#i don't want people to read three paragraphs of the fic and then get disappointed because of a broken link

[olderthannetfic]

I'm not really contributing to any of the ongoing discussions here. Just relaying a recent experience I had.

I was perusing ao3 (as you do at 1AM) and came across a fic with a promising premise. The summary read like it was centralized around one of my favorite characters, and the tags were all tags I liked, especially so with said character.

So, I got that initial reader's high, tapped the title link like "let's gooooooo," only to get a few paragraphs in and realize that this was not a "favorite character" positive fic. Very quickly, it became apparent that this author did not like this character. The narrative was written from others' POVs with a focus on said character's less endearing traits. Traits that were not all that significant in canon. It was kind of like they took a behavior, exaggerated it to the max until it consumed and rewrote the character's personality, and then had others (that, in canon, actually like the character) bash them for it. Which is kind of weird-funny to me cause, 100%, the character is controversial. There are a lot of reasons to be critical about them. I've seen fics where the basis is 'everything is canon, but the character is completely written out.' You like them, you don't, or at the very least they're tagged character bashing.

But okay. Whatever. The tags and description were misleading. The story was disappointing. It happens. I'm the one who decided to keep reading anyway because it was actually quite well written despite the characterizations making me sad. It's all good. It's the expected hazards that come with the perusing. But then, I had let my curiosity get the better of me.

I read the comments.

Four down, I found a deleted comment. I don't how bad it must have been. But the responses to it were certainly... yeah. Someone, not the author, responded with quite the vitriol. They shared the user's pseud 'in case they deleted their comment,' said they went through the user's bookmarks, aired out the "problematic" pairings the user had read, said 'of course they like this character, they already have the leanings,' and then concluded by calling them an incest loving pedophile.

The author also responded with a remark along the lines of, "while I appreciate you taking the time to read my work, I hope you never do so again as I don't want 'your sort' here." And ended it with a 😊 ❤️.

Like... I don't know what the original user said, but did it really warrant that? The problematic ships listed weren't even problematic. The only ship they could even be referring to as 'incest' among the ones listed was a ship I know is between between two people, not related, never canonically thought themselves to be so, three years apart, mostly just really good chaotic friends, that the fandom had decided blanketedly were brother and sister. Plus, the controversial character I said was one of my favorites, canonically, has only loved one person their whole life, who is the same age as them. So I don't even know what they mean by 'leanings.'

Which, subsequently, made me wonder if the original comment had even been genuinely deserving of such harsh responses. I guess it also just bothered me a lot cause, like I said above, the pseud is still there despite the deleted comment. Anyone can go and harass them if they wanted.

I don't really have a point.

It was just a lot. I'm still thinking about it a day later, and I don't really know how to feel about it all.

--

I know how to feel about it:

This author does not deserve comments.

[loosingmoreletters]

Oh, I follow that enchanted tulle author on AO3 and so far she/he only writes very few stories, but boy, does she/he love politics so much.

I always find authors who write heavy stuff are awesome because it's a difficult topic to write. I mostly read fluff stories because I think my boys Wangxian need some fluffy moments after the whole chaos in their lives.

Do you like fluffy stories even though LWJ isn't mean there? I can recommend some, but well, they are very fluffy, all happy, no angst 😁

I do read fluff! Also I'm a sucker for happy endings. Very rarely do I enjoy a fic with a bad end - I need that catharsis of everything being resolved. I don't actually read much dark fic in this fandom because my flavor of dark fic isn't particularly catered to.

Not ranked in any way, and absolutely not all my favorites, just those I tagged good enough in my 10k bookmarks to find, but some of my favorite fics are there! (Most are finished, those that aren't can be safely said to have been among my favorites from the first paragraph on.)

愈; to heal by ravenditefairylights

Wei Wuxian has missed the sword. He has missed the steady weight of Suibian in his vicinity, has missed being sure of himself without needing to defend his ability in front of a world that stands opposite of him as jury, judge and executioner. Wei Wuxian has risen and fallen and then gotten up every time, fallen deeper still until there was no way for him to get back up. Wei Wuxian has died and he has come back thirteen years too late and the world has moved on without him. Back to the start—it’s a good place for the beginning. or the one where Wei Wuxian heals, realizes there are people who love him and people he loves and goes back home

I'll buy you the moon (I'll buy you two) by Thesaurus_with_no_words

It's been three days since Wei Wuxian last ate. "Hungry," A-Yuan whines, pulling at his hand. Wei Wuxian tries to focus on the vegetable display in front of him. He's got 10 credits left on the last safe account he's got access to. Half a kilo of wilted vegetables, the cheapest thing in the store, costs 15. The potatoes are sprouted. Half of Wei Wuxian's sluggish mind wonders if that means he can bargain down the prize, while the other half is screaming that something is very wrong. They have been planet-side for around 36 hours and so far nothing adds up. Blinking slowly, Wei Wuxian stares at the potatoes. The green sprouts seem to taunt him. Suddenly he remembers that Shanxu, the planet they are supposed to be on, has a current ban on potatoes, due to some aggressive and rapidly mutating form of crop blight. "Fuck," Wei Wuxian hisses. Where the are they? What planet is this!?

Welcome to the Great Gusu Bake Off! by BlackWiresOnHerHead

Several months ago, college student Wei Wuxian secretly competed in the most popular reality show in the country. The show starts airing in the fall. The freshmen in his dorm collectively lose their minds.

A Thousand Things by tickertape

Wei Ying can’t find his words. “What would I do in Gusu?” The man’s mouth quirks in what Wei Ying cannot interpret as anything but a tiny, smug smirk. “Learn.” Wei Ying has made a fine life for himself. He’s got his jiejies and his talismans; he doesn’t need anyone’s charity. But spending a whole year in Gusu? That’s hard to turn down.

The Best I Can by Zephyr (ZephyrAndTheSilverfish)

‘Have you heard? Hanguang-jun cut ties with the Lan Sect. Stole a child and ran off into the night.’ In which Wei Wuxian is horribly confused by the world he comes back to and can’t help but be drawn to Lan Wangji once more. Lan Jingyi, for his part, is deeply disappointed by the world he grew up in and just wants to see his best friend again.

