#i've had a better time with it the past few years bc i focused pretty hard on it!

[rainypebble07]

My (byler) fics- should or shouldn't you read them? -UPDATED as of 7/11-

This is me trying to be as brutally honest as I can about my fics on Ao3 as a guide so I can hopefully introduce you to something you're interested in! (And help you to stay away from something you aren't)

1.It Wasn't a Bad Thing--- NO. This was my first fic and I have it on Ao3 for historical reasons, but I did make a rewrite, which is also on this list!

2. How To Handle Your Love Life and the Apocalypse at the Same Time--- I think my writing wasn't at its best yet, but this one is sweet. It focuses a lot on Mike and Nancy as siblings, which I really liked (they have a girls' night and it's just adorable!) and the plot's actually decent. It's actually got some pretty good chapters, so you know. My biggest critique is it can feel sorta sudden at times, but if you can look past that, it's one of my favorites that I've written. This one is always fun to go back and read for me. (26 chapters)

3. Much Ado About... Something? -- This is a high school theatre AU, so if that's your thing then YES! I adore this story and it's got the most kudos out of all my fics. It gets a little sad and there's a solid amount of angst, but it's got a happy ending, so don't worry. It's also fun and happy sometimes, so good balance. This one's got really positive feedback and I just think it's neat. (28 chapters)

4. The Unwanted Return of Everything (and How it Finally Ends)-- It Depends. This one is definitely longer than my others and it's got a really long plot with, like, three different conflicts one after another.It takes place a few years after everyone defeats the Upside Down and they have to come back together because it's back and at first Will's got this new boyfriend and Mike's jealous and yadda yadda, the Mind Flayer shows up, big finale and everything. It's got some of my better-written moments, (I was actually rereading it the other day I very much enjoyed it) but also a couple eh ones, so it's really up to your preferences for this one. I always give it more crap than it deserves. If you're looking for a long read, go for it! (36 chapters)

5. Shady Business-- Superspy Byler. If you like crazy AUs, 100000000000000 TIMES YES! If I had to marry one of my fics, I'd marry this one immediately. It's Superspy Byler and I love it and I think you should read it. Rarely does it get slow because I plotted it out pretty thoroughly and it's just super fun and silly and kinda sad, but it's one of my favorites ever, so you know. (22 chapters)

6. Mike Wheeler's Ultimate Guide to the Undead-- YEAH! I think you should check it out because it's super cute!! It focuses on Mike and Will after season one in an alternate timeline where Will died in the Upside Down and came back as a zombie. It's super fun and cute (and sometimes sad) but seriously! You should read it! (7 chapters)

7. It Wasn't A Bad Thing (REWRITTEN)-- This is another AU, but this time it's kinda crazy bc it's a flower shop/tattoo parlor AU and Mike owns a flower shop and Will owns a tattoo parlor. It's a rewrite (duh) of my first fic ever and it's A LOT better than the original with a lot of new content and everything, but you should check it out! There's a lot of really fun scenes and I had fun writing it. (12 chapters)

8. currently writing a pirate AU as well and you should definitely check it out bc I love it. If Time Runs Out

THE END (for now?)

Hopefully, this will help you out if you ever find yourself looking through my profile on Ao3 or if you just needed something new to read right now (I understand, we all do). If you've got any questions about my fics, my asks are always open!

Alright, have fun!

[kiaroscuro]

Such a dapper demon birb. I love putting him in random outfits ;)

The first one is vaguely 1920's inspired because I'd been rereading Chrono Crusade and I do love me some period clothing, and the rest is just for fun.

(But also imagine an AU where Ren and Arsene get transported into the past and have to figure out how to get back to the present, only to run into Rosette on a mission. Rosette would be like: Ya also got contracted to a demon, huh? Is he friendly at least?

And Ren and Arsene would just,,, go along with it, somehow ending up at the church. Upon being questioned what fuels the contract, Ren would be like: ...my soul? And Rosette would cheer. Then the three of them (and Chrono) would wreak havoc on Aion's plans and save Joshua, haha)

A little (ok it turned longer than I'd thougth) snippet under the cut bc I got inspired.

---

Rosette stares at the demon-human pair across the street, silently wondering if she should reach for the seal of her watch or if she should shoot at him while his attention is towards the young man he's currently fussing over. She's never really seen a demon who didn't at least try to blend into the surrounding humans unless it was in the throes of an attack, but this one -- while having a humanoid shape -- has a very distinctly non-humanoid skintone and face. Compared to Chrono, who is often mistaken for an Indigenous kid with his dark hair and sun-kissed complexion, whose only giveaway of his demonic nature were his pointy ears and red-slit pupils, the obsidian-skinned demon across the street was a great warning sign.

