#some bulletpoints are chronological

[hiruzensux]

Hiruzen x Enma size difference issue (bc i'm horny and have no self control)

(under a cut bc vague to semi-graphic descriptions of sex (and related injury at the end there))

Just thinking abt these two and how they can fuck without Hiruzen dying / suffering permanent injury, because I think they're up against some anatomical challenges.

(Apparently i couldn't decide whether this was supposed to be a logistical analysis, a joke, or just horny.txt, so... apologies for the tone fluctuations throughout)

It’s safe enough if it's Hiruzen in the penetrative role + Enma receiving, but i don’t know if that’s going to be quite enough for Enma? i think Hiruzen is reasonably well-endowed in relation to the rest of his body, but he’s a pretty small guy, and Enma is... Large™️. I’m not usually especially into fisting but that might be the only thing for it here

re: Hiruzen's ass: Enma’s fingers look like a pretty satisfying size but i’ve seen his nails and i have Concerns lmao

But there’s plenty of other stuff they can do besides penetration...

There’s always handjobs; Hiruzen using both hands, Enma using... idk a few fingers?

Oral is an option, but i’m honestly not sure Hiruzen could get his mouth around it; mostly just a lot of licking while, again, his hands do most of the work

Frotting is size-difference-friendly. I’m sure intercrural is a big hit with them too (Hiruzen seems like he's got fuckable thighs)

You know, I bet they could actually do both at once; Enma can be behind him and Hiruzen squeezing him between his thighs and if they angle it right, Enma's dick is big enough to slide through with enough length leftover to rub against Hiruzen's with each thrust (and can you imagine how that must look from Hiruzen's POV? or fuck, EITHER POV — Enma can just lean forward and see everything over Hiruzen's shoulder, bc he's fucking huge)

...Honestly though, i don’t think Hiruzen would be able to resist the challenge; that enormous cock haunts his dreams and calls to him in a language his ass can’t ignore

Hiruzen on top just dripping with lube, hovering over that towering erection (freshly doused in its own bottle’s worth) trying to spread himself open as much as he can

Enma’s like “You don’t have to do this...” but in his mind's eye Hiruzen sees Kagami's face and he's just like “Yes. I do.” and just sits on it

it takes a minute or so of sitting on it; shifting around, trying to get that huge head into that tiny hole before it finally goes in and oh fuck that tearing feeling can’t mean anything good but it’s just so tight and full and it’s really too late to turn back now—

neither of them last even 10 thrusts before they both cum

...and hopefully it was worth it bc now Hiruzen gets to decide whether he's going to Danzō, Biwako, Tobirama, or just to the general hospital to explain, crying, that he needs emergency suturing INSIDE his ass bc he was having inappropriate relations with his summon and was actually horny and stupid enough to try to take his massive monkey cock

[lepertamar]

what exactly do you make of the kinda odd title of the šehhinah series, actually? like obviously it’s based on the term shekhinah but does that choice…..reverberate? in your view? (obviously i’m not asking/interested primarily in the Doylism author commentary lol, or i’d just ask the author directly, also there may be a reason why it’s never made explicit or obvious why the name was picked)

yeah obv I don't know what's intent vs legit interpretation vs me making insane person connections but anyway the resonances I've personally noticed might be easier to just kind of list in bullet point form bc it's not like I have any unified thesis of interpretation just various red string connections and overlaps:

jewish stuff at least regarding the shekhinah is about manifestation/presence of g-d as smth that Is G-d but also is sort of a paradox, like Solomon wondering in 1 Kings during the dedication of temple on the paradox of g-d being able to dwell inside the ark but also in the heavens and also like Wherever. afaict theurgy (of any soul) in sehhinah is, idk if 'based on this' or just 'happens to work on this same logic' but either way parallels the framework very closely, and the presumptiveness of applying a logic about g-d's self to other people's selves is probably the Main Feature of the series.

