#and i know that no one is ENTITLED to feedback (myself included) and i would never want someone to feel bad for not leaving any +

[heich0e]

btw this is exactly what i look like when u reblog my fics and leave nice tags <3

[aita-blorbos]

(Cw mild brief descriptions of gore)

AITA for knowingly sending my son into a death trap?

I (61M) have owned this rental location for animatronics for several years ago, and have been using them for experiments for a while since one of them killed my daughter and got the restaurant shut down. Now, recently they've been becoming increasingly aggressive towards me, as I give them controlled shocks to keep them in line, and they're partially made from the souls of five children I murdered. And so, I can no longer go down there.

So what I did is asked my son (26M) to head down there, telling him that he could put his sister (died several years ago) back together. What ended up happening was the animatronics down there fused themselves into one being, scooped all of my son's organs out, and wore him as a skinsuit while his body rotted away, before leaving his corpse on the sidewalk. He died, of course, but came back to life, and proceeded to send me a voicemail threatening my life.

Now, I know I do not come across well here. But you must understand, there was much on the line for me. Did I know my son would most likely die if he was sent down there? Of course! He's always resembled me, after all. And was I the one to cause the deaths of the souls haunting the animatronics, including my daughter's? Absolutely. But I am a scientist first and a father, and had I not been able to keep my experiments going... knowledge is an immensely meaningful pursuit. You expect me to give that up, for what?

And my son isn't blameless either. You see, when he was fourteen, he played a practical joke on my other son, and caused his death. And to send me, his father, a threatening voicemail because he's angry I didn't tell him everything is simply disrespectful. Why, that voicemail prompted me to take apart the other animatronics that had the dead childrens' souls, and they proceeded to corner me, making me fear for my life! I went into the suit that I used to kill those children because of their threats, and it painfully slaughtered me, causing me to bleed out slowly and painfully! How could anyone side with him for that? All this grief I've been given, all because my son decided to threaten my life after I sent him into a deathtrap.

Now, of course, I am still alive. My body is bleeding out and barely functional, but one thing you must know about me is that I am an immensely determined man. I refuse to succumb to something as menial as death. Even if it did take me for a moment, even if it took me for several years, I'll never let myself simply fall into its jaws. No matter what, I'll always come back.

This brings up the fact that my son is still alive, and functionally immortal, all thanks to me! Granted, his body is rotting away and he's become a shambling corpse that's just barely keeping itself together, but he is still alive. And my death was far more painful- his organs getting scooped out only hurt for a moment, while I've been left with sharp pieces of metal and electronics piercing my entire body as I bleed out. He has the nerve to think he's entitled to hunt me down after I caused his painful death, while MY death was far worse?

And so, I return to the question I asked at the start of this post. I knowingly sent my son into a deathtrap, and he proceeded to send me a threatening voicemail. I truly and honestly do not think I was in the wrong here, but I find your feedback extremely valuable. AITA?

(Fandom: FNAF)

[cyclogenesis]

life update

Got back from my grandmother's house late last night and wrote down 1,000 disconnected words from I think...three different WIPs because I thought of scenes in the car and didn't write them down at the time because I was driving. Driving did not, however, stop me from trying to photograph the gigantic moon. Didn't work. Just a blurry sky ball. (Yes I could have taken a voice memo but I was also singing along VERY loudly to the first Paramore album. Sorry for multitasking!!! All We Know Is Falling is a perfect record!)

Bounced out of bed at 7am thinking I would do stuff today but the stuff I ended up doing was looking at Tumblr because I was tired from a long weekend of socializing and also couldn't figure out which WIP I wanted to tackle. The jealous Logan one I started before Body Count which has some good stuff but also might suck? The super stabby one where they fuck in the Odyssey and then later fall in love (quirky!!)? The one where they come across a bunch of other multiverse versions of themselves, including the two scenes I've already written both of which are breathtakingly self-indulgent? Something around the handful of tiny snippets I've written that are not connected to anything larger but somehow almost all compare Logan in some way to a cat?

Also need to participate in capitalism (gross) and shoot some stuff because I went mildly ham in Visalia yesterday and found some amazing pieces for my vintage shop (link! sorry! capitalism! survival!). Went through everything again this morning and realized that I did actually buy more stuff for myself than I'd realized, but in my defense I'm in a 1980s Venice Beach stoner bro style era and these black stonewashed jeans fit me perfectly. Sorry! Ken doll masc phase! Also keeping the 1989 neon New Kids on the Block t-shirt to wear sincerely and the D.A.R.E. t-shirt to wear ironically! Whatever!

Sent my father a seven text thread entitled Conversational Bibliography because we saw each other this weekend and every time we hang out it results in multiple recommendations, this time including language apps (2), New Yorker articles (1, earthquake-related), books (3, 2 of which were earthquake-related), and the link to my Deadpool/Wolverine fic, because he likes reading my stuff and gives me charming feedback via text. And he always takes my recommendations and reads what I recommend which is why he's now also a Locked Tomb stan. Adorable. Love that guy.

What will I do tomorrow? Gosh, you tell me!!

[destinygoldenstar]

Why I Don’t Want To Talk About RWBY Again

Yes. She decided to show her face again.

And she will probably instantly regret it.

So, this isn't usually the media I talk about. However, I addressed it in my post 'Is Screen Time An Issue For A Character', where I talked about multiple media to gain a wider perspective on a solid critique point to figure out where this possibly came from? And in terms of the RWBY-related stuff I said there, I got... some honest, fair, completely non-personal attacking feedback. No personal attacks whatsoever.

I thought 'okay, maybe I am wrong' if everyone is so insistent that I am 'incorrect' and what they're saying is 'facts'. We all make mistakes. So I decided to rewatch the show in it's entirety and actually see Volume 9 for myself. I actually hoped that maybe I was wrong and they were right and I could see this show for the masterpiece that it is...

Uh, short answer: Not really...? For the most part, the points I made in the past are still how I feel. (I just didn't word it very well in that post. I'll take the L for that one)

I'm disappointed I learned nothing too. I really wish I did.

Okay, so for my background, I jumped on the train of this show just about a month or two before Volume 6 came out. I got it recommended from a classmate in school who was obsessed. And I thought it was... okay.

And then I got bullied and harassed by the person for the remainder of the school year. Cause I DARED not said it was a masterpiece.

(Yeah, this is a running trend for me)

But with every new Volume from there, I rewatched the show as background noise for homework, to the point where I've at least rewatched it 5-6 times, maybe 7 including this rewatch. But with every rewatch where I actually noticed certain details... the certain volume would get a little worse. (Except for one case)

Maybe it's because I'm a jerk. I've been called that more than once.

Maybe it's because Celtic Phoenix's rewrites of the show are a thing. But that’s also a topic for discussion here.

But I know the exact point when I abandoned the show for over two years. When Volume 8 came out.

It was... it was a miserable viewing experience for me. And for me, this was my last straw with the show and I fell to the dark side. There were so many production problems where I could see why it turned out the way it did. There were so many decisions with the plot that I did not agree with.

And the biggest reason why I left. And this is a thing that's been consistent anytime I engaged with the show in any way. And the reason WHY I don’t feel safe talking about this show.

The fandom is terrifying.

It's not as bad as the Dhar Mann situation, I don't think, but it's still a nightmare to engage with.

There are so many toxic entitled people online that feel the need to bully and harass anyone who says ANYTHING about the show that isn't 'I think this was handled perfectly'. You say anything even slightly neutral, or even hint that you may not think perfection, you will get cyberbullied.

And I MEAN THAT when I say cyberbullying, you get personally attacked, you get cursed at a lot, you get accused as homophobic and misogynistic, and you get double bullied and ganged up on when you ask for feedback towards you to be impersonal and focused on the work itself. There is NO breather to this.

People just really love to attack every single being they can find. Over a CARTOON.

If this was some real life documentary or something, then I would get it.

But this is a FICTIONAL SHOW.

It's very unwelcoming and it's miserable for people like me to engage with these people as a result.

NO, I AM NOT SAYING EVERYONE IS LIKE THIS. I'm sure there are still good civilized decent people in this fanbase. But the ones that are like that are the loudest.

There's also a 'hate-fandom' spawned. Which I also despise cause it's basically just the same thing but the opposite approach. And why are you even tearing apart something as sport? That's sick. Do something else with your time. Do literally anything else.

