#but the way this word is overused for a person that even the author didn't consider him one is infuriating and stupid

[aleksanderscult]

If I had a coconut for every time a person said "the Darkling was a groomer" I would have enough coconuts to throw them on their heads and cure their amnesia.

[olderthannetfic]

I'm have a little prob. So uhh, I'm attempting writing a fic but I've see that a lot of people complain/critique when someone describe a character using the hair color. Like, «the red-headed said». Personally I don't find it annoying (only when overused in every single paragraph), but a lot people say it's bad to describe characters that way. Aaaaaand here's my problem: how can I describe a character that no one knows their name? (I'm writing my fic in third person but it isn't omnipresent, more like just focusing on a specific character's feelings and all of that. POV but not actually that POV-y, BTW.) Have anyone a tip for describing this character without using the «the red-headed said» or abusing «that boy», «the stranger», etc. I prefer asking because a lot of articles and all of that crap that appear when I google it aren't really helping, LOL. Thanks!

--

OH GOD EPITHETS

That POV is called 'third person limited', and the POV does convey character. The description you should use is the one that the POV character would actually think in their head.

The reason the hair color thing is so egregious is two problems:

First, the vast majority of the time, this is not how you'd be thinking of someone whose name you didn't know. You'd be thinking "the bank teller" or "the girl in the corner". If you're looking at security footage in color that's shot from above, you might ID various people by their hair color. If you're super horny for redheads or if red hair is super unusual or important to the plot, you might think of this lady by her hair color. But in general, it's not an in-character way to describe anybody.

(This also applies to bullshit like "the shorter man" or "the younger man" when the dude isn't like 30 years younger or a foot shorter. 99% of fanfic uses are about characters who are a centimeter different in height and look the same age.)

The second reason is amply demonstrated above. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of fic uses hair colors in ways that are not grammatical or natural in English, whether the author is clearly EFL like you or a native speaker. You need a noun.

"The redhead said..."

"The blond said..." (men only)

The blonde said..." (women only)

"The brunette said..." (women only)

Notice that there is no male equivalent of 'brunette' in English. If you want a dude version, it's "the brown-haired man". All other hair colors including black are "the [whatever]-haired person". Fandom really needs to lay off 'bluenette', 'pinkette', and other crimes of early anime fic.

This also applies to that egregious horror "The younger said...". It's used occasionally in 1920s novels and constantly in fic, but it's HORRIBLE. "The younger man said..." is also bad, but it's less stupefyingly godawful than "the younger".

--

Now, back to your question: I see your problem. There are lots of generic writing advice articles out there, so it's hard to know which one to listen to.

You say your fic isn't "POVy", but that's nonsense.

If the fic is third person limited rather than omniscient, then the way everything is described is that character's POV. What color words are used, which clothing or architecture is even described at all, whether smells and sounds are described or only visual input: everything like that builds a sense of the character. You may not be including a lot of detail, but any detail you put in is building their POV and thus their character.

Is your character the kind of person who gives weird nicknames to people? He'll call this redhead "Eyebrows" (capitalized like a name) because he noticed she has funny eyebrows. Is your character an overly serious cop? He'll call her "the suspect" or "the witness" or something. Is your character from a hardboiled detective novel? He'll call her "the dame". Is your character barely thinking about this woman? He'll refer to her as "the woman".

Pick one simple detail that is the most important aspect of her to your POV character. That becomes her "name" for now. The POV will call her that and only that as though it is a proper noun.

So if she's "the redhead", she is not also "the red-haired woman" or "the woman". Use only this one epithet plus she/her, just like you would normally use only a name plus she/her.

The only exception would be if your character has a good reason to update what they call her, usually because they've gotten new info about her identity (her name, her job description, she's so-and-so's sister, etc.). If your character calls everyone by a long list of constantly-evolving nicknames, then that's a character point, and you can do it, but you have to do it consistently (and it's probably going to be super annoying, so I would not personally pick this as your character's defining trait).

--

Epithets suck when they are out-of-character for the POV you are trying to write. When they are in-character, they are fine.

That's the rule.

[tojisun]

anon from the simon ask here,, sorry if the enclosure thing was to much i didn't know how else to express how insane i am for that man (⁠´⁠-⁠﹏⁠-⁠`⁠；⁠) and never EVER apologize for ranting i love it n i get it ! i don't think i ever saw my feeling so well explained in words. also, i completely understand the competence kink thing there's something so hot about a man that knows what he's doing and simon IS that man like he just looks so capable n ready for everything AND THE WAY HE CARES UGH i could cry thinking of the way he silently shows it. when i first started getting involved in cod i thought he would be this cold cold man but after watching a 5 hours walkthrough (i told you im crazy) i discovered this truly intricate character who seems like he feels so much even if he says so little HHH i just love him. for me his size was a principal attractive because duh but also i feel that it screams safety, like nothing can hurt you as long as he holds you but that could be my own conglomerate of issues speaking ┐⁠(⁠´⁠ー⁠｀⁠)⁠┌ over all, n as dumb as it can sound, he's a big source of comfort for me cuz i feel that if there's someone who could understand me it definitely him.

anyway im looking forward for the new works, i already know they r going to be amazing, and sorry for the long ass ask you can ignore it if you want <3

DONT APOLOGIZE FOR THIS ASK, IM DEVOURING IT!!! thank you for interacting back btw like oh my god i dunno how else to express how ?-$,&2$:$!: i am for this man and so seeing my ramblings be mirrored back makes me so happy 😭🫶🏼 also dont worry about the enclosure thing hahshshd made me laugh so hard, swearr

AND YOURE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!!! theres something so fucking attractive about a man whos exceptional at what he does. the authority that underlies his competence because well you cant help but trust him; you cant help but want to trust him. AND THE WAY HE CARES??? THE WAY ITS THAT SILENT TYPE??? i (still) dunno much abt him but just like u, i thought hes those cold guys whos a lil bit of a lone wolf yk? then i found out that those dad jokes he kept cracking for soap was to ensure soap doesnt pass out because hes been shot?? i didnt expect it from him tbh but i think thats why i started spiralling harder – seeing how hes just a caring man!!!

N HHHHH THE SIZE AND HOW HES YOUR SAFETY?? ITS LIKE YOURE PEERING THROUGH MY MIND RN??? im sorry in advance bc ive been overusing this phrase but his size, on top of his personality and skills, makes me feel small but in a safe and tender way. does that make sense?? like, when he holds you, it just feels like he’s folding you within himself before tucking you in the pockets in his chest. and hhhh i cant stop envisioning the way that when he loves, it feels like safety and comfort; security and steadiness. LIKE you fit perfectly in his arms, under his chin, your face pressed on his chest where you can hear his heart beating. because he’s alive and he’s safe and he’s back home with you because he’s found a home in you. yk???

I JUST. I THINK THAT DYNAMIC SUITS HIM N YOU SM – HES YOUR SAFETY BUT YOURE HIS HOME RAAAAAHHHHHH hope that makes sm sense bc im typing this w my heart lodged into my throat and ik im rambling all over the place. im just so into him, its so 😭

“i feel like if theres someone who could understand me its definitely him” YEA. JUST, YEA

thank you so so much for ur support omg 🥹🫶🏼 im like a puddle rn its hdhjwjdjd thank you again for this ask darling <333 im sorry that my response turned out long (again) and hhhh sorry for the sporadic capslock usage 😭 take care sweetheart 💘💘💘

[sarahowritesostucky]

2023 In Review : Authors' Edition

What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again? I wrote my first drabble. Plan to do more as part of my compliments to fanart that I like and reblog.

How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!) 28

What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer? I overuse semicolons and dashes and the first step is admitting you have a problem.

What piece of media inspired you the most? Handmaid's Tale, Snowpiercer (And of course MCU just b/c of Stucky)

What fandom(s) did you write for this year? Marvel/MCU, Actor RPF, Supernatural, Fresh, Snowpiercer, Knives Out

What ship(s) captured your heart? Stucky already had my heart. I really got into other C.Evans and S.Stan characters paired with OFC's, this year though.

