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thedeadmansgirl · 4 months

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A Chance to Start Over | Chapter 01

Pairing: Mark Calaway (The Undertaker) x Female OC (Mary)

Chapter Warnings: Minors DNI 18+ Only Smut.

Length: 859

Read on AO3 | Read on FFN | Next Chapter

Success comes in various ways and different levels, depending on where you are in life.

And if you ask Mark Calaway, the man known publicly as the Undertaker, what success is at this point in his life, it is watching his beautiful wife of nearly a year, Mary, coming into the kitchen from their backyard carrying in a basket full of fresh eggs on one hand and another full of vegetables on the other from their garden out back.

Had it been ten or fifteen years earlier, he would easily say it’s his career achievements, probably his wealth, and the love of any woman (and sometimes, several women at the same time) who’d give him their generous time to pleasure him. Now all that mattered was this gorgeous woman in front of him.

Mary smiled at her husband who’s sitting on a stool by the kitchen island, enjoying his morning coffee. She smirked at the look on his face and the growing tent in his dark gray sweatpants, the only clothing he has on him. ‘God, he’s beautiful.’ she thought to herself.

“Good morning.” She greeted him saccharinely instead as she placed the baskets by the sink. The towering man stood up and walked over his wife to kiss her passionately.

“Have I told you I love you today?” He whispered, his hand already under her shirt, traveling slowly up to her breasts, squeezing one as he nipped lightly on her earlobe, causing her to squirm a bit under him and let out a soft moan.

“As a matter of fact you did, twice before we left our bed this morning.” She replied, almost breathless as he began rolling her nipple between his thumb and index finger.

“Well, you might have forgotten darlin’. Let me remind you again.” He whispered and guided his wife to face the island counter, caressing her hips as she leant forward to rest her upper body on the marble top. He let out a gruff moan that made Mary bit her lip to suppress a smile, she knew what’s about to transpire and she’s almost antsy. He wrapped his arms around her waist and bent down to kiss the back of her neck, trailing down her spine.

Her breath hitched when Mark hooked a finger on the waistband of her sleep shorts and swiftly pulled it down, his other hand frantically pulling down his sweatpants just enough to free his hard and throbbing cock, leaking with pre-cum. He reached around her waist to run a finger through her slit and felt her already wet center. He groaned again as he collected her wetness to drag it back up her nub, circling it with a gentle pressure that had her gasping and moaning in pleasure.

“Mark.” She whimpered, “I need you inside me, please.” She begged and Mark let out a soft chuckle, kissing her temple as he did.

“So impatient.” He whispered but pulled back anyway to pump his cock a few times before aligning it to her warm entrance dripping with arousal and slowly pushed his way in, whimpering as he did. Mary closed her eyes; her brows knitted as her husband stretched her deliciously, her mouth falling into a small ‘o’ and whimpered as she felt him bottom out to the hilt, hitting that sweet spot inside of her.

Mark gripped her hips, sinking his fingers on her tanned skin a little too hard but Mary didn’t mind. Especially when he began to move in slow but hard thrusts, slowly picking up pace, and continued hitting that special place inside her that had her a whining mess in no time.

“Right there, right there!” She almost screamed. “Don’t stop, baby please.”

“I love it when ya beg.” Mark responded with less spunk as he wanted to as he, too, was almost lost in the sensation of her cunt swallowing his thick and long cock as if it were made to fit and live in there.

Mark gritted his teeth as he felt himself growing closer, letting out a slightly higher pitched moan than his usual baritone grunts. “I need ya to come for me, baby.” He told her, reaching back around her front to press gentle circles in her nub, helping her tip over to the edge.

“Fuck…” Mary whined as her back arched and her cunt clamped down on Mark’s cock, causing the huge man to let out a loud grunt, almost a growl, “Jesus…” He whimpered, “Come on, baby.” He urged her as he continued his ministrations to her nub and not long after she was clamping down even harder as she came really hard screaming his name.

