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WIP Wednesday: week #9 of crochet raven shawl 🐦‍⬛ aaand FINISHED the second panel (of three)!!! This makes 78 feathers complete to date 🥳🎉

For funsies, placed the second panel on the first for my visual planning:

Just one more smaller panel to make with 24 feathers 🎉 (and then assemble...)

Who needs to stuff your face with turkey when you can stuff your brain with fanfic? Fresh out of the oven, please enjoy these fic recs.

Raise the Black by valleydean (emmbrancsxx0) @valleydean (Explicit, 246k)

There are passion projects and then there is Raise the Black which takes it to a whole new level. It's not surprising that the author of The Shawnee Trail and A Ghost Story knows how to write historical fiction, but there are so many gorgeous bits of pirate life in this fic from the superstitions to the metaphors tied to the sea. 

The story is a Pirate AU. A chance encounter has left Cas, an officer from the Royal Navy, with a lasting obsession with Dean Winchester, the notorious pirate Captain of the Impala. When presented with the opportunity to defect and save his son from the abusive practices of the Royal Navy, Cas finds himself a part of Dean’s crew. 

I cannot overstate how good this one is. The underlying pirate mythology and superstition, the horny sparring, the epic battle scenes and of course the incredibly unhinged Dean and Cas that drive this story. The story had me anxious, like literally unable to focus on work because I had to know what happened.

It's @valleydean so she gives us a happy ending, but she makes us pay dearly for it in angst (so sexy of her really). 

And it isn't just the Destiel. The casting is phenomenal. I would die for pirate Meg. The use of the younger generation (Jack, Emma, Claire, Kaia) is amazing. Sam, Benny and Charlie as pirates. Truly we get so many great characters in this one y'all.

Without giving too much away, I'll just day that this one falls into the sweeping epic category and the results are staggering.

o weary traveler by dothraki_shieldmaiden @dothwrites (Explicit, 107k)

OK. So you know when you are in like Chapter 1 of a fic and already know it's going to be one of your favorites? That was this fic for me.

A mash-up of the Odyssey and Beauty and the Beast, this fic grabbed me and refused to let go. When Dean and his crew are shipwrecked on an island, they inadvertently anger its inhabitant, Castiel. Cas, an exiled angel, decides to take revenge, culminating in a Beauty and the Beast style pact for Dean to accept punishment on behalf of his wayward crew. 

Cas in this fic is very much an ancient being lacking the human perspective and Dean is just some guy who hunts monsters. It's my favorite dynamic. The way they dance around each other and eventually come together is beautiful to watch.

Throw in some delightful worldbuilding and poetic prose and you have a powerhouse of an epic tale.

The Common Hours by quiettewandering @wanderingcas (Mature, WIP 29k so far)

I very rarely recommend WIPs, so you know when I do it's because I think there's something special about the fic. I honestly think this one and the process of getting a bit more information each week is worth diving into, even if you are normally a "wait until it's done" kind of reader (and if not, this one is worth at least marking to be read with stars and highlights and little hearts).

The fic is a twisty mystery that has me throwing out theories every chapter. Cas is an amnesiac trying to recover from trauma he doesn't understand or remember. Luckily, he met Charlie who has been helping him rebuild his life. But Cas is haunted by half memories and a forgotten life, especially the memory of a man with green eyes who inhabits his dreams.

I don't want to say too much because half of the joy of this fic is pulling at threads and watching to see how it unravels. I'll just leave it at this: the story is captivating and fresh and these versions of the characters instantly grabbed me and wouldn't let go.

Vibrato by Tiamatv  (Explicit, 69k)

Tiamatv really does write some bangers. I couldn't put this one down. They are both disasters in this fic, but in a way that makes you to hug them and smoosh their faces. Dean meets a cute boy, has a full blown bi panic, realizes he was an ass, and strikes up a friendship that morphs into a friendship with benefits that morphs into basically a long term relationship but they're both idiots. It's idiots to lovers (but still idiots) at its finest.

Oh and also Cas is a super old genetic vampire. Whoops. One of the most delightful things about this fic is how well tiamatv captures the ancient and terrible being and also just some accountant dynamic that makes Cas so deeply loveable.

