fae-ryn

[fae-ryn]

Ayy

I disappeared for the usual reason

But that MaryxGaster story is up now, and I’m super eager to show you all! Check it out here!

[fae-ryn]

The story of Mary and Gaster’s relationship introduces us to a lot of characters, and Noisy Boy is one of the ones I'm most excited for you to meet! I won't spoil anything, but the split between how monsters and humans see her is just so much fun to write. Looking forward to you guys' reactions to her and the rest of the story!

If you haven't checked @the-noise-maker out yet, you absolutely should! She's a really skilled artist and her OCs are always fascinating

Aaaa it’s been so long since I drew Noisy Boy, my old sona turned oc. A couple of years ago I donated her to a writer, @fae-ryn, for a prequel to a story she wrote, Make It Right, and yours truly got a sneaky peeky at it a couple of days ago, and let me tell you guys, you’re not gonna be disappointed~ Fae is a REALLY talented writer, and you should check out her blog and her fics!

On the top you got me redoing a bust to show off NB’s eyes, and below I made her a more medieval outfit based on the one she wears in the story~

[fae-ryn]

(do you wanna make a dating sim)

(sorta has to be a dating sim)

[fae-ryn]

I started writing a three chapter fic based on the funniest song I've heard in years ages ago and I should really finish that

[fae-ryn]

Update: still really bad at getting this on the right blog

(it still isn’t done)

(end me)

[fae-ryn]

(it still isn't done) (end me)

[fae-ryn]

Thought you all might appreciate an update on the writing, so here goes. Just know I've been working 5-6 days a week for the past three weeks while also trying to manage three college classes, and that's why it's taking me a while.

MiR - Next chapter is long and has a lot to cover, so it's taking some time. Plus, I wanted to start on the story of Gaster and his wife Mary before I finished it. Once I've finished that shorter story I'll hopefully be able to finish the next chapter quickly.

Gaster and Mary - Actually pretty close to being done at a whopping 102 pages in Google docs and 35k words. I have today and tomorrow off of work and school so I'm hoping I can get it mostly if not completely finished before I go through for the final edits. I also need to contact the people who gave me the ideas for Mary and Noisy Boy, since both of them play key roles in these past stories, Mary is a main character, and Noisy Boy appears a few times. It's been so long since I asked for characters that they may no longer care but I want to give them about a week to reply anyways. (If you happen to be one of these two people, feel free to contact me first if you'd like! I'll probably be reaching out to you within the next few days anyways.)

SEN - Chapter is roughly 3/4 of the way done. I was on a roll with it when I read a negative comment that really discouraged me. I know that's silly, one comment out of dozens bothering me that much, but while much of it was simply personal preference issues some of the points were things I myself am concerned about. I refuse to let that keep me from writing though! I'm going to be back to working on it very soon.

[fae-ryn]

File this under “super obvious yet I always seem to forget it.”

[fae-ryn]

You open up Ao3. You have a new comment! That’s exciting, right? Except the commenter says your romantic leads don’t seem to actually like each other and you’ve repeatedly used the wrong ‘your/you’re’. And that hurts.

Negative comments on fics suck, especially when you know you’ve got difficulties in areas the commenters mention. So here’s how to deal with them.

There are two main types of negative comment. One is almost definitely cussing at you and probably mentions how bad the source material is/the fandom is/how awful you are as a person for writing [insert really anything here]. Ignore these. They’re just annoying people trying to make you angry and engaging with them is pointless.

The other will bring up the commenter’s legitimate concerns. Sometimes these are things you know you’ll be addressing soon, such as characters acting strangely or something that would be a plot hole if you didn’t already have an explanation. Other times a commenter has missed something in the story that is leading them to question you now, in which case you can often explain yourself and both parties leave happy.

But sometimes this isn’t the case and you need to address the fact that someone does not like what you have dedicated hours or days of your life to writing.

It works best for me to read the comment, then find something else to do for a while. My immediate response is to be angry and defensive, and that’s not useful so I do something so I can move past the anger.

Then read it again. Why is the commenter giving you this negative criticism? You want to know what they’re trying to tell you. Are parts of their complaint personal preference as opposed to legitimate problem? You can’t fix that, so ignore those parts for now. Why was your initial response [whatever it was]? If it was anger, is it because criticism can hurt or because you know it’s a weak point for you?

