the-platelet-queen

[the-platelet-queen]

20 Questions Writer Tag

Thanks for the tag @justafunctionalmess ❤️

I have two AO3 accounts so I'll be taking from both of them.

How many works do you have on AO3? 32 works, not counting two abandoned works that are not associated with me anymore.

What is your total AO3 word count? 76,137 words

What fandoms do you write for? Oof, so many it's such a long list. As for the ones I've posted: Psych, Bones, The X-Files, New Girl, Victorious, Monk, That 70s Show, Supergirl, Schitt's Creek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Shadowhunter Chronicles, and two others I'm not gonna mention because they're cringe. I write for at least double what I listed.

What are your top five fics by kudos? Daddy with 343 kudos (Supergirl; I hate it's my most popular fic, purely because of the title), Walter and Nancy with 239 kudos (Victorious), Sparks Fly with 207 kudos (Supergirl), Sleepover with 143 kudos (Schitt's Creek), and Superstar with 127 kudos (Supergirl again).

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I try to! I get email notifications of comments, so I really see them on there, absolutely cherish them, then forget to reply on AO3. Sometimes I go on to reply to some in batches. I never know what to say in reply, but I'm so grateful to everyone that comments!

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? The fic with the angstiest ending was Jericho (The X-Files). I've posted like two angsty fics total, and I don't usually write angst.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? All of my fics end happy so this one was really hard. I guess I'd have to say Cold Blooded Killer because it's not a traditionally happy fic until the end :)

Do you get hate on your fic? Very very rarely, yes. It's only happened three times. The first time I was so upset about it. The second and third times I'm pretty sure it was the same person (guest account commented) so I just deleted it.

Do you write smut? Yes, but I don't post it. I don't write it very often either, very rare.

Do you write crossovers? Nope, not my cup of tea. I don't read them either.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Probably not. At least not that I'm aware of...

Have you ever had a fic translated? No, but I have had someone record an audio of a fic I wrote. Hands down the coolest experience I've had with my writing so far!!

Have you ever co-written a fic? In a way, yes? If writing letters as characters back and forth with my sister counts.

What's your all-time favorite ship? I don't really have a favorite, BUT I guess I choose Mulder and Scully. Because of how they grew old together (I only watched the monster of the week episodes in the revival, but they were so cute together <3)

What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? My Bones high school AU. I've gotten so far on it, but the path ahead is longer. Also, the Boneheads podcast needs to come out so I can rewatch Bones and start writing it again.

What are your writing strengths? Dialogue, probably. I love character interactions, that's what I live for in writing (and also why I write fic). I want to see characters interacting, not necessarily a cool plot, which is why I emulate that in my own writing.

What are your writing weaknesses? Prose. I just don't like writing it (or reading it for the most part).

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I don't know enough about any language to confidently write dialogue for it in my fics. I'd probably get one of my friends who's more fluent in other languages to help me.

First fandom you wrote for? I'm absolutely devastated to share that my first fanfic was for Martha Speaks. I was in second grade and PBS Kids was holding a contest for written stories. Mine ended up over the word limit so I never sent it in.

Favorite fic you've ever written? All of them. Even if the writing isn't as good, it was something I was so proud of at the time, and I can feel that when I read it.

Hmmmm, I'm tagging @bianxiousandcute, @sprqpointintern @that70sshowgoldencouple @thatseventiesbitch @tht70sblog

[the-platelet-queen]

The real tragedy of writing is knowing where the plot is going, knowing exactly what happens in a scene, down to the exact sentences you're going to use, and somehow still not being able to write.

[the-platelet-queen]

i just saw a tiktok (<- cursed cursed site) that started out good, talking about how "show don't tell" is something you should keep in mind. It used the example of "instead of saying 'she opened the door', try 'her shaking hand twisted the doorknob, letting out a loud creak'".

And, yeah, if you're trying to convey the hesitance, fear, and eventual sucking-it-up that seems to be going on in the scene, that's great.

But.

The tiktok ended with, "see? Showing is ALWAYS better." And I just...

Friends & enemies, that's how you end up with that insufferable always-showing always-active YA writing style that does not know when to just shut up and say "she opened the door".

Because, yeah, I'll say it. Sometimes "she opened the door" IS better. Sometimes, the act of opening the door is literally just announcing a setting change, and you don't need to focus on it.

Show don't tell is about conveying important or relevant information, not about literally everything you're writing. You're allowed to say "she opened the door" & similar, and in fact, I encourage it in many scenarios.

[the-platelet-queen]

My "nanowrimo" for this year is just my homework lol

It's my screenplay I'm doing for school which is way more work than I thought it would be. Four people have read Act I and really like it though, so I'll take that as a win :)

If I can finish 1/4 of Act II by the end of November I'll be happy

[the-platelet-queen]

I have … a tip.