the fact the world is named 'šehhinah' and is the aggregate souls of everyone who has ever manifested, in particular angels, who are entwined with g-d in an embodied way, is a weird sorta backwards gesture at this too I think, but I'm not sure I have an 'answer' about 'how' the connection tracks, just that it's clearly There in some way. I've speculated before (unrelated to the naming) that there's a possibility that g-d has a (affectionate) contaminating, radioactive mutation causing, polluting effect (various minor inconclusive hints throughout the series).

regarding this applied specifically to sehhinah!g-d too, the fact g-d 'is nowhere' (has no body or location) but also 'can be Seen' and 'g-d's soul manifests physically as flame/burning/burnt-ness in that interface/reaction when this happens' parallels this even more than regular theurgy, kjorel even at one point has a thought almost the same as Solomon's;

but even more significantly, another aspect of the shekhinah is that it's conceived of as the aspect of g-d that went into exile with the exiled jews, though the ark and temple 'where' g-d was said to dwell are lost/destroyed, the shekhinah still dwells/is There whenever jews do [various actions]. there's a sort of chronological chiasmus reversal in sehhinah where g-d's exilic state (in prices, angel bodies, discarded dismembered body parts, stars, etc) is the preexisting standard condition and They are cataclysmically spatially condensed in a specific location in an abrupt event during Lives. (reversals or sometimes chiasmuses of chronology and meaning-of-terms between irl and sehhinah is a pretty constantly recurring theme in the series).

I always 'recognized' sehhinah!g-d 'as' mythical jewish g-d (hence the dash) but also with the caveat that not only are there specific differences, Their overall scope is narrower: there's more things sehhinah!g-d is definitely Not, or definitely Not Capable Of, or not in charge of/has not decided to ask for. a lot of the difference here seems to be a sort of, I can imagine sehhinah!g-d resulting from a canon-divergent-AU of antediluvian genesis where g-d was nonverbal and also certain foundational events shook out differently; but also the result, regardless of the causes, is that the more-limited sehhinah!g-d bears significant resemblance to the shekhinah 'aspect' of irl jewish interpretation.

for elaboration on the previous bulletpoint on a very deep and meaningwise/characterwise/selfhood/behavior level I'd point to this paper; but on a more superficial level the fact that in sehhinah g-d seems to 'speak' using an elaborate nonverbal telepathy that seem to use a sort of 'cantillation-marks' type of anchoring via features usually attributed to either the shekhinah specifically, or to angels -- wings in particular, feathers, eyes, wheels -- is. well actually I forgot where I was going with this actually but I won't bother backspacing it. I was going to say something about torah. shekhinah as a liminal phenomenon that dwells in the interface of action.

g-d is tesena's whore? subversioned bride. connects dots. sabbath bride. [schizo voice]. uh.

There was more but I forgot. um. (?) anyway

[aarlert]

i love your fics sm. any tips for ppl learning to write? whats your process like?

ah!!! me??? shucks! thank you so much! i never feel like i am qualified at all to give tips or advice but because you so kindly asked, here are some things that i think guided me to a place i am happy with:

1. write things that you really want to write. not because you think other people want it or because you crave that sweet external validation—which, look. i do. we all do. all the time. it's nothing to be ashamed about. but if you're just starting out writing, try to get excited about it. have fun with it. seriously, the ride will be so much more enjoyable. write that ship, that trope, that AU, that brainworm that won't leave you alone. seize it. write it because goddamn it no one else will

2. read! read some good words and you will absorb good things. pay attention to what you like: phrasing, imagery, etc. borrow them and make them your own.

3. don't underestimate the value of solid grammar and punctuation. i know it's a pain in the ass, i KNOW, but trust me. making your writing look good, at least on a surface level, helps a lot. your writing is a special thing. polish it! it deserves it!

4. if you are comfortable with it, get your fic beta'd. we don't often notice our own mistakes. and showing your raw work to someone else can feel terrifying, believe me, i want to eat my fist every time. but a second pair of eyes is so valuable. ask a trusted friend—another writer, if you know one. someone who can lend you their expertise but also applaud you for your accomplishments.

5. here is a book i love: "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, 2nd Edition" by Renni Browne and Dave King. i read it a few years ago and still think about the things i learned in it. every point in this book is a point of advice i'd give to anyone else

i hope any of this is useful!! none of this is like, revolutionary advice, but they will give you a good foundation. i also tried to share things that won't dictate you stylistically, because that can differ so much from person to person.

as for my process, OH BOY. do i even have much of a process.... i'll do my best to describe what i do. i'll also have some more points about what drives my own personal writing style, things that i don't necessarily think other people Should do, but serve as the backbone of how i write. under the read more!!! (why is this so long)

it's only in recent years that i've begun writing with any kind of consistency, so i'm kind of figuring out my process Right Now haha. the process varies depending on the length of the fic and the complexity of the idea. but here are the main points:

1. brainstorming: usually i open a google doc and feverishly jot down an idea when i have it. sometimes it's just a few lines. for bigger ideas, i'll outline the whole fic, which is mostly bulletpoints that vary in detail from "they go to this place and talk about their feelings" to full blown detailed written scenes that i can copy/paste wholesale into the fic draft lol. my ideas often spawn from a line of dialogue, an emotion, vague imagery. this is why none of my fics are plot heavy, i am simply incapable

2. drafting the fic: aka The Writing aka the longest and hardest part lol. sometimes it goes so smoothly the words come out of me like a waterfall. other times it's like juicing a rock. i usually write strictly in chronological order, otherwise i never finish. i'm terrible at going back to do the things i skipped because they were hard. in some places i will leave [brackets] to return to certain moments, like if i need to look up a word or figure out the blocking for a fight scene. it's important to maintain the writing flow if i'm in it, so those particular moments i might skip and come back. otherwise i am but a sculptor hacking away at the marble, hoping to find the story underneath

3. editing: tbh i rigorously self-edit as i write which... might be a bad thing but i can't help it. this is editing as in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure. i fuck around with sentence structure so much—flow is really important to me. just, how the words and sentences sound. i know that sounds like, obvious, but i just want the cadence of every paragraph to sound good. varying up sentence lengths, making sure words sound good together, etc. sometimes at this point i will also feel "hmm need more relationship building here" and add more scenes/dialogue

4. send it out for beta: aka the part where i hide under a rock and try not to delete everything i wrote out of fear. it's never as bad as i expect but i'm like this every time. more editing happens, because of course.

5. post the fic: the best part! except then i have to think of a title and summary! fuck!!!!! it's extremely rare that i have these prepared ahead of time. screw me. my titles come from all over the dang place, poetry, songs, etc. i'm trying to write more original titles, and when i do i usually keep them concise, like 1-3 words

so that's like. literally my process which is probably not at all interesting and maybe not what you were hoping to learn about, so some more things that are like, particular to How i write or at least what i think about when i'm writing:

less is more, when it comes to like 99% of things. if i can describe something in 1 word instead of 5 i will do it (unless it is more in-character to be more verbose)

i always write in very close 3rd person POV, so i'm always thinking really hard about how this character is thinking, what they can physically see/hear/feel etc (for example, a character is never thinking about the color of their own eyes. so i wouldn't say like 'cyno blinked his red eyes' if it's in cyno's POV. idk these are the things i think about. it just feels more immersive this way)

make the dialogue feel as natural as possible, while still maintaining control over it as like, a piece of fiction. i often read dialogue again while skipping the narration between lines, just to make sure it still flows naturally. obviously it's not gonna sound 1 to 1 like real life conversation, but at the very least i want readers to feel like they can hear the character's voices

convey emotions through tone, dialogue, and physical cues rather than trying to say it plainly in the narration (i don't do this 100% of the time, but it's a general rule of thumb)

describe the imagery that really matters—what's setting the scene and giving the desired mood? focus on those details instead of cramming the prose with as much description as possible

sometimes you don't need a metaphor. you can just describe the thing itself, and that hits just as hard

what does each character want in a given scene? what's motivating them? does it feel right to give them that thing now, or later?

that is probably too many commas, use a period for god's sake

again, these are just things that motivate my own writing, they're not necessarily things that i think everyone should take to heart. but if it is interesting/helpful for you, then by all means! run away with them! use them, change them, do with them as you see fit. the important thing is the writing. i believe in you! you can do it!!!

this...... is so long what da hell. my bad. i don't even know how this happened. but as you can see i do love talking about writing even though i feel like an imposter all the time. if you have any other questions i am happy to answer them!!! thank you!!!

[fixaidea]

1, 17, & 20 for the 40 questions meme? ^_^

Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.

Answered!

17. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

I usually jot down the outline of the fic in a bulletpoint format and expand on whatever plotpoint I feel inspired by that day. If I tried to force myself to write in chronological order I would never finish anything, I'd just get stuck at some point and then never progress beyond that point.

20. Describe your perfect writing conditions.

I'm all alone in the house, in my favourite corner and all is quiet.

[ninjasmudge]

Hey real quick not sure if this might be rude but hopefully it’s not. How are you planning on telling the full story of Entaglement Au. Labyrinth is getting a fic but are you just going to continue answering questions and having the story unveiled to us that way (perfectly fine if you’re doing that) or are you going to make a chronological comic? Again I’m just curious and I hope i don’t accidentally offend you

nah you dont sound rude at all, its a fair question. tbh i definitely dont have another fic in me, and i already know i wont keep up trying to do a long comic bc i will get bored and give up. ive met me.

if i tried to write out the plot of entanglement itd probably be extremely long. i suppose it could work as one shots if i had some ideas for that but the plot of entanglement would actually work really well as a long tv series or something bc nearly every bulletpoint on my timeline for it could be its own episode or arc.

theres like. two separate murder mystery plotlines, one with red, mk and mei and the other with macaque, jin and yin as key witnesses to a system wide case (which is how swk and maq meet up)

i think ill have to post some or all of the timeline ive got for it, and maybe then work more in depth on a few of the points, as well as trying to answer any asks i get. A LOT of this plot is put into place to eventually push most of the main characters into one big ship after lbds defeat and have them have whacky hijinks in space while searching for the signals

thanks for askin 💜

[kaydeefalls]

Fic writing asks: 38 and/or 39!

Ooh, thanks!

38. What does your writing process look like? How chaotic is it on a scale of 1 (very tame) to 10 (you can’t handle this kind of chaos)?

Apart from the MANY procrastination traps (tumblr! game on my phone! research rabbit hole!), I think my writing process is fairly tame? I have a gdoc. I start at the beginning. I gradually work my way through to the end. There's usually a very rough bulletpoint outline or stream-of-consciousness infodump at the bottom of the doc, and sometimes a few scene fragments, but for the most part I really do just start at the beginning and write my way through to the end. Some days I only manage to chip away at a couple of sentences. Sometimes I'll sit down and write 5k words in one evening. But it's always pretty chronological. So, like, I'll give myself a 3 on that scale.

39. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

Oof, I don't know. I think I'm pretty good at getting character voices right, or close to it. I'm a decent mimic in general when it comes to writing -- Yuletide is often a fun excuse for me to write in totally different styles, based on the tone of whatever small fandom I get matched on -- and that is something I enjoy about my own fics. So, that.

[madphantom]

do you have any advice for someone who wants to write a book but can't organize their thoughts well at all?

Hoooo boy, here's some important things:

List all the plot in bullet points. Like, just list up everything that's gonna happen and check every chapter you have written so far.

