episteme-agape

currently obsessed with Jason Todd Batfam fanfic makes life a little bit better semi present but always yearning to write fanfic writer ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/episteme_agape

[v00do-d0ll]

I wish Poison Ivy was real for the sheer fact that she would blow up every AI data center there is in on the planet. And then terrorize all the Billionaires that put them there.

[episteme-agape]

The best works I've read have come from AO3.

It's been stated before, but as I've been resurging into my long list of book recs I've gotten for published fiction, the point has really been drive home. Some of the best prose, stylistic, and show-not-tell writing has come from the fics that I've read.

And this isn't to harp on published works...they're clearly popular, I'm sure the authors are happy their works are being rec'ed, but the emotions fic writers can make me feel are unparalled to majority of trad published books I've read.

Anyways, as always, thank AO3 authors for producing such beautiful and changing works for free!

[wafflewarrior111]

So... I found this and now it keeps coming to mind. You hear about "life-changing writing advice" all the time and usually its really not—but honestly this is it man.

I'm going to try it.

[missroserose]

I love the lawyer metaphor, because whenever I see “John knew that...” in prose writing I immediately think “how?  How does he know it?”  Interrogate your witnesses.  Cross-examine them.  Make them explain their reasoning.  It pays dividends.

[heck-in-a-handbasket]

All of this, but also feels/felt. My editor has forbidden me from using those and it’s forced me to stretch my skills.

[mydetheturk]

ok so it took me a good chunk of an hour, but i transcribed it: Image ID: screenshot of text written by Chuck Palahniuk. Text is as follows:

Writing Advice: By Chuck Palahniuk

In Six seconds, you’ll hate me. But in six months, you’ll be a better writer.

From this point forward – at least for the next half year – you may not use “thought” verbs. These include: Thinks, Knows, Understands, Realizes, Believes, Wants, Remembers, Imagines, Desires, and a hundred others you love to use.

This list should also include: Loves and Hates

And it should include: Is and Has, but we’ll get to those later.

Until some time around Christmas, you can’t write: Kenny wondered if Monica didn’t like him going out at night…”

Instead, you’ll have to Un-pack that to something like: “the mornings after Kenny had stayed out, beyond the last bus, until he’d had to bum a ride or pay for a cab and got home to find Monica faking sleep, faking because she never slept that quite, those mornings, she’d only put her own cup of coffee in the microwave. Never his.”

Instead of characters knowing anything, you must now present that allow the reader to know them. Instead of a character wanting something, you must now describe the thing so that the reader wants it.

Instead of saying: “Adam knew Gwen liked him.” You’ll have to say: “Between classes, Gwen had always leaned on his locker when he’d go to open it. She’d roll her eyes and shove off with one foot, leaving a black heel-mark on the painted metal, but she also left the smell of her perfume. The combination lock would be warm from her butt. And the next break, Gwen would be leaned there, again.”

In short, no more short cuts. Only specific sensory detail: action, smell, taste, sound, and feeling.

Typically, writers use “thought” verbs at the beginning of the paragraph (in this form, you can call them “thesis statements” and I’ll rail against those, later). In a way, they state the intention of the paragraph. And what follows, illustrates them.

For Example: “Brenda knew she’d never make the deadline, was backed up from the bridge, past the first eight or nine exits. Her cell phone battery was dead. At home, the dogs would need to go out, r there would be a mess to clean up. Plus, she’d promised to water the plants for her neighbor…”

Do you see how the opening “thesis statement” steals the thunder of what follows? Don’t do it.

If nothing else, cut the opening sentence and place it after all the others. Better yet, transplant it and change it to: Brenda would never make the deadline.

Thinking is abstract. Knowing and believing are intangible. Your story will always be stronger if you just show the physical actions and details of your characters and allow the reader to do the thinking and knowing. And loving and hating.

Don’t tell your reader: “Lisa hated Tom.”

Instead, make your case like a lawyer in court, detail by detail.

