#maybe we're different kinds of writer. i hope you find your way. and if it's similar to my way - great!

[greenerteacups]

Long ask ahead! Sorry in advance for my rambling!

I’m a huge fan of Lionheart! (Latest update got me furious btw, your Umbridge characterization is amazing; i need. Revenge. the woman is vile)

my long ask today is on the topic of writing fanfics, or beginning to; i’ve been a fan of hp for a longish (?) time (i am currently in my first year of college, so since elementary school) and i want to start dipping my toes in writing fanfics, esp dramione. problem is, i have all these grand plans and ideas but i struggle with motivation and perfectionism — especially perfectionism. this has been a long standing problem on my end, but if every line is not to “my standard, or “perfect”, i feel deeply dissatisfied and i find it impossible to move on. i’m also very flighty — i get distracted easily, and lose momentum. i have so many ideas that i want to try out that i end up having a plethora of projects, none with a resolution. do you deal with this? what are your biggest struggles with writing? how do you move past them?

i also would like to say that i know that you’ve stated that writing is all for fun, but if you were to get published, i would 100% buy! i really hope you’re doing something in the creative industry, because really, your writing is amazing.

Hey, what up! Thanks so much!

If you'll permit a bit of tough love: it sounds like you don't really like writing those projects. There are a lot of reasons someone might leave a project, but when it comes to free hobby writing, if you've abandoned something, Occam's Razor, it's because you don't want to do it anymore.

And BTW: that's fine. You're not legally obligated to finish stuff. You're not under contract. If you're a hobby writer, your sole obligation is to have fun and please yourself. I've written tons of stories without middles or endings; I've got dozens of 3 or 4-chapter would-be longfics sitting on my drive, with absolutely no intention to finish them. I'm totally fine with that. This is something I do for fun. Why would I bully myself about not being sufficiently "productive" in something I'm doing for fun?

But it sounds like maybe you want to finish a fic, and/or see finishing as a prerequisite to publishing, in which case: you need to keep writing a project after you're bored or dissatisfied with it. In fact, I'd go so far as to suggest that you should go back through your drive, find the project you like least, and force yourself to write 1-2 pages on it. Because you are never going to be as pleased with what you've written as you are with the fake perfect story in your head. Even the worst, shittiest, misspelled, poorly plotted story that exists is better than the fake perfect story, because it exists, and is real writing, rather than just being the concept of something that is well-written. Abandoning a story because it doesn't live up to the hype is like refusing to eat because what's on the plate isn't as good as the Platonic concept of a chocolate cake. Like, of course it's not, dude! You didn't imagine it as having flaws!

It seems like you know that, which suggests that you need to force yourself to write something that you don't want to. So try shorter stuff! Writing short stories is a great way to learn the tools of the trade while giving yourself less time to burn out. Make it easy on yourself. And like, remember to forgive yourself. There are some things you can bully your brain into doing. Sincere and authentic art is not one of them.

[writingquestionsanswered]

how does one cope when mid-way through they realize they are writing a tragedy and there is no possibility of a happy ending? especially when that was not the original intention? i'm absolutely gutted by this realization and i hate that i feel wedded to it.

Upset Because Story Went Off the Rails

You're a Writer, Not a Marionette - Long ago, I bought into the believe that characters and stories have minds of their own... that it was beyond my control if my character did X when I wanted them to do Y... that there was nothing I could do if my happy meet-cute story decided to be a dark tale of horror. It can be kind of fun (and freeing, honestly) to believe we're just helpless vessels through which some greater storytelling force speaks, but that's not the case at all. There's no magical entity pulling the strings beyond your control. If your character does X and you wanted them to do Y, you did that, not your character. If your happy meet-cute turns into a tragic horror, you did that, not your story. You're the writer, and you're in control of everything that does or does not happen in your story.

Does It Make the Story Better? - Human brains are incredible things, and sometimes when your character does X when you intended for them to do Y, it's because some part of your brain realizes that's the better choice. Maybe it's more believable or more natural. Maybe it just works better with what you're laying out. Maybe it's just more interesting. So, the trick is to look at the unintended thing that happened and ask yourself if it makes the story better. Make a list of pros and cons... what are the ways the story is better if you stick with X rather than Y. What are the ways it's worse? Ultimately, if the change truly makes the story better, it's worth following through.

Beware of Story Parasites - Parasites are organisms that invade and thrive inside a host organism, at the host organism's expense. When you're writing your WIP and it takes a massive shift in tone, genre, or direction, sometimes that's because a whole new story idea has bullied its way into this one and is now feeding off this story to survive. If the unintended thing doesn't make the story better and leaves you feeling upset about the direction things are heading, you've probably got a story parasite. In which case, the best thing you can do is write the idea down as generally as possible, and set it aside to work on another time. Treating this invasive idea as something distinct from your WIP can help you move on and keep your story on its intended path.

What To Do When the Change Has to Stay - Very rarely, you may find that story's original direction just isn't working, and that this new (and vastly different) direction makes for a much better story. In that case--if you're absolutely certain this is the right path--it's worth making a list of all the reasons this idea will be better. Try to imagine what the story will be like if you stick with the original plan, versus if you make the drastic change. Can you think of anything that excites you about this new idea? Can you find reassurance in the many ways that this story shines versus the original idea?

Ultimately, It's Up to You - If your story takes an unexpected and upsetting turn, and you're certain it's the superior course, and that there's no point in pursuing the story's original path instead, it's worth really taking a look at why it's so upsetting if it's the right thing to do. If you're disappointed that your original plan didn't work out, spend some time trying to figure out how to make the original plan work better than the new idea. If you're upset because this idea is too personal or triggering, set it aside and see if you can come back to it later. You're not obligated to keep working on a story if it shifts in a direction that makes you unhappy or uncomfortable. You can set it aside or figure out a way to keep it in your comfort zone.

