❓No dumb questions amnesty - can you explain this [line/dialogue/moment from the story]?
🏴☠️ Were there any points in which your characters tried (or succeeded) to commit mutiny against your planned plot? Where did they most want to rebel?
🥇 What scene were you most excited to write? Did it end up being the one you enjoyed writing the most?
🙏 Was there anything your character(s) really really really wanted to do? Did you let them?
🍆 What scene do you think was the hottest? What scene do you think your readers thought was the hottest? Are they the same?
🔮Have you imagined what happens to [character(s)] in the future? Or does the story only exist to you as a moment in time?
🔎 What detail(s) in the story are you particularly captivated with? Is there any behind the scenes info or backstory?
🧭 What was the key choice or decision you had to make for this story? If you had chosen differently, what would the story have turned into?
📖 Could the story have been a different length? What would you have included/removed?
🫂How would the story have changed if you wrote it for [this pairing] instead?
💭 If you could wish into creation a transformative piece for your story, made by a real human who isn’t you, what would it be? Art, video, sequel, podfic, etc.
📋What was your main goal for the story and/or writing experience? Do you think that you achieved it?
🎤 Do you think the story was written in your typical voice? Why or why not?
👉👈What two stories have you written that are most similar? Why?
👈👉What two stories have you written that are most different? Why?
it says something about the toxicity and codependency of these two characters who are so intertwined and so destructive to one another to the point that they deserve each other to stop ruining other people's lives that you hope the other is dead in the barn so they're not forced to be apart
Hello everyone, welcome back to the supercuts. Here I am reporting with season 9b (counting 9b as 911-918 plus the crossover). If you click this link, you will be taken to it on drive, you can watch it from there, without downloading anything, with English subtitles.
If you're interested in downloading it, you can click this link and download both the video and the subtitle. If you're an editor, this is 1080p 30fps, so it might be interesting.
About this one, besides the important scenes, we have all of Eddie and Buck getting actioned, the part of the conversation Buck has with Maddie when he lowkey compares them to madney. For the crossover, I kept most of it, excluding the few scenes where the focus is fully on the Nashville cast and they aren't there, so the bar in the beginning, most of the competition, the call in the middle, and most of the bar scene at the end. As per the poll I posted after 913 aired, it is here in full, I just cut the credits and title screen. Most of Buck's getting clean montage. The firefam goes scooby doo at dispatch and the building, minus the hospital scene since Buck and Eddie don't interact there. The Theo call, and the bridge call from when the 118 gets to the scene, the one bit where Eddie is watching Buck chase Theo around the station, and Eddie talking to Hen about Buck and Theo. And some bits of Eddie in the elevator to keep Buck trying to call it.
I don't usually add this to my stuff, but this is the product of months of work, literally, you don't have to, but if you see this and think "wow, wonder if Anna has a tip button" this is my kofi and you can buy me a coffee.
no matter how bad it gets it cannot possibly be as bad as it was this time last year when i was using all my free time to replace the music in captain america the winter soldier with 2000s pop hits
My friend send me this link, is a series on a profile on Ao3 (tumblr) that has different tutorials to insert things to fanfics via html code, I thought I would share bc it’s really cool
Lists of tutorials:
How to make images fit in mobile browsers
This is a tutorial/live example on how to make large images fit on mobile browsers but remain normal size on desktop browsers.
How to mimic letters, fliers, and stationery without using images
This is a tutorial/live example on how to mimic the look of letters, fliers, and stationery (as well as other forms of written media) without using images. For all your epistolary fic needs.
How to make a “choose your own adventure” Fic
This is a tutorial/live example on how to create a "Choose Your Own Adventure" fic. While this has been explained before (see here), this particular tutorial shows you how to use a work skin to hide the next parts from the reader until they click through to get to them.
How to make linked footnotes on Ao3
This is a live example of how an author can create linked footnotes in their work with only a little bit of HTML and no workskins required. This is best viewed by clicking "Entire Work". While I've included the actual coding in bold and italic once you click "Hide Creator's Style", there's a more detailed explanation here.
How to change text on Ao3 when the cursor is hovering over it (or clicked on mobile)
This a tutorial/live example on how to have text change or appear once a cursor is hovering over it. Helpful for pop-up spoilers, language translations, quick author's notes, etc.
How to mimic author’s notes and Kudos/Comment buttons
Anonymous on tumblr: do you have a skin that would mimic the author’s notes and review/kudos buttons section from the end of a fic? the desired effect being that the fic could go on after the “end” of the fic, so after the author’s notes and review/kudos buttons
Here's a tutorial/live example to do just that, with some of the buttons actually functioning. I'll explain more inside!
