#i think they're completely different in terms of writing/personality/place in the story/etc

[youremyheaven]

https://www.tumblr.com/youremyheaven/758348325724585984/princess-here-and-i-have-a-7th-and-8th-house

Not the same person obv but I have moon 7H atmk so I’ll just say my experience

I spend a lot of time thinking about my friends, although it’s hard to tell what the normal amount is bc I can only speak for myself. I’m not someone who comes off as really relationship dependent and I wouldn’t say I’m a doormat or anything like that, but I am quite emotionally invested in my friends/peers. Everything I see reminds me of someone I know and I’m the type to message them about it even if we haven’t spoken in a long time.

Something I have in common with my cap moon 7H bestie is that we spend a LOT of time on Instagram/tumblr/discord/etc talking to people. We used to joke about how she literally didn’t have any hobbies aside texting her friends 😭

If you haven’t already noticed🤪 I also spend a lot of time talking to people online partially because I struggle to do things without guidance. At school I was always that person who would ask their friends for help with homework because I needed to have stuff reexplained to me personally before I understood. As a result, if I’m in a situation where I’m not close with anyone I can have a really hard time. A lot of the time it’s just awkward to not have someone to confide in, but it’s also has been really detrimental to my mental health in the past. Idk if that’s a 7H thing or I’m just a dumbass though😭

Although I will say that we have the ability to have a very varied social group since we are very adaptive to the people around us. Usually not in a massive social group (which I think is more 11H territory) but moreso besties from many different places we’ve picked up along the way. One-on-one relationships are wayyy more important than what the general masses think or other non-social stuff like career ambitions. Kind of like being people oriented without being that society oriented? (Unless there are other 11H placements) I mean society in terms of people your age in your area rather than humanitarian stuff btw

We’re also the type to be really subconsciously influenced by our friends, which I guess applies to everyone to an extent but the idea of “you are who you surround yourself with” does make me think of 7Hers more than anyone else.

I think when they get into relationships (writing this message has made me realise the shear amount of 7H moons I know) they are very devoted even if they’re otherwise a casual non-clingy person. I have a Uttaraashada sun, Purvaashada moon, Ardra asc friend who was always more of a casual independent person who could have sex without getting attached, but now she has a bf, she spends most of her time with him and it’s clear that she’s very caring towards him, even if she doesn’t explicitly say it to us. She even wears a necklace with his initial on it everyday😭 (she’s way out of his league too but that’s a story for another time)

As for 8Hers, I’m not one myself but all the ones I’ve come across are really intense. A lot of them suffer from substance abuse, depression and/or have experienced some weird sexual stuff (I made an ask ageeesss ago talking about my hasta 8H friend who slept with her teacher at 17~18 and was groomed at a young age on a separate occasion- just to name a couple of the things she’s been through). Obv not every 8Her is going to be such an extreme case esp if they don’t have nodal influence, but universally I feel like these people def go through it on some level. Who knows maybe arm guy is hiding some serious lore👀

Omg girlie tysm for sending this ask, it's been very illuminating 😳😳😳😳

I know he's obsessed with his friends 😮‍💨 there's like 10 of them who he grew up with and they're all extremely close and whenever I'm with him, his phone is blowing up with messages from like 20 different group chats 😭 but he's also a complete social butterfly and has like 12 different friend groups 😮‍💨 from completely different areas of life (he has apartment friends, as in, they all live in the same apartment complex and party together??? 😭 granted that he lives in a bougie apartment and this is probably just how moneyed people operate but when I heard it, I was kinda shook, like here's a 24yr old guy hanging out with a bunch of people in their late 20s, 30s and older and just having a good time??) I love how resourceful it makes him because he just always knows who to call and is one of those guys who always knows a guy 👀 but like his schedule is jam packed with people 😩

The worst part is that he's extremely likeable as a person and very popular. No matter the context (like living in an apartment, going to school etc) he's always very well liked by absolutely everyone from teachers to peers. I always thought I was likeable and popular 🤪and then I met him and realised he's on another level 😭😮‍💨

The necklace detail is so cute 🥺🫶🏻

The 8housers ik are also very intense 😵‍💫which is why I feel like I don't know arm guy well enough yet because he's such a laid back chilled out dude with me but I know he carries himself differently with others. I do feel like he's hiding parts of himself 😳 and I know it'll take me a loooong time to fully comprehend what it is 😳 but it doesn't give me fcked up vibes just yet 🏃🏻‍♀️

🤞🏻 hopefully everything will be fine 😭

[birlwrites]

How goes Bloodfinch! Are you at the stage of writing parts yet? Is there a particular area of writing (dialogue, point of view etc) that's particularly fun with it?

And another hopefully answerable but somewhat generic question (to give you the power of surprise yet if you want it!): what person and tense have you gone for? or have you varied it according to a pattern of your own design?

If there's stuff to say about the process of writing concerning what brings you joy (and not further worldbuilding/plot details necessarily that I'm sure time will reveal) it'd be interesting to hear it!

Also, as a side note, you said you very much identified with the sliding meme of your opinion on your skills varying. Hence, I desire to communicate that I think you're consistently brilliant! I am curious why you feel that way though, as I was shocked it was somewhat widespread (I have days where things don't go so well writing, naturally as consistency isn't quite how it works as an area, but find my faith in my skills is rather solid and veers only between "I'm fine at it I suppose?" to "oh yes, it's an area of skills I've worked on that I'm good at" with more sporadic bursts of "I'm a genius! I'm so great at this!" never reaching more despairing "I'm hopeless, utterly hopeless").

it goes well!!! i'm having fun!!! i'm nearing 2.5k now - i had a longer draft, but had to frog that since i decided to start the story in a different place. i'll probably grab and reuse snippets of it later on though. and the outline is complete!! i'm hoping that it'll be similar to lachrimae in terms of time it'll take me to write, although unlike lachrimae i'll then do at least one round of editing once i have a full draft, plus then i'll need to do like. layouts and get cover art and stuff

finch, the pov character, is a singer, and i'm having a WILD time being able to write a very highly trained singer - her tutor (dulceis) definitely has. some traits in common with. certain singing teachers i've had. just wrote a line about dulceis standing on the opposite side of the room from finch yelling 'WHERE ARE YOUR CONSONANTS I CAN'T FIND THEM' and. yes

it's first person present tense and it'll stick to that - normally i'm a third person present tense writer by default, but i'm going for first person here because a) we are VERY deep inside finch's head and b) that was the best way for me to make clear that despite her calling herself finch, that's not what other people call her

i also just created yet another saint today, the sea-saint, who's associated with the sea (duh) and those who make their living from the ocean (sailors, fishers, etc), AND ALSO rhetoric, poetry, and all of the word-arts. the sea-saint is associated with fluidity (duh), impermanence, but also a certain type of control - navigating uncertainty. there is a story about the sea-saint calming choppy waters just by speaking to them and persuading them to settle. they're represented with a wave, a seashell, or a siren (this tends to be the less positive side of the saint, representing fickleness, hunger, and misleading appearances)

oh and i also just wrote up a little story about the origins of bloodfinches, because i was going to type up my handwritten notes but writing up notes was boring and writing up a story that conveyed the same information was far more interesting - so perhaps i'll post that! in a different post though, so it can just be its own thing instead of being buried in this response

naturally from finch's pov i also get to go wild with the auditory imagery which is fantastic, and i'm also having a great time with introducing original characters - even though i work with very, very, very, very, VERY minor characters in hp fanfiction, so minor that in many cases i am inventing characterization out of wholecloth, people still already have certain impressions about characters' appearances, personalities, and general vibes. that is not at all the case with completely original characters and figuring out how to introduce them and convey impressions of them is SO MUCH FUN i forgot how fun it was

i think that the reason my perception of my own writing tends to swing back and forth wildly is because i associate it with ease. words are flowing? plot details are blooming? everything feels great! but if i am not living up to my own expectations, if trying to write feels like banging my head against a wall, or if a scene isn't coming out the way i imagined it and i don't know what the problem is, or i DO know what the problem is and it's going to be a shitload of work to fix, or if it's not connecting with readers the way i thought it would, then i do have a tendency to spiral

logically, i am a fairly confident writer, but emotionally, i'm of course more inconsistent, and emotions tend to rule the day when it comes to how i'm feeling about my skills at any given moment. fortunately, i'm at least aware of that, and i know that feeling like it's hopeless means a) it's not actually hopeless, my brain just likes to latch onto worst-case scenarios, and b) it is well past time for a break

a central issue here is that i often expect very high levels of productivity from myself, and so then even if i know it's time for a break, i then am fighting a separate battle in which i have to convince my brain not to beat me up over needing Break Time, and it all leads to me staring at the wall wishing i could put my brain in a washing machine

[revui]

I see some people responding to posts about the way characters talk like they're trying to get a good grade in therapy by saying that they don't really know how to write conversations otherwise. So some stuff to bear in mind: even when characters enter a discussion calmly and charitably, there are many things that influence a character's emotional intelligence in general as well as the way they might behave in any given conversation. Here's an abridged list.

