#EDIT episode 5 lol i wrote this at like 4 am

[zepskies]

Hey Zep!

I love your writing, especially been enjoying the Soldier Boy series stuff and the latest with Smoke Eater!

(Btw are you taking inspiration from One Chicago (Fire, PD, Med) with it? If so kudos and I love it, big fans of those series myself 😊)

Anyway! I’ve really been enjoying your works, been pouring through them and the stuff you have on AO3. I also thought your tips for writing were super helpful!

I’m back to writing myself after a long ass break, but always struggle keeping inspiration so a lot of my work sometimes goes unfinished. I’d like to ask how you keep motivated and continue a fic even if sometimes you’re not into it? Do you have any tips or tricks?

Thank you and again, love your work!

Hey there, lovely!! ❤️

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked Break Me Down and are enjoying Smoke Eater too! ❤️‍🔥

(Oh yes, indeed I am! 😊 I love all things Law & Order and One Chicago. I based firefighter!Dean on Lt. Matt Casey in Chicago Fire, with a little Severide flair lol.)

Thank you again for reading my work, both here and on Ao3!! I'm also glad that my writing tips have been helpful to you in any way. I came back to Tumblr and writing in general after about a year break myself, so I feel you there.

I absolutely LOVE your question though...

Because it's something I still battle with myself. I think all of us writers and artists struggle to stay motivated, no matter how much we love our craft. I do, however, have a few tips that help me immensely.

5 Tips to Stay Motivated to Write:

Be organized. Create a realistic, attainable schedule. ✍️

My brain works in checklists, bullet points, very methodical. I can't write chapter five before chapter 1. I can't write a series (even a mini series or a long one-shot) without outlining first.

So my first step is creating a schedule for myself: from sketching the premise, to bullet points/outlining, to actually sitting down to draft, to then editing. When I'm working on a series, I write the first 3 to 5 chapters before starting post it.

This means I have a head start. I commit to writing a chapter per week after that until the series is done. This give me lots of time and wiggle room for editing before posting each chapter afterwards. For example, I wrote the first 5 chapters of Smoke Eater before I started to post. I'm now in the middle of drafting Part 19 out of 20 even though I just posted Part 11.

Now, this doesn't mean I don't slack off lol. If I don't follow these steps I lose my discipline. I can get lazy. (We won't talk about And So It Goes. 😅 I've been sitting on writing the last 5 chapters for a painfully long time.)

But I have other tips that help me get my head back into the game.

2. Revisit the thing that gave you inspiration in the first place! 🍿

Rewatch, reread, revisit the episode, movie, book, story, artwork that stroked your muse and had you daydreaming and brainstorming about the WIP you're working on. That can be a good way to revitalize you when you feel your motivation lacking.

3. Create a music playlist. 🎶

I love doing this, especially for a series. I often create a playlist of songs that remind me of the setting, the characters, the romance I'm trying to create. Whether it's the words or the tone/rhythm that get me going, music inspires me greatly.

(For Break Me Down, for example, I listened to songs like "All My Living Time" by Radio Company for the vibe of the plot, and oldies like "If I Didn't Care" and "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me" by Mel Torme for nostalgic 40s vibes/the romance.)

4. Go for a walk. ☀️

I walk for exercise, but it also gives me time to daydream and run scenes in my head while vibing to my music (sometimes looking like a crazy person as I nod and make hand motions lmao). This helps me clear my head, get some fresh air, then come back to my laptop with a little more pep in my brain, ready to write.

5. Encouragement and feedback from others. 💞

This really helps, of course. Whether it's someone you trust to read over your work, or seeing how people react to your initial chapters after you post them. Both can be very motivating to keep going, at least for me!

And I'll be transparent, I've gotten a bit fatigued while writing the back half of Smoke Eater. I have a lot going on at work and my personal life at the moment. But seeing how people have been commenting and giving feedback on each chapter -- the mystery, the connection between Dean and the reader, the various storylines happening -- it's been incredibly motivating for me to read those back and remember that people are enjoying what I'm coming up with. It helps give me the push I need to get the rough draft out.

And a rough draft doesn't have to be perfect on the first try. That's why it's rough. I call it the "throw up draft." Just get it on the page. The editing process is where I truly find the nuance in the dialogue, refine the plot, exposition, etc.

Anyway. I'm long-winded again, as usual. 😂

I hope this helps you! If you have any other writing questions just let me know. I love talking about this stuff! 💕

[dimplesandfierceeyes]

bad buddy fandom getting-to-know-you meme!

Another tag game I finally managed to get to! Thank you to @tiistirtipii, @dudeyuri, @feralmuskyscentedhoepran, @softpran, @dancing-out-in-space, and of course, @fiercynn for tagging me in this one!

name and whatever you want to share about yourself

Hello, I’m Kayla! I’m, as probably noticeable by my spelling, not American haha. Yeah I guess that’s it. I’ve never been good at talking about myself.

when did you watch bad buddy/join the fandom?

I watched it from the start, but somewhere around episode 3 I started actively looking into the fandom and by the end of ep4 I was already in a discord group and writing my first fanfiction. The rest, as they say, is history XD

favourite ship(s)

I am a PatPran, InkPa enthusiast although I did also like the LouisSafe idea which is why i wrote a whole fic about them haha

favourite character(s)

Beyond Pat and Pran, Pa, Korn and Ink will always be in my heart

favourite episode(s)

As much as I love episode 5, episode 3 is probably the episode I’ve watched the most haha I just love watching Pran coming out of his shell (even if he does get crushed in the very next episode T-T)

favourite scene(s)

The Rooftop comes in at number 1 every time, but also the fight in front of the apartment block just before it, the bus stop scene and guitar scene in ep3, the balcony scene in ep8, the bedroom scene in ep9, so many scenes in ep11, and everything after Pran turns up at the apartment in ep12. Serotonin factories every one. 

one thing you would change about the show if you could

I’d have liked Pat’s anger in episode 7 to have been dealt with a bit more definitely but they pulled it back by giving it proper consideration in episode 11.  Honestly I would have also loved more flashbacks to their pre-transfer era as well as a little more on Icy Pat, but I understand why we didn’t get them. 

what are your some of your favourite fanworks made by other people?

This is a difficult one for me! So I actually did a list of my favourite bad buddy edits here and also fanfics here and here plus I’m pretty sure I did another, but can I find them? No. So I’m gonna add to this by saying also anything by @miscellar (aworkingprinter on AO3).

(if you create fanworks) what are your favourite fanworks that you’ve made?

Some of my own favourites? Well, that’s trickier haha! Probably A Fine Line Between Hormones and Home, The Space Pirate and the Officer of the Law and, just because it was my first fanfic in the fandom, He’s No Romeo.

a song that makes you think of bbs (the ones in the show don’t count lol)

Pancakes for Dinner by Lizzy McAlpine always makes me think of pining Pran, Heather by Conan Gray also gives huge Pran in episode 4/5 vibes. Alas I can’t think of one that screams Pat though I know I have thought that about songs before. No doubt I’ll be listening to a playlist tomorrow and be like “oh yeah, this one!”

idk anything else you want us to know?

So out of the 494,256 words I’ve written on AO3 over an 11 year period, 426,682 of them were written in the last 3 years and all for the Bad Buddy fandom. If that doesn’t encapsulate both my obsession and love of this show, I don’t know what does haha

Now who to tag?! I can't tag everyone so going with people I'm not sure if I've seen do this yet, though no pressure for anyone! @lurkingteapot @galauvant @snimeat @loveongsa

[befuddledmackem]

Twenty questions for fic writers

I saw @alightbuthappypen do a writing meme and I wanted in, dammit.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

92, apparently. I could not have begun to guess this amount without checking. I would have said that I’ve posted way less than that to AO3, but it does include everything I ever posted on livejournal.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

406,924.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I am belatedly realising that writing this will be an exercise in revealing the daft ways my brain works. I was about to say “I tend to only write one fandom at a time,” but that simply isn’t true; I tend to write whatever my distractable brain presents me with, and I feel like I have little to no control over what my brain latches on to. I am currently editing a few fics from The Witcher, specifically the Netflix show, though I can’t help but mix some game canon in too. I have previously written about Good Omens (both the book, waaaaaaayyy back when, and then also the show kicked off some fic years later), the IT movies, Our Flag Means Death, Teen Wolf, Star Trek, The Musketeers, The Untamed a little bit… and a lot more I'm forgetting. I gain and drop fandoms quickly, and never end up writing an awful lot in each.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Number one by a country mile is a Teen Wolf fic that I refuse to link to because I just don’t like it any more. One day I’ll orphan it. Kudos: 8915.

Number two: Build Our Kingdom (Good Omens). Kudos: 6884.

Number three: One Big Bed (Our Flag Means Death). Kudos: 1239.

Number four: I’m Falling And I Don’t Know What To Say (Our Flag Means Death). Kudos: 1219.

Number five: Desire Dividing Me (Good Omens). Kudos: 1100.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

It depends when they catch me. If they come in within a week or so of me posting, then I gleefully respond. After that, it depends. I read all of them, obviously – I read and re-read comments when my mood needs a boost – but if a little time has passed, I either feel weird about replying (?why? I can’t figure it out beyond brain daftness), or I simply forget (my memory is a joke). I literally always love a comment, though.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh, hmm, I’m not much for writing angst. Uh… I’ve just scrolled through all my fics and I’m shrugging. I guess there’s an X-Men Charles/Erik fic called Cold Reunion where they meet after the divorce and bitch at each other a bit… that might be the closest I get. Oh, or the only Witcher fic I’ve posted so far (The Song of the White Wolf) is very much about Jaskier being in what he believes to be unrequited love with Geralt, and nothing gets resolved at the end, because it is just slotted into a gap between episodes.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I will write and re-write “and then they get together” a billion times, because I’m such a sucker for it. I’d say either Build Our Kingdom, my version of the obligatory Good Omens picnic scene, or maybe L’Appel du Vide, in which Eddie Kaspbrak does some learning and changing in his forties. God, I miss Eddie and Richie.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

LOL one comment on the aforementioned Eddie/Richie fic was about how I’d written Richie to be particularly woobified, I think? But it came, like, eight or nine chapters into a very wordy ten chapter fic, and it cracked me up for how long they’d persevered before snapping. I don’t think it was hate so much as disappointment. I laugh every time I think about it. I can’t think of anything else which comes close to hate.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I used to write smut quite often, but I don’t feel like I’m especially good at it, or that I present it in an interesting way. I don’t think the world is missing out for me not writing it anymore.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I was about to say “no, I haven’t,” but I definitely have. My goddamn memory! I started a Star Trek/Teen Wolf crossover that I did not finish. Whoops! Retroactive apologies to anyone I pissed off by doing that. I have since learned not to post fics until I have finished them completely. I have so many damn WIPs that I have all but abandoned.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nah. Wait, have I? …I have a vague memory of raging about this while I was at university 20 years ago (!) but that’s the only thing I can remember (joke of a memory).

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah, a few. Cool!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have! Not for a long, long time now, but there have been a couple.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Uh, that’s a big question. I feel like I’ve been pretty clear about how quickly I go into and drop out of fandoms at this point. I guess the one I’ve come back to most often is Crowley/Aziraphale? But I don’t love it any more than I love any of my other OTPs, it has just snared me back into writing it more often than the rest. Others of note: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Wangxian, Yennefer/Jaskier/Geralt (and every permutation therein), Stede Bonnet/Edward Teach (but I haven't even seen season 2 yet), Aramis/Porthos.

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

God, I’ve got a Stranger Things Steve/Eddie fic that I just need to sit down and edit properly, and make some decisions about, and it’d be done. And yet here we are, with it still unfinished. Also I have a 14K Crowley/Aziraphale fic that I’d love to actually finish one of these days, but my ideas for it petered out. Probably if I really did some thinking I could write an ending for it, and just be done with it, but it is set after season 1 of the show, and would no longer jive with the canon… I don’t know. Would it be worth it? Who knows?

16. What are your writing strengths?

Uhhhhhhhh. Well, I’ve done Nano twice now, so I guess I can pump words out when I really push myself. And I feel like writing dialogue comes pretty easily to me, though I suppose everyone else is free to disagree!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Description uuuuugggggghhhhhhh. Keeping track of limbs or objects or facial expressions. I feel like I struggle with endings in that I always think they feel abrupt. I’m also fucking terrible at motivating myself and tend to work better with outside motivation (for example, committing to a certain number of words a month – but then how do I make myself edit afterwards? Would love to know!).

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I’m barely coherent in English, mate. Everyone else can do as they wish, but if I have to keep scrolling down to see what things mean, I’m clicking away. My attention span sucks.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Oh god. The Beatles, with a sort of dizzy sense of, “Wait, this is allowed?”

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Oh wow, an even bigger question! Uhhhhhhhhhh…? Fucking hell. Probably either L’Appel du Vide, because it basically did everything I wanted it to, or maybe Build Our Kingdom, because I managed to write it clearly enough that I can actually see it happening in my head, which is usually not the case. Does that make sense? I’m not very visual, but I can picture them through my own words more easily than I managed to do in other fics. Stupid! Those fics are certainly the two I re-read most often.

Bye!

[ohmyoverland]

Fic Writer Questions

Thanks for the tag @anything-thats-rock-and-roll :D

1. How many fics do you have on AO3? 26

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 25, 570

3. What fandoms do you write for? Except for a few one-offs and my 3 Anne With An E fics, I write Lockwood & Co. 💚⚔

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

After Chameleon, an unbetad Miraculous Ladybug salt fic written before the actual episode had come out. It accidentally blew up asldkfjhjkl

On My Mind, a Detroit: Become Human rk1k ficlet where Connor can read minds.

All the Words I Don't Have, pure grade A Locklyle fluff

are we out of touch, are we out of time? AWAE Season 3 speculative fic that is actually an expanded version of a tumblr post I wrote after the penultimate episode of the series premiered.

wavering, my cot3 pining + character study fic. I'm really proud of it and I promise chapter 3 is coming eventually lmao

5. Do you respond to comments? I don't 😭 I want to but I never know what to say and before I know it, the comment is 2 years old oops. I reread comments all the time ❤

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? That's tough to say for sure but I think every lessons forms a new scar ending with an off-screen character death is probably the most angst I've ended with so far.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? That would have to be All the Words I Don't Have again. Everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. And Lockwood writes some really bad poetry.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not so far.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I do sometimes, and it's not published yet.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Another Change of Plans is the most tumblr WIP I have lol. It dares to start asking the question, "What if the Old Guard adopted Adam Young, the antichrist from Good Omens?"