If you’re writing something that involves an aspect of life that you have not experienced, you obviously have to do research on it. You have to find other examples of it in order to accurately incorporate it into your story realistically.

But don’t just look at professional write ups. Don’t stop at wikepedia or webMD. Look up first person accounts.

I wrote a fic once where a character has frequent seizures. Naturally, I was all over the wikipedia page for seizures, the related pages, other medical websites, etc.

But I also looked at Yahoo asks where people where asking more obscure questions, sometimes asked by people who were experiencing seizures, sometimes answered by people who have had seizures.

I looked to YouTube. Found a few individual videos of people detailing how their seizures usually played out. So found a few channels that were mostly dedicated to displaying the daily habits of someone who was epileptic.

I looked at blogs and articles written by people who have had seizures regularly for as long as they can remember. But I also read the frantic posts from people who were newly diagnosed or had only had one and were worried about another.

When I wrote that fic, I got a comment from someone saying that I had touched upon aspects of movement disorders that they had never seen portrayed in media and that they had found representation in my art that they just never had before. And I think it’s because of the details. The little things.

The wiki page for seizures tells you the technicalities of it all, the terminology. It tells you what can cause them and what the symptoms are. It tells you how to deal with them, how to prevent them.

But it doesn’t tell you how some people with seizures are wary of holding sharp objects or hot liquids. It doesn’t tell you how epileptics feel when they’ve just found out that they’re prone to fits. It doesn’t tell you how their friends and family react to the news.

This applies to any and all writing. And any and all subjects. Disabilities. Sexualities. Ethnicities. Cultures. Professions. Hobbies. Traumas. If you haven’t experienced something first hand, talk to people that have. Listen to people that have. Don’t stop at the scholarly sources. They don’t always have all that you need.

[the-platelet-queen]

Welcome to my Oasis! Or my writblr. I prefer Oasis though.

My old intro was super outdated and I've decided to take time to revamp my entire writblr account because it really did not reflect me at all. Now it does!

First up. My name. It is Eve. I am 23 years old and I go by she/they pronouns.

My ko-fi is: ko-fi.com/giftedpoison (if anyone would like to donate to me and my writing journey no pressure tho xoxo)

Ao3: giftedpoison

Quotev: (not up and running yet but will be soon - this used to be where I would put my Wattpad but I decided I don't want to post anything there because then if I ever published traditionally it'd have WattpadBooks stamped on it and fuck that honestly)

Type of Writing: I like to write a lot about what it means to be a monster and the concept of good vs. evil. And I like to read and write tragedies. My biggest writer inspirations are: Donna Tartt, Sui Ishida, Ottessa Moshfegh, V.E. Schwab, Kafka, Dazai, Dostoevsky, and Lancali. And I love existential meanders like No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre. (That's not to say those are my only favorite writers I have a lot more less pretentious ones but my inspo makes me seem pretentious- I'm aware.)

Genre: I typically stick with horror maybe some fantasy but it would be urban fantasy at best. I don't have the mind for a high fantasy.

I also write a bit of fanfiction in my spare time that typically focuses on angst. (Primarily, I am a My Hero Academia fanfic writer, but as you will see in my WIPs that is not always the case.) MY CURRENT WIPS:

Monster, Monster, Monster (or Vamp Journalist) // checkout the WIP intro here https://www.tumblr.com/justafunctionalmess/730097695630426112?source=share But its about a world where vampires exist but its a genetic condition. And we follow two twins who committed mass murder for different reasons and how they are coping with the world. Status: Current Project under the tag #vampjournalist (its my nanowrimo 2023 project) To All Those Who Relate to Ken Kaneki // sliding scale of hero vs villains, mental illness, she/they ace biromantic main character, magic systems, fancy college, traumatized MC, w/w, superpowers

Status: my next project after I finish the first draft of vamp journalist. (listen I'm in love with these girls in this story they are so fucking cute. and by cute i mean deadly.) Anytime I post about it it will be under #ATWRTKK Would You Still Love Me Collection // mix or prose and poetry. A story about the pain of surviving abuse, and struggling with society’s expectations and how we learn to love ourselves through the pain and suffering that seems to be so constant in life. It has a lot of triggering topics and when I go to bring it forth into the world there will be trigger warnings labelled.

This story is for the angry. The monsters. The people who fear they are the thing that goes bump in the night because that is what society sold you. This is for the people who desperately want to be good and loveable but aren’t sure exactly what that looks like or means. For the people who feel like something less than human.

Status: haven't worked on in a while not really sure what I'm doing with it. But it'll be tagged with #WYSLM if i talk about it.

^^ old mood board for it

Also some fics I’m working on:

Christmas Arcane fic // was supposed to post for 2021 christmas but i fucked up and never finished it. Plan to finish it for 2023. (Jinx is adopted by Viktor, cute fluff of how the gang spends their christmas)

Pow-Pow Gets a Gun AU // I just want pow-pow to have a gun instead of using an explosive to try to save Vander and co. because she was clearly good with guns from the beginning.

Status: literally almost finished but I’m procrastinating on finishing it (hoping by making this post it’ll get me to actually be productive and finish shit) Death of Peace of Mind // Izuku is coming to grips with being quirkless and not being able to save Tomura. And in doing so it leads to him deciding to hunt down Chisaki to save him at the very least. (Chisaki did not have a healing moment in this universe) And some shit ensues. Status: in progress 2/3 chapters. I swear to god i will finish the 3rd chapter soon but at this point it might be after nanowrimo

[the-platelet-queen]

VAMP JOURNALIST (or Monster, Monster, Monster)

Nanowrimo Project 2023

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Horror, New Adult

Setting: Half in a rundown part of a city, and half in a medical research facility

Tropes and Themes: what it means to be a monster, found family, doomed by the narrative, villain MCs, dual pov, violence, death, born vs made murderers, fictional disability

Summary:

There are two things about Ramsey and Remington Hartwell that everyone in the state knows about them. One being that they are fraternal twins and the other being, arguably more importantly, are vampires. Oh, yeah and they both committed mass murder in two different facilities in the span of 6 years and only one of them got caught.

Ramsey was the one who got caught, being the second of the twins to finally cave to her blood lust that was worsened by a blood shortage. Now, she lives in a facility that she's always dreamed of working at, as an assistant so they can pry information out of her about her other half in an effort to catch him. The trouble is she has no idea where he is. And on top of that, all she really wishes for is to receive the death penalty that she was promised when she was pronounced guilty. Doomed to live with her actions her only solace is her college friend who happened to get a job at the very same facility.

Remington, or Rem for short, didn't get caught after killing all of the hospital wing that kept him hostage in an eating disorder clinic when really he had a rare disease keeping him from drinking blood. And he's now several cities away squatting in houses that are long abandoned with no other plan. That is until he meets Callen the son of a doctor who specializes in Vampire medicine who thinks they can cure Rem of needing to drink directly from the vein of an unsuspecting victim. But is it too much to hope for or is he bound to keep making the same mistakes?

Characters:

Ramsey Hartwell - sarcastic know it all, analytical to a fault forgets that feelings are important frequently. "Yeah it wasn't a good decision but I definitely thought it out so that gives me brownie points." secretly depressed and just wants to be loved for something other than being a silver lining. (very outgoing and intense, comes off as selfish at times with wanting the cure) Loves Mark for how steadfast he is. He is her rock.

Remington Hartwell - "This might as well happen" thinks nothing through and just hopes for the best because he's not used to having a life to live - thought he would die a long time ago. Hasn't been happy in a long time but can't help but to smile through the pain anyway with quick quips and doses of reality when needed

Callen Cablewitz - son of a doctor, takes after his father in the realm of wanting to help Vampires, helps his dad run a murderous version of AA for vampires without a choice. (super underground work) very dad energy at times until his father is around and then he seems like a little kid.

Mark (no definitive last name yet) - Ramsey's ride or die. Very intelligent, direct straight to the point, has a strong moral compass that always bends for Ramsey. Has little sense of humor about serious topics. Wants to study vampire medicine because his mother died from the illness. (introverted, driven and observant) Mark loves Ramsey for how compassionate she is.

Trista Green - face of the Vocal Vampires research facility - mother of a vampire, looking to put an end to the gene in its entirety or at least remove the symptoms of it. (has no medical capabilities, purely administration and press content)

Owen Miller - the only person you see interview Ramsey while she is in the facility. he is only there as an investigative personnel and he's more of a rookie. so to him Ramsey is purely grunt work nothing more. he finds her very irritating.

Patient #234 - we see this perspective from time to time and it is the perspective of someone who is a prison in the research facility.

Adema - is the only one who hasn’t committed a murder, yet she is also known as the scariest one in the group because she’s capable of a lot things but chooses not to. That means shes thought of five different ways she could destroy you without ever even physically harming you. She’s also trained in martial arts. (she’s also suffered from a lot of domestic violence that she doesn’t talk about but has changed the way she interacts with the world. this being lots of empathy)

Xane - he used to nonconsenually drink blood from people - he would never kill them, but vampirism is so stigmatized and it’s often times seen as a kink to allow a vampire to feed so it’s like “she wanted it” or she was dressed provocatively (though Xane wasn’t strict on gender, but who would believe a man? they’d just tell them to man up) so no one ever reported him, or if they did he talked his way out of it. Now - he has been utilizing the tools to atone for the things he did in the past.