Present each piece of evidence. For example: “During roll call, in the breath after the teacher said Tom’s name, in that moment before he could answer, right then, Lisa would whisper-shout ‘Butt Wipe,’ just as Tom was saying, ‘Here’.”

One of the most common mistakes that beginning writers make is leaving their characters alone. Writing, you may be alone. Reading, your audience may be alone. But your character should spend very, very little time alone. Because a solitary character starts thinking or worrying or wondering.

For example: Waiting for the bus, Mark started to worry about how long the trip would take…”

A better break down might be: “The schedule said the buss would come by at noon, but Mark’s watch said it was already 11:57. You could see all the way down the road, as far as the Mall, and not see a bus. No doubt, the driver was parked at the turn-around, the far end of the line, taking a nap. The driver was kicked back, asleep, and Mark was going to be late. Or worse, the driver was drinking, and he’d pull up drunk and charge Mark seventy-five cents for death in a fiery traffic accident…”

A character alone must lapse into fantasy or memory, but even then you can’t use thought verbs or any of their abstract relatives.

Oh, and you can just forget about using the verbs forget and remember.

No more transitions such as: “Wanda remembered how Nelson used to brush her hair.”

Instead: “Back in their sophomore year, Nelson used to brush her hair with smooth, long strokes of his hand.”

Again, Un-pack. Don’t take short-cuts.

Better yet, get your character with another character, fast.

Get them together and get the action started. Let their actions and words show their thoughts. You – stay out of their heads.

And while you’re avoiding “thought” verbs, be very wary about sing the bland verbs “is” and “have”.

For example:

“Ann’s eyes are blue.”

“Ann has blue eyes.”

Versus:

“Ann coughed and waved one hand past her face, clearing the cigarette smoke from her eyes, blue eyes, before she smiled…”

Instead of the bland “is” and “has” statements, try burying your details of what a character has or is, in actions or gestures. At its most basic, this is showing your story instead of telling it.

And forever after, once you’ve learned to Un-pack your characters, you’ll hate the lazy writer who settles for: “Jim sat beside the telephone, wondering why Amanda didn’t call.”

Please. For now, hate me all you want, but don’t use thought verbs. After Christmas, go crazy, but I’d bet money you won’t.

(…)

For this month’s homework, pick through your writing and circle every “thought” verb. Then, find some way to eliminate it. Kill it by Un-packing it.

Then, pick through some published fiction and do the same thing. Be ruthless.

“Marty imagined fish, jumping in the moonlight…”

“Nancy recalled the way the wine tasted…”

“Larry knew he was a dead man…”

Find them. After that, find a way to re-write them. Make them stronger.

[fixyourwritinghabits]

Thank you for your transcription service, @mydetheturk​!

[userfish]

hey so I’m talking with my wife and I just realized she’s never felt an earthquake so uh

have you ever felt an earthquake

yes

no

Voting ended onFeb 24

and pls reblog i need to know!!!!!!!

[frownyalfred]

just saw a video on tiktok of a girl who could actually trace out where the orthopedic surgeon held her leg while operating on her knee because there were five perfect bruises on her calf, and someone in the comments mentioned how being strong enough to hold limbs up for long times is an important skill for orthopedic surgeons so of course now I’m thinking about a night where Leslie Thompkins is called into the Cave to do some sort of emergency surgery on Robin that they can’t risk going to a hospital for (reducing a compound fracture in the leg or something gnarly) and Bruce’s job is to hold the leg. that’s his whole job. he’s a billionaire vigilante with the equivalent of like five doctorates and a master martial artist twice over who runs the literal Justice League but tonight his job is Holding The Leg while Alfred helps Leslie operate. he is strong and can do this for HOURS and so he Holds The Leg.

(and then Dick wakes up the next day drugged up but fine while Bruce stares in horror at his leg because there are five perfect fingerprint bruises on his calf in the shape of Bruce’s hand)

[danitalkscomics]

The less in control of the situation Bruce is, the more he pretends to be in control for Clark.

