#@shavynel

[hats-all-de-hats]

Hy feels like hy has fallen trough some veird dimension shparky project. Hats dat iz food? Ja, ja, sure, heppens all de time. Hats dat is vun part solid lookink object, odder part see-trough lines und no vhere dat somevun vould puts deir head? Hoooo hy gots qvestions bout dat.

But lets assume dat dey is in fact hats fer a moment und not projections ov mine shleep und cuddlink deprived mind. In vhich case, hy vould say dey is goot hats. Dey gots verra strong silhouettes vit intriguink colors dat vould make anyvun slow in deir valk to admire und ask who hyu goypts to fight fer a hat like dat! Vit how sharp de long vays curves down, is mebbe a problem fer seeink, but iffen hyus bored ocv de regular fightink mebbe dat is chust de ting hyu vants. Or chust vear it far beck on hyu head.

De vun vit de long curvy side goink op looks like a vimmin's sun bonnet from mebbe a century ago? Hy dun remember. Sure solves de seeink problem.

You draw hats so well and im like so amazed by it because every time i try it looks like they're wearing buckets?? how do you draw them?? :o

pringles

[shavynel]

The number of things that are just

Wax Dalinar

🤝

is so many.

killed their first wife

bullies god into doing better

absolute catnip to Shards

will fight an entire army even if they have to do it alone

series kicks off with the death of their sibling (and oh, what were you up to, sibling)

[harocat]

hello! I saw your post where you talked about cis+ in your tags and how you identify as woman and it's important to you ... are you willing to share more about how you figured out what was important to you (and what is important to you about being woman)? (asking from the deep place of curiosity that is thinking about gender, and having heard trans stories but not cis stories about the process, and being very confused about my own gender journey)

and if not, totally understand! I'm already very thankful for your having reblogged it and added tags

(an aside, Yuri on Ice <3 forever)

Hey! So I don't think I did anything too deep? I just thought about it a lot! Why am I woman, independent of the cisheteronormative reasons I was told growing up? What does womanhood mean to me? Why does the idea of being anything but a woman upset me? And drew some conclusions from that. And these answers will be different for everyone.

But I think more than anything I read thoughts on womanhood from trans women! Because when T3RFs talk about womanhood, not only do they make it solely about our victimhood*, but also about the traits that lead us to be 'AFAB' (aka genitals, chromosomes, whatever). But obviously as a trans woman you have to find your identity as a woman independent of that, so it results in views on what it means to be a woman that fall outside of the cisgender norms. There is of course, no one answer to 'womanhood', so reading various perspectives is important.

I also think that bringing in my queerness (specifically a lesbian) helped, because there really is often a difference between how queer women and cishet women approach womanhood (which does not mean cishet women should be disdained, but it is just--- different). Also realizing how much I love women bc gay helped me realize that being one is cool actually.

*Regarding victimhood. I don't mean that women can't find solidarity in some of the unique dangers and types of oppression that we face as women, because of course we can. It's important that we do. I just mean that radfems kind of make that victimhood their whole identity. One of the reasons they simply cannot view trans women as women is because of that. Trans women don't have uteruses and periods so they don't face the same kind of reproductive oppression! Some trans women 'look like men' so they're not as likely to be raped and assaulted by cishet men! That kind of stuff.

Of course this is ignoring that trans women face many of the same issues that cis women do and much more wrt violence, oppression, etc. And also ignoring that this erases many intersex women, post-menopausal women, etc. Radfems seem to find no joy in being a woman. It's a burden for them. They can't understand the idea of gender euphoria. In their mind, the only reason trans men even exist is because they want to 'escape being a woman.'

[calmingpi]

@shavynel i feel like that gif of homer simpson walking backwards into a bush sometimes

[exanimozine]

Introducing @shavynel! Make sure to follow!

Please gib many purple chaos cores, mr ruin guard, sir-

[fangirl-nadir]

May I recommend the following:

@cosmere-mini-bang

@kelsierfortnite

@taravangians-storming-balls

@onlycosmere

@shavynel

@smeegamae (for that delicious, delicious Kalmoash content)

@knightsgaydiant

Stormlight Archive fans save me

If you can hear me Stormlight Archive fans please save me

Fr I need to find the Stormlight fandom here or I'm gonna go insane

[spark-exchange]

Gift tag for January 2nd. 

