kotoryba

[kotoryba]

You qualify as a writer...

The moment you write your first word. Your story starts with the first word.

When you write your story even if you haven't shared or published it yet. Being a writer is writing a story.

When you write and complete a story of any length. Being a writer is not writing long or short stories. It is successfully completing your story

When you write even if you haven't yet completed a single work. Even successful writers of any sort have waaaaaaay more WIPs than completed stories. Take your time, be patient with yourself and let your passion flow freely. One day you'll complete something. Being a writer is not completing works. It is simply writing something

When you post your story on any platform even if it only has one like/kudos/thumbs up etc. Being a writer is not the number of accolades you get, it's writing your story and sharing it with your whole heart

When you publish your story even if you've sold zero copies or one copy. Being a writer is not in how many copies you've sold or lack thereof. It is enduring the publishing process from the first word you type to putting a book on the shelf. The process is a nightmare and you've come out victorious. You're already a champion at this point. Be a little more patient, hopeful and positive. Your writing can only get more successful.

I hope someone here needed to hear this. Merry Christmas everyone ✌️❤️

[kotoryba]

Writer's month schedule (fictional😏)

1st day: oh, it's a start of totally new life! I will finish all my WIPs definitely in this month! 🙂

3rd day: ...oh, my real life is so heavy; well, I must finish all regular tasks earlier, because I've already started some new chapters🙄

5th day: real life is sucks, but I'm the superhero, yeah. Where is my Tumblr, I need some short break 🤫

7th day: I try to keep in pace, but there was one interesting idea yesterday 🤔. Well, I'm sure it will not be the big problem to write a small drubble, just for fun, is it?🤗

9th day: ... ok, maybe not so small drubble, it has already grown to several chapters. Anyway, I have free time in evenings. It will be useful for my opus magnum, obviously. It's not a distraction, it's an improvement of writing style 🤨

11th day: I made it! Wow, first kudos ❤️. Ok, but now I must to work with my real-life deadlines. It's sooo boring!

13th day: have read some recommendations. That work is so perfect! And my style is sh*t. I wrote a dumb plot. It's a shame. I never will write such good fic 😭😭😭. I can't no longer work with my WIP's, it's better to delete them😔.

15th day: ok, breathe in, breath out, you received another kudos, your works aren't totally sucks. Thank you very much, some readers, you saved the poor author from depression 🫣. I even have some inspiration...

17th day: ow, I'm the greatest writer! I wrote the several new chapters and crushed a writer's block! Yeah, I'm keeping going to the final! Maybe, I can finish my WIP's in this year!🤩

19th day: found some logical holes in the plot, it needs some researches for the realistic explanations

21th day: studying another treatise, where is my answer 🤔? I can't to skip it in the plot, it's important!

23th day: ...why I wrote this at all?! It's totally not canon and not even according to real traditions of that setting! I fucked up the plot from the start! What if some experts read my silly work? It will be the shame and the laughingstock! I can't bear it!😯🫣😢

25th day: stay calm, you write a fic, not the historical treatise! It's a good headcanon (obviously better that some other ideas). Ok, I keep it, it's not logical but funny.

27th day: uploaded another finished WIP, it's perfect! I've checked several times the errors - there is nothing!☺️

29th day: ...what??? Why here are so many dumb mistakes? Why my text editor didn't highlight it earlier??? I must to correct all that fic now.😯

30-31th day: ok, you did your best. Some WIPs have gone, some have arrived, it's normally. From the next month you can start new life! You obviously will not make that silly mistakes again 😁😁😁

And on what day of month are you now?😜

[kotoryba]

Just some TGCFcats for my Christmas tree 😜

Better later than never; so, I've even finished it before New Year 😏.

My drawings of people are totally sucks... But how my mother once told me: "if you can't draw people properly - why don't you try to draw them as something you can actually make good?"🤔. So... usually it's dragons😁. Today - cats (as sweet mostly canonical couples, yes 😏).

If they aren't recognisible for you - it's okay, I tried my best, but my skills were against it)

Hua Cheng (as some Maine Coon hybrid) & Xie Lian (the purebred Siamese or Balinese)

Beefleaf (He Xuan - totally wet Maine Coon, Shi Qingxuan - a fluffy Ragdoll)

JunMei (Jun Wu - the Angora cat & Mei Nianqing as the British/Scottish folded-ears cat)

And QianRong (Lan Qianqiu - the long-haired Toiger cat, Qi Rong, some halfbreed Siamese, similar to his cousin; and ofc Gu Zi, as a little Tabby kitten)

[kotoryba]

Some bright dragon accents to the gray winter days 🎄🐉

We have a beautiful snowfall today, so it's a great chance to decorate our Christmas tree under the snowflakes 😊

[kotoryba]

"Fanfics are not The Serious Literature! - Oh, really😏?"

