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https://archiveofourown.org/works/55660189/chapters/162127420

Steve and Sam confront Zemo and the Winter Soldier in Siberia.

Steve rubbed his weary eyes with a deep sigh. Bucky was probably going to hurt him. He was probably going to have to hurt Bucky. That was just something he had to accept. For years—for a lifetime—they had taken care of each other, helped each other heal in body and mind. It was going to be difficult to look at Bucky and remind himself that they were effectively enemies now, and the only way to change that was if Bucky got knocked out.

TW: uh...superhero violence and child endangerment, I guess?

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these are my mutuals. they know who they are

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I enjoy the Two Cakes Philosophy and I believe it deserves its place enshrined in fandom culture.

Forgive me for the extended metaphor but I also want to simultaneously celebrate what I’m calling Bakery Display Case Philosophy. You know when you walk into a bakery and the display case is full of beautiful treats? And there’s a variety of different colors, textures, and flavors to discover? And that’s so deeply exciting?

You might say to yourself, “No one is going to want to read this pairing. No one is going to want to want a character study of that character. No one wants genfic in this fandom, only shipfic.”

And you might use that to discourage yourself from writing a certain fic.

Fandoms, like bakeries, need cakes and cookies and éclairs and cream puffs and shortbread and brownies and pies and tarts and petit fours and turnovers and cinnamon rolls and madeleines and meringues—and so many other things—to survive.

Write your dark chocolate pistachio croissant fic. Your fandom needs it actually.

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Writing is like,

Hm, well, I’ve already used the words patter and spatter, but splatter feels like way too much blood, and sprinkle is way too little blood. I need, like, one line of a Jackson Pollock worth of blood.

I have dithered over this for twenty minutes. The actual story is slowly atrophying away in the background. “Please,” it begs. “Please, just write the plot.” It is sobbing. I open thesaurus.com yet again.

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Pick one of my characters that sounds interesting, and whichever one has the most votes will get a full description!

Feel free to do the same ;) Characters can be from fanfiction or original, they don't necessarily have to be a character you made up--the point is to have fun describing them.

I took this in a sort of "explain a character badly" direction, which I'm not sure was the point, but it was fun XD Also, I have way too many characters, so I'll be making several of these, picking randomly across my main fics and original stories, until they've all been picked, because I can >:D

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Oh wow, a three-way tie. Okay, here we go.

Lily - This is the protagonist of my unnamed "clone sister story." Lily had a younger sister who died suddenly in a tragic accident. The story is set in the near future when the cloning of human beings has been perfected, but it's very expensive. Lily's mother insists on getting a clone of Rose, the younger sister, because she didn't deserve to die so young. The mother eventually realizes it's a mistake, but isn't willing to terminate the developing clone. Instead, they bring the clone home as a new daughter, whom they name Ivy. The whole story is about Lily coming to grips with suddenly having a new little sister who isn't the little sister she used to have, trying to figure out if she even believes clones are real people at all. Lots of very complicated emotions, not least because Lily gave up going to college and getting the job she wanted so she could help her parents pay for this procedure she never even wanted. She basically has to learn how to be a big sister all over again.

Lasheanaille Nathorane (Sheya) - One of the deuteragonists of my "crystalpunk" story The Arcblade. She's the princess of Andaria, who has been left behind to govern the country while her father and brothers go off to fight on the front lines of the war. But she isn't content with that position, thinking she can serve her people much better if she goes off on a quest to find the fabled Arcblade and put a stop to the war herself. She's determined and stubborn, and hates the implication that she's like the princesses in all the stories. She refuses to be a damsel in distress and resents any suggestion that maybe she didn't exactly know what she was doing when she went haring off on her own to recruit a pirate crew to take her on her quest. But, like...she's a princess who's never left the capital city before. She has no idea what she's getting herself into, and she's in for a rather rude awakening. Or twelve.

