#disgruntledcute

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I still think about poor Taylor in Blackout. That poor woman was just so very unlucky.

@disgruntledcute

I looooooove that Blackout Taylor is still on your mind, and trust me, she’s on mine, too! I know I left you guys on such a major cliffhanger, and I’m really eager to pick that story back up again and see it to completion. Writing Burn has definitely made me rethink certain directions I had planned to take that story in, but don’t worry, all the changes I am planning on making are good ones. 

Can you imagine what it’ll be like once she finally remembers him/their history together? And how much further is he going to have to push her until she does remember him? He’s pushing her so hard to remember she might break before she even gets there....

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I know you are incredibly busy so please don't take this as a demand, but I was wondering if you have any snippets from Blackout you can share? I just noticed it's been a year since the last update and detective-nurse-reluctant junkie Taylor is my favorite. I still think about her in that sweltering heat wondering what he's going to do to her next. ♥️

HEY, YOU. It’s so good to hear from you. How are you? 

Here’s a little snippet from Blackout, since you asked so nicely... 

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Going through Burn, and looking back on Clockwork, and Distorted, I've been wondering where your inspiration comes from. You seem to grapple with the themes of childhood and adolescent abuse very viscerally. I read a lot of horror but these scenes leave me nauseous. How do you cope with putting these down on paper?

I get asked this question a lot. I can’t say specifically where the inspiration comes from--I draw inspiration from a variety of things: what I see and how I interact with the things and people around me. I’m very in-tune with sensory experiences in that regard. Music, film, books, past experiences, the world around me; the way a traffic light flashes on a puddle of water on the pavement at night, after a heavy rain. All that stuff I store away for later use. I’m very nostalgic as well. I think about the past a lot and the experiences that have shaped me into who I am today--that’s how I learn and grow. 

But as an adult I’ve also had to come head-to-head with some startling truths about my own childhood/adolescence, some experiences I had that I continue to grapple with. So I suppose a lot of my “inspiration” (unintentionally) bleeds from that. 

I know the themes I explore in my writing are grisly. It’s not the sort of content you read while you’re bored and curled up on the couch with a bowl of ice-cream. I know it’s heavy. It makes you uncomfortable. But there’s something incredibly therapeutic about getting it out. Like I’m letting go of something nasty. 

I also think despite all the trauma that Taylor has been through, her resilience is something I find incredibly inspiring. She exists as a beacon of light even in the darkness--which is all I have ever wanted to be. 

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I only recently discovered your work but I think you're brilliant.

Thank you so much.

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On my way to read Burn but I saw you were taking requests so here are some randoms for you to maybe play with. Taylor's first job Baking something for Mr Jay Butterfly in a jar Snow ♥️♥️

Ooh, yay! THANK YOU FOR THESE CONTRIBUTIONS. HEARTS IN MY EYES RIGHT NOW. 

Taylor’s first job -- this is actually going to happen!

Baking something for Mr. J -- can’t you imagine her accidentally starting a massive fire? Oops. 

Butterfly in a jar -- mmm, how perfectly metaphorical. There’s a lot to do with that. I’d especially like this being told from the Joker’s POV. 

Snow -- snow angels, snow fights, hot chocolate, Taylor agonizing over getting a Christmas present for Mr. J, maybe? Yeeeeeees. 

I absolutely love all of these ideas and I’m confident that I could incorporate most if not all of them. Thank you SO MUCH. 

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I wanted to let you know that I finished JK and it was AMAZING. I still plan on doing my analysis reviews but I can't lie, it was so difficult to get through, especially with her age, going back to really dig around in the nuance. breathe taking writing as ever but poor Taylor really got in my heart so trying to pull out details and specific prose when all of THAT was happening is well, I've been struggling with it. I just NEEDED to say that it was a perfect ending if nothing else.

@disgruntledcute

I apologize for my late reply. I read this yesterday at work and I was smiling the whole way through it, and your comments have stayed in the back of my mind ever since; thank you so, so much for this. You have no idea how in need I was of this. It made my heart soar. Thank you so incredibly much for your heartfelt comments, your praise. 

I absolutely can’t wait to hear the rest of your thoughts in your “analysis” (I’M EXCITED!) and in the mean time, I thank you so much for reading and especially for taking the time to share your immediate thoughts after having finished. I’m so glad you loved the ending. Thank you for being on this journey and for caring so much about Taylor. <3

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disgruntledcute replied to your post “I have been thinking SO MUCH about Part IV of JK today and I have so...”

Oooh, how about a hug between them? Maybe it's him mocking some perceived hunger for affection or the like. But even without him actively menacing, his very bodily presence would be absolutely suffocating. It could be intense and yet close to sweet.

Oh man, YES. I absolutely can see this happening. I can definitely incorporate a scene like this into part lV. THANKS. 

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Hey, you may know me on fanfic as KorroksApostle. :) If you've got paragraphs from any of your stories you want to give sneak previews of, you've got a captive audience here.

@disgruntledcute

DUDE, yes. I’ve seen your username here on Tumblr pop up before and I had no idea you were KorroksApostle… it’s such an honor… I’m so happy to meet you!!!! I’ve LOVED your reviews on Fanfiction.net throughout the years (and have loved responding to them!) You always leave such detailed feedback. 

Man, I really cannot tell you enough how much I’ve loved your reviews specifically, I look for them with every new update. Thanks for reading my stories. :’) 

I’d be happy to give you a paragraph! This is from part lll of JK.

He’d thought—perhaps in a moment of careless weakness—that thetwo of them could exist in the same plane, that he could go on with his lifeand she could go on with hers, and their carefully plotted lines wouldn’tintersect. Not on this map. They could be like two ships passing in the night,neither one aware of the other, both going unseen.

But he’d fired canons into the dark. He went looking for her. He fired canons thatcrackled against a black-lit sky—like thunder that is too close—and listenedfor that tell-tale splintering of wood, the sound that he’d hit his mark,struck gold. His course set, now, their collisionunavoidable.