I hope that helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[elekinetic]

mike,

hey asshole. maybe that's a shitty way to start a letter, sorry. i'm pretty on edge. obviously. getting stalked by a psycho maniac with powers will do that to you.

this is weird. i don't really know what to say. not exactly a letter i thought i'd ever be writing, but—despite it all—we're friends, so you deserve closure.

i don't think you and i ever really clicked. not the way i thought we might've when we met. and i get it, between will and el and everything that was happening with the mindflayer, i get why you didn't want some random girl coming in and messing everything up. i think we're the same in that way, with change. i don't like it. i can tell you don't either.

i don't know how to say this without sounding pathetic, but. hey. if you're reading this, i'm dead, so you if you think i'm lame then you're a total shithead.

i wanted you to like me. and that's so stupid because like, you're you. c'mon. but i wanted to be a part of what you had. i think it was because i was jealous of you. you had this like, perfect family with a perfect older sister and perfect friends and not in that like, superficial-high-school-way, like, actual, real friends who care about each other. and you just walked around like you didn't know how lucky you were. like, i know why now, i do. i get it. it was just so hard to watch you get everything i wanted and not even think twice about it, and then slam the door in my face every chance you got.

and calling me annoying was kind of a bitch move.

whatever.

i know this year has sucked for you too. i don't know everything about your relationship with el, and you and will are a web of shit i don't even want to try to untangle... but i know it's been hard. i'm not exactly in a position to be giving life advice (ha), but again. i'm dying, probably, so. listen up wheeler.

you have to talk to her. and shut up, i know what you're thinking. it's different. or maybe it's not, but it doesn't matter. i don't have time to fix my shit. you do, so you better fucking do it.

i know you love el. and i know i don't talk to her as much as i should, and she knows i'm sorry. (for what it's worth, i'm not gonna stop being sorry) but she deserves better than whatever bullshit is going on between the two of you right now. and you'll get through it, because you'll finally talk to her and actually say what you're thinking instead of assuming you already know how she'll react, because you don't. but someday you guys are gonna have another argument, and you're gonna fix it before it gets out of hand, do you hear me? she deserves honesty.

you have to trust her. you have to trust her. you think you're protecting her, and sometimes it works, but it's not fair. she's not someone who needs protecting or hiding or teaching. and listen to me, its not because she can do shit with her mind, okay? it's because she's her own person who is smart and capable and strong in like, a human way. you have to know that, you have to understand that.

just... understand that.

i haven't done the best job of showing it, but i do care about you. you're my friend, and i hope... i hope you're able to find happiness. like, real, lasting, forever-type shit. you deserve it. seriously.

okay. i'm running out of space and i still have like, seven letters to write. i don't know why i thought it would be a good idea to do separate notes for everyone. I should've just done one page that said "see you later, assholes." that would've been smarter. quick, sweet, to the point. i mean, i was never the writer of the group. maybe if i'd done that, you guys would just know what i needed to say. four easy words. maybe you guys would understand the shit that i can't write down.

anyway.

see you later, asshole.

— max

p.s. watch out for lucas. please.

[sunflowerdigs]

But truly, as a person who hasn't really been all that comfortable in her own skin until recently and who has typically felt like she didn't fit in, it's been a real treat watching Loki find that one person who knows all of his shit but loves him in spite of (because of) it. And I think that's why it's so hard for me to understand why anyone would be clinging to Sylki at this point because Lokius is this wonderful, warm, accepting safe space. And, heck, if you only have that with your platonic friends and not your romantic partners, I don't know what to tell you. Lokius seems like the pinnacle of human connection between two people in that sense, what we're all looking for - someone who knows us because they've taken the time to learn us, and who greets every day that they get to keep knowing and learning us with delight and deep fascination.

Loki can give that gift to Sylvie, I guess, if the writers want him to. But she doesn't have the capacity to give it back yet - she's still very much in fear mode, there's no room for anybody but herself in her heart and mind right now. And that's fine, it makes total sense. But it's...illogical and unfair to say that Loki needs to wait for her to get to the point where she has the capacity to love him when there's someone else right there, right now able and willing to love him in that way. And that person is also very lonely and looking for someone to love. This isn't Sylvie's story after all - it's Loki's. It's his journey to love and acceptance, not her's.

Additionally, I think Loki wants to be the one to "fix" Sylvie in the way that Mobius "fixed" him but it doesn't really work because they're too similar, there's no room for that empathy and fascination with a different set of flaws and fears that leads to growth.

Idk. I'm fairly sure that the finale is going to be a disappointment to Lokius shippers and I'm struggling to accept that because it's been such a lovely and honest ride so far with these two. Loki literally turning to the camera in 2x05 and saying he's going to rewrite the story (so, in a meta sense, fix the flaws of the story that's been told) has given me a bit of hope, but, eh - it's Marvel. Heteronormativity will likely win out in the end. But I've had so much fun reading the reactions of other people and collecting the fic and the art. We're not wrong, we're just ahead of our time. I've gotta believe that, at some point in the future, a character as popular and beloved as Loki could get with another man without that heavy-handed, hand-holding, "this is gay, turn away now if you don't like it" kind of storytelling. Maybe not on Thursday. But someday.

[skibasyndrome]

hii lovely writer 💓

because of all those talking about this challenge in october and your writing in general i was just wondering (if you feel like answering):

is writing smut or explicit scenes personal for you? if yes, why? if not, why not?

looking forward to your future works 🥰

Hey there anon!

