Bring It On

she/her/them ~ mid-twenties ~ english is not my first language ~ queer ~ nerd ~ geek ~ dork ~ obsesses easily ~ a bit of a mess ~ loves deeply ~

[allcolorsoftherainbow]

RyCol 25 Days of Christmas Prompts Challenge Masterlist

Link to the series on AO3

[the prompts have been taken from @murswrites]

DISCLAIMER: every fic posted on an odd-numbered day does contain smut

~

Day 1: i'm riding higher than the sky

[rated E; 4k; established relationship; domestic fluff & smut]

Day 2: it's gonna mean so much tonight (dedicated to @veleci)

[rated G; 2,5k; roommates au, getting together, disco, fluff]

Day 3: now we're old and gray

[rated E; 2,9k; established relationship, old(er) couple gets intimate]

Day 4: as long as we're together

[rated G; 1,6k; teenagers au, accidental confession, fluff]

Day 5: masters of the scene

[rated E; 2,6k; whose line taping, dressing room shmex, establ.rel.]

Day 6: hug him (wanna kiss him)

[rated G; 3k; teenagers au, fluff, first kisses, supportive boyfriends]

Day 7: sweet devotions (kisses of fire)

[rated E; 3,2k; established relationship, making love by the fire]

Day 8: they must have thought they dreamed (when i kissed-)

[rated G; 3,2k; highschool au, secret santa, getting together]

Day 9: my, my (how can i resist you)

[rated E; 2,7k; establ. relationship, making love while soup simmers]

Day 10: my fate is to be with you

[rated T; 2k; getting together, late night confessions&conversations]

Day 11: see with your fingertips

[rated E; 2,3k; establ. relat., date night, making love, cuddling]

Day 12: the way that you kiss goodnight

[rated G, 700w; short & sweet, sick fic, cuddling, fluff]

Day 13: why don't we start right away?

[rated E; 6,4k; getting together, first time]

Day 14: we know the start, we know the end

[rated G; 2,1k; bakery au, reminiscing, flashbacks, cheesy petnames]

Day 15: so much that i wanna do (it's magic)

[rated E; 2,7k; establ. rel., ice skating, intimate evening]

Day 16: i still don't know what you've done with me

[rated T; 2,3k; meet-ugly/meet-cute, strangers to lovers]

Day 17: you're a love machine

[rated E; 5k; christmas smut, getting snowed in]

Day 18: 'cause somewhere in the crowd there's you

[rated G; 1,6k; supportive boyfriends, familly fluff]

Day 19: oh you make me dizzy

[rated E; 2,2k; spicy times after dreaded Christmas shopping]

Day 20: across the room (giving out a spark)

[rated G; 2,7k, office christmas party, feeling realization, getting tog.]

Day 21: making love is a dynamite drug, baby

[rated E; 3,9k, trying new stuff in the bedroom, smut & fluff]

Day 22: why don't you give me a call?

[rated G; 3,4k; single dads au, kid fic, first meetings, fluff]

Day 23: i'll show you everything

[rated E; 3,9k; sneaking a gift, kink exploration, establ.rel.]

Day 24: we had a chance to live twice

[rated T; 3,5k; family reunion, hosting ex-wives for Christmas]

Day 25: everything is you

[rated E; 4k; establ.rel., making love on Christmas morning]

[torstherapy]

[tgatbc]

[creativepromptsforwriting]

I do not write to be the greatest writer out there. I write because...

I LIKE it

someone else might LIKE it

it is FUN to do

I get those THOUGHTS out of my head

it's fun to look BACK on

have I mentioned it's FUN?

it's CATHARTIC

it's nice to see what I CAN DO

And also because I just like it.

[annebronte-deactivated20210628]

reblog if you wear glasses. too many mutuals don't know they have glasses wearers in their midsts

[theforestknows]

Bucky read about “The Five Love Languages” online and has decided to attempt them with Sam.

He's trying.

