#uses power of editing to rewrite the plot

[echobsilly]

stand in

[writingwithcolor]

Author with cultural disconnect: How do I write without making it seem as if I hate my own heritage?

Anonymous asked:

I’m a white-passing Asian author, and I’ve never felt all that connected with my heritage. My current story centers on a fairy (re: fantasy-world POC) child and ends with her realizing that her parents are toxic af and her human best friend’s family takes her in. This is the perfect opportunity to sort through my own issues with my heritage and finally convince my monkey-brain that it’s okay to not know how to cook Vietnamese food or celebrate tet or speak Vietnamese… But I also realize that if I’m not careful, this could easily slip into “Hey, I hate my heritage and so should you!” So how can I stop that from happening?

Writing for yourself first, not an audience

I ask you a simple question: why put pressure on yourself to have any sort of non-offensive messaging for a story that hasn’t been drafted yet and is to convince your monkey brain it’s okay to exist as yourself?

That seems like the fastest way to stop the story from being actually cathartic and instead a performance art piece when you already feel hung up on performing as “properly” part of your culture.

As I said in Working Through Identity Issues and Other Pitfalls of Representation, not all stories you write need to be for public consumption. Especially stories you’re using for your own self-processing and therapy, because you’re trying to get a cathartic moment that is rewriting your own story.

At what point does the public need to be involved in that?

I do understand the compulsion to want to post—I have definitely posted some Questionable™ material in my drive to get validation for feeling the way I do, wanting people to witness me and say “same.” It’s a powerful urge. Sometimes it’s worked, but most of the time it’s just made me feel horrifically exposed.

But you really do not have to post in public to get any sort of validation. Set up a groupchat with friends if you want the cheerleading and witnessing—people who will know your story and give you good-faith interpretations and won’t accuse you of anything. Honestly I’d suggest setting up this groupchat anyway; as someone who just got one again after quite a few years without it, my productivity has skyrocketed from being around supportive people.

Let the monkey brain have its monkey brain moment and shut off the concept the story is for the public. Shut off the concept of performing for an unknown audience. It’s for you. Be authentic, no matter how bad it would look to outsiders. They’re not reading it. Part of getting catharsis, sometimes, is being the worst version of yourself, somewhere nobody else can see it.

Deciding to publish the work

If, after you do write it, you find that you actually do want to polish it up and put it somewhere… edit it. Rewrite it entirely if that’s what it takes. Take the story through the same drafting process every story needs to go through, ripping out the unfortunate implications as you go.

Editing can be its own form of healing, as you try to figure out what this character would need to not be hateful. As you realize, once this longform journal entry is out of your head, what was bothering you now that you can see it pinned down on a page. But you absolutely do not need to write with the intention of editing in that healing. When I’ve tried, it’s fallen flat.

The healing will come from being yourself, no public involved, and writing about your feelings in their rawest form. Anything else is extra.

There’s no point in trying to put guard rails on the drafting process, not for a deeply personal piece. And by the time that drafting process is done, you’ll likely have specific scenarios and contexts that you can ask about, and you might even have ideas on how to fix it yourself once the story has a shape to it.

This is 100% a situation where there’s no real sense in idea workshopping something in the plotting stage. You’re doing something for you. Decide if it’s for public consumption later (while acknowledging “no” is a perfectly valid answer), and only figure out how to make the story not overtly harmful if you decide to put it out into the public.

~ Leigh

[thebibliosphere]

Not to be an unbearable plot tease, but I'm editing/rewriting a chapter from Hunger Pangs book 2, and while I adore all of my characters equally, Vlad and Ursula getting to know each other properly might actually be some of my favorite moments.

His realization that he can pester Ursula to tell him more about random historical events as they actually happened, not how they are portrayed in history books, is so, so sweet. He's like an excited labrador who just found a dinosaur bone.

Ursula's very much not used to this kind of attention.

She's used to people only being interested in her power. And here's a werewolf who couldn't give less of a fuck about exploiting her magic for his own gain, and a vampire who wants to ask her what textile production was like circa the fall of the Ecrecian Empire.

[monosanimegenericzone]

WB!HxH AU: MASTERPOST

Basic Worldbuilding

Canon to Wind Breaker (as far as I can understand so it's probably incorrect): The town of Makochi is a violent place. Gangs and thieves ruled the streets until recently, a gang made of the students of Furin High School took it into their own hands to protect their town "All who holds evil in their heart will be purged by Bofurin without exception!"

HxH AU comes in two flavors:

Canon Insert: Makochi has a dark district, 流星 Ryuusei, on the other side of the river where high profile gangs and actual mafias exchange business. The police force is often preoccupied in this district, opposed to Makochi and other territories.

HxH total Takeover: I just rewrite Wind Breaker but with PT members lmao. and make the entire thing much darker for the hxh flair. Told from Gon or Killua's POV

幻影 Gen'ei. A new and rowdy gang of 21 members that have quickly earned a reputation for themselves. There are rumors that the members all come from the local high school, affectionately named 火口 "Kakou." They have good intentions, as far as anyone can tell. They stop robberies, break up fights, beat up thugs. But, like their town, they aren't afraid of shedding blood... or even killing.

"Fight to kill. And if that doesn't stop them, bring them Death."

COMBAT TEAMS

Team Shatter: Uvogin, Nobunaga, Machi and Sheila

Team Fang: Phinks, Feitan, Peroyin and Shalnark

Team Frenzy: Illumi, Sarasa, Canary and Kalluto

Team Death: Franklin, Bonolenov, Kiki and Kortopi

RECON TEAM

Pakunoda, Sheila, Shalnark, Kalluto, Kortopi

CLEANUP TEAM

Shizuku, Omokage, Shalnark

Every member wears a jacket with black sleeves and dark blue bodies. They are numbered 0-20 and personalized with a word of power or symbolism. And on the front is a stitched in button with the word "spider" written on it.

*slight edit made in post. the spider on the back is the 12 legged spider as seen in hunter x hunter.

if you want to know more information about the au that wasn't included in this- including plot questions bcs i have several plots- drop an ask in my ask box. i'm happy to answer :3

Meet the Phantom Brigade

(we got 20 characters. this is going under the cut. this gon be L O N G)

0 - Chrollo Lucilfer ** "Danchou/Boss" ** 1st Year

Entered high school early and actually attends classes. Does his part to look for permanent change for his town, but even he has to admit that it's frustrating.

Hands on brawler and has a vicious front kick. If pressed, also carries a switchblade. 13th strongest of the gang.

1 - Nobunaga Hazama ** "Jinsoku/Swift" ** 3rd year

Laid back dude with a passion for martial arts. Avid member of the local kendo club and even studied iaido as a fine art.

Usually the last from his squad to engage. Prefers one on one fights rather than brawls. Carries a real katana- that no one knows where he got it from- and does know how to use it. 14th strongest of the gang.

2 - Feitan Portor ** "Fukushuu/Revenge" ** 2nd year

Violinist. And that's about it. Gives most of his free time to music, but otherwise chooses to spend his days fighting.

Brutally sadistic fighter. Enjoys mocking his opponents or- if he's in a particularly good mood- breaking their bones one by one. Carries a heavy umbrella as a side piece, but usually goes into fights bare handed. 10th strongest in the gang.

3 - Machi Komachine ** "Tenshi/Angel" ** 2nd year

The only one who took a First Aid course and therefore the only one who knows how to properly respond to serious injury. Her legal guardian is also the local pharmacist (Renko), which makes her the default "doctor" if any of them get hurt- much to her chagrin.

Learned to fight from Nobunaga and has progressed much further in combat. Usually has to keep her idiots in check and has enough raw strength to back up her words. 7th strongest in the gang

4 - Sarasa ** "Reikoku/Ruthless" ** 1st year

Gymnast, theatre kid, ray of sunshine if that ray was put through a magnifying glass and is killing all the ants. Has a reputation of being stubbornly optimistic to the point of punching people that disagree with her and refuse to be happy.

Usually fights with a metal bat- that she's lovingly decorated with pink stickers. Vocal about picking fights and often gets into unwarranted trouble if her team isn't there to reel her in. 11th strongest in the gang.

5 - Phinks Macgub ** "Kyoujin/Strength" ** 2nd year

Raised with a boxing family and has taken a liking to the sport as a hobby. Incredibly selfless otherwise and has the scars to prove it.

Grappler type of fighter- despite the boxing background- and talks with his fists. Any excuse he has to throw hands, he will throw hands. Carries brass knuckles in case of emergency but rarely needs them. 2nd strongest in the gang

6 - Shalnark Ryusei ** "Keimyou/Witty" ** 2nd year

If "left to your own devices" was a person and also a threat to humanity. Used his insomnia to his advantage and became a proficient tinkerer and coder. Made a lot of the gang's electronics from cellphones to drones to modified cameras.

