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do fic readers know that their comments actually influence the course of the story sometimes? i don't mean in a "you need to write it this way because i say so 😡" type of comment, i mean when people are asking questions or really engaging with the plot and the themes in the comments they sometimes bring up things that i didn't even think of, or dig into parts of the story that i've overlooked, or get really interested/fixated on something i was going to just kind of glance over--and it has me going 'oh wait that's actually really interesting, that's a good point' and fully adding or tweaking or changing things about the story going forward. i'm literally adding an entire additional chapter to something right now because someone's comment had me like "oh i didn't dig into that as much as i could have." you have impact!

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"oh i really love xyz character-" really? outside the context of shipping?

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PSA

Just a heads up, there are bots going around on AO3 accusing people of using AI. Considering the timing, this is likely AI bros' retaliation for AO3 users calling them out for scraping their work. Examples of what you might be sent:

Screenshots from here.

If you get a comment like this, just report for spam and delete.

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I looooove the shit that's like

"You have the power to possess me and take over my body but you don't because you respect me"

because it can lead to

"I'll let you possess me and take over my body when necessary because I trust you"

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the big three questions of media analysis: what the author wanted to say, what they actually said, and what they didn’t know they were saying

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so like i understand why ppl dislike when ppl mischaracterize characters in their fanfics and stuff but i think we've all lost the plot a little bit in that debate. Because that argument tends to assume that people are making fanfic because they want to make good art for people to consume but thats not even true. People are making fanfic for their own self-indulgent enjoyment. So like. I feel like people just end up coming off as being kinda mean and entitled when they complain about characters being ooc in fanfic.

Tho of course the exception is when people start making their wildly ooc headcanons other ppls problems (ex. when ppl start enforcing their own personal headcanons in the main tags) Then and only then is it appropriate to complain and give the trouble maker a reality check.

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I still think the most devastating enshittification I've ever seen has been picrew. One of the few dress-up game websites left that's not flash-based and it's become DRENCHED in ads. You can't open the home screen without being blasted by at least three or four ads. You can't open two picrews in a row without watching a video ad first. When you have a picrew open the ads cover up the different options and sometimes even stack on each other so you have to hit like 2 or 3 different x buttons to get it to go away, only for more to appear seconds later. Evil world

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NOTICE: As more and more fanfic writers are using generative AI for their works (you uncreative dweebs), I hereby swear on everything I hold dear that I have not and will NEVER use generative AI in ANY of my written work. Everything I post will be organically and creatively my own.

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maybe this is just me idk

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gagging you with our red string of fate to shut you up for one fucking second

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SO sad this fic author turned off comments, I have so much I would gush about

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A little gripe I have with BNHA fic authors is when a fic is tagged with "Quirkless Midoriya Izuku" and then... he has a quirk. So, no, you do not have "Quirkless Midoriya Izuku" in your fic and thus should not be using the tag.

"But he thinks he's quirkless!" Okay, but he's not.

"But he's quirkless for part of the fic before he gets a quirk!" Okay, but he still gets a quirk.

If you want Izuku having a quirk to be a suprise you can simply not tag the fic with "Quirkless Midoriya Izuku" or "Midoriya Izuku has a quirk" so that when going into the fic, the reader doesn't know.

I just! Want to read quirkless Izuku fics without "surprise! he actually does have a quirk" popping up and then undermining the entire premise of Izuku becoming a quirkless hero or whatever.

In the end it's always the author's choice on which tags to use but I just wish people would put a little more thought into them, I guess?

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characters going “we were lovers once”: eh, it’s okay i guess. it’s nice enough

characters going “we were friends once”: absolutely devastating. one hit knockout i’m gone

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i wanted to make an oc ask game 😋 things i like to ask people abt their characters:

are they associated with a certain color? what color do they wear the most?

what sort of music would they like? have you thought about what genres or bands do they lean towards? do they have a favorite song?

weapon of choice? any particular reason they chose their weapon?

how crafty/resourceful are they?

how do they typically dress? does their wardrobe lean more towards practicality or aesthetics?

how do they wear their hair? do they care a lot how their hair looks?

favorite animal? why?

do they have a nickname? who gave it to them? if it's not derived from their real name, what's the story behind it?

favorite food? least favorite? are they a picky eater? do they have any dietary restrictions?

if they wear jewelry, what kind? do they prefer silver or gold? do they have a favorite gem?

what do they have in common with you? how are they different? would you get along with them?

how long have they been around? do you know their birthday? is their birthday the day you made them or another day? what do they think of celebrating birthdays?

what languages do they speak? how fluently?

are they any good with numbers?

how big or small is their family? who did they live with growing up? do they live with anyone now?

do they have any pets? what do they call their pets?

how did they spend their summers/free time as a child?

their opinion on lying, stealing, and killing?

are they quick to anger? what sets them off?

if applicable, can they drive? if they have their own, what color is their vehicle? is the inside neat and tidy, or a mess?

their favorite place to be?

do they sleep well at night?

how would you describe their voice? can they sing?

do they have any creative hobbies? (art, writing, music, etc)

how good/bad is their hearing? what about their eyesight?

how do they move? are they clumsy? light on their feet? do they use mobility aids?

if applicable, do they have a favorite sport? do they play any sports or prefer to watch?

how do they show that they care about someone? how do they express that they don't like someone?

are they associated with any particular element (air, earth, fire, water)?

do they smell like anything notable?

do they like receiving gifts? giving gifts? what is their ideal gift?

do they have any habits that aren't particularly self-destructive, just maybe odd?

if applicable, how would your other characters describe them? i mean specifically the people around them.

how would your character describe themselves? it doesn't have to line up with how they really are.

do they ever return home?

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Just in time for Valentine’s Day... 💔 

Ready to break up with Google?

So are we!

We’ve rounded up a bunch of privacy-centric alternatives for everything Google.

Check out the full list over on the blog!

- The Ellipsus Team xo

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one of my all-time favorite romance tropes is "idiots don't realize they're in love"

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jesus christ reading comments on a fic that hasn't been updated in a year and a half and everyone is whining about how it's been abandoned and begging for updates like oh my god shut up. nothing is more demotivating than people assuming you gave up on your work?? or just saying they want more like you don't have a life. ESPECIALLY WHEN THE FIC IS TAGGED "OH HIATUS" LIKE COME ON GUYS?? BE POLITE.

"Won't asking for an update let the author know that people want to read more of their fic?"

I mean idk it depends on the person I guess, but personally a comment from someone gushing about some part of the fic that they like is sooooo much more motivating than "please update 😭😭😭😭🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏"