#i am not here for deep plot and introspection

[phoenixkaptain]

To be completely honest, I can excuse any writing flaws - plot holes, discrepancies, boring moments, etc - as long as I like the characters.

[achillvs]

basically spoiler free, but here's some thoughts.

i think in ep 3 of "misfits and magic 2" you can really see how doing 'worlds beyond number' impacted the gamestyle of the 4/5 of the cast of m&m.

the "evan incident" quickly changed the tone of the game, understandably, but i am still quite amazed how... committed to taking it slow lou, erika, brennan and aabria were. i think it's very fitting for sam to say the genuine, big words and continue with action - but also danielle is so relatable to me as a player in that. the GM has a whole story planned, we are on a schedule, let's do things, react with the world! pay homage to what's happened but also let's go, things have to happen! that's definitely what i would do too, and danielle did perfectly - her moments with evan after she got used to the emotional standstill were my favourite. but for the rest, it seems like their first instict was to dive deep already. lou allowed himself to pull away, he was ready for jammer to disbelieve the whole thing and aabria pulled with him. erika also pulled away to stay "in shock" - of course, it's a natural reaction, but I know in so many games none of this would be taken so introspectively, it would be quicker, channeled outward. brennan, who we know can't help but co-GM at times (in a good way, playing a PC in a way that aids the GM's job) says as evan "I fade away" and has to be brought back by sam. he does "help out" by saying evan's still on the mission, but it is much more reserved than he could've been. through the whole thing aabria was so focused on keeping the time progression to a minimum, truly joining the others in the haze of the moment when she really could've, you know, arthur aguefort it. you know she could, and more.

none of it is the original plot, part of the objective they had last episode even. it's purely reactive to a random event, but it's also mostly just emotional reaction. aside from jammer talking to the guy to find a solution (because it was offered, not because he sought it out), an "action" wasn't taken for like an hour of real time. they just allow themselves to sit for that hour and feel. and i cant help but see the wbn effect in play. it's commitment to the story, to the truth of the character vs the plot and the constraints of time-limited, scripted media. and it's incredible to watch outside of the podcast

[sapphic-agent]

Let's Talk About Hazbin Hotel

Just a casual review. Hazbin Hotel's been coming up on my Tumblr dash a lot, and there's been some controversy around it. So I decided to give it a try.

(Note: I haven't engaged with anything that came out before its Amazon Prime debut)

To summarize: it's pretty okay. The animation is great and the songs are bangers. The plot is pretty solid; there are some hiccups but in only eight episodes it does pretty well in world building.

Though I guess that's where we have our first problem. Eight 23 minute episodes doesn't mean a lot of time for our characters to be fleshed out. Sure Angel Dust, Husk, Sir Pentious, Alastor, and even Lucifer get their moments. And don't get me wrong, that's great. But I feel a lot of that could have been geared towards our main characters: Charlie and Vaggie.

Let me just say, I love Charlie and I think she's well-written for the most part. She's flawed, but wants the best for the people around her. And that's great. That being said, it doesn't feel like we've gotten a real deep dive into who she is. What gave her the idea to redeem sinners in the first place? How has she interacted with the people of hell prior to the hotel? We know she helped Vaggie when she was injured, did that come before or after her idea for the hotel?

(If any of this is answered in the pilot, I'm sorry. But there's a good chance new fans like myself didn't watch the pilot either)

The most introspection we get into her character are Husk's offhand comment about her bleeding heart who focuses on others' problems instead of her own and Rosie mentioning her "moxie." And those things are being told to us, not shown to us. It's hard to view her as complex, though I am holding out hope that we'll get more into her in the next season especially with Lilith's inevitable return. I'm eager to see her grow more as a leader.

(I also hope they explore her temper. For me, that's when she's at her most dynamic. Feminine rage ftw)

Now, onto Vaggie.

I'm sorry, but I really can't get into her character at all. She's mean and untrusting and... that's it? Unlike Charlie she doesn't seem to have any defining character traits. No goals or aspirations that don't have to do with Charlie's. And even then, she doesn't display a lot of confidence in her, consistently doubting Charlie's input and even outright refusing that some of the patrons can change. It's like she doesn't actually believe that sinners can be redeemed and only puts effort into the hotel at all for Charlie.

(This isn't a problem with Vaggie per se, but her encouraging Charlie to confront Valentino felt so off to me. She's supposed to be more levelheaded and rational than Charlie, so wouldn't she know that Charlie doesn't really hold that much power? Her and Lucifer are basically figureheads, the Overlords are the ones that really run Hell. Considering she's so distrustful of Alastor, Vaggie would know that right? So why push Charlie into being assertive against one?)

And this is a direct contradiction to what is being told to us about her character. She, as an exterminator, showed mercy to a sinner and paid the price for it. If she believed that the child she spared was worth sparing, she should have some optimism that sinners deserve a second chance. But outside of hyping Charlie up, that's never shown to us.

Even in Scrambled Eggs- an episode that was centered around her- doesn't tell us much about her. Just that she's a semi-competent fighter who learned trust the "hard way." But nothing about her growing closer to the residents- despite being entrusted to teach them trust- just a song about her love and devotion to Charlie.

And I know that this is supposed to be her parallel to Carmilla and that the duet sets up their meeting later. But Vaggie's goals being so focused on Charlie and not the hotel or the residents means that there's such a disconnect here. Carmilla is singing for her daughters (and even Zestial), but it's also for all of Hell. She wants to keep them out of unnecessary war. Her goal has different facets to it while Vaggie's is extremely one-way.

To put it simply: Vaggie is boring.

And it's because of these things that I really can't get into Chaggie. It's... Okay. I guess. There's so little focus on it that outside of the reveal that Vaggie's an angel, it doesn't hold a lot of relevance throughout the show, good or bad. They could have been best friends and nothing would have changed.

If I'm being completely honest, Charlie has more interesting relationships with everyone else: Alastor, Lucifer, Angel, and even Emily who wasn't even on screen with her for that long.

(Unapologetically a RoyalHalo shipper. Also an Emily stan)

Speaking of Emily, I love what they're setting her up for. It seems like she'll either Fall like Lucifer and join Charlie in Hell or take over Heaven from Sera and work with Charlie to bring a better system. Either way, I'm excited for what they'll do with her.

Although I have to say, even though I love You Didn't Know, I do have some things to say about it and the whole trial scene.

As I said, the Hazbin Hotel songs are good. There's no denying that. But a few of them- like YDK- kind of hinder the plot. There's so much going on in this scene- so many important revelations- that it being a song I feel undercuts that. Like Emily finding out about Extermination Day and confronting Sera about it could have used a lot more attention. Her and Charlie aligning themselves together, while freaking amazing to listen to, kind of comes out of nowhere. Even- especially- Vaggie being revealed as an angel to Charlie is a lot less intense being sung through a song.

(It still slaps though)

But a lot of songs also have the opposite effect. More Than Anything, Poison, and Loser Baby convey exactly what they're trying to. You feel the emotion and flaws of these characters, you feel the pure connection/strife.