[firecoloredwater]

From: Para

To: Shavynel

Rating: G

Warnings: None, for once (it might be creeping me out a little)

Summary:

It is December 30th, 1899.  The Other was defeated and Mechanicsburg unfrozen some months ago.  Now Europa is trying to sort out a precarious if hopeful balance between the overlapping networks and allegiances to the Storm King and the Wulfenbach Empire.

More importantly, Grandma Terebithia still has claim to having hosted the best party of the century.  And that's a thing that Tarvek and Violetta absolutely can't allow to stand.

Happy holidays Shavynel!

[shavynel]

Writing comments for fanfic

tl;dr -- Write one thing you liked about the fic (a phrase or moment) and how you reacted or made you feel! Also, keep it fun! Make no demands of fic authors who write out of love and Owe Us Nothing.

It took me a while to figure out how to write comments. I went through an evolution. There's lots of stuff on how to write stories, probably even giving crit and feedback, but commenting? Not nearly as much. So here's my not so short ramble on writing comments for fic. Includes my Ways of commenting and Tenets of commenting.

Examples here will be T-rated (by AO3 standards) and most are taken from or newly written with specific fics in mind. They are, ahem, almost all Genshin Impact.

Commenting is, I believe, a personal thing. I've been told I have a bit of an enthusiastic presence, so what feels true to you may vary. I also like to write words (can you tell?). And smash keyboards.

Leaving comments is, in fact, effort! But it's also a skill that can be learned and honed. And honestly, I think my fic experience is improved by it. I don't always leave a comment. But, I don't know... that random internet person authored a Whole Thing. For Free (likely). And I just get to read it?? Yeah, I'm going to leave a little appreciation. Just a little snack in return for this fulfilling meal you have fed me.

I also find writing a comment is also a way for me to just bask in a fic a little bit longer, linger in that feeling of oh, wow, this was so good, and I don't want to leave yet. (And then sometimes there's a response, and then I get a bonus dose of nostalgia!)

Ways of commenting

These are roughly ordered by amount of effort required. I would say the comments I leave are a mash up of these, really. There aren't actual hard lines between them.

1. An extra kudos.

Kudos are nice. Knowing the kudos button isn't enough is one layer deeper! Comments like

"Thanks for writing!" "<3" "i mash kudos button but no more kudos come out what's wronnnnggg????" "yay an update!" "this is so good"

Level of effort: slightly more than a kudos.

Honestly, copy-pasteable. Personally, I would always write these out. Somehow, to me, as a commenter, feels more real if I tippy tappy the letters myself even if Author can't tell. It's a nice way to let an author know you're coming back chapter after chapter when we can only kudos once on a fic. I like to leave a little something more, but I still often start or end with this.

2. Fic reaction.

Sometimes a fic just leaves me a certain way. Invoked a particular mood or visceral reaction. So, I let the author know!

"Awww, my heart is warm!" "Jaw on ground. WTF!" "Literal chills." "My eyes are wet. How did that happen?" "This fic is pure comfort." "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" "Heart on floor, smashed." "WHOLESOME!" "This has left me completely feral and ready to punch something."

Level of effort: you need some emotional intelligence or other awareness of you reactions.

As a starting point, was the fic -- wholesome, sweet, chaotic (in a good way), funny, heartwrenching, sad, delightful, shocking, calm, peaceful, I just want a hug now, terrifying, creepy, comedic?

How do you then turn this into a comment? "This was so ___!!"

Honestly, my crutch here is to just keyboard smash. What does it mean? Your guess as good as mine. I'm speechless, and I cannot words properly, but please participate in these Feels I'm having.