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Sort of? There was one collab fic I wrote a scene for but it never got finished. Someday I might post my part, because ngl I'm pretty proud of the Skull/Lucy banter in it.

13. What’s your all time favorite ship? How could I ever choose??? By bookmark stats, it would be Marinette and Adrien from Miraculous Ladybug. But cot3 (Lockwood & Co) and Superbat (DC) are up there too.

14. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? A better question is what isn't a WIP I'll never finish??? I have dozens 😭 Though one that stands out is an old Frozen fic I outlined in I think 2018(?). The premise is a canon divergence where Anna's death is faked when they're children and she's raised in the village instead of in the castle. There are two full acts that are just set up for a The Prince And Me/Princess Diaries-esque rom-com between suddenly-a-princess Anna and just-a-normal-guy Kristoff.

The outline on its own is about 8k words, and frankly I've considered editing and posting the outline itself before because it's detailed enough. This fic is actually a drabble I wrote to take place within my AU, but it reads canon compliant enough of its own so I posted it.

15. What are your writing strengths? Ideas. I am always getting new plot bunnies, always getting excited about the next great idea, always thinking about new aspects of these worlds and characters I want to explore.

16. What are your writing weaknesses? Dialogue and volume. That's why I write so many descriptive, very short fics XD

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I'd only do it in a language I've studied for a couple years, and even then I would want a native speaker to read over it for me. But it hasn't come up yet?

I do really like Superbat or Star Trek fics where the author sparingly includes Kryptonian / Klingon / Vulcan with a translation at the end.

18. First fandom you wrote for? My Little Pony, or maybe Percy Jackson?? I'm too scared to check my old accounts to see which came first, if I ever even posted the fics I remember writing then at all.

19. Favorite fic you’ve written? building glass castles for sure!!! I love the atmosphere in it, and the monologue from Skull. That monologue came to me in the middle of the night once, so I had to type it up immediately and build the fic around it later.

No pressure tags @sabetha @synestheticwanderings @abumperprize @lenacarstairspotterstewart @woahpip @flythesail @shizuoi

[linksthoughtbrambles]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks @embyrinitalics for tagging me! 🥰

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

31, with some being compilations of very short works.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

361,133 😲

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Zelda! But also a tiny bit of Star Trek DS9 and Lower Decks.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Link's Thought Brambles

Adventure Log+

Crow's Feet

Blindsighted

Substatutiary

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! Almost every time. We are all part of a community that loves Zelda. Why not talk to each other?

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm. I never quite understand what 'angst' is. But I am guessing the answer is Blindsighted because of the moods and thoughts of the characters at the end.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Link's Thought Brambles 💕

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Very rarely, but when I have it has been that people don't like horror, deviations from 100% Zelink, or characters being imperfect people who don't always make the best choices. (So far. Wait til what happens later in Adventure Log+ 🫠).

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind.

I have a confession here: I hate the word "smut" - it sounds so negative. It has connotations of dirty (literally smut, dirt - see the screenshot of google's definition below), of something undesirable.

That is not what I am writing when I write about sex. Do I write nsfw? Yes, absolutely. I respect some readers' wish to avoid them, so I make those scenes possible to skip if I can (but the work is more cohesive when included 🥰).

I pretty much write Zelink 💕

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Only one so far! "Oopsy" lol where Link and Zelda are the two "humans" in the zoo in the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee." It is indeed crazy.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. How would I find out?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No but that would be amazing!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, several, and more ongoing.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Zelink

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oh man. Well, I hope to finish all, but the slowest one by far is the one done as sort of an edited screenshot comic: Adventure Log-. I really enjoy that one, but it has taken a backseat to the more traditional writing.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and characterization. I've had people tell me my action scenes are good, which was a huge relief to hear!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptive prose. I can do it, but I have to spend massive amounts of time and brainpower to do so.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I'm sure it will come up at some point, and when it does I will do my best.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Zelda! But I was a kid writing on loose leaf paper 😂😂 and I didn't get very far.

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

Link's Thought Brambles. I am so proud of it, and that I finished it, and that the ending feels complete (even though there is a sequel).

Tagging @bellecream @1up-girl @zeldaseyebrows @fatefulfaerie @obsidiangst @deiliamedlini and anyone else who would like to play, it seems harder to get mobile to find people's handles than on a browser.

[aralisj]

gimme all the directors commentary on holding tight

Ask for the “director’s commentary” on a particular story, section of a story, or set of lines. 

This is going to be probably super long so I’m putting most of it under the cut:

Chapter 1: Prologue: I was trying to figure out the tone and POV that would suit the fic best. The idea of the fic itself came from me picturing Dimya as figure skaters and In A Crowd of Thousands happening once they were established as a couple, so that the dream scene happened while they were sleeping in the same bed. I knew I was going towards that but I didn’t know the specifics of how I would get there. Most of the first few chapters are me reverse engineering the whole thing.

Chapter 2: Once Upon a December: You can see a lot of that reverse engineering in this. How old does Dmitry have to be so that the two year age gap is still there and that x years later he’s still a believable candidate for the fictional Olympics? How old does Anya have to be for that to be true as well while being deemed the future ice princess? (though with the whole Eteri age limit I could have been a lot looser with these things)

I think I put more of Broadway Dmitry and 1997 movie Vlad in this chapter. Dmitry is super disillusioned about life and Vlad is way too cheerful about it, it makes for interesting contrast. 

I had a lot of fun coming up with ideas for the different programs rival skaters did. A lot were inspired by Virtue and Moir’s catalog (like Carmen) but also some of it was just things I would like to see high profile skaters do someday (like the Taylor Swift medley).

A lot of the drama that happens regarding competitive skating would NOT happen in real life (like the people at Russian Nationals announcing Anastasia and her not being there) but I trusted the readers to have a lot of suspension of disbelief for this and other things. 

Also, I wrote the Gleb from the first few chapters with Ramin’s portrayal in mind, which read as very angry and socially awkward to me, which is why he is the way he is. As the fic goes on, Max’s and Constantine’s takes on the role influenced his voice too, which is why he got more depth later on.

Chapter 3: In My Dreams: Reading it back, this is probably the most personal chapter from the fic. I wrote Holding Tight while I was going through a nasty depressive episode and it felt a lot like this chapter. So Anya’s journey for a sense of purpose echoed mine a little bit.

There are a couple of nuns in my family, one of them and her life stories influenced the character of Mother Lourdes a lot.

The keychain with the initial was my attempt to explain how Anya came up with such a similar name to Anastasia, which is more than the musical or movie ever did lol

Chapter 4: A Rumor in St Petersburg: This was one of the chapters I subtly edited a few times after publishing because I was worried that the speculation of Dmitry’s sexuality and the consequences of it could read as insensitive to the real life suffering of LGBTQ+ folks in Russia. No one commented on it but I still feel very self-conscious about it. I am by no means the first or last writer to headcanon Dmitry as bi, but as a bisexual person myself it adds to the responsibility of writing it properly, you know? 

A lot of the dialogue once Anya and Dmitry meet is straight out of the 1997 film because I enjoy their meet ugly A LOT. I think their playful banter is an essential element of their relationship and I wanted to set it up from the beginning.

Also, Anya’s reaction to pairs skating is pretty much my opinion of it. I would NOT trust ANYONE to throw me like that EVER. Pairs female skaters are built different and by that I mean that they have a death wish.

Chapter 5 and 6: Learn To Do It: They banter, they learn to dance, they have that moment of “woah! they are so pretty up close”, and they were roommates! These two chapters are when I stopped worrying so much and started enjoying myself. I wanted to fit in as many tropes and things that brought me joy as I possibly could.

Chapter 7: The Neva Flows: I always felt like Anya needed a female friend, and since she had left the convent she hadn’t found one. Enter Sophie. Liberties were taken. Maybe Holding Tight!Sophie has a bit of a crush on Vlad but that was all that is left of their dynamic from the movie.

Also, shout out to Gleb for backing the fuck off after realizing that Dmitry is no longer his competition. Is he still trying to sweet talk the Anastasia Romanova look alike? Yes. Does he look pathetic while doing it? Also yes :)

I don’t know where the ice rink ghost thing was going. Sorry. If I were to re-edit this fic that would be the first thing to go.

Chapter 8: My Petersburg: The name Anya Morozova came from investigating common surnames in Russia and learning that Morozov was up there, that it means snow, and that it was often used for orphans. This predates any Shadow and Bone knowledge on my part, so no relation.

I headcanon Dmitry as a very expressive skater but not one that’s technically super good (not that he would EVER admit it), that’s why he does not do great within the Russian skating circles. Once he transfers to ice dance he plays to his strengths and is much better at emoting than Anya who, regardless of her amnesia and lack of experience with boys, was always a much more stoic but technically amazing skater. It was fun exploring that in their dynamic of “faking it” both on ice and off.

Also, Dmitry’s backstory of being a hockey player but choosing figure skating instead because of a girl he had a crush on… Very Scott Moir coded, if I may say so myself.

The dance scene in the kitchen is my attempt to capture the vibe of the Meant To Be scene in the 1997 movie when they learn to waltz on the boat. Köln (the song they dance) has consistently been in my Spotify Wrapped playlist since 2017. I love it. It makes me think of Dimya A LOT.

Chapter 9: Still: The fake-dating to convince the federation officials is another bit that requires a lot of suspension of disbelief but it’s fun so who cares. 

The “practice kissing” thing was heavily inspired by a scene of Wanderlust. It started out as a Tumblr prompt that I wrote after the whole fic was published but I liked it so much that I ended up including it (without needing to change more than a couple of sentences).

The reveal of “Anya looks like Anastasia” happened much earlier than I had planned, mainly because readers pointed out that she would be very well known in the skating world (they were right, obviously). Dmitry didn’t realize the similarities because he idealized Anastasia so damn much, like, he didn’t notice Anya had Romanov blue eyes until months later, bless.

Chapter 10: Everything To Win: Anya’s borrowed dresses are a tribute to the dresses from the animation. 

Natasha and Andrey are characters I borrowed from The Great Comet of 1812 lol

Chapter 11: Journey To The Past: A very Virtue Moir inspired chapter. The program is supposed to be like their Olympic 2014 SD, and "We're skating for us, not for them" is a real thing Scott told Tessa at least once. Insane.

Chapter 12: Crossing a Bridge: Could two newcomers realistically win third place at the Rostelecom Cup? No. Do I care? Also no :)

Unrelated, wardrobe malfunctions being penalized is sexist bullshit and you can quote me on that.

Anastasia definitely had the best media training that money could pay. One of the journalists at the press conference is inspired by a fandom friend I made while writing the fic (her name is Tess, she’s also a journalist lol)

Love me a redemption arc for Gleb and him unknowingly getting them actually together.

Chapter 13: Stay, I Pray You: Their outfits for the exhibition are inspired by VM’s looks in their program for Jack & Diane. 

This was the first time that I attempted to write smut, most of it was planned at a very fancy event where I got a medal for getting good grades in uni. The duality of woman.

Chapter 14: We’ll Go From There: I looove the domesticity of Dmitry and Anya when they finally get together, their banter in bed, everything :’)

I believe that Sophie and Gleb became good friends after everything and that it wouldn’t have happened without Anya’s influence.

Chapter 15: Close The Door: Washing the hair of your lover is one of those intimate things that make me go weak every single time and Dmitry being taken care of felt so healing :’)

I loved changing the POV for Anya and Dmitry’s skating. In a way, having the distance of a screen and narrators felt more natural to the way I experience skating, so that was fun. 

Here and a few chapters later there’s a mention of how important it is that skaters are strong instead of just thin and light and that absolutely IS a jab at Eteri Tutberidze and praise to so many female ice dancers that are ripped and look graceful while doing acrobatics with knives tied to their feet <3

Chapter 16: The Countess and The Common Man: I like Lily so much, she deserved the world :( 

The flashback to Lily and Vlad as young lovers has her saying “I love you” and him replying “I know you do” to echo the song (L:I loved you, V: You loved me). 

I believe Lily and Vlad stayed together and coached Anya and Dmitry until they retired, fulfilling at least a little of Lily’s dream of having a family with Vlad.

Chapter 17: Paris Holds The Key: I was lucky enough to visit Paris once and Musée d’Orsay is the most beautiful place I have ever been in. Most of Anya’s touristy shenanigans are inspired by that trip.

Getting cut from the blades is actually super common for figure skaters and it felt like a good place to talk about Anya’s possible hemophilia (a diagnosis the real Romanovs had)  and also have a tender moment between Anya and Dima.

The shopping spree with Lily is very much 1997 movie vibe but with Broadway Dmitry, who was never a kitchen boy and does NOT fit in and he would like to go back to the way things were.

Chapter 18: Land Of Yesterday: Just a little more reverse engineering of how a diplomat’s daughter ended up being an ice skater 

Chapter 19: In A Crowd Of Thousands: IT’S HERE! THE REASON THE FIC EXISTS! 

When Dmitry says “I’m a delight” I was thinking of that vine of the guy going “I’ll have you know that I am a sweet treat! I’m a fucking delight to be around, okay?” lol

I love writing dream sequences, you can be very impressionistic and messy. It feels freeing.

So basically, the idea of it all came from how much more reassuring it would be if Dmitry could hold Anya while she wakes up from her nightmare, knowing that they love each other, they have plans for the future, etc. but then Dmitry realizes that Anya is Anastasia and it all goes to shit because he feels he doesn’t deserve her (which is fucked up but also the peak of romance)

Chapter 20: Meant To Be: Dmitry delaying telling Anya the truth about who she is feels contrived but it’s true to both the movie and the musical so… 

Skaters usually tie their skates super tight while seating but I wanted them to have the blue dress moment so artistic liberties were taken. 

I wanted Anya to have a necklace like the one in the movie and Dmitry putting it on felt extra romantic <3

Chapter 21: Quartet At The Ballet: The visual of the warmup scene, when they are hugging while their competitors are skating around is the reason the fic is named Holding Tight As The Dancers Whirl, it’s a lyric but it’s also the feeling I was trying to evoque, the world changing around them and the two of them staying together. 

The representation of Maria’s grief was very influenced by my experience with depression too - waking up late, not being present, missing time, etc.