How many times you heard this sentence? Yeah, that's the one of main reason why many ficwriters believe that their works are not good / high-quality / interesting / professional (from a writing point of view).

As the passionate reader of the fictional literature from my early ages, I learned a lot from my beloved books. Many things: specifical science domains (fiction with biology accents), technical details (hi, steampunk and cyberpunk worlds ❤️), hidden political-social-economical strings that rule the world (the kingdoms in Middle Ages isn't so different from modern world in that), peculiarities of foreign culture and traditions.

Honestly, I tired so quickly on my school lessons and when I must to read some educational books about all of it... Fiction literature gave me much more - and the learning process was a lot easier.

Now I read mostly fanfics - and I can confirm that among them are truly gems from the point of detailing the environment. When the authors digged a lot in science articles and different domains. When they consulted with community or friends about cultural hidden peculiarities. And they did a lot of work than not all "professional" writers did, really. And yes - it's still fanfiction!😜

So, I've found already on AO3 two such great works in MDZS fandom and if you are interested - I can invite you to enjoy the long interesting dense-detailed reading together 😊:

1. the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break by RoseThorn

Following the return of Wen Ning's spiritual cognition, Wei Wuxian doesn't pull away quickly enough to avoid Lan Wangji discovering his secret. Canon diverges from there. Largely CQL-verse with some frankencanon.

Enormous volume of cultural Chinese details integrated in plot so skillfully, that I learned a lot more from that fics than during my clumsy researches for my own fics. Food, medicine, traditions, clothes... I'm not sure that I understand all that but I try)

2. The Shade of Old Trees by Kryal

“We rest in the shade of trees our ancestors planted.” They called the man in the ice Yiling Laozu, after a folk hero associated with the town in the foothills of the mountains where he was found. No one expected him to be alive!

Here is modern AU, but...I truly enjoy the level of realistic stuff. If the events in fic would happen in reality - it wouldn't be different from described. A lot of details (especially in notes 😁) about Chinese history, social interactions in science snake-pits, ethical and political motives about the object of researches etc.

Maybe later this list would be prolonged (I hope on it). And if you know another fics on the similar level of detailing - I will be grateful for recommendations !

[kotoryba]

(looking on the growing of its hit number on AO3 - second place by hits and already first by kudos among my other works) I will put it in my New year wishlist 🤔😆👍

This post is dedicate to some very incidious good buddy @batbusiness-schooldropout as my form of...well, let's call it a gratitude.

Your damned interesting idea about LXC and WWX-obsessed LWJ's thoughts was so gorgeous for my horny kinky rotten part of mind ficwriting muse, that it was realised in my first attempt to smutty-writing. I'm not sure, it's good or bad - but you must live along, knowing that you seduce some innocent-only-near-PG13 writer to that.

So, for you on AO3: ENG

MDZS, one WWX-centered LWJ, one very worried and mentally-f*cked older brother... And two another very carried horny brothers.

This is my first attempt. And my native language is not English, I tried to translate properly. And I desperately want that someone say "oh, it's not so bad, as I expected" 🫣. Or just say something.

Why did you do this with me 😭 Thank you very much.

Some inner dialogs in process:

Horny kinky part of my brain (HKP): i want to write smutt about 3zun🥵

Rational part of brain (RP), sceptically: you don't know how to do it

HKP in attack mode: but i want! And I read so much smutty fics! I can write it!

RP (sighed): ok, let's try. Because you don't keep me in peace.

HKP (with evil smile): yeah, apparently.

HKP (fap on dirty imagination of LWJ): how to make it more hot?

RP: here, hold this.

HKP (shocked): wtf??? I think we write pure PWP?!!

RP (severely): i can't let ourselves write a low quality. It's in our both interests. Take some thousands words about plot development and don't argue with me more.

HKP (grudgingly): yeah, yeah, who is the boss here...

RPB (with some dangerous looking test tubes with reagents): use also this.

HKP (terrified): and what is that???

RP (indifferently): some chemistry for the characters. Slightly sweeter, but anyway.

HKP (crying): I think it will be a short drubble with one good scene!

RP (generously, but demanding): TWO good scene. And ofc LWJ's imagination. Just as bonus for you

HKP (totally confused): I think, someone here has control-kinks with tendency to dominance. And it's not me.

RP (smile in the most incidious way): who could it be...

