Firecracker

[thestalkerbunny]

Times are troubling and hard right now-but never forget, your Beet loving Grandmother loves you very very much and wants you to be safe.

And for you to eat your vegetables.

[wingedbyday-blog-blog-blog]

//Absurdly helpful for people writing royal characters and/or characters who interact with royalty and members of the nobility.

[x]

[ironinkpen]

writers:

break up your paragraphs. big paragraphs are scary, your readers will get scared

fuuuuck epithets. “the other man got up” “the taller woman sat down” “the blonde walked away” nahhh. call them by their names or rework the sentence. you can do so much better than this (exception: if the reader doesn’t know the character(s) you’re referring to yet, it’s a-okay to refer to them by an identifying trait)

blunette is not a thing

new speaker, new paragraph. please.

“said” is such a great word. use it. make sweet love to it. but don’t kill it

use “said” more than you use synonyms for it. that way the use of synonyms gets more exciting. getting a sudden description of how a character is saying something (screaming, mumbling, sighing) is more interesting that way.

if your summary says “I suck at summaries” or “story better than summary” you’re turning off the reader, my dude. your summary is supposed to be your hook. you gotta own it, just like you’re gonna own the story they’re about to read

follow long sentences w short ones and short ones w long ones. same goes for paragraphs

your writing is always better than you think it is. you just think it’s bad because the story’s always gonna be predicable to the one who’s writing it

i love u guys keep on trucking

[what-are-even-humans]

I know theres a lot of writers following me and this is some solid advice folks

[writing-is-a-martial-art]

^^^This!

Also, may I add:

Simple is okay. Simple is better than compicated.

If you don’t know the fancy word, there’s a 90% chance the reader won’t know the fancy word.

If you’re writing in your second/third/etc. language and you’re shy about it, don’t be! Be proud! You’re doing something amazing and your words matter

Names will come at some point. Having [character B] retrieve [McGuffin] from [location] during [holiday] is a-okay, don’t worry about it!

You’re still a great writer, no matter how many typos you make of what your writing speed is.

That’s it. Here. Have a quill for good luck.

[talesfromgringolandia]

i want that quill

[smut-101]

240 Words to Describe Someone’s Tone/Voice

Abrasive - showing little concern for the feelings of others; harsh

Absurd - wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate

Accusatory - suggesting someone has done something wrong, complaining

Acerbic - sharp and forthright

Acidic - harsh or critical

Admiring - approving; think highly of; respectful; praising

Aggressive - hostile; determined; forceful; argumentative

Aggrieved -  angry and sad because you think you have been unfairly treated

Airy -  giving an impression of being unconcerned or not serious

Ambivalent - having mixed feelings; uncertain; in a dilemma; undecided

Amused - pleasantly; entertain or divert in an enjoyable or cheerful manner

Angry - incensed or enraged; threatening or menacing

Animated - full of life or excitement; lively; spirited; impassioned; vibrant

Anxious -  typically with a feeling of unease

Apathetic - showing little interest; lacking concern; indifferent; unemotional

Apologetic - full of regret; repentant; remorseful; acknowledging failure

Appreciative - grateful; thankful; showing pleasure; enthusiastic

Ardent - enthusiastic; passionate

Arrogant - pompous; disdainful; overbearing; condescending; vain; scoffing

Assertive - self-confident; strong-willed; authoritative; insistent

Authoritative - commanding and self-confident

Awestruck - amazed, filled with wonder/awe; reverential

Barbed - deliberately hurtful

Barking - utter a command or question abruptly or aggressively

Belligerent - hostile; aggressive; combatant

Benevolent - sympathetic; tolerant; generous; caring; well meaning

Bitter - angry; acrimonious; antagonistic; spiteful; nasty

Blasé - unimpressed or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before

Bleak - without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary

Bombastic - high-sounding but with little meaning; inflated

Booming - loud, deep, and resonant

Bored - to tire or make weary by being dull, repetitious, or uninteresting

Brash - self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way

Braying - speak or laugh loudly and harshly

Breathy - producing or causing an audible sound of breathing, often related to physical exertion or strong feelings