What character(s) captured your heart? I liked exploring Curtis Everett and Lloyd Hansen. But I still ride or die for Steve&Bucky.

Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year? Yes!! Lots of new M/F pairings, and 5 new C.Evans characters.

What fic meant the most to you to write? "The Carter Academy for Omega Excellence"--because this was my first commissioned fic and I'm super proud of that. Plus, I've formed a friendship with the person who asked for it!

What fic made you feel the happiest to work on? No clear winner for this one, just a ton of ties. Fluffiest fic was "Angels Are Avian Adjacent"

What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing? "The Merging: A Union" - just b/c I've left the SN fandom and was glad to have given the story an end.

What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it? "Medically Necessitated" - because there is SO much I want to include in the plot of this one and it just is hard to keep it all straight in my head sometimes. Plus I'm rarely in the mood to write it because I hold the tone and quality of the writing so dear to my heart, that I don't want to just phone it in or half ass it. It is not finished (yet!).

What fic was the easiest to write? "Wet Dream" was written as a Bingo fill, and it felt like it came pretty easily.

What were your shortest and longest fics this year? "It Started with Helga the Lunch Lady" - 863 words "Medically Necessitated" - 91,000 words

Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023 "Medically Necessitated"

What were you go-to writing songs? "Wicked Game," "Enjoy the Silence," "I want to," "Like U," "Say It," "Falling," "Insomnia," "Should Be Higher," "Daddy Issues."

What were your go-to writing snacks? Kratom, caffeine pills

What was the hardest fic to title? Hydra Sanatorium - the title was actually something else that I decided I didn't like, so it got changed.

Share your favorite opening line A 3-way tie between: 1. "As a gigantic fucking Duh, hiking that last mile home with an ass full of cum is no fun." (BB & his 1001 Fetishes, ch 34), 2. "The Morning When Steve Finds Out What Bucky Wants to do to His Dick:" (Modifications & Improvement of Functions), and 3. "Sebastian’s in the middle of taking a dump when he hears his phone out in the kitchen. “Ah, crap.”" (I Prefer Girls Who're Not Afraid to Cry)

Share your favorite ending line A 3-way tie between 1. "What the hell kind of simp-ass Dom even calls themself something stupid like "Bucky," anyway?" (It Started with Helga the Lunch Lady) 2. "And then, nodding at the box of Midnight Black #106 that the other man is considering, furtively advises, “... don’t do it.”" (Merry & Bright, part 2) and 3. "Well, Bucky utilized his super soldier stealth skills. Steve tripped into the floor lamp." (Good Ol' Fashioned Values)

Share your favorite piece of dialogue I couldn't sort through ALL of the dialogue, lol, but it would definitely be the dirty talk in one of them. A recent one that comes to mind is the sexually tense and taunting back and forth Bucky has with his half-sister in "Make it Stick", or the banter between Ransom and his ex-GF in "Who'd You Have to Blow to Get That Part?"

Share an excerpt from your favorite scene AGAIN, too too many to sort through them all, but I love the scene in Good Ol' Fashioned Values where Steve and Bucky are making love, and Steve is emotional over wanting to be the omega mate he used to be for Bucky, and Bucky tenderly reassures him that he's still the perfect mate: [[“Buck, oh, p-please …”

“Uh huh. That’s right Honey. So soft. You work so hard to go soft for me, don’t you Sweetheart?”

Steve whimpered in a way he rarely did anymore, hands flying up to cover Bucky’s on his neck. “Yes, yes,” he gasped. His fingers curled into Bucky’s metal ones and held on almost desperately. “Please. I can be good. Buck,”

It broke Bucky’s heart a little bit, and he cooed sadly and shook his head. “Aw, Stevie, no.” He changed his pace, slowing down and fucking in deep and staying there to grind them together. “You’re always good, Honey. Always. Even when you can’t.” Steve’s eyes got misty at that, and plaintive, sad sounds started working their way out of his throat alongside the moans. Bucky hushed him. “Shh sh sh, Sweetheart.”]]

Share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. What about it was challenging? Are you happy with how it turned out? The last paragraph of Modifications & Improvement of Functions, because the tone of the fic was so lighthearted and so twisted at different points, I wasn't quite sure which tone I wanted it to end on. [[Steve’s old junker of a heart gets another ding in it. He pulls Bucky in close to be the little spoon, and lies there kissing at the back of his neck for a long, long time. “You always work right, Buck. You’re always perfect. I love you.” He traces the edges of the star that’s carved into the nape of his neck, and eventually he whispers, “We’ll go to the piercing shop tomorrow.”]]

What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story? That a 16 year old character may NOT be written engaging in even non-explicit sexual relationships in a Tumblr fic. I had to reformat a few details to be safe (but I increased the age gap super much instead, so nah nah! 😝(Got my abusive Tumblr Staff Troll 🧌to thank for that one.)

What did you use to write? (e.g. writing programs, paper & pen, etc.) Google Docs. Sometimes I'll jot something small down straight onto a Tumblr post.

If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year? I'm just really satisfied with the themes and unique way the narrative handles the subject matter in Modifications and Improvement of Functions, I think. As well as how I navigated the half-sibling incest depicted in "Make it Stick"

Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic? When I achieved 5 in a rows on Bingos, I posted the masterlists. First time doing that!

How did you recharge between fics? Sleep, binge eating, elliptical machine/gym, Youtube videos.

If this were an awards show, who would you thank? My supporters who have commissioned fics, my most frequent commentors/rebloggers, and the people who supported me when the Tumblr Staff Troll 🧌 started abusing her position. (@smlmsworld, @autumnrose40, @pia-bartolini, @pandafishao3, @albymangroves, @rogersbarneses, @cobaltmoonysart, @justsupersarahthings (@and the others who I probably forgot!)

What’s something that you want to write in 2024? I have a fic I was writing for the @stuckyhistoricalfiction challenge that I never finished because of an injury/recuperation, but I truly love the fic concept and what I have written so far, so I'd like to finish that this year, even if it's just a shorter version than I'd planned. I also had two fics I was supposed to write and another fic I was supposed to draw for, for the @stuckybangs, which I didn't complete due to the injury. I'd love to collab with those partners and fulfill their visions! BUT MOST OF ALL: I want to finish up many, if not most (or all 😅) of my WIPs that I have going. I love them all so much and have no intention of letting any of them remain unfinished forever!

[wormgremlin]

I wanna say something else on the topic of rude comments on AO3. I know a lot of people just choose not to respond to trolls. I also know it's probably a waste of my time to respond. But I have a sliver of hope in me that people genuinely don't know why what they're doing is fucked up. And I lean on that sliver and I reply, yes perhaps a bit snarkily or rude. But all the while telling them why what they did is wrong. That being said, I will not stop deleting comments. That noise doesn't belong on anyone's fic, not even mine.

I'm not a fast writer. I'm not a prolific writer or a popular writer or even a particularly GOOD writer. I'm aware that sometimes my verb tenses are bad or my characterization off. I have a lot of words I overuse or awkward wording patterns I can't leave behind. But I get a beta to fix what can be fixed, then publish it.

I'm not a good writer. I write because I have ideas that I would rather have written out than have live forever in my head. I write for fun. I write to see the representation I want to see, even if I write it badly.

I repeat. I am not a good writer. However I am a stubborn writer. I am a resilient writer. And I reply to the people who think it's okay to criticize fic writers because I can deal with it. Because I don't care. And because I know it hurts others. And I hope, desperately that they do so unaware of the effect they have. Because that means they might be willing to change.

There seems to be a bizarrely short logical jump from "unasked for criticism is okay" and "telling people to kill themselves is okay." I don't write particularly problematic ships. No judgement or shame, I just don't.

