as well as adding the #kakagaiNSFW tag, anything with triggering/sensitive content must be behind a cut. Or if you prefer, you can crop the images and post an external link.

Plagiarism and reposting other people's works are prohibited.

If you have any questions or would like clarification on the prompts or guidelines, feel free to send a message.

Reblogs of this publication are appreciated so this event can reach as many people as possible!

@narutoandborutoevents @fandomweeks @narutoborutoeventscalendar @narutoevents

#kakagai #gaikaka #kakashi hakate #might guy #KakaGai Valentine's Week 2023 #maito gai #kakashi #kakashi x gai #kakaguy #naruto events #gai maito #hatake kakashi #naruto #boruto #naruto series #naruto shippuden

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little-peril-stories · 10 months

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🌹Romance Snippets Tag🌹

I was tagged by @starlit-hopes-and-dreams to share some romance snippets from my writing.

I had way too much with this so I'm sorry in advance.

Please enjoy this OPEN TAG :) because I think my friends have already been tagged lol

From The Prince of Thieves

Kisses in the driving snow were not nearly as pleasant as kisses in warmer, cozier scenes, but Jamie found he couldn’t regret it too sorely as Geoff’s warm lips pressed against his. ... Her body is flush against mine, separated only by her woollen dress and my snow-damp coat, layers that may as well be nothing, the way I can feel the heat of her against the heat of me. The way I can feel every beat of her heart.

From the Breanna Hatchett AU

He kissed her again, but did not stop at her lips, rather trailing down her neck, teasing as he went, the stubble along his jaw pricking into her skin and making her shiver.

From the angsty heist wip

What I see of it seems lovely, but she’s already peeking through the now-disorganized pile of papers, leaning right over me to find the one she’s seeking. This close to her, I can see the dusting of freckles on her cheeks and down her neck, the glistening of sweat on her skin, and the fine details of lace around the collar of her dress. For some reason, my heart is racing. ... Her cheeks are so pink, just like the sunset in her poem—like the sky at dusk. Like sprays of light as the sun and its brilliance vanish below the horizon. Becoming. Endearing.

Bonus Ash/Laramie and Fen/Freddie nonsense below but under the cut bc I'm kind of embarrassed by those stories 😅

From The Curiosity Collector

Laramie fought to keep his legs steady, tried to ignore the fiery throbbing of his head. Ash had been fine when he left the previous day. More than fine, really. They’d spent the afternoon in the company of only one another, hours of lying in the sun, staring up at the clouds and treetops. Brushing hair out of each other’s eyes. Running fingers up and down the other’s body. Pressing their lips together in lazy, love-drunk kisses as if they had all the time in the world.

...

“I love you.” Ash repeated the words he had spoken before, words uttered like an incantation. He watched Laramie’s face, tracing every line, every hint of grief behind his eyes. Committing it to memory in all its perfection. “I love you. I have always loved you, and I always will.”

From Fen & Freddie

lol there was nothing cute in F&F except them cuddling at the very end lmao. so have Freddie obsessing about saving Fen

He could die here, Freddie thought, if it meant Fen could live, somehow. If in the grand scheme of the entire universe, the loss of Frederic Howell would balance out to allow Fen Bailey-Song to keep breathing, to keep living— He was okay with that. ... “I’d do it again,” he said, “if it meant it wasn’t you.”

bonus bonus: this July I'll be rewriting my novel affectionately known as "Book 2." Here's a snippet from the first draft (written last summer), taken from a scene that will not make it into the rewrite. [poor buddy's POV got cut entirely]

What was she doing right now? Was she sleeping soundly in her borrowed bed, blissfully unaware of the way she made his blood scream through his veins? Could she know how the very thought of her made him feel as if he were gasping for air? ... Even with the hope that she might accept everything he had to say, even as he clung to its fragile wings like delicate drops of drew clung to blades of grass in the morning sun, he couldn’t dispel his fears—or everything else that had crossed his mind since the night before. In his sleepless stupor, he had allowed himself for the first time to imagine kissing her, and the thought had sent shivers down his spine.

here have a scene that will make it into the new version but who knows what it'll look like

She leaned into another kiss, letting her hands explore some more, one hand cupping the back of K's neck, the other running down her arm. To her surprise, the soldier let B gently push her down, let her hands roam more freely, let her lips and her tongue explore the soft skin of her neck. “You’re not that tough at all, are you?” she whispered. Below her, K laughed. “We’ll see who’s tough.” B nipped at her ear, taking delight in the little startled gasp it elicited. “Is that a promise?” With what seemed like hardly any effort at all, K rolled over, taking B with her so she was on top, staring down right into B' soul with a smile on her face. “Do you want it to be?” “Yes.” B reached up and landed another kiss, soft and full and slow. “Gods, yes.”