It didn’t take Mark longer than a few more thrusts before he was burying himself deeper inside her, flooding her walls with thick spurts of his cum with a jolt. "Jesus Christ." He hisses, closing his eyes and resting his head on Mary's shoulder. “That’s a good way to start the week,” He grinned, cupping her face to turn her towards his, kissing her passionately.

“I love you, woman.” He panted against her lips and she smiled, “I love you, too, cowboy.”

Next Chapter

#wwf undertaker #wwf undertaker x reader #the undertaker #the undertaker imagine #the undertaker smut #wwe undertaker #american badass #the undertaker x female oc #undertaker imagines #undertaker fan fiction #The Undertaker imagines #The Undertaker Fan Fiction #the undertaker decimates rising wwe star in shock comeback #the undertaker and his pals #world wrestling federation

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fitsofgloom · 11 months

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Ginchy starlet Warrene Ott, who ably played the twins Thursday and Friday in the Cult Cannibal Horror Comedy "The Undertaker & His Pals" from 1966. Ott had earlier been cast as Betty Cooper in a 1961 pilot for a live-action Archie Comics TV series called "Life With Archie" that never came to fruition, all the more regrettable because she would've made a fab Betty. She reportedly beat out tens of thousands of hopefuls for the role. Her family owned a successful franchise of motels in Hollywood.

#warrene ott #the undertaker and his pals #starlets #60s babes #vintage cheesecake

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schlock-luster-video · 5 months

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On December 4, 2020, The Undertaker and His Pals and Motel Hell were screened as a double-feature on TCM Underground.

Here's some new art inspired by both cult classics!

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splatteronmywalls · 1 year

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#the undertaker and his pals #1966

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movieposters1 · 1 year

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#the undertaker and his pals

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duffertube · 1 year

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#SoundCloud #Johnny White #The Undertaker and His Pals #The Undertaker’s Biker Boogie & Reprise Backbeat #OST #Music

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movie-titlecards · 1 year

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youtube

The Undertaker and His Pals (1966)

My rating: 4/10

The answer to the question "What if Sweeney Todd was just kind of a boring douchebag".

#The Undertaker and His Pals #T.L.P. Swicegood #Warrene Ott #James Westmoreland #Marty Friedman #Youtube

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jellys-compendium · 3 months

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A Night to Remember

A Trigun Stampede One Year Anniversary Celebration Drabble

Rating: M

Summary: You, Vash and the gang go out to celebrate your one year anniversary. Unfortunately for you and Vash, the night ends at an unexpected lodging. The jailhouse. Pairing: Vash x gn!Reader Cw: fluff, drinking, tipsy Vash & reader, mentions of violence, some suggestive themes Word Count: ~940 A/n: I know I am taking a break from writing Trigun, but it didn't seem right to not post a little something to honor the one year anniversary for Trigun Stampede. Thank you Studio Orange for reviving this series. Trigun (and Vash) will always hold a special place in my heart. 💖

The closing click of the fortified restraints that are wrapped around your lover’s wrists rings through the jail with finality. Your heart sinks into your stomach as you watch—completely powerless— from the adjacent jail cell.

“Do you really have to do that Sheriff?” You whine, face pressing against the bars separating you from your lover.

“Vash didn’t start that fight. He stopped people from getting hurt, you know!”

A drunken little hiccup escapes the sheriff as he wavers on his feet, trying his best to get his key into the lock dangling around Vash’s wrists. A charming drunken smile spreads across Vash’s handsome face as he brings his hands closer to the Sheriff, and helps steady the drunken man.

“Th-hic-there you go pal.”

“Thanks, Vash.” Comes the Sheriff's sloppy and slurred response.

You roll your eyes, heaving a heavy sign through the cold iron bars.

Unbelievable.

The night had started out so well. You, Vash, Meryl, Roberto, and Wolfwood had all been celebrating the one year anniversary of your meeting at the local saloon of the town. Your group basked in some well deserved merriment, indulging in food, drink, and the warm company of one another.