Then take the comment and divide it into things you can and want to fix now, things you can’t fix period, and things you can’t fix for this fic but want to get right in the future. For something like a grammar mistake such as mixing up it’s and its, the problem can be fixed easily and goes into the 'can and want to fix now’ pile. Just be more careful of it in the future, and if you have time and feel like it go back and fix previous chapters. The 'can be fixed’ pile should be reserved for future plot points and minor errors, things that are relatively easy to edit. If you have to go back three chapters and rewrite all of them to fix it, it goes into the 'can’t fix for this fic’ pile. If it only requires rewriting one chapter or part of one, it’s up to you if you want to or not. Things the commenter disliked on a personal level go into 'can’t fix period’.

The next step is up to you. If you want to and think you can calmly respond to the comment and thank them for what was useful or explain some of the problems that they have, go ahead. You can explain how you plan to fix the problem or just say you’re trying to improve in certain areas. This step is entirely optional and I’d advise against doing it if you think you will come across as angry or defensive. Part of giving critical commentary is trusting that the writer will not lash out at you for it. Don’t be that writer.

Take your 'can and should be fixed’ and fix them. Take your time to understand why you’ve made the mistake(s).

Take the 'can’t be fixed period’ and forget about them. Everyone’s preferences are different. Trying to please everyone is more likely to harm your writing than actually do any good.

Keep the 'can’t be fixed in this fic’ and remember them for next time. If it’s something like being bad at action scenes try writing a one-shot that is mostly or entirely action. Write several until you’re happy with it. If your plot lacked direction, try to understand where you went wrong. Googling 'How can I write a story with a clear direction’ might prove helpful. If you fell into using overused tropes, look out for them in your next story so you can avoid them or try subverting the trope instead. If you were accidentally xenophobic it might help you to understand where your prejudices are coming from and read posts by [insert minority group here] before you try to write from their perspective.

The final step, once you’ve learned everything you can, is to step away from the situation and move forward. Dwelling on it past learning from it gets you nowhere and spending your time wishing you could rewrite a fifteen chapter, 100k word story is pointless. You’ll get to the end and realize it still isn’t perfect because it never will be. If you’re doing this right you’ll always be improving and your previous work will never be as good as what you’re currently doing. You have to accept that. Learn from the comment, don’t let it convince you to stop writing.

I get it. Criticism hurts. It takes something you poured your entire self and hours if not days of your time into and says 'You’ve done something or somethings wrong.’ That doesn’t feel good and while it gets easier to respond to it won’t ever truly be a comfortable experience. That doesn’t mean it’s okay to lash out or to ignore it though. If you aren’t in the right mind frame to deal with it then hold off until you are, but don’t decide that you will always by default know better than your commenters or you will stagnate.

[fae-ryn]

So, a final decision has been reached on whether or not I can dedicate myself to writing the prequel, and I'm sorry for changing my mind (again) but I'm going to do it. I want to end this story the way it deserves to be ended and that means going back to the beginning.

I'm already part way done with the story of Mary and Gaster, and I'm hoping to get it up within the next month. My goal is to write the whole thing and put it up a chapter a day until it's done. This story is divided into two parts, where the first takes place prior to the main prequel story and the second consists of a few chapters set at the very end of the prequel. The second part will go up after the prequel chapters they are a part of/inbetween.

After that there are stories for Gaster and Averia's origins, but those aren't essential so I'll work on them as I go and put them up when I can.

I'm going to iron out the plot for the prequel and get a couple of chapters done before I get it up. Currently I think the first chapter will be up either after MiR ends or just before I post the chapter 64.

There are a few one chapter stories set either right after the prequel ends or right after MiR ends that will go up last. I won't give away what they focus on because they're pretty major spoilers. Once they're up I will be setting the MiR verse aside as a completed story.

Again, I'm very sorry for changing my mind. I just felt wrong leaving the story half told. I was going to try to adapt my characters to a new world but their stories are so wrapped up in the world they were created for that removing them from it would make them someone entirely new. So instead I'm going to finish the story. Some of you may not be interested in anything beyond MiR - I totally understand and you have my deepest, most sincere thanks for coming with me this far. For those of you who plan on sticking around, I hope I can continue to tell stories worth your time and I look forward to sharing them with you.