That's an interesting question and definitely not easy to answer tbh. For me there are different things that play into writing (or creating "art" only in quotes cause I'm weird about calling myself an artist of any kind I suppose), and one of them definitely is... hmmm... personal experience? If that's what you mean? I mean I love being a queer man, I love reading about queer men, I love writing about them as well, that's probably why I ended up writing fanfic in the first place? 😅

But more than that I just... idk... stumble upon some topic or something that I find inspiring and wanna explore further, then of course I also have the characters in mind and I like putting them in all kinds of different scenarios or situations and thinking about what they'd be like confronted with xyz, how they'd act, react, what they'd say or think. Personal experience is part of it, like when I tried to describe that beautiful summer day in my last fic, but it's never all there is for me. I think I especially love AUs because of the whole... what-if of it all, you know? I mean, what if Wilmon were criminals? It's obviously not something I have experience with nor is it like a desire of mine, but wouldn't it be neat to find out, you know? (tangent, but that is how I feel about literature in general. I love it because it allows us to explore all aspects of human existence no matter how far-fetched or grim or, conversely, how utopian it might be)

That was more general about... all fic 😅 But I guess while we're here: smut/explicit scenes are just something I gravitate towards when writing, I can't really explain it beyond the fact that I think smut is a GREAT way to explore characters psychologically. Which, I know this may sound paradoxical because sex is so physical obviously, but I just think that in those moments where you have two (or more, I suppose, but that hasn't happened in my fics yet) characters interacting so intimately there's soooo much room for exploration of their feelings, their worries, their fears, their joy, anything tbh. Like, I LOVE writing sex scenes that reveal something about the characters, or maybe where the characters learn something about themselves or each other. I don't think I always succeed and this sounds a lot deeper than it often is, but... yeah. Explicit scenes are excellent for getting deep into the psychological processes and for having them take a break from the "action" of every day life to just... feel and think and experience lots of things at once.

Tbh that's also one reason why I think kink in fic is soooo compelling lots of times - it's so interesting psychologically!!! I've always said that I could probably read close to anything if it's only like... well explained how exactly the characters got there and what is compelling them to do/like xyz. And that's what I hope to do with this challenge! Find a way to write the characters we know and love in situations that we maybe might not (or maybe we do?) expect them in and explore what could motivate them and what they might be feeling and thinking of during these moments. So in a way it's personal because I like to do these thought experiments and obviously we're all sort of... caged in by the borders of our own imagination if that makes sense? But also not that personal at all, because it's more like... thinking through the filter of a fictional character.

I don't know if any of that made sense 😭 but thank you so much for that interesting question and the love for my fics 💜

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

Re : your answer about Peeta join military in your fanfics.

Do you think Peeta will join Peacekeeper in an in-Panem AU?

Or do you that's an impossible scenario?

Thank you :)

@curiousnonny

So, referring back to this ask? I do not want to say it's an impossible scenario, because I support fanfiction writers' rights to do whatever the heck they want. But I do think that Peeta joining the Peacekeepers in an in-Panem AU would depend on a couple of variables.

For me personally as a writer, my brain would need him to have grown up in a different district. Other districts would have a different mindset and view of the Peacekeepers. Or maybe he grew up in the Capitol and got in a little bit of trouble, kind of like our dear friend Coryo, then was offered a the choice of either the Peacekeepers for X amount of years or a worse punishment.

BUT...if he's living in 12 and isn't reaped in this hypothetical AU I'm not writing lol, I think he'd have to have exhausted every other option for work, and he'd have to not be with Katniss yet. Because I think he'd go to the mines before he went to the Peacekeepers if there's even a glimmer of hope that he could be with or already is with Katniss.

And once he's in the Peacekeepers, unless we're talking dark!Peeta, I think he'd be a bit like Sejanus. Everything he sees happening and being done to the people of the districts only makes him more indignant and more rebellious. The difference in that scenario, though, is that I think Peeta would blend in better and be a little less obvious about his rebellious acts and thoughts than Sejanus was. But I do think the experience would work similar to Peeta's canon experiences in the Games and embolden him to undermine the Capitol in whatever ways he could. Like he's the Peacekeeper any rebels in whatever district he's assigned to make sure is on duty when they get up to trouble because he looks the other way, maybe even helps them cover their tracks. Or they clue him in that something is going on in advance, so he can distract the other Peacekeepers. They hope Peeta's on the detail searching their houses because he's the best at covering it up and lying about it to the others if he finds something they shouldn't have in their homes. That kind of thing.

I would hope that in said hypothetical AU that I'm not writing lmao, the Capitol gets overthrown before his term with the Peacekeepers is over, because if I'm remembering correctly, it's something stupidly long like ten or twenty years. So the Capitol gets overthrown, he goes back to 12 to help rebuild, talks to Katniss and POOF! Everlark.

Thanks for the ask, @curiousnonny!

<3 kdnfb

[wisteria-lodge]

For some reason, very few writing posts are about dialog. Like are you supposed to be naturally good at it, or just figure it out? Anyway, here are some tips that have been useful for me. (All examples come from the front page of A03, but the point is not to embarrass anyone. There is nothing seriously wrong with any of these.)

"I have work to do Leo. We need to find Mikey." Donnie responded, not looking over at Leo. 

New writers love to put character names in dialog. And try it sometime, actually say the name of the person you're talking to as you're talking to them. It's very intense, often kind of aggressive ("Clean your room, Leo.") When it does happen, it's usually a way to underline what kind of relationship you have with the person you're talking to. ("I'm sorry, Master Splinter." = I respect you, and see you as an authority figure.") ("We're cool right, Red?" = I want you to know you're someone I feel emotionally close to.)

Regulus groaned. "This will be fun."

“Reggie! Truth or dare?” Lupin asked

“Dare, Rems,” Regulus replied. No one else called him Reggie.

The nicknames get across a lot more meaning/utility/character development than just straight-up names would, so points. But my thing is, don't torture yourself. Just use "said." It's fine. It's a super common invisible word. You can't overuse "said" the same way you can't overuse "that." It honestly takes you out of it more if characters spend a whole fic "responding" or "observing" or "answering."

"Harvey, I wasn't flirting, I was just socializing. You know how much I love meeting and talking to people, men or not. You are the only one I ever wanted and you know that."

This is an example of 'on-the-nose' dialog. Even though the character is in a kind of intense situation, they're laying out exactly what they want to say very clearly, something people are are generally pretty bad at.

You can pack a lot of character development into a moment like this. This person has just been accused of flirting when they weren't - so does that make them angry? defensive? confused? let down? apologetic? scared? playful?

Movie dialog can get away with being more on-the-nose, because a good actor can bring all those different kinds of subtext to the same line. Like this bit from Revenge of the Sith:

OBI-WAN: Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil!

