#this isn't a problem per se but i don't really have a better tag for it... maybe something like
Note
(Long ask warning)
Hello! I'm jumping on the appreciation train to say thank you so much for all of your meta and analysis! I just found your blog today, and you've already given me so much clarity and context for things I've been noticing in the CR fandom lately.
I quite literally spent my summer living under a rock (in the woods leading spelunking for scouts!) and so was completely out of the loop from early June through September. And while I am not yet caught up (I'm about to start ep. 65), I have been going through the tags and ao3, because I primarily engage with fandom through fic and I don't care about spoilers. And I can't help but notice that everything being written for c3 lately is just... monochromatic. The Hells have such interesting characters and premises. One would think they're ripe for creative and interesting fic. And yet even what little gen fic that I have seen since returning to civilization has largely been boiled down to reiterative mush with vaguely shippy overtones. I can totally see this being indicative of the cresting and waning of the Imodna and Callowmore shipping you've been discussing.
I've gotta ask though, is it really just shipping that is causing this problem? Or is there something else in the source material that you think could be affecting fic in particular?
This is the first time I've been in a fandom with ongoing source material in over a decade. I'm used to watching people beat dead horses in their own little corner, safe in the knowledge that I can block them and it isn't going to affect my experience in the slightest. I guess I'm just having a hard time believing/remembering that shipping can be this incidious.
So a couple of things: first, I was not heavily involved in fandom until Critical Role; I have a decent amount of background knowledge from being on Tumblr and because I do tend to look into/research this kind of thing because it's very interesting to me, but you will probably have better snapshot of what fandom looked like 10 years ago than I do. Second, fanfic has always been a tiny aspect of what I've engaged with and I do find the bulk of it to be dull and samey (which is why it is a tiny aspect), so again, you probably are a better judge of the quality of fanfic elsewhere.
With that said, as part of a much larger discussion of which I only have as mentioned pieces of the puzzle, I do think there's been a shift over the past decade or so of like...people expecting the source material to reflect fanfic-y desires, and resenting it when it does not; people not seeing the point in enjoying non-canon ships; and a broader theme of self-infantilization. This has to a small extent spilled over into published fiction, though thankfully there's plenty that isn't that. It's not just shipping (though that absolutely can be insidious to the point that people have been harassed and doxxed over it); I think it's a general taste for pablum that has been growing within fandom spaces.
I'll link a few posts I've made and a source that, while I cannot vouch for it per se I did read and found enlightening at the end but I think a really indicative example as of late was the fandom response to the show Good Omens (spoilers for Good Omens S2 in the next link if you are by any chance avoiding those). Obviously do not do anything obnoxious to the person who wrote this question, but there are a worrying number of people in fandom spaces who believe this unironically and uncritically: fiction exists to "save us from hurtful reality." And I do understand that the tumultuous politics and world events of the past decade are probably a factor; but I mean, have you looked at literature from the first half of the 20th century (or like. the second half, for that matter)? It is, in my opinion, only going to help put our modern world and issues in better context and honestly make you feel better in the long run if you read, say, The Great Gatsby or The Things They Carried instead of burying your head in lower case song lyrics ... (hurt/comfort, fix-it, happy ending, 6k) and like, to be clear, I have written a small portion of lower case song lyric-titled fics myself but most of them aren't terribly happy, and even so, god I'd be horrified if that was all people were reading.
We've seen it across fandom at large with the polls; I have not watched season 2 of Our Flag Means Death in part because I've realized with horror that this mentality has swept, plague-like, through that fandom; people are acting like having a canon queer ship on a small premium cable show in 2022 is world-changing and unprecedented while also kind of ignoring everything that isn't the central ship (including valid criticisms of how this takes a real-world plantation owner and turns him into a goofy fop, how there's precious few female characters and none in the main cast, and how the actually far more groundbreaking nb character is pushed aside in favor of the core M/M ship). Spoilers for Good Omens again (sorry in advance, Good Omens 2 was a realization point for me how deeply and widely this rot has set in in some places and I have a bunch of sources of people being like "guys stories require conflict and tension to be good" in response to the overwrought moaning that the story wasn't unambiguously happy) but this is another author responding to the "the desired endpoint of all fiction is obviously to have your ship living in a small house together in bliss and anything else is torment" mentality.
In addition to shipping another factor is, I think, people overidentifying with characters and as such being reluctant to actually put them through any sort of hardship, however minor. I recently reblogged a post about the origin of the concept "Mary Sue" and it led me to read a bit about its history, because it was in fact created by women. It was a woman in the Star Trek fandom who was sick of spending money to buy fanzines (pre-common home internet, let alone pre-Ao3) only to find the vast majority of the stories to be this "here is my self-insert who is perfect and beautiful and pure and every other character thinks she is the greatest even if that's entire OOC". It was a frustration with the abandonment of the characterizations in the original work. And that's true today - I have read a popular Imogen and Laudna fluff fic to see what the deal was and it stripped out so much of their premises and characterizations it was unrecognizeable as them but for the hair colors and occasional cringeworthy attempts to replicate Southern US dialect - but what was notable is that those people were at least being honest and writing OCs (though to be fair a lot of them were also young white teen girls and the only woman in TOS was black and that was probably also a factor). Now, you get people who cannot tolerate any analysis of characters that is less than flattering because instead of having an OC, they are identifying so strongly with, for example, Imogen or Ashton, that they cannot separate out the real character or understand this is not an attack on them (or, to be blunt, as someone who sees some of my own worse traits in both those characters, a necessary critique). It's not shipping, but it is that same "fiction should only ever be a soft blanket or a flattering mirror, never a dark mirror and certainly never a door" mentality.
I do place a little blame on fanfiction itself; I think having something that is roughly made to order and tells you exactly what it is up front means people start to think that is the only way, and that's why we have people claiming Chipotle is the height of cuisine while making gagging noises at the authentic Mexican restaurant except for fiction. I think fanfiction can be great; it's fun to write and I have read some great pieces. But a lot of it is mush and formulaic and as that Mary Sue history points out, always has been.
So anyway, to Bells Hells: I think past campaigns also had a lot of dull fanfiction; I think the Nein lent themselves more to poorly written angst than poorly written fluff but yeah a lot of that was really samey and bland in its own way. Fanfiction has always been formulaic to a degree but I think we're starting to see the generation of people who really have read more of that than like, books, and sure there are shitty books, but man there's a LOT of shitty fanfiction, and increasingly, I find that shitty published books are bad because they're too much like fanfiction. [If I get the chance today I have a post I want to write about the ignorance of fantasy tropes in the current fandom which I think is also driving some of this and which I alluded to in my post about shipping; like, I feel the almost automatic but oddly thought-free resistance to gods and fate and the 'right' way to respond to a tragic backstory comes from this ignorance; this also is a case in the D20 fandom when they've dipped into sci fi.] Shipping definitely is a factor, and I think again C3 has an influx of fans primarily here to ship in that "my ship must become canon and must 'win' for some arbitrary definition thereof" which is probably why so much of the fanfic sucks, but again, this is a larger self-infantilizing and entitled mentality that goes beyond mere ships.