How to wrap text around images
This is a tutorial/live example on how to align images to the left or right of the screen and have text wrap around them.
How to mimic email windows
This is a tutorial/live example on how to mimic email windows on AO3 without the need to use images.
How to make ios text messages on Ao3
This is a tutorial/live example on how to mimic iOS text messages on AO3 without the need to use images. There's also a chapter on how to have emojis displayed on AO3 as well.
How to make Customized page deviders
Bored with the default page dividers? This is a tutorial/live example on how customize your page dividers with no images needed (though I do show you how you could use images if you wanted to do such a thing).
How to make invisible text (That can be highlighted)
This is a live example how to make invisible text that can only be seen by highlighting the text. Tutorial is included in text, and you can always leave comments about questions you may have.
MOBILE USERS: Sadly, this probably won't work for you, since highlighting in a mobile browser is different than web. I've tried correcting this, but have yet to find a solution.
How to make a rounded playlist
Original coding and design is from layouttest. I make no claims for it, just tweaked it so it will work on AO3.
How to create notebook lined paper on Ao3
This is a live example of my AO3 skin that allows the author to recreate the look of lined notebook paper in their work. To learn more about it, you can find the tutorial here.
Sticky notes on Ao3 without using images
This is a live example of my AO3 skin that allows the author to recreate the look of sticky notes (aka Post-Its) in their fic. To learn more about it, you can find the tutorial here.
How to make deadpool’s thinking thinking boxes on Ao3
This is a live example of my AO3 skin that allows the author to recreate the look of Deadpool's thinking boxes in their fic. To learn more about it, you can find the tutorial here.
How to make newspaper articles on Ao3
This is a live example of my AO3 skin that allows the author to recreate the look of a newspaper article in their work. To learn more about it, you can find the tutorial here.
Prompt: SHADOW | Tags: Canon!AU, Modern!AU, Mild angst, Fluff | Rating: G | Word count: 1505
"And then! And then! The king pulled the sword out of the stone!"
Merlin translates the words and watches the wall. The shadow; rough and misshapen, slightly round in shape, shakes in excitement. There's another shadow - the outline of a man. One of Lorna's Ken dolls playing the part of a king because he was blond and more importantly, because he was currently unemployed what with being kicked out of the Barbie-dream house due to 'drag racing with Barbie's ambulance. Daddy, what if someone was injured?!'
He sees from his position on her bed, Lorna's face, partially covered in a filter of low light. A torch sits propped up by a few of her story books, pointed at the wall. His little girl reminds him so much of Gwen, with her curly dark hair and lovely button nose. Lorna frowns, her tongue peeking out. "Da, you need to hold the stone."
Merlin swallows, still not used to it. He's not sure whether he ever will be. He watches Lorna points to what she wants, her shaking her head until it suddenly turns into vigorous nodding.
Items are traded.
The larger hand now gently holds a scrunched-up wad of paper; what Merlin thinks is a small nail file, acting in place of a sword, is held tightly in Lorna's hand.
"Gea bearnlufu."
Lorna looks across, bites her lip and then looks at Merlin.
"He said, 'yes, love'."
...
Merlin had thought he'd be alone forever. Waiting. He had watched millennia pass by and one day, had thought, enough. He had re-entered the world, changed his appearance to a younger him, faked paperwork with his real name and a derivative, and suddenly became a 'contributing member' of society. He had made friends, and dated, and lived with the mundane: job, bills, deciding what to make for dinner that night and every night (he did that anyways, but it was different, now, tethered to one place).
...
Lorna smiles somewhat bashful. She never pays attention to the words that don't make sense to her; on some days they are few and far in between.
She holds the nail file, pressing it into the paper and checking the wall. She doesn't like the look of it, so she moves it to behind the ball instead. "Okay, so when he pulled out the sword, Merlin said that he was the 'rightful King of Camelot' and they had a party!" Ken (with assistance) 'pulls out' a nail file from the ball of paper. On the wall, the king's hands are both held aloft. The sword slightly tilting in one of his hands.
He translates again.
There's a snort. "'Ne wæs hit swā." Dry and amused.
...
His life wasn't enough. He didn't know what was missing, but something was. When Merlin applied to be a foster carer he was certain that he'd be knocked back, but he hadn't. He passed checks with flying colours and received glowing recommendations by others.
He had been so nervous, the first time someone was placed with him, but perspective was everything, and life had given him more than he could fathom (and what it took away? Equally so.). When Lorna had come, Merlin didn't know that it would feel like something slotting into place. Her parents had died with no kin to speak of. She was a short placement, that grew longer, and longer, and longer, until Merlin had asked the caseworker if, if, Lorna was okay with it, whether her placement could be permanent; whether just as much as she could be his, he could be hers in turn.
