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blarfkey · 4 years

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Tips on Beta-ing Fic in Fandom

Hello! So I’ve noticed from some of my experiences and the experiences of others that not everyone fully understands how to beta a fic or how to ask for a beta reader.

And I get it. Editing is a delicate process, it's terrifying to ask someone to look at your work, and it's equally terrifying to feel responsible for the quality of someone else’s writing.

So I decided to write up a little guide. I enjoy being a beta reader and learned how to while I got my minor in creative writing and through participation in many writer workshops but being a good beta doesn’t require an education like that. A lot of bad experiences I’ve seen or heard about could be avoided with communication and basic courtesy.

More under the cut:

First of all, there are different levels of editing that require different levels of depth and commitment. A lot of issues crop up when two people have a different idea of what’s expected. So here is a way of looking at the different levels.

1. SPAG (SPelling And Grammar): This is the most basic level and has the least amount of time commitment. The beta looks for issues in grammar and spelling such as: comma rules, homophones, run on sentences, anything that obscures meaning, ect. This is the easiest level to ask for since it requires a basic read through and no knowledge of canon or characters or the fandom at all. If you are with a new beta whom you don’t know well, I would start with just this level.

2. Flow and Efficiency: this gets a little deeper into SPAG. A beta on this level would flag passages that slow down the pace of the story, words that are repeated too often, dialogue that doesn’t make sense or sounds awkward, pronoun confusion, sentence/paragraph order, ect. This requires more time and re-reading the fic more than once to do a thorough job.

3. Characterization: This deals with how in character your dialogue and actions feel in your story. If you’re writing a character for the first time or you don’t have a full understanding of them in canon, it can be helpful to ask a writer well versed in writing that character to take a look at your characterization. This does require more of a commitment than the others and you need to communicate with each other to discuss what seemed out of character and why and what alternatives could be taken instead.

4. Plot and Story: This is the biggest commitment for a beta and not something you ask a person to do real quick or even ask a person to do if you don’t know them very well. This type of editing asks someone to look at the story overall and see what is working and what is not working as far as plot goes.

Did the writer develop the story in a way that makes sense, did they lay down the seeds of the development throughout the fic, are they sticking to a theme, are they contradicting themselves throughout the fic, did they repeat a scene, ect? For multi-chapter fics, this requires a long term beta/writer relationship over the course of each chapter update.

You should not ask someone brand new to beta at this level for an update chapter, especially if they haven’t read your other chapters first or aren’t familiar with your writing. This level requires an immense amount of trust between beta and author and a huge time commitment for a beta.

~~~

Now that we understand the different levels of editing, here are some common courtesy guidelines for both authors and betas:

Author:

1. Decide beforehand what level you want your fic to be beta’d for. Communicate clearly exactly what you want your beta to look for and at what level you would like them to edit. You don’t have to use my guideline above exactly, but be clear if you want deeper edits than SPAG, for example. And understand that deeper edits, such as on structure and plot and characterization, require a lot of commitment on behalf of the beta reader. It’s understandable if they do not or are unable to give you that level of commitment so be clear about it upfront.

2. Be clear on your deadline of when you want this done.

3. Be clear on the length, pairing/characters involved, rating, and major content warnings when asking for a beta.

4. If you share a google doc, do not let any beta have full editing privileges. Even if you trust them, you won’t be able to see all the changes they make so you can learn from your mistakes. Keep the restrictions to commenter only.

5. Be upfront and honest about how sensitive you are to different kinds of feedback. Especially if you’ve been hurt in the past, be honest about what feedback you do not want.

6. Remember, you do not have to change everything a beta suggests. This is your story and even though they’ve done you a favor, it's ultimately your decision and judgement on your own fic.

That being said, you don’t need to argue with a beta about their suggestions. If you don’t agree with most or all of their ideas, they are not the beta for you. Thank them for their time and then follow through with your own suggestions or find a different beta.

Beta/Editor: Here are some basic courtesy rules you should follow when you are beta-ing.

1. Do not engage with fic that makes you uncomfortable, even if you want to be kind to a friend. Your reluctance shines through in your efforts and it does not end well for anyone. If you start a fic and then find you are uncomfortable with it, politely tell your author that you cannot continue. Do not do so in a way that shames their fic. You do not have to go into personal reasons why you cannot finish the fic, just tell them you are unable to do so.

2. Stick to the deadline you agreed to. If something comes up, let the author know as soon as possible so they can find someone else, especially if they are on a publishing schedule or have an exchange deadline.

3. Word all your non-spelling edits as suggestions, not commands. Ultimately any changes are the author’s decision and up to their discretion so it comes off as very rude and controlling when you use commands, as if you naturally know better than the author does at telling their own story. This also means that you should not change anything in the document without telling the author if they have given you full edit access on a google doc or word doc, ect.

Some ways of phrasing you can use to make suggestions:

A. “Could” and “can” instead of “should” and “need”.

For example: For example, Maybe you could move this paragraph to the beginning because of ____ reason instead of You need to move this paragraph to the beginning.

B. “I think” at the beginning of a suggestion, so it's clear it's your opinion and nothing else.

I think this paragraph works better at the front of the chapter rather than the end.

C. “Maybe” with a question mark.

This is one of my favorites. Think of it like brainstorming with someone. Maybe you could move this paragraph to the front of the chapter? Maybe X Character could do Y instead?

4. Always explain why you would make a change to story, flow, or characterization so the author understands your intent and reasoning.

5. Do not judge someone’s writing. This is their story and their ideas. Do not try to steer the plot in the direction you would want to take it, do not kinkshame any of their smut, do not criticize their story/pairing choices because they aren’t to your tastes. The goal is to improve what they already have, not change it to match what you personally like.

6. Do not offer only critical feedback without something positive. This is very important. Even if you are just at level one SPAG, leave a comment or highlight a passage, turn of phrase, line of dialogue that you enjoyed or leave a note at the bottom of something you think they did well.

Asking for critical feedback is terrifying, and if there is not a balance of positive and constructive feedback, authors can be discouraged from writing further if they think all they write is bad or needs work.

The way I did it in writing workshops is that I put every negative comment in between two positive comments. This might be unrealistic for beta, but you cannot beta a fic without leaving any positive feedback at all.

~~~

Communication and clear expectations go a long way in a good author/beta relationship. It helps to find someone whose fic they have written or bookmarked align with your own tastes if you want deeper edits. Make sure you have similar ideas on characterization, head-canons, interpretations of canon lore.

At the end of the day, however, it’s fanfiction. It is written for free and for fun. Little things that would not cut it in professional publication can slide in an fanfic and there should not be pressure to make a fic as perfect as a professional, published piece unless the author gives you that explicit expectation.

Please comment or send an ask/message if you have any questions about beta-ing!

#fandom #beta #beta readers #editing #fic editing #fanfiction #fic

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ficsforeren · 2 years

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What’s your advice for new writers?

What’s the hashtags that you noticed worked for you?

Was it easier to write in first person or third?

What was the most challenging thing to you as a fanfic writer? And how did you over come it?

Anything you liked writing?

Thanks for your time and I hope you have a good night!

I am quite literally the worst person out there to ask for any writing advice cause I don't know what the hell I'm doing 99% of the time LMAO

"advice for new writers?" uuh... just don't ever stop writing, i guess? no, i mean it. try and write your thoughts down every single day, even if it's not in order, even if you can only write a paragraph or a scene--or even a line or two, that's okay! just don't stop writing, that's the only way you can improve. oh and daydream a lot! create scenarios in your head, listen to some songs from a band you've never heard about and watch movies you don't usually see to keep you inspired.

"What’s the hashtags that you noticed worked for you?" hmm... only the basic ones i guess? like eren smut or eren fluff or eren x reader

"Was it easier to write in first person or third?" I'm comfortable with both, but I like to write in third person point of view better

"What was the most challenging thing to you as a fanfic writer?" conveying my characters' emotions properly, especially when they're dealing with traumatic past or mixed emotions. like when they're feeling sad but they're also happy, when they're scared but also excited. that's hard. also the thing that i really have troubles with rn is when someone in my fic (like yuuta in Ice & Fire) is trying to do something terrible that would entirely change his character, it's super hard to make it believable. cause imagine you're a really good person but you're forced to do something so terrible in order to protect what's left of your family. it's stressing me out LMAO but it's also fun because the harder it is, the more I feel like I can improve my writing by the time i'm finished with it. or trying to describe people's emotions at once, that's hard too, like when character A is in love with character B but A knows B is in love with C but B also sleeps with A cause B wants to forget about C and B apologizes to A but A already falls for B and now B regrets the whole thing but A tries to make it seem like B never hurt A when A is actually suffering but A wants B to be happy with C and-- yeah you get the point

"And how did you over come it?" cry, open the document, stare at a blank page, cry some more, try to write a line or two, cry about it again, close the document and repeat the process. no seriously, you just have to suck it up and write it down. discuss it with your bestie will definitely help though! i do that a lot with sandra hehe

"Anything you liked writing?" i love EVERYTHING about writing! it's something that I enjoy the most. just sitting down, spending hours on your computer, sipping coffee and crying about the evil things you're planning to do to your comfort characters. i love that. but what i love the most is to have my works read by someone ofc! ever since i got feedbacks from my readers here, i keep writing more and more. it's so exciting to have people waiting for your stories to come out. nothing beats the feeling.

thanks for the ask, baby! i'm sorry if i can't give you proper answers. like i said i'm so bad at this 😭😭😭

#i suck at giving advice in general #ESPECIALLY when it comes to writing #i should be the one who asks for advice LMAO #i hope you have a good night too darling!#kana answers stuff

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yoon-kooks · 4 years

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The Devil Writes Romance | myg

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Genre: fluff, angst, college!AU, fuckboy!AU, fanficwriter!Yoongi

Summary: When you’re assigned to work with Min Yoongi on a final project for your Writing Fiction course, you stumble upon the fuck boy’s secret identity as a sappy fanfic writer. With the heart and soul of an aspiring editor, you’re somehow convinced by the boy himself to help make his fictional romance more realistic and heartfelt. Before you know it, you’ve made a not-so-innocent pinky promise with the devil.

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: mentions of sex :-)

A/N: this is basically a pilot that sets up a lot of plot for a potential series so lmk if you like the idea and would continue reading it as a series! also special shoutout to @chewymoustachio for the love & support 💖

As spring semester comes to a close, your only goal is to make it through finals week unscathed. Like many of your fellow English majors, most of your finals are extensive papers rather than traditional exams. Normally this would not stress you out, but your Writing Fiction course has thrown a curveball your way: half of your grade is dependent on your partner, Min Yoongi.

Personally, you’ve never been a fan of partner or group projects because you always somehow end up with incompetent teammates who either do a half-assed job or ghost you until the day before it’s due. Either way, you’ve learned and become accustomed to relying only on yourself.

However, as your Writing Fiction class has taught you, a writer’s world is not built upon independence. Rather, it’s built upon the opposite. Writers depend on others for support, feedback, and revision. That’s where your final project comes on.

For your final project, everyone in your class signed up for the role of either a writer or editor, and you’ve been randomly paired up with someone who chose the opposite. It’s no secret to anyone that you dream of becoming an editor in the industry. You love the idea of reviewing other writers’ works and providing them with as much feedback and constructive criticism as possible. Naturally, you signed up to be an editor.

As fate would have it, you find yourself paired with the boy who’s pretty much slept with the entire class, including the TA, and allegedly the professor. The only person left unchecked on his list is you. Somehow, you’ve heard more gossip about his sex life than his skills as a writer, which is why you believe you’re fucked for this final.

“Hey, Partner,” Yoongi catches up with you in the hall after class. His signature cedarwood cologne is too heavy to ignore as he strides beside you. “Are you free tonight?”

“To brainstorm some story ideas?” You tilt your head and add an innocent tone to mask the skepticism. Truthfully, you know what he really wants. It’s not your first rodeo.

“I actually already have a story in mind,” he says. “But I was thinking you and I could-”

“What’s the story about?” Because you’d much rather hear about that than one of Yoongi’s many excuses to get in your pants.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he shrugs as the two of you walk out of the building and into the beaming afternoon sun. You lift an arm to block the light out of your face, only to realize the boy’s shadow blocks it for you. Apparently, there are perks to walking with a buddy after class. “I’ll send you the draft tonight.”

“The professor literally just assigned the project and it’s not due for another week,” you raise an eyebrow. Weird, you’ve never seen a college kid so proactive and eager to get a head start on their final project. Something tells you the boy is just spouting bullshit and telling you what you want to hear. “You don’t have to rush and write all ten thousand words in a single night…”

“Well I don’t have any other plans tonight,” he says. “Unless you want to-”

“Nice try, Yoongi.” You start walking further ahead of the boy. You’re forced to squint as to not be blinded by the sun. “I guess you can have fun writing your story, then.”

“You really know how to play hard to get, Y/N…” Yoongi whines in that raspy voice of his, eliciting the tiniest smirk on your face. You might not approve of his fuck boy tendencies, but you’re also not opposed to teasing him a bit.

“If you really want to impress me, keep your word and send the draft tonight.” You spin around and wave farewell as you battle the sun. “Your editor will be waiting.”

As soon as you arrive home, you realize Yoongi isn’t the only one without any Friday night plans. With nothing to do, a large part of you hopes your partner keeps his promise so you can at least try to be productive over the weekend. But ten thousand words is a lot to write in one night. It’s more than likely that he won’t be able to pull it off.

In an attempt to wind down, you scroll through the blog feeds of your favorite writers. Many of them, such as @suga-fix and @jk-seagull, are college students like you, so you can appreciate all the time and effort they put into their craft on top of their school work. While the fan in you loves to shower them with sweet and supportive messages, the editor in you hopes to one day be able to also provide feedback on a professional level.

At the very top of your feed is a short post from @suga-fix, a romance fanfic writer whom you recently found while scouring the #jiminscenarios tag for something free of smut.

“Does anyone else struggle to ask their crush out or is it just me? Asking for a friend.”

You giggle at the innocent question. In addition to writing the sappiest Jimin fanfics, Suga is known to post snippets of his own nonexistent love life on his blog. From what you understand, he’s a boy who’s never experienced true love firsthand. Recently, however, he’s been gushing over his pretty classmate. You’re waiting for the day when he builds up enough courage and finally lands a date.

Until then, you’re satisfied with reading his ongoing fictional love story featuring the popular idol, Park Jimin, as a struggling romance novelist who finds inspiration in a skeptical wedding photographer. You absolutely adore the story, the characters, and the underlying narrative, but the editor in you can point out an area for improvement: his romance game.

You notice the two main characters lack a certain level of chemistry to get the readers quaking and itching for more. Most of the time, the intimate scenes end with poor Jimin getting friendzoned, which certainly has its charm and humor. But truthfully, you expect a little more love from a romance fic.

You suspect that, to some extent, this is intentional as the characters are the type to dance around intimacy and have pessimistic views on romance overall. However, you also wouldn’t be surprised if Suga’s own personal inexperience with romantic scenarios is what holds him back the most.

After catching up on your socials, eating dinner, and hopping out of the shower, you sit in the darkness of your room and check one more thing before calling it a night. No email, no text, no draft from your partner. Not that you were actually expecting anything, but it would’ve been nice for the fuck boy to prove you wrong.

To be fair, you know how long and painful ten thousand words can be. If Yoongi is in fact sprinting through those ten thousand words and gets them to you by the time you wake up, you’ll consider him a man of his word.

[4:56AM] Yoongi💋 “I emailed you the thing”

[7:24AM] Y/N “Ooh, I’ll take a look 👁👁”

[7:25AM] Y/N “Btw I don’t appreciate you adding an emoji to your contact info on my phone”

After changing Yoongi’s contact name to something more appropriate, you go into your email and find the story draft that the boy had sent at exactly 4:55AM. The word count on the document says 10,382. Not too shabby, Min Yoongi.

You grab your morning caffeine and crack open your laptop to read your partner’s story on the big screen. Right away, you notice the document is titled “Untitled1” which is never a great sign, but you’re willing to forgive him if its content is stellar.

The first thing that puts a smile on your face is the main character, Jimothy. His name reminds you of your favorite idol, Jimin, with a playful touch. He’s the romance novelist who attends his friend’s wedding where he has a chance encounter with a pretty wedding photographer-

Wait. You’re pretty sure you’ve heard this story before. In fact, you know exactly where it came from. You pull up Suga’s Jimin fic and put it side-by-side against Yoongi’s version. While it’s not exactly a copy-and-paste situation, the romance novelist x wedding photographer premise is too similar for it to be a mere coincidence.

At first glance, you find it funny that Yoongi took the time to reword everything to not be caught by the plagiarism police. If you didn’t know any better, you’d assume he did a quick search of Jimin fanfiction and picked one that was moderately popular but not viral enough for anyone to notice. Jimin fanfic just so happens to be your guilty pleasure, so there’s absolutely no way you’d let a plagiarist slip one past you.

But upon further review, after digesting the entirety of the fic, you find that Yoongi’s flow and choice of words are eerily similar to Suga’s style without recycling a single line. Likewise, you notice the same lack of chemistry in both versions of the story. You suppose this can only mean one thing, and you need to confront him about it in person. Because the last thing you want is for him to ghost you like everyone else you’ve ever worked with.

[8:42AM] Y/N “I just finished looking it over”

[8:43AM] Y/N “Wanna get coffee & discuss? ☕️📖”

[8:45AM] Yoongi🐍 “Oh? I thought you weren’t interested in a date with me 🥺”

[8:46AM] Y/N “Let’s meet in about an hour at the coffeehouse on campus?”

[8:46AM] Yoongi🐍 “See ya there, my editor”

As you stir the oat milk into your second dose of caffeine for the morning, you wonder how you can bring up your suspicions in an appropriate and professional way. Should you confront him about it immediately, gently coax him in that direction, or take a more passive approach to see if he’ll mention it on his own? Because if you’re going to be this boy’s editor, you want to do it right.

“Thoughts?” Yoongi enters the chat with slightly damp hair and an iced Americano in hand. Your only thought in that moment is about how fucking good he smells, even in the presence of the rich aromas of your favorite roasted coffee beans. But you’ll leave those thoughts to yourself.

“My first thought was that you sent me a document titled Untitled1,” you say.

“I have a working title,” he assures you. “But I’m curious to hear what clever titles my editor has come up with after reading through the whole thing.”

“Pink Cheek Syndrome sounds appropriate.” Because that’s the title of Suga’s original fic. It’s also the term coined by Jimothy to describe couples who aren’t as in love as they’d like to believe. It’s a facade to fool everyone, including themselves.

“Great minds think alike after all.” Yoongi leans in to give you a high-five, but you just throw a balled up napkin at his palm. Confess. Just confess already.

“Can I ask what inspired the concept?” You bite your lip. “You don’t strike me as the romantic type.”

“Don’t you ever feel like people get into relationships just for the sake of being in a relationship?”

“Yeah.” All the time, in fact.

“It’s pretty shallow if you ask me,” he says with a nonchalant chuckle, as if he’s not the shallowest person on campus when it comes to established relationships. “PCS is just a commentary on people like that vs people like you and me.”

You and him? You’re not sure you have anything in common with someone who breaks hearts and sleeps around so casually.

“Sounds like something a fanfic writer would come up with.” Because it is.

“Sounds like something a fanfic reader would say,” he throws back at you.

“In fact, there’s a Jimin fanfic I read once called Pink Cheek Syndrome,” you say. The dose of coffee moving up Yoongi’s straw suddenly freezes. “You’re the original writer, right?”

He swallows hard and raises an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

“The writing style matches even though you didn’t copy and paste,” you scroll back through Yoongi’s version for reference. “And besides, scrambling to write ten thousand words in one night is typical fanfic writer behavior. A true plagiarist doesn’t know what it means to put those hours in.”

“Nothing gets past your sharp eyes, huh, Y/N…” Yoongi sighs, failing to hide behind his Americano. “I’m equally impressed as I am scared.”

“Wait, so you’re really Suga?” Your eyes widen. Suddenly you’re overcome by a wave of emotions. Excited, nervous, star-struck. But most of all? Confused. “How?”

“Just don’t tell anyone.” He picks up his phone and starts typing away at something.

“I won’t,” you say, also pulling out your phone to check up on the @suga-fix blog. Sure enough, there’s a stream of several new posts from a few seconds ago.

“fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK”

“I feel so exposed 😔”

“Quick, everyone act like this isn’t a fanfic blog.”

“We can pretend to be like a porn blog or smth”

“I can read everything you’re posting, you know.” You show your blog feed to Yoongi, who’s still busy keysmashing. When he finally glances up from his screen to yours, the look on his face is both flattered and distressed.

“You follow me, too?” The boy takes a long sip of his Americano, shifting his beady little eyes and plotting his next move. “What’s your URL?”

“You’re totally going to block me,” you frown. “I already told you, I’m not going to tell anyone…”

As you continue to scroll through Yoongi’s blog, you notice his post is gone from the day before. Perhaps that’s what the boy is desperately trying to hide.

“By the way, is it true that Min Yoongi, resident fuck boy, has a crush on someone?” You get excited because that’s not something you hear everyday. In regards to Yoongi, it’s always been sex, sex, and more sex. He’s notorious around campus for having one-night stands and breaking hearts the morning after. You’d never imagine a boy like him having an innocent crush on anyone.

“Where’d you hear that?” The boy across from you gradually sinks deeper and deeper into his seat every time you open your mouth to expose him further.

“You made a post yesterday about not being able to talk to your crush properly,” you giggle. “It was kind of cute.”

“I was talking about my friend.”

“You can’t fool me, Yoongi. I’m not that oblivious.” You take a sassy sip of your coffee and lean forward. “So who’s your crush? Is it someone in our class?”

“Don’t worry about it, Y/N,” he shoos you away and slides a hard copy of his draft in your direction. “Let’s not get distracted from why we’re really here.”

“Hold it, I’m not just being nosy for the gossip, you know,” you say. “From an editor’s perspective, I think the romance in your story could benefit from you interacting more with your crush.”

For a moment, Yoongi just gives you a look. You can see the wheels spinning in his head. “Well, that person doesn’t seem very interested in me, so…”

“Unrequited love?” you gasp. The plot thickens.

“Yeah,” he chuckles at your enthusiasm. “But you did give me an idea just now.”

You examine his handsome face for a hint of what’s to come. His signature Fuck Boy Smirk tells you he’s up to no good again. “I’m listening.”

“You’re my editor, right?” he asks. You nod. “And your main critique is that I should up my romance game, right?”

You nod again.

“What if you help me make the romance scenes more believable and realistic?” The boy watches as you blink your wide eyes, stunned at his suggestion. You know he doesn’t just mean that from an editorial standpoint. Surely there’s an ulterior motive here. “And before you jump to any conclusions, no, this does not include sex.”

Oh.

You’re reminded that Yoongi doesn’t write smut, despite how much of a fuck boy he is in real life. Because you’re sure he has the capability and personal experience to write some steamy and wild sex scenes. And yet, he chooses to focus on hardcore romance instead, something he himself is much less familiar with. It’s mind-blowing to think that a boy as experienced in bed as Yoongi could be so inexperienced elsewhere.

Why does he write the opposite of how he lives?

“I don’t think that’s how editors work,” you finally respond to Yoongi’s proposal, flipping through his draft and writing in the margins. You have to admit, the boy has a gift. His stories would no doubt skyrocket in popularity if the lovey-dovey scenes could draw out true, raw emotions as though you were there living in those moments. As a reader, you want him to pull at your heartstrings, smash your heart into a million pieces, and slowly put it back together. All of that can be achieved if the writer gets some hands-on experience in the love department. “But I get what you’re saying.”

“So is that a yes or a no?” He sips down the rest of his Americano as you continue to think your decision through.

Given what you know about Yoongi’s track record as a fuck boy, you’re hesitant. But at the same time, the ambitious editor in you knows what you want.

“It’s a yes,” you sigh. “But only if you promise me a few things.”

“Go on.”

“One, you’ll come to me if you’re struggling and need suggestions, advice, or someone to talk to.”

“Easy. You can be my editor-in-chief.”

“Two, if anyone asks, we aren’t dating.”

“Got it.”

“Three, help me study and prepare for the rest of my finals.”

“We can have study dates.”

“And lastly, please don’t sleep with anyone else while we’re doing this thing. Because that would be awkward.”

“Oh? I didn’t realize you were the possessive type, Y/N,” he smirks.

“Not trying to be That Controlling Bitch who forbids you from sleeping around, but I think it would defeat the purpose of what we’re trying to accomplish.”

“But what if this goes on for a while?” Yoongi strokes his imaginary Santa beard. “You expect me to practice abstinence forever?”

“It won’t go on forever, Yoongi,” you giggle at the boy’s silly remark. “Because eventually, you’ll find someone who can bring out those romantic feelings better than our faux intimacy ever will.”

“But you’ll still be my editor-in-chief?”

“If everything works out, then I don’t see why not.” You want to be optimistic about a long-term deal, but you can’t seem to rid yourself of the doubt stuck in the back of your mind. Because humans, not just fuck boys like Yoongi, seem to have a hard time keeping their promises. “I only ask that you don’t break my trust.”

Before responding, the boy meets his eyes with yours. You suppose tender eye contact is a skill he acquired from his flirty lifestyle. You, on the other hand, blink away. Eye contact longer than a glance has always made you feel vulnerable.

“I won’t, Y/N,” he says, coating his raspy voice with a layer of honey. It’s almost as intoxicating as his cedarwood cologne, but that’s another thought you’ll keep to yourself.

You watch as he slides his pinky into view, over the draft and coffees to make it official. After cracking a smile at his childish gesture, you wrap your pinky around his, thus marking the beginning of your deal with the devil.

#bts scenarios #bts fanfic #bts imagines #yoongi x reader #btsboulangerie #bts fluff #bts angst #bts x reader #yoongi fanfic #bts college au #bts #bangtan #yoongi #suga #suga x reader #suga fanfic #the devil writes romance

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heartofether · 3 years

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The Vast & Starlit Special: Part One - The Scandals of Atticus Ashfield TRANSCRIPT

[You can listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts, or go to our “Listen” page if you’re on desktop.]

VAL

Hey, Val here. Just wanted to do a quick little introduction for our three-part Vast & Starlit special. This is going to be our last little bit of bonus content before season two officially begins on August 13th. We talk about this in the episode, but if you would like to find more information about the game we’re playing, you can find a link in the episode description. Thank you so much for all of the support, and enjoy our Vast & Starlit special!

[MUSIC PLAYS FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE SLOWLY FADING OUT.]

[LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] Well, that went well. It’ll be fine.

VAL

[OVERLAPPING] All is well.

LUKA

Everything is okay.

JESSE

[OVERLAPPING, IN A BRITISH ACCENT] Alright.

LUKA

Alright, so I guess, let’s get into it!

VAL

Cheers!

LUKA

Should we introduce ourselves?

JESSE

I feel like we should.

VAL

I think that’s probably good.

LUKA

It’s weird to like, talk, and be like, “Oh, hey besties.”

JESSE

“Hey.”

[LOTS OF UNCLEAR, OVERLAPPING CHATTER AND STUTTERING FOR A MOMENT.]

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING] “Greetings, besties.”

[LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

Uh, a lot of times, what I do think is funny is we’ll, like, do bonus content, and then say spoilers, and Val will just beep it out in recording. So I was going to introduce myself and the character I play, and I do think you guys can still do that.

LAUREN

Okay.

VAL

Yeah, and then I’ll just censor it out. It’ll be like, “Hi, I play—”

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] Because it’s a funny joke to me.

[LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

Val, if you—I don’t know if you want to start.

VAL

Um, yeah, I can start. My name is Val, I’m the writer and producer of The Heart of Ether. I also voice Rosemary Quinn. What else are we saying about ourselves? Is this just—do we wanna throw in a fun fact—?

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] Um, I would just—sure, if you want.

VAL

[LAUGHING] Oh, I don’t have any fun facts, so.

Everything I own is mushroom-themed. Because, according to my parents, that’s my only interest.

LUKA

They’re not wrong.

[LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

Um, hello! I am Luka Miller. I play Irene Gray. I did not prepare a fun fact, but I guess I will say that Irene’s Instagram fun fact is a personal attack on me.

[LAUGHTER.]

JES

Oh.

LAUREN

Oh? Okay.

LUKA

I don’t—it wasn’t intentional, but it is. [THEY LAUGH.]

We have two new guests!

[A FEW SECONDS OF EVERYONE INTERMITTENTLY GOING “OOH!” IN INTERESTED TONES, THEN LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

Jes, would you like to go first?

JESSE

[STUTTERING] Alright, okay. Uh, well, I’m Jesse Smith. I played Dr. Michaels in season one, and I will be playing [CENSORED BEEP]. And my fun fact, [A BEAT.] I’m currently dressed like a pirate.

VAL

Jes is the only one who dressed up for this. I didn’t—I didn’t know we were dressing up for today.

[OVERLAPPING LAUGHTER.]

LAUREN

[STUTTERING] I wish—I didn’t commit to the bit. That’s hard.

VAL

It’s okay.

LAUREN

Um, well, I guess that leaves me! Hi, I’m Lauren Tucker. I was not on season one of The Heart of Ether, but I will be playing [CENSORED BEEP] in season two.

[OVERLAPPING LAUGHTER.]

LAUREN

Big fan of the show, really, that’s [STUTTERING] that’s my fun fact, actually, is that I am the number one Heart of Ether stan. And, I get typecast as [CENSORED BEEP.] And I love it, so.

[LAUGHTER, THEN OVERLAPPING, UNCLEAR TALKING FOR A SECOND.]

LAUREN

You can tell I’ve never done, like, non-scripted for audio before, so this should be interesting.

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] Yeah.

VAL

Very fun.

LUKA

Yeah, this will be very interesting. Very excited.

[IN A BRITISH ACCENT] So, I suppose I will lead us—oh no, it’s coming out.

[LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

I was going to try really hard not to default into, like, the bad British accent.

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING] The Incident Report, it’s already happening.

[MORE LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

Okay, well, I will introduce the game we are playing, I suppose.

VAL

[OVERLAPPING] Cheers!

LUKA

So, today we are playing Vast & Starlit by Epidiah Ravachol, I hope that I said that right. Okay, um, basically, we are all escaped convicts, and we’ve stolen this ship.

LAUREN

Oh. Wild.

JESSE

Oh, we stole the ship?

[OVERLAPPING LAUGHTER AND CHATTER.]

LAUREN

Interesting.

JESSE

I thought this was a prison.

VAL

We were in prison.

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] No no no, we’re runnin’ away from prison!

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

So we have all done crime.

JESSE

Okay.

LAUREN

Oh, that works perfectly well.

LUKA

Yes. So, this is mostly an improv-based game. We all have made characters. And the other thing is there—[STUTTERING] I am taking on the role of “GM.” That’s not a very strict role.

[OVERLAPPING LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

I am here to move the story along. I also have a character. Very excited about it. Um, but I guess we can just kind of get into introducing our characters first, and we have a few questions that we have to ask each other. And then we get to design our ship a little bit. And then we will get going, and we will end up playing out some scenes together until the vibes signal that we are done.

[LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

Uh, so I don’t know who wants to introduce their character first.

VAL

Do you wanna go first, Luka? Just to give an example?

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] I can.

VAL

[STUTTERING] ‘Cause you know the most about this game.

LUKA

Also, we can do questions as we introduce our characters, so I guess I can go over that first.

VAL

[OVERLAPPING] Okay.

LUKA

And then I can go first, and we can just go with me as an example. So, we have character questions we get to ask each other after we have been introduced. One of them needs to be off of this list. I’m just going to say it, and if you need a reminder, I’ll say it again. But, we have to ask each other at least one of these three: “What are you willing to do to be captain?”, “How would we be better off if you led?”, and “What do we lose by not listening to you?”

However, the other four questions can be anything.

LAUREN

Anything?

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] They are just—yes, anything.

[LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

Yes, anything. Anything about your character. And like, I’ll say this: I’ll give you my description, you can be like, “Where’d you get that scar?” And I’ll have to answer you.

LAUREN

Oh, I’m so excited.

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] You get to choose things for me.

[LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

So, I guess I will introduce my character, and we will go through the first round of questions.

So, my character is named Atticus Ashfield. [THEN, QUIETER] We don’t need to get into it. I understand they sound like X-character that is unreleased from Micro-Cosmos. We don’t need to talk about it.

[OVERLAPPING LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

Um, so, basically, Atticus Ashfield had a nice, nice, comfy radio career. You know, they’re chilling, they’re chilling. But then one day, they got a little too enthusiastic doing this bit about setting off fireworks in a library, and they did get arrested. ‘Cause people were like, “Oh, maybe—this doesn’t sound like someone doing a bit. This sounds like someone who’s planning to set off fireworks in the most treasured library on this planet.” So they were preemptively arrested.

Um, some more fun facts about them. I don’t actually remember what the thought process behind this was, but I’m gonna read it off the document. It says that they are a fish descendant, and they look like Gill from Monster High, but green and without the helmet.

[OVERLAPPING LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

I don’t remember writing that, but I do think it’s important.

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING] Uh-huh?

LUKA

So. Yeah.

VAL

Yeah. Alright, um.

LUKA

I guess we can go in a circle.

[LAUGHTER.]

VAL

Alright, um, what are the mandatory questions again?

LUKA

One of them has to be, “What are you willing to do to be captain?”, “How would we be better off if you led?”, or “What do we lose by not listening to you?”

VAL

Okay, I’ll go—I’ll go first. Um, what do we lose by not listening to you?

LUKA

Oh, should I respond in like, the weird voice I’m gonna do?

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING] Yes.

VAL

[OVERLAPPING] Yeah.

LUKA

Yeah, why not?

ATTICUS

[WITH AN ENERGETIC SPEAKING VOICE] Well I mean, honestly, probably not a whole lot, but I am charismatic, so you’ll lose a little bit of entertainment.

VAL

[THROUGH LAUGHTER] It sounds like Will Wood.

[LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

Thank you. I do my best.

JESSE

[OVERLAPPING] Okay, well, what happened to the orphans?

[LAUGHTER.]

ATTICUS

[IRRITATED] I did a good solid report on those, and no one needs to know what happened afterwards. What I do in my spare time is my business.

[LAUGHTER.]

JESSE

The blank stare.

[MORE LAUGHTER.]

LAUREN

Question, um, okay here we go- how am I supposed to— [SHE LAUGHS.] How am I supposed to follow that up?

Um, look, they just wanna know where the body’s buried. Can you please tell us?

[LAUGHTER.]

LAUREN

The family wants to know.

ATTICUS

[OVERLAPPING] I just—hey, listen. I just told this other person that what I do in my spare time is my business, and they’re orphans! What family?

[LAUGHTER, CRIES?]

LAUREN

Okay!

VAL

We’ve already gotten into murder, and I don’t think that’s the best place to start—

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING] We’ve already gotten into—

LUKA

Of course. It happens.

Okay, so that’s three questions. We’re gonna do two more.

VAL

Um, can you explain your whole fashion...thing, you have going on?

ATTICUS

Oh, I call this, um, revival of the 2014 Tumblr era from uh, Terran Society.

[LAUGHTER.]

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING] No.

VAL

So true.

ATTICUS

Do you like my shoelaces?

LAUREN & VAL

No.

ATTICUS

Why not?

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING] I don’t— [SHE SIGHS.]

ATTICUS

Okay.

LUKA

One more.

[LAUGHTER.]

VAL

Jes, it’s on you.

JESSE

What do you have to say about the kin list scandal?

[LAUGHTER.]

ATTICUS

I don’t like being called an apologist, okay?

[OVERLAPPING LAUGHTER.]

ATTICUS

[CONT.] But if I see one more person—one more person—say that I— [THEN, IN A HUSHED TONE] That I kin from alpha-beta-omega fics, I’m going to snap.

[LAUGHTER.]

ATTICUS

It was a one-time thing.

[HORRIFIED BEAT OF SILENCE.]

VAL

We’ve set a precedent for the rest of this game, now.

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING, STUTTERING] I—there’s so many layers here.

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] So you have—I had, like, a quirky little radio host coming into this, but you have redefined their entire personality, which is exactly what I was hoping would happen.

[LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

Um.

LAUREN

Uh huh. Yeah.

LUKA

Okay, so. That was five, who wants to go next?

VAL

Um, Jes and Lauren, your characters are like connected, right?

LAUREN

Yeah.

LUKA

That’s about to get absolutely destroyed. [LAUGHTER]

VAL

Okay, I’ll go, I’ll go next then and then we can, we can do that in a bit, um. Right, okay. I’m gonna have to come up with a character voice on the spot, I should’ve thought of this in advance, but-

LUKA

Well, apparently mine was just Will Wood, so-

[LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

Uh huh.

VAL

I mean, radio host, Life in the World to Come, that’s fitting. Um anyways. Uh, my character’s name is Honey Comberbatch. Um-

LUKA

[STRAINED] Say it one more time?

VAL

Honey Comberbatch. It’s like Cumberbatch but it’s comb like honeycomb.

LUKA

Mmhmm.

VAL

Um- and basically to sum it up, um, when her and her wife got divorced, she was very upset about it and she knew her wife was a big advocate of Save the Bees because her wife was like a bee-hybrid-person kind of thing, it’s like- it’s a weird thing. Anyways- her wife was a big advocate of Save the Bees. It got lost in translation to “Legalize Bees.” And Honey- Honey Comberbatch got so enthusiastic about it that A: they were being a public disturbance, but the main thing they got arrested for was they burned down a honey shipment plant. Cause they thought they were freeing the bees from-from their labor, but no, they just- they just burnt down a bunch of trucks.

[LAUGHTER AND A FEW UNINTELLIGIBLE COMMENTS]

LAUREN

I love Bee Movie.

VAL

[LAUGHING] Yep. Yeah that’s basically what it is. Um. Woman gets divorced, um, burns down a honey shipment plant. Now she’s here.

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING] That’s what happens in Bee Movie last time I checked.

LUKA

Yeah.

[LAUGHTER]

VAL

Exactly.

LUKA

Um… Okay.

VAL

[OVERLAPPING] Alright. I think I am gonna have to go with the British accent for this character also cause Comberbatch- and Cumberbatch.

LUKA

Mhmm.

LAUREN

There’s a lot of Tumblr stuff happening um-

VAL

[OVERLAPPING] We have Benedict Cumberbatch-

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] It wasn’t intentional-

VAL

We have um, shoelaces.

[LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

[STRAINED] Shoelaces?

LUKA

I have so many regrets already.

[LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

Certain things that are just unspeakable, um, you know.

VAL

[OVERLAPPING] This was a great idea. Alright.

LUKA

Sooo, let’s just start with questions. Is it Jes? I don’t know, we don’t have to go in an order.

JESSE

Sorry my Wifi is so bad so you guys keep cutting out but- oh, okay, um. What would you be willing to do to become captain of the ship?

HONEY

I mean, we already know I’m experienced with fire, don’t we. I mean, I’m willing to do it again.

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA

I also like that we’ve already set a precedent for two semi-arsonists in the crew. It’s very fun.

[LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

The Daniel Jacobi kinnies: they did not come to play this time.

VAL

I don’t think Honey is a “semi-arsonist,” she burned down a honey shipment.

[OVERLAPPING LAUGHTER]

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] Atticus was going to be an arsonist and then they got arrested. Jacobi’s on Atticuss’s kin list actually. That was the scandal.

LAUREN

Hh… Oh.

VAL

That was the scandal.

LUKA

Okay, but I think Lauren you’re next?

LAUREN

Yeah I was gonna ask why you um threw the priceless wedding ring into the ocean.

LUKA

[IN THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED TERRIBLE BRITISH ACCENT] Someone just finished watching an episode of Hannibal, I see.

[QUIET LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

I was thinking about Titanic and- but okay.

LUKA

Oh.

LAUREN

[THROUGH LAUGHTER] But I know which one you’re talking about.

[MORE LAUGHING]

HONEY

You know, after she left me, you know I was just… I was just so heartbroken, you know? I just- I just did it without thinking. I mean I tried to swim after it, I mean I regretted it of course, but you know. Then I ended up almost drowning and it was a whole thing. You know I’m good with fire, not water.

[BRIEF LAGHTER]

LUKA

Why is your hair that color?

HONEY

Sometimes, you know, interesting things happen when you do a home dye. Sometimes you’re hoping to get sort of, um, sort of a purple-pink ombre and instead you get more of a color that hasn’t been named yet and you think it’s from another planet. You know sometimes you order from a brand you never heard of, um, with no reviews, and sometimes it doesn’t turn out that well.

[LAUGHTER]

JESSE

Alright. Um. Who took the kids.

HONEY

[SADLY] She did.

LAUREN

Ahhhh.

HONEY

Been asking to see them for um, for a couple months now. But she always says they’re busy. Busy with school. Um, if you’re hearing this, please. I’ve been paying child support, I’ve been, just please. Next question.

LAUREN

So-

VAL

This is the last one, right?

LUKA

Yeah.

LAUREN

Mhmm. But the pressure’s on. Uh… I mean you hate to ask, but like the bee to humanoid makeup of the kids… has that been interfering in any way?

[LAUGHTER]

HONEY

I mean… Our- our kids have special needs, special dietary needs. You know, we make do. I mean, it’s pretty common on her home planet, so she knew what to do. Maybe that’s why she got the kids, I don’t know. [DEFENSIVE] I know how to do it too, I was there when they were born. I know how to feed them, just as well. Even if I don't have bee parts.

[LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

Ahh, man.

VAL

Anyways, I’m glad that’s over.

LUKA

[THROUGH LAUGHTER] Okay so which of you wants to go first?

JESSE

Okay I’ll go, I’ll go, I’ll go. So I’m playing Lord Jensen Jarvis Aloisias Augustine Maximillian Rupert Edmund Cedric von Marius Desmond Constantine Remington III.