Don't write chronologically. Write down every scene that comes to your mind first, and then check where you need to connect them. I use Google Notes for writing, where you can organize everything in colour!

Make a description of your characters. I'm serious. I have way over sixty characters in my webseries and I'd lose track of them all without noting down everyone's appearance and character traits. I also have a graph with every character and a drawing for most of them.

(Mostly censored to prevent spoilers, but here's my list of bulletpoints)

[the-pale-goddess]

Hi! Do you think you can maybe give us some tips on how to write?

Hey lovely! It's incredibly flattering that you've come to me for advice, even though I’m certainly no expert and I don't consider myself a good role model. But I'll happily share some personal thoughts about the process and my opinion on how to approach writing 💕

The most important thing is recognizing your own strengths and finding your writing routine, I believe.

Don't force yourself to fit into any kind of standards, they're creativity killers. Find the style you feel most comfortable in and embrace it, let it shine through your words. Then mould it, play with it, turn it upside down (if you're in the mood), don't be afraid to experiment!

My own routine is utterly chaotic: I never outline my ideas, I don't write chronologically, these methods just don't cooperate with my mess of a brain, I live and breathe chaos. But a lot of writers can’t imagine their lives without planning, so make sure to try different approaches and decide what works best for you!

Planning doesn't have to be detailed: do some brainstorming, bulletpoint whatever comes to your mind and seems relevant to your work. You can also: search for an aesthetic that can help you focus on your story and its details, make moodboards if that's your thing, listen to songs that inspire you to follow your story, read a lot, etc. There are many creative ways to keep your inspiration afloat.

Remember that drafting and rewrites are a part of the writing process. First drafts tend to be pretty far from what you imagine the final product to look like. And frankly? They should be, you have to start somewhere. Allow yourself to write 'bad', don't obsess over perfection and don’t compare yourself to others (something I need to remember as well btw jgkdfjg)

I rely on my intuition a lot, it guides me and keeps me sane because it's very easy to get lost somewhere between your ambitions and expectations, which may result in forcing yourself to make decisions against your better judgement.

To me, writing is a form of art and art (to a large extent) is a subjective experience as it relies upon the opinion of the audience. You're both your target audience and the harshest critic of your own work, so try not to be too hard on yourself.

I'm not sure if these are the tips you were looking for, but I hope you found my ramblings at least tiny bit helpful. If you have any specific questions, my inbox and DMs are always open for you 💖

[snowtimeisbesttime]

Thoughts and questions (remix) on Friendsim Volume 12.

Tirona:

-REMIX OF ONE OF JADE’S THEMES SPOTTED!!!

-Tirona is what, 8 years old? And she’s already doing law stuffs, pulling all-nighters, trying to backstab her coworkers…. and apparently has enough clearance to mess with random aliens’ profiles without worry.

-On one hand, Tirona is a memer. On the other hand, those memes are empire propaganda. (ft. Kuprum’s help with tech). // The only change to her Troll Call bulletpoints was to reflect this.

-She has a lot of trust on Trizza’s ability to take the throne… which is exactly the one thing Trizza is never going to do, ever.

-I’m not sure exactly how much approval Trizza has (nor how much that’s going to do in a duel to the death, unless the tyrian succession ceremony isn’t like that), but what would happen if some trolls still showed a preference (?? words) for an heiress after she died? I mean, besides them probably getting brutally culled. // Reworded: What might happen to a troll that still showed support for a freshly challenge'd heiress (as opposed to the Condesce), besides the obvious “joining her in death” part?

-Um who the fuck told Tirona to bail us out?????? because her good end didn’t exactly give me a good opinion of them??? and apparently we already know them so??? i swear to fuck if it’s doc scratch i’m gonna punch something // tfw ur theory is right :,)

-Stelsa either works somewhere else, or isn’t pursuing laws.

-The rebellion’s getting big and noticeable… and luckily, Tyzias’ keeping her involvement in it mostly lowkey. Let’s hope her Intimidation Factor keeps her safe.

