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triumphantfury · 2 months

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Hi!!! Just dropping by because I was missing your fics so I reread them and now I have to tell you how much I love you. I love you a lot, by the way. Like literally every time I read a chapter of yours I love you more because GAH the writing is so damn good. Ahem anyways thank you so much for the update on Wrapped in Red and I still have to fan myself every time I look at Upside, but I've been thinking the most about "To Suffer a Witch." I don't mean to put any pressure on you or anything but may I inquire on the next chapter's status? Or perhaps just request a snippet? Also when you asked the readers whether or not they'd like an eventual lemon I'd like to vote yes to the lemon. Please. Possibly-Demon Hiccup is hot as hell and I'm greedy. 😅

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful writing with us and I hope you have a wonderful day, week, and at least a virtual cabin in the woods where you can relax, read, and at least think on writing!

Oh boy….

It’s taken me forever to get around to answering this ask, but as the new chapter update is almost complete (after way, WAY too many rewrites), I feel like I can finally post this reply with some measure of confidence. Sorry it’s taken so long. I wish I had a good excuse, but my brain sometimes just shuts me out.

Anyway, after much anticipation, and likely a little cursing, here’s an excerpt from the soon to be posted next chapter of TSaW:

*The next couple days seemed to drag by for Astrid. She felt trapped between a longing to see Hiccup again just to prove she wasn’t mad, and a strong urge to just write it all off as a delusion. Perhaps one brought on by some bad grain or curdled milk. Countless times she’d been sure she heard hoofbeats outside, only to have them grow into a roll of thunder the next second. Or she’d catch a glimpse of a dark shadow approaching on the road, only to have it melt from her sight a moment later as if swept away by the driving rain.

Some small part of her was starting to worry she was actually going mad. Her mood darkening as she channeled her other feelings into straight anger so as to help herself deal with it better. It wasn’t as if she could really speak of it to anyone, anyway. She was still too confused about it herself.

Resigned to bear this burden alone, Astrid had kept to herself as much as possible while trapped inside. Waiting impatiently for a break in the weather when she could distract herself with repairs outside instead. The Lord knows there was always plenty of work to keep her busy. That, and manual labour was better than wasting time dwelling on… Whatever it was that had occurred here the other night.

Fortunately - or maybe unfortunately - she’d soon discovered that the storm hadn’t done anywhere near as much damage as she’d expected given its ferocity. The house, shed, and barn had all weathered fair enough at least. An old tree had toppled near the back of the pasture though. She’d gone out to repair the section of broken fencing yesterday. Her brothers helping her as much as she would allow them to - which mostly meant keeping the opportunistic goats from escaping through the hole while she worked.

It had been while she was winding the last of the rope around the newly set post that Ruffnut had approached her from across the field. Somehow always keyed in to the local to-dos, Tuffnut had heard from one of their other neighbours that some people had started to fall ill in town. The worst of which was little Argh — Mr. and Mrs. Ack’s youngest son, who was not yet a full year into this world.

“Gunnar thinks it’s because of those witches that Trader Johan was talking about the other day,” Ruff stage-whispered over the fence. Her thumb gesturing towards the home on the far side of Mildew’s plot as she glanced around, as if to make sure no one else was within earshot.

“I’d be rather foolish to agree,” Astrid huffed. “It’s likely just been brought on by the rain. We all know that a chill in the air today sets a chill in the bones tomorrow.” Looking away from her gossipy neighbour, she dressed the knot as her father had taught her before pulling it good and tight. Then she stood and gave her work a proud once over. Nodding, as if to show her approval to the craftsman.

“Maybe…” Ruffnut’s hesitant reply trailed off thoughtfully, and she was chewing on her lip when Astrid at last looked her way again. It was almost as if she had something she wanted to say, but wasn’t sure if she should speak it aloud.

“Go on,” Astrid grumbled. “Whatever it is, spit it out.”

“Well, Gunnar told Tuff that Trader Johan said the evil, or what ever it is, would arrive first in the form of a black shadow on horse back…”

“Trader Johan has always enjoyed adding plenty of dramatic nonsense about ghosties, ghoulies, and other such things to his tales,” Astrid felt the need to point out. “He seems to think it makes the stories more exciting.”

“I know,” Ruff agreed. “Thing is, Tuffnut swears he saw a stranger dressed in all black when he was out in the woods yesterday. A stranger riding atop a huge black horse. When he tried to get a better look, man and horse were already gone. Maybe the horse was just really fast, but… Tuff said it gave him the creeps.” Her eyes were shifting all around again as she leaned closer over the fence, and she looked unexpectedly nervous.

“Oh, that was probably just…” Astrid’s words died on the way to her mouth as she thought better of it.

Astrid knew how Tuff felt. The unease of not being sure exactly what you had just born witness too. This did not mean that she should necessarily encourage him to repeat his tale. Especially when she didn’t yet know what to think of the whole thing.

Would it truly be wise to mention it to someone else? The twins had never been known for their discretion, and Astrid’s words would simply confirm Tuff’s suspicions — which he would then feel required to share with every person he came across. At best, it could cause a slight scandal that a young man had spent the night in their home. At worst, the superstitious townsfolk may think the Hofferson clan had entertained something entirely inhuman, instead.

No, it was best to keep what she knew of Hiccup Haddock to herself for now. Surely the others would learn of him soon enough. “Just… because Tuff was busy snacking on unknown mushrooms in the forest again.” Astrid finished awkwardly. Covering her near slip-up with an eye roll, just to be safe, and hoping Ruffnut wouldn’t notice.*

If anyone wants to read it, here’s a link to the rest of the story. Or at least the beginning…lol

#thank you so much for the ask!#I do really love asks #i swear i do #lol #sorry this took FOREVER #httyd fanfiction #ao3 author #fanfic.net #wattpad #To Suffer A Witch - Medieval AU

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salad-006 · 11 months

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btw salad what's ur opinion on eddsworld legacy?

For the most part, i think legacy is Okay. It's not the Best, but its nice to see so many people come together to finish off the show. I can respect all the work these guys did, especially tomska.

If you came for my option on the season and thats it you can leave, because the rest of this is me going crazy mode

My only real problems lie with only 2-3 episodes, and it drives me Crazy because they're By Far the most popular, so they've caused the most problems. This one question ended up becoming a giantic essay SORRY im just passionate about ebbworld

Keep in mind these are Just my options, I'm not going to look down on you if you're the number one The End Fan. If you like it then Cool, you can continue to enjoy it. And i can continue to hate it over in my corner

I'm keeping this section on Fun Dead short, mostly because it's not really the worst offender

The "Obliviously stupid to progress the plot" trope is so bad here. They've seen zombies before how do they not recognize them now. I get them being oblivious to super obvious things is the joke ,but its just not funny

For a Zombie centric episode, there's barely any Fighting. I feel like big fight scenes are what people like most with these. But no we get a 30 second montage, one that's not even animated

They are such wusses in this episode id bully them if i was there i think

The End. Don't even get me started on The End. Legitimately i have never seen such a botched finale in my life. Fair warning this is about to get long and angry im sorry

Let me ask one question: how come in the Finale To Eddsworld Legacy, the season Dedicated to Edd Gould and his work, Edd Himself does not play a prominent role? I'm not even kidding, you could write Edd out completely and Nothing would change. Ive heard people say this was Tomska going out with a bang before leaving the show, but from what i know he also wanted eddsworld to be completely over at The End. If that's true he could have atleast let Edd shoot the harpoon or some shit, come on

This is such a disappointing finale overall. They don't do anything exciting. We just get to watch a little "do you remember this episode?" Montage, all the sudden everything gets crazy then oh! Episodes over goodbye forever.

An end fight might have been more exciting had it been set up properly. They gave us the bare minimum, which was having tords stupid little gang tag appear a few times then having two of his coworkers/soldiers appear a few times. That doesn't hint at a Tord being an evil meglomaniac who's got a giant fucking robot hidden under the house

FUTURE EDD CAME OUT OF NOWHERE AS WELL, AND HE WORKS GREAT BECAUSE HE SETS UP THE LORE IMMEDIATELY. Tords return gave us Nothing beyond "he is manipulating them!!" Instead we get the book dropped on us halfway through the LAST EPISODE OF THE SEASON without ever being given any sort of explanation. That's just it.

ALSO FUCK BRINGING TORD BACK AT ALL. the dude asked to be removed from the show and what did they do? Hinted at his return like 15 times then had him come back as this manipulative mastermind, whos got a bunch of science stuff and a russian accent. At the bare minimum you could have writtten him to atleast resemble something close to Tord. There's literally more evidence that points to him being a clone than there is him being the real Tord, and it WASN'T EVEN INTENTIONAL.

Took a character who had left with all his loose ends tied up, brought him back with completely new unexplained info, then ended the show with both the original and the new loose ends untied. I've read this was Tomska trying to write Tord out of the show for good, but he somehow managed to do the complete opposite by leaving him at a LITERAL cliffhanger. Now all the 12 year olds are @ ing eddsworld begging he comes back for a redemption episode.

I could scream forever about the end but ive already said too much SORRY. This is why im just rewritting it myself to make it good

One last thing: its somewhat heartbreaking to me how Legacy has totally overgrown the classic episodes. Of the top Ten most popular videos on the channel, Seven of them are legacy episodes, with Edds three episodes being at the very bottom of the list

I just don't like it. I dont like how legacy has become like the Face of what eddsworld is. Maybe it's just because Edds work has been one of the biggest inspirations in my life (if that wasn't obvious already) IDK it seems unfair

Tldr: i dont like what legacy has done to the series and the fandom, but it's okay for the most part. Fuck The End though

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writercole · 1 year

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Update Update Update

Okay sue me, I like that New Orleans view.

Let's talk, besties! Here's what's going on with me.

Feeling a bit of a burnout with writing. Don't misunderstand me - I'm still writing. I'm just chasing different stories right now.

Most of you guys know - I've been really open about this - that I've been struggling to find a job for almost 2 years now. Well, I finally got an opportunity. It starts training on May 1 but I'm pretty...skeptical because I've been screwed over so many times. I should note that there is nothing that suggests that this is a screwover but I'm just pessimistic at this point.

That's going to do one of two things - either I'm going to be writing a lot more or a lot less. I'm hoping it's the former.

I have like 100 stories in development currently and I get more and more ideas every day. Some of these are fanfic, some of them are probably going to be publications. Keep an eye here and at @coleslibrary for any updates or new publishing announcements.

My first three books are all available on Amazon currently and the next one will be there as well. I'm going to go ahead and say that instead of minor rewrites and name changes, this next one, the rewrite of Sounds of Someday, is going to be a whole new story. The basic plot will stay the same but so many details are going to be changed that it's going to read as all new.

Master lists are going to be posting throughout the next month. Mostly actor specific ones that I've been having in my drafts for far too long. They will be updated accordingly.

Most of my upcoming stuff will be collections - stories set in the same universe that don't have to be read together and contain multiple main characters. The first of those is my country club collection - A Drive For Love - starting with Golf Pro Bradley Bradshaw.

Last year I promised a Dad!Jake series. Well, good news on that front. I'm about halfway through writing the series. You'll Be In My Heart should be debuting in the next month or so. It does have to go back through my betas but each chapter will be a different POV and will vary in word count but will contain one scene. The FMC has been changed from a reader to an OC. I'm sure this will affect readership but I don't really care.

I think that's about it on that front. I want to send out a couple of shoutouts to a couple of people before I finish here.

First, @princessmisery666, Stacey, babe, I don't know what I'd do without you. You've become the Opie to my Jax, the level headed guiding light to my chaotic ways. Though you do encourage some of my more angsty ideas and I love you for that. I love you, period. I got this. 💞

To @ryebecca. You're my twinsie and my sounding board. You help my rational brain take over the emotional side more often than not and never make me feel bad for having a different opinion. I love you mostest.

To @imjess-themess and @blue-aconite. You two beautiful souls keep me grounded on days where I'm trying to dissociate all the time. I know you don't realize the things you do to help my mental state lately but just know that the two of you mean the world to me. I love you both.

@fuckyeahhangman. What can I say about your gorgeous face other than I absolutely love it like a cat loves sunshine.

@wildbornsiren My swamp gremlin. The amount of times I've turned to you when I've had a bad day is steadily increasing and I am so grateful for your acceptance of my insanity. I love you!

And last but certainly not least @never--doubt. I know I say it all the time, but I'm so proud of you and so thankful for your friendship. You're like the little sibling I always wanted and I'm so happy that we found one another through this hellsite.

If you're reading this and you're not listed, fret not. I still love you. I just might have forgotten what your new URLs are.

#cole speaks #updates #mushy on main

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bloodgulchblog · 1 year

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googling suggests that Brian Reed was the lead writer for Halo 4... what specifically about the story of H4 makes him the villain? It's been a year or so since I've played h4 so the details beyond the broad strokes have been forgotten.

that said i will agree he's the villain for halo 5 that story is Not Great TM

(i just like hearing your opinions on stuff and am totally not trying to mine ideas for what might be changed in a post halo-3 rewrite because i do love the covenant civil war aspects of 4. or the implications that there has to have been one because conflict drives narratives)

Thanks.

Full disclosure, I really don't know what was going on behind the scenes on Halo 4 or 5 and the most I can do is offer rampant speculation, usually based on my biases and very little evidence.

My impressions are these:

Halo has always always had trouble on story, mostly around having strong leadership and a definite idea of where everything is going. There are too many stakeholders with ideas and teams have struggled to get to unified ideas and then to have enough time to implement what they finalize. This was true during Bungie days and definitely feels like it's been true during 343. (I'm more confident on what I say about 1-3 because I actually have a book with a lot of old interview details that speaks to that.)

They'll build up a lot of interesting stuff around the games, even though my opinions on the quality of that stuff vary widely. I had problems with Halo 4, but the stuff that was coming out around 4 where you had multiple stories interweaving touching each others' threads... that was interesting! That was neat! And they got Greg Bear to write three whole novels for us!!! Fuck Karen Traviss, but like... dude!!!!

...And then the campaign was just. What we got. Don't get me wrong, there are things in Halo 4's campaign that are cool and interesting, but like... there will always remain a part of me that is still pissed that they killed Cortana.

Full stop.

I accept new Halo lore as it comes to me and try to do my best to take my lumps and integrate even things that I don't like, but I am still mad that they killed Cortana in the first place and have never really stopped being that.

....Anyway. I'm getting sidetracked.

Aside from CE, which was intended to be self-contained and thus is pretty straightforward and ends with a clear conclusion, Halo game plots have never really been necessarily good. That is just the nature of the beast. Halo 2 ends on a massive cliffhanger because they literally could not finish putting the whole story they wanted to in that game. Halo 3 is a mess because everyone was so violently burned out from Halo 2 that the leadership problem was even worse.