...
"Da, can you give me Tiana?" She frowns. "No, not that, one," she says, as a Mulan doll is held in the air. "Tiana!" Another doll is held up. "That's Belle. Tiana wears a green dress." The neat line of Disney Princesses is now slightly askew.
A soft exhale; a small hitch of frustration. "Green."
Clueless blue eyes find his.
"Grēne gewæda," Merlin says. "Guinevere."
"Oh."
When the right doll is located and held in the air, Lorna grins. "Yeah, thanks!" She lunges across and grabs it before retreating back into her space. She then starts the task of trying to coordinate three items with two hands.
...
When Lorna was four, he took her to the lake. They had driven up there in the early afternoon. A picnic for them just after he had signed the adoption papers. He had thought it would be special. A small way of almost introducing Lorna to a long-gone king, and a love that Merlin had held above all else, until she had entered his life.
He had been so focused on wiping Lorna's face clean of a yogurt she managed to wear that he hadn't paid attention to the sound of something emerging from the lake, and when he did turn his gaze, his mouth had dropped open and he let out a high-pitched scream that caused her to burst into tears.
"Merlin." That voice. That voice and all other sounds ceased to exist.
"A-Arthur?" He hadn't known what to think. He could only watch as muddy water dripped from the armour, the tips of Arthur's fingers, the slope of his nose.
"Bēo ġesund, Merlin." Blues eyes, crooked smile. Arthur's eyes had darted over him, and then to Lorna still crying in his arms. A look of surprised crossed Arthur's face.
And Merlin turned his head stupidly, before the sound rushed in and Lorna's cries registered in his ears. "Oh, love, I'm sorry. Daddy's sorry for scaring you." He kissed her hair and swayed her in her arms. "It's okay. I was just surprised. He surprised me." His eyes found Arthur's again; his kingdom-less face morphing into one of confusion and suspicion taking in the unfamiliar words and clothing that was so far removed from Camelot's fashion.
Lorna's cries eventually petered out into hiccups and then small gasps, before finally stopping. Through a sniffle, she asked, "Who's that?" And then her brown eyes had raked over Arthur. "Daddy, why's he wearing fancy dress?"
Unable to help himself, he snorted. "Are you alright if I speak to him?"
"Yeah...do you think he's lost?" she asked carefully.
"He might be." But not anymore. "Stay here until I tell you it's okay."
He had squeezed her tight and then left her standing on the bench as he slowly approached Arthur with his arms out to show that he wasn't a threat, and a distant language falling from his tongue.
Arthur listened to him, his wary eyes turning incredulous and then mournful. Merlin watched Arthur's stance shrink, like the woods around them were slowly inching close on him. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. When in range, he had carefully, reached forward, first clasping Arthur's shoulder, and then moving it down to hold his forearms.
"Mīn weorold is forðgān." Arthur had looked so lost, like a scared child. Merlin's heart ached.
He pulled Arthur into him, not caring that his clothes would get wet. The cold seeped through, but he pressed his cheek to Arthur's, tilted his head down so that his nose brushed against Arthur's neck where his pulse rabbited alive. Arthur's arms wrapped around him slowly and Merlin let himself cry.
...
It's been less than a year. The adjustment is slow. Arthur is afraid of the world, now too fast and too loud to what he's used to, but he'll get there.
Merlin looks as his daughter struggles and then ditches the nail file. She makes the king and queen hold hands, checking that her vision is being properly recreated as she looks up at the wall to take in their shadows. The effect is slightly ruined by the rock still held in the scene, and instead of using her words, she uses her foot to push Arthur's hand away.
"Lorna," Merlin warns gently. "Use your words-not your feet-to ask."
Lorna pouts. "Sorry, Da."
"Okay," Arthur says, taking the paper ball away.
"It's okay," Merlin corrects. "Þæt is þæt þu cwæde, gif þu hire sārignesse onfenge."
"It's okay," Arthur says, copying. Lorna's too distracted to order him around, so he crawls across the floor and leans his back against the side of Lorna's bed, his legs outstretched before him in one of his many pairs of basketball shorts.
"So, what happens next?" Merlin prompts. He moves to lie on the bed, since she's too distracted to tell him off for not sitting straight during her 'show'. He pillows his head on an arm and drapes the other over Arthur's chest. The material of Arthur's sweater is soft; red in colour (Pendragon Red).
Lorna hums to herself, thinking. She doesn't notice that Arthur's no longer near her. She's still looking up at the wall. "They live for years and years and years. Happily ever after-"
Merlin translates. Arthur sighs. Merlin feels Arthur's hand come up to hold his.