Hear a song this deeply by so_shhy

Lan Zhan’s new liaison at the Caiyi Municipal Cultivation Department is an enigma – ridiculously talented, yet somehow content with mopping up spiritual pests for barely above minimum wage. Wei Ying is slapdash and irresponsible, and Lan Zhan doesn’t like him at all… but then he meets A-Yuan, who loves music and longs for a piano his father can’t afford. Forced into cautious friendship by a four-year-old's music lessons, Lan Zhan soon realises Wei Ying is more than he seems. The single father is a man of many secrets – including, perhaps, the key to Lan Zhan's life's work. And in the meantime, the background resentment in Caiyi Town is rising to dangerous levels…

The One-Body Problem by metisket

The good news is that Lan Jingyi has found a mentor, friend, and constant companion through the difficulties in life. The bad news is that that’s because he’s been accidentally possessed by the Yiling Patriarch.

Howling by MimiSpearmint

“Sizhui, go to the kitchen,” the Yiling Patriarch orders. His charge – Sizhui, Lan Wangji presumes – hesitates but obeys, looking back over his shoulder as he disappears. Apprentice out of the blast zone, the Patriarch storms up to Lan Wangji, eyes flashing red. “Three words: I. Am. Retired.” Lan Wangji is sent by the Institute to do two things: become the Yiling Patriarch's familiar, and report back his every movement. It does not go how any of them planned.

kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight by AlfAlfAlfAlfAlf, tardigradeschool

The young man blinks at him. Wei Yuan doesn’t spend much time staring at his own face in the mirror, but he knows his reflection well enough; the dark eyes, the straight nose, the round face that comes to a pointed chin. This boy could be his exact double. “Who are you?” the Lan boy facing him asks, tilting his head. He’s got a hand on his sword, but he hasn’t drawn it yet. There’s a faint frown on his face. “Some kind of face-stealing spirit? A demon?” “Pretty rude to go around calling people demons,” Wei Yuan protests. -- Or, Wei Wuxian, presumed dead by the cultivation world, raises one Wen twin. Lan Wangji, presumed dead by Wei Wuxian, raises the other. A Parent Trap AU.

By Any Other Name by ShanaStoryteller

Wei Wuxian wakes up in Mo Xuanyu's body and heads straight for Lotus Pier. Wu Yingtai is the newest member of the Jiang Clan and rumored to be the future wife of Jiang Wanyin. Lan Wangji is not in love with her.

Everyanything by deliciousblizzardshark, lingeringdust

“I was going to do it! I had Wei Wuxian’s soul and his ritual and I was going to cast it, but I found my poor sister sobbing in the hallway, driven half-mad by our gege and I knew she needed the curse more than I did.” He grinned, slyly, underneath his thick layers of paint. “I knew she wanted to kill the same person I did. So I gave it to her; the soul, the ritual. As long as she promised to get revenge for me as well!” or Wei Wuxian is brought back from death into the body of Qin Su.

The Housewife's Guide to Causing Chaos by dvasva

“Of all the rotten luck I could have!” Outside, in between the gentle embrace of an imposing misty mountain and the caress of soft wind, stood the Cloud Recesses. It wasn’t a section that Wei Wuxian had recognized from his time in the sect, but the motifs of clouds and cranes in the buildings, the impeccable feng shui and carefully manicured paths, and the utter silence as the sect members slept peacefully, all burned themselves into Wei Wuxian’s eyes. No wonder the curtains were so firmly nailed to the walls! Any bit of demonic energy escaping the room could call down a veritable army of righteous cultivators! What sort of person in their right mind would dare to summon a spirit into their own body using resentful energy in the Cloud Recesses of all places? What kind of person would scoff so rudely at the Lan Clans most important rule, ‘Do not fraternize with evil?’ After being dead for four years, Wei Wuxian wakes up in a body he doesn't really feel comfortable with, in a place that he's sure wants him dead, and married to a man who surely hates him.

Words are Gonna Bleed from Me by GravityWinsAgain

"Yiling Laozu, GusuLan Triad requests your services." At this, Wei Wuxian laughs and a thousand ghosts laugh with him. ~Or: Wei Wuxian died and Yiling Laozu rose in his place. He has avoided the Triad societies he grew up around, maintaining his anonymity and forging a new cultivation path. Now, thirteen years later, Hanguang-jun walks into Demon-Subdue Hall and requests Yiling Laozu's services for GusuLan Triad. Something is stirring in the world. Something that necessitates his return to a life and to people he’s long since mourned as lost to him.

Going on charmingly by scribbet

He pulled the door open smoothly, leaving the noisemaker with their fist still raised mid-knock.  He could glimpse white robes underneath a thick and practical-looking travel cloak, but surely no member of his sect would think to barge in upon him in such a way. “Hello!” the interloper exclaimed, a bright smile coming into view as he lifted the sopping veils away to one side. “Would you happen to know how to reach the Cloud Recesses?” Or, a teenage Wei Wuxian arrives at the Lan sect as a (mostly) respected disciple of the Immortal Baoshan Sanren instead of the well-known troublemaker of Yunmeng Jiang. Lan Wangji learns to come to terms with this (eventually).

the problem with authority by isabilightwood

When Qin Su learns the truth about Jin Guangyao after the death of her son, she sacrifice summons Jiang Yanli. It goes slightly sideways. Jiang Yanli isn’t exactly one for revenge. But she does want her brother back, and the cultivation world could do with a bit of fixing. A resurrected Wei Wuxian is all too happy to help. But taking down Jin Guangyao would be easier if Lan Wangji stopped accidentally getting in the way.

Everything That Could Have Been by QueenXIV

Thirteen years of nothing were a long time, but for Wei Wuxian it had been literally nothing. One day he was filled with resentful energy, completely under the influence of the Yin Tiger Seal, and the next one he was waking up in a stranger’s body, confused, weak and being asked for revenge. Wei Wuxian then finds himself back in Cloud Recesses after encountering Lan Xichen and ends up becoming a caregiver for Lan Wangji, who is paying the price of everything Wei Wuxian did in his past life.

梅花/plum blossoms by bunnxianluvsu (MooseFeels), MooseFeels

Lan Wangji has been chief cultivator for many years when he is given a gift.

Fentao-laoshi's Guide to Cut-Sleeve Pleasures by occultings (microcomets)

Lan Wangji says, “I am also looking to . . . gain practical experience. It seemed mutually advantageous.” “Mutually advantageous,” Wei Wuxian echoes. “Wait. Do you mean I’d get to . . . ?” Lan Wangji stares at him. “Practice — on you?” Wei Wuxian finishes, his eyes round with disbelief. — During a shared summer studying in the Cloud Recesses, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian diligently pursue an informed sexual education. What could possibly be the harm in some mutual learning?