[Suspicious silence re: Reach goes here because I still can't motivate myself to replay Reach]

Halo 4 falls very flat for me with some things that were good and mostly other things that I had to make my peace with and come to be okay with. I will grouse about things, but we've Halo cycled our way around to a lot of people (including me) acknowledging that not everything about Halo 4 was horrible.

(I guess my big things that piss me off about it are: Cortana, as discussed, wasting the Didact, and the weird fucking pivot on Catherine Halsey's character.)

Anyway, Brian Reed. My comment there was kind of a flippant attempt to respond to something I wasn't sure how to feel about, but here's what I got:

Reed wasn't actually the lead writer on 4, that was Christopher Schlerf. I don't know much about either of these people! But after Schlerf left, Reed was the lead writer on 5 and did a lot of work on the comics (that I still haven't read because blah blah blah my usual excuses.)

It's hard for me to pick out what exactly I think his fingerprints are in different parts of Halo, because I don't know the guy or his work particularly well. I'm better at identifying what I think (no guarantees I'm right) was Staten back in early Halo because I've seen enough solo work from him to kind of know what I think he liked, and I've seen enough of Frank O'Connor talking about stuff in interviews to (rightly or wrongly) blame a couple specific Chief things I hate on him, but I don't have that with Reed.

However, I have read Reed's short story in the Fractures anthology. Opinions may vary on this, nobody's gotta agree with me, but I really had to pause with myself after reading Rossbach's World because... it was thoughtful?

So looking at Reed, who had to take over for another lead writer and try to come up with a following act for Halo 4... I still hate Halo 5. A lot. But like, I get it. Of course it feels like a weird pivot hail Mary to find something to focus on, because it was.

I think it was stupid and I hated it, but I do have some sympathy for the pressure on the person who ended up taking the fall for it. Anything where you are working for a highly opinionated nerd audience with tons of pressure is going to be very difficult.

I feel like they should've borne out the Forerunner story threads instead of pivoting to the Created, and maybe gotten to those ideas after the plate was clear. I also think Cortana deserved to live. (If you want to see what inspired some of my thoughts about that, you should look into Bungie's previous series: Marathon. But it has been too long since I personally dug around in Marathon for me to be terribly helpful about it anymore.)

...But I also think that Reed is just a dude who had a job and produced a story I really don't like. I've heard he's been pretty much harassed off the face of the internet? And like... nothing is worth that, man.

People with more insight and background details about what was going on actively might have more information than I do and better reasons to hate him, but I was really really checked out of Halo for the better part of a decade and I'm honestly pretty soft when it comes down to it.

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generation1point5 · 1 year

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Your writings and analyses here are all pretty neat and I was wondering if you had ever made any fiction of your own or if you were considering doing that in the future?? Would be interesting to see how you write ^^

I've written lots over the years! The vast majority of it has been fanfiction for the things I was interested in, and roleplay threads between me and my friends for said fandoms. I actually prefer to express my admiration for various media and franchises through creative prose than analyses, though I formally studied the latter rather than the former. The writing I've put online has been scattered across many sites and platforms, and an even greater portion lays with local documents and saved records that I haven't really bothered to upload anywhere; that would be my roleplaying threads and a good deal of my purely original works.

Since junior high, I had been inspired to make sci fi and fantasy worlds that I've been slowly developing ever since. My first real foray into putting it all down on paper in a semi-professional capacity was through NaNoWriMo; I had used it as the occasion to finally put all my characters, and the plot they were involved in, down on paper way almost a decade ago. In recent years I've begun revisiting it and rewriting it to meet my current standards, but it remains as-of-yet incomplete. There's so much I want to put together that I've spent the past two NaNoWriMo's working on it, and am planning to complete it with a third this year. I've also spent a good deal of time on a sci-fi project from many years back that I'm thinking of redoing too, having come back to it with a vastly different perspective now compared to when I first committed it to words. Eventually, I hope both projects to be sufficiently passable to one day be worth submitting to a publishing firm, but that is yet a long way off.

My only publicly available work that closely resembles my current state is a work comprised of a series of scenes depicting one of the OCs I've made for Mass Effect, which you can find here! It is incomplete, but it hopefully nonetheless sheds some insight into my writing style, though as of this post it is still several years old. One of these days I should get back to finishing it.

That being said, my recent forays into VNs by the Echo Project has kickstarted my creative drive elsewhere, so for the past few months I've been hard at work for an Echo fanfiction that I'm hoping to wrap up and upload to AO3 soon! I'll be posting links to that work here when I feel like it's finished and polished to the point of being presentable. I hope all the people who have enjoyed my analysis of the game thus far will enjoy my prose for it as well!