Prefers not to get his hands dirty. Where he lacks in technique he makes up for in brute-like strength. 15th strongest in the gang

7 - Franklin Bordeau ** "Seido/Accurate" ** 3rd year

First hand witness to violent crime and has the scars to prove it. Desensitized to gun violence specifically, but doesn't let it affect his stance as a really down-to-earth guy.

Sparring partner for Nobunaga and Uvogin and learned hand to hand from them. But his primary method of combat is just the simple handgun. Last resort fighter and will always fight to kill. 3rd strongest in the gang.

8 - Sheila ** "Shite/Protagonist" ** 1st year

Theatre kid taken traumatic. Has a near-toxic hero complex and is almost always the first boots on the ground when the team is facing adversity. Probably this close to having a mental breakdown.

Despite appearances, she is incredibly strong. Doesn't have a distinct style but a single punch is enough to shut anyone up. 5th strongest in the gang.

9 - Pakunoda ** "Mugen/Infinity" ** 2nd year

The eldest child of four adopted siblings (Chrollo, Sarasa and Sheila). Also actively attends classes with the eventual goal of becoming a teacher.

Doesn't usually engage in close combat. The gang's interrogator and skilled negotiator. Incredibly protective of the gang. Can and will use the pistol she carries if tested. 17th strongest in the gang.

10 - Bonolenov Ndongo ** "Meichou/Songbird" ** 2nd year

Rescued by the gang after being kicked out of the house and earning a street name for himself. Lost several teeth to brawls and now has his lips pierced as an "I fucking dare you to hit me in my face." Lives with Phinks now and has taken a liking to classical music.

Trained in pole arms and boxes with Phinks on the side. Called as a last resort fighter. As a member of the Death squad, he is usually called in when bodies need to hit the floor. Makes clean kills and of the 3 on the squad, is the only one capable of holding back. 8th strongest in the gang.

11 - Uvogin ** "Seiryoku/Force" ** 3rd year

A tank and proud of it. Fiercely territorial and his presence alone is enough to scare people away from him. Enjoys street food and is well beloved by the vendors on main street.

Has incredibly tough skin through- what we can only assume- is genetics. And he is incredibly strong. Anyone stupid enough to pick a fight with him has about 10 seconds to reconsider their life choices before their chin is going into the stratosphere. THE strongest in the gang.

12 - Kortopi Tonosumil ** "Jiseki/Vestige" ** 1st year *'jiseki' probably subject to change. i dont think i like it

Collects trinkets. Has the weirdest trophy collection that no one can understand other than himself. Born and raised in the town and knows the name of every street, shop and building in the area. Has photographic memory.

Doesn't usually fight. However, has learned self defense and if someone wants to fuck with him they better hope he's bare handed or he will use the environment to play as dirty as possible. 20th strongest in the gang (weakest).

13 - Illumi Zoldyck ** "Fukitsu/Ominous" ** 3rd year

In his "fuck the police" era. His dad is a cop. Originally joined to join the effort to make the town safer for his younger brothers, but then realized that he might actually be a terrible role model for them instead. Unsure if he regrets it or not

Engages in chemical warfare. Uses tranquilizer darts without the gun, or just pushpins coated in similar serum. 4th strongest in the gang.

14 - Shizuku Murasaki ** "Bitoku/Virtue" ** 1st year

Head of cleanup efforts. In or out of the gang, she also leads community cleanups for the local middle and elementary schools. Also enjoys sweets and can be easily bribed with chocolates or strawberry candies.

Usually carries around a hammer. But will also use an assortment of blunt weaponry to deadly efficiency. Puts googly eyes on the weapons she keeps and has them all named after video game characters. 18th strongest in the gang

15 - (OC) Peroyin ** "Kotetsu/Steel" ** 1st year

Born without a right arm. Was also born right handed. Has an insanely inflated ego and will sometimes blindfold herself to give her opponents a "handicap." Has been talked out of doing that several times.

Dirty fighter. With the obvious handicap already in play, she will use any method necessary to win. Which usually includes headbutts or bites. 6th strongest in the gang.

16 - Kalluto Zoldyck ** "Inzen/Secret" ** Middle School

The result of Illumi's terrible role model skills. The first new member to replace an old one. Hisoka was the original 16, but he graduated highschool and moved away. This is indicated by a red stitch on his right sleeve.

Doesn't actively fight and instead runs drone surveillance. But, he does carry about 15 knives on the inside of his coat that Illumi forces him to carry at all times. For his own safety of course. 16th strongest in the gang

17 - Omokage ** "Kouken/Guardian" ** 3rd year

Takes care of his disabled sister after school. Doesn't actively participate in gang activity but offers his support and proudly wears their colors. Works in the local tailor's shop.

Can defend himself, but doesn't actively look for, nor engage in, fights. Wears studded rings in case he does need to punch someone. 19th strongest in the gang

18 - (OC not mine) Kiki ** "Gihen/Deception" ** 1st year

Uvogin's nephew. No he cannot see (he can but he needs heavy prescription glasses)

Youngest member of Death, yet is the second most deadly. Prefers a hands on approach to combat and will usually discard his glasses in brawls to distance himself from his victims. And yes, they do become victims. Goes for throats, eyes or open wounds. 9th strongest in the gang.

19 - Canary ** "Keigo/Security" ** 1st year

Daughter of a family friend of the Zoldycks. Recruited through recommendation and is thriving. She and Sarasa also get along amazingly well.

Uses a cane as a weapon. Brutally efficient despite her short stature. Can reach vitals with insane accuracy and often leaves her enemies folded in half or puking their guts out. The lucky ones get away with broken jaws and black eyes.

20 - [Empty] ** " " ** [ ]

[jasina85]

Okay... Hunter the Reckoning 5th edition. I unfortunately have opinions not many people will be surprised about.

The game still feels like it has an identity crisis between wanting the player characters to be the everymen who said enough and started biting back against the supernatural and being very special with access to special powers. This was true in the legacy era with the Imbued and the Numina, it's still true with Edges. Now, having the characters be special - there's nothing inherently wrong with that, because special characters tend to make for natural protagonists, but it feels like the game can't decide if it wants everyman or special more and it ends up awkwardly reaching for both.

I've heard people say that just as VtM 5 took some mechanics for Chronicles' own Vampire the Requiem (which looking at both systems side-by-side is fairly obvious), so did HtR 5 do the same with Hunter the Vigil. I can't comment on it, as I've neither read through or played the Vigil, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was true. Speaking of Vampire though...

The attention to detail in places in this book is god-awful. The example presented for the Linguistics merit IS THE SAME LEBANESE VAMPIRE IN MEXICO CITY WORD-FOR-WORD. Seriously?! You couldn't even be bothered to rewrite that to fit the book it's in now? That just feels lazy.

Hunter Creeds... feel utterly pointless. The only mechanical difference between them is what you can use Desperation dice for and their fluff text all reads so similar for the most part that if you were to remove their names from text, I wouldn't be able to tell most of them apart. They feel like they only exist because the designers needed to shoehorn in some kind of character class system, because ttrpgs need to have those, right?

The Drives meanwhile are fine. Nothing much to say here, since they're primarily a narrative tool, rather than a mechanic one.

Edges! I'm very divided on these. The Asset and Aptitude Edges feel okay... until you realize that stuff like getting your hands on say... a car, a custom-made gun or explosive would fall under Allies/Contacts in other splats, but in here getting those is a special ability, implying you need that Edge to have any chance getting it. It feels very messy.

Endowment Edges on the other hand feel pretty fun! They're obviously supposed to be the choose-your-own-flavor Numina, and they feel like the best fit for representing True Faith, but you could flavor then as Hedge Sorcery or in some cases even Hypertech, as long as you accept most of these only work against the supernatural. It's not ideal, but it's probably the most fun part of this book.

Lastly, I want to talk about how HtR5 uses Chronicle Tenants. In short - it doesn't. Oh sure, it tells you to decide on them, but there's no actual mechanical consequence for breaking them. In Vampire, breaking a Chronicle Tenant usually means Stains on your Humanity, in Werewolf you have Harano... in Hunter you have nothing. Chronicle Tenants, at least to me, have always been half about setting a theme, half ideas to be challenged during play. Do you break one when doing so would be the right thing? Hunter leaves no such considerations, because when there's no consequence, does the choice even matter? Instead it treats them as closer to lines and veils for the players, which is just not what they're meant to be.

Oh, right, the orgs... meh? The returning ones like Arcanum and Saint Leopold are mostly the same as they were in legacy, only with questionable rewrites and squandered old plot threads. Also, who thought having an org who's name abbreviates to KKK was a good idea? No, they're not actually the Klan, but seriously? And yes, the choice for not letting players be a part of an org is still dumb.