-The lesson Tirona learns in her route is that she should embrace her own strengths (knowledge stuff) instead of forcing herself to take a role she isn’t cut out for (fighting) → Heart. Meanwhile, Galekh’s Bloodbound because despite how much he values his intelligence, he values relationships more.

Galekh:

-I was kind of expecting the worst re: Galekh, but color me pleasantly surprised! His theme’s also pretty good.

-How does his quirk work spoken out, though? Does he just kind of add the citations as explanations of sort?

-Goat lusus!!! a Good Boy.

-So yeah, liking vampires is a Spacebound thing.

-Mallek “snakeBytes” Adalov’s the first (and hopefully not last) Hiveswap troll to have an Actual Trolltag. And probably did his piercings and other body mods himself.

-Galora’s real! Even though back in Tagora’s route I didn’t think it was a thing. I mean Tagora pretty much freaked out when he saw Galekh (which, if you ask me, is a bad sign in a relationship), and in his good end told the MC that he hated him and basically was interested in him for business reasons. Taking both Galekh’s route and Tirona’s bad end if you choose to get in Tagora’s office into account, I’d say they started getting into <3< territory after Volume 4.

-On a related note, I’d say the quadrant we know less about is kismesissitude. It’d be great to take a deeper look at it and the entire quadrant system (healthy relationships especially). // Auspisticism's pretty obscure too, but that's kinda a result of this.

-Also, Tirona’s route takes place after Galekh’s, and is probably the latest chronologically! The MC canonically attracts a lot of attention even without drone kidnappings (at least two so far); let’s hope we don’t get in too much trouble in later volumes.

-His new Troll Call bulletpoints establish that he's a coffee snob, and tone him down from the very ominous “knows too much” to just knowing his shit but still being annoying.

[kpopfanfictrash]

oh wise Shana, I come seeking your advice! lol I want to start writing several fic ideas but im not sure how to actually go from a rough outline of a story to full on sentences? is it the same as writing essays or would it be easier to write a fic in bulletpoint style? are there any good writers you'd recommend that write in that style? any help is appreciated 💜

Hi, anon! Phew, why is it always the seemingly easy questions which are the most difficult to answer? Lol my answer is: honestly, whatever works for you. The way I write my stories is the following:

Outline. This consists of an Excel document where I write a short summary of each scene/chapter. 

Writing. I start at scene 1 and I just start writing. This is very much like you would an essay, where I write sentence after sentence in chronological order until I’m finished, and then I move on to the next scene/chapter.

Editing. I open up a blank Word doc and rewrite the entire story over again. After that, I usually read through 2-3 times and edit grammar/wording, etc. 

And voila! I post. The above is just how I write, though. I know some people write down only dialogue first and then go back and fill in scenery/description later. I know some people write down random prose as it comes to them, and then go back and fill in the rest of the scenes. The “right” writing process is the writing process which works best for you.

One last thing I’ll note is that most novels are published/posted as prose, not bulletpoints. There are obviously exceptions to this rule! Epistolary writing is narration through any sort of document (letters, social media, etc.). I’ve also seen kind of bulleted imagines floating around Tumblr? Which seems to be a new genre of writing specific to social media (potentially because of the constrained word count), but I’m honestly not familiar with it. That’s not really my preference as a reader. I prefer long, meaty novels which make my heart ache once they’re finished LOL. Bottom line is though, write however you want to write and experiment until you find your own style! Best of luck, babe. 