[allcolorsoftherainbow]

@questinwitchface I laughed way too hard at this

[creativepromptsforwriting]

subtle acts of love

giving them food without them asking for it

randomly bringing them flowers

holding a door open for them

pulling out their chair for them

guiding them with a gentle hand on the small of their back

making them lunch to take to work with them

fixing their clothes or hair

giving them a massage

talking casually about a shared future

showing them their appreciation for them

waiting at home to say hello when they come in

paying complete attention to them

giving them a casual, but thoughtful compliment

writing them a love letter and hiding it for them to find

showing them something that reminded them of their partner

humming a song to calm them down

giving them a quick kiss whenever they pass each other at home

casual grabbing their hand and swinging it back and forth

remembering something they told them

[luna-azzurra]

Things to consider when writing about Romance!!!

⊹ Why do these two people actually like each other. "They're both hot" is not enough. What specifically draws them together? Shared trauma? They make each other laugh? They challenge each other? Similar worldviews or completely opposite ones that balance out? Give them actual chemistry based on personality not just physical attraction!!

⊹ What's stopping them from getting together immediately. External obstacles like war, forbidden love, wrong timing? Internal ones like fear of vulnerability, past trauma, thinking they're not good enough? Both?

⊹ How does the romance affect the main plot. Does it help or hinder the protagonist's goals? Create complications? Give them something to fight for? Romance subplots that are completely separate from the main story feel tacked on!!

⊹ What's the pacing. Do they fall for each other slowly over time or is it fast and intense? Slow burn is great but you need moments of progress. Instant attraction is fine but the actual relationship should still develop.

⊹ How do they communicate. Do they actually talk about their feelings or just pine silently for 200 pages? Can they have difficult conversations? Do they understand each other or constantly misread situations?

⊹ What do they disagree about. Couples who agree on everything are boring. What are their fundamental differences? How do they handle conflict? Do they fight fair or is it toxic? Can they compromise or does someone always give in?

⊹ How do other characters react to the relationship. Supportive friends? People who think it's a terrible idea? Jealous exes?

⊹ What does each person bring to the relationship. Is it balanced or does one person do all the emotional labor? Do they make each other better or worse? What do they each need vs what do they want?

⊹ What are their love languages. Physical touch? Words of affirmation? Acts of service? Quality time? Gifts?

⊹ How does their past affect this relationship. Previous heartbreak? First love? Trust issues from family stuff? Abandonment fears?

⊹ What's the power dynamic. Are they equals? Is one person in a position of authority? Does one have more experience? Unbalanced power dynamics need to be addressed not ignored!!

⊹ How physical is the relationship and when. First kiss timing? Is there sexual tension? Do they hold hands? Are they touch-starved and finally have someone? What's appropriate for your genre and audience??

⊹ What's at stake if the relationship fails. Just heartbreak or something bigger? Will it destroy the friend group? Ruin the mission? End an alliance?

⊹ Do they have lives outside each other. Friends, hobbies, goals that have nothing to do with the romance? Couples who only exist for each other are codependent and boring :(

⊹ What's the "oh" moment. When does each person realize they're in love? Is it dramatic or quiet? Same time or does one person know way before the other? Multiple realizations?

⊹ How do they support each other through the plot. Do they have each other's backs? Believe in each other? Or does the relationship become a weakness enemies exploit?

⊹ What happens after they get together. If they become official halfway through, how does the relationship continue to develop? New challenges? Deeper vulnerability? Don't end the romance arc the second they kiss (please!!)

[luna-azzurra]

A List of VOICE QUALITIES!!