Further reading (mostly my own posts but not exclusively)
The fandom echo chamber (also Good Omens spoilers in a broad sense), not by me
Some discussion on queerphobia being inserted only as a tool to assist with specific shipping narratives (I think this ties in again to like. people need obstacles to justify why the characters aren't already in their cottage by the sea but once the characters are together they discard these obstacles even if they are systemic and would still exist, which makes for really bad fanfic bc it's clearly poorly plotted and thought out)
Me on why this campaign isn't good for shipping but a lot of the fandom showed up primarily to ship (might be the post that prompted this ask tbf)
Fandom monocropping (not my post)
My treatise on Imogen and Laudna specifically which honestly, even now that they are canon, still largely holds up re: the fandom and a related one about similarly fluff-centric Change is Evil and the highest order of fiction is Two Blorbos In A House With Zero Problems mentality (not by me but I've been part of that discussion)
48 notes
·
View notes
Note
for the ships thing: the last 3 different ships you read fic for
I'm honestly not sure what exactly these were so I'm kinda guessing but I think it was punnihawk (@onekisstotakewithme's Close to the Heart), piercentyre (it hasn't actually happened in this fic yet but it's in the tags, Ben by escapismthingy) and Josh/Donna (my wonderful gift fic I haven't had the chance to finish reading yet but I can't wait, Paper Thin by @librarianmouse).
Punnihawk
It was hard to accurately describe my feelings using a bingo card because they're kinda complicated! I don't think punnihawk is a spicy ship but that's okay, I'm not always in the mood for spice. It can get a little spicy, or at least messy though, and that's when I like it the most. I'm basically into punnihawk sometimes and if I like the story enough. But I still really struggle to see any romantic chemistry between Hawkeye and BJ, so I'm mostly interested in the BJ/Peg and Hawkeye/Peg sides and Hawkeye/BJ is kind of just along for the ride! At the end of the day I still prefer BJ and Peg as a couple having a platonic friendship with Hawkeye (although post-war Hawkeye-BJ friendship isn't my bread and butter either, I have written it). I do mostly still hc BJ as straight, because the BJ in the show reads maximally heterosexual to me, but I can make bi BJ work for the sake of a good fic, so the sexuality sort of clashes but not exactly.
Piercentyre
drives me crazy! (affectionate)
This is a weird case for fandom ruined the ship for me and then it got unruined. See, when I first joined the fandom, I encountered one consistent narrative for piercentyre, and I absolutely could not stand that narrative. I still can't. So I thought I just didn't like the ship until much later I met some people who who doing it in a different way and I was like oh, duh. I still think I prefer them as best friends rather than a couple, if only because when it comes to MASH I prefer canon over fanon always (Larry Gelbart and Alan Alda are better writers than anyone here including me). But I've also started to really enjoy them as a couple and just really enjoy funny silly sex situations for them. At the end of the day they're best friends who love each other and whether they're fucking or not is kind of just the icing on the cake.
Josh/Donna
drives me crazy! (affectionate), Where's the spice?! (affectionate). They're just two people who really enjoy each other's company and that's what makes it so good! Fandom didn't ruin it per se, but I do periodically get tired of it from overexposure in fandom, and I disagree with a lot of popular headcanons and fanfic tropes for them. I do also wish the fandom was a tad less Josh/Donna focused. But then I watch 17 People or Holy Night or Guns Not Butter and I remember I'm obsessed with them. The therapy has nothing to do with their relationship they both just need it for other reasons. I also chose "besties" because I think their romantic relationship is based on a strong friendship and they're basically best friends for the first 5 seasons, and it bothers me that both some fics and the last 2 seasons of the show itself sometimes forget that. I don't actually entirely believe Josh and Donna as purely platonic besties which is a problem for me in Sam/Josh universes, haha.
7 notes
·
View notes
Note
Things don't have to have substance, bunch of straight shit has no substance and is still entertaining at the very least. BL should be allowed have masterpieces and... the direct opposite. Not everything has to be a work of art and it's fine for it to not be.
Not sure what the context for you hating KP is (I don't follow you and this showed up in the KP tag), but the actors can actually act and have great onscreen chemistry and that's why I personally enjoyed the show despite the flaws it has in addition to the Meta the fandom produced and the engagement the creative team allowed for the audience to have.
Can't say most of BL shows produced and their team + fandom can come up with the things the KP fandom has or had put in the effort/complexity the KP creative team has.
Most BLs have the most mediocre actors paired with the most lackluster scripts so, at least for me, it was a gem. Also, I'd been waiting for it for 2 years before it came out. *shrugs* It was different, it was mature, it stepped out of the university setting I was so mind numbingly tired of.
Sorry fandom ruined it for you. It was, for me, one of the most engaging fandoms since ITSAY and Not Me and for that, I personally liked it despite its various shortcomings.
hi anon! first of all! my main problem isn't that kp doesn't have substance per se. i agree wholeheartedly that bls should have amazing, complex, mind blowing shows but also allow room for more silly and turn-your-brain-off kinda series and everything in between. we as queer people deserve the same range of shows and reps as cishets get in their own television, but my issue with kp is that people keep acting like it was a revolutionary show. it was not! it could've been, for sure. i expected it to be, and i'll be honest and say i was completely let down by the end result because i, too, waited over 2 years for it to come out, i was really excited because i adore apo and the premise of the story seemed fantastic, but alas, amidst all the troubles this production went through, the final product did not survive and we ended up with a show much different from that very first 9 minute "teaser" that made us all enthralled in what apo and mile could offer.
to me, kp had so much potential to be a great, thought-provoking, mature show that completely deviated from everything we've been used to in thai bls, but what came of it was a contradictory plot with many many plotholes and characters that didn't make sense or added anything to the story. apo is a good actor, and so is mile, but none were phenomenal or oscar worthy as some of you try to make them out to be, and the rest of the cast was mediocre. the production crew had many issues too and the vp actors are two shitbags im not gonna waste my time on.
like. fine!!!! you can enjoy kp i don't mind!!!! just please stop putting it on this pedestal as if it was the best thing in the world. be realistic pls. it *is* exciting that it offered something totally new to the thai bl scene, yes, but that by itself doesn't grant it a gold star. the show *was* lackluster and we all know it could've been so much better had they followed that original teaser. or, hell, focused more on the actual story than on those saturated sex scenes.
as for the fandom. well. i have a lot of bones to pick with like 90% of the people who engage with kp content, but i do admit some beautiful fan work came out of it that deserves praise. but overall, a very much braindead fandom by the stuff i've come across. again, it's not like there was a lot to work with considering the changes they made to the plot (like the house porsche and his brother live in, which does not add up to the situation they are living in, when in the original teaser they lived in a very small apartment.) and most of the show was just a display of hot men that i was personally not interest in, but the lack of critical thinking and the will to overlook serious problems and situations for the sake of finding actors attractive was honestly baffling. when kinn >sexually assaulted< a drugged porsche, people thought it was cute. when vegas drugged porsche and attempted rape, he was a little meow meow. when vegas, again, kept being completely awful and disgusting with porsche and then proceeded to torture pete, it was a love story. when accusations came out that pete's actor had done terrible things, no one gave a shit because y'all are much more interested in seeing men fuck than in the wellbeing of those who he hurt. like wake the fuck up, what's wrong with you all? shows are allowed to be complex and problematic, my complaint is not that. i don't care that vegas is vile and that kinn is flawed, but i do care about how you people willingly excused their behaviours for vanity. i swear petev3gas girlies are the most repulsive people i've ever seen and i hate each and every one of them with a burning passion. it's fucking hilarious actually how many maaaaany of them are all very anti-th4rntype and m3w and "sexual violence is terrible!!!!" but were so very quick to turn the blindest of eyes to the countless awful things vegas did and have the fucking gall to root for petev3gas.
anyways. like kp if you want, but i'm sick and fucking tired of y'all holding the show to this high standard when many others are far better and more cohesive, with a much better message, characters and storylines. please develop some critical thinking skills that tiktok and twitter probably sucked out of your brains and learn to accept that not everything you like is a masterpiece and that's okay.
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Writing Questions Tag Game!
Tagged by @mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea - thank you for the tag! <3
What is your absolute all-time favourite idea you’ve ever had?
Erm, well. I don't think I have a favorite idea per se, because my longest fic is only at 25k words; so obviously, the plot itself isn't too extensive. For me, favorites are probably about how successfully those ideas translate into words, and how the process and result makes me feel.