LUKA

Okay what was the first name?

JESSE

Lord Jensen Jarvis Aloisias Augustine Maximillian Rupert Edmund Cedric.

[DEAD SILENCE]

LUKA

Jensen.

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA

Lord. I’ll give you a ‘lord’.

JESSE

Um, and so-

LAUREN

I can’t say the words, I don’t wanna get copyrighted cause I was about to launch into like…

JESSE

Um, so I was a prince at this really big, you know, kingdom, but unfortunately my parents did kick me out, um, because I didn’t take my tea the way they like it, so. Um, they kicked me out and I became a pirate, uh, and you know it was all good you know being a pirate- everyone loves being a pirate- until I tried to uh pickpocket this beautiful woman and she had no money. And so we just kinda, we kept talking and you know one thing led to another and now we’ve been married about twenty-three times. And, um, the reason I’m here is because I want to break so many laws. And the specific reason this time was I was arrested for un-bounce-ifying all of the pickles in Con-nect-icut-26. Um, but the thing is they arrested me while I was doing acrobatics on a bike in Ill-noise-42. So, you know, uh, it is what it is. I try- I try my hardest.

LUKA

Mhmm.

VAL

Alright. So should I start again? Questions?

LUKA

Um, I dunno the order I think Lauren is next. Yes.

LAUREN

I’m just trying to remember what the question was that we haven’t had yet from the list?

LUKA

Uh, we haven’t had: How would we be better off if you led?

LAUREN

So how would we be better off if you led?

JENSEN

Um, well every- everybody wants a sexy captain.

[LAUREN LAUGHING]

JENSEN

You- advertisement. Advertisement. It’s all about advertisement these days. Monetization.

LUKA

Oh, yeah. Okay, um. So I noticed, uh, the way you said an interesting name. Could you pronounce- this is a terrible question but I just need to hear it so I’m gonna say it and I think it will say a lot about you as a person. How do you pronounce the phrase: O-H-I-O?

JENSEN

O-ee-o.

LUKA

Mhmm. Mm. Mhm. Okay. Good. Got it.

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING] Stick the landing. Uh huh.

VAL

I like to think that like in the galaxy they’re from this is like a big- this is like our version of like “gif or jif.” Like it’s a big thing like everyone says it different.

LUKA

Well I’m thinking about how we’ve been making Cecil Palmer jokes about umm… throughout this recording.

VAL

[OVERLAPPING] Oh yeah.

LUKA

And very specifically, Jes chose to play a character who can’t say Connecticut. Which I think is really funny. Um, but anyways, moving right along.

VAL

What was the reason for your last divorce?

JENSEN

Well, you know, sometimes it- it’s very difficult to find a common ground when your wife can’t get past the fact that you like to drink Cherry Blossom Body Spray. Um, so.

[LAUGHTER AND HORRIFIED GASPS]

JENSEN

Things happen sometimes. It was very hard for both of us.

VAL

Mhmm. I imagine.

LAUREN

[STRAINED] Uh huh. [LAUGHTER] Um, why specifically, uh, Cherry Blossom body spray and have you managed to overcome that since remarrying?

JENSEN

No. Cherry Blossom body spray has a way of coating the throat- the orifices in a way- [LOSING IT SLIGHTLY] like no other. I do also, sometimes, drink Peach body spray and Cucumber perfume. It varies day to day.

LAUREN

Uh huh.

VAL

I see.

LUKA

Okay. [THEY CLEAR THEIR THROAT] Uh, I guess this is the last one. What is your favorite part about your hat?

JENSEN

Well, I really, I really enjoy the raccoons that live underneath it.

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA

You brought raccoons with you to prison because you stuffed them under your hat? They’ve just been chilling.

JENSEN

I can introduce you to them if you want.

LUKA

Oh, please! Please do.

VAL

[OVERLAPPING]Yes.

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING] Please.

JENSEN

Alright. Well, um, this. This is an audio medium. This one is called Jeremy, and he really loves bodily fluids. Ah-.

[LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

Oh?

JENSEN

This one- this one is called Vivian and she really enjoys the movie Ratatouille made by Disney and Pixar.

LUKA

That’s an old one.

VAL

So true.

JENSEN

Yeah, and this one, um, is simply called, um, Wet and Wild PhotoFocus Concombre 3-in-1 Base Allure, um, and she-

[LAUGHTER]

JENSEN

She really enjoys, um, uh... reading me little bedtime stories. So those are my raccoons.

VAL

Cheers.

LAUREN

Cheers.

LUKA

[STRAINED] Alright, Lauren?

FRIDAY Alright, so, my name is Friday Jones, uh, and you might have already met my husband, uh, I just call him Jensen, he’s really got this long sort of name that nobody’s got the time to say. But, uh, little bit about me! I grew up on a livestock transport ship, a fairly large sort of thing, and I used to, like, ride the cows from and to end and it was like, just lil’ ol’ me! Bouncing along on the cows! And it was really a lot of fun. And it’s also sorta where I got my proficiency for firearms.

[CHUCKLES]

FRIDAY

So, uh, but you know, got to be a little bit of a nuisance on the ship, I don’t really know what happened, it was probably a mistake, but my family did leave me. On a farm planet. Uh, tender age of nine years old. Um…

VAL Damn.

FRIDAY And then, you know, uh, you gotta do what you gotta do to make money! As far as, uh, guns go, so, uh, you know… turned to maybe some activities that kinda may be a little bit violent. Maybe a little illegal. But, that is how I met- well, sort of, it’s how I… I met my husband, and, like you said, I kinda lost track, I believe it was 22 times we’ve been married? Something like that. And… I made the mistake of trying to break my husband out of prison, and got caught in the process, and then… there was a successful jailbreak, which I am mighty happy about.

LUKA

Mhm.

VAL

Cheers.

LUKA Alright!

[LAUGHTER]

JESSE

Sorry, I realized while you were reading that- that I read the wrong side of the bottle, and that there is an English side.

LUKA

Uh huh!

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA

What do we lose by not listening to you?

FRIDAY

Whole lotta expertise with firearms, thats for starters. Um, I know a good thing or two about cows! So, I mean, you’re losing a lot of… cow knowledge.

LUKA

[IN AN EXAGGERATED NEW YORK/BOSTON ACCENT.] Well, we don’t wanna lose any cow knowledge, do we?

VAL

Shut the fuck up.

[LAUGHTER]

LAUREN Where was I? Cow knowledge? Okay.

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING.] Uh. Cow knowledge.

FRIDAY

And a general sense of security and brain cells, I think.

LUKA

Well that’s a… that’s a quite rude implication, Ms. Jones!

[LAUGHER]

FRIDAY

[OVERLAPPING.] Didn’t say I was nice!

LUKA

[IN A SOUTHERN ACCENT] Oh, okay. I’m turning into the….

LAUREN [OVERLAPPING.] I was like, I know who this is but the listeners do not.

LUKA

[STILL USING ACCENT.] Arthur’s joined the call. Arthur’s joined the call now. Alright.

[LAUGHTER]

VAL How come you never learned how to use a phone?

FRIDAY When you’re on a livestock ship, what do you need a phone for? You got cows! You got cows that you can ride from end to end of the ship! What- what- you need to waste your time, talking to people when you can just talk to cows! And then when you get on a farm planet, well, same thing, you’re talking to corn! You’re not talking to people on the phone! What do you need that for?! What do you need that for? And also they scare me but that’s- I’m not ready to get that vulnerable with y’all, you know?

[LAUGHTER.]

LUKA

Hm.

JESSE [IN A BRITISH ACCENT.] Alright, who’s turn is it?

LUKA

Yours.

JESSE

[IN A SOUTHERN ACCENT.] Um. When were you planning on telling- darling, when were you planning on telling me about the superpowers?

[LAUGHTER.]

FRIDAY

Do you know how hard it is to manage new superpowers when you get to be a woman of my age that’s already established herself as a sort of crime… division, the other side of that? I was gonna tell you as soon as you stopped drinking that Cherry Blossom nonsense! All the time! Just drinking us outta house and home! So maybe you gotta give a little to get a little, Jensen.

JENSEN

Yes, darling.

LUKA

So I know you don’t like Cherry Blossom, but, like, what is your favorite flavor to drink?

FRIDAY

Unfortunately, my friend, I cannot “yes… and” you on that one. Um…

[LAUGHTER.]

FRIDAY

My new friend, uh, because, you know, one thing you gotta know about Friday: there’s a line! And drinking the Cherry Blossom whatever that is not supposed to go in your mouth or oraphaces is beyond that line. So I will not be partaking in that.

LUKA

[MIMICKING FRIDAY.] In that sinful drink.

FRIDAY That’s devil’s brew! I’m convinced!

[LAUGHTER.]

VAL

Alright…

LUKA Not the devil’s brew.

[LAUGHTER.]

VAL

Alright, last question.

LUKA

Yee.

VAL

What happened to the family cat? FRIDAY

I… uh… Wh- when you get left on a farm planet with a cat that has never been on solid ground, and you are nine years old, and also you know, you you got to make a little bit of mon-

You sell the cat. I do regret it, every day, because then I didn’t have any friends.

[LAUGHTER]

FRIDAY (CONT’D)

Um, but… it’s okay. So there was a transaction, probably the last legal one of my entire life, where I sold the cat to a very nice family who needed a milk supply for the winter.

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA

Don’t you live on a cow farm?

FRIDAY This was after the cow- this was after the cows! This was after- I wish!

LUKA

[OVERLAPPING] Okay. Got it.

FRIDAY

You know, you can milk a cat too, you can milk anything you try hard enough.

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA

I see! Alright, so, I feel that we are well introduced.

VAL

Uh-huh.

LUKA

So, next questions we answer together.

JESSE

Okay.

LUKA

We gotta bounce ideas off each other, and we’re gonna be designing our ship.

JESSE

[OVERLAPPING] Amazing. LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING] Okay.

LUKA

So, number one: how is our vessel unique?

VAL

Hmm. LAUREN

I always think it’s really cool when spaceships have, like, cloaking devices, or stuff, and stuff like that, in sci-fi.

LUKA

I was gonna say it’s transparent.

LAUREN

Ooh! Same brain.

LUKA

Combo that.

LAUREN

Yes.

LUKA

It’s like a glass house. [LAUGHING} You can just see everything that’s inside.

[VARIOUS LAUGHTER AND UNINTELLIGIBLE REACTIONS]

JESSE

Oh, oh my god, Friday, are you Wonder Woman? Is this your invisible jet?

[LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

[LAUGHS] O- [STUTTERING] Okay. Can I, um-

LUKA

What if- do we- what if we think it has a cloaking device, but it’s just made of transparent material.

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING AT THE START] It’s the complete opposite. [STUTTERING] You can see directly into the ship. Um, maybe it’s some sort of, like, um, we think it’s like a two-way mirror scenario, whatever those are called. We think cause we can see out everywhere, and we think that it’s like a mirror on the other side that like reflects the void of space, so we’re completely cloaked- No. It’s just a glass ship.

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA

[CHANTING] Glass ship! Glass ship!

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING AND CHANTING] Glass ship!

LUKA

Now I really like this next question, I think you’re gonna like it too. How is it quirky or temperamental? VAL

I mean, we were just talking about 2014 Tumblr.

LAUREN

Oh no.

VAL

I do-

JESSE

We stole it from the President.

[LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

Yes.

VAL

I was gonna say, I think that the corners of the ship are in fact sorted based off of 2014 Tumblr fandoms.

LUKA

And that also ties into temperamental.

LAUREN

Yeah.

LUKA

I think.

LAUREN

Oh, yeah, definitely. Um, I do also like it being stolen from the President because I think if we’re gonna go- If we’re gonna get in the wayback machine we might as well just commit to it.

VAL

Yeah.

LUKA

Yeah. Okay, so this next question is basically what’s going to be [IN A SLIGHTLY GERMAN ACCENT] driving ze plot. Not to… I don’t know why I did that.

[LAUGHTER]

JESSE

[IN A BRITISH ACCENT] Felix Couvillion.

LUKA

[IN A GERMAN ACCENT] Felix Couvillion joining ze crew for today.

[THEY RESUME THEIR NATURAL ACCENT] Um-

VAL

Cheers.

LUKA

What does it lack that we need?

LAUREN

Ummm….

VAL

A sense of family.

[LAUREN SIGHS ADORINGLY]

[LAUGHTER]

VAL

You know what this ship needs? It’s some love.

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA

Okay. Mhm. Okay.

[LAUGHTER]

VAL

Maybe the real ship parts was the friends we made along the way.

LAUREN

[OVERLAPPING] The ship is powered by love. VAL

Yes.

LAUREN

And it’s about to fall out of the sky-

VAL

Yep.

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA Okay! Well the note that I had that was gonna drive the plot was that the engine was breaking, but I think that’s a metaphor for these bonds that our characters have, that are just- they’re being torn apart. They’ve gotta fix this family one way or another.

VAL

Yeah, no, the friendship dies, the ship dies.

LUKA

Okay, so, I think that’s pretty solid! So now we have to answer some individual questions on the ship. There’s two, they’re- I’ll ask them to each of you. I can start, if we want. So, first one is: how is the vessel home? Well, I think Atticus, as, um, someone who has built their image in 2014 Tumblr walked onto this skip and was like ‘Ah, finally. This is it.’

[LAUGHTER]

VAL

This is the Tumblr, like, island that people would post about back in the day.

LUKA

Yep.

VAL

This is what it’s like.

LUKA

Um, and the other question is: where do you find sanctuary in it? I think Atticus lives wherever the Superwholock corner is.

VAL

That’s what I was gonna say.

LAUREN I was gonna suggest the ball pit? [LAUGHTER]

LUKA Oh, no, you’re right! Atticus finds sanctuary in the ball pit! LAUREN [OVERLAPPING] I don’t want to like, push in on your thing, but-

LUKA

No, no, no, you’re right. I think the ball pit is like, right next door, to the Superwholock corner.

