chronicallyonlinewriter

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

Sometimes you can read something, and just know it's AI. Other times, you get accused of posting AI writing because, and I quote, "I know it is, because there's too many em dashes in it." First of all, fuck you. Second of all, you can pry my overuse of em dashes from my cold, dead hands.

Oh my god I straight up do not want to see AI generated fics on my feed. I have blocked two popular "writers" who very clearly use AI, and if I see anyone hyping up that slop, I'll block your ass too.

AI generated fics, art, whatever, are not real fics or art. Stop fucking supporting that shit then wondering why all the actual writers and artists are leaving fandoms, or only sharing their fics or artwork with friends in group chats or private discords.

This. Is. Fucking. Why!!!!

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

I want to be reading fanfic, not writing it. Unfortunately, I want to be reading very specific fanfic which I will in fact first have to write.

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

I am about to finish Go Your Own Way and just wanted to let you know here that I love it so much, because your comments are turned off! It's beautiful and I am in love with your characters. I am wondering what you think would have happened if benny had kept the baby? Because I completely understand why she didn't and I loved that she didn't! because I don't think we see that as much in fanfictions. But Joel was so sure that he wouldn't have accepted it but I think he could have since he accepted Ellie who isn't really his daughter either?

Hello! And thank you! The comments for GYOW should be on - they're just being moderated for right now, because some people can't play nice. (I think that my series was posted somewhere - TikTok, maybe - recently, and there has been a lot of renewed interest over the last few weeks. I've been getting a lot of new kudos out of nowhere, and a handful of very kind, lovely comments, but also some...less kind criticism.) You're not the first person to ask me that question. (I don't even think you're the first Tumblr anon to ask that question!) Honestly, I never thought about it too deeply at the time I was writing GYOW, since I put all of the reasoning I had behind the decision Benny makes into the fic itself, and for the most part the characters have stood by those opinions and that decision: if Benny had kept the pregnancy, it would have been incredibly tough on her marriage, and very well might have ended it. Gonna put the rest of this under a spoiler cut:

I don't really think that Joel's feelings, re: his wife's pregnancy can be compared to his relationship with Ellie. He made a choice to see Ellie as his own, and their relationship developed that way over time and shared experiences (and, yes, trauma). But it was still a process to "get there" with her, and involved him being willing to do so in the first place.

Benny's pregnancy was the result of a traumatic event that scarred literally everyone; a small part of a much bigger scenario that dragged everyone in Jackson into the chaos. But at the end of the day, the pregnancy itself was Benny's situation to deal with, and no one else's - which is why she didn't tell anyone else (besides Lacey) until she'd already dealt with it. She was certain that Joel wouldn't be able to accept this child not because it wasn't his, but because it would have been a reminder of everything that had happened, and tbh she was probably right about that. And, point blank, she was afraid of the same thing. I think that if Benny had even the smallest notion that she was capable of loving the child, she would have seriously thought about keeping it, no matter what she theorized Joel's reaction might be. But she never really gave herself the time or the opportunity to allow that (and that was by her own design). So, going off that scenario: let's say she made the decision to keep the pregnancy. Years after finishing that fic, and after having several discussions about it, I do think I have a better idea about how that probably would have gone.

For what it's worth, I think Joel would have tried.

Joel's years in Jackson are, in many ways, his redemption. He's trying to be a better man. And he would have tried to be be that for Benny along the way, too. He would have told her it was her decision and, as his wife, he would have done his best to support her and help her through it. And I think he might have even done a half-decent job at pretending like he was okay with following her lead on everything.

If she had chosen differently and the baby had been born, both Benny and Joel would have had a difficult time coping. Both would've struggled to bond with the baby, and each other, and tbh things probably would have gotten truly ugly before they started getting better. I do think that Benny would have eventually come around. Despite her trauma, despite everything she went through that then resulted in this child, I do believe she would have ended up realizing that this child was half her, and she would have chosen to love her (idk why but the kid definitely would have been a girl, it's all I can see).

