#or writing rambles?

[otaku6337]

Okay but can we normalise not always liking your own fics? 

Sometimes a fic just doesn’t go how you wanted, or you look back and consider it a poor representation of your writing, or it just fell short of what you wanted it to be. That’s okay. Not fun, not ideal, but okay. It happens sometimes.

I’m not saying I want it to happen to people, because I think it’s a shame when it does on a personal level (and I feel qualified to say this as two of my most popular fics I have genuinely disliked for a long time), but equally it makes sense. A lot of artists dislike some of their pieces.

And yet I never see it talked about in writing circles, or at least not seriously. And some people, when you say you dislike a piece, assume you’re fishing for compliments or that you need reassurance and whilst the latter is well-intentioned it often, I find, doesn’t help, because those flaws or negative connotations are still there. Please note that I’m differentiating, here, between concern/not liking how it is or may be taken by your readers - that is always something that I believe most writers like reassurance on. But that is about the reader, the reception of the writing, not about the actual piece of writing as an entity, and it’s the latter that I’m talking about here. It’s how you personally feel about something that you have written.

So I would love it to be normalised that sometimes when you finish a fic, you just might not like it, and that is completely and utterly valid. I wish it was more openly and seriously discussed, and that there wasn’t any shame, accusations of compliment-fishing, or offence taken from that discussion.

A reader can still enjoy a fic that the writer does not like; by saying that I don’t like X Fic that I wrote, I’m not saying that readers shouldn’t have enjoyed it, it’s just me saying that I’m not personally pleased with how it went. And as lovely as being told that someone enjoyed it is, unfortunately it just doesn’t help, and there’s no way to fix that base issue without completely rewriting, and sometimes even re-plotting, fics, something that most of us don’t have the time or energy to do, particularly if it’s a fic that is negative to even just think about.

Oh, and I feel like I should say that if you’re disliking all of your fics, then it’s likely that you’re not satisfied with a wider element of your writing, be it that you haven’t settled into your style, or that you’re currently growing so much that every time you finish something it already feels poor-quality to you. This is unsolicited advice so feel free to ignore it if you want, but to my experience and what I know of at least a few others, the answer to that is just practice really, hopefully with a bit of experimentation mixed in. 

It’s natural, statistically, to dislike a fic or three once you’ve written a fair number of fics (I have two that I severely dislike out of my... 200+ for BNHA, and one of my ~12 HP fics, and a few more that I either dislike chunks of or am ambivalent towards across all fandoms, to put some example numbers on it), and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s a shame, on a level of wanting to be proud of your own works, but half the time it shows your own growth because your writing is now of higher quality, so try not to be too hard on yourself if you do find yourself feeling this way.

Remember, it is absolutely a-okay to not love all of your own fics, and you’re not the only person to feel that way.

[gaminegay]

People go on about good healthy queer rep but I cannot express how much I want unhealthily devoted queer rep. Raise your lover from the dead no matter the cost. Kill to get them to safety. Trade your soul for theirs. Die to reunite with them. I want gothic hyper-devotion codependent lovers

[writing-is-a-martial-art]

Calling my OCs bastards is so amusing. Sir. Sir you created them. You are their only parent

[cottoncandysprite]

I don't want sex I want whatever weird centuries long courting ritual the male characters in Neil Gaiman works keep having

[apotheotic-cravings]

I just started Harrow the ninth and the shift in tone… was both jarring and kind of hilarious.

[hylialeia]

we all have a limit to the bad things characters can do until we're not comfortable liking them but tbh some of you are just super fucking boring

[defectiveferalfreak]

i rediscovered @nicktoonsunite and @choraa ‘s art like wowie did they inspire me to dip my toes into NUverse??

also i cant believe Dib and Zim basically waltzed into NU:GoD, like WHATS UP B*TCHS WE  GONNA HELP WHETHER U WANT IT OR NOT like can u believe that lol

[avelera]

Some critical rules for writing coherent genre fiction, courtesy of my writing teacher, who is very wise. I don't pretend to have mastered all of these, but their application can do wonders for a story, their lack can cripple it:

Employ the causal chain - every action must be connected to what comes before and after. Each action and beat needs to have impact. They don't all need to be shown but the author needs to know what they are. It is impossible to build suspense without this principle. Things can't happen "just because" or there's no reason for the audience to become engaged with your sequence of events or do things like make predictions. All subsequent rules follow from this principle.

When showing a new type of fictional magic or science, you must show it work before you can show it break. For example, if a character has the ability to summon objects into their hand, we need to see them do so successfully and see how it works, before we see it break at a critical moment during the climax. Otherwise, the audience can't be expected to follow why this situation is unusual because they don't know how it works during normal circumstances.