#romance snippets tag game #tag game #all the stories holy cow #well. it's a stretch for Fen & Freddie but I tried #lps the court of rogues #lps the queen of lies #lps the prince of thieves #lps the curiosity collector #lps fen and freddie

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zilabee · 1 year

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I've really enjoyed 'Read the Beatles', a collection of essays, interviews, snippets and such of people writing about Beatles through the years. I've posted a few bits from it recently. It's a really nice mix, including quite a few things that were published at the time, which I find more interesting in a lot of ways than people in the 2000s looking back.

But. Now I've reached the section of the book where she collects together some bits about each Beatle individually.

John:

An excerpt from Ray Coleman about John's early life

A bit from Gimme Some Truth, the John Lennon FBI files

A bit from the David Sheff Playboy interview

A bit from the Last Lennon Tapes by Andy Peebles

An obituaryish essay from Simon Frith about Lennon's meaningfuness and genius

A poem from Adrian Henri

An excerpt from Skywriting by Word of Mouth about John being happy being a house husband.

Absolutely lovely. I think that's a really nice collection.

Paul:

A 1982 interview where he talks about John's death

Here Today - a song he wrote about John Lennon

An interview from 2004 called 'McCartney: My Life in the Shadow of the Beatles'

Look at that. Three pieces, less than half of John's. And none of them are even about him. They're all about John. Nothing about his early life, because John wasn't in it. Nothing about Wings because John wasn't in it. Nothing about anything. It's appalling. And yes, I'm SURE it was harder to find things written about Paul than it was about John, especially in 2006. But all the same. (And for people who have come to Beatles more recently and think it's weird that Paul fans have such a bee in their bonnet about stuff like this, it's because of stuff like this! You only see articles now about Paul McCartney's legacy because Paul fans had a bee in their bonnet for a really long time.)

I've not read George and Ringo's sections yet so I can only take them from the contents page. Under the cut:

George:

A section from 'Before He Was Fab: George Harrison's first American Visit'

An excerpt from 'Mystical One: George Harrison' about the attack at Friar Park

An article called: The Unsung Beatle: George Harrison's Behind the Scenes Contributions to the World's Greatest Band

An obituary titled: George Harrison: World-Music Catalyst

Ringo:

An article from 1965 about interviewing Ringo on the set of Help (titled: Domesticated Beatle)

An excerpt from 'The Beatles As Musicians' looking at Ringo's skills as a drummer.

There's lots missing from both of them, I'd say. And yes it's poor that Ringo only has two pieces, but I do notice that they're both ABOUT HIM. And the same with George.

I'm so peeved.

(Saying all of that though, just reading those lists shows you how much stuff there is in this book. Added together these only make up a tiny portion of the whole thing, so it is a great book that I've really appreciated. It's just I might print out and paste in a few bits about Paul's early life, about him writing a symphony, about Wings, about his melody, about his legacy. Something like that.)

#beatles books #paul mccartney #Read The Beatles #edited by #June Skinner Sawyers #the beatles

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ephhemeralite · 2 months

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Since you came to ask for my process, I'd like to come over here and ask about yours!! I see you also do drafts, and I'd love to hear how that looks for you 👀

There is no pressure to go as in depth as I did for mine though!!! And there is no rush <333

I hope your writing is going well!!!

hello!! i have written, honestly, so much in response to this. thank you very, very much for asking, because i love to talk about writing!! maybe more than i enjoy writing, even. lord.

one caveat about me and prose: my thing is very, very definitely poetry. i write poetry about every other day and i have done for years. i adore fanfiction -- to write it, to talk about it, to brainstorm about it, to help edit my friends'. i love how collaborative it is, i love its unique sets of tropes, i love when people talk to me about my fics and their own. i LOVE fic. i do not adore writing it the same way. sometimes, i think of it as a means to an end (having a fic i would like to read and am proud to have written). the way that i go about writing fics reflects this, i think.

