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penelope is a better woman than me, i would’ve lied and said i got engaged just to see if colin would cry

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Francesca said 'I love me a man who knows how to shut the fuck up' and she was so real for it

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Thinking about the symbolism of Valancy's shoes. About how her frivolous patent-leather shoes represent the fairy tale she lives in the Blue Castle--part of the sheltered, protected dream of her life on the island. The first (and only) time she wears them off the island, she struggles to walk in them, ill-suited as they are to the terrain of woodland paths and train crossings. How the destruction of that pair of shoes heralds the shattering of her enchanted life.

And yet this destruction results in a eucatastrophe, opening up the path to the even fuller life available to her off the island. The sensible shoes she dons after her narrow escape are not chapter 2's despised rubber-heeled boots which were selected by her family. They are the new pair she selected and purchased for herself.

Just like her life.

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Another thing I really liked about TBOSBAS is it shows how short history can be. Like in the original trilogy, we know that the games have been happening for 74 years, but by going back to the 10th games, and getting flashbacks from the war, we see that it really has only been a few generations. And (some of) those people are still around in THG. Mags won the 11th games, literally months after TBOSBAS. obviously Snow is still around, and Tigris, but there’s countless others too that turn the whole “this is how things are and always have been” ideology on its head. The inception of the games is actual living memory for people when Katniss volunteered at the reaping.

It’s the difference between looking at black and white photographs of Ruby Bridges attending school in a history book and seeing an interview of her now at 69 years old.

History does not exist separate from the present, and we’re not as far from it as we think.

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The amount of fiction authors who literally write about oppression/occupation/inequality but then turn around and literally be Zionist, like wtf

oh the irony

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Snow always comes across as cold and unbothered when he’s dealing with Katniss and the rebellion- but knowing how actually delusional and unhinged that man’s inner monologue is and with all the Katniss/Lucy Gray parallels I know when he was alone that man was probably ripping his hair out and screaming trying to figure out how the two are connected and assuming all of Katniss’ actions had ulterior motives that were directed at him. Just raving in his room alone like:

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a fashion sketch illustration of lily gladstone from the british vogue feature on killers of the flower moon. article by afua hirsch, photographs by craig mcdean, styling by edward enninful

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i’m going to try to be more active on here since i want to write more creatively or just about my thoughts on tv, books, and movies i’ve watched recently. i need practice having thoughts and opinions and thinking after all the time spent in a bio degree writing in the passive voice

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how do u manage the big big project of writing lionheart 😭 can u give tips on how u manage your life in general HAHAHA. i feel that u’re such an organized put together person 💖💖

aw, thanks! This is so sweet. The answer is that I've developed a specific method for writing long projects after a LOT of trial and error (and many, many abandoned stories, alas).

Start with idea. Concept. Thing you want to do. For fics: elevator pitch. Who is doing what to whom, and where? (The "why" can come later, but generally, if the "who" is strong enough, the "why" is answered on its own.) This should be like, a sentence, ideally.

Brainstorm. Write down every idea you have for the thing, throw it all together in a document, and just get it on paper. You will forget everything you do not put in this document. Listen to me: you will forget everything that you do not put in this document. You will think that you will not forget. "I am good at remembering things," you will say. You (I) are (am) not. Assume that you are writing the sort of list that you could use to reconstruct your idea if someone Obliviated you tomorrow and left you with zero recollection of any of it.

Close document, wait 2-3 days. Read a book, maybe. See if you can distract yourself from the project. If it works, abandon project. (You were going to do this anyway.) If it doesn't: congrats! You've got a demon to exorcise.

Now crack that bad boy open again. Organize all of your ideas. Put your set pieces and plot beats in chronological order. Space them out visually, try to get a feel for where your story's inflection points are. Once some kind of linear chronology emerges: congrats! That's your outline.

Keep going through, and start filling in the connections between the scenes that you pictured. These can have as much or as little detail as you need, but you should work through until your story arc/thing is finished. Write it like you're doing a treatment for a screenplay.

