Considering your generally favorable opinion of Wen Ruohan, I'm wondering how you justify his actions at the beginning of Heliocentric. Isn't it... kinda problematic to have that be the starting point if the end goal is Ruojue (at least, that's where I'm definitely hoping it's going lol). I say that because my first novel had a similar "problematic" start to a romance, but it only involved the threat of sexual violence. And yet, dozens of readers told me that there was no way a romance could work between the two leads if that was how the relationship started. And yet, I find that it somehow works in Heliocentric... of course, it's far from ideal but there's so much potential for an actually healthy relationship even if it's born from dark beginnings.

Aha, you're right, it is problematic to start Heliocentric as I did and then start entertaining Ruojue as a possible endgame!

It's OK though because Heliocentric isn't suppose to be a romance. It's a hurt/comfort fic. I LOVE hurt/comfort fics for that delicious flavor of tearing my heart out or just making it bleed! Wen Ruohan did something very awful and now they both have to figure out how to live with it, either together or apart.

And it would be neat if they found a way to live together, wouldn't it?

Wen Ruohan is a main character who has also been going through his own lowkey whump journey because no character is safe from me. So although his actions are what really pushes our primary main character Nie Mingjue's whump journey, we are also witnessing the moment when Wen Ruohan finally hits his lowest point after years of internal struggle and suffering. It is also, in part, suffering caused by Nie Mingjue's own actions and decisions before Heliocentric even begins.

The first thing we see is that Wen Ruohan is a man in power, but the first thing we learn is that he is not a man in control. He is not himself. He is not well. I can't justify his actions, but I also think of how people can plead insanity at court lol Their actions aren't justified in that we all suddenly agree what they did was OK, but rather we are meant to understand that the circumstances in which the event occurred and this person's distorted perception of the situation changes the meaning behind the act.

The non-con is still non-con to any reasonable person, but Wen Ruohan was experiencing a very different scenario in a distorted headspace created by lies people have been feeding him. I hope readers take notice of the toxic environment of Nightless City, the people surrounding him, the lies, the manipulations, the complicated grief, the failure of those who saw he needed help but didn't offer it, and many other factors are evidence to what caused the collapse of his state of mind when Nie Mingjue finally arrives on the scene.

But the non-con itself was not an act of violence for violence sake. It was not his way of reinforcing his power over Nie Mingjue. It was not a predatory act where he was sexually or romantically interested in Nie Mingjue. Nie Mingjue's revival from near-death in the Fire Palace gave Wen Ruohan hope when Wen Ruohan was in a dark place. Wen Ruohan then had a deliriously wild, positive reaction to seeing Nie Mingjue back on his feet again. And Wen Ruohan grabbed onto that hope, onto that excitement about what he's been told about Nie Mingjue, in the most despicable, aggressive way possible.

Comfort isn't always soft.

Although non-con is definitely a hurdle to work with, to be very honest, the fact that their dark beginning doesn't involve a breach of trust keeps my heart open to a Ruojue endgame. Without trust, it is hard for love to grow.

Hey Sam, thank you for the wonderful world of the Ask (lol), I’ve read all of them at least 4-5 times at least. I thought you’d enjoy knowing last night I had a dream that Askazer-Shivadlakia had joined a world summit meeting in Hawaii for the first time, and Gregory opened his speech with a knock knock joke that was about supporting child health. It was fabulous.

Anon I can't lie I have been trying for days to come up with that knock knock joke. :D The best I've got is "Knock Knock!" "Who's there." "Health!" "Health who?"

At which point Gregory very seriously deadpans, "Healthcare for all children in a society is a concern we need to discuss and now I've roped you all into a conversation about it."

Which could work with the right crowd but could also play poorly. :D

Anyway, it's so nice to hear you've re-read the novels multiple times; I have comfort-reads like that, where I could re-read a book frequently, and it's awesome to have written something that other people feel that way about. (Outside of editing and typesetting I have probably re-read Infinite Jes more often than I, as a writer, really should.)

I'm working hard to get Royals/Ramblers to a place where it's complete and postable, and I feel like I shouldn't be as anxious as I am over the size of it (I had similar nerves during LATT and that was FINE). But you know, when I wrote Fete I was deliberately giving myself the excuse of "If this is kind of shitty it's okay, it'll still be better than like at least 70% of romance novels out there" and I just...I care too much now. I don't want the stories to be crap because that feels like it's not being fair to the characters, who I love. But also it would be so much easier if I didn't give a shit about whether I've written Georgie as too two-dimensional or whether the lesbian romance will be sidelined by all the pregnancy stuff or whether I should just remove Ioanna because much as I love her she's really taking up a lot of space in the second half of the book.