#writing

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afoolandathief · 2 years

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Day 5 of Nano

WIP: Something Wicked

Status: Rewriting

NaNo profile: afoolandathief

NaNoWriMo 2022 Goal: 250 words a day

Words written today: 803

NaNo WC total (not counting prior work): 1,633

Total WC for rewrite: 34,876

So I had to skip NaNo the last couple days as I helped planned and carried out a sort of protest (and it was amazing!!). But, given my goal of a light 250 words a day, I think I more than made up for it today. And I wrapped up Chapter 8 7 (I mixed these up), a chapter I went back and added after the fact, so I'm now at a total of 11 chapters into the rewrite, and I've already started Chapter 12 (speaking of which, if you're in the SW Discord, I updated the Discord draft finally)!

Excerpt and taglist below ↓

I'm going to include a longer excerpt from earlier in the chapter that I'm proud of, since I did wrap it up tonight.

TWs for wolves, body horror, food mention, death/murder mention, blood mention, drug mention, brief nudity, sex/sex work mention and mention of attempted sexual assault

The moon was setting below the horizon now, but Caz knew that wasn’t really what mattered. What mattered was the sliver of darkness at its edge, the moon turning her face away, her pull lessened if only slightly.

There was still plenty of light to see the massive wolf running across the stretch of desert toward him.

Caz moved in quick bursts as she approached, letting her get close enough to nip his heels before weaving back toward the parking lot until that stitch returned in his gut. She bent her head as if to play, her gray coat dazzling under the moonlight.

It wasn’t until they were at the edge of the lot, near that rotten-smelling dumpster, that she began to whine, then snap at him until he floated up and out of reach. She choked out a warning growl just before collapsing on the pavement, her limbs spasming and torso heaving.

Caz gritted his teeth hard enough to ruin several for good and waited. Waited through the atrophying muscles and reshaping bones. Waited through the skin-prickling hair loss. Waited until the whines and whistles became the coughs and moans of something all-too human. And then he dropped.

The first thought he had upon seeing Lila Brown was that he needed to feed her. It was the first thing he’d ever said to her the night they met, or maybe the second — no, the third. The first thing he’d asked was if this guy was bothering her. The second was if she wanted his truck once he’d finished draining him. He had crawled out its window after tilting it to the side with the sheer force of his attack, his stomach even fuller than it was now and his voice trembling from traces of amphetamines in the blood. She’d shaken her head. She couldn’t drive, he later found out, not that she’d want the very thing the guy had used to corner her in the hopes for free head.

The third thing he’d said to her was a reluctant command to follow him home to crash on his couch, not knowing how scared she’d been hearing that, thinking he was taking her for himself. So, it was the fourth thing he’d ever said to her, then — not the third. A demand the skinny wraith eat some scrambled eggs and toast at his kitchen table the following afternoon.

She was still skinny, even now, though her bare flesh was more wrinkled and looser in some parts. Her gray coat had given way to a mat of brown curls, though there were now some strands of glitter, as she so affectionately called it.

“Hey sweets,” he said, in a voice those newly-reformed ears could barely pick up.

Gonna add the taglist for this, since I met a chapter milestone:

Something Wicked taglist (ask to be +/-): @author-a-holmes, @avian-writes, @diphthongsfordays, @drippingmoon, @ellierenae, @faelanvance, @fearofahumanplanet, @flowerprose, @houndmouthed, @joaniejustwokeup, @leiwritess, @mjayatlas, @purplezebraproductions, @rhymingteelookatme, @somealienquill, @thegreatobsesso, @thelaughingstag, @vylequinne, @writing-is-a-martial-art

General taglist (ask to be +/-): @jezifster, @athena-anna-rose

#my writing #writeblr #nano 2022 #something wicked #caz mraz #lila brown #i get nervous writing a section like this dealing with a sensitive subject #like im not trying to be the dark gritty ooh edgy author #but trying to think what would happen if you're someone whose life is upended on the regular #anyway i hope the rest of the chapter conveys that caz is very much playing the hero in his head #lila and him ended up being pretty toxic even though they are both good people #like his need to save her and even if he wouldn't admit it control her to a degree #her aging past him is why most think it ended for them but no #and the idea of him turning over a new leaf gets turned on its head later in the story #and it's revealed why lila told him never to see her again

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solarsavoy · 2 years

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For the fanfic writer asks: 2, 7, and 14.

Thank you for the ask! Sorry it took so long to get back to you. 😅

2 - What is your favorite fic of yours?

I know the asks are mostly for fanfics, but I figured I'll answer for originals too. Gerit is my favorite for my originals. The style is very unique and it all came surprisingly easy. It's in past tense instead of present and Gerit as a character, just the things he pays attention to, is so unique. Definitely for mature audiences only, but if you're ever willing to give it a chance, it's really good. Like, I was surprised I had as many random readers commenting on how much they liked it good.

I think my favorite fanfic is ASR. I haven't reread it in a minute, but I think of it often and while I was posting and for the time after, I reread it the most. Kristmas Karma and Ubisoft are among my favorites too, but ASR amazes me more and more every time I come back to it. It includes my Deshi and Stag. I had no idea what I was doing at the beginning, and yet it all came together perfectly. It was my first, and I edited it the most. I'd edit it before and after each editor ran through it and I had 2 at the time, then I'd fix little things after I read through it again for fun. And even after going through it so many times, I'm looking forward to reading it again when I finally finish Bonus Round some day. And most importantly, it really grabbed the readers. Everyone commented, desperate for the next chapter. The entire experience around it once it finally picked up was truly magnificent.