(Songs like Hell's Greatest Dad and Respectless are for fun and do help move the story along. They also give us a glimpse into the characters. I could do without some of them, especially because that time could be better spent, but they're still fun to listen to and watch. Respectless is so fucking good man)

I'm excited to see more of Lilith and her relationships with Charlie and Lucifer. It's implied during MTA that she was the one fostering the distance between Lucifer and Charlie. I wonder if that was intentional or just through Charlie's/Lucifer's POV. Also, her being gone at the same time Alastor was is definitely hinting at her being the one who has him on a leash.

Sir Pentious in heaven🥹 I don't have a lot to say about it, it just made me happy

All in all... Pretty good. Enough to keep me engaged. Looking forward to the next season👍🏾

[lodien]

DD:BA overall thoughts

I'd give this season a solid 6 or 7 outta 10.

I really like the general cinematography of the last couple of episodes (ie, the ones made by the Netflix crew) and the general vibe is... okay. The Fisk plotline is the series standout. It's good, it's tight, every character involved is involved in a really neat, good way, and they all feel like genuine characters, not just plot devices. My only real complaint with it would be that I wish BB and the commissioner would've carried on, as their tentative friendship was really intriguing. The Dex scenes were also crazy good. I love the use of blue, I love how broken he is at the start of ep9/the flashback, and I love the final shot of him and the implications it carries.

I DO NOT like most of Matt and Muses' plotlines. They are bad. Muse is inconsequential, as he seems to solely exist to make Heather dislike vigilantes, something she already seems to believe in. Muse ultimately exists as filler, which is stupid, because there's so much MORE you could do with him. Matt's plot, removed from Muse, is... fine? It could be dramatically improved by making all of his side characters be actual CHARACTERS, but whatever. I hate how wasted Kirsten is and Heather borders on insufferable. Matt's "i won't be daredevil" to "I am daredevil" plotline is nothing, though. I think it's mostly because we don't see why he quit in the first place. His reason for returning to the suit (the law cannot help everything, it is incomplete/corrupt, his own internal issues) are the same reasons he returns in S3 of the initial show, and the same reasons he started doing it in S1! There is no impact of returning if it just feels like he took an unexplained hiatus. There is no deep introspection, which sucks, because Heather could've bee the perfect device for that. Imagine Matt yearning to be DD, but talking to Heather about her book and believing what she's saying about the cycle of violence. Imagine him continuing to follow her logic until Angela is kidnapped, and he is forced to wear the suit. Imagine him continuing to not want to be DD until he is, again, forced to take justice into his own hands to save Heather. We could've gotten a development of Heather's internal processes (thus making her less hated and more developed) while also making the abandoning of the suit something that feels like more than a brief plot point. (Also, Cherry seems to be here to tell us why Matt abandoned the suit, except he seems to be wrong? He keeps telling Matt that his life was bad when he was DD, except Matt had it figured out for a decade, so like... no? What? Huh?)

My biggest problem with this show lies in the overall structure, honestly. Fisk's plot is good--it is continuous. He is dealing with issues that connect and rise through each episode. However, Matt's plot does not do that. He has the intro --> Hector Ayala for 3 episodes --> a fucking filler episode --> Muse for 2 episodes --> Fisk for 2 episodes. Matt hardly has a consistent problem or issue for the entire season, and his character is so stunted because of it. It's shocking how much content is pushed into this show and yet Kirsten, Cherry, and Heather are still relative strangers. Only Heather is given minor development, but it just makes her worse. Then, there's the final episode, which feels like a very long--albeit epic, cool, and fun to watch--trailer for season 2. It feels like they did everything in their power to not allow Matt a chance to breathe. Considering comments from the director (I think it was the director who said something about wanting to avoid the monologues of the OG show) I wouldn't actually be surprised if that was intended.

This show is so violently the product of reshoots, internal conflicts, and disney involvement that it's amazing it is as good as it is. But I obviously think a lot of the show suffers. Fisk is the only character that has a plot that seems to continue from episode to episode. Matt has three main focuses that all feel half-baked and vaguely unconnected. There is so much content in the show, and yet none of the characters feel developed (save for Fisk, Vanessa, Daniel, and I guess Sheila). I absolutely hate the treatment of major female characters, but I don't think it's misogyny, I just think it's the product of a messy show. The finale is a blatant setup for the future and it reminds you so aggressively that this is, in fact, a disney property. I am excited for the second season, but my expectations are in the gutter :(

(ALSO! No patch of land in New York City would be untouched to the point it would be an independent, unclaimed area. That is so hard for me to believe that it actually takes me out of the show. On the west coast? Maybe. On the east coast? No fucking way. The U.S. was treaty-ing and claiming and warring over that shit from 1650 to 1800. It is so astronomically dumb I cannot get behind it in the slightest.)

[writingtraumaforever]

I just want to say that I giggled whilst reading your most recent chapter.

I, a grown-ass human being, GIGGLED.

As I write this, I smile so widely knowing that your Sonic is a silly little man who cares deeply for his partner and sobs tears of hope at the chance of seeing his boo again. And, of course, Shadow having Deep Introspective Shadow Thoughts (TM) is a treat (possibly my favourite part of the newest chapter).

I hope you understand how much being able to read this means to people. Including me, because I know that writing shit and COMMITING to it? That's hard.

I sit there and stare at a blank page and then completely forget the plot of what I'm doing... so props to you for being able to even remember what happens in the first chapter, because I know my neurodivergent little brain would sit there and have to read through everything all over again before I finally understood what needed to go next.

But anyways, congratulations! You made it to the 30's-chapter mark! It's a bit late to say it, but not many get this far!

A pat on the back for you, kind sir, and a happy holidays if you celebrate any :)

Awwww! I’m so glad you liked that chapter! It was fun to write ahhh. I love writing fluff as much as I love writing angst, so combining the two is always fun. :3

Thank you so, so much for all your support and love for my series, by the way. You’ve been here since like. The beginning. And I’ve always noticed how you’re quick to like and reblog and comment and it’s very appreciated.

It’s odd to think anything I make is touching people or helping them, but that is always the goal. So to be told such is very heartwarming. I am definitely proud for getting to 30 chapters (34 now, woo!), and I’m really grateful for everyone who has been there for me along the way.

I can’t elaborate enough how without the love and support I’m constantly given, I likely would’ve given up and secluded myself back into my depressive state I was in before all this. You guys have helped me feel less alone.

So thank YOU for that! <3

Have Happy Holidays!! ✨

[getoutofbednelly]

so the most recent fics I’ve read on my kindle are the first two parts of the time has come today series by teen_dean (@urne-buriall on tumblr I think). and these are so good. I’ll elaborate more in my fic review but I am excited to share the cover I developed for my kindle collection because I really enjoyed going through different iterations of this cover. I’m just posting the cover I landed on for now, but I think I will share some of the other iterations which include design choices that I cut and edited at length(in another post or reblog later).

Fic review, cover design notes and a small disclaimer under the page break:)

fic review: I’m not always one to love casefics, watching cases passively on screen is one thing, but I can’t always immerse myself in a case to keep interest. I’m more one for character dynamics and the dynamics here are so interesting and introspective and funny I can’t get enough.

When it comes to the characterizations the author really nails it too. They are so close to canon that when I inevitably dissociate from atmospheric chemistry seminars and start thinking about supernatural, I can’t remember if something happened in their fic or on screen. I love these characters and teen_dean obviously does too because they treat their characterization so carefully. The cover I designed references scenery and plot points related to the case part of the fic, but I wish I could have incorporated the deep and thoughtful character analysis that is part of this fic.