Is there a question you’ve been asked in the past that really stands out to you and you still think about sometimes?
Hmm, I don't get questions about writing itself, but once or twice, I had people drop questions about the plot, and although I don't consciously think about those questions, I think they're kinda there in my subconscious, and it does help me pick out parts that might've benefited from being expanded/elaborated on. So really, ask away! <3
What is your favourite part of being a writer? What parts could you take or leave?
My favorite part of being a writer is about creating. I will admit that I sometimes have problems expressing myself irl- because I tend to only really open up to the people who really know me (and even that is a challenge sometimes). So to me, being a writer is being able to really express myself, as well as offer a peek into the jumbled pieces that make up my mind.
I'd definitely take all the friends I've made, including anyone who's bothered to follow me here, and anyone who has ever bothered to leave a comment on one of my fics. On the flipside, I could really do away with writer's block and being unmotivated about writing.
What is your greatest motivation to write/create?
Undoubtedly, my love for my ships. It's a double-edged sword as I tend to hyperfixate on a single ship and then I have problems finding enough food, which drives me to create some of my own- but I suppose that whole process helps me grow as a creator.
What do you wish you knew when you were first starting out writing?
Given that my first attempts were actually something that didn't spark joy for me and I never actually finished those drafts, I guess I wish I knew earlier that putting myself out there and sharing what I love is always gonna be okay, even if the attempts aren't that great. I can only keep getting better, after all.
What is your favourite story you’ve written TO COMPLETION? Link it if you’d like and can!
Help. I hate picking favorites, but hey, VanDieter is special to me and so is A series of firsts.
What is your favourite out-of-the-box quote?
A favorite quote? That I've written? I can't honestly be expected to remember all my quotes! But this question had me reminiscing, so here's one:
I think I love him.
That’s a lie and Wanda knows it.
Peter knows he loves Logan.
He’s fearless and he’s unapologetic and he’s all his . (The universe called it.)
“Shut up and kiss me already,” he demands.
Logan complies, laughing fondly.
Which of your characters would you say has the most controversial mindset? Why do you say so and how do you personally feel about their ideals?
I'm guessing that this is for the characters that I've written for, so I'd have to go with Loki. To me, Loki is controversial because he's constantly struggling with his ideals. On one hand, he's all about self-love- taking what he pleases when he pleases, a staunch believer of his methods and mindset that he constantly reinforces to himself; like how his family isn't really his family and he doesn't need them. He proves that by showing he's much better off alone, and power is the only thing that matters-- and then there's this desperate need and want for everything he's dismissed as unimportant, which, yeah, well. It's a balance because Loki doesn't allow himself to acknowledge what he really wants (most times), even if it's to himself, because why bother when it's detrimental to himself, right? I mean, I can't fault him for his ideals (I just think Loki needs to keep better company).
If you, when you first started writing, met you now, what would younger you think?
That's... Less than two years ago, if you count from when I posted my first fic. But I suppose my younger self would be impressed by how focused I've been in churning out stories, love what I've done, and hope that I'll keep going :D
2 notes
·
View notes
Note
Who says you need a 3 million dollar house tho?
Great question! You really don't and it's an oversimplification because im not about to write the 95 Theses in the fucking tags of a tumblr post. Basically, it's more about the lead up to that amount of money, like having 10 grand in the bank is great and it helps to pay off a lot of stuff and take care of being able to finally fucking live and get put from under the shit can that this awful system of capitalism has put us through. In my opinion, for myself, it would be better to just slowly accrue money and build up to paying everything off and then saving and then going from there so there's a buildup and it isn't just DUMPED into my lap all at once. It's a lot easier to impulse buy dumb shit (the house was just an example from a story about a lottery winner who did that) when you suddenly have this insane amount of money on your hands. Like there's a grip of stories about lottery winners blowing it within 5 or 10 years or whatever and it's not their fault, per se, it's more just like "wow I've never had money and now I have more money than God. I've always wanted a McClaren, now I can buy one!" impulse. Not that every single human on the entire planet has impulse control problems, but they do exist and it is real and I, for one, definitely have that issue lol the question was really "Which would YOU want and why?" so that is MY logic, for ME, because I was answering the question from my own perspective. I'm sure plenty of other people have different thoughts and viewpoints about it! :)
0 notes
Text
I don't really ship evil snowing (is that even their ship name?) per se but I get the appeal.
Imagine you're this couple and all you've ever been trying to do since you met each other is settle down together into your nice little nuclear family and this evil witch keeps trying to ruin your life. She keeps cursing you and your fiance and trying to kill you and steal your kingdom for no other reason than that she is a jealous bitter hater. But then after yet another somewhat successful not quite successful curse attempt she adopts the grandson you didn't know you had and starts trying to be better for him.
And then the three of you start working through some of your issues and healing old wounds but before you really have a chance to try to be a family another curse comes and separates you from your long lost daughter and grandson and now you're just stuck with the evil witch who isn't really evil anymore just kind of sad and mopey. And she still threatens you a lot and calls you stupid but it's lost almost all the venom it had before. And now you're making her tag along on all your little adventures and then when yet another curse is cast you have to trust her to rip out your heart and split it and put it inside your pregnant wife and lo and behold your stupid fucking plan actually works.
So you get back to the world with your daughter and grandson but now you've got another baby on the way and another witch trying to steal/murder it just like the first witch was trying to do to your first baby. But now you're relying on that same witch to save this baby and then she does!
And after that the three of you are kind of inseparable? Like she hangs out with your daughter and grandson a lot (because obviously, that's her own kid and coparent/best friend/lover) but whenever she's not with them she's helping you solve your stupid little problems. And half the time it's a problem you either created or made worse but other than to roll her eyes and say a few biting remarks she never holds it against you.
And before you know it you are regularly divulging your deepest secrets and insecurities to her and she's doing the same to you in turn and you're just like a real family now. If anything happened to disrupt this all of you would be devastated.
Anyway I don't see anything romantic there but if you do, congrats on having the funniest ot3 dynamic possible. And if you are someone who ships them or sees romantic potential there, I have to ask, at what point do you think a move is made? Like do Snow and Charming see Regina grieving during the missing year and struggling more than them because they have each other and she has no one and decide to proposition her for a threesome? I gotta know
1 note
·
View note
Text
A late night ramble I will not tag and will probably delete later
DISCLAIMER this is really just venting on my part and not meant to say anything about my views on the trans community as a whole. Please do not read it as such and if you think you are going to take it personally, please don't read it at all.
Sometimes I think the way in which I'm a man is incompatible with how the rest of the trans community (and probably even the world at large) views gender.
My story isn't one you hear often with trans men. I didn't prefer playing with trucks over dolls. I didn't like sports. I couldn't care less about cars. I was no different than any typical "girly girl". I liked making up stories with barbies. I liked wearing puffy dresses and growing out my hair. I considered myself to be a fairy princess-- my first stories were about fairies. Even as an adult, I like those things. I like to cook and sew too. My favorite things to buy are clothes and stuffed animals.
Of course, I had other interests too-- I liked to run around with my friends and pretend to be a wolf. The gory stories we played out there would have put any Game of Thrones episode to shame. That kind of thing made me look like a failure as a girl despite the rest-- those kinds of things I couldn't put aside for the sake of looking "girly". Oftentimes, when asked what made me want to be a man, I say that's what made me one. The only problem is that it's a lie.
