#I have 17 million WIPs that I’ve been making NO progress on because I’ve hit horrific writers block but

[ilovemybarricadebabies]

another fanfic ask game post! enjoy!

This time I’m doing these questions!

Inspiration and Reading Questions:

1. How long ago did you start reading fanfiction? Writing fanfiction?

Reading: I’m not sure. Maybe 2011/2012

Writing: 2013

2. How do you spend your time when it comes to fanfiction? Are you primarily fic reader, writer, or a perfect 50/50 split of both?

It’s definitely both, but I wouldn’t call it a perfect 50/50 split. It varies. Sometimes I read more, but write less or vice versa.

3. Are there any fics that inspired you to write what you do.

Not really. I usually just write fics for whatever I want to.

4. Link your three favorite fics right now.

Current favorite WIPs.

All That’s Left by @doriangrayscale

flowers for your grave by @grantairesbottle

Lover of the Light by @areyoumiserableyet

Favorite (four) all-time fics

Ask me no question (and I’ll tell you no lies) by Signe_chan

If you offer salvation, I will run (into your arms) by mornmeril

this is fact not fiction by Rianne

Oh, It’s What You Do To Me by captainskellington

5. What are your fanfic pet peeves? Do they have a huge effect on whether or not you decide to read something.

I have a love-hate relationship with slow burn fics. Like I love them because give me the pining, give me the obliviousness, give me the amazing, sweeping first kiss, give me the angst, just give me all the delicious development that comes with finding common ground and falling in love. That being said, however, and I realize that I’m in the minority here, the hate part comes in when the story is really long, let’s 50+ chapters, and the story gets to chapter 50, but the romance still hasn’t started coming into play and I’m starting to just get sick of it because nothing has progressed to romance. Like there gets to be a time where too much is too much and usually, when that happens, it’s time for me to say adios! to the story.

6. How do you find new fic to read? Where do you primarily read fanfiction.

I primarily read fics on Ao3. I loathe FFN.net with every fiber of my being.

I usually just leave the Enjolras/Grantaire category open on and refresh it like three to four times a day for new stories to read.

7. Do you prefer to read short fics or long fics?

It depends on the ship, but I mostly like long fics.

8. How often do you reblog/comment on fics that you like?

I’m absolutely horrid at commenting (I’m working on getting better), but if it’s a story that I really like (ex. the three WIPs mentioned in question 4), I will comment every time there is a new chapter.

9. Tag 3 fic writers you think are underrated/unknown in the fandom/fanfiction community.

I have no idea. In my opinion, I think all writers are underrated and unknown.

10. What’s your favorite fandom, pairing, or character to read fic for?

Enjolras and Grantaire (Enjoltaire) from Les Mis.

Fanfiction Writing Asks:

11. How do you come up with your fic titles?

Through music or quotes. Sometimes one just comes to me, but mostly through music or quotes.

12. Tell the author your favorite fics title of theirs (not the fics, stricktly the title). Author: what’s your favorite title you’ve come up with and why?

I love all the titles of my fics, I can’t possibly pick a favorite.

13. Do you outline your fics? How much of a headache would someone get if they just look at an outline of yours without reading the fic?

I make some sort of outline, but I don’t think they’d really get much of a headache since it’s pretty much just a basic plot, maybe sometimes a little more than that.

14. Do you have personal word minimum that you hold yourself too? Why or why not?

Absolutely not! I write until I think I’ve found a good quitting spot. That can be 500 words or 20k words. It all depends on how I’m feeling and where my motivation is at.

15. Tell the author your favorite fics of theirs. What’s your (the author’s) favorite fic you’ve written?

Forever Was In His Eyes is my favorite with Begin Again as a close second.

Honorable mention because it pushed me out of my comfort zone: Beating of Our One Heart.

16. Do you research your fics? If so, how deep of a rabbit hole have you down by accident while researching?

I only research if the fic absolutely calls for it.

17. How obsessively do you sit and stare at your fic after you’ve just posted and wait for feedback?

On a scale of 1-100, 100. I’m not motivated by feedback like some writers are, but I do love to know if someone is enjoying my fic or not.