The original plan had been to drink with the gang, fill your bellies with food and laughter, and then take Vash back to your room for a little private celebration.

What happened instead was sadly not that.

Vash had unfortunately been recognized by a band of bounty hunters who incidentally also had light pockets. Your tipsy lover had done his best to deny who he was and calm and redirect the men, but they were having none of it.

What started as night of laughter and friendly company turned into a drunken brawl. Fists flying, bottles shattering, turned over tables and chairs. And within two minutes flat, the entire bar had burst into an eyesore of unrestrained, buzzed testosterone.

Roberto and Meryl had held their own perfectly, keeping the drunken and grubby hands of the locals off of them. Wolfwood had groaned, rolling his eyes as he had planned to just sit this one out. Unfortunately for the preacher, one enormous, inebriated man came at him with his fists flying and gave the grouchy undertaker little choice.

Vash on the other hand, worked on simultaneously disarming every single person packing in the place, all the while playing keep away with you. You remember him moving you this way and that, dancing around swinging fists and deflecting thrown bottles as he kept your tipsy self out of harm's way.

“It wouldn’t be our one year anniversary without a drunken brawl, right mayfly?”

Geez, wasn’t that the truth?

A soft smile spreads across your lips. Life has never been the same since you met Vash the Stampede. He truly is the humanoid typhoon—a sandsteamer’s load of trouble—and you wouldn’t change him for the world.

“There ya go buddy.” The sheriff hiccups as he secures the chains around Vash’s wrists and then claps him affectionately on the back.

“I’ll let you and your bug friend go in the morning, alright? Goodnight you two. Sleep tight!”

Vash gives the man a huge drunken grin, and you silently watch as the Sheriff stumbles out of the jail cell, nearly falling flat on his face before he makes it to the door.

The moment the door clicks shut, Vash exhales a drunken little chuckle and then his blue eyes fall on you—all sweetness and cherry pie.

“He’s grown up to be such a nice man. I met him when he was only up to my knees, ya know.”

You smile, shaking your head at your boyfriend. Vash is such an affectionate and sentimental drunk—wearing his heart on his sleeve even more so when he’s in this state. He’s so friggin’ adorable, you want nothing more than to slip through the bars and head on over and shower him in kisses and cuddles.

Sadly, it looks like you’re going to have to wait until morning to do that.

Unless…

“Vash,” You sweetly call, extending your arms through the bars and coaxing him to you with a wiggle of your fingers.

“Come ‘ere, angel.”

Vash’s smile spreads from ear to ear as he slowly makes his way towards you. You giggle as he stumbles a bit before reaching your warm embrace. You do the best you can to pull him close and hug him through the iron bars of both of your cells.

“M’sorry.” Vash sighs, fingers reaching out to gently brush against your warm cheek. “I know this isn’t the most romantic spot to spend our one year anniversary.”

Your hands soothingly caress his arms with what little mobility they have, and as you look up and meet Vash’s tender gaze, the love that swells in your heart makes you feel fuller and happier than you’ve ever felt in your life.

“That doesn’t matter, Vash. As long as we’re together—as long as I’m by your side— I’ll be the happiest little bug on this desert planet.”

The humanoid typhoon smiles so brightly, and the rarest, most genuine little laugh falls from his lips.

“Then let’s treasure every last second we have.”

Leaning forward, the two of you try to kiss through the bars. Unfortunately however, those dreaded obstacles separate your bodies too far apart, leaving you and Vash looking utterly ridiculous as you both strain towards one another in vain—all extended puckered lips.

Eventually, the both of you give up, electing to press kisses to your fingertips and brush them across each other’s lips instead.

And as your shared laughter echoes through the empty jailhouse, you realize that despite your plans going south, this will be a night that you’ll always remember fondly.

divider source

#happy one year trigun stampede! <3 #trigun #trigun stampede #vash the stampede #vash x reader #vash x you #trigun fanfiction #trigun x reader #jellywrites

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weirdlookindog · 2 years

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The Final Dimension in Shock! ... Like Spending a Night in the Grave!