Yaeko - she ripped multiple peoples throats out, due to the fact she requires specific blood types and if she didn’t get the specific blood type it’s like the blood lust overrides any sense she has, she’s been working with some counselors on the down low to rewire her brain, so she can control it, especially in the case of a shortage where pickiness is not available. Zach - is a lot older than the other ones, he killed his wife - was going to kill himself too, but only had one bullet, he was shocked, and then horrified, and then ran because he didn’t even really mean to kill his wife, he just thought it would be better if they both no longer suffered (or at least that’s how he’s rationalized it, he can’t remember much from that time anymore he’s blacked it all out.)

[the-platelet-queen]

why do fanfic writers write stuff all the time even tho they hate writing?

[the-platelet-queen]

how do u show what a couple loves about each other if they're already an established couple (and theres no buildup to use) when the show starts

Just watch the parents on shows (even if they're not the parents), watch Tami and Eric on FNL or watch Hal and Lois on MITM, or watch Beth and Randall on This Is Us or watch Lily and Marshall on HIMYM etc. etc.

[the-platelet-queen]

AO3 Etiquette

It would seem a whole new kind of AO3 reader/writer is emerging and it is becoming clear not everyone quite understands how the website community works. Here is some basic guidance on how most people expect you to go about using AO3 to keep this a fun community archive that funtions correctly:

Kudos is for when the story was interesting enough to make you finish reading. If it sucked or was badly written, you probably left. If you finished - you kudos.

If you liked it, you should comment. It can be long and detailed or a literal keysmash. Writers don't care, we just love comments.

No critisism unless the author has specifically asked or agreed to hear it. Even constructive critisism is a no-no unless an author note tells you it's okay. Many people write as a fun hobby or a way to cope with, among other things, insecurity. Don't ruin that for them.

Do not comment to ask the author to write/update something else. It's tacky and off-putting and will probably have the opposite effect than the one you want.

There is no algorithm, it's an archive. Use the search and filter function to add/remove the pairings/characters/tropes etc. you want to read about and it will find you the fics that fit the bill.

For this to work, writers must tag and rate stories. This avoids readers finding the wrong things and missing the stuff they want. I don't care how cringy that trope is in your eyes - it gets tagged.

Character A/Character B means a ROMANTIC or SEXUAL relationship of some kind. Character A&Character B is PLANTONIC, like friendship or family.

Nothing is banned. This is an implicit rule because banning one thing is a slipperly slope to banning another and another, until nothing is allowed anymore. Do not expect anyone to censor for you. Because of the tags system, you are responsible for your own reading experience.

People can create new chapters and sequels/fic series any time after they "complete" a story. So it's considered perfectly normal to subscribe, even to a finished story. You can even subscribe to the author instead just to cover your bases.

Do not repost stories or change the publishing date without an extremely good reason (like a complete top to bottom rewrite). It's an archive, not social media. No one cares what's the most recent, only what fits their tag needs.

Avoid deleting a story you wrote if you hate it - orphan it so others can still enjoy it, without it being connected to you anymore.

This is a creative fanfiction archive. No essays on your insights or theories please. There are other places for that.

I KNOW there's plenty more I missed but I'm trying to cover most of the basics that people seem to be struggling with.

I invite anyone to add to this, but please explain, don't berate.

[the-platelet-queen]

I never had people draw fanart for one of my fics or write something based on it, but I just know that that is such a high honor and show of love. I once had someone ask me if they could translate my fic in Chinese and I was like, wow, they love it enough to want to put time and effort into it to show it to more people.

[the-platelet-queen]

I've been writing since I was about 4, so I can't really remember why I started then. Probably as a way to use my imagination and express myself.

Now that I'm older and I write more fanfiction, it's a way for me to engage with my hyperfixation in a productive way!

Writing Wednesday Week #2

Why did you start writing?

Event Details

[the-platelet-queen]

I would love a tool that lets you save what you can see in your head OR one that lets you but what you can see in your head on paper in words!

Something to help me remember the intent of some of my sentences or spots where I left off would also be very useful. I run into so many sentences that have some kind of deeper meaning but it's been so long I don't remember what I was trying to say or hint at!

Writing Wednesday Week #1

Imagine a not-too-distant future where there have been technological advancements. What currently non-existent tool do you wish there were to help you with your writing?

Event Details

[the-platelet-queen]

[the-platelet-queen]

No one asked for this one, but…

If you made lore for a character you’ve had since you were 16, and you’re in your 20s now and have a better grasp of narrative structure and power creep, you can just retcon the dumb stuff. Like you can do that for free. You’re not beholden to the junk you wrote 5 years ago, and you don’t need to justify removing it if it sucks.

[the-platelet-queen]

[the-platelet-queen]

ao3 comments will be like “i like this line of your fic” and my reply will be like “fantastic thank you here’s my entire thought process about how i ended up with that particular line and also an outline for another fic i have and fifteen resources i used to research 1980s politics” and nobody asked for that chill