You have to pick a side.

Either you love the show, if you don't you're a horrible person.

Or you hate the show, if you don't you're a horrible person.

THIS is the real reason why I left the show.

And the fact that I'm even daring to say this guarantees that I will get backlashed.

At least I anticipate that this time. (But I'm just gonna ignore this behavior and I will only respond to people who keep things impersonal and just focus on the content. I don't care if you have a valid point against what I say, if you personally attack me or anyone else, and act like you know me, I won't listen to you. It doesn't make you better than me, it's cyberbullying.)

For the sake of this rant post, I am OPTING OUT of the idea that 'I have to love the show or hate the show'.

I'm a neutral saying my perspective as a neutral.

And I will say that as long as you're not a cyberbullying racist/sexist/homophobic piece of garbage, your opinions towards this show is VALID in my book.

If you think this is the best show of all time, that's VALID.

If you think this is the worst show of all time, that's VALID.

If you disagree with either of those two statements, then you can leave my post right now.

I am not going to take either side, as I really don’t want to. I am not the type of person to be openly happy all the time, as when I feel any emotion at all I will say it. And I am not going to hide my emotions to make other people happy. That’s not who I am.

But I also don’t want to be seen by the public as a hardcore complainer for that. Spending all your time whining is just exhausting and tiring and unrewarding, when you could be doing literally anything else, and healthier stuff, with your time. I should know. I used to criticize Dhar Mann videos. While those were worth critiquing it cause multiple mental health problems for me. So I stopped and did other stuff with my life.

So really, if I were to pick a side, either one, it would be doing injustice to my character. And the fact that people have to be split in fandom sections for a single show is insane. I’d be harassed endlessly no matter what.

And harassment like this over a cartoon is just not worth it. Even if you try to calmly explain yourself and defuse a fight, you’re not gonna be heard. They’ll just keep arguing until you reluctantly confess to their side. Which is gaslighting.

And this is a both sides issue. So you know. Again, I’m not picking sides when I say this.

This is not a ‘this side good ; this side bad’ issue.

At that point it has nothing to do with the show itself, or a rewrite of said show that some people made.

Fixing RWBY, that rewrite project on YouTube, is not immune to criticism. It’s not better than the original show. It’s not worse than the original show. It’s just a thing that exists. Like all rewrites do. This whole project is just a group of people approaching a story in their own writing style, like fanfiction tends to do. It’s really just a group of artists and writers coming together to play around and have fun.

So obviously that makes this project a crime against nature and a product made out of pure evil spite. /s

FIXING?! FIXING a show? HOW MALICIOUS CAN YOU BE?! YOU DARE IMPLY THAT YOU THINK THE SHOW ISNT PERFECT AS IS?!

Now, take note, I myself HAVE seen the entirety of this fan project. I have my own problems with it, and it certainly did not fix everything. But I can also safely back up that SOME PEOPLE are fat liars with their critiques on this project.

There’s being critical, and there’s lying.

That’s it. That’s all I’m saying about certain users. Because this isn’t really a ‘one person is entirely to blame’ problem so I don’t want to pin blame on one user.

And the worst part about all that is that it’s one thing to be a critic towards anyone’s work, you know, looking at their work and giving feedback. It’s another to act like this is personal.

It stops being about the show and more about throwing around accusations on people as though you personally know them.

News flash: ten to one, you don’t.

And it’s not just me. There are multiple blog users and YouTubers who said their peace on this and said the same things I’m saying. People will go out of their way to personally insult and harass neutrals to make sure their point sticks and they take it to heart. Because if it’s about the person and not the work, they have to change their mind, right? No one wants to be called a gross human being after all.

That’s not how that works. This is why if you go to my blog you see me more often than not making posts about other media. Not because I think these shows are better than RWBY (I’ve criticized them plenty as well, criticisms that I think are deserved), but because I feel more welcome in their fandoms…?

I’m not gonna pretend they’re perfect, every fandom has some nasty people, but at least I’m not gonna get barraded for every single opinion I have as though my opinions over cartoons are a judgement of my real life character.

Yes people have disagreed with me and given me criticism, but at least it’s focused on what I’ve written and the flaws in my logic of writing style. An IMpersonal critique towards me. That gets more through to me than personally insulting everyone and treating everyone that isn’t you like they’re pure evil.

Even when I try to look at RWBY related tags, it’s just this exact stuff.

You say an opinion that isn’t 100% positive? BASH.

You like something about the show? BASH.

You make art of a ship someone else doesn’t like? BASH.

You try to make an analysis post? BASH.

You write a fanfiction? BASH.

You like a fanfiction of the show? BASH.

You don’t like a fanfiction of the show? BASH.

You dare title that fanfiction ‘fixing’? BASH.

Then people really love to use buzz words fir extra power. ‘Sexist’ ‘Racist’ ‘Homophobic’ and all kinds of bad words. Without ever actually hearing an explanation.

You like a certain ship? BASH. YOU’RE HOMOPHOBIC. (Never mind nobody ever said they hoped their ship was canon or said they preferred that ship over a canon one)

You think a villain character is a well written and interesting character? BASH. YOU SUPPORT TERRORISM. (Never mind there’s a difference between agreeing with a characters POV and just liking them as fictional characters)

You like a character that so happens to be male? BASH. YOU’RE SEXIST. (Never mind that no one said they should’ve been spotlight characters or anything. And the least sexist people don’t even give a shit about the gender of the character)

You don’t like this character? BASH. CLEARLY YOU DONT LIKE THE CHARACTER BECAUSE THEYRE NOT STRAIGHT WHITE MEN.

Completely ignore if the person who says the opinion actually explains WHY they don’t like the character. Completely ignore if they don’t even mention the race, sex, or sexuality of the character once in said explanation. Completely ignore if they even said they like other characters that fit those same categories as the one they didn’t like.

Completely ignore actually checking out the persons blog to see if they like other characters in anything, not just RWBY, that have some sort of diversity to them. Maybe even love those characters and praise them.

Nope. Doesn’t matter. You don’t like one character, clearly you just hate women.

CLEARLY everyone who doesn’t agree with you are dares to say why and how they personally would’ve done it is a PURE EVIL HUMAN BEING GOING OUT IF THEIR WAY TO SPITE AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY. Don’t even bother hearing the person out or letting them say WHY they feel this way or WHY they changed it, (like the FRWBY writers DO in streams btw) NOPE. PURE EVIL. SOLELY BECAUSE YOU MADE A REWRITE.

It’s not like rewrite fanfiction as a concept is all about people reimagining someone else’s work into their own vision, and multiple fandoms do this with varying intents, whether it’s out of fixing a critique they had or trying a different tone or ‘what if’ scenarios or whatever. And again, multiple fandoms do this. (Hell, I did it with Total Drama’s Season 2. I don’t think that show is perfect, either. Far from it.)

But I don’t even trust myself to word this all right, so I’m case you don’t trust my word. I’ll link some people who have said the same things I’m saying but in more detail than I could ever. That way I can avoid plagorism.

Judgemental Critter and Twilight Guardian go VERY in detail of these problems. They go in depth about certain users I don’t feel comfortable talking about myself, they go in depth about how this is a both sides issue, and so much more.

Go look at both of these.

It’s all so unwelcoming and I just… can’t.

I can’t take that.

No one deserves that level of harassment over something so not worth it at the end of the day.

It’s just a show guys.

This isn’t real life propaganda.

This isn’t Election Day.

This isn’t school.

It’s a product designed for entertainment purposes.

You can feel whatever way you want to about it. You don’t deserve to be shut out for however you feel.

I am not a perfect person. That much, I will admit. I will admit to my mistakes when I recognize I make them and try to improve myself. Just like the rest of you, I’m just a normal human on the internet talking about stuff I find interest in. But I will also admit I need to get better at defending myself when I recognize something is just plain bullshit.

So… yeah. I did a poll on the possibility of me doing commentary posts to expand my blog. I already decided I’m starting that experiment with The Amazing Digital Circus’s one episode right now. But I do have a set poll for shows people want me to do commentary on. And RWBY is one of the options. If that wins, then I’d have no choice but to explain all my opinions of the show in as much detail as I could.

No one deserves to feel this unwelcomed and unsupported. Maybe I would talk about the show more if I wasn’t this scared of harassment. But nothing is worth it if it’s accompanied by that amount of bashing. It has nothing to do with the show. It has to do with the treatment of said show. That’s the worst part.