Highly recommend both. ^^ (Warning, Gerit is unfinished. Well, it's finished, but the pictures aren't, so the writing hasn't been posted yet. Sorry. 😅)

7 - How do you edit your fics? What do you look for in your edits?

As of now, I'm editorless, and I'm a huge procrastinator (excluding me being sick) and as of now, I just run the spelling and grammar check on my Google Drive. That's all. 😅 However, editing was a journey and not to give the wrong impression of it simply being "perfect" once it's written, I'll explain how it started.

Beginner: I wrote First Fragment and it was crap. All of it. Cardboard characters, no description of anything so everywhere was just a giant white room of nothingness. It was bland and boring and tasteless. My editors were kind (referred to as 1 and 2 for now) and as I began reading through it to self edit, I realized it would be better to just rewrite the entire thing. So I did. Every word save for 1 line and a handful of phrases. I've learned that it's important to treat your work as though it can always be greatly improved in order for you to truly bring out some of your best work. I also learned that every piece of advice can be helpful, if you see it as such.

Novice: My writing slowed down a bit so I could think about the sentence before writing it. I learned tricks, practiced using my commas (editor2) and started asking if this is what the character would really do here (editor1). And after this round of self edits did I submit First Fragment to my editors again. It was greatly improved, but a little disappointing to hear that it was still greatly lacking (enter editor3 who was a very harsh critic). I ended up rewriting 70% of it over again. This time, I learned just how vast the possibilities are if you go to different editors. None of these people are professionals, but there are different types of editors regardless. And with practice, you can actually outgrow them.

Intermediate: This is where I think I am now. I often edit as I go, rereading a paragraph back, or a couple paragraphs, or even a page or two, two or three times, checking for things that the editors have taught me. Are the characters in character? (editor1) Am I following the grammar rules or using creative expression? (editor 2) It's important to note that rules must be intentionally broken for it to "be okay". I always see things about how you follow all the rules of the language or none of them at all, and either way it can be good writing. Well, they forget about the part where you do it intentionally. Any rule can be broken in writing, but if you aren't doing it intentionally, then it's lazy writing.

Oh, in case you were wondering what I learned from editor3? Not much. He's a freaking jerk. >.> But I did learn that not everyone will interpret things the way I intend them. If I say "the moon is full and bright", I might assume the reader knows it's nighttime, but there are plenty occurrences of seeing the moon "full and bright" when the sun's still up too, so you should probably say if it's day or night unless it doesn't matter to you as the writer what the reader envisions. And he reminded me that not everyone will love my work. That doesn't make the criticisms any easier though.

TLDR; When I can manage it, I edit while writing, then run it through spelling and grammar check, then read through it again, then beg Deo to read it (he doesn't anymore, I write too much 😆), then post it, then read through it once more after it's posted. The past month or so, I edit while writing and then run it through the grammar check and post it because it's already late. 😅

14 - What is something you wrote in a fic that you are hoping readers picked up on but you don't know if they did? And/or, what is something that you were excited that readers did pick up on?

Lol, so, the only ones I remember are in ASR. 😅 I promise I'm not just trying to push it on people. One that I can share in its entirety, the chapter names. In Round Two, I change which character I've altered depending on the POV. For POV 1, I use the exclamation point: 1st K!ll. For POV 2, I use 1: 2nd Kil1. No one really noticed, or mentioned it at first, so after a few chapters, I asked. They didn't link it to the POVs. 😄 And then in Round Three, I did it again. >:D Same symbols for the POVs.

Also, I wasn't sure because not many really commented on it at first, but translating the binary. Because so much else was going on, few said anything about it unless I brought it up, but then my sweet @henbit-7...

This is between two comments: Ok, so I clicked through the chapters to see what comment's you've respnede to and the BINARY in the summary basically jumpscared me 😭😭😭😭 I cannot BELIEVE you've managed to create a connection in my mind between this fic, and literally ever seeing Binary again 😅😥😭😭😭 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜 As in, the page loaded, and my eyes caught on the binary, and my stomach DROPPED. As in, I now have an emotional connotation when seeing binary. Its ridiculous 😭😭💜💜💜💜💜💜

And the last, which I won't fully explain, are the "spoilers" for Krystar. It won't be fully understood until Second Fragment is out, but there are spoilers for Krystar in ASR. Very small ones in the overall storyline of Krystar, but they mean a lot for the character(s).

Thanks to everyone for reading! I hope I made sense because no editing was done on this post because I still feel horrible, but I've wanted to answer this one for a while now. I still love asks and have this one linked in my pinned post as WIP Ask Game 2. Hope I didn't ramble too bad. 😅 Love you all!