ANAKIN: From my point of view the Jedi are evil!

Not "What do you know?" or "The Jedi threatened him!" or "He's given me more than the you ever have!" Just a very straightforward 'Well, from Anakin's point of view the jedi are evil, so why doesn't he just say that.'

But Hayden Christensen is a good enough actor to sell the line- he takes the slightly formal phrase "From my point of view" and delivers it in a way that sounds automatic, like maybe this is something he's been taught to say. I could believe that "From my point of view" is a phrase Obi-Wan has given him to use in arguments, and he's bringing it out here because they still have a teacher/student dynamic, and he's desperately hoping that somehow Obi-Wan might still be willing to listen. Imagine if once or twice in the previous films we had an exchange like "Anakin! What were you doing with those chance cubes!" "From my point of view, I was making it easier for the other customers to come up and talk to me," and then got hit with that exchange in the final movie.

"Turning yourself in frankly diffused a very unstable situation, and saved both sides a lot of trouble and probably some lives, and well... I thought I owed you that much."

This is a good example of a speaking quirk (I'm going though a few characters, all from the same fic.) Notice the code-switching. The character starts off very professional before becoming casual - they say "a lot of trouble" when they could have said "significant expense and effort" - which would be more of a match to "diffused a very unstable situation." So either they're getting comfortable with the person they're talking to, trying to make that person feel more comfortable, or else their professional mask is slipping for some reason

"Are you trying to paint yourself an honest thief? Ha!"

That "Ha!" is so nice because it's like... a little lame? But I totally buy that no one is actually going to tell this character that, because he's powerful. Great for a slightly funny sub-villain.

 "I gotta tell you about all the new jobs here! There's like, so many openings at the mines and in the factories!"

You don't even need to tell me this is a young character. That "like" does all the work for you.

"You want me to actively help you lot? Ha! What the fuck makes you think I'd ever do that?"

I like the combination of the precise and slightly technical "actively help" with the intense and in-your-face "fuck" and "you lot." There's a duality to this character. Like maybe they can code switch into 'expert' but choose not to. Intriguing.

Basically, you can have so much fun with a character swearing (or not), being formal (or not) using unusual words from their job or background, running scripts, talking too little, repeating themselves, having large or small vocabularies, phrasing everything as a question (or nothing as a question.) Gender, age, education level, location, background, profession, level of social prestige absolutely affect word choice and how characters talk... and if they're a robot, alien, angel, whatever - that's just an excuse to get even more stylized. (Heck, even over-using character names in dialog is a great speaking quirk for one specific character that you want to feel slightly intense/over-formal/other)

[fenmere]

thank you @the-letterbox-archives for the tag!

This is an OC questionaire, and these questions were chosen by letter. We're going to have the cast of The End of the Tunnel answer them, because that's our upcoming book!

"what's your relationship with your family like?" Ashwin: "I've left them, permanently, most likely to never see most of them again, to visit another planet - Earth. Even though I've lived more than a full life already, and have existed several decades beyond the end of my vessel's lifespan, I do think I regret it. I was more than desperately ready for something new, but I was not so ready to lose those connections." Phage: "I am not a living being. I do not have a lineage like you may be familiar with. And I am the kind of thing that doesn't tend to have equals. But I have had a child, Ni'a, and I find that I love them very dearly. I do not think that I have been a good parent to them. Not by anybody else's standards. I don't know how. But they have never complained. I will not pretend that this experience helps me understand people any better." Sarah: "Goreth and I were an only child. Our parents tried to raise us better than their parents did, but they screwed up a lot. And besides our surviving Grandma, our extended family are all bigots. We've got a lot of trauma from all this and are estranged from almost all of them. In many ways, Phage has been more of a family member for us than anybody else. Anyway, Goreth and I are basically twins, and we're the core of any family we may have now. We're hoping we can build a new one from our queer friends." Goreth: "To elaborate on what Sarah's saying, I think we've actually got a family going with Peter and Abigail, our housemates. And with Erik and the Audreys, too. We've been there for each other in ways our biological families never were." Erik: "They're... a lot. If we're talking about my folks and sibs. I love them, but also I can't deal with them a lot of the time. I need them, but they honestly don't seem to need me, and it shows. They think they need the person they think I am. And I'm a whole different thing than that." the Audreys: *shrugs* "I got to take my computer with me when I moved out."

"do you have any hobbies? if so, what ones?" Ashwin: "The concept of hobbies is fascinating to me. Where I come from we only have an Art and then we have other skills. These things maybe classify as hobbies to most humans, at least those that live in and around Portland. But, it seems to me that a hobby is defined as something one does for oneself when one is not working. Is that correct? We don't have work on the Sunspot. We only have our Art and our distractions and the things we do to make others happy. We just... It's a totally different way of thinking and I don't know if I can explain it well enough. In any case, I used to think I didn't have an Art. But lately I've been finding that studying anything about linguistics fills me with this profound sense of calm and purpose that I've never felt before." Phage: "My hobby is life itself. In all of its expressions and experiences." Sarah: "Well, we're unemployed and unable to work, but we have a Patreon and the people who donate to it do so in order to keep us healthy enough to do what we love when we have time. Which makes our hobbies our work, I guess? I draw. That's my favorite thing. I also like to watch movies and the newer cartoon shows. I used to read a lot, but that's been really hard to do lately." Goreth: "I want to be a writer. I want to write novels. But, I've never had any luck making one work, so I've been getting that energy out by keeping our Patreon and social media accounts up to date. It's really more of a creative outlet than it sounds, though. In a way I've already written a novel. It's just scattered across several blogs. Oh, and I guess I collect things. I don't really think about it though, it just happens. Kind of my nature." Erik: "Horror movies, horror novels, horror shows, and experiencing horror in real life. Also dancing and being a smart ass. Oh, and monster spotting. It's like bird watching, but with monsters. There's probably other hobbies, but since my other headmates aren't awake right now, I can't remember them." the Audreys: "We kind of have a lot. But we don't really have the time for any of them. Too busy with work, which used to be a hobby. Hanging out with Erik and the Ampersands is really where we get our big break. But we rewatch Venture Brothers a lot, I guess. Also Disney movies. But that's like in the background while we work."