When claiming a character is good at something, you must show them succeeding at it before you show them failing at it during a moment of pressure. Otherwise, we don't believe you when you establish your character's competence or badassery. For example, when saying your character is an excellent military commander, we need to see them win a fight using those skills and tactics. We can't open with a fight they lose, or else the character and author lose credibility. By all means, show the experienced hero/military leader/ruler/assassin/mage etc break down during a moment of intense pressure, fall down sobbing in terror at a truly insurmountable foe, or otherwise fail to meet the moment, but don't do this before we've seen them succeed at least once, or the moment loses impact.

During the build-up of tension, coincidences should hurt the hero and help the antagonist. This plays into the causal chain rule. Coincidences that help the hero feel cheap. Coincidences that help the villain raise the tension.

Every beat, whenever possible, should be connected to conscious action by central characters (hero, love interest, or villain). The more events are connected to purposeful action by key characters, the more satisfying the causal chain for the reader.

Avoid things that happen "just because" whenever possible. You can have one or two, sure, but the more often things happen "just because" the less interesting the story is, especially if those "just because" moments are core to the story. Fiction is not real life. Audiences are drawn to stories where purposeful actions dictate the success or failure of the characters.

[queerquinnn]

steves parents always gave him material stuff, but never love. money, clothes and everything he could ask for. for his sixteenth birthday, they got him the car. back then, steve‘s dad still thought his son was gonna work for him and end up "successful" in life.

the first thing steve bought for himself, with the money that he worked for, which isnt a lot but it’s still his work, was a pair of shoes. he’d spent some money before, getting burgers for the Party, financing a day in the Arcade and obviously paying for gas, but the first thing he buys only for himself? a pair of basketball trainers. nothing fancy, no brand, nothing.

eddie is really worried when they start dating, the only thing he’s ever bought for himself was his sweetheart, the guitar that he saved up for for nearly a year (stolen gas tanks and occasionally walking to school, hand-me-down clothes and cheap food being a price he’s willing to pay for the guitar). so when he and steve start dating, eddie is so worried about this stuff. steve isnt a higschool girl and eddie hasnt dated before (a few hookups here and there, but nothing like classic dating). he’s never had anyone spending money on him, uncle wayne tries but his job isn’t the best paying either.

it doesn’t take long for both of them to realise that the other one has soo much to give of what they were deprived of their entire life. steve loves giving eddie little gifts, brings home dinner and goes shopping with him (one day he showed up with a brand new black sabbath shirt - eddie cried a little). eddie is always touching steve, even in public where they should hold back a little. he’s holding steves hand, has an arm around his waist or shoulder or giving steve little kisses on his forehead. steve loves waking up to eddie cuddling up close to him, his boyfriens arm lazily over his torso and their legs tangled. at night, when steve is cooking for eddie, eddie is with him, telling him about a band gig, lazily hugging steve from behind, resting his head on his shoulder blade, nuzzling kisses into his back.

its so casual for both of them, neither of them thinking of it much, but it means so much for the other one.

like my stuff? there’s more

[lyralit]

if you don't know what to write, write for yourself.

write a story you would read but haven't seen yet; write people you would find interesting but have not met yet; write a place you would visit but hasn't been discovered it.

write for yourself.

[andillwriteyouatragedy]

gotta create the art you want to make. don't make what you think someone else wants. don't make what you think has mass appeal. don't make what you think will sell. don't make anything less than what you want to make. make EXACTLY what you want to make. make it from your soul. please don't stifle yourself! it's YOUR art! only YOU are possible of making it with YOUR ideas and YOUR visions and YOUR skills!! make YOUR authentic art!! we want to know what YOU specifically will make!! YOU!!!!!!

[rukunas]

warning: most cringe, vomit-inducing drabble i’ve ever written. but it’s also cute and has been marinating in my drafts so here. gn.

“katsuki.”

nothing.

“katsuki.”

“what?” he grumbles deep in his chest as you press your cold feet against his legs, jarring him awake. “what’s wrong?”

“i heard a noise.”

he blearily opens his eyes, narrowing down to look at you. “a noise?”

“yes!” you shake his arm, making him groan. “i swear, there’s someone downstairs.”

“baby, no one is there. promise. let’s sleep.”

“i’m scared.” you whine. “can’t you go check?”

katsuki huffs, pulling his covers tight around his body. “the last time you said there was a noise, there was no one there. and the time before that. and the time before—”

“okay, okay! but this time i swear—”

“woman—” he starts to taunt.

“if you truly love me, you’ll go look.”

“fuckin’ hell—”

a crash echoes downstairs. immediately, you stiffen and bakugo pulls himself up out of bed and into a fighting stance, palms facing the door.”

“get in the bathroom and lock the door. now.” he says sternly, a voice that he’s never used with you before and it only makes you more scared. you find that you can’t move, frozen in fear.

“y/n, listen to me—”

the door opens. katsuki immediately lifts his arm, explosion ready—

“surpri— ah!”

kirishima, kaminari, mina, and sero stand in front of the door, holding a cake (held upside down by kaminari) that reads, congrats #1 hero!

“what the fuck?” the so-called-#1-hero growls, still seething.