In Imitation of Life by travelingneuritis

Lan Zhan stops in front of one of the bespoke duplicates— a male figure, small, creamy-skinned and lithe. The name on the plinth reads Mo Xuanyu. Lan Zhan tested it on his first pass through the room. The doll was empty. No signals bouncing around its artificial brain, no operating programs queued to autostart. Not even a blinking dormancy light. "Hey big guy," says Mo Xuanyu, chrome eyes sparkling with fun. "Who do I gotta fuck around here to get unplugged?" Wei Ying is a rogue AI come to life. Lan Zhan is… handling it.

The Blacksmith of Yiling by Aki_no_hikari

Wei Ying escapes his first winter in the streets by following the light and warmth of a forge. There he finds refuge, for himself, and others as well.

i’ll take a secondhand monster by Stratisphyre

“You must not stray to the lower levels, A-Yu,” Yao-ge told him with his scary, empty smile. “Or else I shall tell the beast down there to eat you.” There is a monster in Koi Tower.

The True Story of How Concubine Mo Seduced the Crown Prince by Enigmatree

(Spoiler: not a speck of seduction was involved. The Crown Prince to the Empire came fully seduced long before Concubine Mo was even called Mo Xuanyu, not that anybody else needs to know that.)

Give You What You Like by Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle)

Wen Chao's dungeons are warm and comfy. Especially when there's two of you. (Or: what if Wen Chao had been a slightly more competent - or perhaps slightly luckier - villain?)

Teach Me The Ways by likeafox

Rogue Cultivator Wei Wuxian is the stuff of local legends. Some of those legends are even true! The ones about his tremendous experience in bed, on the other hand, are not so true. Which becomes a problem when Lan Wangji, on the verge of an arranged marriage and worried he won’t know how to please his future spouse, enlists Wei Ying's help to teach him the art of love-making. Wei Ying's great at improvisation, though, and is pretty sure he's got this sex mentor thing under control. What could possibly go wrong?

Crossed Wires by stardust_and_sunlight

“My laptop is cursed,” Lan Wangji said, stepping forward to place his bag on the counter and pull his laptop out. “My brother said you deal with that.” “Wei Ying!” the man called. “A curse for you!” [Lan Wangji's laptop is cursed, and he meets Wei Wuxian, expert in cursed technology.]

River-to-the-Sea Sure by Deastar

Wen guards escort Lan Wangji to his quarters at the end of the day’s indoctrination; this evening, Wei Wuxian follows, branching off at the last moment from the path to the building in which the Jiang disciples are lodged. “We’re all prisoners here either way,” he argues to the guards, with a disarming smile. “What does it matter which building I’m imprisoned in, eh?” After the guards slam the doors in Wei Wuxian’s face, the two of them are alone. Wei Wuxian folds down to sit, pulling his knees up and wrapping his arms around them. “Lan Zhan,” he says lightly. “What do you think Wen Chao and his henchmen would do, if I went into heat here?”

[aquilamage]

💫💞💝💋💌

💫what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

First thought: any kind of comment lol I am such a slut for the few scraps of attention I do get on my writing.

Second thought: the ones that spark further conversation but especially the kinds where the other person just gets exactly where I'm coming from because that's also how they happen to approach the story/character(s)/whatever. because usually that leads to a lot of mutual excitement and more cool story ideas (has happened with a few people but biggest shout-out to unnecessarygayfeelings if you read this sorry I've just kind of dropped out of aa)

💞what's the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language

Characters! The biggest thing I find myself caring about and worrying over in my writing is about whether people in a fic are in-character/at least a believable take on them/interesting. Probably from a combination of that being one of the biggest things that matters to me in reading fics, and also like. characters are what make stories interesting for me in the first place, most of the time. Also for my writing a small offshoot of that concern is whether I'm writing characters internally consistent as in, do the ways they act and think and change make sense and flow consistently? (of course whether or not I succeed at any of this is another thing altogether)

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

probably the one motw aa fic where two or three separate people were like "is Sebastian secretly the monster" which I have no idea where they got that from but it was kinda funny

💋when you leave comments on a fic, do you want to hear back from the writer?

It's always nice to hear from them, particularly when it turns into longer/deeper discussions about the fic or the media the fic is based on, but I try not to go into writing a comment expecting a response esp not anything in particular (both to be fair to the author because they don't owe me a response and also so to avoid potential disappointment if I did create expectations)

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

so...being honest here, I've had very little motivation to or excitement over actually writing for this whole calendar year, overall. and even less actual writing. so while I do have some things that I abstractly want to work on, I can't accurately describe anything as "up-and-coming."

I mean...I want to finished my chaptered hk fic, both for its own sake and so I can finally have completed a thing with chapters. I sat down after writing the previous paragraph and reread what I have for my one moth family agenda fic and I like it, I just don't have much further I know where to go with it. And. I'm still enjoying tossing around the 'mothiva gets fired' stuff in my head (like. the idea that she's trying to dodge like three different things that could get her fired only to get hit by something else. and her completely fucking up with being horrible to zasp. and then just her being a bitch while living with team snakemouth. and wrestling with "ok but how would mothiva/jaune happen as a dynamic" because it's funny and I kinda want to stick it in there too)

uh. I don't know if that answers the actual question at all. but I am tempted to post some of the snippets I have from something now

[vitaliciouscreations]

At Your Mercy, Princess Justice

This could not be happening.

Expelled. The word rang in her head exactly as Mr. Damocles has said it. Expelled.

Her friends were all glaring at her. Mr. Damocles looked incensed. Behind him, Adrien stood by with a distressed look on his face. Her parents were embracing each other, not even looking at her.

And of course, Lila was right there, doing her absolute best to look like an innocent victim in all of this.

This was absurd. 

Just ten minutes ago Marinette had been sitting in class with everyone else, and now she was expelled? Just like that? Without anybody even bothering to listen to her side of the story? Without anybody checking to see if there was anything to verify Lila’s claims? Without proof?

She’d known for quite a while now that when it came to bullies, she was on her own. It was that way with Chloe, and it was that way with Lila. Nobody, not her parents, not her teachers, not her classmates, had ever stepped up to help her. She’d had to help herself. So why was it that when she was the one accused of bullying, Lila wasn’t also on her own?

It was so unfair. And Marinette knew this school wasn’t fair, had known it since the moment Chloe had first gotten out of punishment by threatening to call her father, but still she felt stunned at this level of blatant injustice.

She locked eyes with Lila, and the girl smirked at her before quickly taking on the innocent act once again. Nobody saw it.

This could not be happening.

“I demand you leave campus at once!” Mr. Damocles shouted, pointing an emphatic finger at the door. “You will not be allowed back on these school grounds!”

This was absurd.