#the corpse grinders #the undertaker and his pals #the embalmer #triple feature #ted v. mikels #horror movie poster

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fatmagic · 5 months

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#The Undertaker and His Pals #1966 #gif #pie in the face

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thedeadmansgirl · 4 months

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A Chance to Start Over | Chapter 04

Pairing: Mark Calaway (The Undertaker) x Female OC (Mary)

Chapter Warnings: Minors DNI 18+ Only. Divorce, labor, water (amniotic sack) breaking, douche Mark, cheating spouse, still born, pregnancy, death from childbirth (not OC)

Length: 1560k

Read on AO3 | Read on FFN | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Mark was sitting comfortably in his recliner in the den, a beer in hand, while he flipped through the channels. He had got back home from another work trip three days ago, and he barely even moved from his spot. Only getting up to go to the bathroom or get another bottle of Shiner. It would still be another few weeks before he had to go back on the road again, he figured since he basically ruined his second chance at happiness, he’d just drown himself in beer.

He had time to let his thoughts and feelings sit and simmer. And he could never deny the fact that he loves Mary so much, and regrets saying the things he said. But at the same time, he didn’t want the heartbreak of losing another child, whether from life or its paternity.

Christ. He thought, if only Mary would see it from my eyes.

Just then, his doorbell rang. Then it rang again, and again. He cursed as he got up, taking long strides to the front door.

“HAVE YOU NEVER SEEN A DOORBELL IN YOUR GODDAMN LIFE?” He bellowed as he opened the door and was surprised to see Mary, sweating, huffing and red. Probably from the Texan summer heat.

“What the hell are you doin’ here?”

She pushed her way in, ignoring her ex husband’s question. She walked through where she knew he’d have the air conditioner turned on behind the couch. She stood there and for a few seconds felt relieved by the cool air blowing on her face directly. Mark watched her with amusement and surprise, he cannot deny the fact that she looked good in the yellow sundress that clings to her bump, and hugs her breasts that are so much fuller now. He felt his cock twitch in his jeans.

He tried to shake the thoughts away, reminding himself why they are in this situation in the first place. Then Mary turned back to look at Mark, and shoved an envelope to his chest. .

“Please sign the fucking divorce papers.” She begged the towering man who just looked down at her in surprise. “This is the fifteenth time, Mark. Please just sign it. It’s the right one. I made sure they removed the child-support clause.”

Mark was stunned and absentmindedly clung to the envelope. It still feels so weird to him seeing her pregnant, and she has gotten bigger since he last saw her, and he didn’t understand why he was feeling the way he does, blaming it on the summer heat. He gulped as he scanned her body and saw the quick shift in Mary’s expression, insecurity, he told himself. He knew that look so well, and it only strengthened his case when she pulled her dress further down her bump and straightened her back.

Her breath suddenly hitched. She winced, gripping the back of the couch, but quickly schooled her expression to look as neutral as possible but Mark caught that.

“I figured you wanted your lawyer to look at it so I waited but after not hearing from you nor any lawyer on your end—” She stopped mid-sentence to take a few short breaths through her nose as she bit her lower lip.

“What’s the matter Mark? What do you need me to add or remove from it? I can have my lawyer create a new draft. Do you want the beach house in Florida?” She continued soon after.

Mark realized he hadn’t spoken and shook himself off his daze, “I-I don’t need the beach house.” He began and her brows just furrowed and she took a deep breath, her grip on the back of the couch was turning her knuckles white.

“Then…what…do…you want?” She asked through gritted teeth.

“I want you back, that’s what I want! But–but this… honey, I–I can’t…” Mark stuttered, gesturing at her bump.

“So what are you saying?” She glared at him, and Mark couldn’t understand why she was huffing. She must be really mad at me for not signing the divorce papers right away. He thought.

“I’m saying that we can still make it work, y-you and I can still be happy together… you can–put your baby up for adoption or something then–”

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?”