But every fic is problematic under a bad faith reading. If you don't like something, it's a very short leap to "problematic." It's like that one post said: coffee shop AU? Workplace harassment. Genderswap? Transphobic. Queer relationships? Fetishizing. And if all someone needs is not liking something in a fic to begin criticizing an author or accusing an afab queer person of misogyny and homophobia... Well. It's a short leap from that to telling someone to kill themselves, isn't it?

And I may seem strangely fixated on the "kill yourself" angle. But I remember just a few years ago. People were doxxed. Lists went around of blacklisted individuals, and blocking them was a way of virtue signaling. So was using that blacklist as a mailing list for telling people to kill themselves. People were in my friends' ask boxes telling them to commit suicide. My friends who were not always in the best mental space. Over fanfiction. Over problematic things in fanfic. When I insisted that perhaps it is inappropriate to leave such comments, several other people stopped talking to or blocked me simply for saying "telling someone to commit suicide is inappropriate" and being associated with blacklisted individuals.

Of course, escalation isn't necessary to make it harmful and inappropriate, on a lesser scale. What was it that one particularly dense person said? Something about my characterization. So what if my characterization was bad? Back button exists for a reason! Don't waste either of our time reading it! "Don't like, don't read," dldr -- there are whole acronyms about it! You would think the point has gotten across by now. I am a self proclaimed bad writer. You're right! I don't always get Bucky's characterization right. A cis white ex-military man has immensely different lived experience from me. Hell, I've never even handled a gun before. Sometimes that means what I think makes sense for his character... doesn't. But also consider: I didn't ask; therefore, it's inappropriate and not "concrit" as some people like to call it (which I also have opinions about).

Someone commented after I posted about people leaving rude comments that I was how was it phrased? "Crying on tumblr," I believe. I'm not asking you to specifically stop commenting on my fic, I'm asking you to stop entirely. I'm asking you to take a step back and consider the real life effects of sending anon-hate or leaving unnecessarily critical comments on people's works they are making available to you for free. And if you're still under the impression that you are in the right to leave these kinds of comments... This is not me crying on tumblr. Let's be perfectly clear: this is me calling you a bitch on tumblr.

[vampirezogar]

I see myself as not a trend follower, but more of a hobby follower. I like something bcuz it interests me and it fits my taste. Example: The Soulsborne games,they fascinate me with their creations and interesting concepts

Sometimes when I discover a new genre and I know there are many works made with that very genre, I would try to see many of them or check them out like browsing goods in a store

But recently,in my latest favourite genre, I found a story. At first I like it,bcuz I didn't look closer I didn't know,then when I took a bigger closer look, I realise what absolute garbage it is: Stereotypes,obvious character favouritism,the characters don't even make sense, prejudices,all the things I don't like in a story

It feels like the author is trying their hardest to force down the "you must like my main character" into my throat with how obvious they're trying to make the characters look good while in fact, they're terrible

Hell even the ones I'm supposed to hate are more interesting I'm supposed to like, it's confusing. She's/He's obviously terrible but why do I feel like the narrative is trying to make them into some poor, unfortunate, mistreated victim?

Literally the main blames their situation every single second and I do not like being reminded of such thing every second, "I'm not listening to your sob story for the nth time Carol"

This story is like the most basic shit ever made which everyone is bored of these days yet somehow it got a best rating in a nationally used social media in its home country

I'm honestly suprised, when I heard the rating I thought it was good if it got such high votes,after consideration I decided to stop reading, it's for the safety of my sanity and my fury

I tried to have an opinion on this story: I almost got executed for saying a word, literally I said one thing I find bad and they come at me like missiles, trying to cut down my point with stupid arguments when I just started to open my mouth,this is why I'm afraid to have any criticism at all sometimes, it's like they're trying to cut your throat when you say one word they don't like

Personally why I'm so angry is because I'm so deep into this genre so I know the general points one see in this particular genre,for example the settings,the character types. It's because I've sampled so many stories that I have come to easily find the ones I would find good and bad

My motto is: You read one thousand bad stories in order to find a good story

It's like trying snacks to see which one you like!

I tell you this is becuz well, I kinda want to talk about the current situation of fiction these days with someone,even though this is just one story of one specific genre is enough to tell me there are true problems in the fictions industry like toxic trends, problematic topics poorly executed

How they're letting very problematic writers into the writing jobs and they aren't doing much of a good job from what I see

I myself spotted an author who wrote stories with very controversial, problematic plots and obvious overused tropes that are just migraine-inducing. I'm trying my best to avoid that author now, they're a very prominent writer in this genre unfortunately, I think they do make good stories but from what I see of the bad stories is ugh it gives me goosebumps when I think about it. Maybe I'm too quick to judge but let's say that if half of their works have the same things with different names, I wouldn't like it much either way

I don't really have an issue with problematic stories, if I do I wouldn't have gone through my Elden Ring brainrot phase. I think the main issue is the problems aren't being treated like problems, but accessories you use to pretty up the actual truth

I mean look at Miyazaki,he treated the problems in the narratives of his games like actual problems which badly affect others,he even worsened them and that's obviously acknowledged

Writers these days won't even admit they have problems in what they made,you say one bad word and their fans are trying to murder you or they themselves are trying to get rid of you. A wise reviewer I like was technically harassed by the authors of the works he criticised and they were literally trying to get rid of him, he's a good critic at that too

Sorry if this is too negative,if you don't like rants you can ignore this

The thing we must remember about authors, and indeed all artists is that they are human. Lacking a healthy maturity, humans will always struggle with criticism. In art, it can be hard to tell who of us is ready to be shown a deconstruction of our work until after it has happened.

Fans are. Something else. I guess, maturity here still applies of course, we don't have the gigachad *x media property* enjoyer meme for no reason. But I think there's more going on there. I have seen enough "community cultivation" to suspect that an author's lack of maturity, reflected in the work, gives their fandom implicit license to act like shitheads.

🔥🔥🔥AND BOY AM I GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP HIDETAKA MIYAZAKI, DIRECTOR OF THE SOULS FRANCHISE.🔥🔥🔥

So our boy, Miyazaki, frequently draws inspiration from the late Kentaro Miura's manga, Berserk. Berserk itself is a story of it's own author maturing. The beginning is edgy tough-guy schlock that had to be retconned around in order to make the more controversial aspects worth anything. Muira grew as a person, his interests expanded into psychology and esoteric theology and those aspects worked their way into the world building to the point where nothing feels like pointless gratuitous violence even when that's still exactly what it is. There's meat.

Miyazaki... I don't know what immature Miyazaki looks like. Armored Core 4A and 5, maybe? I can't really say if he ran the series into the ground and then resurrected it with 6 to resounding applause, or if that was the rest of the team. FromSoftware is a studio, he has to work with a team, he makes compromises so that the game they make doesn't suck.

A lot of people treat him like some kind of Auteur, single-handedly making difficult sword guy games. But we all know the story about gwynevere's tits. That wasn't him. But it made the game as a whole, straight up better. Her gigantic, illusory bosongas, sold the narrative in a damn instant.

The little I know about this guy tells me, he gets it. He's good at a thing and if he has to do it again he'll do it better than we could have hoped for. As a director he does provide direction.

The community is less hostile than it used to be, but still when someone asks for an easy mode, "git gud" and "skill issue" are used, often unironically, in response. True enough, if one cannot engage with the piece on its own terms, they are not the intended audience. Perhaps maturity in this regard comes in how politely they are to be eviscerated.

To one diatribe, I offer one of my own. Thanks for the message! 🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇

[bellaxgiornata]

13, 18, 20! You don’t have to answer all three at once though ❤️

Ahh thank you for the asks!! 💕 I appreciate the distraction! It's at least still got me thinking about fics! Though I might answer 18 in another post since I saw it asked by someone else! And also, these are long-winded replies. Which is why my answers are below the cut because this one got long real fast 😅 Wouldn't be me if I didn't over-explain though!