Breezy - appearing relaxed, informal, and cheerily brisk

Brittle - lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion; aloof

Bubbly - full of cheerful high spirits

Burbling - speak in an unintelligible or silly way, typically at unnecessary length

Callous - cruel disregard; unfeeling; uncaring; indifferent; ruthless

Candid - truthful, straightforward; honest; unreserved

Caustic - making biting, corrosive comments; critical

Cautionary - gives warning; raises awareness; reminding

Celebratory - praising; pay tribute to; glorify; honour

Chatty - informal; lively; conversational; familiar

Cheery - happy and optimistic

Childish - silly and immature

Chirping - say something in a lively and cheerful way

Clipped - speech that is fast, that uses short sounds and few words, and that is often unfriendly or rude

Cloying - disgust or sicken (someone) with an excess of sweetness, richness, or sentiment

Coarse - rude, crude, or vulgar

Colloquial - familiar; everyday language; informal; colloquial; casual

Comic - humorous; witty; entertaining; diverting

Compassionate - sympathetic; empathetic; warm-hearted; tolerant; kind

Complex - having many varying characteristics; complicated

Compliant - agree or obey rules; acquiescent; flexible; submissive

Concerned - worried; anxious; apprehensive

Conciliatory - intended to placate or pacify; appeasing

Condescending - stooping to the level of one’s inferiors; patronising

Confused - unable to think clearly; bewildered; vague

Contemptuous - showing contempt; scornful; insolent; mocking

Crisp - briskly decisive and matter-of-fact, without hesitation or unnecessary detail