"Chrono!" She hisses, eyes never leaving the demon as he adjusts the paperboy hat on his... contractor? Lunch? Next victim? "Who is that?"

Chrono shoots her a glare, though he's also focused on the demon, eyes furrowed. "I don't recognize him," he admits, "and I can't get a read on his power other than that it feels cursed."

Rosette blows out a breath she hadn't noticed she'd been holding. "That doesn't narrow anything down, buddy." She moves her hand from the latch of her seal to her trusty gun, lamenting that she doesn't have any of the nifty and new blessed rounds on her because Kate is stingy at the best of times.

...

"...the demon isn't even trying to hide-- are those wings? I thought that was a cape!" He had great feathered wings folded against the fabric of his trenchcoat, and Rosette wonders how no-one around them notices that he was very clearly not human.

"Rosette, don't do anything harsh!" Chrono tries, but by then Rosette is already marching over, never good at doing things like waiting or following orders. Chrono sighs in exasperation and carefully follows after his stubborn contractee, her blonde hair and blue Magdalen uniform easy to track even amongst the afternoon crowd.

He catches up to her right when she stopped in front of the dark-haired human and is already running through possible escapes in his mind when Rosette shoots the mysterious demon a look. She even has her gun out and visible, as if that would intimidate any demonic being other than maybe low-ranking legion constructs. "What are you doing with the boy, huh?" She asks, sotto voce.

Chrono felt like burying his face in his hands. So much for remaining calm in this highly strange situation. At least this demon seems more amused than anything, if his tilted head is any indication. The human splutters. "I'm sorry--" he starts, and Rosette steamrolls over him.

"You know that that's a demon, right? Are you in danger? I'm with the Magdalen Order, if you need help you can just say so."

"...ah," Chrono mutters, helpless. The demon and young man -- he's really not a boy, considering he seemed a few years older than Rosette -- share a glance, before the human looks down at himself.

"...we've been shopping, actually, because someone insisted that I need to try to blend in with the locals better."

"Thou do, yes. I'd like to think I've done a pretty good job of it, too." The demon says, his voice echoing in a way Chrono recognizes from high-ranking telepaths. Slightly echo-y, both loud and somehow in the mind. Humans weren't made for telepathy, so he doubted Rosette noticed anything weird about his voice, though maybe Satella or Azmaria would notice it.

The human rolls his eyes and turns back towards Rosette, expression wry. "I'm Ren Amamiya, this is my partner Arsene, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ms Magdalen Order."

Rosette splutters and introduces herself and Chrono after a second, and he focuses on Arsene's face to figure out if recognition will flash in those fiery eyes or not. The demon appears amused at her behavior but not otherwise murdery. He doesn't even appear to recognize Chrono's name, for whatever reason.

And then Chrono blinks. "...partner?" He asks, unsure if he's misheard. He and Rosette share a pointed glance, Chrono's eyes falling to her contract watch, before they turn back towards the two. Rosette's at least packed away her gun, finally.

"Yep," Ren says, popping the 'p', something wary in his posture all of a sudden.

Rosette stares. Chrono has a sudden, bad feeling about this. "...you know that he's a demon." She starts.

"He's certainly a devilish fiend, yes." Ren says, with amusement.

"And you're contracted to each other?" Rosette continues.

"For a given manner of the word, oui." Arsene answers this time, something cautious in his tone.

"Hush. I'm talking to Ren. You know that he's feeding on your soul if you're contracted."

Ren eyes her, and then Chrono, and then Arsene before his gaze falls back to Rosette's, something calculating in it that reminds Chrono dangerously of Aion, back when everything had been normal and before their Rite of Tuning. "You could almost say that we're of one soul, considering we share it."

Rosette nods, lost to the minute details that Chrono's been noticing. "And you still call him your partner and seem friendly towards him?" She asks, hands on her hip, any previous anymosity forgotten. Sometimes, Chrono despaired. Ren and Arsene share another glance before Ren smiles at them with a gentle shrug.

"Of course. The only people who have to worry about Arsene being a danger are husbands." After a beat of silence, he adds: "Because he loves to flirt with women," which lowers Chrono's hackles. Arsene rolls(?) his eyes good-naturedly.

"I was haggling down the price of thy hat, dear." He says, and Rosette snorts at that, completely at ease even while Chrono can't get the feeling off of his chest that this was one strange demon.