Let it be known to all superbat shippers that "Cowl off." is a complete sentence.

[episteme-agape]

Officially a phd school drop out!! Listen up, kiddos heading into academia, if it feels too good of an offer to be true and it seems that they really want you and value you...it's prob that they're lying about their program to get you to go. (and, yes, that was verbally admitted to me...that they lied because they wanted me to go to their program)

Academia is not all it's caught up to be and jeez tons of people lie about their data and fudge numbers. Glad to be free of it. Now it's just waiting to see how my advisor with anger issues is going to take getting an email saying that I'm withdrawing.

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

depending on how you experience the holidays (or don't), you might look for different kinds of stories to disappear into, so here's a sampling to choose from:

I want the good kush of caretaking (and/or being caretaken)

Pup - Bruce is sick; Damian is helping

My Head Is Stripped - Clark Kent has a cold; Bruce Wayne is a dad

Caring For His Boy - Emotional and physical caretaking in parallel

Catch Me - Dick is very sick; good thing he has a Bruce

Hay Is for Horses - Uncle Clark is babysitting

Yes Ma'am - Sometimes the caretaker is a bossy cat

What's a Penny Worth - When Alfred is sick, it's much more alarming

A Quick Pinch - A 5+1 about needles and emotional care

Last of a Dying Breed (+ sequel) - Clark thinks he's dying

Fix This - Jason is unconscious for all of this, but Tim is trying

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Hood - Tim has an ear infection and Jason's bedside manner could use some work

And After the Storm - Physically Jason has been stabbed; emotionally it's much worse

May Tomorrow Never Come - Jason is sick and Bruce is doing his best

Searchlight Burning - Bruce and Alfred must understand each other again after Bruce's travels abroad

Tunnel Vision - Clark as Bruce wrangler

Puke-Nose - Jason is puking and Dick is mostly sympathetic

I want to be upset but then everything turn out okay

White Lighters / Afterglow - Jason & Bruce fic that seems to trigger the most crying from my good-ending fics

Chicken Bones - Jason has to deal with the rebound of his own actions; healing is a process

The End of Infinity with You - Clark and Bruce are stranded; Clark is dying

Carried (& sequels) - Canonically, Tim Drake's mother's funeral was on Christmas Eve, and grief can be a really weird thing

Choose - Lose - To save a son, Bruce will have to lose another

It Wasn't Real (But We Were Happy) - Tim convincing himself he's not part of his own family, Nanny McPhee-style

Much That Once Was Is Lost - Tim grieving the death of his dad

Right Here, With You series - Jason's return as Red Hood, done differently

Collapsing Star - A medical emergency with Bruce & Clark

Busted duology - Tim is Robin and Bruce is a husk of a man and Jason is haunting the narrative

Take the Spade from My Hands - Don't hurt Cassandra's family

I'm Done with Having Dreams (+ sequel) - Nightmares for Bruce and a late-night walk with Clark

Sleepyhead - Jason finds out what's worse than a nightmare

(S)kittish - Cassandra sickfic, because she deserves to be cared for

Call From - Two times Tim was in a very bad way and called Bruce

There's an Endless Road to Rediscover - Tim and Jason are reminded that healing and done are two different things

Nowhere Safer - Nightmares, Robins, and Batman

Open Line - Dick really just needs his dad

60 BPM - The importance of CPR

Everything is awful and I'm okay with either open-ended stories or no-fix

The Fall of Gotham - What it says on the tin; Dead Dove Do Not Eat

The morning and what came after - A long-feared death

The Gift - A second chance at goodbye

Spider Bite - Blood and fear

A Walk up the Road - Bad timing for everyone involved

Bang - There's a bomb

To See the Stars - "You said you'd always be there for me, but you're not."