18. Do you have WIP that you keep telling yourself that you’ll eventually get back to, but deep down you know that’s probably lie?

Nope. Any WIPs that are unfinished, will probably stay unfinished.

19. Do you edit your fics after you write them, or do you prefer to just post and run (because it’s someone else’s problem now)?

I edit, and then, I’m constantly editing after it’s posted. If I re-read one of my fics and spot a spelling mistake, I can’t just let it sit there, I HAVE to fix it. I am also currently in the middle of long and giant editing project to make sure all my stories are the best stories that they can.

20. What’s your favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

Um...I, for some strange reason, love outlining. I love coming up with the sequence of events. How do the characters get from point A to point B. How does the story end.

21. What’s your least favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

Editing and revising. Always.

22. Do you take fic requests? If so, for what characters and why?

Nope. I don’t get enough attention in my inbox to do that.

23. What’s your absolute favorite trope to write?

Forbidden love. I’ve always been such a sucker for this trope.

24. What’s a trope that you’d like to never hear about as long as you live, let alone write?

I’m sure that there are some tropes that I would never touch in a million years, but I can’t think of any write now.

25. Do you listen to music as your write? If possible, link your writing playlist.

I listen to music, but I don’t have a playlist. Most of time it’s just Taylor Swift.

26. What’s your biggest distraction when writing?

Um...if I’m watching a brand new TV show or one I haven’t watched in a long time, I’ll pay more attention to the screen then what I’m supposed to be writing. This goes for movies too.

27, Do you like to give your readers some warning of what might be coming or just slap them in the face with content at random?

I keep my fics under lock and key until they are finished. No one knows any details about them except me. The one exception to this rule was Beating of Our One Heart. I warned that that fic would feature a polyamorous relationship (something I have never written before) while I was working on the outline.

28. How do you deal with writing pressure (ie: pressure to update, negative comments, deadlines, etc)?

Well, the only pressure I usually feel is worry that people won’t like my story, but I think that’s normal for every writer.

29. Have you ever written for an exchange or event of some kind? Which one(s)?

I don’t write for events.

30. Post a snippet from your current WIP without context - no more than 300 words.

R (11:46 P.M.): I’m not sorry.

31. Of the characters your write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain one?

I love writing Enjolras. I’m sure people who have read my fanfics find him to be OOC, but I don’t care. When I write him, he’s half me projecting and the other half is him being the righteous revolutionary that we know him as.

32. Copy and paste your top three favorite lines/jokes/sentences you’ve ever written. What fics do they come from?

I can’t pick three, I have too many favorites.

33. What do you like writing better: one shots or multi-chapter stuff?

It depends. I like writing both. I also really like writing one shots that are 30k+ and multi-chapter fics that are under 10k. It all just depends on my mood and what the fic calls for.

34. How much of yourself and your life experience do you put into your writing? What do you think your readers’ image of you is?

As stated above, I project onto Enjolras. How much, I’m not saying. I do put my likes and dislikes as the characters’. When I write children, I draw inspiration from my nephews. I use my high school class schedule as the characters’ schedule when I write high school AU’s. The jest of what I’m saying is that I have no idea what my readers’ image of me is.

35. How much has writing fic changed your life?

It’s become my escape when things get too difficult or stressful.

36. Are they any fics or fandoms you’re embarrassed to have written or been apart of?

I’m not embarrassed by it, and I never finished or posted it, but I started writing a Sound of Music fic. I don’t remember what it was about, though.

37. Give an update on your current WIP - if you have one, give a sneak peek to a title or idea that you have and would like to write.

My current WIP is almost done. I just have to finish writing more scene.

38. What does your writing process look like? How chaotic is it on a scale of 1 (very tame) to 10 (you can’t handle this kind of chaos)?

It’s very tame, so 1. I write my stories in order of events, if I don’t I get confused on what’s happen. I start by writing an outline, and then I write and I edit (multiple times) before I post.

39. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

That I write what I want to. No comments can really influence the story (unless it’s a consistency thing) because I write the whole thing out before it’s posted.