[VARIOUS UNINTELLIGIBLE REACTIONS]

LUKA (CONT’D) I think maybe the Superwholock corner is the bridge, and then there’s like, the ball pit is like, in the bridge-

JESSE

[OVERLAPPING PROTESTS] The ball pit is the bathroom.

LAUREN

[STRAINED] Do not! [LAUGHTER]

LUKA

Why did you have to do that to me?

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA (CONT’D) When you go in the bridge, Atticus, um, asks you if you have an extra hour in the ball pit.

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA (CONT’D) So I guess who wants to go next?

[VARIOUS UNSURE SOUNDS] JESSE

Um, I can go?

LUKA

[IN A BRITISH ACCENT] Alright, alright, alright, Lord Jensen. How is the vessel home?

JENSEN

Well, it’s home to me, because, um, my raccoons are here.

[QUIET LAUGHTER]

LUKA

I think the raccoons like the ball pit, probably. JESSE

Yep.

LUKA

Um, where do you find sanctuary in it?

JENSEN

I really like, um, [STUTTERING] The forbidden section of the ship that has Danganronpa discourse posts. [LAUGHTER]

[VARIOUS REACTIONS OF DISGUST AND DISAPPROVAL]

JENSEN (CONT’D)

Uh, but also I spend a lot of time in the dark academia section as well.

LAUREN

Uh… I…

LUKA

So true.

LAUREN

[STUTTERING] Okay, yeah, uh, uh-huh.

LUKA

Alright, [STUTTERING] Honey or Friday? Who’s next? VAL

Um, I’m trying to remember every Tumblr subculture that exists cause all my brain is giving me is Homestuck and I’m not doing that.

LUKA

Yeah, who’s taking on the Homestuck burden? [LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

I know nothing of this media [STUTTERING], so I probably shouldn’t.

LUKA

[STRAINED] I unfortunately do.

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA (CONT’D)

Can we cut that out?

[LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

[THROUGH LAUGHTER] Can we cut out the admission of guilt in there?

LUKA

[THROUGH LAUGHTER, STUTTERING] So, I guess, uh, Honey, how is the vessel home?

HONEY

You know, after… after the divorce, I was kind of a wanderer, um, you know, I really didn’t have anywhere to go, I was just kind of drifted from planet to planet, and this is the first vessel I’ve been on that really- that really feels like, you know, I could settle down in here, take off my boots, you know, have a nice warm cup of, um, tea, without honey, because you know those bees are overworked as shit.

[LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

The bees need to unionize.

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA

[THROUGH LAUGHTER] Where do you find sanctuary in it?

VAL

So… so I do think Honey finds sanctuary, in the, um, in the- [STUTTERING] I did the first half in character, I could probably do the second half.

HONEY

You know, um, I actually quite like the, um, the Welcome to Night Vale, um, little- little like, communications room. Just because, you know, they have all- I like, I like all the characters, um… [PURPOSEFULLY MISPRONOUNCED WITH A HARD C] C-Ceecil? And- and Carlos and I just think of what could have been, you know?

[ASSORTED MHMMS FROM THE OTHERS]

LUKA

Okay.

[LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

Cheers.

LUKA

Um, Friday. How is the vessel home?

FRIDAY

Well, um, vessel’s a lot homier than being an orphan on a planet ya don’t know. Um, and I like it because it’s about as big as- it’s home because it’s about as big as the one that I spent the beginning of my life on, so I can like close my eyes and kinda imagine that maybe there’s some cows or something like that.

LUKA

Mhmm. Where do you find sanctuary in it?

LAUREN

Um, that would be uh, the gun range.

[LAUGHTER]

VAL

[THROUGH LAUGHTER] And that’s the Homestuck one.

[LAUGHTER]

LUKA

I don’t know why we said the ball pit was the bathroom when Homestuck Sharpie Bath was right there.

[MORE LAUGHTER]

LAUREN

There is… guys…

LUKA

Okay, well.

LAUREN

That was great, I have to be going now.

[EVEN MORE LAUGHTER]

LUKA

Okay, well. We are done with our questions.

VAL

Are we starting the game now?

LUKA

We are starting the game now.

VAL

Alright.

LAUREN

[WHISPERED] Alright.

VAL

Tune in next for part two, which, unfortunately, has more Tumblr jokes.

[OUTRO MUSIC AND CREDITS PLAY.]

#heart of ether transcripts

3 notes · View notes

fandomandflowers · 4 years

Text

About Beta Readers: For Authors

This is a guide for those who are wanting to work with a Beta Reader.

I posted a guide for Beta Readers here, but even though this is aimed at authors, I think it is good to read as a Beta Reader too, as a lot of the messages apply both ways.

(There is also the fact that many Beta Readers are also Authors, and many Authors are Beta Readers)

These are just my thoughts on the matter having been a Beta Reader, had help from Beta Readers, and having friends who are writers and Beta Readers alike.

It should also be known that I don’t always listen to these. I’ll not say no when I should, or I’ll leave a fic in the middle for months before picking it up again while my Beta Reader hangs on, just waiting to know what happens next. But even so, I hope that anyone who reads this will take the information into consideration and do their best to consider things from a different perspective:

Beta Readers don’t work for you.

I wasn’t planning on putting this up the top, but actually, I think this rule is most important (watch out, I’ll say that a lot!) They work with you. They don’t work for you. While there are some who work for hire and money, that is not my point!

So work with them. Talk about your ideas. Ask questions. Open dialogue. This is an opportunity for you to grow as a writer, to learn from mistakes, and to see things from a different perspective.

And just as they don’t work for you, don’t expect them to do all of the work for you.

They’re not your personal spell-checker! That is what Grammarly is for, so use it. And if you can’t use it, then find a basic spell-checker. They’re very helpful! It is also helpful to have a dictionary and thesaurus so you don’t sound repetitive. Grammar guides and “The Emotion Thesaurus” by Angela Ackerton are good to have handy while writing.

I think one of the more annoying things as a Beta is when you put all this work into correcting SPaG, sentence structure and repetition; then the author just accepts all the corrections, not even looking through them. It is fine if you agree with every suggestion/ correction, some Beta Readers are just amazing like that. But what I mean is that you should be reading and considering each of them. This way you can see where you are making the same mistakes over and over, and learn, not repeating the mistake again.

Some things I have learned from Betas: When to capitalise titles, when to use a full stop rather than a comma in quotation marks, that it is great to be passionate about what I write, and that con-crit is super helpful when you ask for it.

Respect a Beta Reader’s limits.

If your Beta Reader tells you they have Arachnophobia, then it is your job to let them know if there are spiders in your piece of writing. This goes for everything. Just because you don’t get triggered or squicked by something doesn’t mean they don’t. Everyone has different things they can and can’t tolerate and different reactions. There are certain things where if I read them then it can lead to me spiraling and not being able to think of anything else for days.

It is your job to know what is in your fic. If someone says they won’t read a certain thing and it is in your fic. You must tell them. They might be okay with it, they might ask you to black it out, they may have to leave you to find another Beta. But you won’t know unless you tell them. Because I know for me, nothing will make me want to leave a fic more.

Know what you want.

Before you even start looking for a Beta Reader I recommend you have some clue what sort of help or advice you’re looking for. I am likely to think all of these notes are the most important, but trust me when I say that this one really is. Or if not the most important than for sure one of the most helpful notes.

Some things you should think about before asking around for a Beta Reader:

Are you after a critical analysis, or a cheerleader?

Is there a time restraint?

Is your writing in the final stages, or are after ideas?

What are you needing checks for? (these are some common ones)

SPaG

Britpicking

Flow and pace

Plot holes

Sentence structure and wording

Canon accuracy

Realistic dialogue

How you’re going to talk to them throughout the process

What content warnings you may need to give

The word count. (less something you have to think about, but definitely something you’ll need to communicate)

Once you think you have a general idea of what you’re after, then you need to actually tell your Beta Reader. They’re not mind-readers. This is really the most helpful information to receive as a Beta Reader.

If you have no clue what you’re really after then that is okay, just say that! You can ask your Beta what they think needs work… If they’re a regular Beta or have done it a couple of times then they’ll probably have a pretty good sense.

Communicate!

I’m trying not to be a Google Docs advertisement here but seriously, it is amazing! You can see each other in the doc, in real-time! There is a chat function in the top-right corner. Maybe I need to write a Google Docs fan piece. (*Writes that down in my notes*)

If your Beta corrected something and you don’t know why, having the ability to point it out and ask why is great! Talking things through and having someone to bounce ideas off of is one of my favorite parts of having Beta Readers!

It is also important that you be open and honest with them, if you have a preference for a certain platform then tell them! If you’re both going around in circles saying ‘oh, I don’t mind,’ then nothing is getting done, is it?

If you’re having issues in your personal life and can’t devote as much time to writing or looking over things with them, then tell your Beta that. Don’t ghost. Talk.

Commit to your story.

Be passionate! Care about your story! You don’t have to be in love with every aspect, you can not love it in general for all I care… But there has to be some sort of attachment to it, because if you don’t care about your own story, then why should I?

While there are different types of Beta Readers, for the most part, if you’re asking for someone to look over your work then you’re usually not far off posting. If that is the case then please do so! Or at the very least tell your Beta Reader

Don’t make us feel excited about the fic and never finish or publish it! If there is a valid reason then that’s okay, but really, if you’re looking for a Beta Reader you should either let them know that you may never finish it, or that you may not publish.

I am 100% guilty of this. And I am sorry to my friend A. who is still waiting for me to write an ending. I’ll get there, I promise!

If a reader says no, or drops out, don’t get angry at them.

Please! Things happen. Don’t get angry, it just makes everyone feel worse in a situation no-one is happy with to start. Besides, if you get mad then it is a pretty easy way to make sure they won’t come back or Beta for you again.

You’re allowed to say no, too.

This is my favorite note. This applies to everything in life, and sometimes it can be difficult to remember that you’re always allowed to say no.

If you put out the details of a fic and say you’re after a beta Reader, you’re allowed to say no to anyone who puts their hand up. As a matter of fact, I recommend it! It is your fic, your writing, your baby. While it is nice to help out people who’ve never Beta read before it is also important that you feel comfortable with the person who is about to be looking at your writing. (Especially with the amount of self-projection I put into my fics.)

You’re allowed to say no to suggestions. If your Beta Reader gets offended that you’re not accepting all of their suggestions then I would be questioning if they’re the right fit for you. I always recommend you read through every suggestion and think about them before accepting or rejecting them.

You’re allowed to say no to a Beta in the middle of them going through your document, (just tell them first.) It is your creation, and you should always feel safe and comfortable with whoever is looking at your rough, unfinished work.

You’re allowed to say no to anything and everything.

Don’t say ‘I don’t take criticism well’ to your Beta.

It is perfectly valid not to take con-crit (constructive criticism) well; I certainly don’t. The point of a Beta is to give you con-crit to help you improve. It is okay to have feelings about your writing; I am very sensitive about everything I write. But if you’re asking for a Beta Reader, then that is what you’re asking for. You can tell your Beta if you’re more after cheerleading or critical analysis, or maybe a bit of both. (Always communicate what you’re after.)

But if you tell your chosen Beta that you’re not good at taking con-crit, then it can put them in a tough spot; they may feel like to be able to help you then they have to hurt you, and I don’t think anyone ever wants to feel like that. And for me, if it is a choice between hurting my friends or leaving them. Then there is no choice, I will leave.

If you’ve already told them in another context that you’re not good at taking con-crit and they are worried, then tell them that there is a difference between unsolicited con-crit and asking for it. A big difference.

Stan our beloved Beta Readers.

I know someone who records themself reading the document and correcting things as they think of them. That is pretty gosh darn cool! I wasn’t sure where to put that… but I think it is important to say that writing and Beta Reading, they’re fun! That is the whole point, so have fun! Chat about your creation and as I frequently do, gush about the characters! Talk about your favorite lines! Because you’re allowed to love and be proud of your work. I recommend it, it is such a lovely feeling.

We stan our Beta Readers. They give us so much help and encouragement; help us learn and grow. I hope that every passionate writer finds a Beta Reader just as passionate. Because making friends, to me, is the best feeling in the world.

#beta reader #fandom #fanfiction

9 notes · View notes

basilflowers · 4 years

Text

About Beta Readers: For Authors

This is a guide for those who are wanting to work with a Beta Reader.

I posted a guide for Beta Readers here, but even though this is aimed at authors, I think it is good to read as a Beta Reader too, as a lot of the messages apply both ways.

(There is also the fact that many Beta Readers are also Authors, and many Authors are Beta Readers)

These are just my thoughts on the matter having been a Beta Reader, had help from Beta Readers, and having friends who are writers and Beta Readers alike.

Beta Readers don’t work for you.

So work with them. Talk about your ideas. Ask questions. Open dialogue. This is an opportunity for you to grow as a writer, to learn from mistakes, and to see things from a different perspective.

And just as they don’t work for you, don’t expect them to do all of the work for you.

Respect a Beta Reader’s limits.

Know what you want.

Some things you should think about before asking around for a Beta Reader:

Are you after a critical analysis, or a cheerleader?

Is there a time restraint?

Is your writing in the final stages, or are after ideas?

What are you needing checks for? (these are some common ones)

SPaG

Britpicking

Flow and pace

Plot holes

Sentence structure and wording

Canon accuracy

Realistic dialogue

How you’re going to talk to them throughout the process

What content warnings you may need to give

The word count. (less something you have to think about, but definitely something you’ll need to communicate)

Communicate!

If you’re having issues in your personal life and can’t devote as much time to writing or looking over things with them, then tell your Beta that. Don’t ghost. Talk.

Commit to your story.

I am 100% guilty of this. And I am sorry to my friend A. who is still waiting for me to write an ending. I’ll get there, I promise!

If a reader says no, or drops out, don’t get angry at them.

You’re allowed to say no, too.

This is my favorite note. This applies to everything in life, and sometimes it can be difficult to remember that you’re always allowed to say no.

You’re allowed to say no to anything and everything.

Don’t say ‘I don’t take criticism well’ to your Beta.

Stan our beloved Beta Readers.

TL;DR

Beta Readers don’t work for you.

Respect a Beta Reader’s limits.