And I personally don’t want to be a part of such an unsupportive and unfulfilling environment. Especially when I can do other stuff with my life.

Maybe I will try to talk about RWBY again one day. Explain my opinions fully. As honestly as possible.

But I KNOW no matter what I’m gonna say, I will NOT be welcomed with warmth, instead with guns pointed at my head.

And to that, I’ll just say, ‘Hit me with your best shot’

*sigh* Welp, if you excuse me, I’m barricading my windows for the mob that I know is gonna come at me for the sins I have committed here.

[mayybirds]

I love that Ethan is Jewish in your fic. I like that it adds some depth to his character and is especially poignant in zombie-ish settings I think. I was wondering your opinion on non-jewish writers making characters Jewish in fics? Especially in settings that could be especially upsetting for a practicing Jew. Im Jewish but I feel like I barely qualify as both my parents are Jewish atheists and I'm kind of disconnected from my faith so I'm wondering if it would be a bad idea to include such hcs in my fics. Also I was wondering, what do you think about Jewish!Karl Heisenberg?

Oh, thank you! Making Ethan Jewish was initially an impulse decision, but one I felt very strongly about once it was in my drafts. I'm glad it resonates. <3 I do think putting a Jewish character in a zombie setting is such an unexplored area, and if I'm brave enough I definitely want to eventually push on what Ethan's (loose) sense of Jewish faith would make of realizing he's a mold!boy, given Jewish laws around body modification and funeral proceedings...

I personally have no problem with non-Jewish writers writing Jewish characters, though a couple things worth noting here--I fall into the old(?) camp of thinking that generally a mixed/diverse cast more representative of the real world in any story, so long as it is done with respect and good intent (and an open ear to feedback), is for the better, rather than the new (Twitter inspired?) mind that one can only ever write from their own worldview successfully (There's layers and layers of nuance here concerning that debate and what stories one "can" write and where one might be overstepping boundaries, but that's not your question really so I'll not jump into my whole spiel there).

The second thing worth noting, though, as it pertains better to your question and your information on your personal situation... depending on who you ask, I'm not Jewish either, lol! To be clear, I identify as Jewish both religiously & culturally, have Jewish ancestry, and consider myself a practicing Jew--but I'm only ancestrally Jewish through my father. My mother was not born Jewish nor ever converted. Depending on who you ask, I'm not Jewish haha. I see myself as Jewish, as I was raised in no other faith, and according to many reform Jews--the sect I belong to--that's good enough. If you asked many other Jews, though, (hell, if you asked some of my own orthodox ancestors), they'd likely tell you "no!!!".

Rule number one, with Jewish people, in my experience? None of us agree on almost anything lol. Jewish faith is splintered into vastly different sects and practices, these days, and what's acceptable and true to me as a reform Jew likely lines up very little with what's acceptable and true to most Orthodox or Conservative Jews. I guess I say all this for two-fold reasons: One, to not cast any illusions about my Jewishness in order to better appear a "jewish authority," but also to stress that... there's no single good answer for a "jewish authority," because Judaism isn't a singular uniform religion. As the child of non-practicing Jews, you likely already know a lot of this, but it feels worth stressing! To me, if you asked, I'd say you're Jewish if you feel you're Jewish, which entitles you to explore and write about your view of Judaism/Jewish identity however you please--in fics or otherwise.

And for people who aren't Jewish at all, I think it's just worth noting--there's no interpretation of Jewishness that would please all Jewish people lol. I'm sure my interpretation of a Jewish!Ethan would be wildly offensive to some other Jewish people. So much as I say, "write in good faith and listen thoughtfully to feedback," no one should ever be shocked if they're praised by some Jewish people and criticized by others. Like all religious and cultural/ethnic minorities, Jewish people are not a monolithic opinion... we're arguably more splintered than many minorities lmao.

But yes, tldr, my personal opinion? I think you individually have every right to write Jewish character hcs into your fics, just as I think anyone can as long as they do so with respect, restraint, and forethought (&, as a Jew, "barely qualifying" or not, I'd say you personally have more wiggle room than goyim to just...do as you like with your writing about Jewish-ness... when one is basing their fiction off any personal experience, arguments about 'validity' become ridiculous. It's valid if it's true to your experiences and feelings, even if they're not universal! Nothing is universal!). That said--take my opinion with a grain of salt, because I have no more right to give you a "Jewish stamp of approval" than anyone else!

(And on your last note, I'm actually a huge fan of the idea of a Jewish!Karl. My current draft notes for his chapters currently imply his mother was Jewish, but I'm undecided on whether I'll explicitly leave that in. In my heart, though, yes, he's matrilineally Jewish. I think it brings an additional element to his backstory of basically being abducted into a religious cult and stripped of his own identity as a child particularly... poignant... because boy did Christians do this to some Jewish kids, historically!)

[thementalshawty]

Hello, sorry for bothering you. But I would like to ask you: Do you have any advice for starting to make music? Since I was a child I have liked it, but it is something that my parents didn't, so I was always away from it, to the point that now I am studying engineering that has nothing to do with music, but I can't take it anymore, seriously, I want to try. 🤧

I do!

Know that it’s what you want to do seriously or just as a hobby

Know how far you want to go with your music and where you want to stop, if you’re doing it for the game find something else it’ll be way to easy to get famous on social media platforms than music of fame is what you striving for.

Know what your brand is, everyone knows the industry will be trying to test you to see what they can bend and make you do. Stay strong in your creativity. Don’t stray from your message or what you stand on, that will help you get ahead! Don’t be afraid to say no.

Don’t just trust everyone! I know talking to your fave artist and asking for help hoping to get their validation, DO NOT DO THAT! Artists don’t help other artists unfortunately it’s a lie they tell to sound humble, plenty of artists including myself have experienced that disappointment of finding out other artists ain’t shit 🤷🏽‍♀️.

Never go to the artists for help, go above them. (be a Karen and ask for the manager or the boss). You have to remember this is a business the whole objective of the industry is to create profit, these artists work with certain companies to expand their business, they won’t tell you what they actually did because they don’t want you to succeed, (Hopefully you meet an artist who is really sincere).

Don’t hold grudges. It’s a business. Accept and keep it pushing ALWAYS! People are jerks and they’re hella entitled and snooty in this industry even the ones just starting out. Idk why and idc I just warn other artists.

Be professional! Nobody likes a messy slob who doesn’t know how to conduct themselves.

MARKETING IS KEY! Know where and how to invest your money. Don’t give money away, everything and everyone will sell you stardom and the dream don’t believe it! Use marketing

Know that nothing is organic in this industry EVERYTHING IS FABRICATED! Yes numbers and all, you think an artist has 41M streams, but most of them are fake bots paid for by their label, again this is a business so the bigger numbers are making better send so the payola isn’t something to look down on.

This is a personal opinion of mine well this whole thing is, but MAKE YOUR OWN SHIT! If you can just be innovative original and write your own lyrics the majority of the time that is amazing and it shows how talented and passionate you are about the craft I feel like bigge smalls (number 9 should have been number one to me). I feel this should’ve been the first piece of advice, but here we are.

Practice ignoring what people say, I know people say you need to have tough skin, I say Fucc that! People need to learn how to control themselves like you do, but they don’t cos people are brave esp online, so practice turning your head to it or limiting your social media comment searches. Getting feedback is cool but you must KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Everyone is going to try to make you second guess yourself! This industry is a huge ass mindfucc! PLEASE KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU WILL AND WILL NOT STAND FOR! Also don’t be afraid to stand up to anyone! You don’t need to get loud or rude but you can stand your ground in the room.

EXPECT NO HELP! The industry really helps those whose already made it to some kind of fame or viral status, you wanna start from the ground up, lots of money coming out and no money returning, lots of rejections and doors slammed, disappointments, frustrations and more sad moments. People are out for themselves and you’ll realize that in this industry.

Accept that the fame that most people see isn’t real and there’s a price to pay that you may or may not be into. Hey if you’re into it then go ahead, many artists including myself have been approached about this offer, and Fucc that it’s not even a choice to make, well not for MY BRAND! Hence why I say KNOW YOUR BRAND! What you’re about the image that you want to put out, how you want to look, say, move, etc.

Be entertaining, I’m not going to say be yourself if it ain’t lit they won’t look your way!