[khittyhawk]

The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars

dumb kids movie 9: watched 09/22

The third movie chronologically and the second produced (which is strange, because Ratso and Wittengenstein are in this movie but aren’t explained). Yes, it was also based on a book. The cover’s pretty boss:

This movie is so bizarre that I think I’m just going to do bulletpoints:

the animation is back up to snuff

yeah, Kris is whitewashed again

she and Rob move into Albert Einstein’s old house

Albert Einstein’s former hearing aid is an important character

“Sorry Ratso, you can’t come into space because you can’t breathe”

planned obsolescence is evil (it is)

DeForest Kelley (Bones McCoy)’s last role

He plays the space probe Viking 1

The Christmas angel Tinselina has far too human proportions and it weirds me out

Oh yeah, this is a Christmas movie I guess?

“I’m made of organic matter!” o_O I probably should have known, but given the first movie, I didn’t immediately discount human(appliance) sacrifice

at some lines of the villain’s plan, I thought the movie was going to turn anti-revolution, but given the rest of it, I think it’s just Supreme Leader using the language of revolution to turn the Wonderluxe appliances to his will (his backstory is that he got stuck working for a Nazi scientist, so exposure to Hitler’s propaganda is likely and would have rubbed off

the Toaster insisting humans are good, forgetting the parts shop scene from the first movie

Did I forget to mention that Wittengenstein figures out how to get to Mars within a day using buttered popcorn, a microwave, and a ceiling fan?

This song, which has nothing to do with anything, but is too damn catchy not to enjoy:

I looked it up: while latex balloons were mass-produced in the 20s and 30s and Buffalo Bill died in 1917 (and his shows ended in 1903), balloons were made before then AND other shows went on to 1920. So it’s possible that the balloon exists, and is the oldest of them all.

Verdict: if you liked the original and want to watch a movie about the characters in which someone else is being menaced for once, check this out

Side note: I want a short film set in this universe in which the curiosity rover meets the other space probes (Including Viking-1)

[sinningsquire]

all even numbers for 'Point of No Return' & all odd numbers for any fic in 'Big Brothers AU' ❤

oooh gosh you mazing human being thank you:)

Well then, Point of No Return:

2: What scene did you first put down?

I am the type to write chronologically and sticking to an outline. So as the very first thing I put down bulletpoint-done outline for the whole thing and then I started with the introduction scene. Booorring....

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

That one is not posted yet, so SPOILERS! 

BB-8: {initial analysis=wrong}

BB-9E: {reverse situation=>identical action}

Which is my Binary rendering of “Sorry I misjudged you - It’s okay, I would’ve done the same.”

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

Hmmm all the backstory I guess? When you take out Snoke from the SW universe, it kinda upends everything. Plus the use of Binary, I never wrote the droids before I think. 

8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

Yeah I already wrote in the end notes to Chapter 2 how I owe this entire idea to my daughter playing with LEGO.

10: Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story?

Kylux is default with me.... I write a lot of sidepairs, but Kylux is always prevalent. 

12: What do you like least about this fic?

It’s very slow to write. Lot of research, careful building of the character backstories... I write a line and then change the wording three times before it’s the way I want it. And then I look at the kudos count and weep. The second chapter got considerably less comments than the first one and that made me very little motivated to write the third one. I am advancing very slowly with this one.

14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

Nah, I don’t write textbooks. This is just for fun. 

And now for New Beginnings - the latest installment of Big Brothers AU that we write with @obsessions-and-dreams:

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

hmmmm that’s hard to say because we started planning this fic long ago, well into last year... Usually we come up with fic when we spam each other with gifsets of Domhnall and Adam, coming up with scenarios in which they could be making those exact faces, and it must have started like this. I guess we found some gloomy Domhnall and it all went from there. 

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

It’s actually a bit @obsessions-and-dreams wrote in the last chapter, describing Ben’s thoughts as he makes his farewell to the dance studio:

This was where Ben slept many nights on a worn mattress in the back room, couch-hopping between here and the guys’ places when he left home, before his parents accepted his choice of career. It was where he first introduced Hux to the Knights, where both he and Pete had announced their engagements, where Ben told them he was going to be an uncle and Pete told them he was going to be a father. It was where they'd comforted Mike when his father passed, where Joey had studied between classes and practice, where Riz and Manu fell in love. Rey had practically grown up here; Ben could still picture her little ponytail swinging as Pete spun her, her giggle echoing through the room.