40. How did you come up with the idea for [x fic]?

You can see this answer right here!

41. What’s your most popular fic (with the most notes on Tumblr, most hits/kudos on Ao3)?

My most popular fic based on hits: Somethings Are Meant to Be.

My most popular fic based on kudos: The Enjolras Guide to Weddings and Love.

42. Asker: pick three of the author’s works. Author: rank them 1 (the best) - 3 (the worst) based on whatever criteria you want - this could be something totally random that isn’t quality related ( like simply ranking fics based on how many trains appear in them) have fun!

I’m skipping this question!

43. Talk about a positive experience with fanfiction or the fanfiction community that you will always remember.

Every comment that I get, especially if I get it when I’m having a bad day, is like a little ray of sunshine for me. Again I’m not motivated by comments or feedback, but I can’t deny that receiving it is like a cherry on top of a delicious hot fudge sundae.

44. Ran about something writing related.

How long it takes to write. I wish I could just connect some sort of machine to my brain, and it would just churn out the words for my fics and they could be done a lot sooner. And that fanfiction could come before homework and life, but alas it can’t.

45. Fic specific questions - if you have any weird questions about specific works, here’s your shot to ask them!

Skipping this one, but if you have a question about any of my fics, my ask box is currently closed, but my DM’s are always open.

[flauntpage]

Some Takeaways From the Andy MacPhail Press Conference

Phillies President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail met with reporters this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park to give what I would term as a refreshingly honest assessment of his team and some clues about its direction moving forward ahead of a crucial offseason. I just finished up watching the presser in its entirety and rather do a traditional story here, I think it’s best to share some overall impressions and takeaways from the session.

1. For Starters

The Phillies lived and died by their starting pitching this season, a fact that MacPhail quickly alluded to when discussing his team’s struggles down the stretch. He noted that Phillies starters turned in Major League Baseball’s second-highest quality start percentage through August 18 (58%), but when their performance regressed, “that’s when the spiral started.” MacPhail, in lamenting the difficulty of assessing the team’s progress this season, said, “We are the most inconsistent team I have ever been associated with.” Specifically, he mentioned the unsustained summer surges of Zach Eflin and Vince Velasquez. It’s also worth noting that MacPhail said about his team’s pitching, “I wish we’d get a little more left-handed.”

My takeaway?

I think MacPhail knows that players like Velasquez, Eflin, and Nick Pivetta have considerable upside, but to return all three would be too great a risk, one that could ultimately sink the team in 2019. I expect this rotation to have different look in at least one or two spots next season.

2. “Dicey” Decisions

Later during the press conference, MacPhail also cited the inconsistency of third baseman Maikel Franco. I found his assessment to be revealing. “Franco hit .330 in July and then backed it up with .240 in August,” he said. “I mean, the other team, you know, maybe they’ll find the key, or maybe it is a function of just experience and learning yourself and what you have to do to stay focused and energetic the entire season.”

Now read that quote again and tell me if it sounds like Franco will be back next season?

MacPhail also named Odubel Herrera and Hector Neris as inconsistent performers. Those observations, paired with his comments about Eflin and Velasquez, really get to the crux of the Phillies’ dilemma this offseason. I think most observers of this team agree that several changes are coming both via free agency and the trade market. The Phillies must adeptly gauge what such inconsistency and performance variance from several of their players means in 2019 and beyond. Which of these players just are not good enough to sustain quality play and which are still evolving and moving in an upward trajectory toward their projected ceilings? This front office has several very interesting and difficult decisions awaiting them in the coming weeks and months.

3. Downplaying Analytics

It was absolutely no surprise that WIP’s Howard Eskin was the one to ask MacPhail about the team’s usage of analytics. Eskin spent most of the summer decrying (I thought rightfully so, at times) what he felt was the team’s over-reliance on data. MacPhail seemed to be aware of his critiques by saying, “I fault myself because I haven’t, particularly with you, done a good enough trying to make you understand analytics.” I don’t if he meant that as a shot at Eskin. It didn’t seem like it as I watched, but it reads that way.