Critical - finding fault; disapproving; scathing; criticizing

Croaking - a characteristic deep hoarse sound

Cruel - causing pain and suffering; unkind; spiteful; severe

Curious - wanting to find out more; inquisitive; questioning

Curt - rudely brief

Cynical - scornful of motives/virtues of others; mocking; sneering

Defensive - defending a position; shielding; guarding; watchful

Defiant - obstinate; argumentative; defiant; contentious

Demeaning - disrespectful; undignified

Depressing - sad, melancholic; discouraging; pessimistic

Derisive - snide; sarcastic; mocking; dismissive; scornful

Detached - aloof; objective; unfeeling; distant

Dignified - serious; respectful; formal; proper

Diplomatic - tactful; subtle; sensitive; thoughtful

Disapproving - displeased; critical; condemnatory

Disheartening - discouraging; demoralising; undermining; depressing

Disparaging - dismissive; critical; scornful

Direct - straightforward; honest

Disappointed - discouraged; unhappy because something has gone wrong

Discordant - harsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony

Dispassionate - impartial; indifferent; unsentimental; cold; unsympathetic

Dispirited - having lost enthusiasm and hope; disheartened

Distressing - heart-breaking; sad; troubling

Docile - compliant; submissive; deferential; accommodating

Drawling - speak in a slow, lazy way with prolonged vowel sounds

Dulcet - sweet and soothing

Dull - lacking interest or excitement

Earnest - showing deep sincerity or feeling; serious

Egotistical - self-absorbed; selfish; conceited; boastful

Empathetic - understanding; kind; sensitive

Encouraging - optimistic; supportive

Enthusiastic - excited; energetic

Evasive - ambiguous; cryptic; unclear

Excited - emotionally aroused; stirred

Facetious - inappropriate; flippant

Farcical - ludicrous; absurd; mocking; humorous and highly improbable

Feathery - extremely light and soft or delicate

Flippant - superficial; glib; shallow; thoughtless; frivolous

Forceful - powerful; energetic; confident; assertive

Formal - respectful; stilted; factual; following accepted styles/rules

Frank - honest; direct; plain; matter-of-fact

Fretful - expressing distress or irritation

Frustrated - annoyed; discouraged

Gentle - kind; considerate; mild; soft

Ghoulish - delighting in the revolting or the loathsome

Glum - dejected; morose

Goofy - foolish; harmlessly eccentric

Grating - harsh and unpleasant

Gravelly - deep and rough-sounding

Grim - serious; gloomy; depressing; lacking humour;macabre

Growling - low grating voice, typically in a threatening manner

Gruff - rough and low in pitch

Gullible - naive; innocent; ignorant

Guttural - produced in the throat; harsh-sounding

Hard - unfeeling; hard-hearted; unyielding

Harsh - cruel or severe

Hearty - loudly vigorous and cheerful

Hoarse - sounding rough and harsh, typically as the result of a sore throat or of shouting

Honeyed - soothing, soft, and intended to please or flatter

Humble - deferential; modest

Humorous - amusing; entertaining; playful

Husky - sounding low-pitched and slightly hoarse

Hypercritical - unreasonably critical; hair splitting; nitpicking

Impartial - unbiased; neutral; objective

Impassioned - filled with emotion; ardent

Imploring - pleading; begging

Impressionable - trusting; child-like

Inane - silly; foolish; stupid; nonsensical

Incensed - enraged

Incredulous - disbelieving; unconvinced; questioning; suspicious

Indifferent - having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned

Indignant - annoyed; angry; dissatisfied

Informative - instructive; factual; educational

Insinuating - suggest or hint in an indirect and unpleasant way

Inspirational - encouraging; reassuring

Intense - earnest; passionate; concentrated; deeply felt

Intimate - familiar; informal; confidential; confessional

Ironic - the opposite of what is meant

Irreverent - lacking respect for things that are generally taken seriously

Jaded - bored; having had too much of the same thing; lack enthusiasm

Joyful - positive; optimistic; cheerful; elated

Jubilant - expressing great happiness and triumph

Judgmental - critical; finding fault; disparaging

Laudatory - praising; recommending

Lifeless - lacking vigor, vitality, or excitement

Light-Hearted - carefree; relaxed; chatty; humorous

Lively - full of life and energy; active and outgoing

Loving - affectionate; showing intense, deep concern

Macabre - gruesome; horrifying; frightening

Malicious - desiring to harm others or to see others suffer; ill-willed; spiteful

Matter-of-fact - unemotional and practical

Mean-Spirited - inconsiderate; unsympathetic

Mellifluous - sweet or musical; pleasant to hear

Melodious - pleasant-sounding

Mocking - scornful; ridiculing; making fun of someone

Monotonous - lacking in variation in tone or pitch

Mourning - grieving; lamenting; woeful

Muffled - not loud because of being obstructed in some way; muted

Naive - innocent; unsophisticated; immature

Narcissistic - self-admiring; selfish; boastful; self-pitying

Nasty - unpleasant; unkind; disagreeable; abusive

Negative - unhappy, pessimistic

Nonchalant - casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm

Nostalgic - thinking about the past; wishing for something from the past

Objective - without prejudice; without discrimination; fair; based on fact

Obsequious - overly obedient and/or submissive; fawning; grovelling

Oily - unpleasantly smooth and ingratiating

Optimistic - hopeful; cheerful

Outraged - angered and resentful; furious; extremely angered

Outspoken - frank; candid; spoken without reserv

Pathetic - expressing pity, sympathy, tenderness

Patronizing - condescending; scornful; pompous

Pensive - reflective; introspective; philosophical; contemplative

Persuasive - convincing; eloquent; influential; plausible

Pessimistic - seeing the negative side of things

Philosophical - theoretical; analytical; rational; logical

Piping - high-pitched.