The confrontation with Maria Feodorovna and their fight is inspired by the movie dialogue, maybe because watching it as a kid it felt like the most savage thing ever. It makes me so proud to have added the one line that could make it even worse: "Did you like me?" she repeated slowly. "Or did you just fuck me because I look like Anastasia?" Where is my Pulitzer prize?!

Chapter 22: Still/The Neva Flows (Reprise): I hate writing angst. Writing this chapter was so hard it made me want to give up. I didn’t but it’s very short lol

Chapter 23: Once Upon A December (Reprise): Gleb and Dmitry teaming up to fix everything between Anya and Maria is very canon divergent and a little out of character but it felt good and organic so it’s okay :) 

I like the thought of Anya regaining some of her memories, not all and not all at once, and getting to heal with Maria as they talk everything through over time.

Chapter 24: The Press Conference: I have such strong feelings about Anya realizing that she isn’t Anastasia anymore, or maybe she is but she came back wrong and that maybe that’s okay but being in the public eye doesn’t give her the space to explain that in a way that matters and maybe just her grandma knowing is enough. Oooof.

Also, guess who sings to his partner the love songs they skate? That’s right, Scott Moir. Unhinged.

Anya and Dmitry’s conversation on the boat was inspired by Ben Platt’s Grow As We Go. What’s more romantic than your partner telling you that they want to grow and see you grow and hope that still keeps you two together? :’)

Chapter 25: Finale: I like the idea that after being so closely tied together when they competed, once they grew older each of them established their own routine and that gave them space to keep growing. That Anya focused on the more artistic side of training (choreography and costumes) and Dmitry was more invested in the daily practices and traveling with their skaters to competitions. 

I have to admit that I got a lot of mischievous joy from commenters of this chapter that were like “oh, you had us in the first half!”

Thank you for reading!

[xoamandafrances]

S4 Ep:03 BEST SELLER ENERGY: Five Tips for Getting Your Book into the World this Year!

Today’s topic: Best-Seller Energy!!

As you may know, I wrote a book — Rich as F*ck — that has (so far, to date) sold over 130,000 copies. It hangs out as a best seller in its categories on Amazon, continually.



This book has opened the doors to:

Press and media (hello Entertainment Tonight, E!, Selling Sunset, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, US Weekly… and more)


Easily and naturally solidified my expert and authority status


Given those who were interested in my work a (truly accessible way) to learn about what I do


Helped a f* ton of people in their journey with finances and relationship with money

… and (as I always joke) finally my mom knew what to tell people it is I do (lol)



Today’s episode is intended to provide you with five tips to help you get your self published book into the world. And even become a… BEST SELLER!



Without further ado…

1. Write the Book You *Want to Write.
Sure there are tons of things you could write about and certain topics you feel may perform better than others, but listen, writing a book is FOR REAL and you are going to be in the best position if you write the one you have the most energy and passion behind. Perhaps you’ve started other books that never fully come to fruition (we all have) — write what is on your heart NOW and everything will be… so much easier. Go where the motivation and inspiration are as you are going to need motivation and inspiration to do this thing. Trust me. ;) 
 2. Be the BOSS of Your Book. Remember: You are the expert on what you are meant to say, do and give in this world. Editors, proof-readers and cover artists may have something to say — and take in their feedback (you hired them for a reason) — but reject the edits and ideas that aren’t right for you. Preserve your voice. Bring your angle. Your book is your business. At the end of the day, trust yourself — you’ve been given the divine perfect wisdom for your book!
 3. Own Your Voice + Find Your Angle.
People get really stressed out about being “niche” enough — you are the niche, my love. Your take, perspective, spin, story and angle are your unique niche. Get to the root of who you are and what you have to offer through your book. Embrace your journey. In Cara’s example, she’s writing about love — but her unique experience (a post-divorce won living in the Lower East Side and embracing her mistakes and mishaps) makes the book interesting to people. Embrace your journey and story.
 4. YOU ARE ENOUGH! Your Journey has been Perfectly Designed and Orchestrated for this Moment and this Book.
People talk themselves out of writing their book (starting their business or creating their course) with the concern that it’s “already been done.” The world may have other books on your topic, my love, but they don’t have one from you. No one will do it like you. They couldn’t if they tried. Yes, your topic has been written about before, but the world does not yet have your perspective. Your stories, your history, your pain points — it’s all been perfectly designed and orchestrated in your life for you to use it for good. It’s time to use it for good.
 5. Marketing Your Book is an Act of Service and Love.
I love sharing with the world what I am most excited about. (This makes me a fantastic internet marketer. Lol) Here is what I embraced when it came to promoting my book: I wanted to create a movement. I wanted to be of service. By sharing my book I was taking so much of my information, wisdom, and knowledge, and I put it into something that is affordable and accessible for people (during a pandemic!). I charge a lot of money to get information from me in lots of ways — and I own that — but creating something that is truly accessible (my e-book is $5!) for people to start with felt like reaching the masses in a new way. You should never feel bad for promoting your book or work. Do it from a place of love and generosity. Do it from service. Your book is something to be so proud of!


Okay, a few time-sensitive things to share with you!



Check out my LATEST self-published work, The Rich as F*ck Planner: Your Most Abundant Year Yet — available now!

Check out the original book this planner is based on, Rich as F*ck.

Check out Cara’s most popular book, Girl Code.


And stayed tuned because Cara and my digital course, Self-Published, is going on sale very soon! Check out Self-Published. 



This course was created to walk you through your self-publishing journey, empowering you to do things your way, and sharing with you all we've learned while becoming best-selling authors. Woot woot!

Qs? Comments? Concerns? We are here.



Reach out at support@amandafrances.com.

All the love,



Amanda + Team AF

Check out this episode!

[bammtoris]

You know that scene in episode 5 where Marc suggests killing Taweret and stealing the boat and he says "You know what Layla would be alright with if she was here right now" IMPLYING SHE WOULD BE UP to whatever ??? thing Marc is planning, like i love the idea of Layla enabling Marc from time to time to his extremely ridiculous plans and her going like "You know what? Fuck it let's roll"

[lambourngb]

2021 Creator’s Wrap

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2021. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I was tagged by the wonderful @adiwriting​ - as I begin a new year, why not look back at the last one?

1. stuck in gravity, clawing for some bravery - (23,000) Alien soulmate bullshit. It’s probably what keeps me in RNM year after year, I just dig the dynamic. This was one of the easiest stories I’ve ever written, less than 3 weeks I think? A season 2 hiatus fic, that doesn’t hold up at all in season 3 - I had Alex staying put for the year jump and actually dating Forrest, lol.

2. in the cracks of light (letters addressed to the fire) (7,300) - I used to say I could only write canon-compliant stories, or canon-divergent AUs, and then I wrote this story in about 2-3 days. Set on Oasis, with Alex as the reluctant war-prize, this fic has a lot of “heavy” tags, but I really had fun giving Alex all the power here as the captive.

3. what the years have made dry (wildfire heart) - (6,900) - the first Malex interaction in season 3 was certainly ....something.  I used my mixed feeling about the episode to write this post-ep, and I really am proud of it. Although we got a bit of this in 3x06 and 3x11, I really love the Sanders/Michael dynamic. He needs someone completely in his corner that is not a sibling or a love interest (or ex-love interest, or dating a sibling of his) - Sanders gives Michael that. I wrote or attempted to write a lot of post-eps in season 3 but I’m too slow of a writer to be very successful in fitting with canon, but I think this one still stands up well.

4. all around are familiar faces (9,600 - WIP) - like I said, I attempted to write a speculative fic for 3x08 based on the spoilers, all I knew was Maria would be in her mind, in the past trying to evade Jones, and there was a still of Alex, Michael and Maria at the Wild Pony. Now that season 3 is over, I’m even more committed to this ...AU of 3x08, because I find it a little unfair that Maria, Isobel, Rosa, and even Alex (although he was hallucinating) - was able to interact with Nora, but not her son, not Michael- all he had was Max’s vague memories of being chained up on Oasis and Jones taunting him about his mother’s mouth. Sigh. I have about 6,000 more words to write on this (including a real Malex reconciliation that includes TALKING ), and hope to finish it in 2022 when my brain comes back.

last but not least,

5. Appetite for Destruction (20,000) - I wrote this for malex santa, for Nestra, and for myself, because I needed a tighter ending to season 3. It probably wasn’t the right moment to release a fic that handles season 3 canon and the retconning of Michael’s powers during a time when soft christmas stories were being posted but alas, this is what the muse wanted to write. I’ve been dealing with post-season writer’s block, trying to finish a number of WIPs I have in progress, but what jumps out at me is always my desire to fix canon, or explain canon. So I love this story, I loved doing something new with writing Dallas, doing something uncomfortable- writing something a little religious, and of course, I loved writing Malex as a power couple supporting each other (gimme more of that in season 4)

tagging some mutuals that I haven’t seen tagged... probably leaving way too many off - @jule1122, @goodthingsarenteasytoget, @andrea-lyn, @ravens-words, @adamsparirsh, @alexmanesss, @winged-fool, @changingthingslikeleaves, @im-the-punk-who, @jocarthage, @myrmidryad, @prouvaireafterdark, @skinsharpenedteeth , @arielana and @manesframe !!! How did I miss you 😂❤️

[hullomoon]

hullomoon was very busy in may: a roundup

i was exceptionally busy this month so i thought i should do a little round up just in case anyone missed anything. well that and i haven’t had time to make tumblr posts for them all, lol

Writing

The Blouse Barn Divorce Ranch | co-author | multiple pairings | wrote rachel’s chapter | ~26k

 Hello, I am Wendy Kurtz, proprietor of the Blouse Barn Divorce Ranch, the world’s premier spot for couples looking to get a speedy divorce and connect with other soon-to-be divorcees.

 I’d like to highlight the stories of five couples, who rearranged into five other couples, from some past summer. These ten people came to the Blouse Barn Divorce Ranch with the intention of ending a marriage, and got that and so much more.

 I could recount their journeys with 100% accuracy, but where’s the fun in that? Let’s let them tell us themselves.

OR: One crazy summer in Las Vegas brings the heat and then some.

Featuring art and podfic with every chapter!

out of the mouths of babes | david/patrick | ~1.1k

Coming home from the dentist and still high from the anesthesia, Patrick accidentally lets something slip. David, panics.

 my 100th work

when i’m with you it feels like home: chapter 2 | david/patrick | 429 words

an epistolary interlude

Suited for Each Other: Chapter 4 love room  | stevie/ruth | 100 words

and i’ve known you for a long time | stevie/twyla | 574 words

While moving in together, Twyla discovers something from their childhood

if you try to hide it, it’s gonna shine even more | david/patrick | ~1k

After David performs the Number, he and Patrick have a chat

a quiet moment | stevie/ruth | 451 words

After Ruth comes home from a trip, she struggles with jetlag. Stevie helps.

stormy weather | ted/alexis | 565 words

During a storm, Alexis confesses a secret to Ted

save it from the funny tricks of time | david & moira | ~1.1k

While David helps her pack up her wigs, Moira reflects on their relationship.

Maybe, Baby: Canon Divergent Twylexis Drabbles | alexis/twyla | each 100 words

Chapter 5: Start Spreading the News

Chapter 9: Housewarming

Chapter 12: Smoke Signals

Chapter 18: Singles Week

Chapter 21: Wine and Roses

Podfics & Podcasts

The Blouse Barn Divorce Ranch | multivoice | voiced ted | 3:07:20

[podfic] Good Morning | alexis/stevie | 01:10

Stevie feels good this morning. Real good.

[podfic of Good Morning]

[podfic] Can we always be this close | david/patrick | 03:47

And suddenly, suddenly he understands what David has been trying to tell him for weeks, about letting go of expectations and doing what makes you feel right.

Or, the first time Patrick sat on David’s lap.

[podfic of Can we always be this close]

[podfic] Sunday Morning | david/patrick | 03:21

A soft, waking up in the morning ficlet.

[podfic of Sunday Morning]

[podfic] It’s Well Worth the Wait | david/patrick | 03:44

Patrick lets his hair grow out, David isn't adequately prepared.

[podfic of It's Well Worth the Wait]

[podfic] A Whole Lot to Gain | multiple relationships | multivoice | voiced ted | 12:15

A story about identity, gender, and coming out.

[podfic of "A Whole Lot to Gain" by yourbuttervoicedbeau]

[podfic] i got a feeling (there’s a miracle due) | joceyln & twyla | 07:57

 "I'm okay. Really, I'm fine." Twyla tries a strained smile. "I'm used to being alone."

 "I know," Mrs. Schitt says after a moment. Her eyes are kinder than they have any right to be. "But that doesn't mean you have to be."

When Twyla's mom doesn't pick her up from high school, Mrs. Schitt gives Twyla a ride home.

[podfic of i got a feeling (there's a miracle due)]

[podfic] Gonna Watch You Shine | johnny & stevie | 06:12

Found Family Feelings: The Johnny & Stevie edition.

[podfic for Gonna Watch You Shine]

[podfic] i had been lost to you sunlight | david/patrick | 08:05

David and Patrick have an afternoon picnic

[podfic of I had been lost to you, sunlight]

a quiet moment | stevie/ruth | 02:36

[Podvid] Dear Apartment Five | multivoice | 04:41

Notes from the Community Message Board: the residents of Patrick's apartment building have a few thoughts/concerns to share about the newest neighbors.

[Podvid of Dear Apartment Five written by blackandwhiteandrose]

stormy weather | ted/alexis | multivoice | voiced narrator | 04:13

[Podcast] Razzle Dazzle Rose Voiceteam Podcast Ep #1 - The Blouse Barn Divorce Ranch | multivoice | 1:22:07

In this episode, petrodobreva interviews eight out of the twenty-six creators of The Blouse Barn Divorce Ranch, a Tropefest 2021 fic and podfic (with art!). Listen to discover how the project came about, the processes involved in wrangling all the contributors, exciting behind-the-scenes stories, and more!

[podfic] Catfishing | david/patrick | 09:01

After some prompting from David, Fisherman Patrick reminisces about the day he found his cat, Mackerel, and brought him home.

[podfic of Catfishing]

[podfic] I’m a M*therf*cking Starboy | david/patrick | 05:43

This guy walks into Ray's and rocks Patrick's world. He's over the moon. It's the love story of the Centauri.