"do you dream often? what about?" Ashwin: "I'm not sure I know the difference between a dream and experiencing most of my life in the inworld of someone else's psyche. I was originally a fellow system member of the Minbàoni, and I gained consciousness and identity before I ever took the front and piloted their vessel. Once we got our neural terminal, I spent a lot of time on the Network, away from my system, and that was a lot like vividly dreaming in and of itself. Sarah and Goreth dream quite a bit, and I've been part of that since I've joined them. I'm still trying to make sense of that." Phage: "No. But I appear in dreams on occasion. I find it's an excellent way to talk to someone who isn't otherwise able to see or hear me." Sarah: "We have had so many recurring nightmares, even after our mom taught us how to face them. There's just always something. The nightmares of our childhood are our empowerment dreams now, and we often go flying or chasing monsters when we have them. But then, the next night, we'll have a nightmare about arguing with our parents in their kitchen. Our better dreams are the ones where our headmates hold a council meeting, or get together with us to play some kind of internal role playing game." Goreth: *gestures at Sarah* "That. Except, also, lately, I've been learning how to assert my actual shape in our dreams, and I get to spend a lot of time as the dragon I am. To the point where I think I prefer dreaming to being awake." Erik: "If I could remember my dreams, I'm pretty sure I could write the best movie scripts. But I'm glad I can't. I dream enough when I'm awake, I really don't need to experience that shit at night too." the Audreys: "Some of us do, and some of us can't even visualize an apple. It's kinda weird. Those of us that do dream have pretty vivid memories of exploring our inworld, to the point we've been able to map it out. You can read about it and see our diagrams on our wiki. But I don't think our dreams are anything like anybody else's. They're almost all internal politics."

We're not going to tag anybody else. Consider yourself invited to do this, and go ahead an tag us if you answer our questions. Questions for your OCs: 1. What is your favorite thing to do to avoid responsibility?

2. If you could choose anyone in your world to be your sibling, who would it be?

3. What is the most sublime thing you have ever eaten, and why?

[melandrops]

20 Questions Writer Ask Game

Inspired by @thesymphonytrue

How many works do you have on ao3?

18

What's your total ao3 wordcount?

209,022

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

In published works I have 5:

DSMP/RPF (I count them as the same fandom even though they are tagged differently in my works)

Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse

Stranger Things

Legend of Zelda (BOTW/TOTK)

White Collar

I have wips in probably 2 or three other fandoms including Shadow and Bone, Purple Hyacinth and The Magnus Archives

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Hey Lover (Pavitr/Hobie)

Three Rings (Karlnapity)

I'm not a praying man (but I'll kneel to that) (Pavitr/Hobie)

Dancing Barefoot (Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler)

We're Sleeping Together (Dnf)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Very rarely to be honest. If it's a mutual or someone I know or they give a comment that I think warrants a response (request, questions, etc) then I respond. Otherwise, I never know what to say and how to thank them for commenting without sounding like an automated message lmao. But if you have commented on my fics trust me I have happy screamed about you <3

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Love Causes Trouble. 60s/70s era dnf where george gets killed at the end. Very tragic I think.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the wildest one you've ever written?

Nah, no crossovers. I do have a hunger games/spiderverse idea, but I'm not sure if it will come to fruition.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, god bless. Which is a little surprising sometimes considering the amount of rpf I've written lmao. But my dsmp writing was never that popular so I should count my blessings.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Sure. I prefer quick and easy fade to blacks which I've done before, but occasionally I write smut.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I would be open to the idea. It would have to be a long fic if I did that.

What's your all time favorite ship?

Oh god. I've never written for it but ngl wolfstar has a soft spot in my heart. But there are so many and for the sake of not providing a documented list of everyone I've shipped before I'll leave it at that.

What's a WIP you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

My Purple Hyacinth fic. I love it so far, but I just got so burnt out in the middle of working on it. And I have trouble picking up fics when I haven't touched them in too long. I still have it outlined and probably like 1/3 of the way done. So I'm holding out a sliver of hope. But realistically, I probably won't finish it.

What are your writing strengths?

Uhhh no idea. Over the years I've definitely seen a lot of improvement in my descriptive style. Showing, not telling. And I think I've gotten a lot better at making my writing compelling. The first time someone told me that my writing made them cry I also cried.

What are you writing weaknesses?

So much. 😭 I find that dialogue often runs away from me and I get sidetracked, or it sounds clunky and unnatural. Also characterization. I tend to want to make my characters 1 million percent soft and huggable and forgetting that they are quite flawed. Also plot. I can write out a series of vignettes like nobody's business but an actual plot is hard. I've only written something with a genuine plot a few times, and only one of those got published.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

It's why I didn't include any of Pavitr speaking in Indian associated languages. I don't want to do a bad job on it, and would be too nervous about accidentally appropriating someone's culture. Or just generally making an ass out of myself by writing something silly. Maybe something to work on?

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Wrote and published? Dsmp. That fic has been deleted (it's for the best) but my first fic on my profile is still a dsmp work. Unpublished, my first fanfiction was probably for the Lunar Chronicles. Specifically Cress and Thorne.

What's your favorite fic you've ever written?

Love Causes Trouble

It is not the most popular of my fics by a long shot, but it's one of my favorites. If I went back and rewrote it there are a lot of things I would change about it. A lot. It's very imperfect but I'm just such a slut for 60s/70s queer love, for artists and writers falling in love and for tragic endings. A bit kill your gays, but I'm at peace with that.

If not for you (I couldn't get off this floor)

I also like this one because it has a few personal ties to me and because it got such a good reception. I got so many comments saying that this helped them process their grief or it was really cathartic to read so it means a lot to me.

I'm tagging a few people but please feel free to continue the game, even if I didn't tag you.