#solarsavoyasks #writerslife #my writing

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batboysandgirls · 4 years

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How did you get into fic writing? I've been so bored and I've been lacking some fic content that I've just been wondering if I should start making my own but like... It's really hard??? I'm just wondering what your process is like or whats more likely to get you to actually write How do you get into the mood of writing, basically? I have some snippets of writing, not so confident in them but like worthy enough to not be deleted or scrapped :/

Hey, anon. Fic writing is so hard. I got into writing fic many, many moons ago... I started when I was twelve, and I’m twenty now so uh. I’ve been in the thick of it for a while now. I got into it writing fics with OCs and canon characters I loved in some cartoons, but I eventually started reading reader inserts and then normal fics. All of that happened because of the particular time in my life I was entering fandom, and how fandom was shaping up then. Everything is so different, now, but I’ll talk about general things I find useful that I’ve learned over the years... all this is super long, but I think this deserves a thorough answer.

So--process! It depends a lot on the type of fic I’m writing (fic focused on a pairing, gen, reader insert, etc.), but I usually start with a basic concept. This concept can be anything. Often, I think figuring out your setting is a good jumping off point.

Is this an AU? What kind of AU? (Star Wars? High school? Post-apocalypse?)

Does this take place in the canon story? If so, when? (If it was a batfam fic, is it when Dick or Bruce was Batman? Or who is Robin? Or is there a storyline this takes place right after? Or before? Big events like Death of the Family or Alfred’s death are the kinds of things that are fun to explore.)

But your concept could also be something more specific. What would happen if the batfam played Clue? Or what would happen if current 13 y/o Damian was swapped with just-arrived-at-the-manor 10 y/o Damian in some universe hopping shenanigans? Maybe you can pick a favorite character and center the story on them. If I’m writing about Jason, maybe it’s a fic about him going to the Gotham library for the first time since he got resurrected, and this place he visited all the time as a kid now feels unfamiliar and haunting. Or even simpler, like Tim, moved out of the manor, tries to make brownies and is struggling and his elderly neighbor smells the burning and volunteers to help and it’s pure.

I think the thing that usually gets me in the ~writing mood~ is an idea so exciting I’m constantly thinking about. For example, my Explosions And Other Saturday Morning Activities story? I started thinking about what would happen if a Wayne Enterprises intern accidentally one of the bats secret identity, and then gets dragged into the messiness... I didn’t have the plot beats down, but once I had the basic concept, I started thinking about plausible ways for that idea to play out. Lately, I’ve been working on some original fiction (wack I know), and I’ve mostly been excited to write it because I love all these characters I’ve created and I enjoy thinking about scenarios to put them in.

But writing is hard! Sometimes you might have a great idea that gets you excited, and then you’ll sit down to write and... your brain halts and it’s tough. There’s no one way to get in the writing mood. I often start outlining what I want to write rather than writing it out, or listen to music/make a playlist for a fic, or go read something totally different than come back. I think once you start writing a lot, you’ll figure out the strategies that personally work best.

The most important thing, though, is that writing fic should be fun for you. I won’t necessarily say that fic writing should be for yourself, though I generally think that’s a good principle for a lot of people. Fic writing should fulfill some inner self-desire to be creative, but, also, one of the best things about making fic is sharing!! It’s so exciting to post something and get feedback, like “I made this!! And someone out in the world liked it!! And told me!! Sweet!!!!!” That’s how it is for me, certainly. But you shouldn’t feel like you have to write for your fellow fans/your audience. It should always be a fun thing for you!

In terms of not feeling confident, I have sooooo many snippets of fics that have never left my google drive, and probably never will. But I think the only way to get better is to put something out into the world--even though you know it’s not the best--and get feedback, figure out what works, what doesn’t, and then keep going, keep writing, keep rewriting. Like with any art, I think writers are plagued with self-doubt. “What if people don’t like it??? I don’t even like it!!” But, with practice and time, you’ll grow, and maybe come to be love your stories unabashedly.

The fics I wrote literally eight years ago? I look back at them with a bit of cringe, but mostly fondness. They’re bad, but I was so excited to write them, and, as childish and strange as those fics read now, the passion I felt then is the same passion that drives me now. My skill has improved a LOT, but my basic love of storytelling is the same. And when I compare then and now, I’m really proud of how far I’ve come.

And, finally, if you have more specific questions about reader inserts or like how to write batfam or anything else, feel free to message me off anon or just send more asks if that’s what you’re comfortable with.

Good luck writing!

#asks #writing #jules stuff #jules blabs #anon #good luck my friend!!

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themagiciansreccenter · 5 years

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The Great Blank Spot: @hoteldestiel

So much goes into creating fanfiction even before the first words hit the paper. And in-depth spotlight on our writers and the process behind their work.

Tell us about your current project.

Peaches and Plums is my take at a canon-divergent run through of the second half of Season 3 as well as an exploration of all the pieces of the mosaic timeline we didn't get to see. Really, it's my super self-indulgent excuse to dive deep into Eliot's insecurities and darknesses and how they align with/interact with Quentin's. And write these two falling deeply, madly in love with each other as they deserve.