[kotoryba]

@batbusiness-schooldropout , please. Have mercy on your poor mignon's soul 🫣. I can't finish my own half-year fanfic, because your ideas about MDZS flooded my brains (all parts, not only HKP)😭

Idk how to write smutt - yes, here you appear🙄;

Idk anything about comics drawing, my hands are clumsy in portraits - you appear again 🙄.

I warn you: any next crazy good idea - and our wedding will be in spring😁. Idk how.

I just wanted to find something interesting in Tumblr about my beloved fandoms...😆😆😆

Here, a little silly comic for you (first page, I expect to make more about that great story of Wen heirs):

Au where Wen Ruohan decides he'd needs a lot of heirs, so he starts adopting any orphan or Jin bastard he can find. Everyone's moral compass remains largely unchanged. Which leads to shenanigans

Wen Rouhan: Alright you two, care to explain why my tea was poisoned?

Wei Wuxian: You're planning on sacking Cloud Recesses!

Wen Ruohan: I've already given the order that neither of your.... interests are to be harmed. They'll be brought here and be kept safe

Wei Wuxian: That won't unsack their home!

Meng Yao: Yeah! Guys don't want to be with the sons of the man who burned their home!

Wen Ruohan: Sending you two there was a mistake. Fine. I'll make a deal with you. If you boys can get advantageous marriages for you and all your siblings, I won't attack any sect.

Meng Yao: Not A-Chao!

Wei Wuxian: Yeah! A-Chao is unmarriable!

Wen Ruohan: Then marry off one of your cousins instead. You have 1 year so I suggest you hurry

[kotoryba]

Ahem, so, honestly, I'm also too timid to leave often comments for fanfics. Don't know why. Maybe, because I can't say any new, except "it's a good idea, great story". I try to coop with this issue, but it's hard. Sorry, fellow writers, I promise, I will correct it.🫣

A writer friend told me something that broke my heart a little bit today; they're going to quit publishing their fanfic.

My instant thought was that they had been trolled or attacked or that something terrible had happened in their life because this person is so passionate about their writing. It wasn't any of that. Engagement with their works has been going down, as it has for many of us. Comments are like gold dust a lot of the time, and just looking through the historical comment counts on old fics on ao3 demonstrates this trend very clearly. It was not simply the comments dropping off which caused them to decide to stop posting, however.

My friend came across a discord server for their fandom (I should point out here that their fandom interest and mine diverged a couple of years ago, we stay in touch but don't currently read each other's posts because I'm not into their fandom and they would rather gouge their eyes out with a wooden spoon than read anything Star Wars) and specifically to share fic in that fandom. They joined, because we all love a good fic rec, only to discover that their latest multichapter fic, which has almost no comments and very few kudos, is being hotly discussed in this server as one of the best stories ever. Not one of these people has bothered to say this to them on the fic. When they asked, none of participants could see the point in telling the author of the fic they apparently loved so much that they love it.

This discovery has absolutely destroyed my friend's love of sharing fic. They share because they love seeing other people's enjoyment, and fic writers do that through comments and kudos/reblogs/likes because we don't get paid. There is no literary critic writing a blog post/article about how amazing the story is for us to copy and keep/frame. There is no money from royalties. All we have are the words of the people reading our works.

Those people on that server could have taken five minutes of the time they spent gushing about how amazing my friend's story was to other people and used it to tell the one person guaranteed to want to hear that praise how much they loved it. They could have taken a moment to express their opinion to the person who spent hours upon hours plotting, writing, editing, and posting those chapters. Instead, they deprived my friend of thing that keeps them sharing their writing, and in the process have killed their love of it. My friend now feels used and unmotivated.

I won't be sharing a link to their fic, they said I could share their experience but not their identity. I know they plan to post one final chapter. I know they intend to express their hurt at being excluded from the praise for the thing they created, and I know they intend to announce that as a consequence they will not be posting for a long while, if at all.

So please, I beg you, don't hide your love of a story from the writer. It's just about the only thing we have.

[kotoryba]

Спроба у скетчинг персонажів: Коза

Натрапила на одне вельми цікаве оповідання (дуже темний рітейлінг українських народних казок , на Аркуші) і подумала - чому б не спробувати щось собі поскетчити? Тим паче, такі колоритні персонажі...

Ілюструвати негативних персонажів справді негативними - то не моє, мабуть я занадто добра. Однак буду намагатися виправитися (не у доброті, хоча хто знає?😏).

I found a very interesting story (a very dark retelling of Ukrainian folk tales - sorry, only UA version) and thought - why not try to sketch something about? Especially with such original characters...