Playful - full of fun and good spirits; humorous; jesting

Pragmatic - realistic; sensible

Pretentious - affected; artificial; grandiose; rhetorical; flashy

Quavering - shake or tremble in speaking, typically through nervousness or emotion

Querulous - complaining in a petulant or whining manner

Rasping - harsh-sounding and unpleasant; grating

Reedy - high and thin in tone

Refined -  elegant; cultured

Regretful - apologetic; remorseful

Resentful - aggrieved; offended; displeased; bitter

Resigned - accepting; unhappy

Restrained - controlled; quiet; unemotional

Reverent - showing deep respect and esteem

Righteous - morally right and just; guiltless; pious; god-fearing

Robust - strong and healthy; vigorous

Saccharine - excessively sweet or sentimental

Satirical - making fun to show a weakness; ridiculing; derisive

Sarcastic - scornful; mocking; ridiculing

Scathing - critical; stinging; unsparing; harsh

Scornful - expressing contempt or derision; scathing; dismissive

Scratchy - rough; grating

Sensationalist - provocative; inaccurate; distasteful

Sentimental - thinking about feelings, especially when remembering the past

Shrill - high-pitched and piercing

Silvery - gentle, clear, and melodious

Sincere - honest; truthful; earnest

Skeptical - disbelieving; unconvinced; doubting

Smarmy -  excessively or unctuously flattering; ingratiating; servile

Smoky - a raspy, coarse and tone of quality that is deeper than usual

Snide - derogatory or mocking in an indirect way

Solemn - not funny; in earnest; serious

Somber - oppressively solemn or sober in mood; grave

Sonorous - imposingly deep and full

Sour - resentment, disappointment, or anger

Steely - coldly determined; hard

Strident - loud and harsh; grating

Stony - not having or showing feeling or sympathy

Suave - charming, confident, and elegant

Subjective - prejudiced; biased

Submissive - compliant; passive; accommodating; obedient

Sulking - bad-tempered; grumpy; resentful; sullen

Surly - bad-tempered and unfriendly

Sympathetic - compassionate; understanding of how someone feels

Thoughtful - reflective; serious; absorbed

Throaty - deep and rasping

Tolerant - open-minded; charitable; patient; sympathetic; lenient

Tragic - disastrous; calamitous

Tremulous - shaking or quivering slightly

Unassuming - modest; self-effacing; restrained

Unctuous - excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, especially in an affected manner; excessively smooth, suave, or smug

Uneasy - worried; uncomfortable; edgy; nervous

Urgent - insistent; saying something must be done soon

Velvety - soft; smooth

Vindictive - vengeful; spiteful; bitter; unforgiving

Virtuous - lawful; righteous; moral; upstanding

Whimsical - quaint; playful; mischievous; offbeat

Witty - clever; quick-witted; entertaining

Wonder - awe-struck; admiring; fascinating

World-Weary - bored; cynical; tired

Worried - anxious; stressed; fearful

Wretched - miserable; despairing; sorrowful; distressed

[the-moon-dust-writings]

Writing Prompts - Fantasy

“Oh, so, I am the monster? You just straight up murdered a person! Sure, I might change into a wolf, but you need to relax!”

“Can we not try and kill the king today? I am tired.”

“What if, and get this, we do nothing against the queen and her army?”

“Just because we are knights now, doesn’t mean we are nocturnal, that isn’t what it means!”

“I am scholar of these sorts. I just want to let you know, you dead bruh.”

“I may not be the smartest in the bunch, but I know how to knock your teeth out.”

“Maybe the dragon is right, maybe you are just a bitter old person.”

“So, are you like a pirate? Or what?”

“Maybe the prophecy wasn’t clear enough, you gonna die bruh.”

“So you need a crow’s feather, a blue rock, goat cheese and piece of bark from an elm tree before you help us? Well that’s just a little absurd.”

“Just because I am the chosen one doesn’t mean I am above killing you.”

“Ever heard a good night story? Yeah, me neither.” *Knocks person unconscious*

“I am not like other nobles, I’m actually funny.”

“So, you’re saying no? To the queen? Now that’s death.”

“Behold! The new inn!”

“Can’t I murder someone? Come on, they are all so stupid anyway!”

“My sword isn’t sharp enough!”

“This dagger right here? Yeah? You see this? You see this right here? Guess what? I murdered your family with it.”

“And so we set off north tomorrow morning at first light!”