@avi17 @maybeebeee @wulfspyd3r @sunkraken

[m-to-z-andbackto-m]

MZM positive ramble time for you peeps who are feeling down

Aren't fandoms wonderful guys?

There is no bad fandom, there's always a good side, and a bad side to every fandom

Even if a piece of media turns up to be controversial or the creator/s ends up being a weirdo, the fandoms prevail and make good content with the laid down concepts!

We can't control who enters our fandoms, we really can't (also gatekeeping is stupid) (unless you have a personal reason to, I've met someone like that, in certain cases it's okay not to share something with someone), share your interests and find your people and place.

Hell, you know I could be sharing my fandoms with white supremacist, exclusive, arsehole bigots and not even know it, we all are!

The only thing that we can control is the content we push out as members

If you want to see something made? Do It! It doesn't matter if you think you can't draw, or write, or compose, dance, cosplay, won't get views etc... you have a reason to try! You'll get better with time! Just have fun and maybe people who share similar ideals will find that they enjoy your lovely creations <3

(Don't do it for views, do it for fun!)

(Also if you don't enjoy your own content, you will in some time when you improve and one day stumble on an old concept you had, someone will enjoy your ideas, I promise!)

Don't Believe Me?

Find any popular creator and scroll/search way back to their oldest content (if it's still available), find their abandoned accounts, etc...

They started out just like you! Even if you don't see it, doesn't mean they didn't!

Creation is a beautiful thing, don't let anything or anyone stop you from trying to learn, it takes a long and hard process, and everyone progresses at different paces!

Even I thought I haven't changed in a year but looking at my older art? I saw that I did progress! Little by little, you're not supposed to notice until it's significant :D

If you're a lovely small creator and content enjoyer like me, let's help each other out, not just us, but every small creator, from artists who only started drawing to song writers who make whole fan songs that only get a few listens/views

Encourage and support everyone you see (as long as they're not the bad kind of weirdos), fandoms are built on the adoration of media, not on the skill of it's members

Even if you don't like their art, leave a good comment so they stay motivated!

Maybe you don't like the inconsistencies, story telling, and characterization in someone's fic, they won't either when they improve! Leave something nice so they keep up that progress <3

We are so creative as human beings, our imagination is incapable of being restricted and our emotions can either aid or restrain us

We're so full of beautiful potential and I want you to take this age old advice into consideration: "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Unless provoked is all, but I'm talking about the good sides of fandoms, the bad side is for another day and boy do I have so much to say about that!

Point is, love and support each other, the fandom shouldn't feel like too much of a stranger to you, you share a major interest with everybody in it, we are a community, act like it.

(And even communities tend to separate their own groups, hence, sides of the fandom, you're somewhere, and you will be recognized by people who share your ideals, you just have to make them clear <3)

I hope you have a wonderful day, and if you don't, at least you recognize that you're capable of having better ones and I hope you'll get more of those feel-good days, and if you think you see or have something that might interest me, I give you my full permission to tag me

Every. Little. Ramble, reblog/reshare, recognition, and reply. Is Worth It. I guarantee you've made someone smile this way, me included.

[thevindicativevordan]

Are you happy with PKJ taking the reings on Hulk? I think he will become your favorite writer ever.

Anonymous asked:

Holy Hell, PKJ on Hulk !

Anonymous asked:

Thoughts on PKJ getting to write Hulk?

Short of Hickman himself taking over, I could not be more excited.

My favorite Marvel character getting the guy who has written some of my favorite Superman stories, and an artist who is fantastic, has me grinning from ear to ear. Didn't see it coming but hell yeah I'll be there Day 1 for this team. Cates did PKJ a huge favor by being the one to try and follow up Ewing. Now PKJ just has to do a better job than Cates did, rather than try and live up to one of the greatest Hulk/Marvel in general runs of all time. We're going back to horror, but the use of "Incredible" instead of "Immortal" likely signals that it will be a different kind of horror than what Ewing did.

Hope for me is that where Ewing's run was ultimately inwardly focused - the OBA was connected to gamma the source of Hulk's power, Bruce and his alter egos interactions was given lots of focus, the Leader attacked Hulk mentally rather than physically - PKJ's run will be more outwardly focused. By that I mean I hope the new monsters and gods won't only be gamma based, I'm eager to see more of Hulk's non-gamma foes appear and given revamps, and I'd like to see PKJ's worldbuilding applied to Hulk in a way that isn't just rehashing what Ewing did. But if he does want to expand on Ewing's Gamma Mythos, I'm open to seeing him try. Over in The Warworld Saga he didn't shy away from connecting Superman and Moses, Ewing's injection of religion and myth into Hulk would be right up PKJ's alley. And the one gamma Hulk foe I do want to see return and get used here is Abomination. Ewing didn't use him in the main Immortal book, with his usage of Abomination over in Gamma Force being pretty bog standard, and Abomination is the most prominent Hulk foe who desperately needs to be reestablished as a formidable opponent. Dig into Abomination and explore what makes him great beyond being a mere physical match for Hulk, just like what PKJ did with Mongul and Superman.

Book will probably start off with just Bruce as the focus, but I expect that PKJ will bring in Betty (will he follow up on Ewing's unresolved plot thread of Betty wanting to talk to Bruce about something?), Skaar, maybe Rick Jones too before long. Betty and Skaar are my main wants, give me the Hulk Family together as the broken mirror to what PKJ is trying to do over in Action Comics with the Superfamily. Speaking of that, man is living my dream, getting to write my two favorite characters at the same time! I obviously see a ton of similarities between Superman and Hulk, despite Hulk more than anyone else being Superman's true antithesis, and I'm eager to find out how PKJ's approach to Hulk differs from his approach to Supes. Obviously it's a topic I've thought a lot about, maybe PKJ has some thoughts on the subject too. There's an opportunity here for PKJ to explore the struggles and trials of a healthy emotionally supportive man and his family in Superman vs. the totally dysfunctional man and his family in Hulk.