Have a great stage presence!

Uhm I’m trying to think……JUST STAY COMMITTED!!! Trust your instincts!

Get a great dream team! Don’t. Try to do it all, shit there’s nothing wrong with admitting you need help just be cautious about who you get help from.

Don’t try to get signed. Independent artists are hella fire and have so much freedom and they get to keep MAJORITY OF EVERYTHING (after you split with your team).

Learn the ins and outs of the business. Esp with the genre you want to pursue.

Believe in yourself and your craft more than anyone you need to be your biggest fan……..ALWAYS.

There’s more but I didn’t even want this to be that long!

Good luck love!

[sailoryooons]

Yo im so tired of people on here coming into writers inboxes and complaining about shit. THIS IS FUCKING FREE!!!! Were fucking lucky that they are responding to ANY messages about their work let alone fucking unconstructive and rude complaints. Because they literally don’t have to do any of this at all. NOTHING! They can post one chapter of a series and hype it up and then never post anything else about it again. They can write for one fandom for years, then switch on a dime and never write anything else for it again. They can say again and again that a fic is almost done then never release it. They don’t owe us shit. It’s a privilege to be able to read the drabbles, scenarios, and fucking novel and series-length stories with the themes, characters, and world-building that we love so much. And then to be complaining about some editing???? I’ve begun stories that I’ve been excited about the premise, and the grammar has been to the point that it’s completely pulled me out and I couldn’t finish it even though I loved where the story was going. I’ve only been reading works on this blog for like a month now, so I don’t know about old stuff. The last one i read I read (the jin gamer/roommate fic i think?) there were like maybe 2 or 3 times where i had to go back and reread and piece together what the intention was or where there seemed to be a missing word, but that’s so rare and like, didn’t pull me out of the story that much. And it’s fucking free! If i paid for a book, then i might be disappointed, but if i paid for a book, there probably would have had a whole publishing team that would have edited that out in the first place!!! Go read things you know are edited if you dont like it and don’t bother people who are providing free things that don’t hurt anyone because of dumb ass reasons.

I 100% get if you don’t post this if you don’t want all this yelling and negativity, but I hope you know that you are appreciated for what you give so freely. This is just one of many comments ive seen lately come to writers on here and while some of them have seemed to come from well-intentioned people, there’s like a sense if entitlement that’s completely unearned behind it that makes me fume! I try to stay out of other people’s business but this made me so mad!!!

Hi wow okay first of all - thank you for overall just getting it. Writing is a really hard thing to do and there are a lot of content creators on this website who are churning out content and trying to do their best to make it good enough for those who engage with them.

I agree with a lot of points on this - when we start to consider reader/writer relationships, a lot of people don't realize that there really isn't an obligation on the writer to do things the way that they're expected, whether it's updating at a certain frequency or editing a certain way or just... anything. While most of the CCs I know (including myself) rely really heavy on audience feedback for the way that we do things, there are certain perceptions, comments or expectations that are just super tiring.

While I totally understand how my minimal editing can seem lazy or like I don't care - that's certainly not it. It's just really the lesser of two evils for me - either I can use editing programs if I don't have someone to beta immediately, or I can delay posting for a few days while I get my bearings and edit.

Most of my writer friends will tell you that editing your own stuff is hard for some people. For some writers it's super easy to pump out a huge fic and turn around and edit. For others, it's not. It's really about what works best for each person, and this is currently what works best for me (I get really nervous delaying fics over and over again because I don't give myself enough grace and time to finish).

But overall - yes, agreed with a ton of things you said in this and I'm responding publically because I think there are a lot of really great points about the writer/reader relationship and expectations.

Editing more is something I definitely want to work on and I'll be better at asking for betas (I always feel very intimidated to do this) but yeah. Thank you!!

[lokisprettygirl]

Hey darling,

I wanted to write to you because I read something you wrote. Something about you are feeling unwanted here. I want to say something, I have been obsessed with your writing. I think you are my favorite writer in this site, no, not in tumblr, I think you are my favorite of all time! In my most challenging times, I read your fics to distract myself, and damn they helped too much. So I owe you big time. It's so heartbreaking that you feel unwanted, feeling not so good about getting the reaction you deserve. Because I think you deserve more than that.

And here is the thing, I don't read on Tumblr anymore because I don't have so much time. But, a few months ago I was reading one of your stories, and enjoying it so much, but you were keep saying your dissatisfaction with the comments and the feedback (I don't know if I'm using it right sorry for my English). Then you decided not to tag people anymore because they didn't seem interested in your works anymore. And you were totally right to be mad, I thought you were right, still, you are. But it affected me somehow. Please don't get me wrong I'm not intending to judge you or hurt you but it felt like I wasn't commenting enough and couldn't show how much I was enjoying. Of course I know you are not that kind of a person, you like every comment and like but at that time I felt that way. So that's why I was wondering your new fictions but since I couldn't check here regularly, I avoided reading them. Because you were unhappy when people don't give a reaction to your work when you upload them.

But today reading you so unhappy broke my heart. I wasn't planning to write to you but I don't know, here I am. I was just going to check here and leave. Because you were the only reason I use Tumblr. I just wanted to tell you what I felt, and why I couldn't read you lately. And now I see what I did was nonsense, you probably weren't unhappy with a reader like me, you were unhappy with ghost readers. I wish I can make it up to you. And if you ever stop writing because you don't feel like you don't get what you deserve I'm blaming all the people over here including myself. I'm sorry. You deserve the world.

This made me cry 🥲 I just wanted to tell you and anyone who got offended by my decision to not tag people anymore, it was less to do with you guys and more to do with my ability to feel bad about people not responding to those tags, I felt ignored and it killed my motivation to write because I felt like "Okay my writing wasn't good enough for them to respond to my story" because I'd often see those people commenting on other fics and it made me feel bad about myself.

That's why I don't like it when people tag me without asking me first because I wouldn't want anyone to feel that way either because I know how it feels to be ignored that way, by choosing to not tag anyone anymore I tried to save myself from feeling that way, I tried to tag again with the new series and then I was obsessing over people not responding at all so I stopped it, it wasn't worth the trouble. It wasn't directed towards anyone in particular and trust me if you were one of those who commented regularly and you thought it was for you? Then it just makes me feel bad because if I see someone commenting once or twice on my fics , they automatically become someone I look forward to see in my notifications. And I just feel grateful that people would want to connect with me via my story, I hardly ever ignore a comment or a reblog even because if someone went out of their way to comment I just have to respond I can't not respond.

When I am writing I always wonder how the readers would react to this bit etc etc and it was hurtful that people just stopped interacting with me all of a sudden, I dont write many one shots..and I don't complain when my one shots don't get any engagement because it's not anybody's responsibility to comment on every fic of mine, I'm not that entitled even if I come across that way.

I only ever complain about my series because writing multiple chapters for the same fic is a process, as a writer i get engrossed in the story too and I just wanted to chat and discuss the story, characters, theories etc, otherwise it makes me feel like I'm talking to myself and if that has to be the case then why should I even bother? It can just stay in my drafts right? It would be the same thing.

I'm sorry if you got hurt in any ways or if you felt like I didn't appreciate you as my reader because trust me I'd never ever want to hurt any of you, I can't even imagine being someone's favourite in terms of writing, but if you felt that way about me I'm just absolutely honoured and I'm happy my fics helped you in someways 💚❤️ i hope you're doing well dear, don't worry, I have a few people here who keep me motivated to write and I'm finally glad to be writing a series again where I'm inspired to finish it. If I ever stop updating here it would probably be because of my own reasons and not you guys.

Just take care of yourself dear, thank you for the ask and for understanding that it wasn't for you, but if I made readers like you run away because of my cribbing then I'm just sorry, none of my complains were directed to you guys, I could never do that to people who have supported my writing..

[woodpengu]

On several occasions I've put forth the idea of classes on etiquette. Not a revival of an outdated, classist idea pertaining to behaviors based on gender or status, but discussions on how to interact with my fellow human in given settings. Because common sense is not so common as the generation who "raised" me (I raised myself, mostly) believed it to be.