“This isn’t a tavern, this is a cemetery.”

“Can you not read a map properly?”

“Perhaps we should have listened to the orc, those clouds look murderous.”

“I am in fact the royal heir, so either give me my cake or I’ll slice you.”

“So, have you always sucked at sword fighting?”

“Did that skeleton just look at me? Look at that skeleton! It turned its head! Look!”

“Can you brew any faster? I am getting impatient!”

“I should have turned you into ash the first moment I laid my eyes on you.”

“Can’t we just, you know, kill them?”

“Maybe we should rebel against the crown? That would make our day less boring.”

“Ever heard of poison? Guess what? Give it an hour.”

[the-modern-typewriter]

Hi! I just found your blog and read the whole heroes and villains tag in one sitting. It is so Good! If you feel like it, could you do a villain who is being chased or has been captured by another villain and the hero saves them? Thank you for your wonderful works!!

“Are you alright?” the hero asked. Their tone was gentle, concerned, in a way that the villain hadn’t had directed their way in a very long time. 

The villain’s head reeled. They stared at the hero for a beat, heart still shuddering clammy with fear, and wondered if the hero had any idea of who they had just saved. Surely not. Surely, if they did, they would have left the villain to rot instead. 

“Aeroze.”

The villain’s spine stiffened at the sound of their name on the hero’s lips - not even with realisation, as if they had known the whole time. 

“Are you alright?” the hero pressed. “Can I come closer?” 

The hero had arrived with their usual shimmer of illusion, of fox-like cunning, whisking the villain clean away from the dingy warehouse room they had been imprisoned. Left to bleed into. 

“I-” they needed to defend themselves, to run, to do something. “I’m fine.”

The hero had saved them. Of course, the hero saved a lot of people, but the villain had sincerely never imagined that they would be one of them. 

“How bad are the injuries? I suspect you’re going to tell me not to take you to a hospital, if I suggest-”

“No hospitals!”

The hero held their hands up in a placating gesture. 

The villain’s throat felt thick. They realised their hands were shaking. And their legs. Oh no. Their whole body was trembling, so hard that their teeth chattered with the shock of it. They suspected ‘are you alright?’ had only ever been intended to focus them, to gather information. 

They were not alright. 

Calling all stations, this was not alright.

“What do you need from me?” the hero asked. “I have a place you can stay, if you don’t want to go back to your place alone. Or - if there’s anyone I can call? If you prefer?”

“Who the hell would I call?” the villain demanded, too astonished by that suggestion to think to lie. It occurred after. Most people had someone they could call, didn’t they? The villain looked down.

The hero stayed silent, expression patient, if a little uncertain. The villain didn’t think they’d seen the hero uncertain before.

The villain’s mind flashed to that room, to their enemies, and then flinched back. Nope. Absolutely not. Not thinking about that. Never ever ever thinking about that again. 

“You said you had a place…”

The hero offered them a hand to help them up.“Yes. A safe house.” 

“A prison?”

“I’m not taking you to prison.” 

“Why not?” The villain avoided the hand and stood on wobbly feet. “It’s what you think I deserve. Really, what you think I deserve was probably to get executed, so I don’t know why you bothered saving me.” 

“Right now,” the hero said, “I think you deserve somewhere safe to heal. Everything else can be tabled.”

“Stop talking to me like you think I’m broken. I’m not broken by this. I told you, I’m fine.” 

“Okay.”

“Completely fine. Alright?”

The hero said nothing, studying the villain carefully. 

The villain scrubbed their shaking hands over their face, and let out a sigh. A furious sigh. Better furious, than frightened. “I swear, I’m going to kill them. They’re not going to get away with this. I would have handled this - I didn’t need you to-” they broke off. Their mind flinched, again. They felt their breathing picking up. 

“Okay. “The hero’s voice was still so horribly kind. “Come on, you’re alright. Let’s get you off the streets. I’m going to come closer, and put my hand your arm if that’s fine with you. It’s because I don’t want to aggravate your injuries further until I can get you to somebody who can help. Okay?”