• Setting - Broadly, where and when does this story take place? What general understandings do most people maintain? What vocabulary do they have access to?

• Culture - Are there specific ideas held by the character's culture regarding emotion, expression, speech, etc? How much has the character internalized them? Are certain things deemed acceptable or unacceptable when communicating?

• Upbringing - What emotions did the character frequently witness from others in the past? How were they expressed? Was the character directly taught certain ways of expression? Were they encouraged to/discouraged from expressing certain emotions? Have they left this environment? How long ago? Have subsequent environments challenged the lessons from their upbringing?

• Communication - How well does the character communicate in general? Are they secretive? Are they dishonest? How well do they recognize social cues? Do they tend to talk more than others or talk over them? How well do they recognize and understand people's emotions? Do they have empathy?

• Context - How is the character currently feeling, physically and mentally? Are there other things going on? Are other things on their mind? Are they in the middle of something? Is there somewhere they need to be? What short-term goal do they have in this scene? Does this conversation aid or impede that goal? How? What is their opinion of the person/people they're talking to? How might that affect the way they talk, what they say, and how comfortable they are?

• Self-Understanding - How well can they identify their emotions? How quickly? Are they skilled at verbalizing them? If applicable, how much time has passed since the thing being discussed (ex. characters discussing an argument they had earlier)? How much of that time did they spend introspecting? How do they typically cope with their emotions? Are they good at calming themself down? How? Do they think they're a good person? Are they open to the idea that they've done something wrong?

• Motivation - What does the character want most? Are they aware of this desire? Why do they have it? What are they willing to do to fulfill it? What scares the character the most? Are they aware of their fear? Why do they have it? What are they willing to do to avoid it? Do either of these factors intersect with the current conversation? How might that influence the character's behavior?

Obviously not all of these apply to every character and every conversation, but keeping factors like this in mind can help make dialogue that's more subtle and intriguing. Even characters who are completely calm and love each other very much and try their hardest to explain the full truth can misunderstand each other because they are fundamentally different people who have lived different lives and therefore have likely developed different ideas on how to express themselves and what certain things mean. A character who's bad at verbally expressing themself might stay silent for a really long time during a serious conversation while they search for words, and a character who is used to rejection or is unable to discern the other person's emotions or doesn't have time probably won't take that extended silence charitably, assuming that rather than taking time to think, they are uninterested in the conversation, unable to think of a response at all, wasting time, or any number of other things. This doesn't mean the conversation must escalate into outright arguing, but these little ways people misunderstand each other every day tend to color their behavior in conversation, which can make for more dynamic characters and dialogue.

[pleasestaywithmedarling]

Author Ask Game

Thanks for the tag @starlit-hopes-and-dreams!

I'll gently tag @verkja, if you'd like, cause I am SO excited that I should finally have time soon to start reading your work, and I'd love to hear more about it if you're down! And of course, anyone is welcome to jump in; please tag me if you do!

I only have one fic on this side of the internet, so this will all be about my WIP Sin of Purity, Purity of Sin.

What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?

I personally don't vibe with the idea of writing "lessons." I guess the ideas that have been sticking out to me the most have probably been guilt and innocence, and the way the past can recontextualize the present and vice versa. But that's just me; I'm sure anyone could read this and see something completely different.

Or maybe we're all just here for the whump :)

What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding (like real-life cultures, animals, famous media, websites, etc.)?

Disclaimer: I have nothing at all against any religion that is not causing anyone harm; there are obviously a lot of wonderful religions and religious people in the world, and I 100% support that.

That being said, the key feature of the worldbuilding in this fic is the official religion of the kingdom, and that was very much inspired by my own wildly toxic religious upbringing. Before I started writing, I didn't really bother to plan out what most writers would consider the basic features of a fantasy world--I don't think I even got around to naming the kingdom the story takes place in until maybe a half-dozen chapters in. But I had worked out a lot about the fundamental theology and practices of the worship of Vato, the way the temple system is organized, the relationship between the temple and the culture and subcultures of the kingdom, the doctrines and practices that are basically arbitrary or just make no sense, etc. And all of it draws pretty heavily from my own experiences with the type of churches that I grew up in.

What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, help readers grow as a person?

Okay so the obvious answer is that Anden and Kiri are both trying to gain their freedom. But Anden would prefer to achieve that by his own strength--he doesn't like feeling weak, and to him being forced to rely on others can sometimes feel like weakness. And Kiri...I think Kiri would prefer the temple simply have a change of heart and let them go lol

If there's anything that I'm trying to achieve with them, I guess it's just the catharsis that I personally get from watching them suffer together the different ways that they're growing, both individually and together.

How many chapters is your story going to have?

No idea! The events of the story are all mapped out, but I'm letting myself just experiment and have fun with this fic, and I'm really trying to embrace serialization rather than try to match the pacing of a typical novel. I would say that the chapter I'm currently working on is right at the midpoint of the narrative arc--if that term even applies to my unstructured mess of a plot--but that may or may not mean I'm at the halfway point in terms of the chapter count. The back half of the second act could end up stretching out a good half dozen chapters, or for all I know it'll only take, like, two. And how long will the third act be? Who knows? Not me!

Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

Unusually for me, this is an original. I will probably just keep in here on tumblr; idk if I'd want it on my AO3 account with my fanfiction--it feels odd to me to mix the two.

When and why did you start writing?

I started this one I think about a month and a half ago--it has not been long! Tbh I'd had a pretty awful summer, and I'd been getting back into reading whump as a form of escapism. Had the idea for this one, and I realized it would do me a lot of good to have an outlet just making something I want to make, just cause I want to make it, and not worry about how good it is or what other people think about it. This is easily the most self-indulgent work I've ever written, and it makes me so happy to hear that anyone else is enjoying it too!

Do you have any words of engagement for fellow writers of Writeblr? What other writers of Tumblr do you follow?

Idk, you do you!

Oh gosh I hate doing these because I am SO forgetful and I feel like I always leave off a favorite blog! But here's a sampling of writers whose works I've been really enjoying this past year: @i-can-even-burn-salad, @little-peril-stories, @clairelsonao3, @dont-touch-my-soup, @whumpcereal, and of course @starlit-hopes-and-dreams who I guess I'm tagging twice in one post!

Blank questions below:

What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?

What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding (like real-life cultures, animals, famous media, websites, etc.)?

What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, help readers grow as a person?

How many chapters is your story going to have?

Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

When and why did you start writing?

Do you have any words of engagement for fellow writers of Writeblr? What other writers of Tumblr do you follow?

[magicaii]

Hello, if you don't mind, can I ask, who are your top favorite romantic relationship's couples in any media, like anime/manga, tv series, books, etc (can be canon or non-canon)? Feel free if you want to write the reasons or not of why you love them....Thanks if you want to answer....

Thanks for the ask! I have some ships that I’ve liked for years, as well as ones I’m currently really interested in, so I can talk about both I guess?

So in terms of ones that have secured a place in my heart, I would instantly think of meronia (mello and near from death note). It took me a rewatch of death note to warm up to them, and it's honestly hard to describe why I like it so much (look through my meronia tag I guess, I've been trying for years lol) but I'm a big fan of both slow burn and rivals to lovers and couldn't get the headcanon of Near having a one-sided love for Mello that persists years after his death out of my head. I like the way they work so well together on an intellectual level and the way they would both challenge and protect each other, and the grief and emptiness Near likely felt in the wake of his death not only resonates with me a lot but is also an interesting thing to dissect. They hardly had a real relationship with each other, and yet, Near must feel his vacancy all the same. I think I mourn the dynamic they could've had with each other had Mello come to accept Near as he is, and wonder what would've happened if they made up (the potential is unimaginable). I also think it's a fun challenge to imagine how Mello might ever reciprocate his feelings, since it's not very believable to me most of the time.

I've really liked oldrivalshipping (green and blue from pokemon special manga) for years but it's a ship I find hard to justify. They don't have a lot of interactions and a lot of fans consider them like a joke pairing? My appreciation of them is mainly based on the potential dynamic between them, taking into account them as individuals. Amongst their peers, Green and Blue are the more jaded, hyperindividualistic, "mature" characters, but while Green (guy) is upfront about it, Blue (girl) hides it very well. I think it's interesting to imagine what could happen if they got closer and how Green would handle Blue's capricious temperament, since I imagine Blue would have a hard time faking it in front of Green (he has a zero bullshit tolerance). In canon, Green has also shown signs that he genuinely cares about and values Blue as a comrade and person, so I don't think it's a stretch to imagine them at least becoming better friends and eventually coming to a deeper understanding with each other. I just think they'd have good chemistry.

I used to be like, really obsessed with dabihawks (dabi and hawks from bnha). As in, my real life friends were hearing about this shit. I don't think I'm quite as enamoured with them compared to before, and they haven't interacted in what, four years? So it's died down a lot, but I can still understand why I was so insane over them. They have really intersting parallels in terms of story, themes, character arcs, and aesthetics. The biggest sell on dabihawks for me is the ideological struggle between the two characters. It's not even so much about the romance, but: what would you do if someone important to you had the polar opposite view on morality to you? What if they fundamentally disagreed with how to handle the biggest issues in your life? They are so completely different in every way, it's definitely no wonder they're enemies, but what if they were not made enemies by the plot, what if they weren't the designated hero and villain? Would they still grow to hate each other because of their inability to see eye to eye? In essence, their conflict goes much deeper than a villain vs hero story, and that's very interesting to me. As for newer pairings:

This is so embarrassing, but, haikaveh (alhaitham and kaveh from genshin impact). This is a super popular pairing so I'm sure I don't need to explain why I like it, but again, it's the combination of slow burn and rivals to lovers. More specifically, I'm obsessed with the idea of someone caring about another person so much that they pay attention to and work around their flaws just to silently help them out as much as possible. Unlike a lot of the fandom, however, I don't headcanon them as currently dating. They have a ton of issues to work out and if they started dating in current canon it would not go well for them. Kaveh is unable to even entertain the idea that Alhaitham genuinely cares for and looks out for him, since he has firmly decided that Alhaitham is a heartless, self-centered egoist. For all his intelligence he has absolutely no clue that Alhaitham likes him beyond an 'intellectual equal' or 'house maid'. Alhaitham, on the other hand, has considerable communication issues and his inability to be kind is part of why Kaveh so stubbornly holds onto this view of him. I think their philosophical struggle is also a worthwhile point of contention since they are both obviously flawed (Kaveh is destroying himself, and Alhaitham is sabotaging the most important relationship in his life).

Gladnis (gladio and ignis from final fantasy 15) really took me by surprise. They seem to have a very deep and mature understanding between each other, and both take their lifelong duty very seriously, albeit in different ways. They've always been on the same side, but don't always seem to agree on the best course of action to take (think about the way they both treat Noctis). This is probably the best time to mention that I really enjoy relationships that hapharzardly border between platonic and romantic in nature. When you're a lot more than friends with someone, but you don't know exactly how to describe your feelings for them. Maybe you don't have time for love, maybe there's something more important at stake. Maybe you just can't bear the idea of having something so painful to lose. Whatever it is, those feelings remain undissected. That's pretty much how I see gladnis. I think the potential for something more is there if you squint, but it's a subtle romance. They already mean a lot to each other and are comfortable with their friendship, and I think their journey has brought them so much grief that they would ultimately seek reprieve elsewhere, just for some sense of normalcy. It's very tragic to me. I'm perfectly fine with a platonic reading of them too!

Lastly, I DO want to mention bkdk (bakugo and midoriya from bnha)... I was the biggest skeptic of them in seasons 1-3. But especially with all the ways Bakugo has developed in the last manga arc and the way he has come to truly understand Midoriya's importance in his life is very satisfying and feels well earned. I personally view bkdk as being most likely one-sided on Bakugo's part (that could potentially develop into mutual feelings when they're a bit older), and while theyre truly learning how to get along, I think they both have personal issues to work on, so if anything, it would be best for these feelings to be explored more when they're adults? I'm also a fan of the platonic interpretation of bkdk though, and I'm not really ride or die with them.

I'm sorry this ended up being so long!! I'm a yapper at heart, so I kept it to six ships hahaha. There are other pairings I like a lot such as sasunaru (naruto), kakaobi (naruto), nejilee (naruto), braime (asoiaf/game of thrones), kirimina (bnha), spinneraki (bnha). I enjoy answering these asks so ppl don't be afraid if you're curious <3

[mychemicalrachel]

👀

Please! I love to hear the bts tidbits ❤️

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

I love to talk about bts tidbits so I'm so glad you asked 😍 I have a lot to say and some of it is explicit so this is going to be under the cut...

I know you're reading Please (And Thank You) so I'm going to talk about everything coming up with that. It is.... a wild ride. When the idea came to me, it was just the first chapter; Adam going to Kavinsky to buy drugs. That was it. It was originally just going to be a one shot titled Good Boy and the only real plot was Adam discovering his praise kink. But I wanted more meat to the story, and I wanted to find a way to incorporate Ronan into it because if there's one thing I love more than Kavinsky/Adam, it's Kavinsky/Adam/Ronan. And then I just had to figure out a way for them to get there.

My outline for this fic is all over the place. I have a vague idea for each chapter that reads as follows;

Chapter 1: Adam gets more than he bargained for when he tries to buy drugs from Kavinsky. Enter; a praise kink. It's a one time thing…

Chapter 2: Oh Adam fell into Kavinsky’s bed again, it's a routine now. They get high and make out 😘

Chapter 3: Peeping Toms, those creepers watch Ronan nearly die in the church (?) Confession time, Kavinsky is a dreamer too. That’s probably the least interesting thing about him, let's have sex.

Chapter 4: substance party, Adam's there with K, ganseys there with Ronan. Ronan and Kavinsky flirt in front of their boyfriends and Gansey asks Adam on a completely platonic friend date.

Chapter 5: Let's all hold hands and sing kumbaya, it's friendship time. Ronan and k dream while Adam takes a nap. It's all very sexually charged. Kavinsky wants Ronan, Ronan wants Adam, Adam just wants to feel awake while his eyes are open.

Chapter 6: Ronan and Adam alone time, let those bitches bond. Adam isn't jealous that K likes Ronan, they have an open relationship, so when Ronan kisses him it feels okay. In fact it feels pretty damn good. Let's do that some more. That becomes a routine too, Ronan is a nice kisser. But oh no, K is back. Can he watch? 👀

Chapter 7: Let's have sex while K watches. That's not weird at all. Kavinsky is helpful and he gives Ronan pointers. Ronan immediately freaks out and tells gansey. TMI bro, but was it good? Yeah 😌

Chapter 8: Adam likes Ronan. He also likes kavinsky. He doesn't feel like he needs to choose, he can have it all. It doesn't have to be weird, except Ronan is acting weird now. Damn these boys need to communicate. Kavinsky tries to talk to Ronan and oops they end up fucking too.

Chapter 9: Ronan panics. He likes Adam. he also maybe likes Kavinsky? That one is surprising. He meets Adam and K in the dreamspace and he's not sure they're real but it's like when he dreamt with k before and there's an orgy because Ronan can't hide his feelings inside his own head, and he's a horny boy. Magic sex is cool.

Chapter 10: Epilogue wherein they have talked and they're together but Ronan doesn't like the term open relationship, they're very much closed and not accepting new applicants at this time thank you. They're out at the fairgrounds surrounded by mitsus, making out, making love. Real sex is better than the dream stuff though it's messier. Adam likes the mess. He likes being praised by his 2 smoking hot bfs. Spitroast that fucker, then make them cuddle and profess their love. The end.

Usually when I make an outline, I think things through and try to figure out the underlying message, character arcs, etc. I did not do that here. I wrote whatever popped into my head and decided to go with it, and so far it's been SO. MUCH. FUN. I've been able to take Adam's bitchiness and kick it up a notch and explore the kind of person he would've become if he had befriended Kavinsky instead of Gansey, and it's allowed me to write sex scenes that are way different from the soft emotional smut I typically write.