[rainbowsky]

Hi hi! I'm the fic anon from a few days ago! Guess what, I took your advice and got myself to read Epiphyte, and wow you are right it must have healing properties. There's been a lot going on on my personal and professional life lately and it's like that fic was perfectly written for me in this moment. Truly such a great recommendation, I can't praise it enough (the fig tree metaphor is gonna stick with me for a long long time 🥺)

I think what I'm also realizing is that it helps when the writer so clearly writing with love for GGDD as people and not as celebrities meant to simply entertain or fulfill a fantasy, even if it's just a completely fictional and mostly harmless way to show and share that love with others in the fandom. Your comment about sticking to AUs made a lot of sense, cause it is just like watching something starring our boys, which is what we're really wishing for I think, deep down. That and for them to have the sense of peace and joy the fic allows them, it's a good space for hope and love to blossom.

I'm very wary if parasocial relationships as I'm sure many are which is why I had so many reservations about reading ggdd fics in the first place. Remembering it's fiction is one thing, but as someone whose empathy causes them to get so wrapped in the emotions of that which they read, its touch to balance keeping it all separate. I realized it was mostly anoit the names, but if something is written with a fan's love and respect, surely thats not such a bad thing, right? This is the first time ive delved deeper into fandoms for celebs, beyond the simple admiration i feel. Being a turtle has certainly provided me with many firsts (mostly pleasant and not as uncomfortable as i thought it might have been), but its still making me overcome a lot of my own anxieties in a way i never thought id have to. I have a feeling I will be navigating that line for a while, but I'm truly grateful for your encouraging words and stellar recs! Thank you! (I think I might go for that coffee shop rec next 👀)

(Apologies for the long ask, but I have a lot of thoughts and I'm proud of myself for branching out of my comfort zone! Thanks a bunch to you!!!! ☺️☺️☺️☺️)

This is in reference to a previous post.

ANON! I'm so glad you enjoyed the story! It's a favorite!!

It was definitely a bit of a leap for me when I first started reading GGDD fic. I had actually never read fanfic of any kind before becoming a GGDD fan, so it was all very new to me. I asked myself the simple question: Would I be upset if someone had written this about me? And the answer was no. These stories are lovingly written, and most of them very respectful of GG and DD.

Even the ones that I find offensive are obviously not written in a mean-spirited way. They just reflect our differences in interpreting GG and DD, our differences in taste and interests, our different levels of comfort with certain things, etc..

Ultimately I think a lot of misgivings people have about RPF are the result of widespread misconceptions about fan works. I talk a bit about my thoughts on all that here.

I hope you continue to enjoy some of the great stories out there, and maybe even one day try your hand at writing something yourself!

Thanks so much for the update!! 💖

My fic recs can be found here:

GGDD Fic

WangXian Fic

[sassenach082]

hi, i hope you're well! i just wanted to say thank you so much for publishing ill ride this life with you because i spent literally three days using my spare time to read it and i'm grateful for it for a few reasons.

the brain rot is just perfect, everything about this fic is so WONDERFUL

thank you for publishing such a long, well written, articulate fic that looks into character dynamics in a vaguely familiar way before turning it on it's head (re the most recent chapters!) i just, wow, to read, for FREE is just a gd privellege

finally (maybe, i'm known to ramble...sorry for that massive comment i left on chapter seventeen hahah) the length and command of language in i'll ride has inspired me to get my shit together and actually start looking after my chapters more. i'm posting something, i want it to be the best it can be and reading your fic has made me so inspired to be better. i'm a self-proclaimed lazy writer, no outline, varied word counts and never ever editing before publihsing lmao. but reading your fic i just felt in awe of how incredible every sentence was and i was just like 'yk what, i want to write as well as they do'

i'm sorry for how intense this is i have a habit of losing any and all self restraint when finding a good fic haha. (good is an understatement!)

so, i hope you're doing well, sorry for sounding off my rocker haha! good luck with the writing (or is that bad luck?? break a leg?)

Listen. LISTEN. Never apologize for long fic comments! I LIVE FOR THAT SHIT OKAY. It is my reason to keep on writing. And when people like... quote specific parts?? And put in reactions??!! *cue fanningself.gif*

I'm so happy I could help to inspire!!! Writing is my outlet and I really do love it. Writing is writing, though, and whatever process works for you - works for you! It doesn't make you any less of a fabulous writer just because your process is different than mine or someone else's. It's all a learning process and we're always getting better! That's kind of just the nature of the beast. I've been writing fic for years so I've had lots of practice, and I'm also an avid reader which helps a lot.

Thanks for the ask it totally made my day 😘

[fuckyeahdindjarin]

Girl. You wrote 65k words this year. WTFFFFFFF HOW DID YOU DO THAT. HOWWWWWWWWWWW. I rarely ever complete one chapter because then I start hating it.

Sweet anon, this ask is taking me ✨places✨ so please bear with me.

First, the how - I wrote 65k this year because I love writing (and there goes my comparing brain again - I'm sure my word count isn't even that impressive compared to others). There's nothing like the high of an idea striking you out of the blue like lightning, that compels you to chase the storyline in your head until you have a whole fic written out in your mind, even if it's 4am in the morning. Every single fic I've written has come from a moment like that, and it can be addictive.

Now, I kind of get you on the hate part - ok, maybe hate is a strong word, but there are definitely parts of writing that I don't love. And a lot of it comes from my own personality because I can't do anything by halves. When I started writing again last year, I would obsess over every single word and spend a whole week editing, moving the needle one word or one turn of phrase at a time. In the early days, I think I'd re-read a fic 10-15 times for edits before I would even think about posting.

I've mellowed a bit since, but I still have an incredibly long and rigorous editing process that honestly isn't much fun. But that's the way I'm built - deep down, I know a certain word or structure of a sentence wouldn't make much of a difference to the reader, but I owe it to the story to make sure it's as perfect as I can get it, especially when it's a fic as important to me as Palomino. The last edit for the finale alone took me 2 hours as I read every single word out loud during final revisions.