3. One detail I like. (My default comment style)

This one covers a lot of scope. If I read to the end of the fic, there's probably something I liked. Maybe

a turn of phrase. "Diluc drinking grape juice like a man chained to an interrogation table. sfjfskkdz" "Bedsheets twisted up like cooked spinach is SO accurate." "Itto-to is such a cute mashup name!" "We have years ahead of us. That was just one day in the past. The feeeeeelllssss" ":) as punctuation" "Barbatos and Nobles as a bookstore. Sdjjsfjdw I love it"

a particular character moment, action, interaction, or dialogue. quote or paraphrase it! "Diluc kicking Childe into the water was hilarious." "Childe is such an adrenaline junkie. I can't believe he would lean out the window while he was driving." "I'm so proud of Zhongli for actually admitting his feelings!"

some specific moment you emotionally reacted to. I've only recently trained myself out of stoic facing through fic. I mean, it's a useful skill, don't get me wrong (especially in public), but it's less useful when it's just me by myself. I now laugh at 3am reading fic, and my life is brighter for it. Comedy fic writers, you are my fave. "Can't get over when Diluc walks in on Kaeya and Childe. AHHHHH!" "Qiqi drying Childe's hair was so sweet!"

Level of effort: you have to actually remember something you liked or reacted to.

The number of movies I watch and number of times someone asks how's my week, and I just stare blankly because I know it was good but don't know anything else? High. So yeah, this isn't trivial.

I've gotten to the point where usually while reading I notice a moment of "wow I love this!" I don't go looking for them (because I want to stay in fic headspace not comment material hunting headspace), and I don't spend much effort trying to remember. If I forget, that's fine. Not like I'm not writing a book review for a grade or anything.

Just, what's a moment you just got to call out? (And bonus, what's your reaction?) Authors out there seem to like to make us feel things. Show them we're just dangling from their puppet strings!

I usually leave comments like this. Just popcorn style, as many things as I remember, whatever comes up as I recall it. I'm aware that sometimes I end up basically quoting a fic back to its author completely out of order interspersed with commentary or keyboard smashes. I'm occasionally embarrassed by how much I'm smashing into their comments, but the reception seems overall positive.

4. Between the lines and spin off thoughts.

Sometimes fic make me think. I mean, canon makes me think, and then people go and make fanworks off of that, so of course I'm bound to run into fic that makes me think. Sometimes the things I notice or think about aren't directly in the text, but implied or spin out thoughts. An interpretation, a mini analysis, or a reflection. Like,

a new thought or take on a character. "Aro-ace Venti! I like this take!" "Please don't break Klee. She's just trying her best to hold all the adults together. Oh no. You've already broken Klee. T_T" "I bet Jean is the only person who could have kicked Diluc's ass, and he really needed it." "Kaeya what are you doooinggg?? Why is he like this???" (An extra note, it's cool to disagree with a character, but not the author. Character did that makes you want to scream? Go for it. Author wrote the character in a way you disagree with? Don't comment. Leave the fic if it bothers you that much.)

noticing foreshadowing or a detail that isn't fully explained / only alluded to. "Is that Scara working at Scarabucks???" "Wait, something about what Venti said makes me think this isn't just a modern day AU ..." "Did that count as a geo construct for the purposes of the contract?"

some sentence or moment somewhere that just hits you in the brain. This one I don't actually know if author's like. On the one hand, I can imagine it being flattering. On the other, maybe it's too personal? I'll usually center these on the characters, kind of like character analysis. "Diluc sharing his anxiety with Kaeya, and that being what made Kaeya look at his own anxiety... really hits. Like, I don't even think Diluc could have said something sooner without Kaeya running, which says so much about how Diluc loves Kaeya. And the fact Kaeya can see this as a mirror of what he's doing and learns something from it. Just. Oof. Wow." "The conversation between Zhongli and Childe is just so real. Like Zhongli is trying so hard but his ass just can't understand Childe just wants him to tell them things and his not telling things is Not Helping even though he just wants to protect the boy!"

Level of effort: some amount of analytical thinking, reflection, or willingness to share when you get sucker punched by words.

This one I absolutely never go looking for, so I don't leave many such comments. When it does come up, it usually smacks me in the face, and I let it (roll with the hit and into the comments). On occasion I am wailing in the comment box when the revelation (like having broken Klee) just dawns on me. Am I Feelings Processing in comment boxes? Uuuhhhhhh, no comment. (Don't mind the lack of delivery on the pun.)