₊˚⊹⋆ Raspy voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Smooth voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Gravelly voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Honeyed voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Silky voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Husky voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Breathy voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Nasal voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Melodic voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Monotone voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Scratchy voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Throaty voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Whisper-soft voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Booming voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Crisp voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Musical voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Warm voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Cold voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Sharp voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Lilting voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Drawling voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Tinkling voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Thunderous voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Delicate voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Commanding voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Timid voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Trembling voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Steady voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Crackling voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Brittle voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Rich voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Thin voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Reedy voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Sonorous voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Whiny voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Cigarette-worn voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Youthful voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Weathered voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Crystalline voice

₊˚⊹⋆ Rough-edged voice

[literallymechanical]

Lots of writing advice on tumblr. It's been years since I've written fiction in a serious way, but I did write a couple of (bad) novels in my early 20's, a bunch of short stories, and also a few hundred thousand words of LARP writing, and I do have a bacherlor's of science in creative writing (lol).

From what I can tell, there are only three universally applicable pieces of writing advice:

Read a lot (mandatory)

Show your writing to people (mandatory)

Have something wrong with you in a way that is impossible to articulate except by writing a novel (optional)

[mslanna]

I think this one is also important:

4. write

[lovepollution]

What people don't tell you about writing is that so much of it is just reading through your drafts and making this face at regular intervals

[transformativeworks]

also this face tho

[questinwitchface]

Q's 14 Valentines Advent Event

From today until February 14, I will be posting one fic per day in celebration of Valentine's Day based on a prompt list my friend @allcolorsoftherainbow and my sibling helped me make. Follow along if you'd like to!

Day 1: Secret Admirer

Sharon's Valentine's Day Investigation 4,899 words, rated T

Sharon Carter/Joaquín Torres, Fluff

[questinwitchface]

Announcing Q's 14 Valentines Advent Event (with teasers)

Anyone remember October of 2024, when I did Q's 31 Days of Halloween Advent Event? Yeah, well I'm doing that style of event again, but for Valentine's Day this time! Starting February 1, I will be posting one fic per day to AO3 in celebration of Valentine's Day! The fics were written over the last year or so, and each is based on a prompt from a list that my friend @allcolorsoftherainbow and my sibling helped me create.

Ships will vary, and so will the content, genre, and rating. You want an angsty SharonNat story? I've got one coming. You want a fluffy SamBucky fic? I've got you covered. You want to see me write for a ship I've never written for before? It's coming soon! And guess what? They're all actually oneshots this time!

Short teasers for all the fics are under the cut.

Day 1 Teaser

Sharon, If you don’t want me to send any more gifts, leave a note on your desk before you leave work tonight, and I won’t bother you anymore. I’m sorry if I freaked you out. I thought this would be a fun Valentine’s Day thing, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, and based on you throwing away the gifts and asking around in the food court and at the coffee shop, I think I might be making you uncomfortable. So just let me know. Your Secret Admirer

Day 2 Teaser

When Sam walks up the front porch steps to their little house in D.C., he almost doesn’t notice them. Then he glances down while he digs his house keys out of a pocket, and his heart sinks a little. He bends over and picks up the frosted glass vase with the sunflower bouquet in it and admires the red ribbon tied around it, the pretty bow. They’re gorgeous, and a sure sign that in the midst of the mission, Sam had forgotten a special occasion.

Day 3 Teaser

Natasha makes it into the communal kitchen, which is mostly just her kitchen these days. No one else really lives at the Compound anymore, and on the extremely rare occasion people do come to stay, it’s a quick visit that doesn’t really require staying long enough to use the kitchen. It’s not like the days when she’d come into the kitchen and find Wanda making tea, not like the days of Tony complaining about people putting coffee grounds in the disposal. Those days had been long gone, even before the vanishing. Natasha opens the dishwasher and finds a clean butter knife. A knock sounds in the doorway, and Natasha straightens up. She’s surprised someone else is here. She quickly swipes at her right eye to clear a stray tear, puts on her best leader face, and turns around only to find that wiping the tear and putting her game face on were completely unnecessary.