I can write another better lesbian romance if I want to later and Ioanna is too much fun to get rid of, so there.

IDK, I'll get over it, a portion of it is just that I'm in a perpetual low-grade bad mood over other things I can't control. I know that's what's fucking me up because I'm not writing well or much on anything. But that'll pass, and hopefully I'll get a little mental boost from putting the short stories to press.

What are your BSD ships 👁👁 I would like to know gor science

oooooo see now this is an interesting question because i’m one of those people that go “hey what if these two were a bit silly” and then i fall in love with them for a bit and move on (rather than building a giant barrier around “my ship” and gatekeeping it from everyone 🥰🥰)

but some of them live in my head forever because they’ve got a really deep lore connection that i like, the pairing has awesome vibes, or they’re just simply very silly.

-siglai. probably my favorite bsd pairing atm, they’re just so indescribably silly i can’t. obviously when you look at the mental health side of things they would not last long but their dynamic in general is very silly indeed, so honestly they’re both besties and gays in my head

-pretty similar idea with fyolai, but with an added touch of they’re-literally-almost-canon-and-i-swear-the-next-time-they-interact-asagiri’s-gonna-make-them-kiss-and-we’re-all-gonna-be-like-i-fucking-told-you-so

-kunikidazai (or kunidazai or whateverty name they have idk) oh my Goodness the Sillies are So Silly with these two. i absolutely love pairings that just get each other, and because of this they can be really genuine and serious with each other as much as they can goof around and tear up every building they enter with their antics. and Unlike soukoku, these two would actually have a chance together in the long run, also not to mention dazai indirectly called kunikida mommy in dead apple

-i also am a very enjoyer of sigzai, once again simply because they’re silly

-uhhhhh

-let me see

-mushiango they’re on there too, we have one singular crumb of them relating to each other’s trauma so far but if we had more they would be so very silly and amazing (they’d have a similar concept to kndz with the serious/silly dynamic)

-not super big on this one anymore but i think the idea of poecraft would be very silly? like hear me out hear me out, i think i wrote a thing of them just chilling in the library together while poe wrote his novel once and it was so silly. i feel like poe would absolutely REFUSE to do any work while being watched in fear of being judged, but he would be ok with lovecraft chilling with him because he knows lovecraft literally doesn’t care lmao. and on lovecraft’s side, he gets to sleep on a very comfy shoulder to clickity clackity sounds. they’re silly ok hear me out

there are probably a lot more considering i’m willing to try out literally any ship that isn’t weird or problematic but my brain is megablanking right now. thank you for the ask anon have a day

I’m not great at talking to people on the Internet but I just wanted to say that I love your art! It’s so awesome that you’re making an AQOTWF comic, and I love seeing your designs and ideas here! It’s my dream to one day make a graphic novel/comic book of Erich Maria Remarque’s The Road Back, and you inspire me a lot. Have a great day!

oh wow...honestly, anon, what you wrote is no less of an inspiration to me as well, especially now that i am going through a quite tough time with the comic and mental health and am considering some kind of 180° change to make things work lmao. i am so glad you've come up with such an idea and i wish you all the success in the world fulfilling it, the road back is a great time. thank you so much for being here <33

Why is it so hard to talk to intimidating people? Silver is so cool and I wanna talk to them but they’re scary and their writing is awesome and I want them to help me with my writing because I’m righting a real novel and not a fanfiction and all of their stuff is better than mine

HALP

-🔱

Hello Tridant Anon ! (if that's okay, If it's not please tell me the preferred nickname)

I get that sooo much, since i lurked on here for 6 straight months before I forgot to click anon when telling one the many amazing creators how much i loved their stuff.

I know Silver wouldn't have a problem saying hi, she's really nice (though with such a full inbox, sometimes messages don't get seen for a while XD)

As for the help writing a novel, I would definitely be gentle asking since Silver is a busy girl and who knows how much time she can dedicate to the huge time commitment a novel takes. I'd ask her about it for sure, since I don't want to put words in her mouth.