They waited for the villain to nod. 

 They got the villain off the streets. They kept the monsters away. They found somebody who could help. 

“Thank you,” the villain muttered them. Their eyes felt suspiciously hot, like they might cry, and they willed themselves not to. Being protected shouldn’t have been so fragile a feeling, at least they never would have anticipated it. Nobody had ever bothered to protect them before. Nobody had ever stopped, listened, and tried to make sure they felt safe.

They didn’t know what to do with it. 

But the villain started to believe in the point of heroes after that. 

[the-modern-typewriter]

Hi, first of all your writing is absolutely amazing! Could you please write a scene where the villain (male) interrogates the female sidekick of the hero? I'd love to read it

“Well,” she said. “This is all a bit cliche, isn’t it? What are you going to get out next - a death ray?” She kept her voice cool. “Do I need to make a joke about overcompensation?”

“You can,” the villain replied, “if it makes you feel better.” He stood with his back to her, rifling through a cabinet in search of something no doubt nefarious. 

She lay in the centre of the room, strapped down to a table. 

It wasn’t really how she’d planned to spend her Saturday night, to be honest. She’d been hoping to maybe go out, meet a nice boy or girl, have a bit of a dance. She figured she’d earned it, after the evil robots last week. This was...

(Terrifying)

Thoroughly inconvenient. 

She resisted the urge to swallow, though her mouth felt dry, as she eyed the lines of his back like she could read all of his intentions there.  “What would make me feel better is if you let me go. It’s polite to, you know, ask permission before you tie a girl to a table in your house.”

He turned to face her once more, having apparently found what he was looking for. There was a syringe in his hand. She tried not to stare at the sharp point of the needle, but even that was better than speculating what concoction he may have devised to inject her with. 

He studied her idly, no doubt noting her annoyance (terror) with a flick of those cold eyes. He offered her a pleasant enough smile as he stepped forward.

“It’s definitely polite to ask before stabbing someone with unknown chemicals,” she added. “Just so you know. Someone should have taught you that. The answer is no, by the way. I’ll pass on the unknown chemicals. I only do unknown chemicals with friends and, you know, we just have friends in common. Friends who are going to notice I’m missing, and get very worried, and kick your arse. You and I are definitely closer to hostile work colleagues.”

He laughed, the pleasant smile turning to a horrifyingly more genuine grin, all crooked and boyish around the corners as if he wasn’t a complete monstrosity wrapped vaguely in human form. 

“You babble when you’re scared,” he said. “It’s thoroughly adorable.”

That time, she couldn’t resist swallowing. Hard. Her mouth still felt dry, sandpapery. 

“This.” He traced the tip of the syringe along the line of her throat, seeming drawn by even that small movement of hers. “Is a truth serum, a rather painful one.” He began to list off the chemical compounds lightly as if her brain hadn’t frozen at ‘truth serum’. “So, you see,” he finished, “now they’re not unknown chemicals. You know exactly what you will be stabbed with.”

“Or I could answer your questions without you stabbing me with very painful truth serum. I’d hate to deprive you of the thoroughly adorable rambling.” 

“We both know you’d have to try and be clever, hide your secrets. You hero types always do. Don’t worry, you’re not betraying anyone when you don’t have a choice.”

“I’m-”

She didn’t get to finish before he plunged the truth serum into her system. It didn’t make her stop thinking, it didn’t make her hazy or unaware, but it settled like something sickly on her tongue. Her eyes widened. Her tongue! She bit down as hard as she possibly could, to swell her tongue so she couldn’t much give anything away. All she had to do was stall until her friends could arrive.

He stared at her in utter astonishment. 

She offered him a bloody, vicious, smile. 

“Oh,” he said, sounding rather regretful. “I like you.” 

He went back to his cabinets for something to stop the swelling. 

They started over.