Marinette stared at him for a moment, and then took a breath and walked to where his finger had pointed. The locker room door.

She was stunned. Her mind was reeling. There were so many emotions whirling through her head right now that she couldn’t even discern them all. What she knew for sure is that she was definitely upset.

She reached the locker room door and put a shaking hand on it to push it open. When she did, she really didn’t even have time to react. All she saw was a brief flash of purple, and then—

It was something she’d never experienced before, and that made sense as it was probably an experience unique to these specific circumstances. It was the experience of another mind making contact with hers. Not colliding, not melding, but making contact.

Like she said, it was a completely unique experience to her. Since akuma victims didn’t retain their memories, Marinette had no way of knowing what to expect. She had no idea what it felt like to be akumatized. Not until now. She hadn’t expected it to be like this.

Her mind made contact with another’s. Hawk Moth’s. The surface levels of their minds touched, and they shared. Hawk Moth felt anger. He felt loneliness. He felt desperation. He felt a desire to have enough power to change things.

And so did Marinette. She was furious at the fact that she was just wrongfully expelled. She felt abandoned by everyone she’d thought she could trust. She felt desperate for someone, anyone, to actually care about her and her side of things. She wanted to be able to fight back against this, but knew that nobody had been willing to listen to her before, and they wouldn’t listen to her now. Not unless she could make them.

Their emotions resonated with each other. Connecting with somebody on this level, experiencing a whole new level of empathy, immediately sparked a sense of camaraderie in Marinette. He understood her. He believed her. He empathized with her. He wanted to help her. And his emotions coincided with hers, so Marinette wanted to help him too.

She wanted to help Hawk Moth.

This mental connection shared his awareness with her and her awareness with him. She could tell he knew where she was and what had upset her, and the fact that he just knew, that she didn’t have to try to fumble through an explanation to him, was incredible. She also knew where he was; she could see it through his mind. It was a large, dark room, but for a single window that let sunlight shine in. She didn’t know what had upset him, and she couldn’t find out. There was no digging or pushing with this connection. The surfaces of their minds had made contact, and they shared awareness but not thoughts.

Princess Justice, she was aware of him saying. It seems the innocent aren't to be believed anymore. Deception and lies being spread is reason enough to be upset, but what’s more, nobody is interested in learning the truth. Everyone around you is content to condemn you to a wrongful punishment without a second thought. However, I can give you the power to enact true justice, and in doing so show them how unjust they really are. I only ask for one thing in return.

The desire intensified. The desire for justice to prevail. The desire to have the power to change things. He was right there with her. He believed her. He wanted to help her. He was on her side even though no one else was.

He wanted the power to change things. He wanted the Miraculouses. 

She wanted the power to change things. She wanted justice. Justice for her. Justice for him. Justice for everything.

“Justice will be served, Hawk Moth.”

Power surged through her. The mental connection, the contact of their minds, was vital as they cooperated with each other.

It was the work of both of them. Hawk Moth was the source of power. He directed it to her, and he directed her how to use it. She shaped that power around her in her desired image.

She wanted the power to enact justice. She got it.

She wanted a weapon to fight with. She got it. Her purse, the item the akuma had merged with, morphed into a long, silver sword.

She wanted armor to protect her. She got it. Shining silver armor formed around her body. A breastplate that was shaped to fit her perfectly, and curved around her sides and back to protect her torso entirely. A skirt made of plates of silver armor, with pink fabric connecting the plates to make it flexible enough to comfortably move in. Bright silver boots that came up to her knees and covered her kneecaps, and yet were somehow light enough for her to easily lift her feet. Gleaming silver gauntlets that came up to her mid-biceps, protecting her arms without prohibiting movement.

She wanted a helmet to protect her head and cover her ears. She got it. A shining silver helmet formed around her head, covering her hair and ears, but not her face. A mask joined it, silver and pink, and shaped a little like a butterfly.

He wanted her to no longer be Marinette. He got it. Princess Justice came into existence.

Wanted to write a perspective on being akumatized, because it’s always kind of vague in what Hawk Moth does and doesn’t know, and I came up with my own explanation for it even though I just know its because ML doesn’t care about continuity. To be clear, Marinette got upset over being wrongfully expelled and not anything to do with Ladybug, so Hawk Moth doesn’t know she’s Ladybug.

And while we’re being clear, Hawk Moth didn’t go Scarlet Moth for this like he did in canon, just sent an akuma to Marinette, and it flew through the door as soon as she opened it, so she didn’t get any chance to fight it off like that. As for internally fighting it off like Ms. Bustier or Chloe, well, sorry I didn’t go for that.

(Also to be clear, Marinette’s internal monologue said she’s always had to stand up for herself against bullies, but there’s technically one exception to that and that’s Alya.)

[black-eilla]

Meaningless vent.

Read at your own risk. This is very long. If you don't want, just skip it.

People are sensitive in fandoms, and I mean that. My close friend got ridiculed by two sensitive adults during the past few days just because she shared some opinion via reblogging in the wrong place. She writes in paragraphs, but it doesn't mean that they are always trying to shove some opinion or something. Not all people write only in sentences. After all, they were like a maximum of three-five normal-sized paragraphs. But, it is nothing when compared to my friend encountering a long-ass essay reblogged from her old post of hers (from a different fandom) and having to spend an entire night debunking it. Yet, she got over it soon and moved on instead of sobbing over it for a longer time. She was all perfect and good the next day.

It's utterly disappointing that they were adults in their 20s and 30s. They act as if we committed some sort of a crime. We both are teenage girls who just came out of the dungeons of academic confusion the last year, and it has not been even two years since she joined the Tumblr fandom (and not even a year for me).

There was a fault from my friend's side to haven't commented like that in an RP blog, but she doesn't know much about such types of blogs. But, it isn't some taboo or a sin. She apologized for it and said that she wasn't trying to be mean or condescending. Yet, they don't accept it or pretend like they know about my friend wayyyy better than she knows about herself. People are taking terms like harassing loosely or simply exaggerating or wank situations like this.

If I were in their place, either I would have responded back with an opinion of mine, or best, I would have politely told them to not reply anymore as it isn't a discussion thread, so kindly stop it. What is the need to sob over such a silly thing or get angry with a burning passion? This isn't some funeral or failing a final year examination. There is no need to cry over this.

The OP's friend was being mean. What if the OP's post wasn't tagged or not? It's still there in Tumblr, and anybody can encounter that via search bars. My friend was simply looking out for content for her ship like that and got to encounter the post.