MacPhail went on to say, “It’s replacing the subjective with the objective.” He then provided a basic example about how a coach 10 years ago might urge a pitcher to throw a fastball up in the zone because a hitter struggles with such pitches, but now such a suggestion can be backed up with numbers. I thought he tried to downplay the organization’s recent prioritization of analytics by saying, “There is a narrative about our team that we are analytically driven. Yeah, we have a much bigger analytic department than we did three years ago because, essentially, we went from zero to what is now probably industry standard.”

He supported his assertion by noting the organization added a minor league team, coaches, and both international and domestic scouts.  While that’s true, the recent departure of former director of player development Joe Jordan and multiple minor league hitting instructors suggests a shift towards more data-driven evaluations and coaching methods. And, frankly, just watch the games. MacPhail can say it’s simply about transmitting data down to the field, but there wasn’t much traditional about the 2018 Phillies. In fact, if Gabe Kapler’s in-game decisions weren’t so heavily driven by analytics, I would think the team would have gone to great lengths throughout the season to squash such a narrative.

4. Speaking of Gabe Kapler

MacPhail sounded generally pleased with Kapler, but I appreciated his candidness about the manager’s tendency to paint every picture with sunshine and rainbows:

“He will get probably an all-expense paid dinner where he’s going to have to listen to me drone on for two hours. I watched this happen to Dusty Baker. If you’re just overly positive, overly positive, you lose credibility with the fans after awhile. You have to find a way to craft a message that is not critical of your players or negative, but acknowledge that there’s some areas, like the rest of us, we have to make some improvements.”

While there was much media and fan speculation regarding Kapler’s job security amid the team’s disastrous September, MacPhail didn’t sound like a guy who seriously considered moving on from the first-year manager:

“I’m a New Yorker, I don’t think anybody can be that positive. I’m like, what’s up? I’ve come to know him a little bit. He’s all in. He is what he is. He’s communicative. If you know anything about Gabe, he makes adjustments. He just went through his rookie year. Here’s a guy that was a 57th round draft choice. He will be the only 57th round draft choice in the history of Major League Baseball that not just got to the Major Leagues, he spent 12 years there. He knows how to make adjustments. He’s gonna have to make some adjustments going forward, just like the rest of us. He’s going to have to stay open-minded.”

5. Money Talks

The headline-grabber will probably be MacPhail’s refusal to blatantly acknowledge the Phillies’ desire to spend this offseason. I saw some early Twitter takes after his comments deeming the Phillies as “cheap” and “a joke,” but I actually thought it was pretty obvious that the team will look to spend aggressively on the right players. MacPhail acknowledged the team’s willingness to reach the previous significant payrolls that were common earlier in the decade. I don’t think it was ever realistic to expect the Phillies to add both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper this offseason, but MacPhail did seem to throw some water on that possibility when he made reference to the quality of next offseason’s free agent class and stated the importance of remaining financially flexible in coming seasons. People may not want to hear that, but he’s not wrong for saying it. Ironically, one of my favorite parts of the session came when he cautioned liberal free agency spending. Essentially, he debunked Matt Klentak’s disingenuous brag from yesterday about the Phillies having the fourth-best free agent class a year ago:

“We spent $169 million on free agents from ’17 to ’18. I think Matt alluded to this yesterday. That’s the second most of anybody. If you calculate how good your free agent class, and used WAR as the measuring stick, we had the fourth-most productive class, but spent the second most. Not exactly the most efficient use of your dough.”

Again, maybe that’s not exactly what people want to hear, and I get it, but I still think they’re going to make a strong push to add game-changing talent this offseason.

6. Some Other Quick Notes

MacPhail characterized John Middleton as “crabby” after the Phillies’ brutal finish.

He was complimentary of Klentak, specifically noting that he’s “not afraid,” which is admirable. Still, I found it interesting that MacPhail refused to answer a question about Klentak’s contract status.

It’s both encouraging and telling that he said getting the defense right is a priority.

MacPhail seemed pleased with the team’s spike in attendance and the 26% increase in television ratings.

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