I'll be honest, I'm not sure I'm going to read much more of Hunter 5. This has been a highly frustrating experience.

On one final note, I've said this before but god damn it, the actual art style of this book? The actual drawings in black and white punctuated with splashes of blaze orange? It is soooo good. I wish this was a consistent art style across the 5th edition World of Darkness with a different color for each gameline. It is simply just so striking.

[dreadfutures]

I really think all - and yes, all - of Veilguard's flaws (however big or however small you, reading this, believe they are) can find origin in a development that seemed scattered for many years, mostly focused on the combat mechanics and cosmetics, in-between writers and level designers being tossed to other projects, with a story that was on a first or second pass, written piecemeal and out of order, and given final editing/rewrite power to an Executive Nephew Who Didn't Know The Games and The Mass Effect Team Who Hates Dragon Age And Fantasy Apparently. For anyone who thinks that is critical hatespewing from me... we do know these things are broadly true.

But I really do not think they used AI to write the dialogue or the story. Really.

I think all the things people are pointing to are just evidence that they broke the backs and brains of the genuine veteran writers on the team to get out a first draft, fired most of them, and then whoever was left was running on fumes and desperate and also was being told they're dumb and to change everything. Stupid mistakes and inconsistencies happen, especially when it all adds up to millions of words of dialogue, codex entries, etc., and especially when your writers are not just "a character writer" but multiple character writers AND in charge of teams.

I do think there are biases and societal ills that made it through that probably would have made it through even if there had been more rigorous editing and polish, but I also think a lot of things might have been reflected on and removed or changed.

"They had 10 years that's no excuse" looking at all publicly available knowledge, the majority of all work on this project happened in the last 3 years, which is insane for a game this large. Saying anything else is really disingenuous. Saying that the game was mismanaged for 7 out of 10 years, probably accurate. But saying "they were working on it for 10 years the whole time and produced slop" is not accurate by everything we know.

Maybe there are some mustache twirling people behind the project, but most of the time in life, it's the same knuckleheads who go to grocery stores and have blind spots and implicit biases and who are over caffeinated and over worked and have no accountability. Incompetency, thoughtless rush, propping up a story on surface level tropes, faceless hordes, and glittery surface polish and praying that people don't notice the holes, makes everything everyone has issues with make way more sense than "this was purposefully rancid" or "this is incomprehensible and must be AI."

The work deserves critique, and people should absolutely examine the unfortunate tropes and plot blunders and quippy surface level dialogue that end up being presented in chipper tones yet are blindingly racist and thoughtlessly harmful. The simplified plot of course leans right because the kinds of plots that are corporately thumbs-upped will lean right. And all art is reflective of the biases and prejudices of the society it's made in; no matter how woke any individual is, their work requires analysis, reflection, and correction, for those biases and prejudices before they should put it out there in the world... And once it's out there, it should continued to be examined and critiqued and analyzed.

Whether something was intended to be one way or another we may never know, but we can guess based on the public interactions the real life people who worked on these projects have, the views they profess to espouse, and the chronicle of scattered development that we've heard about, that the sins in the game are probably not representative of the writers' deep and obviously rancid terribly hateful opinions OR lazy use of AI but rather unexamined papier mache of tropes and classic plots thrown together to get something out of the door as quickly as possible.

[the-owl-tree]

im a little too tired rn, is it okay if i ask you to elaborate on the “tbc shouldve come out after oots because of how asc was handled” post… im curious 👀

Also a little sleepy so I might become back and edit this later but I was kind of nibbling on it in my brain and I think thematically, changing the order just lends itself better to OotS -> TBC -> AVoS -> ASC. Some of this is veering into rewrite/au territory but that's the fun part lol

Omen of the Stars

Sets up the religious themes of TBC with its Heaven/Hell cat war.

Sets up that StarClan can be wrong and this has negative consequences for the living cats. Examples: Yellowfang interfering in Cinderheart's life, StarClan telling the Clans to divide themselves before the war.

Sets up that there are cats in the Dark Forest who do not deserve to be there.

The Great Battle itself, quite literally them fighting demons of the pasts and "codebreakers" who aligned themselves with said demons, creates a really good set up for TBC.

The Clans are reeling and, had OotS pulled it off better, the great battle could've been devastating...and why a more strict leader trying to "pull his Clan together" would've been more acceptable.

The Broken Code

The themes and plot of TBC just work sooo much better with the aforementioned set up.

Themes of StarClan being wrong, making mistake, recontextualizing the Dark Forest as somewhere not as pure evil but also a result of these mistakes.

Ashfur swooping in post-war to get a hold on leadership, taking advantage of Clan pride, and using the code as a guise to unite ThunderClan under an iron fist.

Like the setting feels so perfect for TBC to me?? Post spiritual war between heaven and hell where even StarClan faced losses, a malevolent spirit with a grudge comes down to take advantage of this huge split whilst the worst leaf-bare the Clans have seen approaches.

But that's also obvious connections to make, what it also lends itself to is the new theme of authority and leadership that becomes relevant in AVOS.

This is also where the seeds of code changing are being planted.

A Vision of Shadow

Like I don't like AVOS Rowanstar, I find the text tells me one thing but his actions tell me another but for the purposes of this, I'll indulge the intention of the writers: Rowanstar is supposed to be too permissive.

And like, this doesn't work right after OOTS in which multiple ShadowClan cats sided with the Dark Forest.

But it does work post TBC after the Clans just fought and faced losses against Ashfur.

We see a leader reckon with the consequences of their own unchecked power (and perhaps sees some past echoes in the process?)

We see the use of the code to justify brutality fuel a growing disrespect from those in the Clans.

There is unease and unhappiness with the status quo (and in a good series, this should not be a bad thing)

SkyClan also brings into question the benevolence of StarClan. Would they turn a blind eye to ShadowClan? To RiverClan?

Things need to change, AVoS is the straw that breaks the camel's back: things need to change.

A Starless Clan

Berryheart's role hinges a lot more on AVOS while comparatively everyone else's can be either or, so just making AVOS more relevant adds to that.

ASC, as muddled and sloppy as it got, is about change and it is about progress, even if the authors got really scared and sympathetic towards bigots who want to halt that progress.

Continuing the theme of authority: what happens when a Clan has no leader?

Continuing the theme of faith: what happens when cats turn their back on StarClan?

and don't get me wrong, ASC stumbled downhill into a bush of thorns, but these themes do have more room to stand when we reorder and stack these themes to build on one another.

I'm stretching a little but I think thematically, switching everything around like building blocks just makes ASC like...idk have more to stand on?

I think I'd have to go on more of a rewrite tangent to make this work better but I feel like using TBC to set up AVOS rather than vice versa works better.

Star Specific Point (Spoilers)

I think also the ending ultimately being about choosing to come back and faith in the living also just caps off these building themes better. Frostpaw choosing to come back because she can do more alive than dead just lends itself to ideas of autonomy and breaking from the idea that StarClan is all-knowing and all seeing.

[jennawynn]

Holy Shit.

I've been saying it for years. More than five of them, at least. I've been saying I'm gonna finish Fieldwork... and I just did.

In my mind, it was always going to end with Korra going to RC and there being a companion fic from Korra's POV where they realize Hiroshi's dirty and they have to shut down FI. It was what I was foreshadowing in the dream Asami had when she imagined Korra as Kuruk fighting against Hiroshi taking prisoners. But other than it being a 'hey wouldn't it be interesting if...' I never actually _planned_ to write it.

A few months ago, I was thinking about rewriting Fieldwork knowing what I wanted it to say now, with all the cultural and thematic things I realized a little too late baked in from the beginning. I outlined it and thought to change it to Asami and Varrick both coming down with Varrick trying to use Future Industries funding to steal the power source the Kikuk use for heating and light (which was actually supposed to have _some_ significance... THAT is what they would have been after. Well, and the medicine if they'd learned about it.) Varrick would have died from his own hubris fairly early on and Asami would have had to throw herself on the mercy of the people she'd been warned to stay away from. She'd eventually find out Varrick had been secretly in communication with Hiroshi via a radio, and when contact was stopped, Hiroshi would come down to stage a rescue, try to steal the rocks, etc., and there would be some kind of three-way conflict between Korrasami, Hiroshi, and Unalaq.

But I never did find the drive to actually write it. And having this specter of a fic looming over me, telling me to finish it was making it hard for me to really commit to writing anything else. Rhapsody and I have been kicking around ideas for books for years now, and we never really got anywhere because I needed to finish this first.

Now, though, we have an idea we're both excited about that feels like we already know most of the main characters, the plot beats, the themes, etc.... and the 10th anniversary of Korrasami becoming canon is in ... idk like 26 hours from now. I thought maybe, just maybe, this was enough to kick my ADHD-fueled writer's block in the ass and just... do it.