And the imagery, particularly the west coast imagery, is. so. good. Very rarely am ever I struck with the desire to draw imagery described in writing, but it struck me at multiple times throughout this. most noteably the cas in the orchard paragraph highlighted in one of my pics towards the end of young hearts (will it be my first castiel fan art??? I certainly hope so.) chef’s kiss.

I really thought I would take a break after finishing young hearts, but I wasn’t ready to not know what happened to teen dean and past-cas in the next fic so I’m reading the rules of have changed today now and I have no regrets.

some notes on the cover design: I’m not sure this translates to the end result, but the glowing text of the title/author/everything-else was meant to represent the flickering lights of neon signage you might see in a dive bar. The description of Schaffer’s bar at the beginning and end of the first part is rich and another example of really capturing the feeling of canon (which I should mention is something the author does really well through scenery too). I don’t think I necessarily got the colors right (I initially imagined a larger color palette), but I’m feeling pretty good about the glowing aspect of it. In a print book format, I’d like all of the red to be metallic embossed.

Its very faint, but I included the silhouette of a mountainscape with silhouettes of dark watchers watching in the background. I think you have to zoom in to see them though. So I included a zoomed in image of two of the dark watchers. See if you can spot the other two!!

The last thing I wanted to mention is that I know arimaspians are typically one-eyed (on their heads). I took a creative liberty and put an eye on the hand.

lastly, a disclaimer: I know that teen_dean already has a cover and print typeset for their fic on their page. I just wanted to add my creative twist on it for my kindle collection and wanted to share it with you all :’). I should say explicitly that this was not designed in communication with the fic author. I do not take any credit for the fic (credit to the story goes to the author and characters to the cw). if teen_dean comes across this I especially hope they enjoy it<3, but if for any reason you (teen_dean/urne-buriall) don’t want to be associated with this cover, please contact me and I will take this down.

[wannab-urs]

The Spreadsheet Digest | Vol 30

Howdy folks :)

Welcome to the THIRTIETH Spreadsheet Digest!!

I started reading a few series this week, and I'm not putting them on the spreadsheet til I've finished them; so, if I told you I'm reading your fic but it's not here, that's why. Eleven fics this week (Dieter, Joel, Din, Ezra, Javi P, and a Marcus P/Din/Reader)!

Fic Rec Masterlist | My Masterlist | My Kofi

Recs Below The Pedge

In Fiction - Dieter one shot by @sin-djarin

Summary: Dieter comes to bed. Tags: Established relationship, mentions of self doubt, no physical description of reader, no dialogue, no use of y/n. Thoughts: This was so sweet. I just want to hold him and pet his hair, fr.

In Reality - Dieter one shot by @sin-djarin

Summary: Dieter comes home for Christmas. Tags: Established relationship, masturbation (M), Dieter's self deprecation, no physical description of reader, no use of y/n. Thoughts: I'm just extremely obsessed with the nailing of Dieter's characterization here. He's a little gross and sad, but it's endearing. Poor baby can't keep his phone charged to save his life. And I love how reader just like... knows he's a mess and is okay with it. It's a little bittersweet? In a way that I adore.

O, Christmas Tree - Dieter one shot by @covetyou

Summary: As PA to Dieter Bravo, you were used to the strange, unusual and downright weird. What you weren't used to was taking in a shipment of - what? And how many? Tags: sex toys (so many butt plugs), Dieter being a menace to his PA, no smut, pure silliness. Thoughts: This is so delightfully silly. And they do kind of look like christmas trees.

The hat stays on - Joel one shot by @theywhowriteandknowthings

Summary: Hooking up with a cowboy in a bar bathroom... kind of. Tags: sub/dom dynamics, Sub!Joel, Switch!Joel, Public sex, Bathroom Sex, Squirting, orgasm denial(mention). Purely Porn with no Plot. Thoughts: I love these lil plot twist fics, I love cowboy hat joel, I love sub/switch!Joel, I love this.

To Know the Light - Din one shot by @burntheedges

Summary: to go in the dark with a light is to know the light. Tags: fluff, a teensy bit of angst, introspection, winter, food mention, reader has no description, gn!reader Thoughts: Din's internal struggle with removing the helmet is such a fascinating aspect of his character, and I think you did a beautiful job of capturing it here. I thought the imagery, the characterization, and the story telling in general here was just gorgeous.

Killshot - Ezra series by @magpiepills

Summary: A lonesome prospector comes face to face with a dangerous stranger. What happens when you can’t resist his charm? Tags: SMUT, PIV, fingering, oral (m&f receiving) pet names, spanking, dub con, angst, anal play, deep throating, cum eating, thigh riding, dirty talk, double penetration, toys, teasing, no use of y/n, no physical description of reader. Thoughts: This shit had me YELLING!!! Dirty Dog Ezra in full force here. I am still shook and I read this like 4 days ago.

Dare to Surrender - Javi P series by @auteurdelabre

Summary: “First to come loses.” You can’t stand Javier Pena but when Steve Murphy makes an off-hand remark that gets both you and Javier’s competitive sides going, there’s no telling how far you’ll go. Tags: Office Sex, Enemies to Lovers, Blow Jobs, Office Blow Jobs, Face-Fucking, Dare, Co-workers, soft!javi p, Dirty Talk, Dirty Thoughts, Pet Names, Jealous!Javier Peña, Phone Sex, Jealousy, Steve Murphy cockblock, Desk Sex, No Pregnancy, Banter, Bonding, Bets & Wagers, Vaginal Fingering, Fingerfucking, Finger Sucking, hey we said no kissing, he falls first, no protection, From Sex to Love, Rough Sex, Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex, Semi-Public Sex, P in V sex, Sweet!Javi, Nicknames Thoughts: I loved this storyyyyy. Javi was so pathetically in love with her and so bad at saying it. Brad sucks, btw, but I love how jealous he made Javi. P.S if you like the whole bet concept + Javi P check out Go Ahead I Dare Ya. It's a slightly different premise, but so very good.

Handsome, Dirty, Rich - Joel one shot by @pedgito

Summary: the rich father of your best friend, sarah — joel miller, was a mystery to you until one day he isn't and you quickly find that your interest in him isn't one-sided. Tags: no use of y/n, au/no outbreak, bfd!joel, ceo!joel, mentions of reader growing up poor/absent parents (joel is ridiculously loaded, it's fic y'all let me live lol), sneaking around, age gap (not explicitly specified, but reader is in final year of college and joel is probs late 40s/50s), vacations, gift-giving, unprotected piv, come swallowing, daddy issues if you squint, one (1) pussy slap, oral (f receiving), semi-public fucking Thoughts: The buildup was immaculate AGH. And I am obsessed with the kind of not quite happy ending? Part 2 maybe?

Comfort, Despite the Storm - Joel one shot by @marisferasiop

Summary: Joel's neighbor (you) is the town archivist and brings him a present on his birthday (with a side of teasing). Later, after waking from his own nightmares, he finds you sleepless on your porch during a storm and you take comfort in one another. Tags: fluff, smut, nightmares, alcohol, p in v sex, oral m receiving Thoughts: Love a lil continuous hookup situation. I adore how they get together in this and how reader takes the lead in the situation. And like the fic overall is sweet and flirty, but that smut is hot.