My friend was JUST telling how she writes or views her own couple. She NEVER said one bad thing about the OP's ship or the OP shipping something else, yet her friend was heavily deluded and mistook everything. Just because she likes A with B, it doesn't mean she was telling the OP to NOT ship B with C, X, Y, or Z, or whoever with. What weird standard is this? How is this even called harassing when it was not even a ship bashing?

My friend shipped two people having interactions in canon and writes them canonically in fics (not becoming CANON for Pete's sake cuz the OP's friend mistook it as the couple becoming canon LMFAO), and the OP shipped one of them with a guy who hasn't interacted a bit. She also said maybe her stuff is OOC because of B having a dented relationship with A in the OP's theories (when in canon B has always admired A and it's obvious if people look at the canonical incidents carefully), but how is that condescending? In what way was it is condescending? My friend simply got a bit defensive of her ship and thought the OP misunderstood it, but how does it put the other ship down? Like, how??

AND WHAT IS THE NEED TO CRY FOR SUCH A SILLY THING?

It would've been understandable if it was a fanfiction or a fanart post. But it didn't sound like that.

My friend was just telling how she writes her ship in canon because she felt like disagreeing with the OP on how she portrays them (JUST disagree, not asking to not portray them like that) yet people are misinterpreting and have delusional assumptions. Wow.

My friend never used any hard slurs or bad language OR was NEVER MEAN WITH HER. It was conveyed in a very simple language, so HOW IS THAT HARASSMENT?!

According to their so-called logik, "Ah I ship A with B" which means "NO YOU ARE CONDESCENDING AND MEAN YOU HATE AND DISRESPECT MY CRACK-SHIP." Like, seriously?

As if they never made mistakes like this in their life which would've hurt someone, or pretend like they are always pure-perfect Queens/Kings. If they want a space filled with Mary Sues or Gary Sues, sorry I can't be like them. I make mistakes, and realize them from time to time and I know what I should do and what not to do. But, I am not a perfect Queen.

Sorry for the vent, but I can't help it. We approached the OP's friend in the softest manner possible even after being called some shitheads or weirdos for no fucking reason (and not getting apologized for that either), yet if she is still angry with us then I don't care.

If by chance they see this post, they can simply block me if they want. I don't care how you all react to this when you guys are judging our entire character with one simple misconception. Cry? Sob? Get angry? It's up to you to take this however you want. But I am not responsible for how you take things, because I am not your mother, so I don't give a fuck.

I can be mean, bitchy, and toxic when unfair things happen to my friend or when someone spreads dumbass lies about her. So, if you don't want to see me like that, never try making me a Yandere again.

[rintasuna]

ok this is honestly just a snippet of a full length fic i’ve been TRYING to write for the past half year. this is probably the angsty-est thing i’ve ever written in my life, and it’s not even that bad compared to the stuff i’ve read here and on ao3. but i really just wanted to share it and HOPE i get some feedback on my writing. please keep in mind that this was kind of rushed because i am a bit busy at the moment. i am a beginner writer who has almost no idea how to structure paragraphs, so any feedback and criticism is highly appreciated!

to be honest, i had no clue where this was going. this would be a chapter part of a bigger story, but i am fairly certain this would somehow end up in the final draft.

note: sora is my haikyuu oc that i’ll be using in this fic, i like reader inserts for one shots and drabbles, but full length reader inserts kinda of bother me for a reason i shall keep to myself. ALSO (i almost forgot to mention) this is when the current third years have graduated, and the second years have now become third years. this is why atsumu is the captain in this.

"get out." everyone was shocked by the tone of suna's voice. his usual deadpan and tired tone turned hard and cold when he spoke to sora. 

"h-huh?" her voice quivered, surprised by how he spoke.

he narrowed his eyes even more. "get. out."

sora's eyes trailed down to what he was holding. she saw a glint of metal, and her eyes widened, knowing he found her razor. the people in the gym stayed silent as sora and suna walked to the doors of the gym, atsumu telling them to continue practice before following the two with his twin.

sora sat slumped against the wall, hugging her knees and resting her chin on them. osamu and atsumu leaned against the wall with their arms crossed, hidden from the pair. the middle blocker stood in front of her, glaring as he fiddled with the razor. 

"why do you still have this?" 

he got no answer. 

"were you planning to hurt yourself?" 

silence. 

"answer me, damn it!" 

sora and the twins flinched; the three of them have never heard him yell. her quiet voice rang softly. "y-yes..." 

the boys felt their hearts clench at the word. osamu dragged a hand down his face, atsumu gripped his arms a bit tighter, and suna only squeezed his eyes shut. sora felt the tears well up from behind her eyelids at his reaction, disappointed in herself. 

"oi." sora looked up at suna. 

he brought the razor to his wrist and slid it sideways, creating a cut. it wasn't deep for it to be serious, but the blood coming from it and suna's sharp inhale worried her enough. she stood up quickly and grabbed his hand. 

passing the twins, both of them say the crimson liquid trail down suna's skin and drip onto the wooden floor, their eyes widening.

 'they're both idiots.' osamu thought. 

she pushed him into the locker room and grabbed an unused towel and the first-aid kit from the bench, following him in. they sat down on the bench, sora carefully treating the cut as suna watched her fingers move. when she finished, she closed the kit and threw the bloodied towel in the hamper in the corner of the locker room. the girl walked back to the bench where suna was and sat in front of him. the whole time, silent tears fell slowly down sora's face. 

they stared at each other for several silent moments, as if studying the other person. atsumu had gone back to practice, yet osamu continued to listen from the other side of the lockers. 

after several minutes, suna spoke first. "why did you keep it?" 

sora stayed silent for a bit before answering back. "y'know... if i hadn't bumped into you and the twins these past days, i think i would've ended up bleeding out in a cheap hotel bathtub." she looked into his golden eyes, her tears blurring her vision. "thank you for saving me." 

they fell, and suna brought his hands up to her face, brushing the tears off her cheeks. sora leaned into his touch, wanting to feel the warmth of someone, anyone. soft sobs echoed around the room.