13. What are some must-read fanfics in your fandoms? Why do you admire these, and how have they impacted your works?

So there are a TON of fics that I would highly recommend from so many incredible authors in the Daredevil fandom that it would take me a bit to assemble a list right now. I honestly need to make a new Matt Murdock fic rec list and sit my ass down and catch up on reading for it. I know there's a ton of newer Matt Murdock fic authors and I'm dying to read y'all's stuff, too. Like I have a massive TBR list. Obviously anything y'all see me reblog I always highly recommend, though sadly I haven't read many fics this whole year because I kid you not, I'm almost always writing and editing in my free time. Which is how I constantly have so much to update every week.

Most of the fics I've read are over on AO3 as well, but the main Daredevil story that comes to mind when I think of one having an impact on my writing is The Red Thread by @pastafossa. I know, I know. It's like classic Daredevil literature at this point and everyone in the fandom has most likely read it or heard of it, but in all honesty, without that fic I'd never have started writing for Matt at all (and sadly I actually am SUPER behind on it because, as I've said, I haven't read much this year 😅). I remember first stumbling on it last fall and being like HOLY SHIT THAT WORD COUNT! And then being SO CONFUSED why it was written in second person as I read it, but everything was so goddamn good--the plot, the characters, the relationships--that honestly I stopped noticing the POV. It took me MONTHS later to discover that was what a Reader insert fic was (because it truly is such a beautiful blend of OC/Reader that I could only ever hope to aspire to). That was the first Reader fic I read and I didn't realize it until I stumbled further into the Matt/Reader section way later on AO3. But honestly, once I caught up on that fic, I was desperate for more Matt Murdock content and was just like, what the hell, I'll try my hand at writing a Daredevil story, too. Thus Life Worth Living came about and every Matt series I've written after that. So TRT honestly had a massive impact on me ever stepping foot into this fandom, especially with the way Pasta writes Matt (and smut, if we're being honest cause 🔥).

20. What’s your favorite work you’ve ever written?

Y'all are probably expecting me to say FFTD or ATY but it's actually Life Worth Living. Admittedly I cringe a bit at the writing in the beginning chapters compared to what I write now because I started it last November, though it has progressively matured a little more as I continued on writing it (and I stopped overusing ellipses which I am desperately trying to edit through as I re-post that fic over on tumblr). But that was the first fic I'd written where I really had come up with so much of my own plot and such a fleshed out OC. It was the first fic I really got excited about writing, and it was the first fic that really drew me back into writing fanfiction after a couple of years away from it. It's also the fic that helped me fall in love with Matt even more as I explored his character when I first started writing him, and it is the first fic where I'd ever written smut. I also spent so much time crafting so many plot twists along with so many little bread crumb clues of things that were coming down the line in that story. Like, I spent a lot of time and put a lot of love into that series--more than I had for anything else before. Though sadly when I re-entered fanfic after a few years away, I learned that OCs are not as popular as they once were, so that fic has been set aside for a bit while I've been working on all these Reader insert fics. Though someday I'd like to come back to it. I've had the next two chapters sitting as rough drafts since April now...

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Prince of Prohibition. By Marilyn Marks. 2023.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Genre: romantic historical fantasy

Part of a Series? Yes, Fae of the Roaring Age #1

Summary: Adeline Colton was cursed. Everyone in Georgia knew the devil walked her farm, and maybe they were right, because each month she had . . . dreams. Visions of a dark prince and a shadowed forest. A creature so wrong, temptation lurked beneath her skin.

So after escaping to New York City, it’s no surprise when her bad fortune follows. Only this time, it’s in the form of Jack Warren: millionaire bootlegger, infamous gangster, and criminal who makes Addie his fervent obsession.

Jack is everything Addie should avoid, but the more she resists his pull, the deeper she’s drawn into his extravagant world. Lured by a life of freedom and desire, Adeline must make a choice: heed her family’s warnings or follow Jack into the dark. But when fate binds them together, Jack is revealed to be something else—not man, not beast, not even the devil, but a creature much, much worse.

***Full review below***

Content Warnings: blood, violence, graphic sexual content, racism/targeting by police

Overview: I came across this book while researching something or other, and since I'm continuing my streak of picking up random books without context, I went ahead and got a copy. At first I had high hopes, fairies in the 1920s seemed like an interesting premise, and I was curious to see how fae lore complimented the decadence of the Jazz Era. Unfortunately, this book became way too quickly stuffed with too many things, and the plot didn't build in a way that kept me engaged. Because I also didn't really connect with the protagonist and I found the prose wanting, this book only gets 2, maybe 2.5 stars from me.

Writing: While I don't necessarily think the prose in this book is bad at a sentence level, I do think altogether, the writing primarily suffers from repetition, poor pacing, info dumping, and a lack of atmosphere.

For repetition, I often felt like the author would use some of the same descriptions over and over again (like Jack's serpent/amber colored eyes) or else saturate her prose with swear words in order to make the narration and dialogue feel more edgy. I'm not against characters swearing, but when it's overused, the prose starts to feel pretty stale. Unfortunately, that's what happened here (at least for me).

As for pace, this book is over 500 pages long and so much of it could have been condensed. There are quite a few details or scenes that didn't have much bearing on the plot, so eliminating them could have gone a long way towards making the pace feel more appropriate.

As for info dumping, a lot of information is withheld from the reader until about the 20% mark, at which point all the worldbuilding and contextual information is dumped on the reader. The characters simply explain everything to our confused protagonist, and this happens every time there is some new information that is needed (though the author would not craft a scene where that information could be shown or integrated more naturally). Personally, I don't enjoy it when books do world and plot building this way because it makes information hard to absorb in a meaningful way. I would much rather have the author dial back the worldbuilding and really think about what is needed for the story and what feels like is beyond the scope of the narrative.

Lastly, I felt like Marks could have done a better job at making the setting feel more atmospheric. Though this book takes place during the 1920s, I don't think the setting gives the story much flavor aside from the stray mention of a speakeasy or Jack's bootlegging. Given that the 1920s are known for decadence, I would have loved to see how the fae took advantage of that and how the aesthetics of the 20s can be integrated with fae tropes. (As a side note: the lack of atmosphere/setting is even more apparent when the author fails to correct basic historical references. For example, Addie calls the war "World War I" which wouldn't have been the term for it in the 1920s. Also, Jack is said to wear boxers as underwear, which would also strikes me as unlikely as they weren't invented until 1925 and this book takes place in 1926.)

Plot: The plot of this book follows Adeline Colton, a girl with the ability to see through faerie glamor and who is forced to move from small town Georgia to New York City. While in New York, she encounters a number of strange figures, including Jack Warren - her mysterious landlord and a major employer. Addie is inexplicably drawn to Jack and learns that they are tethered together by a magical bond from Addie's childhood. As a result, she finds herself drawn into a plot to aid the fae against the evil plans of an immortal druid.

The plot of this book was... a lot. Not only did we have Addie's personal journey of uncovering her past, but we had a huge narrative about the conflict between exiled fae and one particular druid. On top of that, there were references to a whole bunch of magical creatures (like wyverns) and an alternate history of the Knights Templar that just made the worldbuilding overwhelming. In my opinion, there was too much to wrap my head around, and I had a really hard time feeling invested in any of the individual plot threads because so much was being thrown at me all at one time.

On top of that, it takes about 200 pages for the meat of this plot to really get roasting. The first section of the book is primarily focused on Addie growing up, moving to NYC, and then encountering Jack and the fae. While not a problem in itself, the fact that it took so long to get to the magical plot meant that I was already pretty exhausted as a reader by page 200. If the first part had been condensed, I think I would have had the mental bandwidth to get more excited for the main plot.

Characters: Addie, our narrator and protagonist, is a bit of a mixed bag. The times I liked her best were when she was thinking about her family and how she felt about them. Most of this occurs within the first few chapters, which I maintain are some of the strongest. I really liked the blend of "old world" superstition and small town Christianity, and I loved the way the author describes the effect of World War I on Addie and her brother.