The Cave - A magical cave, a broken leg, and salty regret

Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien - If you've seen Tenet, you know where this Clark Kent AU is going

The Rain Again - Grief and anger and grief again

It might be your wound but they're my sutures - Dick and Clark after a battle that goes sideways

I want sweet and soft family togetherness

In My Arms - Time travel and a baby

With a Chance - Bruce is temporarily bedbound; his kids come to visit

Mother Bruce and His Baby Birds - Bruce adopting each of his kids

Kitten - +1 baby for Bruce Wayne

A Child of the Manor - The whole family has an off day together

Sentinels - Domestic fluff for Bruce and Damian

Hello Fadduh - Dick goes to sleepaway camp and Bruce has separation anxiety

Satisfaction - Selina 🤝 the writer: LET BRUCE WAYNE BE HAPPY

Jason's First Christmas - A look at multiple first Christmases; the only true holiday-centric fic I've ever written

I'd rather forget about everything IRL except this story, please

Nature and Nurture - 100k character study with some magic and family healing

The Return - 52k fic unpicking wrongs, hurts, and family (part of a 137k+ series)

Like the Cryptkeeper - 22k of bodyswap nonsense

If the Sky Comes Falling Down (for You) - 21k 5+1 (that's also part of that 137k+ series but can be read as a standalone)

Single Dads Club - BatFam/Stranger Things crossover (up through S2)

Old Blood - A warning delivered by the Penguin

Ulcers - The BatFam from Jim Gordon's POV

On Death's Shore - An AU about dealing with Death

I'd like a little giggle

Teenage Mutant Power Rangers - Bruce Wayne is in his early 20s, a brand-new Batman, and baffled by the horde of feral youths that just appeared in his fight

Life Alert - Brielle is no idiot, but Red Hood might be

Battle Royal - pop princess standoms, wrestling, and boys being boys and dads being Tired

Little Brother - Dick and Jason and the urge to show off

WWTAD - The power of Alf compels you!

Punk like Punky Brewster - A HISHE cafe-style post-credit scene for Superman 2025

+1 bonus category: DEV! DEV! DEV! DEV!

Bloody Brilliant - Home invasion and a kiss to the temple

Can't Let Me Go - Kidnapping and naps

Professional Distance - A bad day at work and fingernails gentle in hair

Red to the Wrists - Head injury and hand holding

Worthy the Name - Fear and fever and hugs

McDreamy, Gotham Style - Outsider POV on Dev and the Fam, bless her heart

+ also see The Rain Again above under "Everything is awful"

note: these are all my fics but these are not all of my fics. I tried to pick only the ones that truly fit the categories. if you like what you're reading, try the rest. as of this original post, I have 125 to choose from. go nuts.

[renviary]

(plat/fam) blah blah smth smth protective older brother

[episteme-agape]

You want to know what I love?

I love the causal way someone engages in their sport/discipline once they've mastered it.

The dancer that stands with a straight back and legs in position when standing in line. The horse rider that moves with the horse causally, communicating through tiny bumps that those unused to the sport don't notice. The gymnast that jumps with an ease foreign to those not in the sport. The runner that jogs causally with friends with just a bit too good of a form.

I love the way that sports can blend into your real life, the show of mastery that isn't an achievement but a slow progression until it appears in every aspect of your life.

[firemind411]

“Take It Easy” Caretaker Vibes 🫂

1. “You’re done. You hear me? You did enough.”

2. “Hey—stop. You don’t have to prove anything right now.”

3. “Breathe. Just… breathe, okay? That’s all you need to do.”

4. “You’re shaking. Sit down before you fall down.”

5. “Don’t make me hold you down just to make you rest.”

6. “You don’t have to keep fighting, kid. It’s over.”

7. “Look at me. You’re safe. That’s it—just stay here.”

8. “You’re allowed to fall apart now.”

9. “Hey, hero—nobody’s watching. You can stop pretending you’re fine.”

10. “I know you want to move. I’m telling you—don’t. Let your body calm down.”

11. “You’ve been through hell. Let it process, go slow.”

12. “If you stand up again, I swear I’ll knock you back down myself.” (half-joking, half-terrified)

13. “You don’t have to burn yourself out to prove you’re still alive.”

14. “You’re not weak. You’re wrecked. There’s a difference.”