 "promise me something." he spoke softly. sora nodded in his hands. "please..." he whispered. "don't hurt yourself intentionally. it's not good for you, and it only hurts the ones who care about you." he pulled the razor from his jacket pocket. "i swear, every time you even think of hurting yourself, you're already hurting someone else who loves you." the two examined it for a moment longer before it disappeared back into suna's pocket. 

he placed his hands back on her face, only now just taking in her vulnerable looks. almost a year had passed since they found each other through a wrong number. almost a year had passed since the boy had fallen in love. 

he didn't notice how he slowly pulled her in, her warm breath hitting his lips. "rin..." when their lips met, she didn't pull away. but she didn't kiss back either. 

suna was the one who backed away to study her reaction. he noticed that there were more tears falling down her face and that her bottom lip was tucked in to hold in her sob. "i know i'm not the one you love." he sadly spoke. sora shook under his gentle touch. "it's okay. just," he inhaled slowly, trying to hold back his own tears. "let me be selfish. just this once." 

a single yet slow nod came from sora, and suna hungrily kissed her. this time sora kissed back, her shaky hands finding their way to pull him closer. 

osamu had decided he heard enough and went back to the court, silently exiting the locker room.

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

For that ask meme (If you don't want to answer them all feel free to pick and choose): 3, 6, 7, 8, 12, 14, 21, 22, 24, 26, 30, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 42, 43, 45, 47, 50, 51, 54.

3. Favourite thing to write? Well, I’m not sure. Mostly I just like found family type stories, or elaborate nonsense. (As you may have noticed, all my stories are nonsensical bs lmaooo).

6. Where do you usually find inspiration? My bed, or the shower, inconvenient times. Sometimes it will be music, or a weird what-if. But you can blame the lovely @grezzirossi for a lot of my fics, as they tend to come out of weird conversations and headcanon building we do in chat. 7.  Do you listen to music to help you write? Sometimes. I mean, sometimes you need a certain kind of music to help you think. Sometimes you need the background noise of youtube etc.

8.  What’s the biggest “challenge” for you as a writer? ...writing.

12.  What’s your favorite thing that you ever wrote? I’m not sure, I really like a few of mine. Mostly because there was one killer pun or joke in there the whole fic was based around. Maybe ‘Spy Is My...’ it’s not even good, but I remember how i felt when the headcanon came to life. 

14.  What’s your favorite character/person to write for? I love Scout from Team Fortress 2, but all the mercs really. They’re all unique and ridiculous and an excellent mass murdering found family.

Lot of others tho. I have a few half-written fics i will one day finish, and your minds... they will be, disappointed. 

Would like to do some Witcher or Overwatch fics eventually. Getting to it, promise.

21.  What’s your favorite AU trope?

+Nobody Died/Everybody Lived +Superpowers +Some sort of soulmate au? Or even Hanahaki? +Found Family/Fight to Protect FAmilies +When someone assumes no one is coming... and then everyone comes to save them. 10/10 yes. Thanks. Probably others, can’t recall anything else off the top of my head...?

22.  A fanfiction cliché you can’t help but love? Oh no... I cannot love them both! Surprise motherfucker! You can!

24.  Have you ever had an idea for story and forgot about it? ...yes. The ghosts of half-recalled fanfics past haunt me in the eerie hours of dawn...

26.  How did you find out you like to write?

Not sure if it counts but like, in grade 2 I wrote a harry potter fanfic with no idea of what fanfic was. Just a creative writing/short story thing, which apparently meant ‘me and best friend at time meet harry potter and fight vampires, and save people from vampires then go to hogwarts’.  Also wrote a version of ‘the chicken who made bread’ that was like, ‘the pale blue unicorn made barley sugars’ in the same grade.

But proper fanfic? I can’t recall the exact moment... but it also involved harry potter and fanfiction.net. And I would rather die than relieve that terrible mess. Gods I thought I was SO GOOD and now it’s so YIKES. Lmao.

30.  What would you say it’s the most “famous” fic you’ve ever written? Not sure... I don’t think any are really that well known?

34.  What’s your favorite font to use when writing? The default. It legit never occurred to me to change it.

35.  Which do you prefer to write: longer or shorter fics? I tend to aim for shorter and always get longer. I aim for longer, and never finish them because I am a disaster of a human being.

36.  How do you keep yourself inspired?

a) write it in one sitting; b) re-read it a million times and occasionally type an extra word; c) have a lovely friend telling you that You Can Do It! or d) despair at being a lazy bitch with no time... ugh

37.  Have you ever written something you didn’t like but posted anyways? Yeah, most of it lmaoooo. I never feel its good enough to post?  It’s silly, but like, that’s the Mood I have.

38.  What is your “strong suit” as a writer? Being able to just like, bullshit my way through anything I guess.

39.  What’s your favorite trope? Found family / Supernatural as Normal Everyday Shit (Like oh god dammnit i phased into the 6th dimension again and i’m gonna be late for work’) / HORROR

42. What is your weakness as a writer?

Not good at describing certain things, like kissing or postures or whatever. Feels like I’m often repetitive. I dunno, it just feels repetitive, I guess? Often., even.  Also lack of time and motivation to write, after work, where constant typing is a Thing.

43.  Have you ever cried or felt any emotion while reading something you wrote? Yes. Also occasionally blindside myself with dumb jokes i’ve hidden in the fics. AS if my brain erased their existence after I typed them out, so it’s Always Fucking Funny when I read them.

45.  One thing you love about fanfiction.

That it can hold shitty canon at knifepoint and demand a better ending. That there is no real limit to the whole thing... you want to rewrite Lord of hte Rings in space? Fucking GO FOR IT. 

47.  What’s your favorite thing about writing? It feels like painting with words? Just getting lost in the story in your head, realising character A was holding a sandwich three paragraphs ago and now its a gun so you have to swear and find a part to slide in where they switched it, etc. lmao.

50.  One thing you don’t like about fanfiction.

People who are like Super Into inc*st, p*doph*lia and r*pe fics, but get defensive when people are like The fUck? Or people who ship REal Life Actual People, and get weird, or even frightening about the whole “Well these two actual human beings MUST be together so I will send death threats to their real life partners” thing. 

Also what the FUCK was with the wattpad fic phase where everyone’s mothers were selling them to 1Direction. Lmaoooo.

51.  Least favorite trope? Violently out of character fics. Where it’s straight up, ‘author has removed their personalities and added in generic uke/seme personalities from like 2009 or some shit’. And everyone’s acting super weird. (M/m and f/f/ and m/f fics alike). 

Very frustrating. Just... learn about the character, use it, it makes things way more fun to write and read. 

Also A/B/O. It’s weird, lads. I love Teen Wolf but some of you got WEIRD Weird. 

54.  Do you usually like what you write?

I get stressed that it’s never good enough. Sometimes, yeah; mostly nah.