Mark stepped back and felt like he had shrunk a few feet down. He just realized what he told her and now she’s even madder. With a hand on her bump and a finger poking on his chest, she hissed, “Sign. the. goddamn. papers. NOW!”

“Now hold on a minute, we never had the chance to talk this out. Technically, we’re still married–”

“We don’t need to talk about anything about this. We were only married on paper and in the sack, you made it clear when I left. If you’re saying all this now just to get your dick wet, you’re asking the wrong person. Go fuck someone else.”

“Ya think I’d want you back just to fuck you–”

“It doesn’t matter now, just sign it so it could all be over and I’ll disappear from your life just like she did.” She pushed the envelope further into Mark’s chest and returned to grip the back of the couch trying to even her breathing, one hand still on her bump.

She knew what she said was too harsh and she saw the hurt etched in his face.

“Fine!” He snapped and ripped the envelope open, pulling out the documents. He looked around searching for something and then he looked at Mary. “What?” Mary asked in a hiss.

“Pen?” He asked, matter of factly. “Goddamn it Mark! Bottom drawer of that desk–” She was going to point at the desk by the den when she let out a loud groan of pain.

"What's wrong? Tryin' fake pains to get me to sign the papers quicker?" He snorts. "Should have led with that--"

“Shut the fuuuuck uuuuuuuppppp.” Mary moaned in pain, forcing her knees to bend slightly to a squat as the pressure grew stronger towards her center. She tightly gripped the back of the couch for support while she gasped for breath.

“I- fuck-“ The sound of water trickling down the hardwood floor “Oh for fuck’s sake!”

Mark's eyes widen in surprise and, quite frankly, nervousness, as he looks down, swallowing harshly as he realizes Mary's water broke.

"Well shit, I think your water broke.” Mark stood there wondering what the fuck to do.

“Yeah, no shit Sherlock.” Mary glared at him, letting out a long breath as the contraction eased.

“You need to go to the hospital.”

“You think I don’t know that? Just sign the goddamn papers, Mark and mail it to my lawyer first thing in the morning.” Mary replied, heading for the door brushing past Mark on her way out.

“What the hell are you doing?” Mark asked in confusion, surely she’s not going to drive herself to the hospital, is she?

Mary turned back to face him from the porch with a scowl, “What the fuck do you think?”

“Good grief, woman. It’s not safe, you’re in pain. Let me at least drive you.” Mark responded a little irritatedly, grabbing his keys and wallet from the console table in the doorway.

“No!” Mary held up her hand before Mark could cross the threshold. “I-it’s alright, Mark. Y-you get on with your day. I’m gonna be fine.”

“No, you’re not fine, I–”

“Really, please, I insist. I-I can do it. I know you don’t want—to be in this situation in the first place. I-I can do it.” Mark saw her trying her best to school her expression, but he knew she was in pain. Despite that, Mary still mustered up a smile that was meant to reassure him and his heart just dropped and shattered.

He could only frown at the fact that she thought that she’s bothering him and he realized just how much he fucked things up with Mary.

Mary is the type of person who always keeps to herself and does her best to do things on her own, regardless if it’s hard or painful, because she doesn’t want to bother anyone. A rough childhood with a narcissistic mother who tells her that she’s a mistake did that to her, and if Mark felt horrible after realizing just exactly how much he fucked things up with his wife, he can’t imagine her ever forgiving him now.

But he will never forgive himself if anything were to happen to her and there was something he could do to help it. He watched Mary waddle towards her car, but almost doubled over in pain before she could open the door, holding on to the handle as she felt the baby shifted lower. Mark rushed to her side as she gasped in both panic and pain, pleading with her. “Come on Mary, please. Let me drive you to the hospital. You’re in no shape to do it by yourself. Just–Just think of the–your baby’s safety. Yeah?” Mary was panting slightly as she looked up at Mark’s emerald eyes, and nodded and muttered a pained “O-okay.”