But then again, didn't he have to flee Pandemonium in the first place because he and the other Sinners had been 'strange' in the eyes of the Elders as well? Failures? It's possible that Arsene was running low on legion or was otherwise running low on astral and that was why he wasn't trying to appear particularly human, or maybe he's never gotten the hang of it in the first place, like Shader.

...though he did still have his horns, so he should be able to channel the astral energy and shouldn't even need a contract in the first place, unless he was otherwisely hurt somehow -- Chrono knows that they'd spoken the truth about 'sharing' Ren's soul, because the human's imprint was all over Arsene. It's possible that the other demon wasn't as strong as Chrono and thus could keep an open line to the human without quickly draining him like Chrono always did to Rosette whenever she opened the seal, because he had been a very strong demon in his prime, and was still powerful even with the restrictions.

"Ah, we wouldn't want to impose..." Ren says, carefully, and Chrono notices that he's completely tuned out of the discussion like an idiot. He's immediately back on high alert, but no-one's seemed to have died in the interim, so he calms down again.

Rosette is all smiles. "Nope, consider it an apology that I was so harsh to you two earlier." She says, and Ren demurrs a moment later:

"In that case, we'll gladly tag along to dinner with you." He says, with a nod from Arsene, and Chrono... blinks.

With what funds? Not the Orders, right, Rosette? He thought, but of course there was no answer from Rosette as she talked about the excellent selection of meat-based dishes from Antonio's.

Not the Order's funds, Rosette! Chrono despaired.

[vetustamorla]

I'm here with the writing asks as I promised! and I have a few hehehe: 11, 12, 16, 22, 41, 61 (out of the whole of la noche eterna), and 68

omg good luck to me 🙏 i'm a little tipsy so this might be a mess

11. Do you write scenes in order, or do you jump around?

i do write in order!!! this wasn't always the case but for the last few minds i just have to have the knowlegde that i got through This bit to get to this other bit, or else my mind gets stuck. however, having done both, i think both are pretty great

12. Do you outline your fics?  If yes, how detailed are your outlines?  How far do you stray from them?

bfhdbfdbvhjfd i """outline"""........it's more of a braindump? i write out bits of scenes and dialogues and details like i am describing them to myself and go off that, dedicating half of my screen to that and half to the document i am writing in. it has worked Wonders and allowed me to take some pressure off my brain by having these very detailed, very silly notes to go off

16. Do you write by hand, on your phone, or on your laptop?

on my laptop!!! but years ago i was pretty much only writing on my phone. i have carpal tunnel problems so by hand is a no-go for me

22. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process?  How do you come up with titles?

.........it depends???? but mostly during or after. the titles are pretty much always from songs, or reiterations of the song lyric, that i've been listening to while writing. i've never been very original in my titling nor am i pretending to be tbh

(fun fact: make my world stop, everyone (no one)'s favourite fic, was pretty much from the very beginning called yuck in my document bc i'd been listening to charli xcx so much vhfdvngdjfnbg however later on the tone changed and i had to adapt the title with that </3)

41. Who’s your favorite character you’ve written?

mine is also leon i think 😭😭😭😭 i went so heavily on his mindset and i feel like i know him from the inside out now; it's unlike anything i've ever written before. in the past my favourite character was silva from my technically-rpf-but-not-really series, for the same reasons, because i focused so heavily on his psyche and felt like i know his every, even the worst, emotion at all times. with leon i'm happy to also explore the happier side of things and that's what makes it so enjoyable to write, the intricacies to explore with his character are pretty much endless!

61. In la noche eterna, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote?

it has to be between these two for me:

one: the part of the porn bit in when eden was lost where luis finally drops the pretense and lets leon see him and feel him and comfort him. that just... that's been on my mind pretty much as soon as the idea for this fic was born, and it made me uncomfortable to write because of how fucking hard it went, how bit by bit luis goes from masking and keeping up appearances to getting leon to make it better but without commiting and to, finally, accepting it. accepting the pain. living with it. living through it.

two: the exchange between the merchant and leon in make my world stop. this might be an unobvious one but i enjoyed SO much proverbially hitting the reader on the arm like ehm, hello, small reminder that the merchant while awesome is still in fact a ganado! and seeing him forget that compassionate and helpful part of himself in lieu of being drawn to leon, to the plaga in leon, was really fun to write. and really spooky.

[send me a fic ask or a few!]