[momocicerone]

;

I haven’t written anything in like half a year, and the more I try to, the more I realize I’ve forgotten how to write. I guess the problem with me is that I like to jump into fandoms and unleash every ounce of creativity in me until I’m dry. I hold myself to a made-up standard that has nothing to do with quality, but more with heart, and every time I think I’ve had my fair share of self-inserted angst shamelessly plastered in my fics, I feel like it’s time to move on. I silence myself in a way because I don't’ wanna be that writer who relies on cheap angst to keep an audience. This is the part where I bail on a fandom and the reason why I like using new pseuds. I don’t want to be judged on previous works because I loathe my previous works (except like one or two pieces, meh), but every time I start something I find myself thinking no, no, no... either I’ve already done this before, or it’s absolutely off my comfort zone. I have no problem with writing something in a completely different style and I definitely SHOULD try new stuff, but I can’t help that feeling that by doing so I’d be disappointing people because goddammit momo, this is not what I want to read from you! I suppose I’m being delusional that there’s an actual audience with actual expectations, but you know, can’t shake that feeling.... just can’t shake that feeling that there might be. So every time I stray a bit too far from the usual, I’m like... no, but this isn’t a momo fic? And , by God,  WHO CARES besides me? I’m just getting worked up over nothing and scratching off paragraphs under the assumption that people won't’ like this, people would be weirded out about this when in reality people is just me and the little box I built around my self with all the patterns and blueprints of how fanfiction should be written. Do I write for myself? Do I write for an audience? I really don’t know. “Write whatever you want, write for yourself” sounds good on paper but when you find yourself staring three hours straight at a blank word doc with a semi-clear concept looking for ways and ways to paraphrase the first sentence to a story, you realize that sometimes maybe you don’t know what you want. And sometimes is easier to write stuff you know people want. I’m now in a place when I don’t know either.

I guess this is why people recur to deletism. Starting over with a new identity so people can’t compare you with your past self. Because, alas, I’m self-aware enough to see that my work is below mediocre compared to some writers, but comparing myself with past works and finding myself stuck, or worse, going backwards... it’s a dreadful feeling. I believe that writing is the only hobby that doesn’t get better with practice. You could write a 500k fanfic and it could be an unironic version of my immortal. Quantity certainly does not equal quality in this case. Reading (good quality stuff), I think, is the only way to improve writing. Where was I going with this ...? Ah, yes. I hate my writing, I really do. Time has taught me a thing or two about grammar, I guess, but I still lack the basic skills to tell a story. It’s depressing. As for now, I really think I’ve forgotten how to write. 

Lol, look at the lenght of this. I should probably get a dreamwidth. 

[snowdropsandtigers]

I'd love to see you talk about the Black Magician Trilogy! I don't have a specific date in mind, so feel free to slot it in wherever, but it's always exciting to find other fans!

I am so sorry thisis late. I planned for it to be up at the end of January and then gotbusy, and it had been so long since I’ve talked to another fan Ineeded to figure out where to start.  I knew it would be a longpost—I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to make it long out offeeling rusty, but I knew it would be if I really got into it. Sohere it is at last.

Before I get intothe books themselves, I want to spend two paragraphs on somethingthat defined my experience with the series: the Black Magiciantrilogy forums I joined as “LittleRaven” during the mid2000s. Idedicate this post to its members. Wherever you are now, I love you.

I love the BlackMagician trilogy* the way I love Harry Potter. The books still feellike home to me. Part of the reason is the fandom: while Harry Potterfandom does have that sense of familiarity and coziness as I rememberdays past, it was in the Black Magician trilogy fandom that I found acommunity. Specifically, in the Black Magician trilogy forums (June2006-October/November 2012) hosted on then-platform Forumer (Ithink.) This was the first time I was ever an active part of fandom.I’d left reviews on fics, sure. I’d joined Yahoo Groups andoccasionally commented. I’d even written/plotted one or two ficsfor my earliest fandoms, Pokemon and Sailor Moon, though I neverposted them. But in the forums, I meta’d. I squeed. I posted mypoetry. I shared and even modded one of the subforums for a fewyears. (I was The Librarian of the fanfic/original fiction section.) We even talked about social issues with the books and the fandomresponse, without it ever becoming a war. It was one of thefriendliest fandoms I’d ever known, and small, so everyone kneweach other. I joined the first summer—probably the first monthtoo—after nearly two years of barely finding any fanworks for oneof my favorite series in the world, and I was not disappointed. Therewere years I didn’t show up a lot, but I always came back. ThenForumer sold its forums to Yuku and Yuku closed it down. It said thatmembers had been sent an invitation, and that it would reopen theforums as soon as one of the administrators made contact. I don’tknow why—to save space? In that case, the forums must have beenwiped from the Internet years ago because both our administratorswere long gone. One of the moderators, another member who, like me,had been there since the beginning, tried to contact the admin who’dstuck around longest and had no luck. I only knew this because Iremembered a member’s FF.Net alias and made a desperate attempt tofind out what was going on. I still miss it. The place had sloweddown a lot, but was still active everyday, and occasionally an oldermember would peek back in. Even when it seemed like we had saideverything we could about the books, we could still chat about otherfiction and even a little about our lives. The series would cycleback into discussion regardless, especially when the prequel and thesequels began coming out. (I really regret that it happened before Icould finish the last book and talk about it.) I’ve never been socomfortable in a fandom before and I haven’t been since.

Traces remain, atleast. We had a website with fanart; Trudi Canavan even commented inthe guestbook once. It was up the lasttime I checked, though my bookmarks were lost in a crash and I’veforgotten the link’s URL. (I searched before posting and it’s frozen. :C ) I remember Sheepy-Pie creating character plushies and thatshe gave some to Canavan at an event. They were so adorable! Iremember Lady Laura and Kasloumor and j-mercuryuk, Ronan, Akkarin,Lorlyn, ShadowEmpress, Lady Vinara, andso many others; I’ve only mentioned the people who stick out forhaving been there the longest or in the periods I was most active.

Now, the seriesitself. At fourteen, I was hooked by the heroine and the classpolitics; I don’t think much of the fantasy I’d read before thendealt with the latter, and while a marginalized protagonist wasnothing strange, Sonea’s reserved personality for most of the booksand her alienation worked on a different level for me**. She was aworking class girl on the edge of poverty being displaced into theslums. The tension of the two different lives she was pulled tobefore she became a magician got me and really grounded hercharacter. Grounded is the right word, really. She had old friends inthe slums she still loved but was distant from, and it made sensewith her background and the world-building. She remains distrustfulof the magicians and the higher-class world they’re connected tothroughout the entire series. She’s never popular, though sometimesrespected. She was hated and harassed, and often isolated to apainful degree, but she had people who cared. This sounds a bitvague; let’s say the second book—The Novice, for anyreaders unfamiliar—is a bit like the fifth book of Harry Potter, ifHarry was more isolated from his loved ones and more conscious of whyhis environment is working the way it is.  If instead of having afriend group where it’s “us against the world” adventures, he’dhad friends in different places—literally or figuratively—whohelp when they can, complicated by the difficulties of plot andsetting and life choices. I love Sonea’s reactions throughout:practical, carefully responsive to genuine attempts to reach out,perceptive, intense empathetic, blunt, impulsive, and very strictabout her personal code of ethics. Also, she liked poetry and thenarrative didn’t use that to create a hazy image of her as wispyand romantic. I liked that detail!