The real reason I want to be a man is simple-- I want the body of one. I wanted the deep voice, the chiseled jawline, the flat chest and stubble. I wanted to be tall and handsome. I wanted to be a prince from a fairytale. My interests could stay-- it was purely my body (plus my pronouns and name-- though I kept my initials because I liked them) that I wanted to change. And at this point in my medical transition, I am content. It came with complications, sure: I gained a lot of weight, my hairline began receding, my acne got worse and my top surgery left me with some nerve damage and pain in my chest. But I love the way my body looks and couldn't be happier with it. I'm satisfied with how everything turned out and wouldn't go back even if someone offered me a billion dollars to do so. The thing is...
Even other queer and trans people get confused when I say I'm a man.
I wear my hair long. I wear pink, flashy clothes. I speak in a lilt. I sway my hips when I walk when I'm trying to show off for other men. (I don't paint my nails because I hate the physical feeling of it, but I would if my autism would let me do it without making my skin crawl).
People ask me a lot, "If you were going to do all of that, why didn't you just stay female?" "You would have been better just staying a woman." "You would have a better time finding a boyfriend if you were just a woman."
Would you believe me if I told you my own father only started to believe me about my gender when I told him I used to watch Yu Gi Oh on 4kids, even though I explained my physical dysphoria to him several times? Would you believe me if I said that, other than your run of the mill nerd stuff (like D&D, shounen anime, video games, etc which is rapidly coming to be considered gender neutral) I don't really have any "male" interests?
I thought people in the trans community would understand. But nigh everyone who talks about transition talks about "male/female interests". Everyone talks about the way they want to dress and gender roles. Nobody disputes my transness per se, but I get a lot of people asking if I'm really a man and if I wouldn't rather identify as some flavor of nonbinary, providing me with labels that could better explain my attitude toward gender roles.
The thing is, I don't want to be nonbinary. I want to be a man. I am a man. There is simply no room for anything else; I'm not a woman in ANY way either. Most of the time, I wish I'd just been born a cis man-- not because I hate being trans (I love being trans) but because I wish my maleness was so completely and utterly indisputable that my interests and fashion weren't even a factor in how people viewed me. That people would just say I was a queer man and chalk it up to that.
I've thought about it time and time again, and always come to the same conclusion-- it would be idiotic to label my gender differently just to make other people more comfortable. And to begin with, who made the decision to categorize the things I like as "girl things" to begin with? Why do we separate these things into "girl things" and "boy things"? Why do we continue this bad habit that was started by our oppressors in the first place?
I don't really know and never will.
I will say that if you take comfort in basing your gender on gender roles, that is fine. This isn't meant to be an attack on you. Ultimately, you are the final authority on how you get to identify. I believe that everyone can identify however they want despite how anyone else feels about it, and I'd be a massive hypocrite if I didn't.
But this IS an attack on people saying that these things make me "feminine" or "girly". This is an attack on every person, YES including other queer people, who have told me I have "feminine/female energy". This is an attack on everyone who has told me from the dawn of time that I'd be better off being a woman or nonbinary.
From the bottom of my heart, and with all the love and care and gentleness I can muster: Fuck you. Fuck you for telling me that my identity must be based on gender roles. Fuck you for making gender roles into the same cage that society made my AGAB into.
And fuck you for pretending to care about me when you say it.
1 note
·
View note
Note
Hey mittens! I have a new friend on tumblr who is struggling. She wants to be a writer but her fics aren't being seen. She's frustrated. She wants to give up. I've given her the best advice I can give. I'm a small blog but I keep writing all the time. Trying to give her advice, but not sure what else I can do. She's in her mid twenties, lives at home, doesn't have a job or a car but desperately wants to. She's stuck and needs help. What else can I do and what advice would you give? Thank you!
Heck, I have no idea. D:
Write good? >.>
(haaaaa three hours after I started typing this, with the intent of replying privately, I’ve officially invested too much time in it not to post it… under a cut for length, and because I have officially run out of mental energy and real-world time for dealing with it for today…)
I mean, I see advice all the time on how to get seen/noticed around here, and half the advice conflicts with the other half. It’s hard to even guess what worked for anyone sometimes.
There’s networks she could join (I have no idea how networks work, and I’ve been here nine years, so someone who actually uses networks would probably be better to ask about how to do that, but I do know that the point of them is for a group of people to see/reblog member works, so that might help her get noticed).
There’s also things like Profound Bond and Writers of Destiel. These are discord groups, but they both have a tumblr presence (especially @profoundnet which she could look into.) They run challenges, have a really vibrant community over on discord with hundreds of members, and regularly reblog member works on tumblr.
Plus, making friends, working with beta readers or other writing partners will help find new friends and followers who will help spread her works, too. Volunteering to beta read when a “bigger” writer puts out a call can also help– not only in building friendships with other authors but also gaining experience with writing as well as editing.
Interacting with other authors on tumblr, reblogging their work and commenting– even if it’s just “OH GOSH I LOVE THIS” kind of stuff– ESPECIALLY with other “smaller writers” and thereby spreading the word around about each other’s writing will help grow up a community around all of you.
None of us started out popular, you know? And “popularity” is definitely a relevant term. When I started writing fic, I lucked into a situation that I attempted to recreate with the Christmas collaboration thingy I ran, but ouch that proved to be way more work than I really had the time or energy for. I’d be happy to help others run that type of collab and offer advice, but heck if I’ll ever do one myself again. :P
A lot of fic challenges are a good way for new writers to get noticed, too. There’s a TON of challenges out there. Now, something like the DCBB or one of the other larger and more established challenges might not be the easiest place for a newbie writer to cut their teeth. There is A LOT that goes into challenges that newbies are just not prepared for (rules, deadlines, etc., because knowing how to write, edit, and post on a concrete deadline where others are relying on you to know what you’re doing without needing an undue amount of help from the mods isn’t something you want to learn on the fly in a high-pressure situation like that… there’s an assumption when signing up for something like the DCBB or the Pinefest that in doing so, a writer is CERTAIN that their skills– including TIME MANAGEMENT and the ability to collaborate with an artist and follow all the rules (YES, ALL OF THE RULES) and meet every deadline– are up to the task.
So, that said, I’d highly recommend some of the other smaller, more laid-back fandom challenges. There’s new ones popping up all the time, and a lot of them are geared toward specific types of fic (canon fic, certain tropes, etc.), so there’s a built-in audience for their work. Not to mention that in smaller challenges there’s actually more room for exposure, and not having your work drowned in a flood of hundreds of other long works, potentially many of them by already established authors, coming out in the same time period. Readers are literally spoiled for choice in those situations, and an “untested” author posting a 20k+ fic might fall by the wayside while “guaranteed thing” authors works get more attention, you know? Readers have a limited amount of time they can commit to reading, and with SO many choices available, are actually more likely go for the “tried and true” author they’re already familiar with before investing in an unknown author. Profound Bond is just starting the @casdeanflipfest, for example, with a smaller wordcount minimum, and therefore a more reasonable length work for readers to take a risk on an author they’re not familiar with. I might not have time, as a reader, to invest in every 60k fic that crosses my dash, but I will drop everything to read a 5k fic for half an hour, you know?
There’s also event-specific tags that offer opportunities to be seen by a wider audience. For example, for the last few days, the DCBB folks have been encouraging folks to tag Valentine’s Day themed works #dcvday. This is a very laid-back and casual way to put your works out to an audience who’s looking for exactly that type of thing, you know? Other situation-specific tags like this happen frequently (like Dean’s birthday fic, or the Destiel Anniversary fic, or holiday fic, for example).