[dissociacrip]

i mean, i say i've gotten overall less sick irt the undx'd neurological shit since i have stopped regularly working morning shift, because i have, but a few weeks ago before my 2nd time seeing g i had to leave an evening shift at work early bc for w/e reason i was feeling really unwell and was having paresthesia all over my lower legs and felt like i was gonna puke which got better once i was home and resting which isn't the exact same as what was happening before because it didn't come with the icy-hot searing pain in my upper back + being 7-8 on a pain scale for the rest of the day due to overall aching and then sharp stabbing pains everywhere that spoke to nerve issues (lmao i always forget i constantly have paresthesia and dysesthesia going on until i actively think about it since i've gotten so used to it. pins and needles and tingling and weird sensations on my arms and legs as i type this. certain things just make it much worse and thusly more noticeable) + worsening delerium and slurred speech to the point where it seemed like i was drunk. and it all would improve after laying down for a few ours - or at least some of it. the delerium and slurred speech definitely did. i thought i had an infection that day because in the past couple years when i've had infections neuro stuff seemed to get pretty bad. i was getting a cold sore maybe due to my cycle weakening my immune system so that could've been making it flare up?? i have no clue. i just remember having a uti that one time and getting burning pins and needles in my feet.

so i genuinely have like no fucking idea what triggers this stuff. they did a thoracic mri that showed no signs of any disc herniation yet this keeps happening on and off for over 2 years with the mri only happening when i was having searing pain focused around my shoulder. my only solid theory is craniocervical instability and my pcp said that was a possibility but i don't feel like i can ask for money from my dad to get assessed for it anytime soon considering how much financial support he's giving me already and still barely having enough money for me to get by.

and this has happened over the course of at least 2-3 years. if something is continually putting pressure on my spinal cord to the point that it can make me that neurologically fucked up even if it comes and goes rather than being permanent i would still like to know about it because that happening over and over again seems pretty fucking bad. idk i might bite the bullet and ask my doctor if there's anyone who could evaluate me at least for craniocervical instability or to at least get a motion x-ray even though they billed me $200 just to see him last. but i can't picture my dad being happy with me about that. i haven't asked him for help with that bill either. and i missed my last appointment because i straight-up forgot about it. there's also the fucking lung thing i never got x-rayed for again. god.

[risingsunresistance]

:D so glad you like the Mola designs! the pretty colors make me happy too :)))) another really pretty deep dive is visible mending and sashiko/boro stitches (if you get deep enough you will know those terms are contested and/or problematic but they are the only words we have that the moment). idk how much you are into textiles (probably less so than i am lol (most people are)) , but if you ever wanted to get your hands busy in addition to distracting you mind, i highly recommend visible mending as a task that is both satisfying and also keeps your favorite clothes from ending up in a landfill :D Happy web diving! -textile anon

visible mending looks soooooo fun but i have had a HORRIBLE time trying to sew in the past. i just dont think im coordinated enough for it :0 i like the way it makes clothes look tho, and i'd much prefer keeping well-worn jeans than having to toss them out

idk much about textiles but ark rlly enjoys sewing and stuff! i personally barely know the names of fabric types, so i'm definitely unfamiliar with styles and techniques, but even if i dont know much they're pretty cool and i like hearing about them :]

[words-writ-in-starlight]

hi, it's the adhd anon again. according to the dsm-v, i think i have it, which is weird bc i've never seen myself as having more trouble than others. (my grades are better than almost anyone else in my grade.) (although that might just be bc i'm interested in what's being taught - when something's not interesting or too hard, i have a pretty hard time doing it.) anyway, if it's not too much trouble, what does feel like to stim/hyperfixtate for you? (i'm so sorry to bother you in advance)

Hey, dude, welcome back!  So, okay, first things first: the stereotype of someone with ADHD automatically doing terribly in school is based heavily on the original diagnostic criteria, which categorized ADHD strictly in terms of “young hyperactive white boy who has violent outbursts and/or disciplinary problems and Just Doesn’t Do Well in academics.”  And there are people who manifest ADHD like that, it’s a stereotype with roots in reality--a lot of people with ADHD either consistently struggle with academics or eventually reach a point where their previous focusing techniques fail them.

However.

I left high school for college two years early, and if I hadn’t, I would probably been valedictorian of the graduating class, because I had a GPA well above 4.0 due to my general habit of doing extra credit whenever it was offered.  In college, I had a reputation for turning in beautifully complete lab reports and essays five pages over the minimum requirement.  I got high honors on my thesis, graduated magna cum laude, and finished a pre-medical major in half the recommended time period.  When I was a kid, the phrase “savant syndrome” got thrown around a lot, to give you some context.