[uptoolateart]

20 questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for tagging me @writer-rider-dirty-thirties

1. How many works do you have on A03?

40

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

748,460 with a lot more drafted and waiting to be posted

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Miraculous Ladybug

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Breaking Free

Unspeakable

The Scarf

If I Let Myself Love You

Who We Really Are

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

Absolutely all of them - it means a lot to me when someone takes the time to leave a message about my writing

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't normally do this - usually it's angst and drama along the way, but with a happy ending. There are two one-shots with unhappy endings, though:

'In Space, No One Can Hear You Die'

'Fade to Black'.

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

As I say, I tend to give all my stories happy endings, no matter how bumpy the road is getting there. I guess 'Kitty Noir' is extra sugary, though.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have thankfully never experienced this. One person disagreed with my view on a certain character, once, but we were still friendly about it and they still read other things I've done. It IS possible to share different views and still be nice and respectful 😊

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

No, I don't get graphic with these things

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

I just started one crossing Miraculous with Jurassic Park / Camp Cretaceous, called 'Finding a Way'.

The craziest has to be 'Miraculous Bastard!!!' - a one-shot done because Bastard!!! is offensively awful and I thought it would be hilarious to have LB and CN put that guy in his place.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of

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

Yes - All That Is Necessary (a Miraculous / Gone AU) written with the fabulous @raspberrycatapult

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Adrinette

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

I intend to finish EVERYTHING. I'm very committed.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm very fast. And I think I'm good at dialogue.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes take me flipping ages to complete - I can't visualise locations, etc. so those kinds of scenes are just so hard for me to piece together

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

I'm sure I'd get the words all wrong and accidentally offend someone, so no

19. First fandom you wrote for?

In terms of stuff I've shared - Miraculous. But I used to write fan fiction and not share it anywhere. The first story I ever wrote down as a kid was fan fiction for these toy horses I used to have, called Fashion Star Fillies. They came with a leaflet showing all the other horses you could buy and their names. I got carried away and thought up their characters. I still have the notebook...and the horses.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I'm not really sure. They're all kind of different. I've got very immersed in my Breaking Free series, but I think Dreaming Wide Awake might be my best writing. I've had a lot of fun with the stupid Pancakes fic I keep adding to!!

No pressure tagging @raspberrycatapult @mysticraven20

[fountainpenguin]

34 & 38 for the fanfic meme? [Can skip 38 if you're uncomfy posting it ofc]

[Current Ask game]

34. Was there any fic that you wrote that really surprised you in the fandom reaction? Was it just by the numbers or did they take it an entirely different way?

The stories that are my favorites frequently go unloved, and the stories I don't care for are more likely to be popular, which I'm sure can be largely attributed to me liking obscure characters instead of popular characters, and my taste of liking long, raw emotion 'fics with relationship drama more than I like my surface-level one-shots.

My three most popular (in terms of kudos) stories for the 130 Prompts project are "Mama's Boy," "End of the World," and "Weakening" which are all near the top of my personal "'fics I don't like" list. I personally think they're poor examples of my writing abilities, but people like them, so to each their own. I'm glad people like them enough to leave kudos on those pieces so that if I choose to ignore their opinions and move forward with my own, at least I'm aware of what I'm doing /lh

(The love for "Sunk Too Deep" always surprises me too, but I'm happy for it and I do feel it's deserved even if I "don't get it," ha ha).

I was also very touched when I returned to writing 'fics again after an extended hiatus and discovered that my most popular 'fic on AO3 is "AlgoRhythm." I wrote it in 2018 and it got its first AO3 comment in November 2020, plus it received multiple comments in 2022. I was on hiatus at the time and not keeping up with my 'fic feedback, so that was a very cool thing to see when I came back and already had the urge to write WordGirl again.

It was just kind of a /pikagasp moment that was really cool to me, because I always loved this 'fic and it was so cool to realize it had become the fan favorite in my library without me knowing. I'm really sad that I missed the resurgence of WordGirl popularity in early 2022, but I'm glad my 2018 'fic was there for people to enjoy even if I wasn't around to be involved.

I wrote a 'fic once years ago - I won't say which one - and a reader commented on it saying that they loved it, it made them cry, etc. Excitedly, I explained that I didn't like the way the show writers had pulled off X scene and so this was my fix-it for that, and I loved my angsty scene and I was so happy they loved it too.

The reviewer pulled a 180 on me and completely changed their POV, saying that my story was ruined for them now because they found it disgusting that I had written such a middle finger against the show creators and their canon.

It was a big slap in the face to me that hurt a lot at the time, especially since my entire brand is canon compliancy, but it's not something that still hangs over me today. Just an interesting story to keep around as a reminder that not everyone's going to love your ideas. I'm glad I have other nice comments on that story I can enjoy because man... sometimes you just get comments that bite. One of the risks you take in posting writing online.

38. Have you ever purposefully written something you know your readers would find uncomfortable/would not enjoy? If yes, why?

I'm going to assume that people who choose to read things like angst desire the angst, so this isn't about that.

I do like to set expectations, especially in long 'fics. Case in point: Frayed Knots Chapter 2 is Chapter 2 for a reason. If you can't get through Infant Marsupial Rescue Mission, you're not gonna like the rest of the 'fic, so just drop off now.

Like... seriously. Frayed Knots GOES PLACES and delves into THEMES. We've got an evil villain of a protagonist who is gonna do some upsetting stuff like manipulate his S/O into dubious consent situations, willingly put HIMSELF into situations of dubious consent as he tries to flirt his way through politics, and also he's a chronic cheater whose entire backstory is built around the idea of betraying others in pursuit of science, so... chances are high that it is not your type of 'fic if the dead marsupial mom scene is too much for you.

That said, I still think that scene was objectively tame because it's blood-free, it's the death of a character we don't have a connection to, and the characters talk about what they're about to face before they arrive at the scene, giving the reader time to bail early if they start growing uncomfortable. I tried to make it as un-upsetting as I could while still setting up this idea of "Buckle up, because we're only in Chapter 2 and I want you to be aware that the content warnings are there for a reason and this story's okay with discussing dark topics and non-human biology."

As a fun parallel along the lines of setting expectations, the opening line of Origin of the Pixies seems absolutely wild: "On a daily basis, it still baffles me to remember how many people don't know that squids keep libraries."

Perhaps an odd move for a Fairly OddParents 'fic that explores the Head Pixie's backstory, but it's important to me. The Yugopotamian library holds a lot of meaning for H.P. because he's stationed there during the war with the Anti-Fairies. He's in the eye of the hurricane, the universe falling apart around him, and... this is his little safe space where he has his pixies around him, and the library keeps them safe. He reads, researches, and it becomes a meaningful place to him.

I like to think of this as an exercise in patience. Those who remember the opening line might be chomping at the bit for a while, wondering when we get to see the squids and the library, but reading the 'fic requires you to slow down and absorb the little moments, which is exactly how H.P. learns to live his life.

By the time you get to the Yugopotamian scenes, chances are that you've completely forgotten this was the opening line of the 'fic. But Origin is a 'fic that's full of secrets that you'll only catch upon a reread, and this is one of them. It's a secret little nod to the fact that H.P. values the library scenes even when it's not obvious... which is the overall theme of the story. Not sure if that counts as upsetting, but it counts as deliberate.

I have a lot of private opinions about my headcanons that I don't normally talk about unless asked directly, because I'm very aware that my opinions are unpopular. I've seen some widely accepted fandom headcanons that certain fandoms like to hold up as canon, and I don't agree with those headcanons, which is sometimes awkward. I often ship rarepairs, and some of my rarepairs are so rare that I've never seen anyone even discuss them in a fandom space, let alone actually draw or write for them.

A lot of my favorite characters are ignored, poorly treated, or outright bashed in 'fics. I've been nipped at over the years for enjoying X or Y part of someone's characterization - tbh I left one of my fandoms because a ring of people were talking behind my back about how they thought my character analyses were stupid - so a lot of the time I just sort of... surface skim past the things I want to delve into. One day I'd like to get into the stuff I really enjoy, but for now I'm just playing out some tamer storylines.

I'd really like to work more on writing emotions, especially angst. I consider myself as someone who writes very tame content that might tickle your brain "logically," but doesn't really touch emotions (as far as I know; as the writer, everything falls flat to me because I already know what's coming and don't get to be surprised, so I just have to go off what readers tell me to know if something is hitting right or not).

I'd love to write some hard-hitting angst one day and (separately) I'd also love to write some enthralling romance. Some people who follow my current work might find some of that upsetting, but someday I'd like to start a new project where I do this sort of thing.