And I did. After nine and a half years, a hurried move to Texas where I lost my hard drive and all my notes, another instance of losing all my notes again when I moved to another place in Texas, and a rushed move to California, dropping out of my attempted master's in anthropology, a divorce, a custody battle, starting my own company, discovering much more about myself that I didn't know, and moving in with a QPP that I found in the comments of this very fic... I finally finished it. It's not perfect, it feels a little rushed, a little like I'm sure I forgot to tie up some loose end that I've forgotten about over the years, but it's done. I can put it to rest.

I'm not ready to post- I need to sleep on it and proof/edit it with fresh eyes tomorrow, but I'll be posting it tomorrow night on the 10th anniversary of Korrasami becoming canon.

Happy Korrasami Eve, everyone.

[brittanyearnestauthor]

Writing Tips for Beginners

Writing can feel intimidating when you're just starting out. There’s a lot to consider, but taking things step by step can make the process much smoother. This guide walks you through essential tips to help you navigate your writing journey with confidence.

1. Why Do You Want to Write?

The first step in becoming a writer is understanding your motivation. Ask yourself:

- Do you want to write entertaining stories with no deeper lessons?

- Are you passionate about highlighting important issues to educate readers?

- Do you wish to share valuable life lessons and inspire others?

- Or is it a mix of all these reasons?

Defining your “why” will shape what and how you write, giving your work purpose and direction.

2. Choosing a Writing Style

Your writing style is a key part of storytelling. Start by exploring:

- Third Person: "Jake went to school late this morning because he forgot to set his alarm clock."

- First Person: "I can't believe I forgot to set my alarm clock last night. Now, I'm late for school."

Both styles are powerful, but picking one to focus on as a beginner can help you find your groove. Mastery of both can come later.

3. Choosing a Genre

Think about what you love to read or watch—those genres can inspire your writing. Your familiarity with the genre will guide you in crafting your story, but always ensure your ideas are original. Copying someone else’s work risks losing the respect and trust of your audience.

4. Brainstorming Ideas

Brainstorming is where creativity starts. Keep a notebook or document of ideas—no matter how wild they seem. Even ideas that don’t fit one story might inspire another in the future.

5. Creating a Writing Schedule

Life can be busy, but carving out time for writing is essential. Even five minutes a day can build momentum and keep creativity flowing. Little by little, it all adds up.

6. Making a Plot Outline

Outlining your plot keeps your story organized and prevents excessive rewrites. A simple outline looks like this:

- Jane goes to the library.

- Jane grabs her favorite book.

- Jane meets the librarian.

This allows for creativity while keeping the story on track.

7. Creating Character Sheets

Characters are the heart of your story. Use character sheets to note their:

- Features

- Personality

- Behaviors

- Interests

This ensures your characters are unique and memorable, reducing confusion for readers.

8. Choosing Writing Software

Pick software that suits your needs. Options include:

- Microsoft Word: Reliable and feature-rich for writing, editing, and formatting.

- Google Docs: Free and convenient, but dependent on internet access.

- Open-Source Software: Free alternatives, though they may have limited features.

9. Writing Tools

Leverage tools like Grammarly to catch errors and refine your work. While AI tools can aid editing and polishing, remember they're there to support—not replace—your creativity. Work smarter, not harder!

10. Editing

Editing doesn’t have to be daunting. Take breaks to see your work with fresh eyes and use tools like Grammarly or text-to-speech programs to catch errors. Rewrite or cut scenes that don’t serve the story’s purpose.

11. Exploring Publishing Options

You have two main routes:

- Traditional Publishing: Requires pitching your manuscript but offers professional backing—though it can take time.

- Self-Publishing: Faster and gives you full control. Platforms like Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) offer free marketing tools like giveaways and discounts.

Research to find what fits your goals.

Conclusion

Writing takes time, patience, and a willingness to learn. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to starting and succeeding on your writing journey. Happy writing!

[constantfragmentation]

Frags is back writing Silco --

I'm rewriting the last posted chapter of Bend (I need to make a change to it) before writing the new chapter... I'll repost it when it's finished.

But Young Silco brainrot has me by the vagina. I need to write him.

If you like Friends to Lovers. Lover to Enemies. Enemies to Lovers, I hope you like this.

Okay. This Young!Silco is my version of S1 "I let a weak man die" . He will be bisexual and a bit more cocky. There's a reason S1 Silco decides to change so much about himself post-betrayal.

We'll see young Sevika, Benzo and a bit more villainous Vander. I'm going with Vander and Silco don't agree with how to govern the Lanes or plan a revolution. They also have a secret relationship no one knows about. Lots of cracks that get deeper as the bridge battle nears. Jealousy, power, fear and complicated love.

Reader/OFC style: One of the few females involved with the rebellion plot, like Sevika. Reader and Silco become more than 'brother and sister'. The plot starts with current events post Vander's death and Silco has adopted Jinx with LOTS of flashbacks to how and why Reader and Silco went from brother/sister to her wanting to literally murder him.

I'm not using anything from Season 2 except his sexy man bun and runway style. I think maybe 15 chapters will do it after mapping out the plot. We'll see how big the chapters get.

First chapter has been edited and ready to post and I'm writing chapter two which delves more into Reader and Silco's relationship, how it began and the problems it's causing.

It is rated MATURE for a reason. There will be explicit sex and themes. Minors DNI.

[kidspawn]

OOH could I ask about Beneath the Mask?? I’m such a sucker for vigilante aus and I’ve never seen a trc one before 👀

(Fun-ish Fact: Its what this snippet is from)

Thank you so much for asking!! This fic is kind of my baby. I've been quiet about it because, to be honest, I didn't think anyone would be interested in reading it. And it started as kind of a joke? I won't go on too long, but to explain what it is I want to just share the inspirations:

"Ronan was saying that he never lied, but he wore a liar's face" Blue Lily, Lily Blue

And this got me thinking about Ronan, his personality, how he handles his keeping of secrets, and how the bled into his relationship with Adam. Ronan doesn't technically lie. He dances around it, he bends the truth until right before it cracks. He excels in secrets. And secrets are a half skip from a lie, aren't they? And in my head, this is almost a way to justify to oneself that, if you really think about it, it's not really lying so really he's honest, right?

Now, pivot to Adam. I start thinking about how Adam responds to people keeping secrets. When Blue and Gansey were hiding their relationship, and he confronted them, he wasn't so much angry about them hiding the actual relationship as he was the idea they didn't think he could handle the truth.

So my little lizard brain goes, "god isn't that great fucking conflict??? wouldn't it be fun to write Ronan keeping this huge secret from Adam? and how that tension would build and boil over and break?" And yeah that would be so fun.

On the other hand, the idea of Ronan trying to help Adam and Adam getting pissed over it. And this going on until Adam decides he needs to figure out who the fuck this guy is and also they know each other in real life? Wowza, this will not go bad at all. Fun little push and pull, you know?

Add that onto Ronan "has never used a healthy coping mechanism in his goddamn life" Lynch dealing with what has been one hell of a year and working through his grief and isolation the only way he knows how? With a power he inherited from his father and learned could make the bad things go away. I could talk more about where the rest came from, which was a period of time spent playing Persona 5 nearly every night and thinking about Akechi Goro and his sense of justice and the idea of doing anything, anything, because if you make someone pay, maybe it'll fill that pit in your chest.

Somehow this has bled into "hey how much can I make Ronan fucking suffer because maybe my mental health will improve if I write his gradually spiraling down the drain" and I was right. I'm setting Ronan on fire, dousing him in gasoline, and dancing on the ashes. I am beating him with a wiffle bat. My skin is clear though.

I wish there was a more clear synopsis at this point. I have 50k written and most of it won't see the light of day, to be frank. It's been a lot of maneuvering and rewriting and editing to get the tone I've settled on. Henry has also made himself a major player despite all my outlines and plans. Half the fun of this story is me being able to ask questions about character dynamics and what switching them up will look like. Aging them up and threading their development if it had played out differently. I had to go and write drabbles and one shots to establish background for characterization. But at its root its the product of me starting a crack drabble I will likely never show anyone and it just spiraling so fast out of control.

There's a lot I won't clarify in terms of plot, because I'm worried sharing too much would ruin the story beats? But let me link this snippet I'm editing down, with unreliable narrator Adam judging the fuck out of Henry and kind of the groundwork for the dynamic I want to write between them:

==

“Oh.” Henry said, already making a beeline to the kitchen. “Scary when she does that, isn't it?”

“Not scary.” Adam corrected, following. “Not surprised you think it is.” Henry had never struck him as the type to know how to handle fear. Granted, the information Adam had on Henry was limited to a trust fund hefty enough for effortless comfort well into middle age. 