[fae-ryn]

Sometimes I realize how many of you wonderful people have been here these entire two years and I just have to sit down because it is mind blowing

[fae-ryn]

Also I swear I'm working on MiR and SEN it's just been a busy couple of weeks and I keep getting stuck on all of the things I wish I could change about MiR instead of focusing on what I love about it

[fae-ryn]

Unpopular opinion: Writing a page long description of anything is generally bad writing and that includes architecture and scenic environments

[fae-ryn]

Y'know, thinking it over, making an ‘insane’ villain is probably the biggest phone in possible. Suddenly there’s so much less for you as the creator to do. You don’t need a proper motive, you don’t have to worry about lines nobody would ever say because 'they’re just crazy!’, easy sympathy bc 'well, they aren’t really in control!’, your main characters get to write off killing the villain as being 'kind’, etc etc. Only problem is you’re reduced to using them as a minor villain or having a very boring main villain. Which hasn’t stopped anyone.

It also plays into mental health stereotypes that paint the mentally ill as dangerous and essentially turn us into rabid dogs that need to be put down.

I’m not saying you can’t do it well. Flowey looks like this for most of Undertale, especially in his Photoshop phase. Then you find out he’s a kid trying to act like a villain and suddenly everything makes more sense. I’m just saying it only really works well as a trick trope. Show your audience a 'crazy’ character and then pull the rug out from under their feet. Or play into the trope but instead of saying “This person is just ~so~ mentally ill that the only solution is to kill them! We’re really being ~kind~!” Have the villain get the help and support that they need to start recovering.

[fae-ryn]

Why are there so few articles on how to write gender neutral characters

All of the ones I've found are solely focused on how to write transitioning/not focus on their gender identity but. Buddy. I'm already doing what you said or can't apply it

[fae-ryn]

A few weeks ago I accidentally set Google Docs to change it’s to its. Then, because I am more confused by technology than should be possible when I grew up with it, I set it to change its to it’s, thinking that maybe it would somehow cancel out

Now all of them are wrong

(Help me)

[fae-ryn]

A Hael of a Thing

(So I have no clue how canon this is to your canon, but I really wanted to write for Hael today so have a terrible fanfic *throws it at you and runs away*)

The air flowing beneath her wings, the heat of the sun shining down on her from above; there truly was nothing to beat the sensation of soaring in the skies.

Well. Maybe serving in the Royal Guard came close.

She may have spent more time than was necessary just enjoying the feeling of air between her feathers. She suspected that she always would, given the chance.

Anything was better than being chained to the ground.

She should thank Magore later.

She was jolted from her thoughts when the landscape had drastically altered from when she had first started her musing. She was surprised with herself when it was mildly familiar; from the ragged cliff, to the spotty shrubbery.

She was sure to keep a firm grasp on the heavy basket as she banked around the cliffside.  Now where did they…?

Her family had declined the offer to live in the capital and had instead opted to make their own home far up in the mountains. She didn’t have a problem with that, understood the decision to be honest, except she was goddamn hopeless with directions when it came to where they lived.

Her family hadn’t been upset, per say, when she had accepted the invitation to eventually join the Royal Guard, but they didn’t like the fact that she would stay in the city when they wouldn’t.

She missed being part of a huge family, missed interacting with all the children, missed being a caretaker. She took every chance she had to go visit them but she always had difficulties finding their home. Perhaps that was on her but sometimes she suspected they intentionally moved their homes just to mess with her.

Her family had been nomadic traditionally, or at least, that’s what her parents had whispered to her in their hut as a child. She sincerely hoped that her parents and siblings had not decided that tradition would be one worth preserving because that would make finding them a real bitch.

She smelt smoke and several herbs wafting her way over the shrubbery. Either her family was nearby or somebody was up to something.

She finally flew over the verdant landscape that revealed a moderately level clearing which held several wooden cabins. A decently sized fire sat between all the cabins, and the smell of the herbs originated from there.

“Aunt Hael!” “Auntie Hael!” “Bentee!” “Everyone, Hael made it!”

Yup. Found’em.

“Did you get lost, hmm?”

Those assholes.