There’s also fic collections. For example, right now the @destieltropecollection is collecting fics for this year’s lists: http://destieltropecollection.tumblr.com/post/182800717844/destieltropecollection-destiel-trope-collection. If you have fic that fits into any of these tropes, fill out the form and submit them to be added to the masterpost. They’ll be posted in May, a different trope’s list each day. People looking for that specific trope will have a handy list, and you can reach a whole new audience that way. :)
Take writing prompts, if that’s something you’re comfortable doing. People with cute lil fic ideas will LOVE you for fleshing out their ideas and turning them into something beautiful. Or GIVE writing prompts to other authors who accept them. You never know what sort of creative collaboration that might spark. If you have a fic idea based on someone’s post, by all means TALK TO THAT PERSON! Express your excitement about their idea, ask if it’s okay to turn their little headcanon or writing prompt into a longer fic, and I can almost guarantee that the original poster will be THRILLED.
Take fan art as writing prompts, as well! As much as authors Die Of Squee if an artist is inspired to draw something from one of our fics, ARTISTS ARE EQUALLY FILLED WITH SQUEE if you’re inspired to write fic based on their art. Just, if you do this, please please PLEASE actually communicate privately with the author or artist in question before you do anything with it. Make it clear you’re writing out of love for their thing, and not in a selfish grab for attention, you know? Otherwise it feels a little too much like stealing. It’s a fine line, but it’s all a matter of perception to everyone involved. That communication and collaboration is key.
That said, I think 99% of it all is pure luck. But because of that first challenge I did, the next fic I posted was (miraculously!) reviewed by destielfanfic, which I don’t think is the sort of exposure most authors get on their first long fic… This was also early 2015, when there was a sort of Boom Market for fic, and I don’t even think the atmosphere for fandom is still exactly the same, you know? It feels a lot more decentralized, and a lot of the “big writers” from back then have left the fandom entirely, or else don’t write much at all anymore.
But fandom is a cyclical thing like that. People come and go, popularity rises and falls. I think my best advice is to develop friendships with people who are in that same general region of that arc as you are, you know? Build a community, support each other.
I see bitter posts all the time about how “popular” people don’t want to support newcomers, and “elite cliques” of folks are conspiring to hold on to their popularity by keeping others down, and that’s just bullshit. The little group of people I generally hang in tumblr circles with have been my friends for years, at this point. Most of us are kinda stunned that we’re all still around, you know? We all showed up around the same time, and went through these sorts of struggles together. We’re still here, and most of us recognize that we’re only considered “popular” at all by attrition. We survived while other folks rage-quit the show or the fandom. I know that’s not a particularly encouraging-sounding bit of advice, but that’s literally how the vast majority of us got recognized. We just… didn’t quit.
I was blogging on this dumb site for four years before anyone really started to notice me. (and I still know that the perception of my personal popularity FAR outweighs my actual popularity, you know? I’m not one of the elite 1% of writers around here, and I know it, and I’m perfectly fine with that. I don’t post long fic serially, and that shows in my total hit counts on AO3. Serial posting artificially inflates hit counts, and keeps works at the top of the results page week after week, and I’d personally just rather post a complete fic to stand on its own. But that’s a dilemma for another post.) Then again, I started out mostly reading meta and squealing about the show, occasionally commenting, asking questions, or adding my thoughts to posts. I learned the lay of the land, so to speak (who was receptive to these sorts of additions and conversations starting on their posts and who wasn’t, and the social conventions surrounding it all), while lurking and not even really trying to get noticed. I made friends with people before I ever started writing fic.
(but I also have a background in original fiction writing, so I already knew quite a lot about author culture in general, and had a lot of experience writing myself before I started to write fic, which likely helped me personally quite a bit. I was able to jump into writing chat groups and had a bit of writing cred even before I published a single fic, because I’d been writing original novels and had already cultivated a group of “Professional Author Friends,” participated in writing critique groups (which comprise Alpha and Beta Reading in fanfic writing circles), and therefore knew how those social circles functioned, you know? I mean, some of the authors from my “Professional Author Friends” circle, who I’ve been friendly with for more than a decade now, have gone on to Big Things in Publishing. And clearly I never did… aah health crises that knocked me off that train. But I realized I’m happier writing fic, without all the pressures that come from professional publishing, so I still consider it a personal win. But I was able to take a lot of that knowledge and experience with networking and building communities with me and transfer it to fandom, so I know my experience is not everyone’s experience.)
I think the main key thing is to create that sort of community. A lot of new writers go directly to the perceived “most popular” authors in fandom, as if they somehow held the key to understanding how to become more popular, or expecting the “popular” bloggers to “pay it forward” and give them a hand up (whether it be through asking questions or reblogging their fic posts, beta reading for them or whatever it may be). But even there, there’s a limit to pretty much everyone’s time, in a real-life sort of fashion. The more popular or widespread an author’s works become, the more up and coming writers will also see their work, and I get how people want to hitch themselves to that, you know?
Not to mention, most of us are entirely baffled by being thought of as popular writers. And again, I’m still sort of on the fringe of that kind of Big Fandom Popularity myself, and still kinda baffled as to how I got here.
But we’re all just people, with limited amounts of time to engage with other people, and a limited number of spoons in our respective drawers for social engagement. I do TRY to do what I can, but between beta reading for my already-established writing buddies (which I still only have limited time for, I AM SO SORRY ELMIE I SEE THE THINGS AND WANT TO READ THE THINGS BUT I CAAAAAAAN’T AND I’M MAD ABOUT IT OKAY?!), and still want to engage with current canon and write and read meta about it, and still want to actually write my own fic, not to mention helping to run the Pinefest (even though Cass does the bulk of the behind the scenes work, I take on a lot of the day to day general upkeep of it all) and still have to engage with reality and my human family that I live with and like… pay my bills and cook dinner and all that boring shit, not to mention coping with those chronic illnesses that knocked me off the Professional Paid Writer train in the first place… it’s not easy to balance out, you know?
It’s not so much a function of “I got mine, so screw you.” I just needed to make that clear, since I’ve seen that sentiment bandied about recently (again), and it’s just insulting. I think the main takeaway here is that Fandom is a Baffling Ordeal, and the key to winning in any way is to build up a community around yourself. If you want to achieve success as a writer, push yourself to write better. Find people you trust to beta read for you. And maybe most importantly, never “promote” your own work with negativity.
I see way too many writers who add notes to their work like, “ugh this is probably terrible.” Just… never do that. Have confidence in yourself, love your own writing, or at least present it with enthusiasm, if you ever expect anyone else to take that risk and read your words, you know?
So really? It boils down to perseverance, networking, and putting in the work to become the best writer you can, with no small portion of sheer luck. There’s no secret magical formula to success, aside from building a community that makes you happy. I’ve discovered that people are really attracted to happiness and positive energy, you know?
Heck I’m worn out just from spending five hours on this post now, in between Real Life Adulting I needed to take care of for an hour. I hope it all makes sense, but I’m gonna go surf my dash for a while and hopefully recover enough brain power to do the rest of the stuff I need to today D:
#fandom problems#this isn't a problem per se but i don't really have a better tag for it... maybe something like#fandom 101#we're all just random people doing the best we can here and trying to make the most of our own experiences#emptywithout
22 notes
·
View notes
Text
OC Interview: Oya Cenric
Tagged by @thevikingwoman, thank you <3
Introduction
Can you introduce yourself?
My name's Oya Cenric.
What is your gender identity, orientation, and relationship status?
I'm myself and that's enough, I should think. You can use she and her or be more general with me, I don't really mind.
As for the rest, I don't think you really need to know that. And the relationship part's too complicated anyways.
Where and when were you born?
I was born in Tol Covere 33 years ago.
What is your weapon of choice and fighting style?
Sword. My fighting style is adapting to my opponent's. I rely on my agility and speed the most.
And finally, are you happy?
Hah. Are you?
Family and friends
What is your family like? What is your relationship like with them?
They sold me to the Wayfarer Order. There's not much I owe them, and they probably don't remember me as more than a footnote in an accounting book anyways. I'm grateful and proud to call the Order my family.
I just wish... hm. Nevermind.
Have you ever run away from home?