[dnptrashlikesart]

Based on this:

https://the-modern-typewriter.tumblr.com/post/619296057588875264/ya-know-whats-great-villain-sub-with-service

written by @the-modern-typewriter (go read it y’all it’s amazing)

Hope you like it, please reblog! *also open for better quality cause tumblr loves lowering the quality of the pictures I post*

[the-modern-typewriter]

Hi! Can I request a hero×villain where hero is tied up and has a nightmare of something worse (like abuse from childhood) and when he wakes up the villain comforts him? I adore your writing 🌸

The second the hero gasped awake, choking on air that didn’t want to come, the scream died in their throat. 

Quiet. They had to be quiet. 

A light clicked on. 

Shit.

The hero flinched. Their eyes squeezed shut, shoulders braced.

“I’m sorry-” it came out automatically. “I didn’t mean-”

“Hey.” 

The hero’s eyes snapped open, at the sound of that voice - a different voice to the one their brain wanted to go back to, softer, kinder. Their gaze landed on the villain’s face. They would never have expected, before that moment, that anything about the villain could be soft and they certainly hadn’t envisioned kindness. 

The hero swallowed. 

“Nightmares?” the villain asked, as if it wasn’t blatantly obvious. They leaned against the open door, illuminated in the shaft of light from the corridor. 

The hero nodded. They struggled to sit up, to soothe their racing heart, to wipe the cold sweat from their face before the villain saw. It was useless. It clung to their clothes, soaked through. 

“Me?” the villain asked, next. 

The hero snorted before they could stop themselves. 

“No,” the villain said. “I didn’t think so.”

The hero looked away, torn between wanting the villain to vanish and not see them when the hero’s limbs clearly didn’t want to stop trembling, and not wanting to be left alone in the dark again. 

“You wanna talk about it?”

The hero shook their head. 

The villain seemed to hesitate, in the doorway, before stepping back out into the corridor. They returned some time later with a cup of tea and what looked like a cheesy paperback novel. The invisible walls of the hero’s prison thrummed with magic as the villain stepped through the ward. They offered the hero the tea and the book in silence. 

“I could throw that at you,” the hero said. “This could be a cunning ploy to escape.”

“Sure,” the villain said, and continued to offer the chamomile anyway. 

The hero took the mug, and sip. Maybe it was drugged but maybe it would wash away the stale acrid taste of fear in their mouth. The warmth of hot water radiating into their palms helped a little with the uncontrollable shivering at any rate. The ‘thank you’ thickened in the hero’s throat. They didn’t want to thank their captor, even if the villain hadn’t done anything to hurt them. Even if they were only doing their job. 

The villain hesitated, before sitting down on the opposite end of the hero’s bed. The book sat between them. 

The hero eyed them, not sure what to do with this situation. The old instincts - apologise, shrink, run, beg for mercy hovered jangling beneath the surface of their skin. The newer ones, the daylight version of them - show no weakness, be brash, toss a smile warred. 

“Do you want me to leave?” the villain asked, still in that kind tone, catching the hero’s scrutiny. 

The hero opened their mouth to say yes, but couldn’t quite get the word out. They would have the book to distract them, they didn’t need the villain. They knew if they tried to look at the book the words and the pages would all blur. The memories stalked too near. They shook their head. 

The villain nodded. They twisted their fingers into the sheets, posture ramrod straight and rigid with discomfort, but...after a moment they started to talk. It wasn’t about anything important. They discussed the weather and the finer points of a movie that had been showing earlier on in the year. White noise. Patter. 

The hero found the tension slowly easing away from them, and wondered if that was the trap. Then they wanted to kick themselves for assuming mercy was inherently a trap.

“Did I wake you?” the hero asked, eventually, interrupting. 

“No.”

“What time is it?”

“Around three in the morning.”

“Busy with some evil scheme or something at this hour? Or are you just nocturnal?” 

It was the villain’s turn to snort. They shook their head.  “I just couldn’t sleep.”

“Guilty conscience?” the hero tried to tease, or something. 