However, once Addie is thrown into the world of the fae, she got a little irritating. Because she's in over her head, she doesn't make good decisions, and she lacks a lot of agency. While somewhat understandable, I wish more was done to show how Addie could use her wits to navigate unfamiliar territory; instead, it felt like she was making mistakes that we, as readers, knew were mistakes (like mistrusting Jack), which in turn made me less likely to sympathize with her. Granted, this gets better as the book progresses; she becomes more agentive and a lot of her character growth involves her learning to assert herself. However, it felt a little unbalanced to have Addie basically stumbling her way through each major plot point while surrounded by much more competent magical beings.

Speaking of Jack, I personally found him to be a little bland. He doesn't have much personality, and even though we're told over and over again that he's a bootlegger and a gangster, he doesn't have that edge to him that would make me think he's dangerous. As a result, Addie running away from him and disliking him so fiercely seems foolish.

Other supporting characters were fun, and some of them even had touching moments with Addie. It seemed like all the other fae in Jack's circle had more chemistry with Addie than Jack did, which made me enjoy the moments when they were interacting more than the romance. Lillian and Violet were perhaps my favorite, as they had more screen time, but I didn't really find fault with any of the side characters.

Romance: Though I wouldn't call this a romance novel, I have a few things to say about the romance between Addie and Jack. The two are magically bonded through something called a "parallel bond" which is not only rare and contains a lot of magic potential, but also means that the two share a soul and are soul mates. The bond also makes them incredibly horny for one another, no matter how hard Addie tries to fight it.

These types of magical bonds aren't my favorite kinds of tropes because I feel like it deprives characters of romantic and sexual agency. Without the bond, there's little reason for the two of them to fall for one another aside from Jack being obscenely attractive, so I felt like the bond was inserted to avoid doing the work of showing the two coming together.

TL;DR: The Prince of Prohibition is a book with an interesting premise, but ultimately lacks the storytelling craft needed to pull it off. Between repetitive prose, overwhelming worldbuilding, a main character who is overshadowed by her companions, and a lack of atmosphere, I couldn't connect with the story and ultimately, have little interest in continuing the series.

[heloisedaphnebrightmore]

Bookish Controversy: Alex Aster and Lightlark 

‘Heloise the book addict’ masterlist | Heloise’s map

I don't often express my opinion about bookish controversies, but I feel this time I want to add my two cents on it because the amount of "I heard" or "I read" comments is over the roof without actually checking evidence.

Now, I don't really care about Lightlark or Alex Aster, but some of the information spread, the bullying attitude this generation is using and the herd of sheep behaviour is absolutely embarrassing. It was supposed to be a good beginning to discuss privilege in publishing and educate an author, but it turned into a circus attracting clowns all around the world.

First of all, Lightlark has been advertised as this Acotar and Hunger games mix of a diverse ya book. Arc readers expressed over and over again that the promised diversity wasn't in it as heavily as it was advertised. Besides, according to those who actually READ it, whilst there are Acotar elements in it, the Hunger games aspect of it is so very mild that you can easily miss it. Therefore, did she lie? No. But she did mislead to cater to her audience. That's where the first controversy came in. 

Secondly, throughout her publishing journey, she had shared excerpts of the book, quotes and the like. Now, many arc readers said that they weren't in the book, but if you go to those BookTokers who are reliable, only a handful if you ask me, they will tell you that they were indeed in the book however not word for word or significantly changed. Also, regarding Arc copies, many times books are adjusted before the initial release date, therefore, even if they weren't in the arc copy they could be in the book. But even if they will not be, editors can take out parts if it's not right for the story line or is overused etc. So, once again, did she lie? No. But she did mislead. 

Thirdly, people are on and on about how privileged she is. Which she is, she never said she wasn't. She even talked about her parents' money and her sister's business. She was never a rags to riches person and never claimed to be. Struggling with publishing might mean something to us little people than someone who has connections and money behind them. It doesn't mean it's that easy for them.

Fourthly, she is good at marketing. People go on about how she lied (once again, she didn't, she mislead) which as a Business Management student I completely understand. Marketing is mostly about selling something with possibly misleading context. She simply used marketing in her own way. Also, whilst I don't condone bullying, these people have not been raised well I can tell you that already, but all this attention is giving her quite a nice profit because people are purchasing her book even if to just give their own opinion. So hey, good for her. 

Fifthly, people have been leaving Goodreads reviews on the book not only to bully the author but to make their sorry self feel better. This didn't only damage the book, but actually made Goodreads' authenticity drop. Now you don't even know whose review you can trust because at this point you don't even know who read it. So this self-governing bullying behaviour has to stop. 

Sixthly (is that even a word o.O), it is not new to get a movie deal before your book gets published. It literally only takes a second to google it, but let me be your google. Companies acquire the rights many times before the book comes out. It doesn't mean there will be a movie, simply that a company wants to have it in their backpocket if in case the book blows up. It is actually so freaking common so let's not pretend that she is in some unique situation because, once again, it's a common occurrence. 

Lastly, as I mentioned before, this whole thing has been blown out of proportion. People have too much time and need to get a life because whilst it started good conversations about privilege in publishing and should have been about educating an author who mislead her audience, it ended up being a circus with a herd of sheep running to leave reviews on Goodreads for no reason.

[overlookedfile]

Man I wish I could write like you. All your Alfred stories have been amazing!!!! I keep trying but I know I'll never get anywhere

I appreciate the compliment. 🥰🌹

But don't sell yourself short. I've been writing stories in one fashion or another for 3 decades. And you know what? I still don't consider myself "good", only "good enough". If you're asking yourself "good enough for what?", the answer is: "To convey my stories in a way that feels true to how I feel about those stories."

I grew up reading Brian Jacques, J.R.R. Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, Richard Adams, etc. and I was reading them all by 1st Grade (about 6 years old, for the non-Americans). I developed a very deep love and appreciation for detail and characterization and sprawling, ever-continuing stories from them.

What took a much longer time to develop was an understanding of just why I loved those authors and how to bring that into my own writing. It wasn't the minutia of jargon, elaborate meals, or their obsessive presentation of detail, although I definitely tried to copy 2 of the 3 when I wrote (I'm no good with food, unfortunately). It was emotion, specifically the way their styles of writing carried a weight that went beyond the mere list of details on the page and evoked a primal response in the reader.

My style is still a work in progress. I still get hung up in the details to the point of hurting (or at least not helping) the story. I struggle with pacing, both of the overall story and within individual scenes. Characterization sometimes drags me into a dark alley to give me a thrashing. And, in case you can't tell, I have a fondness for verbosity that borders (hopefully only borders) on being rude and pretentious.

But each and every thing I write is a step towards improving. The very best thing I've ever done for my writing, perhaps even more important than learning the technical rules of writing and identifying who I wanted to emulate, was giving myself permission to write "poorly", to allow myself to put things out there that aren't the very best, most accurate, most perfect, polished version ever. You wanna know when I started allowing myself that? May 3, 2022. I know the exact date, because that's when I published my Nervous Energy fic on AO3.

Every single thing you've seen me post has flaws. Big glaring ones, to me, in every story except the Diego Rivera fic. That one only has a few tiny things I might have changed, things that I am able to acknowledge matter to me, but not to the story. Otherwise, there are sentences I didn't write that I wish I had. There are whole scenes that are "missing" in some things. There are entire plots, thousands and thousands of words, that were written and then scrapped for my inability to articulate them the way I wanted to.

So far, I've posted about 60k words to AO3 since May 3rd and it's all messy, incomplete, and imperfect. But I am glad for each thing I've posted, because it feels like for the first time in over a decade, I'm finally growing as a writer again. I still overuse commas (as well as semi-colons these days), have questionable or downright broken sentence structure, and find myself falling into a rut of using the same words too frequently, but I enjoy those things now. When I add them or leave them in, it's not because I don't know any better, it's because I'm making a conscious choice to prioritize story over perfection.