Like I said, 'home' let me go. And now that my true home is gone... I told myself I would never run but I don't even know if there's anything there anymore.
Would you want to get married or have children?
Not something I've got on my mind right now.
Do you secretly hate any of your friends?
I don't have a lot of friends. Would be a shame to hate any of them. But I can assure you, if I hated them, it wouldn't be a secret.
What friend knows everything about you?
Aeran. Don't have much to hide, especially not to him.
Asked by fans
Can you read and write? Did you go to school?
Yes, yes and kind of. Wasn't a school per se, but my siblings and I had tutors. House Sunsea spared no expense in the education of their children and future moneymakers. Even if they didn't care about me, they still gave me an education. One of the very rare things related to them that I'm grateful for.
The scariest prediction you made that later came true?
I try to keep my mouth shut now. I'm bad luck sometimes.
What is something you embarrassingly realised too late?
That Alassar isn't the name of the weapon. I thought it was weird that many Wayfarer had named their weapons the same way.
Do you have mental or physical problems?
Probably. But I'm no physician.
What’s your main goal right now?
Get out of this mess. The sooner the better.
Choices
Drink or eat?
I drink a lot more than I eat. But a good meal won't be wasted on me.
Cats or dogs?
Cats.
Optimist or pessimist?
Hah.
Sassy or sarcastic?
Sarcastic.
Have you ever...
Been caught sneaking out?
Never got caught. Or at least, we were never told.
Broken a bone?
I did. I fell through an entire floor once.
Gotten flowers?
Flowers? No.
Ghosted someone?
Maybe. One or two people that thought it'd be amusing to have someone without magic as a pet or something.
Pretended to laugh at a joke you did not get?
Usually i'm the one who tells jokes no one understands.
____
Thank you for tagging me <3<3
I'll tag @lyriumsings and @musicismymoirail ^^
9 notes
·
View notes
Note
I don't ship dramione, I am a romione shipper. I follow you because you ship jonsa. But I don't have any problem with your shipping dramione. Why? Because you make it clear you don't ship them in canon. You have an AU for them and you admit dramione doesn't work in canon. That's fine with me, I don't have any problem with that. (The same way I won't have any problem with sansan/sanrion if they had an AU too, where sansa was an adult and sandor/tyrion didn't lust after sansa the child and if the shippers didn't insist their ships were canon or wanted them to be canon. Petsa in any universe is a no go for me, sorry, because changing petyr's feelings for cat in an AU changes his whole story and if you don't change petyr/cat, then petsa remains disgusting. Besides, dramione is a lot better than sansan/sanrion/petsa because draco isn't a murderer or a pedophile in canon. And that is a lot coming from me since I am not, in any shape or form, a fan of draco.)
Also, if you admit draco/hermione didn't have a healthy relationship in canon and you think it isn't okay to ship them because of you have high morals, how can you use this as an argument to make it seem okay to ship sansan/sanrion/petsa? So, in an indirect way, you do admit sansan/sanrion/petsa are problematic. Where are your high morals for that?
Hi there!
I always knew that Romione would be canon, from book four onwards. The ship just never did anything to my feels. I haven’t blacklisted any HP ship, because the interaction is usually unproblematic.
I cannot stress this enough. There is a difference in shipping canon and in shipping what-ifs. By shipping Dramione in a what-if situation I do not claim that the author didn’t want to depict Draco as a villain. For my AUs I twist canon just a little to get a nice enemies to lovers trope. And I don’t think that enemies to lovers per se is problematic. So, I never said, it is not o.k. to ship them, nor that it is not o.k. to point out scenarios in canon that could be trajectories for the ship. Saying they are canon is nonsensical though, because they are not. The books are finished and they are not canon. Romione is canon (to the chagrin of the Harmony shippers if my information is correct).
People can ship Sansan, Sanrion, Petsa as long as they want. I don’t care as long as nobody forces me to read their fic (regardless if they are an extreme AU). I actually think that ship and let ship is more important than lecturing people about what they should ship. And I am with you there. I could never read a Petsa fic, never ever. Even if it’s an extreme AU and so OOC that I barely recognize the characters. Because I detest Littlefinger in canon.
My problem is not with people writing fic for these ships or doing art or whatever. I do not like any of these, but I have blacklisted the ship names and I don’t have to see them. I might rant about the few things I come across within my circle of friends, but that is not the same as attacking the shippers. Occasionally I post in the Anti tag (usually if I get asks). And people have different reasons for shipping. I ship because I want to read fics that make me happy. I want to read about nice relationships, but not everyone is like that. I have no beef with what-if shippers. People are allowed to ship problematic ships as long as they are aware of that.
My problem is that some claim that Sansan or Sanrion is romantic and that their canon interaction is a basis for a healthy relationship. When it is quite clear that GRRM describes the sexual assault on a minor (and I think it is telling that we see these from Sansa’s PoV even Sansa’s wedding with Tyrion). Still I would not argue against that if they would just do this on their own blogs. In the unlikely case I came across that, I just scroll on.
But these Sansan shippers (are they really, I wonder? because it is so unlike to how they usually behave ) come into my ask box and tell my how romantic it is. Sry, not sry. I do claim the moral highground there.
So intellectually my problem with them is, that they misinterpret the available canon text. If they would come to the conclusion that GRRM wants to go there to punish Sansa that would be an interpretation of the text I wouldn’t agree with, but that might be a possibility.
But to think that GRRM will go there and then say it is romantic and we should wish for it to happen in canon. That is where I do have a problem.
Still people are allowed to interpret literature differently and to wish for different outcomes, but they should not pretend that
a) their interpretation is the only possible interpretation (especially since it ignores so many of the red flags GRRM put there.) or
b) that their ship isn’t problematic. No matter how you see the Blackwater scene or Tyrion’s and Sansa’s wedding night, there is one thing you cannot argue away. Sansa is a child. She is a child. Again, she is a child.
And c) it’s o.k. to carry their arguments into the inbox of people who dislike their ship.
So, I dislke Sansan, Sanrion and Petsa. I dislike them extremely. In the spirit of ship and let ship I blacklisted the ship names and I tag anything I say against them accordingly. And they still come into my ask box....
Dramione could be ten times as problematic as it is, and I would still hold the morale highground, because this is not about shipping it is about fandom culture and the basic human decency to allow other people to have a different opinion. I would still hold the morale high ground because I know where the difficulties of Dramione are and I do not claim that JKR wanted to write them.
When I decided to finally write down my Dramione headcanon I was positively surprised that I got no hate at all. NONE. I know Dramione is positively hated by parts of the HP fandom, and I expected to get anons about it, just as I get anons about Jonsa all the time. Rants against Dramione are tagged appropriately and if I don’t want so see them, I just don’t see them.
So, thanks for the ask! I hope I did answer your question!
#anon ask#Jonsa#Dramione#shipping stuff#canon shipping#what-if shipping#Anti Sansan#Anti Sanrion#Anti Petsa#ASOIAF fandom#is actually the worst#HP fandom
27 notes
·
View notes
Text
Ah yes, the time has come.
It's time to get your pen and paper because class is in session!
There's plenty of things I could talk about and I pretty much covered the basics down below, but I'm more than willing to help y'all out with anything specific!
I have to preface that I'm not an English major by any means nor do I have any experience writing professionally, the things listed below are purely based on my opinions and submissions I have received.