“Alright, alright. Let me help you in.” Mark guided her towards the passenger side of her car and helped her settle in before running to the driver’s side and wasting no time to drive her to the hospital.

Next Chapter

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emotionsandphenomena · 2 years

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okay I have finally cracked my thoughts on Paul fully I think. on the one hand, (nec)romantically, I think it is a really beautiful moment for cam and pal because pal is able to reverse the dynamic they've had for the past six months -- instead of sapping her life force by existing, he has an opportunity to support and help her physically in a way he hasn't been able to in so long (and he is PSYCHED about this!!). and for camilla I do think that despite pals assertions they would never undertake lyctorhood in gtn, she is always another of devotions casualties. given the choice, she would rather die with him than live without (I've always believed this is part of why he ties his soul to his bones -- to force her to live for him). and in their final moments, in their vows, they get a chance to express what for them is usually unsaid or subtextual, that they did it "right," that cam can finally let go and call him Palamedes, that she can be openly honest about her devotion to him, and say it to him, without judgement from anyone else. bc Conrad is right! unlike the "traditional" lyctor process we've seen, they want to eat each other, rather than just one being eaten by the other. they are both equally obsessed with each other, they are on even footing in that they are each subjugated to the other.

but then from a gender perspective, I actually find paul kind of horrifying. contrasted with the delicious gender messiness of Pyrrha, of the tower princes, of the kids in the gang and the angel and crown him with many crowns, Paul is such a clean and simple solution. die, and wake up in a perfect androgynous body with shorn hair and no history. it's what I wanted when I first came out, that clean slate, but now I feel like there IS no gender without history, without playing in the mud pit of presentation and body alteration and emotion. Nona is upset by Paul precisely because she does not recognize cam OR pal in them, because they feel to her like a stranger. and I find that really sad! to transition and be a stranger to your loved ones -- as much as we might claim we want a fresh start, it is actually really isolating. there is something interesting going on wrt how much Paul remembers of Cam and Pal, the memories are melded (when they ask Gid about where they've seen the devils before, because Cam saw Colum die but Pal did not) and they use a mix of "we" and "I"; so I don't think they are actually a complete blank slate. but still, what I want for this character in atn is to reckon with their body as their own, not as Cam's or Pal's, and to find ways to express themself and know themself in a way unique to them. I do think it'd be really fun if they start doing things Cam or Pal would never do, if they become truly more than the sum of their parts.

#okay that took me three whole days of sitting on it to tease out. lol #tlt #ntn spoilers #paul!#u lap ! aulp !

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schlock-luster-video · 1 year

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On December 4, 2020 The Undertaker and His Pals and Motel Hell were screened as a double-feature on TCM Underground.

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msmargaretmurry · 1 month

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any advice on how to not get overwhelmed at the prospect of writing a longer fic? 😭😭 i freak myself out with “ohhh what if i get too far in and then it turns out it sucks” and “i’ll have to do so much research for certain canon compliant things” etc etc

hi anon! i would be happy to share some of the things that work for me! we all know i love to talk incessantly about writing. thank you for giving me an excuse to. ❤

standard writing advice disclaimer that this is indeed all just stuff that works for me personally. it might not work for you, or you might have to tweak it to work for you, because different things work for different people! like all writing advice, it is best approached as suggestions and not as rules, so while i think this is all stuff worth trying, i also think that if you find it doesn't work with how your writing brain works, you should absolutely chuck it out the window.

firstly: get comfortable with the idea that the story is going to evolve as you write it. when you're writing something long, you ARE going to get far into it and realize you fucked something up at the begininning, or realize you left something out, or realize you need to change or cut something from earlier for the story to work. this does NOT mean that you're writing badly! recognizing those things is actually super smart of you! you are not beholden to what you wrote a week ago or a month ago or six months ago in your WIP. you can simply change it to better suit this story that you now know more about. no one will even know that you originally wrote it differently except maybe your alpha reader or pal you've been bouncing ideas off of, and they're legally required* to take that information to their grave. i will touch a little more on editing long fic in a minute, but i really do think this is maybe the most important piece of advice: accept that your story will change as you write, and think of it as a good thing.