“You're acclimated to it.” He was digging through the fridge, edges of his nose and mouth radiant against a pale yellow glow. Even hunched over, Henry had an easy elegance when maneuvering his body. There was no rationale to Adam's envy here - elegant was the one word he knew came attributed with his features and hands and complexion - but it was more the sense of comfort in skin he figured he'd covet. 

“I got it from her mom, first.” Adam shrugged. “She comes by it honestly.” Maura had more a grasp on the theatricality of it all, and rarely needed to practice those confrontations. Adam had been trained out of reprimandable offenses long before association with the women of Fox Way. Rarely, if ever, had Maura turned admonishment his way.

Henry came up empty-handed, frowning at the shelf he'd been scouring. “There's nothing to eat.”

“There's plenty to eat.” Adam corrected, “You just don't like leftovers.”

“Takes all the zest out of mealtime, doesn't it?” Henry grinned at him, straightened up to shut the door.

“I guess.” Adam leaned against the cupboard, arms crossed. “I don't think about zest very often.”

“That much is obvious.” Henry did not spare him a glance as he went to the sink instead. “Water?”

Adam sighed. He'd had this conversation with Blue before, about trying harder with Henry. The conversation had not quite been an argument but should have devolved into one, especially when Blue had compared him to a shelter stray. Something to do with abstaining from interaction beyond his trusted few. Adam, she'd said, was not the type to snarl but he didn't come close either. Trapped between docile and hostile, a true neutral ground. It was most apparent when he spoke to Henry, who spat back venom under ostentatious vocabulary.

“Sure.” He said, picking at a patch of dry skin on his elbow. Much like his hands, his joints flecked and dried during these drier winter months. 

“You should look into lotion.” Henry pointed out, faucet on and back turned. By no account should he have seen the picking. Adam hated when he noticed things about him. It was like being trapped by a two way mirror.

“I'm fine.” 

“I have some. I'll even pretend not to notice you use it.”

“I'm fine.”

Henry passed him a glass of water, careful not to graze fingers. “Pride is a sin, I've heard.”

“I'm agnostic.”

“Also a sin, I imagine.” He said, turning to reopen the fridge, like a second approach would grant new results.

“Something like that.” Adam snorted, despite himself. He watched Henry, keen to absorb what little information could be filed away. The tender half moons of exhaustion barely peeking through his complexion should have indicated a lowering of defenses. Henry wore a bone deep exhaustion Adam recognized in mirrors and glass panels, another conundrum when paired with smooth skin and soft palms. 

“You know, Parrish,” Henry began, examining a bottle of relish. For no particular reason, really. Adam didn't think any of them particularly liked relish. Or had anything to put it on. “I am caught between a rock and a hard place with you.”

Could say the same for you. 

“Are you?” Adam crooked an eyebrow. 

“I'd like to know you, but you bristle and hiss if I get close. I’ve never seen a human practice overt piloerection.”

“Who uses piloerection in casual conversation?”

“Now, don't tell me this is casual.” Henry said, “I doubt you're the type for small talk.”

Adam wasn't, but he could pretend to be. He stared back. 

“I'm not a fan of it.” Henry admitted, setting the condiments down. “Pickles are good for muscle cramps. We should keep pickles on hand.”

“Blue isn't big on pickles.” Adam explained.

“And neither are you?”

“I don't care either way.” 

“You know we've known each other a year and I don't know anything about you.” He shrugged, “Not for lack of trying.”

Adam scoffed, “I'm not hiding anything.”

“Didn’t say you were.” Henry said, “You don't offer anything up, either.”

He couldn't argue with that. “And you do?”

Henry considered this, glancing at the ceiling like it held an answer. “Blue is very expressive isn't she?”

Well that was a given. “Yeah, I suppose.”

“It's something I admire about her, you know.” He tapped the side of the fridge, a one two three rhythm. “She always seems able to say what's on her mind. How she feels. You know who she is, you know? She's good at showing it.”

Adam swallowed. “Yeah. She is.”

“I think that's one thing we know about each other, then.” Henry continued, resting his chin on the door, rocking back and forth on his toes. 

“What's that?” Adam took a sip of water when Henry caught his eye, smiled a little sad. A little triumphant too.

“We both wish we knew how to show who we are, don't we?”

==

Alright that's all. Thanks for asking and tuning in!

ask about my wips (or don't you don't have to i swear)

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

(I wish I could ask this in a video with GamingMagic13’s editing style, but I don’t have the energy for that.)

People say that, after Antibug, Chloé’s redeeming qualities started to show through throughout Seasons 2 and 3 because Thomas Astruc didn’t contribute to those episodes of those seasons as if he wasn’t on the writing team for every episode for those two seasons, including the ones showing Chloé’s redeeming qualities.

It’s not “Thomas left so the other writers started to make a redemption for Chloé, but then he came back and threw it all away”, it’s leaning more towards “Thomas, along with other writers, wanted to waste our time with Chloé pity parties for two seasons and trick people into feeling bad for her, which worked on plenty of reactors, and then yank the rug out from under them just for the sake of pulling a rug out from viewers” whether it’s the truth or not.

Also, do you get the feeling that, if people weren’t harassing Thomas and his family over Chloé’s “abandoned redemption”, Chloé wouldn’t have been made into evil incarnate to spite people?

Considering that the hiatus between Seasons 3 and 4 started towards the end of 2019, had to continue throughout 2020 due to the COVID pandemic with only the New York special to keep us busy in September 2020, and then finally ended shortly after 2021 started, that would have been plenty of time to rework scripts, because we know he was also on the writing team for every episode of Seasons 4 and 5 alongside 2 and 3, to made Chloé more and more unlikeable while propping up the male adults to spite Chloé fans, like several episodes of Teen Titans GO! and even this show are guilty of.

Whether all of this is true or not, I think it all lines up too well for too many other outcomes.

The "Thomas Astruc was able to completely rewrite the plans for this character and no one stopped him" take has always been a little wild to me especially since Chloe never showed meaningful improvement in canon. In fact, now that we've seen her story play out in all it's disappointing and time-wasting glory, you can even argue that Despair Bear was straight up telling you what we were in for since it's the same plot, just on a smaller scale.

As far as I know, there is no evidence for this "Chloe was rewritten" conspiracy. At the very least, no one has sent any my way on the multiple occasions when I've asked for it. Astruc is a credited writer for pretty much every episode involved in the Queen Bee arc and, while head writers have a good deal of power, they often don't have supreme power over their shows. This is especially true when it comes to kids shows since those have a lot of restrictions on what they can do. While I cannot speak French, I've been told that this class involves one of the writers talking about the multiple darker version of Chat Blanc that were rejected, leading to Chat Blanc being a season three episode instead of a season two episode like they originally planned.

These shows are products that are being sold to buyers who do have the power to reject the product and the writers work for a company. In most cases, they can be stopped!

There's also the fact that this is Astruc's career that we're talking about. You're arguing that he purposely messed with his reputation and screwed up the writing in the show that he's most well-known for in order to get back at online randos instead of just blocking them and moving on with his life. That's an insanely hard sell for me. Unintentional bad writing is a much easier explanation especially since he has nothing to gain from people disliking the Chloé stuff. This wasn't situation where Astruc needed to tank the show to get out of writing it. If Astruc left the project, then Miraculous would go on without him. While he came up with the initial idea, Zag owns the property.

Unless someone has hard evidence that Chloé was changed to spite fans, I am never going to buy into this conspiracy theory. Her bad writing is too in line with the show's other issues. Remember, this is the show that gave us Derision, everything about Lila, and Gabriel getting an 'ascends into the light with a smile' ending while his son sat the fight out and remains in the dark. Is Chloé really meaningfully worse than any of that?

I'd say no and, if you agree, then why do you think that she's so special? I've previously called her a canary in the coal mine and that's going to be my read until someone gives me evidence of something else. She was your warning sign that the writing was never going to be very good. I don't think she foretold just how bad it would get - that's why I kept watching - but her story showed that these writers were only good at short-form content and sucked at long-form content. In fact, Chloé's story is arguably better than a lot of the long-form stuff that the show gave us in season four and five. At least Chloé's story logically flowed together even if it was massively disapointing!

I also don't consider Chloé's season four and five writing downgrade to be all that telling because, once again, it's not unique to her. The class gets a similar downgrade in quality, going from "we'll help Marinette with her confession plans when she asks, but this isn't a major thing to us" to "we live for Adrienette and will make our own plans for Marinette to confess and force them on her/try to force Adrienette to kiss." It makes the entire class feels more shallow than ever.