Know what you want.

Communicate!

Commit to your story.

If a reader says no, or drops out, don’t get angry at them.

You’re allowed to say no, too.

Don’t say ‘I don’t take criticism well’ to your Beta.

Stan our beloved Beta Readers.

#beta reader #basil guide #writing #advice #fanfiction #snarry

17 notes · View notes

livlepretre · 4 years

Note

I'm so glad you decided to do this ask game. I love your writing style and have been curious about 4, 11, and 54 for a while. Thank you for being so interactive about your writing!

💙💙💙 honestly thank you for asking! I love interacting with all of you here on tumblr, and honestly, talking about writing gives me a lot of energy to see through really long projects (you all know which one).

4. Do you have writing habits or rituals?

Yes! The most helpful habit I’ve developed is actually finding the right time of day (for me) to write-- I’m best in the mornings, so the first thing I do 2-4 mornings a week is caffeinate and open up my word doc with my wip. Often I’ll reread a few scenes from where I left off to get myself going, and then I write for an hour or two. My thoughts are so much clearer in the early mornings, before I head to work and exhaust my mental energies, that the work flows really freely-- I can often cover the same terrain by writing first thing that I might take all day to cover if I get started, say, on a Saturday in the early afternoon (sad but true).

I also do like to amp myself up with songs, but I don’t listen to any music WHILE writing-- only beforehand. I find music during writing to be way too distracting.

I only ever write sober, because I find even a glass of wine throws me way too far off my game (and I hate squinting at my screen). But the more caffeine the better.

Also, detailed below: I OUTLINE LIKE A FIEND

11. Describe your writing process from scratch to finish.

hmmm okay

so, often an idea will hit me and I will immediately have maybe 3-10 pages that flow really fast... but then I’ll stutter out

so after that comes the outline.

and I mean: OUTLINE

I put my outline at the bottom of my word document, below the scenes that I’ve already written-- for FE this started as a pretty basic series of like, maybe a dozen bullet points overall. As I kept brainstorming and writing and thinking about it, I started having more specific plot points. Every time an idea occurred to me, I added it to the outline. In the beginning this was a very flow of consciousness outline, not even bullet-pointed, just paragraphs and paragraphs detailing in often vague terms the broad strokes of what I wanted to happen and what the emotional beats would be. I think it really has helped me with FE that I had a lot of the BIG moments outlined before I started writing, including the ending, so I knew the narrative arcs and could foreshadow a lot of things, even if a lot of the chapters get written between updates and I have added in a lot of things that have just sort of naturally developed. The good news is that if you overall stick the outline, you can also add a lot of other things in.

I review my outline A LOT.

Before I write any particular chapter, I look through the outline, and figure out which pieces I want to include in the chapter. I then go through and MINIMUM outline by bullet point the scenes that will be in that chapter-- although, I like to have the next 5-10 chapters outlined that thoroughly so that I know exactly where I am heading. I cannot stress enough how hard it is for me to write without a blue print.

Sometimes I write a scene that I end up not using. Rather than deleting it, I move it to the bottom of my word document-- often these scenes can be revised later to fit into the story.

I also write at the bottom of my outline any scenes/dialogue that pops into my head that I know will happen later. This way, I have it on hand when I get to it.

For the actual writing, once I start writing a chapter, I pretty much work on it every day until it’s done-- sometimes all I do is tinker with the outline, or write a few sentences, and sometimes I wrote 4,000 words-- it doesn’t matter how much or how little, because in writing, every word is a victory.

I try to apply the same rule to my creative writing as to my essay writing--just get the idea/emotions/plot out, describe it as clearly as possible, and any finangling with words can be wrestled with on a later pass.

I usually reread each chapter 5 or 6 times before posting-- often it’s the first thing I do when I open the doc up to write. This is often a good chance to add in connecting scenes, change sentences slightly, or revise paragraphs so that they fit into any emotional arcs/discoveries later in the chapter. I often change lines because earlier writing contradicts something I want to say later in the chapter, or use the chance of the reread to change words/restructure sentences.

When I get lost, I make character motive charts. Like, I write down each character’s name, and I come up with a list of what each person’s motive is. I then try to come up with a definitive action each person can take to accomplish their goals. Hopefully at least some of these characters will be in conflict.

Whenever I get to a major inflection point in the story, like, whenever I am about to drop a major plot reveal or change the course of events in some way, I do a major reread-- I reread my whole fic start to finish and use the notes app to copy and paste any paragraphs that are important (from my view as the writer) into a note so that I can keep track. This could include any paragraphs with foreshadowing, plot threads that have not been tied up, characterization notes I’ve forgotten about... anything at all that will help me wrap up anything I may have forgotten about.

For that matter, the notes app on my phone is also where I punch in anything that occurs to me in the middle of the night or when I’m at work, running errands, etc.

I basically repeat this process, until I find myself at the end.

Long story short: It’s all about the outline!

54. Any writing advice you want to share?

Find your best time to write and take advantage-- when do you feel most mentally alert? when do you feel most inspired? for me it’s early in the morning-- I could potentially write 7 days a week if I wrote at night, but I find I can get a ton more done in 2-4 days of 1 or 2 hours of focused writing than I could blearily staring at my screen. So, even if your BEST window is only available a couple of days a week, that is still a HUGELY productive window of time that will lead to good things!

Outline. As mentioned above.

If you only write one sentence today, you’ve done the hardest thing: you’ve written. One sentence as often as possible will eventually make it easier to write two sentences as often as possible, and so on.

Writing is a continuous act of self-improvement. I try not to worry about revising my work too much after I’ve hit publish, instead recognizing that there are fics easily accessible on the internet that I wrote when I was sixteen and yes they are highkey embarrassing but they’re also kind of a badge of honor because wow, I’ve gone from struggling to write a short 2,000 word story to working on an epic length novel. And what people say is true: it is an agonizing process to hit publish, full of self-doubt and hand-wringing (I cannot tell you how often FE has made me NERVOUS because of the content), but the beautiful thing about writing is that when you put it out into the world, you’re giving it over as a gift for everyone else. So, try to let yourself just write as much as possible.

Be honest in your writing. Go ahead and squash that little voice in your head telling you to hold back on the emotions, to be more solemn, more restrained. So long as you write your heart, it will be true, and there will be people who will connect with the writing because of that.

#anonymous #ask game #on writing

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paradigmsofbrittaperry · 4 years

Note

I have yet to read your fic, but Abed sounds like himself from what I've seen. Good job on that! I have to ask, though, any advice on starting to write? I think a lot about the skeletons of the writing, the plot structure and characters and that. Hell, earlier I typed up a Google Doc full of improvements I'd make to Community for about an hour. I think a lot about how to improve the things I love; you might say I'm an obsessive idealist. Still, while I'm not sure I even want to go about drafting

(pt.2) and writing dialogue and descriptions and all that, some familiarity couldn't hurt. Again, advice?

thank you!! soooo I let this roll around in my brain for a minute and came up with a list of things to help get into writing. I’m by no means a professional or a definitive source, this is just based on my experience of being a part of various creative writing clubs since I was really young, taking classes, and of course, writing fic.

- start small. if you’re brand new to writing that’s not done for school/classes, the best thing to do (in my opinion) would be to take things one step at a time. take an idea you have for a scene between two characters and write it out, even if you’re not sure if you want it to fit into a larger piece or be continued. honestly this is all that a good portion of my fics are; single scenes that I had an idea for and wrote out and published without any extra context. that’s not to say that you can’t start out with your big Community rewrite, but if you’re lost on where to start, start writing out a scene idea that you’re really excited about!

- do some form of planning. I know I’ve talked about how disorganized my writing process is in the past, so this may come across as a bit hypocritcal. but planning doesn’t have to entail filling out a detailed plot diagram. planning can be a single bullet point at the top of a Word document that contains the basic idea of what you want to write. for example, the planning for that work that I was just advertising was simply “OT3 getting called out by Abed, misunderstanding when Jeff gets upset afterwards” and I wrote from there. however, that form of planning doesn’t work for everyone and especially might not be helpful for beginners. a lot of people like creating really detailed outlines of the scenes they want to write and, more or less, filling in the gaps with dialogue and descriptions. for longer projects in particular, it can be really helpful to fill out a plot structure diagram or even Dan Harmon’s story circle, if you’re so inclined. if you’re overwhelmed by the idea of filling one of those out, just write some bullet points! if you think that a few bullet points won’t be enough to help you structure your story, try filling out one of those! every writer’s planning process is unique and what works for one person may not work for another. don’t be afraid to experiment and try out different methods to see what works best for you.

- if you’re brand new to dialogue writing as a whole, try looking up some guides from professionals on how to do it effectively! I’ve referenced this one quite a bit lately while trying to take my dialogue to the next level. one of the benefits of starting out with fanfiction is that you can practice writing dialogue for established characters with established personalities and speech patterns. when I first started writing Jeffbritta fic, for example, I went back and rewatched my favorite episodes that heavily feature them interacting with one another to get a sense of a) how they talk and b) how they talk to each other. turning on captions while watching was also helpful so that I could see their lines in written form and translate that style to my own writing.

- same goes for descriptions. most writers will say that the hardest part of writing isn’t the big emotional moments or the sudden revelations or anything else that one typically gets excited to write; it’s the mundane actions. it’s the “she stood up and walked over to the door” and “he bent down to tie his shoe” and “she poured herself a glass of lemonade” and everything else like that. it can be hard to describe action in a way that doesn’t feel robotic. however, this is absolutely something that improves with time and experience. this guide isn’t half bad for beginners, though as with dialogue, I would encourage you to go out and read what professional/published authors have to say.

- know that there are no wrong answers! everyone starts somewhere. at the risk of sounding cliche, writing is an extremely personal thing. everyone has their own way of planning and their own way of drafting and their own way of approaching dialogue and their own vocabulary and their own favorite literature that influences the way that they write and their own life experiences. find authors that you like and incorporate things that you like about their style into yours! try describing how characters look in a few different ways! play with dialogue and character relationships and how you write them interacting! there will always be something that every writer on the planet can improve about their work. but at the end of the day, no matter your perceived skill level or experience or if you keep your writing to yourself or publish it, you can be proud of the fact that it’s yours. creating is a beautiful thing. if writing makes you happy, you don’t have to put any more thought into it than that. for me, writing is a hobby. I write what I enjoy writing and nothing more. that doesn’t mean that I’m not constantly looking for ways to improve my work or that I don’t love getting feedback and sharing it with the world. but I’m not trying to become the next Great American Author, and there’s absolutely no shame in that!

I hope that at least parts of this were somewhat helpful. admittedly, I got a little bit carried away because this is the first time I’ve been asked something like this. my tl;dr is familiarize yourself with the basics of structuring a plot/dialogue/descriptive action, then go forth and create if creating is what makes you happy!

#this got so long i'm so sorry but i really hope it helps!!#writer friends feel free 2 add on #bri speaks #writing tag #lordlicorice1977

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immortalcockroach · 5 years

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21 + 15 + 8!

asdfghjkl rose thank you for asking ♥️ this ended up coming out incredibly long, so i apologize in advance!

8) where do you take your inspiration from?

surprising! mostly from visual media, actually. graphics, art, moodboards, films, tv series, that kind of stuff. occasionally, music, and even more rarely, written media (fics, books, poems, similar). that’s for when i’m starting to get ideas. when i already have something written or ideas developed a bit more, then i have a moodboard on pinterest and a playlist on spotify, or i watch something that has the same mood/theme as the thing i’m writing.

15) if you write oc’s, how do you decide on their names?

i don’t usually write oc’s for fics, but i do them for my original stuff. the names depend on the characters’ background and location, but they all have a name that either sounds specific to their character or who they’re supposed to be, or the meaning is very connected.

in other cases, most of the time, i just go ‘woah this sounds cool’ or sometimes i build a whole character because of their name and subsequently the whole story.

21 tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? what is it about them that you admire?

i love this question!! let me give my favourite fic writers a shoutout, even though i’m probably missing some too!! it’s really long but honestly these people worked hard and they really deserve it

@grumpybell‘s ideas are absolutely brilliant. i’m a huge fan. the stories themselves, the plots would be enough for me to have a whole paragraph about, but for me, the characters are where it’s at. well-developed, very true to the canon but also to the universe the fic is set in, but also very well-rounded and overall realistic. the fics just flow really nice, honestly, and i could read them for eternity.

fic shoutout: oh darling, here’s hoping god i remember reading this red riding hood au and just... falling in love. i did. i fell in love with bellamy as the wolf and clarke’s desperation to save him, and the new take on the fairy tale, it was just absolute perfection. i keep coming to it every once in a while, honestly. it’s just magic.

@asroarke is one of those people who are just integrated into a fandom’s fanfiction. imagining t100 fanfiction with asroarke is like... imagining the sky without the stars. i think those fics were the first ones i read when i joined the fandom, and i remember one of the things i thought was how easy it was to read. everything flowed as if there was no effort needed, as if the words have always been there, just plucked and placed on a blank document. and the consistency, honestly, damn. these fics are better than probably more than half of published stuff i’ve read.

fic shoutout: drag me down. look there’s a pattern here and it’s the mythical/legends/fairy tale aus. i present you with a retelling of little mermaid in the most beautiful, soul-wrenching way. i waited every single chapter for when i came out. i read it as soon as i saw it came out, even if i was in the middle of grabbing coffee with a friend. honestly everything by asroarke is absolutely fantastic.

@blvke-bellamy okay look. when i saw may is just 15 i nearly fell off my chair. i’d kill to have that talent at 15. i would. look, i keep saying look, because i’m shook. but honestly, may’s characterization is brilliant. she took my faves from the 100 and managed to insert them into a different universe, and they feel so much like the original characters and not at all. the dynamics between them are so raw and so pure and so believable i cried at one particular scene in her fic. or it might be two scenes. and look, this is impressive on its own, and then knowing she’s just 15...god.

fic shoutout: step into the sun is a bellarke tangled au and honestly. i’m a slut for tangled. it’s so damn good. and this fic?? inspired by tangled?? absolutely brilliant. marvelous. 11/10. brought my fish to life. and honestly murphy is my favourite in the fic, literally one of my favourite portrayals of him in every fic i’ve ever read. i binged this. i lost sleep over this. no ragrets.