Misfire - Dieter one shot by @qveerthe0ry

Summary: Dieter gets waxed for a role and gets a little too excited. Tags: dubious consent, body hair waxing, pain kink, humiliation kink (kinda), subby!Dieter, ruined orgasm, coming untouched, hands-free orgasm, reader does not engage in sex acts, mentions of alcohol, mentions of drug use, accidental exhibitionism, accidental voyeurism Thoughts: Pathetic, whiny, whimpering, humiliation kink Dieter? Yeah. Yes. Thank you. Perfection. And if you want a version where reader plays along instead of ignoring him read that here.

Closure - Marcus P/Din one shot by @javier-pena

Summary: Marcus, Din and you used to be best friends. Now you're on opposite sides of the law with a decade worth of grudges between you. But hate can quickly become something else ... Tags: angst | canon-typical violence | mentions of food and alcohol and smoking | they’re all mean to each other and they have a difficult relationship | (a lot of) dirty talk (by my standards) | slight power imbalance | reader has hair that can be grabbed | threesome m/f/(m) (kinda) | ecouteurism | voyeurism | exhibitionism | a bit of edging | fingering | competitiveness | (unprotected) piv sex | creampie | a tiny, tiny bit of degradation Thoughts: Marcus and Din is a pairing I truly never thought I would see, but I am obsessed with this pairing. The way their personalities mesh is just stunning. I love the characterization of all three of them. I'm not usually one to read Din AUs where he's not some sort of Mandalorian, but I truly could not resist reading this. Everything about this fic was amazing. Reader's story, Marcus and Din's relationship, the setting, everything was just so good AHGHGGH.

--------------

This week I posted:

Scotty Doesn't Know - a Dieter one shot

Summary: Scotty doesn't know you're hooking up with Dieter Tags: songfic, smut, infidelity, dieter is a loser, scotty doesn't really deserve this he's just annoying, crack taken seriously, porn with the barest of plots, barely edited. WC: 2.8k

---------------

Happy Reading!

[ohaaasa]

nijiaka / fic dump

✿🪂 hello hello. i thought i would just put all the fics I wrote last month into one post. usually i would post here in tandem with posting on ao3 but i find it impossible to use social media when i'm in the writing trenches.

basically once march rolled around i really wanted to do something for nijiaka week because i haven't really participated in the past and i just really miss them. all the fandom, the fics, the art (kyun's njaks were god tier), the deep dives...everyone has sort of moved on but i still write them, just for me, in the way that i like them.

my fics are definitely not for everyone. i like lapslock (i just recently learned this word) and introspective povs and angst for no reason and long run-on sentences. my writing is not for everyone. but i try to be purposeful with everything i do write, tick some box in my head for a trope or theme i was looking for. and u must fill your own creative well first.

in my head akashi is Attack, and nijimura is Protect, and they balance each other out. they love to play-fight, love to tease, love to love each other carefully and knowing everything in life is fragile and can break. in their own ways, they see each themselves in each other and see what they need to work on.

anywho, below the line are my fics and some thoughts i had while writing them -`♡´-

delayed reactions | G/Gen

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64406860

i hadn't finished anything in a looooong time when i wrote this up and got it done basically in one evening which felt so good ;a; just to finish something, as i am a serial quitter. i love baby akashi, i love teiko shinanigens the most. happy happy

the boyfriend / T

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64454062

a sort of continuation of some previous fics i wrote a long time ago but mostly i just wanted to write overprotective nijimura and baby-face akashi. perhaps a little self-inserty at times LOL. but nijimura protect...and akashi attack...all that matters to me! when i first finished this i felt super happy with it.

like i mentioned this is kinda a sequel, so in order i would read them: the lengths we go > the boyfriend > bargains between lion and man > there is always sunshine in my heart. BUT LOL those fics are so old and ... /cringe...

child's play (back in school) / E

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64815826

from the 2024 sports anime olympics prompts. i really just wanted to write njak smut...which in all the years i have adored them i have never written...originally this was just pwp so you could just read the first and final scene and it would be fine i guess ;a; but i put the plot in the middle.

i wasn't really satisfied with how nijimura's pov came out but u can only edit so much before u gotta be done. a good lesson in Done Is Better Than Perfect. this is about njak getting down to business finally after years of crushing on each other from a distance ;a; perhaps akashi in this fic is a little strange but in my head he is perfect.

omg title is from the alchemy... what if I told you we're cool? / that child's play back in school / is forgiven under my rule / haven't come around in so long / but i'm making a comeback to where i belong

[the-haunted-office]

A little confession from the mun, with it being munday, and I felt like opening up about it.

Something that I feel insecure about a lot is, I get worried that people in the roleplay community think that I don't find their muses interesting because my muses don't express physical or sexual interest in theirs, because I know how big of a thing that is in the rpc. It's okay that that's a big thing in the rpc, I'm not knocking that at all, but it's true that the majority of my muses don't comment much on physical appearances or come onto people right away or easily or flirt as openly and that sort of thing. I just hope that people don't take that as meaning that I personally am not interested in their muse or don't find them interesting, because I feel like some people in the past have taken it that way.

My muses are more geared towards getting to know other muses on a more personal and intellectual level, and admittedly that's largely due in part because that's how I operate as a roleplayer. Like, I'm open to shipping and all, but I also thrive more on the plotting and world-building and relationship building end of things. I love putting our muses together into deep introspective threads where they really get to pick at each other's brains and inner-workings and go out and do things together and get into trouble together.

But yeah. Take it from me, even if my muses think yours is cute or pretty or even if they're attracted to yours sexually, they're not likely to express it in an overt way. They're likely to be more subtle about it. And I really really hope you guys don't take that as me personally not thinking your muses are interesting! Like I said, it might sound silly for me to be saying this here and now, but I have had past experiences where people have taken it personally that myself and/or my muses weren't explicitly commenting on the physical appearance of their muse or openly flirting with them, and it's made me a little insecure myself I guess.

[literaticat]

How important is interiority in an Upper MG novel? My book falls in that awkward Lower YA space w/ a 14 yr old protagonist. So I’ve been struggling with which direction to go… whether to pitch it as Upper MG or age it up slightly to YA. I’ve decided my themes/voice are better suited to Upper MG and plan to pitch as such, despite the struggling MG market. 

The biggest piece of feedback I received from an agent-turned-freelance editor on a recent content edit is that my story is overall in a strong place, but could use more interiority and emotional depth/moments of self-reflection/deeper emotional exploration… this is quite literally what the majority of the editor comments throughout my manuscript pertained to, just rephrased in a dozen different ways. 

But now that I’ve officially decided to go the Upper MG route as opposed to YA, is deep interiority/introspection still as important? I thought that was primarily a YA convention, with interiority being more surface level in MG. Plus, my book is most definitely plot-driven as opposed to character-driven. I’m struggling to find the right balance here—and am also trying to aggressively cut word count rather than add to it with a bunch of additional internal monologue. 

Thanks!

I gotta be honest, I'm not a writer and I don't know how you all do what you do, it gives me hives to contemplate. :-) Have you considered doing a deep read of some appropriate comp titles (that ARE the "Upper MG" you are striving for) and see how THEY handle it?