Writing is forever a learning process, there really isn't a right way of writing but there are definitely some things that will hinder your readers. Here is a list that I compiled both with my own experiences as well as some user submitted issues when it comes to reading works:
•Big blocks of text
° Typos/wrong word usage
•Using the same words
°Too spaced out/not indented where needed
• Dialogue runs into normal sentences
° Speakers/POVs change without notice
• Inconsistencies, either in general or story inconsistencies
°Lack of description/Too much description
• Bland/Artificial actions/dialogue
° Misuse of punctuation/lack thereof
• Capitalization errors
° Long winded sentences
• Using italics for actions
° Confusing formating
• Changing in Tenses
° Using wrong tags/falsely advertising (ex. Reader x Blank should have Y/N, not an OC/Authors name)
• Author notes/comics/pictures in middle of fic
° "~This is a transition~"
• Forcing a character to be OOC for sake of story
° Filler characters
• Not sticking to a specific genre/jumpy moods
Now don't be intimidated by this list! Some of these are pretty self explanatory so I won't go into a few of them. There are plenty of ways to avoid these and in some cases it is perfectly fine to use any of the above.
Let's start off with the basics!
Sentence structure is the backbone of writing, but it's a very flexible rule. Obviously you have your subject, verb, object and whatnot, but the true art lies in word choice and length.
When it comes to sentences, size does matter. If your sentences are too short they will seem choppy and unfinished, whereas if they are long they will seem winded and unnatural. The biggest tool you can use to find out if a sentence is too short/long is by reading it aloud! If you run out of breath it's too long but if you finish abruptly it's too short.
Word choice is my favorite weapon to work with, I could describe a blue jay as a normal bird or as a mythical animal just by picking the right words!
"The blue jay flew across the field while it sang it's melody."
Or
"A creature with wings made of clouds swooped across the field whilst roaring out a devilish tune."
Word choice can easily convey tone/feeling so it's definitely an important element to writing! If you ever have trouble finding that perfect word try googling for synonyms! Also this website might help you find that one word that you just can't think of!
Grammar is also a very important part of writing. Using the right words and punctuation can be difficult sometimes but there are some easy fixes!
Spelling is an easy fix, if you forgot/don't know how to spell a word consulting a dictionary or Google is a surefire way of solving your problem. You can even find synonyms if you feel like you've used a word too much.
Punctuation on the other can be a big more difficult, however.
Here's a couple of sentences that helped me learn basic punctuation:
A comma splice walks into a bar, it has a drink then leaves. Commas are a means of sewing two sentences together to form a compound sentence. These are mainly used to list out things and to add fluidity to your works so they don't sound as choppy.
A question mark walks into a bar? Question marks are pretty self explanatory. They either raise a question or form uncertainty.
Two quotation marks "walk" into a bar. Quotations are used for both dialogue and metaphors. I personally love using them for sarcasm!
A gerund and an infinitive walk into a bar, drinking to drink. This one is a tougher one that I personally never learned from any of my classes. A gerund is basically a word that can act as a verb or a noun which would be "drinking". An infinitive is the base of a verb, in this case it's "drink".
The bar was walked into by a passive voice. A passive voice is when you emphasize the action and object of a sentence rather than the subject. You can find that a passive voice tends to use past tense where as an active voice uses present/future tense.
Three intransitives walk into a bar. They sit. They drink. They leave. An intransitive verb is an action verb, expressing a doable activity like arrive, go, lie, sneeze, sit, die, etc.
Some other things that I commonly see are the wrong usages of words. For example:
They: a group of individuals/pronoun "Yeah, they said he'd be here thirty minutes ago."
Their: a possessive pronoun "Leave their stuff alone!'
There: location "What's that over there?"
Then: event/action "Val went to the mall then skittered to the park."
Your: possessive "Your self esteem is lower than the Mariana's Trench!"
You're: a conjunctive "you are"
Affect: caused by actions "The fallen french fry really affected Val's mood."
Effect: caused by events "Climate change has a negative effect on my Cheerios."
Peaked: a summit "Val has peaked at 10:19pm"
Piqued: stimulate interest/curiosity "You have piqued Val's interest by mentioning food."
Do time: "Val is fixin' to do time if she keeps slacking."
Due time: "Val will come with hydration in due time."
Per say: not a thing
Per se: by/in itself "She didn't write this late at night, per se…"
There are different tools you can use to spice up your writings, from metaphors to innuendos, all the way to zeugmas! Let's go over the basic definitions of these bad boys.
Metaphor: a figure of speech that is not literally applicable. "The darkness surrounded us like a shroud." Obviously the darkness can't physically shroud anyone.
Innuendo: a sentence with a hidden meaning "Is that a gator in your pants or are you just happy to see me~"
Zeugma: a sentence containing words that can be used literally and figuratively, like a love child of the two above. "Val and her coupon expired last week." This implies that not only did my Colgate coupon expire, but I died as well.
Paragraphs are a necessity when it comes to writing. Big blocks of text are an eyestrain to readers and it's easy to lose your place, even if it's only 150 words. It's always best to use Tab or at least 5 spaces when indenting. A paragraph should only be 5-7 sentences long, this is so it's not just multiple blocks of text
When to add a new paragraph:
° A new person comes in
• New idea/context
° Setting changes
• New person is speaking
° Time changes
• The "camera" moves
° Tone shifts
• 5-7 sentences has been reached
Paragraphs help you organize your work in a way and they make it easier for your readers' eyes!
POVs are also very important. First person and third person are by far the most common ones so I'll only touch on these two. It's very important to write a story in one strict POV as to not confuse the readers. You can however jump perspectives like Heroes of Olmpyus by Rick Rodian, as long as the ready can easily tell who is telling the story.
First person is a story that is told from first-hand experience. It's the same as if I told y'all the story on how I almost chopped off my thumb in woodshop class back in middle school. First person tends to use a lot of I's and my's
Third person is a story that is told from a narrators' point of view. Such as "Once upon a time" type of stories. I's and my's should only be used in dialogue
Dialogue is probably one of the most important features of any fic/story. Dialogue can push plots forward as well as add life to a character. Here's a simple exchanged:
"Hiya 'Splodey," Val chirped.
Katuski smirked, "M'dumbass."
Dialogue should always come with a pair of quotation marks. Commas and periods generally go inside the quotation marks whereas dashes, colons, and semicolons almost always go outside the quotation marks. Question marks and exclamation marks however can go either inside or outside, it goes by a case by case basis. Always indent whenever a different speaker is talking, running quotes into each other is a no-go because it causes confusion and eyestrain.
You have to be wary of using simple dialogue exchanges though, if they seem off try saying them out loud! Dialogue is one of my favorite things to write because you can weave personality into them, not to mention you can always hear people talking to get a better idea on how to write dialogue.
For example, I have a southern dialect, meaning I sound different than someone from the north! I use words like "y'all", "fixin'", "finna", "ain't" and have a different vocabulary than that of my northern friends. This means that the characters you're portraying should have their own way of speaking! This will not only add flavor to your dialogue but it also adds to their personalities/backgrounds.
Describing things can be just as valuable as dialogue, but it is a bit more complex. Sure we've all heard of the "show, don't tell" rule. Which is a good rule to follow, however too much showing is just as bad as telling. Again, reading out your work is a great way to tell if you're focusing too much on one thing. Another thing to keep in mind is importance, such as do we really need to know that the grass outside was bluegrass? Which in certain situations it would be! For example:
The grass around the disheveled house was brown and straw-like, with the exception of a ring of grass. Bluegrass. Which wasn't even native to this location.
This paints a pretty good spooky picture in the readers' mind and even adds the element suspense by the implied uncertainty.
I've only covered a small portion of writing so if y'all have any questions or need any help feel free to slide into my DMs or send in an ask! I love getting questions about writing and I'm always willing to help a fellow writer!
#valvent#ask val#writing help#writing tips#val explains writing#writblr#im serious y'all send in any questions!#these were just the basics but i can pretty much go in-depth if yall are struggling with something
90 notes
·
View notes
Text
Breakthru - a side story.
Disclaimer: this is something i wrote on a whim..