Gabriel also gets a downgrade with his writing going more over-the-top than ever. We have things like him locking Adrien in a cell and using Adrien's amoks for no obvious reason even though Gabriel is supposed to get an ending where he dies totally at peace and ascends into the light. Totally nonsense choices just like the choice to make Marinette's inability to speak to Adrien because she's anxious into a full-out trauma response.

These are just a few of the many, many, many writing downgrades.

If you truly believe the Chloé conspiracy, then I'd strongly encourage you to watch at least the first of the videos I'm about to link and see if you notice similarities. I have all of them set to the specific, relevant timestamps in case you don't want to watch a massive video to see what I'm talking about because they all talk about more than the conspiracies that arose in these fandoms when the writing got "bad" (especially the last one. The conspiracy gets a very brief mention. I really only included it because I wanted three examples and just went with ones big enough that someone else had done research on the topic because it's not an area of fandom that I've ever waded into).

I'm linking these videos because I wanted to give you more than me just saying "this kind of thing happens all the time when media gets bad." Watching just a few minutes of each of these should give you the context you need assuming the timestamps work:

As you can hopefully see, the Chloé stuff is nothing new. So many pieces of media do something disappointing and then fans create conspiracies for why it happened, refusing to accept what is most likely to be the unfortunate truth: the writers thought they told a good story or, at the very least, they did the best they could within the confines they were working with be those confines monetary, temporal, and/or the limits of their own skills. That doesn't make the bad writing okay, you're fully valid in being upset, but there's also no need to create a conspiracy theory around it. It's probably not that deep. This shit happens all the time, especially in larger fandoms.

This is why I often give the advice of, "don't trust your mental health to stories that you have no control over." Is not that fandom isn't fun, I've just seen this shit before and I always feel bad for those who get involved with it. I've luckily never gone down the conspiracy rabbit hole, but I have gotten really upset when other fans continued to like a show that was bad, actually, and got a good deal of catharsis when most of the fandom woke up after the final was terrible. That still wasn't a good experience for me, though. It was not a healthy mindset to be waiting with baited breath for total strangers to agree with me that this random show was bad. I'm much better of bashing it with those who agree that it's bad, moving on when I'm no longer having fun, and letting those who like it be wrong (that is both a joke and real advice. Don't waste your time trying to change people's minds on something as insignificant as Miraculous. Just let them be wrong.)

[elderwisp]

hi! Im so sorry if this is the wrong place to ask, I've looked for answers for this before so I'm just not sure,,

i absolutely adore your sims and your story! Its completely inspired me to create a story w/ my sims as well! the only thing is I'm quite overwhelmed with it all and I don't know where to start :(

do you have any tips? Whats your process? there's so many things to use and I'm just curious what you use! Thanks in advance and no pressure to answer if this is the wrong place :))<33

HAI :D OMG EXCITING <3 no worries! my inbox is always open for assistance and i'd love to help! here's a bunch of tips ranging from writing to technical to artsy stuff:

the start:

⟡ i should preface this story did not begin as one typically would which is say following the example of how to write a novel in a year. my writing style for this project started out with my interest in the characters created. my desire to wanting to know why certain oc's acted the way they did and that's where it all began. what started out as short stories of certain individuals reworked into something much more authentic. this was the hook for me so you gotta find that one sliver of interest and run with it. you can most certainly utilize tools like character sheets, pinboards, storyboards to assist you but i find that if i'm not connected to the story, it's difficult to use them

⟡ with that being said LOL invest the time in fleshing out your character because when you understand how they work, when you believe in them, the easier it'll be in creating scenes and writing dialogue. for me, it's almost intuitive writing for characters to the point where i will easily check myself and rewrite a scene because it didn't align with a certain character

⟡ while the influence of your own ideals/experiences eventually bleed into an oc, it's important to identify that, otherwise a cast of diverse characters eventually feel the same. this was something i struggled with for years which is why i could never really begin until now!

⟡ it's good to ask yourself what sort of story do you want to create. the best question is is it plot driven or character driven? what sort of tone do you want to set? do you want to blend them? i think there's a huge stress on just doing things for fun and not taking things seriously but i do want to challenge others to consider what that might look like for others. sometimes people like to create grand posts or fun slice of life posts and neither is more valid than the other. it's truly up to the author

technical stuff:

⟡ i'm gonna be honest with you, i'm not as organized as i once was in how i go about plotting things however! in the beginning, i would utilize sticky notes with ideas written on them and then shuffle around how i wanted things to play out. now i use a dingy little notebook LMAO but i've heard good things about milanote! as for dialogue, i do use google docs but i do think they're under fire for using your things for ai training or somethin O_O

⟡ i do use photoshop to edit my photos and that usually looks like cropping, color/contrast enhancing and sharpening. i do add dialogue last because when i sharpen it all together, the font looks cwispy! there's this mini tut by @/stinkrascal on how to format the text so it's all even if that's the style you're going for! anyways it changed my LIFE lmao! right here are some free alternatives. also this is an older post in which i shared my process and it includes some tips and tricks with photoshop (you can also see how i used to format text lmaooo)

⟡ knowledge is power. if i find myself really struggling with certain aspects, like maybe the logistics of a character, i'll set aside some time to learn from certain authors, commentators or directors. even if it's a short clip of seeing how they approach something as simple as their thought process behind how a scene supported a character to something as small as the significance of Isha's hat from Arcane

misc writing tips:

⟡ ooh! because tessellate is such a large group of characters, it can be challenging to structuring a plot. so i started off by slowly introducing characters rather than all at once. i also break up character plots into arcs but with that comes filler episodes to help space out big moments. i like to utilize filler episodes as bite sized pieces that introduces the readers to newer characters while also allowing there to be breaks in between. those filler posts highlight certain events, ways of living, etc that might influence how things play out in the future. a good example is kai, we're nearing the end of his arc but all of those little moments in between really helped shaped how things played out!

⟡ when i think of conflict, i think of it a lot like a boiling pot. it starts out at a neutral temperature (your foundation), before bubbles begin to form (minor annoyances between characters), steam hissing (the lead up) to an eventual lid popping off (the conflict). the build up is the most important part to the pay off!

⟡ my best piece of advice for darker themes is really understand the topic and stray away from stereotypes as it diminishes a lot of depth in certain subjects as well as does more harm than good. recognize that at the end of the day a weakness does not define a person as they are a person through and through. approach it with compassion rather than judgement.

⟡ i know i know everyone says to read your dialogue out loud and that is incredibly important however while doing that, think about the flow too. as a writer, because we are goal oriented, sometimes dialogue can be turned into what will progress the plot which makes things feel a bit unnatural and sometimes lacking the proper flow. remember to consider the personality of a character. how is a line delivered through a character who is brash versus one who is a bit more reclusive? also! here's a great video about the stiff dialogue in veilguard that shows what unnatural dialogue can sound like.

⟡ remember, comparison is the thief of joy. it's easy to get caught up in recognition and likes. there was a time where i consistently got 3-5 readers and that was it. there are moments now where certain posts are incredibly inconsistent in engagement and sure, it can be disheartening but then i think about the handful of individuals that consistently comment, the specific asks about how a certain post made them feel seen and interact and i remember why it's i chose to write. it isn't the recognition i seek, it's the connection. it's important to have that one thing that gives you the strength to continue because truthfully, things can be inconsistent and that's okay.

the artsy stuff:

⟡ i am a huge fan of cinema, animation and photography. i think consuming a lot of media and art has helped train my eye especially if i feel as if my screenshots are becoming repetitive. it's good to see how different directors go about framing dialogue. comic panels are amazing as well since artists find new unique ways of captivating an audience through levels like coloring, framing, posing and such! it's honestly why i introduced some vertical shots to black out bars in story posts because of that unique angle! remember, media is meant to inspire you! after watching the latest season of Arcane (haven't finished it yet tho) it genuinely relit a fire under my ass LMAO

⟡ different angles, lighting and positioning can help elevate a story. the aesthetics of a story can really add another layer of depth however it's important to remember that it is a supporting role, not the entire role

⟡ i do use my own reshade and i've formatted it to have similarities of a film camera as well as my preference of color correcting. i lean heavier towards contrast, colors and shadows however i always encourage for people to look into what supports their vision the best! the lightroom shader by quint and pd80's contrast/brightness/saturation shader help with color grading in game as they do have sliders that tweak certain colors. the sepia shader is great for adding a cinematic tint but it can conflict with relight and the way the lights are presented. relight of course can add those shadows in lighting. i'll sometimes have two presets, one for up close shots to further shots because sometimes zooming out can create inconsistencies in your preset as things might look to muggy or like a disco ball LOL (ps what helps with that is adjusting bloom if used and messing around with shadows/midtones/highlights/saturation with that lightroom shader)

last but not least, a story is a labor of love, it's a tool in which authors can utilize the pen to their own manner whether it's to communicate ideas or to simply tell a tale. don't be afraid to dive deep into the layers of your story and remember each piece can be important factor but it's entirely up to you as to where you want that focus to be. it does take a lot of courage to start but i truly believe if it's something you cherish, it'll always be worth it!