And also - I'm not sure that "adding interiority" necessitates "adding a bunch of internal monologue" -- small, well-chosen and specific details can do a lot more heavy lifting in terms of character development than monologues do. Here's a worthwhile article to read.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Out of the Woods Book Review 🦇

💜 Life update: moved into a new rental house. It's below 40F but we haven't had heat in five days. The house wasn't move-in ready, no one is answering the phone, and they charged us a deposit AND $1,000 move-in fee. It's been a disaster. Sorry for not being here. xx

❓ #QOTD How did you meet your significant other? 🦇 High school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb Linwood have always been a sure thing. But after 17 years, Sarah has to wonder: who is she without her other half? Caleb always seems to step in to save the day, making her the damsel. In a desperate attempt to fix what they fear is breaking, Sarah and Caleb make the spontaneous decision to get out of their comfort zones and join a grueling hiking trip intended to guide couples through rough patches. Can they navigate their way out of the woods and their messy uncertainty to find their way back to their roots?

💜 First of all, I'd like to reassure readers that no, you don't have to read Out on a Limb to enjoy this book. Out of the Woods focuses on Sarah and Caleb's relationship (friends of the FMC in book one). Let's break it down: ✨ Characters: We're given very little about each character independent of the other. Sarah is deep in grief while Caleb is...well, he seems perfectly supportive and loving, but that's unfortunately stifling Sarah. Once they begin to work through their problems, they're cute together, but there's no major depth. I will say that Sarah is incredibly relatable. She feels stuck and uncertain of who she is outside of her relationship, but it feels like she takes that out on Caleb when he's simply content (and there's nothing wrong with that). It does highlight the importance of recognizing who you are outside of a relationship (a lesson some people haven't learned, which then affects the relationship). ✨ Plot and Pacing: Usually, I love a flashback to show rather than tell. Unfortunately, the CONSTANT flashbacks slow the pace down. They don't show us moments that really define Caleb and Sarah. The plot (Sarah having an identity crisis and feeling like a NPC in her own marriage) had a lot of potential, but ALL the introspection leaves the story dragging. There's just not much going on. ✨ Romance: The absolute best moment for me was Sarah realizing Caleb brought her e-reader so she wouldn't lose her (nearly 2,000-day) reading streak. The little flowers and notes they left for one another were precious. Their relationship is well-established, and they heal with each other, which is sweet. There is smut, so, enjoy that. ✨ Mystery/Suspense: Alluding to a moment that occurred between Sarah and Caleb as young adults without revealing it entirely would have given the story an element of tension and suspense, both of which were lacking. ✨ Tone/Prose: Sarah's narration is relatable, but her constant, page after page of introspection adds nothing to the story. A little more descriptive language while we're in the woods could have placed readers in the moment, but instead, we're stuck in Sarah's head.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🏕 Adult Contemporary Romance ⛺ Camping 🏕 Couples Therapy ⛺ Flashbacks 🏕 High School Sweethearts ⛺ First Person POV 🏕 Loss of a Parent/Grief ⛺ Part of a Duology

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #OutoftheWoods

💬 Quotes ❝ It’s the cursed roles we’ve been stuck in since the eleventh grade. The gallant knight riding in on his white horse is here to save me once again. And shit, if being the damsel in distress isn’t getting old. ❞ ❝ “I brought [your e-reader] and a solar charger. I didn’t want you to lose your reading streak. Downloaded a couple of extra books too.” ❞ ❝ I am a simple creature, at my core. Give me books, sunlight, water, and a handsome man looking at me like I’m some rare jewel, and I’m all set. Especially when it feels like a long time since I’ve shined for him. ❞ ❝ “If you give me the space to grow, I’ll plant myself next to you. Always.” ❞ ❝ “We have the rest of our lives to fuck each other’s brains out. I’m here to get your heart back first.” ❞

[gcldfanged]

Meet the Writer

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘɪᴄᴋ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴜꜱᴇ(ꜱ) ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ?

(CANON MUSES) -

Genesis: I actually HATED Genesis initially in the og CC game. I thought he was a lame addition and just like… idk, they wanted Gackt in the game so they made his presence plot relevant? OOOUGH, I was so mad… But then I saw how the rpc and fandom treats him, which is honestly even WORSE SOMEHOW??? So I decided to try writing him seriously and what do you know, I actually kinda like it.

Verdot: I literally have to make the content I wanna see in this rpc, such is my burden. my curse...

(OCs) - I wanted to write about the themes I have on my pinned and honestly, there were so many Tseng rpers who I am friends and mutuals with that knock it out of the fucking ballpark- I just didn't feel like I'd have ANYTHING new or good to contribute to the exploration of his character? So I made an OC :P And he's really changed so much! I remember when I was still making my own art for him and he wasn't QUITE like there the way I wanted him to be, but I didn't have anything better to employ as a faceclaim or reference to draw from. And then Cas was like "btw here's a manga about your HYPERFIXATION" and Kokonoi's general appearance and vibe was a great starting point to go off of instead.

Anyway, There's always things I had planned for Jae in the works or on the backburner, but he has really evolved over the span of years I've been writing him, so I really appreciate every person who took the time to check him out and build something with him.

ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ?

You know, I have been becoming more lenient with allowing myself to write certain things. I always end up being afraid of how people will react to certain themes I explore because... let's be real, a lot of people are pretty intolerant to opinions that are different than theirs. So long as whatever I and/or my partner explore is handled with the care and respect it deserves, I don't really see an issue with much anymore. Hell, I was terrified to post that one drabble fleshing out Jae meeting Veld for the first time because I was afraid people would see Jae's reaction to killing someone as somehow 'excusing abuse' because he wasn't dancing on the guy's corpse and actually showed remorse for what he did. It's fears of what I write about being misconstrued like that that really makes me hesitant to even talk about certain ideas with partners. But I'm getting over that, little by little and step by step.

ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ?

I actually love writing (as you can tell) introspective pieces. Something where you're really getting inside the character's head for a moment to see past all of their walls and facades, or sometimes you're still seeing what they tell THEMSELVES is the real undiluted truth, but isn't. I just love that kinda stream of consciousness really dig deep into the VOICE of a character exploration. Makes me feel lots of emotions.

ʜᴏᴡ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴꜱ?

Usually I'll be doing something else like watching a piece of media or listening to a podcast and start to think "Ooh, my muse would love this" or "this makes me think of xyz muse wow", and it just kind of expands organically from there.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ɪɴ ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴏʀ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ?

Music helps get me inspired initially, especially since I make spotify playlists for all my muses (and ships :P), so generally I'm cool with music, but usually I zone in too much on my own writing to pay attention. It's like my sense of hearing turns off.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʟᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇꜱ ᴏʀ ᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇᴍ?

Both- There's always a general sort of... idea or outcome that me and my partner would LIKE to shoot for? And sometimes we just don't get there, because it really depends on what the characters do/say and how it's taken by the other muse.

For example, I was roleplaying a thread with @steeleidolon's Kunsel where he and Jae are trying to broker a deal and Kunsel ends up saying something to the effect of "your people" and he means the Turks. Jae, on the other hand, hears 'your people' and assumes Kunsel was bringing up his race and the perception of fellow people from Wutai or Hanuel being unfairly insular. So, it kinda went to shit, LOL.