(*i am not a lawyer)

writing your long fic is going to take a long time. that's a huge part of what makes it such a nerve-wracking undertaking! writing long fic is dedicating a huge amount of time and energy to a creative project that you have a lot of feelings about, and it can be really hard! but it can also be so rewarding and so worth it to see all that work turn into the story that you really wanted to tell. just the sense of accomplishment of FINISHING a long-term project like that is really cool and gratifying. it's so easy to fall into the trap of thinking "what if i put in all this work and then it sucks" but i think it's helpful to try to reframe that thought as something like "i'm going to put all this work in and learn so much about this story, and figure out how to make it the best that i can make it at this stage in my writing journey."

also, again: your first draft is not going to be perfect. it might be deeply, deeply flawed. you ARE going to have to edit. that doesn't mean you were writing badly. that is a normal and even essential part of writing. your story doesn't suck if the first draft is kinda fucked up. your story is NORMAL if the first draft is kinda fucked up. especially with long fic, getting the story out and then editing holistically to make it all work is really where the magic happens.

(i know there are people who post chapter by chapter while they write instead of writing the whole thing and editing it altogether; i cannot speak to their processes because i cannot write like that 😂)

if you are lucky enough to have a trusted friend or two willing to read as you write, cheerlead, and help you pick through tough spots in the story, i do recommend you take them up on it! because it can take so long to write a long fic, having people who are excited about your story and to provide that gratification can be really helpful. two things to keep in mind here are to make sure your alpha-readers are people you can trust not to flake on you and who will be reliably able to give pretty quick feedback, and to try to resist the urge to call on them to read every single time you write more. i usually go to mine in 5–10k chunks of long fic draft. obviously this isn't a hard and fast rule at all, but i think it a) gives them meatier chunks of story to give me feedback on and b) helps me get and stay comfortable with writing for longer periods without feedback, so i can concentrate more on the story and be less distracted thinking about how other people will react to it.

on the research front: research can be really daunting!! unfortunately i am a nerd who loves research so i usually see it as a fun challenge. but i think there are a couple of things that might help. when you're getting ready to dive into your long fic, make a list of things you're going to need to research, then divide them into things that you NEED to know to write the story (e.g. dates of important games, for pacing reasons) and things that can wait until after you get the first draft down and are editing. like, if you're writing something set in a city you're not familiar with and want to include local details, you don't need to do that research up front. use placeholder tags to fill in during editing — [RESTAURANT] or [STREET NAME] or [DESCRIPTION TO COME AFTER I LOOK AT GOOGLE STREET VIEW] — or just leave yourself a note to come back and add descriptive details later.

also, remember that fic readers are often super willing to let some inaccuracies slide for the sake of a good story, so it's okay if not everything is perfect! you are also allowed to elect to ignore canon when it does not serve you. like, in HAW, i simply said hello we are pretending that matthew re-signed in calgary, that there were no notable roster changes from the previous season, and, on a smaller potatoes level, that brady is still living with timmy and josh. because that's what i wanted for my story (and also because the matthew trade to florida happened when i was already about 70k into the draft and i was like, fuck it, we're doing it anyway 😂). which is all to say that it's okay and even good to find a balance between doing research/committing to accuracy and saying fuck it for the sake of your story.

on the editing front: try to limit the amount of editing you do while you're writing. you can get so caught up in forever tweaking what you've already written that your forward progress completely stagnates. leave most of your line-editing for after you have a draft. if you notice something that you want to change, leave yourself a note and do the actual changing after you have a draft. if you notice thousands of words in that you totally forgot that one character has a dog, leave yourself a note to go add the dog in later, and continue writing as if the dog has been there the whole time. no one will know that the dog in the first half was added in later.