And if you want someone to talk about stuff with me, you already know my asks are open, so are my DM's. I can't promise to be Silver, but my Mom wrote a book and often used me as a sounding board so I can tell you i enjoy helping with that!

also Pssst silvercaptain24 you got a fan!

Can i throw you a bone for some meta? So there’s a foot note in the seven seas en trans of mdzs that’s been echoing in my brain for the past month (vol 3 pg 56):

[The Four Great Grudges of ancient times are] “murder of one’s father (not patricide), robbery of one’s wife, annihilation of one’s country, and slaughter of one’s clan. A som will not have fulfilled his proper duty until the wrong is avenged, even at the cost of his life.”

Unfortunately I can’t find the Chinese source term (it should be somewhere in chps 51-55, when LWJ shoves some medicinal herbs at WWX’s burn mark despite his leg being bitten by the giant turtle monster.) Anyway, this totally reframed the narrative for me cuz I got thinking about who actually followed through, and the ‘statue of limitations’ on that vengeance. And then a lot about how Jiang Cheng was able to get his revenge, but he specifically didn’t let Jin Ling follow through on his, despite the Ghost General offering up his own head. Does Jiang Cheng actually have any rights to pursue further vengeance against Wei Wuxian after his first death? (And as a side note, how come no one ever calls him Jiang Wanyin except when he introduces himself to Lan Xichen and that final scene at the Jiang family mausoleum? It’s even like that in the donghua.) Then whether Lan Sizhui, after having been formally adopted into the Lan clan, has any right to vengeance at all. Is it like ‘war times, war crimes’ and then in peace times nothing you can do about it?

Food for thought. Would be super awesome if you answered, but no pressure. Have a lovely day :)

Hi Anon,

Thanks for your ask ☺️

I've been sitting on this a while, as I wasn't quite sure how to approach this - so apologies for the late response.

It's a very interesting question! And admittedly, it's not something I paid much attention to during my reading of the 7s version.

I'm not sure how seriously people take the little added extras 7s have 'bestowed' upon us, to be honest. They added a character bio for NHS that stated his weapon as 'crying' - which is hilarious, but not really canon.. well 🤔 They also rather infamously added a character bio for JFM that looked suspiciously like Madam Yu wrote it herself - just to name a few! So personally, I do take everything they add as 'extras' with a pinch of salt.

But, as you took the time to send such a detailed and interesting ask - we can certainly have a look at it! 🤗

These are my own opinions of course, and others may have different ideas. But as I said, this is just for fun.

Personally I don't think JC has any right at revenge against WWX in either lifetime. But since we're referencing the 'Four Great Grudges' as a reason - his apparent claim would be 'slaughter of one's clan'. But WWX did not slaughter the clan. Although the Wen sect gave WWX as the thinly veiled reason for coming to the sect, he was not the real cause and it was not by his own hand. JC even admitted later in the novel that the Wen sect would have eventually attacked either way. If we look at it another way though, JC definitely got revenge for the death of his father and the slaughter of his clan. He contributed in bringing the Wen sect down and (practically) annihilated the entire clan with the rest of the cultivation world. So he's had his revenge, that's for certain - and technically, that is very much thanks to WWX!

As for JL, his reason for revenge, according to the 'Four Great Grudges' would be 'murder of one's father'. This is a tough one. Firstly, his father died during a surprise attack on WWX - where WWX was just trying to defend himself during an ambush. Granted JZX was only there to stop the attack, but WWX wasn't sure if he should trust him. Since JZX was the one who invited him in the first place, it's difficult not to be suspicious! JZX wasn't very fair in asking WWX to back down first, when he was the one who was being attacked either. At this point WWXs trust is broken, so it's a big ask for him to step down first and put his life at risk. Not that it excuses the fact he was killed of course. JZXs death, although tragic, was an accident after all, so it technically wasn't murder as such. Not that anyone thought that at the time, they had already painted WWX as evil no matter what he did. But I guess in JLs eyes it was murder either way.

I'm not sure what JL knows about what happened back then - but considering the rumours and JC being his uncle, it probably had WWX as the devil incarnate. As JL was only a little baby at the time, JC might have exacted revenge for him by proxy after leading the siege at the burial mounds - so does that count? Granted, JC didn't kill WWX - but he did die during the siege.

Eventually, JL does attempt (albeit, perhaps halfheartedly) to exact revenge on WWX, once his identity is publicly revealed. Once he knows MXY is definitely WWX, he subsequently stabs him. Thankfully WWX lives and it seems JL is actually relieved about that!