The fics are finally posted from The Trials. Did you participate?

I didn't! I wasn't in deep enough with this fandom until after that challenge was over but I would love to participate in the future!

What is your current word count?

With the draft of Chapter 5 I need edited before I post, I'm at 15,389

Do you try to write daily? Do you have a word count or other goals you try to hit for each writing session?

I do! Not always on this project, I've got a lot of things rolling, but I have been very serious this year about making writing fiction a daily habit for me. Right now my word count goal is 750 words for my 39 Graves timeline and then whatever else I feel like rocking on top of that. Lately I've been averaging around 2k per day.

What was the inspiration for this fic?

A Life in the Day is basically a fanfic writer's dream, really, with all the blank spots waiting to be filled. One of the first things that pulled me into this show was Quentin and Eliot's relationship, and getting to see that in such a powerful way in 3x05 inspired the heck out of me. I also just really wanted a chance to dive into Eliot's head more. I love that chaotic good trauma baby ok??

How do you stay motivated between chapters/stories?

I read (novels, other fanfic, you name it), I work on other projects, I consume other art (music, tv, movies, gifsets lbr those are ART) and I bounce ideas off of people in the fandom, geek out on headcanons, rewatch episodes and meta the heck out of whatever comes my way. Having the daily writing habit helps a lot, it's hard to lose all motivation when you know you have a standing date with your keyboard.

Did this fic require any research? How much research do you typically do for your fics?

So far my only research has been referring back to the second half of season 3 and consulting the Magicians Wiki when I get stuck. If a fic requires me to do some googling (like this idea I have brewing in the back of my mind probably will) I will gladly google whatever I need to to make sure it's right. Usually, though, I don't research until I run up against the thing that needs clarification. If I get too in my head about the details, the prose doesn't come as easily.

Do you typically write ahead or post as you go?

I post as I go! Write a chapter, get it edited/betaed, and out into the ether it goes! I usually sit with it for a couple of days after it's drafted and edited before I publish it, but that's about as close to writing ahead as I get.

How much planning and outlining did you do before you started putting words on paper?

For Peaches and Plums, almost none. I had the idea, and I was driving home from work when the first sentence of it came into my head clear as day. I repeated it to myself the rest of the drive home so I wouldn't lose it by the time I got there, walked through the door and immediately sat down to start writing. I jot down notes for future chapters as they come to me but it's been pretty go-with-the-flow so far.

Has it been pretty smooth sailing or rough waters? When things get rocky, how do you handle needing to rewrite sections or scrap scenes entirely?

It was smooth sailing (punt intended, thanks Muntjac) until Chapter 5. The plot had a pretty clear direction and I knew where I wanted it to go, but Chapter 5 is an all-mosaic chapter and I struggled with that. It stalled me out for a couple of weeks, and the first version of that chapter straight up doesn't exist anymore. I've been writing for a long time so I'm less precious with my writing, I'll cut huge chunks out if I feel they don't really serve the story, and I'm totally okay with rewriting. The biggest thing I try to keep in mind when I'm rewriting is that it can't happen in a vacuum. When I'm done with the rewrite, I make sure to read the whole chapter/piece over again because sometimes it gets messy and confusing, or repetitive without trying. Rocky, for me, is running out of plot steam or being unsure of where to go next, but I think I've got a pretty clear direction of the next few chapters so I'm excited to have some momentum again!

Teaser

“That’s bullshit!” Q said, stepping closer again, reaching Eliot’s side before he had time to do anything drastic.

“You’re right,” Not-Eliot growled. “You can end this, don’t let him talk you out of it.”

“No, Q. It’s not bullshit. It’s smart. The rest of you can figure this out without me,” Eliot said, his foot still perched on the rung.

“Not like you were really much help anyway,” Not-Eliot added, “Quentin didn’t even figure out the mosaic until after you died.”

Eliot shook his head. God, he hadn’t thought of it like that. It made sense. He gripped the rung tighter, willing himself to shift his weight upward.

“No!” Quentin shouted, placing his hand over one of Eliot’s. Eliot stopped.

“Why not, huh? Can you give me one good, legitimate reason? Not some shitty reason about how the quest needs me or how I’m some great magician if I can just stick it out until we get magic back, or how Fillory needs me. That’s all so fucking flimsy, and we both know it. Give me a real reason, Q.”

Quentin was quiet. Eliot took it as an answer. He brought his other foot to the rung, hoisting himself up once more.

“I already lost you once, El, don’t make me lose you again.”

The Great Blank Spot is an in-depth spotlight focusing on the writing process and previewing in-progress fics for our fandom. It is meant to be an organic, ever-evolving feature. Previously interviewed fic writers can reach out to us here, to have a specific work featured. If you’d like to have a work featured but haven’t done the author spotlight, reach out to us to get started. If you have suggestions for questions you’d like to see answered, shoot us an ask!

#the magicians #the magicians rec center #the great blank spot #author spotlight #author spotlight: hoteldestiel

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