Writing isn't a skill that develops overnight. Writing style isn't some immutable thing destined to forever shape your works. Both are personal experiences that will grow and change with you. Let it. Be messy and imperfect. Write that gratuitous self-insert, or smut, or fluff, or epic sprawling fantasy that's clawing at your soul. Write them poorly. Until you can write them in a way, good or bad, that makes you happy. And when you've done that? BE happy.

Anon, just write. If you want feedback? If you want critique? If you want help figuring out your style? Please feel free to reach out. Because you're the only one who can write your stories. And if I haven't already, I look forward to reading them.

❤️❤️❤️

[girlmartok]

It's the Seven book anon. Now I understand why you don't want to finish it. Seven is definitely smarter than just to get it with a newly met woman, even if she felt some attraction to her it would only make sense if it was a slow burn romance. I always assumed that evil lady spied on the rangers under the guise of aiding them, and did so for an extensive amount of time for Seven to even pay her any mind. And those lines you showed as an example of how ooc that was written. "She would not fucking say that TM". Seven is concise and precise with her words, random slogan words are meaningless to her and if she was experimenting with that, she wouldn't be overusing those words. She's rather careful with putting thoughts into words. And again, the way that scene was described, with run on sentences, just meh. Like you said, the author doesn't get Seven. And from what I can see, this writing style is just not from me. So thank you for explaining. Now I'll be less likely to read it (mostly to preserve the version of Seven's time between voy and pic my brain created).

Exactly! The whole thing just seemed very lazy and underwhelming to me.

There's a big change in Seven between voyager and picard, and back when s1 came out I was hesitant. But Jeri Ryan really sold it and I was on board with this new Seven who swore and drank and got revenge. BUT there's still a gap to bridge there too. She didn't step off voyager and suddenly talk like a noir detective. And in my mind, even picard-era Seven would still think like voyager-era Seven. She's still the same person after all and really, not much time has passed from voyager to the start of events in this novel. Maybe I'm nitpicking, but it was so opposite from what I would guess picard/ranger era Seven to be. She could be this person who thinks and talks like this at this point (maybe...) but it would need to be explained A LOT more than it was. She adapted to the more common speech patterns and started thinking more like an average alpha quadrant individual, but why and how and when? Still not answered. This is especially jarring since in the novel's exposition she was only talking about how she's an outcast in the AQ.

Anyway. I will also be holding onto my own visions of Seven's time between voyager and picard lol 🫡 I think that's the healthiest thing we can do right now.

[softer-ua]

in regards to what you pointed out a few posts ago, ngl one of my least favorite fandom things is when they make Kaminari the Har Har Stupid Joking ADHD Bi Playboy Who Is Never Serious Trope. like, he's very smart, 'worst in ___ area of a UA course' is very impressive and I don't remember if it even said that or just that he was studying with some other students, worried about his grades overall, calls himself stupid with implied insecurities about it, and didn't think he was very smart compared to the other people in the course. quirk overuse makes him loopy, incoherent, and think everything's funny. and yeah, he's a bit of a flirt and made a few perverted comments and actions that he clearly didn't think through that well. I'm pretty sure he's not ever stated to be bi in the manga because it was written by a coward, so I think people should think more about why they're associating and pairing together the idea of "hot flirty playboy who if legally able would sleep with everyone he meets" with emphasis or joke in the captions of whatever the content is on him being bi. I don't think this is inherently bad, even put together, but the execution feels kind of :/ and shallow. and I mainly just wish they'd pause to consider if there's any reason (subconscious or intentional) why one of those makes them think about the other, and at the very least lean back to see if they're blatantly making those traits centric around each other and tweak how they're showing them a little. Part of this is also because it's basically his fanon sexuality, but then they stick together "oh he's bi and everyone thinks that" and "he's made flirty or perverted comments and actions in canon at some point" and then mentally exaggerate and have this Canon Image of him as *waves hand at above* and I don't think that's happening consciously in most cases but. again. Cookiecutter Bi Party Playboy Who's Made a Date Offer to Everyone In The Building. not a flirty Person or a Playboy who is bi and flirts with more than one genders

I myself headcanon him as adhd and while the exact sexuality depends on my mood I think of/have him as bi in a lot of my content, but it's the same thing with why non adhd people see how he acts and label "adhd!" Especially about comprehension speed and derpy acting and intelligence and attention span jokes/tropes. Again, not bad in and of itself, but the specific parts of his behavior that make them think he's adhd, or that they start making jokes about or Ha Ha ADHD'ing, or that they think is why we project ADHD on him, (which they aren't necessarily wrong about, but like right in a really disrespectful look at how funny this is oh look squirrel way that's only funny when adhd people are doing it and it isn't all mocking like that) when they see other people calling him adhd, are the wrong ones, I think, and it shows in their characterization of him.

I'm not saying that any of those traits are bad in a character, but as a queer adhd girl with very high annual test scores and Gifted Kid Intelligence but extremely poor grades, focus, and brain damage (admittedly nothing like his, it was a longterm passive thing that mainly just made me have a Lot of Really Bad headaches, and closest thing it did to me was make me sluggish and emotional on bad days and also techincally have the potential kill my language bit if left untreated or the surgery messed up, which it didn't, and it won't be a problem again. but even after explaining that it wasn't cancer or any sort of tumor, and after seeing it do very little at all to affect my behavior outside of irritability and performance, because y'know, constant migraines, gone after the surgery but this was before that, Certain People I Was Vaguely Kind Of Acquaintances With started to treat my like I was a fragile glass thing going to to drop dead and revive myself speaking like a comic relief cartoon crazy person at any moment which was. patronizing.) I've since had surgery for, the way the fandom combines them into stereotypes and portrays them really just rubs me the wrong way- "Flirty Bi(tm) Playboy" "Har Har ADHD Can't Focus Or Get Things After They're Explained To Him, He's Still Confused And An Idiot" "Stupid Person With Brain Damage Who Can't Take Care Of Or Think For Themself And Acts Stupid And Funny For People To Laugh At" which tbh is super ableist even and especially when people irl do fit that description, and also reminds me of the Autistic Person Freaking Out And Being Dramatic sense of humor. And I know it's not helped by canon, because it done for comic relief and to limit his powers, but explored more I think it as a limitation could have been used way more interestingly than canon did and also call me biased but that quirk induced brain frying sounds at least as concerning as Izuku's quirk's backlash.

And it's a shame!! Because he's so much more interesting than that! Instead, the fandom gives me the Cookicutter Funny Bi ADHD Flirt Who's An Idiot and I am sad about it.

tbh it reminds me of what happened to percy jackson, esp with the ADHD Idiot Trope thing. which sucks because apparently it originated in the author making up stories around characters like his adhd and dyslexic kid inspired by Greek myths to tell him after running out of actual myths because it was his special interest and he wanted more. and then the series got kind of all over the place and the fandom processed that the adhd and dyslexic main character who does dumb things sometimes but is very combat smart and great at strategizing and leading gets bad grades and has trouble focusing and has, y'know, adhd, and made him the ADHD Idiot and erased his Gifted Kid girl friend's traits and ADHD and dyslexia into No Nonsense Calls Him an Idiot And Thinks He's Stupid And Has To Tell Him What To Do And Manage His Life For Him and honestly that just kind of sucks and it reminds me of what happened to fandom Kaminari. and now that I think of it people have jirou like that around him a lot too.

im fine with you answering this publicly if you want or have something to add but probably tag as ableism and maybe a biphobia mention content warning for people who don't have the energy to deal with thinking about those kinds of negative things rn because I kind of Went Off About It

I love this! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences 💚(and double thank you for tag suggestions)💚

I couldn’t agree more that a lot of fandom has messed up Kami’s character, which is why I’ve kinda been posting more about him cause he’s just stuck in my head.

I think a lot of fandoms have trouble with characters like this, people have a hard time with duality in characters and fast/fun posts are easier to make if you flatten a character down.