I don't know that Joel would have ever gotten there, at least in the baby stage. He would have been stuck - supportive of his wife and kind to the baby (because he's not a monster), but resentful. He's old, he never wanted another child in the first place, and all he can see when he looks at this child is his own failure to protect his family. And yeah, I think it would have ended them. No big, dramatic blowup, just a quiet and mutual understanding that he can't do this. And while I think that Alexei would have put off leaving Jackson for a while - he would have wanted to stick around to support Benny, and help her after the birth - he still would've maintained radio contact with Degan and her team in Galveston, and eventually he (and Amos) would have still left for Texas. After all, there was still a potential cure to be made from Ellie, and once he discovered her immunity that was always going to be a life goal for him.

And I think Benny (and the baby) would have gone with him. It would have been a fresh start for Benny, away from the place where her life once again fell apart and - in her mind, anyway - the freeing of Joel from this obligation that he wanted no part of. Would Joel have wanted her to go? No. And he probably would have tried to talk her out of it, but it wouldn't have worked. (In my head, they would have already been separated as a couple at this point. Though that really doesn't change the fact that they still loved each other, and were still entwined in one another's lives.) I also think Joel would have had a lot of regrets, right after Benny and Alexei left. Probably even seriously considered grabbing a horse and going after them. But he would have stayed in Jackson, mostly for Ellie (even though she is so pissed at him for how everything went down, and high-key blames him for Benny leaving). A few years later (I think Alexei was gone for three years, in the original fic) I think a lot of things would have gone down the same way: Alexei reaches out, and they need Ellie in Galveston. She's still going to run off, Joel is still going to take off after her, everyone's going to have a Bad Time getting there. Some things will change, because they have to change. I still think Tommy will find them, and he'll be the one to get Ellie to Galveston after Waco. But I also think that Benny would lose her mind when they show up without Joel, and I have this vision in my mind that she forces Amos to go with her to try to find Joel - which they do, in rough shape, but alive. And I think they still all wind up in Galveston together. And after Benny has been away from Jackson for a few years...I think she's strong. And she's been able to work on herself, and commit herself to motherhood (she has a toddler, now!), and she's very different than she was when she left Joel. And those two are such saps for each other - after Joel recovers, I just can't see them avoiding the inevitability of drifting back together, though I can also see both of them trying their best to pretend to convince themselves it's only temporary, since Joel and Ellie have no intention of staying in Galveston longterm.

After that, things get a little murky, even for me. Joel and Ellie won't want to stay in Galveston, but they won't want to leave Benny there, either. And Benny will want to go back with them, but she also has to consider the life she's taking her child from - Galveston has far more opportunities for education, for life experience, for...basically all of the things any parent could want for their child, at the end of the world. I don't know that she could bring herself to give all that up on behalf of her child, or that Joel and Ellie would give up what they have in Jackson (Ellie's friends, Tommy, his children, Maria) to stay in Texas. So...I don't know. I still foresee a bittersweet ending, probably. But who knows?

So, yeah. There it is. To be honest, if I was a stronger or more ambitious writer, this might have been the path I would have liked these characters to take in the first place - but at the same time, I wanted to show a character making the choice that Benny actually did in GYOW. As you said, it's also not something I've seen a lot of in fanfic (in this fandom, specifically) and so I thought it was important to show that in my fic.

Important to note: despite all of this theorizing about what could have happened, I don't want anyone to take all of this and then apply it to GYOW as it currently exists. My characters don't have a crystal ball, and don't know what an alternate universe might have had in store for them. My canon Benny stands by her decision, and I stand by her - and so does Joel.

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

Politely poke poke. Do you have any wips to share?

Ummmm right now I am working on the next (and last) chapter of All Over Again, which is my Joel-and-Tommy-through-the-years fic. This chapter has lots of post-episode 8 angst, and then some great Jackson content that follows, so I'm excited to finish that one up. But I don't have a snippet to share right now because I am fine-tuning a lot of things, haha. I am also storyboarding for my upcoming fic, Silver Springs, which has been fun. Despite it being a modern AU of Go Your Own Way (which is a Joel x OC story), there is a lot of Tess x Joel shown through flashbacks, and I've been having fun with that because I haven't really had the opportunity to write Tess very much before this.

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

Happy pride from joel and ellie

art by me :)

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

I quit my job last week. There are a few reasons behind that decision, but namely I have begun to realize that my body can no longer handle the extremely long days that come with being a Corporate Office Goth for a Fancy Downtown Firm. And that's disappointing, but I cannot argue with my body, or the autoimmune disease that is often so harsh with it.