my process is pretty shaky and i can be bad about sticking to it (i try to 'trick' my brain out of needing the things it needs to complete longform writing. like a FOOL). the general shape of my process is: an inciting idea (a song lyric, a poem, another fic, a tumblr post, "wouldn't it be cool if [blank] happened in a fic?") -> an actual concept (what would actually have to go on in a fic to make [blank] plausible) -> first draft (me telling the story to myself, ugly) -> second draft (rewrite with a lot of influence from the first draft but, like, good to look at). all throughout this process, i tend to take the time to line edit when my brain gets too overwhelmed with the actual writing, since i find editing to be leagues easier. it's a good way to take a break while still working on the fic, but it is deeply inefficient from every other angle. but, hey, the first rule of fic is to have fun and be yourself.

i'm going to go into detail under the cut bc no one's dash deserves what i've done to this ask.

warning (?) for the fact that the fic i'm currently writing is hockey rpf.

i usually start out with rambling to my friends, too! when my hrpf first possessed me, i sent about 15 messages to my friend cara (who doesn't give a shit about hockey or hrpf) that outlined the (hrpf-specific) trope i liked, what fic inspired me (x), and the goal of my own fic. an abbreviated snippet of that:

it could be interesting to play with the two ways the trope manifests (violent/aggressive and protective) (needing to be taken care of/reassured by teammates) via having them both nest. it has the potential to be so tender . . . i have this mental image of ullmark, who is spacy (clue that he's due for nesting on his own) at practice doing drills or smth when he hears swayman yell/yelp/smth (depends on what sets him into nesting, hurt/confronted/whatever) and goes to check on him only to be met with a fully nesting goalie. while trying to calm him down, he ends up nesting, too.

i imagined this as a oneshot with an extended version of this scene and, perhaps, another. i knew what vibe i was shooting for and what content might pair with it. i skipped the concept step, because i am a fool and i hoped it might be short enough to get through writing it with momentum. i did not do that. more on this later.

what an idea turning into a concept should look like:

i want to write a version of the batfamily/white collar crossover that deals with all related topics the way that //i// think they should be handled

into

a two-chaptered fic, heavy on parallels, split between peter and dick's povs. lots of unreliable narration where the parallels draw attention to how unreliable everything is. both chapters should include the same or similar scenes with the characters' first impressions of each other, moments when they clash (insert scene ideas where dick loses agency, peter invades his privacy, a major plotpoint from the show, etc), how that results in a rise in tension, and when that tension breaks in the climax (burning building?? dick fakes his death???), and closing scenes. dick's pov is going to include a lot more family stuff, focus on the issues of the fic, etc, while peter's pov obscures the issues and completely misses the presence of dick's family.

this is only a recreation of what my 'acquainted with the saint of never getting it right' fic's concept would have looked like, since i've lost all of this since i drafted it two years ago, but the thought stands. it's really sparse -- less than your zero draft, even, but the next step in my process is more than a zero draft, so i'd say they hold the same place in my process. i might include references to ideas i have for scenes if i have them, but they're usually few-word clues like "sketchbook" or "peter in apartment for coffee."

since i like to swim without a paddle, my next step is draft one. my goal is to get it down; if the details feel good and come easy, i will include them, but i don't let them trip me up. it's easier to add shit into the next draft than it is for this one to go uncompleted, basically. some word choices from this draft might remain in the final piece, but rarely does sentence structure or much else.