@pawprinterfanfic (i’m biased but. in top 3 fic writers ever. and i’ve been in a lot of popular fandoms.) paw manages to take a universe and make it hers. paw manages to create a universe out of nothing and make it feel more realistic than my own life. and honestly, i am reading her hunger games au right now and it’s amazing, but the best part is that i’m also reading the harry potter au which is even better and although both are masterpieces, i can see the improvement. the development of the characters, the amount of effort in planning and mapping things out, it’s marvellous. her fics just speak to me on a different level, it feels as if i’m experiencing them myself rather than reading them, and what i’m mostly in awe of is how immersed i am in those fics, especially the newer ones. i feel like it’s a rare skill to have.

fic shoutout: starry eyes and galaxy minds (we’ll be dancing on the clouds at night) which is a spider-man au, and honestly, i cried. it’s beautiful. it’s a masterpiece. but so is literally every single one of paw’s stories, so it was a really difficult choice. the harry potter one? j k rowling wishes she wrote it.

skai_heda (i don’t know their tumblr please someone help me find it). where do i begin. honestly. when i started reading the fic i put below, i was mesmerised by the writing style. it was partly in second pov which i’d usually refuse to read, but this writing style is something that belongs to gods. the characterization is amazing, it manages to fix some of the stuff in canon without actually changing it. everything just comes together naturally, and i always feel so satisfied when reading their fics. plus, the writing style again, especially in the fic below, is flawless. some people can create magic with their words, and i’m convinced i’ve just found one.

fic shoutout: everything that comes after deserves so much!! more!! attention!!! i remember reading the first two chapters and just being like...wooow. i was starstruck. i left a long ass comment. it’s so unique and so beautiful. it’s the only fic on this list written in the canon universe, and it’s one of my favourites i’ve ever read about the canon universe. it hurts. it makes you cry, and ache, and understand, and smack your head because you just want people to be happy. if i could pocket the way this fic made me feel, i would always keep it with me. (a little frustration, but a whole lotta love.)

give me a number and i’ll answer questions about writing fanfiction

just in case you’d like to see the same questions answered for non-fanfiction/non-fanfiction influence, see below!

15) if you write oc’s, how do you decide on their names?

specific example of mentioned above - a wip about teenagers who come from a rich side of town and a poor side. there’s posh names, like cedric, declan, byron and gregory, for people who are supposed to represent the posh, stuck-up class; hadley, tessa, abigail, kate for privileged people who are the ‘good guys’; and luca, oliver, han, freddie, who are from the poor side. it’s very classist so it was very important that the names represent the characters. usually, i go for the “vibe” of the name over the meaning, to be honest.

21 tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? what is it about them that you admire?

i love this question!!

fiction: maggie stiefvater, because her raven cycle series genuinely feels like magic when i read it. the characters are brilliant. erin morgenstern, who wrote the night circus, because that novel also feels like magic. donna tart’s the secret history feels as if you’re reading a secret and the storytelling sort of reminds me of f. scott fitzgerald’s the great gatsby in a way i can’t really describe. she creates a beautiful, magnificent atmosphere and you know what the characters are doing is wrong, but you completely understand them and it makes me, as a reader, question my own moral standards. madeline miller’s the song of achilles is a beautifully written masterpiece that made me fall in love with mythology, legends and history all over again. the way she develops the characters and retells the story i’ve heard a million times is so poetic and beautiful it just resonates with me on a different level. and finally, leigh bardugo with her six of crows series that again, makes me question my morals, but shows the friendship and loyalty between people in a beautiful way. it also shows a romance that i think is one of best written i’ve read, up there for me romances from the novels/series i’ve already mentioned.

there’s a pattern - storytelling and character-building that feels almost otherworldly, very focused on emotions and character development. basically, stories that you feel like as if they were made into films without proper, detailed development, wouldn’t translate well enough to bring the world to the screen. and romances incredibly well-developed over time, that go beyond just being romances and actually show a beautiful connection.

special mention of these directors, as they have a huge influence on my writing: christopher nolan, john krasinski, quentin tarantino, m night shyamalan, steven knight, guillermo del toro, alfred hitchcock, for their storytelling and character building. also, some of these are for the suspense that seems to come naturally. i know most of these are very popular directors, but they’re popular for a reason. i could literally write an essay on each of these people, honestly. my writing is very inspired by motion pictures, i most often look up to how these directors approached some things that i have in my writing, especially themes. (this could literally be a whole essay on its own)

#zoyanasyalenzky #god this took me ages #fic rec #the 100 #bellarke #these are all bellarke fics #i should probably say this #also #fic talk #rose #i had so much fun though #and there's so many people i haven't put in here #mostly because i'm exhausted #i just really love reading these people's fics #ask me questions if you want horribly long answers #i'll always deliver #also i might do a fic rec soon #probably should ah

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andagii-writes · 6 years

Text

“A Drop Echoes” Postmortem

Or as I like to think of it, a grand old vomitfest that I've been writing in between chapters so I can keep myself oriented on the fic. And I waited until I finished uploading A Drop Echoes in the Hollow to post it here.

Speaking of which, did you guys enjoy it? While I see all the comments and kudos and bookmarks on AO3, as well as reviews, favorites, and follows on fanfiction.net, I just want to ask. It's literally been nearly 6 years since I posted ANY fanfic online, and having had a not-so-good experience with online socializing or collaboration before, I'd been fairly apprehensive to start posting again.

Shout-out to both Ginger and Draco @gingerdrakewrites and their fics for giving me the courage to move on from those bad memories, and spurring me to start writing and posting again.

I’m here to share some thoughts with y'all about this here fic, 'kay? It's gonna be a long one so pull up a chair, warm up a tea or coffee or cocoa or whatever, drape yourself in a blanket, and relax.

Regarding Kutone

Writing professors told us all the time, that the first full-length project we finish will almost always be some kind of autobiography.

While I haven't had the same tribulations as Kutone, yeah, she is my autobiography.

Mixed race, Afro-Asian. Fairly successful in academia and supposedly has the potential to do more, but she throws it away to pursue something for her own sake. Overcomes self-inflicted isolation and learns to trust and love people again. (Admittedly, I'm nowhere close to doing that last bit.)

After that, she's the ideal I want to be.

Successful. Cool. Sexy. Independent. A little bit taller. A bit of a baller. Badass. Experienced. Confident. I count all these things she has that I don't, and I shrivel up inside.

So here's Kutone, the woman I wish I could be, and I, as the writer, pushed her off her pedestal and shattered her. It felt nice. That there's character development, supposedly.

Writing professors and college-level workshop mates also told me "don't use exotic names for your characters."

To that I say fuck all y'all.

Regarding Sebastian

AKA, the major reason why I decided to purchase Stardew Valley in the first place. Funny story, this one. I was scrolling through the screenshots on the Stardew Valley Steam page, and I think there was a screenshot that happened to show Sebastian's sprite. "Oh okay," I think, "he's kinda cute."

My sister charges in, takes one look at the screenshot, and says, "Man I was about to say he's cute, but god that nose..."

And as we cackled at Sebastian’s expense, I bought the game and started playing it. Made Kutone my avatar (meaning she seriously had no significance until I developed a certain businessman...) and started futzing around in Stardew Valley. With Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing under my belt, I got it pretty quickly.

Met Sebastian and had to put my head down for a few minutes.

‘This man is a reflection of me,’ I thought. I know a lot of other players feel the same way, like the dev had unknowingly taken a piece of my psyche, molded it into pixels and coding, and then, huh, here's a relatable character named Sebastian. That being said, I wanted to write him in a way that avoided the usual tags and labels people tend to slap him under: "emo," "goth," "depressed," "anxious," "gloomy," and basically every other iteration of those words that I felt made him so... meh, you know?

I settled on a new label for him, a label intrinsic to A Drop Echoes: "pathologically introverted."

The guy's actually really expressive, you know. It's just that, due to not being able to wholly trust anyone, he doesn't readily show those expressions. Which would explain why he's such close friends with Sam, and it also gives him a whole other layer of characterization to work with. Minimal, yet loaded. I guess that's where the popular "emo" tag comes from, but I'm still not a fan of the nuances of that label. Yes, he's emotional, and he tries, I think, to not show it, but in the face of sheer logos (like Demetrius), Sebastian knows he doesn't stand a chance. He's hyper aware of the fact he's emotional, but can't compromise that with his more logical side. So he shuts it away.

He needs a safe place to open up. Sam is that safe place. Abigail is that safe place. To a lesser extent, Robin is that safe place. And in writing A Drop Echoes, I wanted him to find another safe place--a permanent safe place--in Kutone. Someone who's a lot closer to him in personality, and someone who seriously puts her faith in him as a safe place. More than anything else in his life, that reciprocation is the magic he needs to "come alive" again. After that is a matter of, will he take it and run and see how far he can go? He knows he has potential. And he has his plan: take his bike out and never look back. Head out to the city and live his ideal life there. Does he fulfill it?

The original game didn't let him.

I like to think Kutone did.

Regarding Rhei

Origin? I had a crush on someone a lot like him--though mine was more angelic in comparison to devilish Rhei--at the same time I remembered a rule in a handbook about no dating in the same workplace. Yeah...

Anyway, based on what I eyeballed from the comments, about 96% of you hated Rhei. How do you feel about him now? Tell me things!

At the time I wrote the chapter starring him, I made this post, which was basically me fangirling over my own character.

Bet you didn't click it. That's okay. TL;DR, Rhei very nearly destroyed the rest of this fic, because Kutone was thiiiiiiis close to getting back together with him. Maybe in some AU version of the fic, they did, and that would be an interesting story on its own. She would have totally broken Sebastian's heart. Totally. That would have been some fun angst to write, but dealing with love triangles and their fallouts--even thinking about that concept makes me shrivel up inside.

I actually have an entire standalone document detailing Rhei and Kutone's relationship! How it started, how Jaci got involved, how successful Rhei and Kutone were, how deeply in love they were. They were too perfect for each other, so they burned up like blazing sawdust. This piece is their theme song. (Also I'm in love with biosphere mkay spare me.)

Regarding Changes

Grading myself here, I think I'm at a B-?

I did good on this fic. Still a good chunk of room for improvement, but despite the fact I want nothing more than to get it out of my face, I like what I've done. Like damn. I wrote a book and I kinda like it.

Things I'd change:

1. Wordiness - I do get too purple in some places, but I also would not sacrifice my prose poetry in certain parts either. 2. Risks - I thought about a lot of these. For instance, Kutone should have slept with Alex, and Seb should have caught them. Again, like Rhei barging in, this would have changed the entire arc of the fic, and I believe that once you cheat, there's no going back to what you were before. Doubt's always going to be a source of conflict in the relationship, and I refuse to believe people like Sebastian or Kutone would ever trust each other again if an affair was on the table. So I shriveled away from that risk too. Sometimes, I gotta let my imagination go there, and see where each rabbit hole takes me, y'know? 3. Omit BS - I'd either cut or fuse a lot of the early chapters. Also, much as I love Alex, a couple of his chapters were really unnecessary. 4. Character arc/Story arc - Is it even there? It needs more! What is even a climax? That was always the one point in the "mapping plot arcs" lessons that I could NEVER understand! More studying necessary.

Any other thoughts? Anything you guys want to ask me about A Drop Echoes before I fully focus on Sunset Stars? Ask me anything, send me your thoughts, theories, conspiracies, cries of mercy, comments or questions to my characters, anything at all, to my lonely inbox.

Also, lastly, but not least, I want to use this moment to thank you all again. For real. Thank you for your love and support, and thank you especially for cheering Kutone on to the end.

With that...

#stardew valley #sdv sebastian #stardew farmer #writing #fanfiction #wip complete #postmortem #writeblr #a drop echoes #sunset stars #ocs #anda's ocs #personal review

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howsareeasy · 6 years

Text

it isn’t failure; it’s data

Equipment: mac pro 2014 with inbuilt mic. Moto G3 (and then Moto G6) for reading via the Adobe Acrobat PDF reader. For hosting purposes, Dropbox and Mediafire. Software: both GarageBand and Audacity.