I'd like to think authors appreciate when we reflect back to them we get their interpretation, but I can also imagine it might be a little too much for authors if we get too personal. In which case, sorry. Your work is great! Please take it as my intention to flatter you since you've touched my heart or brain or soul with your words.

5. Craft appreciation.

This one, *head scratches* yeah, I don't often end up here. But sometimes it's not one moment, but something about all the moments, something underlying, or something in the way it was all put together. If I do end up here and write a general statement, I like to point to specific bits that made me think that (which is where I lean back on One Detail I Like). Actually, yeah, usually I use this as flavor to One Detail I Like, but I think it's sufficiently different to pull out separately. It's a writerly meta layer. What falls here?

dialogue. "Your dialogue is so good. I can hear it in in the VA's voice." "I love the contrast between how Zhongli talks and Childe talks."

imagery. "Can't get over the imagery of Childe releasing dandelion scenes. Such a kid!" "Childe sleeping with Tranquil Statlight is just so peaceful."

characterization. "The little nuggets you give characters like Rosaria doing community service at the church for Crimes just gives me life." "I love the way you write Childe. He's so aggressive!"

setting, world building (more for AUs but wow there are some authors good at expanding on canon lore). "Your world building is so cool. Like the abyssal graffiti on the walls?? HNNG!"

writing style. "Your style is very dreamy. <3" "This is genuinely so heartwarming, and yet at the same time what is this underlying feeling of something is wrong????" "I feel like people appreciate the art of comedic one liners but you've got angst one liners. AND THEY SLAY."

pacing, timing. "This fic reads like a high speed express train. It just never stops or slows down!!" "What is this cRaFT! Like. Para 1, comedic. Para 2, thoughtful. Para 3, WHY DO MY HEARTSTRINGS HURT."

use of language. "Using he for POV character and they for the other is LINGUISTICALLY MIND BLOWING." (Please, I want this to catch on more. I do absolutely respect people's pronouns. These fictional characters (and people who have pronoun flexibility)? She and they instead of she and she?? THE CLARITY WE COULD HAVE??!? I'm incredibly greedy for it.)

premise. "Pierro Dad gives me so much life." "The Bachelor but it's Diluc?? Let's go!!"

plot twist, or cliff hanger. "The reveal!!! *screaming*" "I can't believe you would do me like this." (No, I can't in good conscience leave a specific example and give a fic away. Yes, I am thinking of specific fics still.)

Level of effort: be able to map details you like to writer's craft.

Let's not pretend we're here to do crit. Even if we're using writerly words, we are not here to do crit. Well, I am not because I don't believe the comments box is the right time or place for it, but I am happy to lay on the praise and point out the things that worked for me.

Usually, I think it's harder to look across a fic and be like, yeah, the dialogue hit, or this writing style or pacing really does it for me. It's more nebulous. And sometimes it kicks you out of fic reading headspace and into a writerly meta land to notice, so I don't, and I just let the fic wash over me. And if something here strikes me, I will offer my praises. Again, I think it helps to think of this more as an additional kind of One Detail I Like.

Tenets of commenting (and a little of reading)

Okay, so those were some do's, but I also have don't's. These are my boundaries that I keep. Maybe yours are different. I suspect most of these stem from the place, Author did this for free and Owes Me Nothing, so that's the one real tenet. I keep these in mind so that I can keep fic a nice, fun, safe place for me (and hopefully the authors too).

1. I will never ask for updates. I never expect a next chapter.

I've seen enough content creators stressed out and burnt out about putting something out over and over again. I feel for them. That sucks. They probably just started doing it for fun, and now ... The demand and expectation they continue to perform for free? Yeah, it's not going to come from me.

Once upon a time, because of this and a desire to have complete stories, I wouldn't read incomplete fics. I now am The Biggest Fan of incomplete fics. Yes, hang me off the side of a cliff. I will scream at you. And if you don't haul me back up? Well, fine. I'll live. Some other author's got my back. Probably. There's still so much to love between world building, characterization, good moments, jokes -- and you sometimes get the experience of seeing familiar faces screaming at the fic with you update after update. It's precious. It's fleeting. I could go on, but maybe a different day. Back to commenting!