It's little things like that that can color your muse's reaction to sometimes very different degrees than what you plan for!

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ꜱʜɪᴘᴘɪɴɢ?

I like complicated dynamics and no, I will never shut up about them. Ships for me don't even have to strictly be romantic or sexual in nature, so like- I have some interactions I'm still feeling out with @saishuu-heiki that are platonic but leaning in a distinctly enemy/frenemy/challenges other person kind of vibe? And I think it's great! They don't HAVE to be like "we're friends, we're lovers, or we hate each other'- Like, limiting all your interactions to one of those three options gets really boring for me...

ᴡʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀʟɪᴀꜱ/ɴᴀᴍᴇ?

King_Kkeungi is my mangaka pseudonym for the Silent Manga Audition that I tried submitting to last year. People have called me just "King" (if they didn't know how to pronounce Korean) or "Kkeungi" before, so I tend to go by these handles now.

ᴀɢᴇ?

30s, I'm like Dagon: ancient and evil, spoken about in hushed whispers that the zealots who follow my dark lore worship-

ʙɪʀᴛʜᴅᴀʏ?

May 10th

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ(ꜱ)?

Blue-greens like teal and turquoise, soft pastel mint, and pinky-purples

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜱᴏɴɢ(ꜱ)?

Currently? PRIMADONNA by Kedarui! It's a sequel to their other song, Femme Fatale and has amazing lore and characters. It's just got fascinating kinda themes and imagery when you watch them back to back.

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴍᴏᴠɪᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ?

The 2nd DUNE movie, holy crap, I was blown away!

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ꜱʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ?

Hell's Paradise, which I am still TRYING to finish.

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ꜱᴏɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ?

Philip by millenium parade, my new go-to Jae song

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ?

Thai or Vietnamese food *drools*

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ?

Summer... I just love the heat and the sun and the iconic imagery/sounds/themes like eating watermelon and wearing floppy plastic sandals, melting ice cream, hearing the chime of our furin while sitting outside on the porch of the house.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴛᴜᴍʙʟʀ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ?

I talk to regularly (like near every day): @ceaselxss, @annjiru, @phoenixshards, @sadistpet, @nightiingaled. Like talking with a lot: @speedchasing, @ofdeference, @hisnewera, @cwarscars, @contemptim, @steeleidolon, @altrxisme, @hxbiris & @hxvemxnd

The people who have known me the LONGEST are mostly discord only rpers now, but Tricky, HD, Kit, and Vixen I consider to be extremely close to me since we've been friends for... like over or around 6+ years and are still ongoing buddies who have met face to face before.

Then there's my ex-fiancee, but he doesn't do tumblr rp anymore.

This list also doesn't even cover ppl I write with/ooc interacted with over a long period of time like @ivory-paragon, @poeticphoenix, @reapersxfolly, @endweapon, @chthonicsurge, or @dcviltriggcr, so- I like reaching out to people and developing bonds! We don't even have to be on discord capslocking at each other, it's really cool when you can come back to an RPC and still have that connection without any awkward small talk?

[submalevolentgrace]

hi hello, sorry it's another amputee question, idk if you get tired of these. i found your blog and i like how you share your experiences, thank you for this. im abled myself but im writing a story, and i want my main girlie protag to have a prosthetic leg and here's the thing, i dont really have a reason for it. i guess it says something about me, don't know what, but i just don't know if that's considered, well, offensive, or rude, or something. i don't plan to have any focus on it in the story. the medium is a comic so it's going to be always visible as a prosthetic, but i don't want to explain it in-story either, no backstory, she would probably just have it since early childhood. it won't affect the plot. and that's where i don't know if that's even okay. it feels weird to want that, to include that, almost as if i need to somehow turn the story about it, to have some kind of statement. which i don't actually want to make or even feel able to make as never experiencing it. i want for her to have a prosthetic leg just because. and i don't have anyone to ask this, and i don't mean to offend you by this, and i apologize if i somehow did. but if it's okay with you to answer, i'd appreciate reading. if it's gonna be an angry rant i'd like to read it too. i know you're an upper body amp, but idk, i feel like this question isn't much about the use of prosthetics and more of the general amputee characters, and im scared to ask reddit, i don't even know if that ask made sense. thank you if you read that all, please don't feel pressured to answer. hopefully you'll have something good that brightens your day a little!

thank you, i actually really appreciate this ask! sorry that the response is long and wordy, i got a bit carried away…

so, i've gotten a lot of asks/dms/notes from writers asking about how to write their amputee characters/ocs after my big "writing advice" post, and i think i've ended up ignoring every single one of them, because… well, not to be rude to all those people, but they seem to have completely bounced off the whole 'know why you are writing this' thesis, too caught up in the excitement of their own fantasy to even notice the bit about understanding your own intent as an author and why that matters, let alone really engaging with it. and at that point, i don't think there's any advice or feedback i can give that would break through, especially when it seems what most people are seeking is little details and nuances to add authenticity to their token representation characters or unintentional stereotypes.

but, without any other details or nuances that shape a character's portrayal, based solely on what you've said in this ask, i feel like you're on the right track and probably gonna do fine. the thing that sticks out most clearly to me is how you phrase it, "i WANT to write a protagonist to have a prosthetic leg", you are acknowleding your role as omnipotent author, and i honestly think that's worth a lot more than many people realise when it comes to crafting fiction. you've acknowledged your desire for this character to be a certain way, and you're being introspective about the source of those desires and how it will come across - and that means you're almost certainly also thinking about how it interacts with the rest of the story, how it serves your themes, and how it will be interpreted and understood by the audience.

a lot of responses or people asking me for advice say things like "i am writing a character who HAS an amputation", implying it's an observable fact, pre-concluded before their authoring of them, and therefore something they're much less likely to examine critically. maybe it's unfair of me to draw such deep conclusions from shallow choice of language, but firstly, so many people have been far more obvious about it, saying a character "revealed" or "told" them about the amputation, or just straight up talking abot them as independent entities with their own agency, as if it's a biography and not fiction. and secondly, what are we even doing talking about improving the craft of our writing and how it will be recieved by the audience if we're not going to think about how framing affects interpretation? if someone is reaching out to me asking for writing advice, you bet i am going to assume this is a person who wants to improve the details of their own writing craft, and i'm going to critically engage with the tiny snippet of writing they've given me and analyse how it reflects on them, even if it is "just" a tumblr interaction. i don't even consider myself a writer really, the art i mainly dedicate myself to is music, but i still put careful thought into anything i write that's more than a few sentences, and think about the audience it will be seen by.

sorry, that's a whole other tangent… not at all about what you asked. but by way of example and segue back; what i see you reveal in the writing of your ask is a nervousness and anxiety to 'do well' in your writing, to create a character with an amputation in a way that holds up to scrutiny and criticism, and also a fear of what unfortunate things you might be saying and the responses it would provoke if you misstep. i can totally understand that, not just because you messaged me and i personally have a track record of going off on people lol, but also… yeah, people are very eager to judge and attack art based on a hidden metric of how 'well' it does 'representation' or handles things, and be vocal about the failings of things that make an earnest attempt. and i can see that it's very appealing to want to pull back and hide from that; a character who has a prosthetic leg opens you up to your audience critiquing how well you've handled it, most of them not amputees, many of them with the subtlety and media analysis skills of a sledgehammer… while if you write a story with no amputees in it, nobody has anything to critique.