the amount of STUFF that goes into a long fic can feel pretty overwhelming, so i am big on leaving myself notes and making lists when writing long fic. i know i am not going to remember every thought i have, but i know i will TRY TO remember them and will get totally bogged down. leaving a note or making a list de-bogs me so i can come back to that detail when it's time to deal with it. two essenital lists that i keep in my notes app while i'm working on a writing project are:

a list of ongoing subplots, themes, motifs, and/or mini-arcs that i want to make sure i thread evenly throughout the fic. i do not trust myself to remember these without writing them down. this is super helpful especially if i get stuck, because i can go to the list and ask, okay, what is one of these that i haven't revisited in a while, because that should probably happen next. a HAW example of this is quinn as a side character — at least once i looked at my list and was like, oh, quinn hasn't shown up in a while! i should figure out how to do a scene with him next!

a list of things i will want to review and edit for after i finish the draft. if i stop and edit in the moment i lose momentum; if i don't write the thing down, i might forget about it. so i'll just quickly add it to the list and be able to go back to it when it's editing time! a HAW example of this is me writing on this list "make it more clear that matthew is kind of a mama's boy" and eons later paying close attention to that thread in editing and adding a little more of their relationship to the story.

again this is not a hard and fast rule! sometimes i'll run into an issue with my fic and be like, oh no if i don't go back and fix this then i won't be able to figure out how the story needs to go from here. so obviously in those instances i immediately go and edit that thing! i think it takes practice to be able to tell the difference between "edit now" issues and "edit later" issues but i also think that like 90% of the time it's an edit later issue.

also, always keep a dump doc. (instead of deleting stuff from your draft, cut and paste it into a separate document for safekeeping. this makes it easier to kill your darlings since you are not actually killing them but re-homing them, and can come in handy later.)

one last thing i want to touch on is writer's block or getting stuck in the middle of a draft. with shorter stories, you can sometimes get them out in one or two creative bursts and this can be less of an issue (although obviously not NOT an issue. i am not trying to suggest that people writing shorter fic don't deal with this, lmao. the scale is just different.) writing something long is more about sustained creativity over a long stretch of time, and you are going to have highly productive periods and less productive periods because you're a human being who needs to refill their creative well sometimes. when this happens, try not to panic or despair. sometimes you run into a snarl in your story and you really just need to take a few days to ponder and let the solution come to you. however, if you get stuck and you are getting frustrated trying to figure out what comes next, here are a few things that i find helpful:

get outside and go for a walk or a run. listen to music or a podcast or audiobook. let your brain relax.

talk to a (fannish) friend over the phone/videochat or in person about it, over coffee or dinner or something. sometimes talking about it out loud helps process things in a different way than typing.

figure out what the next big plot point you want to get to is, and then look at where your story is now, and think about what needs to happen to get them to that point. does character A need to trust character B more? devise a trust-building scene. does character A need more self-confidence? think about what kind of scene would help them build confidence.

(this might also involve looking at what you've written already and going, oh, i could build that character beat into that scene from last week! and suddenly everything works better.)

go to your dump doc — is there an abandoned snippet or idea in there that's of more use to you now?

look at your list of ongoing themes and subplots! if there's one you haven't touched in the draft for a while, figure out what's going on there!

you might not get it right on the first try and that's fine. there are scenes that i've completely re-written 4–5 times before they felt right enough for me to move forward. that can be frustrating, obviously, but it doesn't mean you're a bad writer! it takes skill to recognize when a scene isn't working!

okay, i think that's all i've got for now. i really do think that the most important thing with writing long fic is to embrace that it's going to be a long-term project, with ups and downs, productive periods and recharging periods. let the story grow and evolve as you write it. you're not going to get everything right on the first try and that's normal. it is actually so fun to be writing a scene in the back half of your story and suddenly realize you can pull the whole plot together way better by adding two sentences into a scene you wrote three months ago. writing a long fic is not like digging a tunnel, all forward progress to get to the light. it's like building a house and then rearranging the furniture and decor inside until it looks and feels the way you want it to.

i hope that some of this was helpful! good luck with your writing!! 💕

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