15. “Just let me carry it for a minute, yeah?”

16. “I’ve got you. That’s not negotiable.”

17. “It’s over. You survived. Just breathe... That’s the only thing you need to do now.”

18. “You’re bleeding through the tough act, sweetheart.”

19. “You don’t have to talk. Just stay breathe.”

20. “Rest. That’s an order.”

[gaytanic-panic]

The idea that air conditioning is decadent while heating is normal is one of the most common and interesting instances of the "appeal to tradition" fallacy

[drtanner]

I think the (bullshit, patently idiotic) logic behind this is that the cold is normal and natural and so it's fine to have central heating because you Really Need It, whereas the extreme heat is a result of manmade climate change and therefore Your Fault, and so AC is a Decadence and you should be obliged to Do Without It.

This is stupid for multiple reasons, e.g., manmade climate change is almost entirely the fault of industry and you and most other normal people had precisely fuck all to do with it; even if it was somehow your fault, the high temperatures are still a health hazard and AC is needed to keep you safe and well, etc., but I think that's probably what it is.

[captainknackig]

This is so American all over again. Other places have stone houses not paper houses and that's why we usually think AC being so common is idiotic. There are natural ways to keep places cool that are centuries old and AC is not that, it uses energy and contributes to climate change period. And they are a luxury Americans are just very used to so yeah of course you're justifying it. Like I'm not even saying to turn yours off if you need it but y'all are doing some mental gymnastics here.

[error-523scintilla]

Hey! Panameña here! My country is a rainforest tropical climate with over 80% humidity and average temperature year-round is 32C!

All people having this type of privileged and ignorant takes to come live here during Dry season without AC and see how you doing ❤️ come live on the Caribbean and see if you can take humid heat :D!

[episteme-agape]

Ugh yes!! And even dry heat. I'm in a desert in the Americas and we get to, commonly 115f or 46c every summer for DAYS on end. It doesn't matter if our houses were stone (which they can't be because we get earthquakes and stone and earthquakes don't mix for obvious reasons, even to the europeans I hope). The only way that people used to leave in my area was by digging underground into hardpan. Which isn't sustainable in any modern era where we use electricity and have fridges (and developed the area much more than it used to be developed).

It grinds my gears when europeans go "just build out of better materials"...you can't even understand the conditions of other places, materials don't matter when you go so high and/or so humid.

[creativepromptsforwriting]

Masterpost: How to write a story?

Compilation of writing advice for some aspects of the writing process.

How to motivate myself to write more

How to get rid of writer’s block

Basic Overview: How to write a story

How to outline a story

How to come up with plot

How to create a character

How to make a character unique

How to name your characters (Masterpost)

How to start a story

How to write a prologue

How to write conversation

How to write witty banter

How to write the last line

How to write a summary

How to write a book description

How to write romance

How to write friendships

How to write emotions (Masterpost)

How to write an argument

How to write yelling

How to write anger

How to write betrayal

How to title fanfiction

How to write an unreliable narrator

First Person vs. Third Person POV

How to write character deaths

How to leave a strong first impression

How to use songs in a fanfiction

How to name fictional things

How to write self-insert fics

How to write multiple points of view

Introducing a group of characters

Large cast of characters interacting in one scene

How to write dual timelines

How to slow down time

Redemption arc

Plot twists

Fatal Character Flaws

good traits gone bad (Masterpost)

Slow burn

Explanation posts about writing terms

What is…

AU ideas

Favourite tropes

Tropes of the day

List of Genres

Drabble vs. One-Shot

Advice for writing relationships

Masterpost: how to write relationships + romance

More specific scenarios

How to write a bilingual character

How to write a character with glasses

How to write heterochromia

How to write a girldad

How to write taking care of a tired partner

How to create a villain

Reasons for becoming a villain

How to write a morally grey character

How to write an inferiority complex

How to write a road trip

How to create and write a cult

How to write amnesia

How to write being stabbed

How to write a stratocracy

How to write a heist

How to write the mafia

Criminal past comes to light

Ideas for traumatic experiences

How to create an atmosphere (Masterpost)