On the other hand, I manifest a lot of those stereotypical ADHD symptoms: I’m loud, I interrupt people a lot, I have erratic and overwhelming mood swings that I struggle to control, I fidget incessantly and can’t stand silence, I have a tendency to get destructive when I’m angry, I have managed to seriously injure myself because I couldn’t resist a stupid impulse more than once, and if we’re all being honest, I would never have graduated high school at all, because I was on the brink of expulsion for getting into fights during class periods.  

It’s easy to feel like “I never really struggled academically” is somehow a counterargument to any and all symptoms of ADHD that you might manifest, but it’s really not.  (Heck, sometimes ADHD is even helpful--I finished my thesis a full week before anyone else and had time to fix my citations, mostly because my ADHD responds well to pressure and that crunch time hyperfocus Had My Back.)  It might take time for you to come to terms with this idea, and that’s okay!  But try to at least consider it.

All that being said, I am actually gonna answer your question, I just got distracted because the amount of time I spent making the statement “I’m faking having ADHD because I did well in school” is mindblowing and I have a Thing about it.  Forgive my ramble.

Stimming: I’m going to answer this first because the answer is going to be the most useless.  The ways I stim tend to be vocal/auditory stuff (I talk a lot when I’m alone, I sing and play music when I’m doing menial tasks, if I’m really anxious I’ll hum a single note until I calm down) or tactile stuff (sometimes destructive things like scratching my arms, sometimes neutral stuff like tapping my fingers in specific patterns or rubbing my palms over my jeans or the leather of a jacket or something).  It’s mostly things that ‘pass’ for neurotypical with very few exceptions, because I trained myself out of a lot of my ‘non-passing’ stims (rocking back and forth, knocking into walls, hand-flapping, that sort of thing) really young.  As for what it feels like to stim, it’s just...good.  It’s sort of like the brain equivalent of running your hand the right way along velvet, and discovering that you’ve been rubbing it backwards all along.  Or like the equivalent of stepping into a cool shower on a really hot day--it’s not that it’s miserable outside the shower, it’s just that the shower is extremely good.  I have a playlist of music that, for whatever reason, hits the right combination of voice and rhythm and notes and words to make my brain suddenly get calm, and it’s not necessarily my favorite music or a cohesive collection of tunes or anything (featuring Six Shooter by Coyote Kisses and also Human by Rag’n’Bone Man, which have nothing in common), but it’s Good.

Hyperfocus: You didn’t actually mention this, but I think it’s worth mentioning because it’s one of the hallmarks of ADHD.  It bears more than a passing resemblance to the concept of “flow”, but turned up to 11.  Hyperfocus is the state of being so overwhelmingly tuned in to the thing you’re currently doing that everything else falls away--which is fine, unless you’re one of us folks who can hyperfocus ourselves right through meal times.  It’s inexorable, it’s all-consuming, and it can feel pretty fucking great, which is why it’s important to be careful and find a way to hydrate yourself.  The primary difference between hyperfocus and flow is that hyperfocus is generally involuntary and does not necessarily tune you into something you planned or wanted to pay attention to.  If you ever see me publish a fic that includes a note about “I didn’t mean to write this but it’s 2 AM so here”, that’s code for “please validate me, I’ve been hyperfocused on this for two or three hours and I failed to do a lot of important things as a result.”  The other thing about hyperfocus is that afterwards, the drop coming off it is a real bitch.  It leaves me feeling hollowed out, exhausted, and kind of pettily disinterested in anything that would usually hold my attention.  Being hyperfocused is like being a machine designed to do one thing and one thing only and doing that thing feels incredible; coming off hyperfocus is like being an overtired toddler.

Hyperfixation: Hyperfixations are the ADHD equivalent of a special interest, aka: that thing you’ve been struggling not to pester every single person you know about, every single second of every single day of the past two and a half weeks.  Were you around, dear anon, when this blog was Only Animorphs, All The Time, and if you didn’t give a shit about morphin’ teens you just had to sit down, shut up, and learn some stuff, or else unfollow me?  That’s what hyperfixating looks like.  Sometimes it’s useful stuff--do you know how unbelievably useful having a hyperfixation on triage techniques is to me?  I crushed my triage training, I owned that shit, I wrote a whole chapter of my thesis on it.  Other times, it’s...well, Animorphs.  Or the American Revolution.  Or X-Men.  Or dinosaurs.  Some random shit like that.  Learning about hyperfixations, talking about them, is generally pure unadulterated joy.  On the other hand--oh, God, listen, I know how annoying I am, but I cannot stop myself.  I know I haven’t talked about anything but Animorphs in three weeks, I know I’ve made forty-five TAZ posts today, whatever you’re about to complain about, I already know, okay, I am aware, and there is nothing more painful than to have a fucking out-of-body experience watching yourself rattle on about a hyperfixation while the other person obviously gets bored in front of you.  And then you try to keep your mouth shut and it physically hurts not to talk about the thing.  It’s hard to describe what it ‘feels’ like except that ADHD brains are magpies at their core and hyperfixations are the shiny, shiny objects your brain wants to take home.