I worked in an answering service for a bit (gist: a living answering machine, taking quick messages for companies from doctor's offices to college dorms to HVAC companies), and the number of times I was dehumanized for daring to exist. But also the years as an artist observing "critiques" from onlookers and pushback from clients. And the many times I dealt with a person who didn't want to be in the exact position they were paid to be in because of the customer who came before me and I was an easy target. Or looking quite a bit younger than I actually am, or being misperceived in other ways. All these deets (and more) adding up to me constantly wishing etiquette would be taught, because it isn't inherent.

It's not. It's definitely not inherent to just know precisely what to say or how to behave in a situation. Worse if you're neurospicy (ADHD, Autism, BPD, Bipolar, CPTSD all included) and/or under pressure/in a hurry. It'd be really nice to have a judgment-free zone of discussion about circumstance and behavior. There was a taste of it in an Interpersonal Communications course I took in college, but it was teaching subjective material as objective expectation, which really added emphasis on the need for clarity.

I guess this goes hand in hand with critical thinking (which should be taught and encouraged younger than it is) and replacing judgment or disgust with curiosity and intrigue.

Imagine the difference it would make to pause, to think through the process, and then open the mouth. Or, if one can't pause, to be able to stop oneself, frame an appropriate apology, and then carry on with authenticity. To not jump into interaction with assumption but instead with fresh perspective and treating a person as an individual not responsible for the actions of the peers they're associated with. To have the wherewithall and awareness to admit, "I need a minute before serving/helping you; you don't need what the last person/customer/patient made me feel".

Could rant about this or go into more detail, but we'll leave it at this. Just feeling the thoughts returning that it'd be nice to discuss (not argue) etiquette (not classist entitlement) in any situation regarding social interaction, whether direct or not (which includes book reviews and written feedback on ideas/subjects).

[project-sour-grapes]

State of the Union

I have hit the same roadblocks repeatedly in my life for 29 years. Or 26, if we consider that the first 3 years of life are basically boilerplate.

After a childhood of being told I was special, or after my temperament demanded that I be treated as special, or some feedback loop of the two, I am accepting that I am not. I am not inherently special. At the very least, acting like I am has gotten me nowhere. I half-ass everything I do. I rest on my laurels. I wait for things to turn into emergencies before I take action. I sit and observe things, and--while there is a role for the philosopher-sitter-observer in life--this has prevented me from taking action and making things happen. Whenever I hit an obstacle, I give up. Or I think of changing course entirely. I could be sailing in the middle of the ocean and come across a log and say, "Shoot, I better turn around."

I started this blog as a goodbye to that sort of thinking. I started it as a way to catalog my journey away from that life. But I'm turning around and realizing I'm merely a foot further from shore than I was a year ago.

There's that Confucius saying about "going slow" vs "stopping" along your journey that any Tumblr veteran knows. But this trajectory is just not satisfactory. I am going so slow towards my goals that it's almost as bad as being stopped. Hell, it might be worse, because I can comfort myself with my millimeters of progress, and say, "Well, I'm moving," and then blame the microscopic magnitude of it on anything that feels comforting at the time. "That's just how the system works." Or, "I'm just being patient." Or, "Maybe this just isn't the right path for me."

And maybe this isn't the right path for me. But I'm not going to find that out by being mediocre. Or by working only one hour a day toward my goal.

I was talking to my mother a few weeks ago about why I can't finish anything I start, big or small. I told her that I wanted to leave healthcare already and that my patients were starting infuriate me. Then after the hour-long practical conversation about work-life balance and "pros and cons," which is all of the typical career advice that anybody ever gets, she just said frankly, "Whatever you're running from, once you realize it and are ready to stop running, you'll find your goal."

The things that came to mind when she said that include:

running from body dysphoria (since I'm a man born with female body parts)

running from my desire for but difficulty with building friendship and relationships

running from my gigantic ego, since I don't know what to do with it

As I'm writing this, I want to stop and change course real quick. What if what I'm running from is my huge ego? And my fear of it means it just comes out in unhealthy ways? My repeated career and relationship failures would show as much.

Old school psychology is kind of goofy, but I'm thinking of Freud's concept of sublimation, where anything that we bury just comes out in new, weird ways. And in Jungian psychology, the things we don't like about ourselves or that are the more animalistic parts of ourselves (our "shadow") will make themselves known one way or another. The most vital, carnal parts of the human psyche fester like a pressure cooker unless we let off steam in a healthy way. "What we resist persists" is a true statement even for the ego.

I can't resist my ego. I can only channel it. The human ego is a powerful force, and with that, there are only two things I can do with that energy:

use it to compress diamonds in my own life

use it to make coal to burn others

Looking at the track record of my life, I have gotten most off track after I have accidentally acquired a pile of coal and then decided to weaponize it. Perhaps this was because I felt entitled to diamonds instead, and lighting the coal was a "fuck you" to those I had held my hand out to.

I think my mother was right. I am running from something. (Maybe several things, but) The something is my ego.

I'm not going to bury it or accept being average (at least the kind where no progress is being made year-over-year) or Buddhism my way out of it. I am going to run with it.

"What is the best way to ride a horse? The direction in which it is running." -Somebody

There are a few analogies for embracing the ego that I want to mull over the next few weeks. The ego is:

like fire in that it can keep you warm and aid in survival or it can burn your house down

like nuclear power in that it is the most efficient form of energy known to man or it can poison entire cities if handled poorly

like a German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois; it can either sniff out the bombs and incapacitate the bad guys or it can rip up your entire living room and shit the bed

It's not the ego that is the problem. It's what you do with it. It's where you point it and why.

Anything powerful can be both protective and harmful. Who are you serving with your ego: yourself or your community? Ideally, it would be a mix of both. My problem has been lopsidedness and then victimhood and self-righteous indignation when nobody even asked for my lopsideness to start.

With all of that being said, a few things are true:

I am not special and the world owes me nothing.

I have a huge ego, and if I work for what I want, I will fucking get it or something even better

It's the tension between these statement that gives rise to human motivation (past the lizard brain motivations like food, water, etc.). It's like in Ernest Becker's "Denial of Death," where he says mankind's greatest achievements are pitiful attempts to live forever. Or F. Scott Fitzgerald's belief that we should be able to "hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless yet be determined to make them otherwise." We are both statistically not special in a world of 8 billion people and such an expansive universe, and yet having an ego is the most human thing ever.

And that's the universe: just paradoxes and the tension between them, and mankind's convenient spot at the center. Everything in the universe is in flux. Nothing in the body or in nature is static. It's all trajectories and voltages and potentials in the Physics sense.

Thus I will both accept that I'm not special and that my ego is gigantic, and that's aight.

How do I channel the powerful force of the ego in a healthy way then, like those superhero movies montage where the hero starts using their powers and sucks at first and breaks everything in their kitchen but then masters them? Honestly, fuck if I know. I have shit to do the rest of tonight, and I'm going to have to think on this one.

Will come back with more ideas, but the goal is not to squash the ego, but to channel it for good. Don't put out the fire, just learn how to use it like any other tool.

That's it for now.

Other quotes that are on my mind today:

Life is a numbers game.

The grass is green where you water it.

Have a good one.

[autumntouched]

As a fellow writer, I understand where you are coming from with likes feeling empty. That being said, I feel as though your writing may not be coming from a great place if you are feeling that way. We are so fortunate to have amazing writers (including yourself) sharing their work with the community, but writing should be for you above anything else. If other people enjoy it, that's great! Still, it's not fair to your readers to expect that they will always want to interact with every work. <3

I totally hear this and appreciate your perspective! I sat with where my writing is coming from for quite awhile, and I think this is where I landed:

First, if I was unclear, I am sorry. I don't think I asked anyone to interact with every work. I have no expectation that people are. Like actually please don't. I should clarify that the primary lack of motivation is around the Hannix Football Rivalry, which is entirely built on asks. I want to make sure you all are happy and asked for help doing that

If you've read my whole catalogue, yes I'd love to hear from you at least once. Or if I am writing an entire series based on reader requests? YES, I would love feedback especially if you're coming into my asks for another story. Please let me know if I'm giving you what you want because I am perfectly HAPPY not writing something for me above all else. You know what made my day? Someone saying that something I never would have written for myself brings them regular comfort

Why should it be for me above anything else? What's wrong with wanting to write something that is entirely what someone else wants and being motivated by knowing exactly what will make them happy?

If I was unclear, I am sorry. I don't think I asked anyone to interact with every work. I have no expectation that people are. Like actually please don't.