i do wish you the best of luck! thank you for trusting me enough to give you some tips and tricks! i tried to lean more into the more finite details as i felt like this is what truly helped me throughout the years! <3 also here is a complimentary meme i made:

[thepoetjean-makes-stuff]

HOW TO ACTUALLY WRITE -- THE BASICS (AKA STEP 0-1)

(AKA ThePoetJean justifies their Master's degree and makes it everyone else's problem)

1) "WRITING IS REWRITING" AND WHAT THE HELL THAT MEANS -- No writing is law or set in stone upon the first draft, and whoever taught you that is a bum. Even permanent glue can be removed by nail polish remover, so why is editing your first draft no different? When writing for fun, oftentimes you can edit the post and clean up the story when things are no longer working (it's called a cutting room floor for a reason). When writing for publishing, you'll often be paired with an editor who'll send tweaks back-and-forth to you, chipping away at any structural mistakes or grammar flaws to bring out the point of your writing piece in the process. The first draft is just about getting the general vibes of the story down: like the batter for the cake recipe before you start baking it. This part is meant to be fun and messy and no one expects you to serve them go when you're just cracking your eggs open. Let yourself be messy cuz (burnt or fluffy), this is the first step to making your story, so no need to have something be all pretty and presentable the first time around! Again, a lot of writing is just rewriting cuz drafts are a thing so getting stuff down is most important. And another amazing thing -- if the story sucks, you can always change it later! You gotta trust yourself to get it done in order to get it out to the world one way or another, so go do that!

2) LEARN YOUR OWN WRITING PROCESS! -- (OH MY GOD PPL, LEARN HOW YOU TO THE THING IT'S HALF THE BATTLE!) Most of the struggles I see with newer writers is never learning how they write, and that sucks since have the joy of making things is making the thing -- so why make writing stories so arduos for yourself. Learn your own methods and use them whenever you get to writing! Learn the writerly basics like plot, structure, framing, character voice, setting, time period, etc and learn how best you can utilize them in your own stories! On a purely craft level: Learn ALL THE WRITING CRAFT and keep in mind that all writing craft is meant to be guidelines rather than hard rules. Learn many ways about how to write in general cuz no writing advice is one size fits all and being embarrassed of your process is dumb and hinders your creative growth. Trust yourself as a writer, you'll improve faster that way. Believing you can and believing it's possible is the first step to doing anything! (Plus all writing is rewriting anyhow to there's no need to feel embarrassed about something you can fix later, anyways, right?)

3) Read projects like your project in order to get a better feel of your project. Whether it be writing style references, basic literary craft examples, or just you want to break down the vibes of the stories so you can better emulate in your own -- GO AND WATCH/READ/LISTEN ETC TO WHATEVER STORIES YOU THINK WOULD MATCH THE VIBES OF YOUR OWN!! Now, this isn't a 1-to-1 copy, you're not mean to make a clone of the thing you like or take properties for the IP that you're into -- that's more along the lines of fanfiction (which can be fun and is ofc, super valid) -- BUT! To create your own stories, you need to learn where you get your ideas from, and learn how to implement, borrow, twist, etc from the story structures and properties you gather your inspo from. Other writers are your peers, not your enemies -- so treat their work and your own with the respect it deserves. No two chicken sandwiches are ever exactly the same; true artists steal from many places, so learn how to be a good thief (creatively speaking). Example from my own secret WIP novel: I'm writing a New Adult Urban fantasy novel with a dark, powerful lady protagonist that uses lots of philosophical themes, alternate history perspectives as well as using mythology as a basis for a lot of the magical roots and setting roots. Likewise, this a story about friendship and romance after major loss and trauma, and how to come back to yourself after grief, so I've been looking for stories that cover those themes in their plots, which has made the story a lot more fun to read and write outside of just being a cool concept to play with.

If you're writing a second-chance romance story, read romance stories. If you're writing a sci-fi story with lots of robots, read stories about robots. Presumably, you enjoy the same stories you're writing in concept if not in execution, so don't hesitate to seek those stories out, and break down how those stories work in order to scrap them for literary parts. You're smarter than you think you are, and breaking down stories is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it, so please consider doing this as you go into your next project, your writing will thank you for it!

OPTIONAL:

4) If the story works better as something else, swap the format and see what happens.

Have you ever read something and been like "Huh, I like this book, but with how iconography is used in the actual text, it might be better as a movie or a comic book"? So have I!

So, if you ever feel like the story you're writing isn't working so well as a novel or a play, consider turning it into a movie or a webcomic! Of course, this is all easier said than done, and every writing format comes with its own rules and limitations, but I'd give it a try if you ever want to see your project from a fresh perspective! If nothing else, you'll learn something new -- and become a better writer for it!

Til next time, beloveds~

__

PS. Take all advice with a grain of salt. I am not your parent or your principal, I'm just a lady with a writing degree and a lil free time. Take what resonates, leave what doesn't, etc. PLEASE SHARE THIS POST AROUND TO ANYONE WHO IT MIGHT HELP! THANKIES :3

KOFI: https://ko-fi.com/thepoetjean

[goldeneyedgirl]

miss you and hope you are doing well!! i’m officially not above begging at this point- could i please have a crumb of whatever you’re vibing with recently??? congrats on ending the semester!!

Thank you! I just got my grades today, and the relief was tangible. I think for the brief fifteen minutes afterwards, I was considered totally boneless in relaxation.

So, what am I vibing with?

First up, I've got a full draft of the next chapter of Jar of Hearts that just needs one very harsh edit. I fucking hate fight chapters, so the process went about as well as can be expected. It needed to sit for a while and think about what it did before I opened it again.

I've made peace with the fact that the current draft of Variable Stars needs rewriting simply because you can see the 'seams' where I changed the direction of the plot. Half the battle I've been waging was fitting the old material and the new material together, and now that I've wiped the slate clean, I feel good about the direction.

I fucked up with Shadow to Light and skipped ahead to work on Jasper's chapter and that was a big, huge, gigantic mistake because going back to fix Mary-Alice's chapter feels like going backwards, and was very frustrating. But progress continues, and I have an ask waiting for a snippet which I'll be posting tomorrow.

Other stuff: Well.

Magnolia is getting a much needed refresh because I decided I was personally victimized by the lack of complete Human/Vampire Jalice fic posted. Anathema is finally getting an outline/timeline so I can keep everything flowing correctly. Feral Jasper/Mary-Alice plods on. The STL AU second part is lost (thanks Google), so I'm reclaiming my peace before I go back in and rewrite it.

For new stuff, we have an AU where the Groundskeeper survives and he and Peter manage to convince Alice she's the vampire equivalent of an unexploded bomb, and that she needs to isolate herself lest vampires wanting to exploit her powers kill everyone she knows and loves. It's a little more than a collection of vibes right now, but something that I'll play around with. It might be too similar to other AU versions of Alice to bother expanding on right now.

And I fucking finally managed to put all the pieces together for the multiverse fic. I haven't entirely let go of the first version (which involved a sole-survivor Alice being thrown backwards to the Cullens arrival in Forks in a world where she died in the asylum) because it had some chef's kiss scenes of Jasper simping hard. But the new version is so much more messed up and has a real plot and direction.

(Also tell me why it never occurred to me when I made Edward and Edythe twins that Edythe should be with Tanya? That might go down as the best personal-canon I've come up with this year.)

But anyway, as it's the best option for reading (a lot of the other stuff I've worked on is notes, dot points, short passages describing stuff that isn't fun but is necessary), here is the current state of the multi-verse fic...

The last conversation that she has with her husband, he kisses her on the forehead and promises that no matter what happens, he will find her. He smells like ash and blood, and she misses it when they both smelt like themselves. When they could just be in the moment like they used to, and not spend every day fighting for the next one. She wants one moment, one dance, one night where they get to be them and not pawns on the goddamn chessboard.

She wishes she'd told him... so many things. She wishes she'd held him back and not let him leave her side.

Instead, she promises him she'll be waiting.

And then she never sees him again.

—

For a moment there is nothing. That's how it always is. Nothing but black, and she's … nothing. A million fragments amongst time and space. And then she is again. It always takes a minute or two when she phases into her body. It’s like being pulled out of cold water, and warm air hitting her skin. It’s not unpleasant, it’s just… other.

This time there is a bolt of pain, but she deserved and expected it.

(It’s times like these that she misses him the most. When she feels brand new and vulnerable and trying to understand how this version of herself fits together.)