Anyway, I’m not sure how useful ANY of this has been, but like.  After a certain point, you kind of have to trust yourself enough to decide, once and for all, whether you really, truly believe you’re faking a neurological disorder for the attention.  If the answer is no, then great!  You have sussed out your symptoms and can start managing them accordingly, whether that’s some helpful apps on your phone or medication or something in between.  If the answer is yes, then you probably need some therapy, and your therapist will be able to help you get to a point where you feel able to trust yourself.

Go with the neurodivergent gods, my dude.

[jamesnovakwinchester]

(1) idk what u think about this from a writer's perspective but don't u think there's an oversaturation of bangs that may contribute to authors feeling overwhelmed by their schedule & not being able to do the work they want to do bc they're so worried about how much they have yet to do?? it's something i've noticed in this fandom in particular?? there's so many bangs coming out and they're all back to back that no one gets a chance to rest & breathe & live their lives without a schedule

(2) of bangs looming over their heads and thus fostering a sense of despair as authors feel guilty and immense pressure bc they feel like they have to write even tho their plate may already be too full,,, idk it just seems like there’s constant demand for new content that may be leaving authors wrung out especially since no one pays them for their free content (commissions not included obvs) it’s not a criticism just something i’ve seen in my time in the spn fandom

So I’m gonna answer this in two parts because I think there are a couple things being hinted at in this ask and I have a lot of thoughts about these topics.

So, one, do I think there is an oversaturation of bangs in the fandom and do I think that leads to author despair? Kinda yes but also kinda no.

There are a buttload of bangs in the spn fandom, that’s for sure. And, there have only been more in the past year. I can name at least four that were brand new this year and three of them are starting today. But I think these bangs exist for a very specific reason. I know the mods of the DCJ bang and I know a big motivation behind that bang was to get more art for Dean/Cas/Jimmy (there was literally one art work before the bang) and to get more fics that weren’t all written by the same few people. Seriously, prior to the DCJ BB announcement, there were maybe 100 works for that ship on A03 and most of those that had been written post Pitchers and Catchers and by people who all knew each other on tumblr. The Saileen BB, which I’m co-moding, was created as a retaliation to canon. It was a “fuck you, we’ll keep the love alive”, kind of thing. Other bangs like the Crowley BB and the BMoL BB were created out of love for those characters and fans who just weren’t done with them yet. In many ways, that’s what fandom is all about! And it encourages other writers who might be on the fence about writing their idea or don’t think anyone will care because it’s not one of the Two Big Ships to write and for readers to find authors who write something they’re interested it. It’s really awesome in that respect.

The issue, I think, comes when a person is a multishipper or a shipper in one of the ships that has an assload of challenges. Destiel has, currently, the BB, the reverse bang, the tropefest, the harlequin challenge, another BB (because there were issues with last year’s BB and some people got really pissed) and probably a few mini bangs, too. I know Wincest also has a BB and reverse bang, but I don’t know if they have challenges to the extent that Destiel does. If you’re a Destiel shipper, but particularly a writer, you know the issue with oversaturation that ship has. (But I will save that for the second part of the answer.) As a multishipper, I want to write for all the bangs. I want people who love the same ships as I do to have new content, and I want to read new content, too. I want long fics with character depth instead of just one-shots all the time (not that there’s anything wrong with one-shots or the people who stick to those, I just tend to be a long fic reader). For people like me, who want to read and write it all, the fact that a million and one bangs all at once can be stressful, and it does make me feel a little sad when I can’t participate in all of them. But I think the fact that there are a lot of specific bangs that deal with specific characters or ships is a good thing. Those of us who do ship obscure things and those who prefer genfic have a place to explore characters, make friends, and find new readers. And, not every writer is going to care about every bang. A strict Wincest shipper probably doesn’t care about the Crowley BB, and a genfic writer probably doesn’t care about ship focused bangs either. The people who are going to have the biggest issue with overextending themselves are going to be the people who write for a lot of ships and/or characters. In general, I think it’s a good thing that we have a lot of bangs. It’s a little strange, sure, but SPN’s fandom is wild. We want to see our favorite characters live on after the story is done, and I think that’s cool. I can definitely see how it’s stressful for some people, and I myself have stressed myself out trying to write multiple bangs at once, but it’s a learning curve and it is dependent on each author. Some can manage three or four projects at a time and others just can’t. I know a few authors (myself included) who stress out about bangs and feel there just isn’t enough time in the year to do everything they want. But bang participation is voluntary. I also know several writers who’ve never written in bang and are still stressed about the pressure to produce. Which leads me to part two…