Flip side, as an author, I will say the desire for more is, in one case, why I plan to continue a fic from years ago. I was very firm at the time I would not be extending the one shot, but I guess time changes things, and the fact people were like, I would read more story contributes to that.

So this one is very much a personal tenet. There's some line between I love this so much I want it to continue, and expecting there to be more. Where is it? I don't know. So I just stay away. Surely Author will get I want more if I just say how much I love everything and have commented on their latest chapter. Rather than leave snacks that taste like burn out to some authors, I will focus on other flavors of comments!

2. I will not say what I dislike.

Not my ship? I probably won't read. Not my preferred ship dynamic? Tropes I don't like? Characterization not hitting it for me? Paragraph formatting not doing it for me? I just x out of there, find something I do like. People be writing things for free! Let them have their fun!

If I did read it, snd I stayed, something else must have grabbed my attention. I'll focus on that. Writing style not quite doing it for me but I love the details added to the world? "Wow, the world you flesh out is so complex." No mention about how much of a drag it is to read, because hey, I still read it, and I had reason to not put it down!

3. I will not give corrections.

Authors (and maybe a beta) have put in tremendous effort and time, and to be like, "you missed a typo" or "actually, the canon lore says X" often detracts from the beauty of the shared fic experience. I interpret random grammar and misspeaks and typos in daily conversation and texts all the time. Surely I know enough to employ this skill. And if I figured it out, other readers probably will figure it out too. If I can't, I usually assume the author was too big brain for me and skip merrily along to the next sentence. (And if it's too much for me to handle, I click out.)

Yeah I get it! I get the urge to want to be helpful and contribute to other people's experience! I know that feel! Because, well, I learned this one from experience. I tried once. Watched an author wilt a little when what I wanted was to be helpful. Yeeeaaah, not doing that again.

So, I suspect this often comes off as a little entitled that just by that bit of you say something and kinda underlyingly expect the author to do something about it, and again, Author Owes Me Nothing! Even if the author is asking for a beta, I'd reach out first and make sure they are now in a headspace to be expecting beta thoughts from me.

Wrapping it up

I love fic, the world is rich with it, and I am full of love for authors and their craft. It fills my heart with joy to know I can return a little smile to someone who has let me hop on their ride for free.

It does take effort. Writing comments, turns out, is writing. Writing is a skill, therefore writing comments is a skill. And writing takes practice to improve, so, guess what, writing comments takes practice to improve. Who would've thunk. (Not me, I assure you.)

I've wanted to write this for me for a while, capture what I've learned because I noticed my ability to write comments change over time. Then recently, I was rec'd a fic and told to definitely leave a comment because the author deserves it and I write good comments. Dispatched because I write good comments! Now my commenter feathers are fluffed up, and so I have actually written this. But I definitely didn't start out the comment writer I am today, so I wanted to share that, surprisingly there is a progression path! (Maybe this is only surprising to me.)

I do find commenting adds to my fic reading experience. And I love reading other people's comments. Sometimes other people notice things I didn't or have very cool interpretations, and that is an extra wow right there. (And look at all these other people who like the thing I like!)

And if I leave a comment, sometimes I get a reply! Author noticed my little comment! Extra dose of happy for everyone!

And sometimes, sometimes, (and again I would never expect it, but it is a gift much like fic itself is) an author will write back full of their notes and what they were thinking about writing those moments, and I treasure that so, so much. It's both a delight because of the usual Author saw my effort commenting and I get an extra behind the scenes! The craft behind the craft! (Now how do authors leave good replies? That is still a mystery to me.)

Sometimes I write a lot and then it goes into a black hole, and that's sad. Hmm. I'm pretty sure this is what authors feel when we don't leave comments. Hmm. Guess it's time to write more comments! (Sometimes, like fic updates, replies show up months later, and that's honestly <3)

So, let's go leave some comments and show those authors love and tell them how much they delighted us! Or ... how they smashed our hearts into the ground with angst/no comfort because sometimes that's just what one wants to read.

[shavynel]

I heard people are getting their Sel boxes with wax seals!

Wax. Ladrian. Seals.

Oh shoot. Plural. I can fix that.

Yeah?

yeah.