Day 4 Teaser

Sam puts his own clothes away first and then starts working on Bucky’s, hanging stuff that needs hung up first and then finishing with the stuff that goes into dresser drawers. Sam has just about finished up. All that’s left is to put away Bucky’s socks. He opens Bucky’s sock drawer, and that’s when he sees them. In the very back of the drawer, behind a pair of thick woolen socks that Bucky likes to wear during winter, are two black velvet jewelry boxes, one large and one small. Curious, Sam takes them out.

Day 5 Teaser

Sharon isn’t sure what to get Natasha for Valentine’s Day. Sharon has always been single on Valentine’s Day. Actually, truth be told, she hasn’t really had a lot of relationships and has been single more often than not for most holidays. Her lifestyle as Agent 13 of SHIELD made it hard to maintain more than a weekend-long fling, and now that she’s a spy for the CIA, things aren’t much better. That said, she and Natasha have managed to last over the past three and a half months, owing largely to their understanding of each other’s career obligations and shared love of the romantic email, or text when they don’t have time to type multiple paragraphs. A simple, “Thinking of you. Stay safe,” may not be the love poems others dream of, but it keeps Sharon warm at night all the same. That’s part of why the Valentine’s Day thing is stressing Sharon out so much. For all that they understand each other, Sharon has no idea what to get for Natasha. What do you get a world-famous Avenger who never wants for anything due to a dysfunctional—friendship? aquaintanceship? coworkership? Sharon isn’t sure what Natasha would call the relationship—with Tony Stark? Sharon could ask Clint for advice, but that feels like admitting defeat, and besides, Sharon isn’t sure Clint would give good advice anyway.

Day 6 Teaser

Yelena is very proud of herself. Somehow, she’d convinced the Avengers to celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving each other anti-valentines this year, which basically means (gentle, joking) hate mail and bad or funny gifts instead of the usual gooey, lovey-dovey valentines. The usual Valentine’s Day party has been changed to an Anti-Valentine’s Day party, with broken heart and crying emoji decorations instead of the hearts and cupids that usually adorn the big press room for the Valentine’s Day party. It’s much more fun than it usually is, with Shang-Chi, Katy, and Wong working together to curate a karaoke list of “joyful breakup” and “celebration of independence” songs instead of the usual dopey love songs that they curate for this party. Yes, Yelena is proud of herself.

Day 7 Teaser

The thing about watching Tony and Bruce work is that it’s slightly more chill than watching Tony work by himself. Rhodey is wearing half his War Machine suit. Tony is tinkering with a piece of Rhody’s suit and a screwdriver while Bruce is running calculations on a “fun new toy” that Tony had decided Rhodey needed—a new shoulder-mounted laser. Rhodey’s not complaining. It sounds cool as fuck.

Day 8 Teaser

Bucky, The only reason I’m even trying to write this is because I know you’re a romantic—you and Joaquín are always talking about the romance books you read, so I know you are—and I’m not really a romantic usually, but I really wanted to do something special, so I WHY IS THIS SO HARD???

Day 9 Teaser

Natasha nods, but then she frowns. “Do you actually know anything about art, though?” Thor frowns in return. “What’s there to know about art? You just look at it, and it makes you feel something. That’s all there is to it. Right?” Natasha gives a coy smile. “I guess you’re right,” she says. They finally make it into the Compound, and she turns to head a different direction than Thor. “Good luck.”

Day 10 Teaser

Sam walks over to the checkouts and sees that Riley has bought a light brown souvenir teddy bear that says “I <3 NY” on the stomach in black embroidery, except the heart, which is red. The thing is small enough to fit entirely in the palm of Sam’s hand. “Man, why are you buying that?” Sam asks, looking at Riley in amusement. “We’re literally here on layover. We didn’t even get to do anything in New York.” Riley shrugs. “It was the last one they had,” he defends mildly while the cashier counts out his change. “That means it’s good luck.” “You and your superstitions,” Sam teases.