As a writer, I am trained to write with the audience in mind. My stories are often for me above anything else but how they are written is shaped through the lens of who will be reading it. And the one thing I get from fanfiction that I can't get from most other places is the chance to know what my readers are feeling and thinking. And that to me is the most meaningful part of telling stories. To connect with people

One of the benefits of fanfiction is that writers have the opportunity to engage directly with their readers in close to real time. That's really special and a unique feature of writing in fanfiction, and I don't think wanting to know that you're connecting with your audience and how is writing for the wrong reasons? I'm here because that's what I don't get from the other places I write and because I enjoy using my talents to give people something that makes them happy. That doesn't necessarily mean I have to do it without any reciprocation

People write fanfiction for as many reasons as people read it. Every writer is entitled to their own reasons. And there are plenty of things that I write that are for me above anything else that I expect no one to interact with. But I don't see writing as always being for me above anything else. Writing can be the intersection of the story the writer wants to tell and the audience that is receiving it. Or here, what's really cool, the story the audience wants to read and the one the writer delivers

Writers are often trained to write with the audience in mind.

[sinnersandsaints-linwrites]

you know sometimes a lot of if authors ask us if we would like options and interactions added to the game......so it's not so outlandish and strange when things get asked for. but i suppose you didn't ask for suggestions which means people definitely shouldn't give you unsolicited suggestions. but speak for yourself. Use "I" not "us authors". My MC. My characters. My-oof we get it. no ones saying its not YOUR characters and not YOUR game. okay? maybe go write a proper book or something where it can properly be your mc with no customization or variations. (I'd definitely buy it) and no suggestions to allow to say something snappy to RUDE characters. RUDE. i like rude characters so not complaining lol but idk what being neurodivergent has to do with it especially in this instance lmao. especially if it's just being RUDE and HOSTILE to one person, aka YOUR mc. We weren't talking about you and you not being neurotypical and what you do because of that, we're talking about these types of characters who are just plain meanies so please keep stuff like that out of it.

also about your other post. what does self inserts have to do with anything??? because someone would like the option for the mc to wear glasses??? cause they maybe wanna not have the mc get stepped on willingly at all times??? fanfics have set personalities for the 'Yn' character so i cant really understand what you could mean? the only thing is that they dont have a name?? the yn part?? and if you play that way, interactive fiction is more self insert and oc insert than yn fanfics will ever be. idk how the lines can be blurred lmao?? we knowwwwwwwwww its the authors character and not us as a reader. we knowwww. its just fun. it's just immersive. please calm down its not that serious and again speak for yourself cause i have never seen anyone else complain about that before. *priest voice* and if you do, speak now or forever hold your peace. all your other points are valid tho I'm sick of that whole; "it's not my preference so please change this character to suit me" bull. anyway I've never been this rude to anyone on the internet in my life but you just irk me so I'm tryna fight. please reply accordingly. and yes I'm on anon oof so cowardly yudda yudda yudda idc. ooooh you should start an if authors union ya know! since you feel so oppressed by entitled readers wanting the interactive fiction game they're playing to include certain interactions. no no I'm not deluded, you don't have to do that honestly but just say no and stfu about it. maybe put somewhere in your bio "don't suggest things, i dont care, this is MY mc not yours and MY game." it would be sooo iconic if you actually added that lol. i sound like a pos spoiled brat towards the end even to myself but oh well. cue the ass kissers and dick riders to your defense ig. if you answer this at all. "dont listen to them-" "I'm so sorry you have anons like-" "the audacity of some peo-" "don't worry, they're wrong, keep complaining abou-" "if they don't like your posts then they shoul-" "I can't believe -" "this is so rud-"

Hope you don't mind, I'm a no nonsense type🥔

Well this is a lot. I’ll just go point by point. And to preface people saying “ignore it and move on” thank you, I’d rather not. Even if the ask does not seem too constructive. So, here, anon, your 15 minutes of fame and attention. 

You are correct — I did not ask for suggestions as to what choices I should make available. Sometimes I ask for suggestions about different things, and I do appreciate that feedback, but I do not appreciate unsolicited suggestions as to how I should write my game.

I use “us authors” and not “I” because I am not the only author who gets the ‘suggestions’, it’s easy to see since almost every week at least one author deals with something of the sort.

“My MC. My characters. My-oof we get it. no ones saying its not YOUR characters and not YOUR game. okay? maybe go write a proper book or something where it can properly be your mc with no customization or variations. (I'd definitely buy it)”

Auch, ‘proper book’? Appreciate the info that you’d buy it, but this is just a backhanded compliment of sorts. I (and other authors as well!) repeat it often that the characters are ‘ours’ because people do forget that, often.

“i like rude characters so not complaining lol but idk what being neurodivergent has to do with it especially in this instance lmao. especially if it's just being RUDE and HOSTILE to one person, aka YOUR mc. We weren't talking about you and you not being neurotypical and what you do because of that, we're talking about these types of characters who are just plain meanies so please keep stuff like that out of it.”

Lot to unpack. I assume you’re referring to some older responses I gave, where I mentioned that neurotypical people can often perceive behavior of neurodivergent individuals as ‘rude’ when the person is not rude; they just don’t conform to neurotypical standards. I also mentioned cultural differences; for Americans for example, behavior of Poles is often perceived as rude, but for Poles it’s being neutral. I respectfully decline, and I will keep mentioning things like these.

 Idk who’s the ‘we’ you talk about, maybe speak for yourself? :/ (I think I’m allowed a bit of pettiness here)

The entire thing about self inserts — let me guess, you self insert? (Last bit of pettiness I promise)

I’d appreciate if you specified which post you mean, since I’m not clairvoyant. I’ll assume you meant my post from TNG blog, since it’s there that I spoke at length about self inserts. I’m not sure what’s your entire point with this, to be frank. Readers can headcanon whatever, that’s quite alright — you can self insert all you want; what stops being alright is when the authors boundaries — mine for example — get disrespected because a reader got too deep into their self insert, or when I get treated like a one-shot writing machine with someone’s overly specific, detailed scenarios, or when people complain about their MC “being stepped on willingly at all times.” If you don’t want your MC to be “stepped on willingly at all times” feel free to simply not read. It’s that easy. 

Y/N fanfics often have a bland ‘Y/N character’ with minimal personality and characteristics, it’s a hollow character most can project into. Y/N fanfics have also things like: your last name, your eye color, your hair color, but often they’re so easily self-inserts because of how empty they are (that being said, still most Y/N fanfics are written with an able-bodied, NT, white, cis women in mind). Y/N fanfic is a clear self insert, it’s meant as self insert — Interactive Fiction is not. 

“idk how the lines can be blurred lmao?? we knowwwwwwwwww its the authors character and not us as a reader. we knowwww. its just fun. it's just immersive. please calm down its not that serious and again speak for yourself cause i have never seen anyone else complain about that before. *priest voice* and if you do, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Feel free to read through the responses in the tags and replies to that post then if you have never seen anyone else mention this. You may know the difference, some people don’t — I for one often get asks worded as “I wouldn’t do that / behave like that / I’m not attracted to that” etc. “I” not “MC”. So.

“anyway I've never been this rude to anyone on the internet in my life but you just irk me so I'm tryna fight. please reply accordingly. and yes I'm on anon oof so cowardly yudda yudda yudda idc. ooooh you should start an if authors union ya know! since you feel so oppressed by entitled readers wanting the interactive fiction game they're playing to include certain interactions. no no I'm not deluded, you don't have to do that honestly but just say no and stfu about it. maybe put somewhere in your bio "don't suggest things, i dont care, this is MY mc not yours and MY game." it would be sooo iconic if you actually added that lol. i sound like a pos spoiled brat towards the end even to myself but oh well. cue the ass kissers and dick riders to your defense ig. if you answer this at all.”

[bookwyrminspiration]

well if it's linh asks you want, then i've been thinking more about the dark!linh au instead of actually writing it and im still having brainrot about it bc i just. adore the concept.

and okay so i Think i have a basic idea and i have a possible start and a possible end (that doesnt wrap nearly everything up but IS a conclusion i can end a fic on and then possibly write a sequel but then just never do it) so thats??? better??? i just. need help with. everything else.

oh and?? have a quote?? from both linh and tam pov since i cant help myself.