[Current Ask game]

[saviourkingslut]

I think people have forgotten that the only reason why Byleth had such a “huge” impact on Dimitri’s well-being in Azure Moon is not because of their bond but rather Byleth’s presence allowed Dimitri to survive long enough to see his mistakes. Byleth themself as a person didn’t really matter that much.

Byleth as their teacher kept organising class activities to bring the students together, so a Blue Lion class closer to each other made a promise that they would have a reunion at the Millennium Festival. Because of that promise Dimitri (subconsciously?) made his way to the Garreg Mach in Ethereal Moon 1185 (or maybe because the other two classes didn’t make the same promise here and neither Edelgard nor Claude came here on the same day alongside their guards, which was how AM!Dimitri could temporarily take up residence in the Goddess Tower?). Either way, Gilbert and the Blue Lion class followed the clues and were able to locate Dimitri.

Then because Byleth is an excellent commander and a demon on the battlefield (after playing ThreeHopes I finally understand their power and skills. They’re scary lol). Since the Blue Lions are the ones who recapture the Garreg Mach and defeat Randolph and also because of Dimitri’s reputation as the one-eyed demon, this planted the seeds for Fleche to come and get revenge on the Gronder field.

Due to Byleth’s skills and power (they are literally the goddess’ incarnation so it’s expected) the Kingdom army in AM is able to achieve victory after victory, including in the Battle of Gronder unlike SS!/VW!Kingdom army. Thus, unlike his other counterparts, AM!Dimitri is able to survive long enough for Rodrigue to sacrifice himself and give Dimitri the “live for yourself” speech.

Byleth themselves don’t really play a huge role in Dimitri’s redemption. Even if Byleth didn’t come to stop Dimitri from leaving in the rain, Felix, Dedue, Gilbert and the other Blue Lions would also have stepped in all the same.

though i can't say i completely agree with this view i do think it's an interesting one. if you look at the story this way i think it's good to remember that am is also the only route where rodrigue canonically survives until post-gronder, so from this point of view byleth is responsible for his survival, too. more importantly though, i personally find it hard to truly put by/leth at the spill of important parts of the narrative in any way bc i always feel things happen around them, more that that they make them happen.

i saw this post a while back that talked abt how modern adaptations of the sherlock holmes stories will try to come up with a logical explanation for the fact that watson, in the books, sometimes has an old shoulder wound and at other times a leg wound, so in series or movies today one of the two will be psychosomatic or they'll show him getting both wounds at different moments in time. and that's the 'watsonian' explanation, the in-universe explanation you can come up with to make the canon make sense. but then there are also people who say, 'arthur conan doyle forgot where the wound was and didn't bother to look it up' which would be in character of him bc at times he forgot watson was married, too. and that's the 'doylist' explanation: you look at the canon and when things don't really add up, you look at the logical explanation taking place in our 'real' world: the writer(s) made a mistake, or a writer got replaced, etc.

now this post also said that it's not fair to counter the one argument with the other. if someone who has a watsonian point of view tries to come up with a logical in-universe explanation and a doylist comes up and says 'no it was bc [real life writer thing]' that kills the discussion. and if a watsonian only ever trying to look at canon through the in-universe lense and refusing to see the 'real life' reasons makes it very difficult to treat the text as what it is - a work of fiction, made by humans and therefore liable to contain the mistakes and representations of the world views of its writers. of course, these two points of views aren't mutally exclusive at all, so most of the time any person in fandom will have watsonian and doylist explanations for in-universe events - sometimes even for the exact same event, bc even though you know some incongruence stems from the writers messing up that doesn't mean it's no use trying to come up with a way that it could still fit into canon.

the point of all this is that by/leth is one of the few instances where taking the watsonian approach just... really doesn't work for me. for me, things happening the way they do in different routes is bc we, the player, choose to play that route and so the writers have to give us a different story. and bc we play a different route that means we, the player, put our avatar in that story and the writers have to make it seem like that avatar matters, like it has real impact on the narrative and its characters. and with by/leth that has never really worked for me. it doesn't feel like they actually do things that would change the story and its characters to such extreme extents. i never have that problem with a character such as link, for example. playing botw truly has me believe that yes, he is absolutely vital to the story playing out as it does, he is at the centre of things. but then link and by/leth are two very different characters who are written in very different ways and who are from very different franchises with very different stories. anyway tl;dr yes i think you're right that by/leth doesn't actually play a huge role in dimitri's process of redemption/healing. however bc i view by/leth in a very different way i can't really agree with your reasoning for it personally, but that doesn't make it any less valid.

[raazberry]

sort of a continuation of my old solomon post:

here are what visions i think the brothers would have:

lucifer: geo/dendro polearm user. geo because i feel like geo visions are granted to those who feel a sense of DutyTM towards their craft or job, and have achieved mastery in whatever it is they're doing. for lucifer specifically this has to do with his family, and also his relationship with diavolo. (dendro is questionable but i'm only saying this bc i feel like al-haitham will be similar to him)

mammon: pyro catalyst user. pyro users are all extremely passionate and determined in their goals and (typically) enthusiastic. for mammon - even though his pursuit of materialistic things comes from his sin, the way he actually maintains those things comes from a place of pure passion and determination, and he maintains this relationship with everyone else too. with mc it's self explanatory but with his brothers (eg. lucifer) he is just so loving and determined to listen to whatever he has to say even if he might not necessarily agree with him, and is always ready to be at his beck and call.

leviathan: electro bow user. electro users always feel a sense of "otherness" or that they're different from the others. this can be in a positive sense (beidou) or in a negative sense (keqing and fischl). in levi's case it's definitely in a negative sense - his social reclusiveness and neurodivergence is definitely something that manifests itself as isolation. not to mention, he gets ignored quite a bit by his brothers because of his interests/excitedness, possibly isolating him even more.

satan: anemo/dendro sword user. anemo users are all perpetually on a journey, whether it's in the literal sense or in an emotional sense. in satan's case, i think it's in the emotional sense - in terms of separating himself and finding his own identity under lucifer's "shadow", and also between him and his wrath. i would call it him changing but maybe growth would be a more appropriate word. i feel like he travels through books and stories & navigates and finds his gentleness through his love for cats which leads to him, in his own way, finding freedom and individuality. (dendro bc of same reason as lucifer)

asmo: hydro polearm. all hydro users have something they firmly believe in & stand for no matter what, to the point of devotion. for asmo, i think that thing is his sin itself - lust. asmo fully believes and devotes himself to the definition of his sin in every context, sexual or not. this includes things like lusting for power, money, food, etc. also bloodlust. he has also achieved mastery over them all, not out of a desire to be the best, but purely because of his devotion towards lust.

beelzebub: hydro claymore user. similar to asmo, he completely devotes himself to what he believes in - which in his case, is protection. he is a natural protector after all (he also guarded the gates of the celestial realm as an angel as far as i'm aware). after what happened with lilith, as well belphie and MC in lesson 16, i think it only reinforced this belief leading him to be even more protective of his loved ones.

belphegor: anemo catalyst user. anemo purely because of the events of the celestial war and lesson 16. belphie has always been looking for freedom, whether it's from his grief or his guilt. although canon obviously doesn't give him much development after lesson 16 in terms of this, i like to think that his personal story is one of learning & growth -- him realising and admitting that his hatred of humans is completely misplaced and learning to be around a human again, and maybe even falling in love with them.

(A/N: although that is what most fanfiction is, this is all mostly just shit i completely made up, so don't take it too seriously~ also writing this made me realise just how much belphie reminds me of scaramouche, and beel of ayato. anyway feel free to tell me your thoughts, if you agree or disagree, etc etc etc i love learning about what other people's hcs of them are so ^^)

[trans-rights-peeps]

Why are you so angry people don't want to date trans ppl? Like. This literally all came out of people being harassed to the breaking point by trans ppl demanding they say they're attracted to them, which, tbh, is not very attractive behavior. Super straight and super gay etc etc are people trying to set boundaries in a way y'all will understand. It's not hate to not want to date someone and if y'all can't understand that maybe it's because you've never experienced actual oppression? Something to think about.