In the end JL focuses all his hatred and blame on WN - because he's gotten to know WWX and has realised he's not this awful person people say. After all, WWX has saved him and others a number of times now. It's JLs own choice to let the past stay in the past in the end. WN offers JL the opportunity to take his frustration out on him, while they're sailing towards Lotus Pier near the end of the novel - but he doesn't. JL later witnesses WN being punched straight through the heart, just like WN did to his father all those years ago. This all happened while WN was trying to protect JC and JL from the incredibly ripped fierce corps that is NMJ. I think JL does indeed have some of his mother's good traits after all. In the end he lets all this hatred go and moves on. So I guess he doesn't technically fulfil his duty according to the 'Four Great Grudges' - but you know what, I don't think either of his parents would want him to anyway. Yes, even JZX!

Finally, onto LSZ!

I don't think LSZ would take revenge on people for what happened to his clan to be honest. He has the same core values of both WWX and LWJ, because of the way he was brought up. Yes, WWX took revenge back when he escaped the burial mounds, but WWX was not in the right frame of mind at that point in time. He was utterly traumatised and his mental state was incomprehensible. But WWX doesn't take revenge in his second life. He lets the past stay in the past, moving on to have the happily ever after he deserves, with LWJ. He knows full well, no good will come from revenge in the end.

If LSZ was going to take revenge, who would he take it out on? The whole cultivation world participated in the siege that killed his family. Including to a lesser extent, the Lan clan. His deceased relatives even resurrected to help WWX and everyone fighting against the corpses during the second siege. Just like WWX, the Wen remnants saved people who had been there during the first siege, as well as their descendants. People who might have contributed to their deaths. Yet they helped save them. I think even if A-Yuan wanted to seek retribution, this would be going directly against not only his dead relatives wishes and sacrifice - but everything WWX and LWJ have attempted to protect him from. LWJ went to great lengths to cover up LSZs connection to the Wen sect, even giving him the Lan last name - all in order to keep him safe. LSZ would never disregard what either of them have done for him, even if he wanted revenge. At least I don't think so!

.

As for the 'statue of limitations', obviously I'm not sure what the laws and such are in MDZS - but from the fact people are still after revenge on WWX some 13 years later, I'd say there probably isn't any statue of limitations! So I guess it's just a free-for-all!

As one of the cultivators at the second siege said:

"...With the works of karma, it’s never too late for revenge!”....

Chapter 68

It seems to be the general consensus for revenge!

*Your side note on JC's name. Others do use his courtesy name; such as JGY, JGS and LWJ. We don't tend to hear him interact with others that often and when we do it's usually as "Sect Leader Jiang" or something similar. Other than family or friends, when he is directly called by his birth name, this is out of disrespect from people he has usually angered (cultivators on Dafan Mountain and so on). Obviously WWX uses his birth name out of familiarity, as he does with LWJ. But apart from that, people use his courtesy name or honorifics ☺️

Hope you have a lovely day Anon! And thank you again for the ask 🤗

drop this in the inbox of someone you'd like to know more about!

As for the owner of this inbox, if you are comfortable in doing so, take a moment to brag about something! An interest, a hobby, a random skill you hardly get to talk about-whatever you'd like!

Idk I just think more people deserve to appreciate themselves a bit <333

You're awesome, btw :D

OOH yay! Rambling time!

Debating about rambling about my original novels or my aerial silks skills

I'll go with book stuff!

I've been writing books for almost a decade now! My inspiration for writing was my dad. When I was younger, he'd tell me stories about the Monkey King and his adventures. Then he decided to write all these stories down. I wanted to be like him, so smol ten year old me sat down to write a book. I got ten pages in before the computer died and I was never able to recover the file(THANK GOODNESS XD) after that, I started writing in notebooks. I still have the first notebook I wrote in XD (I switched from First person POV to third person, then back to first person several times XD woops XD). Those stories were kinda weird, my characters were called half-dragons, it was awful XD. Then when I was 13, I got a repeated dream for a full month straight, so I figured some character was trying to get my attention and tell me their story. And so I began writing my first draft of Dragons Child, the story of an orphan girl, Faren, who can turn into a dragon. In the seven years since, this story has evolved into an extensive multiverse with three complete trilogies, and several stand alones. I've spent years rambling about this multiverse and the worldbuilding involved, and I've never run out of things to talk about. At the current point in time, I'm working on the fourth draft of Dragons Child, and beginning the first draft of the second book, Shadow Rising. I love writing, I love telling my stories to anyone who wants to listen, my friends can attest that I can and will ramble for days on end(literally) XD.