Linh unfroze herself from her position, joints aching at the effort it took to stand up. She waited, watching to see whether or not Rhys would move on. He wasn’t. Fine. She was doing this, then.

and

He’ll pass by her portrait, sometimes, hanging in the hallway his mother and father don’t dare to walk through anymore, and for a second not be able to tell the difference either. She’s the smiling one, though. She’d always been.

so?? enjoy??? even though i havent,,, actually been writing it ive been thinking about this au for SO LONG and i am just. AAAAAA

- pyro

it is Linh asks I want! always! she's excellent and i love her so much

oo the dark!linh au!! I still have my own idea for one of those that you inspired, I just haven't worked on it because, you know, the wings au. I learned a fun fact about the wings au earlier today and it broke my brain but this post isn't about that so I'll move on. I'm very curious to hear about your ideas for it. I also adore the concept, so I am !! right now

a basic idea is how you start a fic! so you're already doing great. all stories start with an idea and go from there. And then the start and end are an excellent next step. Figuring out the framework makes it so much easier to do everything else in the story! I've already written a post about my planning process so I won't repeat all that hear, but if you want help or feedback on anything I'd be more than happy to help! I don't know how helpful I would actually be, but at the very least I think I could be a good listener. Or maybe I'd just be good at asking questions, but that's also a cool part of the process.

The planning stage of a story is infuriating but so much fun, because towards the beginning its a lot looser. That means that there's a million opportunities to pick from and ruminate on. And you can throw a bunch of things together without it needing to be "right" because things don't need to fit together right now. So you can include notes and details for plans that completely contradict each other and not worry about it! But all that freedom can be a lot sometimes, like opening a new document. Because how do you narrow it down? How do you get from point A to point B and make it make sense and sound good? I start a new document every two weeks and it's always a slap in the face like ah. What words should go there?

:000!! quotes?! oh this is so cool

"to see whether of not Rhys would move on." Who?? is Rhys?? it kind sounds like Linh is gonna fight him for some reason. I have already constructed an entire scenario and image in my mind around this so I'm going to narrate this so you can be amused by how incorrect this is. They're at a bar. Linh is in the shadows, but watching. Rhys is some self-entitled bitch of a human she's been trailing for days for some reason i haven't figured out yet. Wait. the plot thickens. Linh is serving as a bodyguard for someone the Neverseen needs protected, and Rhys is overestimated his security at the bar, getting to close and too pushy and insistent and trying to make a deal with the person she's protecting. Maybe they're in the middle of negotiations with papers all spread in front on them and a glass of whiskey in hand. And Rhy is refusing to take no for an answer. Linh's been watching the entire time from the rafters or something, crouching, which is why her joints ache. And now that she's been called to action she's going to use the part of the whiskey that's water (like how they dilute it?) to choke him while he takes his next drink. And come up behind him while it happens, feigning concern but really its so no one tries to come up and actually save him. I'm 100% sure this isn't going to happen in the au but damn was it cool to imagine. But whatever this scene turns out to be will be even cooler. I'm positive of it!

and then that tam quote?? oh my?? I'm trying to imagine how he would've turned out if he continued living at home and seeing his parents regularly and it isn't ending well in my mind. I feel like his parents would pretend to be really loving at first now that they've gotten their ideal one child and don't have to acknowledge the twins but it fades after a while.

"and for a second not be able to tell the difference either." Oh?? is someone mistaking him for his sister? I'd assume it's his parents. I feel like they wouldn't have been able to tell them apart a lot and do that stereotypical "oh but you just look so similar" thing even when they...didn't. I was friends with a pair of twins and hung out with them a lot a few years ago and the number of times people did this was so infuriating and I wasn't even the one it was happening to. Because?? if you took a single second to look a little closer you could tell exactly which twin was which based on facial features. Headcanon that the Song parents couldn't tell apart their kids and didn't even try to. I'm getting distracted now oops.

"She's the smiling one, though. She'd always been." hey just throw me off a cliff next time, okay? (/j /lh). Oh that one hurts. There's so much pain in one sentence, but so much nostalgia. I don't know the context for it but knowing you it's probably angst. And knowing that linh is now dark, the way she's been preserved as sweet and smiling in Tam's memory hurts but I love it.

i did! I did enjoy! I hope my responses to it made sense, but I love hearing other people's ideas. also don't feel pressured to write anything, please. if you want to then go for it, but you aren't letting anyone down by having ideas but no writing. I'm happy to hear about either and I'd be just as excited about this au as i am right now even if it was never written! the concept as a whole is so cool and I'm very interested to hear everything about it you're willing to share.

and thinking about aus forever is honestly a great way to start. it was like nine months I spent just thinking about the wings au before I wrote a single word, and several months after that to write it regularly. don't know where i'm going with this but I'm trying to be comforting/encouraging.

if you do want to write it, I wish you luck! writing isn't always easy but it can be very rewarding. if you do want to publish it, then I'm curious to read it. if you want to keep talking about it, then i'm excited to hear more. if you don't do any of that, it's also fine and I'm glad you enjoy it so much. I think everyone should have a story just for themselves, and if this is yours than i'm happy for you!

[kaitoxen]

Reasons Why You Should Read TGCF or Heaven's Official Blessings by MXTX:

Aside from MDZS, MXTX also wrote a novel entitled "Heaven's Official Blessing". It was her third novel. Though it was written in Chinese, worry not, there are tons of English translations around and the translations are quite good. If you are a big fan of BL and some historical genre and obviously—fantasy, then this would be the best pick for you to read.

The Heaven's Official Blessing had a donghua (animation) in 30th of October, 2020. Others say that it had a Manhua adaptation as well. But since the both are still on going, I suggest you to read the novel. The novel itself is detailed. You can freely use your imagination.

So here are the reasons why you should really read it:

1. It is BL, if you are a big fan of the Boy's Love Genre or Danmei in China, you will love this. The love between Xie Lian and Hua Cheng is really powerful. Imagine their patience is equals to 800 years? Yes, that's right.

2. It is in a Xianxia genre. Probably historical, or mythological and consists of fantasy stuff. As a fantasy lover myself, I highly recommend you this novel aside from MDZS.

3. The fight scenes are awesome. Really awesome! Sword fights, magical stuff and also has cultivators and even some demonic spirits around.

4. The emotions you'll feel are mixed. In my current situation, as I first time read this, I literally laughed in the beginning. The narration is funny and I thought it was a comedy. Later on, when I arrived at the rising part or going to the climax, my heart went shattered and cried at the same time laughing. MXTX never failed to make me feel like this. I sometimes get happy and laughed all the time then later I'll find myself crying.

5. The life lessons are really great. As well as the quotations, they marked in my head so well. Like what Hua Cheng said, "To die in a battle for you, is my greatest honor." And I cried a lot. And this one too, “Only after having met you did I discover that it's such a simple thing to be happy.” You can certainly learn some virtues and morals in this novel. It touched my heart a lot. Like I found and learned to be selfless at all times.

6. The angst are real. But the Ending is real too. The angst I have read in this novel really gave me an interaction with it. I can relate, and it can also tpuch my soul. I never cry easily or laugh easily, but just like what I've said, MXTX never failed to make cry or laugh so. The angst made me imagine the novel more that sometimes I forgot about the reality and think I am part of their world. This is really great. Knowing the ending is also great too. My heart and soul was moved.

In general, the novel was written so well. MXTX writing style improved. As well as the chapters. I think, Heaven's official blessings is her longest novel. Consisting 250 chapters including the extras. But the chapters don't matter. If you start reading it, you won't notice the long chapters but rather you'll feel that you're slowly entering the Xianxia world or their world itself.

One world could describe this novel—that would be beautiful. It was a beautiful masterpiece indeed. I have no regrets reading it. Sometimes, I came to think of reading it again. MXTX's impact to me never changes. I always find it hardly to move on from her novels.

If you can relate to me, you can give me and share some feedbacks! :)

[something-tofightfor]

I set this to a couple other writers but no one answered. do you think that site engagement has dropped because the quality of writing has gone down? maybe if people wrote better content, people would interact more.

Hi, anon.  Maybe no one else answered because this is incredibly rude? But I’ll answer you because I honestly don’t care how you take my response. I’ll even elaborate for all of the other people that haven’t responded.  We are in a worldwide pandemic, and even though some states and countries and people don’t think it’s a big deal so they’re still living their lives as they please, the majority of people are not.  Myself included. My entire schedule and life changed in April/May, and it hasn’t gotten better. But writing has been an escape for me, so I used it as such. Did the amount of content that I put out there decrease? I don’t think so. I definitely changed my focus and wrote fewer different stories, but the overall amount of content stayed the same.  However. 