[podfic of I'm a M*therf*cking Starboy]

[Podfic] It’s Well Worth the Wait | multivoice | 03:54

Patrick lets his hair grow out, David isn't adequately prepared.

[podcast] Razzle Dazzle Rose Voiceteam Podcast Ep #3 - Voiceteam 2021: A Look Back | multivoice | 1:03:59

In this episode, five of the members of Team Razzle Dazzle Rosé discuss their experience with Voiceteam this year.

also, i sewed a pair of knit shorts and cut out the pattern for a jumpsuit 😅

[mithrilwren]

Fanfic ask game for procrastinating on writing, which as of this week is actually accurate, since I’m finally writing again! (or, more specifically, editing what I wrote two months ago so I can get back to writing.)

Tagged by @essektheylyss! Thank you, this is exactly the kind of activity my brain needed tonight.

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

72! I was hovering at 69 for quite a while, sad to break the streak haha

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

~550K, which is somehow both more and less than what I expected

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Many, lmao. According to my Ao3 (omitting any blanket tags) I’ve got 22 there, plus at least two more over on ff.net from back in the day, and probably a couple more just on Tumblr. Most of them I’ve only written one fic for, though. I think the only fandoms where I’ve written more than one are Critical Role (35), Supernatural (15), Haikyuu!! (3), The Exorcist (2), Dimension 20 (2), and Yu-Gi-Oh! (2)

4) What are your top five fics by kudos?

Pick a Number, Any Number

Surprisingly, my number one is NOT a Critical Role fic, nor is it even one of my longer multi-chapters! It’s actually a one-shot I wrote for Haikyuu!! back in the day that took off far beyond what I expected. I wrote it for DaiSuga week, which was a ship I (to be completely honest) wasn’t even terribly invested in, but I had a fun idea and people seemed to like it! (It’s also much fluffier than what I usually write, which might be part of its broader appeal ;))

A Winter’s Ball

Unsurprisingly, the next four are all CR ;). This one was a M9 x VM crossover that I primarily wrote between the hours of 3-8am over the course of two insomnia-wracked nights and honestly, I think it shows in its uncharacteristically unstructured format (compared to my typical style, which tends to favour shorter scenes with very intentionally-placed breaks between, as opposed to scenes that flow into each other without pause). That’s not to say I think it’s a bad thing! The story, which follows Beau as she drifts through a party in Whitestone and observes the interactions between the various guests, actually flows better without that kind of interruption. This was also my first Beaujester piece. I started writing it right before Beau’s confession aired, and published it the week after, which definitely pushed me to make what had been only subtextual in the first half of my draft into the emotional lynchpin of the story.

Only the Nightingale Sings

I’m really glad this one still ranks as high as it does, because this story is absolutely my pride and joy. At one time (though I’m not sure that’s true anymore) it was the longest gen fic in the fandom, which is pretty cool! Plot-heavy, twist-heavy, angst-heavy, with seven points of view to follow and multiple interwoven storylines, it was a beast of a thing to write, and took almost exactly a year to finish, but the long process was oh-so worth it. Literally nothing makes me happier today than seeing a new comment or kudos on this story.

Closer Still

One of my earliest shadowgast fics, this one asks the question “how can you make the ‘stuck in an elevator trope’ fantasy?” The answer is, as always, demiplanes. This fic, perhaps more than any of my other shadowgast fics, is interesting to revisit, because it was written before the ep 97 reveal, but literally everything Essek does in it would suggest otherwise. It reads like I already knew he was a spy working with Trent, and yet I was firmly in the “Essek is NOT the spy” camp at the time. Gotta chalk that up to Matt telegraphing his growing guilt into the preceding episodes - even if I couldn’t see it, it was clearly there.

your dust from mine

My other novel-length CR multichapter, this fic brought me so much joy in the otherwise bleak summer of 2020. Most of my best memories of those four months come from working on this story. A Fjorclay adaption of The Goose Girl (my favourite fairytale) this story is about healing, growth, and figuring out what happiness means to you. While I know most people don’t read stories for this pairing anymore, for obvious reasons, I still cherish your dust from mine for how much of my heart I poured into it, and I look back on it with a huge amount of fondness.

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do my absolute best to respond to every comment someone leaves on a story of mine, even if it occasionally takes a month or two. Replying to comments is one of my favourite parts of the fic-writing process - it gives me a chance to revisit peoples’ kind words and (often, incredibly insightful) observations, and I hope it also shows how appreciative I am of each and every one. 

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Though I write a lot of angst, I honestly tend more towards bittersweet endings than straight-up sadness. The only one I can really think of is What You Own - mind the tags if you follow the link, this is definitely one of the gnarlier things I’ve written for CR - whose ending is, admittedly, bleak. But this story so far removed from canon that I don’t think it’s the kind of angsty ending that lingers with you, as much as it packs a punch and then lets you go on your way.

7) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I tend to enjoy thinking about crossovers moreso than actually writing them. I’ve brainstormed a few, but none have ever made it much farther than the first page.

8) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

A few times! Not often, thankfully. Only one time in particular really sticks out to me, mostly for how it rocked my confidence in a way that I don’t think any comment could now, since I’ve had a few more years to build up faith in my own writing.

9) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Very, very occasionally.

10) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I hope not! 

11) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

12) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Oh man, back in the Glee days... yeah. Yeah, I have. Nothing that ever got published, though ;)

13) What’s your all time favourite ship?

Not sure I have one! Ships come and go with the seasons, and sometimes they’re best left in the era you found them.

14) What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

The Shadowgast figure skating AU. It’s never going to happen, but I wish it had.

15) What are your writing strengths?

I would say probably structure, in terms of constructing narrative arcs and through-lines. I’m organized with my writing in a way that I am in few other areas of my life, haha. I’d also say my sense of place - I think I’m pretty good at constructing living, breathing settings and exploring how my characters interact affect/are affected by them.

16) What are your writing weaknesses?

I have a tendency to be wordy (which you might surmise from the length of this post, lol) and repeat myself, usually by going over emotional beats that don’t need the extra reinforcement. On the other hand, I tend to underexplain certain elements (particularly, important plot details in fic, and character motivation in original writing), which can lead to confusion.

A couple years ago I would have said dialogue, but I’ve put a lot of practice into it and I honestly think I’ve improved a lot, which is pretty cool!

17) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’ve never done it myself, and it’s not generally my favourite thing to read (like @essektheylyss said, it makes me hyper-aware that I’m reading words on a page, especially if I have to follow a footnote somewhere). That said, I’ve definitely also seen it used effectively, so I think it’s more down to whether it suits the particular story!

18) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Yu-Gi-Oh!

19) What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

As mentioned above, Only the Nightingale Sings.

[smallblueandloud]

some leverage: redemption reactions

i finished leverage redemption today! and i don't have anyone to talk to about it so, here we have my reactions for all eight episodes, both positive and negative. please feel free to reblog/comment -- discussions are what i'm here for! (under a cut because spoilers and also this ended up being 2k. whoops!)

EPISODE 1: the too many rembrandts job

the "aww, this guy is trying to pull his first heist! how cute" job

what they chose to do with nate was... interesting. it might just be that i read too many of those cracky "here's how they should explain nate's absence" posts, but i was expecting something funny. the grief permeating this episode -- it makes SENSE, but it was still weird. leverage doesn't usually have sadness like this. pain, yes, rage, certainly, but sadness? not usually

the way sophie immediately spots the signs of a con and slips into a character? phenomenal. i'm here for EXPERTS BEING EXPERTS and this show does NOT disappoint

harry wilson is a really solid character! most impressively, he's not flynn, which is impressive enough that i'm making a whole bullet point about it. i was worried that noah wyle was kinda a one-trick pony, but it appears not! good for him tbh

i'm LIVING for the ot3 moments in this episode. "what happened?" "we happened" YESSSSS!!! i wish we'd had more domesticity, but i know they did what they could

"he gets it from his father" FUCK!!!!!

the discussion about redemption in this episode is FANTASTIC but personally i am still delirious with excitement about "my nana leads a multi-denominational household" so expect those thoughts in 3-5 business days

EPISODE 2: the panamanian monkey job

the "flash electropop concert" job

BREANNA INTRODUCTION! i love her so MUCH, y'all. we only got to see her dynamic with hardison in this one episode, but man, it manages to be one of her best dynamics anyway. i just! i love her! i love the way the team works with her!

"in our field, you're one of the best. but there, you're the only one." god we have ELIOT/HARDISON rights and i am NOT OKAY. just!! them!!!!!! being supportive!!!!!! they have learned how to be sweet with each other! they work together so much better (in part because we're seeing them from harry's outsider pov instead of nate's insider pov, but STILL)

midway through this episode, i thought "huh, leverage always focuses on specific people, when really the problem is systematic, and pretending it's anything different is just an excuse to not fight for change". and then at the end harry talks about how the system itself is broken! i love knowing that john rogers and i were reading the same tweets last summer. it's a good feeling to trust the people making a piece of media

who let noah wyle speak spanish. whoever it was, they need to rescind their permission

god, the parker/hardison in this episode. THE PARKER/HARDISON IN THIS EPISODE! they KILL me friends they KILL ME!

also just like, hardison in this episode in general. he made a star trek reference! he made a doctor who reference! he decides there are other people who need him more! the way they wrote around gina bellman's maternity leave in s2 was good but this was phenomenal.

also i'm here for ot3 crumbs so "is this like the time when eliot wanted us to say no" is going on my ot3-is-canon conspiracy board

this is a tiny detail but eliot taking out the drone with a goddamn ORANGE was so good. he's so good at his job!! they're all so good at their jobs!! i know i literally just talked about this but AAA

EPISODE 3: the rollin' on the river job

the "sometimes you just want to rob a vault wearing a floofy dress, and that's valid" job

i did... not. like. how the villain in this one was an immigrant whose exploitable weakness was a "desperation" to be included in the upper crust. and the fact that they beat him with a literal southern belle who explicitly beats him BECAUSE her family has been in the area for "hundreds of years"? it just feels Iffy.

also iffy about this episode was breanna's characterization. it felt inconsistent. she feels inconsistent across the whole season, but this episode in particular... she tells harry she's only with the team because she's desperate, that she doesn't believe in hope, and then at the end of the episode she tells parker she wants to be there to change the world. and like, even in the first place, she's not here out of desperation! SHE asked to join the team! like, i can see how it all kinda fits together, but it just feels... inconsistent. idk. i think these scripts all could've benefited from an extra round or two of editing.

anyway! i loved the way they tied hardison into these episodes, even though aldis hodge couldn't be there. he has binders! breanna doesn't want to read them! parker did! he put in big letters, "when in doubt, trust the person in the van". i'm just so !!! about how much i love him and how much he loves his team and how much his team loves him. FOUND FAMILY, BABY!

all inconsistencies in breanna's characterization aside, i really liked her speech at the end. i know how she feels! it's really nice to have someone on the team who's from -- not my world, really, but a lot closer than any of the others. it's a nice feeling! i love her a lot. i hope her writing gets more consistent

lol, parker ate eliot's carrot cake. i love the parker/eliot rights we get in this show, they're so domestic and it's wonderful.

EPISODE 4: the tower job

the "hardison made his partners learn klingon" job

watching this episode was what made me go "they're not going to make us sit through a harry/sophie romance... right? right?"

i'm still not sure they're gonna let us avoid it but it COULD work so... i've decided to just not worry about it for now

i liked the number of ways the con goes wrong! it was fun to watch them work on the fly like that. i think them not having a dedicated Mastermind(tm) is a good watsonian explanation for their plans being pretty haphazard in general, but it's good, they think well on their feet

nate was a chessmaster. he had the whole situation in his mind from the beginning, accounting for every possible outcome. parker and sophie are much more adaptive, and it's cool to see. they can rely on their respective skillsets a lot more than nate could

a really solid episode! probably one of the strongest ones in the season. i liked it a lot.

(ALSO as mentioned above the klingon lines were fantastic and not just because they were a star trek reference -- every time eliot and parker both mentioned hardison, together, it added a year to my lifespan)

EPISODE 5: the paranormal hacktivity job

the "sophie was worryingly prepared to fake her death" job

i know why they characterized the client as a skeptic, i really do, and i loved the format of this episode, but also. But Also. she should've been a love interest for breanna and I'm Right.

having a girl's episode was the CORRECT choice. they do crimes in their free time! they fleece newbie, cruel criminals! it's so good!

it would've been cool to have eliot around for the assassin guy, but it was also cool to see the others take him out without having eliot to rely on. it's like getting to see how they'd take out eliot, if they were ever on opposing sides.

PARKER CANONICALLY USES SCRIPTS IT'S THE BEST THING EVER

breanna bristling about letting the criminal into the theater's electric system was so good god i love her so much. she knows hardware! i bet she likes to work with her hands. i bet she stims. i bet she has adhd

actually, sidenote, but i LOVE these headquarters. they look so nice! the stage is so nice! i loved having an episode set in and around it, it was such a good choice.

EPISODE 6: the card game job

the "FINALLY AN EXPLICITLY QUEER LEVERAGE CHARACTER" job

QUEER BREANNA QUEER BREANNA QUEER BREANNA QUEER BR

UNFOLLOW ME NOW THIS IS GONNA BE THE ONLY THING I POST ABOUT FOR THE REST OF TIME

GOD, what a good way to reveal it. it's fully about her! i love queer romances, of course i do, but i don't think i've ever seen a character come out without a romance being their reason for doing so (however indirectly). i still think she should've gotten a date with the client from 1x05, but i really liked this too.

this episode just felt like a love letter to fandom, and i love that. i love how much it shone through. i'm used to writers specifically going out of their way to make fun of fans and laugh at them, so it was just. really nice to have someone stand up and go, no, this is important for a reason! people love this for a reason! it MEANS something!

very fun to watch eliot swordfight. very fun to watch sophie recite a sonnet in her classic fashion. very fun to watch parker work at being a good mentor. breanna was so excited about the card game! they're all so good!

oh, and i guess harry's here too.