So, despite spiraling a bit as I slowly come to terms with the fact that I'm pretty sure I no longer consider myself to be "able-bodied," I think this was the right decision, and I feel okay about that. The good news: I already have a new job set up - closer to home, no commute, smaller setting, and they still appreciate the Office Gothness of it all. But it doesn't start for another two weeks. And though I do have a vacation occurring within that timeframe, I also plan on writing so much fanfic, ya'll.

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

Reblogging this again because MAN WHERE'S YOUR FUCKIN' WIFE tbh

Tommy Miller, circa 1991

Tw: teenager growing a moustache

Btw this image launched itself into my brain straight from

matter and matrix, mother and medium by @march-flowerr

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

🎨 How do you feel about fan art of your stories? And if I may add on, is there a specific fic of yours that you would love to have art of?

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please! I'm slowly tinkering around with a few things right now. My priorities at the moment are the next (and last) chapter of Bleed to Love Her, the next (and also last) chapter of All Over Again (which was my secret Santa fic for @cardigains, so why wouldn't I finish it in June?) and then wrapping up the current storyline in Everywhere. After that, I'll be focusing on the BTLH sequel, tentatively titled Save Me a Place. And maybe, maybe, I will get more serious about my TLoU modern AU, Silver Springs. Maybe. 🎨 How do you feel about fan art of your stories? And if I may add on, is there a specific fic of yours that you would love to have art of?

Pretty damn good about it, tbh.

Art by @miranhas-art, @ayeleye, @kenobiwanx, and @mote-of-star-dust.

I think my dream fanart would have depicted Tommy and Maria and their feral children, but @bumblepony knocked it out of the park with the above commission from @kenobiwanx. 😭 I just started working again, so I need to save up, but eventually I hope to commission a portrait of Joel and Benny being cute grandparents to JJ, because lord knows they deserve it. ❤️

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

✨❌pls pls

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

Uhhhh, I occasionally have fun OCs, lol. ❌ What's a trope you will never write?

Lmao. In general I don't fuck with "dad's best friend" fics or whatever. Not trying to yuck anyone's yum, it's just not for me. I wish my own Joel Miller x OC fics had less of an age gap (if you've read them, you'll understand why I wrote her at that age, but she's still nearly forty when they meet so don't @ me). Plus I just don't find them realistic, especially in regards to Joel. That loser doesn't have any friends besides Ellie, anyway.

And I don't think Jackson-era Joel is going to run around with twenty-somethings, either. Mostly because Maria would murder him. Though I suppose that plot specifically would be interesting, haha.

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

🎯 & 👐 pls????

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

Mmm, I actually can't really think of anything offhand? I suppose throughout Bleed to Love Her, there's been a lot of excitement about what will happen when Joel and Ellie finally get to Salt Lake City, and find Tommy there - and mostly, the things that have been theorized about will sort of come true, but I also think the plot is going in a rather obvious direction, haha. 🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

Just for you, have a little bit of Tommy and Marlene once again being messy:

He knew the script when she appeared at his door earlier in the evening with a dusty bottle of wine tucked under her arm, and he recognized the real invitation as soon as she lifted it up and told him with a wry smile, “I need a corkscrew. Mind helping me out?”

Tommy, who had little else in his tiny room besides a twin mattress, a handful of books, his rifle, and a small pile of dirty clothing, did not have a corkscrew. But he did have a knife, its blade narrow and precise – perfect for piercing the aged cork and working it free. He didn’t have any glasses, either, but Marlene didn’t seem to care. They sat hip to hip on the edge of his mattress and swapped the bottle back and forth, and they talked about almost nothing of consequence until the wine sufficiently loosened their tongues and then their inhibitions, and when she made the first move, when she plucked the bottle out of his hands and set it aside and then straddled him with a deliberate roll of her hips, all he could think was ‘finally.’

She makes it bearable, here in the QZ. Less lonely. He tells himself it doesn't matter that she pretends not to know him in the daylight, or only seeks him out after dark when no eyes can catch them. Or that she doesn’t humor him like Tess – Tess, who actually read the books he pressed into her hands, and who had always kept the liquor he liked stocked in the cramped apartment they’d once shared with his brother, who was always there to talk him down after a fight with Joel.