When I first read it, tears sprung into my eyes, and I still like this part best of all the fic. 

5: What part was hardest to write?

All the hospital bits. 

7: Where did the title come from?

TITLES! That’s both mine and my co-authors nightmare. As the rest, we brainstormed it. I honestly don’t know whose idea it was in the end!

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

In the early stages of brainstorming, there was an idea about Hux screwing up horrendously in his work, and blaming himself for it to the point of becoming depressed. But I couldn’t find a realistic scenario for it! Military schools are so strict that there wasn’t any plausible breach of rules that we could pull off. 

11: What do you like best about this fic?

The same as in every other Big Brothers fic: their mutual love, affection and gentleness. 

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

I guess it was just Piano Guys on repeat. 

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

A lot about spinal injuries :) 

[whifferdills]

orelseatlastsheunderstoodit replied to your post “i am begrudgingly impressed at how TJLC’rs turned fandom into a...”

ARG?

Alternate Reality Game. essentially, it’s an interactive narrative that takes place across a variety of mediums (including phonecalls, letters, and physical real life) that invites a community to collaborate on solving puzzles in order to unlock the next section of story. From Wikipedia:

Storytelling as archaeology. Instead of presenting a chronologically unified, coherent narrative, designers scatter pieces of the story across the Internet and other media, allowing players to reassemble it, supply connective tissue and determine what it means.

Platformless narrative. Stories are not bound to a single medium, but exist independently and use whatever media is available to make itself heard.

Designing for a hive mind. While it might be possible to follow games individually, designs are directed at a collective of players that share information and solutions almost instantly, and incorporate individuals possessing almost every conceivable area of expertise. While games might initially attract a small group of participants, as the participants come across new challenges they try to find others with the knowledge needed to overcome an obstacle.

A whisper is sometimes louder than a shout. Rather than openly promoting games and trying to attract participation by "pushing" it toward potential players, designers attempt to "pull" players to the story by engaging in over-the-top secrecy, have elements of the game "warn" players away from them, and eschew traditional marketing channels. Designers do not communicate about the game with players or press while it is in play.

The "this is not a game" (TINAG) aesthetic. ARGs themselves do not acknowledge that they are games. They do not have an acknowledged ruleset for players; as in real-life, they determine the "rules" either through trial and error or by setting their own boundaries. Narratives present a fully realized world: any phone number or email address mentioned works, and any website acknowledged exists. Games take place in real time and are not replayable. Characters function like real people, not game pieces, respond authentically, and are controlled by real people, not by computer AI. Some events involve meetings or live phone calls between players and actors.

Real life as a medium. Games use players' lives as a platform. Players are not required to build a character or role-play being someone other than themselves. They might unexpectedly overcome a challenge for the community simply because of the real-life knowledge and background they possessed. Participants are constantly on the lookout for clues embedded in everyday life.

Collaborative storytelling. While the puppetmasters control most of the story, they incorporate player content and respond to players' actions, analysis and speculation by adapting the narrative and intentionally leave "white space" for the players to fill in.

Not a hoax. While the TINAG aesthetic might seem on the surface to be an attempt to make something indistinguishable from real life, there are both subtle and overt metacommunications in place to reveal a game's framework and most of its boundaries.

aside from that last bulletpoint and the fact that Mofftiss aren’t actual puppet-masters, TJLC is essentially an accidental ARG.

[tuckedintoacorner]

Day 186

So. I’m back, only not really because all the things I’ve been planning have sort of gone by the wayside a little bit. A while ago I mentally summarized how the past year has been, or the last six months, or something. I don’t really remember it, but I do remember hitting some main keys. The bulletpoints on a PowerPoint presentation, if you will. I tried to keep it in chronological order, but my…