How to write a college party

How to write royalty (Masterpost)

Paramilitary Forces/ Militia

Superpowers Masterpost (Hero x Villain)

Inconvenient things a ghost could do

A Queen’s Assassination Plot

Reasons for leaving their land

Crime Story - Detective’s POV

Evil organization of assassins

Evil wins in the end

Causes for the apocalypse

Last day on earth

Liminal Spaces

Workplace AUs

Signs of co-dependency

What to wear in a desert

What to wear in the arctic

If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! 🥰

[violetsstories]

Writing masterpost!💕

[episteme-agape]

I've come to the alarming conclusion that my posting schedule to AO3 directly correlates with how troubled my outside life is

In (completely unrelated) news, guess whose got the writing bug back and will be posting a ton!

[just-french-me-up]

'ao3 needs a like and dislike button'

what you need, my algorithm-rotten minded friend, is a grip

[asexualbert]

Oh, they DO have those!

The like button should be at the bottom, looks like this:

The dislike button differs depending on your device but it should look something like one of these:

Hope that helps :)

[chxrry-bombs]

6 Quick Writing Exercises to Wake Up Your Imagination

We all hit those blah writing days. Your fingers are ready, your doc is open... and your brain goes static. That’s where writing exercises come in — small creative boosts to shake off the dust and get back into your story flow. Here are six to try when your words feel stuck in traffic.

1. The 5-Minute Word Sprint

Pick a random word (use a generator or close your eyes and point at a book), set a 5-minute timer, and write anything involving that word. No stopping, no deleting.

2. Dialogue Without Context

Write a short convo between two people. No descriptions. No setting. Just back-and-forth lines.

3. Rewrite a Scene in Another Genre

Take a scene from your current story and flip the genre. Drama becomes comedy. Fantasy becomes sci-fi. Romance becomes horror.

4. Describe a Place Using the Five Senses — No Sight Allowed

Can’t mention what anything looks like. Only sound, touch, smell, taste, and intuition.

5. Character Swap POVs

Write a paragraph from the POV of a side character reacting to your main character. Bonus if the POV is brutally honest or completely wrong.

6. One Line Story Hooks

Write 3 one-sentence story starters that make you want to keep writing. (Example: “I woke up married to my enemy, and worse — he knew it before I did.”)

You don’t need to write a masterpiece every day. But showing up — even for a silly exercise — keeps the creative part of your brain warmed up. Try one of these before your next writing session, and see where it takes you. 🍒

[chxrry-bombs]

5 Tiny Writing Tips That Aren’t Talked About Enough (but work for me)

These are some lowkey underrated tips I’ve seen floating around writing communities — the kind that don’t get flashy attention but seriously changed how I write.

1. Put “he/she/they” at the start of the sentence less often.

Try switching up your sentence rhythm. Instead of

“She walked to the window,”

try

“The window creaked open under her touch.”

Keeps it fresh and stops the paragraph from sounding like a checklist.

2. Don’t describe everything — describe what matters.

Instead of listing every detail in a room, pick 2–3 objects that say something.

“A half-drunk mug of tea and a knife on the table”

sets a way stronger tone than

“There was a wooden table, two chairs, and a shelf.”

3. Use beats instead of dialogue tags sometimes.

Instead of:

"I'm fine," she said.

Try:

"I'm fine." She wiped her hands on her skirt.

It helps shows emotion, and movement.

4. Write your first draft like no one will ever read it.

No pressure. No perfection. Just vibes. The point of draft one is to exist. Let it be messy and weird — future you will thank you for at least something to edit.

5. When stuck, ask: “What’s the most fun thing that could happen next?”

Not logical. Not realistic. FUN. It doesn’t have to stay — but chasing excitement can blast through writer’s block and give you ideas you actually want to write.

What’s a tip that unexpectedly helped with your writing? Let me know!! 🍒