Mostly because of this picture
My first language is italian so, please, let me know if there are any mistakes..thank you.
(No beta-readed at all, just a quick grammar check, sorry)
Hope you'll enjoy ❤
Also, part 2 of this is in the making, as well as part 2 and 3 of IM
______
This was your first assignment as a professional assistant on a real set. You worked mostly in theatres since you started, costume and makeup department, but a friend of yours helped you in having a bigger one this time.
A famous band was shooting some videos for their next album, so here you are on a Queen production nonetheless.
Yes, you did know Queen, who didn’t? You weren't a fan per se but you enjoyed their music and the latest album was quite spectacular.
On your first day on the field, you thought you would be back in the trailer, randomly putting away some stuff or helping around, but instead, here you were, several days later, fixing the makeup on each every one of them. They didn’t wear it much, just for cameras, a bit of fixing powder, black eye pencil and some lip balm, it was quite simple like you used to do on male actors on your previous job. You already did Roger and Brian, but not Freddie, he didn't let anyone do that really; it wasn't personal, you knew that, he just wanted to do it himself, but he was nice, everyone’s been.
You were left with John. In the past days, he became your favourite: he was patient and calm, he respected your work, as the others too, and he was a good talker, very intelligent and humble so you found pretty easy working with him.
- Mr Deacon, excuse me.- He was talking to another crew member.
- Yes? Oh, hi. What can I do for you, dear? - quickly turning around to you, a little surprised, but still smiling.
Always so polite...and cute. - your mind quickly corrected you.
Ah! stop that thought.
But you can’t...
- Can I have just five minutes of your time? I have to check and fix your makeup - you answered him smiling a little.
- Oh yes, sure..five minutes, an hour, anything for you - He answered, joking a little..making you blush.
- So, hum... How....how do we do it?- he asked then.
- Oh, simple..just sit down and I'll do all the work, no need to go back to the trailer- you said politely.
Yes, he was easy to talk to and very much polite, but you always had to remember that he was literally your boss and not one of your friends. Last but not least he was older than you so you owned him some kind of respect, you thought.
Sure, you can't help it that you find him rather attractive, charming even, more than the others, it was just much more subtle.
- Stay still a bit...please - you said firmly.
He simply nodded and you slowly inspected his face to see any flaws or where to fix..and he was watching you, in some sort of daze it seems, making your work ten thousand times more difficult.
You were gently re-apply the powder with a clean sponge the moment he spoke.
- So do you like it, I mean what do you think? - gesturing around himself.
You froze for a second. Did he really ask for your opinion on their video?
- Well...- searching for the right words, you truly did love their idea, and he was...well, that was something you couldn't tell out loud...at least not in front of him.
- It's a very original idea, truly... I can't wait to see the whole video, y'know - smiling while fishing out his black eye pencil.
- This makes me, I mean ..us happy, at least we’re still doing our job right - he answered with an adorable grin.
Why he is like this, why so adorable? - your mind was reeling
- Now, just another thing and I'll leave you be, eyes up - you ordered showing him the pencil.. - Yes, ma’am - mocking a salute.
Oh..and he’s funny too... - your brain was starting to fail you.
You were closer to his face, enough to do your job properly, but by doing so you could almost feel his breath on your face, at least his eyes were up, so he wasn’t staring you like before but it still made nervous.
You were here for a job, no need to be silly - you kept on thinking.
- There, all done, now I won't bother you any more, Mr Deacon - you said taking a step back..but he gently stopped you before you could go too far.
- Please, call me John..- he said sweetly, looking at you, a small smile on his face.
- Oh, ok...John - blushing a little, avoiding his gaze as best as you can.
He released your hand and stood up.
- Well that was fairly quick..and no, you wouldn't bother me even if you wanted to - He sincerely told you.
You could have been wrong, but you thought you saw him winking a little.
Probably just your imagination..
- All..right, I better come back now - Still a bit flustered, you started to make your way back to the trailer...
- So..well, thanks for your patience..then - you told him, smiling a bit.
- Always for you, love - he answered you, smiling even wider now.
Leaving him there, you still could feel his eyes on you while you walked back to the parking lot where the set trailers were. You, however, didn't know what to think, was he making a move on you or he was just being polite? Well extremely polite...
The whole shooting lasted the entire day, but they had to finish some other details on the next one...
You were packing your things up, ready to go back home, have some sleep and come back to work early the next day when a knock of the trailer door startled you.
- Can i...? - you heard a familiar voice from the trailer door.
Looking up, you saw him. He was still dressed from the shooting but without the waistcoat, just plain jeans and the white shirt, now with the first three buttons open but still with the sleeves all rolled up to the elbows, the sight alone made you blush wildly, suddenly stopping what you were doing.
Damn, how was he so beautiful?....but you can't...you couldn't think such things...- your mind reminded you.
You realized you were still looking at him, so you quickly thought of an answer.
- Hi, do you ...do you need something?- you hesitated a bit.
He stood there, casually leaning on the door frame, an amused smile on his lips.
You felt your cheeks become a bit hot, again - what an absolute idiot you were.
- Nothing, I was just..just heading home and I wanted to see if everything was ok, I think I have somehow embarrassed you before...- his tone calm and sweet now.
- I ...no, not at all..everything's perfect, really - you assured him, shaking your head, still trying to regain some sense in the meantime.
- So - he started - yes..alright, see you tomorrow then - a half-smile on his face.
Once more, you smiled at him, you can’t help it, you liked how you were feeling and how it was so easy with him.
- Yes! You can't get rid of me so easily - cursing yourself soon after saying that
why were you like this - you absolute fool, happy, but still a fool.
- I don't want to...i mean..that's the best crew we ever had...- he told you, matter-of-factly...
was he blushing too? - impossible, you were so tired that you were starting to imagine things.
- Well, that's reassuring...I -quickly correcting yourself- We take our job seriously - faking a bit of confidence
- I can see that....- he told you, facing you even more, a smile never leaving his lips.
- If there isn't anything else...I'll go back to pack so I could finally go back home too - you told him, trying to look him in the eyes now.
a big mistake, a very big mistake, now you were blushing even more.
- No, no...yes, everything's alright - he faltered - goodnight then..- lowering his eyes a bit now, nervously smiling.
his behaviour seemed a bit off to you, again, what was he doing?
not that you hated the attentions, you loved it but still..you just wanted to understand why?
- ok, yes...right, ‘night - you told him, your voice almost a whisper.
the only thing you were sure about was that he made nervous, but in a very good way..and that was a problem.
There was a moment of embarrassing silence between the two of you. He cleared his throat, like he wanted to say something more, but he started to back away, his eyes still on you, and then turned to leave.
You watched him go for a while, unable to stop, mostly confused.
he, on the other end, looked back at you a couple of times before reaching his car.
That night when you went home, you found yourself much more conflicted than you ever been.
you really needed a good night sleep...
_______
Tags: @bluewillowmom @iwanttoridemybri @deakysgurl @spacedust1124719 @acdeaky @catch-a-deak @stormtrprinstilettos @dontstopmemeow @mydeakydoesme @culturefiendtrashqueen @captain--americanna @babyzellodeacon @sitonmyhot-seatoflove @myguardianmailman @deacytits @deakys-chesthair @miamideacon @supersonicfreddie @bismillahnah @raven974 @chasingthespiders
A special thanks as always to @binkyisonline ❤
#my writing#john deacon fic#john deacon imagines#john deacon x reader#john deacon fanfiction#john deacon fanfic#breakthru#inspired writing#my inspo#writing inspo#probably this is so bad#i'm sorry
86 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
kashimos-hajime
promise
k1ng-r0wan
King_Rowan
thingsiliketodo
Things I like To Do
sheeshmyhero
SheeshMyHero
honoredgoddess809
Honored Goddess