It rang flat, at the look on the villain’s face. At their silence. Lord, maybe it was a guilty conscience. 

The hero looked away again, exhaling a breath, and took another sip. If they drank the tea they couldn’t say something stupid. Something stupid slipped out anyway, the pressing urge to explain, even if they didn’t want to talk about it. 

“It’s annoying when people wake you up screaming,” the hero said. “Rude. Disrespectful.”

“I wouldn’t know,” the villain said. “I limit my torture to sociable hours.” 

The hero glanced at them, sharply. 

The villain raised a brow. “I’m joking.”

“I know.” They did know, somehow, didn’t need convincing that the villain wasn’t inclined to torture - they were more surprised that the villain knew how to joke.

It was a terrible joke, no doubt, but somehow it melted away the last of the hero’s terrors. 

It was the villain’s turn to eye them, carefully, like they were trying to be subtle about staring. The hero shouldn’t have made the screaming comment. Their hands tightened on the mug. 

“If people are screaming,” the villain said, “particularly when they are asleep I find it is not typically something they intend on doing. It is, after all, quite literally not conscious.”  The villain’s eyes were dark, ablaze with a storm warning. “I prefer to blame people for the actions they have agency in.”

“Yeah.” The hero met their gaze, barriers down for a beat. “Me too.”

The villain left them a light the next evening.

[draculasdaughter]

This is about Sci-Hub. yeah we get it.. gatekeep knowledge and protect the interests of capital…

[three-blogs-in-a-trenchcoat]

Listen, this is serious.

Do not use the website called Sci-Hub!

It lets people access scientific articles for free. This is dangerous. It helps the free flow of knowledge and reduces the competitive edge of all the people who worked really hard to have been born into a wealth.

Like, it’s literally a website where you can type in the DOI of an article and read it, without ever having to pay the publisher who exploited the author.

So, again, do not, under any circumstance, use Sci-Hub. I mean, can you imagine a world where knowledge is free and easily accessible to everyone? Even, y'know, poor people?

[whateverthebeeswant]

Libgen also has many books online, including textbooks, searchable by name, author, and ISBN. Can you imagine textbook companies not getting their hard-earned income from poor college students? Here is the link just so you make sure that you never accidentally stumble across this horrible, unethical website.

[three-blogs-in-a-trenchcoat]

Oh, and while we’re talking about books, if you’ve managed to stay clear from Libgen, definitely don’t go to zlibrary, where you can also find a lot of textbooks, but unfortunately they’re completely free.

[teachingtales]

Reblogging so you know which sites to totally avoid

[professionalwritingnerd]

[daphrona]

Visit Original Link

flynn has 366 sound files and i listened to all of them to bring you this sound file that you only sometimes hear when you wake up in tol dagor

[literally-a-piece-of-trash]

Ah yes, the 5 love languages:

touch starved

my parents never told me they are proud of me

i love Stuff

im so fucken tired please god just let me rest for 5 minutes

hey pay attention to me

[werepires]

it’s always quiet before the storm

this took me 8 hours but it’s so worth it because T H E M

[tiny-crecher]

I have decided it is of the utmost importance that I share this thread with y’all

[sparkyle]

My thing during quarantine is to recreate Pokemon in Spore

[sparkyle]

I see that you guys LOVED IT so I decided to add more!

[dankmemeuniversity]

[a-real-fast-goose]

Jeff looks back at you suspiciously. Unbeknownst to you Jeff has the theory that you are an anteater. The spy vs spy-esque antics go on for 7 acts

[taylor-fartnerd]

Your boss eyes the two of you, he seems nervous while he slightly shakes in fear. The two of you have been doing nothing but suspecting each other the entire time. Yet you haven’t even suspected the fact that,

Your boss is the anteater.

[kingdraws-moved]

[catboydaredevil-deactivated2023]

I jist burst out laughing so hard holy shit 🤣

[ducktracy-deactivated20260315]

i finally did it. i finally made a video of some of my favorite spongebob quotes in the whole series. i finally fucking did it