Tommy had given Marlene his dog-eared copy of A Canticle for Leibowitz two weeks back, and she’d held it with the same enthusiasm she might have shown if he’d handed her his dirty socks. Said ‘thanks’ in that bored way that meant she wasn’t thankful at all, stuffed it into her pack, and he's damn sure it's still there, crushed between ammunition and ration cards. He’s already wondering when he can ask for it back without sounding like he cares too much about it.

In the Before, Tommy would have cut his losses already; would’ve called Marlene’s coldness what it was and moved on to someone who actually gave a damn about him, someone he could actually talk to, whose own words didn't dry up the moment their bodies unstuck. He’d had more than his fair share of meaningless flings in the past, and he certainly didn’t mind the casualness of their arrangement – yet, her particular brand of indifference stung in ways he hadn't expected. 

But for all her faults…at least Marlene was still here. She was here, and she wasn’t off-limits, and she was a survivor, someone he could generally count on to still be alive at the end of each day. That hadn’t been the case for Emily – Emily, with her dark hair and quick mind, who knew every country song worth knowing and whose smile always found Tommy across a room, whose lips were so soft and shy against his on that rooftop for just one lovely evening – Emily, whose head had jerked back one otherwise unremarkable Thursday when a FEDRA sniper put a bullet through it. She was sweet, Emily.

Sweet people didn’t usually end up living very long, these days.

Marlene was still here. She was alive, with air in her lungs and blood in her veins, and she didn’t give a shit about him, but tomorrow night she'd probably knock on his door again, eyes hungry for something that wasn't him, specifically – just what he can provide. And he tells himself that that’s good enough, because it has to be.

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

WE LOVE YOU PEDRO

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

Fanfic Writer Emoji Ask

😅 What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

✍ Do you have a beta reader?

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

💋 First kiss fics. Love em or hate em?

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

🛠What tools/programs/apps do you use to write?

⛔ Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic?

🍦 What's the sweetest fic you've created so far?

🍷 Do you drink and write?

🍆 Do you write the spicy stuffs? If so, what's your most popular nsfw fic?

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

💖 What made you start writing?

💌 How do you feel about comments and feedback?

❌ What's a trope you will never write?

💲 Would you ever open commissions?

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

🏆 What's your most popular fic?

🎃 Do you write fics for certain holidays? Which is your favorite holiday inspired fic?

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

🎨 How do you feel about fan art of your stories?

📈 How many fics do you have?

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

💞 Who's your comfort character?

🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them.

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

😬 Which of your fics would you be most horrified for friends, family, or coworkers to stumble upon?

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success?

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

📚 Would you ever want to turn writing into a career?

⌛ How long does it take you to write a fic, or a chapter?

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?

💥 How do you feel about criticism?

🤭 Do you have a favorite tag to use when posting your works?

🥰 How do you feel about reader interaction? Are you open to receiving questions about your fics?

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

Can you share a funny or sweet Ellie and Joel moment that you’d like to work into a fic someday?

Oohhh, there are so many.

I have something planned for an eventual chapter of Everywhere, though. Things are complicated between Joel and Ellie, currently - but they'll figure things out. Even after JJ is born, however, they're going to have to work to bring their relationship back to what it was before. I have a few little snippets written for a chapter where they find their way back to each other, and it's very cute (and surprise, it's a sickfic).

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

You're being exiled to a tropical island for the next five years and can take only five songs with you. What are they?

Hnnnnngg, obligatory disclaimer: this answer would likely change daily. But if I was being exiled today, likely these five:

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

Perchance, do you have a favorite Miller brothers Headcanon?

My personal headcanon is that Tommy and Joel are half-brothers - same mother, different fathers.

I don't necessarily think there are clues pertaining to this in the games or in the show, but it's how I prefer to write them. And in my writing, it certainly makes Joel a little more protective over Tommy than he might have been otherwise, since their father (who raised both of them, but knew Tommy wasn't "his") was also far harsher with Tommy than he should have been.

Joel doesn't care one bit that they only share one parent. Tommy has a bit of a chip on his shoulder about it, though.

[chronicallyonlinewriter]

.........................................firefly tommy??