…. it just seems like there’s constant demand for new content that may be leaving authors wrung out especially since no one pays them for their free content…

Yes. Yes, there is a lot of pressure for authors to produce new content but it has little to do with bangs, imo. I personally feel that bangs, in addition to being about celebrating characters that we lost too soon or rarer ships, are an opportunity for writers of The Two Big Ships to get attention. I’m gonna pick on Destiel a bit, but just because I think the prime example of what I’m talking about. The ship is a behemoth. Currently, (at least last I checked) it is the most written ship on Ao3.  Hundreds of thousands of words a cranked out yearly for this ship and because of that, smaller authors or new fics are lost. It doesn’t help, of course, that so many of the rec lists look exactly the same with the same few fics and authors populating them. In order to get noticed, the best chance a smaller author has is to participate in a bang or challenge and hopefully be interesting enough that bang readers will give them a shot. It sounds a little cynical, but I do think it plays a part in why there are so many challenges for that ship in particular. Authors are hungry for interaction, so we’re more likely to throw ourselves into challenges if we think we’ll get attention and interaction. It may sound a little vapid, but that’s how we’re paid. I don’t get paid in money to write, but I do get paid in kind words, so the more of that I get the better I feel and the more likely I am to continue to write. It’s kind of sucky thing, honestly.

Rather than being a main source of author despair, I think bangs and challenges are a response to it. We need to feel like we’re not just screaming into the void, here. Fanfic is an oversaturated market, but I don’t think it would be as much of an issue if readers were just a little more kind with their kudos and comments. I know that it’s different because 10% of readers leaving a “like” is actually pretty good but it still can sting and leave authors to feel that if they just produced more or better work or longer work or whatever they’d get more attention. (Or fewer “more!!” “update soon!” comments.)  It’s a strange thing, too, that most people who write for fun do so to make themselves feel better so we do tend to write other projects if one we’re doing is leaving us unsatisfied. (And then we feel more stressed because we’ve got a million things we’re working on and none of them are done and we start circling the drain in our minds.)

The demand for new content is definitely something that leaves authors feeling wrung out and unappreciated, but I think it’s separate from bangs. It may occur in bangs, too, but it happens independently of them as well. I think the stress surrounding having a lot of projects going can and does come from bangs, but I don’t think it’s the only thing that causes the stress. I think, by and large, authors feel the pressure to create lest they are regarded as unimportant. That’s, of course, not true, but that’s how a lot of us feel at times.

That’s my opinion, though. If anyone else wants to weigh in they’re more than welcome. 

[rainypebble07]

My (byler) fics- should or shouldn't you read them? -UPDATED-

This is me trying to be as brutally honest as I can about my fics on Ao3 as a guide so you don't waste your time with something you don't want to read (bc I'm bored).

1.It Wasn't a Bad Thing--- NO. This was my first fic and I have it on Ao3 for historical reasons, but it's pretty choppy and badly written, so it's probably okay to skip. I tried to write and tattoo shop/flower shop AU and I just didn't have a lot of experience yet. I wasn't even planning on posting it anywhere originally. (After I posted this originally, you guys kept clicking on it, but seriously. No.)

(But I'm working on a rewritten version of it and the first chapters are out, so read that instead!)

2. How To Handle Your Love Life and the Apocalypse at the Same Time--- I think my writing improved a lot between my first and second fics, so this one's not actually that bad. It focuses a lot on Mike and Nancy as siblings, which I really liked (they have a girls' night and it's just adorable!) and the plot's actually decent. It's probably got some of my pretty good written chapters. My biggest critique is it can feel sorta sudden at times, but if you can look past that, it's one of my favorites that I've written. This one is always fun to go back and read for me.