"-until Mordred kills him." The shadow of Ken falls from the scene, leaving Tiana standing there by herself.
Merlin winces.
"Sċite," Arthur swears quietly.
============
Ye Olde English (lol) but! Jokes aside, the old english was gathered from a mix of wiktionary, parchmentlore, and google translate - so it's gonna be wrong to some degree. Happy to be corrected on these!!
if you’re not rereading your own 3yo one-shots every once in a while so you can shake your head at the ao3 tab and mutter god i’m fucking funny then what are we even doing all this work for?
Prompt: TOUCH | Tags: Canon era, External POV | Rating: G | Word count: 828
"It's improper!" the maidservant hisses.
Merlin takes a step back, wary. He hasn't come across her before. She's new; has just taken a position in the castle. She was sent this morning to serve breakfast to the king and queen.
"What is?" he asks.
"Do not act innocent with me." How could he. She seethes.
"...okay," he says. "I'm going to go." He keeps his hands up and slides away from her.
She cannot let this slide. She must tell the queen.
She waits until evening. She tidies the queens chambers. "My lady, I...I wish to tell you something."
The queen looks at her kindly. "Of course. Feel free to speak."
"I...I was asked to provide morning service to the king. And I...I..." she pauses. "I saw..."
The queen waits. "You saw?"
"The king and his manservant in an embrace." She can't help dropping her voice to a whisper and averting her eyes. She waits. Expecting to hear some sadness or anger, but instead, she hears a snort of laughter.
"I'm sorry-" the queen says "-I don't mean to laugh. Just...just come with me." Confused, she follows closely as the queen ducks through an antechamber door and through a corridor. She watches as the queen knocks and a voice says enter.
A door swings open and the queen goes through into the king's chambers. The maidservant stumbles, and when she catches herself she sees Merlin.
"You," she gasps.
"Me," Merlin says, confused. "What have I done this time?"
"It's what you've been doing the whole time." The queen looks around. "Where's Arthur?"
"He had to speak to Leon. He's coming. Gwen, what's going on?" The maidservant tries not to chastise him for casual use of the queen's name, and not even her full name!
The queen moves and takes a seat at the table, gesturing for the maidservant to do the same. "We need to clear up some things. You're new to us."
"Yes my lady."
"Gwen, do I need to be here for this?" Merlin asks.
The queen sighs, but is smiling. "Yes, Merlin, this involves you - you should sit too." The maidservant watches the Merlin sit on the edge of the king's bed. She bites her tongue.
"Have you spoken to others in the castle?" the queen asks.
She hasn't really. "I keep to myself. I know what's expected of me. I complete my work."
The queen nods as if she understands. "That must be lonely."
"It is as it is."
"Before I became queen, I used to do what you do. I was a maidservant." It was a rumor in her village. They didn't think it to be true. "I've been a part of the castle for longer than you've been alive. I helped Merlin adjust when he first arrived-"
She's so taken to listening to the queen, that she startles when the doors open and the king enters. She stands immediately. "Merlin, don't start. I know I'm late for our dinner..." he trails off. "Guinevere!" he says happily and then spots her. "And company," he greets with considerably less enthusiasm. "What's happening?"
"The castle gossips have been slow to provide their updates," the queen says. "She brought you breakfast this morning, and saw Merlin and yourself in a...position."
The king flushes an unnatural shade of red. "I thought I told you to lock the door," he hisses.
"I did!" Merlin says, unapologetic. "What did you see?"
Before the maidservant can open her mouth, the queen interjects. "An embrace," she sounds gleeful.
"Oh," the king says. "That's all?"
"That's all?" the maidservant says, unable to help herself.
"Yes." The moves to stand next to the bed, dropping a hand across Merlin's shoulder. "You've clearly not been informed on how things work here. I shall provide you two options: either we have a discussion that is extremely uncomfortable for all-" The queen laughs outright at that "For me," he amends. "Or you ask the staff around the castle to fill you in on all the sordid details."
"I'd advise you to pick the second one," Merlin says. "It's more entertaining."
"My lady-" She doesn't know what to do.
The queen takes pity on her. "Come, I'll explain. But, you must understand, Merlin's position here is by Arthur's side, as is mine. Only the how of it differs." The maidservant looks, sees the kings thumb rub up and down on Merlin's shoulder, the touch gentle. "I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner. I was just amused. We'll take out leave."
At that, the king rolls his eyes and then steps towards the queen. "You are welcome to join us for dinner," he offers pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"Not tonight. I've got a book to read. Goodnight Merlin."
"Goodnight Gwen!"
The leave through the main door to the king's chamber this time. Just before the doors close behind her, the maidservant turns to sees the king smiling, and his hand, reaching out to hold Merlin's own.
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