“the new ranking dropped an hour ago! you passed deku by 0.2% in the popularity votes!” kirishima beams. “it was all y/n’s idea, really.”

bakugo stares at you in disbelief, anger immediately dissipating as his eyes soften. you simply giggle, flouncing towards him to wrap your arms around his neck. “congrats, baby. thanks for being my hero.”

[percivex]

Most people discover their soulmate through hopeful shoulder punches, or tumbles in the same vicinity, or process of elimination.

But Jimmy?

Jimmy meets his soulmate through death.

He supposes it's only fitting. He has never been connected to the Watchers in the same way Martyn or, void forbid it, Grian is, but he is aware of them on a vague level, and he assumes Pearl is the same, though he's never had an opportunity to ask.

He is aware of them enough to know that he is the butt of their jokes. He must be, because he knows death follows him like a dark shadow, gnawing at his heels with an unnatural persistence. He knows he is their canary, their harbringer of doom, that his life is a mere waypoint towards inevitable destruction. He knows that, but he doesn't like it, so he chooses not to believe it.

But Jimmy is, despite his denial, an omen of death, so it is only right for him to meet his soulmate through a mutual end.

Tango was blown up by Creeper.

SolidarityGaming died.

Knowing that doesn't curb the frustration, though. For once a death of his cannot be attributed to his own fault, and Jimmy can't tell if that makes it worse or not, but it is easy for him to turn his anger towards Tango, who he has never been close to before.

It doesn't last, not when Tango is sheepish and apologetic and frazzled and his soulmate. He clearly didn't want to meet at the cost of a life any more than Jimmy did, and seeing his embarrassment reminds Jimmy remarkably of himself. It reminds him that it is a miracle the life they lost wasn't his own fault, and that he will certainly be responsible for the loss of one of their remaining two, if not both.

He supposes, again, that it makes sense. They are two halfs of one whole, now, and that means they must have something in common. What a pair they make, accident-prone and death-marked as they are.

They don't have a chance of surviving this. Not with how poor they are, not compared to everyone else, not with the universe itself working against them. Neither of them want to acknowledge that, so they don't.

Instead, they scrape together a little home. They find that, if nothing else, they are both very good at gathering chickens and cows alike, and perhaps that will be enough.

They may not live for long, but for now, they are alive.

("Have you ever heard about the canary in a coal mine idiom?" Jimmy asks Tango one sleepy night, when they're both exhausted from herding animals and setting up a wheat farm during the day. "The one where miners brought a canary with them to the mines, because it was more sensitive to dangerous gases than them, and when the canary died, it meant it was too dangerous for them."

"Sure." Tango replies with a yawn. "Why'd you ask?"

"People seem to think I'm a canary, too. Since I'm always first to die. Proof that there's no going back, or something." Jimmy admits quietly, and hesitates. He doesn't blame himself for what he says next, but he does feel a little bad. "If we're soulmates, that means you're cursed to be a canary too. Sorry 'bout that."

"That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." Tango says easily, as if there aren't people who would recoil at the thought of sharing Jimmy's soul. He turns to him with a tired grin. "And hey, I'm the one who got us killed first. If you're a canary, that makes me a coal mine."

Jimmy can't help it. He laughs.)

[feliosfarkus]

just had a humans are space orcs or humans are deathworlders or whatever idea hold on

So, you know how humans are persistence predators, right? We aren't the fastest, the stealthiest, or the strongest, but we have endurance that is not topped by anything. Imagine that but space warfare. Our ships aren't the fastest, we don't have the biggest guns or the best cloaking tech or the best shields. But our engines are the most efficient in the galaxy. And we hold a fucking grudge. So, imagine some aliens try to do a hit-and-run assault on our fleet. They get some of our ships, and then they speed off. While they're refueling their ships, they see us appear out of hyperspace, and so they have to leave with their ships only half full. We don't have to refuel. They try to refuel, they see us, they leave with ships quarter full. We don't have to refuel. They are scared, we're the new kids on the block, and we have an imperial fleet running with their tail between their legs. The whole time, we're making contact with the galactic community at large, establishing new colonies, discovering new technologies, new fuel sources, and making our ships more efficient. We name our first off-planet built ship the Tortoise, like tortoise and the hare. They may be faster, stronger, smarter, but we don't stop.

[dervampireprince]

it’s the pipeline of ‘being labeled a gifted and talented kid at a young age’ to ‘dumbification kink make me dumb but tell me it’s a good thing and i’m still worth something and good and loved’ for me

[oobbbear]

How the duo met!

It’s pre captured baby fishes (like around 4-5?) they are adopted brothers cause like I mean they’re are different species so- anyway sun’s just wondering around, look at moon, and be like: ‘I’ll take that thank you very much’ btw the boys are in the ocean rn not the aquarium they grew up in the ocean but later captured to the aquarium

Every single one of my brain cells scream let mersun be the optimistic but dumb and tryna be responsible older brother