EPISODE 7: the double-edged sword job

the "harry is addicted to mobile games, which is a mood" job

hot take alert! i think this is the weakest episode of the season by a LOT. it needed so much more editing. it felt so disjointed, so all over the place. the plot was haphazard but in a muffled way, where you had no idea why they were doing what they were doing. the climax was sudden and didn't make any sense. it was just weird.

i'm not the person to comment on this but it feels kind of lazy to cast an east asian guy to play a socially-awkward tech genius. just a thought.

oh, of course jonathan frakes directed this episode. sometimes his stuff is really good but other times (ahem, ds9 3x02) it's disjointed and all over the place. i'm not even surprised it was him.

idk if i have anything else to say about this. oh! some of the team moments were great -- mostly involving eliot. i loved the moment of him recognizing the headshot, i LOVED the ten seconds of everyone teasing him. he and parker talked about the wellbeing of their friend, the woman whose ex tracked her down!

separate bulletpoint to say how much i LOVED his conversation with breanna outside the house. he's so good at reassuring! he could go deeper there, talking about being better than your worst day, but he knew when not to push! it was so good.

"first off, this guy can't TOUCH hardison" deserves its own bulletpoint because like. y'all. Y'ALL.

EPISODE 8: the mastermind job

the "eliot is more than just a pretty face" job

oh man this post is so much longer than i thought it would be. okay just one more episode and then i'm done.

the callbacks to original leverage were SO well done and made me feel emotions without feeling overbearing.

i didn't like the central premise -- that nate would share so many details with a random insurance agent -- in the first place, but i did like how it allowed them to bring back nate without actually hiring timerty mcasshole.

i liked eliot's insistence that he's more than just the muscle! he is, and it's really good to know, textually, that the writers do too!

me, watching the resolution of the episode: ah, yeah, insurance fraud. a classic!

harry bonding with his guard had "they don't even have dental!" energy and i am SUCH a fan. i know it was all for the con but also give me harry, unable to stop advising people, even when they're actively holding him hostage

parker! on the phone with hardison!!!! ADORABLE

is it just me or was someone else expecting the accountant's name to be something significant? with the way they led up to it, i was waiting for a "sterling" or something else. my sensors were pinging for another tara reveal. i'm still convinced we're gonna get this guy dramatically revealed in the season finale.

a really nice episode! i had a lot of fun with it. and now i want to rewatch the rashamon job, but tbh i ALWAYS want to rewatch the rashamon job.

and that's a wrap! overall, a fun season, i enjoyed it a lot. not as solid as original leverage, but it's the very beginning, and it was put together during a global pandemic, so i'm cutting them some slack. also levar burton is gonna show up at some point. that's a big reason of why i'm cutting them so much slack.

my personal ranking of the episodes is 1x04, 1x06, 1x08, 1x01, 1x02, 1x03, and finally last (and least), 1x07.

what did you guys think of the new season? what was your favorite episode? do you agree with any of my opinions? disagree with any? let me know, please, i'd love to discuss!

[angsty-nerd]

2020 Creator Wrap: Favorite Works

I was tagged by the lovely and wonderful @darlingnotso

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (or so) favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

1. Highway to the Sun - https://archiveofourown.org/works/28058361/chapters/68740104

I mean, I have to start here! I spent half the year focused on this one fic and it was a challenge and an accomplishment. The challenge being having to write it in a bubble. There were a number of points where I struggled and just. wanted. someone. to read it. And then thankfully artist parings happened and @darlingnotso fed me 😉 Her companion art owned me too. It was all just so perfect.

I’ll take it a step further and give some background. I think it was late June/early July. I was trying to meet a fic deadline for a fandom event. And I was sitting in my apartment daydreaming and all of a sudden I just got the image in my head of Liz standing in the California sunlight, and Max watching her from his car parked nearby. And every ounce of his being wanting to go to her, but knowing he can’t. So he just silently says goodbye and drives away. But she feels him as he passes and his avoidance is pointless. That scene just got stuck in my head, and within an hour I had the entire plot outlined.

Lastly I’ll just say, there’s a scene between Liz and Mr. Jones, maybe in Part 6? That might be my favorite bit of the whole fic. Somehow it just came out perfectly for me.

2. 2x13 Coda - https://archiveofourown.org/works/23308813/chapters/59836633

I wrote this little ficlet post 2x13 of Liz’s POV as she leaves town. The funny thing is that when I wrote this, I was pissed at Liz. Still sort of am a bit. Because I do feel like her decision to leave was a character backslide. And I know the writers don’t feel that way and it’s gonna be portrayed as a positive thing for her, but those little moments of hesitation where she clearly wanted Max to stop her - THAT was the character growth peeking out. Leaving is who she was before Max. So when I scribbled this little ficlet out I was focusing on two things. 1) those hesitations as a positive thing, and 2) her walls going back up as a bad thing.

3. WIP Wednesday unfinished fic segment - https://angsty-nerd.tumblr.com/post/621814550672654336/work-in-progress-wednesday

I never finished this, because the plot in my head was overcome by events in S2. But I shared it on Tumblr anyway because I really liked this little Max POV moment. I think I wrote this between 2x10 and 2x11? Thinking that Kyle would take Max to the secret lab and they would clear it out. I definitely didn’t see Liz locking Kyle out coming. But I liked the idea of Max feeling betrayed after listening to that damned tape recorder and reflecting on death and life. So yeah.

4. S2 Metas! Yes I’m cheating and sticking these together. Just... shake your head at me and go with it.

https://angsty-nerd.tumblr.com/post/616049598526554112/thinky-thoughts-on-max-in-2x06-ive-been-thinking

☝️ Meta on Max’s character changes in 2x06.

https://angsty-nerd.tumblr.com/post/619420857390006272/angsty-aliens-has-successfully-fixed-my-brain-on

☝️Meta with @rosaortecho and @angsty-aliens’ assistance on the Pod Squad as The Head, The Hands, and The Heart.

https://angsty-nerd.tumblr.com/post/621229731486072832/rnm-2x13-echo-download

☝️ loooongwinded thoughts on Echo’s S2 arc and ending.

https://angsty-nerd.tumblr.com/post/621841909804056576/uk-tv-and-watershed-content-requirements

☝️ Informational meta on UK TV Watershed restrictions, trying to explain why Carina was ignorant and unprofessional during the ITV incident.

5. Lastly, @roswelldetails.

Also kind of feels like cheating, but it was a lot of work and it’s why I didn’t really write much in the first half of 2020. So here are a few shoutouts of RosDeets posts that I felt pretty good about.

https://roswelldetails.tumblr.com/post/614491105293139968/notmax-in-good-mother

☝️Little signs that Max was a figment of Isobel’s imagination in Good Mother

https://roswelldetails.tumblr.com/post/615866503111344128/ive-seen-a-lot-of-posts-and-discord-discussions

☝️Season 2 Timeline: what’s known and where it becomes a jumbled mess.

https://roswelldetails.tumblr.com/post/617511638828023808/rnm-2x08-say-it-aint-so

☝️ I was trying to recall an episode that I was particularly happy with the deets post, and I realized 2x08 was one. The breakdown of Rosa’s plot line, and Iris was something that I felt pretty good about.

https://roswelldetails.tumblr.com/post/620491435283726336/helenas-season-2-timeline-as-of-2x12-and-all-its

☝️ Clarifying what the heck was going on with Helena Ortecho in Season 2.

Oh tags... I second all the tags that Maura did! Lol. Especially @maxortecho @rosaortecho @suzteel and @ober-affen-geil ☺️

[lightsandlostbells]

wtFOCK season 3, episode 4 reaction

Kiss kiss fall in love? More like kiss kiss stay away from me.

I have to warn you. This is the episode where I lost it. I had to go back and edit so much unhappy capslock out of my notes. 

Episode 4

Clip 1 - Het drama again

Zoë shows Milan a video of the shooting prank. Milan asks about romance on the trip, Robbe says there were too many people and too little privacy.

Senne and Zoë have tension because Zoë is pissed that Senne was partying? And that he was posting pictures of parties on IG when she wasn’t there? I mean … look, I’m never a William fan, but this seems like Zoë’s problem. If you can’t trust him to behave when you’re gone, you SHOULDN’T BE WITH HIM. And if you feel like you can trust him, this dude going to bars or whatever shouldn’t bother you. At least it seems to be portrayed as Zoë’s issues. Milan mentions that she’s jealous. He seems to like Senne, and I do find that dynamic cute so far.

I do appreciate that the Noorhelm drama this time is boring and not like “Senne was mad about how Zoë handled her sexual assault” levels of offensive.

That being said ... Robbe’s story. Where.

If you’ve been telling a very tight story so far, where Robbe’s personal journey has been steadily progressing clip by clip, then a clip like this wouldn’t be that bad. We absolutely have not been watching a tight story. Even with the next clip of Robbe doing some introspection, I’m like ... can we not make every scene count toward his story when there’s so much catching up to do? Ten seconds of Robbe looking vaguely troubled out of a two-minute clip that’s mainly about Zoë and Senne’s relationship does not count. A better writer would find some way to make Zoë/Senne parallel to Robbe/Sander, like how Noora talking about William and “if he loves you, he’ll choose you” in the first clip of episode 4 is relevant to Isak sitting there texting Even and Even choosing his plans with Sonja over Isak.

Clip 2 - Milan and Robbe talk gaydar

Robbe checking out Sander on Britt’s IG … finally, some cyberstalking. Did he take a screenshot of a pic of Sander? Lol.

Milan sits down and asks Robbe his opinion of a guy on Grindr, sexy or not? Robbe is lukewarm, giving neutral answers, Milan says he’s allowed to have an opinion on whether a guy is hot or not.

It feels SO WEIRD to have this clip so late, and I’m trying to like … recalibrate my brain so it’s not just because it’s later than usual. I don’t inherently hate if a remake changes up the order of clips. But the problem is that we’re now FOUR episodes in and it feels like Robbe’s sexuality crisis has just begun, I guess? Or rather, efficient storytelling would start out with this clear view of what Robbe’s issues are, rather than muddling into it a few episodes in.

Milan’s all, this guy says he’s not gay, but he likes to blow guys. This turns into a conversation about Milan’s gaydar and how to know if a guy is gay. In the original scene, the purpose of this conversation with Isak and Eskild was there as a way of Isak figuring out if Even was gay. That ... does not really fit this version, because this clip is so late in the season. Isak was getting Eskild’s wisdom right after meeting Even, when he had nothing but a BJ reference to go on. But Sander eyefucking Robbe while kissing Britt and leaning in to kiss Robbe should be pretty big clues to Robbe that Sander likes men, no? And that he likes Robbe specifically. Yeah, Robbe might be doubtful because Sander is still with Britt, but nothing new has happened since the almost kiss to make Robbe doubt! It would make way more sense if they’d adapted the opening clip of OG season 4, with Even texting Isak that he had plans with Sonja, into the clip prior to this one. If Robbe had texted Sander an invitation to hang out, or even just a “hey, what’s up?” and Sander wrote back “plans with Britt” then it would be an understandable transition for Robbe to have some doubt about Sander’s sexuality in this clip, like hey, maybe he’s not actually into me, after all.

The scene might make sense if you think about Robbe listening and applying Milan’s words to himself. Thinking about how there’s “something trapped in them that desperately wants to come out.” Wondering if it’s obvious to other people that Robbe is gay. It still doesn’t quite work and I actually doubt that was their intention (I think it was all about how to detect if Sander is into guys) but I am searching for any scraps of Robbe introspection, so.

OK, at least they had Robbe immediately look up Grindr (I laughed that he searched “grinder”). Good! Sexuality conflict! Why is it so late! Although it was probably more about trying to find Sander rather than a personal move on Robbe’s part.

This is a very gay song, btw (I Like Boys by Todrick Hall). 

Clip 3 - Robbe and Yasmina talk het drama

Aaron talks to Robbe about sitting close to his teacher to see her boobs and the teacher saying she knows why he’s sitting there. I highly suspect this is just a dream Aaron had, unless the teacher said it in a pissed off way. Throw his ass in the back row, big-breasted teacher!

Robbe meets up with Yasmina. Yasmina wants to know the dirt from the seaside, Robbe fills her in. Soooo are they good friends, or what? He tells her about Aaron and Amber and they laugh and stuff. I mean it’s cute and all but like … where is this coming from? Did they become great friends in the S2 that I didn’t watch?

And that’s the whole clip … again, I ask what was the point? 

To establish that Robbe and Yasmina are friends? Way to undermine the development and importance of that relationship by basically cutting through the buildup and hard work to the payoff. Sana and Isak meant more to people BECAUSE they started off prickly and grew to like each other and respect each other via their actions and words, right? That their conversations were more interesting because of their opposing views and resulting friction? That the friction was extremely relevant to the religion discussion?

Was the point to talk about Aaron/Amber and how Amber supposedly isn’t interested? We don’t need Yasmina’s commentary on that at all since we could see how Amber herself reacted to Aaron. Like if Yasmina was all, yeah, Amber couldn’t stop talking about Aaron, she says she doesn’t like him but I think she does, then I guess I could see the relevance of this conversation since it’s “new” information ... but it’s just the same shit we already know. And again: why spend so much time on a SIDE HET ROMANCE during a gay character’s season? Two of out three clips in this episode so far have been about side het romances!

This clip was just not needed at all except to set up Robbe and Yasmina so the impending religion conversation feels mildly less like two characters who have barely spoken on screen suddenly have an intense and somewhat personal talk. Something they could have done in earlier episodes instead of the other repetitive, unnecessary clips they’ve done this season. 

Clip 4 - Dance chicks

At Noor’s dance performance, Robbe’s pals are drooling over the performers (and honestly being rather inappropriate and distracting). At least they got Robbe’s lack of interest right. Even though they have established this FIFTEEN THOUSAND TIMES with the lack of interest in Noor, like this clip almost doesn’t feel necessary at this point! If they’d had it earlier in the season, sure, but now it feels redundant. Like we really super mega get it by now that Robbe’s not into the girls.

The instructor thanks the performers at the end and Robbe says that he was “so gay.” Hey, except you know what? THERE IS NO BUILDUP TO THIS MOMENT. ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NONE. Except for the homophobic jokes from his friends in the previous seasons, but there’s nothing I can recall in this season.  But more importantly, Isak’s similar comment was prompted by him taking the gay test in a preceding clip. Taking a quiz about generalizations of gay people, rooted in homophobia! Which Isak applies to the dance teacher! In order to distance himself from being gay! WE GOT NONE OF THAT HERE. For fuck’s sake.

