mashedfries

[mashedfries]

I love Chinese cultivation novels

Most of the are power fantasy nonsense where a generic mc with generic features goes from being the scorned trash to the ever victorious demigod

Those are fine and some of them are even good.

This is not about those

This is about the philosophy of it all

OH HOW I ADORE IT

You cultivated a martial art based on how rivers flow and now your attacks cannot miss since "the river always finds the sea"?

Absolute storytelling gold

Consider this however my nameless shadow movement technique evades your inescapable strike since I am nothing and I have no name. My belief in this is so strong that I have cut off all emotion and even the memories of my past just to gain a greater edge in the endless race towards divinity.

Have I sacrificed everything but my body in this never ending competition? Some would say yes but I have sacrificed so much in the pursuit of power that my very identity and humanity seemed like a small price to pay in return for this power.

The sentence "the river always finds the sea" contains many more truths than just "I can't miss". You could interpret many truths from it. It could also mean that I will always achieve my goal or that life always ends up where it is supposed to.

The whole letting go of who you are could be used to "heal" injuries by disassociating so hard the injuries have nothing to stick to anymore.

You could cultivate the dao of destruction and instead of destroying your enemies you destroy the path their weapon takes to hit you to become the ultimate defender.

My point being that combat isn't about how hard I hit but rather how hard the truth I believe hits or how I approach battles philosophically

I love that shit

[mashedfries]

word of honor is a comfort show specifically for scenes like when Cheng Ling the accidently adopted child of two mass murderers gets kidnapped by Soft Butch Assassin and her girlfriend High Femme Assassin for a piece of the glazed donut when Zhou Zi Shu shows up like "UNHAND MY CHILD!!" And CL is all "omg I'm your son 🥺🥺" and ZZS is like "I suddenly can't read I don't know mariah carey.gif" meanwhile our lesbian assassins are like "god people have no respect for torture time anymore" and they all have a swirly twirly fight b/c everyone is dressed to the NINES b/c if you're gonna be a murderer in a wuxia show you are also gonna look PEAK FABULOUS thank you very fucking much and then ZZS is like "oh no my nipple nails of cancer are acting up" and whenever his nipples are aching who shows up but Wen Ke Xing busting through the door like the koolaid man with the energy of a queen lip syncing for her life on Rupaul all "HOW DARE YOU HARM MY HUSBAND AND OUR CHILD" and ZZS is like "he's not our child!!" and another swirly twirly fight happens and the lesbians dip so our marital arts family chases them outside only to be confronted by ZOMBIES or crackheads whichever and WKX is like "husband, take our child and run" and ZZS is obviously not gonna do that cause like both a feral cat & a millennial he's always Down to Fight and also lacks general self-preservation so WKX is like "dying alongside you is also a beautiful way to die" meanwhile CL in the back wondering if they could all just not die like he didn't stick a piece of the glazed donut in his stomach and hang out with his boring, beige, busted uncles for 2 weeks just get eaten train to busan style the fuck

and then Scorpion King (not the rock) floats down from the sky in slow mo like a Jrock act floating down onto the stage playing his little guitar like "HELLOOOOOOOO ANCIENT CHINA!! HOW WE FEELING TONIGHT?" and ZZS is like "not a fucking band kid" so he throws smoke bombs naruto style and they all dip

and in the end of all~~~ of this CL is like "so I'm your son right?" and ZZS is like, "fuck it, fine" and signs the adoption papers while wwx is like planning an autumn wedding

[mashedfries]

nobuddy feels like they have a sharp attention span these days, right? and we all just click “agree on terms of service” because its hard to love yourself sometimes, well

enter Terms of Service, Didn’t Read: a website and a browser addon that streamlines the terms of service of many popular web services to be read by the tech sunday drivers.

It’s graded from A (great) to E (awful) and if you have the addon you have access to the info about the website on your bar

[mashedfries]

leverage truly has some of the most random side plots. sophie can't stand midwestern food until she gets hungry enough to understand the appeal of pork rinds. parker gets put on antidepressants and experiences one episode of being sociable and happy. parker overcomes her fear of horses which she has because as a child she witnessed a horse beat a clown to death (to be clear, a murder committed by a man dressed as a horse, not an accident involving a real horse). actually parker mostly just seems to be experiencing different emotional stakes than everyone else

[mashedfries]

I just reada really good fic but halfway through I realized "oh shit this is really familiar.... didn't I write something like this once?" And as I kept reading I kept predicting what happened next and the further I went the more convinced I was that they'd ripped off my story-

like, copied the ENTIRE plot and re-written it, just better than I had? The characters were more fleshed-out than mine were, and the POV was more interesting, and the pace made more sense- but it was MY STORY?