Writing just takes so much out of me every single time. I know we're meant to have fun, that this is a hobby, but for me, it's also way more than that? Like, yes, it's a hobby, but it's important to me that I give it everything I got. So yes, the stress is self-inflicted, but it's just who I am, and I don't know how to write any other way. And at the end of the day, that’s why I’m proud of everything I write, and why I’ll stand by my stories no matter what. Because I know I gave it everything.

Ok I don't know where all of that came from, excuse the word vomit, but I guess what I want to say is that I'm sure many, if not most, writers have a complicated relationship with writing. Sweet anon, I hope you find a way to write without hating it, know that deep down, we all have some sort of an antagonistic relationship with writing that ultimately comes from a place of love.

[matan4il]

hi! this ask has a couple things so apologies in advance if this gets long lol

first, i wanted to ask about the coma buck theory. i've only recently watched the show, i've been in the fandom for about a month (mostly lurking and reblogging gifs lol). since day one i've noticed that 'buck will go into coma in 6b' seems to be something a lot of people believe, so if you know, where did that theory come from? i personally couldn't think of anything in the show that seemed to point to that, and and i also didn't find any posts discussing this in any detail, it seems like a collective headcanon more than anything to me. but i'm definitely very curious, so if this is something that you can see happening, could you please share your thoughts?

also this second part of this ask is just me getting excited bc i saw you mention the 309 kitchen scene in a recent ask and i've been dying to scream about it to someone lol. because oh my god, right??? idk how intentional that was or maybe the actors just happen to have good chemistry, idk anything but i just know that i had the weirdest cognitive dissonance moment while watching that scene. like just, the way buck steps towards eddie, my entire body sort of braced in excitement for a kiss, and like, that moment lasted for only about a quarter of a second but i actually had to pause because while watching that scene i'd literally forgotten that they're not actually together, and i was just like. wait. what happened. what? and just. aaaaaaahhh it was such a great scene and they're just so great and perfect together and like if the writers weren't planning on their chemistry they've written themselves into a corner bc they're just so perfect for each other, literally the family they've chosen, and just. aaah i love them sm😅

anyway, thanks a ton for reading my rambling, i really love your blog! hope you're having a good week <3

Hi Nonnie! No worries, I'm here to always try and help! *hugs*

So for the first part, I kind of explained my experience of seeing the coma!Buck theory taking shape in the fandom here.

As for the 309 kitchen scene, I love screaming about it, so yeeeeees, I'm glad we get to together! XD I personally am convinced that the 309 sexual tension was intentional. Why? Because the scene doesn't work without it. There's a joke they wanted to play, where they build our expectations towards some sort of an explosion between these two characters, but then instead of giving us that, they provide comic relief through letting a different kind of scene play out, a light-hearted one, comical in nature, that would make us smile (Buddifer playing video games together). But this only works if they REALLY build up the tension and if we REALLY ask ourselves whether there's going to be a blow up of some kind on our screens in a second. And while the scene plays around the idea that maybe Buddie will physically fight each other, we all know they were not. Buck had just apologized to Eddie again, he just showed how much he cares, and Eddie was visibly affected and moved by this, and their whole talk vibrates with how much they care about each other, I don't think anyone really believed they were gonna start punching each other. So if for the comic bit to work, the tension has to be real, and the aggressive/violent tension isn't, what made the comedy there work? The sexual tension. They HAD to turn to the implication of sexual tension, otherwise that whole thing falls flat. So yes, this is why I'm sure they did THAT intentionally. And your reaction, which you so perfectly described? It's not just yours. I went through it as well, and I'm sure we're not the only ones, because we were supposed to embrace for impact.

And I'm with you, I very much believe 911 has written itself into a corner. No one would ever work with either Buck or Eddie as well as the other one does. Eddie was originally supposed to be Maddie's Love Interest, but the second they changed course on that, they clearly built Eddie's introduction with Oliver and Ryan's chemistry in mind. They already saw enough of it to know that making us care about Eddie through Buck's eyes would work. So I'm also convinced if they wrote themselves into a corner, it's a corner of their own making, know what I mean?

Thank you so much for the kind words, and I'm so glad to know you enjoy my blog, I hope you continue to! Have a great day, lovely! As always, here's my ask tag. xoxox

[vadersaber]

I think what kinda bothers me is.. I get that people write noncon themes as a way to cope with their traumas. And if they wanna do that, that’s totally up to them. But when they post this on a very public website, and sometimes not even tagged correctly, they are hurting and triggering other people. I have noncon blocked too but somehow, I still see these kind of stories.

Like you say, Joel is generally a very safe character. He’s the protector. So going into his tags, you just wouldn’t expect that kinda stuff because it’s so completely the opposite of who Joel is.

Like I said, he’s one of my comfort characters and has been for years. And now I feel uncomfortable going into his x reader tag because I’m actually scared of what people are posting.

Also I agree, if someone loves Joel, why would they read something about him doing that to you/someone?

Thanks for not just ignoring the asks because I know it’s a sensitive topic and I definitely don’t want you to get any shit for this but I’m glad I got to talk to someone about this 💕💕

I completely understand and share your opinion. that's just the thing, people will have different opinions and preferences, and if those writers want to dwelve into Joel's character this way, that is their business. it does become a problem, however, as you said, when fics aren't properly tagged. even if you blacklist a word and they still appear, maybe something's amiss. and again, warnings aren't a must, they're usually given as a "by the way, here's what this includes" but in my opinion, if we're talkin about sensitive topics such as mental health or in this case SA/dub-con etc., these things always should be tagged.

and again I reiterate, this is just my - and your - personal opinion, not telling anyone what or how to do things. it's just very concerning that unproper tagging and some of the ideas some people have can cause someone to be genuinely afraid to go into the tags for their comfort character. I'm really sorry you feel this way darling. it shouldn't be this way. and certainly not with a character as comforting and pretty heroic as Joel, who is probably one of the most protective and kind-hearted characters ever.

but as I said before, I aim to have this blog as a safe and open space! I hope you find some comfort in the fics I reblog here because yes, some are smut, but you won't ever find triggering topics here (hopefully) ❤️