The did it to Kami, they did it to Percy, they did it to Ron Weasley, they do it to Thor, the list goes on. If being the Smart One ™️ isn’t your thing and you can be goofy than you get pigeonholed into the idiot trope.

I feel for Kami a lot(probably because I have adhd/brain damage too)

It sucks when you’re smart but it’s not the traditional, measurable kind of smart(even if by national comparison Kami technically is).

I got terrible grades growing up, and I pretty much got the absolute lowest gpa you can get and still graduate. But absolutely no one would have known if I didn’t tell them, because I’m not dumb.

(It’s okay if you are “dumb”, I love me a head empty just vibes friend. You’re 100% valid, stil worthy of joining discussions, and should be listened to and taken seriously. This just isn’t about that tho)

I joke sometimes that I’m clever and witty but not smart, because that’s exactly what it feels like.

I have lots of thoughts and ideas that I think I articulate pretty well, I am excellent at finding the humor in things and expressing it in a way that’s funny to others too, and there is almost zero problems I can’t find a work around. And the people in my life love it, and they love to use it.

But eventually everyone in my life finds out that I’m not smart. They see the way I have to pause to Google how to calculate a tip, that I don’t know the name of all 50 states or even where to find them on a map, or I legitimately just can not spell (if you ever see a post where it looks like I used a weird word choice it’s probably because I tried 4 times and autocorrect+Google couldn’t help me and voice to text wasn’t an option)

No one ever questions my intelligence until they find out about my adhd and/or catch me struggling with it. After the mask comes off it’s like they can’t even hear me anymore, nothing I say could be true or matter because I’m now just the goofy accident prone spacy girl. My family literally calls me Spacy

And ya know what sometimes I just let people think that because it’s easier, it’s easier than explaining that I’m dyslexic and that I didn’t have a single geography/history clas until 10th grade and shocker the capital of Iowa doesn’t come up much by then. And it’s easier for me to laugh off losing my keys again than dwell on the fact that sometimes it feels like I’m losing my marbles.

And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if after this post I get a lot more “fact checkers” and push back on anything else I post.(not talking about people who want to genuinely engage,y’all are always welcome, I’m talking those people who don’t wanna look it up themselves but no longer trust me to know what I’m talking about)

Kami is a sweet brilliant boy. He’s in a nationally high ranking school, he loves the weather channel, he’s careful about his quirk that could easily hurt his friends in combat, he has a very high emotional intelligence level, he wears dorky shirts with electricity puns on them, and he pays attention to his friends and remembers a lot of little things about them.

He wants to be a hero and he takes that seriously, and the series has tried time and time again to tell y’all that smiling and laughter are an important part of that. Kami excels at this part! So what if his history grades don’t rival the top of the class, the top 5 students would struggle hard to do what Kami does.

Iida can’t relax, Momos rather shy, Todo struggles with social cues, Midoriya is canonically not funny, and jfc where to even begin with Katsuki. I’m certain they’ll all grow up to be excellent heros in their own right, but none of them are going to bring the level of joy and camaraderie that Denki can. You can’t test that into someone.

Kami also just notices people differently and has any easy way of joining in with them, he doesn’t struggle approaching Katsuki or Shinso. Sure he doesn’t hit the the nail on the head the same way Deku does but he’s the only one who has the guts and skills to try. Also he’s not that kinda friend, he’s not looking to a save these guys but pal around with them

I think Kami 100% realizes what a special case and tough nut to crack Bakugo is, I don’t think he’s just careless or too dumb realize his life’s at stake or whatever.

I think he’s purposely testing Bakugos boundaries all while trying to not be a threat to Katsukis actual ego and calling Bakugo out when he needs it in a way that not to serious. Kami knows how to be just goofy enough that he’s approachable. He’s also keyed in that the way to Bakugo is through Deku, meanwhile everyone else is stuck believing the opposite.

Kami also realized how important music is to Jiro and saw an opportunity to let her display her skills and combin the two worlds she lives, and he wasn’t afraid to get some back lash from her for it.

Like Deku Kami isn’t afraid to be uncomfortable. You really can’t teach that level of social ease, you can teach the posture and feed people a couple of lines but it’ll never hit the same. Funny approachable people have spent a lifetime learning the craft, usually out of necessity.

It’s actually what gives me the biggest adhd vibes from him, because adhd is (speculated to be) a dopamine deficiency disorder. People with adhd are constantly trying to raise their dopamine levels, and that means looking for praise and reward and nothing makes the human brain light up faster than postative human connections.

Adhd children struggle a lot with connecting with peers and often find making people laugh a fast way into people’s circles and makes it more likely people will overlook being interrupted or spaced out on.

Also adhd people are pretty much forced by their own brain structures to be genuine in all they do, low dopamine levels make it very hard to do things you don’t enjoy because there no promise of dopamine from the activity and you don’t have enough to spare, plus impulsiveness makes it really hard to not show when you do or don’t enjoy something.

I agree that Kami is also painted as overly perverted at times, he’s a little flirty but in a fun casual way but it’s not the foundation of his personality and it’s really mellowed out over the course of the series.

And while I subscribe to the bi hc from his interactions with Jiro and Shinso, we should all be very mindful that we don’t lump these characteristics together. The are separate facets of his personality that are not dependent on each other in anyway.

Kami deserves all the respect and love, I can’t wait to see our electric king again 🖤⚡️🖤

[teacupsandcyanide]

my favorite part about that ask is the implication that a man who literally invented multiple languages didn't like "new words"

Honestly I do understand what they’re getting at! I do cordially disagree with them that it’s an issue of tobacco being a “new” word and more likely that it’s to do with it being not fitting into the linguistic paradigms he was utilising to build his lore, but I do get that the heart of their message was “stop conflating it with weed because that bugs me”. I just found the following things unspeakably funny:

• the doubling up on reblogging the post with a correction AND messaging me directly to make sure I learned the error of my wanton weed-joke ways

• sending me a message that reads as at least reasonably pissed off and then following me. incomprehensible panache

• the tone of raw urgency in the whole thing. I still don’t know if they really thought I believed pipeweed is a cannabis but they really seemed to want to enlighten me

• tolkien outright calls it a kind of nicotiana in the book and I was clearly reading the book so idk why they thought I would think nicotiana and cannabis - two entire genera of their own who don’t even belong to the same Family, nicotiana being of the nightshades and cannabis being of Cannabacae - were suddenly the same thing, and why they wouldn’t just assume, idk, that I was joking bc “haha wizard man do weed”. Did they think I can’t read? That’s fair I can’t read

• them taking such issue with something that isn’t even that important a part of the setup OR the punchline of the joke

• everyone going absolutely fuck bonkers in the notes of the ask now arguing about weed and potatoes and linguistics and whether or not Tolkien is racist for choosing not to overuse the word “tobacco”. There are people in there arguing about whether or not pipeweed is weed. There’s a parent unsure whether to let their kid read the book unsupervised now. One person rambled off some very funny nonsense based on a flagrant misapplication of how Death of the Author works and then smugly labelled it a “hot take”. I love it. I love it, I dont give a shit, i feel like eris the goddess of dischord

[evefiller1]

text change

After the tutorial I started reading through the text to try and get rid of the windows and ensure all the spaces where even. during the process I noticed that some of it didn't make sense, I think this was a mixture of chopping and changing the text when creating the content and when transfusing it over to illustrator . I have now read through it and got rid of all the widows but the next has now changed. I have checked and it is still within the word count.

A look into the future 

Overpopulation 

Overpopulation is an undesirable condition 

where the number of existing human population 

exceeds the carrying capacity of Earth.

In the history of our species, the birth and 

death rate have always been able to balance 

out to maintain a population growth rate that is 

sustainable, but this is not the case now.

Since the time of the Bubonic Plague in the 

1400’s, the growth of population has been on 

a constant rise. Between the time of the plague 

and the 21st century, there have been hundreds 

and thousands of wars, natural calamities and 

man-made hazards. However, none of these 

have made a dent on the population. Developing 

nations face the problem of overpopulation 

more than developed countries, but it affects 

most of the Earth as of now.