There’s 1600 words under the cut. Or you can read here over at Dreamwidth if it’s easier

Chose: GaragageBand or Audacity: For the sheer scope of the information gathered alone, Audacity. I held out on using Audacity until I got my head around GarageBand, because GB was Apple. I did five of my first podfics in GarageBand (and the last six in Audacity). I'm glad that I did GarageBand before I got into Audacity, because Audacity didn't feel that difficult when I got my head around it, because I already had my wars with GarageBand. Although I do like GarageBand for the ease of rerecording (you literally just record over the offending area), and insertion of silences, it has a lot of drawbacks. For instance, when it comes to longer files (about 180mins) it will start to eat your files. In addition, because not many people use GarageBand, information on troubleshooting is pretty rare, and Apple insists on upgrading and changing the interface ever so often. As a result, a lot of people I know are working from their legacy interface from 2014. It doesn't help me with what I have now. I only know one person (other than myself) who worked in GarageBand, and got tired of bugging her (she's busy and took ages to respond to my questions, because she's BUSY). whereas with Audacity, there are enough people to have a wiki. There are guides everywhere in terms of how to use Audacity, especially podfic specific guides. Overall, Audacity is a bit more straightforward, once you know what to look for. The wiki is relatively comprehensive and easy to follow. For instance, once I got my head around recording edits and putting them in the spaces where they needed to be, the process of recording patches then patching them for reedits is fairly straight forward. Audacity has the advantage of doing more pin point edits when it comes to mouth noises, and general cleaning up of fic background noises with noise plates. Audacity's envelope application is a lot better and smoother than GarageBand's fades (in terms of say, if you want to have music fading in or out of your narrative). Now, I don't think I'm going to be the sort of person to use music in a podfic unless the writer is pretty much waving semaphore flags and going - this piece of music here!- but it's a neat effect. Hardest thing about podficcing: For me, it was getting the reading down pat, to be honest. When I listen to my first five podfics, I'm surprised at how fast I'm reading, so every reading it's been me telling myself to slow down. It's one of the reasons why I started to edit as I go, because it forced me to refocus, and check my speed when rabbiting along. Then because my reading got slower, I could engage in the process of the fic more. However, as I grew more confident with the reading flow, I'd allow myself to read through a chapter or so, and then go back and edit. I didn't really get the concept of what a read/performance was until podfic 7, I guess (AO3 is down now, so I can't remember what it is. I want to say Cloud City). The whole concept of pauses in podfic and how that's a part of hitting the ear didn't really strike me until about podfic 10 (Stay In My Eyeline to the point where I took it down and recut for silences). But I think podfic 9 (Good Timing), made me happy enough with my narrative and voice bits. As much as podfic 11 KICKED MY ARSE, I'm more or less happy with the pauses and spaces in the fic. I mean, I could have done more, let the quiet spill out, especially towards the ending, but you can only learn by doing. I'm not going to beat up myself with the first podfics, tbh, because no one is born a master. Now, that last podfic. I don't think I had any hubris with the first ten podfics. I tried to improve on every one as I went on, and I think they got better quality wise when I jumped over to Audacity, because again, because of noise plates and edits made for a cleaner product (I could get rid of the 'clunk' sound when I'd stop the recording), but that last podfic (Now That I'm In Madrid) almost made me rage quit many a time. Between the file deletions, Audacity freezing, my files crashing, having to borrow someone else's PC to get my three hour files on as well as the edits, the installation of my mpegg plug in refusing to deal on my macbook (until I had to manually install it, after overriding Apple’s admin permissions to accept the plug in), only to export the chapters and not being able to bundle them into a book. Plus my voice turning to gravelly mush in the last third of the reading, it's been a hard knock on my confidence, to be honest. To the point where, I'm like, "Yeah, I liked podficcing, I guess? But erm... I don't think it likes me much." That being said, I really like the last story, and I'm sorry that I didn't do my best by it, but it was beyond my ken. To the point where, if I had to redo the podfic (lol, no), I couldn't do it any better right now, and that's fine. Reading source: A lot of people read their fic on screen while the recording is going on in the background. I tend to read directly from my smartphone, using the Adobe PDF app. I do like the app because you can highlight bits, and insert comments on the document, it's also smooth scrolling experience reading wise. My Moto G6 has more power and a better screen so it's an easier read. File hosting: Dropbox and MediaFire are relatively straightforward. They are fine. Most annoying bit of podficcing: Podfic covers. As much as I know that they didn't have to be made, I pretty much did it, because people do expect them (before Itsadrizzit started the push to overturn the practice). I wouldn't do anything beyond a text box now, but podfic covers came at the worst time for me. After recording, edits, and listen throughs and before uploading for hosting. I forever whinged around that. Most surprising bit of podficcing: The edits, I guess? I didn't mind them at all. I can do edits while being sociable, whereas for preprepping and doing the reading itself, I had to lock myself away and put my phone on 'do not disturb' mode. Would I podfic again? I don't have the resources, nor will I be in a position to get a new laptop for the while so, no, I don't know. More no than yes. It depends? As it is, I can't risk anything more than a 60 min run time (no more than 9.5k word count) and even then, I do wonder if I should review that to 30 mins (about 3-4k word count) because I can't trust my equipment. It makes no sense to set your stall up for anything less than a 2k word count. It's too much hassle for me to find an empty space and record for anything under 1.8k at least. Not to mention the edits, listen through (ugh) and hosting. I can't do anything chaptered in terms of podbooks (because I don't know how to bundle the chapters to export without having ppl downloading 24 separate files and I don't have the bandwidth to deal with that right now. I'd just do a basic .m4b file, although I hear that people aren't fans and NEED. CHAPTERED .m4b podfic, but these madams will have to deal). My computer cannot be trusted to splice various files together (for instance, if I wanted to do a fic with a run time of 180mins, I'd have to do three 60min files, then splice them together. My computer crashed twice doing that feat, so no). This is tragic, because it's knee capped what I wanted to do. Liiiiike that 25k fic to pod in my bookmarks is now deleted (170 mins run time, three files of 57 mins give or take). Overall, yay or nay? Yay! I'd like to think that I have shown respect for podficcers before, but after doing it for three weeks (11 podfics in three weeks, but I spent two weeks before doing the research) my respect is tenfold. It's not just reading what's on the page, but reacting to it with a mixture of control with the air of surprise. There's an art to it, as well as the technical bits, be it just having a fluid and enjoyable listening experience. Hell, just reading aloud alone is its own feat of stamina. There's the weighing up of file hostings, and this on top of the lack of Blanket Permissions, so if you find a fic that you want to do but there's no BP, you're out of luck, and there are far too many writers who are really arsey toward the whole medium. Conclusion: So, yeah, my experiment ends here! It wasn't a total failure, but it hasn't been an activity brimming with triumphant successes either. Thanks for the weigh ins and the advice from the podficcers who've been doing this for a minute. If you're a writer and are reading this, please think about including a BP in your profiles, even if it's a yes, maybe so (please ask) or hell no (so you won't be bothered).

#podficcer's log #podfic phase 2: audacity bugaloo #adventures in podficcing #adventures in podfic

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thievinghippo · 7 years

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hippo’s writing year in review 2017

This is the fifth year in a row I’m doing a review, which in on itself makes me happy. For records keeping purposes we’ve got 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

So up until a minute ago, I was beating myself up over my word count for the year. Then by looking my previous reviews, I realized 2017 is the second highest word count I’ve had in the last five years. And considering I barely wrote a word over the course of almost five months, that’s not bad.

Total word count: 182,098 words

That’s basically 20k less than last year. And again, I only really wrote 7 out of the 12 months of the year. Fuck, I need to be less harsh on myself. (That’s one of my ongoing goals - be kind to everyone, including myself.) I have nothing to be ashamed about with that word count!

Month by month breakdown, plus the good, bad and the ugly underneath the cut!

January - I mostly wrote Form 5763W and Pragmatic Dreams. I ended up writing 40k words, which is by far my best month of writing since I won nanowrimo in 2013.

February - This was a rough month, since I spent more than a week in LA, helping my sister recover from surgery. Complications meant we spent time in the hospital instead of lounging around doing nothing. But I finished up Forms and started outlining Loyalty once it was confirmed that Quinn was coming back.

March - Andromeda month! Wrote Loyalty, a Quinn fic. I’m really proud of that one.

April - Andromeda took over and I wrote Courtship, which to date, is the most popular fic I’ve ever written. It also dialed my impostor syndrome up to 11. (Ah the joys of being a writer.) I’m really glad I wrote it, though. I don’t know if I’ll ever really write anything besides prompt fics in the Andromeda universe again. So I’m pleased that I have one fic I’m really proud of.

May - The decline begins... I did post Confinement, which is another Andromeda fic that got a bit of attention. Both my Andromeda fics have more kudos than any Mass Effect trilogy fic I’ve written. That makes me both happy and sad.

June - Not a great month. Not an awful month. Wrote a bunch of Pragmatic Dreams.

July-November - Nothing of consequence really. I did post one chapter of Three Mornings, which is an Senya and Arcann fic, with a dosing of Arcann/Outlander. I’d like to finish that up this month.

December - Oh hai! I remembered that I liked writing once upon a time. The entire month was consumed by Barry and Lup from The Adventure Zone. I have a very, shall we say, ambitious fic planned for them. I’ll be posting the first chapter tonight!

Overall good - I made my goal of 180,000 words and ended the year writing. There was some times in August and September that I thought about walking away. But I didn’t, and I remembered that I love to write.

I usually then write something about things that need to be improved. I’m not going to do this today. I’m writing, I’m getting to a happier place. For now, that is enough. Improvements can come later.

Goals for 2018

Write 180,000 words (I’d love to do more, but this I know I can do)

Finish Pragmatic Dreams

Finish The Longest Distance (the Barry/Lup fic)

Post six chapters of Scattering Grief

Finish the following: Anelle’s Sky fic, the infamous pegging fic, and Research

Document every. damn. day. It helps break me out of bad habits if I hold myself accountable

Seriously start world building for my original novel. Figure out who these characters are and why they have stories worth telling

So there we have it! Thank you to everyone who’s supported me this year. You all mean the world to me.

#hippo's year in review #hippo's writing goals #hippo's writing tag

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luna-orlha · 7 years

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Author Meme

@kakawaifu tagged me

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean.

More than a decade ago, (give and take 16 years) my favourite fandom was Chrono Cross and my favourite character was Orlha. And that is how it all started.

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/favorites, follows/subscriptions, visitor hits, kudos)

Most feedback would be ‘What about Love’. Although ‘Champagne Supernova’ and ‘Friendships and Betrayals’ are a the running second.

3. What is your FFNet/AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it?

idk... It’s a picture I took... and I liked it? ┐(´～｀)┌

4. Do you have any regular/favorite commenters?

I don’t really have regular commenters? I do love comments in general. Though, Clownclown has commented on quite a few fics, does that make Clownclown my regular?

5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again?

Hrmm, my current favourite fic to re-read is Time flies like an arrow by Katlou303. But eh... my all time favourite ‘I was not born for death’ by @aqueenvictorious and ‘Catalysis’ by aventria and iluxia.

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked?

Well, I’m a very prolific reader... I have at least 200 bookmarks and my subscription page on both FFn and Ao3 is at least 20 pages (I’m sure Ao3′s one outstrips my FFn by double)

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most?

AUs that diverage canon, I suppose. I like thinking of how things would have gone if you change the slightest variable.

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page)

Well... uhm. On Ao3, about 2k people subscribe to my works, while I have like 100+ author subscriptions for both FFn and Ao3? Σ(ﾟДﾟ) how did I get so many?

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!)

A KakaSakuGen ABO? ┐(´～｀)┌ I find writing an ABO always gets you instantly judged, cuz ABO.

10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc.

Well... I’m fairly shy when it comes to replying comments.I’m not sure how to reply to them half the time. And I’d like to update faster but I burnt myself out while trying to write more Daisy/Bucky and Daisy/Steve so I have no stamina now.. (＠Д＠；

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often?

YES. FILL THEM ALL UP. I don’t actually really write a particular pairing now. I like most pairings and I’m not really a romance writer so even if there was a pairing, it’s unlikely to be the main focus.

12. How many stories have you posted on FFNet/AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)?

On Ao3, 52 works in total, 41 completed works and 11 uncompleted. On FFn, 21 works in total (But if we count legacy works, works that was posted and then pulled off, it’d come up to 27), 14 completed works, 7 uncompleted.

13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program?

Writing programs? like a google doc? Uhm......... Over 180 individual stories?

14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head?

If my mind broods long enough over it, I’ll usually write it down and chuck it into the plot bunny bin.

15. Have you ever co-authored a story?

Yes.

16. How did you discover FFNet/AO3?

Hell, that’s more than a decade ago! I don’t remember how I discovered FFn, but I know I discoverd Ao3 because I looking for more stuff to read.

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on FFNet/AO3?

Not sure? Though I doubt anyone thinks highly of my works.

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers?

Nopes.

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write?

@ozhawkauthor was very kind and inspirational when I returned to write and helped me out a lot. @denilmo is the best too. She’s always full encouragement when I get stuck.

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author?

Make sure you write a plot outline no matter how vague it is. It helps to anchor you while you write and that makes it easier when you get stuck at somewhere along the way.

Never be afraid to write. We all started somewhere to get to where ever we are now. If you don’t start, you’ll never improve. =]

And lastly, when taking criticism, it’s easy to fall into the ‘but I wrote it intentionally like that’ ego streak. Just remember to wrestle that ego down and look at the criticism constructively. If you never take criticism, you’ll never improve.

21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go?

Both. I have a huge draft document that loosely states my objectives in each arc as well as the character+overall story development points so that I know where I have been and where I’m going. But the in-between is rather loose and vague.

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do?

Yes. If I disregard the crazy G.o.D reviewer (which I’m 99% sure is a closet kakasaku fan considering how quickly he/she comments) The Skyeward fans had... well... harrassed me on my fics. Well.. I’m not proud to say it, but I caved and compromised in the end. G.o.d has nothing on the skyeward craziness level.

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)

I will never write smut... Well I wrote one, to prove to myself that I could... which basically proved that I couldn’t. (;￣ー￣川 And I’m not a romantic person... so I have difficulty writing romance. Which is ironic... since WaL is all romancy.

24. What story(s) are you working on now?

Bones beneath her feet, a Papashi and some Shikasaku.

25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)?

I have plans to finish BBHF but I might be picking up another fic to write at the same time.

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself?

Usually it’s a weekly goal.

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started?

Definitely. (´つヮ⊂) Considering I started when I was 10, there was a huge leaps in style.

28. What is your favorite story(s) that you’ve written?

Hmm... I have a few favourites... I can’t pick one, so instead, I’ll offer a few? A thousand times Good night and Road of Hearts is my current favourite. Burning skies, Burning Hope is one of my older favourites but it’s not very popular because Juuni Kokki is a very small and old fandom.

29. What is your least favorite story(s) that you’ve written?

Is it bad that I have no least favourite? I usually don’t post works that I’m not proud off, so I don’t have a work that I dislike no matter how old it may be...

30. Where do you yourself (as a writer) in 5 years?

I don’t know? I’m working on my original novel, well. I wrote finished book 1 and am working on book 2 at the moment. As well a new original novel. So that’s 3 original works in total. So I might make the change eventually, but I do like writing fanfics.

31. What is the easiest thing about writing?

It’s pouring emotions into it? Not sure what to say about this.

32. What is the hardest thing about writing?

Pacing? The amount of effort you put in to make everything roll off your tongue? Contrary to popular belief, we don’t just sit down and write a 2k chp in 2 hours.

33. Why do you write?

Writing is a sense of release for me. I write about the emotions that I bottle up and send them out hoping someone would hear my unsaid messages. And also it’s a form of escape for me.

Tagging: @ozhawkauthor , @aqueenvictorious, @backwardsandinhighheels , @mouseymightymarvellous @iamartemisday

#tag game

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