3. Much Ado About... Something? -- This is a high school theatre AU, so if that's your thing then YES! I adore this story and it's probably got the most kudos out of all my fics. It gets a little sad and there's a solid amount of angst, but it's got a happy ending, so don't worry. It's also fun and happy sometimes, so good balance. This one's got really positive feedback.

4. The Unwanted Return of Everything (and How it Finally Ends)-- It Depends. This one is definitely longer than my others and it's got a really long plot with, like, three different conflicts one after another. I feel like it was drawn out at points, but I guess I can't tell very well because I wrote it. It takes place a few years after everyone defeats the Upside Down and they have to come back together because it's back and at first Will's got this new boyfriend and Mike's jealous and yadda yadda, the Mind Flayer shows up, big finale and everything. It's got some of my better-written moments, but also a couple eh ones, so it's really up to your preferences for this one. In the end, I don't think it's a bad fic, necessarily, I just wish I took more time to write it.

5. Shady Business-- Superspy Byler. If you like crazy AUs, 100000000000000 TIMES YES! If I had to marry one of my fics, I'd marry this one immediately. It's Superspy Byler and I love it and I think you should read it. Rarely does it get slow because I plotted it out pretty thoroughly and it's just super fun and silly and kinda sad, but it's one of my favorites ever, so you know.

6. Mike Wheeler's Ultimate Guide to the Undead-- YEAH! This is my newest fic and it hasn't got a ton of hits yet (as of posting this), but I think you should check it out!! It focuses on Mike and Will after season one in an alternate timeline where Will died in the Upside Down and came back as a zombie. It's super fun and cute (and sometimes sad) but seriously! You should read it!

THE END (for now?)

Hopefully, this will help you out if you ever find yourself looking through my profile on Ao3 or if you just needed something new to read right now (I understand, we all do). This probably isn't relevant to anyone, but I wanted to make it bc I thought it was amusing.

Alright, have fun!

[rainypebble07]

My (byler) fics- should or shouldn't you read them? (From my -probably- biased perspective)

This is me trying to be as brutally honest as I can about my fics on Ao3 as a guide so you don't waste your time with something you don't want to read (bc I'm bored).

1.It Wasn't a Bad Thing--- NO. This was my first fic and I have it on Ao3 for historical reasons, but it's pretty choppy and badly written, so it's probably okay to skip. I tried to write and tattoo shop/flower shop AU and I just didn't have a lot of experience yet. I wasn't even planning on posting it anywhere originally. Then again, there were people who said they enjoyed it, so I guess it's personal preference. I haven't even read it in a while, so I guess I'm not the best person to ask.

2. How To Handle Your Love Life and the Apocalypse at the Same Time--- I think my writing improved a lot between my first and second fics, so this one's not actually that bad. It focuses a lot on Mike and Nancy as siblings, which I really liked (they have a girls' night and it's just adorable!) and the plot's actually decent. It's probably got some of my pretty good written chapters. My biggest critique is it can feel sorta sudden at times, but if you can look past that, it's one of my favorites that I've written. This one is always fun to go back and read for me.

3. Much Ado About... Something? -- This is a high school theatre AU, so if that's your thing then YES! I adore this story and it's probably got the most kudos out of all my fics. It gets a little sad and there's a solid amount of angst, but it's got a happy ending, so don't worry. It's also fun and happy sometimes, so good balance. This one's got really positive feedback.

4. The Unwanted Return of Everything (and How it Finally Ends)-- It Depends. This one is definitely longer than my others and it's got a really long plot with, like, three different conflicts one after another. I feel like it was drawn out at points, but I guess I can't tell very well because I wrote it. It takes place a few years after everyone defeats the Upside Down and they have to come back together because it's back and at first Will's got this new boyfriend and Mike's jealous and yadda yadda, the Mind Flayer shows up, big finale and everything. It's got some of my better-written moments, but also a couple eh ones, so it's really up to your preferences for this one. In the end, I don't think it's a bad fic, necessarily, I just wish I took more time to write it.

5. Shady Business-- Superspy Byler. If you like crazy AUs, 100000000000000 TIMES YES! If I had to marry one of my fics, I'd marry this one immediately. It's Superspy Byler and I love it and I think you should read it. Rarely does it get slow because I plotted it out pretty thoroughly and it's just super fun and silly and kinda sad, but it's probably my current favorite, so you know.

THE END (for now?)

Hopefully, this will help you out if you ever find yourself looking through my profile on Ao3 or if you just needed something new to read right now (I understand, we all do). This probably isn't relevant to anyone, but I wanted to make it bc I thought it was amusing.

Alright, have fun!