There have been very few writers/giffers/artists that have been creating content consistently throughout the last year - and that’s perfectly fine. Putting out less work or different work or even MORE work in a shorter period of time and then nothing for a month and then something else is perfectly fine. It happens. Writing and giffing and creating artwork take time and energy and effort. They take motivation. And for a lot of people, the last year has been very difficult. 

Have you ever published something or shared something you created, anon? It’s scary. And try as we might not to put ourselves into our work, it happens. So sharing something is often a reflection of what and where we are at the time ... and for you to question the quality and say that’s the reason people aren’t interacting? It’s bullshit, and all it’s going to do is make people even more hesitant to share their work in the future.  We do this for free. Some of us have Ko-fi or other links available should the people that view what we do want to contribute, and that’s much appreciated. But that’s not the reason we share our work on here. Some people need validation through interaction. Some people beg for it - that’s their choice. But as an author or an artist or a gif maker on a FREE WEBSITE we are not entitled to responses or interaction or support, no matter how much we think we should be. But you aren’t wrong - interaction and sharing have gone way downhill in terms of numbers lately, but it’s definitely not because of the quality of work.  How do I know this?  I’ll focus on writing, because that’s what I’m most familiar with. 

There are stories on here that haven’t been edited. They don’t have punctuation or complete sentences. They misspell main character and setting names and locations. They are wildly out of character and/or clear self inserts marked as reader or OC stories. There is no plot, no organization... and they still get hundreds of notes. This has been the case forever. 

Compare this to meticulously researched and outlined stories that are written with the intention of being accessible to wide varieties of people and groups. They are edited. They are formatted. They feature in character/in originating universe situations that feel realistic, details, chapters, etc ... and they do not get these notes. This has also been the case forever.

Are these both valid representations of fanworks that people want to share with others? Are they there for people to read and enjoy and share if they choose to? Yes. 

But since your choice of the word - quality - is so important to you, you need to ask yourself what the word actually means to you - and consider the fact that to different people, quality often means something very different. 

Some people think quality simply means entertaining. Some people think it means involving. Some people don’t think, and just consume whatever they come across, no matter what it is as long as it features their favorite characters or fandoms. Your definition of quality might be very different than mine, and mine might be very different from the next person’s.  So no, anon. I don’t think engagement and interaction has decreased because people are producing lower quality content. I think that it’s gone down because people are just not sharing or reblogging or reaching out as much on the things that they consume. Also? People outgrow fandoms. It happens. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve had drop off mid-story and just stop reading, for whatever reason. Tumblr is a shitty environment a lot of the time, so I get them stepping away from here, too.

And it’s a shame, because there are some really, really talented people out there that get skimmed over in favor of other stories/art/gifs/etc. I myself need to do better when it comes to reblogging, but I like to give people actual feedback when I do, and as of late, I haven’t had the motivation to do so. It sucks. We need to do better to support our friends and other content creators on here.  This got long, but I wanted to be sure that I clearly explained myself. So if you’re reading, still... I hope this cleared some things up.  Also, if you’re implying that *my* work has gone downhill recently, please feel free to tell me that straight up. Because I want to know, so that I can focus on things moving forward - and so that my writing doesn’t continue to go downhill. 

[wanderingcas]

hey so I saw you post a couple things about not wanting negative comments on your fics and I feel rly bad bc I think if you were vagueposting it may have been in response to the comment I left on your most recent chapter of ascend (I’ve since deleted it, though if it’s still in your inbox I’m sorry I can’t remove that as well). I did read it through before I hit submit, but after seeing what you said I went back, and can see how it could have been interpreted that way; I can tell my tone was just way off, especially for the platform. I’m autistic and have done a lot of work to improve my communication skills and convey appropriate tone, but I still bungle it up sometimes, and I’m sorry about that.

Things get messy on the internet for a variety of reasons, basic miscommunication being one, blurring of boundaries another, mismatch of expectations, etc etc; my intention was to be conversational, like wondering about a plot point not touched on, sandwiched between things I really liked about it. In retrospect I am seeing that even if that tone had been appropriately conveyed, that’s still a boundary you would prefer not to be crossed, particularly not in that setting uninvited.

Tumblr can add a layer of complexity bc of how friendly and informal and blunt so much of it is, and I think perhaps because I’ve read so much of your work and follow you here, it skewed the relationship baseline I was aiming from. For example, if I were talking to a friend about their work, I believe that tone would be less likely to cause hurt or offense, if that makes sense, or at least that has been my experience...though now that I’m thinking about it, still maybe not on a public comment platform! So again I am realizing the layers of my error here.

I’m not explaining to minimize your feelings or absolve myself of blame, but because by describing it this way I better understand what I did, where I went wrong, and how to improve going forward. I would rather be embarrassed and work through it than experience this social faux pas and be too ashamed to leave comments at all in the future. I can understand the position you have taken about not wanting negative comments, and I definitely get that you and all fic authors and other fanwork creators put in the time and effort and make yourselves vulnerable by sharing that effort for free, only hoping for some positive feedback in response.

Although I’ve definitely had good interactions with some authors over the years via comments and included some not-exclusively-positive feedback without issue, it’s wrong to assume that that is everyone’s stance. It’s absolutely every author’s prerogative to decide what types of comments to accept, and I mean that without judgment. As a non-neurotypical person (who often needs explicit statements of acceptable social behavior to adequately modulate my communication), this has reminded me that it is safer and kinder to assume that someone wants positive-only until otherwise demonstrated.

I apologize for any hurt caused by my inappropriate and badly phrased comment. Thank you for sharing your work, and for enforcing your boundary about what type of comment you’d prefer to accept.

hi, anon! just to clarify - are you the commenter that made a post about wanting more of Jack in the epilogue? Because i want to absolve you of some blame right now - I actually wasn't vagueposting toward you at all. I got really bad anon hate yesterday? two days ago? toward my fic (I deleted it, blocked the anon, and never posted it), as well as anons in the past - and I've also been seeing fellow writer friends go through some of the same issues. My post was less of a vague post necessarily and more of a general "let's review fandom etiquette" lol. Know that my post about that, and the subsequent discourse with that anon, was absolutely not directed at you.

When I got your comment I will admit it made me a little uncomfy - mostly because when I've gotten those comments in the past, they're layered with an added "this is what I wanted and you didn't do it so I'm angry and telling you about it", but that's not what you did in your comment - I understood where you were coming from, even if it did make me pause a bit. So i just want to let you know that you shouldn't feel shame or awkward or anything like that. I agree that tone and intention can get lost over the internet, and the relationship between reader and author can be tricky sometimes - particularly if you want to offer an opinion that might not be taken as completely positive? But it sounds like you are aware of that, and I do appreciate you taking the time to self-reflect.

And just as a quick note - in the past, there have been fics I've asked to get feedback on from readers - like La Hantise, for example, which I since deleted to rework as an original fic. I really wanted readers to point out what parts worked for them, and what parts didn't, and I specifically stated that in the author's notes on every chapter. Looking back, that may have been why our signals crossed got crossed, if you've been following my fics before. And usually I am pretty open to opinions in comments? But "ascend" in particularly has gotten some really entitled, really awful comments (again, not putting yours in that category!) so I've had to guard myself a bit with that fic. Maybe it's because it's a fix it fic, and everyone wants different things out of the finale to be fixed. Maybe it's because tensions are high. I dunno. Either way, i've had to build some walls around myself so i don't want to stop posting supernatural fic altogether lol.

So yeah, this is a messy way of saying - thank you for coming to apologize in case you needed to, but know the post wasn't about you. It was a general vent about the unwanted criticism and vitriol that some writers have been receiving lately on their fics. Like, really mean-spirited stuff lol. It wasn't my intention to make anyone paranoid, especially because comments on fics are great and lovely and I'm not about to drag anyone through the mud even if a comment made me a little sad, but I can tell their intentions are good. Usually in that case I just disengage and think about how to process it on my own end. <3

That all being said, i really really appreciate you taking the time to come to my inbox and say all this. You're one of the good ones, you really are. And people like you make me want to keep posting fic. Truly.