Sway is growling from deep in his chest, projecting the sound out across the ice. The rest of the team is inching away from Sway’s crease and towards Linus, which upsets something in the back of his mind — Sway should have the team around if he's upset. Clearly, with the growling, he doesn't want them close, but that doesn't mean that they should leave him, either. Once he settles down, he's going to want them. Linus knows, he'd had his fair share of triggered nesting episodes when he was younger. Unless there was something specific that’d set him off — then things would be different, according to what he needed — but Linus doubts that. It was mostly likely that this was just a simple rough start and Sway could get into proper nesting the moment he settled down and relaxed in the net. He could show Sway that easily, Linus thinks. His drifting forward comes to a gentle stop near the front of the pack of teammates and coaching staff carefully not crowding Swayman. He registers, in a distant way, that what's happening right now is going to cause a heaping helping of issues for somebody, but he's also not worried about it. At all. What he's worried about is how Sway needs to feel safe right now and how he doesn't. Linus knows that he's never felt safer than while nesting for this team and that he could give Sway that, if he tried. He just has to get Sway to a nest. All he needs to do is tell Sway that and Sway will surely listen. He lets out a loud chirp, cutting off whatever the head and goalie coaches were trying to say to Swayman. Usually, he'd feel pretty guilty about interrupting, but it's alright. He's going to fix the issue; they'll understand. Sway moves from eyeing up the coaches to staring straight at him so fast that Linus worries about him pulling something; all of the more reason to get him safe and tucked away, somewhere where they can both relax. The growl dies abruptly in his throat, which makes Linus want to preen. Clearly he knows his teammates best. Linus chirps again, eager to get this moving along. Eyes locked onto him, Sway chirps back.

this is a pretty long excerpt, sorry, but a lot happens between the first and second draft and this has plenty left unworked.

the first paragraph is alright -- some imagery i like (the growling and the team's movement), linus' thought process toes the line between coherent and incoherent the way i'd like it to (might lift that, wholesale, to the second draft), although the phrasing "which upsets something in the back of his mind" is... eugh.

the second, third, and fourth paragraphs' main use is to outline where linus' mindset is going, although it's clunky and off-target. i just need the reminder to write his mindset in and its vague shape, for this draft, though. if i kept any of this, the phrasing/sentence structure would need to be changed, but it's more likely that i'd scatter it through the movement and description i'd add into the second draft. my first drafts tend to be either all-internal or all-external, so my second drafts act as the equalizer.

beyond that, my second drafts also make everything... longer. so much longer. it helps me move everything from a barebones "this is what probably happens" to "this is what experts call a nice reading experience," you know? plus, i can move forward with draft one with questions still unanswered, like: i haven't actually decided how i want the narration to refer to these characters, yet. the first name vs last name vs nickname and WHEN debate is an important one, but if i got hung up on that first, i'd never actually write the damn fic itself. instead, we can get it moving.

the difference between a first and second draft might look like this for me:

Nile is in the desert. Her boots are stiff with sand, her hands grasping her rifle, her body weary under her gear. She's marching. On the back of her tongue, she tastes blood. There's not another person around for miles. No squadmates, no commander. No civilians, no insurgents. The sun beats down on her from its place at perfect zenith. Nile stumbles to a stop, heaving for the heat. She casts about for her water, but it's not where it should be or anywhere it shouldn't be, either.

Nile is never going to get out of the desert. That’s most of what she knows. There are other things, like: her boots are stiff with sand, her hands are grasping a rifle, her body is weary under her gear. She’s marching. On the back of her tongue, she tastes blood. She’s alone. From horizon to horizon, the terrain is empty of everything but herself. Her squadmates are missing, her commander absent. There are no civilians, no insurgents. The sun beats down on her from its place at perfect zenith, millions of miles away. She stumbles to a stop, heaving for the heat. She wishes, desperate beyond words, for water, but her bottle is missing. It’s not hooked onto her vest or around her hips; she’s never spent a moment more aware of each of the trillion grains of sand that surround her, dry as dust, as in this moment.

(this fic, even the sun knows where you sleep, has been languishing as a half-finished second draft since may of last year. it's a crossover between the old guard and the sandman, where nile has a series of dreams influenced by morpheus. this is one of them) the first draft of this fic is about 5k, but the finished second draft could end up around 15k. long as hell, by my poet standards.

this second draft is lacking line edits, but bloop (my beloved sister, muah, ily, etc) helped me comb through it months ago so the proposed changes are available. the phrasing is prettier, the structure less repetitive, the imagery and setting clearer. the parts of this that are written are just a stone's throw away from being of posting quality. unfortunately, i'm also of the camp no-posting-before-completed, so it won't be.

i have a gomens fic sitting unfinished on my account because i lost steam and interest before i finished the second draft of its last chapter, which is just... so unfortunate. i'd love to finish it, and eventually i might, but i've acquired a bit of distaste for gomens in the meantime and (in the spirit of being myself and having fun) i'm not beating myself up about it. but, like, lesson learned.

back to the point: sometimes, the second draft can change more of a fic (warning for non-graphic violence):