There is no setup or reason why Robbe goes from being somewhat neutral about gay people with Milan asking him about the Grindr dude two clips ago - where Robbe is just kinda like, yeah OK, whatever, you think everyone’s gay, Milan (but he’s not overly grossed out or homophobic) - to this moment where he’s making a derogatory comment about a person he perceives as flamboyantly gay. This scene just happens because it did in OG. And the thing is, obviously you can attribute Robbe’s reasoning here to internalized homophobia. We know internalized homophobia exists and why he has it. But this is a scripted narrative, and any scripted narrative needs to have things happen for a reason rather than just because.

I remember complaining that Skam Italia had a bizarre take on this scene. But that’s nothing compared to the laziness on display here.  

Jens is like WTF at Robbe’s “so gay” comment, it’s clear he’s not feeling it. I do like that Robbe gets defensive when Jens scoffs at him. They ask Robbe why he’s such a downer lately and if it’s because of his dad, or because of the Vlogs. Robbe blames the vlogs and yells and walks off, they’re confused.

Lol I just realized that I don’t think there was any followup to the prank from the seaside trip that had Robbe all pissed off. Nothing to show that the boys reconciled or that Robbe didn’t get over it right away.

I have a big problem with the way the boy squad is characterized so far, and it might be because they come across as more self-absorbed than other boy squads, as well as having a more superficial bond. I feel like so far they’re a rather cynical take on teenage boyhood. Again, not expecting them to be perfect or to be overly mature, but this show has to do a lot of work to make me believe they have the empathy or maturity to deal with Robbe’s situation kindly. (EDIT from the future: lol)

Clip 5 - Robbe and Yasmina talk religion

Oh shit, somehow I didn’t connect that dots that Aaron mentioning the teacher’s boobs would lead to THE boob teacher making an appearance! Unless there are multiple teachers with notable breasts at this school.

Another scene of Robbe not interested in breasts ... I mean, not to sound like a broken record, but this would have been good about three episodes ago.

The teacher is talking about religion and Darwininsm and creationism, which prompts Robbe to complain about how people still have religious beliefs in 2019.

Heavy fucking sigh. Have we gotten ANY religious moments from Robbe’s mom this season? Or from anyone else? Do the writers realize that Isak grilling Sana about religion was prompted by his OWN MOTHER’S religious beliefs and his fear of her judgment of his sexuality? No? Not surprised.

For real, Robbe just complains about religion out of nowhere … and like, obviously religious homophobia isn’t a rare thing, it exists. But it has not been established why Robbe in particular cares about the effects of religious homophobia, compared to say, the casual homophobia of his friends, or gay stereotypes, or gay bashing … we don’t know why religious homophobia has PERSONAL relevance in Robbe’s life. And yes, this is a concern for every gay person! But from a STORYTELLING perspective, there should be some focus as to what Robbe’s main fears are about being gay. Lack of acceptance from his peers? His family? Religion? Violence? Homophobic slurs?

I would say based on previous seasons, the most compelling basis for Robbe’s internalized homophobia would be the homophobic attitudes of his friend group. A revised take on the dance chicks scene might have been done with this in mind, but it wasn’t, and so it’s all just very muddled. 

Anyway, Robbe goes on this tangent and asks Yasmina why she believes in God. The teacher voices what I thought and is like, why the fuck are you talking in class?

Again, there is NO BUILDUP to the involvement of religion at all. They have this shoehorned in friendship, I guess so he can ask her. He does bring up homosexuality at least, and how religion is so black and white.

Yasmina asks him what he believes. ONE THING they got right: they had Robbe challenge Yasmina on an intellectual level, and so Yasmina challenges him on an intellectual level right back. Because a lot of their dialogue is lifted right from OG, that’s why it works. LMAOOOO. Yasmina points out that homosexuality is an evolutionary “dead end” so therefore it can’t be genetic, so what is it? A disorder? A choice? I will also give some credit for her invoking the most anxiety-causing options to get under Robbe’s skin.

But the tone of their friendship does come across very different, because in the previous scene they seemed like good chums who had a rapport, and here it’s like Robbe lashed out at her for no reason, even less than Isak did with Sana, because Robbe just decided to torch his friendship with Yasmina out of the blue. I guess the answer is that Robbe is cranky so he decided to grill Yasmina over religion, but again, the fucking question is: why was he cranky? Two clips before this one they were on warm, friendly terms. In the last clip, he lashed out at his male friends, but that has nothing to do with religion. What the writers are asking us to do is basically just imagine all the stuff that’s happening in Robbe’s brain instead of doing their jobs and showing it to us. You don’t have to spoon feed us but you don’t also get to stick a few peas on a plate and wonder why we’re going hungry.

(REALLY. IT WAS NOT PROMPTED BY ANYTHING, NOT A TEXT FROM HIS MOM. WHICH IS WHY ISAK WAS UPSET AND LAUNCHED HIS INTERROGATION AT SANA.)

(CAUSE AND EFFECT, MOTHERFUCKER)

Clip 6 - Bowie playlist

Robbe is doing homework when Sander sends him a Bowie playlist. Robbe listens to Space Oddity and has a brief Moment. It’s very nice but wow, wouldn’t it be even better if Robbe fell for Sander listening to that? Say, in the last episode? Before they almost kissed? And before Robbe was suddenly declaring himself a Bowie expert to Noor?

Sander calls him, I like Robbe fixing his hair before he answers. It’s a video chat, gotta look his best! They have an actual conversation about Bowie and they flirt. Sander invites Robbe to the cafe later and Robbe is happy except then Britt is in the background and apparently she’s going with them, so it’s not a date after all, oh no. Robbe’s actor is good at subtly conveying his disappointment here.

Robbe hangs up and sticks his head against the bed (lol) and then goes back to Grindr. He immediately gets messages for horny sex and then gets rid of Grindr. 

At first I was like, yay, this clip had a clear point and a sense of cause-and-effect, but now I’m like ... ehhhhh. Because the purpose of Robbe checking out Grindr is either A) so he can look for Sander or B) so he can check it out as a general way of exploring his sexuality (or both). The suggestion is that it has a lot to do with the former, because it was part of Milan’s advice as to how to find out if someone’s gay. But it’s a little weird here, because Robbe just saw that Britt was coming along to the cafe, so he should be discouraged about Sander. I mean, I think it’s still possible that he’s trying to figure out if Sander likes him because he’s getting mixed signals between the playlist and Britt, but it’s just a little off. And as for option B, I’m not sure why now of all times is the best time for that, like if you think about it, the sting of getting his hopes dashed should be the predominant emotion here, would he go straight to Grindr just to be like hmmm, maybe I’m into dudes?

And it bugs me because there is a super easy fix to this clip! Just have Sander send the Bowie playlist, Robbe listens to it, and as he’s daydreaming and smiling a bit, he gets out his phone and checks out Grindr, ready to search for Sander. But there are too many sex messages so he’s just like WTF and gets rid of it. Then Sander calls and they have this conversation that ends in Robbe being reminded that Britt is still in the picture. (Or he doesn’t need to get the sexy messages at all, I mean they’re kind of funny but I’m not sure they’re plot-necessary here.) 

Noor texts him that they’ll meet up later. It’s not 100% clear but it sounds like she knew about meeting up with Sander and Britt, so that means Britt probably told her previously. Which is a little bit of different context from OG, because I was under the impression that Even asked Isak to hang out with them hoping that they’d be alone, and then somehow Sonja found out and made it into a group thing with Emma, making Even grumpy. With this it seems like it was planned as a group thing from the beginning, Britt knows they’re meeting up later.

Or wait, when Sander says he’ll give Robbe advice at the cafe later, does that mean Robbe already knows they’re meeting up? That would make sense because it’s what happened in OG (Even invited Isak in an earlier clip and then Isak found out Emma and Sonja were coming in a later one). They’re incorporating all kinds of OG elements in this episode so I wouldn’t be surprised. But I assumed that this was the invite because we didn’t see Sander talk to Robbe earlier this week? Shouldn’t we have seen that clip since it’s the first time they’ve interacted since they almost kissed? I checked the texts for this episode and I don’t see anything like Sander inviting Robbe, either? Did I just miss something? What is going on?

Clip 7 - Robbe is late to meet Noor

Later that day …. Robbe rides a bike. Very fast. The music is dramatic! This would not be out of place for an O Helga Natt scene

And yet it’s not OHN, it’s Noor? Noor seems annoyed. Because Robbe is late. OH NO THE TENSION WHATEVER WILL WE DO. WE CARE A TON ABOUT ROBBE AND NOOR.

Noor is super pissed at him and starts screaming and shoving at him. What the actual fuck? She complains that she thought he was dead or something and is mad he didn’t even send a message. She says fuck you and walks off. Robbe follows her on the bike.

I don’t know how popular this opinion is, but Noor did not come across as great here, like when I watched it I was baffled at her response. I say this as someone who is chronically early and also gets annoyed at lateness. She has every right to be annoyed that Robbe is late and that he didn’t message her to tell her he’d be late, and I get that there’s supposedly more to her reaction than just this one incident. But the screaming and especially the shoving at him is just WTF. 

Also, she told him to meet him at 19:00, and the beginning of the clip is at 19:21 (I see what you did there) and Robbe arrives like a minute or two later. So he’s 20 minutes late, which is certainly annoying, especially because it’s dark and chilly outside, but IMO not a cause for “I thought you were dead or in an accident!” and the OTT reaction. 

Clip 8 - Robbe and Noor fight

Sander and Britt are in the cafe, Robbe and Noor argue outside about him giving her mixed signals. Has ... he ...?

OK, I’d say I half-see her case, and I half-don’t. If Noor can somehow sense Robbe’s disinterest during their makeouts or lovey-dovey moments or w/e, then I can buy that. I think there are slight moments where he doesn’t seem into it. But Robbe has put so much more genuine effort into their relationship than Isak did. He hasn’t even turned Noor down for sex, really, they’ve just gotten interrupted every time, or she’s thrown up. He didn’t want to go to her dance performance except then he told her he would go approximately thirty seconds later. He went to her dance performance. He went to the seaside with her and kissed her and slept in the same bed with her. This is the first time he’s actually fucked up with her.

Noor sounds ridiculous right now. “Do you still love me?” Uhhhh what??? You’ve been dating for less than a month, really? Did he tell her he loved her at any point? I’m serious, is there some material I missed? Some nuance in the language that didn’t completely translate?

I get it, I’m watching insecure overdramatic teenagers! I’m just wondering if I’m supposed to be on Noor’s side here. They could have portrayed this less OTT and more fitting to Robbe’s actual offenses.

Anyway Robbe and Noor have a screaming fight in the street and he says he can’t breathe anymore because of her. I can buy that even if it’s dramatic because he’s feeling trapped by her due to his sexuality. She walks off, Sander and Britt come outside. Britt goes after Noor and hugs her, Sander sings Space Oddity to signify the crash and burn of Robbe/Noor. He has on a Pink Floyd shirt so at least his musical taste is more varied than Bowie.

Clip 9 - Robbe and Sander by themselves

Robbe and Sander drink alone at the bar, they don’t think the girls are coming back. Sander texts Britt and then tells Robbe they’re going to do something else. He shows him Britt’s text saying that Noor needs some time alone. I mean. this drastically changes the context of them going off together … it’s not because they want to be together, necessarily (although they do) but it’s by default now.

So they leave.

Yeah, I do not love what they did with this scene. It’s short and to the point but I want to point out a few things.

First, because again, there’s no need to break up most of these clips into such short, choppy scenes just because 15 or 20 minutes have passed in-universe. It might be exciting if you happen to be watching and following at the exact time these are being posted, but it also messed with the flow of the scenes and the build of emotions. Imagine if we cut off after Isak and Even left Emma and Sonja and then 10 minutes later we got them riding around on a bike. We’d missed that beautiful transition from the silent, empty room to Isak on the bike and then Head Over Heels kicking in. That’s one of my favorite moments in season 3 and it’s because of that transition. It’s because I was sitting there watching this uncomfortable scene and wishing Isak and Even could be alone and then they got to be alone and my stomach swooped! If you break up moments like those, there’s just not as much build. (Or imagine - horror of horrors - an O Helga Natt where Isak gets the text from Even and it cuts off after he runs out of the church and then resumes when he arrives at the school, so we don’t see his journey. You lose so much.)

Second, there is a curious lack of romantic/sexual tension in this scene. It’s there on Sander’s end, I think, or at least you can read it there due to his focus on Robbe and even some of his body language. Robbe, on the other hand, seems more upset that his girlfriend who he doesn’t even feel genuine attraction to has walked out on him rather than the fact that he is sitting next to the boy he’s crushing on, alone together, right before they share their first kiss later that evening. And it just makes me want to know why. 

I don’t blame Robbe’s actor at all, because it’s the director’s job to tell him how to play the scene. But I rewatched this scene trying to be generous, and there is not a single shred of attraction or tension from Robbe toward Sander.  He checks the cafe door when it opens, he asks Sander to text Britt, and when Sander suggests they leave, Robbe’s first instinct is to ask what if Noor comes back. He sits there moping into his beer the whole time. He doesn’t sneak looks at Sander. He doesn’t try to talk to Sander about anything except Noor and Britt. No banter, no discussion that’s focused on them, Robbe-and-Sander, you know, the main couple of this season (supposedly). It doesn’t even feel like he’s consciously trying not to look or interact with Sander because of the romantic tension. No, it genuinely feels like Robbe’s #1 thought right now is Noor. Does that make sense to you? It makes sense for him to be a little out of sorts due to the fight, but does it make sense that Robbe seems to have no perceptible reaction to being alone with the guy he likes? Does it make sense that they didn’t take this chance to throw in some romantic and sexual tension in order to pave the way for the kiss that is going to happen very shortly? Gotta say that I think this scene exemplifies my earlier complaints about how Noor was so prevalent early in the season and how Robbe/Noor was built up. Because once again, Robbe/Noor has taken precedence over the undeveloped Robbe/Sander pairing.

Finally, as I said above, the situation makes it so that Robbe and Sander are on their own by default, not by choice. Combined with the bizarre lack of tension, that makes this scene fall totally flat. There’s no sense that these two really really want to be alone together. There’s no joy in them running off together. Robbe actually seems reluctant to go off with Sander. And not even because he’s fearful of what might happen, ooooo things might get a little gayer than I can handle right now, but like he’d rather sit here and drink and think about his girlfriend. 