Illustration of negative characters as truly negative is not my thing, I guess I'm too kind. However, I will try to improve (not in evilness, but who knows?😏)

[kotoryba]

Some delicious angst for writers:

You write on your native language - but you want to create a story about the totally other culture, which have a complex system of honorific or names, or whatever. And you can't find the enough information about it (no, no, you can't ask your foreign friends, because you haven't them, silly 😶);

You read your favourite original book dozen times, to Google/Wiki some specific details for create your own little masterpiece - just for to find the absolutely ideal fanfic (for me, today it is that beautiful MDZS fanfic 😭❤️), which wides the canon so much, that you start to doubt, maybe you've read not the full version of canon?

You write a world with many details, and make it lively and practically real for you - only to find that you forgot about some little important topics, such as food, clothes or weather.🙄😶

So, you cry. And you feel pain. And total uselessness of your hard work.

Breath in. Breath out. It's ok. In that abyss of despair you are not alone. I believe, here you can find a lot of friends. Good friends. Maybe, even some exited readers. Ok, I think, you can also find for someone (who is on some levels deeper in that block-writer abyss), some inspiring words.

And someday you start to swim out. Without knowing about it. Or with knowing, but without believing.

Just don't give up. And don't hate - you, your work, other work. So simple ❤️

[kotoryba]

Little but very delicious detail: a small blue flower located right where his heart is.💙

Coincidence? I don't think so 😏

It's been really hot these last couple days so, with you: recently appointed peak lord Shang Qinghua, trying not to melt while enjoying the view of his new leisure house (bonus for visible baizhan peak in tbe bg too)

[kotoryba]

(Some days later)

Lan Qiren: ...What??? You! Shameless bastard! When I received the invitation to this place - I expected, that it will be the ultimatum for our sect! Not that ... absolutely inappropriate proposal from your son!

Wen Ruohan: Actually... I thought the same way, when I received the letter from Gusu Lan sect with your personal seal...

LQR: My seal??? (Quick minding) My beloved nephews...tell your uncle, who of you was that shameless culprit?

LWJ: ...

LQR: Obviously. Heavens, what I've told just now...

WRH: My son, Wei Wuxian, I'm very proud of your ability to create havoc in the most righteous sect of all. But tell me, please - where's MY personal seal now?

WWX: Father, Meng Yao will return it to you after the wedding will be organised. Don't worry.

WRH: So, you have already decided all for both of us. Well, good. Less worries and troubles. What date it will be?

LQR: I don't agree for all that!!! I refuse to...

WRH: The access to Quishan Wen Great Library. For Lan clan only. The family secret section included.

LQR: No!

WRH: You don't need to give me the heirs, I've have enough already.

LQR: Shameless! No way!

WRH: Your only duties will be the lessons for all adepts of our clans...

LQR: ... Anyway, no.

WRH: ...with the special right to use any tools from my personal torture chamber for maintaining the discipline. There are some wonderful Fire-Ignited-Iron whips... And shackles too.

LQR: ...one last question - do I need to be in red?

WRH: If you want so, you can be totally without clothes on our wedding. But with veil.

LQR: ...ok, in red, but without any veil.

WRH: That's a deal. And I even didn't use the last argument, such as to burn the Cloud Recesses to ashes! You are a very pleasant person to work, my dear future husband!

😁😁😁

Au where Wen Ruohan decides he'd needs a lot of heirs, so he starts adopting any orphan or Jin bastard he can find. Everyone's moral compass remains largely unchanged. Which leads to shenanigans

Wen Rouhan: Alright you two, care to explain why my tea was poisoned?

Wei Wuxian: You're planning on sacking Cloud Recesses!

Wen Ruohan: I've already given the order that neither of your.... interests are to be harmed. They'll be brought here and be kept safe

Wei Wuxian: That won't unsack their home!

Meng Yao: Yeah! Guys don't want to be with the sons of the man who burned their home!

Wen Ruohan: Sending you two there was a mistake. Fine. I'll make a deal with you. If you boys can get advantageous marriages for you and all your siblings, I won't attack any sect.

Meng Yao: Not A-Chao!

Wei Wuxian: Yeah! A-Chao is unmarriable!

Wen Ruohan: Then marry off one of your cousins instead. You have 1 year so I suggest you hurry

[kotoryba]

This post is dedicate to some very incidious good buddy @batbusiness-schooldropout as my form of...well, let's call it a gratitude.

Your damned interesting idea about LXC and WWX-obsessed LWJ's thoughts was so gorgeous for my horny kinky rotten part of mind ficwriting muse, that it was realised in my first attempt to smutty-writing. I'm not sure, it's good or bad - but you must live along, knowing that you seduce some innocent-only-near-PG13 writer to that.