Day 11 Teaser

It was supposed to be hilarious. Why is it not hilarious? Joaquín swallows, reaching up to touch the choker, smoothing his hand down the center of his bare chest and stomach to the waistband of the “boxer-briefs” that are definitely more like panties. He licks his lip, looking back up into his own eyes, smooths his hand over his curls to try to tame them a little bit.

Day 12 Teaser

Bucky doesn’t bother putting the cards away before standing and heading over to the living room and dropping onto the couch, resting his arm over his eyes, trying not to think about how this mystery guy Steve is setting him up with could never measure up to the guy Bucky’s been carrying a torch for since— Bucky cuts off his own thought and sighs. It doesn’t matter. He’d never have a chance with a guy like that anyway. He just hopes Steve’s mystery guy is okay.

Day 13 Teaser

Natasha brushes her fingers through Sharon’s hair, somehow not catching on any tangles. “When things calm down, I think I want to settle down,” she says softly. Sharon frowns. “Settle down?” “Yeah,” Natasha answers, her voice a little more certain, like she’s stating an intention rather than voicing a stray thought. “You know, maybe start a family? Definitely get a cat.” Sharon smiles at the thought of Natasha, smiling, holding a chubby-cheeked baby on her hip while a tuxedo cat with white mittens winds around her feet. It’s a gorgeous image, and Natasha’s smile is so bright.

Day 14 Teaser

Then Kate sees them: her first targets. Sam and Bucky are sitting at a table together, talking, making heart eyes like they always do, as if they’re the only two people in the room. Perfect. Kate hands Yelena her drink, draws a heart arrow out of her quiver, and shoots it right at Bucky’s chest.

[desultory-suggestions]

It turns out that you can become the person you’ve always envisioned but you’ll still have the person you were before inside of you and you have to treat them with as much forgiveness and love as possible

[sunshine-and-anxiety]

me, a reader: ughhhhh I wish someone would write [insert very specific and niche fanfiction idea that no one would probably ever think of except me] me, also a writer: wait a second

[pantserspen]

How to Fix Underwriting

1. Slow down at emotionally important moments.

Big emotions need space to land. If a scene feels rushed, pause the plot briefly to show how the moment affects the character.

2. Add reactions, not explanations.

Instead of explaining what a character feels, show it through physical responses, hesitation, or small actions that reveal emotion naturally.

3. Ground every scene in the senses.

If a scene feels thin, add one or two sensory details—sound, texture, smell, or temperature—to make the moment feel lived-in.

4. Let thoughts interrupt action.

A line of internal thought can deepen a scene without slowing it too much. Thoughts show stakes, fear, longing, or conflict beneath the action.

5. Expand consequences, not events.

You don’t need more things to happen—you need to show what matters. Focus on how events change relationships, decisions, or self-perception.

6. Strengthen setting where emotion peaks.

The environment should echo or contrast the emotion of the scene. Setting is not decoration—it’s emotional reinforcement.

7. Add specific details instead of general ones.

Underwriting often relies on vague language. Swap “they argued” for one sharp line of dialogue or a specific breaking point.

8. Let dialogue breathe.

Short dialogue exchanges without pauses can feel flat. Add beats—silence, gestures, interruptions—to give the conversation weight.

9. Show transitions between scenes.

If scenes jump too quickly, readers feel disoriented. A brief transition helps establish time, mood, and emotional continuity.

10. Clarify stakes early in the scene.

If readers don’t know what can be lost, scenes feel empty. Make sure the character wants something specific and fears losing it.

11. Use the “what are they feeling right now?” check.

After each major beat, ask what emotion is dominant in that moment. If it’s missing on the page, the scene is likely underwritten.

12. Expand scenes that feel “too clean.”

If a scene resolves too neatly or quickly, it probably needs more tension. Messy emotions and unresolved feelings add depth.

[and-fishing-equipment]

in 2026 DO NOT ask yourself whether your art is GOOD

instead ask:

is it SINCERE

was it CATHARTIC

was it FUN TO MAKE

is it MADE BY ME

and don't forget to stay silly