It’s like they were concerned that Isak and Even were too mean to Emma and Sonja so they decided Robbe and Sander would only be alone because it was the girls’ decision to leave them, not the other way around. We even get that text from Britt so we know that Noor totes isn’t coming back and it’s OK for them to leave. I have no idea what their actual motivation was to construct the scenario this way, though. I would love to know. (The answer would probably annoy me so I’m better off not knowing.)

It’s little stuff like this that makes me want to sit down the writers/directors/whoever’s behind wtFOCK and have them watch scenes from Skam S3 and write an essay on the construction and execution of clips. Do some homework about timing, tension, narrative structure, and everything else that makes S3 work. 

Clip 10 - Smooch time

It’s 21:21 so you know what’s happening. Also, bullshit! Why is this happening so fast. You haven’t earned this!!!!

Sander buys them booze. The Sander actor is very good, honestly. I like his screen presence. It is a testament to his abilities that this relationship is working for me at all, because it sure ain’t the writing. (Robbe’s actor is doing well, too, but the writing is dragging him down since he’s present for all this nonsense.)

This scene of Sander and Robbe drinking and riding bikes is genuinely good on its own and they have strong chemistry when they’re allowed to show it. They have easy banter and interaction, there’s a callback to the booking.com reference from when they met. Really, this part makes me sad, because I can see the potential here! If the writing was GOOD, if the story had a legit direction, if it was just better storytelling all around … this season could have been wonderful, they had the right guys to do Isak and Even’s story justice. Instead it’s like this one terrific moment in a sea of wtFOCK.

If they go in the pool I will roll my eyes. C’mon, guys, you DO NOT HAVE THE SYMBOLISM to do this scene. It had a meaning in Skam, in most of the remakes it’s just an arbitrary location.

Yep, it’s a pool.

Sander takes off all his clothes so he jumps in bare-assed, and Robbe laughs. Sander yells at Robbe to get in the pool so Robbe does a fucking striptease while Sander watches, more or less, and he’s about to get in the pool in his underwear, but Sander is like “all the way or no way” so Robbe takes off his underwear after a brief moment of hesitation and jumps in. So they’re naked in the pool. Cool cool cool.

 Seeeeee, on the one hand this COULD be a moment of liberation, I could see it, taking off the clothes and jumping in as a representation of abandoning the stale hetero life or w/e. But I don’t think wtFOCK has built anything resembling a clear arc for Robbe, to the point where this act means anything, really. (Can you imagine Isak doing this in episode 4? I don’t know if it fits his character at that point, but I could at least be like, OK, this is part of his ~rebirth and I think we’ve built him up enough that this moment of liberation feels like a culmination of something.) I’m also not totally sold on the way they presented this, like we’ve got a closeted gay kid alone with his crush and the crush takes his all his clothes off and then Robbe takes all his clothes off with only the barest reluctance (but he’s not like … distressed or worried, just kinda like “aw, man!”) For some closeted gay kids? Sure, guess I could see it! But in the context of “this kid is struggling with his sexuality and he’s alone with the boy he likes and he’s supposed to be going through Some Shit”? Why doesn’t this have a bigger reaction in Robbe? Since they are drunk and not necessarily overthinking things in the moment, however, I will let this slide. Cynically I think this is mostly about trying to make wtFOCK Sexxxxy. I’m not a prude and I don’t have an objection in theory to a teenage couple skinny dipping together, but wtFOCK has a trend of taking a thing that happened in OG and going “How can we do this but more?” and these remakes know Evak is the big sell in fandom, so. They’re making it spicier. (EDIT from the future: Jumping ahead to later content on wtFOCK ... they very much are trying to make it Sexxxxy.)

Also, these guys just haven’t had a lot of buildup yet! And I can see like … rewriting this scene so the first kiss isn’t necessarily some epic release of a simmering tension and growing love, but more of a tentative, pivotal moment with a gay kid kissing a boy for the first time, and having the relationship grow from there. But wtFOCK isn’t doing that, it’s trying to do the Evak thing with the epic romance, and they haven’t earned it.

They go underwater for the breath-holding contest, Sander tries to kiss Robbe (Robbe’s eyes are pointedly closed so this feels like some unnecessary POV breakage) and Robbe shoves him back. He’s still in a good mood, though. They go back underwater and Robbe kisses Sander. Yay, I guess.

Lol, I don’t actually want to sound like a bitter asshole. The song choice is lovely! The cinematography is pretty good! And like I said, they have nice chemistry. It’s just that the storytelling has been so messy up to this point that I can’t get too invested. The very first clip I saw in real time for Skam season 3 was the pool scene - I had just discovered the show a few days prior, and I kept watching the clips on repeat. I could not get enough of this story. I really really needed those guys to kiss. Yeah, I recognize that at the time the story was brand new and this wasn’t the fourth iteration of the same pool scene and the sixth first kiss for this couple, and you really can’t recreate that feeling of not knowing what comes next in a remake like this. Still, I think that if the writing had just been better, I could have been happy and invested in this moment.

I also think that the pool scene in particularly has a tendency to get written in kind of a rote way in the remakes. Some of them have put their own spin on it - I had plenty of criticisms of Skam France’s S3 but I did enjoy their first kiss and I praised that they made up their own symbolism - but some of them have gotten so close to the original, the exact same banter, the interruption at the end, and it doesn’t feel natural for those versions of the characters. I’m not sure if the remake showrunners think that the original scene is something the fans want to see or if they’re being lazy or if they think the OG is just that good (which it is, lol). I don’t think any remake has been that faithful with their O Helga Natt clips, by comparison. 

Anyway they get caught, yadda yadda.

Clip 11 - Morning after the pool smooch

Robbe gets up and sees Zoë looking at Senne, seemingly hungover, on the couch. She makes coffee to spite him since the coffeemaker is loud.

Zoë asks Robbe about last night and says Noor was at the door. Robbe doesn’t tell her what really happened. Apparently Noor looked like she felt bad. I don’t think I can handle more Robbe/Noor, guys. I appreciate that OG didn’t drag out Isak’s thing with Emma once he kissed Even, but I’m not confident this won’t happen here.

Zoë asks if he’s all right. Man, the most effective relationship this season is probably Zoë and Robbe? Which is fine! But like … boy squad ain’t great, Sander and Robbe aren’t well developed, they fucked up Yasmina and Robbe already, Milan and Robbe are way behind schedule…

What if the reveal were that Sander were in Robbe’s bed?

It’s not. Instead, Sander texts him as a cover of Space Oddity plays. Robbe has angst and blocks Sander on WhatsApp. Ohhhh my. Another thing I appreciated about OG? That Isak was all in after he kissed Even, and that the angst came from different places besides the typical gay coming out storyline of “kissed a boy, regretted it, went back in the closet temporarily.” Not that it’s unrealistic, just that it’s done so much.

I think we’re supposed to take away that Zoë saying Noor was there looking sad made Robbe reconsider what happened with Sander? Or just general internalized homophobia. I don’t think the latter is totally out of Robbe’s characterization based on what we’ve seen so far, although I wish there was clearer writing so it felt more like “Robbe has internalized homophobia that made him block Sander” and less like “????? internalized homophobia I guess.” Again, I’ll letting this slide because I can also rationalize it as him being a little drunk last night, and now that he’s sober he regrets his choice, even if I don’t think this is a great choice at this stage in the season.

Clip 12 - The heaviest of sighs

The subs helpfully gave a trigger warning for homophobic slurs so I knew this was going to be “good.”

Robbe is listening to music as he goes home. Sander comes up to him, smiling, wanting to know why Robbe blocked him. Robbe says to leave him alone, that Sander got him drunk and took advantage of him.

L M A O welp, this would soooo kill this ship for me if I were invested.

FIND SOMEONE ELSE, SANDER, YOU DESERVE BETTER

Oh, so Robbe also shoved him and called him a dirty f****t! What a great romance!

No, really - this is the EXACT THING I was so glad that Evak DID NOT DO. I’m not saying their romance has to be free of flaws, that there can never be fuckups, that Isak can’t ever hurt Even and vice versa. But this is such a common and ugly trope in gay media. 

Robbe goes inside and slams his door, Milan asks what’s wrong, Robbe tells him to leave him alone. We get Milan’s POV and not Robbe’s at the end. 

Anyway lmao. wtFOCK indeed.

Did you enjoy the cuddle scene in Skam, where a same-sex couple got to be tender and sweet and open with each other for almost seven minutes? A clip that felt refreshing and even revolutionary for its normalization of gay intimacy? Hahahaha, fuck you.

Okay, seriously though. It’s not a problem that we didn’t have the cuddle scene immediately after the pool scene. It’s not a problem that they want to change up this storyline and make it their own - though again I would ask the creative powers at wtFOCK why they’re making these particular choices. It’s not a problem if Robbe and Sander’s relationship has some extra bumps along the way to their happy ending.

WHAT EVEN PROMPTED THIS CHANGE IN ROBBE, like I get the answer is “internalized homophobia” but Robbe was BUCK NAKED WITH SANDER IN THE POOL so like. Can we please get SOME context for why he suddenly had a freakout? Can we please get some narrative structure with cause and effect? Can we get a fucking reason that Robbe went from 0 to 100? Because if it was just the blocking Sander on WhatsApp, that’s one thing, but accusing him of sexual assault and calling him slurs is so vastly beyond that. If we’re supposed to take away that Robbe feels bad about Noor, that still doesn’t explain the ugliness of his reaction, rather than just telling Sander that he has a girlfriend and it was a mistake or whatever.

I’m going to add that I understand that Robbe went through some additional homophobic shit from his friends in previous seasons - I remember Moyo saying crappy things to him in S1, and I watched a S2 scene where the same thing happens. So I can understand if  Robbe’s internalized homophobia is very strong. But they’ve also cut out so much stuff in this season that added to Isak’s internalized homophobia (no mom’s religion making him anxious, no gay test, no gay generalizations from Emma...) If they want to rely on internalized homophobia from previous seasons, then we really need a reminder in this season, such as his friends making homophobic jokes, which I do not recall hearing so far. And they need to show what happened between the kiss to provoke such a homophobic reaction.

After Sander said that thing about not knowing if anyone would ever love him … why did they do this? I love me some pain in storytelling but this isn’t just angst, this is needlessly cruel.

There is, believe it or not, a middle ground between “conflictless fluff” and “cruel homophobia and assault allegations” where you can have some tension, even have Robbe have a freakout, without bringing in this kind of material. Robbe could have told Sander to stay away without accusing him of assault or calling him slurs. He could have said he wasn’t gay or that it was a mistake or even “I was drunk” without following it up with “and you took advantage of me.” All of these options might have stung for Sander and for any viewers who were hoping for morning-after cuddles, but they also create conflict without pushing it over the edge into OTT cruelty. 

HOW I WOULD REWRITE THIS EPISODE:

Ahahahaha

So far this season is like a disconnected set of scenes from Skam S3 with bonus filler scenes and unnecessary clips about non-Robbe things. It’s getting hard to think about rewrites because the point, if you will, so often so unclear. It’s also hard because this episode squeezed in so many OG scenes that were missing from earlier in the season that it’s like, well, shouldn’t we have had this a few episodes ago? Should we just leave them out now?

Okay. Start by getting rid of the first clip in this episode that’s mostly about Zoë/Senne, bump up the Milan clip. We start with Robbe looking at pics of Sander on IG, Milan comes in and asks if there was any romance on the trip, then they get into the Grindr talk, etc. The Grindr talk makes more sense before Robbe almost kisses Sander, but like. We can’t do anything about that now. What might be better is if the whole “how do you know if a guy is gay?” thing takes a swerve into not just Robbe trying to figure out Sander, but to something uncomfortably close to Robbe’s own behavior (like IDK, referencing body language and how a guy will lean in closer, like Robbe did with Sander) and then Robbe gets cranky because he’s worried he’s too obviously gay to other people. After Milan leaves, he starts looking up stuff like “how to act straight” or “how not to seem gay” or whatever. That leads us into the next clip...

... the dance chicks scene. Now we’ve seen plenty of Robbe being disinterested in girls already, so this time we’re going to show him trying to be interested in girls instead. Like he’s watching his friends’ annoying horny reactions and he’s clearly trying to imitate them and join in, but we can see that he’s awkward and not totally feeling it. But he’s trying. Then after the performance, Robbe makes the comment about the dance instructor being so gay.

There is a problem, IMO, in that Robbe’s friend group has been shown to be more homophobic than the average boy squad (as seen in S1 and S2). And frankly I don’t really believe yet Jens is the type to shut down a homophobic comment. Like in S2 Moyo and Robbe straight up start calling each other f*gs and Jens is like chill, no one here is a f*g, but if there were, you should date each other. That’s his idea of intervention. So I’m not sure how to handle that. 

I don’t love this idea, because I hate what they’re done with Moyo in particular, making him pointedly more homophobic (to be discussed in a future reaction) but Moyo and Aaron could perhaps laugh at Robbe’s comment and start riffing off it, while Robbe is sitting there pretending to laugh but looking increasingly uncomfortable, and Jens notices something is off with Robbe, and he tells the guys to knock it off, the guy is gay, so what? Big deal. Then aside from the other guys, he asks Robbe if something is wrong, and Robbe snaps at him or attributes it to family problems again. 

I was going to also say that the setting for this clip doesn’t really allow for Sander to swoop in, like Even did to return the snapback, but actually maybe it could? Noor could have invited Britt and Sander to watch the show, right? So maybe when Robbe makes this gay joke and his friends are laughing, Sander comes up while Britt is talking to Noor and is like, hey guys, what’s up? Robbe’s friends are just like, oh nothing, did you see how gay that guy was? Then Sander is like, sorry, what’s the problem with being gay? He tells them off a little. Meanwhile Robbe is standing there awkward as fuck, not looking Sander in the eyes, while Sander is looking at him for backup, but Robbe just makes an excuse to bolt. Maybe he walks past Noor without saying anything, so she looks confused.

Now onto Robbe and Yasmina. Man, I truly hate saying this. But: If you are not going to incorporate other religious themes into this season, then you don’t need to redo the Isak-Sana friendship. Again! I don’t like suggesting this! But what actually is Robbe and Yasmina’s relationship bringing to this season when it’s portrayed like this? 

They left out the weed blackmail, which is really just a plot device in OG, but it’s a plot device that sets up Sana and Isak’s thread. It also gets Isak to kosegruppa to meet Even, something which is irrelevant here.