>This literally all came out of people being harassed Actually, believe it or not, it had originiated with far-right (anti-trans) trolls on 4Chan to get you to associate with Nazism. It was then that the whole situation started blowing up when a TikTok user by the name of Kyle Royce made a video claiming to be the founder of the Super Straight community. The whole thing was based on transphobia and antisemitism; Not because people were supposedly ‘harassing others to date eachother’. Please check your resources next time. What you are stating would be an example of what you would call a “straw man argument”. The technique often takes quotes out of context or, more often, incorrectly paraphrases or summarizes an opponent's position. Then after "defeating" the position, the attacker claims to have beaten the real thing. >It's not hate to not want to date someone Of course it’s not hateful to not want to date someone. But to exclude someone’s existence and/or identity from a “sexuality” is not preference, that is discrimination and exclusion. Preference in gender (in your case, specifically) would be whether or not that person has biological female genitalia, or biological male genitalia. Gender and sex are two different concepts. Sex is what you are born with, or what is on your body, and/or your reproductive organs. Gender is one’s identity. This would be in reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones. The term is also used more broadly to denote a range of identities that do not correspond to established ideas of male and female. Most people transition from their biological sex to the other sex so that it matches their gender identity. So to seperate trangender humans from cisgender humans regardless of their genitalia (transitioned or not) or how they specifically identify, you are claiming that trans women aren’t real women, and that trans men aren’t real men. And that is the basics of transphobia. Transphobia is a collection of ideas and phenomena that encompass a range of negative attitudes, feelings or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence, anger, or discomfort felt or expressed towards people who do not conform to social gender expectations. >maybe it's because you've never experienced actual oppression? You have no place to tell us whether or not we (as queer individuals) have or haven’t experienced opression. I personally (as one of the admins) do not owe you an explanation, or my stories regarding direct and indirect oppression regarding homophobia and transphobia, with the occurances that I’ve experienced in my life. That was an completely ignorant statement for you to even 1. think in the first place, 2. to have the audacity to write this out word for word. Your priviledge is really showing through regarding how you do not realize what social/physical/economic advantages you would have being heterosexual and/or cisgender. Thank you for your time and patience if you considerately chose to read this out; It may not change anything but I hope to spread something inheritly far more greater than what you are spreading yourself. -😼

[willowfey]

this is a soapbox i never get on but that exists in my head. often when people talk about enemies to lovers i think it would be more accurate to describe it as nemesies to lovers and i wish more people distinguished between the two.

like, to me at least, when character B is described as/positioned as character A's enemy? they're someone in the story who is actively against and harmful to character A. that's the person character A has to stop or they'll end up experiencing the harm they're trying to avoid. enemies to lovers would mean that one or both of the characters would have to change significantly as a person & leave their old approach to being a human in the world, and make amends for the way the old way hurt the other if it's going to turn into a sustainible and healthy relationship. (i specify this bc i know not everyone wants to read about healthy/realistic pairings, & reading about characters' dysfunction can be fun, no judgement there).

and with nemesies to lovers, like. that's a dynamic both characters involved are choosing even though they have other options. their goals might be in conflict or competition, but their worldviews and ways of living in the world aren't mutually exclusive/in major conflict - they might not be in conflict at all. and the competition or conflict between their goals going away or otherwise changing might be the only thing that needs to happen before they become lovers in a healthy & sustainable way - they can be fundimentally the same people with the same worldviews and ways of living their lives, unlike with enemies to lovers.

and like, both can be very enjoyable to read! they're dynamics i LOVE. but the fan content that exists for these dynamics often isn't my taste. i have fun reading both stories where characters both make each other worse and stories where they grow as people together, but so often when reading for dynamics like this people write two characters behaving very poorly to one another and you can tell that they don't see it that way. they see it as acceptable/behavior to expect from a partner or from them towards a partner/sometimes even as an aspirational relationship dynamic.

this isn't a wish that people stop ever writing any fics that i disagree with or that i dislike. everyone's at different points and experiencing the world in different ways. but i'm pretty sure this frustrates me so much because it feels like if there were more words in use whose definitions were broadly agreed upon it would be easier for me to curate my experience of the internet to be more to my tasting. my annoyance at the current state of affairs is relatively minor compared to the joy i take out of engaging with fan stuff as a hobby, but it'd still ne a hell of a lot nicer if i could avoid that annoyance all together.

ohhh so true so true. genuine enemies to lovers has its place for sure, but enemies to lovers is a very specific thing isn’t it? and when most people say they want enemies to lovers, they DO mean nemeses or, quite honestly, rivals. like, for the most part (at least in terms of the common depiction of this, bc everyone likes different things) what people really want is challengers to lovers. they want A and B to bring out the best and worst in each other, to disagree and engage in emotionally fuelled conflict usually stemming from the ways in which they’re similar and don’t realise it.

like…. common “enemies to lovers” trope: two players on opposing sports teams. they are not opposites. they are not enemies. they are two people that want the exact same thing, and the conflict is that they cannot both have it at once. thus, rivals and a mutual dislike that, in a romance, is made more extreme by underlying feelings they don’t realise… thin line between love and hate etc etc (except, again, not genuine hate. dislike. discomfort.). or maybe it’s a flower shop and tattoo artist au — on the surface, they want completely different things, and detest each other for being so opposite from them. but rly, they’re the same; they’re both passionate about what they do, they both want to please their customers. they’re more alike than they are different.

enemies are not alike at all. like you said, enemies are two people with two majorly conflicting mindsets. usually one of them seeks to actively harm because, if you’re not seeking to actively harm, most people are gonna end up having more similarities than differences and when you’re reading a romance, you need both of those to make it compelling. (unless it’s a They Make Each Other Worse kind of indulgent writing, in which case, that’s fine usually just. not the same thing)

and as well as that, i agree, one of my biggest pet peeves in reading is when someone writes what they’re calling enemies to lovers and it’s just… these people are awful to each other with no nuance, and then one person confesses love out of the blue with nothing to back it up, and now suddenly they’re mushy and lovey and it just. is technically bad writing but also, personally, not enjoyable at all to read. (like if you’re in love with someone secretly and your love language is teasing, you’re not gonna be genuinely abusive and harmful and awful. you’re just not. that’s not love. that’s obsession.) (people who love you might want to annoy you. they won’t want to make you feel genuinely horrible. please know this difference for your own personal safety if nothing else.)

enemies to lovers in the general way people want it shouldn’t really be enemies to lovers. enemies to lovers should be “this person drives me up the fucking wall because of pent up emotion and our similarities clashing and the ways they challenge me and understand me but also i’m dramatic so i’m gonna call them my enemy bc they’re being a bitch and annoying me”

you know???

and, as you said, the problem isn’t that both of these things exist. the problem is that there’s only one term to be used both for “these people are opposites” and “these people only think they are” and, usually, a person is looking for one or the other. and yeah, i can easily click out if i read for a moment and realise the dynamic isn’t at all what i’m looking for, but it would be nice if there were widely agreed upon ways of separating the two, wouldn’t it??

(moral of the story: if you truly hate someone, you won’t find them hot. if you hated someone and now you find them hot, it’s because they underwent significant growth and transformation. or you did. or you both did. if you think you hate someone but secretly think they’re hot… sorry babes, you’re just challenged and annoyed and probably sexually frustrated 🤙🏻)

[petrichor-han]

... How on earth do you write such long fics? Pardon me if this sounds rude, I'm just overtaken by awe and admiration. I'm curious: Is there a method you use? Or I dunno ... maybe there's something that inspires/motivates you to write? But my question is: How? How do you write over 25k fanfictions like it's nothing and still manage to produce good quality?

hello dearest anon!! 🤍

first of all, not rude in the slightest! i take this as a huge compliment 😭🤍 thank you so much for your sweet words!

i don't really have a specific method to writing, i'm kind of all over the place most of the time, to be honest. but i do stick to a few things, and i can definitely talk about the process! (i wrote kind of a lot, sorry if it's too much!!)

— first of all, i have a long list of ideas for fics. they range from quotes, to episodes of tv shows or movies, or random scenes that i witness irl or just think of in the middle of the night! for example, i was at a convenience store with my dad when i spotted a couple holding hands and being cute together right by the gummy worms, and as i looked around at the flickering lights and sticky floor, i came up with an idea. (btw, this will very likely be a future fic hehe). but the point of this is that these ideas make me excited to write, they're things i want to write about, that's my inspiration.

— HOWEVER, sometimes i just have to come up with stuff on the spot. for example, the siren's call was all just brainstorming thrown together in half an hour, and i wrote a messy outline that i vaguely followed as i wrote, and the story just formed in my head as i wrote it! but that was a very rare case, usually i have to do MUCH more thinking, and it's a very long process. but even though it began with a quick brainstorm session, that fic took me 2-3 weeks to completely finish. fragments was different, because it was mildly inspired by my real life, and my breakup with my long-term boyfriend. that was kind of an outlet for me to get closure from that relationship, so i suppose i sometimes use writing to let out personal feelings as well. in that situation, it was easy because i had lived through something similar.