According to the Overpopulation Index which 

ranks countries according to the sustainability of 

their populations, Singapore is rated as the world’s 

most overpopulated state, followed by Israel and 

Kuwait. The UK is rated 17th in the table.

There have been many attempts in the past 

to reduce and prevent overpopulation but a 

sustainable solution hasn’t yet been found. 

A lot of work and awareness was made through 

China’s one child policy. It started in the 1970s 

when China’s population was rapidly approaching 

the one-billion mark. The official program 

was started to combat this by the central 

government of China, the purpose of which 

was to limit the great majority of family units 

in the country to one child each. The rationale 

for implementing the policy was to reduce the 

growth rate of China’s enormous population. 

It was announced in late 2015 that the program 

was to end in early 2016. It did work with the 

fertility rate down, however some of the gains 

were offset though with a drop in death rate 

and a rise in life expectancy. The policy wasn’t 

stainable as it did cause an unbalanced sex ratio 

with there being 3 to 4 percent more males. 

Males where seen as more desirable causing a 

rise in females getting aborted, adopted and 

some were abandoned. There was also a 

growing proportion of elderly people but not 

enough children to later rely on for support. 

Small changes are being made around the 

world to help combat the issues, including family 

planning advice, tax benefits or concessions, and 

better education on the matter.

What is the cause of 

this massive rise in 

population?

Technical advancements 

Growing advances in technology with each 

coming year has affected humanity in many ways. 

One of these has been the ability to save lives 

and create better medical treatment for all. 

 A direct result of this has been increased lifespan 

contributing to the growth of the population. In 

the past fifty years, the growth of population has 

boomed and has turned into overpopulation. In 

the history of our species, the birth and death 

rate have always been able to balance each 

and maintain a population growth rate that is 

sustainable.

Immigration 

Many people prefer to move to developed 

countries like US, UK, Canada and Australia 

where the best facilities are available such as 

medication, education, security and higher levels 

of employment. The result ends in overcrowding 

within these highly established countries. 

Difference between the number of people 

who are leaving the country and the number of 

people who enter narrows down which leads 

to more demand for food, clothes, energy and 

homes. This gives rise to shortage of resources. 

Though the overall population remains the same, 

it just affects the density of population making 

that place simply overcrowded.

Poverty 

For thousands of years, a very small part of the 

population had enough money to live in comfort. 

The rest faced poverty and would give birth 

to large families to make up for the high infant 

mortality rate. Families that have been through 

poverty, natural disasters or are simply in need 

of more hands to work are a major factor for 

overpopulation. As compared to earlier times, 

most of these children now survive and consume 

resources that are not sufficient in nature.

Effects 

Degradation of Environment: 

With the overuse of coal, oil and natural gas, it 

has started producing some serious effects on 

our environment. Rises in the number of vehicles 

and industries have badly affected the quality of 

air, releasing more CO2 emissions which 

leads to global warming. Melting of polar ice 

caps, changing climate patterns, rise in sea level 

are a few of the consequences that we might 

have to face due to the increase in pollution. 

Rising sea levels is a massive issue as it takes up 

vital land that we need for homes and facilities. 

Rise in Unemployment: 

When a country becomes overpopulated, 

unemployment rises as there are fewer jobs 

to support the large number of people. Rise in 

unemployment gives rise to crime as people 

will steal various items to feed their family and 

provide them basic amenities of life.

High Cost of Living: 

As difference between demand and supply 

continues to expand due to overpopulation, 

it raises the prices of various commodities 

including food, shelter and healthcare. This means 

that people have to pay more to survive and 

feed their families. 

The way we live and our homes have rapidly 

changed over the years, and they still have a lot 

of room for development with two thirds of the 

world expected to live in cities by 2050, we 

will have to take some dramatic changes. This 

book suggests some crazy but possible ideas of 

your future home.

Underground 

Underground construction has been around for 

thousands of years, mostly developed through mining 

and more recently through transport, and commercial 

industries, but not yet for luxury.

Underground housing (sometimes called earth sheltered 

housing) refers specifically to homes that have been 

built underground, either partially or completely. These 

subterranean homes have grown increasingly popular as 

space is getting limited and soon it will be just normal to 

go underground for work and living. 

In Mexico there is proposed building that would house 

5,000 people, with terraced floors receiving natural light 

from a huge glass ceiling above – although the lower 

floors will need extra lighting with fibre optics.

Under the sea 

Going under water make sense as the sea level 

rises it is taking away land that we currently use. 

However it is more complex then going 

underground. Technological advances would 

be needed to deal with emergency evacuation 

systems, and environmental controls of air 

supply and humidity. According to Koblick, the 

technology already exists to create underwater 

colonies supporting up to 100 people. 

Making larger habitats with multiple modules 

made of steel, glass and special cement used 

underwater would be simpler than trying to 

create one giant bubble. These smaller structures 

could be added or taken away to create living 

space for as many people as desired. Most 

likely, we wouldn’t want to build any deeper 

than 1,000ft (300m), because the pressures at 

such depths would require very thick walls and 

excessive periods of decompression for those 

returning to the surface.

Building up

 Building up saves space driving housing on a large 

scale, we already use the basic idea of building 

up with hotels, flats but we don’t yet have the 

technology and materials to build any higher. 

Skyscrapers need a big base, which limits their space 

saving potential, defeating the whole point. But 

Dubai’s 828m-tall Burj Khalifa Tower offers a clever 

solution. A unique Y-shaped design with a hexagonal 

core and three wings has been used to create 

perfect stability. Skyscrapers will get taller and taller 

with the next set to be 1km tall in Jeddah. There is 

definitely more potential however to use the space 

above us if we think out of the normal skyscraper.

Architect Vincent Callebaut recently unveiled a 

blue-sky plan for a high-flying fleet of self-sufficient 

aircraft that are one part zeppelin cities and one 

part hydrogen-generating floating farms. They 

are 100% emission-free and are capable of generating 

hydrogen gas without consuming land needed for 

crops or forests. 

Each airship will have 20 wind turbines, the 

interior space can be for housing, offices, scientific 

laboratories, and entertainment. 

Flying cars 

Flying cars are becoming very relevant and expect 

to see them around very soon. With a growing 

population and roads struggling to cope, flying 

transport could become the new way to travel 

around. 

A flying car that doesn’t require a pilots licence has 

been unveiled in California. It can travel for up to 25 

miles (40km) at a speed of 62mph, and Its makers 

say it will eventually cost the same as a typical sports-

utility car, but early models will be more expensive. 

The car has been tested in Canada, where the 

country’s aviation authority has authorised its use. 

There are other similar designs that are being 

developed in other countries including the Kitty 

Hawk and Transition, which is set to be released later 

this month. 

Living on Mars

Humans will “absolutely” be on Mars in the 

future, NASA chief scientist Jim Green stated, 

and the first person to go is likely living today, he 

said. 

After the “building blocks of life” were discovered 

on the Red Planet, life on Mars and living on 

Mars seems to be less like a scene from the 

movie The Martian and more like a reality. 

Mars is more Earth-like than any other planet 

in the solar system, making it an attractive 

second option for the human race. There’s also 

a natural beauty on the planet: a grand canyon 

that measures nearly the entire width of the U.S. 

and a volcano the size of Arizona. The plan is to 

send someone to the planet by 2040. But that’s 

dependent on quite a few factors.

References 

https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-

overpopulation.php 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/one-child-policy

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150421-will-we-ever-live-

underground 

http://www.sustainablebuild.co.uk/constructionunderground.html

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130930-can-we-build-underwater-

cities

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140530-how-high-up-can-

skyscrapers-go

https://inhabitat.com/high-flying-algae-airships-are-self-sufficient-airborne-

cities/

https://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_petranek_your_kids_might_live_on_

mars_here_s_how_they_ll_survive/discussion