unfortunately, no matter how well or carefully or authentically you write, there will always be someone engaging with it in bad faith yelling loudly about how awful you are; i recently made a short sharp post giving a trigger warning for medical abuse and body horror in the new zelda game that painfully evoked some of my own experiences, i still got people reblogging it telling me i'm ableist for saying disability is body horror (piss on the poor reading comprehension) and should apologise to all amputees (waves my one hand and nub around in a comical hello gesture). maybe that is on me for writing it quickly in an upset huff instead of making at least two proofreading and editing passes and oh geez, this is getting waaay too long and off topic. okay, to the point.

honestly, from what little you've told me, to be overly reductive, i'd give it a stamp of approval. sometimes people just only have one leg and that's fine, people are born like that, it's a thing that happens - and it doesn't need to shape the entirety of their lives, and reflecting that in fiction is more than just fine, i think it's what we need. sure any amputee character i write is going to be an overt commentary on ableism and medical abuse, because that's what i live, that's what affects me. but i know because i've watched their stuff on youtube, that there are so many people out there that were born limb different that just, don't care about it, and it doesn't really affect their life at all. if your protag has a prosthesis, sure she's had to get fitted for it and train for it, and it might benefit you to do an afternoon of research into that if you want to see how it might holistically flesh out her worldview (look up osseointegration vs external sockets, if you want keywords to help, look for patient experiences instead of doctors).

but also, if her other leg has finished growing and she's got a prosthesis that works, she may not have thought about it literally for years, maybe decades depending on her age. i had braces as a teen and it has zero impact on my life, i've had foot and back problems in the past, and it's irrelevant to me now other than getting new off the shelf shoe inserts every few years. i can think of at least one (australian) celebrity with a pretty long and successful comedy career who most people don't even know was born without one foot, it's just not relevant.

sometimes people just have things going on in the background that don't matter, and sometimes characters should have something just going on in the background too, no matter what "save the cat" sort of writing advice tells you. sometimes cutting literally everything out of a story unless it serves the plot or themes is bad actually, and i guarantee you, even as a hand amputee, i would absolutely LOVE to see a leg amp character who is just having a life, doing other plot relevant things. especially much more than i want to see all the characters of people leaving tags saying some version of "thanks OP, now i can write the suffering and torment of my oc much more authentically". think of the hypothetical little girl born without a leg that just wants to see someone like her.

and finally. what i think is maybe at the core of your anxiousness, at least to my read of your ask. you've thought about your role as author and self reflected about why you want to write a character with a prosthetic leg, and you can't find an answer in you, and you're not sure if that means it's something bad. well, assuming good faith from you, i think that's fine too. people who fetishise prostheses or amputations, people obsessed with the suffering or (percieved) depenedncy, or whatever else it is that makes them yearn to write their hacky awful robot arm characters; they probably don't do the introspection, and if they did, they'd find their answer right away (horniness or power fantasy usually), although i doubt they'd be honest with themselves about it, let alone others. assuming good faith and honesty, if you can't find in yourself WHY you want to write this character with a prosthetic leg….. it's probably just a harmless aesthetic preference.

if you wanted it to do cool things or make her more powerful or more special than others or be endless inconvenience and suffering or make her the chosen one because of it or something, that'd set off alarm bells for me yeah, and i'd be reading into it as a much more harmful aesthetic choice, and responding much more aggressively. but if you want to write a story about other things that features a protagonist who just so happens to have a plausibly normal boring prosthetic leg…. that seems fine to me, honestly. i tend towards having characters with certain hair and eye colour combinations that i find aesthetically pleasing, and as long as i'm thinking about how that could come across and trying to avoid any pitfalls around fetishisation and nastier implications, i think it's probably fine.

there are really only three concrete pieces of advice i would give you:

one, when you've got a cohesive first/beta draft, try to find at least one sensitivity reader who's got as similar disability experience as possible to your character (lower limb, same kinda circumstances, same general use of prosthesis), and listen to their feedback.

two, while i totally acknowledge that leg protheses can be super useful everyday kit for many people, i still have a general aversion to "this character NEEDS a prosthesis or they're helpless" readings, and many people don't want to or can't use leg prostheses… if it were me doing it, i'd make acknowledgement of that, and in a visual medium like a comic, i think that's as simple as having a single panel showing your character waking up in bed without the prosthesis, and maybe at her home there are forearm crutches leaning against the wall as background decoration. maybe if you have any scenes where she's woken up in the middle of the night, or interrupted before being fully dressed for the day, you could show them in use. but that's a personal value suggestion from me, your judgement or sensitivity readers might disagree on the importance of that.

three, you will absolutely need to establish as early and overtly as possible that the prosthesis and amputation DOES NOT MATTER to the story or her character arc. people still very much have a default normative body in mind when engaging with fiction, and anything that deviates from that will 100% be interpreted as a checkov's gun that they will be anticipating and theorising about going off, unless you squash that down. if you want to make a statement about it not mattering, unfortunately i think you're going to have to spell that out as obviously as possible without breaking the fourth wall, or else the audience trained on existing robot limb tropes will be waiting for the traumatic tragic backstory or secret rocket booster to become relevant.

but also…. i'm just some bitch on the internet, talking like i'm more important than i am, getting loudly angry about limb difference when i'm a pretty recent and unusual addition to the group myself. so like, don't take anything i say as absolute, and while it's always good to listen to others, at the end of the day you still gotta synthesise all their thoughts into your own.

i don't really have a nice concluding statement other than to say, thankyou for appreciating my post, and most importantly, thankyou for caring about the craft of writing enough to critically analyse your own authorship, and being curious about how to improve on a sensitive topic.

[ofmiceandpeace]

Okay, so does anyone else have an affinity for Gene Forrester or is it just me? Like on a deep psychological level, and qualities as well…

In the tags of a reblog of a post I can't find, I mentioned this a little bit, but I don't know if I said it directly in a post. But anyway, it's actually kind of bizarre. (I'll get a little personal here so if you find that cringey then I wouldn't read this. It sounds a little venty at times, which was not the intention, but to explain the way my mind negatively works.)

On a shallow level, I'm introverted and I get good grades like him. I like my subjects; is that being an intellectual? I'm also not an athletic person—I’m not participating in a sport, and most likely wouldn't in the future. All of my friends do sports and some, partly due to that, are actually perfect citizens and human beings. Here I thought it gets meta.

There are people so much better than me, and I have always felt some twinge of jealousy or a deep rooted loathing for their superiority, and after analyzing that moral at the end of A Separate Peace, I realized that it totally applied to me. My whole thing is insecurity. My emotions often get the better of me, especially when I overthink, which is equally as often. Sometimes I (used to) feel like my head is just crowded from anxieties and such, leading to the aforementioned bad actions. I've actually pushed people away in the past due to this.

Onto a side point of overthinking, a lot of it is being introspective like Gene was in his narration, albeit some being his reflections from 15 years in the future. I analyze my own thoughts and motives like they're of another person (or so I think) and that just uses a lot of time and brain power, probably for no good reason. For example, I spend a lot of time mulling over events in the past that embarrassed me, or things that still make me angry months or years after its happening; things I just regret, like ruining friendships with people in the past because of my own insecurities. I don't know if I've come to terms with them yet. We'll see in 15 years.