— as for the quality... i honestly thought that it wasn't that great. i felt like i stretched certain scenes out way too much, dragged things out, etc etc, so i'm really happy to hear that you think the quality is still worthy! i actually tried to cut down on my wordiness and imagery for my upcoming seungmin fic :,) but thanks to you maybe i'll add a little more in <3

— and honestly, these fics are hard sometimes. it's hard to write, especially lengthy stories. but i've been a fanfic writer since i was around 11, and i took a veryyy long break so i had ideas and inspiration bursting at my seams, that's why i was able to write so much in a short period of time. i'm sure that in the future i'll burn out and not be so eager, but for now i am taking advantage of this energy!

— something else that makes me keep going when i want to give up in the middle of a long fic is seeing how far i've come. i'll check the word count and that'll motivate me to keep going. i love when i finish a long fic and i'm just able to scroll through allll those pages and think, "wow, i did that!" it's such a reward to me. (fun fact: fragments was 55 pages long on google docs, single spaces 12pt font!)

tl;dr i just write about what inspires me, what makes me happy. i have a lot of fun ideas right now and that's why it might seem like i'm writing all these long fics easily, but it's still a long, hard process. but ultimately, i love writing long fics and seeing plot develop and characters being fleshed out, everything being at the tips of my fingers. it's satisfying to me, and that's what keeps me going: my love for writing.

WOW that was long, um, i hope this was helpful. i rambled a lot and i apologize for that 😭 if you want me to clarify anything or talk more about anything, don't hesitate to reach out again, i really appreciated this ask!!! thank you so much dear anon! 🤍

[starliightxo]

Brie Aliyah Ramsey

Academy: Diamond Bridge (LA)

Course(s): modelling, music production/song writing

Parents: npc

Sexuality: bisexual

Before the abduction/Personality:

Before Brie disappeared, she was fairly well known on tour. She was bubbly, outgoing and very loud at parties. She could befriend anyone and talk about anything. She had a bit of a party girl reputation and one for sleeping around. She was always seen making out with someone new at parties but she was never in one place for long. She was a wildcard. Ready to meet new people, we new places and try new things. She'd find a way to work with any one no matter what subject they studied. She was a social butterfly.

Career:

Modelling is her main passion, she's all over it. She got ahead pretty quickly as one of the very few girls willing to be photographed topless. She'd had no shame and bags if confidence to spare. She was ready for anything. But her love for modelling never stopped her exploring other areas. Modelling remains her number one but from all the things she dabbled in, she's kept going with music production and song writing, mainly through Paramore which is where she started after producing and co-writing Ain't It Fun.

The Abduction:

(under read more because super triggering including sexual assault, abuse, rape, pornography)

Plots ~ Open & Taken:

TAKEN:

Amelia - A really close friend and work buddy. Amelia was the one who got Brie into music production and song writing and they produced songs together and have many more in the works before Brie disappeared. 

Astrea - really good friends but with benefits. They got closer on tour. They're polar opposites; Brie is more what you see is what you get, but Astrea is a lot more calculated and thinks carefully about how she comes across. Brie took an interest and after a chase, they were both hooked and genuinely loved hanging out with each other.

Harlow - they’re modelling friends but it isn’t exactly a deep connection, it’s all about messing around, partying and having fun on set and nights out. The type of friends you discuss outfits with and drag out to parties if they’re not feeling it.

Fleur & Dixie - Modelling friends but definitely with a lot more depth. They grew up quite close after Brie got a modelling job with Anastasia's brand along with the girls. They have similar public images and thrice for each other on nights out, they're a group to watch. It's definitely boosted Brie's socialite status being linked with the girls and although it's obvious, Brie loves them and they know that's not the reason they became friends in the first place

Addy - someone she hypes up and always tries to shed some of her confidence onto

Anthony - as a teacher at the academy, Anthony although wasn't involved in her abduction, he now knows the ins and outs of what happened and has been assigned to keep an eye on Brie and make sure she sticks to the fake story.

Flynn - her ex from first year/high school. They didn't get very far in the relationship before they left for different uni's and drifted as a couple but they ended on good terms. So good that even now, they look out for each other and Brie even encourages him with this crush he has on Lottie

Lucie - once upon a time, before the kidnapping, brie was definitely part of "the girls" but since being back, she's cut them and that lifestyle off; shying away from it immensely and only trusting very few. Lucie, a social climber, has been trying her best to coax brie back and convince the other girls to do the same. Not because she cares all that much, but because of the publicity surrounding brie and the disappearance is a great opportunity.

OPEN:

A simple one night stand (Male or female) - She would have had many of these but maybe it was the most recent and it hit them very hard because they were questioned by police and the public after them leaving an event together was pictured and gossiped about. 

Music work friend - I want to make it specific so a song they’ve released that she produced or co-wrote please! This could obviously be more than one person/band etc and it could be that someone worked with her but she bugged them A LOT and would have called it off if the song hadn’t done so well so maybe they had mixed feelings about her disappearance. 

Rivals - Another model who maybe hated Brie because of the amount of confidence she had and the amount of work she got because of it, maybe she got given a few jobs that they really wanted and they resented her. Again it’s up to you how they feel now she’s back

Someone she was flirting with at the after party (male or female) - before she she left, she could have been pursuing someone but it could be that after a bathroom break she came out to see them making out with someone else and that’s what made her leave when she did. She’ll lowkey blame them now. 

The Abduction: 

Brie was abducted by somebody employed by the academies for the tour, specifically, a mentor involved in photography. He knew Brie obviously from her modelling career and had worked with her a lot and after enlisting a few other people to help in the abduction, including a personal driver, Brie got into a car she thought was safe, ready to leave the party and head back to her room. She never got there. 

It was an abduction based on sexual abuse and someone with wider motives, but Brie didn’t last long enough to discover what could have happened and what they had planned. During the week she was away, she was held tied up in a basement in a place she didn’t know, drugged, abused and assaulted repeatedly by various men. These assaults were filmed. 

Brie was never meant to be let go. But since the tour has resumed, her captives have agreed it would be way too risky to keep their job on the tour and keep her hidden. They agreed to release her but not after they were sure she had the story straight. As far as the police, public and everyone around her are concerned, Brie simply wondered off that night and after too much to drink, doesn’t have much memory of it. She stayed away because she got really sick afterwards and upon realising she was a missing person, chose to come back. If she told the truth, the recordings of what really happened were going to be released; ruining her career, her reputation, her life. Her friends and family will see her in a way that horrified her. She was completely brain washed and terrified. 

[daydadahlias]

i always enjoy how thoughtful you are with your responses and thank you for the film rec! i've read a lot about that film but i don't think i'll ever watch it, heavy media is always difficult to consume but in film for me it's almost impossible at times. i think about will be from time to time and always wonder about the times between will be and passing through as well. like why ashton chose not to go back to law school, what made them settle down where they did, how they explored and healed beyond that etc. it was such an interesting world and dynamic and you're a fantastic writer!

once again, discussion of sexual assault below the cut

I also find it very hard to consume visual media, especially if it's about a subject like this but that's actually why I liked PYW so much!! It never showed anything graphic regarding the assault. That was what my essay was about actually lol. The way that the movie is effective is because it isn't... graphic in nature about the subject. In fact, it's rather casual.

ANYWAY.

Making the connection between Will Be and PT is very... oh, how to say this,,, sort of up to if a reader wants to or not, does that make sense?? Like I, personally, as the writer of both, find it hard to think of them in the same universe even if they were originally supposed to be. So I think a reader can make them set in totally different worlds or if they want to, they can connect the two. If they do though, it's important to note that so many years have passed since the initial event. Will Be!Ashton and Calum, realistically, are so young when everything happens. And they're so... naïve?? So a lot of growth would have to occur over the years between when WB takes place and when PT does.

If you want me to!! answer this for you!! I can!! I always think that the reason Ashton chose not to go back to law school was his realization that someone like him wouldn't be able to get justice in a court of law based on his sexuality, his sexual preferences, his overall appearance even (ie. the pink nails). And it sort of... set him back a step in terms of trusting the world around him, especially the legal world/the justice system.