This Alice is one of the tiniest - an inch or two shorter than she is, very short hair, but with a grace and awareness of her body that is unfamiliar. Curious. She found this Alice’s strand so suddenly, she was expecting something closer to what she was used to. Closer to who she was a long time ago.

She doesn't move at first, she just catalogues everything as the world settles around her. Dirt and grass is cool under her bare feet, and the smell of the forest is familiar; perhaps the Maine house. Or maybe Minnesota. She hopes it's Minnesota; that was always her favourite.

The air smells summery, even though it isn't warm. Her clothing isn't the jeans and sweater that she was wearing before she was pulled through; a light dress and a heavier overshirt. None of her skin or muscles pull as she stood there, so she has no significant scar tissue anywhere. She's not excessively thirsty.

It's not a bad start. She's been in worse situations before.

As soon as she opens her eyes, she starts walking, her hand automatically going to the ring hanging off her necklace; thin, plain gold, and the only thing she's ever managed to hold onto since her gift went haywire. A talisman for better times.

//

The first time she sees this Jasper, she laughs. It's high and delighted and amused.

He's so young. Her Jasper was around thirty when Maria caught up to him - burnt out, jaded, and disgusted with life, never really having gotten over what he saw in the war.

He'd terrorized the south for decades before she caught up to him in Nevada.

She remembered that first weekend, in the dust of Vegas, in a shredded dress and old cowboy boots she wore just to make him laugh. They'd won nearly five hundred dollars, she'd stolen him a jacket and a hat, and he'd told her thirteen times that he was too old and she was too young. She'd laughed twelve times and kissed him the thirteenth time.

This Jasper, almost the same age as her, is missing half the scars, his hair is different, and he's just… younger. It's scary, honestly, seeing him like this. It would be less shocking seeing him flayed to the bone, than the man he was when he went to war and not the person he was afterwards.

Since the day she kissed him Vegas, her Jasper took care of her, protected her. He had been her best friend, her confidante. Always steady, always calm, always tempering her worst impulses, and always on her side. Her husband has always known her best, even better than she knows herself, and of all the different versions of Jasper that she's had to face down, this sharp-eyed version being held in place is the most unsettling.

So she laughs, as this-Jasper and the rest of the family stare at her like she's an alien, surrounded by smoking pyres. She's seen so many versions of her family over the years that none of them surprise her. Edythe is missing, though, and Alice dearly wishes her sister were there. She misses Edie terribly.

"Alice?" This Esme is slimmer, and put together like a WASP on a family camping trip. A few strands of hair have come loose, but she looks comical against the pyres burning sickly purple behind them.

It's honestly the best version of Esme Alice has seen in a long, long time.

"Alice," Jasper croaks, still held in place by Emmett. "Alice, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." As she gets closer, she sees how haunted he looks.

She knows that look.

"Not quite," she says as kindly as she can. She's done this part too many times. "You've got nothing to be sorry for." She picks her way over to them; this body is so thin, she feels unsteady. There's always a sense of being like a fawn on brand new legs when she arrives, but this is the worst she's been .

The look on their faces is one that she recognises intimately.

"How long ago did your Alice die?" she asks, stopping several feet away. The silence is loaded between them; she knows that they are looking at her, reconciling her with the woman, the sister, the wife that they've lost. And whilst she looks like a dead girl, she's not: her clothing is wrong, the way she stands, the way she speaks. It might be close to what they know, but just different enough that they can't lie to themselves.

She isn't their Alice.

"About fifteen minutes," Emmett says grimly, and Jasper lets out a noise that sounds like grief and frustration and pain.

Oh, it's fresh. She's never had to deal with a fresh death before. Mostly the other-Alices have been gone months or years - if they existed at all. The best worlds are where Alice Cullen never existed; either destroyed as a newborn or died as a human. Those are the worlds where it's easier to pretend that there's not a long trail of bodies and heartbreak and betrayal and loss behind her.

Maybe being here and now is her punishment. Or her reminder.

"I'm sorry." It feels hollow as she stands there. All her platitudes do.

"So are we." Carlisle looks older than she's ever seen. "The resemblance is…"

"Not a resemblance." She looks at her feet. She's given this speech so many times, it eats away at her every single time she repeats it. "I am Alice Cullen. Just not yours. My gift… it got away from me."

More staring. Jasper is dead-eyed and limp in Emmett's grasp, his gaze fixed on her. It's not the first time that she's wished beyond measure that she looked like herself - her small collection of scars, her hair that is more uneven and lopsided than this Alice's, the ten optimistic pounds extra that would make her feel less like a fawn stumbling around off-kilter. All those little things that made her herself and not some other flavour of herself.

—

She can just hear the family downstairs; the house's sound proofing is very good. She can't make out their plans to come up and rescue their Jasper if she turns out to be a homicidal maniac. Not that he'd need it; no matter which version of himself she meets, Jasper is always the better fighter.

His study is almost familiar. A bunch of elements that she recognizes, all jumbled up wrong - the wrong editions of books, ornaments that were lost or broken suddenly back in place, the rug the wrong shade of green… The ghost of a smile graces her face when she sees the wedding photograph tucked away on the shelf and instinctively reaches for it.

"Mine is different," she says absently, looking at the faces in the picture - both are staring adoringly at each other, a hazy candid with a bouquet of roses falling out of focus in the corner. Decades ahead of its time, as far as wedding photography went. "An old polaroid taken in the doorway… It was on my husband's desk."

Jasper watches her. "You need to explain what's going on," he manages, his voice low and unwelcoming. "Are you the reason Alice is dead?"

"No. No. I've been stuck in this loop for a long time; there are rules. I cannot exist in a world where another version of me is alive. Your Alice died, and my gift found the space she had left behind. I don't usually arrive so soon afterwards."

"Why are you here?" He feels raw, like there's a gaping wound in his chest just open to the air.

The words spill out in a jumble as she tries to explain. She misses the twins, especially Edie. She misses the house next to the river, and the little wing that she and Jasper had taken over as their own. And she misses her husband so badly, it feels like she's falling to pieces.

The truth is that when Aro and Eleazer came after them all, they scattered. That's just how it happened; they had to go to ground, and it wasn't smart to stay together.

So many people died on both sides. Edie had been the first to die, and Tanya was on borrowed time - she'd never be the same again. She hadn't heard from or laid eyes on Esme in years before that last battle. Carlisle's survival was nothing more than rumors that he was one of Aro's 'guests'. Edward and Bella had been destroyed - that vision was tattooed across her memory, worse than reality because there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Rose and Emmett had fled to Vietnam and gone silent. She had always hoped that they'd made themselves a new, safe life and were happy.

It had been her and Jasper at the end, and then he'd been destroyed. And all the lessons, all the practice getting her gift to be stronger… she'd ripped herself right out of time in her horror and grief that she was all alone.

In the end, they'd lost everything they'd been fighting for.

—

This Alice isn’t his wife. He needs to remind himself of that but he also doesn't; it's like a beacon over her head. It's in the fabric of everything she does. The way she moves, the way she looks at them, even the way she dresses.

He knows the whole family is watching them, judging them. He wants to be repulsed by this woman, by the ease of her presence. He wants to be sick and violent in his grief.

But Jasper would never consider himself a good man. He can see the ghost of his Alice in this stranger. They might have been put together wrong, but the clothing is still his wife's. Her scent, of rainwater and peaches, is the most familiar in the world. More than once, he's had to resist reaching for her, holding her.

Not just for himself, but for her. She doesn't speak about her husband much, but when she does… the words spill out so fast. And it's in every single word how much she loved her husband, absolutely adored him. She is fond when she talks about his flaws, his quirks. Not once does she criticize him, let anything less than praise cross her lips. He can hear the grief and self-loathing every time she mentions his death.

There is… it's not jealousy. There's a twinge of possessiveness. Maybe.

(It's more like he's drowning and she's the life-raft. If she hadn't walked onto that battlefield, he would have begged Emmett to take his head, to throw his pieces onto Alice's pyre and pretend that they both died in the battle.)

[theschizotypalsolilquy]

Must be all the Harmione edits that has me rereading this

I started it a couple weeks back, but my attention span was shot. So, I'm back for more torture.

This is who I see Hermione becoming in Manacled if Harry allowed the use of dark magic. She's such a fucking BAMF. And so is Harry. All it took was Hermione close to death and him having no clue what to do to make him determined to become as powerful as he can be.

This is a rewrite starting from when Ron leaves. Includes pov from an exhausted Snape, the enigmatic Nasir, and sometimes Harry. But it's mainly from Hermione's. Oh, also Arthur and a side-plot involving Ginny.

Please pay attention to the tags. This is extremely dark and not everyone makes it out alive. The war is violent and descriptive.