If anyone wants to be an alpha or beta reader for my drafts, DM me and I will happily share my stuff with you!

Thank you so much for the ask! It was super awesome to get to ramble a tiny bit! You are amazing anon!

It's insanely cool that you write full time! Good for you! The mystery/thriller case-fic idea sounds awesome. My only question is... do any of your novels have whump? :D

Hiya anon! :D I'm so sorry I'm answering late - I missed this when it was first asked.

The answer is: sort of. I don't lean into it as hard in my original fiction as I do in my fanfic, but most of my books have at least *some*. A few that I think might be particularly good for it (you'll notice there are three different pen names represented here):

The Keeley series has some for the main character in a Dresden Files kind of way (especially books 2 and 5) with a friendshippy focus. This is gen urban fantasy.

Shifter Agents and Warriors of Galatea (M/F romance) have some in each book.

Stoneskin Dragon has a lot of it; this is M/F romance in which the hero is dying of a ~magic gargoyle disease~ and his pain only eases when he's touching the heroine. (This is part of a shared pen name with several other people, so if you visit the author page and are like SHE WROTE ALL THOSE ... no, I didn't! But all the books associated with this one - Stone Shifters, Westerly Cove, and Bodyguard Shifters - are mine.)

Thank you for asking! :) My original fiction, at least what I'm writing right now, *is* really different from my fanfic, which is one reason why I don't talk about it much here. I'm thinking about some books for the next couple of years that might be more similar to my fic, though.

There's an essay on lithub by an author who had an octopus talking to her in her head as she wrote a novel about him, and I thought you might enjoy it. Shades of stupidhead. It's called lessons learned from a year listening to the fictional octopus in my head

Hi anon!

I've been sent the link to this a few times already (a lot of people know I love cephalopods, and that I do work with spiritual and non spiritual animal teachers - I literally run and write this website about animal meanings and animal teachers)!

I found it interesting, though I didn't really connect specifically with the article (I had more of a detached 'oh neat this is something I've seen a lot of people do before' reaction).

I think it's really cool that the writer was able to have these processes and this experience, and was able to talk to an aspect of themselves - it's a thing a lot of people (especially people who work with animals on a spiritual level) have experienced and do, whether it's an inner wolf, or snail, or spider etc. It's pretty cool, 100% not a unique phenomenon, but it's just awesome that we got a cool article that markets a book about it. :D

It reminds me a lot of Internal Family Systems parts work, where you can - among other things - sometimes let a part take on a voice, or it does it anyway, and then you have literal conversations with aspects of yourself. Those sorts of internal dialogue systems are awesome, and it's a great phenomenon for self-communication, and doing it through the symbolism of an animal avatar can be really powerful, because you can ascribe characteristics of that animal to your inner voice (or it can self-ascribe), and sometimes make the voice more appealing or at least understandable because of it.

I have an inner wolverine that's been leaving commentary around the place in my life for easily over 15 years. In that sense, it can even be used as a deliberate technique for self-communication, esp if you have a fragmented sense of self. It's why some people are super drawn to spiritual animal work, they just have always connected to animals better than people, and then realised they could communicate to themselves through animals, even in their own heads.

Anyway, tl;dr, very cool article, I'm happy for the author and her self-acceptance as a writer, and that she can share that (and her book/s) with others too. :D

hi cceece i’m drunk and am on tumble (a BAD IDEA) butim having so much fun on this crazy site i couldnt not leave my trails of crumbs so HERE I AM

i just wanna say you are so coool and way too awesome and ithink that’s why i like being one of ur anons soso much because ur way too cool to know the real me (cue demi lovato this isreal this is me song from hit cultclassic disney original channel movie camp rock) and me being superduper myserious makes me ALMOST as cool as you

also the way we are like a year apart??? i think?? (because i’m 18 and you’re 19 unless you’re turning 20 then that’s two years but that’s still close enough) anyways i just remembered that and that is weird to me because you are so wise and write like you’ve got a billion years of experience i could read a literal novel if you wrote one

anyways oh my god ilove fratboy steve and i liove YOUR WRITING!! KEPE DOING WHAT YOURE DOING OKAY YOU ARE SO TALENTED HELLO

iam gonna regret this when imsober BUT THATS A PROBLEM FOR SOMEONE ELSE NOT ME LMAOOOOO

anon ali!!!!!!