So, for you on AO3 - "To be the older brother": ENG (translation) / UA (original)

MDZS, one WWX-centered LWJ, one very worried and mentally-f*cked older brother... And two another very carried horny brothers.

This is my first attempt. And my native language is not English, I tried to translate properly. And I desperately want that someone say "oh, it's not so bad, as I expected" 🫣. Or just say something.

Why did you do this with me 😭 Thank you very much.

Some inner dialogs in process:

Horny kinky part of my brain (HKP): i want to write smutt about 3zun🥵

Rational part of brain (RP), sceptically: you don't know how to do it

HKP in attack mode: but i want! And I read so much smutty fics! I can write it!

RP (sighed): ok, let's try. Because you don't keep me in peace.

HKP (with evil smile): yeah, apparently.

HKP (fap on dirty imagination of LWJ): how to make it more hot?

RP: here, hold this.

HKP (shocked): wtf??? I think we write pure PWP?!!

RP (severely): i can't let ourselves write a low quality. It's in our both interests. Take some thousands words about plot development and don't argue with me more.

HKP (grudgingly): yeah, yeah, who is the boss here...

RPB (with some dangerous looking test tubes with reagents): use also this.

HKP (terrified): and what is that???

RP (indifferently): some chemistry for the characters. Slightly sweeter, but anyway.

HKP (crying): I think it will be a short drubble with one good scene!

RP (generously, but demanding): TWO good scene. And ofc LWJ's imagination. Just as bonus for you

HKP (totally confused): I think, someone here has control-kinks with tendency to dominance. And it's not me.

RP (smile in the most incidious way): who could it be...

[kotoryba]

HOW TO FIND THE TGCF AND MDZS AUDIOBOOKS: 🎧

TGCF is here 🦋

MDZS is here 🐇

These are recordings of the EN novels published by Seven Seas, plus included extras.

PLEASE share the link around with anyone and everyone who may enjoy!! ♥️ You have full permission! (The only thing you cannot do is host the audio files publicly.)

About 300 hours worth of work went into the TGCF audiobook during the 4 months it took to record it. That amounts to 2.5 hours per day, and I worked every. single. day.

Projecting MDZS to be about 130 hours in total, maybe a few more?

These totals do NOT include listening back to each chapter to check for mistakes/edits -

(I work that in during my regular day job haha)

This project is my heartfelt gift to those who need a little more accessibility to enjoy such lovely stories. Everyone deserves the joy of the Hualian and Wangxian experience! I am truly lucky to have the opportunity to make and share this with you all. ♥️♥️ CHEERS!! xx

[kotoryba]

Calm, warm and tender art style ❤️

The best gift for an artist is a repost of her works, so I will be very grateful! Happy birthday to me.

[kotoryba]

...I feel it. I feel that all TGCF fans here, who scrolls the feed in Tumblr, are gnashing their teeth with envy (or not all, if they're lucky as me 😏😜).

Because today I've received the merch - the TGCF tarot cards, stickers, holographic Jun Wu card - from the most loyal Jun Wu's worshipper of all times😁. And I'm very-very happy about it 😍.

That's my great-great "thank you" to the beautiful artist ilymirBora (Patreon, also she has an account on YouTube). Here is a lot of TGCF comics, funny illustrations and videos. And there are more merch sales on this account, if you want to buy some too😏.

[kotoryba]

A final point in Nie Huaisang cosplay

After the last laquering of fan I decided to show my beautiful masterpiece here - because I'm very proud of my work, so why not ☺️.

This costume was maiden as a gift (the Christmas is near, remember it!) for my friend, who want to cosplay this character, but haven't enough time for creating the outfit herself. In general she inspired me to go to my first comic festival; well, i think this gift will be a good big thank you)

This look is inspired by both MDZS comics and CQL atmosphere. In the virtual timeline it's like that Nie Huaisang could wear after receiving the leader position in his clan.

More photos - under line (sorry for the quality, I'm not a good photographer):

All started with lower white hanfu and mamian-qun skirt (quick useful tip: don't make the skirt with the thick material, as silly me😆, because you'll have to sew all layers of folds together with a belt!)

Then the next hanfu of gray colour, more decorated:

The next level - the grey apron upper skirt, with ornamental front part. And a belt with one of the version of Nie Clan emblem.

Then - the upper cape:

And the accessories - a guan and a fan:

P.S.: all that was made from some bed linen and several IKEA's curtains, only satin ribbons and fan tassel are new😏. Recycling...and a way more cheaply.