Sana’s main tie to S3 is Isak’s mom. Isak’s mom is religious, that makes him anxious, and it’s a hurdle to coming out to her. Robbe’s mom is not religious, Robbe’s internalized homophobia doesn’t seem to have anything to do with religion specifically other than this one scene with him and Yasmina. It’s just a disconnected tangent. What’s more, what is Yasmina’s eventual advice going to do for him? Sana’s advice led Isak to come out to his mom.

I really like Yasmina. If there’s another way that her presence is relevant to the themes of this season, by all means let’s find it and include her. As it is, either make it that Robbe’s mom is religious and include the Robbe-Yasmina subplot, or don’t and leave it out. 

I would love to see in-depth and meaningful friendships develop among all the characters in the Skam squads, just because I love all those kids. Jonas and Vilde? Even and girl Chris? Eva and Mahdi? I don’t care how random, let’s have them all! But there is a finite amount of time per season, and we can’t extend time for all possible relationships - just the ones that are most relevant to the story we are trying to tell. 

I mentioned above a fix for the Bowie playlist clip that makes it have a little more sense to me. If you include Sander in the dance chicks clip like I said, you could have Robbe thinking about Sander again and wondering if he’s into men since he called out the boys’ homophobia. That’s how he ends up on Grindr. Then Sander sends him the Bowie playlist, Robbe listens, Sander calls and they talk, Robbe apologizes for bolting out of there the other day. Sander invites him to the cafe later, Robbe’s all :D until he realizes Britt is there and is coming too, then he’s :(

He’s late to meet Noor and Noor is upset, but not like ... screaming and shoving at him. She’s more snippy and passive-aggressive, she walks off. She says she’s upset because he ditched the dance performance without talking to her, and then he’s late to meet her, it seems like he just doesn’t care that much. They have a fight but it’s like a normal fight and not The End of the World. Just tone down Noor’s OTT anger and make it more natural.

I don’t have a preference in this version whether Noor and Britt leave the cafe and Sander and Robbe know they’re not coming back, or whether Noor and Britt just go to get some air and cry it out and Sander is like fuck it, let’s leave. The important thing for me is that Robbe sits there with Sander, painfully aware that they’re alone, and there’s lots of tension and awkwardness and his brain is clearly hyper-focused on the proximity of Sander’s knee to his own. They banter and flirt and then when Sander suggests they leave, Robbe acts like he wants to go.

Don’t do a pool scene for the first kiss. Give a shit, make it your own. Except IMO they have done so little to establish this relationship in terms of larger themes or symbolism that they have nothing to choose from. 

Man, what if THIS episode was about going to the seaside, after they had been talking for several episodes, and they kissed in the sea when they were alone? That would be at least somewhat plausible? A take on the pool scene/underwater kiss that wasn’t the exact same.

You could do something related to graffiti, perhaps? Instead of breaking into a pool, they break into the tagging place or wherever. Or something else related to Sander’s artwork, because I know that this comes up in their version of O Helga Natt.

I’m not wild about adding this blip in Robbe and Sander’s relationship after the kiss, because of how much ground we need to cover the rest of the season (it messes with the pacing yet again) and also just because I like that Skam didn’t do this expected route. However, if they wanted to make Robbe try to shut out Sander again: the strongest case for his internalized homophobia seems to be his friends. So have him meet up with them again the day after kissing Sander. His friends bring up Sander and how weird he was at the dance performance about the gay instructor, like it’s just a joke! He took their comments way too seriously! Is Sander gay or something? And maybe Robbe tries to defend Sander - no, he’s a cool guy, really - and then his friends are like, pffft, what, do you have a crush on him? Robbe denies and everybody chills out, but Robbe seems troubled. Maybe this is when Jens finally gets a fucking clue and realizes something’s up with Robbe, and in the future there’s a scene where he shuts down gay jokes. For now, though, we do see how Robbe would feel compelled to go back in the closet. Sander texts him and Robbe blocks him.

Now we come to the worst part. So. Take out Robbe calling Sander a sexual predator and a homophobic slur and pushing him, that’s for sure. If he must reject Sander, do it in another way. “I’m not gay.” “I was drunk.” “It was a mistake.” “I have a girlfriend.” It’s not actually hard to do this clip without adding this ugly taint to their relationship.

Since I’m trying to think of rewrites without just copying Skam, here is a radical change on how to include a post-kiss freakout from Robbe earlier on so the pacing isn’t as odd. In previous recaps, I suggested Sander should be introduced earlier as a mysterious stranger that Robbe is trying to find. Well, maybe we can rework that. Robbe and the mysterious stranger share a kiss in episode 1. They’re hiding from the police or security or something after getting busted at a party or while tagging or w/e, and they’re both a little drunk and high on adrenaline, they’re smiling and laughing because they actually got away, and it just ... happens. The mysterious stranger can initiate it, but Robbe tentatively reciprocates before running away. Robbe freaks out and it’s after this that he starts heavily pursuing Noor. Because, you see, he’s not gay, he was just drunk, and it was all that other guy’s fault. But at least he doesn’t have to see that random guy again, right? No one will ever know. Just like no one will ever know if late at night when he can’t sleep, he does a Google search to see if he’s gay if he liked kissing a boy or if he can’t get it up with his girlfriend. Or if he goes on Grindr to see if he can find the mystery dude. It’s a bust and Robbe gives up and settles into dating Noor. Except in episode 2, OH SHIT, he’s introduced to Sander again via Noor, and it’s awkward and fuck, Sander has a girlfriend. Well, that’s good, right? Totally not a bummer. Anyway, Robbe tries to avoid Sander or tiptoe around him but they end up spending time together because they’re stuck at the seaside under the same roof. Maybe they directly address the issue by Robbe saying he’s not gay and Sander being like “me neither” (which technically is not a lie, lmao) and brushing it off as a mistake, or maybe they both pretend that it never happened. Maybe Robbe is more aggressive about it at first and Sander is like, whoa dude, chill out, I’m not going to tell anyone. Still, they get to know each other, there’s heaps of sexual/romantic tension, and in episode 4 (or 5 or whenever) they kiss again and it’s Epic.

This arc is definitely not the same as Isak’s or Evak’s and I absolutely won’t claim that it’s in the same league as what Julie Andem did, but I can see a narrative arc like this making some sense. Better than trying to do Isak’s arc half-assed.

It occurs to me just like … how little we know about any of these characters in terms of subtext or something? No hints about Sander’s background, really? Let’s get some clues in there.

I think something I miss about Skam was how kind it was. How all the characters were at heart, good people capable of the most generous love and empathy. And maybe we’ll get there with these characters in the end, but overall, so many of these people just don’t feel like that! There’s so much more ugliness and cruelty involved in this story, and it doesn’t feel like it’s done with good intentions, like to show the audience how to handle these situations and to heal. 

There’s this weird attitude of defense where cruelty, tragedy, and negative events are defended in the name of realism and there’s a backlash to the backlash, acting like the critics just want fluffy plotless hand-holding and cuddling, a conflict-free season, or a story where no one makes mistakes. And it’s like people forget that in Skam season 3, the story was FULL of angst! We know Evak get their happy ending but like … from episode 1 all through O Helga Natt, the story is packed with conflict. People hurt each other. Even in episode 10, not everything is perfect. It is very possible to do angst and conflict without this ugliness. Like … I have to assume people weren’t here for episodes 5 and 6 of Skam S3, or for the hotel scene, or episode 9 up to OHN, because I can assure you, there was no lack of angst. There was just a lack of shock value gratuitousness.

As always, let me know if I missed something due to cultural or linguistic context.

[suzteel]

2020 Creator Wrap: Favorite Works

Tagged by @darlingnotso and @angsty-nerd

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

1. Heart of Lightning: A Roswellian Tale - I wrote 20k words y’all! This fic makes me feel like a kid again, proud of myself for doing something for the first time. I’ve been writing on and off since I was in elementary school, but I’m so bad at finishing stories. Outside like class-assigned projects, it’s very, very rare for me to finish a piece of writing. I have started and not finished fic from my days in the SGA fandom, the BBC Robin Hood fandom, for Star Trek, for Glee, for Teen Wolf...y’all get the point. And there’s tons of original stuff from high school and college too. I just don’t finish stuff. Writing, polishing, and posting two 1k+ ficlets last year was a big accomplishment for me in 2019. Writing, polishing, and posting a 20k+ fic in 2020? HUGE. It is the longest piece of writing I have ever finished in my life. For me, it’s bigger than just a fandom thing. And the fact that I wrote the majority of it during a seriously bad time for me mental health-wise? I am so very proud of myself for sticking through it, and so very grateful for those who held my hand when I needed them. And on top of everything else? I actually like it! Wild. 

2. Red Jacket - This ficlet was unexpected. I had something else planned for that day of Ladies Week, and the evening before I scrapped it and wrote this instead, having thought of the idea in the shower that morning. I didn’t think much of it at the time, mostly just wrote it to exorcise the idea. And kind of forgot about it tbh. Then @theshmaylor asked to podfic it, and it made me look at it with fresh eyes and I realized that I really liked it. And getting to hear someone read my own words back to you was such an incredible experience. 

3. Manes Men Records AU gifset - Back before the start of season 2, some friends and I once traded ideas for a producer!Alex/singer!Michael AU and the idea kind of stuck with me until it found a way to manifest creatively. Finally it did for Alex Week, and I super enjoyed making this. It was just a lot fun! Picking the right moments, writing the new dialogue, I just remember having so much fun while making it. And I love the way it turned out!

4. Dancing Ladies of RNM gifset - I love this set. It just radiates joy and I love the quote, and honestly I don’t have much to say beyond “this makes me happy!” and that’s really all there is right? Some things just make you happy.  

5. My Top Five RNM Episodes According to IMDB gifsets - Combining useless data with gifsets lol! I challenged myself to do something a little different with these, and I like the end result. 

A lot of my RNM mutuals have already been tagged but if you were missed, feel free to do this and say I tagged you! Also tagging @neondvcks and @zoesrobbe

[writingbeary]

writer ask game !! tagged by @starlightjoong ​ thanks for the tag sol!  ♡

tagging @shinescape ​  ♡ ♡

1. what fandoms have you written for (but do not currently)?

I will still write for them if I get an idea. I used to write for 2NE1, SNSD, 4Minute, Big Bang, 2pm, MBLAQ, B2ST/Beast/Highlight, SHINee, Super Junior, etc. lol I’ve been a multi ever since I got into K-pop

2. what fandoms are you currently writing for?

Currently I have published stories for ATEEZ, BtoB, iKON, SF9, Super Junior. If counting the characters in my ATEEZ AU then Kingdom: Legendary War groups and many others that may get mentioned through the run lol

3. how long have you been writing?

Counting only from this blog then I published my first one last 1st of April 2021

If we’re including my previous attempts from AFF then I think it’s 2010? I am not sure lol but I did abandon writing after a year or so and only got back this April haha!

4. on which platforms do you post your stories?

For now, I have this writing Tumblr.

5. what is your favorite genre to write?

I wouldn’t necessarily say favorite but I mostly write romance with..a hint of fluff, I guess?

6. are you a pantser or a planner?

It depends! If you’re asking for the oneshots, then I am a pantser haha! But for the ATEEZ AU then it’s a combination lol I have “prompts” for each post that I’ll do in the future but they’re also not hard-mapped that I need to post this one first before the other.

But I might be a planner, should I venture into a chapter-ed fic.

7. one shot or multi-chapter?

Originally, I wrote multi-chapter fics haha! Back when I was still a hardcore K-pop fan. But I am leaning towards one shots or those fics that can stand-alone but could also work as a multi-chapter lol

8. what is the perfect chapter length in your opinion?

Depends on the topic/genre. I like drabbles because they don’t drag the topic but I also enjoy a good 5k+ word count every now and then. For my ATEEZ AU, I usually strive and cut off the posts as soon as they reach 3k words and 7k respectively. For my other published ones, I have them averaging around 300 words I think lol

9. what is your longest published story? is it complete?

Are we counting the ATEEZ AU? If yes, then definitely that one. lol Just one “episode” of Kingdom takes a lot of words (though repetitive at most) haha!

If just the oneshots then, Welcome Back published at around 1k words lol

10. which story did you enjoy working on the most?

I am enjoying my ATEEZ AU journey with Minyoung!

As for the oneshots, I loved writing Leeteuk’s Welcome Back

11. favourite request you have written and why(if any)?

I have yet to receive a request for a stand-alone story (not that I can actually write another one as I’m preoccupied with Minyoung lol) But as for request, there was one for a Hello82 episode for Minyoung! The One Chip Challenge and it’s such a ride to write lol

12. are there reoccurring themes in your stories?

fluff, endearing terms, and nicknames haha! Or maybe a constant ship hint for Minyoung!

13. current number of wips(works in progress)?

Oh. Do I have to count? haha! Official count (those saved in my drafts) I have 7 haha! But for the prompt ideas then..let’s not count lol

14. three things you have noticed about your own writing.

un-proof read work? yeah haha! I have to go back and edit everything. I also notice some words disappearing from when I paste it from my notes, save the draft, and actually post it. 

Oh and severe lack of vocabulary and messy flow I guess lol

15. a quote you like from a published story.

“See? Everyone wants you in the group. You’re worried and sorry about making mistakes? That’s normal! We’re just human after all.” - Wooyoung (From A Promise - ATEEZ 9th Member AU Minyoung)

16. a quote from an unpublished story.

“I’ve always been afraid of taking that one step. I didn’t want to risk what I already have, risk the comfort I am currently enjoying. But I would always wonder, if that one step is all it takes for me to achieve what I want then maybe..just maybe it’s worth the risk.” 

17. space for you to say something to your readers

Hello! It’s Mimi  ♡ First of all, thank you for reading my works! I love each and everyone of you but I have to give special recognition to the people who give me a huge push to continue this hobby! Your support (through notes and asks) have continuously brought a huge smile on my face and warmth in my heart. I enjoy interacting with everyone and I hope we get more comfortable in interacting with one another. 

Next, I’d like to wish everyone a ray of happiness! haha We may not know each other personally but please take my well wishes and thanks for existing in my (digital) life! I would also like to take this time to share, my go-to quote as told by my old sensei, to everyone who comes across this : 

「 何事も経験だからね。 」 which translates as “Everything is an experience.”

You’re doing great! It can get tough at times but as long as we can take even a single step, that single step is still progress towards somewhere.