And she could besoft without being soft—she would help someone, she would treatpeople with respect for their humanity, but it didn’t mean she hadto be forgiving and throw herself into them. Or that she had toforget. If she didn’t fight someone, or didn’t fight the wayothers might expect, it was well-grounded in her personality, and  nomatter what she always resisted in whatever way she could, regardlessof it being glamorous in even the fictional kind of way. She hadtenacity. Sonea is a prime example of Goodis Not Soft. She was sensible, tough, and kind. As I said,empathetic. The way the first two books moved the plot while buildingher character made the third book work very well for me as payoff. Itwas always my favorite: the nature of the plot twist and Sonea’sresponse to it made perfect sense for who she’d been until now, andthe love story is one of my favorite executions of my favorite kindof ship, the heroine/antagonist. In large part because this was herstory. It wasn’t his story, or their story as a couple—althoughhis characterization, and that of everyone else, was well-served andcared about—but hers.  The books cared so much about Sonea’sinteriority and never subordinated her to the needs of plot, theme,or another character. I could believe why she loved and respected him(again, for the unfamiliar reader: the romance is not at theforefront of the story at any point.) I could believe why she wouldmake the decisions she made, in and out of romance, based on what shethought of the world and what she thought of herself. She’s soinformed by everything that came before, so solid. And I love thatshe made them; Sonea drives so much of her own story, especially inthe first and third books. She’s so active in the last one! Evenwhen she’s not as in charge of her life, I love how the books, assaid above, care very much about exploring her point of view in everysituation. Having limited choices, limited agency, doesn’t everreduce her to a prop: she remains three-dimensional, our clearprotagonist.  Sonea is well-rooted in her background, in the plot,and in the class politics story the narrative is interested intelling.    

The sequels aren’tas much about her, but they do present a believable trajectory forher character. Sonea is older, still fighting the world around herbecause she must, and because she cares, and taking support where shecan as soon as she recognizes it. The way she handles her son isperfect. And while I don’t have a rosy opinion of her new loveinterest, I love that the romance didn’t come with a capital R!It’s just someone she grows to trust and care for and wants to havesex with. I came away with the distinct impression that he loved herand she just liked him all right, and that that was just fine by thenarrative. Positive even, a good ending that left her story in aplace of renewal and refreshment. The sequel trilogy does well byher.

Another thing ofnote: I hadn’t realized it on the first read-through, but betweensome cultural details, the physical descriptions of Sonea and otherKyralians, and the author saying on her website (in a FAQ or a blogpost) that she was influenced by anime and Japan for Kyralia, Soneais the first POC and WOC protagonist I ever encountered in fantasyfiction, outside of anime/manga and Disney Princesses. I’m glad shewas done so well. I won’t say I’m without reservations on raceand this series, though; but I’ve never felt qualified to talkabout it. I am a brown woman, but I’m unsure of exactly whatcontext to place the series in, so I don’t know how to talk aboutthe ways it interacts with that context. I’ll just say that beforethe sequel trilogy, it bothered me that the darker-skinned Sachakanswere associated with slavery and decadence. I did think the sequeland prequel improved on this very much.

Something else thesequels did better with was the queer stuff. I liked Dannyl andTayend in the first trilogy, but they get a whole lot moreexploration in the second. And Lilia is one of the few lesbianprotagonists I’ve found in fantasy fiction. I did have issues withthe twist in the Naki plotline, but I’m glad she got a goodgirlfriend in the end. And a mentor in Sonea! If I remember it right;I don’t think I’ve reread the books since The Traitor Queencame out, and I’m not sure I reread that one. I think I was toobummed by losing the forums at the same time, and not having a placeto immerse myself in anymore.  So I don’t know how much I can sayabout the execution. But I did think Canavan did a fine job with hercharacterization, and I’m glad she went for more representation,more queer characters and more queer relationships that get narrativeattention and depth.  

I’ve gone on solong and I didn’t even talk about the prequel! I focused the poston Sonea and the prequel is set centuries before her time.  Iremember thinking it was a very effective setup for the futureconflicts Canavan had developed and would continue to develop in thesequel trilogy; I love that she’s so committed to the ramificationsof her political world-building on the characters and the plot. Itfelt, as her other works have done, bittersweet and real.

 Overall, I thinkTrudi Canavan does an excellent job of following fantasy tropes tocreate something that sets itself apart from the rest. Her scope isepic and personal, grounded in the characters, who are grounded inthe world-building. Everything is so well-integrated, feels socohesive. This is one of the most, if not the most, loving and richexecutions of the “poor orphan child with mysteriously powerfulmagic” stories I have ever encountered.***

It’s been a longtime since my last reread—probably since 2012, when the last bookcame out. I feel the urge to go back. Thank you so much for this ask!I hadn’t talked about these books in literally years; I was myability to do that had gone stale, and here I am, being so happy totalk about why I loved them. This has been a wonderful time to write.I’m only sorry it took so long to get out!

*It’s been aseries for years now, but I keep defaulting to “trilogy” when Ithink about it. I’ve been a fan for a long time. I greatly enjoyedthe rest of the books, but the original trilogy does occupy a spaceas as the trilogy for more than half the time I spent infandom, if memory serves. (And now I’ve checked, I remember thatthe sequels are called The Traitor Spy trilogy. So there’s thattoo!)

**Now I realizeshe’s a precursor to Emma Swan. I love finding connections betweencharacters I love. Although every time I connect someone to Emma SwanI always add “if Once Upon a Time’s narrative cared about herlike these other narratives do with their heroines!” Every time.

***I also lovedAlison Croggon’s books (The Naming and sequels—I thinkit’s the Pellinor series) for this, and talked about it on the BMTforums. I wasn’t the only one who loved them! They do have a moremythic, Tolkien-like tone and story than the Black Magician books,which are more overtly human-scaled. I compare them because they’reboth careful and detailed about their stories, and their narrativesshow love for the heroines by exploring their interiority, from painto joy, with dedication and respect.