Also, I do wish I had touched more on the recovery aspect of their relationship in Will Be but I couldn't do that without making the fic, like, 30k longer. And I was already pushing it with the length lol. I know there isn't a large audience for this type of fic.

But I've definitely thought about them too, and how they started a life together and fully learned to trust each other again. I think it's important to note that an instance like this didn't,, destroy Ashton, obviously. It didn't destroy either of them. And it obviously doesn't ruin sex for them. Because Ashton doesn't blame sex for this - which is a common thing I see in rape narratives - but he blames the perpetrator. He loves sex. I do think it would take time though, realistically, for Calum and he to have sex again. Especially the type of sex they were previously engaging in. I think it required a lot of softness initially between them. I think they probably went through about half a year together where they just... tried to learn each other's habits and personalities again. So they wouldn't go any further than kissing and soft touching with each other. Just small intimacies and continuous displays of "I'm here for you." (And I also think Calum and Ashton would eventually have to - fairly soon after they both "run away" - speak about what happened to Calum as well; which would ofc,,, hate to say it this way but "trauma bond" them). And then, I think, they coaxed each other back into a state of "normal" over the course of that time period where they lead up bit by bit and intimacy by intimacy until things felt right again. I also do think Ashton became completely sober after.

I've always wanted - and who knows maybe I will one day - write a story about rape recovery in a way that actually goes through that process of healing in depth. Because that's a very rare thing to find in fiction. Most stories - including my own - just speak about the inciting incident and hint towards future recovery without diving into it. And I want to change that!! But I just haven't really,, found it in myself yet to write it.

Thank you so much for this. I really do appreciate it sm <33

[doctor-desi]

Alrighty, for the Angst Questions: 3, 6, 15, 19, 25 and 30; and the Quesiton About Creating Your OCs: 1, 3, 8, 9,12, 13, 19. (Sorry if they're too many, answer as many as you want!!)

HAHAHAHA! I ANSWERED THEM ALL! PREPARE YOURSELF FOR ALL THE BLAINE KNOWLEDGE YOU COULD EVER WANT (jk there is probably more but this is still a lot... so be prepared)

Angst Questions: 

3 Have they ever lost a loved one? What happened to them, and are they the same as they were before they lost them?

I have never actually thought about this question for them before, because at least a few generations of their family have lived in Saker Keep. I imagine at some point she has lost a grandparent, but same with her parents I feel she isn’t super close to her older family members. She’d still mourn, be there for her family members that were closer to them, and respect them for who they were in life. But in terms of her changing because she lost them, I just don’t really think she would change at all. If it was the first death she experienced she might come to respect the ideals in rituals for those passing on. Like learn to make peace with the death of others. But it wouldn’t really be life-altering for her. (However I can’t say the same if she were ever to lose Ms. A, her siblings or any of the gang. If one of them all died, then she might break down and become kind of numb for a bit. She just has no real idea how to deal with a super impactful death since she isn’t super close to the majority of her family. 

6 Have they ever committed a crime, or something they felt was wrong? What was it?

Oof, okay another thinker. Hmm, well here is the thing. I came up with this idea that her parents own the general store type shop in the area (cause I need it for when we go there for reasons). So as a kid, I can imagine her being there a lot, and maybe one time she accidentally takes something. Someone not from town catches her and drags her to her parents saying she stole, and her parents just shake their heads, explain she is their kid and berate her. She has a pretty good moral compass besides that, so unless she does something on accident, or something she wasn’t taught bad, then she would not purposely commit a crime or do something she felt was wrong. She just doesn’t like going against what she knows as right, so she would never do something bad on purpose. 

15 What is their biggest fear? What in general scares them? How do they act when they’re scared?

Well from the campaign, she is defiantly scared of dogs and heights. Id almost say that she is also kind of scared of water now, or maybe the unknown of what is under the water more? Cause of what happened when they are on the ship. I think her BIGGEST fear though would be like her insecurities and messing those up… which I’ll talk about in your next one actually! And how she acts.. well that depends. If it is something like someone dying where she couldn’t do anything, then she’d like break down and become almost a shell of who she was, really numb to the outside. If its something else, like something she could change in the moment, she would take action to remove herself from the situation or remove the thing that is causing her fear. Either way, whatever it is would likely stay in her mind a long time, she tends to overthink things in general, and this would be no different.

19 What is your character insecure about?

Okay, so there are a few of these I believe. First and foremost, she is insecure about her abilities and has the fears of disappointing those around her. She grew up in a small town and although she doesn’t doubt Ms. A’s teaching abilities, she is worried she will not be enough in times of danger. That kinda leads to another insecurity that she will not be able to protect those she’s grown to care for. She is scared that those around her will die and she will not be able to do anything to prevent it.  Another insecurity she has is about herself and her past. Since her family history is partly a mystery to her, she is kind of almost unsure of who she is as a person. Like she knows who she wants to be as a person, but she doesn’t know who she is through who her family were if that makes sense… Yeah, she might have more too, she kind of really hides her insecurities and doesn’t let people know about them much. OH! Another one is she is insecure about who and how she trusts. After the mask incident she kind of doubts her ability to read people and situations as to whether they are real and should be trusted. Okay… I think I got most of them.

25 Do they find that they care what others think of them? Or do they not really mind how others view them?

Oh yeah. She doesn’t show it at all but she super does (kinda mentioned above). She feels like she is not enough a lot of the time, so she does like approval from others. Knowing what others think (especially if it is good) makes her feel more secure like she knows what she is doing is right or wrong. 

30 What makes them feel safe or secure? What makes them feel insecure or unsafe?

Honestly what makes her feel safe and secure is being home. Being out of her little town makes her feel unprepared and a little scared, but also really excited which is why she set out in the first place. Knowing what is going on in a situation makes her feel safe, having a weapon, basically having control or a strong understanding makes her secure. What makes her insecure or unsafe is the unknown, though like I said before she also gets excited (idk its king of like how some people get watching horror movies). Um… having to face her fears and stuff, I don’t know really, she just likes to know things so not knowing kinda makes her uncomfortable.

Questions About Creating Your OCs:

1 What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)? 

Ooookay… honestly I have no idea. I want to say that I wanted to play a dragon born first? But it also could have been that I wanted to play a sorcerer. It was one of those though I believe. I think maybe the latter cause I wanted to play a magical character, so I looked through the different types and settled on a sorcerer cause they were KINDA both fighting and magic.

3 How did you choose their name? 

Yeah… this one I don’t have a super fancy long answer. The name popped in my head and would not go away so I was like “Okay, Blaine it is then.” … yeahhhhh thats pretty much it.

8 What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story? 

For what I relate to in their character I’ll answer in the next one (spoilers its pretty much everything). However for the story I can say nothing really. I’m an only child while Blaine has two siblings. I have a pretty good relationship with my parents while Blaine had an okay one but didn’t interact with them much. I guess I kind of had a traumatic experience when I was younger? But its not like it unlocked any magic abilities… I wish. I didn’t have one specific mentor though I had some pretty good teachers growing up…. Yeah nothing in the story really is related to me, character though is a completely different story.

9 Are they based off of you, in some way? 

Yes, completely yes. I mean, I’m not a dragon born sorcerer, but in terms of personality (besides Blaine being a little more extroverted) we are pretty much the same. I base a lot of how she acts and reacts and stuff like that based on how I would, so as a person, Blaine is pretty much me aside from a few details.

12 What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits, etc.)? 

Hahahaha… the fact that I made her a dragon born and I CANNOT DRAW DRAGONS TO SAVE MY LIFE. LIKE IDK HOW AT ALL SO I CANT EVEN DRAW HER IF I WANTED TO. So, yeah drawing has become frustrated where when I even try I get so sick of it I can’t do it anymore. Writing though is great! Ive began writing a lot more short stories and I love it! Im actually in the middle of writing a couple of things with her and the gang and I’m really excited to post them :)

13 How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all? 

Um… well Im not entirely sure how far canon will go really so… not entirely sure. At one point I did have her death planned, but that even has changed and I don’t even have a concrete idea for it. I suppose I kind of planned a little farther in her future when she is older, but not much besides she keeps helping people as long as she is physically able.

19 What is your favorite fact about your OC?

Mm, okay I have two really and they are both super stupid silly things, but you asked. One is that Blaine is the Door Killer™. She has and will destroy all the doors with a single blow. And the other is that she always will have a multitude of daggers on her. Even as a kid she found/had daggers so much that her siblings stopped trying to take them from her and instead just taught her how to handle them safely.