[shavynel]

coppermind wiki: ⚠️ Warning ⚠️ Spoilers ⚠️ Ahead ⚠️

me: yeah yeah, give me the page. you're obviously a generic warning that doesn't apply to where I'm going. *clicks through and scrolls down*

coppermind wiki: *hands out spoilers*

me: what?? really??? ... I should have seen that coming ...

[shavynel]

I am a fucking artist.

@girlgeniusevents Day Three: Jagerkin & Crossover

wayne just has absolute jäger energy.

in the middle of a fight he stops to shop clothes off the guy he defeated

he believes in hats

his relationship with hats is unmatchable

book 1 plot is he loses his hat and tries to get it back

he's undyingly loyal

eager for a fight

knows how to start a bar fight

brawler in an age where there's shooty things

thinks getting shot at is a form of affection

absolutely would go up to someone and say "nize hat" (and eat it off their head)

inspired by one of my favorite panels of girl genius.

oh, and if they weren't stick figures, wax would be pulling him back by his suspenders.

[tereghan]

No worries! I'll definitely ramble on a little more.

I think @shavynel made some interesting points on their reblog, some of it is shown tangentially in TLM, but not as much since that book focuses more on Wayne. BTW, if you love Sterris you should try to push through because she has some great scenes in that book!

For practical reasons I don't think there are many scenes about the politics because that's how you get the slow parts of Elantris and Warbreaker (and the Star Wars prequels). It can be really interesting, but I think it's treated as side material because it would slow down the main plot.

But I don't generally pull quotes or receipts because I read all of these *years* ago and mostly very late at night while feeding my first baby. 😂 I'm a filthy casual (affectionate), which is why I like a bunch of stuff on here and don't necessarily chime in because I'll never be to the level of the reddit or Seventeenth Shard people. But you're not a hater, and the fandom here is pretty cool!

ok I’m about to be somewhat negative about mistborn era two, scroll away if you don’t want to see that…

ok, genuine question, did wax grow? can someone explain to me what his arc is? like I can tell he’s supposed to have one, but I don’t understand it (keep in mind I gave up halfway through lost metal, so I mean his arc through the first three books)

[shavynel]

“Constable Colms,” he said, scratching his chin. “Can you make any sense of this?” He showed her the drawing, which proved to be a crude sketch of Constable Gorglen as a giraffe hiding in a constable’s uniform. It said Approved by Expert Types at the bottom.

“I’ll talk to Wayne,” she promised.

Reddi sighed, then slipped the paper into a very large folder on the corner of his desk—the one where he kept complaints about Wayne. Reddi had evidently stopped returning it to the cabinet.

-- The Lost Metal, Chapter 10

[shavynel]

I keep imagining Wax and Wayne bits that are of the form...

Wayne: <some wild idea like> We lost our horses, but there's some giraffes right there. I've always wanted to ride a giraffe.

Wax: Wayne, no.

And use Wax to contrast Wayne, and it's fun! But I feel their dynamic is more like...

Wayne: We lost our horses, but there's some giraffes right there. I've always wanted to ride a giraffe.

Wax: Yeah, giraffes, hmmmm... Yes! That's perfect! *pause* Wait, you haven't ridden a giraffe yet?

Like Wax usually can come up with a plan, but it has just one hole, and somehow he always manages to slot into it Wayne's seemingly infeasible ideas in the most reasonable sounding way.

Probably happens 'cause Wax just constantly lands in outlandish situations, which is exactly when thinking normally gets you nowhere and you need to pull out your handy dandy Wayne-level idea generator.

All to say, this is my apology post to Wax for making him seem like a boring man who doesn't appreciate chaos. He supports chaos so hard that chaos finds him for moral support.

I mean, he did name his extremely docile horse Destroyer and all.

[shavynel]

Wayne: *pulls out dueling canes* It is time to eat!

Wax: You mean fight?

Wayne: Don't play with your food, Wax. *menaces foes with dueling canes chopsticks*

Foe: What is wrong with him?

Wax: Your guess is as good as mine. *sighs and pulls out his guns*

Brought to you by, what if Wayne learned about chopsticks? And what are chopsticks but mini dueling canes?