Dennick Wade - Another character from The Arcblade. Den is one of the crewmembers of the Robin, the pirate airship that Sheya hires for her quest. He was raised in a monastery where the monks adhere to a vow of silence - by cutting out your tongue when you join. The exact tale of how he went from his life in a monastery on a remote mountainside to man the crew of a pirate airship is not immediately clear. Well, it's not like he can exactly tell anyone, can he? But he is unquestioningly loyal to his captain and his crew, and he uses his strength and intimidating physicality to great advantage in the rougher places they end up.

Pick one of my characters that sounds interesting, and whichever one has the most votes will get a full description!

Feel free to do the same ;) Characters can be from fanfiction or original, they don't necessarily have to be a character you made up--the point is to have fun describing them.

I took this in a sort of "explain a character badly" direction, which I'm not sure was the point, but it was fun XD Also, I have way too many characters, so I'll be making several of these, picking randomly across my main fics and original stories, until they've all been picked, because I can >:D

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Time spent on your WIP that isn’t writing is also valid and important time spent on the project btw

But also?

Who says you have to be productive 24/7? It’s okay to do something that isn’t productive too

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screaming, crying, throwing up, as I force myself to write a story i'm very passionate about and love writing and have no obligation to write except that i want to

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peak philosophy in ao3 tags

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/55660189/chapters/161520613

Zemo makes his move.

Your friend Bucky is under my control now. I have broken him out of prison, and I am taking him back to Siberia, where he belongs. If you don't believe me, you may wait until the media confirms it. As of nine o'clock this morning, you have 72 hours to come find me. Bring your son. If he's not with you, or you come too late, I will kill Bucky.

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What “Editing” Really Means

The idea of “editing” a story can be deceptive. So often writers fall victim to the fantasy that they can just read through their first draft, change a few awkward sentences, and be done with the editing process.

But even on a 3th or 4th draft, “editing” often means making substantial structural and developmental changes.

In other words, serious revision. Moving scenes around. Changing the point of view. Cutting. Composing new material. Realizing that what comes halfway though the story is actually the beginning. Having new insights about your main character’s motivations that require you to make substantial revisions to almost every scene.

So often I see beginning writers who imagine writing as a three step process: (1) Write the first draft; (2) “Edit” it; (3) Publish.

If that actually works and leaves those writers feeling satisfied, then more power to them. But what many people think of as “editing,” in my experience,  simply doesn’t represent the kind of bloodshed that the revision process often entails. Personally, my writing process is long, messy, unpredictable, and can involve upwards of 15 drafts.

So just know that if the process isn’t easy or quick, you’re not doing anything wrong! Hemingway famously said: “Writing is rewriting.” It takes time. It can be messy. And it’s totally normal.

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Spin this wheel to get a weapon for a zombie apocalypse.

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I'm popping up this random Tuesday to share a few reminders with my fellow fanfic writers

Even your favorite authors had to work hard to get good. We are all awful writers until we decide to improve and take steps.

Every day is an opportunity to be a better writer than you were yesterday if you put in a little work

The love for your works must start with you. Be your own biggest fan

You're allowed to write at your pace.

its okay to embrace some "imperfections" in your writing. Imperfection is part of art because it makes you unique.

It's okay to let go of the writer you were yesterday. Change is normal and it's okay. You're still awesome and your new work will still have an audience. It's okay to look fondly upon a past you perceive as your "glory days" but don't let that make you insecure. Your heart of a writer and your creative talent remain true. Embrace the writer you've become and confidently run with it

Any story you come up with, and your writing style are both special and precious because it's your art

its okay to crave validation and compliments for your fanfic-writing. You poured your blood, sweat and tears into it like any other artist.

No matter how you feel about your writing, it is special because no one can do it like you.

It's okay to be satisfied with just being a fanfic writer. Having amazing writing talent doesn't mean you must force yourself to write original works or to be published.

Fuck AI

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do you ever just … picture a whole scene, a whole fanfiction in your head, you know how to place every single word of the english dictionary that you need (or your language dictionary), you know how to structure your sentences, you know just what your characters are going to say to each other and then… and then you just open microsoft word.

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Your original WIP is getting an adaptation! Spin this wheel to find out what it is!

Feel free to ramble about your results in the tags!

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authors!!

quick question...

also can you remember where you first uploaded your first ever fanfic??

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