Despite some heavy stuff, this one is fluffy cotton candy most of the time and it's really about their irresistible dynamic. It is immensely readable.

The Sweetest Con by aimforsplendor @aimforsplendor (Mature, 19k)

If you are looking for some fairly low angst fun, this DeanCasBang (Taylor's Version) entry is an absolute delight. Dean and Sam are Robin Hood type con men using tech to steal from the rich and give to those who need it. They've finally found the head of a crime network, a billionaire resembling a particularly prominent and news worthy one recently which makes it fairly cathartic actually. But the mission is threatened when Dean gets sidetracked by a particular blue-eyed hottie.

This one is plain fun with a healthy dose of humor and really likeable characters. This one is truly just readable. Fun and fairly light and with enough interesting turns you keep you on your toes. 

Anything You Can Do by FagurFiskur (Explicit, 21k)

From the Dean Winchester is an absolute disaster genre, this is a surprisingly sweet, crack-taken-seriously smutty romp. 

Dean overhears his soon to be ex-girlfriend Daphne talking to a friend about how their mutual rebound relationship isn't working, especially because her gay ex-fiance, Castiel, was better in bed. Dean can't possibly let that stand. 

So he does the only logical thing and tracks Cas down. And hooks up with him. So he can win at the sex. Even though he's totally straight. 

This is an extensive list of resources for every problem you could come across while writing/planning/editing your novel. Use it well;)

{ *** } Indicate a Highly Reccommended Resource

Planning/outlining Your Work

How To Outline ***

Zigzag Method : Creating Plots

How to Plot a Romance Novel 

Seven Great Sources of Conflict for Romances 

Let’s talk about brainstorming

Writing Something With Meaning ***

Past Or Present Tense? : How To Decide

Writing Your Work

How To Write A Fabulous Chapter #1 ***

How to Build a Romance Thread in Your Story 

The Big Book Of Writing Sex ***

6 Ways to Get Your Readers Shipping Like Crazy 

Romance Writing Tips ***

20 Tips for Writing Lovable Romance Novel Heroes

7 Ways To Speed Up Your Writing *** 

80+ Barriers to Love: A List of Ideas to Keep Romantic Tension High 

9 Romance Writing Mistakes to Avoid 

Removing the Creeps From Romance

19 Ways to Write Better Dialogue ***

50 Things Your Characters Can Do WHILE They Talk ***

How To Write Action And Fight Scenes

10 Steps To Write Arguments

9 Ways To Write Body Language

Writing Good Kissing Scenes

Writing Murders

Create And Control Tone ***

Tips for Writing Ghost Stories

Incorporating Flashbacks

12 Tips To Avoid Overwriting ***

Characters

Behind the Name

Top Baby Names

Looking for a name that means a certain thing? ***

7 Rules of Picking Names

Most Common Surnames ***

Minor Character Development

Writing Antagonists, Antiheroes and Villains

Characters With Enhanced Senses

5 Tips to Help You Introduce Characters

How Do You Describe a Character?