So close to the end I was like "holy shit.. do I message them? Ask if my story inspired theirs? Should I be angry? Flattered?" Cause their tags and description didn't mention me AT ALL, which, sure, it's fanfiction to begin with, but if you're using my work than at least credit me as inspo, right? Just to be courteous?

But I get to the end of the final chapter, and it's not finished, and I'm kind of disappointed cause I never finished my story and I was really immersed in their version now and had been looking forwards to seeing how they tied up my loose ends- so I scroll to the bottom to leave a comment, and.

It's MY URL.

IT WAS MY STORY THE WHOLE TIME.

THE ONE *I WROTE*.

In *2013*.

And FORGOT ABOUT

BECAUSE I WAS SO INSECURE ABOUT MY SLOPPY, SHALLOW, AMETEUR WRITING

And I'm just sitting here now staring into space thinking about every shitty story I've ever written now like

IT WAS ALL GOOD?

IT WAS GOOD THIS WHOLE DAMN TIME??

I'M A GOOD WRITER?????

[mashedfries]

i think 'I trust you with my life but not your own' as a trope is one of the ones that can always fuck me up no matter what

[mashedfries]

Fandom: God there’s like NO content anymore. I wish we could get more art and fanfics :(((

Someone: Hey, I can’t draw anything digitally, because I can’t afford a tablet, but here’s a pen on paper drawing that I spent a lot of time and hard work on. Also, I took a shot at my first fanfic and I’d really like some feedback or at least some kudos if you enjoyed it :)

Fandom: Oh... yeah sorry no... not you. We actually meant writers that are already well known and popular to produce MORE content... I mean, if a popular blog shares your work then maybe. And we don’t really like pen to paper art. We just don’t think it’s professional or even looks good :/

[mashedfries]

you are allowed to write. If you want to write a poetry collection about your weird experience with anxiety and it is not published and maybe your poetry is bad but maybe it helps you process your feelings or thoughts and it will one day make you happy that you at least tried writing... do it. You are so allowed to try. You are allowed to write. Write like nobody is watching.

[mashedfries]

Every 500 years, the dragon who founded the Academy arrives to choose a student to tutor directly. You are the weakest mage on record and she has chosen you.

[mashedfries]

How to avoid White Room Syndrome

by Writerthreads on Instagram

A common problem writers face is "white room syndrome"—when scenes feel like they’re happening in an empty white room. To avoid this, it's important to describe settings in a way that makes them feel real and alive, without overloading readers with too much detail. Here are a few tips below to help!

Focus on a few key details

You don’t need to describe everything in the scene—just pick a couple of specific, memorable details to bring the setting to life. Maybe it’s the creaky floorboards in an old house, the musty smell of a forgotten attic, or the soft hum of a refrigerator in a small kitchen. These little details help anchor the scene and give readers something to picture, without dragging the action with heaps of descriptions.

Engage the senses

Instead of just focusing on what characters can see, try to incorporate all five senses—what do they hear, smell, feel, or even taste? Describe the smell of fresh bread from a nearby bakery, or the damp chill of a foggy morning. This adds a lot of depth and make the location feel more real and imaginable.

Mix descriptions with actions

Have characters interact with the environment. How do your characters move through the space? Are they brushing their hands over a dusty bookshelf, shuffling through fallen leaves, or squeezing through a crowded subway car? Instead of dumping a paragraph of description, mix it in with the action or dialogue.

Use the setting to reflect a mood or theme

Sometimes, the setting can do more than just provide a backdrop—it can reinforce the mood of a scene or even reflect a theme in the story. A stormy night might enhance tension, while a warm, sunny day might highlight a moment of peace. The environment can add an extra layer to what’s happening symbolically.

Here's an example of writing a description that hopefully feels alive and realistic, without dragging the action:

The bookstore was tucked between two brick buildings, its faded sign creaking with every gust of wind. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of worn paper and dust, mingling with the faint aroma of freshly brewed coffee from a corner café down the street. The wooden floorboards groaned as Ella wandered between the shelves, her fingertips brushing the spines of forgotten novels. Somewhere in the back, the soft sound of jazz crackled from an ancient radio.

Hope these tips help in your writing!

[mashedfries]

[mashedfries]

incorrect wenzhou quotes (46)

companion piece

[mashedfries]

incorrect word of honor quotes

[mashedfries]

I love that the plot of word of honor is essentially “dying man unwittingly becomes a dad and husband - wait now does he need to find a way to not die on his accidental family? crap”

alternatively “greedy political shit goes down, dying man doesn’t care nor have involvement in it - until These Assholes Showed Up and goddamnit now I love them and have to deal with this”

[mashedfries]

They say he has hooks on the 7 nails just to hang things off it

[mashedfries]

Okay, so do vampires drink from arteries or veins or both? Asking for a friend.

[mashedfries]