BDJWEKBDEWKJBEWD ALI BABY PLEASE YOU ARE THE COOLEST HUSH YOUR WEE MOUTH

i have to say i am very much enjoyed drunk ali, she sounds like she is absolutely smashed and i do not pity the hangover you are gonna wake up with😭but we are only a year apart!! i dont turn 20 until march!!

i hope you are recovering well and you had a fun wee night!! looking forward to more drunk ali in the future👀and bless thank you for being such a sweet wee drunk its adorable

(slides on my anon shades) your depth of understanding and analysis of luck is so comendedable. you've done one of my personal favorite things to see in a portrayal which is take a character with a significant enough amount of presence in canon to get a general understanding of who they are, but also a small enough presence to not necessarily be called a main character, and made him your own, completely and entirely. being able to fit luck into different verses, think about what he's up to in modern day, and just fully flesh out his 1930s timeline is so impressive and i love hearing ALL your thoughts about him and his dynamics. you given such a good impression of luck that really influenced my enjoyment of him as i was reading the novels, and i'm especially fond of your portrayal now that i'm writing berga and we've really hashed out their relationship haha.

meechi. I WROTE UP AN ENTIRE THING FOR THIS AND I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED IT. HELP ME. FOR THE SAKE OF MY SANITY & BREVITY, THOUGH, HERE IS WHAT THE ORIGINAL ENTAILED : Your words & thoughts are so very much appreciated, Eros, and it makes me happy that my portrayal fuels more adoration for Luck in canon material. Hearing that makes my day, as I'm sometimes worried I'd become far too removed from with canon with my interpretations ( more as a result that I haven't read the Baccano! novels in full for. Awhile now jbkvdsdbjvskdjvk ). But, also, it excites me so much to see you pick up Berga & give him the appreciation as he deserves among the Gandor brothers! He's so neglected, and I'm so looking forward to writing with you, regarding both him AND Raine. their dynamics are looking to be a fun & awesome time together, and i'm more than happy that we became mutuals <3 you're a delightful presence on the dash, and your passion for your muses is so wonderful. thank you, once again, for sending this in!

how's my portrayal? / @rhpsdys

Hello! I am writing a big fan work on Arslan. You can say your last volume of the novel and the ending. How it should end in my opinion. I have been writing it for several years now. It's been hard for me lately. I miss the characters, their experiences, which I conceived for them. Almost no inspiration. I'm afraid with my anxiety. I hope I recover and finish it. I really miss all this. I wrote to you because you are one of my favorite Arslan bloggers.

Hi, Anon! This sounds great (I mean, don't we all think about how the series could have ended differently from time to time?) and I hope that inspiration comes back to you so that you can finish it, I know I'd love to read it and see what ideas you had. It's awesome that you've been working on it for several years now, and I'm sorry to hear you're struggling at the moment. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself, it can be so hard to force creativity especially if there's other stuff going on in your life that's making things difficult; hopefully things will improve and when they do, that fic will be there waiting for you to come back to it.

Hey I just remembered that Secure Beneath the Watchful Eyes exists and now I'm reading it again for the first time in years. It's not just a good fanfiction, it's a good novel. I am not exactly sure why you wrote it but I'm very grateful you did.

That’s awesome, anon! I’m always amazed that people remember it after all these years. Thank you.

Hello Mew!

Congrats, you've been visited by your LU Self Care Anon!

I hope you had a great day, and if not, don't worry, you did your best, and tomorrow's full of new possibilities!

Have you drank enough water? It can really help your body and mind feeling well! Also, remember to get enough sleep, did you know underground rooms are often the freshest in the house? I can assure you there's at least a 2F difference between my basement and my ground floor. It really makes a difference in hot days!

What have you been working on lately? Would you like to show me a wip, or describe it? I'm sure it'll turn out amazing, even if you now think it's nowhere near good!

You can do this! Believe in yourself, you're awesome!

Hello anon. Thank you for this. If you don't mind me saying, I was having a pretty miserable night, and this brought such a smile to my face.

Water - I drank 3 1/2 litres today, I am happy to report :D

Underground rooms - wow I had no idea about that! It doesn't quite make sense in my head but I was never good at science. Unfortunately, I live in a bungalow so I'll have to skip over testing that out for myself XD

WIPs - if we're just talking LU, I am in the middle of rewriting (and hopefully eventually completing) the first multichapter fic I ever wrote. I hope to finally post a new chapter soon. It's almost been three years, I'm afraid.