How To Write Child Characters

36 Core Values For Building Character

Questions To Answer When Creating Characters ***

4 Ways to Make Readers Instantly Loathe Your Character Descriptions

5 Ways to Keep Characters Consistent

Character Archetypes

25 Ways To Fuck With Your Characters

Building Platonic Relationships Between Female Characters

9 Simple and Powerful Ways to Write Body Language 

33 Ways To Write Stronger Characters

Conveying Character Emotion 

How to Make Readers Love an Unlikable Character…  

How to Create Powerful Character Combos

How To Describe A Character’s Voice ***

Describing Clothing And Appearance ***

Career Masterpost ***

Creating Your Character’s Personality ***

Character Flaws ***

Editing

DON’T EDIT>>> REWRITE THE WHOLE THING FIRST

Ultimate Guide To Editing Each Aspect Of Your Work ***

Why You Would Read Your Novel Out Loud ***

Grammar and Punctuation ***

How To Write A Captivating First Sentence

10 Things Your Opening Chapter Should Do: A Check-List for Self-Editing ***

Saving Your Story: Finding Where It Went Wrong

How To Condense Without Losing Anything

The Stages Of Editing

Dialogue/Description Balance

3 Proofreading Tips

The Short Story Form

Chapter & Novel Lengths

Anatomy Of A Novel : Chapters and Parts ***

How To Write Chapter After Chapter Until You Have A Book ***

Where Chapter #2 Should Start

Step By Step Guide To Editing Your Draft

Writing Tool: CTRL-F (How And Why You Should Use It) ***

How To Kill A Character

25 Steps To Edit The Unmerciful Suck Out Of Your Story

5 Ways To Make Your Novel Helplessly Addictive ***

Setting

{Setting} How To Describe Setting In Your Stories ***

20 Questions To Enhance Setting

How To Bring Your Setting To Life

Miscellaneous Resources You Can Use In Between

How to Write from a Guy’s POV 

The Emotional Wounds Thesaurus

Text To Speech Reader

Compare Character Heights 

A Visual Dictionary of Tops

Writers Helping Writers

7 Tricks To Imrove Your Writing Overnight

Work Out/ Word Count : Exercise Between Writing ***

Most Important Writing Tips ***

Let’s talk about diversity in novels

Letting Go Of Your Story

Keeping A Healthy Writing Schedule And Avoiding Procrastination ***

How To Create A Good Book Cover

Write or Die

Tip of my Tongue

Character Traits Form

Online Thesaurus

Writing Sketchy/Medical/Law

Coma: Types, Causes, etc

Tips for writing blood loss

Gunshot Wound Care

Examples of Hospital Forms

Common Legal Questions

The Writer’s Forensics Blog

Brain Injury Legal Guide

Types of Surgical Operations

Types of Mental Health Problems

A Day in the Life of a Mental Hospital Patient

Global Black Market Information ***

Crime Scene Science

Examining Mob Mentality

How Street Gangs Work

Writers’ Block Help/ Productivity

Story Plot Generator

@aveeragemusings ‘ Cure To Writers’ Block ***

50 Romance Plot Ideas

Reading Like A Writer ***

Defeat Writers’ Block

Writing In A Bad Mood ***

Writers Block

When You’ve Lost Motivation To Write A Novel ***

What To Do When The Words Won’t Flow ***

9 Ways To Be A More Productive Writer

“I Cannot Write A Good Sentence Today” (How To Get Over It) ***

Real Writing Advice ***

Info You Need To Know & Words You Didn’t Think Of

A Writer’s Thesaurus ***

Words To Describe… ***

Words & Phrases To Use In Your Sex Scenes ***

Colors (An Extensive List Of Colors)

List Of Kinks & Fetishes ***

List Of Elemental Abilities

inkarnate.com : World Creator And Map Maker For Your Imaginary Setting

Body Language Phrases

List Of Legendary Creatures

How To Write Magic

Hairstyle References

Hemingway : Writing Checker

Body Types: Words To Describe Bodies and How They Move Around

Poisonous Herbs and Plants ***

The Psychology of Color

The Meaning behind Rose color

Types of Swords

Color Symbolism

How a handgun works

How to Write a Eulogy

Types of Crying

Avoiding LGBTQ Stereotypes ***

Superstitions and More

The 12 Common Archetypes

Language of Flowers

12 Realistic Woman Body Shapes

Using Feedback And Reviews

Turning Negative Reviews Into Positive Ones ***

Proofreading Marks : Easy Symbols To Make Reviewing/Feedback Easier ***

Authonomy Teen Ink Figment Fiction Press ReviewFuse

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So first of all this one girl told us about a newer metaphor in Russian, "I have paws", which is something you say when you don't really want to do something, so you say you're incapable of doing it since you have paws instead of hands. Like, "hey, finish that report" "aw but I have paws :(" and I think that's adorable. It's like "I'm just a girl" but for animals.

We also had the task to invent a novel metaphor and have the others guess what it means, and the teacher really liked my "she's such a capybara" = "everyone loves her". Capybara energy is like golden retriever energy except you're chill about it. You're just vibing and everyone digs that.

happy palentines day paleontology edition

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