Nile is standing at the window at the top of Merrick's skyscraper, Andy's labrys in hand. The window is shattered again, though there's no other proof of their battle that Nile can sense. Andy is nowhere to be seen, nor is Merrick. Nile doesn't look down through the window, but she knows there's no crushed car or mutilated body, either. There is Nile, standing at the shattered edge, weathering the sharp breeze snapping against her. There is the ax in her hand, the wooden handle rough. Grainy. It hasn't been smoothed by use or through craftsmanship and Nile can feel splinters bite into her grip. The wood is hot, she realizes suddenly – not skin-warm, but the type of hot that comes from holding something porous as it burns and vents heat through places yet untouched by the flame. In panic, she raises her head to find the source and is blinded, completely. The shock of it is such that she stops moving entirely and blinks, uncomprehending – the sun.

Nile is standing in the moment before the fall. The precipice. She’s at the top of Merrick’s tower again. Behind her lies a cold and empty room, made more of shadow than substance. She knows that she is supposed to continue through – see the moment to its end – but she has been given the opportunity to pause, as time comes to a standstill. Some things have changed; Andy and Merrick are missing. The evidence of their fighting is gone, except that the window is already shattered. A cold wind rushes through the absence, knocking sharp teeth against her body, frozen in its lunge forward toward empty space. In her fist is the labrys that should be cutting into the meat of Merrick’s shoulder. Nile can feel the tackiness of blood in her grip on the wooden handle. She wonders at the grainy texture caught beneath it, surprised that time nor craftsmanship hasn’t smoothed it over, before she understands that this is not Andy’s handle. Instead, the roughly-hewn lumber extends from the floor to a place over her head to become a sort of halberd, its point on the floor supporting most of her weight. It's hot, too – not skin-warmth, but the type of heat that comes from holding a porous item as it’s being consumed by fire, venting heat out through places yet untouched by flame. Nile isn’t injured by the blister of it, but the sensation of burning without pain unnerves her and she raises her gaze to find the blade and the flame. Only, she doesn’t make it that far. Lifting her face out of her hunched position brings it to look toward the window, where she discovers the opposite of Merrick’s abyssal building as it inundates her: an immense deluge of light.

there's a lot more definitive changes to structure, phrasing, and imagery here than in my last snippet. i do, in a literal sense, go through and rewrite each word of my fic between drafts, but how many of those words are carried over from the first to the second can vary depending on the quality of the draft. it's way easier for me to rework a pre-existing piece than make something, wholesale, which i'm well aware of and try to cater to. this is the method that's seen my writing improve the most, even though i think it's wildly impractical and unwieldy. i've even done it with this exact post, which part of why it's taking me so long to finish it!

i'm trying something new with the process on the hrpf, since it's been giving me so much trouble. the theme's changed a bit, with a wider scope and something specific to say, but i also want to incorporate a social media/journalism/outsider's perspective element, which will let me move around outside of the characters' narrations while establishing the wider world of the au. this new step is as close to a zero-draft as i've gotten, even though it's still way less detailed. it looks like this:

MOST VIOLENT VS MOST AMIABLE GOALIES TO NEST IN THE NHL listicle Sway and Linus discuss nesting, Linus has settled into a pattern Could gentle-nester ullmark be a calming influence over swayman or will he dull his edge? speculative piece, focus more on the first option maybe to contrast the move towards understanding anger. Bruins vs buffalo, ullmark in net (dec. 7 game? If the timeline for that works), linus is upset at the loss/it goes bad somehow. Sway is supportive in a more assertive way than typical. It doesn’t start here but it turns here Can’t decide if tweets or something would be good here Internal, staff-only memo advising to keep sway away from linus when he’s feeling broody.

each line represents a separate 'chunk' of the fic. with the added elements, i need to know what will go where so that i can make sure the storytelling tracks throughout. i'm still on this part of the draft, but i'm having a good time with it again which is what i think is most important.

anyway, thank you for asking!! i definitely love to talk about writing! i'm always sooo down to chat, too, except for maybe right now because i am going to pass out asleep i think. <3!!!!!!

#answered ask #experiencing the horrors of this british literature class but we keep going!!!!#<- this was uhm ten hours ago i am in bed now.#sorry if you didn't want to hear about rpf. that's where im at tho

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