Otherwise, I have a few other things I'm working on, including drawing some swords because I love swords. I'm also planning another thing... a novel I hope to start writing soon heh...

Conclusion - Wow. Thank you. Even if no-one reads it, typing all that out felt... really nice. Thank you for that, anon. I hope you also have/had a wonderful day. You are a beautiful soul, you deserve it 💛

Can't send on anon, but I'll ask anyways.

1. What's your favorite thing about Lawmane? 2. What's your favorite thing you've written? 3. What are you most excited about now? Of anything, fandom related or not ❤️

1. I think my favorite thing about the pairing is how different they are and yet they make so much sense together. It's like opposites attract, with the core parts of their characters being very different, but also they have very specific things in common that make it work. They are both determined and set in their ways, but also both have a playful, childish nature at times. I could see this being a pairing with a lot of tense arguments, but also a lot of playful banter. I also just think they look really nice together, a tiny blonde model with a tall raven haired freak.

2. I think my favorite thing that I've written would have to be Watermelon Sugar. It's short and to the point, but I just really liked the way I wrote it. It's the only fic I've written that I haven't thought about rewriting at one point or another.

3. I'm most excited for the new fic ideas I have brewing. I haven't been very good about getting back to my writing, but I have a lot of fun ideas and I have more free time right now, so now it's just a matter of actually making myself type the words out. I'm excited to see what others will think and I'm also really excited for the other LxMisa fics I know of that are being written by other authors.

And then aside from LxMisa stuff, I'm excited for the future of Battinson and hoping that we finally see Bat Fam done properly on the big screen. I also recently got some new graphic novels for my birthday that I'm really excited to read: March, Maus, and They Called Us Enemy. Lastly, a bunch of my friends and I have gotten into skating again and I'm thinking about buying some roller blades for myself. It's awesome to have another hobby to share with friends and also one that will provide a fun workout!

Hi! I wanted to let you know that I’ve been so inspired by you and several author holy authors that I’m trying to write my own after 10+ years in the fandom. I have a new found appreciation for fan fic authors bc I thought I had so much and it was only 3k words. And people have 5+k chapters- all of you are incredible!

First off, hi, hello this is amazing!

To be any part of inspiring someone to write is something I consider the highest of compliments, please know that.

For your next comment though -- 3k is awesome!

But man, do I know the struggle of thinking too much about word count. I have so many thoughts you probably don't want to read, but, here are a few I feel compelled to share with anyone who is consumed by pesky word count gremlins.

Anon, please ignore if I am misstepping by giving advice based on my own writing experiences.

First, like what you're saying, I felt like wow I did all this work and that's what it amounts to? I've since learned that word count is a terrible metric by which to measure the success of a scene or a story, instead, I look at: does this accomplish what I wanted it to? If not, what am I missing or what has gone wrong? If so, fuck yes!

Second, everyone has different capacities for word count and just because you start one way doesn't mean it'll always be like that. Before this year, the longest story I'd ever written was 30k. And I seriously doubted my ability to write a longer story. Now I have two that are over 90k and another started that I suspect will hit at least 50k. That all came with time, practice, and planning/plotting a long story.

Third, one of the ways I did build my word count is by revising and writing (I know this seems obvious but hear me out). Potter Exposed was my guinea pig for learning how to write a novel-length story. In addition to plotting out the story in immense detail and outlining scenes in chapters, I spent a ton of time revising and rereading before I finalized a chapter. Every read-through I sought different potential weaknesses--introspection, action, dialogue, character description, the inclusion of clues/hints for future chapters. The more I looked for these weak areas, the more often I improved them by flushing out scenes, therefore increasing word count.

Then came the writing part--I increased my time spent writing. I aimed to write at least a little bit every day, and I truly believe in doing so I naturally started writing better and more efficiently (like strengthening a muscle). Plus, the more I wrote, the better I got at writing complete scenes, ensuring I focused on all of the things mentioned above instead of being focused too heavily on one or two areas (for me, it's dialogue).

All of this to say, fanfic writing is 100% supposed to be about fun and it's supposed to be about community. As much as I hear people loving long chapters, for the most part, in my experience, people just want to nerd out about the same fictional characters whatever that looks like.