At this point, you should be reaching the point where you can throw in stuff like chapter breaks, scene cuts, maybe even little mini-scenes where you know you want the dialogue to go a certain way. I think of these conceptually as "macro-punctuation." What you're doing here is basically sorting out the pacing of your fic. How long are your chapters? How fast do they move? Does each one feel like a distinct narrative moment? Has each one earned its own place? If there's a place where you know you want a chapter break, but you aren't exactly sure, you can always just write down "2-chapter arc" or something to that effect, to make sure that Future You sees what the vision is. You'll want these notes later. Remember, you are 100% definitely certainly going to forget everything you do not write down.

The outline is finished when you can identify the number N, whereas N is the number of chapters that will constitute a "finished" fic. (This number will change, probably. That's fine. But knowing that you have approximately N chapters to go is vital for writing longfic. The alternative is like starting a marathon without knowing how many miles you have to run.) Save outline; open a new document. Copy/paste the outline of your first chapter. Start writing. Delete each note from your outline as you write it.

Reach end of chapter. Feel sense of accomplishment as you delete last bit of outline. Enjoy monkey-brain reward chemicals. Throw in a chapter break, grab a coffee, and then start the new one. Keep adding to the outline as you have new ideas; maybe make a playlist or something. Do a vision board, use Pinterest, I dunno. Don't beat yourself up for not writing. Don't let yourself go too long without doing it, either. Always stop when you feel like it, and don't make this a chore. Dread is the fun-killer. If you start to treat this like a job, you're done for, and this thing is never getting done.

As for the general life tips, I have a lot less practice, so my advice is un-inspiringly normal, I'm afraid. Make your bed in the morning; find a regular time to work. Routines are your friend. So are habits. Drink water, do stretches, and unclench your jaw. Using the Reminders or Calendar app means you can worry less about forgetting things. Answer emails as soon as you read them, because once you've said "later," Later You can also say it. Be kind to yourself; nobody's got a gun to your head. You're just doing your best. It's enough.

And write everything down.

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Frosty winter.

Nagano, Japan.

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Lew's guide to leaving long and detailed comments on fic--what to say and how to say it

there is little else that brings me joy in the world quite like leaving long, rambly, detailed comments on fic. maybe it's just the undiagnosed-probable-adhd-or-whatever, but i love having any opportunity to gush extensively about things i enjoy (as i'm doing right now). who better to gush to about a fic than the author?

however, when ive spoken occasionally to friends about fic and comments, i've seen a lot of the same sentiment. "I would love to leave more detailed comments, i just don't know what to say!"

many people will tell you that a comment can be as simple as "<3" or "[incoherent screaming]" or "this was great! second kudos!" this is true, but it leaves you with very vague and unspecific comments. i'm here to tell you how to do more than that!

what it boils down to is details.

in all writing, being specific can really strengthen a piece. i believe a comment is no different. the easiest thing you can do is copy-paste (or, if you're on your phone, remember and paraphrase) lines you like, but anything is good. include a quote you liked, paraphrase a joke. "i loved the joke [Character] said about the airplane" or "that section about the doll was really pretty!"

once i've found the detail(s) i liked, i then elaborate why i liked them! was it a joke that made me laugh? something soul-crushing that i want them to be aware of for making me suffer? "i loved the section of prose about the tree on the hill. it was gorgeous, and the writing made me feel really bittersweet."

i then will try to say more than "this made me laugh/cry/etc". yeah, it did, but why? "the way A and B were joking in this scene made me feel happy" is good to include! adding "it shows how far they've come from their argument in chapter 3" is great!

i try to make each detail i talk about be like... 3+ sentences. this is a detail i liked. this is how it made me feel. this is specifically why it made me feel the way it did.

(if you happen to be thinking "hey, lew, this sounds like a book report" know that i am, uh,

...aware.)

(meg, if you see this, this is still the best thing anyone has ever said to me)

once you've done these steps, you've got a pretty solid comment! all you have to do is stack a handful of details you loved, some elaborations on to why, and you've got a damn good comment. plus, when you do this, it's not only the author who benefits. but, life-hack, it can often benefit you, the reader!

being specific and detailed with a comment can help the author see what audience likes, which can influence them to make more of that thing.

"I loved this fic!" will get a happy author.

"i loved this fic because i love your sense of humor, especially the way you characterize this guy and his dynamic with his friend!" will get you a happy author whose writing you like who is now more inclined to write something funny about your favorite characters

furthermore, it helps you actually encode the fic and remember it. if you're reading something ongoing, being detailed in your comments will help you remember what's happening in the plot and keep it in your mind moving forward.

if you're also a writer, taking note of what you like in other fic will help you when you write your own. this is what writers mean when they say "read more" when giving advice to new writers--critical thought in your reading will help you in your writing

now, i'm not done with this post yet! if you want to read the ramblings of a lunatic who loves to comment, then keep reading

alright, so i have a ton more under this cut, so be excited for that i guess. i just think commenting is a lot of fun, so i have a lot of suggestions of things you can consider when leaving comments. if you can take away just one or two tips from this, i'll be happy!

first, here is how i decide when i have Enough details, and how i go about the actual act of writing and formatting my comments:

for chapters or oneshots with multiple scenes, i try to hit on at least one detail i liked per scene. it's nice to do more, of course, but just one detail is enough. something as simple as "i loved the humor in the second scene! the joke about the cake batter especially made me laugh! it really sounded like something she would say!" doing it like this helps me keep the comment i guess "proportional" to how long the piece i'm reading is.

when i'm writing my comment, i do a new section per every Thing, so like. praise for A's characterization in the first scene, then a new line for B and C's interaction in the first scene. this is more for readability than anything, but it also makes the comment look longer--something i know an author will appreciate, since i'm also someone who writes fic lmao.

i do lots of jumping around when im writing my comment. i often bullet out a bunch of stuff i wanna hit with one sentence, and then double back to elaborate. i think it's easier to do this and get out all my gut reactions and helps me make sure i dont forget any of the details i like, then i can get into my elaborations without worrying im going to lose any of the details i liked. plus, its easier to sort out what i'm feeling once i've got my list!

next, how to decide what details to pick.

first, the Intro To Details, here's stuff you can look out for

thoughtful characterization--sometimes you read a fic and you see an author just gets a character. let them know! do you think his dialogue sounds like something he would really say? do you think her actions at a tense scene made sense for her character? do you like the arc that a character is going on? these are things to look out for and note!

enjoyable dynamics between characters--what's better than one character? two! if i had a nickel for every time ive commented on how much the dialogue between two friends in a fic i'm reading sounds cozy/comfortable i would be a millionaire. comment on stuff like how a dynamic changes throughout a fic too, esp if you're reading ship fic

beautiful prose--did some description of a setting take your breath away? could you picture the place oh-so clearly? tell them!

prose which is NOT beautiful--i read plenty of horror fic, so sometimes the prose isn't pretty. sometimes it's graphic detail about worms in someone's flesh, or someone being crushed to death, or what have you. did it make me cringe? did it make my skin crawl? did it make me want to crawl into a hole and never come out? great!

interesting or affecting descriptions--did the way an author laid out a certain's character's feelings on an event/person/action knock you off your feet? if describing a character's resolve in a tense scene as a raging storm blows you away, note that! this is a good place to pick specific quotes.

action scenes--this might just be me talking as a writer, but action is so fucking hard to write. when i read a good action/fight scene i always point it out. if its exciting/engaging, has you on the edge of your seat, if you cant put the fic down and look away... all of that is stuff you want to point out!

another genre specific ones, but if you're reading something with an element of mystery, try pointing out details you think are important. maybe you can't solve the mystery, but if you say "i noticed [name] take something from the table--what did he take? why did he need it? did [name2] notice?" then you at least know you're paying attention. this also helps you remember those details, which can help you later in any ongoing story!

jokes that made me laugh--bonus points if you can point out what's funny about it. is it clever? dry humor you like? just silly and stupid and made you smile? say so!

if you're reading an AU fic, it's always good to point out details about the adaption. if you enjoy the worldbuilding in the fantasy au you're reading, or you think the powers the author picked for the superhero au are really fitting, or you just think the job of this side character in the coffee shop au is funny, say so!

demonstrations of technical skill--sometimes you see a sentence and you know if it was worded any other way it just wouldn't hit as hard. sentences that make nice use of alliteration, for example, or effective use of parallelism or repetition. if the way a sentence is structured compels you, point it out! it's nice to hear! this is ALSO a good place to pick specific quotes. (this one is especially fun to note if you're a writer, because it can help you out! if you like the way an author writes, being able to identify and explain what you like about it will help you in your own writing!)

every time you laugh, every time you gasp, every time your eyes water. cite specific lines and details if you can. i've read a fic that stressed me out so bad i had to repeatedly put my phone down and take breathers, and the author LOVED that i kept a list of every part that made me have to go take a walk.

all in all, just find what makes you like a fic. why are you reading this fic instead of a different one? what makes this fic special? identify that and show it!

now, the less-obvious details i like to watch for

if i wrote this chapter, what would i be proud of? what would i most what to see people comment on? one of my favorite things is when i read a specific bit of wordplay or clever phrasing that i know, if i had wrote it, would have been my favorite parts. i try to note those when i can.

on the other end, i also like to point out stuff i don't think the writer would expect. i read a fic this morning which, after a long, tense, dangerous plot, had a scene in the last chapter about making cake. in it was a detail, delivered almost as an aside, about how much of a sweet tooth one of the more tough, stoic characters had. after everything that had happened in the story, that detail really got me, and i made sure to note how much i loved it

this one's really silly but if they use a song lyric for their title and you know/like that song say so. there's someone who does that for one of my fics when they know the song and i feel so fuckin vindicated every time

now i will admit this one is kind of an unhinged thing to do, however it's one i do a lot: i try to think about what other readers would mention, and make sure i'm NOT picking that. after all, i want the author to get recognition for the whole chapter, not just the Big Thing that happened. if a long chapter ends with someone pulling out a gun, you know every single comment is gonna be something like "[name] has a gun!!!", so say literally anything else. for example, if there's a big plot twist at the end of the chapter....

i know that half the comments are gonna be "[BIG PLOT TWIST]!!!!" and, often, nothing else. so ill look for something else to mention (esp in that scene!). it can be a little disheartening as a writer to do a lot in one chapter, and then have it all be outshined by an offhand joke or a cliffhanger at the end of the chapter, so i try to do what i can to cover the rest

im probably not immune to hypothetical big plot twist, so when i touch on it, i try to go into more detail than "omg plot twist" and talk about something that's effective about it. did i see it coming? can i look back now and see the signs? how does this effect what i thought was going to happen? what do i think will happen next?

now that you've got how to note down details that ARE in the fic, i'm going to note some details that AREN'T. a lot of this is stuff that can help you think more deeply about the fic you're reading, which is good for you developing your critical thinking skills as both a writer and a reader, as well as improving your ability to remember the piece you're reading

(obviously, this doesn't need to be on every fic, but if a fic engages you enough to get these kinds of thoughts going, you should say so!)

theorize! it proves you're paying attention and thinking about the piece! guess what is going to happen next! use evidence, and cite those specific details. "[name] said this and did that, those were both suspicious. does this mean he was the killer?"

theorizing is fun, too, even if you're wrong--one of my favorite reviews ive ever received was a long theory where the commenter was very blatantly wrong. i loved it because, even if they didnt come to the conclusion id intended, they pointed out a lot of details id been careful about including to back their theory up, and it was nice to see those things noticed!

related: if you don't have evidence-based theories, then speculate! wonder about how characters are going to react to the events of the chapter, talk about what the protagonist might do next, express concern or excitement about a potential direction the plot might go. "some of these details look like they're pointing to [name]'s escape failing... does his captor already know what he's planning?" or "she got the letter... i don't think she's going to read it, but if she does, i hope she'll realize he's lying."

(and, here's a secret: sometimes saying something like "I wonder how [name] is going to react to [event]? i think she might do [action] or feel [emotion]" can also help the writer out! because maybe they hadn't thought of it like that, and now that you've raised this point, it can help them when they're writing the next part. maybe you're right, she will react a certain way--but only because you pointed it out!)

(theories and speculation can ALSO help an author who hasn't yet totally decided on their fic's ending, lmao)

now, my final, more miscellaneous tips:

abandon shame. gush a ton. say stupid shit. be excited. flattery (when genuine) will get you everywhere, lmao.

mention how you got to this fic, and/or if you're thinking about it when you're not reading it. "i'm rereading this," "i'm reading this because my friend recommended it to me," "i was just thinking/talking about this yesterday so i'm so excited to see it update now," "every time you update i drop everything to read this"... these are all great! i once left a comment which included a count of every time my roommate looked over at my expression/reactions when reading and asked me if i was okay. all these details serve to remind the author "there's a real person reading your work and enjoying it," and i know that when i write, i love to know people are excited about my work or that it lingers with them even when theyre not reading it

im constantly studying and remembering comments i get on my fic that made me happy, analyzing what i liked about those comments, and trying to do the same for other people. many of these tips are things i noticed in my own comment section that i enjoyed!

NOW, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO ALL OF THIS. i'm sure you can tell by the size of this post that i'm already prone to talking a lot, but I don't even do everything here all at once in every review i write. but, still, i hope that this helps in showing things you can think about when you write a comment!

EDIT 05/13/22: this post got a little uptick in notes, and there’s really only one thing i just want to add.

thoughtful commenting is, in my opinion, a skill, just like anything else! to do really well at it, you’ll need to practice! so leave lots of comments doing just one or two of these things at a time. soon you’ll end up with a toolbox like the one i’ve laid out!

it’s also a lot easier to think up stuff you liked if you’re already talking, so even if you’re not sure what to say, start typing. once you’ve got the ball rolling, the rest will often come to you much more easily

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If Zuko and Katara ended up together, I picture them being the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of the AtLA-verse

I’m sorry, his father genocided her people, there HAS to be some racial tension that comes out in the Fire Nation when the prince who gave up his role in the royal family to help the other side in a century long war pulls up with a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe

The Ember Island Players are the Piers Morgan and Daily Mail but Sokka would NEVER sell out his sister

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“notice that autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature.”

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Snape: Let me take this opportunity to advise all our new students to keep their guard up, watch their back.

Snape: Oh, speaking of pupils who need to watch their back, I'd like to introduce Harry Potter.

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Can’t believe I haven’t yet stumbled across a derry girls x harry potter crossover fic.

Same general part of the world, same time period, same age, and if anyone is “a child of the crossfire, surrounded by conflict” it’s Harry The-Boy-They-Tried-To-Kill-Every-Year Potter.

I mean, the Good Friday Agreement was signed a month before the Battle of Hogwarts, and Erin and Orla turned 18 right before that so the girls are the same age as Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Like, imagine the girls driving to clear out Sister Micheal’s aunt’s house, coming across the woman warning them of the devil, then finding two wizards and a witch squatting in this seemingly abandoned, mess of a house because ***insert plot here related to Seamus Finnegan or Ireland winning the 1994 Quidditch World Cup*** and losing their minds while dragging an unconscious James.

Or, or, or in the Portrush episode, the girls accidentally grab Hermione’s beaded bag on the train and find the Cloak, Essence of Dittany, and Hogwarts: A History.

Or a Hogwarts!AU:

Clare does a 24 hour fast to raise money for SPEW

“It’s terrible how house elves have no free will. Hermione told me all about how this one wee fella Dobby had to iron his own ears.

“Does he just have lots of wrinkles?”

Erin gets invited to a party in Ravenclaw Tower by Terry Boot

The castle rearranges itself all day whenever James needs a boys toilet

“Should I just use the girl’s toilets? The one on the second floor is always empty.

“No you shouldn’t you fucking pervert. Myrtle has enough to moan about.”

Orla ~somehow~ gets a hold of Tom Riddle’s diary, but it doesn’t possess her, she just reads Tom’s reaction to things she’s written randomly through the day out loud

Michelle gets into a fight with first year Cordelia Bulstrode over a seat in the library only to back off when she learns she’s Millicent’s little sister

They get detention with Professor Binns **lets pretend he’s alive** who dies halfway through and becomes a ghost and continues napping through the chaos

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Saudi Arabia made history today after beating Argentina 2-1 during the Qatar World Cup 2022.

Saleh Alshehri 49’

Salem Aldawsari 53’