But anyway, yeah, I don't know, most of the people around me have just amazing qualities which make my own faults more apparent to me. Relating this to A Separate Peace’s moral may have made my overthinking worse, actually, because now I just tell myself, whenever I suspect wrongdoing, “Am I jumping to conclusions because I hate them for some reason?” thus perpetuating the cycle… and I can never tell if it is this way or that.

So in conclusion I relate to Gene with his traits and the way he thinks and acts. Which is kind of cringey to write, but this is partially for myself just to put these thoughts out there which have been floating around in my head for a while. It's really strange, because it's almost a perfect fit. I haven't come across any protagonist that I've related this closely to. Maybe this is another reason why I love A Separate Peace so much? Am I secretly rooting for myself? No, but Gene’s character is just so real. It's not overly dramatized, just a boy with a tortured conscience over an incident that was caused by a realistic mental conflict.

Comparing this to another Knowles book, Peace Breaks Out features characters that act very dramatically with interesting motives and lines and whatnot. More of the plot is action in comparison to A Separate Peace; so the story is not as “believable.” This lack of action in the predecessor makes it seem boring to a lot of people—we can all agree on that. People say nothing happens. But even though they're objectively wrong, I'll say that that's what makes it interesting to me.

You spend so much time with these characters in their everyday lives, listening to the inside of the narrator’s head, or to his friend’s monologues that now and then reveal a key part of his philosophy, that you almost feel connected to them, that they are, in the most figurative way possible, real people. And in my case you may even identify with a character since they are so realistic that their traits coincidentally lined up with your own.

Extreme plot points aren't needed for an interesting story. This tiny fandom can advocate this, right? We're passionate about a 60s book that takes place in a boarding school during World War II which like no one else cares about. It's crazy…

Anyway sorry this was all over the place. I wrote what I was thinking and things probably don't make sense. Thanks for reading if you made it to the end!!

[findroleplay]

💚 Things have really slowed down with my roleplays (not replacing anyone, though!!!), so trying something totally different this time – I offer up the grungy, kind-hearted and sensitive musician Trent Lane from the 90s MTV cartoon series ’’Daria’’ for muses from any of the following:

- any and all ‘Daria’ characters, including well-written OCs

- Beavis, Butt-head and Mr. Van Driessen

- Rick & Morty and any of the rest of the Sanchez family

- the main cast of Gravity Falls

- men and minors please don’t interact!

-Please be at least 21.

-only third person, detailed long- form and long term, enthusiastic female writers, please!

-knowledge of ‘Daria’ would be appreciated but not required (I have the fandom wiki, an extensive gif blog and three hour video essay link to give a deep dive summary if you need it)

I have no plot in mind, this would be more character and introspection driven, as Trent has left Lawndale without saying a word, heavily down in the dumps and depressed over his secret, not-to-be-realized feelings for Daria Morgendorffer; feel free to get him involved in whatever is going on with your muse, though! A small heads up: Trent is in love with Daria and therefore very unlikely to have romantic or sexy time interest in anyone else.

I wrote a 500+ word character introduction / plot setup, so if you don’t know Trent, please read more about him here.

Dark mental health topics would be included! 🕊 No doubling!

Disclaimer: I have never really watched Beavis and Butt-head due to the gross factor, BUT I have watched clips, read the wiki, several fanfics and checked out video essays due to their connection to Daria, so I think I have a pretty good idea of things. It would be great if someone could flesh out those two blockheads (and the lovely Mr. Van Driessen!)

It’s also been ages since I watched Gravity Falls and Rick & Morty, but I’m willing to do a rewatch if you want me to! Please someone just let me write Trent! 😭

This is a long-term request, please don’t drop me in a few months, and please be actually ready to write. Hiatuses are fine, but ooc chatter is definitely nice even then! My pacing is anywhere from leisurely to once or twice a day; if we mesh together well, I’ll let you know of any frequency changes if they happen on my end. Replies often exceed discord character limit, 3rd person POV, all from a very wordy chick in her 30s. Since my other partners are on hiatus, I am looking for someone who’d be able to start writing in the next few days, after we’ve laid out our initial thoughts and ideas. Only contact me if this is the case!

-

[crackinthecup]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @elevenelvenswords - thank you so much, friend <3 (and apologies for taking forever to get round to this!)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

49 in total.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

456,188 words.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mainly Silmarillion. I have dabbled in Star Wars and Dark Souls too, plus a D.Gray-man fic I wrote for a friend purely based on what she told me about the characters as I've never read the manga or watched the anime.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

My top one is Yield to the Moment, which is completely fair enough as it's a beast of a fic and by far the longest multi-chapter I've ever written. The next two are Strange New World and A bond once called fealty, part of my Swords series looking at Melkor and Mairon post-Dagor Dagorath. Then we've got The Metal Cage which is pure PWP (chastity play/CBT) and I am very glad people are having fun with it. And fifth is A quiet sort of introspection, a Melkor-centric character study also set in the Swords 'verse.

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

Yep! I think it's only fair to reply to people if they've taken the time to share their thoughts about something I've written. Plus it can turn into a really fun thinking space to play around with ideas about characters!

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

Ohhh I have to think about this one. I don't know if I tend to write particularly angsty endings? Maybe High and Higher? Which is a Fallen Banners ficlet set in Gondolin after Maeglin's return from Angband where he feels like he doesn't quite fit into his life anymore.

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

Yield to the Moment, probably! The wedding felt like a happy culmination of all the work they'd been putting into themselves and each other.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

It's happened a few times, yeah. But generally people seem to take a "ship and let ship" stance to fandom.

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

Quite a lot of smut haha. Honestly I'd describe my particular brand of smut as a thinly veiled excuse for a psychological study of the characters.

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

Haven't written any crossovers yet.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, thankfully.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

A couple, yeah, back in 2015-ish when I first started writing for the Silm fandom. Sadly I took down all those old fics at a time when my mental health wasn't amazing (wish I hadn't), and I'm not sure if the translations still exist anywhere.

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

YTTM started out as a co-written project.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

Will have to go with Angbang here. They just seem to speak to a deep deep part of my psyche.

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

I've got a very rough WIP about Mairon bonding with Tar-Míriel in Númenor that I don't feel super engaged with anymore.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Characterisation, I hope! I've always been drawn to writing as a way to explore what makes characters tick, why they do the things they do. I also really enjoy coming up with fun ways to describe things.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Everything can always be improved, I suppose! At the moment I think I'm mindful that I find it difficult sometimes to end fics in ways that feel punchy or memorable.

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

Totally on board with it when used thoughtfully as a plot device or a way to add depth to characters.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Oh goodness, I think it was Harry Potter back when I was 13 or 14. Those fics will not be seeing the light of day haha.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Hmm I don't actually like reading my own stuff very much. It's a bit of a struggle to switch off the perfectionism. That said, YTTM has a special place in my heart. It took a lot of time, a lot of thought, and sometimes a lot of effort, and while I'm not 100% happy with it, I am glad that I got it over the finish line and that I had a chance to tell a story I really wanted to tell.